Mite avoidance decreased mite-specific IgE levels and ameliorated asthma symptoms in subjects who lived in temporary housing after natural disasters.

Background: We previously reported an increased prevalence of asthma among patients who had lived in temporary housing after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. We investigated the prognosis of asthma in former residents of temporary housing after allergen avoidance.

Methods: Asthma was diagnosed in adults ≥ 15 years from 2014 to 2019 who had lived in temporary housing in Ishinomaki City for at least 1 year.

Correlation analysis between lower limb muscle architectures and cycling power via ultrasonography.

The primary purpose was to examine the relationship between the muscle architectural characteristics of short and long-distance cyclist-including muscle thickness, fascicle angle, and fascicle length-of the anterior thigh and posterior leg and its impact in 20-s cycling power. The secondary purpose was to clarify the muscle variables that predict the cycling power by using ultrasonography to measure the muscle architectural characteristics. Twenty-four varsity cyclists participated in this study, of whom 12 were short-distance cyclists and 12 were long-distance cyclists.

Feasibility and acceptability of cognitive rehabilitation during the acute phase of schizophrenia.

Aim: Although numerous studies have demonstrated promising results for the cognitive rehabilitation in subjects with schizophrenia, the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation for everyday and social functioning is not yet sufficient. Although consideration of the contents and methods are vital, the timing for implementing cognitive rehabilitation also seems to be crucial. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of cognitive rehabilitation during the acute phase of schizophrenia.

Fluorocyanoesters as Additives for Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolytes.

A range of methyl 2-fluorocyanoester derivatives were synthesized from dimethyl 2-fluoromalonate ester, and their efficacy as additives in lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrolytes was determined. The role played by the 2-fluorocyanoester additives on battery performance was explored by linear sweep cyclic voltammetry, NMR, GCMS, and XPS techniques. For all fluorocyanoester additives studied, initial reduction of the carbonyl group occurs which is then followed by formation of the corresponding radical anion.

The association between health-related quality of life and disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a prospective cohort study.

Generally, a disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measurement is more useful than generic measures in assessing perceived physical and mental health characteristic of a particular disease. The idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)-specific version of St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ-I) has been recently developed for patients with IPF.

[Efforts toward comprehensive early intervention at Early Psychosis Unit "II Bosco"].

Recently, shortening of the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and intensive treatment within the critical period are taken as determinants of a favorable prognosis, and various service systems and treatment approaches for early intervention in schizophrenia have been proposed in the world. At the Toho University Omori Medical Center, Early Psychosis Unit "Il Bosco" was established as an intervention service from the viewpoint of preventing full-blown psychosis at the prodromal stage, where cognitive training for a direct therapeutic approach to brain function and psychosocial treatment for patients at puberty and adolescence are administered. In this article, we introduce the practice at "Il Bosco" and consider future prospects.

[The significance of the early detection and intervention for schizophrenia].

Early detection of, and intervention for, schizophrenia improve the social and functional outcome of the schizophrenia patient. A shorter duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is an indication of a good prognosis for schizophrenia, but the DUP in Japan is comparatively long. There are some reports which have suggested shortening the DUP, for example, the Buckingham project and TIPS.

Poor outcome associated with symptomatic deterioration among help-seeking individuals at risk for psychosis: a naturalistic follow-up study.

Aims: It remains debatable whether early intervention for psychosis is capable of meeting the needs of at-risk subjects. The aims of this study were to describe the actual impact of interventions on subjective difficulties and to explore the factors that may be associated with a poor outcome.

Methods: Participants were help-seeking outpatients at a university hospital who met the Criteria of Prodromal Syndromes.

Clinical practice at a multi-dimensional treatment centre for individuals with early psychosis in Japan.

Early intervention for psychosis in Japan has lagged behind that in western countries, but has rapidly begun to attract attention in recent years. As part of a worldwide trend, a multi-dimensional treatment centre for early psychosis consisting of a Youth Clinic, which specialises in young individuals with an at-risk mental state for psychosis, and Il Bosco, a special day-care service for individuals with early psychosis, was initiated at the Toho University Omori Medical Center in Japan in 2007. The treatment centre aims to provide early intervention to prevent the development of full-blown psychosis in patients with an at-risk mental state and intensive rehabilitation to enable first-episode schizophrenia patients to return to the community.

Chemistry of fullerene epoxides: synthesis, structure, and nucleophilic substitution-addition reactivity.

Fullerene epoxides, C₆₀O(n), having epoxide groups directly attached to the fullerene cage, constitute an interesting class of fullerene derivatives. In particular, the chemical transformations of fullerene epoxides are expected to play an important role in the development of functionalized fullerenes. This is because such transformations can readily afford a variety of mono- or polyfunctionalized fullerene derivatives while conserving the epoxy ring arrangement on the fullerene surface, as seen in representative regioisomeric fullerene polyepoxides.

Early psychosis in Asia: Insights from Japan.

The largest task for psychiatry in Japan today is the deinstitutionalization of patients with psychiatric disorders. In Japan, all citizens are covered by a national health plan, and about 70% of the total cost is covered by the national health insurance scheme. At present, however, there is still no category for early intervention in the national health reimbursement schedule.

Reduced prefrontal cortex activation during divergent thinking in schizophrenia: a multi-channel NIRS study.

Relationships between deficits in verbal fluency and poor social functioning have been revealed in patients with schizophrenia. In previous studies, we demonstrated that deficits in idea fluency, which is ranked as a more complex type of verbal fluency and reflects divergent thinking ability, were more closely related to social dysfunction than deficits in simple word fluency. Although functional neuroimaging studies have provided detailed data regarding prefrontal dysfunction during word fluency tasks, the regions that relate to deficits in fluency of ideas and thoughts have not yet been clarified in schizophrenia patients.

Isolation and characterization of Listeria monocytogenes from commercial asazuke (Japanese light pickles).

Asazuke is a ready-to-eat Japanese light pickle, mainly made of vegetables which are known to be one of the sources of Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Although asazuke is a popular side-dish in Japan, the hazard of bacterial contamination has not been evaluated yet. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of L.

Dyke-Davidoff-Masson Syndrome Demonstrated by Current MR images. A Case Report.

Current magnetic resonance imaging techniques demonstrated MR findings of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome in a 44-year-old man. Statistical parametric mapping analysis of the T1-weighted images showed focal atrophy in the basal ganglia. Three-dimensional white matter fibers of corticospinal tracts, corpus callosum and cingulate bundle were demonstrated using diffusion tensor data correlated to the patient's clinical conditions.

Detection of Salmonella spp. Isolates from specimens due to pork production Chains in Hue City, Vietnam.

From August 2007 until March 2008, we perfomed a detection and epidemiological analysis for Salmonella spp. in specimens collected from pork production chains to improve the quality of meat hygiene conditions in Hue, Vietnam. A total of 306 specimens were examined for Salmonella spp.

Hazard analysis of Listeria monocytogenes contaminations in processing of salted roe from walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in Hokkaido, Japan.

Hazard analysis of Listeria monocytogenes contamination during processing of salted walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) roe was performed for a seafood plant in Japan from December 2005 to February 2006. As a result, L. monocytogenes number was detected on the pallet used for transport of barrels in the salting process and one of the rollers of the roller conveyor, which rotates while in contact with the bottoms of the barrels, but was not detected in any raw materials, interim products or final products.

Clinical practice and research activities for early psychiatric intervention at Japanese leading centres.

Aim: To describe clinical practice and research activities for early psychiatric intervention in Japan, a country with a huge number of psychiatric beds and a history of long-stay, hospital-based psychiatry.

Methods: The characteristics, methods and activities of early intervention studies and implementation at four leading institutions in Japan are described.

Results: The Tokyo Youth Club (Tokyo), the Department of Neuropsychiatry of Toyama University Hospital (Toyama), the Sendai At-risk Mental State and First Episode (SAFE) service (Sendai), and the Il Bosco of Toho University Omori Medical Center (Tokyo) have unique and active psychiatric programmes.

Therapy with statins and aspirin enhances long-term outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention.

Aspirin is the standard therapy applied after coronary intervention, and statins are also prescribed to prevent secondary coronary heart disease. We assessed the ability of a combination of statins and aspirin to improve the longterm prognosis of patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We collected data from 575 consecutive patients who underwent PCI.

Penicillium strains as dominant degraders in soil for coffee residue, a biological waste unsuitable for fertilization.

Aims: Coffee residue is an agricultural waste which inhibits the growth of several crops. Therefore coffee residue-degrading microbes in soil were screened, isolated and characterized.

Methods And Results: Forty isolates were obtained after enrichment culture of soil samples.

Clinical application of Clostridium botulinum type A neurotoxin purified by a simple procedure for patients with urinary incontinence caused by refractory destrusor overactivity.

Type A neurotoxin of Clostridium botulinum was purified by a simple procedure using a lactose gel column. This procedure was previously reported for type B neurotoxin. Hemagglutinin-positive toxins (19S and 16S) were bound to the column under acid conditions, and the neurotoxin alone was dissociated from these hemagglutinin-positive toxins by changing the pH of the column to an alkaline condition.