Publications by authors named "Tomoko Shirai"

Unlabelled: While several studies have shown that insulin pens are more convenient and accurate than conventional administration with syringes and vials (syringes/vials), there is a frequent need for low-dose insulin injections administered by nurses using syringes/vials in hospital settings, particularly for critically ill patients. However, there is a lack of research investigating factors related to the accuracy of low-dose insulin administration using syringes/vials, particularly in hospital settings. We therefore performed a cross-sectional study to assess the accuracy of low-dose insulin administration by registered nurses using syringes/vials and to determine whether time of day, years of experience and adherence to proper injection procedures (vertical insertion/drawing and air bubble checking) affected the accuracy.

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The terrestrial biosphere is a key player in slowing the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. While quantification of carbon fluxes at global land scale is important for mitigation policy related to climate and carbon, measurements are only available at sites scarcely distributed in the world. This leads to using various methods to upscale site measurements to the whole terrestrial biosphere.

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Background: Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins and related to various biological events and diseases including virus infection and cancer metastasis. In particular, galactose-binding lectins have attracted attention as targets for drug delivery and cancer markers. We, previously, demonstrated that sugar-modified peptides (glycopeptides) were useful ligands for the detection and characterization of lectins compared to the sugar unit alone.

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This study compared the effects of placebo with a carotenoid compound, crocetin, as well as an antioxidant, ascorbic acid, on physical fatigue in humans. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-way crossover study, 14 Japanese healthy volunteers (7 men and 7 women) were randomized to oral administration of crocetin (15 mg), ascorbic acid (3,000 mg), or placebo for 8 days. Subjects performed workload tests on a bicycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 120 minutes at 2 times (a total of 240 minutes) as a fatigue-inducing physical task.

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We examined the effects of L-ornithine administration on physical fatigue. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-way crossover study, 17 healthy volunteers were randomized to L-ornithine (2000 mg/d for 7 days and 6000 mg/d for 1 day as L-ornithine hydrochloride) or placebo for 8 days. The fatigue-inducing physical task consisted of workload trials on a cycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 2 hours on 2 occasions.

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Objective: To confirm fatigue-related biochemical alterations, we measured various parameters just before and after relaxation and fatigue-inducing mental or physical sessions.

Methods: Fifty-four healthy volunteers were randomized to perform relaxation and fatigue-inducing mental and physical sessions for 4 h in a double-blind, three-crossover design. Before and after each session, subjects were asked to rate their subjective sensations of fatigue, and blood, saliva, and urine samples were taken.

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We examined the effects of citric acid and l-carnitine administration on physical fatigue. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-way crossover study, 18 healthy volunteers were randomized to oral citric acid (2,700 mg/day), l-carnitine (1,000 mg/day), or placebo for 8 days. The fatigue-inducing physical task consisted of workload trials on a cycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 2 h on 2 occasions.

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Objective: This study examined the effects of coenzyme Q10 administration on physical fatigue.

Methods: In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, three crossover design, 17 healthy volunteers were randomized to oral coenzyme Q10 (100 or 300 mg/d) or placebo administration for 8 d. As a fatigue-inducing physical task, subjects performed workload trials on a bicycle ergometer at fixed workloads twice for 2 h and then rested for 4 h.

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Objective: We examined the effects of administering two different candidate antifatigue substances, caffeine and D-ribose, on mental fatigue.

Methods: In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, three-way crossover design, 17 healthy volunteers were randomized to oral caffeine (200 mg/d), D-ribose (2000 mg/d), or placebo for 8 d. As fatigue-inducing mental tasks, subjects performed a 30-min Uchida-Kraepelin psychodiagnostic test and a 30-min advanced trail-making test on four occasions.

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Objective: We examined the effects of Applephenon and ascorbic acid administration on physical fatigue.

Methods: In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, three-way crossover design, 18 healthy volunteers were randomized to oral Applephenon (1200 mg/d), ascorbic acid (1000 mg/d), or placebo for 8 d. The fatigue-inducing physical task consisted of workload trials on a bicycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 2 h on two occasions.

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