COVID-19 impacts on characterization of N-nitrosamines and their precursors during transport in sewer systems.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) and their specific precursors (N,N-dimethylformamide [DMF] for NDMA and morpholine [MOR] for NMOR) were widely detected in sewerage systems of an urban area, in which chlorine-containing disinfectants were discharged with effluent of hospitals, etc. However, little is known about the effect of chlorine influx on formation and distribution of NDMA and NMOR in sewer systems in a sudden major public health event. We investigated the spatiotemporal patterns of NDMA, NMOR, DMF and MOR in influents of sewage treatment plants (STPs), as well as its upstream sewer sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elevation-related climate trends dominate fungal co-occurrence network structure and the abundance of keystone taxa on Mt. Norikura, Japan.

Soil fungi play an important role in promoting nutrient cycling and maintaining ecosystem stability. Yet, there has been little understanding of how fungal co-occurrence networks differ along elevational climate gradients, a topic of interest to both macroecology and climate change studies. Based on high-throughput sequencing technology, we investigated the trend in co-occurrence network structure of soil fungal communities at 11 elevation levels along a 2300 m elevation gradient on Mt.

Pancreatobiliary Maljunction-associated Gallbladder Cancer Is as Common in the West, Shows Distinct Clinicopathologic Characteristics and Offers an Invaluable Model for Anatomy-induced Reflux-associated Physio-chemical Carcinogenesis.

Objective: To determine the associations of pancreatobiliary maljunction (PBM) in the West.

Background: PBM (anomalous union of common bile duct and pancreatic duct) is mostly regarded as an Asian-only disorder, with 200X risk of gallbladder cancer (GBc), attributed to reflux of pancreatic enzymes. Methods: Radiologic images of 840 patients in the US who underwent pancreatobiliary resections were reviewed for PBM and contrasted with 171 GBC cases from Japan.

A case of well-differentiated cholangiolocellular carcinoma visualized with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography using Sonazoid.

We here report the first case of cholangiolocellular carcinoma (CoCC) visualized with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) using a second-generation contrast agent, Sonazoid. A 76-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of a hepatic tumor. The tumor was described as having hyper-enhancement in the early phase and persistent enhancement in the late phase by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as hypervascularity by angiography.

Effect of single and multi-joint lower extremity muscle strength on the functional capacity and ADL/IADL status in Japanese community-dwelling older adults.

Forty-seven community-dwelling older adults aged >70 years participated in this Japanese cross-sectional study to determine the relationship between the isometric lower extremity muscle strength measured during knee extension (KE) in single-joint and total leg extension (TLE) in multi-joint tasks, physical performance tests, and functional status. The physical performance was determined by KE and TLE muscle strength, walking capacity, and balance performance tests, while the functional status was evaluated by interview using basic activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) tools. The results indicated that the TLE muscle strength was significantly related to all the other performance tests, while the KE muscle strength was not correlated with the balance test.

Amlodipine prevents monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension and prolongs survival in rats independent of blood pressure lowering.

1. The present study was designed to examine the role of amlodipine in preventing and reversing monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in rats. 2.

Inflammatory lesions of the lung, submandibular gland, bile duct and prostate in a patient with IgG4-associated multifocal systemic fibrosclerosis.

Multifocal systemic fibrosclerosis (MSF) is a multisystem disease, which often mimics malignancy. A 70-year-old asymptomatic man with lesions in the lung, prostate, submandibular glands and bile ducts appeared to have malignancy. Biopsy of a lung nodule showed IgG4-positive plasma cell infiltration and the serum IgG4 was elevated.

Clinical analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease phenotypes classified using high-resolution computed tomography.

Objective And Background: The present study was performed to clarify the clinical characteristics of patients with COPD classified into phenotypes according to the dominancy of emphysema and the presence of bronchial wall thickening (BWT) evaluated by chest high-resolution CT.

Methods: A total of 172 patients with stable COPD (FEV1<80%) were examined by chest high-resolution CT. Emphysematous changes and BWT were evaluated visually, and COPD patients were classified into three phenotypes: absence of emphysema, with little emphysema with or without BWT (A phenotype), emphysema without BWT (E phenotype) and emphysema with BWT phenotype (M phenotype).

A case of nephrotic syndrome due to lupus nephritis which was controlled with low-density lipoprotein apheresis.

Our report discusses a 29 year old female patient with nephrotic syndrome due to lupus nephritis, biopsy-proven World Health Organization classification Types IVb and V that was controlled with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis. She was initially treated with steroid therapy, including methylprednisolone pulse therapy, and the serological activity of her systemic lupus erythematosus was suppressed. However, her nephrotic state, accompanied by severe hyperlipidemia, persisted despite the steroid therapy.

Correlation between microbubble contrast-enhanced color doppler sonography and immunostaining for Kupffer cells in assessing the histopathologic grade of hepatocellular carcinoma: preliminary results.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the histopathologic grades of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) on the basis of the presence of Kupffer cells, using color Doppler sonography with the liver-specific microbubble contrast agent Levovist.

Methods: Color Doppler sonograms generated by stimulated acoustic emission were obtained 7 minutes after intravenous injection of 5 ml of Levovist (300 mg/dl) in patients with histopathologically confirmed HCCs. CT scans were also obtained and evaluated, and hematoxylin and eosin staining for morphologic examination and immunostaining (anti-CD68) for detecting Kupffer cells were performed for confirmation of the sonographic findings.

Actual behaviour of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (histoacryl) in a blood vessel: a model of the varix.

Background And Study Aims: Though many gastric varices are treated endoscopically with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate, its behavior in varices is not known precisely.

Materials And Methods: We created a varix model. A volume of 0.

Histological diversity of vasculitic lesions in MPO-ANCA-positive autopsy cases.

To investigate the variety of histological features of vasculitic lesions in myeloperoxidase-specific antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (pANCA)-related vasculitis, retrospective pathological analysis was done on 13 autopsy cases, collected from 1990 to 1998 at five hospitals. These cases were classified into three groups: (i) pulmonary-renal syndrome characterized by capillaritis of lung and glomeruli with occasional small-vessel arteritis and/or phlebitis; (ii) glomerular capillaritis without pulmonary involvement associated with significant small-vessel arteritis; and (iii) extensive distribution of small-vessel arteritis with no capillary involvement. The results suggest that pANCA-related vasculitis encompasses a wide variety of vasculitic syndromes, including pulmonary-renal syndrome, microscopic polyarteritis nodosa, and classic polyarteritis nodosa.

Irregular nocturnal breathing patterns high altitude in subjects susceptible to high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE): a preliminary study.

We studied nocturnal breathing patterns and symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) during trekking in the Japanese Alps (altitude: 2,760-2,920 m) for 4 d in five subjects susceptible to high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE-S-S) and five control volunteers. Breathing patterns were evaluated with the impedance plethysmograph, and symptoms of AMS were evaluated by the environmental symptoms questionnaire-III score for AMS of cerebral type (AMS-C score). In both groups, the percentage of time with periodic breathing significantly increased at high altitude and the percentage in controls was significantly higher than in HAPE-S-S on the second night.