Optical Filters with Asymmetric Transmittance Depending on the Incident Angle, Produced Using Liquid Crystalline Ink (Louver LC Filters).

In many situations in everyday life, sunlight levels need to be reduced. Optical filters with asymmetric transmittance dependent on the incident angle would be useful for sunglasses and vehicle or architectural windows, among others. Herein, we realized the production of optical filters, called "louver filters", comprising HAN-type LC film produced using liquid crystalline ink with dichroic dyes.

Plasma levels and urinary excretion of protein Z in patients with urolithiasis.

Objectives: Protein Z (PZ) is a γ-carboxyglutamic acid protein present in plasma that is involved in blood coagulation. Detailed analysis of urinary stones from patients with urolithiasis has revealed that PZ is often found in urinary stones composed of calcium oxalate monohydrate. In this study, we compared blood and urinary PZ concentrations between healthy individuals and patients with urolithiasis.

Health status of university football athletes through multidimensional screening.

Objective: Adequate conditioning results from various physical, environmental, and psychological factors in sports activities. In this study, we aimed to clarify the concurrence and relevance of injuries, psychological problems, and sleep disturbance in university football (soccer) players. Biomechanical characteristics and risk factors for those injuries were also investigated.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-associated hepatocarcinogenesis in mice fed a modified choline-deficient, methionine-lowered, L-amino acid-defined diet and the role of signal changes.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can progress to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The incidence of NASH-associated HCC is increasing, posing a serious public health threat. Unfortunately, the underlying pathological mechanisms, including the possible differences between neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions, remain largely unknown.

Time-Course of Transcriptomic Change in the Lungs of F344 Rats Repeatedly Exposed to a Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube in a 2-Year Test.

Despite intensive toxicological studies of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) over the last two decades, only a few studies have demonstrated their pulmonary carcinogenicities in chronic animal experiments, and the underlying molecular mechanisms are still unclear. To obtain molecular insights into CNT-induced lung carcinogenicity, we performed a transcriptomic analysis using a set of lung tissues collected from rats in a 2-year study, in which lung tumors were induced by repeated intratracheal instillations of a multiwalled carbon nanotube, MWNT-7. The RNA-seq-based transcriptome identified a large number of significantly differentially expressed genes at Year 0.

Correlates of delirium care competency among shift leader nurses in acute medical wards in Japan: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: This study identified the correlates of delirium care competency among shift leader nurses in acute medical wards in Japan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2019 to February 2020. We sent request letters to a random sample of 381 general acute care hospitals in Japan.

[Steps to Regulatory Science].

The research achievements in the field of regulatory science from the beginning of my research are described in an overview. First, I was interested in the complexity of development and pursued my studies on the mechanisms of DNA replication and repair, the mutagenicity of air pollutants, and the oncogene. After researching new phenomena based on the discovery of basic research in molecular/biochemistry, my research interests turned to the field of regulatory science which applies scientific evidence to social systems.

Administration of amyloid-β oligomer to the buccal ganglia may reduce food intake and cholinergic synaptic responses within the feeding neural circuit in Aplysia kurodai.

Anorexia is a behavioral change caused by functional brain disorders in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Amyloid-β (1-42) oligomers (o-Aβ) are possible causative agents of AD that impair signaling via synaptic dysfunction. In this study, we used Aplysia kurodai to study functional disorders of the brain through o-Aβ.

Non-Native Structures of Apomyoglobin and Apoleghemoglobin in Folding Intermediates Related to the Protein Misfolding.

Protein folding is essential for a polypeptide chain to acquire its proper structure and function. Globins are a superfamily of ubiquitous heme-binding α-helical proteins whose function is principally to regulate oxygen homoeostasis. In this review, we explore the hierarchical helical formation in the globin proteins apomyoglobin and leghemoglobin, and we discuss the existence of non-native and misfolded structures occurring during the course of folding to its native state.

Urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein is increased in the early stages of the disease with a risk of acute kidney injury induced by histone.

Aim: Urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) has potential utility as an early prognostic biomarker ahead of traditional severity scores in coronavirus disease 2019 and sepsis, however, the mechanism of elevated urinary L-FABP in the disease has not been clearly elucidated. We investigated the background mechanisms of urinary L-FABP excretion through non-clinical animal model focusing on histone, which is one of the aggravating factors in these infectious diseases.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were placed in central intravenous catheters, and these rats were given a continuous intravenous infusion of 0.

Continuous monitoring of fetal gross movement and maternal glucose level using newly developed methods.

Background: There is no consensus on the relationship between maternal glucose levels and fetal movements.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between gross fetal movements and maternal glucose levels in the hours around food intake.

Study Design: This was an observational study with 2 newly developed technologies, which were a glucose monitoring system and a fetal movement acceleration measurement recorder.

Estimation of the Depletion Layer Thickness in Silicon Nanowire-Based Biosensors from Attomolar-Level Biomolecular Detection.

Silicon nanowire (SiNW) biosensors have attracted a lot of attention due to their superior sensitivity. Recently, the dependence of biomolecule detection sensitivity on the nanowire (NW) width, number, and doping density has been partially investigated. However, the primary reason for achieving ultrahigh sensitivity has not been elucidated thus far.

Delayed sleep-wake rhythm due to staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and sleep debt after returning to campus among Japanese nursing university students: A longitudinal study.

This study aimed to investigate sleep problems during staying at home due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and after returning to campus among university nursing students. We analyzed data from self-reported sleep surveys conducted during a nursing course at a university in Tokyo between 2019 and 2021. During staying at home due to COVID-19, we observed delayed sleep-wake rhythm, prolonged sleep duration on weekdays, a decreased sleep debt, improved daytime sleepiness, and worsened insomnia, especially in terms of difficulty initiating sleep (Study 1; 18 paired data).

Longitudinal trajectory of vascular age indices and cardiovascular risk factors: a repeated-measures analysis.

This study aimed to identify the modifiable cardiovascular risk factors associated with longitudinal changes, which are nine functional and structural biological vascular aging indicators (BVAIs), to propose an effective method to prevent biological vascular aging. We conducted a longitudinal study of 697 adults (a maximum of 3636 BVAI measurements) who were, at baseline, aged between 26 and 85 years and whose BVAIs were measured at least twice between 2007 and 2018. The nine BVAIs were measured using vascular testing and an ultrasound device.

T-Cell Response and Antibody Production Induced by the COVID-19 Booster Vaccine in Japanese Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Treated with Hemodialysis.

Humoral and cellular responses are critical in understanding immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination. Here, we evaluated these responses in hemodialysis (HD) patients after the booster vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (IgG) levels, neutralizing antibody titers, and the T-SPOT.

Pedal cadence does not affect muscle damage to eccentric cycling performed at similar mechanical work.

This study aimed to investigate muscle damage when performing equal mechanical work of fast and slow pedaling speed by eccentric muscle actions (ECCs) cycling. Nineteen young men [mean ± standard deviation (SD) age: 21.0 ± 2.

Safety of mirogabalin and pregabalin in Japanese patients with neuropathic pain: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Few studies have compared the safety risks between the gabapentinoids, pregabalin, and mirogabalin in post-marketing clinical settings. We assessed reported events associated with gabapentinoid use in patients with neuropathic pain.

Research Design And Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study between September 2020 and December 2020 using the community pharmacies records in Japan.

Sex difference in soccer instep kicking.

We aimed to clarify the differences in soccer instep kicking dynamics between sex groups. The instep kicking of seven female (height: 160.3 ± 6.