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OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the proportion of each medical condition or disease contributing to dizziness and their disposition in the Emergency Department (ED). METHODS: This retrospective, descriptive study examined data from the Osaka Emergency Information Research Intelligent Operation Network system in Japan for the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. The inclusion criteria were patients with presumptive ICD-10 codes including "dizziness" or "vertigo". Patient demographics were compared using the χ2 test and Kruskal-Wallis test. Logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate disposition from ED (emergency admission or discharge) over the 3-year study period. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using multivariate analyses. RESULTS: During the 3-year study period, a total of 1,346,457 patients (462,773 in 2018, 468,697 in 2019, and 414,987 in 2020; P < 0.001), including 53,190 patients with dizziness (18,396 in 2018, 18,649 in 2019, and 16,145 in 2020; P = 0.058), were identified as having been transported to hospitals by ambulance in Osaka Prefecture. Dizziness and giddiness (R42) was the most common form of dizziness, in 27,075 cases (9,570 in 2018, 9,613 in 2019, and 7,892 in 2020; P < 0.001; Gender composition showed 10,483 males and 16,592 females.) Vestibular Neuronitis (H81.2) showed significant increase in 2020 compared to the two preceding years (91 in 2018, 119 in 2019, and 130 in 2020, P = 0.003; including 174 males and 167 females, respectively). Of the 53,190 patients with dizziness, 11,862 (22.3%; 4,323 males, 7,539 females) were admitted to hospital. The odds ratio (OR) for emergency admission for dizziness in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic was 0.98 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.93– 1.03) with reference to 2018. CONCLUSION: Patients with dizziness accounted approximately 4% of ED transportations, with about 20% requiring hospital admission, irrespective of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vestibular neuronitis was significantly increased in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, has spread rapidly around the world. Objective: To assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emergency medical service (EMS) and hospital admission course for children transported by ambulance. Methods: This study was a retrospective, descriptive study with a study period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020 using the Osaka Emergency Information Research Intelligent Operation Network (ORION) system. All children who were transported by ambulance in Osaka Prefecture were included. The main outcome of this study was the rate of difficult-to-transfer cases, which was calculated by univariate and multivariate Poisson regression analyses. Results: Over the 3 years between January 1, 2018 and December 31 2020, 1,436,212 patients were transported to hospitals by ambulances in Osaka Prefecture, with children accounting for 102,473 (37,064, 39,590, and 25,819, in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively). Poisson regression analysis showed that children were negatively associated with difficult-to-transfer cases (risk ratio (RR) 0.35, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.37). With reference to 2018, 2020 was not significantly associated with difficult-to-transfer cases in children (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.32, P = 0.075), but was significantly related (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.27, P < 0.001) to difficult-to-transfer cases in the general population. Conclusion: Children were consistently associated with a reduced RR for difficult-to-transfer cases, even in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated factors associated with prolonged viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2 among non-severe adult patients in Osaka, Japan. A total of 706 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this longitudinal observational study between 29 January 2020 and 31 May 2020, across 62 hospitals and three non-hospital recuperation facilities. Methods: Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors associated with prolonged (29 days: upper 25% in duration) viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2. Linear regression analysis was conducted to assess these factors 14 days after symptom onset. Results: The median duration of viral clearance was 22 days from symptom onset. After adjustment for sex, age, symptoms, comorbidity, and location of recuperation, comorbidities were associated with prolonged duration: (OR, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.11–2.82]) for one, (OR, 2.47 [95% CI, 1.32–4.61]) for two or more comorbidities. Viral clearance 14 days after symptom onset was 3 days longer for one comorbidity and 4 days longer for two or more comorbidities compared to clearance when there was no comorbidity. Conclusion: The presence of comorbidity was a robust factor associated with a longer duration of viral clearance, extending by 3 to 4 days compared to patients with no comorbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple method to investigate the velocity distributions of cluster beams is presented. Following photon absorption, excited clusters are removed from the beam. This results in a reduced signal at the detector. Using time-resolved detection, all the parameters of the velocity distribution can be extracted from the signal shape. The technique is demonstrated for a neutral sodium cluster beam. An analytical calculation of the signal shape is in excellent agreement with the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil samples were investigated from three different climatic regions of Japan. The soil profiles were well drained and consisted of a number of buried soils. Organic matter and free iron oxides were removed from the samples which were then fractionated. Laminar opaline silica particles occurring in the 0.2 to 5 μm fractions were examined electron-optically following ultrasonic and cold 5 per cent sodium carbonate treatment. Four types of opaline silica particles were distinguished: circular, elliptical, rectangular, and rhombic. The opaline silica particles are extremely thin. They show fine-grained uneven surfaces and weathered and alkali-treated opaline silica particles appear to be very porous suggesting that the particles are actually composed of extremely fine silica spheres. Opaline silica panicles occur only in the 0.2 to 5 μm fractions and are most abundant in the 0.4 to 2 μm fractions. Of the four types the circular and elliptical types predominate. The elliptical type is the most common in the fine fraction and the circular type in the coarse fraction. Compared with B- or C-horizons, the A-horizon of a profile tends to be relatively rich in opaline silica. Opaline silica particles are abundant in recent volcanic ash soils, particularly in Hokkaido soils < 500 years old. Soils of this area more than 7000 years old contain opaline silica particles whereas they are rare in Kanto soils > 6000 years old and in Kyushu soils > 4000 years old. Hokkaido has much lower mean annual temperatures and rainfall than Kanto or Kyushu. This may have caused slower weathering of opaline silica in the Hokkaido soils. Conditions for formation of opaline silica may be less favourable in subsoils because supersaturation of silica and concentration of bases is less likely to occur in subsoils than in surface soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]