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Background The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a major impact on the health of people worldwide. The clinical background and clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among Japanese patients with COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods This study is an observational cohort of Japanese IBD patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Data on age, sex, IBD (classification, treatment, and activity), COVID-19 symptoms and severity, and treatment of COVID-19 were analyzed. Results From 72 participating facilities in Japan, 187 patients were registered from June 2020 to October 2021. The estimated incidence of COVID19 in Japanese IBD patients was 0.61%. The majority of IBD patients with COVID-19 (73%) were in clinical remission. According to the WHO classification regarding COVID-19 severity, 93% (172/184) of IBD patients had non-severe episodes, while 7% (12/184) were severe cases including serious conditions. 90.9% (165/187) of IBD patients with COVID-19 had no change in IBD disease activity. A logistic regression analysis stepwise method revealed that older age, higher body mass index (BMI), and steroid use were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity. Six of nine patients who had COVID-19 after vaccination were receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibodies. Conclusion Age, BMI and steroid use were associated with COVID-19 severity in Japanese IBD patients.

Stomata open in response to several environmental stimuli, such as light and low CO2. Plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase in guard cells plays a pivotal role for light-induced stomatal opening. In contrast, stomata close in response to the dark or plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA). However, molecular mechanisms of stomatal movements remain unclear. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of stomatal movements, we performed a genetic screen based on stomatal aperture-dependent weight decrease of detached leaves from EMS-treated Arabidopsis thaliana and isolated a rapid transpiration in detached leaves 2 (rtl2). The rtl2 mutant showed constitutive open-stomata phenotype with lower leaf temperature. ABA had no effect on stomatal aperture in rtl2. The rtl2 mutant also showed increased stomatal density, severe dwarf phenotype with pale green leaves and dark veins. Map-based analysis of the RTL2 locus revealed that the rtl2 mutant possesses a single nucleotide substitution, which induces amino acid substitution Gly162 to Glu in the tryptophan synthase ß subunit 1 (TSB1). The TSB1 encodes an enzyme in tryptophan (Trp) biosynthetic pathway. Amount of TSB1 protein was drastically reduced in rtl2 mutant. A different allele of tsb1 mutant (tsb1-1) also showed constitutive open-stomata phenotype with reduced TSB1 protein as in rtl2. Analyses of test-crossed plants of rtl2 and tsb1-1 showed open-stomata and dwarf phenotypes. These results indicate that a responsible gene for rtl2 is TSB1. We further investigated stomatal phenotype in mutants from Trp biosynthetic pathway, such as wei2-1 wei7-1, trp3-1, and tsb2-1. The trp3-1 mutant showed significant wider stomatal aperture as well as tsb1-1. Trp biosynthetic pathway closely relates to auxin biosynthesis. Then, we investigated auxin responsible genes and found that an expression of AUR3 was up in rtl2. In contrast, auxin had no effect on stomatal aperture in Arabidopsis and the phosphorylation status of PM H+-ATPase in guard cell protoplasts from Vicia faba. In addition, auxin antagonist had no effect on stomatal aperture. Interestingly, tsb1-1 grown under hydroponic culture system showed normal stomatal aperture by exogenously application of Trp. These results suggest that open stomata phenotype in tsb1-1 is due to Trp deficiency but not auxin.

We have applied the multivariable analysis technique called the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to both the divertor particle flux distribution and the electron pressure distribution in the core region of LHD. The cross-correlation analysis indicates that 3rd, 4th, and 5th POD modes of the electron pressure distribution are highly correlated with the divertor footprint index which is a measure of where the peak position of the particle flux distribution is located on the inner divertor plate. Both the 3rd and 4th modes seem to correspond to the shift of the electron pressure peak position from the magnetic-axis radius. In contrast, 5th mode has a strong influence on the peripheral gradient of the electron pressure distribution. Their relationships with the divertor footprint could be explained by the finite β and the Pfirsch-Schlüter current effects.

Three-dimensionally localization of radiative cooling due to nitrogen (N2) seeding for divertor detachment was detected experimentally. Since the localization along some magnetic field lines induces toroidal asymmetry of heat load reduction on divertor plates, it should be avoided for fusion reactors. The three-dimensionally localized structure was extracted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) from two-dimensional radiation images measured with an InfraRed imaging Video Bolometer (IRVB). By applying PCA to 34 images each in N2 seeded plasmas with toroidally-asymmetric heat load reduction and in neon (Ne) seeded plasmas with toroidally-symmetric heat load reduction, a radiation feature in N2 seeded plasmas was found as one of the principal components (PC). The three-dimensional transport code EMC3-EIRENE indicated that the ionization in one of the divertor legs is enhanced in nitrogen seeding compared with Ne seeding due to the difference in the first ionization energy. The magnetic field lines from the divertor leg were along the extracted radiation structure and were terminated by the divertor where the heat load decreased due to the N2 seeding. These results indicate that three-dimensionally localized structure of radiative cooling was detected experimentally.

Showing the effect of autoclave treatment on the physical microenvironment of the dentin surface. SEM images demonstrating A, B nontreated dentin surface and C, D autoclaved dentin surface. (PDF 227 kb)