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The binocular Esterman visual field test (EVFT) of 120 points was the first method to quantify the defects in the binocular visual field. It is used in many parts of the world as a standard test to determine whether an individual has the visual capabilities to drive safely. In Japan, it is required for the grading and issuance of visual disability certificates. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of the EVFT results. We studied 104 patients who had undergone the binocular EVFT at Mie University Hospital. Their mean age was 68.0 ± 11.4 years, and the best-corrected visual acuity of the better eye was 0.18 ± 0.38 logMAR units. The EVFT was performed twice on the same day, and the results of the first and second tests were compared. The mean Esterman scores for the first and second test were 89.3 ± 30.5 and 89.1 ± 30.2, respectively, and the test times were 338.9 ± 86.8 and 336.7 ± 76.4 s, respectively. The differences were not significant (p = 0.69 and p = 0.33). In the Bland–Altman analyses (second–first test) of the Esterman scores, the mean difference was 0.38 without significant fixed errors (p = 0.20) or proportional errors (p = 0.27). The limits of agreement within the 1.96 standard deviation were −8.96 to +9.45 points. The agreement rate for the most peripheral 24 test points was significantly lower than the agreement rate for the other 96 test points (p < 0.01). The agreement rate of the upper visual field was significantly lower than that of the lower field (p < 0.01). The overall reliability rate of the EVFT is acceptable, but the peripheral and upper test points have relatively low reliability rates. These findings are important for interpretations of the EVFT results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the research literature on factors associated with gallstones, large population-based cohort studies are rare. We carried out a study of this type to explore risk factors for the onset of gallstones. This study included Japanese participants aged 40–107 years who were followed prospectively from January 2012 to September 2020 using a dataset composed of two individually linked databases, one containing annual health checkup records and the other containing medical claims for beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance System and the Medical Care System for Elderly in the Latter Stage of Life in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Among the 611,930 participants in the analysis set, 23,843 (3.9%) were diagnosed with gallstones during the observational period (median [max]: 5.68 [7.5] years). Multivariate analysis revealed that risk of gallstone disease was increased by male sex, cerebrovascular disease, any malignancy, dementia, rheumatic disease, chronic pulmonary disease, hypertension, and H. pylori-infected gastritis. These findings provide essential insights into the etiology of cholelithiasis and may contribute to efforts to reduce the incidence of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of an influenza epidemic are difficult to determine because they vary for each circulating influenza subtype. We evaluated the epidemiology of influenza A subtypes at Oshima Medical Center [...]

The hemolysin-determining plasmid pAD1 is a member of a widely disseminated family of highly conjugative elements commonly present in clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecalis. The determinants repA, repB, and repC, as well as adjacent iteron sequences, are believed to play important roles in pADI replication and maintenance. The repA gene encodes an initiator protein, whereas repB and repC encode proteins related to stability and copy number. The present study focuses specifically on repA and identifies a replication origin (oriV) within a central region of the repA determinant. A small segment of repA carrying oriV was able to support replication in cis of a plasmid vector otherwise unable to replicate, if an intact RepA was supplied in trans. We demonstrate that under conditions in which RepA is expressed from an artificial promoter, a segment of DNA carrying only repA is sufficient for stable replication in E. faecalis. We also show that RepA binds specifically to oriV DNA at several sites containing inverted repeat sequences (i.e., IR-1) and nonspecifically to single-stranded DNA, and related genetic analyses confirm that these sequences play an important role in replication. Finally, we reveal a relationship between the internal structure of RepA and its ability to recognize oriV. An in-frame deletion within repA resulting in loss of 105 nucleotides, including at least part of oriV, did not eliminate the ability of the altered RepA protein to initiate replication using an intact origin provided in trans. The relationship of RepA to other known initiator proteins is also discussed.

Researchers describe an E. coli-Enterococcus faecalis shuttle vector that can express cloned genes in E. faecalis without a promoter. E. faecalis is human pathogen that may become resistant to antibiotics that are normally used to treat enterococcal infections.

Research was conducted to study the cloning and genetic and sequence analyses of the bacteriocin 21 determinant encoded on the Enterococcus faecalis pheromone-responsive conjugative plasmid pPD1. The alkali lysis method was utilized to isolate plasmid DNA while the locations of the insertions were determined by nucleotide sequencing with synthetic primers. Results showed that deletions of the genes in the distal half of the determinant led in reduced bacteriocin expression.

Research was conducted to study DNA damage-inducible genes encoded on the Enterococcus faecalis pheromone-responsive conjugative plasmid pAD1. Plasmid DNA was isolated by the alkaline lysis method while the nucleotide sequence of the uvr gene of pAD1 was determined rom a series of nested deletion mutants. Results showed that the potential promoter sequences were in the upstream of the start codons of uvrA, uvrB and uvrC. They also indicated that Uv resistance determinants also enhance the UV resistance of wild-type E. faecalis FA2-2.

Isolation and characterization of the Enterococcus faecalis pheromone-responsive conjugative bacteriocin plasmids encoding a new bacteriocin determinant type 3 have identified two classes of genes: the bacteriocin bacA gene; and an immunity gene bacB. Sequence analysis showed that bacA is located between 3.37kb and 3.57 kb, and bacB between 3.59kb and 3.87 kb. The bacA gene encodes 67 amino acids and bacB encodes 94 amino acids.

The bacteriocin plasmid pPD1 involved in pheromone response in Enterococcus faecalis has been physically mapped and found to contain the following gene sequence: repB- repA-traC-traB-traA-ipd-traE-traF-orfY-sea-1. Researchers determined the nucleotide sequence of DNA that conferred constitutive clumping on bacteria. traC and traB correspond to prgY and prgZ on the plasmid pCF10 and to traC and traB on the plasmid pAD1.

Reactions of the free tantalum cation, Ta+, and tantalum cluster cations, Tan+ (n = 2–10), with ammonia are presented. The reaction of the monomer cation, Ta+, with two molecules of NH3 leads to the formation of TaN2H2+ along with release of two H2 molecules. The dehydrogenation occurs until the formal oxidation number of the tantalum atom reaches +5. On the other hand, all the tantalum cluster cations, Tan+, react with two molecules of NH3 and form TanN2+ with the release of three H2 molecules. Further exposure to ammonia showed that TanNmH+ and TanNm+ are produced through successive reactions; a pure nitride and three H2 molecules are formed for every other NH3 molecule. The nitridation occurred until the formal oxidation number of the tantalum atoms reaches +5 as in the case of TaN2H2+ in contrast to other group 5 elements, i.e., vanadium and niobium, which have been reported to produce nitrides with lower oxidation states. The present results on small gas-phase metal-nitride clusters show correlation with their bulk properties: tantalum is known to form bulk nitrides in the oxidation states of either +5 (Ta3N5) or +3 (TaN), whereas vanadium and niobium form nitrides in the oxidation state of +3 (VN and NbN). Along with DFT calculations, these findings reveal that nitridation is driven by the electron-donating ability of group 5 elements, i.e., electronegativity of the metal plays a key role in determining the composition of the metal nitrides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: Drug resistance and the transferability of resistance were examined in 218 Enterococcus faecium clinical isolates obtained from in-patients of a Japanese university hospital between 1990 and 1999. One hundred and sixty one isolates (73.9%) were drug-resistant and 127 (58.2%) isolates were resistant to two or more drugs. Vancomycin resistant E. faecium (VRE) was not isolated. The transferability of drug-resistance to an E. faecium strain was examined by broth or filter mating. Six (12.5%) of the 48 gentamicin resistance traits, and fifty (50%) of the 101 erythromycin resistance traits were transferred by filter mating. The gentamicin resistance traits of five isolates and the erythromycin resistance traits of four isolates were transferred to the recipient strains by both broth mating and filter mating at a frequency of about 10−6 and 10−5 per donor cell, respectively. The five gentamicin resistant strains were shown to harbor pMG1-like plasmids on the basis of their Southern hybridization with pMG1 (65.1 kbp, Gmr), which transfers efficiently between enterococci by broth mating. Each of the four erythromycin resistant transconjugants obtained by broth mating harbored a large conjugative plasmid (more than 100 kbp). The plasmids showed no homology with well-characterized enterococcal conjugative plasmids such as pAD1, pPD1, pAMβ1, pIP501 and pMG1 by Southern hybridization. Of the erythromycin resistance traits that transferred only by filter mating, it was found that the erythromycin resistance trait was conferred by a 47-kbp transposable element that transferred from the chromosome of the donor strain to different sites within the pheromone responsive plasmid pAD1 (60 kbp) of the recipient strain, suggesting that the erythromycin resistance trait was encoded on a conjugative transposon, which was named Tn950. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Stimulated resonance Raman scattering (SRRS) from a polymer waveguide has been studied using spin-coated thin films of poly(5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-2-methoxy-cyanoterephthalydiene). The single SRRS peak with a Raman shift of ∼1580 cm-1 was observed above the excitation threshold of ∼100 μJ/cm2, overlapping with the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) band. When the excitation wavelength was varied, the SRRS intensity was maximized at the ASE peak position. It suggests that the light confinement in the polymer waveguide resulting in the stimulated amplification of Raman scattering plays a significant role in the observed SRRS phenomenon. In addition, the thickness dependence of the SRRS gain coefficients suggests some contribution of cooperative interaction to SRRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated stimulated resonance Raman scattering (SRRS) from dye-doped polymer thin film waveguides. 1,4-bis[2-[N,N-di(p-totyl)amino]phenyl]vinyl]benzene (DADSB) was used as a dye doped in a spin-coated film of poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone) (PVP). Under optical pumping at the absorption edge of DADSB, a very narrow line (full width at half maximum ∼0.5 nm) was observed only in the spectral region where the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) band appeared. This emission line was assigned to SRRS with a Raman shift of 1600 cm-1. The threshold excitation energy for this SRRS is higher than that of the ASE, but the slope efficiency of the SRRS was higher than that of the ASE. The polarization-dependent intensity revealed that the SRRS was propagated by the transverse electric mode in the thin film waveguide as same as the ASE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulated resonance Raman scattering (SRRS) from spin-coated poly[5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-2-methoxy-cyanoterephthalydiene] (CN-PPV) thin film waveguides was investigated in terms of the excitation length dependences of the threshold pumping power, polarization effect, and cutoff thickness. As excitation length was increased, the threshold pumping power for SRRS linearly increased. The SRRS light was dominantly propagated by the transverse electric (TE) mode. The films thinner than the calculated cutoff thickness (49.8 nm) for TE0 mode propagation exhibited no SRRS. These results suggest that the present SRRS basically originated in the stimulated process of Raman scattered light confined in the CN-PPV thin film waveguide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among 356 residents of nine long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Japan during 2015 and 2017. In total, 800 specimens were tested and 39 MRSA isolates were recovered from 31 (8.71%) residents. PCR-based open reading frame typing (POT) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing were performed for the 39 MRSA isolates; five of them showing identical pulsotypes, and POT scores were excluded in further analysis. Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, multilocus sequence typing, and toxin gene detection were performed for one representative MRSA isolate per resident. Among the 34 unrelated MRSA isolates, 15 (44.1%) and 19 (55.9%) were of SCCmec types II and IV, respectively, and belonged to seven sequence types (STs). Among the 15 SCCmec II isolates, 11 (73.3%), 3, and 1 belonged to ST764 (clonal complex [CC]5), ST5 (CC5), and ST630 (CC8), respectively. Among the 19 SCCmec IV isolates, 13 (68.4%), 3, 2, and 1 belonged to ST1 (CC1), ST474 (CC1), ST8 (CC8), and ST380 (CC8), respectively. Among the 14 CC5 lineage-SCCmec II isolates, one ST5 isolate and 7 of the 11 ST764 isolates (63.6%) carried seb gene, and 14 (87.5%) of 16 CC1 lineage-SCCmec IV isolates had sea gene (p < 0.05). The results indicate that the seb-positive SCCmec type II-ST764 clone has spread in Japanese LTCF environments. As LTCF residents have multiple comorbidities and increased susceptibility to infections, it is necessary to monitor MRSA colonization in LTCFs through periodic screening to prevent dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the prevalence and characteristics of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli among 258 residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Japan. Out of 258 fecal samples collected from nine LTCFs between November 2015 and March 2017, we recovered 59 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates. All isolates carried blaCTX-M genes, mainly blaCTX-M-27 (42.4%), blaCTX-M-14 (23.7%), and blaCTX-M-15 (18.6%). The isolates showed 7 serotypes (STs), including ST131 (n = 49, 83.1%) and ST38 (n = 4, 6.8%), and 47 (79.7%) out of 49 isolates belonging to ST131 were identified as H30R. The 59 ESBL producers were divided into four groups, B2 (86.4%), D (8.5%), A (3.4%), and C (1.7%); 44 (74.6%) were epidemic clone B2-O25-ST131 H30R, of which 21, 11, and 6 harbored blaCTX-M-27, blaCTX-M-15, and blaCTX-M-14, respectively. Most plasmids were of IncF replicon types (n = 33), and 22 blaCTX-M-27-carrying plasmids showed multiple replicon types, including IncFII, FIA, and FIB. The ESBL producers were susceptible to imipenem, amikacin, and fosfomycin, but resistant to ceftazidime (49.2%), and ciprofloxacin (88.1%); in particular, the isolates harboring the blaCTX-M-15 gene showed significantly high resistance rate to ceftazidime (p < 0.01). Our findings indicate that a considerable proportion of the examined LTCF residents carried ESBL-producing E. coli isolates in feces and had high prevalence of epidemic clone B2-O25-ST131. Furthermore, continuous investigations would be very necessary to monitor actual carriage states of ESBL-producers among the LTCF residents from the viewpoint of both public health and healthcare viewpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report photodissociation processes and spectral measurements upon photoabsorption of size-selected cationic silver clusters, Ag N + , stored in an ion trap. The experiment shows that small clusters ( N ≲ 15) dissociate upon one-photon absorption, whereas larger ones require multiple photons up to five in the present study. The emergence of multi-photon processes is attributed to collisional cooling in the presence of a buffer helium gas in the trap, which competes with size-dependent dissociation rates. These observations are explained by simulations that consider the two competing effects, where the statistical Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel (RRK) theory is employed to evaluate dissociation rates. Action spectra of photodissociation are compared with linear absorption spectra directly measured by cavity-ring-down-type high-sensitivity spectroscopy, revealing that the profiles of the action spectra are sharpened by the nonlinear effects in the multi-photon regime. This observation demonstrates the importance of the linear absorption measurement to obtain both spectral profiles and cross sections for large clusters that exhibit multi-photon dissociation.

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the influence of the evidence practice gap on physiotherapist and occupational therapists through shared decision making using the clinical practice guidelines. [Participants and Methods] A randomized controlled trial was used. The participants included 126 therapists from three institutions. The inclusion criteria was permanent employment in these institutions. Participants' characteristics were masked from the allocator, evaluator, and analyzer. For the intervention group, a workshop on shared decision making was conducted using clinical practice guidelines. Two control groups were set. One group received a lecture on the knowledge of clinical practice guidelines, and the other group received a lecture on the knowledge of shared decision making. The primary outcomes were "education, attitudes and beliefs, and interest and perceived role in evidence-based practice" scale. [Results] The primary outcomes showed a significant difference between the clinical practice guidelines with shared decision making group and the clinical practice guidelines group (mean ± standard deviation, pre/post; clinical practice guidelines with shared decision making group, 2.4 ± 0.9/4.4 ± 1.7; clinical practice guidelines group, 3.0 ± 1.5/3.5 ± 2.0; shared decision making group, 2.6 ± 1.2/ 3.3 ± 1.8). [Conclusion] Shared decision making education using the clinical practice guidelines improves evidence-based practice of self-efficacy in physiotherapists and occupational therapists., (2022©by the Society of Physical Therapy Science. Published by IPEC Inc.)

[Purpose] To investigate how well rehabilitation is described in Japanese clinical practice guidelines of various diseases or disorders requiring rehabilitation. [Participants and Methods] Clinical practice guidelines were extracted from the MINDS database (Japan Council for Quality Health Care). Japanese clinical practice guidelines of specific diseases or disorders requiring rehabilitation were included. The exclusion criteria were clinical practice guidelines on the procedure, symptoms, and/or medical examination. To select the clinical practice guidelines of diseases or disorders requiring rehabilitation, eight participants evaluated the need for rehabilitation for the disease or disorder through the modified Delphi method. They graded the necessity of rehabilitation from 1 to 9 (1, completely disagree; 9, completely agree). The clinical practice guidelines that had grades 7 or higher as the median were included in the analyses. Systematic reviews were compiled as an indicator of the extent to which rehabilitation is described in clinical practice guidelines. [Results] Forty-four clinical practice guidelines were selected, and 26 (59.1%) included descriptions of rehabilitation. There were 443 existing systematic reviews related to rehabilitation for each disease or disorder enrolled in the present study and 67 (15.1%) systematic reviews quoted in those guidelines. [Conclusion] Rehabilitation was not well described in the clinical practice guidelines of the diseases or disorders that require rehabilitation., Competing Interests: There are no funding and conflict of interests to declare.

The parietal operculum (PO) often shows ipsilateral activation during tactile object perception in neuroimaging experiments. However, the relative contribution of the PO to tactile judgment remains unclear. Here, we examined the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over bilateral PO to test the relative contributions of the ipsilateral PO to tactile object processing. Ten healthy adults participated in this study, which had a double-blind, sham-controlled, cross-over design. Participants discriminated grating orientation during three tDCS and sham conditions. In the dual-hemisphere tDCS conditions, anodal and cathodal electrodes were placed over the left and right PO. In the uni-hemisphere tDCS condition, anodal and cathodal electrodes were applied over the left PO and contralateral orbit, respectively. In the tDCS and sham conditions, we applied 2 mA for 15 min and for 15 s, respectively. Computational models of electric fields (EFs) during tDCS indicated that the strongest electric fields were located in regions in and around the PO. Compared with the sham condition, dual-hemisphere tDCS improved the discrimination threshold of the index finger contralateral to the anodal electrode. Importantly, dual-hemisphere tDCS with the anodal electrode over the left PO yielded a decreased threshold in the right finger compared with the uni-hemisphere tDCS condition. These results suggest that the ipsilateral PO inhibits tactile processing of grating orientation, indicating interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) of the PO.

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate Japanese physical therapists' attitudes of evidence-based practice and clinical practice guidelines. [Subjects and Methods] In 2014, a cross-sectional postal mail survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted. Of 2,982 physical therapists belonging to the Chiba Prefecture Physical Therapist Association, 1,000 were randomly selected. The questionnaire comprised 42 items pertaining to the attitudes of and behavior toward evidence-based practice and clinical practice guidelines. It was investigated to reveal the relationship between clinical practice guidelines/evidence-based practice and therapist characteristics. [Results] The response rate was 39.6%, and 384 questionnaires were available. The main results were as follows: 83.3% participants agreed to the importance of evidence-based practice, 77.1% agree to that evidence-based practice supports clinical decision of physical therapists, and about 11% agreed to have been educated about evidence-based practice. Then, 29.2% used, 54.9% agreed to the importance of, and 13.3% agreed to the utility of clinical practice guidelines. An important factor related mostly to a positive attitude, knowledge and behavior of evidence-based practice and clinical practice guidelines was participating in research activities. [Conclusion] Many of physical therapists do not use and understand the importance of clinical practice guidelines. Participating in research activities may partially contribute to improving these conditions.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to elucidate how well patients' perceptions related to the improvements in their hand function during hospitalization. [Subjects] Sixteen patients who were hospitalized after hand surgery. [Methods] Using the Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand edition of the Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire; tactile roughness discrimination acuity, motor imagery, motor function, sensory function, and pain of the upper limb were assessed at admission and discharge. Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficients were calculated using the differences in all assessment items at admission and discharge. A multiple regression analysis (stepwise method) was performed to investigate factors that correlated with improvements in Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand scores. [Results] The improvement of tactile roughness discrimination acuity was significantly associated with patient perception of improved hand function. [Conclusion] The results suggest that an improvement in tactile roughness discrimination acuity was most strongly correlated with patient perception of improved hand function.

In healthy subjects, dual hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the primary (S1) and secondary somatosensory cortices (S2) has been found to transiently enhance tactile performance. However, the effect of dual hemisphere tDCS on tactile performance in stroke patients with sensory deficits remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether dual hemisphere tDCS over S1 and S2 could enhance tactile discrimination in stroke patients. We employed a double-blind, crossover, sham-controlled experimental design. Eight chronic stroke patients with sensory deficits participated in this study. We used a grating orientation task (GOT) to measure the tactile discriminative threshold of the affected and non-affected index fingers before, during, and 10 min after four tDCS conditions. For both the S1 and S2 conditions, we placed an anodal electrode over the lesioned hemisphere and a cathodal electrode over the opposite hemisphere. We applied tDCS at an intensity of 2 mA for 15 min in both S1 and S2 conditions. We included two sham conditions in which the positions of the electrodes and the current intensity were identical to that in the S1 and S2 conditions except that current was delivered for the initial 15 s only. We found that GOT thresholds for the affected index finger during and 10 min after the S1 and S2 conditions were significantly lower compared with each sham condition. GOT thresholds were not significantly different between the S1 and S2 conditions at any time point. We concluded that dual-hemisphere tDCS over S1 and S2 can transiently enhance tactile discriminative task performance in chronic stroke patients with sensory dysfunction.

Objective: We investigated the transient effect of short-duration paired-pulse electrical stimulation (ppES) on corticospinal excitability and the after-effect of long-duration ppES on excitability, short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI), and afferent facilitation (AF)., Methods: A total of 28 healthy subjects participated in two different experiments. In Experiment 1, motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were measured in the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscles before and immediately after short-duration ppES (5 s) at various inter-pulse intervals (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 15, 20, and 30 ms). In Experiment 2, MEPs, SAI, and AF were measured before, immediately, and 20 and 40 min after long-duration ppES (20 min, inter-pulse interval of 5 and 15 ms) and peripheral electrical stimulation (20 min, 10 and 20 Hz)., Results: Short-duration ppES with inter-pulse intervals of 5 and 20 ms significantly increased MEP measured in APB but not in ADM. Long-duration ppES with an inter-pulse interval of 5 ms significantly decreased SAI but not MEPs in APB. In contrast, long-duration ppES did not affect ADM., Conclusion: The afferent inputs induced by ppES-5 ms were effective for transiently increasing MEP and sustaining SAI reduction.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of collaboration between practitioners and researchers through research papers related to the implementation of electrical stimulation (ES) for stroke patients. [Methods] A systematic review of the literature was conducted to collect data from ES studies published before January 7, 2015. Five databases were searched for search terms related to stroke and ES. Inclusion criteria were original papers that reported on ES of the upper or lower limbs following stroke, after the exclusion of case reports, brain stimulation studies, and papers written in any languages other than English or Japanese. The outcome was the prevalence of research papers that included a practitioner as an author, that included a practitioner as an author or in the acknowledgements, and in which the practitioner was the first author. [Results] Based on the selection criteria, 165 papers were included in the final analysis. The prevalence of papers in which a practitioner was included as an author was 39%. The prevalence of papers in which a practitioner was included as an author or in the acknowledgements was 50%. A practitioner was the first author of 34% of the papers. [Conclusion] Collaboration on research papers related to ES for stroke patients is limited.

Five VanN-type vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains were isolated from a sample of domestic chicken meat in Japan. All isolates showed low-level resistance to vancomycin (MIC, 12 mg/liter) and had the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profile. The vancomycin resistance was encoded on a large plasmid (160 kbp) and was expressed constitutively. The VanN-type resistance operon was identical to the first resistance operon to be reported, with the exception of a 1-bp deletion in vanT(N) and a 1-bp substitution in vanS(N).

We report a deformation phenomenon occurring at the interface between two immiscible liquids. The two liquids are in a cylindrical container and set into motion by a rotating lid positioned above the interface. The upper liquid is more viscous than the lower and the difference in densities between the liquids is fairly small. As the rotational speed of the lid (Omega) is increased in small increments, the center of the interface rises and the height increases. Depending on Omega , the topology of the interface changes drastically. The shape of the interface depends strongly on Omega and also the volume fraction of the liquids. Some dynamical behavior of the interface accompanies the changes in topology: interfacial waves, the generation of droplets, and interfacial instability.

The mutation frequency for carbapenem resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains that were selected with carbapenems was enhanced in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of fluoroquinolones. The mutants showed either a loss of OprD activity or increased mexAB-oprM expression. The highest mutant isolation frequency was obtained by selection with meropenem, while doripenem inhibited mutant growth.