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Shuta Morishige,1 Yoshikazu Yamaguchi,1 Kei Nakajima,1 Sayaka Tsuboi,1 Yoh Sugawara,2 Hajime Hayami,1 Joseph D Tobias,3 Gaku Inagawa1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen’s Hospital, Yokohama, Japan; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USACorrespondence: Yoshikazu Yamaguchi, Department of Anesthesiology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen’s Hospital, 1-1 Mitsuzawanishimachi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, 221-0855, Japan, Tel +81-45-316-4580, Fax +81-45-316-6580, Email yoshikaz@yokohama-cu.ac.jpAbstract: Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury may require postoperative renal replacement therapy. Although the right internal jugular vein and femoral veins are generally the preferred insertion sites for the hemodialysis catheter for continuous renal replacement therapy, the presence of other indwelling catheters or prior thrombotic events from previous catheters may preclude use of these sites. We present a case in which the hemodialysis catheter was inserted into the distal femoral vein using point-of-care ultrasound in a patient with multiple catheter insertions after coronary artery bypass grafting. Although the tip of the dialysis catheter was more distal than the classic femoral approach, renal replacement therapy was performed without problems. Moreover, it was easier for the nurses to keep the insertion site clean and to change the patient’s position.Keywords: central venous catheter, renal replacement therapy, femoral vein

Megumi Yoshida,1 Yoshikazu Yamaguchi,1 Mizuho Matsushita,1 Sayaka Tsuboi,1 Yoh Sugawara,1 Hajime Hayami,1 Joseph Tobias,2 Gaku Inagawa1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen‘s Hospital, Yokohama, Japan; 2Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USACorrespondence: Megumi YoshidaYokohama Municipal Citizen’s Hospital, 1-1 Mitsuzawanishimachi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, 221-0855, JapanTel +81 45 316-4580Fax +81 45 316-6580Email megu.m.y06@gmail.comAbstract: Tetanus is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by the toxins produced by the anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium tetani. Of major concern during the perioperative care of these patients is control of muscle spasms, skeletal rigidity, and autonomic dysfunction. Several of the modern sedative and opioid agents including remifentanil have not been fully evaluated in managing tetanus. We present the intraoperative use of remifentanil in a 75-year-old woman with generalized tetanus who required anesthetic care during placement of a tracheostomy. The end-organ involvement of tetanus is presented, previous reports of anesthetic care reviewed, and the potential utility of remifentanil explored.Keywords: tetanus, tracheostomy, general anesthesia

A low-solidity circular cascade, conformally transformed from a high-stagger linear cascade of double-circular-arc vanes with solidity 0.69, was tested as a part of diffuser systems of a transonic centrifugal compressor and the static pressures were measured around a vane of the cascade and on the side wall between cascade vanes in detail. The blade loading of cascade vane was discussed by integrating the pressure distribution around the vane. The experimental data for lift-coefficient of vane were almost on a single straight line with positive gradient against angle-of-attack over a wide range of inflow Mach number and inflow angle. The maximum lift coefficient reached about 1.5 and the vane worked well to the surge condition of the compressor. The structure of shock wave was also discussed by drawing a contour map of the flow Mach number between cascade vanes. The normal shock wave was observed on the suction surface of vane and it moved upstream along the suction surface with the decrease in inflow angle. The vane did not fall in stall even though the Mach number upstream of the shock wave was over 1.4.

Abstract: Since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in March 2011, atmospheric simulation models have improved our understanding of the atmospheric behavior of radionuclides. Model intercomparisons provide valuable and useful information for evaluating the validity and variability of individual model results. In this study, we compared results of seven atmospheric transport models used to simulate 137Cs released from the FDNPP to the atmosphere. All model results used in this analysis had been submitted for a model intercomparison project of the Science Council of Japan (2014, http://www.scj.go.jp/en/report/index.html). Here we assessed model performance by comparing model results with observed hourly atmospheric concentrations of 137Cs, with a particular focus on nine plumes over the Tohoku and Kanto regions. The intercomparison results showed that model performance in reproducing 137Cs concentrations was highly variable among different models and plumes. In general, models better reproduced plumes that passed over many observation stations. The performance among the models was consistent with the simulated wind fields and the source terms used. We also assessed model performance in relation to accumulated 137Cs deposition. Simulated areas of high 137Cs deposition were consistent with the simulated 137Cs plume pathways, though the models that best simulated atmospheric 137Cs concentrations were different from those that best simulated deposition. The ensemble mean of all models consistently reproduced atmospheric 137Cs concentrations and deposition well, suggesting that use of a multimodel ensemble results in more effective and consistent model performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of accidents at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant following the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 resulted in the release of radioactive materials to the ocean by two major pathways, direct release from the accident site and atmospheric deposition. A 1 yr, regional-scale simulation of 137Cs activity in the ocean offshore of Fukushima was carried out, the sources of radioactivity being direct release, atmospheric deposition, and the inflow of 137Cs deposited on the ocean by atmospheric deposition outside the domain of the model. Direct releases of 137I, 134Cs, and 137Cs were estimated for 1 yr after the accident by comparing simulated results and measured activities. The estimated total amounts of directly released 137I, 134Cs, and 137Cs were 11.1±2.2 PBq, 3.5±0.7 PBq, and 3.6±0.7 PBq, respectively. The contributions of each source were estimated by analysis of 137I/137Cs and 134Cs/137Cs activity ratios and comparisons between simulated results and measured activities of 137Cs. Simulated 137Cs activities attributable to direct release were in good agreement with measured activities close to the accident site, a result that implies that the estimated direct release rate was reasonable, while simulated 137Cs activities attributable to atmospheric deposition were low compared to measured activities. The rate of atmospheric deposition onto the ocean was underestimated because of a lack of measurements of deposition onto the ocean when atmospheric deposition rates were being estimated. Measured 137Cs activities attributable to atmospheric deposition helped to improve the accuracy of simulated atmospheric deposition rates. Simulated 137Cs activities attributable to the inflow of 137Cs deposited onto the ocean outside the domain of the model were in good agreement with measured activities in the open ocean within the model domain after June 2012. The contribution of inflow increased with time and was dominant (more than 99 %) by the end of February 2012. The activity of directly released 137Cs, however, decreased exponentially with time and was detectable only in the coastal zone by the end of February 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of the model intercomparison study—Asia Phase II (MICS2), where eight models are compared over East Asia, this paper studies the influence of different parameterizations used in the aerosol module on the aerosol concentrations of sulfate and nitrate in . An intracomparison of aerosol concentrations is done for March 2001 using different configurations of the aerosol module of one of the model used for the intercomparison. Single modifications of a reference setup for model configurations are performed and compared to a reference case. These modifications concern the size distribution, i.e. the number of sections, and physical processes, i.e. coagulation, condensation/evaporation, cloud chemistry, heterogeneous reactions and sea-salt emissions. Comparing monthly averaged concentrations at different stations, the importance of each parameterization is first assessed. It is found that sulfate concentrations are little sensitive to sea-salt emissions and to whether condensation is computed dynamically or by assuming thermodynamic equilibrium. Nitrate concentrations are little sensitive to cloud chemistry. However, a very high sensitivity to heterogeneous reactions is observed. Thereafter, the variability of the aerosol concentrations to the use of different chemistry transport models (CTMs) and the variability to the use of different parameterizations in the aerosol module are compared. For sulfate, the variability to the use of different parameterizations in the aerosol module is lower than the variability to the use of different CTMs. However, for nitrate, for monthly averaged concentrations averaged over four stations, these two variabilities have the same order of magnitude. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a modal aerosol model (MAM) developed to be used in three dimensional air quality models. MAM, which represents the aerosol distribution with four modes, has the advantage of simplicity and speed efficiency associated to modal models, while mass transfer is modeled with a dynamic approach. To assess the ability of MAM to represent mass transfer, MAM is compared to a size-resolved model based on the dynamic approach and to a version of MAM based on an equilibrium approach. Comparisons are done using measurements of inorganic species made in Japan as initial conditions. Furthermore, it is shown that MAM combined with a well chosen mode splitting scheme is able to deal accurately with the simultaneous occurrence of strong nucleation/condensation and coagulation, as may be observed in high nucleation episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical transport properties of the nano-graphene oxide were investigated by measuring current-voltage characteristics in the wide temperature range of 15 K∼450 K. The n-GO is composed of nanometer-sized intact graphene-like sp2 domains embedded in the sp3 matrix which acts as a charge transport barrier between the highly conductive sp2 domains. The oxygen in the n-GO has the concentration of 4.43 at% in the form of oxygen functional groups. Below the conduction band, four discontinuous localized states with the activation energies of 1.92 meV, 3.27 meV, 5.54 meV, and 6.58 meV were observed. These activation energies decrease with decreasing oxygen concentration and increasing external electric field in the n-GO material. Moreover, we found that the direct tunneling of charge carrier through the sp3 barrier was a dominant transport mechanism for the n-GO material. Also, unlike the activation energy of charge carrier, the transport barrier was independent of both the concentration of the oxygen functional groups and external electric field. The transport barrier was mainly determined by insulation property of the sp3 structure.

A method for wireless data transmission from an implantable image sensor through the biological tissue as a conductive medium is reported. A battery‐powered implantable image sensor unit is dipped in phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) as the simulant body solution and received the data signal through the PBS. Its equivalent circuit model for simulation is also proposed. The transmitted signal waveforms are in good agreement with the simulation result. Image recovery from the signal obtained from the implantable image sensor received outside the PBS is also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the comparison of chemical deposition of eight regional chemical models used in Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia (MICS-Asia) II. Monthly-mean depositions of chemical species simulated by these models, including dry deposition of SO2, HNO3, NH3, sulfate, nitrate and ammonium and wet deposition of SO4 2−, NO3 − and NH4 +, have been provided for four periods (March, July, December 2001 and March 2002) in this work. Observations at 37 sites of the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) are compared with SO4 2−, NO3 − and NH4 + wet deposition model results. Significant correlations appeared between the observation and computed ensemble mean of participant models. Also, differences among modeled sulfur and nitrogen dry depositions have been studied at the EANET sites. Based on the analysis of acid deposition for various species from different models, total depositions of sulfur (SO2 and sulfate) and nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) have been evaluated as the ensemble mean of the eight models. In general, all models capture the observed spatial distribution of sulfur and nitrogen deposition, although the absolute values may differ from measurements. High deposition often occurs in eastern China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia. The magnitude of model bias is quite large for many of the models. In examining the reasons for model–measurement disagreement, we find that differences in chemical processes, deposition parameterization, and modeled precipitation are the main reasons for large model disparities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Eight regional Eulerian chemical transport models (CTMs) are compared with each other and with an extensive set of observations including ground-level concentrations from EANET, ozone soundings from JMA and vertical profiles from the TRACE-P experiment to evaluate the models’ abilities in simulating O3 and relevant species (SO2, NO, NO2, HNO3 and PAN) in the troposphere of East Asia and to look for similarities and differences among model performances. Statistical analysis is conducted to help estimate the consistency and discrepancy between model simulation and observation in terms of various species, seasons, locations, as well as altitude ranges. In general, all models show a good skill of simulating SO2 for both ground level and the lower troposphere, although two of the eight models systematically overpredict SO2 concentration. The model skills for O3 vary largely with region and season. For ground-level O3, model results are best correlated with observations in July 2001. Comparing with O3 soundings measured in the afternoon reveals the best consistency among models in March 2001 and the largest disparity in O3 magnitude in July 2001, although most models produce the best correlation in July as well. In terms of the statistics for the four flights of TRACE-P experiment, most models appear to be able to accurately capture the variability in the lower troposphere. The model performances for NO x are relatively poor, with lower correlation and with almost all models tending to underpredict NO x levels, due to larger uncertainties in either emission estimates or complex chemical mechanism represented. All models exhibit larger RMSE at altitudes <2km than 2–5.5km, mainly due to a consistent tendency of these models towards underprediction of the magnitude of intense plumes that often originate from near surface. Relatively lower correlation at altitudes 2–5.5km may be attributed to the models’ limitation in representing convection or potential chemical processes. Most of the key features in species distribution have been consistently reproduced by the participating models, such as the O3 enhancement in the western Pacific Ocean in March and in northeast Asia in July, respectively, although the absolute model values may differ considerably from each other. Large differences are found among models in the southern parts of the domain for all the four periods, including southern China and northern parts of some Southeast Asia countries where the behaviors of chemical components and the ability of these models are still not clearly known because of a lack of observational databases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Results from the Model Intercomparison Study Asia Phase II (MICS-Asia II) are presented. Nine different regional modeling groups simulated chemistry and transport of ozone (O3), secondary aerosol, acid deposition, and associated precursors, using common emissions and boundary conditions derived from a global model. Four-month-long periods, representing 2 years and three seasons (i.e., March, July, and December in 2001, and March in 2002), are analyzed. New observational data, obtained under the EANET (the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia) monitoring program, were made available for this study, and these data provide a regional database to compare with model simulations. The analysis focused around seven subject areas: O3 and related precursors, aerosols, acid deposition, global inflow of pollutants and precursor to Asia, model sensitivities to aerosol parameterization, analysis of emission fields, and detailed analyses of individual models, each of which is presented in a companion paper in this issue of Atmospheric Environment. This overview discusses the major findings of the study, as well as information on common emissions, meteorological conditions, and observations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study presents a data-driven battery emulator using long short-term memory deep learning models to predict the charge-discharge behaviour of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). This study aimed to reduce the economic costs and time associated with the fabrication of large-scale automotive prototype batteries by emulating their performance using smaller laboratory-produced batteries. Two types of datasets were targeted: simulation data from the Dualfoil model and experimental data from liquid-based LIBs. These datasets were used to accurately predict the voltage profiles from the arbitrary inputs of various galvanostatic charge-discharge schedules. The results demonstrated high prediction accuracy, with the coefficient of determination scores reaching 0.98 and 0.97 for test datasets obtained from the simulation and experiments, respectively. The study also confirmed the significance of state-of-charge descriptors and inferred that a robust model performance could be achieved with as few as five charge-discharge training datasets. This study concludes that data-driven emulation using machine learning can significantly accelerate the battery development process, providing a powerful tool for reducing the time and economic costs associated with the production of large-scale prototype batteries., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Long-term durability and safety are required to develop Li-ion batteries that can operate at high voltages. However, side reactions, including the release of O 2 from the electrode and CO 2 from the organic electrolyte, occur at the positive-electrode/electrolyte interface during charging at high voltages. In this study, universal neural network potential (UNNP)-driven molecular dynamics (MD) calculations are used to investigate the mechanism of the reaction between Li x CoO 2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) or Li x NiO 2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), as the positive-electrode material, and an ethylene-carbonate-based electrolyte, with a solid-liquid interface composed of ∼1700 atoms. Molecular CO 2 and O 2 evolve from the partially or fully Li-deintercalated Li x NiO 2 , while no gas-evolution reactions are observed for Li x CoO 2 . Hence, compared Li x NiO 2 , the LiCoO 2 electrode is more stable toward the decomposition of ethylene carbonate in the charged state. The decomposition reactions at the solid-liquid interface during charging are also analyzed using a NN force field. This study provides a robust approach involving MD simulations using UNNP to better understand the side reactions in electrochemical devices, which can guide manufacturers in selecting appropriate materials.

Background: Extracranial carotid artery aneurysms (ECAAs) are rare, and treatment guidelines are lacking. Few reports on endovascular treatments performed for ECAAs exist., Observations: A 73-year-old woman with a left giant cervical internal carotid artery aneurysm was treated with overlapping closed-cell stents. The aneurysm regrew 1 year after the treatment, and then a covered stent was deployed. Angioscopy was performed to confirm neointimal development to determine the appropriate stent position before the retreatment, and it revealed that the stent struts were embedded in thick neointima for the most part but that the neointima was thin around the aneurysm neck. Multiple holes connecting to the aneurysm were observed between the stent struts. A covered stent overlapped inside the closed-cell stents, and blood flow into the aneurysm completely disappeared., Lessons: When deploying the covered stent for recurrent aneurysms, angioscopy is useful for confirming neointimal development and determining the appropriate stent length and position. Angioscopic observations suggest that using stents with a higher mesh density and smaller pore size can reduce the neck hole size of the aneurysm and may achieve complete occlusion of the aneurysm. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24383.

Introduction: In facial motor-evoked potential monitoring, efforts to reduce peripheral stimulation are necessary because it can cause false-negatives. The effects of peripheral stimulation on Cz-C3/C4 and C3-C4 montages were compared., Methods: Facial motor-evoked potentials were recorded from bilateral orbicularis oculi (Oculi) and oris (Oris) muscles. The double-train approach combining single-pulse and five-train pulse stimulation was used to determine the effect of peripheral stimulation. If the five-train pulse produced a significant waveform, it was defined as "total success." In total success cases, "true success" was defined as a case in which no waveform appeared after the single pulse at the threshold level of the five-train pulse. The total and true success rates and the threshold value of Oculi and Oris were compared between Cz-C3/C4 and C3-C4 montages., Results: Thirty-six muscles each of Oculi and Oris of 18 patients were used for the analysis. True success was more likely to be obtained by the Cz-C3/C4 montage than the C3-C4 montage in Oculi (42% vs. 22%, p = 0.039). Both Oculi and Oris had higher thresholds to elicit facial motor-evoked potentials with the Cz-C3/C4 montage (Oculi: 101.7 vs. 71.4 mA, p = 0.038; Oris: 94.8 vs. 73.1 mA, p = 0.016)., Conclusions: Cz-C3/4 montage is more effective at reducing peripheral stimulation compared with the C3-4 montage. This effect was primarily seen in the orbicularis oculi muscle. It should be noted that the Cz-C3/C4 montage has a higher threshold than the C3-C4 montage in facial muscles. In facial motor-evoked potential monitoring, the Cz-C3/C4 montage may be more suitable to eliminate peripheral stimulation., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 by the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society.)

Background: A syringosubarachnoid (SS) shunt combined with keyhole hemilaminectomy is a beneficial procedure that can reduce the size of the skin incision and the risk of complications. However, ingenuity is needed to confirm the position of the syrinx during surgery. The authors present a case in which they treated syringomyelia in the upper thoracic spine using augmented reality (AR) to confirm syrinx formation, bone resection, and skin incision., Observations: Microscope-based AR was an appropriate and practical choice in this case. By placing the reference array at the Mayfield clamp, it was possible to use AR from the point of skin incision. Under AR navigation, an SS shunt tube can be placed in the short syrinx., Lessons: AR navigation enables pinpoint SS shunt tube insertion with minimal skin incision and bone resection. It is particularly useful for upper thoracic and small syrinx lesions. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24130.

Introduction: Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with complicated urinary tract infections were analyzed using the national surveillance data, comprising 793 bacterial strains from eight clinically relevant species., Materials and Methods: Data were collected for the fourth national surveillance project from July 2020 to December 2021 by the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, the Japanese Association for Infectious Disease, and the Japanese Society of Clinical Microbiology. Surveillance was supervised with the cooperation of 43 medical institutions throughout Japan., Results: Fluoroquinolone required a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2-64 mg/L to inhibit the 330 tested Escherichia coli strains. The proportion of levofloxacin-resistant E. coli strains increased from 28.6% in 2008 to 29.6% in 2011, 38.5% in 2015, and 44.5% in 2021. The proportion of levofloxacin-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa also increased from previous survey results, showing a continuing downward trend. Conversely, the proportion of levofloxacin-resistant strains of Enterococcus faecalis decreased relative to previous reports. Neither multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa nor carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae were detected. For methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the proportion of vancomycin-susceptible strains (MIC of 2 μg/mL) decreased from 14.7% to 7.7%., Discussion: Bacterial strains that produced extended-spectrum β-lactamase included E. coli (82/330 strains, 24.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (11/68 strains, 16.2%), and Proteus mirabilis (4/26 strains, 15.4%). As compared to previous surveillance reports, these strains showed an increase in proportion over the years., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Satoshi Takahashi received speaker honoraria from Fujirebio Inc. and research funding from Shino-Test Corporation, Roche Diagnostic K. K., Fujirebio Inc., and Abbott Japan Co., Ltd. Koichiro Wada received speaker honoraria from Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., and MSD K.K. Shingo Yamamoto received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. and scholarship donations from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd. and research funding from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Tetsuya Matsumoto received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Pfizer Japan Inc., and Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and research funding from Kewpie Corporation., Biofermin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Kazumasa Matsumoto received research funding from Sysmex Corporation. Tohru Nakagawa received speaker honoraria from Astellas Pharma Inc., AstraZeneca K.K., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., (Copyright © 2024 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to modify excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1) and influence online motor learning. However, research on the effects of tDCS on motor learning has focused predominantly on simplified motor tasks. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether anodal stimulation of M1 over a single session of practice influences online learning of a relatively complex rhythmic timing video game. Fifty-eight healthy young adults were randomized to either a-tDCS or SHAM conditions and performed 2 familiarization blocks, a 20-minute 5 block practice period while receiving their assigned stimulation, and a post-test block with their non-dominant hand. To assess performance, a performance index was calculated that incorporated timing accuracy elements and incorrect key inputs. The results showed that M1 a-tDCS enhanced the learning of the video game based skill more than SHAM stimulation during practice, as well as overall learning at the post-test. These results provide evidence that M1 a-tDCS can enhance acquisition of skills where quality or success of performance depends on optimized timing between component motions of the skill, which could have implications for the application of tDCS in many real-world contexts., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Meek et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In patients undergoing haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), the intestinal microbiota plays an important role in prognosis, transplant outcome, and complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Our prior research revealed that patients undergoing HSCT substantially differed from healthy controls. In this retrospective study, we showed that administering Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588 (CBM588) as a live biotherapeutic agent is associated with maintaining intestinal microbiota in the early post-HSCT period. Alpha diversity, which reflects species richness, declined considerably in patients who did not receive CBM588, whereas it remained consistent in those who received CBM588. In addition, β-diversity analysis revealed that CBM588 did not alter the gut microbiota structure at 7-21 days post-HSCT. Patients who developed GVHD showed structural changes in their microbiota from the pre-transplant period, which was noticeable on day 14 before developing GVHD. Enterococcus was significantly prevalent in patients with GVHD after HSCT, and the population of Bacteroides was maintained from the pre-HSCT period through to the post-HSCT period. Patients who received CBM588 exhibited a contrasting trend, with lower relative abundances of both genera Enterococcus and Bacteroides. These results suggest that preoperative treatment with CBM588 could potentially be beneficial in maintaining intestinal microbiota balance., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The Japanese surveillance committee conducted a third nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility of acute uncomplicated cystitis at 55 facilities throughout Japan between April 2020 and September 2021. In this surveillance, we investigated the susceptibility of Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (S. saprophyticus) for various antimicrobial agents by isolating and culturing bacteria from urine samples. In total, 823 strains were isolated from 848 patients and 569 strains of target bacteria, including E. coli (n = 529, 92.9 %), K. pneumoniae (n = 28, 4.9 %), and S. saprophyticus (n = 12, 2.2 %) were isolated. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of 18 antibacterial agents were determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute manual. In premenopausal patients, there were 31 (10.5 %) and 20 (6.8 %) fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant E. coli and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli, respectively. On the other hand, in postmenopausal patients, there were 75 (32.1 %) and 36 (15.4 %) FQ-resistant E. coli and ESBL-producing E. coli, respectively. The rate of FQ-resistant E. coli and ESBL-producing E. coli in post-menopausal women was higher than that for our previous nationwide surveillance (20.7 % and 32.1 %: p = 0.0004, 10.0 % and 15.4 %; p = 0.0259). For pre-menopausal women, there was no significant difference in the rate of FQ-resistant E. coli and ESBL-producing E. coli between this and previous reports, but the frequency of FQ-resistant E. coli and ESBL-producing E. coli exhibited a gradual increase. For appropriate antimicrobial agent selection and usage, it is essential for clinicians to be aware of the high rate of these antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in acute uncomplicated cystitis in Japan., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Koichiro Wada received speaker honoraria from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Satoshi Takahashi received speaker honoraria from Fujirebio Inc. and research funding from Shino-Test Corporation, Roche Diagnostic K.K., Fujirebio Inc., and Abbott Japan Co., Ltd. Shingo Yamamoto received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. and scholarship donations from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd. and research funding from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Tetsuya Matsumoto received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Pfizer Japan Inc., and Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and research funding from Kewpie Corporation., Biofermin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Kazumasa Matsumoto received research funding from Sysmex Corporation. Shin Ito received research funding from Hologic, Inc., (Copyright © 2024 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Inexpensive and safe energy-storage batteries with high energy densities are in high demand (e.g., for electric vehicles and grid-level renewable energy storage). This study focused on using NaFeCl 4 , comprising ubiquitous elements, as an electrode material for all-solid-state sodium-ion batteries. Monoclinic NaFeCl 4 , expected to be the most resource-attractive Fe redox material, is also thermodynamically stable. The Fe 2+/3+ redox reaction of the monoclinic NaFeCl 4 electrode has a higher potential (3.45 V vs. Na/Na + ) than conventional oxide electrodes (e.g., Fe 2 O 3 with 1.5 V vs. Na/Na + ) because of the noble properties of chlorine. Additionally, NaFeCl 4 exhibits unusually high deformability (99% of the relative density of the pellet) upon uniaxial pressing (382 MPa) at 298 K. NaFeCl 4 operates at 333 K in an electrode system containing no electrolyte, thereby realizing next-generation all-solid-state batteries with high safety. A high energy density per positive electrode of 281 Wh kg -1 was achieved using only a simple powder press., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This qualitative study explored the motivators and barriers for genetic testing for individuals with aniridia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 participants. The main findings highlighted the complex and interrelated factors involved in the decision-making process, including family planning, learning about the specific pathogenic variant of the disease and having access to genetic testing. Benefits and potential risks of genetic testing for aniridia were also discussed. For participants, gaining knowledge about their condition was perceived as a benefit, while administrative issues and concerns around privacy were identified as risks. Increased access to quality information about genetic testing and to the service and associated resources are needed to better support people living with aniridia., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Eagle jugular syndrome (EJS), recently identified as a cause of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) due to venous obstruction by an elongated styloid process (SP), is reported here alongside a case of concurrent de novo cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM). This study aims to explore the potential causal relationship between EJS and de novo CCM through a comprehensive literature review., Method: Systematic literature reviews, spanning from 1995 to 2023, focused on EJS cases with definitive signs and symptoms and de novo CCM cases with detailed clinical characteristics. Data on the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of EJS, as well as potential risk factors preceding de novo CCM, were collected to assess the relationship between the two conditions., Result: Among 14 patients from 11 articles on EJS, the most common presentation was increased intracranial hypertension (IIH), observed in 10 patients (71.4%), followed by dural sinus thrombosis in four patients (28.6%). In contrast, 30 patients from 28 articles were identified with de novo CCM, involving 37 lesions. In these cases, 13 patients developed CCM subsequent to developmental venous anomalies (43%), seven following dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) (23%), and two after sinus thrombosis (6%). In a specific case of de novo brainstem CCM, the development of an enlarged condylar emissary vein, indicative of venous congestion due to IJV compression by the elongated SP, was noted before the emergence of CCM., Conclusion: This study underscores that venous congestion, a primary result of symptomatic EJS, might lead to the development of de novo CCM. Thus, EJS could potentially be an indicator of CCM development. Further epidemiological and pathophysiological investigations focusing on venous circulation are necessary to clarify the causal relationship between EJS and CCM., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is one of the important pathogens of sexually transmitted infections. N. gonorrhoeae is rapidly becoming antimicrobial resistant, and there are few drugs that are effective in the initial treatment of gonorrhea. To understand the trends of antimicrobial susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae, the Surveillance Committee of the Japanese Society of Infectious Diseases, the Japanese Society for Chemotherapy, and the Japanese Society of Clinical Microbiology conducted the third nationwide antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance of N. gonorrhoeae isolated from male urethritis. The specimens were collected from male patients with urethritis at 30 facilities from May 2016 to July 2017. From the 159 specimens collected, 87 N. gonorrhoeae strains were isolated, and 85 were tested for susceptibility to 21 antimicrobial agents. All strains were non-susceptible to penicillin G. Seven strains (8.2%) were β-lactamase-producing strains. The rates of susceptibility to cefixime and cefpodoxime were 96.5% and 52.9%, respectively. Three strains were non-susceptible with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.5 mg/L for cefixime. None of the strains were resistant to ceftriaxone or spectinomycin. The susceptibility rate for ciprofloxacin was 23.5% (20 strains), and no strains showed intermediate susceptibility. The susceptibility rate against azithromycin was 81.2%, with one strain isolated with a MIC of 8 mg/L against azithromycin. The results of this surveillance indicate that ceftriaxone and spectinomycin, which are currently recommended for gonococcal infections in Japan, appear to be effective. It will be necessary to further expand the scale of the next surveillance to understand the current status of drug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae in Japan., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Satoshi Takahashi received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Fujirebio Inc. and research funding from Shino-Test Corporation, Roche Diagnostic K.K., Fujirebio Inc., and Abbott Japan Co., Ltd. Shingo Yamamoto received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. and scholarship donations from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd. and research funding from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Tetsuya Matsumoto received speaker honoraria from MSD K.K., Pfizer Japan Inc., and Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and research funding from Kewpie Corporation., Biofermin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Hiroyuki Nishiyama received research funding from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Kazumasa Matsumoto received research funding from Sysmex Corporation. Junichi Inokuchi received research funding from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., (Copyright © 2023 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Efforts to optimize known materials and enhance their performance are ongoing, driven by the advancements resulting from the discovery of novel functional materials. Traditionally, the search for and optimization of functional materials has relied on the experience and intuition of specialized researchers. However, materials informatics (MI), which integrates materials data and machine learning, has frequently been used to realize systematic and efficient materials exploration without depending on manual tasks. Nonetheless, the discovery of new materials using MI remains challenging. In this study, we propose a method for the discovery of materials outside the scope of existing databases by combining MI with the experience and intuition of researchers. Specifically, we designed a two-dimensional map that plots known materials data based on their composition and structure, facilitating researchers' intuitive search for new materials. The materials map was implemented using an autoencoder-based neural network. We focused on the conductivity of 708 lithium oxide materials and considered the correlation with migration energy (ME), an index of lithium-ion conductivity. The distribution of existing data reflected in the materials map can contribute to the development of new lithium-ion conductive materials by enhancing the experience and intuition of material researchers., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Introduction: Antifungal agents are not always efficient in resolving vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), a common genital infection caused by the overgrowth of Candida spp., including Candida albicans , or in preventing recurrent infections. Although lactobacilli (which are dominant microorganisms constituting healthy human vaginal microbiota) are important barriers against VVC, the Lactobacillus metabolite concentration needed to suppress VVC is unknown., Methods: We quantitatively evaluated Lactobacillus metabolite concentrations to determine their effect on Candida spp., including 27 vaginal strains of Lactobacillus crispatus, L. jensenii, L. gasseri, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus , and Limosilactobacillus vaginalis , with inhibitory abilities against biofilms of C. albicans clinical isolates., Results: Lactobacillus culture supernatants suppressed viable fungi by approximately 24%-92% relative to preformed C. albicans biofilms; however, their suppression differed among strains and not species. A moderate negative correlation was found between Lactobacillus lactate production and biofilm formation, but no correlation was observed between hydrogen peroxide production and biofilm formation. Both lactate and hydrogen peroxide were required to suppress C. albicans planktonic cell growth. Lactobacillus strains that significantly inhibited biofilm formation in culture supernatant also inhibited C. albicans adhesion to epithelial cells in an actual live bacterial adhesion competition test., Discussion: Healthy human microflora and their metabolites may play important roles in the development of new antifungal agent against C. albicans -induced VVC., Competing Interests: HaK, SE, AM, KO, and MT are employees of Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; however, they have no conflicts of interest to declare regarding this study. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Takano, Kudo, Eguchi, Matsumoto, Oka, Yamasaki, Takahashi, Koshikawa, Takemura, Yamagishi, Mikamo and Kunishima.)

The mhg1 (NCU02695/ada-23) gene encodes the mitochondrial high-mobility group box (HMG-box or HMGB) protein in Neurospora crassa. The mhg1 KO strain (mhg1 KO ) has mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) instability and a short lifespan; however, the function of MHG1 remains unclear. To investigate the role of this protein in the maintenance of mtDNA, domain deleted MHG1 proteins were expressed in the mhg1 KO strain, and their effects were analyzed. We identified two putative HMG-domains, HMGBI and HMGBII. Although deletion of the HMG-box did not abolish MHG1's mitochondrial localization, the mhg1 KO phenotype of a severe growth defect and a high sensitivity to mutagens could not be restored by introduction of HMG-box deleted mhg1 gene into the KO strain. It was indicated that recombinant full-length MHG1, i.e., mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS) containing protein, did not exhibit explicit DNA binding, whereas the MHG1 protein truncated for the MTS sequence did in vitro by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Furthermore, recombinant MHG1 protein lacking MTS and HMG-domains, either HMGBI or HMGBII, had DNA affinity and an altered band shift pattern compared with MTS-truncated MHG1 protein. These results suggest that cleavage of MTS and appropriate DNA binding via HMG-domains are indispensable for maintaining mtDNA in N. crassa., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper., (Copyright © 2022 British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

NASICON-type LiZr 2 (PO 4 ) 3 (LZP) has attracted significant attention as a solid oxide electrolyte for all-solid-state Li-ion or Li-metal batteries owing to its high Li-ion conductivity, usability in all-solid-state batteries, and electrochemical stability against Li metal. In this study, we aim to improve the Li-ion conductivity of Li-rich NASICON-type LZPs doped with CaO and SiO 2 , i.e. , Li 1+ x +2 y Ca y Zr 2- y Si x P 3- x O 12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3, 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.3) (LCZSP). Herein, a total of 49 compositions were synthesised, and their crystal structures, relative densities, and Li-ion conductivities were characterised experimentally. We confirmed the improvement in Li-ion conductivity by simultaneous replacement of Zr and P sites with Ca and Si ions, respectively. However, the intuition-derived determination of the composition exhibiting the highest Li-ion conductivity is technically difficult because the compositional dependence of the relative density and the crystalline phase of the sample is very complex. Bayesian optimisation (BO) was performed to efficiently discover the optimal composition that exhibited the highest Li-ion conductivity among the samples evaluated experimentally. We also optimised the composition of the LCZSP using multi-task Gaussian process regression after transferring prior knowledge of 47 compositions of Li 1+ x +2 y Y x Ca y Zr 2- x - y P 3 O 12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.376, 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.376) (LYCZP), i.e. , BO with transfer learning. The present study successfully demonstrated that BO with transfer learning can search for optimal compositions two times as rapid as the conventional BO approach. This approach can be widely applicable for the optimisation of various functional materials as well as ionic conductors., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)