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Background Some patients receive the diagnosis of bloodstream infection (BSI) after discharge from the emergency room (ER). Because the safety of discharging patients after a blood culture collection is unknown, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence, outcomes, and factors associated with BSI diagnosed after ER discharge. Methods This monocentric, case-control study compared patients who received a BSI diagnosis after ER discharge with those who were admitted for BSI. Factors associated with ER discharge after a blood culture collection were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Between January 2014 and December 2020, 5.5% (142/2575) of patients with BSI visiting the ER were initially discharged. This occurred more commonly during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. On multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with the discharge of patients with BSI were the absence of hypotension (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 15.71 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 3.45–71.63]), absence of altered mental status in the ER (aOR, 8.99 [95% CI, 3.49–23.14]), unknown origin at ER discharge (aOR, 4.60 [95% CI, 2.43–8.72]), and low C-reactive protein (aOR, 3.60 [95% CI, 2.19–5.93]). No difference in 28-day mortality was observed between the groups. Conclusions BSI is occasionally diagnosed after ER discharge. The prevalence of BSI diagnosed after ER discharge may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Normal vital signs, unknown origin at ER discharge, and low C-reactive protein were important considerations leading to the discharge of these patients.

Antimicrobial prophylaxis is not generally recommended for patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) owing to the limited clinical benefits. Nonetheless, it is frequently administered in actual practice given the patients' critical condition and the lack of solid evidence showing adverse effects of antimicrobial prophylaxis. We evaluated herein an association between antimicrobial prophylaxis and invasive pancreatic candidiasis as an adverse effect in patients with SAP.This is a retrospective cohort study of all consecutive patients with SAP who were admitted to the study institutions (n = 44) between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013. We performed multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for the extent of pancreatic necrosis and surgical interventions for invasive pancreatic candidiasis.Of the 1097 patients with SAP, 850 (77.5%) received antimicrobial prophylaxis, and 21 (1.9%) had invasive pancreatic candidiasis. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, antimicrobial prophylaxis was significantly associated with the development of invasive pancreatic candidiasis (adjusted odds ratio, 4.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-27.6) (P = 0.029).The results suggest that antimicrobial prophylaxis may contribute to the development of invasive pancreatic candidiasis, and therefore, the routine use of antimicrobial prophylaxis for SAP may be discouraged.

Introduction Clusters of novel coronavirus infectious disease of 2019 (COVID-19) have spread to become a global pandemic imposing a significant burden on healthcare systems. The lack of an effective treatment and the emergence of varied and complicated clinical courses in certain populations have rendered treatment of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 difficult. Methods Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, a public tertiary acute care center located in Tokyo, the epicenter of COVID-19 in Japan, has been admitting patients with COVID-19 since February 2020. The present, retrospective, case-series study aimed to investigate the clinical course and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 hospitalized at the study institution. Results In total, 101 patients with COVID-19 were admitted to our hospital to receive inpatient care. Eleven patients (10.9%) received ECMO, and nine patients (8.9%) died during hospitalization after COVID-19 was diagnosed. A history of smoking and obesity were most commonly encountered among patients with a complicated clinical course. Most patients who died requested to be transferred to advanced palliative care in the early course of their hospitalization. Conclusions Our experience of caring for these patients demonstrated a relatively lower mortality rate and higher survival rate in those with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation placement than previous reports from other countries and underscored the importance of proactive, advanced care planning in the early course of hospitalization.

Background An antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) is one of the core elements needed to optimize antimicrobial use. Although collaboration at the national level to address the importance of ASPs and antimicrobial resistance has occurred in the Asia Pacific region, hospital-level ASP implementation in this region has not been comprehensively evaluated. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of ASPs in inpatient settings in the Asia Pacific region from January 2005 through March 2016. The impact of ASPs on various outcomes, including patient clinical outcomes, antimicrobial prescription outcomes, microbiological outcomes, and expenditure were assessed. Results Forty-six studies were included for a systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled risk ratio for mortality from ASP before-after trials and 2-group comparative studies were 1.03 (95% confidence interval [CI], .88-1.19) and 0.69 (95% CI, .56-.86), respectively. The pooled effect size for change in overall antimicrobial and carbapenem consumption (% difference) was -9.74% (95% CI, -18.93% to -.99%) and -10.56% (95% CI, -19.99% to -3.03%), respectively. Trends toward decreases in the incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms and antimicrobial expenditure (range, 9.7%-58.1% reduction in cost in the intervention period/arm) were also observed. Conclusions ASPs in inpatient settings in the Asia Pacific region appear to be safe and effective to reduce antimicrobial consumption and improve outcomes. However, given the significant variations in assessing the efficacy of ASPs, high-quality studies using standardized surveillance methodology for antimicrobial consumption and similar metrics for outcome measurement are needed to further promote antimicrobial stewardship in this region.

Pasteurella multocida, a zoonotic infectious pathogen, is a rare cause of mycotic aneurysms in human hosts. A 61-year-old male patient with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) was admitted due to fever, chills, and malaise. He had been frequently licked by his pet dog. Soon after admission, a bloodstream infection due to P. multocida was found, and he received two weeks of antimicrobial therapy. However, the bloodstream infection recurred at short intervals. Computed tomography revealed a mycotic aneurysm for which he underwent aortic graft placement. Mycotic aneurysms should be considered in patients with recurrent bloodstream infections due to Pasteurella, especially if they recur at short intervals in patients with a preexisting immunocompromised state.

The gut contents of 575 larvae of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus collected both day and night in seven depth layers (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–50, 50–70, and 70–100 m) using a 3 m2 mouth area frame net at Sta. V (27° 50′N, 126° 00′E) on 26–27 February 2003 in the Kuroshio frontal area of the southern East China Sea were examined. Copepods formed 99.0 % of larval gut contents, and larvae less than 5 mm body length (BL) in the 0–10 m layer fed mainly on copepod nauplii and copepod eggs while they hardly fed on highly mobile copepod copepodites which were the same size as eggs. Gut contents of larvae less than 5 mm BL showed differences between the 0–10 m layer and the 10–20 m layer, with potential reasons for such differences relating to visual acuity. Larvae of 5 mm BL or more fed mainly on copepod copepodites and copepod eggs at 0–30 m depth and mainly on copepod copepodites at depth greater than 30 m.

Summary Background Differences in the risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) following open heart surgery and coronary artery bypass graft surgery are not well described. Aim To identify and compare risk factors for SSI following open heart surgery and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Methods SSI surveillance data on open heart surgery (CARD) and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CBGB) submitted to the Japan Nosocomial Infection Surveillance (JANIS) system between 2008 and 2010 were analysed. Factors associated with SSI were analysed using univariate modelling analysis followed by multi-variate logistic regression analysis. Non-binary variables were analysed initially to determine the most appropriate category. Findings The cumulative incidence rates of SSI for CARD and CBGB were 2.6% (151/5895) and 4.1% (160/3884), respectively. In both groups, the duration of the operation and a high American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) score were significant in predicting SSI risk in the model. Wound class was independently associated with SSI in CARD but not in CBGB. Implants, multiple procedures and emergency operations predicted SSI in CARD, but none of these factors predicted SSI in CBGB. Conclusions There was a remarkable difference in the prediction of risk for SSI between the two types of cardiac surgery. Risk stratification in CARD could be improved by incorporating variables currently available in the existing surveillance systems. Risk index stratification in CBGB could be enhanced by collecting additional variables, because only two of the current variables were found to be significant for the prediction of SSI.

BACKGROUNDRapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (RGM) are considered rare pathogens, causing central line–associated bloodstream infection. We identified an outbreak of central line–associated bloodstream infection due to RGM at a hematology-oncology ward during a 5-month period.DESIGNOutbreak investigation and literature review.SETTINGA Japanese tertiary care center.PATIENTSAdults who were hospitalized at the hematology-oncology ward from October 15, 2011, through February 17, 2012.RESULTSA total of 5 patients with a bloodstream infection due to RGM (4 cases ofMycobacterium mucogenicumand 1 case ofMycobacterium canariasenseinfection) were identified; of these, 3 patients had acute myeloid leukemia, 1 had acute lymphocytic leukemia, and 1 had aplastic anemia. Four of the 5 patients received cord blood transplantation prior to developing the bloodstream infection. All central venous catheters in patients with a bloodstream infection were removed. These patients promptly defervesced after catheter removal and their care was successfully managed without antimicrobial therapy. Surveillance cultures from the environment and water detectedM. mucogenicumandM. canariasensein the water supply of the hematology-oncology ward. The isolates from the bloodstream infection and water sources were identical on the basis of 16S-rRNA gene sequencing.CONCLUSIONSThe source of RGM in the outbreak of bloodstream infections likely was the ward tap water supply. Awareness of catheter-related bloodstream infections due to nontuberculous mycobacteria should be emphasized, especially where immunocompromised patients are at risk. Also, using antimicrobials after catheter removal to treat central line–associated bloodstream infection due to RGM may not be necessary.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;36(1): 76–80

Background The emergency department (ED) is one of the most important settings where antimicrobials are frequently prescribed in developed countries, and at least 30% of antimicrobials prescribed at the ED are inappropriate. Some studies revealed that various factors, especially the physician-related factors were associated with inappropriate antimicrobial use. Implementing effective strategies to modify prescribing practice is needed to optimize antimicrobial therapy at the ED. Methods We implemented a multifaceted intervention to patients discharged with oral antimicrobial agents in the ED at a Japanese tertiary care center from October 2018 to March 2019. The intervention included (1) an educational didactic session to physicians, (2) an evidence-based tool book regarding antimicrobial use for common diagnoses, (3) antimicrobial order sets for common diagnoses, (4) monthly reports of the appropriateness of antimicrobial use, and (5) post-prescription review and feedback by an infectious diseases physician. The proportion of appropriate discharge antimicrobial prescription at ED, and changes in the prescription density, measured as the number of prescription per 1,000 patient visits between pre- and post-intervention were evaluated. Results The total number of patient visits at the ED during the study period was 52,274. With the intervention, the mean monthly discharge antimicrobial prescription decreased from 42.7 to 34.2 per 1,000 visits (proportional reduction 0.20; P < 0.01). Overall, appropriate prescription rate significantly increased from 47.7% (742/1,555) to 77.4% (421/544) (P < 0.01). The rate of unnecessary and inappropriate discharge antimicrobial prescription accounted from 27.5% (428/1,555) and 21.7% (337/1,555) to 8.5% (46/544) and 10.7% (58/544), respectively. A substantial improvement in discharge antimicrobial prescription against intra-abdominal infections and odontogenic infections during the intervention period was observed (changes in the proportion of appropriate prescription was 0.37 [P < 0.01] and 0.51 [P < 0.01], respectively. Conclusion An evidence-based, multifaceted intervention led to decreasing unnecessary prescription and optimizing physicians’ antimicrobial prescriptions at the ED. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Objective.Although mandatory vaccination programs have been effective in improving the vaccination rate among healthcare workers, implementing this type of program can be challenging because of varied reasons for vaccine refusal. The purpose of our study is to measure improvement in the influenza vaccination rate from a multifaceted intervention at a Japanese tertiary care center where implementing a mandatory vaccination program is difficult.Design.Before-and-after trial.Participants and Setting.Healthcare workers at a 550-bed, tertiary care, academic medical center in Sapporo, Japan.Interventions.We performed a multifaceted intervention including (1) use of a declination form, (2) free vaccination, (3) hospital-wide announcements during the vaccination period, (4) prospective audit and real-time telephone interview for healthcare workers who did not receive the vaccine, (5) medical interview with the hospital executive for noncompliant (no vaccine, no declination form) healthcare workers during the vaccination period, and (6) mandatory submission of a vaccination document if vaccinated outside of the study institution.Results.With the new multifaceted intervention, the vaccination rate in the 2012-2013 season increased substantially, up to 97%. This rate is similar to that reported in studies with a mandatory vaccination program. Improved vaccination acceptance, particularly among physicians, likely contributed to the overall increase in the vaccination rate reported in the study.Conclusions.Implementation of comprehensive strategies with strong leadership can lead to substantial improvements in vaccine uptake among healthcare workers even without a mandatory vaccination policy. The concept is especially important for institutions where implementing mandatory vaccination programs is challenging.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia results in substantial mortality. Infectious diseases specialist consultation can improve adherence to evidence-based management of S. aureus bacteremia, but its effect on mortality is unclear.A 2-year prospective cohort study of patients with S. aureus bacteremia was performed at a large tertiary care hospital. Patients who died within 2 days of diagnosis were excluded. Independent risk factors for 28-day mortality were determined.Among 341 patients with S. aureus bacteremia, 189 (55%) were male, 196 (58%) were Caucasian, 185 (54%) had methicillin-resistant S. aureus, 108 (32%) had nosocomial bacteremia, and 231 (68%) had a central venous catheter at the time of diagnosis. The median age was 56 years (range 22-95 years). A total of 111 patients (33%) had an infectious diseases consultation. Fifty-four patients (16%) died within 28 days after diagnosis. Factors associated with mortality were intensive care unit admission 48 hours or less after the first positive blood culture (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.65-8.18), cirrhosis (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.44; 95% CI, 2.40-8.20), and advanced age (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.27 per every 10 years of age; 95% CI, 1.08-1.50). Infectious diseases consultation was associated with a 56% reduction in 28-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.22-0.89).Only one third of patients with S. aureus bacteremia in this cohort had an infectious diseases specialist consultation. Infectious diseases consultation was independently associated with a reduction in 28-day mortality. Routine infectious diseases consultation should be considered for patients with S. aureus bacteremia, especially those with greater severity of illness or multiple comorbidities.

Larvae of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus were sampled in seven depth layers (0–10 m, 10–20 m, 20–30 m, 30–40 m, 40–50 m, 50–70 m, and 70–100 m), with a closing-type frame net, on 26th–27th February, 2003, at Sta. V (27°50′N, 126°00′E) continental shelf edge in the southern part of East China Sea, to examine their vertical distribution. Most of the larvae (>90%) occurred in the upper 50 m layer during both day and night. In the daytime, larvae of length from 3.0 mm to 4.5 mm were most abundant in the 10–20 m layer, those from 5.0 to 6.0 mm were most abundant in the 20–30 m layer, those from 6.0 to 8.0 mm occurred at greater depth, in the 30–40 m layer, and those more than 9.0 mm were found in the 0–10 m layer and performed ontogenetic vertical migrations. Larvae from 6 mm to 8 mm length performed diurnal vertical migration, for the percentage (16.7%) of larval number in the 0–20 m layer in the daytime increased to 42.1% at night and the percentage (78.1%) in the 20–50 m layer in the daytime decreased to 49.0% at night.

Spawning pattern (assessed by seasonal changes in ovarian developmental stages) and type of fecundity (assessed by analysis of oocyte-size frequency distributions) of the round herring Etrumeus teres were studied in relation to ovarian growth and seasonal changes in the gonadosomatic (GSI), hepatosomatic (HSI) and liposomatic (LSI) index as well as the somatic condition of spawners (CS) in a spawning ground of southern Japan. Except for summer, mature and recently spawned ovaries occurred all year round. Oogonia and primary oocytes were present in all ovaries, and cortical alveoli stage (CA) oocytes occurred in all mature, hydrated and partially spent (PS) females (PS: females containing post-ovulatory follicles). Before hydration, a clutch of larger yolked oocytes, undergoing synchronous growth (range 0.7–1.1 mm), was present in mature ovaries which was completely separated from a more heterogeneous clutch of oogonia, primary and secondary oocytes (

Growth and ontogenetic migration of greeneye Chlorophthalmus albatrossis were studied in the area from 100–400 m depths in Tosa Bay, from April 1996 to March 1997, using samples collected by an otter trawl net with a 1.3 mm mesh cod end. In the monthly changes of the standard length (SL) composition, four year classes were recognized, although the third- and fourth-year classes were not clearly separated in all the monthly samples. Individuals of 40–50 mm SL settled on the bottom of the 150–200 m depth zone from August to February. By May and June, they grew to 75–80 mm SL modal size, and migrated to 200–300 m depth. In one year after settlement, they grew to 125–130 mm SL, and migrated to 300–350 m depth. They grew to a maximum of 160 mm SL and were not sampled in the winter three years after settlement, suggesting either migration or mortality. Seasonal changes in the gonadosomatic index for combined samples of males and females showed that greeneye did not mature in Tosa Bay. It is suggested that the planktonic larvae are transported from the spawning grounds, the location of which remains unknown.

The emission characteristics of nickel ionic lines in a glow discharge plasma are investigated when argon or krypton was employed as the plasma gas. Large difference in the relative intensities of nickel ionic lines which are assigned to the 3d 8 4p–3d 8 4s transition is observed between the krypton plasma and the argon plasma. Different intense Ni II lines appear in the krypton spectrum and in the argon spectrum, such as the Ni II 231.601 nm for Kr and the Ni II 230.009 nm for Ar. The excitation energy of these Ni II emission lines can give a key in considering their excitation mechanisms. The explanation for these experimental results is that charge-transfer collisions between nickel atom and the plasma gas ion play a major role in exciting the 3d 8 4p excited levels of nickel ion. The conditions for energy resonance in the charge-transfer collision determine particular energy levels having much larger population; for example, the 3d 8 4p 4 D 7/2 level (6.39 eV) for Kr and the 3d 8 4p 4 P 5/2 level (8.25 eV) for Ar.

Saccadic responses to a visual target are delayed if another visual stimulus (distractor) is presented in the visual field opposite to the target (remote distractor effect). In the present study, two experiments were conducted to investigate how the remote distractor effect is modulated by the presence or absence of a central fixation stimulus. In both experiments, when a fixation stimulus was continuously presented even after target presentation, the remote distractor effect decreased. The reduction of the remote distractor effect was observed for all distractor positions examined (1.5 degrees -9.0 degrees eccentricity), and prominent especially when targets were presented at more peripheral positions (9.0 degrees and 10 degrees eccentricity). It was concluded that these results can be well explained by recent findings on inhibitory interactions among subpopulations of neurons in the superior colliculus.

Prey availability is one of the most important factors affecting the quality of nursery grounds. Estuaries play an important role as nursery grounds for juvenile stone flounder, but the mechanism behind the consistently high availability of prey has never been examined. This study investigates which prey is mainly selected by juvenile stone flounder (15–55 mm standard length) in the estuary of the Natori River, northern Japan. In a cage experiment, juveniles showed positive selection for the palps of the spionid polychaete Pseudopolydora kempi in March, and for the siphons of the bivalve Nuttallia olivacea in April, May and June in both sandy and muddy-sand habitats. This selective predation showed that sublethal predation on regenerable parts of invertebrates is important for stone flounder. Nuttallia olivacea , the dominant bivalve in the estuary, was more abundant and in better somatic condition in the sandy area in spite of the stronger siphon-cropping pressure by juvenile stone flounder. These results confirm that sublethal predation on highly abundant benthos plays an important role in forming estuarine habitats into areas of high prey availability for juvenile stone flounder, which leads to their high growth rate.

We examined the stomach and anterior intestine contents of 123 juvenile Trachurus japonicus over a range of body lengths from 10.7 mm to 51.6 mm, which were sampled in the area south-east of Kyushu on 21 April 2000 using a frame net. Numerically, 97.8% of the prey were copepods. Juveniles of a body length class from 10 mm to 12.5 mm most frequently fed on prey with a body width from 150 µm to 200 µm. Juveniles from 12.5 mm to 45 mm and from 45 to 50 mm most frequently ate zooplankton with a body width of 250–350 µm and 350–400 µm, respectively. Generally, the body width of prey increased with the growth of juveniles. We compared the body width frequency of zooplankton collected with plankton nets with that of the prey in the alimentary canals of T. japonicus. Juveniles of body length from 10 mm to 35 mm and more than 35 mm were found to selectively feed on zooplankton with a body width from 250 µm to 350 µm and from 500 µm to 1000 µm, respectively. We conclude that the ability to feed on large prey items is related to the increased behavioral development with growth.

Three subjects were asked to judge the position of small spots of light flashed before, during or after rapid translational motion of the background grating pattern. Mislocalization of the spots was observed when the background moved during or immediately after presentation of the spot. In both cases, mislocalization always occurred in the direction of the fixation point. Furthermore, this mislocalization occurred only when the background moved in the opposite direction to the visual half-field in which the spot appeared. That is to say, a spot to the right of the fixation point was mislocalized when its background moved to the left, but not when it moved to the right, and the converse was also true. This finding was interpreted as reflecting a long-term adaptation to the optokinetic stimulation that we experience during forward and backward locomotion.

The size selective feeding of the black rockfish, Sebastes inermis, in a demersal fish assemblage of Onagawa Bay, located in northeastern Japan, was studied using laboratory experiments and stomach content analysis of the dominant demersal fish coexisting with the black rockfish in Onagawa Bay. The preferred food size of the black rockfish was determined in the laboratory experiments. The average food size taken by the black rockfish (150–227 mm long) under natural conditions was much smaller than that taken by fish in laboratory experiments (148–158 mm sized). The most preferred size of food taken by fish in laboratory experiments was rarely found under natural conditions. Analysis of the competition coefficients of fish species in the fish assemblage based on stomach content analysis suggested that the degrees to which the preferred food size was found depended upon the foods availability, by competition with other fish species and by the feeding ability of the fish. Intra- and inter-specific competition in a fish assemblage might be limiting factors on the food size selection of fish under natural conditions.

The developmental sequence of morphological characteristics related to swimming and feeding functions was investigated in hatchery-reared larvae and juveniles ofSebastes schlegeli, a viviparous scorpaenid. The fish were extruded at an early larval stage, when the mean body size was 6.23 mm TL.

Compared to conventional hemodialysis (HD), home hemodialysis (HHD) enables marked increases in HD duration and frequency. Better clinical outcomes have been reported for HHD, including improvements in patient survival and their quality of life. However, statistical analysis by the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy in 2010 revealed that only 0.1% of the end-stage renal disease patients received HHD in Japan. In our hospital, clinical engineers as well as doctors and nurses have resolutely been working towards the education, maintenance and management of HHD. More than 30 patients have successfully and safely started HHD within the last 3 years. To carry out HHD, a certain amount of knowledge is required to understand the principles of dialysis and clinical engineering and how to use HD devices. About 50% of the problems during HHD were related to HD devices. Thus, we feel that it is essential to extend HHD so that clinical engineers can systematically structure and support HHD.

Management of osteomyelitis of the hand and wrist is a multidisciplinary and individualized process. Suboptimal management can result in poor functional outcomes. A rational approach to management includes careful consideration of the pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnostic options, and surgical and medical treatment of this disease.

Experimental sleep disturbance (model insomnia) was produced by intermittent white noise and the administration of 10 mg of methylphenidate (MPD). The effects of flurazepam (FZP) 15 mg and triazolam (TZM) 0.25 mg on these models was investigated. All night sleep polygraphy was performed on 8 normal male subjects under each of the following 9 conditions: baseline, TZM 0.25 mg, FZP 15 mg, white noise alone, noise and TZM, noise and FZP, MPD alone, MPD and TZM, and MPD and FZP. A reduction in total sleep time and stage were (S-REM) and an increase in the wakening stage were observed with both noise and MPD. Stage 4 sleep was reduced only by MPD. Administration of TZM or EZP did not cause any significant change in sleep parameters. These drugs in combination with noise or MPD resulted in almost complete recovery of the sleep disturbance induced by noise or MPD, except for a reduction in S-REM. These results indicate that model insomnia, particularly MPD insomnia, will assist in the evaluation of hypnotic drugs.

The rate of crystallization from the amorphous state of Tetrabenzo[a, cd, j, lm]perylene(TBP) film under various temperature conditions was examined as a function of the purity of the specimen. On the basis of the absorption and fluorescence spectra of TBP film, the rate of crystallization of TBP film evaporated at room temperature was found to be decreased with increasing impurity of the specimen. The rate of crystallization of TBP, with an impurity level of 10−6 mol/mol, was decreased at temperatures below the glass transition temperature (135-140°C), while the crystalline thin film was immediately obtained at temperatures above the glass transition point. On the other hand, crystalline thin films of the purest TBP (10−8 mol/mol impurity contents) prepared by our methods (J. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 1979 (4), 443) could be obtained immediately after sample preparation independent of the substrate temperature.