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Simultaneous suppression of rice (Oryza sativa L.) uptake of As and Cd is challenging because these toxic elements are immobilized under contrasting redox conditions. Given the notion that oxygen diffusion governs redox conditions in temporarily drained paddy soil, we assume that the key to simultaneous suppression of dissolved As and Cd concentrations is air-filled porosity (AFP) of soil. The objectives of this study were to reveal relationships between AFP and dissolved As and Cd concentrations in paddy soils and to identify the optimum water management, in terms of AFP, for simultaneous reduction of As and Cd. Dissolved As and Cd concentrations were determined in soil cores collected at different depths and times during rice growing seasons. Dissolved As concentrations were appreciable (>3 µg L⁻¹) only when AFP was below a threshold value of 0.04 to 0.10 m³ m⁻³, suggesting that dissolved As was rapidly immobilized once AFP exceeded the threshold value on drainage. Dissolved Cd concentrations were roughly proportional to AFP, with higher concentrations associated with lower soil pH. Although dissolved As concentrations tended to be low in soil samples with high dissolved Cd concentrations and vice versa, both concentrations were low when AFP was slightly above the threshold value for As immobilization. The results suggest that dissolved As and Cd can be simultaneously kept at low levels by appropriate water management practices that produce AFP slightly above the threshold value for As immobilization.

Setting Macrolides are a key drug class used for the treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus complex disease. Objective To verify the relationship between phenotypic susceptibility and genotypic resistance to clarithromycin (CLM). Design Subspecies of M. abscessus complex from 145 consecutive patients were identified using hsp65 and rpoB gene sequencing, and tested for CLM susceptibility, classification into the erm(41) sequevars responsible for inducible resistance and the presence of rrl mutations associated with acquired resistance. Results The isolates comprised 74 M. abscessus subsp. abscessus, 69 M. abscessus subsp. massiliense and two M. abscessus subsp. bolletii. M. abscessus subsp. abscessus isolates comprised 15 sequevars, with the majority corresponding to sequevar 1 (n = 24), sequevar 6 (n = 13) and sequevar 2 (n = 8). Interestingly, seven M. abscessus subsp. abscessus isolates (9.5%) presented genetically functional, but not phenotypic, inducible resistance. Moreover, rrl was mutated in only 14.3% (1/7) of acquired resistance isolates. However, M. abscessus subsp. massiliense and M. abscessus subsp. bolletii isolates with acquired resistance at day 3 showed mutations at positions 2057-2059 (P Conclusions Our study indicates that genotypic inducible and acquired resistance in M. abscessus subsp. abscessus does not always coincide with phenotypic susceptibility. Rigorous phenotypic evaluation is thus important because of the considerable impact on patients.

Objective The incidence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections has increased in recent decades. Nevertheless, NTM pleurisy is still a rare disease. The objective of the present study was to elucidate the clinical features and outcomes of NTM pleurisy. Methods A retrospective study was undertaken of consecutive patients whose pleural effusion culture yielded NTM, from 2002 to 2016 at a respiratory hospital in Japan. The clinical features, treatment, and outcomes of these patients were analyzed. Result The 12 patients with NTM pleurisy were predominantly male, with a median age of 69 years (range, 48-93 years). They included eight patients with a history of smoking and six patients with immunosuppressive comorbidities such as malignancy, diabetes mellitus, and conditions requiring steroid administration. Fibrocavitary disease was the most common radiographic feature of these patients, and Mycobacterium avium complex was the most common pathogen. Pneumothorax was complicated in 11 patients. Surgery was performed on seven patients, in addition to thoracic drainage for the treatment of pleurisy and pneumothorax. Three patients died of respiratory failure. Conclusion Pneumothorax is a frequent complication of NTM pleurisy, often making the condition difficult to treat. Surgery at an appropriate time should therefore considered for refractory cases.

Background In Japan, nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease is mostly attributable to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), i.e., M. avium or M. intracellulare . However, clinical features of the disease caused by these two pathogens have not been studied sufficiently yet. Methods A post-marketing survey of clarithromycin was performed at 130 facilities across Japan. The data on patients with M. avium infection and patients with M. intracellulare infection were selected from this survey for comparison of background variables and clinical features of the two pathogens. Results Among the patients analyzed ( n = 368), 67.4% had M. avium infection and 32.6% had M. intracellulare infection. Stratified analysis revealed no significant differences between the ratio of the two pathogens based on gender, disease type, complication, past medical history, or smoking history. However, the percentage of patients with M. intracellulare infection was significantly higher among those with underlying lung disease than among those without lung disease ( p = 0.0217). The percentage of patients with M. intracellulare infection rose significantly with age ( p = 0.0296). This age-related change was more significant in women ( p = 0.0018). When district-wise analysis was performed for Japan, the percentage of M. intracellulare infection was higher in the Chugoku/Shikoku and Kyushu districts whereas the percentage of M. avium infection was higher in the other districts. Conclusions This survey revealed some differences in the clinical and epidemiologic features of M. avium and M. intracellulare infection. The significant predominance of M. avium infection among relatively young women is suggestive of an increase in the M. avium/M. intracellulare infection ratio among women in the future.

Purpose. Macrolide susceptibility differs between subspecies in the Mycobacterium abscessus complex, likely due to differences in erm(41) sequevars. Patients with M. abscessus complex infection generally show poor clinical outcomes in response to antibiotic treatment. Here, the association between genotype and treatment outcome was investigated. Methodology. We collected 69 isolates from 35 patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: 24 had M. abscessus complex lung disease and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, and 11 were colonized. Outcome analysis was performed in the 24 infected patients. Molecular analyses, including erm(41) and rrl sequencing, and variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) analysis of 69 isolates, from 24 infected and 11 colonized patients, were performed to elucidate the influence of genotype on antibiotic susceptibility. Results. Among the 24 patients, 18 (14 infected with M. abscessus subsp. abscessus and 4 with M. abscessus subsp. massiliense) showed unfavourable outcomes; six (three infected with M. abscessus subsp. abscessus and three with M. abscessus subsp. massiliense) exhibited favourable outcomes. Patients with unfavourable outcomes showed acquired clarithromycin resistance (33.3 vs 0 %), mixed sequevars (38.9 vs 16.7 %) and differing VNTR patterns between initial and serial isolates (33.3 vs 16.7 %). In contrast, in the 11 colonized patients, M. abscessus subsp. abscessus C28 (sequevar 02) and M. abscessus subsp. massiliense were the most prevalent subspecies. Conclusion. Patients infected with multiple sequevars and genotypes were more likely to exhibit treatment failure and/or recurrence. The precise identification of subspecies and analyses of mycobacterial characteristics may help to predict treatment outcomes in patients with M. abscessus complex lung disease.

Background: Among Mycobacterium abscessus complex infections, patients with M. abscessus subsp. abscessus (MAA) lung disease are difficult to treat and no standard therapy has been established. Few reports have investigated the drug susceptibility of these strains. We retrospectively investigated how in vitro drug susceptibility testing (DST) of MAA affects the induction of sputum conversion using pharmacotherapy. Methods: Patients with MAA lung disease diagnosed and treated between 2010 and 2014 at our hospital were enrolled and divided into Group A (sputum conversion without relapse within 1 year) and Group B (persistent positive cultured or negative conversion with relapse). MAA was identified in M. abscessus using sequence with genotyping, and DST of MAA was performed. Results: We assessed 23 patients (9 males and 14 females). There were 8 patients in Group A and 15 in Group B. Higher prevalence of susceptible isolates for clarithromycin (CAM) susceptibility on day 14 was noted in Group A than in Group B (P = 0.03) and no significant difference observed in the two groups for other drugs. Conclusions: In vitro DST of MAA, especially CAM susceptibility on day 14, affected the results of negative conversion. No other drugs were found to affect sputum culture negative conversion.

The revised 2007 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America statement recommend clarithromycin-based combination therapy for treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease and stipulates approximately 1 year of continuous treatment after bacilli negative conversion. However, supporting data are insufficient. Our objective was to obtain data on the clinical outcome of clarithromycin-based daily regimens by conducting a nationwide retrospective post-marketing study of M. avium complex lung disease. In accordance with the Japanese guidelines, patients were enrolled in this survey according to their chest radiographic findings and microbiologic test results. They were treated with a multidrug regimen including clarithromycin, rifampicin, and ethambutol (clarithromycin-based regimen) until bacilli negative conversion, and the treatment was continued for approximately 1 year after the initial conversion. Data were collected before administration, at the time of bacilli negative conversion, at the end of treatment, and at 6 months after the end of treatment. Of the 466 subjects enrolled in the study, 271 patients who received clarithromycin at 800 mg/day underwent evaluation for M. avium complex disease. The final bacilli negative conversion rate in those patients was 94.7%. The bacteriological relapse rate was 5.0% (5/100 patients). Bacteriological relapse was noted in patients treated for less than 15 months after conversion. No life-threatening or serious adverse drug reactions were observed. This study demonstrated that a clarithromycin-based daily regimen can yield a high bacteriological conversion rate in M. avium complex disease. After conversion, treatment for less than 15 months might be insufficient to prevent bacteriological relapse.

We propose a facial expression mapping technology between virtual avatars and Head-Mounted Display (HMD) users. HMD allow people to enjoy an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience. A virtual avatar can be a representative of the user in the virtual environment. However, the synchronization of the the virtual avatar's expressions with those of the HMD user is limited. The major problem of wearing an HMD is that a large portion of the user's face is occluded, making facial recognition difficult in an HMD-based virtual environment. To overcome this problem, we propose a facial expression mapping technology using retro-reflective photoelectric sensors. The sensors attached inside the HMD measures the distance between the sensors and the user's face. The distance values of five basic facial expressions (Neutral, Happy, Angry, Surprised, and Sad) are used for training the neural network to estimate the facial expression of a user. We achieved an overall accuracy of 88% in recognizing the facial expressions. Our system can also reproduce facial expression change in real-time through an existing avatar using regression. Consequently, our system enables estimation and reconstruction of facial expressions that correspond to the user's emotional changes.

Background Although nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung diseases can occur in association with lung cancer, no study has evaluated the effect of lung cancer treatment on NTM lung diseases. Therefore, the present study aimed to retrospectively examine the effect of lung cancer treatment on NTM lung diseases. Methods Patients diagnosed with NTM lung diseases in combination with cytologically or histologically proven lung cancer between January 1, 2010 and October 31, 2014 were enroled. The clinical history of eligible patients was retrospectively reviewed. Results Seven hundred twenty-eight patients were diagnosed with NTM lung diseases. Among these patients, 29 (3.9%) also had lung cancer. Of the 29 patients with NTM and lung cancer, 62% had Mycobacterium avium complex as the pathogenic organism. The most common lung cancer histology was adenocarcinoma (62.1%). Anti-cancer cytotoxic chemotherapy was administered to seven patients, and the two patients who did not receive NTM treatment showed worsening of their NTM lung disease. Conclusion Whether NTM lung disease should be treated during anti-cancer chemotherapy has not been not clarified by this study. Induction of anti-NTM therapy should be made after careful consideration, because the duration of anti-NTM treatment is long and anti-mycobacterial drugs have extensive effects on anti-cancer drugs. However, we think that anti-NTM therapy should be introduced after consideration of the worsening of symptoms and radiological findings associated with NTM lung disease.

We report a systematic NMR study on [Sr4Sc2O6]Fe-2(As1-xPx)(2), for which the local lattice parameters of the iron-pnictogen (FePn) layer are similar to those of the series LaFe(As1-x'Px')O, which exhibits two segregated antiferromagnetic (AFM) order phases, AFM1 at x' = 0 - 0.2 and AFM2 at x' = 0.4 - 0.7. Our results reveal that the parent AFM1 phase at x = 0 disappears at x = 0.3 - 0.4, corresponding to a pnictogen height (h(pn)) from the Fe plane of 1.3-1.32 angstrom, which is similar to that of LaFe(As1-x'Px')O and various parent Fe pnictides. By contrast, the AFM2 order reported for LaFe(As0.4P0.6)O does not appear at x similar to 0.8, although the local lattice parameters of the FePn layer and the microscopic electronic states are quite similar. Despite the absence of the static AFM2 order, reemergent dynamical AFM spin fluctuations were observed at approximately x similar to 0.8, which can be attributed to the instability of the AFM2 phase. We suggest this re-enhancement of AFM spin fluctuations plays a significant role in enhancing the T-c to 17 K for x = 0.8 - 1. Finally, we discuss the universality and diversity of the complicated magnetic ground states from a microscopic point of view, including the difference in the origins of the AFM1 and AFM2 phases, and their relations with the high superconducting transitions in Fe pnictides.

Effective models are constructed for a newly discovered superconductor (Nd,Sr)NiO_{2}, which has been considered as a possible nickelate analog of the cuprates. Estimation of the effective interaction, which turns out to require a multiorbital model that takes account of all the orbitals involved on the Fermi surface, shows that the effective interactions are significantly larger than in the cuprates. A fluctuation exchange study suggests occurrence of d_{x^{2}-y^{2}}-wave superconductivity, where the transition temperature should be lowered from the cuprates due to the larger interaction.

We propose a facial expression mapping technology between virtual avatars and Head-Mounted Display (HMD) users. HMDs allow people to enjoy an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience. A virtual avatar can be a representative of the user in the virtual environment. However, the synchronization of the virtual avatar's expressions with those of the HMD user is limited. The major problem of wearing an HMD is that a large portion of the user's face is occluded, making facial recognition difficult in an HMD-based virtual environment. To overcome this problem, we propose a facial expression mapping technology using photo-reflective sensors. The sensors attached inside the HMD measure the reflection intensity between the sensors and the user's face. The intensity values of five basic facial expressions (Neutral, Happy, Angry, Surprised, and Sad) are used for training a classifier to estimate the facial expression of a user. In Siggraph 2019, the user can enjoy two application, the facial expression synchronization with the avatar, and simple manipulation experience for a virtual environment by facial expressions.

We perform de Haas-van Alphen measurements and quasiparticle self-consistent \textit{GW} (QS\textit{GW}) calculations on FeS. The calculated Fermi surface (FS) consists of two hole and two electron cylinders. We observe all the eight predicted FS cross sections experimentally. With momentum-independent band-energy adjustments of less than 0.1 eV, the maximum deviation between the calculated and observed cross sections is less than 0.2\% of the Brillouin zone area for $B \parallel c$. The carrier density is $\sim$0.5 carriers/Fe. The mass enhancements are nearly uniform across the FS cylinders and moderate, $\sim$2. The absence of a third hole cylinder with $d_{xy}$ character is favorable for the formation of a nodal superconducting gap., 7 pages, 3 figures

Mycolicibacter kumamotonensis (M. kumamotonensis), formerly Mycobacterium kumamotonense, is a nontuberculous mycobacteria species, which was first separated from Mycobacterium terrae complex in 2006. Reports about infections caused by M. kumamotonensis are extremely rare, with most of them being lung infection. Here, we report the case of a 68-year-old man with a hobby of gardening who developed swelling in his right middle finger. He underwent surgical debridement at a previous hospital and was diagnosed with nontuberculous mycobacteria infection based on positive findings of acid-fast staining of pus obtained from the surgical specimen. He was treated with rifampicin, ethambutol, and clarithromycin, but the swelling worsened. Therefore, he was referred to our hospital for further examination and treatment. We performed a second debridement and added isoniazid to the treatment regimen, but the swelling continued to worsen. We then administered levofloxacin, but his condition did not change. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and DNA sequencing analysis confirmed M. kumamotonensis as the causative bacterium. Since the finger swelling did not improve, the patient underwent a third debridement and amikacin was added to the treatment regimen. Finally, the infection was controlled. He completed amikacin therapy and will continue treatment with the other five antibiotics for a total of 24 months. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with M. kumamotonensis soft tissue infection. We consider this case might provide important insights into the diagnosis and treatment of soft tissue infections caused by M. kumamotonensis.

On the basis of the microscopic quasiclassical Eilenberger theory, we analyze the recent angle-resolved specific heat experiment carried out at low temperature for ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{RuO}}_{4}$ to identify the superconducting gap symmetry, comprising either horizontal or vertical line nodes relative to the tetragonal crystal symmetry. Several characteristics, in particular, the landscape of the in-plane oscillation amplitude ${A}_{4}(B,T)$ with a definite sign for almost the entire $B\text{\ensuremath{-}}T$ plane are best explained by the horizontal line node symmetry, especially when the multiband and Pauli paramagnetic effects are taken into account. The present analysis of ${A}_{4}(B,T)$ with definite sign points to the presence of an anomalous field region at a lower temperature in the experimental data, whose origin is investigated. Our theory demonstrates the application and uniqueness of the field-rotating thermodynamic measurements in uncovering the precise gap structure for target materials.

[Background] Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) is defined as a tuberculosis infection of the tracheobronchial tree and is often misdiagnosed as bronchial asthma or bron- chitis owing to a lack of typical imaging findings. [Aim] The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical characteristics of EBTB. [Method] We retrospectively studied EBTB patients hos- pitalized at the National Hospital Organization Kinki-chuo Chest Medical Center (Sakai City, Japan) between January 2005 and April 2014. [Result] A total of 29 patients (8 men and 21 women) were enrolled in this study. The patients' ages ranged from 17 to 86 years. Cough was the most frequently reported symptom. The interval between the appearance of symptoms and an EBTB diagnosis was significantly longer than usual when there was an initial misdiagnosis of bronchial asthma. The most frequent finding of fiber-optic bronchoscopy performed after more than 1 month of treatment was a V-type scar based on Arai's classification system. [Conclusion] A misdiagnosis of EBTB as bronchial asthma leads to a significant delay in correct diagnosis and treat- ment. EBTB must be included in the differential diagnoses of chronic cough and airway constriction sound.

In this paper, the electronic structure and transport properties of a ductile thermoelectric material α-Ag2S are examined using first-principles calculations combined with the Boltzmann transport equation within a constant relaxation-time approximation. The use of the exchange–correlation functional SCAN + rVV10 successfully describes the geometric and electronic structure of α-Ag2S with a direct bandgap value of 0.99 eV, which is consistent with the previous experimental observations. Based on the calculations of the formation energy of typical intrinsic defects, it is found that intrinsic defect formation greatly affects the conductivity of the system where silver vacancy and interstitial silver act as p-type and n-type defects, respectively. Large Seebeck coefficients at room-temperature, of around −760 μV K−1 for n-type and 1400 μV K−1 for p-type, are realized. It is also suggested that the doping of fully filled d-block elements such as Cu and Au not only maintained the Seebeck coefficients at high values but also improved electrical conductivity by more than 1.4 times, leading to the improvement of the power factor by up to 40% compared to the non-doped sample at low carrier concentration.

Correction for ‘Intrinsic defect formation and the effect of transition metal doping on transport properties in a ductile thermoelectric material α-Ag2S: a first-principles study’ by Ho Ngoc Nam et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021, DOI: 10.1039/d0cp06624a.

Enzalutamide is an androgen receptor inhibitor that has been approved in several countries. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) data in animals would facilitate understanding of the efficacy and safety profiles of enzalutamide, but little information has been reported in public. The purpose of this study was to clarify the missing ADME profile in animals.ADME ofPlasma concentrations ofRapid oral absorption was observed in rats and dogs when

We investigated the low-energy incommensurate (IC) magnetic fluctuations in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ by the high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering measurements and random phase approximation (RPA) calculations. We observed a spin resonance with energy of $\hbar\omega_\text{res}=0.56$~meV centered at a characteristic wavevector $\mathbf{Q}_\text{res}=(0.3, 0.3, 0.5)$. The resonance energy corresponds well to the superconducting gap $2\Delta=0.56$~meV estimated by the tunneling spectroscopy. The spin resonance shows the $L$ modulation with a maximum at around $L = 0.5$. The $L$ modulated intensity of the spin resonance and our RPA calculations indicate that the superconducting gaps regarding the quasi-one-dimensional $\alpha$ and $\beta$ sheets at the Fermi surfaces have the horizontal line nodes. These results may set a strong constraint on the pairing symmetry of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. We also discuss the implications on possible superconducting order parameters., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1904.01234

We calculated spin-wave dispersion of ferromagnetic Heusler alloys; Cu2MnAl, Ni2MnSn, and Pd2MnSn from the dynamical spin susceptibility based on the ground states determined by the quasi-particle ...

Nivolumab has become the standard second-line chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. A 73-year-old man with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer received 6 cycles of chemotherapy with nab-paclitaxel/carboplatin/bevacizumab followed by 11 cycles of nab-paclitaxel/bevacizumab; however, treatment was stopped due to pneumothorax. One year after therapy started, a nodule appeared in the left upper lung and increased in size. Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense disease was diagnosed by a sputum analysis. After short antibiotic treatment, nivolumab was administered. Two months after nivolumab treatment, the nodule improved along with a good tumour response. The effectiveness of nivolumab for chronic infectious diseases, such as M. abscessus disease, should be investigated.

Tuberculosis may be accompanied by various hematological abnormalities during treatment, and occasionally thrombocytopenia is also noted. Most cases of thrombocytopenia in tuberculosis are moderate, and there are few reports about thrombocytopenia with diffuse alveolar hemorrhaging (DAH) in pulmonary tuberculosis. We describe the case of an 82-year-old man with pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous pleurisy. He underwent anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy; during tuberculosis treatment, he experienced DAH due to fulminant thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia is a common finding in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, but the laboratory findings should be carefully evaluated. Thrombocytopenia during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy can cause life-threatening DAH.

We use inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to investigate the effect of electron correlations on spin dynamics in the iron-based superconductor ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{0.75}{\mathrm{K}}_{0.25}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$. Our INS data show a spin-wave-like dispersive feature, with a zone boundary energy of 200 meV. A first-principles analysis of dynamical spin susceptibility, incorporating the mass renormalization factor of 3, as determined by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, provides a reasonable description of the observed spin excitations. This analysis shows that electron correlations in the $\mathrm{Fe}\ensuremath{-}3d$ bands yield enhanced effective electron masses, and consequently, induce substantial narrowing of the spin excitation bandwidth. Our results highlight the importance of electron correlations in an itinerant description of the spin excitations in iron-based superconductors.

Despite the fact that 1111-type iron arsenides hold the record transition temperature of iron-based superconductors, their electronic structures have not been studied much because of the lack of high-quality single crystals. In this study, we completely determine the Fermi surface in the antiferromagnetic state of CaFeAsF, a 1111 iron-arsenide parent compound, by performing quantum oscillation measurements and band-structure calculations. The determined Fermi surface consists of a symmetry-related pair of Dirac electron cylinders and a normal hole cylinder. From analyses of quantum-oscillation phases, we demonstrate that the electron cylinders carry a nontrivial Berry phase $��$. The carrier density is of the order of 10$^{-3}$ per Fe. This unusual metallic state with the extremely small carrier density is a consequence of the previously discussed topological feature of the band structure which prevents the antiferromagnetic gap from being a full gap. We also report a nearly linear-in-$B$ magnetoresistance and an anomalous resistivity increase above about 30 T for $B \parallel c$, the latter of which is likely related to the quantum limit of the electron orbit. Intriguingly, the electrical resistivity exhibits a nonmetallic temperature dependence in the paramagnetic tetragonal phase ($T >$ 118 K), which may suggest an incoherent state. Our study provides a detailed knowledge of the Fermi surface in the antiferromagnetic state of 1111 parent compounds and moreover opens up a new possibility to explore Dirac-fermion physics in those compounds., 11 pages, 7 figures, 1 table

The patient was a 76-year-old woman who underwent sigmoidectomy in April 2011 for sigmoid colon cancer with multiple concurrent liver metastases. She was treated postoperatively with mFOLFOX6 plus cetuximab but was diagnosed with the progressive disease at the end of course 14. The patient started receiving FOLFIRI plus cetuximab therapy in May 2012. Later in August 2012, she was examined for respiratory distress on the scheduled date of receiving course 7 and was diagnosed with drug-induced interstitial pneumonia resulting from systemic chemotherapy. The patient was administered oxygen, and her symptoms improved temporarily with steroid half-pulse and endotoxin adsorption therapy, but on inpatient day 10, her respiratory condition deteriorated. She was treated with steroid pulse therapy, but died of respiratory failure on inpatient day 17. The main adverse events associated with FOLFIRI plus cetuximab therapy are gastrointestinal symptoms, hematotoxicity, peripheral nerve damage, and dermatological symptoms. However, reports of respiratory conditions such as interstitial pneumonia are rare. Although the incidence is low, interstitial pneumonia can be severe and fatal and therefore requires close attention.

Background Pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease (PNTM) is a known risk factor for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). However, few studies have focused on the prognosis of PNTM-associated CPA. In the present investigation, we aimed to elucidate the clinical course and prognostic factors of CPA in patients with PNTM. Methods We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 62 patients with CPA and a history of PNTM who were admitted to Kinki-chuo Chest Medical Center between 2010 and 2015. Co-morbidities, causative microorganisms, radiological findings, and outcomes were evaluated. Results The patients’ median age was 69.5 years, and the median follow-up period was 4.2 years. The major underlying diseases, other than PNTM and CPA, were old pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and interstitial pneumonia. The most common causative NTM species were Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC; 37 patients; 59.7%) and Mycobacterium kansasii (20 patients; 32.3%). Survival was 83% after 1 year and 61% after 5 years. Use of systemic corticosteroids (hazard ratio: 3.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.23–9.51; P=0.00177) and C-reactive protein levels ≥ 5.0 mg/dL (hazard ratio: 8.96, 95% confidence interval: 2.15–62.9; P=0.0014) at the time of CPA diagnosis were associated with increased over-all mortality. Conclusions CPA frequently developed in patients with MAC and M. kansasii PNTM. The treatment course of PNTM was not associated with all-cause mortality. However, systemic corticosteroid use and high CRP levels were negative prognostic factors of CPA in patients with PNTM. Since the prognosis is poor, early diagnosis and treatment of CPA are important in patients with PNTM.

Purpose: Never-smokers account for a large proportion of subjects in general population studies on nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease (NTM-LD). However, the influence of NTM infection on the lung function of never-smokers has not yet been evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine how NTM-LD impairs the lung function in never-smokers, and whether there are an association between successful NTM-LD treatment in radiologic outcomes and improvement in lung function of never-smokers with NTM-LD or not. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients (1) who have never smoked during their lifetime; (2) with at least two respiratory specimens from sputum, one bronchial washing sample, or one lung tissue that were culture positive for the same NTM species; and (3) who underwent at least two pulmonary function tests. We enrolled healthy never-smokers as the control group. Results: In 22 never-smokers with NTM-LD, the median forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) at baseline was lower than those in 9 healthy never-smokers [1800 vs 2080 ml (p = 0.23) and 2230 vs 2620 ml (p = 0.06)], respectively. The median change in FEV1 in never-smokers with NTM-LD was lower than that in healthy never-smokers [−70 vs 20 ml per year (p = 0.07), respectively]. On univariate analysis, baseline %-predicted FEV1 in never-smokers with NTM-LD was associated with changes in FVC (p = 0.026) and FEV1 (p = 0.013). Anti-NTM treatment was administered for at least 1 year in 19 patients (86.4%). The relationship between worsening chest CT findings and rapid progressive decline in both FVC (p = 0.66) and FEV1 (p = 0.23) were not significant. Conclusion: Never-smokers with NTM-LD showed lung function decline. There was no association between successful NTM-LD treatment in radiologic outcomes and improvement in lung function of never-smokers. Keywords: Lung function, Never-smoker, Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, Bronchiectasis

Humic substances (HS) in soil and sediments, and surface water influence the behavior of organic xenobiotics in the environment. However, our knowledge of the effects of specific HS fractions, i.e., humic acids (HAs), fulvic acids (FAs), and humin (HM), on the sorption of organic xenobiotics is limited. The neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid is thought to contribute to the collapse of honeybee colonies. To understand the role that soil organic matter plays in the fate of acetamiprid, interactions between acetamiprid and the above HS fractions were examined. Batch experiments were conducted using various combinations of a field soil sample and the above 3 HS fractions prepared from the same soil, and differences in isotherm values for acetamiprid sorption were investigated based on the structural differences among the HS fractions. The sorption of acetamiprid to soil minerals associated with HM (MHM) (Freundlich isotherm constant, Kf: 6.100) was reduced when HAs or FAs were added (Kf: 4.179 and 4.756, respectively). This can be attributed to hydrophobic interactions between HM and HAs or FAs in which their dissociated carboxyl and phenolic groups become oriented to face the soil solution. The amount of acetamiprid that was adsorbed to (MHM+HA) or (MHM+FA) increased when aluminum ions were added (Kf: 6.933 and 10.48, respectively), or iron ions were added (Kf: 7.303 and 11.29, respectively). Since acetamiprid has no affinity for inorganic components in soil, the formation of HS-metal complexes by cation bridging may have oriented the hydrophobic moieties in the HAs or FAs to face the soil solution and may also have resulted in the formation of dense structures, resulting in an increase in the amount of acetamiprid that becomes adsorbed to these structures. These results highlight the importance of interactions among soil components in the pedospheric diffusion of acetamiprid.

Recent angle-resolved spectroscopy in BiS$_2$-based superconductors has indicated that the superconducting gap amplitude possesses remarkable anisotropy and/or a sign change on a small Fermi pocket around $X$ point. It implies a possibility of an unconventional pairing state. Here we study the gap anisotropy in superconductivity mediated by inherent charge/quadrupole fluctuations in an extended Hubbard model, which includes inter-site interaction between Bi and S atoms. The first-principles downfolded band structure is composed of Bi $6p_x/p_y$ and S $3p_x/p_y$ orbitals on a BiS$_2$ single layer. Evaluating the linearized gap equation, we find that the ferroic charge/quadrupole fluctuation driven by the inter-site interaction leads to a fully-gapped $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave pairing state, in which the gap amplitude has sizable anisotropy on the Fermi surface., 6 pages, 5 figures

A powder sample of body-centered tetragonal Ni2N in a single phase was prepared by a high rate-type triode dc reactive sputtering and the magnetic properties have been reinvestigated. It is confirmed that Ni2N is not a ferromagnet. However, the material is not a simple paramagnet either and shows a weak spin-glass-like behavior at low temperatures with a freezing temperature of about 8 K. Posible origins of the behavior are discussed. Band-structure calculations are reported to see the stability of the nonmagnetic ground state of bct Ni2N against lattice expansion and appearance of nitrogen vacancies.

Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium massiliense lung infections have different clarithromycin susceptibilities, making proper identification important; however, standard multi-gene sequencing in clinical laboratories is laborious and time consuming. We developed a pyrosequencing-based method for rapid identification of strains belonging to the M. abscessus group by targeting erm(41). We examined 55 isolates from new pulmonary M. abscessus infections and identified 28 M. abscessus, 25 M. massiliense, and 2 Mycobacterium bolletii isolates. Multi-gene sequencing of 16S rRNA, hsp65, rpoB, and the 16S-23S ITS region was concordant with the results of erm(41) pyrosequencing; thus, the M. abscessus group can be identified by single-nucleotide polymorphisms in erm(41). The method also enables rapid identification of polymorphic, inducible clarithromycin-resistant sequevars (T28 or C28). Pyrosequencing of erm(41) is a rapid, reliable, high-throughput alternative method for identifying and characterizing M. abscessus species. Further testing of a diverse collection of isolates is necessary to demonstrate the discriminatory power of erm(41) sequencing to differentiating species with this highly divergent group.

Background Pulmonary nocardiosis is a rare but severe infection caused by Nocardia species. This study aimed at describing the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pulmonary nocardiosis. Methods An observational, retrospective study was undertaken of patients diagnosed with pulmonary nocardiosis over a 13-year period at the Kinki-Chuo Chest Medical Center, Osaka, Japan. Results Seven patients with airway nocardial colonization and 59 patients with pulmonary nocardiosis were identified, one of whom had disseminated nocardiosis. Patients with pulmonary nocardiosis were predominantly male patients (73%), with a mean age of 66 (range, 15–88) years. New-onset cough and dyspnea were the most common manifestations (76%). Although 52 (88%) patients had at least one underlying pulmonary disease, most patients did not appear to be systemically immunocompromised. The predominant abnormality on chest computed tomography in pulmonary nocardiosis was airspace consolidation (52%), sometimes associated with cavitation. Multivariate Cox proportional-hazards analysis revealed the following significant and independent risk factors for overall mortality: age >68 years (hazard ratio [HR], 4.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6–14; p =0.05), pulmonary aspergillosis (HR, 8.8; 95% CI, 2.4–33; p =0.01), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) resistance (HR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.6–11; p =0.04). Conclusions Clinicians should be aware that pulmonary nocardiosis can occur even in immunocompetent patients, especially those with an underlying pulmonary disease. In pulmonary nocardiosis, older age, pulmonary aspergillosis, and TMP-SMZ resistance are associated with increased risk of mortality.

We perform first principles band calculation of electron doped iron-based superconductors adopting the virtual crystal approximation. We find that when electrons are doped by element substitution in the blocking layer, the band structure near the Fermi level is affected due to the increase of the positive charge in the layer. On the other hand, when Fe in the conducting layer is substituted by Co, the band structure is barely affected. This difference should be a key factor in understanding the phase diagram of the heavily doped electron doped systems Ln FeAsO 1-x H x .

Application of physical pressure on the cuprate superconductors often results in an enhancement of Tc. Motivated by this fact, we study the chemical pressure effect on the single-layered La2CuO4 and HgBa2CuO4 starting from the two-orbital Hubbard model deduced from a first-principles calculation. It is shown that the chemical pressure effects induced by La-site substitution in La2CuO4 or Hg-site substitution in HgBa2CuO4 are not expected to be effective for raising Tc.

BiS2-based layered superconductors have attracted considerable interest owing to the relatively large spin–orbit coupling of bismuth 6p orbitals, the strong coupling nature by anharmonic phonons, a...

We perform first principles band calculation of the newly discovered superconductor LaO$_{1-x}$F$_x$BiS$_2$, and study the lattice structure and the fluorine doping dependence of the gap between the valence and conduction bands. We find that the distance between La and S as well as the fluorine doping significantly affects the band gap. On the other hand, the four orbital model of the BiS$_2$ layer shows that the lattice structure does not affect this portion of the band. Still, the band gap can affect the carrier concentration in the case of light electron doping, which in turn should affect the transport properties., Comment: submitted as Proc. ISS2012, 4 pages, 4 figures

1. The absorption, metabolism and excretion of darexaban (YM150), a novel oral direct factor Xa inhibitor, were investigated after a single oral administration of [(14)C]darexaban maleate at a dose of 60 mg in healthy male human subjects. 2. [(14)C]Darexaban was rapidly absorbed, with both blood and plasma concentrations peaking at approximately 0.75 h post-dose. Plasma concentrations of darexaban glucuronide (M1), the pharmacological activity of which is equipotent to darexaban in vitro, also peaked at approximately 0.75 h. 3. Similar amounts of dosed radioactivity were excreted via faeces (51.9%) and urine (46.4%) by 168 h post-dose, suggesting that at least approximately half of the administered dose is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. 4. M1 was the major drug-related component in plasma and urine, accounting for up to 95.8% of radioactivity in plasma. The N-oxides of M1, a mixture of two diastereomers designated as M2 and M3, were also present in plasma and urine, accounting for up to 13.2% of radioactivity in plasma. In faeces, darexaban was the major drug-related component, and N-demethyl darexaban (M5) was detected as a minor metabolite. 5. These findings suggested that, following oral administration of darexaban in humans, M1 is quickly formed during first-pass metabolism via UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, exerting its pharmacological activity in blood before being excreted into urine and faeces.

One of the ultimate goals of the study of iron-based superconductors is to identify the common feature that produces the high critical temperature (Tc). In the early days, based on a weak-coupling viewpoint, the nesting between hole- and electron-like Fermi surfaces (FSs) leading to the so-called $s\pm$ state was considered to be one such key feature. However, this theory has faced a serious challenge ever since the discovery of alkali-metal-doped FeSe (AFS) superconductors, in which only electron-like FSs with a nodeless superconducting gap are observed. Several theories have been proposed, but a consistent understanding is yet to be achieved. Here we show experimentally that a hole-like band exists in KxFe2-ySe2, which presumably forms a hole-like Fermi surface. The present study suggests that AFS can be categorized in the same group as iron arsenides with both hole- and electron-like FSs present. This result provides a foundation for a comprehensive understanding of the superconductivity in iron-based superconductors., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, + supplemental material

Monomethylarginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine and symmetric dimethylarginine were separated on a Wakopak Combi ODS with an acetonitrile–100 mm potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0; 1:1, v/v). Dimethylarginines were derived from o-phthalaldehyde for the fluorescence detector and from 6-ferrocenyl-1-hexanethiol for the electrochemical detector. The detection limits of the dimethylarginines in spiked plasma were 0.3–0.5 pmol by electrochemical detection and 1–2 pmol by fluorescence detection. The detection limits were improved over 30 times by electrochemical detection and 10 times by fluorescence detection compared with previous reports. In previous derivatization liquid chromatography, the reaction solutions, o-phthalaldehyde, 2-mercaptethanol and dimethylarginines were unstable and required quick derivatization at 4°C. By our proposed pre-column methods, the dimethylarginines were derivatized at room temperature and the fluorescent products were stable for 6 h. The manipulation performance was greatly advanced compared with previous LC reports. This is the first report on stable and sensitive dimethylarginines by dual detection. The selectivity was also improved by dual detection. The proposed method was applied to preliminary monitoring of dimethylargines in plasma and urine. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Though various clinical conditions of aspergillosis can occur, depending essentially on the host’s immunological status, the focus of research in North American and European countries has mainly been on invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. There are, however, also many problems to overcome in chronic forms of aspergillosis. One of those problems is that there are no codified treatment guidelines for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). Especially in Japan, this issue is more serious, because there are more cases with CPA due to the many aged people with past history of tuberculosis. Several clinical cases and case series have reported the usefulness of the various antifungal agents that are available. The new triazole, voriconazole, in particular, seems to be effective in the treatment of CPA. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of voriconazole in the treatment of CPA in non-immunocompromised patients. We conducted a prospective, open-label, non-comparative, multicenter study over a 2-year period. For inclusion in the study, patients with confirmed or probable CPA were recruited in 11 hospitals of the National Hospital Organization in Japan. Clinical, radiological, serological, and mycological data were collected at baseline and 12 weeks after treatment or at the end of treatment. Among 77 patients enrolled in the study, 71 patients (mean age 65.9 years, 56 males and 15 females) were eligible for the study. All of the eligible patients presented with underlying lung diseases, including sequelae of tuberculosis (n = 35), non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (n = 8), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (n = 8), interstitial pneumonia (n = 7), cystic lung disease (n = 4), pneumothorax (n = 3), bronchial cancer (n = 1), and others (n = 5). Voriconazole was indicated in 48 cases (68 %) as the first-line treatment for CPA and 23 patients previously received other antifungal therapies. Based on a composite of clinical, radiologic, serological, and mycologic criteria, good response was seen in 43 patients (60.6 %), no response was observed in 19 patients (26.8 %), and 4 cases (5.6 %) got worse. Five patients (7.0 %) were unassessable for efficacy. The common adverse events were visual disturbances (17 patients, 23.9 %), abnormal liver function test results (12 patients, 16.9 %), adverse psychological effects (3 patients, 4.2 %), and others (10 patients, 14.0 %). Treatment with voriconazole had to be stopped in 2 cases (2.8 %) because of serious adverse events (abnormal liver function test results). There was no association between adverse effects and trough voriconazole levels in serum. In Japan, voriconazole provides effective therapy of CPA in non-immunocompromised patients with an acceptable level of toxicity.

This paper investigates the effect of knowledge spillovers from academia to industry by focusing on patents transferred from universities to enterprises. In many studies, joint patent applications are utilized to measure the economic effects of academia-industry alliance, since such patents are considered to be one of the most significant research outputs. However, in reality, most important scientific or technological results of joint research are considered to be transferred from universities to companies for a fee before related patent applications are filed. On the basis of quantitative analysis of patent data in Japan, it is shown that, at least for enterprises, knowledge flows of transferred patents play a more significant role than those concerning joint applications. Since both the patent allowance rate and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application rate of transferred patents are larger than those of joint applications, it is suggested that, on average, higher marks are given for transferred patents both by examiners and enterprises. In addition, we discuss how the detailed differences in open innovation strategies of each company can be depicted by utilizing the shares of transferred patents.

A 28-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for treatment of tuberculous lymphadenitis, after presenting with fever, left cervical lymphadenopathy, and a positive interferon-gamma release assay (QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube; QFT) result. Surprisingly, biopsy specimens of the cervical lymph nodes showed necrotic lesions with prominent nuclear debris and a proliferation of histiocytes, consistent with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD). A diagnosis was made of KFD complicated by latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and all symptoms had resolved completely two months post-diagnosis. KFD may be misdiagnosed as tuberculous lymphadenitis, and antibiotics unnecessarily prescribed. Careful attention should therefore be paid when diagnosing cervical lymphadenopathy.