Search

The club cell secretory protein (CCSP) is a regulator of lung inflammation following acute respiratory infection or lung injury. Recently, the relationship between CCSP and COPD has been reported. Since COPD results from an abnormal inflammatory response, we hypothesized that CCSP could have a protective role against chronic inflammation-induced lung damage. To address this issue, the pathophysiology of chronic lung inflammation induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in CCSP-deficient mice was determined. A tube of 5 mm in length was soaked in a fluid containing P. aeruginosa (PAO01 strain) for 1 week and inserted into the trachea of CCSP-deficient mice. One week later, P. aeruginosa was administered into the trachea. Five weeks after insertion of tube, the mice were sacrificed. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were collected to determine the bacterial growth, and the lung histology and physiology were also examined. P. aeruginosa was continuously detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids during the study. Neutrophils were increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from the CCSP-deficient mice in comparison to wild-type mice. A histological study demonstrated chronic inflammation around bronchus, serious bronchial stenosis, and alveolar enlargement in the CCSP-deficient mice. The lung physiology study demonstrated an increase in the lung compliance of the CCSP-deficient mice. Chronic P. aeruginosa inflammation resulted in chronic bronchitis and emphysematous changes in the CCSP-deficient mice. CCSP could play an important role in protecting the host from the chronic inflammation-induced lung damage.

Maritime adaptation was one of the essential factors that enabled modern humans to disperse all over the world. However, geographic distribution of early maritime technology during the Late Pleistocene remains unclear. At this time, the Indonesian Archipelago and eastern New Guinea stand as the sole, well-recognized area for secure Pleistocene evidence of repeated ocean crossings and advanced fishing technology. The incomplete archeological records also make it difficult to know whether modern humans could sustain their life on a resource-poor, small oceanic island for extended periods with Paleolithic technology. We here report evidence from a limestone cave site on Okinawa Island, Japan, of successive occupation that extends back to 35,000−30,000 y ago. Well-stratified strata at the Sakitari Cave site yielded a rich assemblage of seashell artifacts, including formally shaped tools, beads, and the world’s oldest fishhooks. These are accompanied by seasonally exploited food residue. The persistent occupation on this relatively small, geographically isolated island, as well as the appearance of Paleolithic sites on nearby islands by 30,000 y ago, suggest wider distribution of successful maritime adaptations than previously recognized, spanning the lower to midlatitude areas in the western Pacific coastal region.

The proportion of lung cancer patients under 50 years old is small at approximately 510%, but as with patients older than 50, the number is on the rise. Although lung cancer treatment strategies have undergone extensive transformation in recent years based on the presence or absence of oncogenic driver mutations, there are few reports regarding these mutations in the young or the relationship between clinical setting and prognosis. Therefore, we conducted a study of clinical features in 36 patients under the age of 50 who were diagnosed with primary lung cancer from October 2008 to November 2015. The 22 patients in stages I through III A underwent operations, and all 17 whose lung cancer were detected through screening were candidates for surgery. Gene analysis was conducted for 26 (72.2%); 10 (38.5%) were positive for EGFR gene mutations, and ALK gene translocation was present in 4 (15.4%). In stage IV patients, the median progression free survival (PFS) in the ALK translocation positive and negative patients was 518 days and 130 days, respectively, and the median overall survival (OS) was not reached and 280 days, respectively. A trend toward extended PFS (p=0.203) and OS (p=0.056) was observed in patients positive for ALK translocation. We must strive for early detection by increasing screening rates and evaluate oncogenic driver mutations important for prognosis of lung cancer in the young.

An 80-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to the presence of a mass that was identified on a chest X-ray. A further investigation demonstrated advanced adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lungs. Anti-cancer chemotherapy with docetaxel was carried out and the lesion remained as stable disease. Subsequently, pleural effusion was detected, and an investigation of the pleural effusion revealed the existence of malignant cells with an epidermal growth factor (EGFR) mutation. Gefitinib was administered and the pleural effusion resolved. This is the first case of a positive EGFR mutation of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lung with a favorable response to an EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Although sitafloxacin (STFX) is known to have a favorable minimum inhibitory concentration for Mycobacterium avium, few studies have evaluated the clinical efficacy of an STFX-containing regimen for pulmonary M avium complex (MAC) disease. To evaluate the clinical efficacy of STFX-containing regimens for relapsed or refractory pulmonary MAC disease, we retrospectively reviewed 18 patients with pulmonary MAC disease who received STFX for at least 4 weeks for pulmonary MAC disease between January 2008 and February 2016. Of 18 patients, 10 (55.6%) showed improved radiological characteristics and 8 (44.4%) showed negative sputum cultures at 6 months. Regarding the clinical symptoms, improvements were observed in decreasing order in sputum production (77.8%), cough (72.2%), and malaise (55.6%). Common adverse events included nausea or vomiting (38.9%), followed by loose stool or diarrhea (27.8%) and sleepiness (11.1%). Although this study contained a small number of subjects, we describe a STFX-containing regimen that was effective in achieving sputum culture negative conversions and had an acceptable adverse events profile.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) occasionally present with pulmonary involvement. Recently, a tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) blocking agent was introduced for the treatment of IBD in Japan. We aimed to clarify the frequency and type of chest X-rays or computed tomography (CT) abnormalities associated with IBD in patients treated with infliximab (IFX). Methods: We prospectively obtained, through interviews, information regarding respiratory symptoms, medical history, smoking history, occupational and environmental exposure, and medication history for patients with IBD treated with IFX at the IBD center of our hospital. We also examined percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2) and chest X-rays. Chest computed tomography and spirometry were also performed for patients with respiratory symptoms, abnormal SpO2, and/or abnormal chest X-rays. Results: Subjects were 115 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 8 with ulcerative colitis (UC). Of those with CD, 21 presented with respiratory symptoms. Among these, 4 (3.5%) had chest X-ray abnormalities. None of the patients with UC had respiratory symptoms or chest X-ray abnormalities. CT examination of 13 patients with CD revealed 5 with bronchiectatic changes, ground glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, nodular lesions, and/or granular shadows. Conclusion: Chest X-rays or computed tomography abnormalities were detected in at least 3.5% of patients with CD treated with IFX.

In the last quarter of a century, neutron-scattering measurements have provided important clues for understanding the novel magnetism of carrier doped cuprate oxides. Discovery of evidence for charge-density-wave (CDW) and spin-density-wave (SDW) orders in La 1.6− x Nd 0.4 Sr x CuO 4 with x ∼ 1/8 has attracted much attention on the universality of inhomogeneous carrier distribution in CuO 2 planes, namely stripe correlations, and its relevance to the superconductivity. Here we review the nature of charge and spin stripe orders in a prototypical superconducting La-214 system, which has been investigated mainly by neutron scattering measurements. After introducing the hole concentration range, where the each order can be observed, characteristic features of low-energy spin fluctuations in the stripe ordered and disordered La 2− x Ba x CuO 4 with x ∼ 1/8 will be discussed in terms of fluctuating stripes. The impact of magnetic field and impurity substitution on the orders is also presented, followed by a comparative study on electron-doped cuprates. Finally, we will give a brief summary of experimental trends.

Background We are occasionally presented with patients with unclassifiable interstitial pneumonia of unknown etiology. Idiopathic pulmonary upper lobe fibrosis (IPUF) does not fit any of the currently defined subsets of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). This study was performed to examine clinical, functional, and pathological characteristics of IPUF. Methods We present 9 cases of histologically confirmed IPUF. The clinical and histological characteristics of the 9 patients were evaluated. The baseline respiratory function of all patients was measured. There were 7 patients whose forced vital capacity (FVC) had been monitored for at least a year who were selected to quantify the yearly decline in FVC. Results All patients were slender, with a body mass index of 16.0–19.8kg/m 2 . Seven patients had a history of pneumothorax. Six patients died 1.8 to 5.7 years after the onset of the first symptoms. Fundamental histological features were intraalveolar collagen deposition and densely packed elastic fibers in the subpleural areas. These findings are the same as those seen in pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis. However, the visceral pleura was thickened with dense collagen in only 2 patients, and pleural thickening was localized, if present, in the remaining 7 patients. Ventilatory impairment was also a characteristic. The time course decline of FVC was rapid and almost linear. The median yearly decline in FVC was −20.3% (range, −7.7% to −26.5%), which was more rapid than that reported for chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonias such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Conclusions IPUF is a unique pulmonary fibrosis that results in rapid deterioration of ventilatory function and poor prognosis.

Aims and Background: To evaluate the efficacy of a combination of aprepitant and conventional antiemetic therapy in patients with advanced or recurrent lung cancer receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC). Methods: Patients with advanced or recurrent lung cancer who were treated with MEC regimens at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Fukuoka University Hospital, were included and classified into the following groups: control group (treatment: 5-HT3 receptor antagonists + dexamethasone) and aprepitant group (treatment: 5-HT3 receptor antagonists + dexamethasone + aprepitant). The presence or absence of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) was evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v4.0; patients with grade 1 or above were considered positive for CINV. Food intake per day, completion of planned chemotherapy, and progression-free survival (PFS) achieved by chemotherapy were investigated. Results: The complete suppression rate of nausea in the aprepitant group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p = 0.0043). Throughout the study, the food intake in the aprepitant group was greater than that in the control group, with the rate being significantly higher, in particular, on day 5 (p = 0.003). The completion rate of planned chemotherapy was also higher in the aprepitant group (p = 0.042). PFS did not differ significantly, but tended to be improved in the aprepitant group. Conclusions: The aprepitant group showed significantly higher complete suppression of nausea, food intake on day 5, and completion of planned chemotherapy than the control group.

Despite recent advances in chemotherapy, the treatment of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease remains unsatisfactory. Judging from its MIC, fluoroquinolones including gatifloxacin (GFLX) are expected to demonstrate efficacy against MAC disease. However, there have been few clinical studies using fluoroquinolones. Therefore, a prospective study to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of a fluoroquinolone-containing regimen for the treatment of pulmonary MAC disease was conducted. In this trial, patients with pulmonary MAC disease received protocol-guided combined chemotherapy with rifampin (RFP) and ethambutol (EB) plus either GFLX or clarithromycin (CAM). Adult patients who fulfilled the criteria of the ATS definition of pulmonary MAC disease were enrolled in this study. The patients provided their informed consent, and treatments were administered for 1 year. Of 27 patients enrolled from three facilities, 14 patients were treated with the CAM-containing regimen and 13 patients were treated with the GFLX-containing regime. Four patients did not complete the 1-year treatment because of adverse events. Nine patients (64.3%) in the CAM group and 11 patients (84.6%) in the GFLX group achieved eradication of pathogens. Adverse events were observed more frequently in the GFLX group than in the CAM group. However, there were no severe adverse events in either group. The long-term results showed a similar relapse rate between the CAM and GFLX groups. The fluoroquinolone-containing regimen demonstrated both high efficacy and relative safety for pulmonary MAC disease that was similar to that of the CAM-containing regimen, which is considered to be the standard regimen.

Modern inhabitants of the Okinawa islands have been supposed to represent a relatively close genealogical connection to the prehistoric Jomon and the indigenous Ainu, when compared with people living on Japan’s main island (Honshu). However, several previous studies have also clarified some morphological facial traits discernible between the early-modern Okinawans and the Jomon of Honshu. In the present study, to further evaluate the Jomon–Okinawan relationship, we compared facial forms between skeletal samples from the Okinawa islands and Honshu, both in the Jomon and early-modern periods. Results of the comparisons showed that the Okinawa Jomon tended to possess a flatter interorbital region than the Honshu Jomon, but most measurements did not significantly differ between the two Jomon groups. This confirms that people sharing both Jomon culture and fundamental facial features lived throughout almost the entire Japanese archipelago, including the Okinawa islands. Results also demonstrated that the early-modern Okinawans had a significantly lower and broader face with transversely broader and flatter interorbital region than the early-modern Honshu Japanese. Such facial characteristics of the early-modern Okinawans qualitatively matched those of the Okinawa Jomon. However, compared with the Okinawa Jomon, the early-modern Okinawans exhibited an absolutely taller/narrower face and a further flatter nasal root. This could stem in part from a certain amount of population flow from surrounding regions during historic periods, as suggested by many earlier studies. Nevertheless, the results obtained in this study indicate that, comparatively, modern Okinawan people have retained physical traits including facial forms of the Jomon who survived in the same southernmost islands of the Japanese archipelago. Geographical variations of modern Japanese phenotypes should also be accounted for partly by those of the ancestral Jomon characteristics that were manifested by the end of the Jomon period.

Human skeletal remains of Late Pleistocene ages are known from both continental and insular regions of East Asia. This paper critically reviews some of these, with the aim of clarifying what is known and what remain to be known about fossil evidence regarding the origins, dispersals, and morphological diversification of early modern humans in the area. The focus is on relatively well-dated and/or morphologically informative specimens, including those from Zhiren Cave in South China, Tianyuan Cave and Upper Cave in North China, Salkhit in East Mongolia, and Yamashita-cho Cave I and Minatogawa Fissure in Okinawa, Japan. Although uncertainties still remain in the chronology and morphological status of some of these specimens, this small sample of fossil specimens has the potential to significantly contribute to an understanding of the early population history in East Asia. Compatibility of the available fossil evidence with recent genetic evidence is also discussed.

The Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus) inhabits a range of tropical and subtropical zones in South, Southeast and East Asia. As this heron breeds singularly in dense forests, its detailed ecology is not well known and only piecemeal information on its diet is available. Thus, we quantitatively estimated its diet menu with an analysis of pellets and stomach contents in the subtropical Yaeyama Islands of southern Japan. The results showed that the heron frequently foraged on land snails, arachnids, freshwater crabs and insects; no fish were detected. Although the earthworm was believed to be a primary dietary source of this species, it was not detected in our results, as it does not remain in pellets due to its high digestibility. This indicated that this bird dominantly depends on soil animals that inhabit humid forest floors. While the heron does not directly utilize aquatic habitats, they likely prefer moist forests caused by watery environments such as streams and swamps. Wet forests should be conserved for maintaining populations of this heron species.

The Late Pleistocene modern human skeletal remains from the Minatogawa Fissure site, Okinawa, are important because of their exceptional completeness. This paper presents the first detailed morphological description of the five mandibular specimens from Minatogawa, which probably belong to two male and two female individuals (two of the five specimens likely belong to the same male individual). Intensive metric and non-metric comparisons with the mandibles of the Jomon Holocene hunter-gatherers from mainland Japan indicate that the Minatogawa mandibles are different from the Jomon condition in many respects: a tendency toward alveolar prognathism, relatively rounded chin morphology, low anterior corpus heights, a large mental foramen, a small ramus, etc. The Jomon mandibles show chronological and geographic variations in some of these traits, but the morphology of Minatogawa is distinct even if such variations are taken into consideration. These observations caution against uncritical acceptance of the traditional view that supposes genealogical relationships between Minatogawa and Jomon. Some characteristics of the Minatogawa mandibles (e.g. alveolar prognathism and relatively small ramus) are shared with Australo-Melanesians, among other modern human populations. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the Minatogawa people were derived from prehistoric Southeast Asian populations with Australo-Melanesian affinities.

Although dental size and morphology have contributed to population history studies in Japan, little attention has been paid to root size and dimensions. We report here computer tomography (CT)-based metrics of mandibular tooth roots in modern Japanese, Holocene Jomon, and Late Pleistocene Minatogawa human fossils (15000–20000 BP). Our results confirmed that, in terms of both mesiodistal cervical diameters and root lengths, the Jomon is overall smaller-toothed, with summed mesiodistal cervical diameters 4% smaller than in the modern Japanese. However, no significant differences were found in the M1, in both cervical diameter and root length. These results are comparable to the crown size differences reported in the two populations. There were no significant differences in root proportions (root length relative to cervical diameter) between the Jomon and the modern Japanese in each tooth element from I1 to M1, while an allometric root length reduction was observed in the M2 and M3 of the modern Japanese. This reflects distinct patterns of dental reduction in the two populations. The Late Pleistocene Minatogawa fossils were found to have larger cervical diameters and root lengths than either the modern Japanese or the Jomon, in some respects approximating the large-toothed Australian and/or earlier Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens conditions. This indicates a largely conservative dental system retained in the Minatogawa fossils, distinct from the Jomon condition.

In the present study, we estimated age at death of extinct deer (Cervus astylodon) excavated from two Late Pleistocene sites in Okinawa Island (the Hananda-Gama Cave and Yamashita-cho Cave I sites) from degree of molar wear. This was done using a regression equation of extant sika deer of known age, and deriving an age estimation equation based on M3 crown height applicable to fossil specimens. We then reconstructed mortality profiles using 45 and 88 individuals of the Hananda-Gama and Yamashita-cho assemblages, respectively, and compared the profiles with those of extant and archaeological (Jomon period) sika deer (C. nippon) populations. The reconstructed age profiles of both sites were strikingly different from the living and hunted Jomon period profiles in relative abundance of old adults. They were more similar to the attritional mortality profiles of the extant sika deer that died by natural causes (i.e. not by human or animal predation), but showed a further shift towards older age. Combined with the fact that there is no fossil evidence of medium- to large-sized carnivores on Okinawa Island during the Late Pleistocene, our results suggest that C. astylodon populations had extended longevity because of low predatory pressure, including that by Paleolithic human hunters.

A 54-year-old woman was admitted for pleural tuberculosis diagnosed by right chest pain and cough. She received combination antituberculosis therapy consisting of isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. However, liver damage was observed 15 days after initiation of therapy (aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 248 IU/l, alanine transaminase (ALT), 132 IU/l). The patient was given glycyrrhizinate intravenously, but liver damage gradually increased (AST 628 IU/l, ALT 467 IU/l) and all tuberculosis drugs were ceased. We diagnosed drug-induced liver damage due to isoniazid according to results of the drug lymphocyte stimulation test. We successfully reintroduced rifampicin and streptomycin, and carried out desensitization therapy for isoniazid without liver injury recurrence. Reintroduction of a drug suspected to cause drug-induced liver injury is generally not recommended; however, our experience suggests that isoniazid, a first-line antituberculosis drug, may be reintroduced after desensitization.

By means of inelastic neutron scattering, we measured magnetic excitations in a sizable single crystal of La1.7Sr0.3Cu0.95Al0.05O4, which is an Al-substituted system of the heavily hole-doped cuprate system La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) with an effective concentration of holes of xeff = 0.25. At incommensurate positions Qort = (1+δ, ±δ)/(1-δ, ±δ) around the magnetic Γ point QM = (1, 0), magnetic correlations were induced, and the incommensurability δ was 0.139 (r.l.u), which is in contrast with the δ of 0.125 (r.l.u) for LSCO x = 0.25, suggesting that the Al substitution caused an increase in δ. We also observed the same effect in the Fe-substituted system La1.7Sr0.3Cu0.95Fe0.05O4 (δ = 0.144). In addition to the obvious effect on the IC excitations, we observed continuum magnetic excitation with a ring-like shape in a two-dimmensional momentum space around QM = (1, 0). This was also observed in the Fe-substituted system, meaning that the induction/enhancement of the magnetic correlations originates from the impurity substitution, regardless of whether the impurities have magnetism. Considering our recent experimental results, revealing that the ring-like excitation also evolves in impurity-free LSCO x = 0.25 with increasing temperature, these facts suggest an intimate relationship between the temperature change and impurity substitution on the magnetic correlations and may present clues for investigating the magnetic correlations through an effective approach using impurities.By means of inelastic neutron scattering, we measured magnetic excitations in a sizable single crystal of La1.7Sr0.3Cu0.95Al0.05O4, which is an Al-substituted system of the heavily hole-doped cuprate system La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) with an effective concentration of holes of xeff = 0.25. At incommensurate positions Qort = (1+δ, ±δ)/(1-δ, ±δ) around the magnetic Γ point QM = (1, 0), magnetic correlations were induced, and the incommensurability δ was 0.139 (r.l.u), which is in contrast with the δ of 0.125 (r.l.u) for LSCO x = 0.25, suggesting that the Al substitution caused an increase in δ. We also observed the same effect in the Fe-substituted system La1.7Sr0.3Cu0.95Fe0.05O4 (δ = 0.144). In addition to the obvious effect on the IC excitations, we observed continuum magnetic excitation with a ring-like shape in a two-dimmensional momentum space around QM = (1, 0). This was also observed in the Fe-substituted system, meaning that the induction/enhancement of the magnetic correlations originates from the impurit...

We investigated the Ce substitution and reduction annealing effects on the electronic states at copper sites by Cu K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure measurements in Pr2−xCexCuO4+α−δ (PCCO...

We have measured the thermal conductivity in the frustrated two-leg spin ladder system of Bi(Cu1−xZnx)2PO6 single crystals with x = 0 and 0.02 with the spin quantum number S = 1/2 to investigate th...

High-temperature copper oxide superconductors are usually doped with holes or electrons, not both. The discovery of a material that can be doped with both electrons and holes finally clarifies the region of low doping and the effect of the added dopants. A Mott insulator is a material that is insulating because of strong Coulomb repulsions between electrons. Doping charge carriers, electrons or holes into a Mott insulator can induce high-temperature superconductivity. Thus, what exactly happens when a charge carrier is doped into a Mott insulator is a key question in many-body physics1,2,3,4. To address this issue, ideally one should start from a zero-doping state5,6,7 and be able to introduce both holes and electrons in the dilute limit. However, such an idealized experiment has been impossible because of the lack of suitable materials. Here we show that a new ‘ambipolar’ cuprate makes it possible for the first time to cross the zero-doping state in the same material, which in turn allows us to address the physics of the extremely low-doping region. Surprisingly, we found that the antiferromagnetic ground state sharply changes between electron- and hole-doped sides, and this change is dictated by the existence of only 0.1 ppm of charge carriers. Moreover, we observed that the Neel temperature TN shows an unexpected reduction in a narrow range centred at the zero-doping state, across which the system exhibits asymmetric behaviours in transport measurements. Our findings reveal the inherently different nature of electron and hole doping in the dilute limit of a Mott-insulating cuprate.

Reduction and oxidation annealing effects on the electronic states around the copper sites for Pr2-xCexCuO4 and Nd2-xCexCuO4 with x = 0 and x = 0.15 were investigated by Cu K-edge x-ray absorption measurements. Cu K near-edge spectra were changed by the reduction annealing in a manner similar to the case of Ce substitution for both x = 0 and x = 0.15. This means an increase of electron density at the copper sites, indicating the aspect of electron doping in the reduction annealing. This reduction annealing effect on the near-edge spectra are reverted by the additional oxidation annealing. The amount of electron density around the copper sites is varied by the reduction and oxidation annealing, reversibly, corresponding to the reversible variation of the physical property from insulating to superconductivity.

Inelastic neutron scattering experiments were performed to investigate the effect of Fe substitution on the magnetic excitation spectra in a heavily hole-doped cuprate system La1.7Sr0.3Cu0.95Fe0.05O4, with an effective concentration of holes of xeff = 0.25. At T = 7 K, well-defined low-energy magnetic excitations, associated with a static magnetic order, were observed at the incommensurate positions Qtet = (0.5±δ, 0.5)/(0.5, 0.5±δ). Although the incommensurate structure resembles that observed in La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) systems, the incommensurability (δ) of 0.144 (r.l.u) was larger than that of ~0.125 (r.l.u) in LSCO with x = 0.25, suggesting an increase in δ by Fe substitution. In addition to the obvious effect on IC excitations, we show the emergence of ring-shaped magnetic excitations centered at Qtet = (0.5, 0.5) in a constant energy spectrum by Fe-substitution. These ring-shaped excitations were observed for energies below ~8 meV, yielding a cylindrical continuum excitation in the energy and momentum spaces. Similar continuum excitations were recently observed in pristine LSCO with x = 0.25 at high temperatures, in our neutron experiments [1]. These results, which show the enhancement of δ (higher than δ = 1/8) and the stabilization of continuum excitations by Fe substitution, are incompatible with a simple pinning scenario of the stripe order, which is characterized by local spin correlations. The metallic aspect of the low-energy part of the magnetic excitation, which underlies high-temperature superconductivity in over-doped cuprate systems, would be enhanced/induced by Fe substitution.

Nine human remains were recovered from Shiraho-Saonetabaru Cave on Ishigaki Island,Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, between 2007 and 2009. Six of the nine samples produced well-preservedbiogenic collagen, which was submitted to radiocarbon dating by accelerator mass spectrometry. Threehuman samples (Nos. 2, 4, and 8) from the fossil chamber were dated to between 16 and 20 ka BP,and can clearly be assigned to the Late Pleistocene. One animal bone from the same chamber whichwas treated and measured for radiocarbon independently was also of great antiquity (c. 12 ka BP).These dates are the first concrete evidence of human occupation on the Ryukyu Islands during thePleistocene, based on the direct radiocarbon dates of human remains. It is expected that more humanremains and archaeological objects of the Pleistocene will be recovered from Shiraho-SaonetabaruCave and the surrounding region by future intensive collaborations between anthropologists, archae-ologists, and speleologists.Key words:Late Pleistocene, Palaeolithic, Ishigaki, Minatogawa, Okinawa

The incidence of Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia in hospital-acquired pneumonia in Japan is rare. We report a case of ventilator-associated A. baumanii pneumonia. A 69-year-old man admitted for fever was diagnosed with Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia based on chest radiography, urine antigen, and sputum examination. Despite appropriate antibiotics, the pneumonia progressed, necessitating intensive respiratory management. Ten days there after, he suffered sudden septic shock and superimposed pneumonia despite both carbapenem and fluoroquinolone administration. A. baumanii was detected from blood and sputum. Piperacilline/tazobactam, amikacin, and intensive care saved his life.

背景．肺原発の印環細胞癌は稀な腫瘍であり，予後がよくない．抗癌剤の効果についてもまとまった臨床研究はない．症例．38歳，男性．検診で右肺の異常陰影を指摘され，受診した．右上葉の無気肺があり入院となった．気管支鏡下洗浄液の細胞診で腺癌と診断された．右中葉・下葉には癌性リンパ管症を示唆する陰影に加え，小脳虫部に転移結節があり，全身化学療法を行った．ドセタキセル+シスプラチン，イリノテカン+シスプラチンはいずれも無効で，S-1を次に選択した．S-1開始後，後腹膜の左腸腰筋外側や右副腎の転移結節が一時的ではあるが，著明に縮小した．死後剖検が行われ，印環細胞成分を有する肺原発腺癌であった．結論．胃癌に有効性が確認されているS-1の治療効果を肺原発印環細胞癌で検討する意義がある．

Fever often occurs along with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. This condition is referred to as febrile neutropenia (FN). Excellent guidelines for FN treatment have recently been published; however, there has so far been insufficient research concerning FN associated with solid tumors, especially in Japan. A multi-institution prospective study of cefepime for the treatment of FN in lung cancer patients was conducted. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of cefepime for FN in lung cancer patients. Cefepime (2 g x 2/day) was administered to patients with FN after treatment for lung cancer. The therapeutic response rate, the effect of the drug on pathogen populations, and the incidence of adverse effects were statistically analyzed. Twenty-one patients with FN were registered for this study. One case was excluded because of protocol violation; therefore, a total of 20 cases were analyzed. Three days after the administration of cefepime, improvement was evident in 15 cases. The response rate was 75%, 95% CI: 53.1-88.8. After 7 days, 17 patients experienced improvement in their condition (85%, 95% CI: 64.0-94.8). Carbapenem was eventually substituted for cefepime in three cases, and all cases finally displayed improvement. There was no mortality. Pathogens for FN were detected in three cases and they disappeared in one case. Four patients experienced adverse side effects, including skin eruption, serum bilirubin elevation, neutrophil depletion, and anterior chest pain. There were no severe adverse events. In this study, cefepime demonstrated a high degree of clinical efficacy and safety in the treatment of FN. Empiric monotherapy using cefepime is a recommended regimen for FN in patients with lung cancer in Japan.

A central issue on high-Tc superconductivity is the nature of the normal-state gap (pseudogap) in the underdoped regime and its relationship with superconductivity. Despite persistent efforts, theoretical ideas for the pseudogap evolve around fluctuating superconductivity, competing order and spectral weight suppression due to many-body effects. Recently, while some experiments in the superconducting state indicate a distinction between the superconducting gap and pseudogap, others in the normal state, either by extrapolation from high-temperature data or directly from La1.875Ba0.125CuO4 (LBCO-1/8) at low temperature, suggest the ground-state pseudogap is a single gap of d-wave form. Here we report angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) data from LBCO-1/8, collected with improved experimental conditions, that reveal the ground-state pseudogap has a pronounced deviation from the simple d-wave form. It contains two distinct components: a d-wave component within an extended region around the node and the other abruptly enhanced close to the antinode, pointing to a dual nature of the pseudogap in this failed high-Tc superconductor which involves a possible precursor pairing energy scale around the node and another of different but unknown origin near the antinode., Comment: Nature Physics advance online publication, Dec. 21st 2008; Author's original version of the main text; for a better resolution of figures & Supplementary Information, visit Nature Physics' website

We have performed elastic neutron-scattering measurements on La1.87Sr0.13Cu0.99Fe0.01O4 to study the magnetic impurity effects on the stripe correlations in high- T c cuprates. Both charge-density-wave (CDW) and spin-density-wave (SDW) orders are observed in the low-temperature-orthorhombic (LTO) phase for the first time. With decreasing the temperature, CDW order first appears at ∼ 60 K followed by the SDW order at lower temperature of ∼ 50 K . The incommensurability for the CDW order ( e ) was found to be 0.224 ± 0.002 r.l.u., which is approximately twice of that for SDW order ( δ ) of 0.115 ± 0.003 r.l.u. Both ordering sequence and relation of e ≈ 2 δ are the same for SDW and CDW orders observed in the low-temperature-tetragonal (LTT) phase of La 1.60 - x Nd 0.4 Sr x CuO 4 (LNSCO), suggesting that the similar stripe correlations exist in the cuprate oxides, irrespective of crystal structure.

Inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) was used to study the Cu-O bond-stretching vibrations in the static stripe phase compound La1.48Nd0.4Sr0.12CuO4. It was found that the intrinsic width in Q-space of the previously reported huge anomalous phonon softening and broadening is approximately 0.08r.l.u HWHM. A detailed comparison was also made to inelastic neutron scattering (INS) studies, which indicate a two-peak lineshape (with superimposed broad and narrow peaks) in the vicinity of the anomaly. The high resolution IXS data show that the narrow peak is mostly an artifact of the poor transverse Q-resolution of INS. Otherwise the agreement between the INS and IXS was excellent., Comment: 8 pages 3 figures SNS2007 conference proceedings; version 2: minor changes throughout the text

We studied the temperature-dependences of low-energy spin fluctuations in electron-doped high- T c cuprates, Pr 1 - x LaCe x CuO 4 (PLCCO) for both superconducting (SC) and long range antiferromagnetic (AF) ordered phases. We clarified the different thermal evolution of local spin susceptibility χ ″ ( ω ) between the AF and SC samples. For the former sample ( x = 0.07 ), χ ″ ( ω ) is nearly temperature-independent in the AF ordered state. On the other hand, for the latter samples ( x = 0.11 and 0.15), the spectral weight in lower-energy region decreases and the peak-energy in χ ″ ( ω ) shifts toward high-energy region upon heating. Such different thermal evolution of spin fluctuations between the AF and SC phases is discussed from a viewpoint of degradation of spin correlations by electron-doping which reduces in-plane averaged magnetic interaction.

In magnetoencephalography, the inverse analysis technique is applied to calculate the position and the vector of the tiny current dipoles in the human brain. It was found that the shifting-aperture method is useful to visualize the resolution of the spatial distribution of the multiple tiny current dipole.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression plays a critical role in extracellular matrix deposition. Although several pieces of evidence have so far indicated that gelatinase contributes to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, the role of collagenase remains uncertain. In this study, we attempted to determine the role of collagenase using a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model. Bleomycin was instilled into mice intratracheally. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) specimens were analyzed for gelatin and casein zymography, as well as by immunoblotting. The histology of the lungs and hydroxyproline contents were also assessed. MMPs inhibitor, CGS27023A, was simultaneously orally administered. Collagenases were induced in BAL fluids after bleomycin administration based on the data of zymography and immunohistochemistry. The co-administration of MMPs inhibitor, CGS27023A, with bleomycin resulted in worsening pulmonary fibrosis with inhibition of collagenase. The worsening of pulmonary fibrosis was mainly induced by CGS27023A administration in the late phase of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis development, but not in the early phase. The present data indicated that collagenase plays an anti-fibrotic role in the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model. Collagenase has a greater effect on fibrosis phase than inflammatory phase in the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in the mice.

Background and objective: A multi-institutional phase II trial combining uracil-tegafur (UFT) and cisplatin (CDDP) was conducted in patients with previously untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this combined treatment regimen. Methods: The entry criteria for this study were previously untreated NSCLC, measurable disease, age

Antibiotics can have a biological effect apart from their anti-bacterial effect. We hypothesized that doxycycline could attenuate acute lung injury through its biological effect. Lipopolysaccharide or doxycycline-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae was administered intratracheally into mice with the co-administration of doxycycline. Thereafter, the lung pathology, intraalveolar inflammatory cells, bacterial number, and matrix metalloproteinases were investigated. Matrix metalloproteinases, neutrophil migration, and alveolar destruction were induced by lipopolysaccharide. Doxycycline was thus found to improve all of these symptoms. In addition, an inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases, CGS27023A, attenuated lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury. Doxycycline also attenuated the lung injury induced by doxycycline-resistant S. pneumoniae and improved the mortality rate although the bacterial number in the lung did not change. Our data indicated that doxycycline could attenuate acute lung injury through a biological effect that was different from its antibiotic effect.

Spin correlations in the electron-doped Pr 1 - x LaCe x CuO 4 have been investigated by neutron-scattering and muon rotation/relaxation measurements. The low-enegy spin correlations were found to be in commensurate with the wide superconducting phase, unlike the incommensurate ones in the hole-doped La 2 - x Sr x CuO 4 . No enhancement of the magnetic order by impurity-doping and applying magnetic fields was observed, although the superconductivity is effectively suppressed, compared to that in the hole-doped system. Distinct impurity and magnetic field effects between the static spin correlation in the electron-doped system and those in the hole-doped systems suggest the different magnetic ground state in the two systems.

We have investigated magnetic excitations of an electron-doped superconductor Pr 0.89 LaCe 0.11 CuO 4 (T c = 26 K) using pulsed neutron-scattering over a wide range of energy up to ∼180meV. Spin fluctuations were found to persist around (π, π) reciprocal position at least up to ∼ 180 meV. With increasing the energy (ω) below 60 meV, peak-width broadens rapidly, while above this energy the width weakly depends on the energy. On the other hand, the scattering intensity shows a gradual decrease as the ω increase. However, no well-defined magnetic intensity was observed, where the peak-width saturates. The observed spin excitations in Pr 0.89 LaCe 0.11 CuO 4 is compared with those in the hole-doped system from the viewpoint of dual structure of the spectrum.

Inelastic neutron scattering was used to study the Cu-O bond-stretching vibrations in optimally doped La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 (Tc = 35 K) and in two other cuprates showing static stripe order at low temperatures, i.e. La1.48Nd0.4Sr0.12CuO4 and La1.875Ba0.125CuO4. All three compounds exhibit a very similar phonon anomaly, which is not predicted by conventional band theory. It is argued that the phonon anomaly reflects a coupling to charge inhomogeneities in the form of stripes, which remain dynamic in superconducting La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 down to the lowest temperatures. These results show that the phonon effect indicating stripe formation is not restricted to a narrow region of the phase diagram around the so-called 1/8 anomaly but occurs in optimally doped samples as well., to appear in J. Low Temp. Phys

Design and performance of a new chopper spectrometer 4SEASONS, which is under construction for the spallation neutron source at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC), are described. This spectrometer has middle energy resolution and two orders higher performance than current state-of-the-art chopper spectrometers by utilizing a unique beam transport design and the repetition rate multiplication (RRM) method. 4SEASONS has a specification optimized for the study of the high critical temperature (T c) superconductivity, and should be suitable for collecting weak inelastic signals from a single crystal over a wide four-dimensional (4D) Q-ω space.

A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because he complained of fever and productive cough; this was associated with cavitary infiltrates on his chest X-ray. Although several antibiotics were given, his symptoms did not improve. Bronchofiberscope investigation yielded Aspergillus fumigatus; thus, he was diagnosed with chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis. Itraconazole, 200 mg/day, was given, and his symptoms and infiltrates on chest X-ray gradually improved. After 2 months of treatment, new infiltrates appeared on a chest X-ray. Antibacterial agents had also shown no effect, and voriconazole was substituted for itraconazole. However, the infiltrates progressed in spite of the voriconazole administration. We added micafungin to the voriconazole treatment. Both his symptoms and the infiltrates on chest X-rays improved. Because voriconazole is thought to be the most effective agent against Aspergillus spp., it is difficult to treat cases that are refractory to voriconazole. The treatment of this case provides invaluable information on how to treat pulmonary aspergillosis related to diseases other than hematologic malignancies.

A carboxylic acid-terminated polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane (POSS)-core dendrimer (POSS-CO2H) was synthesized from octa(3-ammoniumpropyl)octasilsesquioxane octachloride (POSS-NH3+) via a t-butyl ester-terminated POSS-core dendrimer that was prepared from neutralized POSS-NH3+ and t-butyl acrylate. Complexing properties of the sodium salts of POSS-CO2H (POSS-CO2Na) with Cu2+ were studied in comparison with those of the G1.5 poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer (G1.5-CO2Na) by spectroscopic approach and isothermal titration calorimetry. In the case of G1.5-CO2Na, Cu2+-N4 and Cu2+-N2O2 complexes are possible coordination modes, and only a Cu2+-N2O2 complex can be formed for POSS-CO2Na. In the case of POSS-CO2Na, upon increasing the concentration of Cu2+, the values of the binding constants decreased. However, the values of binding constants in the regions of the Cu2+-N2O2 coordination mode for G1.5-CO2Na increased with increasing concentration of Cu2+. This observation suggests that the uptake of Cu2+ is inhibited by increasing binding numbers of Cu2+ due to the rigid structure of the POSS-core dendrimer.

The reaction of phenyl propynyl ether and diphenyl disulfide in the presence of 1 mol % tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium as a model reaction of the polymerization of bis(4-prop-2-ynyloxyphenyl) disulfide (1a) gave a Z-substituted dithioalkene. No E-substituted dithioalkene was formed in this reaction. The palladium-catalyzed bisthiolation polymerization of a diethynyl disulfide derivative, 1a, in benzene, was carried out to give a hyperbranched polymer (5a) containing a Z-substituted dithioalkene unit after reaction for 4 h at 70 °C. From the gel permeation chromatography analysis (chloroform, PSt standards), the number-average and weight-average molecular weights of 5a were found to be 8,100 and 57,000, respectively. The structure of 5a was confirmed by 1H and 13C NMR spectra. The obtained polymer was soluble in common organic solvents such as benzene, acetone, and CHCl3. Polymerization for more than 5 h gave insoluble products. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3580–3587, 2007

背景．肺クリプトコッカス症は肺内に単発の結節影を呈することがあり，しばしば肺癌との鑑別が問題となる．肺クリプトコッカス症の診断には，血清クリプトコッカス抗原の有用性が強調されている．しかし，孤立性肺結節陰影を呈する肺クリプトコッカス症では血清抗原陰性例が少なからず存在していることが指摘されてきている．最近，我々は血清クリプトコッカス抗原陰性の孤立性肺結節陰影を呈した肺クリプトコッカス症例を2例経験したので報告する．症例．症例1は健診で胸部X線写真が，症例2は微熱を契機に胸部X線写真が撮影され，肺内に孤立性結節陰影を指摘された．胸部CTではともに散布巣を認めず，スピキュラを伴っており，肺癌が強く疑われた．前者は気管支鏡にて，後者は胸腔鏡下肺生検にてクリプトコッカス症と診断し，ともにフルコナゾールにて治療した．結論．肺クリプトコッカス症で孤立性肺結節陰影を呈する場合，血清クリプトコッカス抗原陰性を呈することがあり，肺癌との鑑別にはさらに有用な検査の開発が待たれる．