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To better control chlorinous odor in tap water, we assessed the performance of the combination of oxidation (ozonation or advanced oxidation processes, AOP) and ion-exchange treatment. In this process, the hydrophilic neutral fraction (a major dissolved organic matter (DOM) fraction) is converted to ionic species, and these ions and ammonium ion are effectively removed during ionexchange processes. We found that each treatment process (e.g., oxidation alone or ion exchange alone) was effective for the reduction of chlorinous odor to some extent, but the chlorinous odor formation potential was lower when the oxidation process and ion exchange were applied in series. The combination of AOP (ozone/vacuum ultraviolet treatment) at a high ozone dose and ion exchange (both cation and anion) was most effective, and the chlorinous odor formation potential was reduced to approximately 30 TON (threshold odor number) from more than 100 TON. Also, dissolved organic carbon and ammonium ion were effectively removed with this process. Compared with ozonation, AOP was more effective at a higher ozone dose. The effectiveness of this process was also confirmed in continuous mode by pilot-scale experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The efficacy of antifibrotic agents in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been demonstrated and early introduction is recommended, especially in patients with preserved performance status (PS). We aimed to determine the proportion of untreated IPF cases using real-world data and to assess the factors associated with non-intervention., Methods: A prospective observational study using questionnaires was performed on 518 patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and their attending physicians who visited a clinic, general hospital, or tertiary respiratory center between December 2019 and October 2020. Patients responded with subjective symptoms and PS, whereas physicians responded with diagnosis, treatment, and reasons for their treatment choices. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using age, sex, BMI, medical facility, specialized tests, and symptom severity., Results: We included 207 patients with IPF. Among them, 168 has a good PS (≤2), which could be indicative of treatment; 130 (77.4%) were not treated with antifibrotic agents. The PCA revealed a trend consistent with that of antifibrotic agent therapy and the distribution of medical facilities, with a treatment intervention rate of 16% in general hospitals and 62% in tertiary respiratory centers. In general hospitals, low symptom severity (PS, mMRC, and no use of long-term oxygen therapy) was a relevant factor for non-intervention with antifibrotic agents (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Antifibrotic treatment interventions varied by facility in cases with good PS. Patients with milder symptoms are not being treated early in general hospitals and more collaboration between general hospitals and specialized facilities is necessary., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest M.A. (Maki Asami-Noyama) received subsidies from Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd. The other authors have no conflicts of interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is beneficial in improving asthma symptoms, its impact on the lung function in patients with asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis remains unclear. We herein report a case of severe asthma with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis, in which ESS substantially improved airflow limitation and concomitantly reduced fractional exhaled nitric oxide and blood eosinophil counts. ESS likely relieved airflow limitation by suppressing type 2 inflammatory pathways. This case highlights ESS as a promising strategy for achieving clinical remission in patients with severe asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis.

The reduced growth performance of individuals from range edges is a common phenomenon in various taxa, and considered to be an evolutionary factor that limits the species' range. However, most studies did not distinguish between two mechanisms that can lead to this reduction: genetic load and adaptive selection to harsh conditions. To address this lack of understanding, we investigated the climatic and genetic factors underlying the growth performance of Betula ermanii saplings transplanted from 11 populations including high-altitude edge and low-latitude edge population. We estimated the climatic position of the populations within the overall B. ermanii's distribution, and the genetic composition and diversity using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing, and measured survival, growth rates and individual size of the saplings. The high-altitude edge population (APW) was located below the 95% significance interval for the mean annual temperature range, but did not show any distinctive genetic characteristics. In contrast, the low-latitude edge population (SHK) exhibited a high level of linkage disequilibrium, low genetic diversity, a distinct genetic composition from the other populations, and a high relatedness coefficient. Both APW and SHK saplings displayed lower survival rates, heights and diameters, while SHK saplings also exhibited lower growth rates than the other populations' saplings. The low heights and diameters of APW saplings was likely the result of adaptive selection to harsh conditions, while the low survival and growth rates of SHK saplings was likely the result of genetic load. Our findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the reduced growth performance of range-edge populations., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Although pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are important in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), they cannot be easily performed in a primary healthcare setting. This study aimed to examine the usefulness of the difference between pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) at rest and the lowest SpO2 during the 1-min sit-to-stand test (delta SpO2-1STST) for predicting pulmonary function impairment., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 116 patients with ILD who underwent 1STST and PFTs., Results: The delta SpO2-1STST and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) strongly correlated (ρ = 0.70). The delta SpO2-1STST was effective in predicting impaired gas exchange (cut-off value, -4%; AUC, 0.86; sensitivity, 74%; specificity, 87%)., Conclusions: The Delta SpO2-1STST may be a reasonable tool for predicting abnormalities in PFTs., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest K.O. reports the receipt of personal fees (honoraria) from Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd. outside the submitted work. T.K. reports the receipt of personal fees (honoraria) from Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd. outside the submitted work. K.M. (Kazuto Matsunaga) reports the receipt of personal fees (honoraria) from AstraZeneca K.K., GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Novartis Pharma K.K., Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd., and Sanofi K.K., outside the submitted work. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 The Japanese Respiratory Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Guanfacine hydrochloride extended-release (GXR) is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is a selective α2A-adrenorecepor agonist that was reported to cause QT prolongation and hypotension in the event of overdosing. We report the case of a 17-year-old man who took 226 tablets of GXR 3 mg for attempted suicide. He was found complaining of dyspnea, and emergency medical services were called. When the patient was transferred to our hospital, his Glasgow coma scale was 12 (E4V3M5). He was agitated and hypoxemic. He was intubated for invasive mechanical ventilation under sedation. His chest X-ray and computed tomography scan showed pulmonary edema. Transthoracic echocardiography showed markedly reduced cardiac function. His serum guanfacine concentration peaked on day 3 after admission. His pulmonary edema improved quickly after a decrease in serum guanfacine concentration, but cardiac decompensation persisted for about 1 month. This case reveals that the decline in cardiac function after guanfacine intoxication is prolonged even after its serum concentration has decreased.

Both 1,3-beta-D-glucan (BDG) and galactomannan (GM) are polysaccharide components of the fungal cell wall. Although elevated levels of serum BDG and Aspergillus GM suggest invasive fungal infection or Pneumocystis pneumonia and aspergillosis, respectively, it is also necessary to consider the possibility of false-positives. We herein report a 68-year-old man with marked elevation in serum BDG and GM levels accompanied by Mendelson's syndrome after rice aspiration. With the improvement of Mendelson's syndrome, his serum BDG and GM levels decreased. The false-positive serum BDG and GM findings may have been due to his aspiration of food containing them. It is important to take a detailed history of aspiration in addition to making a conventional differential diagnosis in patients with pneumonia with elevated serum BDG and GM levels.

SARS-CoV-2 infection of the vascular endothelium causes excessive vasodilation. It is important in the rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19 to recognize that increased blood flow in lung lesions at the base of the lung due to vasodilation may cause V/Q mismatch and result in platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2022 The Authors. Respirology Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.)

Although the 6 min walk test (6MWT) is well-established for assessing desaturation in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), it cannot be easily performed in primary healthcare settings. This retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the 1 min sit-to-stand test (1STST) for assessing desaturation during 6MWT in ILD patients with normal resting blood oxygen levels. We included 116 patients, and the pulse oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) for both methods was analyzed. The SpO 2 nadir during the 1STST and 6MWT correlated strongly (ρ = 0.82). The frequency of patients with nadir SpO 2  < 90% was consistent for both tests (κ = 0.82). 1STST was superior to diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide in detecting desaturation during the 6MWT. These findings were similarly stratified according to performance status or dyspnea scale. The 1STST can easily measure exertional desaturation in ILD patients with normal resting blood oxygen levels and is an alternative to the 6MWT., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) is a Class 3 nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent histone deacetylase (HDAC) that is thought to be implicated in the protection against autoimmune diseases. However, an association between SIRT1 and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) has not been reported. In this study, we selected four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SIRT1 gene, rs12049646 T/C (termed SNP1), rs12778366 T/C (termed SNP2), rs3758391 T/C (termed SNP3), and rs4746720 T/C (termed SNP4). We genotyped each of these polymorphic sites in 185 patients with Graves' disease (GD), including 76 patients with intractable GD and 57 patients with GD in remission; 151 patients with Hashimoto's disease (HD), including 68 patients with severe HD and 54 patients with mild HD; and 96 healthy volunteers. SNP1 and SNP3 were genotyped by the PCR-RFLP method; SNP2 and SNP4 were genotyped using TaqMan® SNP genotyping assays. We also measured the levels of SIRT1 mRNA in CD4(+) T cells from 18 control subjects, 16 patients with GD in remission and 14 patients with mild HD using a real-time PCR method. In patients with GD and HD, the C carriers (TC + CC genotypes) of SNP3 showed significantly higher titers of McAb than the TT genotype (p = 0.0261 and p = 0.0309, respectively). Additionally, the T carriers (TT + TC genotypes) of SNP4 showed significantly higher titers of McAb than the CC genotype in patients with GD (p = 0.0079). In conclusion, the polymorphisms in the SIRT1 gene were associated with a greater production of thyroid autoantibodies.

Objective: Humans sometimes need to recognize objects based on vague and ambiguous silhouettes. Recognition of such images may require an intuitive guess. We determined the spatial-temporal characteristics of intracranially-recorded gamma activity (at 50-120Hz) augmented differentially by naming of ambiguous and unambiguous images., Methods: We studied 10 patients who underwent epilepsy surgery. Ambiguous and unambiguous images were presented during extraoperative electrocorticography recording, and patients were instructed to overtly name the object as it is first perceived., Results: Both naming tasks were commonly associated with gamma-augmentation sequentially involving the occipital and occipital-temporal regions, bilaterally, within 200ms after the onset of image presentation. Naming of ambiguous images elicited gamma-augmentation specifically involving portions of the inferior-frontal, orbitofrontal, and inferior-parietal regions at 400ms and after. Unambiguous images were associated with more intense gamma-augmentation in portions of the occipital and occipital-temporal regions., Conclusions: Frontal-parietal gamma-augmentation specific to ambiguous images may reflect the additional cortical processing involved in exerting intuitive guess. Occipital gamma-augmentation enhanced during naming of unambiguous images can be explained by visual processing of stimuli with richer detail., Significance: Our results support the theoretical model that guessing processes in visual domain occur following the accumulation of sensory evidence resulting from the bottom-up processing in the occipital-temporal visual pathways., (Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We determined the spatio-temporal dynamics of intracranially-recorded gamma-oscillations modulated by spontaneous cooing and babbling, which are considered to embody pre-linguistic language behaviors during infancy. Electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals were recorded from 110 cortical sites in the right hemisphere of a 10-month-old girl with focal epilepsy. Electrocorticographic signals were time-locked to the onset of cooing or babbling. The amplitudes of gamma-oscillations during vocalizations were compared to those during preceding silent reference periods. Cooing and babbling elicited significant gamma-augmentation at 30-100 Hz at distinct sites of the inferior Rolandic region, whereas both forms of vocalizations elicited gamma-augmentation at an identical superior temporal site. The spatial, temporal and spectral characteristics of gamma-augmentation elicited by cooing and babbling were similar to those elicited by phoneme vocalization in older children and adults. Differential activation within the right inferior Rolandic region during cooing and babbling may reflect the mechanical or developmental difference between these two forms of vocalizations. The right superior temporal gyrus may participate in an auditory feedback system during vocalization., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A nuclear gene, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) homolog, was cloned from Phyllostachys meyeri as PmFT. Its putative copy number was estimated as four by Southern blot analysis, and the two copies were completely sequenced. Twenty-seven FT homolog sequences of bambusoid and early diverging grasses comprised 172-bp exons, and 357- to 785-bp introns exhibited 0-58.9% pairwise divergence with six modal levels. Parsimony analyses of the FT homologs rooted at Pharus virescens produced six equally parsimonious trees. In the strict consensus tree, five clades were resolved; they were affected by divergence of the intron region rather than exon region. The basal clade was Puelioideae, followed by Olyreae clade including Oryza sativa. Streptogyneae clade combined the Olyreae clade with terminal sister clades of the Bambuseae, i.e., pantropical bamboos and East Asiatic temperate bamboos. The global topology suggested that FT homologs are significant for resolving the tribe level. However, the phylogeny of FT homologs does not resolve monophyly in Bambusoideae because of intercalary positioning by Streptogyneae clade. We discussed the role of FT homologs in controlling the inflorescence architecture and position of Streptogyneae in the bamboo phylogeny.

The effects of various synthetic triamines having a general structure, H2N(CH2)xNH(CH2)yNH2, where x = 2-5 and y = 2-8 (abbreviated, x-y; with 3-4 being spermidine itself), on poly(U)-directed polypeptide synthesis of Escherichia coli and on growth of its polyamine-requiring mutants were examined in comparison with those of spermidine. Except for 2-2 and 2-3, all of the triamines stimulated more or less polypeptide synthesis at suboptimal Mg2+ concentrations, but the Mg2+ concentration required for the maximal stimulatory effect was different for each triamine. The degree of maximal stimulation caused by 3-3 (norspermidine), 4-4 (homospermidine), or 4-5 was nearly comparable with that by spermidine. The acetylspermidines were inactive, however, they inhibited the spermidine-stimulated polyphenylalanine synthesis. Many of the triamines examined reduced the ratio of leucine to phenylalanine incorporation into polypeptides during poly(U)-directed translation, and the degree of this effect did not necessarily correspond with that of the stimulatory effect. Moreover, 2-4, 2-5, 3-3 and 4-4 could stimulate the growth of a polyamine auxotroph of E. coli, MA 261, as effectively as did spermidine. However, 3-3 was the only triamine which could fully replaced spermidine in promoting growth of a mutant strain, KK 101, which is more dependent on polyamines than MA 261. Thus, these results demonstrated that some synthetic triamines were as active as spermidine in eliciting these effects, and also that there were some differences among these effects in the structural requirement for triamine.