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Abstract Psychogenic fever is one of the most common psychosomatic diseases. In Japan, psychogenic fever has generally been reported to occur in adolescents, with a peak seen at age 13. However, in our department we have encountered many adults with psychogenic fever. Therefore, we investigated all outpatients who visited the Psychosomatic Department of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health between April 2003 and March 2007. Of the 2705 outpatients that were seen, 55 patients (2.0%) were diagnosed with psychogenic fever. The patients ranged in age from 11 to 82 years old, with a mean age of 33.6 ± 17.9 (mean ± SD) years. In addition to the adolescents, many of the patients were in their 20 s and 30 s, and the male:female ratio was 1:2.2. This study suggests that psychogenic fever commonly occurs not only in adolescents but also in adults.

Abstract Background Green odor, a mixture of equal amounts of 2E-hexenal (leaf aldehyde) and 3Z-hexenol (leaf alcohol) has been demonstrated to have an anti-stress effect in rats. This study investigated whether or not green odor also has an anti-stress effect in humans. Methods Changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and the skin temperature of a fingertip were observed after presenting green odor at a concentration of 0.03% or vehicle via inhalation through the nose for 10 min to eight healthy normotensive adults. We also assessed the pleasantness of green odor and its effect on mood states via assessment with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire. Cardiovascular response to green odor and the vehicle were compared among 11 additional healthy adults by use of the cold pressor test. Results Of 19 subjects, 15 (79%) reported that the green odor was pleasant. Green odor had no effect on blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, or POMS score under non-stressful conditions. In the second experiment, green odor attenuated cold pressor test-induced increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and facilitated the recovery of skin temperature. Conclusion These findings suggest that green odor has an anti-stress effect in healthy humans.

Abstract Background Upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as nausea and vomiting are common adverse events associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and may result in discontinuation of drug therapy in patients with depressive disorder. Rikkunshi-to (formulation TJ-43), a traditional herbal medicine, has been reported to improve upper GI symptoms and comorbid depressive symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia. The aim of the present study was to determine if TJ-43 reduces GI symptoms and potentiates an antidepressant effect in a randomized controlled study of depressed patients treated with fluvoxamine (FLV). Methods Fifty patients with depressive disorder (19–78 years, mean age 40.2 years) were treated with FLV (n = 25) or FLV in combination with TJ-43 (FLV+TJ-43) (n = 25) for eight weeks. The following parameters of the two groups were compared: The number of patients who complained of adverse events and their symptoms; GI symptoms quality of life (QOL) score, assessed by the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), Japanese edition, before and two weeks after beginning treatment; and depressive symptoms assessed by the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), before and 2, 4, and 8 weeks after beginning treatment. Results The number of patients who complained of adverse events in the FLV+TJ-43 group (n = 6) was significantly lower than the number complaining in the FLV group (n = 13) (P < 0.05). The number of patients who complained of nausea was also lower in the FLV+TJ-43 group (n = 3) than in the FLV group (n = 9) (P < 0.05). By two weeks after treatment, GSRS scores had improved in the FLV+TJ-43 group, but not in the FLV group. SDS scores were not different between the two groups at any of the assessment points. Conclusion This study suggests that Rikkunshi-to reduces FLV-induced adverse events, especially nausea, and improves QOL related to GI symptoms without affecting the antidepressant effect of FLV.

The sensitivity of oligosaccharides in mass spectrometry lags far behind that of peptides. This is a critical factor in realizing the high-throughput analysis of posttranslational modifications in proteomics. We here described that hydrazide derivatives of cyanine dyes (Cy3, Cy5) with a positive charge made excellent labeling reagents for the detection of oligosaccharides by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Cy3-1abeled standard N-glycan could be detected at 200 amo1 on the MALDI target plate in reflectron mode without any purification procedures after the labeling reaction, which may meet the level of sensitivity required in proteome research. Despite the general recognition that the production of signals of oligosaccharides under MALDI conditions would be highly dependent on the matrix, most of the known N-glycans from chicken ovalbumin could be detected upon Cye derivatization nearly independent of the kind of matrix tested (e.g., nor-harman, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and [alpha]-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) without spoiling the signal strength. Postsource decay afforded simple spectra mainly consisting of Y-type fragment ions, thus simplifying the sequence analysis. In-source decay afforded a similar fragmentation pattern only when acidic matrixes were used. In addition, this derivatization technique was successfully applied to the profiling of N-glycans of gel-separated glycoproteins.

Carbon dots (CDs) derived from natural products have attracted considerable interest as eco-friendly materials with a wide range of applications, such as bioimaging, sensors, catalysis, and solar energy harvesting. Among these applications, electroluminescence (EL) is particularly desirable for light-emitting devices in display and lighting technologies. Typically, EL devices incorporating CDs feature a layered structure, where CDs function as the central emissive layer, flanked by charge transport layers and electrodes. Under an applied external bias, electrons and holes are introduced into the active CD layer, resulting in EL through radiative recombination. However, achieving EL with natural product-derived CDs has remained elusive due to challenges such as production difficulties and quenching in the solid state. In this study, we present, for the first time, the successful realization of EL from natural product-derived CDs, synthesized using Victorian lignite through a straightforward single-step pyrolysis method. The CDs demonstrated excellent dispersibility in solvents, allowing them to serve as an emissive layer in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). This was achieved by spin-coating a concentrated CD solution between the organic hole and electron transport layers on a glass substrate coated with indium tin oxide. Remarkably, the CDs retained their dispersibility and emissive efficiency both in solution (toluene) and after film formation. Moreover, the resulting LED demonstrated blue EL, characterized by a peak emission at 460 nm and a maximum luminance of 100.4 cd/m 2 . This luminance is comparable to that achieved with CDs synthesized from conventional chemical carbon sources. These results highlight the promise of natural product-derived CDs as sustainable and eco-friendly materials for use in LED applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)