Search

Contact tracing for COVID-19 relies heavily on the cooperation of individuals with authorities to provide information of contact persons. However, few studies have clarified willingness to cooperate and motivation to provide information for contact tracing. This study sought to describe willingness to cooperate and motivation to report contact persons for COVID-19 contact tracing among citizens in Japan, and to assess any associated sociodemographic factors.Cross-sectional study.This was an online-based survey using quota sampling. Participants were asked about their willingness to cooperate in reporting contacts for COVID-19 contact tracing if they tested positive. Participants also responded to questions regarding their reasons for cooperating or not cooperating and provided sociodemographic data. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to clarify associations between sociodemographic factors and willingness to cooperate.This study included 2844 participants. The proportion of participants who were not willing to cooperate in reporting contacts was 27.6%, with their main reasons being concerns about causing trouble for the other person and being criticised for revealing their names. Willingness to cooperate was lower among men, young adults and those with an educational level less than a university degree.To improve the effectiveness of contact tracing, educational campaigns, such as reducing the fear and stigma associated with COVID-19, may be important. Furthermore, it is essential to understand that individuals may have contacts whom they do not wish to disclose to others and to be considerate when handling such situations.

Background: Noninvasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) has been adopted as the first choice for aneuploidy screening. The purposes of this study were to investigate the accuracy of Vanadis® NIPT (hereafter CRITO-NIPT) in order to gain a deeper insight into the reasons for discrepancies, as well as to discuss the role of fetal ultrasound. Methods: Between 2019 and 2020, CRITO-NIPT was performed in 1218 cases of patients who underwent CVS or amniocentesis after a detailed fetal ultrasound exam and genetic counseling. The CRITO-NIPT results were compared with the genetic results. In cases of test discrepancies, the placentae were collected for detailed genetic research, and the pre-procedure fetal ultrasound findings were referred to. Results: The positive predictive value of T21, T18, and T13 was 93.55%, 88.46%, and 100%, respectively. In 90% of the of false positive (FP) cases, the placentae were examined. In 75% of the CRITO FP-T21 cases, placental mosaicism, or a demised twin’s T21, were confirmed. There were complicated mosaic cases, including tetrasomy 21/trisomy7 and monosomy 21/trisomy21 cases. In one of three no-call cases, an intermediate deletion of chromosome 13 was detected. Conclusions: The CRITO study investigated the mechanism of false positives, and the detailed mechanisms in mosaic and no-call cases. There have hitherto been no reports that have provided insight by partitioning the placenta to compare the NIPT and invasive test results, nor that have provided detailed ultrasound findings in the cases of discordant results, revealing the demonstrated importance of, and necessity for, detailed ultrasonography. This article describes the potential of rolling-circle replication as a powerful biosensing platform, as well as the importance of examining the fetus in detail with ultrasound. However, we should remember that the potential applications raise ethical and social concerns that go beyond aneuploidy and its methodology.

Objectives There is limited evidence on methods to allocate budgets to healthcare providers under capitation schemes. The objective of this study was to construct and test models that predict outpatient visits and expenditure for each healthcare facility using subscriber data from the preceding year. Study design We used the database of the Universal Coverage Scheme in Bangkok, Thailand that stores subscriber information and healthcare service utilization data. One-percent and ten-percent random samples of subscribers were selected as training and testing groups, respectively. Methods Using data of the training group, we constructed a model using a random forest algorithm to predict outpatient visits and expenditure in 2017 from the 2016 data. The model was applied to the testing group and facility-level predicted number of visits and expenditure were compared with actual data. Results The identically-structured training and testing groups consisted of 37,259 and 371,650 subscribers, respectively. Approximately 25% of subscribers utilized outpatient services. The R2 for models predicting facility-level utilization rate (visits/subscribers) and expenditure per subscriber in 2017 were 0.85 and 0.75, respectively. Conclusions The model to predict outpatient visits and expenditure performed well. Such a prediction model may be useful for allocating budgets to healthcare facilities under capitation systems.

RI-RICH, a ring-imaging Cherenkov counter for radioactive ions, has been developed to measure the velocity of the ions at intermediate energies. Our RI-RICH system consists of six multi-anode photomultiplier tubes covered with 360-nm bandpass filters and a radiator made of quartz or BK7. For the primary 132Xe beam with a velocity of β = 0 . 712 , a velocity resolution of Δ β ∕ β = 4 . 9 × 1 0 − 4 (one standard deviation σ ) and a detection efficiency of more than 99.99% were achieved. For the secondary beams with Z = 44 – 55 and β ≃ 0 . 70 , we successfully performed particle identification using the B ρ - Δ E - β method. The velocity resolutions of RI-RICH for these nuclides were equivalent to a more than 6 σ separation for the mass number.

Objective To evaluate Sylvian fissure development by assessing Sylvian fissure angles in fetuses with malformation of cortical development (MCD). Methods This was a retrospective study of 22 fetuses with MCD. Cases with a stored three‐dimensional (3D) brain volume acquired at 18 + 0 to 30 + 6 weeks of gestation at an ultrasound‐based research clinic between January 2010 and December 2017 were identified through a database. Of the 22 fetuses, seven had an extracranial abnormality, such as cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal and/or digital anomalies, and five had a minor abnormality such as micrognathia, low‐set ears and/or single umbilical artery. To confirm the final clinical diagnosis of brain abnormality, postmortem histological findings or prenatal or postnatal magnetic resonance images were used. For measurement of Sylvian fissure angle, an anterior coronal plane of the fetal brain on transvaginal 3D volume multiplanar imaging was visualized as a single image from the three orthogonal views. The right and left Sylvian fissure angles were measured between a horizontal reference line (0°) and a line drawn along the upper side of the respective Sylvian fissure. The Sylvian fissure angle on both sides was plotted on the graphs of the reference ranges for gestational age in weeks. Results In 21 (95.5%; 95% CI, 86.8–100.0%) of 22 fetuses with MCD, the Sylvian fissure angle on one or both sides was larger than the 90th percentile of the normal reference. There was one case with apparent focal MCD in the parietal lobe, but the Sylvian fissure angles were normal. A case with apparent unilateral cortical dysplasia and one with apparent unilateral schizencephaly had conspicuous discrepancies between the left and right Sylvian fissure angles. Abnormal genetic test results were obtained in six cases, including four cases with a mutation in a single gene. Conclusions This study has shown that the Sylvian fissures, as defined by the Sylvian fissure angle, have delayed development in most MCD cases prior to the diagnosis of the condition. The Sylvian fissure angle may potentially be a strong indicator for the subsequent development of cortical malformation, before the time point at which the gyri and sulci become obvious on the fetal brain surface. Further research is required to validate these findings. © 2018 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene is a tumor-suppressor gene located on 10q22-23. Since the introduction of molecular genetics in prenatal diagnostics, various birth defects associated with gene mutations have been diagnosed. However, no reports on fetal cases related to PTEN mutation have been found, so far. We encountered a rare case of fetal PTEN mutation. Fetal macrocephaly was noted at 16 weeks. At 18 and 20 weeks, neurosonography revealed megalencephaly with an asymmetrical structure and multifocal polygyria. The head circumference (HC) was +6.2 SD at 18 weeks and +8.1 SD at 20 weeks. The parents opted for pregnancy termination, and the male fetus was delivered at 21 weeks, with HC +9.3 SD. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array for amniotic cells showed paternal uniparental disomy (UPD) 10q mosaicism, and the mosaic ratio was calculated as 56% from B-allele frequency. Exome sequencing revealed the pathogenic PTEN mutation with mosaicism. The heterozygous PTEN mutation may not cause early manifestations from the fetal period, and an abnormal phenotype may appear after birth. This may be the reason why fetal defects associated with PTEN mutation are not detected. Since this case had homozygous and heterozygous mutations, survival was possible, exhibiting an incredibly huge head with cortical dysplasia from early pregnancy.

Summary Background & aims The associations between dietary magnesium intake and stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) incidences are inconsistent and not established in Asian. We aimed to determine the association between dietary magnesium intake and the risk of stroke and CHD in a Japanese population. Subjects/Methods We studied 85,293 Japanese subjects by questionnaire at baseline (age 45–74 years, without cardiovascular disease or cancer in 1995 and 1998 for Cohorts I and II, respectively). The participants were followed until the end of 2009 and 2010 in Cohorts I and II, respectively. Dietary magnesium intake was estimated from a self-administered 138-item food-frequency questionnaire. Results After 1,305,738 person-years of follow-up, 4110 strokes and 1283 cases of CHD were documented. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs, 95% confidence intervals, 95%CIs) of CHD for the fourth and fifth quintiles of dietary magnesium intake were 0.70 (0.50–0.99) and 0.66 (0.44–0.97) in men (P for trend = 0.036), respectively, and third quintile of dietary magnesium intake was 0.61 (0.39–0.96) in women (P for trend = 0.241), compared with the lowest quintile in men and women. We observed no decreased risks of incident stroke in men or women with higher dietary magnesium intakes. Conclusions Higher dietary magnesium intake was associated with a reduced risk of CHD in Japanese men.

A finding between dietary pattern and cancer may provide visions beyond the assessment of individual foods or nutrients. We examined the influence of dietary pattern with colorectal cancer (CRC) among a Japanese population.A total of 93,062 subjects (43,591 men, 49,471 women) who participated in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study were followed from 1995-1998 to the end of 2012, during which 2482 cases of CRC (1514 men, 968 women) were newly identified. Dietary data was obtained from a validated food-frequency questionnaire between 1995 and 1998.Three dietary pattern was derived from principal components factor: prudent, westernized, and traditional pattern. After controlled for potential confounders, the prudent pattern showed a decreased association of CRC risk in men (HR for highest quintile vs lowest: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.72-1.00; P trend0.05), slightly more strongly with distal colon cancer (P trend0.05); but an increased risk of rectal cancer in women (P trend0.05). The westernized pattern showed a significant positive linear trend for colon (P trend0.05) and distal cancer (P trend0.05) in women. There was no apparent association of traditional Japanese dietary pattern on the overall or any specific sites risk of CRC.A prudent dietary pattern showed an inverse association with CRC risk in men, and a westernized pattern was related with a higher risk of colon and distal cancer in women.

In today's highly globalised world, protecting human security is a core challenge for political leaders who are simultaneously dealing with terrorism, refugee and migration crises, disease epidemics, and climate change. Promoting universal health coverage (UHC) will help prevent another disease outbreak similar to the recent Ebola outbreak in west Africa, and create robust health systems, capable of withstanding future shocks. Robust health systems, in turn, are the prerequisites for achieving UHC. We propose three areas for global health action by the G7 countries at their meeting in Japan in May, 2016, to protect human security around the world: restructuring of the global health architecture so that it enables preparedness and responses to health emergencies; development of platforms to share best practices and harness shared learning about the resilience and sustainability of health systems; and strengthening of coordination and financing for research and development and system innovations for global health security. Rather than creating new funding or organisations, global leaders should reorganise current financing structures and institutions so that they work more effectively and efficiently. By making smart investments, countries will improve their capacity to monitor, track, review, and assess health system performance and accountability, and thereby be better prepared for future global health shocks.

Aims Coping strategies may be significantly associated with health outcomes. This is the first study to investigate the association between baseline coping strategies and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality in a general population cohort. Methods and results The Japan Public Health Center-based prospective Study asked questions on coping in its third follow-up survey (2000–04). Analyses on CVD incidence and mortality included 57 017 subjects aged 50–79 without a history of CVD and who provided complete answers on approach- and avoidance-oriented coping behaviours and strategies. Cox regression models, adjusted for confounders, were used to determine hazard ratios (HRs) according to coping style. Mean follow-up time was 7.9 years for incidence and 8.0 years for mortality. The premorbid use of an approach-oriented coping strategy was inversely associated with incidence of stroke (HR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73–1.00) and CVD mortality (HR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.55–0.99). Stroke subtype analyses revealed an inverse association between the approach-oriented coping strategy and incidence of ischaemic stroke (HR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64–0.98) and a positive association between the combined coping strategy and incidence of intra-parenchymal haemorrhage (HR = 2.03; 95% CI, 1.01–4.10). Utilizing an avoidance coping strategy was associated with increased mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) only in hypertensive individuals (HR = 3.46; 95% CI, 1.07–11.18). The coping behaviours fantasizing and positive reappraisal were associated with increased risk of CVD incidence (HR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03–1.50) and reduced risk of IHD mortality (HR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.40–0.99), respectively. Conclusion An approach-oriented coping strategy, i.e. proactively dealing with sources of stress, may be associated with significantly reduced stroke incidence and CVD mortality in a Japanese population-based cohort.

International audience; The aerogel Ring Imaging CHerenkov counter (ARICH) is the particle identification device installed in the forward region of the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB accelerator facility in Japan. The first electron–positron collisions at SuperKEKB took place on April 26, 2018, during the so called phase 2 run. The measured performance of the detector based on recorded Bhabha events during phase 2 is presented. We measure a 14 mrad average angular resolution per photon and 10 photons per Bhabha electron in the [6–8] GeV/c momentum range.

International audience; The Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB facility started the beam collision in 2018, aiming search for the New Physics beyond the Standard Model. The Aerogel Ring Imaging Cherenkov (ARICH) counter is a particle identification (PID) device in the forward endcap of the Belle II detector to provide 4\(\sigma \) separation of charged kaons and pions of momenta up to 3.5 GeV. The ARICH counter is a proximity-focusing RICH counter to identify particle species based on the angular distribution of Cherenkov photons located in 30 cm depth of narrow space and 1.5 T of high magnetic field. Two layers of the silica aerogel with different refractive indices emits photons as Cherenkov ring image. A total of 420 of Hybrid Avalanche Photo Detectors (HAPDs) are used to measure the 2-dimensional distribution of photons. We have collected ring images in the first beam collision data during the Phase II commissioning run and studies for the PID performance estimation are being carried out toward the Phase III physics data taking starting in 2019.

International audience; The Hybrid Avalanche Photo Detector (HAPD) is used as a photon detector for Aerogel Ring Imaging Cherenkov counter (ARICH), a particle identification device at Belle II. ARICH measures Cherenkov angles of photons emitted in silica aerogel radiators, hence a high photon detection efficiency is required by the HAPD module, a combination of HAPD and front-end electronics board. We evaluate the performance of the HAPD modules by measuring the noise level, the offset value, the pulse height, temperature dependency and the variation of performance in the beam commissioning period. This article describes the results of performance evaluation of the HAPD and shows that it fulfills the requirements of ARICH.

International audience; In the charged particle identification system of the Belle II experiment, an aerogel-based proximity focusing ring-imaging Cherenkov (ARICH) counter is installed in the forward end-cap region of the Belle II detector. The goal is to enhance the power of separation between kaons and pions up to and above 4σ for momenta up to 4 GeV/c, which is critical to the study of CP violation involved in B decays. The counter is made of aerogel tiles with refractive indices n of 1.045 and 1.055, transmission lengths of 30-40 mm, and dimensions of 18 × 18 × 2 cm3. A 144-channel HAPD (Hybrid Avalanche Photo Detector) is adopted as a photo-detector, and the HAPD signal processing is performed using ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) to digitize the signal and FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) for data processing.During Phase II operation of SuperKEKB, the commissioning of ARICH is done both with cosmic rays and beam collisions. The Cherenkov rings are clearly observed, and the performance of the hardware system and identification algorithm is being evaluated. In this paper, we will report on the construction of ARICH and on the initial performance of the detector obtained during the commissioning.

Objective To (1) evaluate the normal development of the Sylvian fissures in the anterior coronal view of the fetal brain at 18-30 weeks' gestation by transvaginal three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound, (2) develop reference ranges of measurements of the right and left Sylvian fissure angles during normal pregnancy at 18-30 weeks' gestation, and (3) examine intra- and interobserver repeatability of measurements of the right and left Sylvian fissure angles. Methods This was a prospective cross-sectional study of 422 women with a singleton pregnancy attending an ultrasound-based research clinic between March and December 2017. The entry criteria for the study were appropriately grown live fetus with no suspected structural and/or chromosomal defects between 18 + 0 and 30 + 6 weeks' gestation. Normal development of the Sylvian fissures was assessed in the anterior coronal plane of the fetal brain using transvaginal 3D volume multiplanar imaging. The coronal view was visualized as a single image from the three orthogonal views. Subsequently, the right and left Sylvian fissure angles were measured between a horizontal reference line (0°) and a line drawn along the upper side of the respective Sylvian fissure. Intra- and interobserver repeatability of the Sylvian fissure angle measurements was assessed by Bland-Altman plots. Reference equations were constructed for right and left Sylvian fissure angles for gestational age (GA) and head circumference (HC) using the Generalized Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape package. Results In the anterior coronal view of the fetal brain, an inward rotation of the upper portion of the Sylvian fissures was observed during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. There was a significant negative polynomial association between the Sylvian fissure angles and GA and HC. Both Sylvian fissure angles crossed the reference line (zero), going from positive to negative, at around 25 weeks' gestation or at HC of 22 cm. Z-score difference between the smoothed percentiles of the right and left Sylvian fissure angles indicated that median, 10th and 90th smoothed percentiles were closest and almost the same for the GA-based references between 18 and 28 weeks and for the HC-based references between 14 and 24 cm. The intraclass correlation coefficient of the right and left Sylvian fissure angle measurements between the two sonographers was excellent at 0.993 (95% CI, 0.988-0.996) and 0.991 (95% CI, 0.985-0.995), respectively. On Bland-Altman analysis, the mean difference between the two sonographers in right Sylvian fissure angle measurement was 0.4° (95% CI, -10.2 to 10.1°) and in left Sylvian fissure angle it was 1.0° (95% CI, -9.6 to 11.6°). Conclusions Assessment of the Sylvian fissure angles is highly reproducible. Sylvian fissure angle reference charts can serve as a screening tool for malformations of cortical development, guiding subsequent follow-up and referral for fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging and/or assessment by an expert neurosonologist. Copyright © 2018 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

International audience; The Belle II Aerogel Ring Imaging Cherenkov (ARICH) counter uses the angular distribution of Cherenkov photons emitted in silica aerogel to discriminate between charged pions and kaons. The Hybrid Avalanche Photo Detector (HAPD) is used as the photo-sensor, and is clearly the most critical component of the detector. HAPDs were installed into ARICH in July 2017, and ARICH was installed in the Belle II spectrometer in the end of 2017. During the Belle II beam commissioning in spring 2018, the performance of HAPDs was evaluated through measurements of the offset value, noise level and pulse height. Long term stability of the signal-to-noise ratio and the fraction of dead channel was also monitored. The signal-to-noise ratio exceeded 6, and the fraction of dead channels was less than 1%. The results of the performance evaluation and of the commissioning showed that the ARICH counter fulfills the requirements.

International audience; A proximity focusing RICH detector with an aerogel radiator is used for charged particle identification in the forward end-cap of the Belle II spectrometer. The detector, consisting of a 4 cm aerogel radiator, a 16 cm expansion volume and a photon detector with 420 Hybrid Avalanche Photo Detectors, is mounted in a very confined space between Central Drift Chamber and Electromagnetic Calorimeter, allowing only 5 cm of space for the readout electronics. In our solution, low power front-end read-out boards are mounted at the back side of each of the HAPD photosensors. These boards have each been tested individually before their installation onto the photosensors and into the spectrometer. Most important design issues and first experiences with the aforementioned front-end read-out boards are presented in this contribution.

For efficient separation of hadrons in the forward end-cap of the Belle II spectrometer , an aerogel proximity focusing Ring Imaging Detector is installed in the high magnetic field between the central drift chamber and electromagnetic calorimeter . Cherenkov photons , emitted in the double layer aerogel radiator are expanded through the empty space and detected on the photon detector consisting of Hybrid Avalanche Photo diodes . The readout electronics working in a threshold mode records hit patterns registered during beam collisions. A particle identification algorithm based on the two dimensional extended maximum likelihood technique is used to assign probabilities for different particle hypotheses of tracks traversing the aerogel RICH detector. For efficient discrimination, the Aerogel RICH detector has to be calibrated. We present the key calibration steps used to optimize the detector performance.

The Belle II experiment is a new generation B factory experiment at the SuperKEKB electron–positron collider. The main purpose of the experiment is to search for new physics with a large sample of B meson decays. The proximity-focusing Aerogel Ring-Imaging Cherenkov detector (ARICH) has been designed to identify kaons and pions in the forward end-cap of the Belle II spectrometer. Using aerogel as radiator with specialized photon sensors called HAPD, the K/ π separation is expected to reach more than 4 σ in the momentum range from 0.5 GeV/c to 4.0 GeV/c. ARICH detector was constructed in summer 2017 and was installed in the Belle II spectrometer in the beam line of the SuperKEKB collider. The test of the ARICH detector is performed using both cosmic rays and the beam collisions during the accelerator commissioning. We observe Cherenkov rings in the ARICH detector associated with charged tracks detected by the tracking system. The reconstructed Cherenkov angle distribution has a clear and reasonable peak. The ARICH K ∕ π separation performance is evaluated using Bhabha events in beam runs; the separation power achieve the design value.

The Aerogel Ring-Imaging Cherenkov (ARICH) detector provides particle identification information in the forward endcap part of Belle II. It efficiently separates charged kaons from pions for momenta between 0.5 GeV/c and 4.0 GeV/c. Optical photons are emitted in a double layer aerogel radiator and detected by Hybrid Avalanche Photo Detectors. ARICH was installed in Belle II at the end of 2017, the first phase of a complex detector calibration of electronic signals and preparation for physics signals calibration has been successfully concluded. Cherenkov rings, created by cosmic rays as well as by charged particles from beam collisions, have been observed. The kaon identification efficiency using D ± ∗ decays has been studied and its calibration is expected by the end of the commissioning phase when sufficient data is available.

We report behavior of Hybrid Avalanche Photon Detectors (HAPDs), which were newly developed for Aerogel Ring Imaging Cherenkov detector (ARICH) counter that will be installed in the endcap region of the Belle II detector, in the magnetic field. Since HAPDs are used in a 1.5 T magnetic field in the Belle II detector, we have tested 520 HAPDs from the mass production in the magnetic field. We observed anomalously large pulses in the magnetic field in many HAPDs. The main adverse effect of these large pulses is the induction of a short dead time of the readout electronics after each pulse. We performed several studies to understand the mechanism generating large pulses.

Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by hypofunction of salivary and lacrimal glands and systemic multi-organ involvement due to lymphocytic infiltration (1). Myocarditis ...

Background and aims Higher intake of fish or n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it is unclear whether increased blood levels of n-3 PUFAs are associated with reduced risk of CHD in the Japanese population. Methods The relationship between circulating levels of n-3 PUFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid) and risk of CHD was examined in a nested case-control study among participants in the Japan Public Health Center (JPHC)-based Study Cohort. Plasma n-3 PUFA phospholipid levels were measured at baseline by gas chromatography in 209 cases with CHD and 418 controls matched for sex, age, date of blood draw, time elapsed since last meal before blood collection, and study location. The CHD cases (n = 209) comprised 168 cases of myocardial infarction and 41 of sudden cardiac death, otherwise classified as 157 non-fatal and 52 fatal coronary events, respectively. Mean duration of follow-up was 13.5 years. Results Multivariate conditional logistic analysis showed no significant association between n-3 PUFAs and risk of total CHD. The odds ratio (OR) for the highest versus lowest quartiles of plasma n-3 PUFAs was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.41–1.51, p for trend = 0.51). Subtype analysis of CHD revealed that the multivariate ORs for the highest versus lowest quartiles for n-3 PUFAs were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.43–1.89, p for trend = 0.90) for myocardial infarction, 0.08 (95% CI: 0.01–0.88, p for trend = 0.04) for sudden cardiac death, 0.89 (95% CI: 0.42–1.89, p for trend = 0.97) for nonfatal coronary events, and 0.12 (95% CI: 0.02–0.75, p for trend = 0.03) for fatal coronary events. Conclusions Plasma n-3 PUFA levels were not associated with risk of total CHD but were inversely associated with risks of sudden cardiac death and fatal coronary events among middle-aged Japanese individuals.

Up to this day, RICHes have been mainly used for high energy experiments to identify leptons and mesons. On the other hand, the number of Cherenkov photons is proportional to square of the atomic number, so that application of a RICH for heavy ions is expected. Then we are developing a ring-imaging Cherenkov counter for heavy ions (HI-RICH). The experiment was performed at NIRS-HIMAC. As for the primary beam ($^{132}$Xe with an energy of 420 MeV/u), a velocity resolution $\Delta\beta/\beta=0.050\%$ (standard deviation $\sigma$) and a detection efficiency $\varepsilon=99.9\%$ were achieved. Regarding to the secondary beam, a particle identification was successfully performed with HI-RICH and an ion chamber.

SummaryWhat is known and objective Itraconazole, a CYP3A inhibitor, is used for the treatment for onychomycosis with a three-cycle pulse therapy over 3 months, but its effects on in vivo CYP3A activity during the entire course remain unknown. Methods Urinary 6β-hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratios were determined in 19 patients with onychomycosis, before therapy, during three cycles of itraconazole pulse therapy (200 mg twice daily for a week in each monthly cycle) and at 3 month after completion of therapy. Results and discussion The mean 6β-hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio was reduced by 68% from baseline (P

The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity of detection of lung nodules on low-dose screening CT images between radiologists and technologists.11 radiologists and 10 technologists read the low-dose screening CT images of 78 subjects. On images with a slice thickness of 5 mm, there were 60 lung nodules that were ≥5 mm in diameter: 26 nodules with pure ground-glass opacity (GGO), 7 nodules with mixed ground-glass opacity (GGO with a solid component) and 27 solid nodules. On images with a slice thickness of 2 mm, 69 lung nodules were ≥5 mm in diameter: 35 pure GGOs, 7 mixed GGOs and 27 solid nodules. The 21 observers read screening CT images of 5-mm slice thickness at first; then, 6 months later, they read screening CT images of 2-mm slice thickness from the 78 subjects.The differences in the mean sensitivities of detection of the pure GGOs, mixed GGOs and solid nodules between radiologists and technologists were not statistically significant, except for the case of solid nodules; the p-values of the differences for pure GGOs, mixed GGOs and solid nodules on the CT images with 5-mm slice thickness were 0.095, 0.461 and 0.005, respectively, and the corresponding p-values on CT images of 2-mm slice thickness were 0.971, 0.722 and 0.0037, respectively.Well-trained technologists may contribute to the detection of pure and mixed GGOs ≥5 mm in diameter on low-dose screening CT images.

This paper describes a new plasma treatment method: the plasma expander. In this approach, expanding shock waves are generated in a vacuum chamber by pulsed plasmas. Collisions of fast species in the waves modify the properties of solid surfaces exposed to the plasma. The degree of such modification is governed by the energy delivered by the plasma exposure. To confirm the efficacy of this approach, modifications induced in the properties of thin polymer films produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition by exposure to nitrogen plasma shock waves were investigated. The films were prepared from benzene radio frequency plasmas and subsequently exposed to different quantities of nitrogen shock waves Nw. The effects of Nw on the wettability, molecular structure, and mechanical properties of the films were studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that greater Nw resulted in the loss of C-H groups and the rupture of benzene aromatic rings observed in the structure of the as-deposited films. Furthermore, the contact angle strongly increased and the hardness, evaluated by nanoindentation, increased up to fourfold with the increase in the intensity of the treatment.

We investigate the low-frequency plasma modes polarized in the c -direction in two-band layered superconductors. The dynamic dielectric function ϵ ( ω , q ) is derived at T = 0 , using the generalized random-phase-approximation which is consistent with the Hartree–Fock single-particle states. It is shown that the dielectric function has two zero-points which correspond to the longitudinal plasma modes in two-band layered superconductors.

Electrodynamic sensor, which can also be called as tribo-electric sensor, senses the electrostatic charge carried by the particle. The tomography system using electrodynamic sensor is called as tribo-electric tomography system. Source of the signal induced on the electrodynamic sensor is brought by the object to be measured and no excitation circuit is necessary. This electrodynamic sensing is a passive sensing and the fast and light weighted tomography system is expected. On the other hand, most of tomography system, like capacitance tomography or resistance tomography, demands excitation circuit and is an active sensing. The number of measurements with the passive sensing is equal to the number of sensors and that of active sensing is the number of the combinations of two sensors. The passive sensing tomography system demands more sensors to be settled. We plan to improve in reconstructed images by increasing the number of the electrodynamic sensors in tribo-electric tomography system. We investigate the influence of surface area to signal intensity solving the electrical field in the sensing zone using finite element method.