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Aspiration pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in patients with muscular dystrophy; therefore, it is important to predict its occurrence in the clincal setting. We aimed to examine the usefulness of repeated saliva swallowing test (RSST), modified water swallowing test (MWST), and flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) for evaluating the Hyodo score at the bedside, to predict the risk of aspiration pneumonia in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).In this retrospective cohort study involving 43 patients, we evaluated the swallowing function using the RSST, MWST, and FEES, and predicted the likelihood of aspiration pneumonia within 2 years after the assessment. The Hyodo score, a scoring system for evaluating the swallowing function determined by the FEES, was used.Pneumonia was observed in 14 patients (32.6%). The RSST was not significantly useful for predicting the onset of pneumonia. The MWST was reported to have a cutoff value of4 points. Significantly more patients in the pneumonia group had an MWST score of4 points. The results revealed that the occurrence of pneumonia could be predicted based on a Hyodo cutoff score of ≥ 6. Significantly more patients in the pneumonia group had an MWST score of4 or a Hyodo score of ≥ 6.Combining MWST and FEES is useful for evaluating the bedside swallowing function and predicting the onset of pneumonia.

Ship exhausts have historically been significant sources of sulfur dioxide and aerosols to the marine atmosphere and some global models suggest the emissions cause a large negative radiative forcing by modifying cloud properties. International Maritime Organisation (IMO, an agency of the UN) regulations require that ships in international waters reduce their sulfur emissions from a maximum of 3.5% to 0.5% from January 2020. The ACRUISE project, taking advantage of this unique large-scale aerosol perturbation, investigates the impacts of the IMO’s 2020 sulfur regulations on aerosols, clouds, and radiation in the North Atlantic and globally. Here I summarise our findings so far from intensive aircraft observations, high-resolution model simulations, and deep learning-based satellite cloud analysis. Aerosol-cloud interaction near shipping lanes was studied from an aircraft in the northeast Atlantic in 2019 as well as in 2021. Aerosol chemical and physical properties were markedly different between the two years, with much lower sulfur content, smaller, and less hygroscopic aerosols in 2021. A detailed analysis of the aerosol and cloud microphysics observations within/immediately outside the ship plumes will be performed to determine whether some clouds appeared to be strongly impacted by ship plumes, while other clouds were not. To help interpret the aircraft data and provide context, we ran nested regional domain simulations of the Met Office Unified Model for all flight campaigns. These high-resolution simulations (few hundred metres) show a generally diffuse pattern of perturbed trace gases and aerosols that are not apparent as individual ship tracks, suggesting that analysis of tracks alone may underestimate the climatic effects of ship emissions. We have trained a deep learning model to detect ship-tracks in satellite imagery with good skill and applied it to the whole MODIS mission in order to develop a global climatology. We will discuss the spatial and temporal distribution of shiptracks relative to the underlying ship emissions, and particularly focus on the effects of the IMO regulation as well as the global COVID-19 pandemic. Ongoing work that combines airmass trajectory modelling with known positions of ships will enable us to assess the impact of ship emissions on all pixels, and not just those identified as ship tracks.

The objectives of the study were to clarify the characteristics of dysphagia and the incidence of pneumonia in Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) patients, and to investigate the relationship between the development of pneumonia and the DM1 patient's background, especially concerning swallowing function evaluated by endoscopy.The subjects were 88 DM1 patients who underwent swallowing function evaluation. The severity of disease in DM1patients was assessed based on the muscular impairment rating scale (MIRS), and the number of CTG repeats. Patients were divided into two groups; those who developed aspiration pneumonia within two years after swallowing assessment and those who did not develop aspiration pneumonia. Swallowing function was assessed using the food intake level scale (FILS), repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST), the modified water swallowing test (MWST), and the Hyodo score.Onset of pneumonia within two years of assessment was observed in 22 cases (25%). Age, FILS, and Hyodo score were significantly different between pneumonia and non-pneumonia groups. There was a significant difference in swallowing function tests such as FILS, RSST, and Hyodo score between males and females. The Hyodo score cutoff value for predicting pneumonia within two years was determined by ROC analysis. A cutoff value of 6 was found to have a sensitivity of 0.545 and a specificity of 0.833 (area under the curve=0.722).It is important to evaluate the swallowing function of DM1 patients by endoscopy to prevent aspiration pneumonia. In addition, male patients are more likely to deteriorate in swallowing function and should be carefully monitored.

The Japanese Surveillance Committee conducted a second nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of uropathogens responsible for acute uncomplicated cystitis (AUC) in premenopausal patients aged 16–40 years old at 31 hospitals throughout Japan from March 2015 to February 2016. In this study, the susceptibility of causative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus) for various antimicrobial agents was investigated by isolation and culturing of organisms obtained from urine samples. In total, 324 strains were isolated from 361 patients, including E. coli (n = 220, 67.9%), S. saprophyticus (n = 36, 11.1%), and K. pneumoniae (n = 7, 2.2%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 20 antibacterial agents for these strains were determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) manual. At least 93% of the E. coli isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, whereas 100% of the S. saprophyticus isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. The proportions of fluoroquinolone-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli strains were 6.4% (13/220) and 4.1% (9/220), respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility of K. pneumoniae was retained during the surveillance period, while no multidrug-resistant strains were identified. In summary, antimicrobial susceptibility results of our second nationwide surveillance did not differ significantly from those of the first surveillance. Especially the numbers of fluoroquinolone-resistant and ESBL-producing E. coli strains were not increased in premenopausal patients with AUC in Japan.

Using in situ hybridization with35S-labeled prepro-VIP cDNA probes, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) mRNA was detected in tumor tissues from two cases of ganglioneuroblastoma associated with watery diarrhea syndrome. The distribution of VIP mRNA was confined to the cytoplasm of the cells showing ganglionic differentiation, whereas the undifferentiated neuroblastic cells failed to be labeled by the probe. These findings were consistent with the localization of VIP-like immunoreactivity in the same tumor tissues. Direct evidence is presented at the single cell level for the production of VIP by ganglionic cells in ganglioneuroblastoma.

Aerosol measurements over the Southern Ocean are used to constrain aerosol-cloud interaction radiative forcing uncertainty in a global climate model. Aerosol forcing uncertainty is quantified using one million climate model variants that sample the uncertainty in nearly 30 model parameters. Ship-based measurements of cloud condensation nuclei, particle number concentrations and sulfate mass concentrations from the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition: Study of Preindustrial-like Aerosols and Their Climate Effects (ACE-SPACE) are used to identify observationally implausible variants and thereby reduce the spread in the simulated forcing. Southern Ocean measurements strongly constrain natural aerosol emissions: default sea spray emissions in the model need to be increased by around a factor of 3 to be consistent with measurements. Aerosol forcing uncertainty is reduced by around 7 % using these measurements, which is comparable to the 8 % reduction achieved using an extensive set of over 9000 predominantly Northern Hemisphere measurements. The radiative forcing due to aerosol–cloud interactions (RFaci) is constrained to −2.61 to −1.10 W m−2 (95 % confidence) and the effective radiative forcing from aerosol-cloud interactions (ERFaci) is constrained to −2.43 to −0.54 W m−2. When Southern Ocean and Northern Hemisphere measurements are combined, the uncertainty in RFaci is reduced by 21 % and the strongest 20 % of forcing values are ruled out as implausible. In this combined constraint the observationally plausible RFaci is around 0.17 W m−2 weaker (less negative) with credible values ranging from −2.51 to −1.17 W m−2 and from −2.18 to −1.46 W m−2 when using one standard deviation to quantify the uncertainty. The Southern Ocean and Northern Hemisphere measurement datasets are complementary because they constrain different processes. These results highlight the value of remote marine aerosol measurements.

Object classification is an important issue in order to bring autonomous vehicle into reality. In this paper, real-time and robust classification based on Real AdaBoost algorithm is researched and improved. Various effective features of road objects are computed using LIDAR 3D point clouds. The improved classifier provides an accuracy of over 90 (%) in a range of 50 (m) and classifies objects into car, pedestrian, bicyclist and background. Moreover, processing time of classifying an object consumes only 0.07∗10−3 (sec) that enables this method to be used for autonomous driving on urban roads.

Objectives To investigate the presence of microorganisms related to urethritis in the oral cavity of male patients with urethritis and the efficacies of antimicrobials for urethritis on microorganisms in the oral cavity. Methods Ninety-two male patients with urethritis and 17 male controls participated to this study at 12 urology clinics in Japan between March 2014 and March 2015. The first voided urine (FVU) and oral wash fluid (OWF) specimens were collected from the participants. The microorganisms in both FVU and OWF specimens were detected by nucleic acid amplification tests at the first and follow-up visit. The efficacies of antimicrobials were evaluated after 1–4 weeks treatment completion. Results In a total of 92 male patients with urethritis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Trichomonas vaginalis and Gardnerella vaginalis were detected from OWF specimens of 12%, 3%, 9%, 0%, 12%, 3%, 3% and 15% patients, respectively. From control males, no microorganism was detected from OWF specimens. Among 46 patients who could be evaluated for antimicrobial efficacies at the follow-up visit, 5 in FVU specimens failed by azithromycin (AZM), and 10 failed in OWF specimens (7 by AZM, 2 by tetracycline, 1 by spectinomycin; p = 0.002). Especially, a high prevalence of G. vaginalis remained positive after treatment for urethritis in the oral cavity. Conclusion Microorganisms related to urethritis were detected in the oral cavity of male patients with urethritis. Antimicrobials that focused on urethritis, especially AZM regimen seem to be less effective for microorganisms in the oral cavity.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is one of the most important pathogens causing sexually transmitted infection, and strains that are resistant to several antimicrobials are increasing. To investigate the trends of antimicrobial susceptibility among N. gonorrhoeae strains isolated from male patients with urethritis, a Japanese surveillance committee conducted the first nationwide surveillance. The urethral discharge was collected from male patients with urethritis at 51 medical facilities from April 2009 to October 2010. Of the 156 specimens, 83 N. gonorrhoeae strains were tested for susceptibility to 18 antimicrobial agents. The prevalence of β-lactamase-producing strains and chromosomally mediated resistant strains were 7.2 % and 16.5 %, respectively. None of the strains was resistant to ceftriaxone, but the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ceftriaxone for 7 strains (8.4 %) was 0.125 μg/ml. One strain was resistant to cefixime (MIC 0.5 μg/ml). The MICs of fluoroquinolones, such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and tosufloxacin, showed a bimodal distribution. The MIC of sitafloxacin was lower than those of the three fluoroquinolones listed here, and it was found that the antimicrobial activity of sitafloxacin was stronger than that of the fluoroquinolones. The MIC of azithromycin in 2 strains was 2 μg/ml, but no high-level resistance to macrolides was detected.

Genital chlamydial infection is a principal sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Chlamydia trachomatis can cause male urethritis, acute epididymitis, cervicitis, and pelvic inflammatory disease as sexually transmitted infections. Fortunately, homotypic resistant C. trachomatis strains have not been isolated to date; however, several studies have reported the isolation of heterotypic resistant strains from patients. In this surveillance study, clinical urethral discharge specimens were collected from patients with urethritis in 51 hospitals and clinics in 2009 and 38 in 2012. Based on serial cultures, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) could be determined for 19 isolates in 2009 and 39 in 2012. In 2009 and 2012, the MICs (MIC90) of ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, tosufloxacin, sitafloxacin, doxycycline, minocycline, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin were 2 μg/ml and 1 μg/ml, 0.5 μg/ml and 0.5 μg/ml, 0.125 μg/ml and 0.125 μg/ml, 0.063 μg/ml and 0.063 μg/ml, 0.125 μg/ml and 0.125 μg/ml, 0.125 μg/ml and 0.125 μg/ml, 0.016 μg/ml and 0.016 μg/ml, and 0.063 μg/ml and 0.063 μg/ml, respectively. In summary, this surveillance project did not identify any resistant strain against fluoroquinolone, tetracycline, or macrolide agents in Japan.

To assess the clinical efficacy of oral antibiotic administration for the treatment of lower urinary tract infection (UTI), 102 female patients were given gatifloxacin (200 mg once daily for 3 days). Five to nine days after treatment, drug safety and clinical efficacy were assessed by evaluation of urinalysis and symptoms. Further, the patients were asked to report by mail whether they had persistent or recurrent symptoms at 4-6 weeks after treatment. The overall clinical cure rate was 93.1% (95/102). Of 94 patients with susceptible pathogens and 8 with resistant pathogens, 89 (94.7%) and 6 (75.0%), respectively, were judged as clinically cured. Four to 6 weeks after treatment, 57 (55.9%) of the 102 patients reported their micturition status by mail, and 6 (10.5%) of them claimed that they had some symptoms. The outcomes of this study suggest that a therapeutic regimen such as administration of fluoroquinolones once daily for 3 days can be recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated cystitis.

Worldwide, the most important concern in the treatment of sexually transmitted infections is the increase in antimicrobial resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains including resistance to cephalosporins, penicillins, fluoroquinolones or macrolides. To investigate the trends of antimicrobial susceptibility among N. gonorrhoeae strains isolated from male patients with urethritis, a Japanese surveillance committee conducted the second nationwide surveillance study. Urethral discharge was collected from male patients with urethritis at 26 medical facilities from March 2012 to January 2013. Of the 151 specimens, 103 N. gonorrhoeae strains were tested for susceptibility to 20 antimicrobial agents. None of the strains was resistant to ceftriaxone, but the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 90% of ceftriaxone increased to 0.125 μg/ml, and 11 (10.7%) strains were considered less susceptible with an MIC of 0.125 μg/ml. There were 11 strains resistant to cefixime, and the MICs of these strains were 0.5 μg/ml. The distributions of the MICs of fluoroquinolones, such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and tosufloxacin, were bimodal. Sitafloxacin, a fluoroquinolone, showed strong activity against all strains, including strains resistant to other three fluoroquinolones, such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and tosufloxacin. The azithromycin MICs in 2 strains were 1 μg/ml.

For this paper, the authors designed three types of SURFACE PIERCING PROPELLERS. Each propeller was constructed with a different type of blade section, one wedge-shaped, one crescent-shaped, and one with an improved wedge shape. We checked the propeller's performance around the planned ship speed and also the performance in the astern direction. In order to study the possibility for improvement in lowermedium speed performance, additional model tests were conducted with the submersion ratio, which strongly influences lower-midium performance, changed. Lastly, the authors verified that in an actual vessel, where the submersion ratio can be adjusted by changing the propeller shaft's inclination angle, the performance of the SURFACE PIERCING PROPELLER was improved.

A 42-year-old man presented with the chief complaint of dysuria which occurred suddenly. He showed a large quantity of post-voiding residue. Abdominal ultrasonography and cystoscope revealed a hypo-echoic mass with a diameter of 15 mm at the bladder neck. Transurethral resection of the cyst was performed, and dysuria was markedly improved. Pathological examination showed a retention cyst of the prostate.

The role of direct radiative forcing of desert dust aerosol in the change from wet to dry climate observed in the African Sahel region in the last half of the twentieth century is investigated using simulations with an atmospheric general circulation model. The model simulations are conducted either forced by the observed sea surface temperature (SST) or coupled with the interactive SST using the Slab Ocean Model (SOM). The simulation model uses dust that is less absorbing in the solar wavelengths and has larger particle sizes than other simulation studies. As a result, simulations show less shortwave absorption within the atmosphere and larger longwave radiative forcing by dust. Simulations using SOM show reduced precipitation over the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) including the Sahel region and increased precipitation south of the ITCZ when dust radiative forcing is included. In SST-forced simulations, on the other hand, significant precipitation changes are restricted to over North Africa. These changes are considered to be due to the cooling of global tropical oceans as well as the cooling of the troposphere over North Africa in response to dust radiative forcing. The model simulation of dust cannot capture the magnitude of the observed increase of desert dust when allowing dust to respond to changes in simulated climate, even including changes in vegetation, similar to previous studies. If the model is forced to capture observed changes in desert dust, the direct radiative forcing by the increase of North African dust can explain up to 30% of the observed precipitation reduction in the Sahel between wet and dry periods. A large part of this effect comes through atmospheric forcing of dust, and dust forcing on the Atlantic Ocean SST appears to have a smaller impact. The changes in the North and South Atlantic SSTs may account for up to 50% of the Sahel precipitation reduction. Vegetation loss in the Sahel region may explain about 10% of the observed drying, but this effect is statistically insignificant because of the small number of years in the simulation. Greenhouse gas warming seems to have an impact to increase Sahel precipitation that is opposite to the observed change. Although the estimated values of impacts are likely to be model dependent, analyses suggest the importance of direct radiative forcing of dust and feedbacks in modulating Sahel precipitation.

[1] Mineral aerosol impacts on climate through radiative forcing by natural dust sources are examined in the current, last glacial maximum, pre-industrial and doubled-carbon dioxide climate. Modeled globally averaged dust loadings change by +88%, +31% and −60% in the last glacial maximum, pre-industrial and future climates, respectively, relative to the current climate. Model results show globally averaged dust radiative forcing at the top of atmosphere is −1.0, −0.4 and +0.14 W/m2 for the last glacial maximum, pre-industrial and doubled-carbon dioxide climates, respectively, relative to the current climate. Globally averaged surface temperature changed by −0.85, −0.22, and +0.06 °C relative to the current climate in the last glacial maximum, pre-industrial and doubled carbon dioxide climates, respectively, due solely to the dust radiative forcing changes simulated here. These simulations only include natural dust source response to climate change, and neglect possible impacts by human land and water use.

Desert dust simulations generated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Community Climate System Model for the current climate are shown to be consistent with present day satellite and deposition data. The response of the dust cycle to last glacial maximum, preindustrial, modern, and doubled-carbon dioxide climates is analyzed. Only natural (non-land use related) dust sources are included in this simulation. Similar to some previous studies, dust production mainly responds to changes in the source areas from vegetation changes, not from winds or soil moisture changes alone. This model simulates a +92%, +33%, and −60% change in dust loading for the last glacial maximum, preindustrial, and doubled-carbon dioxide climate, respectively, when impacts of carbon dioxide fertilization on vegetation are included in the model. Terrestrial sediment records from the last glacial maximum compiled here indicate a large underestimate of deposition in continental regions, probably due to the lack of simulation of glaciogenic dust sources. In order to include the glaciogenic dust sources as a first approximation, we designate the location of these sources, and infer the size of the sources using an inversion method that best matches the available data. The inclusion of these inferred glaciogenic dust sources increases our dust flux in the last glacial maximum from 2.1 to 3.3 times current deposition.

International audience; It has been speculated that the vegetation change and human land use have modulated the dust sources in North Africa and contributed to the observed increase of desert dust since 1960s. However, the roles of surface disturbances on dust generation are not well constrained because of limitations in the available data and models. This study addresses this issue by simulating the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) Absorbing Aerosol Indices (AAIs) for model-predicted dust and comparing them with the observations. Model simulations are conducted for natural topographic depression sources with and without adding sources due to vegetation change and cultivation over North Africa. The simulated AAIs capture the previously reported properties of TOMS AAI as well as observed magnitude and spatial distribution reasonably well, although there are some important disagreements with observations. Statistical analyses of spatial and temporal patterns of simulated AAI suggest that simulations using only the natural topographic source capture the observed patterns better than those using 50% of surface disturbance sources. The AAI gradients between Sahara (north) and Sahel (south) suggest that the best mixture of surface disturbance sources is 20-25%, while spatial and temporal correlations suggest that the optimum mixture is 0-15% with the upper bound of 25-40%. However, sensitivity studies show that uncertainties associated with meteorology and source parameterization are large and may undermine the findings derived from the simulations. Additional uncertainties will arise because of model errors in sources, transport, and deposition. Such uncertainties in the model simulations need to be reduced in order to constrain the roles of different types of dust sources better using AAI simulation.

Objective: To identify basophilic granules in the cytoplasm of macrophages in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) smears from patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome as melanin pigment. Design: Morphological and immunocytochemical studies were performed on CSF smears obtained from 7 patients with VKH syndrome. Specimens were stained with May-Grunwald and evaluated by a silver impregnation method (Fontana-Masson staining). For immunocytochemical study, the smear was reacted with mouse antihuman melanoma cell (HMB-45) monoclonal antibody. Results: Basophilic granules were detected in the cytoplasm of macrophages in CSF cell smears obtained from 6 of 7 patients with VKH syndrome in the early stages (within 25 days). Using the silver impregnation method, these basophilic granules were strongly stained black. Moreover, they were identified as melanin by positive immunocytochemical staining. The total number of cells containing cytoplasmic granules ranged from 3 to 8 per 10 000 total cells in CSF. In contrast, no cells containing cytoplasmic granules were found in control CSF cell smears from patients with viral, bacterial, or noninflammatory diseases. Conclusion: The identification of melanin-laden macrophages in the CSF of patients with VKH syndrome suggests that these cells are responsible for pleocytosis in the immunopathologic process of VKH syndrome.

Various degrees of neuronal degeneration have been found in lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). To characterize the subpopulations of primary sensory neurons affected in AIDS, we immunostained dorsal root ganglion tissues from 11 AIDS patients and six controls using antibodies to the calcium binding proteins, parvalbumin and calbindin D-28 k. In controls, the proportion of neurons containing parvalbumin and calbindin was 18.0% and 22.4%, respectively. The majority of parvalbumin-positive neurons, which are thought to be proprioceptive neurons, were of medium to large size, while calbindin was found in both large- and small-sized neurons. The density of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons was reduced by 7.3% in AIDS patients, but the density of calbindin-immunoreactive neurons was preserved. Furthermore, in AIDS cases, the number of parvalbumin-positive neurons was reduced more in dorsal root ganglia in which human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antigen was detected than in HIV-negative ganglia. These results suggest that specific subpopulations of sensory neurons positive for parvalbumin may be differentially affected over the course of AIDS, and that this could be related to peripheral neuropathy which frequently occurs in the late stages of AIDS.

Mild manifestations (HIV-1 associated minor cognitive/motor disorder), severe manifestations (HIV-1 associated dementia complex and HIV-1 associated myelopathy), and sensory neuropathy are consequences of HIV-1 infection. Our goal is to elucidate the role of HIV-1 in the complications of AIDS including cytokine immunopathology and HIV-1 DNA sequence variants. We have examined the brain and sensory ganglia from 60 AIDS patients and 20 seronegative controls using PCR, DNA sequencing of the HIV-1 envelope protein (env), in situ hybridization (ISH), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Using our combined ISH-IHC technique, we could identify different types of cells and HIV-1 simul­taneously in cryostat and paraffin sections. We found HIV-1 predominantly in macro­phage/microglia in brain. In dorsal root ganglia (DRG) we found rare macrophages infected with HIV-1 and neurons and interstitial cells (including macrophages) which were apoptotic. Cytokines were detected in mononuclear and endothelial cells near neurons. We achieved single copy sensitivity detecting HIV-1 in nervous tissue using nested PCR. We sequenced HIV-1 DNA from 3 intravenous drug users (IDUs): from brain, CSF, and blood. PCR amplification was followed by cloning and then sequencing the HIV-1 insert: V1 -V5 regions of the envelope (env) gene. We found that the env genes had increased sequence variation compared to the literature, cDNA sequences derived from RNA were less heterogeneous than clones derived from DNA from the same specimens, clones derived from brain are more closely related (show restricted heterogeneity) compared to clones from blood and CSF from the same patients. Patient 149 clones we examined to date did not correspond to any of the designated subtypes (A-F) of HIV-1 based on the DNA sequences of the C2-V3 regions. Finally, the HIV-1 RNA produced in these tissues is derived from a minority of DNA clones.

We analyzed frozen brain specimens from three patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) for the presence of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-2, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), lymphotoxin (LT), and interferon (IFN)-gamma using immunocytochemical techniques. We detected these cytokines in SSPE brain lesions demonstrating extensive cellular infiltrates, demyelination, and gliosis. Double-label immunocytochemistry, using cell-specific markers, showed that positive immunoreactivity for these cytokines was present on both infiltrating cells and resident brain cells. We also found IL-6, TNF, and IFN-gamma at lower levels in brain tissue from a patient with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. In contrast, normal control brain sections showed no reactivity for any of the cytokines. These findings indicate that IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-6, TNT, LT, and IFN-gamma may be produced in SSPE lesions and may be involved in the lesion pathogenesis of SSPE.

We studied lymphocyte subsets and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens in frozen brain tissues from three patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) using immunocytochemical techniques. Perivascular cuffs consisted predominantly of T cells and MHC class II-positive cells. In the parenchymal lesions, there were frequent B and CD4+ cells. MHC class II-positive cells were also diffusely distributed throughout the parenchyma. There were more CD4+ than CD8+ cells both in the parenchyma and in the perivascular cuffs. These findings suggest an overrepresentation of CD4+ cells in SSPE lesions and that CD4+ cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of SSPE.

Various attentions have been paid to improvement of propeller efficiency. Among these devices, the free rotating propeller (vane wheel) to be fitted additionally behind conventional main propeller is the most attractive one. However the design method, blade strength, etc. of the free rotating propeller are not specified.The authors designed the free rotating propeller for the ship by applying the momentum theory and the blade element theory that are used for designing the hydraulic machineries. In this report, the design accuracy is compared with full-scale measurements and as the results, the following conclusions are obtained.(1) The calculated revolutions and energy saving rate of the free rotating propeller show a similarity to those of measurements.(2) Measured energy saving rate is 6-8.5% at same speed condition.(3) The mean blade stress is 2.6kgf/mm2 {25 MPa} and the fluctuation of blade stress for a rotation is 8.8kgf/mm2 {86 MPa} in peak-to-peak value.(4) The pressure fluctuation caused by main propeller is reduced by 20% at the blade frequency components.

Observations in the present paper were initiated at Experimental Farm of Hiroshima University, Fukuyama, in summer of 1959 and continued every year to October of 1961.The observations were carried out at monthly intervals from May to September or October to Iambs-4.5-10.O month old Corriedales-grazed on pasture of wild grassland a little under 4 ha wide. Observation technique taken was CHAMBER'S method (1959) in which activities of indi viduals under flock management were recorded at 4 min intervals throughout 24hr and they were classified as grazing, eating concentrates, eating hay, ruminating, resting and idling.From data obtained in 13 observations, it has been shown that there were three types in the pattern of grazing lamb's behavior. The first was a type of intensive grazing concentrated in daytime which was seen in flock grazed on spring pasture and the second was a type of grazing concentrated in nighttime seen in flock on midsummer pasture. The third was a breakup or dispersed type between daytime and night seen in flock on early summer or autumn pasture.The G R Ratio (grazing/ruminating ratio) from present data varied seasonally from about 2 in May through 1 in August down to 0.8 in September. Although leisurely grazing in spring (DORAN, 1943) must be considered, increase of grazing time in spring and decrease in summer were clearly pointed out. These seasonal variations in the pattern of lamb's grazing behavior would largely depend on variations of environmental temperature, daylength, grassland conditions and others. They were discussed with reference to regulation mechanism of body temperature.There were evidence of disturbed lamb activities in mixed grazing with cattle, but as these disturbance did not continue for long time, it would not appear therefore that grazing pattern of lambs was much influenced by cattle.

The Japanese surveillance committee conducted the first nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of uropathogens responsible for female acute uncomplicated cystitis at 43 hospitals throughout Japan from April 2009 to November 2010. In this study, the causative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus saprophyticus) and their susceptibility to various antimicrobial agents were investigated by isolation and culturing of bacteria from urine samples. In total, 387 strains were isolated from 461 patients, including E. coli (n = 301, 77.8 %), S. saprophyticus (n = 20, 5.2 %), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 13, 3.4 %), and Enterococcus faecalis (n = 11, 2.8 %). S. saprophyticus was significantly more common in premenopausal women (P = 0.00095). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of 19 antibacterial agents used for these strains were determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute manual. At least 87 % of E. coli isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, and 100 % of S. saprophyticus isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. The proportions of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli strains and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli strains were 13.3 % and 4.7 %, respectively. It is important to confirm the susceptibility of causative bacteria for optimal antimicrobial therapy, and empiric antimicrobial agents should be selected by considering patient characteristics and other factors. However, the number of isolates of fluoroquinolone-resistant or ESBL-producing strains in gram-negative bacilli may be increasing in patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Japan. Therefore, these data present important information for the proper treatment of UTIs and will serve as a useful reference for future surveillance studies.