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This study aimed to examine the factors associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia and the time of onset of CMV antigenemia among patients with rheumatic diseases.A single-center, retrospective, observational study was conducted in our institution from January 2009 to December 2017. This study included patients with rheumatic diseases who had at least one CMV antigen measurement. Multivariate analysis and receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed.A total of 249 patients underwent CMV antigenemia assay, and 84 (33.7%) patients tested positive. When the association between CMV antigenemia and possible associated factors was investigated, multivariate analysis showed that daily steroid dose increased the odds of having CMV [odds ratio 16.25, 95% confidence interval (CI), 5.360-49.253]. In this study, the cutoff value of daily steroid dose found in this study (0.45 mg/kg/day) was reasonable in clinical practice, and the area under the curve of the steroid dose was 0.838 [95% CI 0.781-0.882], which was the largest of the known indicators. Moreover, the median time from the start of immunosuppressive therapy to the onset of CMV antigenemia was 30 (interquartile range, 21-44) days, and most of the daily steroid users (85.7%) developed CMV antigenemia within 60 days.The daily steroid dose is the most important factor associated with CMV antigenemia. Therefore, monitoring and treatment strategies based on the steroid dose, especially in the initial 2 months, are important.

An outbreak of serotype 19A Streptococcus pneumoniae occurred among the residents of a relief facility. Pneumonia developed in 5 of 99 residents (attack rate, 5.1%). We obtained pharyngeal specimens from non-onset residents, and S. pneumoniae was isolated from 6 individuals (6.4%), 5 of whom had serotype 19A.

Cooking is a daily undertaking that ensures the proper ingestion of food. However, mental representations of home cooking have yet to be quantitatively elucidated. The primary purpose of the series of three studies presented here was to quantitatively describe the conceptualization of cooking among Japanese consumers by employing Internet surveys. The first study extracted superordinate categories of cooking-related operations, (1) core cooking, (2) subsidiary cooking and (3) convenience food preparation, for 100 Japanese consumers by utilizing an exploratory factor analysis of 30 presumably cooking-related operations. The second study made further sub-categorizations within each superordinate category by utilizing hierarchical cluster analyses in 500 newly recruited Japanese consumers. Core cooking was sub-categorized into “to pickle”, “to cut and heat”, “to season”, and “to mix”. Subsidiary cooking was sub-categorized into “to preserve”, “to acquire”, and “to arrange”. Convenience food preparation was not further sub-categorized. In Study 3, based on the fit indices obtained from structural equation modeling, the appropriateness of the categorizations and sub-categorizations of Studies 1 and 2 was confirmed using 500 newly recruited Japanese consumers. Thus, the current study is the first to quantitatively examine the conceptualization of cooking by elucidating the relationships among a variety of cooking-related operations.

Nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP) is a category of healthcare-associated pneumonia that was modified for the healthcare system of Japan. The NHCAP guidelines stated the difficulty in assessing the severity classifications, for instance, A-DROP. We compared the usefulness of different severity classifications (A-DROP, CURB-65, PSI, and I-ROAD) in predicting the prognosis of nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia. We conducted a retrospective analysis on 303 adult patients hospitalized for nursing healthcare-associated pneumonia and community-acquired pneumonia, which were diagnosed at the Department of Respiratory Medicine of Niigata General City Hospital between January 2012 and December 2014. We evaluated 159 patients with community-acquired pneumonia and 144 with nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia. In the nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia group, 30-days mortality and in-hospital mortality rates were 6.5% and 8.7%, respectively, in severe cases and 16.1% and 25.0%, respectively, in the most severe cases, based on A-DROP. With I-ROAD, these rates were 11.1% and 11.1%, respectively, in group B and 14.9% and 20.7%, respectively, in group C. With PSI, the rates were 2.3% and 6.8%, respectively, in class IV and 14.3% and 19.8%, respectively, in class V. Despite some variability due to the small sample size, both the 30-days and in-hospital mortality rates increased as the severity increased. In this study, both the 30-days mortality and in-hospital mortality rates in the nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia group tended to increase in severity with the A-DROP. We found that A-DROP was useful in predicting the prognosis of nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia.

Serum (1→3) beta-D-glucan (BG) measurement is a useful test for systemic mycoses, and often used. On the other hand, various factors, including administration of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) may cause false-positives. In the present study, we measured BG concentration of seven IVIG preparations with three lots respectively. BG levels varied with individual IVIG preparations (3.0 -300 pg/mL), and contamination from manufacturing processes was suspected. With serum BG concentration of clinical specimens obtained in Niigata University MedicalDental Hospital, the difference between before and after administration of IVIG were calculated. The false-positive rate of BG due to IVIG administration was 9.8 %, and the positive predective value was reduced to 37.5%. Above all, administration of IVIG can complicate the BG test's interpretation, and caution is required.

We herein report a 58-year-old Japanese woman who survived 14 years after surgery for lung adenocarcinoma harboring an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletion. She developed recurrence, for which she underwent multimodal therapy, including EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) administration. She ultimately died from a rapidly progressive right lung tumor that was resistant to EGFR-TKI. According to the autopsy findings, she had combined large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and adenocarcinoma in the right lung, which retained an EGFR exon 19 deletion in both components. Therefore, the histological transformation to LCNEC can be a mechanism of acquired EGFR-TKI resistance.

Background Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease (MAC-LD) can deteriorate rapidly to become fatal. Reported poor prognostic factors include radiographic findings, undernutrition, anemia and high inflammation test values. However, the association of these prognostic factors with the pathophysiology of the disease remains unknown. We aimed to clarify the pathophysiology of MAC-LD and develop a new biomarker that reflects the immune response to the disease. Methods We performed the cytokine panel analyses of serum from patients with MAC-LD and compared each cytokine level with clinically negative prognostic factors (radiographic disease type, body mass index, albumin, C-reactive protein and hemoglobin) and high-resolution CT scores. Results We analyzed 27 patients with MAC-LD, 6 with the fibrocavitary form and 21 with the nodular bronchiectatic form on high-resolution CT. Serum CXC motif ligand 10 (CXCL10) concentration was significantly elevated in patients with the fibrocavitary form (p = 0.008). CXCL10 levels correlated with body mass index (r = − 0.60, p = 0.0008), serum albumin concentration (r = − 0.45, p = 0.016) and high-resolution CT scores (r = 0.61, p = 0.0006). Among 14 patients initially untreated, antibiotic therapy was initiated for five during the study period. CXCL10 concentration was significantly higher in these patients (p = 0.046), and receiver operating characteristic analysis for CXCL10 concentration on treatment initiation produced an area under the curve of 0.844, with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 66.7%, and cut-off value of 366.5 pg/mL. Conclusion We revealed cytokine profiles in patients with MAC-LD. Serum CXCL10 levels probably reflect the severity of MAC-LD. Our findings suggest that CXCL10 concentration may be a promising biomarker for managing treatment for patients with MAC disease of the lung. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-019-3888-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

To enhance the tsunami warning operation system in the Philippines caused by earthquakes in and around the country, staff members of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) joined the SATREPS program in 2012 to help building a tsunami simulation database in the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), which storesmultiple results of tsunami simulations such as estimated tsunami arrival times and heights at coasts for multiple hypothetical earthquakes of various hypocenter locations and magnitudes. The procedure to construct a database consists of several steps starting from setting assumed fault parameters and others, proceeding to tsunami simulations and data creation to be stored in the database, and as the last step, creating a searching system which picks results from the database according to the location and magnitude of an earthquake. As of July 2014, the PHIVOLCS has stored the results of tsunami simulations conducted for more than 30,000 assumed faults for local tsunamis. The searching system is also prepared which enables to get a quick grasp of expected tsunami features quantitatively. With this database and the searching system, the PHIVOLCS is in near future to issue initial tsunami warnings based on the information of estimated tsunami arrival times and heights immediately after the hypocenter location and magnitude of an earthquake are determined. When the necessary coordination with related organizations as well as the public education for the system and warning messages are ready, the PHIVOLCS will start the enhanced local tsunami warning operation.

We herein report a 58-year-old Japanese woman who survived 14 years after surgery for lung adenocarcinoma harboring an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletion. She developed recurrence, for which she underwent multimodal therapy, including EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) administration. She ultimately died from a rapidly progressive right lung tumor that was resistant to EGFR-TKI. According to the autopsy findings, she had combined large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and adenocarcinoma in the right lung, which retained an EGFR exon 19 deletion in both components. Therefore, the histological transformation to LCNEC can be a mechanism of acquired EGFR-TKI resistance.

Reducing fat content in foods to meet consumers’ preferences and to address the obesity issue is a key task for food manufacturers but simply reducing fat content affects aroma quality adversely. Measuring the aroma release from regular and low-fat samples during eating to rebalance the aroma release has proved successful in model systems. Here, the reformulation of the spice content in a low fat curry sauce is described. Volatile markers of the key spices (coriander, cumin and turmeric) were selected and used to measure aroma release in regular (10 g oil/100 g) and low (2.5 or 5 g oil/100 g) fat sauces. Regression models were used to adjust the ingredient formulation so that the aroma release profiles in vivo were the same for the regular and reduced oil curry sauces and sensory analysis showed no significant difference between these samples. Despite the complexity of spice aromas, rebalancing was successful.

Background Hepcidin-25, a central regulator of iron metabolism, can decrease serum iron levels by inhibiting the iron transporter ferroportin. Production of hepcidin-25 in hepatocytes is tightly regulated by various stimulations and is promoted by inflammation via the IL-6 pathway. The role of hepcidin-25 in acute infections has not been fully understood; therefore, we investigated the hepcidin and iron kinetics during the acute phase of systemic infection. Methods We collected clinical samples of bloodstream infections at various stages and measured plasma hepcidin-25 levels using surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In addition, plasma levels of IL-6, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, presepsin, lipocalin-2 were measured. Results In this study, 50 patients (median age: 72 years; 52% males) were included. In the acute phase of infection (first 3 days after onset of symptom), plasma hepcidin-25 levels were rapidly elevated, accompanied with a reduction in serum iron concentration. As the inflammation subsequently resolved and the patients’ general condition improved (≥10 days after symptom onset), serum hepcidin-25 levels were decreased and serum iron levels were restored. Therefore, hepcidin-25 and iron levels dynamically vary during the acute phase of infection, and the enhanced production of hepcidin-25 due to severe inflammation can precipitate a rapid decrease of serum iron levels. This series of reactions may be regarded as a host defense involving the inhibition of the nutrient acquirement of bacteria. In this setting, the iron requirement of bacteria is expected to be increased and the iron uptake of bacteria via iron transporter systems may be activated. Conclusion During the acute phase of infectious disease with severe inflammation, iron levels were immediately decreased due to enhanced production of hepcidin-25. Understanding of host iron status may be essential for effective use of siderophore cephalosporin, with a unique mechanism of action involving the use of bacterial iron uptake systems. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Appropriate choice and consumption of meals are important to optimize diet quality. Nevertheless, the relationship between the conceptualization of food choice motives and consumption has yet to be elucidated. The current study attempts to delineate the effects of meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), gender, and age on psychologically defined food properties in three conceptual dimensions, namely, desired-to-be-eaten, ought-to-be-eaten, and actually-consumed foods, based on self-reporting among 100 Japanese participants. Results showed that there were large discrepancies between food choice motives (composed of desired- and ought-food dimensions) and actually-consumed foods. Accordingly, the effects of meal on food properties were examined in each dimension respectively, and meal effects were supported in all dimensions. Although food choice motives did not differ across age groups, people in their 40’s rated the properties of the foods they actually consumed substantially lower than did other age groups. No gender effect was observed. There were higher correlations between desired- and ought-dimensions across meals compared with between desired- and actual- and between ought- and actual-dimensions. In addition, association between dimensions was stronger at dinner compared with breakfast.

It has been suggested that some food components, such as bioflavonoids, affect the bioavailability of ascorbic acid in humans. Since little is known in Japan about the effective intake of this dietary requirement, we tested young Japanese males after the ingestion of commercial ascorbic acid or acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) juice to compare the quantities absorbed and excreted. Healthy Japanese subjects received a single oral dose of ascorbic acid solution (50, 100, 200 or 500 mg) and received distilled water as a reference at intervals of 14 d or longer. All subjects were collected blood and urine until 6 h after ingestion and evaluated for time-dependent changes in plasma and urinary ascorbic acid levels. Predictably, the area under the curve (AUC) values in plasma and urine after ingestion increased dose-dependently. Next, each subject received diluted acerola juice containing 50 mg ascorbic acid. Likewise, their plasma and urinary ascorbic acid concentrations were measured. In plasma, the AUC value of ascorbic acid after ingestion of acerola juice tended to be higher than that from ascorbic acid alone. In contrast, the urinary excretion of ascorbic acid at 1, 2 and 5 h after ingestion of acerola juice were significantly less than that of ascorbic acid. These results indicate that some component of acerola juice favorably affected the absorption and excretion of ascorbic acid.

Background Presepsin is a widely recognized biomarker for sepsis. However, little is known about the usefulness of presepsin in invasive fungal infection. The aim of this study was to determine the plasma levels of presepsin in fungal bloodstream infections and to investigate whether it reflects the disease severity, similar to its utility in bacterial infections. Methods We prospectively measured presepsin in plasma samples from participants with fungemia from April 2016 to December 2017. The associations of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and presepsin concentrations with the severity of fungemia were statistically analyzed. In vitro assay was performed by incubating Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and lipopolysaccharide to whole blood cells collected from healthy subjects; after 3 h, the presepsin concentration was measured in the supernatant and was compared among the bacteria, fungi, and LPS groups. Results Presepsin was increased in 11 patients with fungal bloodstream infections. Serial measurement of presepsin levels demonstrated a prompt decrease in 7 patients in whom treatment was effective, but no decrease or further increase in the patients with poor improvement. Additionally, presepsin concentrations were significantly correlated with the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (r = 0.89, p < 0.001). In vitro assay with co-incubation of C. albicans and human whole blood cells indicated that the viable cells of C. albicans caused an increase in presepsin, as seen with E. coli. Conclusions Plasma presepsin levels increased in patients with fungal bloodstream infection, with positive association with the disease severity. Presepsin could be a useful biomarker of sepsis secondary to fungal infections.

We observed emissions from excited indium (In * ) by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) during InN growth by electron–cyclotron–resonance plasma-excited molecular beam epitaxy (ECR–MBE). The emission intensity of In * was found to increase with the increase in substrate temperature. Considering the decrease in growth rate by increasing substrate temperature, it is suggested that some In which reached the growing surface from the In cell were thermally desorbed and excited when passing through the nitrogen plasma. It was also found that as the positive bias to the substrate increased, the emission intensity of In * decreased. The growth rate of InN with a deeper positive bias was higher than that without bias. These results were successfully explained by considering that effective In supplied to the surface increased by the decrease in In desorption when deeper positive bias was applied. From these observations, it is confirmed that the desorption of In could be characterized by monitoring In * emission intensity. Thus, OES is demonstrated to be useful as a monitoring tool also for InN growth by MBE.

As a part of basic studies to elucidate the source of infection of Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) infectious disease, fresh feces were collected from pigs raised in Kanto District (A and B Prefectures) and Kyushu District (C and D Prefectures) between April and October in 2000, and isolation, serotyping, toxin typing, and drug sensitivity test of VTEC were performed. 1) Of 411 fecal samples tested, VTEC was isolated from 44 samples (10.7%), consisting of 12 of 112 samples (10.7%) from A Prefecture, nine of 100 samples (9.0%) from B Prefecture, 18 of 99 samples (18.2%) from C Prefecture, and five of 100 samples (5.0%) from D Prefecture. 2) Forty-five isolates were serotyped. Four isolates (8.9%) were typed as type 3, but the remaining 41 isolates (91.1%) could not be typed. The four typed isolates consisted of two O112ac:H- isolates and one each of O126:H- and O157:H7. 3) Toxin was typed in 45 isolates. Twenty-seven (60.0%) and 17 isolates (37.8%) produced VT 2 and VT1, respectively, and one isolate (2.2%) produced both VT1 and VT2. 4) Drug sensitivity tests of 45 isolates were performed. All 45 isolates (100%) were multidrug-resistant that were resistant to multiple drugs. Nineteen, nine, four, four, seven, one, and one isolates were resistant to five, six, two, three, four eight, and nine drugs, respectively. The above findings confirmed contamination in all districts, although the VTEC isolation rate varied among the sampling districts. Serotyping clarified the presence of O157:H7 and O112ac:H- that are detected in human VTEC infectious disease. The drug sensitivity tests clarified the presence of many multidrug-resistant strains.

We examined the 13C/12C and 18O/16O stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ18O) of ascorbic acid from acerola and of synthetic origin. Although the obtained δ13C values were partially overlapping for the tw...

Background/Aims Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) is a fruit that is known to contain high amounts of ascorbic acid (AA) and various phytochemicals. We have previously reported that AA deficiency leads to ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced skin pigmentation in senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30)/gluconolactonase (GNL) knockout (KO) hairless mice. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of acerola juice (AJ) intake on the skin of UVB-irradiated SMP30/GNL KO mice. Research design/Principal findings Five-week old hairless mice were given drinking water containing physiologically sufficient AA (1.5 g/L) [AA (+)], no AA [AA (-)] or 1.67% acerola juice [AJ]. All mice were exposed to UVB irradiation for 6 weeks. UVB irradiation was performed three times per week. The dorsal skin color and stratum corneum water content were measured every weekly, and finally, the AA contents of the skin was determined. The skin AA and stratum corneum water content was similar between the AA (+) and AJ groups. The L* value of the AA (+) group was significantly decreased by UVB irradiation, whereas AJ intake suppressed the decrease in the L* value throughout the experiment. Moreover, in the AJ group, there was a significant decrease in the expression level of dopachrome tautomerase, an enzyme that is involved in melanin biosynthesis. Conclusion These results indicate that AJ intake is effective in suppressing UVB-induced skin pigmentation by inhibiting melanogenesis-related genes.

This study offers an analysis of the elderly (over 65 years of age) among a general community population in terms of the percentages of: (i) persons with recurring thoughts of death and/or of committing suicide, and (ii) people who have consulted others, including medical professionals, with regard to these problems. Among 433 elderly over the age of 65 in one community in a town in Aomori Prefecture, 358 agreed to participate in the project. Forty-four participants (12.3%) responded that they had either 'thoughts of death' or 'thoughts of suicide', and these thoughts had continued for more than 2 weeks in 12 participants (3.4%). Only 15 of the 44 suicidal elderly responded that they had consulted someone about their problems. Although there are many elderly people exhibiting a subclinical depressive state with recurring thoughts of death or thoughts of suicide, the number of people who consult family members, professionals, or others is very low. This suggests the importance of community networking through educational activities so that people can more readily talk to and support one another.

Anionic as well as cationic species formed through two-photon ionization of dopant chromophores in a copolymer (polyester) film having two weak electron-accepting groups, terephthaloyl and isophthaloyl groups, were simultaneously observed at 20 K by absorption measurement. It is found that most of the photoejected electrons migrate and are localized at higher electron-accepting terephthaloyl groups in the main chain of the polyester. The decay of both ionic species thus formed in the polyester film at low temperatures mainly results from charge recombination.

Superior saggital sinus thrombosis (SSST), which has a strong causal link with antiphospholipid syndrome, rarely occurs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We describe a 34-year-old woman with SLE whose clinical problem was mild headache. Her serology indicated negative antiphospholipid, anticardiolipin antibodies and lupus anticoagulants. However, marked dilatation of the entire saggital sinus with scattered thrombi was observed in enhanced-, surface- and three-dimensional reconstructed CTs (3D-CTs) without abnormal intra-axial signal in brain MRI. The enhanced-, surface- and 3D-CTs are useful to detect silent dural sinus dilatation with scattered thrombi in a patient with SLE without any symptoms of SSST.

RS-1541, an acyl-derivative of rhizoxin (Fig. 1), is a potent antitumor compound. This agent showed cytotoxicity in vitro on some cultured human tumor cells, although it was less potent than rhizoxin. Rhizoxin exhibited antitumor effects by inhibiting the polymerization of tubulin, whereas RS-1541 did not inhibit tubulin polymerization in vitro. However, cell cycle analysis in vivo showed that the two agents had the same mode of action. The cytotoxicity of RS-1541 was enhanced when the initial cell density of the cells was increased. The cytotoxicity was also enhanced when the membrane fraction of St-4 cells, which were the most sensitive to RS-1541 among the cell lines tested, was added to the target cells. When St-4 cells were incubated with [14C]-RS-1541, significant amounts of [14C]-rhizoxin were produced within the cells. Further fractionation of the crude membrane showed that the activity that enhanced the cytotoxicity of RS-1541 (RS-1541-enhancing activity) belonged to the mitochondrial-lysosomal fraction, not to the microsomal fraction. Both the enhancing activity and the activity that converting [14C]-RS-1541 to [14C]-rhizoxin (RS-1541-converting activity) were inhibited by treatment with chloroquine, an inhibitor of lysosomal function. Cholesterol esterase derived from Candida cylindracea had RS-1541-enhancing and -converting activities. These data suggest that RS-1541 exerts its cytotoxic action after being converted to rhizoxin within the cells by a lysosomal enzyme such as cholesterol esterase.

Stepwise variations of strain (hereafter called the strain step) were observed by a couple of borehole strainmeters installed 30 meters apart in a fracture zone of the southern Fossa Magna. Strain changes for a year after the installation carried at December, 1986—January, 1987 were apparent expansion indicating the cooling of grout and the relaxation of stress concentrated around the strainmeter. For two years after the installation the number of the strain steps decreased gradually. No clear relationships are seen between the occurrence of strain steps and the environmental conditions such as the rainfall, the atmospheric pressure, the groundwater temperature, and the groundwater level. The strain steps that occurred in the two boreholes are independent, which means that the spatial extent of the phenomenon is less than the distance between the strainmeters. The amplitude-frequency relationship for the strain steps is analogous to those of fracture processes such as earthquakes and acoustic emission in rocks. The decrease in the number of strain steps with time is represented by a formula similar to Ohmori's for the aftershock sequences of earthquakes. A laboratory experiment showed that the frequency of strain step occurrence depends on the stress levels in the surrounding media. Consequently it is inferred that the strain steps observed by our strainmeters are caused by local fracturing processes around the boreholes, the number of which indicates relaxation of the initial stress induced by the installation of the strainmeters.

パーソナルコンピュータのレベルで、長時間連続無人運転の可能な地震波形収録システムを製作した。観測可能時間は20Hz・4chの場合約70日に及び、また、収録後のデータ処理も、データファイルを10分毎にラベルのついたMS-DOS上のランダムファイルとしたことで大変容易となった。

The effects of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK8) on amino acid transport and protein synthesis in the pancreatic acini were determined. The question of whether those effects differed between amino acid transport systems A and L was also investigated. The influx of α-[3H]aminoisobutyric acid (AIB, system A) and [14C]cycloleucine (system L) into isolated rat pancreatic acini and the incorporation of [14C]alanine (system A) and [3H]leucine (system L) into trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-precipitable protein in pancreatic acini were studied in the presence of various concentrations of CCK8. CCK inhibited the amino acid transport across the basolateral membrane of pancreatic acini. This effect was mediated by Ca2+, and was more responsive to amino acid transport system L than to A. CCK also inhibited protein synthesis in pancreatic acini in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of protein synthesis by CCK was thought to be mainly due to the inhibition of amino acid transport by CCK. Therefore, the predominant utilization of extracellular amino acids in protein synthesis was suggested.Gastroenterol Jpn 1993;28:385-392.

1983年以降、気象庁で採用している新しい震源計算方法によって再計算された震源を用いて、静岡市付近の地震活動を再検討した。地震の分布には、伊豆半島南端と静岡市付近を結ぶテクトニックな構造線を境にして、その北東側と南西側でははっきりした違いが存在する。すなわち北東側には 30 km より深い地震はほとんど存在せず、10 km より浅い地震は非常に少ない。この構造線に直交する方向の断面図からも、この線を境にして震源の深さ分布が変わっていることがはっきりと認められる。また、ごく浅い地震は構造線の周辺に分布する傾向がみられる。 地震活動の時間的変化に関してみると、1974年伊豆半島沖地震が発生する以前は構造線の近くに比較的集中していたのに対して、この地震のあと、構造線の北東側の領域で地震活動が復活した。これは伊豆半島での地震活動の活発化に対応して、その後背地にあたるこの領域のストレスが高まったことを反映しているとみることができる。また1965年に静岡市付近に発生した M 6.1 の地震前後の地震活動をみると、この地震が発生する前のほうが後より活発であったようにみえる。この傾向は静岡地方気象台での震央距離 30 km 以内の有感地震の回数の変化にも認められる。構造線沿いの活動に関しては、M 6.1 の地震の前後で地震活動の収束と拡散の傾向がみられるが、しかしこれはそれほど顕著ではない。静岡市付近では1944年東南海地震の直後にもかなり活発に地震が発生した形跡がある。また、この地域の地震と伊豆半島南端の地震発生との間には相関が認められる。このような事実は、静岡市付近がこの周辺地域一帯のストレス場の変化に敏感な特異な地点であることを示している。ここの地震活動については、そのテクトニクスにおける意義とともに、周辺地域における大地震の発生との関連においても注目されよう。

湯河原体積歪観測井での水位の同時連続観測により、歪計に及ぼす地下水位変動の影響を調べた。その結果、湯河原では、降水後の地下水位の上昇に伴い、歪はまず膨張し、その後、約2日の時間遅れで縮みのセンスを示すようになる事がわかった。これは、歪計センサー付近のごく局所的な帯水層の間隙水位の上昇による岩盤の膨張と、より広い範囲の帯水層の歪計に対する荷重が合成された効果と考えられる。また、その応答特性は季節により大きく異なり、これは、地下の状態の違いにより、降水→水位→歪と影響が伝わっていく仕方を表す伝達関数の形そのものが変化する事を示しているものと思われる。

伊豆大島における精密重力測定を1985年11月に、気象研究所の、LaCoste & Romberg D-109重力計を用いて行なった。測定点としては、1979年に国土地理院が設定した大島を一周する水準路線の中の水準点と、内陸部に設置されている東京大学地震研究所及び国土地理院の重力点の中から選んだ他、今回新しくいくつかの基準点を火口周辺に設けた。測定の精度は島を一周する周回路線で±10μgal程度、登山路線ではおよそ±20μgalと考えられる。島内の重力値は1979年以降、1983年の測定までほぼ一定か微減少の傾向であることがこれまでに報告されているが、今回の測定によってもこの傾向の続いている事が確認された。これは、伊豆大島三原山の活動が、この期間静かだった事と符号している。

The kinetics of 5-HT uptake by platelets was studied in cases of infantile autism and developmental language disorder (DLD) and normal subjects. Two patients of the autism group were twins, and the seven patients of the DLD group were members of four pairs of twins. The Vmax values (means +/- SD) for autism and DLD were 6.46 +/- .90 pmol 5-HT/10(7) cells/min and 4.85 +/- 1.50 pmol 5-HT/10(7) cells/min, respectively. These values were both significantly higher than that of 2.25 +/- .97 pmole 5-HT/10(7) cells/min for normal children. The Km values of the three groups were not significantly different. Data on the five pairs of twins examined suggested that the elevated Vmax of 5-HT uptake by platelets was determined genetically.