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Previously, we performed passive orthostatism using a tilt table for the purpose of early mobilization in intensive care unit patients after cardiovascular surgery. In this study, we introduced VitalGo Total Lift Bed( TLB), which does not require patient-transfer before passive orthostatism, to reduce the burden on patients and medical staff. No obvious adverse events were found throughout the study. In the TLB group, number of medical staff required to perform the passive orthostatism was significantly less compared to the conventional tilt table group.

Passive orthostatism using a tilt table was introduced in patients with impaired oxygenation [Pao2/Fio(2 P/F) ratio300] after cardiovascular surgery. Our passive orthostatism protocol was as follows. Patient was transferred to a tilt table under endotracheal intubation with pulmonary artery catheter monitoring, and rested for 10 minutes in a supine position, followed by 45-degree tilt for 5 minutes, and then passive orthostatism at 60-degree for 25 minutes. P/F ratio was significantly improved during passive orthostatism. Improvement in P/F ratio was confirmed even 1 hour after completion of the protocol. No obvious adverse events were found throughout the protocol. On average, 15 hours (2~72 hours, median 4 hours) after the introduction of passive orthostatism, weaning from respirator was achieved.

For safe and effective drainage in patients with pleural effusion after cardiac surgery, ultrasound-guided thoracocentesis was carried out under standing with assistance of a tilt table. Thoracocentesis was performed in 5( 11%) of the 44 patients who were treated under passive orthostatism using a tilt table. Four cases were under intubated-ventilator assist, and 2 cases were under intraaortic balloon pumping( IABP). No adverse events occurred. Thoracocentesis under standing with assistance of a tilt table can be safely performed.

Efficiency of photocatalysis depends on the surface area and materials, and we have prepared a porous ceramic substrate coated with nanosized-TiO2 for a photocatalytic air cleaner. The surface of the porous ceramic was coated with nano-sized TiO2 and total surface area of the board (30 × 30 × 1 cm) was 7,432 m2, being 14,864 m2 as the total area in the cleaner consisting of two boards and intervened black lamps. Eighty percent of 5 ppm acetaldehyde was decomposed and generated 8 ppm of carbon dioxide for 3 hours efficiently and continuously by passing through the TiO2-coated ceramic (5 × 10 × 1 cm) under black light. Particulate dioxins (40 pg/m3) and gaseous dioxins (16 pg/m3) were removed by 7.5 and 2.8 pg/m3 by passing through four TiO2-coated ceramic (30 × 30 × 2 cm) under black-light, indicating about 80% of dioxin was decomposed by the photocatalysis. This photocatalysis system was applied for inactivation of influenza aerosol. Influenza infection is spread efficiently by inhalation of aerosol-associated influenza virus. The aerosol-associated infectivity produced by nebulizer in a 754 liter cubic space was more than 10,000 plaque-forming units and was detectable for up to 30 minutes. The aerosol-associated infectivity of influenza virus was eliminated within five minutes by a photocatalytic air cleaner. The infectious aerosol-associated influenza would accumulate by the continuous production by cough and sneeze in the closed space, resulting in the efficient influenza infection. Thus a photocatalytic air cleaner efficiently decomposed organic chemicals including acetaldehyde and dioxins and inactivated aerosol-associated influenza virus infectivity.

Diglycerol ester of mono-oleic acid (DO), a bacteriostatic emulsifier causes severe coalescence of oil droplets stabilized by milk proteins and phase separation between oil and aqueous phase under agitating conditions. In order to clarify the destabilizing mechanism of the emulsifier, physicochemical and colloidal properties of the emulsifier were compared to similar emulsifiers without destabilizing effects. DO, that is dispersible both in oil and water, adsorbed to the oil–water interface to reduce the interfacial tension, and migrated from oil phase to aqueous phase and vice versa in a plane interface system. Experiments performed in an emulsion system revealed that DO had little ability to emulsify food-grade oil, but displaced milk proteins from the oil droplet surface. These data indicate that DO with little emulsifying ability predominantly occupies the oil droplet surfaces via emulsifier–protein competitive interactions to promote severe coalescence of emulsion oil droplets probably because DO actively migrates between oil and aqueous phase and it favors to form the planar oil–water interface.