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Nano-architectures of single-crystalline anatase TiO2 nanosheets predominantly exposing the {001} facet are constructed in well-oriented configurations based on the strategies of controlled growth of TiO2 in novel growth modes, i.e. (a) the epitaxial growth mode of TiO2 nanosheets on the surface of oriented crystalline substrates, TiO2 and SnO2, resulting in an ordered growth direction, and (b) the hierarchical growth mode of TiO2 nanosheets on oriented nano-crystals, TiO2 nanowires, resulting in a well-ordered orientation and high surface areas as compared with conventional random growth of nanosheets. The present work explores a variety of methods for morphology control of TiO2 nanosheets directly grown on nanostructures as mother components, on which the potential of anatase TiO2 nanosheets to expose a high fraction of the reactive {001} facet is maximized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blood glucose monitoring (BGM) is essential for glycemic control in diabetic therapy. Followingly, accurate sensors are required for both daily personal and clinical use. The frequency of sensor use in patients with diabetes facilitates the use of disposable components. However, BGM systems are not exempt from green innovation sustainability initiatives., Methods: Clinical study of a high-accuracy green design blood glucose monitor using an innovative optical transmission absorbance system was carried out. Venous blood samples were collected from 104 patients with type II diabetes. The heat resistance of sensor strips was evaluated by storing sensor strips at 25℃ and 60℃ for approximately 3 months. Accuracy of the BGM system was evaluated via the ISO 15197:2013 protocol., Results: The BGM system achieved ±7.1% accuracy in glycemic level measurement, with 84% of all measurements within ±5% of the reference values. Furthermore, the sensor strip demonstrated heat resistance for more than 3 months when stored at 60℃., Conclusions: A new, highly accurate BGM system was developed based on the latest optical measurement system, introducing a rare metal-free "green-strip." The developed BGM system achieved the highest reported accuracy in clinical research, using venous blood from patients with diabetes. The sensor strip also exhibited high heat resistance, reducing limitations on storage conditions.

We had a forensic autopsy case in which drugs were detected in a cadaver that had been stored in a cold and wet condition for 5 years. The skin of the cadaver was hard, and the color was partly whitish or dark brown. Though the cadaver had transformed into adipocere in the wet and cold condition, QuEChERS extraction and LC-MS/MS revealed the presence of sulpiride and estazolam in the femoral muscle and bone marrow. The concentrations of sulpiride and estazolam in the femoral muscle were 10.6 ng/g and 39.9 ng/g, respectively. The result of a drug screening test led not only to the cause of death but also to the personal identification of the cadaver. The individual had a history of drug taking, which had been stored in his medical records at the hospital for a long time. The fact of taking sulpiride and estazolam at the same time was characteristic, and it was useful in identifying the cadaver in this case. The progress in analytical technology has made possible the detection of particle drugs from old or adipoceratous cadavers, but there have been no reports of particle drugs being detected in a cadaver that had been dead for 5 years and had transformed to adipocere, as in our present case. The analytical results by LC-MS/MS were certainly important for the diagnosis of the cause of death, and, moreover, they were useful for the purpose of personal identification.

Background: Congenital nephrotic syndrome is difficult to manage, particularly the Finnish type (CNF), with patients experiencing severe edema, sepsis and thrombosis before kidney transplantation. Further, nephrosis and thrombosis remain problematic after transplantation., Methods: Of 22 CNF patients managed at our hospital, 14 who underwent kidney transplantation were retrospectively studied. CNF was diagnosed according to standard criteria., Results: The study population consisted of 3 males and 11 females. Mean gestation period was 36 ± 1.4 weeks and mean birth weight was 2442 ± 454 g (mean placenta to body weight ratio: 0.4). All patients started dialysis at 2.4 ± 1.3 years and underwent kidney transplantation at 5.2 ± 2.0 years. The kidneys were donated by the parents (n = 13), and cadaver (n = 2), including overlap. Mean follow-up period after transplantation was 14.3 ± 8.9 years, and mean age at last observation was 19.5 ± 8.5 years. Two patients had recurrent proteinuria after kidney transplantation; one underwent retransplantation following graft failure and eventually required dialysis, while the second had complete remission after intensive immunosuppressive therapy. There were no cases of thrombosis or serious infections. Mean eGFR at the time of last observation was 57.3 ± 16.5 ml/min/1.73 m 2 , while mean height SD score was - 2.1 ± 0.9 at the time of transplantation and - 1.5 ± 1.5 at last observation., Conclusions: Long-term outcome in these 14 CNF patients showed satisfactory graft survival, improved height SD score, and favorable development. Although recurrent proteinuria after transplant was not predictive, it was associated with graft survival rate.

The data regarding the risk and benefits associated with live demonstrations at interventional cardiology congresses are scarce and controversial. We aimed to assess the clinical safety of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO-PCI) procedures during live demonstrations. From January 2008 to December 2013, 739 consecutive patients underwent CTO-PCI at our center, and 199 patients were scheduled to undergo live CTO-PCI demonstrations at cardiology congresses that were globally transmitted to international meetings. The baseline characteristics, procedural complications, and clinical outcomes were compared between the live demonstration group and nonlive demonstration group. The procedural success rates were similar in the live demonstration group than in the nonlive demonstration group (91.5% vs 86.7%, p = 0.076), although the CTO lesions were longer and more tortuous in the live demonstration group (p = 0.029, p = 0.022, respectively). No cases of 30-day mortality were noted in the live demonstration group (0% vs 0.7%, p = 0.28), and no significant differences in procedural complications, such as coronary dissection, coronary perforation, and cardiac tamponade, were observed between the groups (p = 0.53, p = 0.12, and p = 0.40, respectively). The survival rates were similar in the 2 groups at a median follow-up duration of 51.2 ± 28.9 months (log-rank test: p = 0.45). Compared with cases of unsuccessful CTO-PCI, the cases of successful CTO-PCI exhibited improved all-cause survival in both the live and nonlive demonstration groups (log-rank test: p = 0.045, p = 0.0056, respectively). In conclusion, we found that procedural and clinical outcomes of live demonstration CTO-PCI were not significantly different compared with cases undergoing routine CTO-PCI procedures., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pain caused by subcutaneous injections is unpleasant, which may limit patient compliance. The objective of this study was to use spinal reflexes to quantify subcutaneous injection pain. Spinal reflexes were measured using an electromyogram (EMG) test. The effects of injection volume, pH and osmotic pressure were investigated. The EMG responses increased with injection volume and the acidity of the solution but did not depend on the osmotic pressure of the solution. The EMG responses differed for subcutaneously injected sodium chloride and glucose over the same range of osmotic pressures. Pain caused by the subcutaneous injections was unrelated to the osmotic ratio up to approximately 5. The injection pain caused by therapeutic protein solutions was also evaluated. We compared the EMG responses of the adalimumab and etanercept, as the injection of adalimumab is more painful than that of etanercept in humans. The EMG magnitude for adalimumab was twice that induced by etanercept as observed for the EMG tests performed in rats. Therapeutic proteins account for an increasingly large proportion of pharmaceutical drugs. When a high dose of therapeutic proteins is required, the protein solution must often be highly concentrated to reduce the injection volume. For patient comfort, it is critical to reduce injection pain. The EMG test reported here allows subcutaneous injection pain to be quantified and may be useful for optimizing drug formulations., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Comprehensive whole-body counter surveys of Miharu-town school children have been conducted for four consecutive years, in 2011-2014. This represents the only long-term sampling-bias-free study of its type conducted after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident. For the first time in 2014, a new device called the Babyscan, which has a low (134/137)Cs MDA of <50 Bq/body, was used to screen the children shorter than 130 cm. No child in this group was found to have detectable level of radiocesium. Using the MDAs, upper limits of daily intake of radiocesium were estimated for each child. For those screened with the Babyscan, the upper intake limits were found to be ≲1 Bq/day for (137)Cs. Analysis of a questionnaire filled out by the children's parents regarding their food and water consumption shows that the majority of Miharu children regularly consume local and/or home-grown rice and vegetables. This however does not increase the body burden.

Phototoxicity has a strong impact on drug development. Although several animal models have been developed to quantitatively assess human risks, none have been validated for standardized use. In this study, we validated an in vivo phototoxicity model using Long-Evans (LE) rats treated with 4 well-known phototoxic drugs, namely 8-methoxypsoralen, lomefloxacin, sparfloxacin, and pirfenidone. Daily macroscopic observations of skin and eyes, ophthalmological examinations 4 days after dosing, and blood sampling for toxicokinetics (TKs) were performed after exposure of treated animals to ultraviolet, and dose-dependent eye and/or skin reactions were noted for all compounds. Margins of safety were calculated when possible and correlated well with known relative phototoxicity of the 4 compounds. We conclude that the present in vivo phototoxicity assay using LE rats with TK analysis can be used to quantitatively predict the risk of pharmaceutical phototoxicity in humans., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

It is an important role of a clinical laboratory to provide accurate results of examinations promptly when a physician requires them, and this may be generally achieved. What more can technologists do to improve the medical service? It is more helpful for other medical staff to report crude laboratory data with adequate comments, which can be easily and promptly used in medical treatment. In this reversed clinicopathological conference, the admission periods of patients were divided into several phases: the admission day, from the 1st to 7th days, and from the 1st to 15th days. We closely analyzed routine laboratory data in each phase, and commented on what might be useful for the medical staff to the grasp the pathological state of patients in each phase. If comments from the laboratory become commonly acceptable, clinical laboratories will come to play a more valuable role in medical practice.