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Kazunori Tanaka,1 Teruaki Nagasawa,1 Yuko Nomura,2 Yoshiki Kubota,1 Akihiko Miyake,1 Kimio Kawamura,1 Yoko Yamaguchi1 1Pharmaceutical Products Research and Development Section, NANOEGG® Research Laboratories, Inc, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan; 2Nomura Dermatology Clinic, Yokohama, Kanagawa, JapanCorrespondence: Yoko YamaguchiPharmaceutical Products Research and Development Section, NANOEGG® Research Laboratories, Inc., Innovation Center of NanoMedicine 4F, 3-25-14 Tono-Machi, Kawasaki-Ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-0821, JapanTel +81 44 400 1155Fax +81 3 6685 3127Email rdm@nanoegg.co.jpPurpose: To evaluate whether MediQOL, which was developed as a care cosmetic for sensitive skin, causes a change in skin condition for subjects with dry skin requiring moisture retention.Subjects and Methods: This study includes 20 Japanese subjects with dry skin who required moisture retention, as identified by a dermatologist. The subjects used the novel MediQOL products twice a day for four consecutive weeks. A skin evaluation was performed by a dermatologist, and each subject completed a questionnaire prior to the study period and after two and four weeks of MediQOL use.Results: After four weeks of MediQOL use, alleviation of skin dryness, redness, and itchiness was observed in the subjects. The water/oil content of the skin also improved during the study period.Conclusion: Four weeks of MediQOL use resulted in the alleviation of skin dryness, redness, and itchiness and balanced the water/oil content of the skin. MediQOL is expected to be effective in improving the condition of various skin types, including oily, mixed, and sensitive skin as well as dry skin.Keywords: skin care, dryness, erythema, humidity retention, quality of life

Hirotaka Fukami, Yoichi Takeuchi, Saeko Kagaya, Yoshie Ojima, Ayako Saito, Hiroyuki Sato, Ken Matsuda, Tasuku Nagasawa Department of Nephrology, Japanese Red Cross Ishinomaki Hospital, Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan Purpose: Pyelonephritis, an upper urinary tract infection, is a serious infection that often requires hospitalization. However, the accurate diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis can be difficult, especially among older individuals who can present with unusual symptoms. Imaging with computed tomography (CT) is not unusual in the diagnosis of pyelonephritis, with some clinicians regarding perirenal fat stranding (PFS) as a characteristic finding. However, the sensitivity and specificity of PFS in diagnosing pyelonephritis are currently unknown. We therefore sought to clarify the relevance of PFS in diagnosing acute pyelonephritis.Patients and methods: We conducted a case-controlled retrospective analysis of medical records. The pyelonephritis group included 89 patients who had been diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis, while the control group included 319 patients who had undergone percutaneous renal biopsy. CT findings were available for both groups. The frequency of PFS and its sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis were investigated.Results: The mean ages of the pyelonephritis and control groups were 74±15 years and 63±16 years, respectively. A total of 28% of men were in the pyelonephritis group vs 61% of men in the control group. The frequency of PFS was 72% in the pyelonephritis group vs 39% in the control group. Age and renal dysfunction were associated with an increased frequency of PFS. After adjusting for age, sex, and renal function using a propensity score analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio of PFS for diagnosing acute pyelonephritis were 72%, 58%, and 1.7, respectively.Conclusion: The presence of PFS was not useful in diagnosing acute pyelonephritis. Keywords: acute pyelonephritis, perirenal fat stranding, sensitivity, specificity, urinary tract infection, CT

Fukami H, Takeuchi Y, Kagaya S, et al. Int J Gen Med. 2017;10:137–144.Page 137, Abstract, Results, the text “The frequency of PFS was 72% in the pyelonephritis group vs 39% in the control group” should read “The frequency of PFS was 72% in the pyelonephritis group vs 29% in the control group”.Page 140, Table 1, Control (PRB) column, last row, the data “93 (39%)” should read “93 (29%)”.Page 141, Discussion, line 5, the text “PFS was found in 39% of patients” should read “PFS was found in 72% of patients”. Read the original article

Jinichi Hirano,1,2 Koichiro Watanabe,3 Takefumi Suzuki,1,4 Hiroyuki Uchida,1 Ryosuke Den,5 Taishiro Kishimoto,1 Takashi Nagasawa,5 Yusuke Tomita,4 Koichiro Hara,6 Hiromi Ochi,7 Yoshimi Kobayashi,1 Mutsuko Ishii,1 Akane Fujita,1 Yoshihiko Kanai,1 Megumi Goto,1 Hiromi Hayashi,1 Kanako Inamura,1 Fumiko Ooshima,1 Mariko Sumida,1 Tomoko Ozawa,1 Kayoko Sekigawa,1 Maki Nagaoka,1 Kae Yoshimura,1 Mika Konishi,1 Ataru Inagaki,1 Takuya Saito,8 Nobutaka Motohashi,9 Masaru Mimura,1 Yoshiro Okubo,8 Motoichiro Kato,11Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 2Ohizumi Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 3Department of Psychiatry School of Medicine, Kyorin University, Tokyo, Japan; 4Inokashira Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 5Komagino Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 6Asai Hospital, Chiba, Japan; 7Kurumegaoka Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 8Department of Psychiatry School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan; 9Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, JapanObjective: The use of an algorithm may facilitate measurement-based treatment and result in more rational therapy. We conducted a 1-year, open-label study to compare various outcomes of algorithm-based treatment (ALGO) for schizophrenia versus treatment-as-usual (TAU), for which evidence has been very scarce.Methods: In ALGO, patients with schizophrenia (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition) were treated with an algorithm consisting of a series of antipsychotic monotherapies that was guided by the total scores in the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS). When posttreatment PANSS total scores were above 70% of those at baseline in the first and second stages, or above 80% in the 3rd stage, patients proceeded to the next treatment stage with different antipsychotics. In contrast, TAU represented the best clinical judgment by treating psychiatrists.Results: Forty-two patients (21 females, 39.0 ± 10.9 years-old) participated in this study. The baseline PANSS total score indicated the presence of severe psychopathology and was significantly higher in the ALGO group (n = 25; 106.9 ± 20.0) than in the TAU group (n = 17; 92.2 ± 18.3) (P = 0.021). As a result of treatment, there were no significant differences in the PANSS reduction rates, premature attrition rates, as well as in a variety of other clinical measures between the groups. Despite an effort to make each group unique in pharmacologic treatment, it was found that pharmacotherapy in the TAU group eventually became similar in quality to that of the ALGO group.Conclusion: While the results need to be carefully interpreted in light of a hard-to-distinguish treatment manner between the two groups and more studies are necessary, algorithm-based antipsychotic treatments for schizophrenia compared well to treatment-as-usual in this study.Keywords: algorithm, open-label clinical trial, measurement-based treatment, schizophrenia, treatment-as-usual

A single dc reactor type fault current limiting interruptor is proposed for a three phase power system, based on a high temperature superconducting coil.

Conventional fault location methods using one-terminal ac voltage and current are not applicable to multi-terminal systems. This paper describes a new fault location algorithm for multi-terminal two Parallel transmission lines. This method uses the magnitude of the differential currents at each terminal and also uses an algorithm based on a 3-terminal fault location algorithm and an equivalent conversion from an n-terminal to a 3-terminal system. For a multi-fault occurring at the same place and same time on both lines as well as a single-fault this new algorithm is reasonably accurate. EMTP simulation results are shown.