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Impacts on growth rates from exposure to ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-), at non-limiting concentrations, in combination with irradiances varying from 25 to 600 µmol photons m-2 s-1 were investigated in the pelagic diatom Thalassiosira weisflogii and the benthic diatom Entomoneis paludosa recently isolated from Suisun Bay in northern San Francisco Bay. Growth rates were higher in T. weisflogii (0.76 ± 0.3 d-1) compared with E. paludosa (0.58 ± 0.2 d-1) across all irradiances and nitrogen (N) treatments. Differences in growth rates with N source were regulated by irradiance in both diatoms and were greatest at the intermediate irradiance due to saturation of rates at 85 µmol photons m-2 s-1 when growing on NH4+ and at 200 µmol photons m-2 s-1 when growing on NO3-. Notable physiological differences between these 2 diatoms included a larger range in the quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and in chlorophyll a per cell as a function of irradiance in T. weissflogii compared with E. paludosa. In addition, a negative interaction of high NH4+ concentration (1000 µmol l-1) and irradiance (≥200 µmol photons m-2 s-1) was observed on growth rates in E. paludosa that was not evident in T. weissflogii. Differences in physiological parameters of these diatoms are discussed in relation to their distributions and frequency of occurrence in Suisun Bay.

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a distinguishing feature of mammals, and in most mammals includes an articular disc that buffers the loads placed on it by mastication. The disc is well developed in mammals with significant lateral masticatory jaw movements but is absent in toothless mammals, including extant monotremes, although histological studies of developing monotremes have shown rudimentary discs that fail to mature. Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) grind their food between keratinous pads in the maxillae and lower jaws and are the only edentulate mammals that masticate their food. In this study, we characterize the anatomy of the TMJ of the adult platypus to see if we can reconcile the anatomy, including the absence of the articular disc, with the mandibular movements observed in video recordings. We studied the gross anatomy of the maxillofacial region and the microstructure using microcomputed tomography (micro‐CT) and histological examination. Platypuses had well‐developed masticatory muscles but lacked an articular disc between the mandibular condyle and glenoid fossa. The surface of the glenoid fossa was slightly concave than that of the condylar head was correspondingly slightly convex. The pre‐ and postglenoid processes were not well developed. Micro‐CT showed dense trabecular bone in the anterior part of the condyle, where the lateral pterygoid muscle attached. Histological analysis showed that the surfaces of the condyle and glenoid fossa consisted of dense, avascular and thickened fibrous connective tissue. In addition, well‐developed synovial folds were present. These anatomical characteristics are consistent with both anterior and lateral movements of the mandible, while the thick layer of connective tissue substitutes for a disc by absorbing the mechanical stresses associated with mastication. The failure of the disc primordium to develop cannot be attributed to a lack of muscle development, but the distribution of stresses in the toothless platypus jaw is likely to be different from those in a masticating eutherian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keita Suzuki,1 Hiromasa Tsujiguchi,1– 3 Sakae Miyagi,3,4 Thao Thi Thu Nguyen,2 Akinori Hara,1– 3 Haruki Nakamura,2 Yukari Shimizu,5 Koichiro Hayashi,1 Yohei Yamada,1 Phat Minh Nguyen,2 Yuichi Tao,2 Takayuki Kannon,3,6 Atsushi Tajima,3,6 Hiroyuki Nakamura1– 3 1Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Advanced Preventive Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan; 2Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan; 3Kanazawa University Advanced Preventive Medical Sciences Research Center, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan; 4Innovative Clinical Research Center, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan; 5Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Komatsu University, Komatsu, Ishikawa 923-0961, Japan; 6Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Graduate School of Advanced Preventive Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, JapanCorrespondence: Keita SuzukiDepartment of Public Health, Graduate School of Advanced Preventive Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1, Takara-Machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, JapanTel +81-76-265-2218Fax +81-76-234-4233Email keitasuzuk@stu.kanazawa-u.ac.jpPurpose: Although the explanation for inconsistencies in the reported association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and chronic pain (CP) has not yet been determined, understanding this discrepancy is necessary for the development of vitamin D supplementation as an effective treatment for CP. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between 25(OH)D concentrations and CP according to drinking habits in Japanese subjects.Patients and Methods: We distributed invitation letters to 2314 individuals older than 40 years in Shika town, a rural area in Japan, and 724 subjects (386 females; mean age: 63.9 ± 10.4 years) were recruited. CP was defined as persistent pain lasting at least 3 months in any part of the body. Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, a biomarker of the vitamin D status, were measured using a radioimmunoassay. A serum 25(OH)D level < 20 ng/mL was defined as serum 25(OH)D deficiency. Drinking habits were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. There were three choices, “rarely drink”, “sometimes” and “everyday”. Respondents who answered “rarely drink” were labelled as non-drinkers and the others as drinkers.Results: The prevalence of CP was 40.6%. A significant interaction between CP and drinking habits on 25(OH)D concentrations was observed (p = 0.098). A one-way analysis of covariance was performed to compare 25(OH)D concentrations between the subjects with and without CP in each drinking group, and the serum 25(OH)D levels of subjects with CP were significantly lower than those without CP among drinkers (p = 0.007). A logistic regression analysis revealed a correlation between serum 25(OH)D deficiency and CP in drinkers after adjustments for several confounding factors (odds ratio: 0.499; 95% confidence interval: 0.268 − 0.927; p = 0.028).Conclusion: The present results suggest that low serum 25(OH)D concentrations are associated with the development of CP in drinkers.Keywords: pain, vitamin D, alcohol, cross-sectional analysis, epidemiology

Pauline Voon,1,2 Linwei Wang,3,4 Ekaterina Nosova,1 Kanna Hayashi,1,5 Michael John Milloy,1,6 Evan Wood,1,6 Thomas Kerr1,6 1British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada; 2School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; 3British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada; 4Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St Michael’s Hospital, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada; 5Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; 6Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, CanadaCorrespondence: Thomas KerrDepartment of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 400-1045 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, CanadaTel +1 778 945-7616Fax +1 604 428-5183Email bccsu-tk@bccsu.ubc.caAim: Given that co-occurring pain is prevalent among people who use drugs (PWUD), we sought to explore the effect of pain severity on accessing addiction treatment.Methods: Data were derived from two prospective cohort studies of PWUD in Vancouver, Canada from June 2014 to May 2016. Multivariable generalized linear mixed-effects multiple regression (GLMM) analyses were used to investigate the association between average pain severity and self-reported inability to access addiction treatment.Results: Among 1348 PWUD, 136 (10.1%) reported being unable to access addiction treatment at least once over the study period. Individuals who reported being unable to access addiction treatment had a significantly higher median average pain severity score (median=5, IQR=0– 7) compared to individuals reporting no inability to access addiction treatment (median=3, IQR=0– 6, p=0.038). Greater pain severity was independently associated with higher odds of reporting inability to access addiction treatment (AOR: 1.75, 95%CI: 1.08– 2.82 for mild-moderate vs no pain; AOR: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.27– 3.09 for moderate-severe vs no pain).Conclusion: PWUD with greater pain severity may be at higher risk of being unable to access addiction treatment, or vice versa. While further research is needed to confirm causal associations, these data suggest that there may be underlying pathways or mechanisms through which pain may be associated with access to addiction treatment for PWUD.Keywords: pain, addiction, substance use, health services, opioid agonist treatment, methadone

Natsuo Ozawa,1 Takeshi Onda,1 Kamichika Hayashi,1 Hirona Honda,1 Takahiko Shibahara1,2 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba 261-8502, Japan; 2Oral Cancer Center, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba 272-8513, JapanCorrespondence: Takeshi OndaDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Dental College, 1-2-2 Masago, Mihama-ku, Chiba 261-8502, JapanTel +81-43-270-3978Fax +81-43-270-3979Email ondatake@tdc.ac.jpPurpose: Hangeshashinto (TJ-14), a Kampo medicine comprising seven types of herbs, has been used in Japan to alleviate the side effects associated with anticancer drug treatments. However, the pharmacological effects of this medicine currently remain unclear. The present study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of TJ-14 against anticancer drug-induced stomatitis, the pain associated with which may have a negative impact on mastication and swallowing.Methods: Mucositis was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by cancer chemotherapy. Changes in body weight, stomatitis grades, histopathological scores, and oral bacterial counts were examined among TJ-14-treated, saline-treated, and Control (no treatment) rats. In vitro studies, including cell proliferation and wound healing assays, using epidermal keratinocyte and fibroblast cell lines were conducted.Results: The local application of TJ-14 exerted strong antibacterial effects and attenuated oral chemotherapy-induced stomatitis in rats. TJ-14 also increased the viability and invasion of epidermal keratinocytes and fibroblasts.Conclusion: The present results demonstrated the potential of TJ-14 to attenuate chemotherapy-induced stomatitis.Keywords: cancer chemotherapy, mucositis, Hangeshashinto, TJ-14, Kampo medicine, traditional Japanese medicine, oral cancer

Quantum sensors based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are expected to demonstrate a wide variety of applications. For high-sensitivity quantum sensors with NV center ensembles, uniform manipulation of the electron spins of the NV centers in large volumes is required. In addition, a broad microwave frequency bandwidth for manipulating the NV centers' electron spin is necessary for vector magnetometry and measurement under a finite static magnetic field. Here, we demonstrate a broadband microwave antenna for uniform manipulation of millimeter-scale volumes of diamond quantum sensors. The simulation shows that the current is distributed at both edges of the loop coil of a single copper plate due to the skin effect. The loop coil acts like a Helmholtz coil, which realizes uniformity in the z-direction of the microwave magnetic field (B1). The plate structure has a higher mechanical stability, durability, and a larger heat capacity than the Helmholtz coil, due to its large volume. The antenna achieves a higher performance than previously reported antennae, with a maximal B1 of 4.5 G, a broad bandwidth of 287 ± 6 MHz, and a peak-to-peak variation of 9.2 % over a 3.1 mm3 cylinder volume. These performances show that the presented antenna is suitable for manipulating solid-state spin ensembles for high-sensitivity quantum sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yukiko Shiro,1 Tatsunori Ikemoto,2 Kazuhiro Hayashi,3 Young-Chang Arai,4 Masataka Deie,2 Takefumi Ueno5 1Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Nagoya Gakuin University, Aichi, Japan; 2Department of Orthopaedics, Aichi Medical University, Aichi, Japan; 3Department of Rehabilitation, Aichi Medical University, Aichi, Japan; 4Institute of Physical Fitness, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Aichi Medical University, Aichi, Japan; 5National Hospital Organization Hizen Psychiatric Center, Saga, Japan Aim: Operant conditioning has long been believed to influence the pain experience through a psychological reward pathway. This study was formulated to test the hypothesis that pain sensitivity may be enhanced >3 months if a monetary reward works as a reinforcement.Methods: Forty healthy subjects volunteered to participate in this study. The subjects repeatedly underwent pain testing via mechanical stimuli, and they rolled dice three (or six) times to gain money at the following five time points: baseline, three reinforcement sessions, and last session. The payoff was determined by roll of the dice. The subjects were instructed to roll the dice into a masked stand three times per session and informed that no one monitored the number of dice actually appeared. The subjects were also informed that they could roll the dice another three times when they reported strong pain during reinforcement sessions.Results: The amount of individual payoff had significantly increased at last session compared with the values obtained at baseline; however, no changes were identified in terms of the pain ratings for mechanical stimuli during all sessions.Conclusion: The results suggest that the psychological reward pathway does not always involve pain perception, and it is difficult to conclude whether pain sensitivity is operantly changed through the monetary reward in healthy individuals. Further investigation is required. Keywords: pain sensitivity, chronic pain, behavioral manipulation, reinforcement

Kazuhiro Hayashi,1–3 Masato Kako,3 Kentaro Suzuki,3 Yui Takagi,3 Chiaki Terai,3 Shotaro Yasuda,3 Izumi Kadono,3 Taisuke Seki,4 Hideki Hiraiwa,4 Takahiro Ushida,1 Yoshihiro Nishida3,4 1Multidisciplinary Pain Center, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan; 2Department of Rehabilitation, Aichi Medical University Hospital, Nagakute, Japan; 3Department of Rehabilitation, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan; 4Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School and School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan Purpose: Patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) often develop postoperative pain. Exercise approaches are recommended postoperatively; however, the impact of excessive variation in physical activity is unclear. The purpose of the present preliminary study was to investigate the impact of excessive variation in physical activity using the accelerometer in the early period after TKA or THA. Patients and methods: Seventy-two patients were enrolled in the study. Forty patients underwent initial TKA, and 32 initial THA. Physical activity was measured for 8 days from postoperative day 3 to 10. Patients with substantial correlation between physical activity and postoperative day were classified as the “good-pacing” group. Patients with no correlation between them were classified as the “poor-pacing” group. They were also evaluated using a pain visual analog scale (VAS), pain catastrophizing scale, and hospital anxiety and depression scale. Results: The average age was 68 years, and 59 patients (82%) were women. The average maximum number of steps per day was 2,181. There were 45 patients with good pacing and 27 with poor pacing. The poor-pacing group showed significantly lower maximum number of steps per day, higher postoperative average VAS score, higher postoperative worst VAS score, and longer duration of postoperative hospital stay than the good-pacing group. Conclusion: Patients with excessive variation in physical activity showed severe postoperative pain and prolonged postoperative hospital stay. The postoperative variation in physical activity could be an outcome for improvement in patients after lower-limb arthroplasty. Keywords: total joint arthroplasty, postoperative pain, rehabilitation, pacing, accelerometer

Nobuyuki Kajiwara,1 Kazuyuki Hayashi,1 Masahiro Misago,2 Shinichiro Murakami,2 Takato Ueoka2 1Department of Nephrology, Ikeda City Hospital, 2Department of General Medicine, Ikeda City Hospital, Johnan, Osaka, Japan Purpose: We sought to profile first-time patients without a referral who sought medical care at the Department of Internal Medicine at a medium-sized acute care hospital in Japan. We anticipated that the analysis would highlight the demand for medical care needs from acute care hospitals and help confirm one of the problems associated with primary care in Japan. Patients and methods: The study population comprised 765 patients who sought outpatient consultation without a referral at “the Department of General Internal Medicine” at the Ikeda City Hospital on Fridays over 4 years. Data on the following variables were collected: age, sex, examination date, reason for encounter (RFE), diagnosis, as well as history of consultation with or without antibiotic treatment at another medical institution for the same RFE. We used the International Classicication of Primary Care, Revised Second edition (ICPC-2-R) codes for RFEs and diagnoses. Results: The main RFE fields were digestive (ICPC-2-R Chapter D), general and unspecified (A), and respiratory (R). The main diagnosis fields were digestive (D), respiratory (R), general and unspecified (A), and musculoskeletal (L). In total, 27.6% of patients had sought consultation at another medical institution for the same RFE. Of these, 64.7% of patients for whom the RFE was cough (ICPC-2-R code, R05), and 72.0% for whom the RFE was fever (A03) were prescribed antibiotics. In total, 62.4% of patients underwent emergency investigations and waited for the results; 4.3% were hospitalized on the same day; and 60.5% were medicated at the initial examination. In 11.5%, the main underlying problem appeared to be psychosomatic. Conclusion: We used the ICPC-2-R to analyze the state of first-visit patients without a referral visiting the Department of Internal Medicine at a medium-sized acute care hospital in Japan. Common RFEs were abdominal pain, cough, and fever. A tendency toward overprescription of antibiotics was observed among primary care physicians. Keywords: medium-sized hospital, general internal medicine, general practice, reason for encounter, International Classification of Primary Care, antibiotic overuse