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Typically, the concentrations of cobalt and europium, which are trace elements in concrete, are difficult to determine by chemical analysis. While data sheets do not usually contain this information, it is important for the decommissioning of accelerators, especially for the decontamination of activated concrete. To understand the variations in trace element concentrations in concrete, we analyzed cobalt and europium concentrations in concrete samples from accelerator facilities in Japan by neutron activation analysis, which is suitable for trace element analysis on the order of parts per million (ppm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Non-invasive transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) monitoring has been widely used to screen for hyperbilirubinemia. TcB measured using the recently developed BiliCare™ system, however, has not been fully evaluated. Methods One hundred and seven TcB measurements were obtained from 82 Japanese newborns ≥35 weeks' gestational age within 2 weeks after birth. Measurements were taken at the scaphoid fossa, conchal cavity, and lobe of the ear using BiliCare. BiliCare TcB were compared with total serum bilirubin ( TB) and TcB obtained using another bilirubinometer ( JM-105™). Results Transcutaneous bilirubin measured at all three sites significantly correlated with TB ( r = 0.91, 0.93, and 0.93 at the scaphoid fossa, conchal cavity, and lobe, respectively). The mean differences were 0.1, −0.3, and 3.6 at the scaphoid fossa, conchal cavity, and lobe, respectively. BiliCare TcB at the scaphoid fossa significantly correlated with that using the JM-105 ( r = 0.91). The mean difference was 0.0. BiliCare, however, produced a significantly higher and lower TcB than the JM-105 for TB <7 and ≥15 mg/dL, respectively. Conclusions Transcutaneous bilirubin measurements taken at the scaphoid fossa or conchal cavity using BiliCare were more reliable than those at the earlobe. BiliCare TcB differed from those of the JM-105, for TB <7 or ≥15 mg/dL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Heme oxygenase ( HO) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the heme degradation pathway that produces bilirubin. The promoter region of human heme oxygenase-1 ( HMOX1 ) contains a polymorphic ( GT)n repeat that can regulate gene expression. Here, we investigated the association of ( GT)n repeat length in the HMOX1 promoter region with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in a population of Japanese term neonates. Methods Using polymerase chain reaction and fragment analysis, we determined the number of ( GT)n repeats in 149 Japanese neonates. To omit the effects of the G71R mutation in uridine diphosphoglucuronosyltransferase on hyperbilirubinemia, we excluded 41 neonates with the G71R mutation. As a result, 25 neonates with hyperbilirubinemia and 83 non-hyperbilirubinemic controls were included in this prospective case-control study. Allele and genotype frequencies of ( GT)n repeats in the HMOX1 gene were compared between hyperbilirubinemic and non-hyperbilirubinemic control neonates. Results The prevalence of short alleles (<22 ( GT)n repeats) was significantly higher in hyperbilirubinemic than in control neonates (18% vs 7%, P = 0.015). Hyperbilirubinemia was more frequent in homozygous or heterozygous short allele carriers than control neonates (28% vs 11%, respectively, P = 0.03). Possession of short alleles was significantly associated with the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia ( OR, 3.1; 95% CI: 1.03-9.53). Conclusions Infants carrying short alleles (<22 ( GT)n repeats) in the HMOX1 gene promoter region appear to be at a higher risk for developing neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical kernicterus in preterm infants has recently been reported in Japan, diagnosed on the basis of clinical findings during the neonatal and infancy periods. We investigated the incidence of clinical kernicterus in preterm infants <30 weeks gestational age (GA) based on a nationwide survey conducted in 233 certified educational facilities for neonatologists. The numbers of infants admitted and infants who died within 14 days after birth during 2011, and the number of infants who subsequently developed clinical kernicterus, were recorded. A total of 2720 infants were analyzed, representing 59% (2720/4623) of all preterm live births <30 weeks GA in Japan in 2011. Of these, 159 (5.8%) died within 14 days after birth, similar to the national rate. Five infants developed clinical kernicterus in infancy (5/2720, 0.18%). The current incidence of clinical kernicterus in Japan is therefore estimated at 1.8 per 1000 live births <30 weeks GA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Serum unbound bilirubin ( UB) is a measure of bilirubin not bound to albumin, and has been reported to be better than total bilirubin level at identifying infants at risk of developing bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity, including auditory abnormalities. A detailed treatment strategy for newborns with high serum UB has not been established. The aim of this study was to assess auditory outcomes in newborns with serum UB ≥1.00 μg/d L who were treated according to a novel treatment protocol. Methods A prospective clinical study was conducted in newborns weighing >1500 g with serum UB ≥1.00 μg/d L who were admitted to Kobe University Hospital and Kakogawa Municipal Hospital, Japan from 2006 to 2011. Enrolled newborns were treated as follows: (i) if serum UB was 1.00-1.50 μg/d L, phototherapy and infusion were given with or without albumin or immunoglobulin therapy; and (ii) if serum UB was >1.50 μg/d L, exchange transfusion was performed immediately. Auditory brainstem responses were evaluated at the time of discharge. Results A total of 89 Japanese newborns with UB ≥1.00 μg/d L were enrolled at a median age of 4 days. Of these, 85 had UB 1.00-1.50 μg/d L and four had UB >1.50 μg/d L. After being treated according to the protocol, no newborns were diagnosed with auditory brainstem response abnormalities. Conclusions The present treatment protocol for Japanese newborns with serum UB ≥1.00 μg/d L may be useful for the prevention of bilirubin-induced auditory abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The clinical presentations of head trauma due to falls among young children aged less than 2 years are controversial, particularly in Japan, as the history of trauma recounted by a caretaker is not always reliable. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of caregiver’s reports on head trauma due to falls in young children aged less than 2 years in Japan. Methods: All patients ,2 years of age presenting with head trauma resulting from a fall who were admitted to 3 children’s hospitals in Japan from January 2001 to December 2005 were retrospectively reviewed (N = 58). The clinical presentations were compared among groups categorized by the heights from which the patient fell (short (#120 cm) or long (.120 cm)) and the surface on which the patient landed (carpet, tatami (Japanese mattress), hardwood floor, or concrete). Results: Patients who suffered short falls were more likely to present with subdural hemorrhage (SDH) than those who suffered long falls (74% and 40%, respectively, P = 0.027). More specifically, 62% of short falls showed SDH indicative of shaken baby syndrome (e.g. multilayer SDH). Neurological symptoms, cyanosis, and SDH were more commonly observed in patients who landed on carpeted or tatami surfaces than in those who landed on hardwood or concrete floors. Conclusions: Short falls and landing on soft surfaces resulted in the presentation of severer clinical symptoms than did long falls and landing on hard surfaces, suggesting that the validity of caretakers’ reports on infant or young children’s head trauma due to falls is low. Further research is warranted to investigate the cause of infant head trauma due to falls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of corticosteroids or cytotoxic/immunosuppressive agents such as cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, and cyclosporine for the treatment of frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome (FRNS) is limited because of their adverse effects. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mizoribine, a relatively new immunosuppressive drug developed in Japan, in children with FRNS.Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial was carried out in children, from 2 to 19 years old, with FRNS. At relapse, patients were treated with prednisolone. According to a dynamic allocation, mizoribine or a placebo was concurrently administered to each patient. Prednisolone was gradually tapered and discontinued within 12 weeks. The test drug was maintained for 48 weeks. The primary end point was the relapse rate (the total number of relapses/the total treatment days for all patients). Analyses were performed according to the intention-to-treat principle.Results: The primary analysis was conducted on 99 mizoribine- and 98 placebo-treated patients. The relapse rate was lower in the mizoribine group than in the placebo group (0.0055 vs. 0.0067; ratio 0.81, 95% CI, 0.61 to 1.05, P = 0.12). The hazard ratio of the cumulative remission rate between the two groups was 0.79 (95% CI, 0. 57 to 1.08). In the subgroups consisting of patients 10 years old or younger, the relapse rate ratio between the mizoribine subgroup (54 patients) and the placebo subgroup (57 patients) was 0.66 (95% CI, 0. 44 to 0.94, P = 0.017). The hazard ratio of the cumulative remission rate between the two subgroups was 0.56 (95% CI, 0.37 to 0.85, P = 0. 007). Hyperuricemia was the most common adverse event with mizoribine (16%), but was transient.Conclusions: Compared with the placebo, mizoribine significantly decreased the relapse rate and prolonged the remission period in the subgroup consisting of patients 10 years old or younger. This drug may be useful in young children with FRNS who generally relapse more frequently than older children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses a study on the involvement of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on the pathogenesis of nephrotic syndrome in Japanese children. Description of platelet-activating factor; Information on nephrotic syndrome; Role of PAF in renal damages.

Early reperfusion after endovascular thrombectomy is associated with an improved outcome in ischemic stroke patients; however, the time dependency in elderly patients remains unclear. We investigated the time-outcome relationships in different age subgroups. Of 2420 patients enrolled in the RESCUE-Japan Registry 2 study, a study based on a prospective registry of stroke patients with acute cerebral large-vessel occlusion at 46 centers, we analyzed the data of 1010 patients with successful reperfusion after endovascular therapy (mTICI of 2b or 3). In 3 age subgroups (< 70, 70 to < 80, and ≥ 80 years), the mRS scores at 90 days were analyzed according to 4 categories of onset-to-reperfusion time (< 180, 180 to < 240, 240 to < 300, and ≥ 300 min). In each age subgroup, the distributions of mRS scores were better with shorter onset-to-reperfusion times. The adjusted common odds ratios for better outcomes per 1-category delay in onset-to-reperfusion time were 0.66 (95% CI 0.55-0.80) in ages < 70 years, 0.66 (95% CI 0.56-0.79) in ages 70 to < 80 years, and 0.83 (95% CI 0.70-0.98) in ages ≥ 80 years. Early reperfusion was associated with better outcomes across all age subgroups. Achieving early successful reperfusion is important even in elderly patients.

With the availability of blue light-emitting diode phototherapy devices capable of delivering high-intensity irradiance, neonatologists in Japan are requesting revisions of the 1992 Kobe University treatment criteria for hyperbilirubinemia using total serum/plasma bilirubin (TB) and serum unbound bilirubin (UB) threshold values, especially for indications for exchange transfusion (ET). Retrospective data analysis of 1,184 infants born between January 2012 and November 2014 when the 1992 criteria were followed, we applied revised criteria proposed in 2017 to these infants to assess consequent changes in treatment recommendations. We found that the estimated number of infants with ET indications decreases from 48 to 20, with intensive phototherapy recommended for the remaining 28. Also, the estimated number of infants with phototherapy indications decreases from 446 to 195. We conclude that use of the revised criteria will lead to judicious use and reduction of phototherapy and ET in infants with hyperbilirubinemia., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm (VADA) causes subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and parent artery occlusion (PAO) with endovascular technique (EVT) has been the first-line treatment for ruptured VADA. In this study, we have extracted 530 ruptured VADA, treated through PAO with EVT, from a nationwide, retrospective, multi-center registration in Japan (JR-NET3), and analyzed factors associated with outcome at 30 days and procedure-related complications. Complete occlusion was achieved in 497 cases (93.8%) and favorable outcome was obtained in 303 cases (59.1%). Older age (≥60 years), male sex, use of general anesthesia, non-specialist as the responsible doctor, and time delay from onset to treatment (≥24 h) were negative factors for favorable outcome in multivariate analysis, although these factors were not associated with procedure-related complications. Compared with previous studies (JR-NET1 and 2), the number of endovascular treatments for patients with VADA and severe SAH increased in this decade; however, the percentage of patients with favorable outcome did not decrease. This might be due to not only the improvement of endovascular treatment itself, but also increased access to endovascular specialists or standardization of management.

Background and Purpose: Recent studies have demonstrated that endovascular reperfusion therapy improves clinical outcomes at 90 days after ischemic stroke. However, the effects on long-term outcomes are not well known. We hypothesized that successful reperfusion might be associated with long-term improvement beyond 90 days after endovascular therapy. To assess the long-term effects beyond 90 days, we analyzed the association of successful reperfusion with a temporal change in modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score from 90 days to 1 year after endovascular therapy., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a database of consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke who received endovascular therapy between April 2006 and March 2016 at 4 centers. We compared the incidences of improvement and deterioration in patients with successful reperfusion (i.e., modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score of 2b or 3) with those in patients with unsuccessful reperfusion. We defined improvement and deterioration as decrease and increase on the mRS score by 1 point or more from 90 days to 1 year after endovascular therapy respectively., Results: A total of 268 patients were included in the current study. The rate of patients with improvement tended to be higher in patients with successful reperfusion than in patients with unsuccessful reperfusion (20% [34/167 patients] vs. 12% [12/101], p = 0.07). The rate of patients with deterioration was lower in patients with successful reperfusion than in patients with unsuccessful reperfusion (25% [42/167] vs. 42% [42/101], p < 0.01). After adjustment for confounders, successful reperfusion was associated with improvement (adjusted OR 2.65; 95% CI 1.23-5.73; p < 0.05) and deterioration (adjusted OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.18-0.62; p < 0.01), independent of the 90-day mRS score., Conclusions: Successful reperfusion has further beneficial legacy effects on long-term outcomes beyond 90 days after stroke., (© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Multifunctional redox protein human thioredoxin (TRX-1) is reduced by thioredoxin reductase (TRX-R). The aim of the present study was to examine the distribution of TRX-1 and TRX-R expressions in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) to clarify their usefulness as prognostic factors after surgical resection., Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for TRX-1 and TRX-R was performed in GBC tissue from 38 patients who underwent surgical resection, and TRX-1/TRX-R localization in relation to outcome was examined., Results: TRX-1 protein levels were significantly higher in GBC samples than in cholecystolithiasis samples (P = 0.0174). TRX-1 expression was observed in 100% (38/38) of tumour samples and in the nucleus in 76% (29/38), with nuclear expression in the invasion front observed in 45% (13/29). TRX-R expression was only detected in the cytoplasm of cancer cells and in the invasion front in 28 samples. In all of the samples, the depth of tumour invasion, lymph node metastasis, surgical margin, curability and nuclear expression of TRX-1 in the invasion front were significant prognostic factors by univariate analysis. In 27 selected patients who underwent curative resection, both TRX-1 nuclear expression and TRX-R cytoplasmic expression in the invasion front was a significantly prognostic factor., Conclusion: TRX-1 nuclear expression in the GBC invasion front is a significant prognostic marker. Patients with both TRX-1 nuclear expression and TRX-R cytoplasmic expression in the tumour invasion front should be observed carefully even if after curative resection., (© 2012 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.)

We retrospectively investigated the incidence, neuroimaging findings, and motor and intellectual disability of infants with cerebral palsy (CP) who were born between 1983 and 1997. The incidence of CP was found to have increased gradually and the major cause was periventricular leukomalacia. The prognosis of preterm infants was better than that of term infants. These findings suggest that the increase in the incidence of CP has been due mainly to changes in medical care for neonates.

The serum bilirubin level of Japanese newborn infants in their first few days is significantly higher than that in Caucasian newborn infants, suggesting that there might be genetic risk factors for the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in the Japanese population. Recently, it has been reported that a variant TATA box in the promoter region of the bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1 (UGT1A1) gene is associated with the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. This finding led us to the idea that a mutation, glycine to arginine at codon 71 (G71R), in the coding region of the UGT1A1 gene can cause neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. In this study, we determined the genotypic distribution of the G71R mutation in 72 Japanese newborn infants: 23 infants with hyperbilirubinemia and 49 infants without hyperbilirubinemia. In the hyperbilirubinemia group, 15 of 23 newborn infants had the G71R mutation (3 homozygotes and 12 heterozygotes), whereas in the non-hyperbilirubinemia group 16 of 49 newborn infants had the G71R mutation (1 homozygote and 15 heterozygotes). Therefore, the G71R mutation was present significantly more frequently in the hyperbilirubinemia group than in the non-hyperbilirubinemia group. This finding strongly suggests that the presence of the G71R mutation contributes to the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in the Japanese population.