Effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on city-center and suburban housing markets: Evidence from Hangzhou, China.

In 2020, governments worldwide enforced lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19, severely impeding aspects of daily life such as work, school, and tourism. Consequently, numerous economic activities were affected. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, city-center housing markets in areas surrounding popular tourist attractions performed better than did suburban housing markets because of the output of the tourism industry. This study examines the changes in the performance of city-center and suburban housing markets in regions with popular tourist attractions after the lockdown. Specifically, the dynamics of city-center and suburban housing markets in Hangzhou, where West Lake is located, and the changes in the information transfer between these housing markets after the lockdown are explored. Transaction data from January 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020 are used to perform analysis, in which adjusted housing prices and asking prices are employed to measure market performance and sellers' pricing strategies, and transaction volume and time on the market are used to measure market liquidity and transaction frequency. The results reveal that the effects of lockdowns differ between city-center and suburban housing markets. After the lockdown, a substantial structural change is observed in the suburban housing market; the volatility risk of housing prices decreases substantially, causing an increase in transaction premiums. Housing prices and transaction volume increase in the city-center housing market after the lockdown; this is possibly because of the influence from the overall housing market booms. In addition, because sellers raise their asking prices and the transaction time is extended, the sellers in the city-center housing market are particularly influenced by the disposition effect. This leads to a reversal in the lead-lag relationship between the city center and suburban housing markets in terms of informativeness. Specifically, before the lockdown, the city-center market transfers information to the suburban market, but after the lockdown, the suburban market transfers information to the city-center market. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many aspects; this paper finds that it will also change the development pattern of the real estate market in different locations.

Analyses of Time Series InSAR Signatures for Land Cover Classification: Case Studies over Dense Forestry Areas with L-Band SAR Images.

As demonstrated in prior studies, InSAR holds great potential for land cover classification, especially considering its wide coverage and transparency to climatic conditions. In addition to features such as backscattering coefficient and phase coherence, the temporal migration in InSAR signatures provides information that is capable of discriminating types of land cover in target area. The exploitation of InSAR signatures was expected to provide merits to trace land cover change in extensive areas; however, the extraction of suitable features from InSAR signatures was a challenging task. Combining time series amplitudes and phase coherences through linear and nonlinear compressions, we showed that the InSAR signatures could be extracted and transformed into reliable classification features for interpreting land cover types. The prototype was tested in mountainous areas that were covered with a dense vegetation canopy. It was demonstrated that InSAR time series signature analyses reliably identified land cover types and also recognized tracing of temporal land cover change. Based on the robustness of the developed scheme against the temporal noise components and the availability of advanced spatial and temporal resolution SAR data, classification of finer land cover types and identification of stable scatterers for InSAR time series techniques can be expected. The advanced spatial and temporal resolution of future SAR assets combining the scheme in this study can be applicable for various important applications including global land cover changes monitoring.

[MYCOBACTERIUM ABSCESSUS PULMONARY DISEASE: IMPORTANT PATHOGEN INVOLVED IN MICROBIAL SUBSTITUTION DURING THE TREATMENT OF NON-ABSCESSUS MYCOBACTERIAL DISEASE].

INTRODUCTION: Mycobacterium abscessus pulmonary disease is common in patients with bronchiectasis. However, the underlying disease that is more likely to be present in patients with M. abscessus pulmonary disease remains poorly understood. METHOD: From 2001 through 2010, all patients, whose sputum or bronchoscopic lavage cultures yielded M. abscessus, were included in the study. RESULTS: Among the 11 patients included (male/female: 4/7), 4 male patients had a history of smoking. All 11 patients presented with bronchiectasis on computed tomography before the detection of M. abscessus, and most patients demonstrated nodular bronchiectasis on chest computed tomography. Six patients (54.5%) developed M. abscessus pulmonary disease during treatment for non-abscessus non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease: M. avium complex pulmonary disease in 5 and M. kansasii infection in 1. Although laboratory examination yielded negative findings for non-abscessus mycobacterium when M. abscessus was detected, radiographic deterioration was observed in 4 of 6 patients. Five patients received drug therapy, 3 of whom were treated with multi-drug therapy including clarithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampicin, and the remaining 2 patients received low-dose macrolide therapy. However, M. abscessus was detected consistently in all patients, and deteriorated chest CT findings were observed in 4. Among the remaining 6 patients untreated with drugs, sputum cultures yielded. M. abscessus with radiographic deterioration in 4 patients. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that M. abscessus infection developed during the treatment for non-abscessus mycobacterial disease, which was mainly due to M. avium complex pulmonary disease in most patients. M. abscessus infection thus occurred via microbial substitution. This phenomenon should be considered an important issue during the treatment for non-abscessus mycobacterial disease, which requires long-term medication.

Serotonin receptor 5-HT2B mediates serotonin-induced mechanical hyperalgesia.

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] released from mast cells or platelets in peripheral tissues is one of the important inflammatory mediators in pain and hyperalgesia. The involvement of 5-HT in pain is complex because it could inhibit or facilitate nociceptive transmission, reflecting the presence of multiple 5-HT subtype receptors on peripheral and central nociceptors. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of 5-HT(2B) in 5-HT-induced pain and whether the subtype exists in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Injecting the 5-HT or 5-HT(2) agonist in hindpaws of mice induced significant hyperalgesia to mechanical stimuli, which was inhibited by the 5-HT(2B/2C) antagonist but not by 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(2A), or 5-HT(3A) antagonists. Therefore, 5-HT(2B) or 5-HT(2C) may be involved in 5-HT-induced mechanical hyperalgesia. The 5-HT(2B/2C) antagonist also blocked 5-HT-induced transient [Ca(2+)] signaling in DRG neurons. All subtypes of 5-HT receptors except 5-HT(2C) and 5-HT(6) are present in DRGs. In situ hybridization also demonstrated 5-HT(2B) mainly expressed in small- to medium-diameter DRG neurons that respond to pain. Likely, 5-HT(2B) mediates 5-HT-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in mice.

Serotonin Receptor 2B Mediates Mechanical Hyperalgesia by Regulating Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1.

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)], an inflammatory mediator, contributes to inflammatory pain. The presence of multiple 5-HT subtype receptors on peripheral and central nociceptors complicates the role of 5-HT in pain. Previously, we found that 5-HT2B/2C antagonist could block 5-HT-induced mechanical hyperalgesia. However, the types of neurons or circuits underlying this effect remained unsolved. Here, we demonstrate that the Gq/11-phospholipase Cß-protein kinase Cε (PKCε) pathway mediated by 5-HT2B is involved in 5-HT-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in mice. Administration of a transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) antagonist inhibited the 5-HT-induced mechanical hyperalgesia. 5-HT injection enhanced 5-HT- and capsaicin-evoked calcium signals specifically in isolectin B4 (IB4)-negative neurons; signals were inhibited by a 5-HT2B/2C antagonist and PKCε blocker. Thus, 5-HT2B mediates 5-HT-induced mechanical hyperalgesia by regulating TRPV1 function.

Benign myoepithelioma in the intrathoracic trachea.

A 67-year-old woman who was followed as a patient with bronchial asthma for 1.5 years visited our hospital with progressive dyspnea. Although the chest radiography findings were normal, a chest computed tomography scan revealed a mass obliterating the intrathoracic tracheal lumen. The patient's symptoms disappeared immediately after tumor excision, and no recurrence was observed during a 1.5-year follow-up period. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of densely packed polygonal-, oval- and spindle-shaped cells that were positive for pan-cytokeratin, α-smooth muscle actin and p63. These pathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of benign myoepithelioma. Chest physicians should recognize that benign myoepithelioma can develop in the trachea, although it is very rare.

Prevalence of underlying lung disease in smokers with epidermal growth factor receptor-mutant lung cancer.

The prevalence of underlying lung diseases, such as emphysema and interstitial lung disease in smokers with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the correlation between the EGFR mutation status and the prevalence of underlying lung disease in smokers with lung cancer. A total of 88 consecutive smokers with non-small cell or non-squamous cell lung cancer who underwent surgical resection at our hospital from January 2007 through December 2010 were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the EGFR mutation status: the mutation-positive group (n=19) and the wild-type group (n=69). The results of radiographic assessment via computed tomography (CT) and pulmonary function analysis were compared between the two groups. In the radiological evaluation, CT images at three levels were evaluated by two reviewers. Radiographic assessment revealed that the mutation-positive group tended to have milder emphysematous changes and a lower prevalence of interstitial changes compared with the wild-type group (P=0.13, 0.06). When the analysis was limited to the ipsilateral lung at the nearest CT level to the tumor, emphysematous changes were found to be less common in the mutation-positive group (P=0.02). The prevalence of the emphysematous and/or interstitial changes in the ipsilateral lung at the nearest CT level to the tumor was lower in the mutation-positive group compared to the wild-type group (P=0.005). In the pulmonary function test, the results were comparable between the two groups. In conclusion, according to our results, EGFR-mutant lung cancer was commonly observed in the areas where emphysematous and interstitial changes were absent. EGFR-mutant lung cancer may develop in radiographically normal areas of the lungs, even in smokers. It would be of importance to evaluate the EGFR mutation status in patients with no emphysematous or interstitial changes in the ipsilateral lung near the tumor, regardless of their smoking history. These results should be confirmed in a future prospective study.

Two cases of tuberculosis with multiple drug hypersensitivity after drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome.

Here, we report 2 cases of drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS) caused by salazosulfapyridine and allopurinol during tuberculosis treatment. Both patients also developed multiple drug hypersensitivity (MDH) to several antituberculosis drugs that were used at around the period of DIHS onset, and thus, the treatment could not be successfully completed. Our cases show that MDH can easily occur after development of DIHS. Considering that treatment for tuberculosis requires long-term management with several drugs, it is important to refrain from administering drugs that can cause DIHS during tuberculosis treatment.

Japanese lung cancer research trends and performance in Science Citation Index.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to explore a bibliometric approach to quantitatively assess current research trends in lung cancer in Japan, using the related literature in the Science Citation Index (SCI) database from 1991 to 2008. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Articles were analyzed by the scientific output and research performances of individuals, institutes, and collaborative countries with Japan. Distribution of words in the article title, author keywords, and KeyWords Plus in different periods was applied to evaluate research trends by the frequency of keywords used. RESULTS: Keyword analysis indicated that there has been a strategy to connect molecular biology with clinical practice. Researchers in Japan have published high impact articles related to non-small cell and small cell lung cancer. CONCLUSION: Finally, this study highlights the topics in lung cancer research that are becoming popular in Japan.

Endobronchial metastasis from adrenocortical carcinoma.

Lung parenchymal metastases are common manifestations; however, endobronchial metastasis is rare. We present herein a case of endobronchial metastasis from adrenocortical carcinoma. In the English language literature, this is the first case with such rare metastasis from adrenocortical carcinoma diagnosed antemortem. Although very rare, physicians should keep in mind the possibility of endobronchial metastasis in patients with a history of extrapulmonary malignancy including adrenocortical carcinoma.