pH-Dependent Regulation of Electron Flow in Photosystem II by a Histidine Residue at the Stromal Surface.

In photosystem II (PSII), the secondary plastoquinone electron acceptor QB functions as a substrate that converts into plastoquinol upon its double reduction by electrons abstracted from water. It has been suggested that a histidine residue, D1-H252, which is located at the stromal surface near QB, is involved in the pH-dependent regulation of electron flow and proton transfer to QB. However, definitive evidence for the involvement of D1-H252 in the QB reactions has not been obtained yet. Here, we studied the roles of D1-H252 in PSII using a cyanobacterial mutant, in which D1-H252 was replaced with Ala. Delayed luminescence (DL) measurement upon a single flash showed a faster QB- decay at higher pH in the thylakoids from the wild-type strain due to the downshift of the redox potential of QB [Em(QB-/QB)]. This pH dependence of the QB- decay was lost in the D1-H252A mutant. The experimental Em(QB-/QB) changes were well reproduced by the density functional theory calculations for models with different protonation states of D1-H252 and with Ala replaced for H252. It was further shown that the period-four oscillation of the DL intensity by successive flashes was significantly diminished in the D1-H252A mutant, suggesting the inhibition of plastoquinone exchange at the QB pocket in this mutant. It is thus concluded that D1-H252 is a key amino acid residue that regulates electron flow in PSII by sensing pH in the stroma and stabilizes the QB binding site to facilitate the quinone exchange reaction.

Disruption of Child Environments and Its Psychological Consequences After the Fukushima Disaster: a Narrative Review Based on the Ecological Systems Model.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A high prevalence of clinically significant mental health problems was found in children affected by the Fukushima disaster in Japan. We reviewed the literature on child mental health to examine how disasters impacted children in Fukushima. RECENT FINDINGS: Children's environments, such as family and peer systems, were disrupted by radiation concerns and evacuation. As children struggled with less resources at home and school, they also had to deal with discrimination. Various interventions were implemented, ranging from government financial assistance to several mental health services provided by local care resources to families and children. In addition to organizing such interventions discretely in each microsystem, a collaborative approach involving various intervening entities across multiple levels was deemed necessary for providing comprehensive support to the affected children and their families. To promote the healthy psychological development of children, it is necessary to provide multidimensional support for their families, particularly parents, through multidisciplinary collaboration between professionals involved in child and family care.

JAXA protein crystallization in space: ongoing improvements for growing high-quality crystals.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) started a high-quality protein crystal growth project, now called JAXA PCG, on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2002. Using the counter-diffusion technique, 14 sessions of experiments have been performed as of 2012 with 580 proteins crystallized in total. Over the course of these experiments, a user-friendly interface framework for high accessibility has been constructed and crystallization techniques improved; devices to maximize the use of the microgravity environment have been designed, resulting in some high-resolution crystal growth. If crystallization conditions were carefully fixed in ground-based experiments, high-quality protein crystals grew in microgravity in many experiments on the ISS, especially when a highly homogeneous protein sample and a viscous crystallization solution were employed. In this article, the current status of JAXA PCG is discussed, and a rational approach to high-quality protein crystal growth in microgravity based on numerical analyses is explained.

Numerical model of protein crystal growth in a diffusive field such as the microgravity environment.

It is said that the microgravity environment positively affects the quality of protein crystal growth. The formation of a protein depletion zone and an impurity depletion zone due to the suppression of convection flow were thought to be the major reasons. In microgravity, the incorporation of molecules into a crystal largely depends on diffusive transport, so the incorporated molecules will be allocated in an orderly manner and the impurity uptake will be suppressed, resulting in highly ordered crystals. Previously, these effects were numerically studied in a steady state using a simplified model and it was determined that the combination of the diffusion coefficient of the protein molecule (D) and the kinetic constant for the protein molecule (ß) could be used as an index of the extent of these depletion zones. In this report, numerical analysis of these depletion zones around a growing crystal in a non-steady (i.e. transient) state is introduced, suggesting that this model may be used for the quantitative analysis of these depletion zones in the microgravity environment.

Maxillary labial peri-implant hard and soft tissue alteration observed on cross-sectional dimension: a 2-year prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how peri-implant hard and soft tissue height (BH, MH) alter after final prostheses placement related to labial hard and soft tissue thickness (BW, MW). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five platform-switched implants were classified into four groups according to BW and MW: type 1 (thick BW and thick MW), type 2 (thick BW and thin MW), type 3 (thin BW and thick MW), type 4 (thin BW and thin MW). Tissue resorption was evaluated on cone-beam CT images taken at final prostheses placement, at 1-year follow-up, and at 2-year follow-up. Kruskal-Wallis test and post hoc Mann-Whitney test were applied; significance was set to 0.05. RESULTS: BH resorption was 0.13 ± 0.12 mm in type 1, 0.26 ± 0.17 mm in type 2, 0.09 ± 0.09 mm in type 3, 0.94 ± 0.19 mm in type 4. Differences between type 1 and 4, type 2 and 4, and type 3 and 4 were statistically significant (p < 0.001, p = 0.005, p < 0.001, respectively). MH resorption was 0.10 ± 0.09 mm in type 1, 0.36 ± 0.16 mm in type 2, 0.12 ± 0.12 mm in Type 3, 0.79 ± 0.23 mm in type 4. Differences between type 1 and 2, type 1 and 4, type 2 and 3, type 2 and 4 and type 3 and 4 were statistically significant (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Significantly less BH/MH resorption occurs around implants with thick BW/MW than those with thin BW/MW in 2 years. Implants with thick peri-implant soft tissue resulted in significantly less tissue resorption in second year after final prostheses placement.

High Plasma tPAPAI-1C Levels May Be Related to a Poor Prognosis in Patients with Severe or Critical COVID-19: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Severe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have a high incidence of thrombotic complications and mortality. The pathophysiology of coagulopathy involves fibrinolytic system impairment and vascular endothelial damage. This study examined coagulation and fibrinolytic markers as outcome predictors. In an observational study of 164 COVID-19 patients admitted to our emergency intensive care unit, hematological parameters on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 were retrospectively compared between survivors and nonsurvivors. Nonsurvivors had a higher APACHE II score, SOFA score, and age than survivors. Nonsurvivors also had a significantly lower platelet count and significantly higher plasmin/α2plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC), tissue plasminogen activator/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex (tPAPAI-1C), D-dimer, and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product (FDP) levels than survivors throughout the measurement period. The 7-day maximum or minimum values of the tPAPAI-1C, FDP, and D-dimer levels were significantly higher in nonsurvivors. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the maximum tPAPAI-1C (OR = 1.034; 95% CI,1.014-1.061; p = 0.0041) was an independent factor affecting mortality, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.713 (optimum cut-off of 51 ng/mL; sensitivity, 69.2%; and specificity, 68.4%). COVID-19 patients with poor outcomes exhibit exacerbated coagulopathy with fibrinolysis inhibition and endothelial damage. Consequently, plasma tPAPAI-1C might be a useful predictor of the prognosis in patients with severe or critical COVID-19.

Prognostic Factors Associated With Mortality of Patients With COVID-19 Requiring Ventilator Management: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Aim There are few reports on the prognostic factors associated with mortality in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients with critical disease. This study assessed prognostic factors associated with mortality of patients with critical COVID-19 who required ventilator management. Methods This single-center, retrospective cohort study used medical record data of COVID-19 patients admitted to an emergency ICU at a hospital in Japan between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021, and provided with ventilator management. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with mortality. Results Seventy patients were included, of whom 29 (41.4%) died. The patients who died were significantly older (median: 69 years) (interquartile range [IQR]: 47-82 years) than the patients who survived (62 years [38-84 years], p<0.007). In addition, patients who died were significantly less likely to have received steroid therapy than patients who survived (25 [86.2%] vs. 41 [100%], p=0.026). In the multivariable analysis, age was identified as a significant prognostic factor for mortality and the risk of death increased by 6% for every one-year increase in age (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.00-1.13; p=0.048). Medical history was not a risk factor for death. Conclusion Age was a predictor of mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Therefore, the indications for critical care in older patients with COVID-19 should be carefully considered.

The Association between Parenting Confidence and Later Child Mental Health in the Area Affected by the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

After the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, the Fukushima Health Management Survey was conducted to assess children's lifestyle and mental health conditions. The participants in this study were 1126 children, aged 0 to 3 years, living in the evacuation zone at the time of the disaster. The parenting confidence of their mothers was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire as a baseline in 2013. We examined the association of parenting confidence level at baseline, using a total difficulty score of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and reluctance to attend school among children in a follow-up study in 2016 and 2017. As a result, no confidence was reported by 178 (15.8%) mothers, while 477 (42.4%) responded with "not sure" and 471 (41.8%) were confident. In the multiple logistic analysis, after adjusting for covariates such as the child's sex, age, and current health condition, the group lacking parenting confidence demonstrated a significantly higher risk level for SDQ total difficulties (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.59-4.93) and reluctance to attend school (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.24-3.18) than the confident mothers. After a major disaster, which can have long-term effects on communities, intensive psychological care for mothers with young children is needed to prevent various mental health problems in their children.

Effect of Tocilizumab Treatment on Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Bacteremia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine if tocilizumab treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) increases bacteremia and suppresses fever and inflammatory reactants. METHODS: In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, all patients with COVID-19 admitted to our emergency intensive care unit from March 2020 to August 2021 were categorized into tocilizumab-treated and tocilizumab-naïve groups, and the incidence of bacteremia and other factors between the two groups were compared. Patients with bacteremia were further classified into tocilizumab-treated and tocilizumab-naïve groups to determine if fever and inflammatory reactants were suppressed. RESULTS: Overall, 144 patients were included in the study, 51 of whom received tocilizumab, which was administered on the day of admission. Further, of the 24 (16.7%) patients with bacteremia, 13 were in the tocilizumab-treated group. Results revealed a significant difference in the C-reactive protein level (p < 0.001) at the onset of bacteremia between the tocilizumab-treated group [median 0.42 mg/dL (0.27-0.44 mg/dL)] and the tocilizumab-naïve group [7.48 mg/dL (4.56-13.9 mg/dL)]. The median number of days from admission to onset of bacteremia was not significantly different between the tocilizumab-treated group [10 days (9-12 days)] and the tocilizumab-naïve group [9 days (7.5-11 days)] (p = 0.48). There was no significant difference in fever between the groups. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that tocilizumab treatment did not affect the probability of bacteremia. CONCLUSION: Treatment of patients with COVID-19 with tocilizumab does not increase the risk of bacteremia. Tocilizumab suppresses C-reactive protein levels but not fever. Therefore, careful monitoring of fever can reduce the risk of missed bacteremia.

Disaster Resilience Reduces Radiation-Related Anxiety Among Affected People 10 Years After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident.

This study examined whether disaster resilience affects the recovery of mental health states and mitigates psychosocial anxiety 10 years later the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. The survey was conducted in Fukushima's evacuation-directed and non-evacuation-directed areas in January 2020. The 695 participants responded to a questionnaire including items on radiation-related anxiety regarding the Fukushima Daiichi accident, an action-oriented approach as a resilience factor, psychological distress, and demographic information. The structural equation modeling showed that the action-oriented approach also eased radiation-related anxiety by mediating with improving mental health states. Moreover, a multi-group model analysis was conducted for evacuation-directed and non-directed areas. In the evacuation-directed area, we found stronger associations among resilience, mental health states, and radiation-related anxiety, and a direct effect of resilience factors on radiation risk anxiety. These findings emphasize the importance of resilience in post-disaster contexts, at least for a decade, where mental health deteriorates and various psychosocial issues become more complex.

Effect of Tocilizumab Treatment on Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Bacteremia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine if tocilizumab treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) increases bacteremia and suppresses fever and inflammatory reactants. METHODS: In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, all patients with COVID-19 admitted to our emergency intensive care unit from March 2020 to August 2021 were categorized into tocilizumab-treated and tocilizumab-naïve groups, and the incidence of bacteremia and other factors between the two groups were compared. Patients with bacteremia were further classified into tocilizumab-treated and tocilizumab-naïve groups to determine if fever and inflammatory reactants were suppressed. RESULTS: Overall, 144 patients were included in the study, 51 of whom received tocilizumab, which was administered on the day of admission. Further, of the 24 (16.7%) patients with bacteremia, 13 were in the tocilizumab-treated group. Results revealed a significant difference in the C-reactive protein level (p < 0.001) at the onset of bacteremia between the tocilizumab-treated group [median 0.42 mg/dL (0.27-0.44 mg/dL)] and the tocilizumab-naïve group [7.48 mg/dL (4.56-13.9 mg/dL)]. The median number of days from admission to onset of bacteremia was not significantly different between the tocilizumab-treated group [10 days (9-12 days)] and the tocilizumab-naïve group [9 days (7.5-11 days)] (p = 0.48). There was no significant difference in fever between the groups. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that tocilizumab treatment did not affect the probability of bacteremia. CONCLUSION: Treatment of patients with COVID-19 with tocilizumab does not increase the risk of bacteremia. Tocilizumab suppresses C-reactive protein levels but not fever. Therefore, careful monitoring of fever can reduce the risk of missed bacteremia.

Optimization of salt concentration in PEG-based crystallization solutions.

Although polyethylene glycol (PEG) is the most widely used precipitant in protein crystallization, the concentration of co-existing salt in the solution has not been well discussed. To determine the optimum salt concentration range, several kinds of protein were crystallized in a 30% PEG 4000 solution at various NaCl concentrations with various pH levels. It was found that, if crystallization occurred, the lowest effective salt concentration depended on the pH of the protein solution and the pI of the protein molecule; that is, higher salt concentrations were required for crystal growth if the difference between pH and pI was increasing. The linear relationship between the charge density of the protein and the ionic strength of the crystallization solution was further verified. These results suggested that the lowest effective concentration of salt in a crystallization solution can be predicted before performing a crystallization experiment. Our results can be a tip for tuning crystallization conditions by the vapor-diffusion method.

Improvement in the quality of hematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase crystals in a microgravity environment.

Human hematopoietic prostaglandin synthase, one of the better therapeutic target enzymes for allergy and inflammation, was crystallized with 22 inhibitors and in three inhibitor-free conditions in microgravity. Most of the space-grown crystals showed better X-ray diffraction patterns than the terrestrially grown ones, indicating the advantage of a microgravity environment on protein crystallization, especially in the case of this protein.

Traditional Gender Differences Create Gaps in the Effect of COVID-19 on Psychological Distress of Japanese Workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Japanese workers psychological distress through crises of health, economics, and social relationships. To assess whether these effects are amplified by the gender bias that exists in Japan, we examined male and female worker's psychological distress and difficulties during the pandemic. An online "COVID-19-related difficulties" questionnaire, based on item response theory, gathered responses from 3464 workers in October and November 2020. The workers' psychological distress was found concerned to be significantly worse than before the pandemic. Basic stressors related to infection anxiety, economic anxiety, and restrictions on social interactions and outings. Men's and women's experiences of difficulties were consistent with traditional gender roles in Japan: men were more likely to face job-related stressors, such as economic insecurity and work-style changes; women were more likely to face non-job-related stressors, such as increased living costs and reduced social interactions. Policymakers and employers should consider the association between gender differences and industry types, and implement measures to strengthen the acceptability of mental health care.

Associations of the COVID-19 pandemic with the economic status and mental health of people affected by the Fukushima disaster using the difference-in-differences method: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and relevant preventive measures can affect the economic status and mental health of the public, their effect remains unraveled owing to a limited number of surveys conducted before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the association of COVID-19 and relevant measures with multivariate outcomes among people affected by the Fukushima disaster in 2011 using the difference-in-differences (DID) method. We then analyzed the associations between sociodemographic factors and outcomes. We assessed psychological distress, problem drinking, insomnia state, unemployment, household economic decline, and interpersonal problems using three questionnaire surveys administered in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Participants were grouped according to three time periods by dates of voluntary stay-at-home requests (February 26) and the declaration of emergency (April 16) in Japan. The years 2020 and 2019 were regarded as the treatment group and control group, respectively, after confirming that no DIDs were found between 2018 and 2019. We performed regression analyses to identify the risk factors for outcomes. The DIDs were significant for household economic decline after the declaration of emergency, whereas problem drinking significantly improved. No significant DIDs were observed for other mental health outcomes including psychological distress and insomnia state. Absence of counselors was positively and significantly associated with all outcomes in 2020. Overall, people affected by the Fukushima disaster experienced more economic damage after the declaration of emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic but their mental health status did not reduce. Identifying people who have no counselors and providing them with support are emergent requirements to prevent a subsequent mental health decline.

High-resolution X-ray crystal structure of bovine H-protein at 0.88 A resolution.

Recent technical improvements in macromolecular X-ray crystallography have significantly improved the resolution limit of protein structures. However, examples of high-resolution structure determination are still limited. In this study, the X-ray crystal structure of bovine H-protein, a component of the glycine cleavage system, was determined at 0.88 A resolution. This is the first ultrahigh-resolution structure of an H-protein. The data were collected using synchrotron radiation. Because of limitations of the hardware, especially the dynamic range of the CCD detector, three data sets (high-, medium- and low-resolution data sets) were measured in order to obtain a complete set of data. To improve the quality of the merged data, the reference data set was optimized for merging and the merged data were assessed by comparing merging statistics and R factors against the final model and the number of visualized H atoms. In addition, the advantages of merging three data sets were evaluated. The omission of low-resolution reflections had an adverse effect on visualization of H atoms in hydrogen-omit maps. Visualization of hydrogen electron density is a good indicator for assessing the quality of high-resolution X-ray diffraction data.

High-quality crystals of human haematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase with novel inhibitors.

Human haematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase (H-PGDS; EC 5.3.99.2) produces prostaglandin D(2), an allergic and inflammatory mediator, in mast cells and Th2 cells. H-PGDS has been crystallized with novel inhibitors with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)) in the low nanomolar range by the counter-diffusion method onboard the Russian Service Module on the International Space Station. The X-ray diffraction of a microgravity-grown crystal of H-PGDS complexed with an inhibitor with an IC(50) value of 50 nM extended to 1.1 A resolution at 100 K using SPring-8 synchrotron radiation, which is one of the highest resolutions obtained to date for this protein.

Quantitative evaluation of connective tissue grafts on peri-implant tissue morphology in the esthetic zone: A 1-year prospective clinical study.

BACKGROUND: In the treatment of anterior implants, few studies have quantitatively evaluated the effects of connective tissue grafts on labial bone resorption and soft tissue recession. PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of connective tissue grafting (CTG) on the peri-implant tissue morphology by quantitatively measuring change over time the tissue surrounding the implant in the anterior esthetic zone. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients who received implants with platform shifting in the anterior esthetic region were included in this follow-up study. Patients were classified as those who received CTG [CTG (+) group] and those who did not [CTG (-) group]. The vertical and horizontal dimensions of the buccal alveolar bone of the implant and its surrounding soft tissues were evaluated using cone-beam computed tomography. RESULTS: At 1 year after connection of the superstructure, labial soft tissue recession was on average 0.64 mm in the CTG (-) group and 0.09 mm in the CTG (+) group, and this difference was significant (P < .001). Furthermore, mean labial bone resorption was 0.65 mm in the CTG (-) group and 0.13 mm in the CTG (+) group, and also this difference was significant (P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, these findings suggest that CTG may be effective in both reducing labial bone resorption around the implant and reducing the recession of the soft tissue.

Reviews on common objectives and evaluation indicators for risk communication activities from 2011 to 2017.

BACKGROUND: Risk communication is widely accepted as a significant factor for policy makers, academic researchers, and practitioners in diverse fields. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive knowledge about how risk communication is currently conducted across fields and about the way risk communication is evaluated. METHODOLOGY: This study systematically searched for materials from three scholarly search engines and one journal with a single search term of "risk communication." The eligibility assessment selected peer-reviewed articles published in English that evaluated risk communication activities. Emphasis was placed on articles published in recent years accounting for about half of the pre-selected ones. Data on field of study, intervention timing, target audience, communication type, and objectives/evaluation indicators was extracted from the articles. Patterns of objectives/evaluation indicators used in risk communication activities were compared with those of the definitions and purposes of risk communication stated by relevant organizations. Association analysis was conducted based on study fields and objectives/evaluation indicators. RESULTS: The screening process yielded 292 articles that were published between 2011 and 2017 in various fields, such as medicine, food safety, chemical substances, and disasters/emergencies. The review process showed that many activities were performed in the medical field, during non-/pre-crisis periods. Recent activities primarily targeted citizens/Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs), and was disseminated in the form of large group or mass communication. While "knowledge increase," "change in risk perception and concern alleviation," and "decision making and behavior change" were commonly addressed in practice, "trust-building" and "reduction in psychological distress" were rarely focused. The analysis also indicated that the medical field tends to perform risk communication at the individual or small group level, in contrast to the food safety field. Further, risk communications in the non-/pre-crisis period are more likely to aim at "changes in risk perception and concern alleviation" than those in the crisis period. Risk communications that aim at "changes in risk perception and concern alleviation" are likely to be presented in a large group or mass communication, whereas those that aim at "decision making and behavior change" are likely to be conducted at the individual or small group level. CONCLUSION: An overview of recent activities may provide those who engage in risk communication with an opportunity to learn from practices in different fields or those conducted in different intervention timings. Devoting greater attention to trust building and reduction in psychological distress and exploring non-citizen/NPO stakeholders' needs would be beneficial across academic and professional disciplines.