Combination of isotope dilution with liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the simultaneous monitoring and evaluation of cadmium and inorganic arsenic in polished rice.

A new monitoring and evaluation technique for cadmium (Cd) and inorganic arsenic (i-As) in rice was developed, where the isotope dilution (ID) method was applied in combination with high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS), following heat-assisted extraction. Cadmium and i-As in a rice sample were extracted using the HNO3-H2O2 extractant, and an appropriate amount of enriched 111Cd was spiked into it. Cadmium and As species were measured simultaneously by LC-ICP-MS. The cadmium concentration was calculated from the isotope dilution analysis, and i-As was determined by the comparison (1 point calibration) method using additional 111Cd as an internal standard. The proposed method provides accurate and precise determination of Cd based on the isotope dilution analysis. Moreover, it can be applied to a rapid screening test to find contaminated rice samples, by means of monitoring the intensity ratios of natural 111Cd and i-As to the additional 111Cd. The developed technique was applied to analyzing multiple rice reference materials, and the measurement results of Cd and i-As agreed with the certified values within the uncertainty range. It is noted that the grain size of rice samples does not affect the extraction data, when the rice sample is crushed into powder less than 850 µm. The proposed method was very useful for the monitoring and evaluation of Cd and i-As in rice as a precise analytical method as well as a screening method.

Impact of physician-staffed ground emergency medical services-administered pre-hospital trauma care on in-hospital survival outcomes in Japan.

PURPOSE: In Japan, the vehicle used in pre-hospital trauma care systems with physician-staffed ground emergency medical services (GEMS) is referred to as a "doctor car". Doctor cars are highly mobile physician-staffed GEMS that can provide complex pre-hospital trauma management using various treatment strategies. The number of doctor car operations for patients with severe trauma has increased. Considering facility factors, the association between doctor cars and patient outcomes remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between doctor cars for patients with severe trauma and survival outcomes in Japan. METHODS: A nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare the impact of the doctor car group with the non-physician-staffed GEMS group on in-hospital survival in adult patients with severe trauma. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: This study included 372,365 patients registered in the Japan Trauma Data Bank between April 2009 and March 2019. Of the 49,144 eligible patients, 2361 and 46,783 were classified into the doctor car and non-physician staffed GEMS groups, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for survival was significantly higher in the doctor car group than in the non-physician staffed GEMS group (adjusted OR = 1.228 [95% confidence interval 1.065-1.415]). CONCLUSION: Using nationwide data, this novel study suggests that doctor cars improve the in-hospital survival rate of patients with severe trauma in Japan. Therefore, doctor cars could be an option for trauma strategies.

Mixed-Valent Trinuclear CoIII-CoII-CoIII Complex with 1,3-Bis(5-chlorosalicylideneamino)-2-propanol.

A mixed-valent trinuclear complex with 1,3-bis(5-chlorosalicylideneamino)-2-propanol (H3clsalpr) was synthesized, and the crystal structure was determined by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction method at 90 K. The molecule is a trinuclear CoIII-CoII-CoIII complex with octahedral geometries, having a tetradentate chelate of the Schiff-base ligand, bridging acetate, monodentate acetate coordination to each terminal Co3+ ion and four bridging phenoxido-oxygen of two Schiff-base ligands, and two bridging acetate-oxygen atoms for the central Co2+ ion. The electronic spectral feature is consistent with the mixed valent CoIII-CoII-CoIII. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility data could be analyzed by consideration of the axial distortion of the central Co2+ ion with the parameters Δ = -254 cm-1, λ = -58 cm-1, κ = 0.93, tip = 0.00436 cm3 mol-1, θ = -0.469 K, gz = 6.90, and gx = 2.64, in accordance with a large anisotropy. The cyclic voltammogram showed an irreversible reduction wave at approximately -1.2 V·vs. Fc/Fc+, assignable to the reduction of the terminal Co3+ ions.

Comparison of mortality patterns after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant radiation disaster and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initial health impact caused by radiation disasters can be broadly classified into direct and indirect effects. Though no direct health hazards caused by radiation, such as acute radiation injury, were observed following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, indirect deaths have been reported, including those caused by initial emergency evacuation and relocation, medical disruption, and psychological and social health effects. However, these indirect health effects have not been prioritised for addressal. We evaluated the radiation disaster experience with that of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that emerged while facing the challenges from the radiation disaster. Most of the health effects of COVID-19 are directly associated with infection, but indirect health effects of various scales and entities have been reported. The two disasters have similarities in terms of the strain on community healthcare and the large number of deaths. Adapting the measures implemented in the acute to subacute phases of the COVID-19 disaster to radiation disasters may help improve management following future radiation disasters. Based on the experience and findings during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pattern of deaths in radiation disasters can be divided into five major groups: direct deaths, and four indirect patterns of deaths due to a deteriorating supply-demand balance (a hospital-level problem), collapse of the healthcare system (a community-level problem), death due to neglect alongside underlying disease, and diseases other than direct invasion. From the similarities between the two disasters, three main issues should be prioritised as initial emergency evacuation measures in a radiation disaster: emergency exposure medicine, the establishment of a medical system, and protection of death with dignity. The validity of these priority issues needs to be verified in future research.

Complete resection of a complicated huge mesenteric lymphangioma guided by mesenteric computed tomography angiography with three-dimensional reconstruction: report of a case.

We herein describe the case of an adult with a complicated huge lymphangioma of the small bowel mesentery. Computed tomography (CT) confirmed a 45 × 30 × 14 cm multiple and separate, mixed and solid cystic tumor without enhancement by contrast medium in the abdominal cavity. Mesenteric CT angiography with three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction showed that the tumor did not involve the first jejunal artery, although the tumor did involve the subsequent jejunal and ileal arteries and the corresponding segment of the small bowel. Under anatomic guidance based on mesenteric CT angiography with 3D reconstruction, we were able to successfully excise the tumor. Mesenteric lymphangioma should be excised even when the tumor is asymptomatic. Mesenteric CT angiography with 3D reconstruction is useful for the surgical treatment of huge mesenteric tumors.