Charge Density Wave in Kagome Lattice Intermetallic ScV_{6}Sn_{6}.

Materials hosting kagome lattices have drawn interest for the diverse magnetic and electronic states generated by geometric frustration. In the AV_{3}Sb_{5} compounds (A=K, Rb, Cs), stacked vanadium kagome layers give rise to unusual charge density waves (CDW) and superconductivity. Here we report single-crystal growth and characterization of ScV_{6}Sn_{6}, a hexagonal HfFe_{6}Ge_{6}-type compound that shares this structural motif. We identify a first-order phase transition at 92 K. Single crystal x-ray and neutron diffraction reveal a charge density wave modulation of the atomic lattice below this temperature. This is a distinctly different structural mode than that observed in the AV_{3}Sb_{5} compounds, but both modes have been anticipated in kagome metals. The diverse HfFe_{6}Ge_{6} family offers more opportunities to tune ScV_{6}Sn_{6} and explore density wave order in kagome lattice materials.

The associations between suicide-related behaviors, prefrontal dysfunction in emotional cognition, and personality traits in mood disorders.

Suicide is a serious public health problem, and it is urgent to identify biomarkers associated with suicide to prevent it. We aimed to clarify the association across suicidal behavior, personality traits, and brain activation by emotional stimulation tasks using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in patients with mood disorders. 11 mood disorder patients with a history of suicide attempt (MDSA), 18 mood disorder patients with no history of suicide attempt (MDNSA), and 17 healthy individuals were studied. The MDSA patients showed significantly high impulsivity and hopeless compared to healthy subjects, great response to the thread word task in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) compared to MDNSA patients, and the significant correlation between the personality traits and brain activation. The MDNSA did not show the trend. The results suggest that the personality traits and the activation of OFC and DLPFC during the negative emotional cognitive stimuli is associated with suicidal behavior, indicating the findings are involved in the pathophysiology of suicidality in mood disorders.

[Graft Kink with Hemolytic Anemia Caused by Enlargement of the Residual False Lumen in the Aortic Root:Report of a Case].

A 67-year-old male underwent ascending aortic replacement for Stanford type A acute aortic dissection four years ago. Residual false lumen in the aortic root and mild to moderate aortic regurgitation were noted postoperatively. Two and a half years later, he presented with hemolytic anemia and shortness of breath. Computed tomography (CT) revealed aneurysmal aortic root and severely kinked vascular prosthesis, and echocardiography showed severe aortic regurgitation. It was considered that the proximal residual false lumen gradually enlarged, and the graft was pushed up distally and kinked, resulting in hemolytic anemia. Surgical treatment was indicated because of deteriorating shortness of breath due to hemolytic anemia (Hb 6.7 g/dl, LDH 1,528 U/l) and aortic regurgitation. Aortic root replacement was successfully performed and hemolytic anemia improved immediately after surgery.

Primary Aldosteronism with Parathyroid Hormone Elevation: A Single-center Retrospective Study.

Objective Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a major cause of secondary hypertension. The association between PA and other hormone disorders is unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate whether the parathyroid hormone (PTH) value is associated with PA subtypes or specific treatments. Methods We enrolled 135 patients with PA who had their PTH value measured before undergoing a specific treatment. We evaluated whether PTH value is associated with PA subtypes or with specific treatments. The present study is a single-center retrospective study (2011-2018). Results Our study showed that, among the patients with PA, the proportion of those with PTH elevation was >30%. The PTH value was significantly correlated with both the basal plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and PAC after a captopril challenge test. However, the PTH value was not significantly different between the patients with unilateral and bilateral PA. We observed that the serum PTH value decreased after treatment of PA with unilateral adrenalectomy or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the PTH value in PA patients might be associated with the autonomous production of aldosterone. However, there was no correlation between the PTH value and PA subtypes in our study. Additionally, our study showed that targeted treatment for PA may lead to a decrease in the serum PTH levels. Hence, the PTH value could potentially be used as an index for measuring the suitability for PA treatment.

Social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns (Kodawari) considered from the Comprehension section of the WISC-IV in autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background Many studies have used the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC) to examine the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, most studies have been based on profile analysis, not on content analysis. Objective The objective of the present study was to apply the WISC-IV to clinical assessment of ASD and clarify how the characteristics of the disorder were reflected in specific items. Methods The study participants were 20 patients aged 5-16 years diagnosed with ASD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). We recruited 20 patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 20 patients with other disorders (neurotic disorders) as controls. We then compared the scores of the ninth item of the WISC-IV ("Comprehension") among the three groups. Results The differences observed between the ASD vs. the other disorders group were not significant by the standard scoring method. Thus, a two-level scoring method of 0 and ≥1 point was adopted. As a result, significantly more participants in the ASD group scored 0 points compared with the ADHD and other disorders groups. Discussion The results of the present study revealed that a characteristic of ASD appeared in the ninth item of "Comprehension" on the WISC-IV.

Event-Related Alpha-Band Power Changes During Self-reflection and Working Memory Tasks in Healthy Individuals.

Dysfunctional attentional control is observed in patients with mental disorders. However, there is no established neurophysiological method to assess attention in such patients. We showed a discrepancy in alpha-band power in the tasks that evoked internal and external attention event-related alpha-band power changes in healthy subjects during self-reflection (SR) and working memory (WM) tasks in a preliminary study. In this study, we aimed at elucidating event-related alpha-band power changes in healthy subjects during the tasks, addressing the shortcomings of the previous study. Sixteen healthy volunteers were examined for the event-related power (ERpow) change during the tasks. The results demonstrated the discrepancy of alpha-band ERpow at 8, 10, and 12 Hz in the parieto-occipital area between the WM and SR tasks for a period between a target stimulus and a command stimulus, where a participant switched to internal attention from external attention according to the SR task and remained at external attention according to the WM task. The results suggest that alpha-band ERpow in this area is associated with the direction of attention in response to cognitive stimuli, indicating that the findings of ERpow during the two tasks would potentially aid in the clarification of the pathophysiology of the dysfunctional change in attention in patients with psychiatric disorders.

Infective endocarditis caused by Capnocytophaga canimorsus; a case report.

BACKGROUND: Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a gram-negative bacterium and an oral commensal in dogs and cats, but occasionally causes serious infections in humans. Septicemia is one of the most fulminant forms, but diagnosis of C. canimorsus infection is often difficult mainly because of its very slow growth. C. canimorsus infective endocarditis (IE) is rare and is poorly understood. Since quite a few strains produce ß-lactamase, antimicrobial susceptibility is pivotal information for adequate treatment. We herein report a case with C. canimorsus IE and the results of drug susceptibility test. CASE PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old man had a dog bite in his left hand 3 months previously. The patient was referred to our hospital for fever (body temperature > 38 °C), visual disturbance, and dyspnea. Echocardiography showed aortic valve regurgitation and vegetation on the leaflets. IE was diagnosed, and we initially administered cefazolin and gentamycin assuming frequently encountered microorganisms and the patient underwent aortic valve replacement. C. canimorsus was detected in the aortic valve lesion and blood cultures. It was also identified by 16S ribosome DNA sequencing. Ceftriaxone were started and continued because disk diffusion test revealed the isolate was negative for ß-lactamase and this case had cerebral symptoms. The patient successfully completed antibiotic treatment following surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We diagnosed C. canimorsus sepsis and IE by extended-period blood cultures and 16S ribosome DNA sequencing by polymerase chain reaction, and successfully identified its drug susceptibility.

Plasmons in Li under compression.

We report the high-pressure behavior of plasmon in polycrystalline Li up to 15 GPa at room temperature studied by inelastic x-ray scattering and ab initio calculation. The plasmon energy ([Formula: see text]) increases with decreasing atomic volume ([Formula: see text]), and the [Formula: see text] slope exhibits a discontinuity at bcc → fcc structural phase boundary reflecting the electronic band structure change. The plasmon peak width ([Formula: see text]) versus momentum transfer (q) curve of bcc-Li below 6.5 GPa keeps similar parabola-like shape. Above 8.4 GPa, where Li is in fcc, it changes from that of bcc-Li and has a convex shape.

A successful management of infection of the left ventricular assist device by pump exchange: conversion from DuraHeart to Jarvik 2000.

We successfully controlled infection of a left ventricular assist device by performing pump exchange. A 53-year-old man was implanted with DuraHeart for ischemic cardiomyopathy as a bridge to transplantation. Two years later, he was hospitalized with the diagnosis of driveline infection. The blood cultures detected Pseudomonas aeruginosa. During the admission, he developed brain hemorrhage perhaps due to septic emboli. The chest computed tomography scan revealed a small defect inside the outflow graft of the DuraHeart, which was highly suspected of vegetation. He underwent pump exchange, from DuraHeart to Jarvik 2000 with concomitant omentopexy. His postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged with no sequela of the brain hemorrhage. Four months after the pump exchange, he successfully underwent heart transplantation. No infectious tissue was observed in the pericardial space at the time of heart transplantation. Pump exchange is an effective way to manage refractory left ventricular assist device infection, and the timing of surgical intervention is of great importance.

Mixing unmixables: Unexpected formation of Li-Cs alloys at low pressure.

Contrary to the empirical Miedema and Hume-Rothery rules and a recent theoretical prediction, we report experimental evidence on the formation of Li-Cs alloys at very low pressure (>0.1 GPa). We also succeeded in synthesizing a pure nonstoichiometric and ordered crystalline phase from an approximately equimolar mixture and resolved its structure using the maximum entropy method. The new alloy has a primitive cubic cell with the Li atom situated in the center and the Cs at the corners. This structure is stable to at least 10 GPa and has an anomalously high coefficient of thermal expansion at low pressure. Analysis of the valence charge density shows that electrons are donated from Cs to the Li "p"-orbitals, resulting in a rare formal oxidation state of -1 for Li. The observation indicates the diversity in the bonding of the seeming simple group I Li element.

Phase boundary of hot dense fluid hydrogen.

We investigated the phase transformation of hot dense fluid hydrogen using static high-pressure laser-heating experiments in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. The results show anomalies in the heating efficiency that are likely to be attributed to the phase transition from a diatomic to monoatomic fluid hydrogen (plasma phase transition) in the pressure range between 82 and 106 GPa. This study imposes tighter constraints on the location of the hydrogen plasma phase transition boundary and suggests higher critical point than that predicted by the theoretical calculations.

Uncertainty of axillary artery perfusion during surgery for acute aortic dissection.

We treated a patient with acute aortic dissection, which affected the innominate and carotid arteries. Although the true lumen was adequately wide and cerebral malperfusion deemed unlikely, extracorporeal circulation through the femoral artery caused right cerebral malperfusion, and addition of right axillary artery perfusion was ineffective. Several minutes after innominate artery snaring, cerebral blood flow was suddenly restored and the clinical outcome was favorable. Axillary artery perfusion is occasionally unreliable and inevitably demands careful cerebral flow monitoring. A dead-end false lumen in the innominate and carotid arteries requires special caution. A dual-artery perfusion strategy permits innominate artery occlusion as an emergency measure against unexpected malperfusion.

Phase changes of filled ice Ih methane hydrate under low temperature and high pressure.

Low-temperature and high-pressure experiments were performed with filled ice Ih structure of methane hydrate under 2.0-77.0 GPa and 30-300 K using diamond anvil cells and a helium-refrigeration cryostat. In situ X-ray diffractometry revealed distinct changes in the compressibility of the axial ratios of the host framework with pressure. Raman spectroscopy showed a split in the C-H vibration modes of the guest methane molecules, which was previously explained by the orientational ordering of the guest molecules. The pressure and temperature conditions at the split of the vibration modes agreed well with those of the compressibility change. The results indicate the following: (i) the orientational ordering of the guest methane molecules from an orientationally disordered state occurred at high pressures and low temperatures; and (ii) this guest ordering led to anisotropic contraction in the host framework. Such guest orientational ordering and subsequent anisotropic contraction of the host framework were similar to that reported previously for filled ice Ic hydrogen hydrate. Since phases with different guest-ordering manners were regarded as different phases, existing regions of the guest disordered-phase and the guest ordered-phase were roughly estimated by the X-ray study. In addition, above the pressure of the guest-ordered phase, another high-pressure phase developed in the low-temperature region. The deuterated-water host samples were also examined, and the influence of isotopic effects on guest ordering and phase transformation was observed.

Superconductivity in highly disordered dense carbon disulfide.

High pressure plays an increasingly important role in both understanding superconductivity and the development of new superconducting materials. New superconductors were found in metallic and metal oxide systems at high pressure. However, because of the filled close-shell configuration, the superconductivity in molecular systems has been limited to charge-transferred salts and metal-doped carbon species with relatively low superconducting transition temperatures. Here, we report the low-temperature superconducting phase observed in diamagnetic carbon disulfide under high pressure. The superconductivity arises from a highly disordered extended state (CS4 phase or phase III[CS4]) at ~6.2 K over a broad pressure range from 50 to 172 GPa. Based on the X-ray scattering data, we suggest that the local structural change from a tetrahedral to an octahedral configuration is responsible for the observed superconductivity.

[Persistent cerebral malperfusion following central aortic repair for acute aortic dissection involving the right carotid artery; efficacy of direct carotid artery cannulation].

A 61-year-old man suddenly developed transient left hemiplegia and consciousness disturbance. Computed tomography showed acute Stanford type A aortic dissection. Dissection affected the entire right common carotid artery, and its false lumen extremely compressed the true lumen. The right common carotid artery, along with the right femoral and the left axillary arteries, was used as an inflow of cardiopulmonary bypass during emergency surgery. The ascending aorta that included a large intimal tear was replaced. However, systemic reperfusion either through the femoral artery or through a side branch of vascular prosthesis failed to restore the right cerebral blood flow due to persistent true lumen obstruction by the expanded false lumen in the innominate artery. Therefore, ascending aorta-right carotid artery bypass using that side branch was performed immediately. Though temporary cerebral malperfusion could cause dismal outcome, direct carotid artery cannulation played a key role in this successfully-treated patient.

Ca-VII: a chain ordered host-guest structure of calcium above 210 GPa.

The recently discovered high pressure phase VII of calcium [M. Sakata et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 220512(R) (2011)] has the highest superconducting transition temperature (T(c)) of 29 K among all the elements. Understanding the cause for such a high T(c) state is necessary to clarify its crystal structure. The structure of this phase was determined by an x-ray powder diffraction experiment and a density functional theory calculation and was not found to be the usual host-guest type but consisted of a 2×2 supercell in the tetragonal ab plane with a commensurate host-guest ratio of 4/3 along the c axis containing 128 atoms.

Structural changes of filled ice Ic hydrogen hydrate under low temperatures and high pressures from 5 to 50 GPa.

Low-temperature and high-pressure experiments were performed on the filled ice Ic structure of hydrogen hydrate at previously unexplored conditions of 5-50 GPa and 30-300 K using diamond anvil cells and a helium-refrigeration cryostat. In situ x-ray diffractometry revealed that the cubic filled ice Ic structure transformed to tetragonal at low temperatures and high pressures; the axis ratio of the tetragonal phase changed depending on the pressure and temperature. These results were consistent with theoretical predictions performed via first principle calculations. The tetragonal phase was determined to be stable above 20 GPa at 300 K, above 15 GPa at 200 K, and above 10 GPa at 100 K. Further changes in the lattice parameters were observed from about 45-50 GPa throughout the temperature region examined, which suggests the transformation to another high-pressure phase above 50 GPa. In our previous x-ray study that was performed up to 80 GPa at room temperature, a similar transformation was observed above 50 GPa. In this study, the observed change in the lattice parameters corresponds to the beginning of that transformation. The reasons for the transformation to the tetragonal structure are briefly discussed: the tetragonal structure might be induced due to changes in the vibrational or rotational modes of the hydrogen molecules under low temperature and high pressure.

Cryogenic implementation of charging diamond anvil cells with H2 and D2.

A cryogenic loading system for introducing H(2) and D(2) into the diamond anvil cell has been designed and constructed. The integration of pressure loading mechanism, ruby fluorescence spectrometer, and microscope camera allows for in situ tuning and calibrating the pressure. The performance of the system has been demonstrated by successful synthesis of hydride and deuteride of transition metal and rare earth metal. Our cryogenic methodology features facile start-over of loading and in situ electrical resistance measurement of as-synthesized sample.