Children's cognition and attitudes during long-term cancer treatment: an ethnographic study.

BACKGROUND: Cancer treatment for children is typically long-term and difficult, and the experience is unique for each child. When designing child-centred care, individuals' values and preferences are considered equally important as the clinical evidence; therefore, understanding children's thoughts and attitudes while they receive long-term treatment could offer valuable insights for better clinical practice. METHODS: We conducted long-term consecutive participatory observations and interviews with seven children, who were hospitalised and receiving cancer treatment for the first time. The daily observational data on those children's discourses, behaviours and interactions with health professionals were systematically collected and thematically examined. The analysis was expanded to explore significant narratives for each child to capture their narrative sequence over time. RESULTS: The initial analysis identified 685 narrative indexes for all observation data, which were categorised into 21 sub-codes. Those sub-codes were assembled into five main themes by thematic analysis: making promises with health professionals, learning about the treatment procedures through participation, taking care of oneself, increasing the range of activities one can perform and living an ordinary life. CONCLUSION: We observed a forward-looking attitude toward understanding cancer, accepting treatment and looking forward to the future among children undergoing in-hospital cancer treatment. In addition, the children developed cognitively, affectively and relationally throughout cancer treatment processes. These findings have implications for better clinical practice in child-centred care, including children's participation in shared decision-making in paediatric oncology.

Resurgence of human metapneumovirus infection and influenza after three seasons of inactivity in the post-COVID-19 era in Hokkaido, Japan, 2022-2023.

Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in February 2020, incidences of various infectious diseases decreased notably in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. However, Japan began gradually easing COVID-19 infection control measures in 2022. Here, we conducted a survey of children hospitalized with human metapneumovirus (hMPV), influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus infections in 18 hospitals across Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, spanning from July 2019 to June 2023. From March 2020 to June 2022 (28 months), only 13 patients were hospitalized with hMPV, and two patients had influenza A. However, in October to November 2022, there was a re-emergence of hMPV infections, with a maximum of 27 hospitalizations per week. From July 2022 to June 2023 (12 months), the number of hMPV-related hospitalizations dramatically increased to 317 patients, with the majority aged 3-6 years (38.2%, [121/317]). Influenza A also showed an increase from December 2022, with a peak of 13 hospitalizations per week in March 2023, considerably fewer than the pre-COVID-19 outbreak in December 2019, when rates reached 45 hospitalizations per week. These findings suggest the possibility of observing more resurgences in infectious diseases in Japan after 2023 if infection control measures continue to be relaxed. Caution is needed in managing potential outbreaks.

Effects of microsampling on toxicity evaluation of 1-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT), a hepatotoxic substance, in a mouse toxicity study.

ICH S3A Q&A focused on microsampling (MS) was published to help accelerate the use of MS and states that MS is useful because toxicokinetic (TK) evaluation with conventional blood sampling volume requires many animals for TK satellite groups; however, there are few reports of MS application in mice. We investigated the influence of MS on toxicity evaluation in mice by comparing the toxicity parameters with and without MS after a single oral administration of 1-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT), a hepatotoxic substance. Blood samples (50 µL/point) were collected from the tail vein of 3 mice per group at 2 or 3 time points during a 24-hr period, and toxicity was evaluated 2 days after administration. ANIT-related changes suggesting liver or gallbladder injury were noted in blood chemistry and histopathology. Some of these changes such as increases in focal hepatocyte necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in the liver as well as mucosal epithelium necrosis in the gallbladder were apparently influenced by MS. A tendency to anemia was noted in animals with MS but not without MS, which was also noted in the vehicle-treated controls, suggesting influence of blood loss. The current results indicate that ANIT hepatotoxicity could be evaluated in mice in which blood samples were collected by MS for most parameters; however, parameters in anemia and pathology in the liver and gallbladder were influenced by MS in this study condition with ANIT. Therefore, MS application in mice should be carefully considered.

Changing Patterns of Infectious Diseases Among Hospitalized Children in Hokkaido, Japan, in the Post-COVID-19 Era, July 2019 to June 2022.

BACKGROUND: Many reports have reported a reduction in respiratory infectious diseases and infectious gastroenteritis immediately after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but data continuing into 2022 are very limited. We sought to understand the current situation of various infectious diseases among children in Japan as of July 2022 to improve public health in the post-COVID-19 era. METHODS: We collected data on children hospitalized with infectious diseases in 18 hospitals in Japan from July 2019 to June 2022. RESULTS: In total, 3417 patients were hospitalized during the study period. Respiratory syncytial virus decreased drastically after COVID-19 spread in early 2020, and few patients were hospitalized for it from April 2020 to March 2021. However, an unexpected out-of-season re-emergence of respiratory syncytial virus was observed in August 2021 (50 patients per week), particularly prominent among older children 3-6 years old. A large epidemic of delayed norovirus gastroenteritis was observed in April 2021, suggesting that the nonpharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19 are less effective against norovirus. However, influenza, human metapneumovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae , and rotavirus gastroenteritis were rarely seen for more than 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence patterns of various infectious diseases in Japan have changed markedly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to the present. The epidemic pattern in the post-COVID-19 era is unpredictable and will require continued careful surveillance.

Surveillance in hospitalized children with infectious diseases in Japan: Pre- and post-coronavirus disease 2019.

INTRODUCTION: The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spread worldwide, and the various infection control measures have a significant influence on the spread of many infectious diseases. However, there have been no multicenter studies on how the number of hospitalized children with various infectious diseases changed before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Japan. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, prospective survey for hospitalized pediatric patients in 18 hospitals in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, from July 2019 to February 2021. We defined July 2019 to February 2020 as pre-COVID-19, and July 2020 to February 2021 as post-COVID-19. We surveyed various infectious diseases by sex and age. RESULTS: In total, 5300 patients were hospitalized during the study period. The number of patients decreased from 4266 in the pre-COVID-19 period to 701 (16.4%) post-COVID-19. Patients with influenza and RSV decreased from 308 to 795 pre-COVID-19 to zero and three (0.4%) post-COVID-19. However, patients with adenovirus (respiratory infection) only decreased to 60.9% (46-28) of pre-COVID levels. Patients with rotavirus, norovirus, and adenovirus gastroenteritis decreased markedly post-COVID-19 to 2.6% (38-1), 27.8% (97-27) and 13.5% (37-5). The number of patients with UTIs was similar across the two periods (109 and 90). KD patients decreased to 31.7% (161-51) post-COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that current infection control measures for COVID-19 such as wearing masks, washing hands, and disinfecting hands with alcohol are effective against various infectious diseases. However, these effects vary by disease.

Genetic diversity of species A rotaviruses detected in clinical and environmental samples, including porcine-like rotaviruses from hospitalized children in the Philippines.

Rotaviruses are the major cause of severe acute diarrhea in infants and young children. Rotaviruses exhibit zoonosis and thereby infect both humans and animals. Viruses detected in urban rivers possibly reflect the presence of circulating viruses in the catchment. The present study investigates the genetic diversity of species A rotaviruses detected from river water and stool of hospitalized children with acute diarrhea in Tacloban City, the Philippines. Species A rotaviruses were detected by real-time RT-PCR and their genotypes were identified by multiplex PCR and sequencing of partial regions of VP7 and VP4. Rotaviruses were detected in 85.7% (30/35) of the river water samples and 62.7% (151/241) of the clinical samples. Genotypes of VP7 in the river water samples were G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, and G9, and those of VP4 were P[3], P[4], P[6], P[8], and P[13]. Genotypes of viruses from the clinical samples were G2P[4], G1P[8], G3P[8], G4P[6], G5P[6], and G9P[8]. Among those, G2P[4] in clinical samples (77.9%, 81/104) and P[4] of VP4 in river water samples (67.5%, 56/83)) were the most frequently detected rotavirus genotypes. However, G5 was the more frequently detected than G2 in the river water samples (42% vs. 13%) which may be originated from porcine rotavirus. Sequence analyses of eleven gene segments revealed one G5P[6] and two G4P[6] rotaviruses in the clinical samples, wherein, several gene segments were closely related to porcine rotaviruses. The constellation of these rotavirus genes suggests the emergence of reassortment between human and porcine rotavirus due to interspecies transmission. Although two commercial rotavirus vaccines are available now, these vaccines are designed to confer immunity against the major human rotaviruses. Constant monitoring of viral variety in populated areas where humans and domestic animals live in close proximity provides vital information related to the diversity of rotaviruses in a human population.

Impact of Renal Functional/Morphological Dynamics on the Calcification of Coronary and Abdominal Arteries in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

AIM: Fast-progressing vascular calcification (VC) is accompanied by renal atrophy and functional deterioration along with atherosclerosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the relationship between VC progression and renal functional and/or morphological changes remains unclear. METHODS: We included 70 asymptomatic patients with CKD without hemodialysis in our study. To identify temporal variations, the coronary artery calcification score (CACS), abdominal aortic calcification index (ACI), and renal parenchymal volume index (RPVI) were determined via spiral computed tomography scans taken during the study. We investigated significant factors related to annualized variations of CACS (ΔCACS/y) and ACI (ΔACI/y). RESULTS: During the follow-up period (4.6 years), median values of CACS [in Agatston units (AU)] and ACI increased from 40.2 to 113.3 AU (p=0.053) and from 13.2 to 21.7% (p=0.036), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that CACS at baseline (p＜0.001) and diabetes mellitus (DM) status (p=0.037) for ΔCACS/y and ACI at baseline (p=0.017) and hypertension (HT) status (p= 0.046) for ΔACI/y were significant independent predictors. Furthermore, annualized RPVI variation was significantly related to both ΔCACS/y and ΔACI/y (R=-0.565, p＜0.001, and R=-0.289, p=0.015, respectively). On the other hand, independent contributions of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and annualized eGFR variation to VC progression were not confirmed. CONCLUSION: The degree of VC at baseline, DM, HT, and changes in renal volume, but not eGFR, had a strong impact on VC progression in patients with CKD.

Decreased Serum Albumin Predicts Bleeding Events in Patients on Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Antiplatelet therapy (APT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) prevents ischemic events with increased risk of bleeding. Little is known about the relationship between hypoalbuminemia and bleeding risk in patients receiving APT after PCI. This study investigated the association between serum albumin level and bleeding events in this population.Methods and Results:We enrolled 438 consecutive patients who were prescribed dual APT (DAPT; aspirin and thienopyridine) beyond 1 month after successful PCI without adverse events. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to serum albumin tertile: tertile 1, ≤3.7 g/dL; tertile 2, 3.8-4.1 g/dL; and tertile 3, ≥4.2 g/dL. Adverse bleeding events were defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, and 5. During the median follow-up of 29.5 months, a total of 30 adverse bleeding events were observed. Median duration of DAPT was 14 months. The tertile 1 group had the highest risk of adverse bleeding events (event-free rate, 83.1%, 94.3% and 95.8%, respectively; P<0.001). On Cox proportional hazards modeling, serum albumin independently predicted adverse bleeding events (HR, 0.10, 95% CI: 0.027-0.39, P=0.001, for tertile 3 vs. tertile 1). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased serum albumin predicted bleeding events in patients with APT after PCI.

Impact of Skeletal Muscle Mass on Long-Term Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Sarcopenia, defined as skeletal muscle loss and dysfunction, is attracting considerable attention as a novel risk factor for cardiovascular events. Although the loss of skeletal muscle is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, the relation between sarcopenia and cardiovascular events in CKD patients is not well defined. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relation between skeletal muscle mass and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in CKD patients. We enrolled 266 asymptomatic CKD patients (median estimated glomerular filtration rate: 36.7 ml/min/1.73 m2). To evaluate skeletal muscle mass, we used the psoas muscle mass index (PMI) calculated from noncontrast computed tomography. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the cut-off value of PMI for MACE. There were significant differences in age and body mass index between the low and high PMI groups (median age: 73.5 vs 69.0 years, p = 0.002; median body mass index: 22.6 vs 24.2 kg/m2, p <0.001, respectively). During the follow-up period (median: 3.2 years), patients with low PMI had significantly higher risk of MACE than those with high PMI (31.7% and 11.2%, log-rank test, p <0.001). The Cox proportional hazard model showed that low PMI is an independent predictor of MACE in CKD patients (hazard ratio 3.98, 95% confidence interval 1.65 to 9.63, p = 0.0022). In conclusion, low skeletal muscle mass is an independent predictor of MACE in CKD patients. The assessment of skeletal muscle mass may be a valuable screening tool for predicting MACE in clinical practice.

Nutrition Status Predicts Severity of Vascular Calcification in Non-Dialyzed Chronic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: Vascular calcification is a major complication in chronic kidney disease (CKD) that increases the risk of adverse clinical outcomes. Geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a simple nutritional assessment tool that predicts poor prognosis in elderly subjects. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between GNRI and severity of vascular calcification in non-dialyzed CKD patients.Methods and Results:We enrolled 323 asymptomatic CKD patients. To evaluate abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), we used aortic calcification index (ACI) determined on non-contrast computed tomography. The patients were divided into three groups according to GNRI tertile. Median ACI significantly decreased with increasing GNRI tertile (15.5%, 13.6%, and 7.9%, respectively; P=0.001). On multivariate regression analysis GNRI was significantly correlated with ACI (ß=-0.15, P=0.009). We also investigated the combination of GNRI and C-reactive-protein (CRP) for predicting the severity of AAC. Low GNRI and high CRP were significantly associated with severe AAC, compared with high GNRI and low CRP (OR, 4.07; P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: GNRI was significantly associated with AAC in non-dialyzed CKD patients.

Impact of nutritional assessment and body mass index on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: An inverse association between obesity, as defined by body mass index (BMI) and prognosis has been reported in patients with cardiovascular disease ("obesity paradox"). The aim of this study was to investigate whether adding nutritional information to BMI provides better risk assessment in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHOD: This study comprised 1004 patients undergoing elective PCI. We calculated each patient's controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score for nutritional screening at baseline. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on CONUT score (low, 0-1 [<75th percentile]; or high, ≥2 [≥75th percentile]) and BMI (normal, 18.5-24.9kg/m2; or high, ≥25kg/m2). The endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as cardiac death and/or myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Low CONUT score+normal BMI, low CONUT score+high BMI, high CONUT score+normal BMI, and high CONUT score+high BMI were determined in 374, 242, 275, and 113 patients, respectively. During a median follow-up of 1779 days, 73 events occurred. High CONUT score+normal BMI showed a 2.72-fold increase in the incidence of MACE (95% CI 1.46-5.08, p=0.002) compared with low CONUT score+normal BMI after adjusting for confounding factors. On the other hand, no significant difference in the incidence of MACE was observed in the other three groups. CONCLUSION: The combination of CONUT score and BMI was a useful predictor of MACE in this population. Using BMI to assess the cardiovascular risk may be misleading unless the nutritional information is considered.

Correlations between geriatric nutritional risk index and peripheral artery disease in elderly coronary artery disease patients.

AIM: Malnutrition is associated with the development of atherosclerosis and an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in elderly patients. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), a simple nutritional assessment tool, and the prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in elderly coronary artery disease patients. METHODS: We evaluated 228 elderly coronary artery disease patients (mean age 74.0 ± 5.7 years). Ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurements were routinely carried out to investigate the prevalence of lower extremity PAD. Patients showing ABI <0.9 were defined as having PAD. RESULTS: Based on our findings, 20.6% of the study patients had PAD. The median GNRI values were significantly lower in patients with PAD than those in patients without PAD (93.8 vs 100.0, P < 0.001). Even after multivariate adjustment, GNRI values were independently associated with PAD (odds ratio 0.94; 95% confidence interval 0.89-0.99; P = 0.024). Furthermore, patients with low GNRI and high C-reactive protein levels had a 5.5-fold higher risk of having PAD than those with high GNRI and low C-reactive protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: GNRI values showed a strong relationship with PAD in elderly coronary artery disease patients. These data reinforce the utility of GNRI as a screening tool in clinical practice. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1057-1062.

Impact of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: The association between malnutrition and cardiovascular prognosis in patients with stable coronary artery disease remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), a simple tool to assess nutritional risk, and long-term outcomes after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: This study consisted of 802 patients (age, 70±10 years, male, 69%) who underwent elective PCI. GNRI was calculated at baseline as follows: GNRI=[14.89×serum albumin (g/dl)+[41.7×(body weight/body weight at body mass index of 22)]]. Patients were then divided into three groups as previously reported: GNRI <92, 92 to ≤98, and >98. The endpoint of this study was the composite of cardiac death or non-fatal myocardial infarction. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 1568 days, 56 cardiac events occurred. Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 4-year event-free rates were found to be 79% for GNRI <92, 90% for GNRI 92 to ≤98, and 97% for GNRI >98 (log-rank test p<0.001). GNRI <92 and GNRI 92 to ≤98 showed 6.76-fold [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.13-14.56, p<0.001] and 3.03-fold (HR 3.03, 95%CI 1.36-6.78, p=0.007) increase in the incidences of cardiac death or non-fatal myocardial infarction compared with GNRI >98 after adjusting for confounding factors. CONCLUSION: GNRI significantly associated with cardiac events after elective PCI. Further studies should be performed to establish appropriate therapeutic strategies for this vulnerable patient group.

Impact of Paradoxical Decrease in High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels After Statin Therapy on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Stable Angina Pectoris.

PURPOSE: Statin therapy usually increases HDL-C levels. However, a paradoxical decrease in HDL-C levels after statin therapy is often seen in clinical settings. The relationship between a paradoxical decrease in HDL-C levels after statin therapy and adverse cardiovascular events in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between paradoxical HDL-C decreases after statin therapy and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for SAP. METHODS: Between January 2006 and March 2015, 867 patients underwent PCI for SAP. Of them, we enrolled 209 patients who were newly started on statin therapy before PCI. We excluded patients who had started statin therapy earlier than 6 months before PCI, patients who had not started statin therapy after PCI, and patients who were diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome. They were divided into 2 groups according to the change in their HDL-C levels between baseline and 6 to 9 months after the index PCI: decreased HDL group after statin treatment (80 patients) and increased HDL group (129 patients). The primary end points were MACEs defined as a composite of all-cause death, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization (TVR). FINDINGS: Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 7-year event rate for composite MACEs in the decreased HDL group was found to be higher than that for the increased HDL group (38% versus 24%, log-rank P = 0.02). TVR occurred more frequently in the decreased HDL group than in the increased HDL group (32% versus 12%, log-rank P = 0.01). With the use of multivariate analysis, changes in HDL-C levels after statin therapy indicated a significant inverse association with the increased risk of MACEs, (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92-0.97; P < 0.01). The incidence of MACEs was more strongly associated with ΔHDL than with ΔLDL. Moreover, BMS usage also independently predicted MACEs (HR = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.14-4.17; P < 0.01). IMPLICATIONS: A paradoxical decrease in HDL-C levels after statin therapy might be a risk factor for MACEs, especially TVR, in patients with SAP.

Predictors of abdominal aortic calcification progression in patients with chronic kidney disease without hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is an important predictor of cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, little is known regarding AAC progression in these patients. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with AAC progression in patients with CKD without hemodialysis. METHODS: We recruited 141 asymptomatic patients with CKD without hemodialysis [median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), 40.3 mL/min/1.73 m2] and evaluated the progression of the abdominal aortic calcification index (ACI) over 3 years. To identify risk factors contributing to the rate of ACI progression, the associations between baseline clinical characteristics and annual change in ACI for each CKD category were analyzed. The annual change of ACI (ΔACI/year) was calculated as follows: (second ACI - first ACI)/duration between the two evaluations. RESULTS: Median ΔACI/year values significantly increased in advanced CKD stages (0.73%, 0.87%, and 2.24%/year for CKD stages G1-2, G3, and G4-5, respectively; p for trend = 0.041). The only independent risk factor for AAC progression in mild to moderate CKD (G1-3, eGFR ≥ 30 mL/min/1.73 m2) was pulse pressure level (ß = 0.258, p = 0.012). In contrast, parathyroid hormone (PTH) level was significantly correlated with ΔACI/year (ß = 0.426, p = 0.007) among patients with advanced CKD (G4-5, eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the AAC progression rate was significantly accelerated in patients with advanced CKD. In addition, measuring PTH is useful to evaluate both bone turnover and AAC progression in patients with advanced CKD.

Impact of adipose tissue composition on cardiovascular risk assessment in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Visceral adipose tissue (VAT), unlike subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), is highly correlated with cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of adipose tissue composition, as measured by computed tomography, for cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary artery disease. METHODS: 357 consecutive patients who underwent 64-slice computed tomography and elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were recruited. The ratio of visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT/SAT) was calculated. Patients were divided into three groups in accordance with VAT/SAT (low VAT/SAT, <0.55 [<25th percentile]; moderate VAT/SAT, 0.55-1.03 [25th-75th percentile]; high VAT/SAT, ≥1.03 [≥75th percentile]). The investigated risk factors were hypertension, hyperglycaemia, and dyslipidaemia. We analysed the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and any revascularization. RESULTS: The rate of patients with two or more concomitant risk factors was significantly higher in the high VAT/SAT group (p = 0.006). During 1480 person-years, 109 events were documented. There was a significant association between the incidence of MACE and VAT/SAT, with the worst event-free survival rate in the high VAT/SAT group (log-rank, p = 0.01). In Cox analysis, the hazard ratio of high VAT/SAT for MACE was 2.72 (95% confidence interval 1.04-7.09, p = 0.04) compared with the low VAT/SAT after adjustment for confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: Increased VAT/SAT is independently associated with the incidence of MACE, indicating that adipose tissue composition is a useful predictor of cardiovascular outcome, after elective PCI.

A New Arbiter PUF for Enhancing Unpredictability on FPGA.

In general, conventional Arbiter-based Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) generate responses with low unpredictability. The N-XOR Arbiter PUF, proposed in 2007, is a well-known technique for improving this unpredictability. In this paper, we propose a novel design for Arbiter PUF, called Double Arbiter PUF, to enhance the unpredictability on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and we compare our design to conventional N-XOR Arbiter PUFs. One metric for judging the unpredictability of responses is to measure their tolerance to machine-learning attacks. Although our previous work showed the superiority of Double Arbiter PUFs regarding unpredictability, its details were not clarified. We evaluate the dependency on the number of training samples for machine learning, and we discuss the reason why Double Arbiter PUFs are more tolerant than the N-XOR Arbiter PUFs by evaluating intrachip variation. Further, the conventional Arbiter PUFs and proposed Double Arbiter PUFs are evaluated according to other metrics, namely, their uniqueness, randomness, and steadiness. We demonstrate that 3-1 Double Arbiter PUF archives the best performance overall.

Molecular detection and characterization of sapovirus in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in the Philippines.

BACKGROUND: Human sapovirus (SaV) is a causative agent of acute gastroenteritis. Recently, SaV detection has been increasing worldwide due to the emerging SaV genotype I.2. However, SaV infection has not been reported in the Philippines. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence and genetic diversity of SaV in hospitalized children aged less than 5 years with acute gastroenteritis. STUDY DESIGN: Stool samples were collected from children with acute gastroenteritis at three hospitals in the Philippines from June 2012 to August 2013. SaV was detected by reverse transcription real-time PCR, and the polymerase and capsid gene sequences were analyzed. Full genome sequencing and recombination analysis were performed on possible recombinant viruses. RESULTS: SaV was detected in 7.0% of the tested stool samples (29/417). In 10 SaV-positive cases, other viruses were also detected, including rotavirus (n=6), norovirus (n=2), and human astrovirus (n=2). Four known SaV genotypes (GI.1 [7], GI.2 [2], GII.1 [12], and GV [2]) and one novel recombinant (n=3) were identified by polymerase and capsid gene sequence analysis. Full genome sequencing revealed that the 5' nontranslated region (NTR) and nonstructural protein region of the novel recombinant were closely related to the GII.1 Bristol/98/UK variant, whereas the structural protein region and 3' NTR were closely related to the GII.4 Kumamoto6/Mar2003/JPN variant. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: SaV was regularly detected in hospitalized children due to acute gastroenteritis during the study period. A novel recombinant, SaV GII.1/GII.4, was identified in three cases at two different study sites.

Positive and negative ions by air purifier have no effects on embryo-fetal development in rats.

Air purifiers, which release positive and negative ions generated by an electric discharge into the air, have been widely used in common households. In this study, the developmental toxicity potential of the ionized air containing positive and negative ions was evaluated in SD rats [Crl:CD(SD)] following whole-body inhalation to obtain preliminary information for the definitive study. Two groups of 10 pregnant female rats were exposed to the ionized air at concentrations of 0 and 7,000,000 ions/cm(3) for 6 hr per day from Days 6 to 19 of gestation. All dams underwent a cesarean section on Day 20 of gestation and their fetuses were examined externally, viscerally, and skeletally for morphological changes. The ionized air had no effects on dams in terms of clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, gravid uterine weights, corrected body weight by gravid uterine weight, or necropsy findings. In addition, there were no effects on the maintenance of pregnancy, including abortion or premature delivery. No exposure-related changes were detected in the number of corpora lutea, implantations, dead embryos, or live fetuses, implantation loss, live fetal weights, sex ratio, or placental weight or features. Fetal examination revealed no external, visceral, or skeletal anomalies or variations caused by the ionized air, nor were there any changes in degree of ossification. Although this study did not fully adhere to the current guidelines because of a smaller number of animals per group, it was suggested that the ionized air has no maternal toxicity or embryo-fetal toxicity in rats.

Impact of human adenovirus serotype 7 in hospitalized children with severe fatal pneumonia in the Philippines.

Human adenovirus (HAdV) serotype 7 is an important etiological agent of severe childhood pneumonia. The aim of this study was to define the role of HAdV7 and to describe its clinical and molecular epidemiological characteristics in the Philippines in 2011. HAdVs were detected by viral culture, and a partial region of hexon gene was sequenced. A total of 700 patients were enrolled, of which 22 (3.1%) died. Nine (1.3%) HAdV cases were confirmed, of which 7 were positive for HAdV7, 1 for HAdV3, and 1 for HAdV5. Among the 9 HAdV-positive cases, 4 (44%) with HAdV7 died. Molecular analysis revealed that all HAdV7 isolates were closely related to genome type h strains. This study demonstrated the significance of HAdV7 as an etiological agent of severe pediatric pneumonia with a high fatality rate. Hence, continuous monitoring is required to define the clinical and public health significance of HAdV7 infection.