Correlation between antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance: A multicenter study using the Japan Surveillance for Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology (J-SIPHE) system in Hokkaido, Japan.

BACKGROUND: The Japan Surveillance for Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology (J-SIPHE) system aggregates information related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) measures in participating medical institutions nationwide and is intended to be used for promotion of AMR measures in participating facilities and their communities. This multicenter study aimed to determine the usefulness of the J-SIPHE system for evaluating the correlation between antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in Hokkaido, Japan. METHODS: Data on antibiotic use and detection rate of major resistant Gram-negative bacteria at 19 hospitals in 2020 were collected from the J-SIPHE system, and data correlations were analyzed using JMP Pro. RESULTS: The detection rate of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was significantly positively correlated with carbapenem use (Spearman's ρ = 0.551; P = .015). There were significant positive correlations between the detection rate of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli and the use of piperacillin/tazobactam, carbapenems, and quinolones [ρ = 0.518 (P = .023), ρ = 0.76 (P < .001), and ρ = 0.502 (P = .029), respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first multicenter study to investigate the correlation between antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance using the J-SIPHE system. The results suggest that using this system may be beneficial for promoting AMR measures.

Halide-stabilized LiBH4, a room-temperature lithium fast-ion conductor.

Solid state lithium conductors are attracting much attention for their potential applications to solid-state batteries and supercapacitors of high energy density to overcome safety issues and irreversible capacity loss of the currently commercialized ones. Recently, we discovered a new class of lithium super ionic conductors based on lithium borohydride (LiBH(4)). LiBH(4) was found to have conductivity as high as 10(-2) Scm(-1) accompanied by orthorhombic to hexagonal phase transition above 115 degrees C. Polarization to the lithium metal electrode was shown to be extremely low, providing a versatile anode interface for the battery application. However, the high transition temperature of the superionic phase has limited its applications. Here we show that a chemical modification of LiBH(4) can stabilize the superionic phase even below room temperature. By doping of lithium halides, high conductivity can be obtained at room temperature. Both XRD and NMR confirmed room-temperature stabilization of superionic phase for LiI-doped LiBH(4). The electrochemical measurements showed a great advantage of this material as an extremely lightweight lithium electrolyte for batteries of high energy density. This material will open alternative opportunities for the development of solid ionic conductors other than previously known lithium conductors.

Complex hydrides with (BH(4))(-) and (NH(2))(-) anions as new lithium fast-ion conductors.

Some of the authors have reported that a complex hydride, Li(BH(4)), with the (BH(4))(-) anion exhibits lithium fast-ion conduction (more than 1 x 10(-3) S/cm) accompanied by the structural transition at approximately 390 K for the first time in 30 years since the conduction in Li(2)(NH) was reported in 1979. Here we report another conceptual study and remarkable results of Li(2)(BH(4))(NH(2)) and Li(4)(BH(4))(NH(2))(3) combined with the (BH(4))(-) and (NH(2))(-) anions showing ion conductivities 4 orders of magnitude higher than that for Li(BH(4)) at RT, due to being provided with new occupation sites for Li(+) ions. Both Li(2)(BH(4))(NH(2)) and Li(4)(BH(4))(NH(2))(3) exhibit a lithium fast-ion conductivity of 2 x 10(-4) S/cm at RT, and the activation energy for conduction in Li(4)(BH(4))(NH(2))(3) is evaluated to be 0.26 eV, less than half those in Li(2)(BH(4))(NH(2)) and Li(BH(4)). This study not only demonstrates an important direction in which to search for higher ion conductivity in complex hydrides but also greatly increases the material variations of solid electrolytes.

AFM anodization lithography on transparent conductive substrates.

In the present study, AFM anodization lithography was carried out on transparent conductive oxide substrates for the first time. ITO glasses were utilized as the transparent substrates. The surface of the ITO glass substrate was organically modified using the SAM (self-assembled monolayer) method. The wettability of the surfaces was controlled by changing the organic molecule used in the SAM method. An arbitrary nanopattern was fabricated using AFM anodization lithography on the organically modified ITO glass surface. Hydrophilic-hydrophobic nanopatterns on transparent substrates are potentially useful for optical observations of various substances adsorbed on nanostructures.

Synthesis and thermal behaviour of gallium-substituted aluminosilicate inorganic polymers.

A combined sol-gel and solid-state method reported for the synthesis of gallium silicate analogues of aluminosilicate inorganic polymers has also been extended to the formation of related compounds with a range of Al-for Ga substitutions. Homogeneous, robust products were obtained at an optimum composition of SiO(2):(Ga(2)O(3) + Al(2)O(3)) = 7. After curing at 40 °C, all the products were typically X-ray amorphous, and the Al and Ga was shown by (27)Al and (71)Ga MAS NMR spectroscopy to be in solely tetrahedral coordination. The (29)Si MAS NMR spectra were as expected for silicate inorganic polymers, but also indicated the presence of some unreacted silica. Electron microscopy in conjunction with EDS elemental mapping showed that the Ga, Al and Si was homogeneously distributed in the products. Thermal treatment of these compounds results in endothermic water loss at about 75-160 °C followed by an exothermic event at about 950 °C corresponding to crystallization of KGaSi(2)O(6) in the gallium end-member. By contrast, the Al-substituted compounds never fully crystallised, but melted at 1200 °C to an X-ray amorphous product.