University of Tsukuba

Pollicization surgery for thumb reconstruction has a long-standing history. However, advancements in microsurgery and the widespread use of free tissue transplants from the toe for the surgical treatment of traumatic thumb defects have narrowed the indications of pollicization in thumb reconstruction. Despite this, pollicization offers certain advantages over free flap transfer in specific cases. Literature on cases requiring multiple-digit amputations or bilateral thumb reconstruction is sparse, and the indications for pollicization remain controversial. Here, we present a case of a 31-year-old man who lost multiple fingers, including both thumbs, in an industrial accident. He underwent pollicization surgeries on both hands. At 3 years and 9 months post-surgery, his postoperative course and hand function were assessed as good. In an era where microsurgery is prevalent, pollicization remains a viable option for patients with multiple-digit amputations, including index finger and bilateral thumb loss, provided the functional thenar muscles remain intact.

In Japan, the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act (MTSA) has been in effect since 2005, and a support system has been established for those found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRIs). Under this law, the reintegration of the subjects into society is underway. This paper summarizes the status of forensic outpatients during the seven years after its enactment. Information on forensic outpatients was obtained from 224 designated outpatient medical institutions under the law between 2005 and 2011, the period after the law's implementation. Information on demographic factors, psychiatric status, forensic background, clinical treatment history, and social service utilization was collected. Among the 690 outpatients, the most common diagnosis was F2 (Schizophrenia) (76.4 %), and the most common criminal offense was homicide/attempted homicide (28.8 %). Among the outpatients, 46.2 % developed problematic behavior during treatment, and suicidal behavior was observed in 6.0 % of the patients. Since problematic behaviors during treatment, including suicidal behavior, have been observed, it is necessary to expand support, including the development of proper relationships with patients and the early stages of treatment to promote the integration of forensic patients into society.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of the stages of change for sedentary behavior scale among workers. The participants were 2400 Japanese workers aged 20-59 years (male: 50.0%, mean age: 40.4±10.8 years) recruited from research company. With an internet-based survey, the stages of change for sedentary behavior, total sitting time (min/day), socio-demographic characteristics, health-related characteristics and work-related characteristics were obtained. “Too much sitting” was defined as sitting or lying down for a total of 8 hours or more per day on average. Participants were categorized into one of 5 stages based on their present status for “too much sitting” and motivational readiness for reducing sedentary behavior. For the criterion validity, a one-way analysis of variance was utilized to compare the total sitting time among the 5 stages. To assess the test-retest reliability, randomly-selected 200 workers answered the scale again two weeks later. Then, the Kappa index (k) was calculated. As results, the means of total sitting time were significantly distinguished across the stages [F (4, 2395) =111.5, p<0.001, η²=0.16]. Participants in early stages (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation) had significantly longer sitting time than those in the Maintenance (Precontemplation>Contemplation, Preparation>Action, Maintenance) (p<0.001). The scale to assess the readiness to reduce sedentary time has shown good 2-week test-retest reliability (k=0.64). These results suggest that the developed scale presented good validity and reliability to assess the motivational readiness for reducing prolonged sedentary behavior among Japanese workers.

Paramagnetic ions and molecules have been exploited quite extensively as extrinsic shift and relaxation probes for investigating the structure and dynamics of biological molecules. The prodigious growth of related research areas is easily discernible as the remarkably widening scope of application in diverse fields in life and material sciences. Sperm whale myoglobin (Mb) is well-known as the first protein to have its three-dimensional structure revealed by X-ray crystallographic study and is also known as one of the first paramagnetic proteins studied by NMR. The heme Fe atom in Mb can exhibit a variety of oxidation, ligation, and spin states. In this chapter, Mb is selected as a reference paramagnetic compound to provide an overview of the relationship between the spectral features and the number of unpaired electrons, because the effects of a change in the spin quantum number S, i.e., the number of unpaired electrons, on NMR spectral parameters of a single compound can be readily understood. Field-dependent broadening of signals of proteins with a series of S values is also described.

With the promotion of compact cities, the utilization of environmentally friendly railway transportation has become increasingly important. However, studies on the relationship between urban population agglomeration and railway networks remain insufficient. This study aims to analyze population agglomeration trends and their integration with railway network development. By incorporating the travel time reduction effect of railway networks into Moran's I index, we measured urban agglomeration in global and Japanese metropolitan areas. Additionally, we calculated the integration and reduction indices to assess the relationship between urban structure and railway networks, classifying cities based on these indicators. The results indicate that population decentralization is progressing in many cities and that the development of railway networks has a significant impact on population agglomeration.

Background We previously developed a 24-item Terminal Delirium-Related Distress Scale (TDDS) to evaluate patient and family distress due to terminal delirium. However, a scale with fewer evaluation items was needed to reduce the burden on terminally ill patients and their families. Thus, the TDDS Shortform (TDDS-SF) was developed, and the validity and reliability of the scale were evaluated. Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of TDDS-SF. Methods Items with insufficient loading (<0.6) based on factor analysis were removed from the TDDS. Palliative care experts reviewed each item and checked the structure of the scale. Based on their feedback, we developed the TDDS-SF, a 15-item questionnaire consisting of 4 subscales, including “Care for the family,” “Ability to communicate,” “Psychiatric symptoms,” and “Adequate information and discussion about treatment for delirium.” A cross-sectional, self-completed questionnaire survey of bereaved families of cancer patients who were admitted to a hospice/palliative care unit was conducted in August 2018. The survey included the TDDS-SF, Good Death Inventory (GDI), Care Evaluation Scale (CES), and distress score in the Delirium Experience Questionnaire. The validity, including construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and internal consistency, and reliability, including the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency, of the TDDS-SF were evaluated. Results The study included 366 bereaved family members. Factor analysis revealed good construct validity. Convergent validity was demonstrated based on good correlations with the CES ( r = − 0.54, P < 0.001) and the GDI ( r = − 0.54, P < 0.001). Discriminant validity was demonstrated by a low correlation ( r = 0.23, P < 0.001) with the distress scores of bereaved families. The internal consistency was also good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.70–0.94). Significance of results The TDDS-SF is a valid and feasible tool for assessing irreversible terminal delirium-related distress. A study targeting patients and their families with end-of-life delirium is planned for the near future.

Background: Cardiovascular emergencies often require intensive care unit (ICU) management, but there is limited data comparing outcomes based on the admission ward. Methods and Results: We analyzed data from the Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases Diagnosis Procedure Combination (JROAD-DPC) database (2016–2020) for 715,054 patients (mean age, 75.4±14.2 years, 58.4% male) admitted with acute myocardial infarction (N=175,974), unstable angina (N=45,308), acute heart failure (N=179,871), acute aortic dissection (N=58,597), pulmonary embolism (N=17,009), or post-cardiac arrest (N=184,701). Patients were categorized into 4 groups: intensive care add-ons 1/2, 3/4 (ICU 1/2, 3/4), high-care unit (HCU), and general wards. Comparisons included patient characteristics, hospitalization duration, mortality rates, and rates of defibrillation or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) defined by chest compression. General ward patients were the oldest and with shortest hospitalization durations. Additionally, mortality rates were the highest in general wards for acute heart failure, myocardial infarction, and aortic dissection. Defibrillation rates were 7.0%, 5.6%, 3.1%, and 4.3%, for ICU 1/2, 3/4, HCU, and general ward, respectively, with corresponding mortality rates of 40.4%, 44.1%, 44.6%, and 79.3%. CPR rates were 10.1%, 9.5%, 6.2%, and 3.1%, with mortality rates of 71.0%, 73.9%, 78.4%, and 97.7%, respectively. Conclusions: High mortality rates in general wards highlight the importance of ICU management, particularly for acute myocardial infarction and aortic emergencies. These findings support prioritizing ICU admission for these critical conditions.

Background To clarify the long-term prognoses of elderly upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients after surgery. Methods We used a hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan to extract patients with pT1-3N0M0 UTUC diagnosed in 2009 who underwent surgery, and classified them by age group (≤ 64, 65–74, ≥ 75 years old). We estimated the 10-year overall survival (OS) by a Kaplan-Meier analysis. For cancer survival estimation, we calculated the 10-year net survival (NS) by Pohar-Preme method using the Japanese life tables. Results A total of 1139 UTUC patients (564 renal pelvic cancer [RPC] and 575 ureteral cancer [UrC]) were identified. The 10-year OS rates for elderly RPC patients (≥ 75 years old) were significantly worse than for younger patients (≤ 64 years old) in pT1 (43.1% vs. 80.1%) and pT2-3 (34.2% vs. 67.3%) stages. In contrast, the 10-year NS rates were comparable between elderly and younger RPC groups in pT1 (93.3% vs. 87.0%) and T2-3 (77.4% vs. 73.7%) stages. While the 10-year NS and OS rates of patients with pT1 UrC had similar trends as RPC patients, the NS and OS rates of elderly patients with pT2-3 UrC were significantly worse than younger patients. Conclusions Among resectable UTUC, except for pT2-3 UrC patients, estimated cancer survival rates for elderly patients were similar to younger patients. These findings may be useful in shared decision making by informing discussions about treatment strategies with elderly patients and their families.

Paper and papermaking have been critical tools in the development of information societies throughout history. Despite their significance, the traditional papermaking and its propagation remains uncertain. This study investigates the potential presence of DNA in traditional paper and papermaking processes using DNA extraction and morphological analysis via acetocarmine and 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining. Results provide strong evidence for the survivability and presence of DNA within traditional paper and papermaking processes. This finding has particular significance for Eastern Asian countries, where paper mulberry was the primary fiber source for papermaking. The presence of DNA in traditional paper may influence our understanding of historical trade routes and fiber material propagation, especially concerning paper mulberry species. The taxonomical classification of paper mulberry remains unclear due to its extensive habitat range, rapid hybridization, morphological similarities, and incomplete historical records of species transfers. The discovery of DNA in traditional paper adds biological evidence to this complex issue. This study's findings have significant implications for the stepping-stone of future ethnobotanical research, particularly in relation to paper mulberry species. Additionally, the remained DNA potentially provides new insights into historical trade patterns, cultural exchanges, and the evolution of papermaking techniques across different regions.

Fruits and vegetables contain highly volatile hydrophobic small molecules responsible for their aroma, taste, and pungency. Empirically, we understand that these compounds can evoke a sweet taste; however, their specific interactions with sweet taste receptors are unclear. To address this issue, HEK293 cells expressing human and mouse sweet taste receptors TAS1R2/TAS1R3 were used to identify trans-2-hexenal (a novel sweetener) in human and cinnamyl alcohol (a sweetness inhibitor) in mice. The effects of these compounds on TAS1R2/TAS1R3 in humans and mice were evaluated alongside known hydrophobic sweet compounds, and the results showed that they elicited responses in human TAS1R2/TAS1R3 but not in mice. Conversely, some compounds inhibited the sweetness of sucralose both in vitro and in vivo. Response analysis using human and mouse chimeric TAS1R2 and point mutants of TAS1R2 using docking simulations indicated that these compounds bind to the transmembrane domain of TAS1R2 and that multiple amino acid residues are essential to generate a sweet taste. These results indicate that highly volatile hydrophobic compounds generate aroma and sweetness through a different mechanism than hydrophilic sweeteners, such as sucrose.

Grasslands face rapid decline worldwide. Among the main threats to these ecosystems are changes in land use, such as abandonment and forestation, which promote forest vegetation to the detriment of grassland plant diversity. To support the conservation and restoration of grasslands, it is key to understand what ecological processes limit the recovery of their biodiversity and ecosystem functions after perturbations. However, we still know little about the legacy effects of past forestation on the ecological mechanisms involved in grassland recovery, especially regarding long‐lasting impacts on plant–pollinator interaction networks and plant reproduction. Here, our objective is to fill this knowledge gap by comparing plant and pollinator diversity, the degree of network specialization, the pollination success and pollen limitation of native plant species across 28 plant–pollinator networks of old and restored grasslands with different ages since restoration (from 2 to 75 years). We hypothesized that past forestation would have long‐lasting negative legacy effects on plant richness and plant–pollinator networks, increasing pollen limitation for native plants, thereby delaying the recovery of grassland communities in restored grasslands. The results showed that restored grasslands exhibited significantly lower plant richness, less specialized (more generalized) interaction networks, lower pollination success and pollen‐limited seed reproduction of native plants compared with the old grasslands. Lower network specialization was associated with reduced pollination function and decreased plant reproductive success, which likely led to slower recovery of plant diversity in restored meadows. We showed that such negative legacy effect was long‐lasting and maintained in the grasslands even 75 years after recovery. Synthesis and applications: Our findings suggest that the recovery of specialized plant–pollinator networks by enhancing plant diversity is essential for restoring pollination function. To restore such pollination networks and function, grassland management, including mowing, should be maintained for a certain period that exceeds at least 75 years. Encouraging the abundance of bees and butterflies is a key to facilitating plant recovery. Moreover, it is crucial to maintain neighbouring plant‐ and pollinator‐rich old grasslands, which support the recovery by serving as sources of native seeds and pollinators.

The deep-sea cardinalfish Epigonus glossodontus Gon, 1985, previously known only from the Hawaiian Islands, was observed using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) on steep seafloors surrounding Kitadaito and Minamidaito islands, both being oceanic islands belonging to the Daito Islands, Japan in the northwestern Pacific. A total of 44 hours of ROV observations found sparse populations, each of several individuals, around or within small caves, fissures, and recesses, specifically at depths of 340-588 m within the surveyed depth of 284-1009 m. Seven individuals (36.0-114.8 mm standard length) were successfully collected during the ROV observations around the Daito Islands. A subsequent record of the species (97.5 mm standard length) from the Kyushu-Palau Ridge indicated that the species is widely distributed. A glossy bluish-green body color with black-margined scales was revealed by the field observations, the glossy color fading immediately after death.

Parasitoid wasps serve as natural enemies of numerous insect species; therefore, knowledge of host-parasitoid interactions is fundamental for understanding ecosystems. Each endoparasitoid wasp taxon exhibits a specific host range. Female parasitoids, however, occasionally oviposit into non-host species. Since the survival probability of eggs in non-host species is virtually zero, these behaviors have long been considered maladaptive. However, in the present study, we found that eggs of a specialist parasitoid, Cotesia kariyai (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), oviposited in unsuitable host caterpillars, Mythimna loreyi (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), successfully complete larval development in the non-host when these caterpillars are simultaneously oviposited by another naturally sympatric parasitoid wasp, Meteorus pulchricornis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), for which My. loreyi is the usual host. This observation suggests that the seemingly maladaptive behavior of ovipositing in unsuitable host insects can be adaptive, allowing them to maintain reproductive potential in environments where their ordinary hosts are absent. We propose a new term, “pirate parasitism”, for this type of obligatory multiparasitism. Understanding detailed mechanisms of this phenomenon may provide deeper insights into parasitoid-host dynamics and evolution of host use strategies by parasitoids.

Background This study compared patient characteristics, clinical outcomes, and antibiotic durations between patients undergoing posterior fixation for gram-negative rods (GNR) or gram-positive cocci (GPC) thoracolumbar pyogenic spondylitis. Methods In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, 53 patients who underwent minimally invasive posterior fixation for thoracolumbar pyogenic spondylitis were categorized into a GPC or GNR group based on the identified causative organisms. Patient characteristics, surgical outcomes, and postoperative infection control were compared between the two groups to identify factors affecting antibiotic duration. Results The patients in the GNR group (n = 14) were older (77.2 years versus 70.1 years; p = 0.008), had a higher incidence of a history of abdominal-pelvic infections (4 versus 0; p = 0.003), required longer preoperative antibiotics (5.9 weeks versus 3.0 weeks; p = 0.035), and had more unplanned additional surgeries due to poor infection control (n = 4 versus n = 1; p = 0.014) than those in the GPC group (n = 39). Furthermore, GNR infection independently predicted longer preoperative antibiotic duration (p = 0.002, β = 0.43). Conclusions Pyogenic spondylitis with GNR is associated with the need for prolonged antibiotic treatment and higher rates of unplanned additional surgeries due to poor infection control as compared to GPC-associated pyogenic spondylitis. Older age and a history of abdominal-pelvic infections tend to complicate the management in these patients; therefore, tailored treatment strategies are required to optimize treatment duration and minimize complications. Clinical trial number Not applicable.

Virtual co-embodiment in virtual reality (VR) allows two users to share an avatar, enabling skill transfer from teachers to learners and influencing their Sense of Ownership (SoO) and Sense of Agency (SoA). However, mismatches between actual movements and displayed actions in VR can impair user experience, posing challenges to learning effectiveness. Although previous studies have addressed the influence of virtual bodies' visual factors on SoO and SoA, the impact of co-embodied hands' appearances remains underexplored. We conducted two user studies to examine the effects of virtual self-hands' existence and their visual factors (transparency and congruency) on SoO, SoA, and social presence. Study One showed significant improvements in SoO and SoA with the existence of virtual self-hands. In Study Two, we kept the self-hands and further focused on hand transparency and congruency. We found that identical appearances between self-hands and co-embodied hands significantly enhanced SoO. These findings stressed the importance of visual factors for virtual hands, offering valuable insights for VR co-embodiment design.

We investigated interface perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in magnetic heterostructures consisting of ferromagnetic metal CoFeB and conductive rock-salt Li–Ti–O (LTO) layers, which can be classified into an unconventional group different from metallic multilayers and tunnel junctions. The rock-salt structure was confirmed by reflection high-energy electron diffraction for the 5 nm thick LTO layers epitaxially grown on a MgO(001) buffer layer. Interface PMA was clearly observed for the LTO/CoFeB heterostructures with post-annealing (PA) above 250 °C, and the effective PMA energy density reached 1.18 Merg cm⁻³ with PA at 300 °C. The LTO layer thickness dependence of the resistance area product and tunnel magnetoresistance showed a clear difference in transport properties between the present LTO/CoFeB and the conventional MgO/CoFeB heterostructures, as evidence for the electrical conductivity of LTO in the LTO/CoFeB heterostructure. The conductive LTO can be used as a new building block for a PMA heterostructure for spintronic devices.

In the present study, a Japanese version of the Short Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS) was developed, and its reliability and validity were examined. In addition, the effects of boredom proneness on eating behaviors, such as emotional eating and intuitive eating, were examined. In study 1,208 men and women completed the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Japanese version of the SBPS had a one-factor structure similar to the original version, and the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the SBPS were demonstrated. In study 2,782 men and women completed the questionnaire. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that the more easily bored one was, the more likely one was to engage in emotional eating. Regarding the moderating effect of emotion regulation strategies, the function of emotion regulation differed depending on sex and the characteristic factors of boredom. The results of this study suggest that by accounting for the characteristic factors of boredom, effective interventions for eating behavior may be enabled by accounting for the characteristic factors of boredom.