27 research outputs found
Hebraic Influences in The Life of Lazarillo de Termes
No full textThe focus of this article is the impact of the Hebrew language with its literature, philosophy, biblical exegesis, and history on the sixteenth century anonymous author of The Life of Lazarillo de Termes. I assumed the task of investigating the Jewish cultural heritage embedded in this work, as my studies in Hebrew Language and Literature could contribute towards a fuller comprehension of this masterpiece. And indeed, in addition to linguistic and biblical associations, I have detected influences that appear inspired by the monumental works of medieval Jewish Spanish theologians and philosophers⸻ Hisada Crescas, Maimonides, Nahman ides, and Joseph Albo in particular. I invite the reader to share and comment on this analysis
Compressive strength and chloride ion permeation resistance of mortar containing clinker with different mineral composition as an aggregate
No full textThe purpose of this study is to clarify the performance of cement hardenings containing clinkers which are utilized as aggregate by evaluating the compressive strength and chloride ion penetration resistance of the mortars. Here, the fine aggregate used in this study were the ordinary Portland cement clinker and the clinker with more waste as an alternative raw material. In addition to this, we discussed on the effect of the clinkers on the compressive strength and chloride ion penetration resistance of mortar based on the weight loss on ignition and void structure. The results showed that the compressive strength of the mortars containing clinker aggregate was equal to or more than the mortar used an ISO standard sand, and the apparent diffusion coefficient of chloride ion decreased by using clinker. The reason why improving compressive strength and chloride ion penetration resistance might be attributed to the densification of the voids in the range of 50 nm to 2 μm, which is considered to be the void diameter represented by the interfacial transition zone, by hydration of clinker itself
Environmental toxicity, redox signaling and lung inflammation:the role of glutathione
No full textGlutathione (gamma-glutamyl-cysteinyl-glycine, GSH) is the most abundant intracellular antioxidant thiol and is central to redox defense during oxidative stress. GSH metabolism is tightly regulated and has been implicated in redox signaling and also in protection against environmental oxidant-mediated injury. Changes in the ratio of the reduced and disulfide form (GSH/GSSG) can affect signaling pathways that participate in a broad array of physiological responses from cell proliferation, autophagy and apoptosis to gene expression that involve H(2)O(2) as a second messenger. Oxidative stress due to oxidant/antioxidant imbalance and also due to environmental oxidants is an important component during inflammation and respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and asthma. It is known to activate multiple stress kinase pathways and redox-sensitive transcription factors such as Nrf2, NF-kappaB and AP-1, which differentially regulate the genes for pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as the protective antioxidant genes. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms for the induction of antioxidants, such as GSH, versus pro-inflammatory mediators at sites of oxidant-directed injuries may allow for the development of novel therapies which will allow pharmacological manipulation of GSH synthesis during inflammation and oxidative injury. This article features the current knowledge about the role of GSH in redox signaling, GSH biosynthesis and particularly the regulation of transcription factor Nrf2 by GSH and downstream signaling during oxidative stress and inflammation in various pulmonary diseases. We also discussed the current therapeutic clinical trials using GSH and other thiol compounds, such as N-acetyl-l-cysteine, fudosteine, carbocysteine, erdosteine in environment-induced airways disease
Syndromic surveillance using search query logs and user location information from smartphones against COVID-19 clusters in Japan
No full text[Background] Two clusters of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were
confirmed in Hokkaido, Japan in February 2020. To capture the clusters, this
study employs Web search query logs and user location information from
smartphones. [Material and Methods] First, we anonymously identified smartphone
users who used a Web search engine (Yahoo! JAPAN Search) for the COVID-19 or
its symptoms via its companion application for smartphones (Yahoo Japan App).
We regard these searchers as Web searchers who are suspicious of their own
COVID-19 infection (WSSCI). Second, we extracted the location of the WSSCI via
the smartphone application. The spatio-temporal distribution of the number of
WSSCI are compared with the actual location of the known two clusters. [Result
and Discussion] Before the early stage of the cluster development, we could
confirm several WSSCI, which demonstrated the basic feasibility of our
WSSCI-based approach. However, it is accurate only in the early stage, and it
was biased after the public announcement of the cluster development. For the
case where the other cluster-related resources, such as fine-grained population
statistics, are not available, the proposed metric would be helpful to catch
the hint of emerging clusters
Effects of N-acetylcysteine on root resorption after tooth replantation
No full textIn the case of complete luxation with dental trauma, delayed replantation leads to a higher probability of root resorption. We evaluated the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as a root canal medication for trauma-associated root resorption. A rat dental trauma model was used. In the test group, mesial root pulpectomy was carried out after tooth extraction. NAC was applied as a root canal medication followed by replantation. We euthanized the rats after two weeks, excised the maxilla, and prepared thin sections, followed by H-E and TRAP staining. Furthermore, RAW264.7 cells were treated with RANKL and NAC. The effects of NAC on osteoclast differentiation were investigated by determining the numbers of osteoclasts and nuclei and quantifying osteoclast-related mRNA expression levels by real-time PCR. The level of root resorption and number of odontoclasts tended to be lower in the NAC groups than in the control group. In terms of osteoclast differentiation, the total number of osteoclasts was lower in both the 5 and 10 mmol/L NAC groups than in the control group. Real-time PCR revealed that the expression levels of RANK, NFATc1, DC-STAMP, CD47, and cathepsin K were lower in the 10 mmol/L NAC group. NAC tended to inhibit root resorption and reduce the number of odontoclasts. NAC also inhibited the expression of osteoclast-related genes. Overall, NAC reduced the number of odontoclasts, inhibited bone resorption, and influenced the inhibition of osteoclast differentiation, fusion, and functions. Therefore, we suggest that NAC may be beneficial in the treatment of root resorption. (C) 2020 Japanese Society of Pediatric Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Root canal treatment of traumatized permanent teeth with external root resorption
No full textExternal root resorption is an important challenge in the preservation of traumatized teeth. External root resorption is observed in cases of replanted teeth from dental trauma. Root canal dressing containing calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is one recommended clinical approach for external root resorption treatment. However, complete control of external resorption may not be possible due to certain factors, such as the smear layer, which is formed by reaming and filing during root canal treatments. The smear layer plugs dentinal tubules and inhibits the effects of Ca(OH)2 as a root canal dressing material. Our study showed that root canal irrigation with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) with an ultrasonic device is the most effective method to remove the smear layer. Additionally, we observed an alkaline environment at the outer root surface due to ion diffusion from Ca(OH)2 following this treatment. As a result, the combined use of EDTA and NaOCl with an ultrasonic device for root canal irrigation led to good control of external root resorption
Annotation-Scheme Reconstruction for “Fake News” and Japanese Fake News Dataset
No full textFake news provokes many societal problems; therefore, there has been extensive research on fake news detection tasks to counter it. Many fake news datasets were constructed as resources to facilitate this task. Contemporary research focuses almost exclusively on the factuality aspect of the news. However, this aspect alone is insufficient to explain “fake news,” which is a complex phenomenon that involves a wide range of issues. To fully understand the nature of each instance of fake news, it is important to observe it from various perspectives, such as the intention of the false news disseminator, theharmfulness of the news to our society, and the target of the news. We propose a novel annotation scheme with fine-grained labeling based on detailed investigations of existing fake news datasets to capture these various aspects of fake news. Using the annotation scheme, we construct and publish the first Japanese fake news dataset. The annotation scheme is expected to provide an in-depth understanding of fake news. We plan to build datasets for both Japanese and other languages using our scheme. Our Japanese dataset is published at https://hkefka385.github.io/dataset/fakenews-japanese/
Root canal treatment of traumatized permanent teeth with external root resorption
No full textExternal root resorption is an important challenge in the preservation of traumatized teeth. External root resorption is observed in cases of replanted teeth from dental trauma. Root canal dressing containing calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is one recommended clinical approach for external root resorption treatment. However, complete control of external resorption may not be possible due to certain factors, such as the smear layer, which is formed by reaming and filing during root canal treatments. The smear layer plugs dentinal tubules and inhibits the effects of Ca(OH)2 as a root canal dressing material. Our study showed that root canal irrigation with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) with an ultrasonic device is the most effective method to remove the smear layer. Additionally, we observed an alkaline environment at the outer root surface due to ion diffusion from Ca(OH)2 following this treatment. As a result, the combined use of EDTA and NaOCl with an ultrasonic device for root canal irrigation led to good control of external root resorption
Platelet count and thrombosis in aPL carriers
No full textBackground: Thrombocytopenia is a non-criteria clinical manifestation of antiphospholipid syndrome. However, it remains to be elucidated whether thrombocytopenia increases thrombotic risk in antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) carriers. Objectives: To investigate the impact of platelet count in terms of predicting thrombotic events in aPL carriers, and to stratify the thrombotic risk by combining platelet count and antiphospholipid score (aPL-S), which represents a quantification of aPL varieties and titers. Patients/methods: A single-center, retrospective, longitudinal study comprising 953 consecutive patients who were suspected of having autoimmune disease between January 2002 and December 2006 was performed. Low platelet count was defined as a count of < 150 × 10^3 μL-1 at the time of aPL testing. Results: A negative correlation was observed between aPL-S and platelet count (r = -0.2477). Among aPL-positive patients, those with a low platelet count developed thrombosis more frequently than those without (hazard ratio [HR] 2.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-7.88). Among aPL-negative patients, no difference was found in the predictive value of thrombosis regardless of platelet count. Patients with aPLs were further divided into two subgroups according to aPL-S. Among low-aPL-S patients, those with low platelet counts developed thrombosis more frequently than those without (HR 3.44, 95% CI 1.05-11.2). In contrast, high-aPL-S patients developed thrombosis frequently regardless of platelet count. Conclusions: aPL carriers with low platelet counts are at high risk of developing thrombosis. In particular, 'low-aPL-S carriers' may be stratified by platelet count in terms of predicting future thrombotic events
Efficacy of dual antiplatelet therapy for preventing recurrence of arterial thrombosis in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome
No full textObjective. Warfarin is regarded as the standard treatment for preventing thrombotic events in APS, but the recurrence rate is still high. Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) has been shown to be effective for the prevention of acute coronary syndrome or stroke. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of DAPT for the prevention of thrombosis recurrence in APS patients with history of arterial thrombosis. Methods. This retrospective cohort study of APS patients was conducted at Hokkaido University Hospital between 1990 and 2016. The secondary prophylactic effects and safety of warfarin monotherapy (Wf), antiplatelet monotherapy (AP), warfarin and antiplatelet combination therapy (Wf + AP) and DAPT were evaluated. The primary endpoints were set as thrombosis-free and adverse events-free survival period. Adverse events were defined as severe bleeding and death. Results. A total of 90 APS patients were enrolled. Thrombotic recurrence was found in 40 patients (35 arterial and 5 venous thromboses) and serious adverse events in 20 patients (9 severe bleeding events and 14 deaths). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a 10-year recurrence-free survival rate of 62%. The recurrence rate per 100 patient-years was as follows: Wf: 11.6, AP: 5.5, Wf: + AP: 3.7, DAPT: 1.8. We demonstrated that DAPT significantly reduced the rate of recurrence compared with Wf (log-rank P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in the rate of serious adverse events among the groups. Conclusion. DAPT might be considered as an effective and safe option for the prophylaxis of recurrent arterial thrombosis in APS
