In a secondary cooling system of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), rapid detection of hydrogen due to sodium-water reaction (SWR) caused by water leakage from a heat exchanger tube of a steam ...generator (SG) is important in terms of safety and property protection of the SFR. For hydrogen detection, the hydrogen detectors using atomic transmission phenomenon of hydrogen within Ni-membrane were used in Japanese proto-type SFR “Monju”. However, during the plant operation, detection signals of water leakage were observed even in the situation without SWR concerning temperature up and down in the cooling system. For this reason, the study of a new hydrogen detector has been carried out to improve stability, accuracy and reliability. In this research, the authors focus on the difference in composition of hydrogen and the difference between the background hydrogen under normal plant operation and the one generated by SWR and theoretically estimate the hydrogen behavior in liquid sodium by using ultra-accelerated quantum chemical molecular dynamics (UA-QCMD). Based on the estimation, dissolved H or NaH, rather than molecular hydrogen (H2), is the predominant form of the background hydrogen in liquid sodium in terms of energetical stability. On the other hand, it was found that hydrogen molecules produced by the sodium-water reaction can exist stably as a form of a fine bubble concerning some confinement mechanism such as a NaH layer on their surface. At the same time, we observed experimentally that the fine H2 bubbles exist stably in the liquid sodium, longer than previously expected. This paper describes the comparison between the theoretical estimation and experimental results based on hydrogen form in sodium in the development of the new hydrogen detector in Japan.
We herein report a case of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) with Pasteurella multilocida bacteremia in a 65-year-old man with alcoholic cirrhosis who was admitted to our hospital ...with anorexia and severe fatigue. Laboratory tests revealed pancytopenia and liver and kidney dysfunction. After admission, he developed impaired consciousness, mucosal hemorrhaging, and septic shock. SFTS virus was detected on polymerase chain reaction testing of blood and throat swabs, and Pasteurella multocida was detected on blood culture. Despite being treated with invasive mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, and antibiotics, the patient's condition progressively deteriorated, and he died four days after admission.
A sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) considers adopting 3-dimensional seismic isolation devices for withstanding seismic loads not only horizontal but also vertical direction. A seismic isolation ...device consists of a laminated rubber bearing and horizontal oil dampers for horizontal direction, coned disc springs and vertical oil dampers for vertical direction, respectively. And also, in order to make horizontal and vertical motion independent, sliding elements are adopted. In order to investigate the performance of each component and the feasibility of integrated system for SFR, the experiments such as load-displacement tests, vibrating tests, etc., to each component of seismic isolation devices and seismic response analysis are carried out. As those experimental results, the mechanical characteristics of each component and the devices are grasped, then it is demonstrated that components and devices have expected performances to reduce the seismic loading within the design range. As the analytical results of seismic response, it is indicated that this 3-dimesional seismic isolation device and system can reduce the seismic response on horizontal and vertical simultaneously. Based on the analytical studies and experimental results, the feasibility of newly developed 3-dimensional seismic isolation system is obtained and the prospect of practical application of 3D seismic isolation system for fast reactor is implied in this paper.
Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive rod bacterium that is responsible for food poisoning. It is naturally widely distributed, and thus often contaminates cultures. Although it is rarely considered ...responsible, it can cause serious infections under certain conditions. However, lethal infections, especially in immunocompetent patients, are rare.
A healthy 60-year-old man developed community-acquired B. cereus pneumonia and alveolar hemorrhage unveiled by abrupt chest pain and hemoptysis with no other advance symptoms. B. cereus induced silent alveolar destruction without any local or systemic inflammatory response. Although the lesion resembled lung anthrax, there was no evidence of Bacillus anthracis toxin.
Some isolates of B. cereus can cause anthrax-like fulminant necrotizing pneumonia in immunocompetent patients. If this type of B. cereus were used as a means of bioterrorism, it may be quite difficult to recognize as bioterrorism. We should keep B. cereus in mind as a potential pathogen of fulminant human infectious disease.
Introduction:
Recently, the sodium-glucose cotransporter2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin has been shown to lower cardiovascular risk among diabetic patients. It is intriguing that some SGLT2 ...inhibitors have been found to increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, while the relevance to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is unknown. Although the inhibitory effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on glucose reabsorption may accelerate compensatory lipid metabolism and subsequently reduce body weight and affect the lipid profile, much remains unclear about this mechanism. Therefore, we conducted this study to investigate in detail how canagliflozin affects lipoprotein fractions including LDL and HDL subclasses.
Materials and Methods:
This study is a multicenter prospective study. The participants were patients with 22 type 2 diabetes (60.7 ± 11.6 years, 59.1% of men) who had HbA1c ⩾ 7.0% and consented to participate in the study. They were administered 100 mg canagliflozin orally once per day. Biochemistry test and cholesterol levels of 20 lipoprotein fractions (G1-G20) using high performance liquid chromatography methods were examined before and after 12 weeks of treatment period.
Results:
Significant decreases were observed in the participants’ body weight (69.7 to 67.9 kg, P < .001), systolic blood pressure (129.3 to 119.5 mm Hg, P < .01), and HbA1c (8.5% to 7.4%, P < .001). Cholesterol levels in the 20 lipoprotein fractions increased for very large HDL (G14, G15) and large HDL (G16) (P < .05).
Conclusions:
Reduction in body weight, improvement of blood glucose levels, and increases in very large HDL and large HDL subclasses were observed after canagliflozin treatment. These beneficial changes might contribute to subsequent suppression of cardiovascular outcomes.
The seismic resistance of nuclear power plants, particularly those using Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) design, is of crucial significance. This paper presents an innovative three-dimensional ...seismic isolation system developed to address the inherent challenges of SFR design. Given that these designs necessitate components with a thin wall thickness for achieving high-temperature structural integrity, this can inadvertently lead to a disadvantageous seismic design. Hence, reducing seismic forces in both horizontal and vertical directions is crucial to ensure seismic resistance. This isolation system, designed for application to the reactor building, aims to make it an effectively isolated entity within the larger plant structure. It has been developed to manage seismic forces acting on components, thereby balancing the requirements of both seismic and high-temperature structural designs. The feasibility and effectiveness of this design have been verified through static loading tests conducted on a half-scale model of the system, investigating force-displacement relationships in both horizontal and vertical directions. The results demonstrate that the system's horizontal supporting function provides a stable load path. Additionally, it validates the decoupling of force-displacement interactions under the condition of simultaneous horizontal and vertical loading, an essential presumption in the formulation of the design basis ground motion.
Inappropriate dosing of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has been associated with clinical safety and efficacy; however, little is known about clinical data associated with an inappropriate DOAC ...dosing in Japan. In addition, there is no report in which the appropriateness of DOAC dosing between prescription for inpatients and for outpatients was examined. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated in the inappropriate dosing of DOACs in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
The retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single Japanese university hospital. Both inpatients and outpatients, who were diagnosed with AF and for whom treatment with either dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, or edoxaban was initiated between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2018, were enrolled in the study. Appropriateness of DOAC dosing was assessed according to the manufacturer's labeling recommendations (dose reduction criteria) of each DOAC. Inappropriate reduced dose, namely, underdosing, was defined as prescription of a reduced dose of DOAC despite the patient not meeting the dose reduction criteria. Inappropriate standard dose, namely, overdosing, was defined as prescription of a standard dose of DOAC despite the patient meeting the dose reduction criteria. Inappropriate DOAC dosing was defined as a deviation of the recommended dose (both underdosing and overdosing).
A total of 316 patients (dabigatran, 28; rivaroxaban, 107; apixaban, 116; and edoxaban, 65) were included, with a median (interquartile range) age of 75 (66-81) years and 62.3% male. DOACs were prescribed at an appropriate standard dose in 39.2% of patients, an appropriate reduced dose in 36.7%, an inappropriate standard dose in 2.5%, and an inappropriate reduced dose in 19.3%. Multivariate analysis revealed that the inappropriate dosing of DOACs was significantly associated with prescriptions for outpatients (vs. inpatients; odds ratio OR 2.87, 95% confidence interval CI 1.53-5.62,
< 0.001) and those with higher HAS-BLED scores (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.42-2.51, p < 0.001).
Our results demonstrated that the inappropriate dosing of DOACs occurred in approximately 20% of AF patients, and was more frequent in outpatients (vs. inpatients) and in those with a higher risk of bleeding. It is recommended that pharmacists play a greater role in assisting in the prescription process to help physicians make better decisions.
A 39-year-old woman with a 9-week abdominal pregnancy noted pain in her lower abdomen and left leg. Since successive thrombi were observed extending from the left common iliac vein to the popliteal ...vein along with a thrombus in the left pulmonary artery, we diagnosed her with pulmonary thromboembolism with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). May-Thurner syndrome may have contributed to DVT in the left leg when the left iliac vein was compressed by the right iliac artery. She underwent anticoagulant therapy with heparin, followed by the subcutaneous injection of heparin at home after discharge. We herein report the case of a pregnant woman with May-Thurner syndrome who safely gave birth.
This paper describes a fundamental study on the seismic safety margin for isolated structures using laminated rubber bearings. The variation of the seismic response assumed in the isolated structures ...will occur under the superposition of "Variations in seismic response due to input ground motions" and " Manufacturing error of the isolation devices". The seismic response analysis that allows for their conditions is important to assess the seismic safety margin for the isolated structures. The variation of the seismic response due to the superposition of these conditions can underestimate the seismic safety margin of the isolated structures. This paper clarifies that the seismic safety margin of the isolated structure, which consists of rubber bearings and oil dampers, for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) is ensured against the basis ground motions of the Japan Electric Association Guide 4601 (JEAG4601) and the SFR through the seismic response analyses. The seismic response analyses were performed by considering the superposition of the variation factors, such as the input ground motions and the manufacturing error of the isolation devices. Additionally, a relationship between the seismic safety margin and the excess probability of linearity limits was discussed using the results obtained from the seismic response analysis. The required seismic safety margins to satisfy the excess probability of linearity limits were clarified by that relationship.
47 years long creep characteristics of thick natural rubber bearings could be estimated by using the existing measured creep displacement data of an actual vibration isolation building, which was ...established in 1966. From the estimated creep characteristics, it was confirmed that increment rate of creep displacement is gradually decreased with time. Therefore the time dependent formula for creep recommend in JIS K6410-2:2015 was applied to the estimated creep characteristics. As the formula matched the actual creep characteristics, so it was possible to predict the creep displacement 60 years after the start of measurement using this formula.
PDF
