Kochi Rehabilitation Institute

This multicenter, 6-month naturalistic observational study investigated the time from as-needed (PRN) administration of psychotropic medications to the onset of calming in patients with acute psychotic disorders. Newly admitted patients exhibiting moderate to marked agitation on the Agitation-Calmness Evaluation Scale (ACES) and requiring PRN treatment were included, and 170 first agitation episodes were analyzed. The primary outcome was time to onset of effect, defined as achieving ACES = 3. Medication refusal at baseline was far more frequent in patients with injectable formulations than those with oral or sublingual agents (65.5% vs. 4.3%). Kaplan-Meier estimates showed mean onset times (minutes) for oral/sublingual drugs as follows: asenapine sublingual, 30.0; olanzapine orally disintegrating tablet, 31.9; quetiapine, 46.6; and risperidone oral solution, 34.5. Using Cox proportional hazards models with asenapine as reference, quetiapine demonstrated a significantly lower hazard of achieving calming (hazard ratio 0.39), while risperidone showed a nonsignificant trend. For injectable antipsychotics, mean onset times were: olanzapine intramuscular, 36.3; haloperidol intramuscular, 47.5; and haloperidol intravenous, 45.0, with no significant differences among them. No serious adverse events were observed. The findings suggest that asenapine sublingual may offer faster calming in patients without refusal, and that future studies with shorter assessment intervals are warranted.

SUMMARY Although asexual populations and species have been frequently reported in seaweeds, their nature (e.g. origins and distribution patterns relative to closely related sexual counterparts) remains largely unknown. This is likely because determining the species identity, sex, and phase of individual organisms is often troublesome, making it difficult to comprehensively survey reproductive modes across many populations within a single species. In this study, we demonstrated that reduced‐representation sequencing (RRS), a method of sequencing a fraction of the genome using high‐throughput DNA sequencing platforms, is a simple and effective tool to investigate the reproductive modes of populations. To uncover the evolutionary trajectory of asexuals in S. promiscuus , which is known to include both sexual and asexual populations, we performed an RRS approach, MIG‐seq. By applying MIG‐seq to 122 individuals from 20 localities, mainly across Japan, we were able to: (i) estimate genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of populations; (ii) detect possible cryptic species ( spro1 and spro2 ); (iii) develop a pair of polymerase chain reaction‐based sex markers to identify the sex and ploidy of individuals; and (iv) discover polyploid populations in spro1 and female‐dominant populations in spro2 , both of which appear to be maintained asexually. By subsequently conducting crossing experiments and phylogenetic analysis using the mitochondrial gene cox1 and nuclear gene cetn‐int2 , we confirmed that spro1 and spro2 are reproductively isolated. We also uncovered that polyploid populations have emerged multiple times in spro1 , and one of these populations originated from hybridization between S. promiscuus and S. shibazakiorum , while the other populations originated from intraspecies crossing within S. promiscuus . It is surprising that multiple pathways to asexuality were found within such a narrow phylogenetic scope.

Uranouchi Inlet, situated on the Pacific coast of southwestern Japan, has been a highly enclosed inlet known for yellowtail farming since 1959. Since the 1980s, harmful algal blooms (HABs) have repeatedly occurred, resulting in mass mortality of fish and shellfish. In the sediment at the inlet, the resulting cysts of the HAB species may be preserved, which reflects the history of HAB events. However, the vertical distributions of HAB species in sediment have not been elucidated. In this study, core sediment samples were analyzed by metabarcoding. The dating of each sample was cited from previous study dating the same samples. The findings revealed the presence of eleven HAB species, with notable shifts from approximately 1977–1988. The timing of the shifts corresponded to that of the development of aquaculture and the resulting eutrophication. Vertical core metabarcoding provides footprints of how HAB species composition may be influenced by anthropogenic environmental changes.

Abstract Preschool teacher training (TT) about children's neurodevelopmental concerns consisted of six monthly workshops and one booster session 3 months after the sixth session that lasted 90–105 min each. Each teacher was responsible for one child and provided different interventions between sessions. A questionnaire was administered pre‐ and post‐workshop. Of the 46 participants, we analyzed the results of 44. The Total Deviance/Difficulties score on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for children decreased significantly post‐training, with a large effect size. The SDQ subscale scores revealed larger effect sizes for Peer Problems and Prosocial Behavior and medium effect sizes for Hyperactivity and Emotional Symptoms. Teachers' Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale scores increased significantly with a medium effect size. The Pre‐School Teacher Efficacy Scale showed no significant differences with a small effect size. Thus, TT may benefit both children's behavior and teacher's self‐esteem. However, it is unclear whether these changes are attributable to actual changes in the children's or teachers' understanding of their growth and development, or to both. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.

We report a rare case of a patient experiencing pain and dysfunction attributable to bone fragments from a trauma sustained over two decades prior. A 43-year-old Japanese woman presented with persistent left shoulder pain. Initial radiographs revealed glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis, an unusual finding for her age. Her medical history included a previously overlooked traumatic dislocation of the left acromioclavicular joint over 20 years ago. Computed tomography scans later uncovered bone fragments below the coracoid process without signs of scapular or tuberosity fractures. The fragments were arthroscopically removed, resulting in significant pain relief. The patient's Shoulder Pain and Disability Index score improved from 60 to 9 at the six-month postoperative follow-up. This case underscores the importance of considering historical trauma in patients presenting with atypical shoulder pain and highlights the potential diagnostic value of revisiting a patient's medical history when unusual lesions are discovered.

Abstract Olfactory stimulation promotes motor activity in adults. However, the effect of odor stimulation on children's motor activity is not well understood. In this study, given the importance of feeding behavior in children, and the involvement of balance ability in that behavior, we examined the effects of soy sauce and vanilla odors, as food‐related olfactory stimuli, on balance ability in 67 healthy, normal developing children aged 3–6 years. The participants were randomly divided into water (control), soy sauce, and vanilla groups, and their balance ability was assessed before and after olfactory stimulation using the Functional Reach Test (FRT). The results showed that the soy sauce and vanilla odor exposure extended the reaching distance and forward shift in the center of gravity in the FRT, indicating that food odors improved the balance ability of children.Practical ApplicationsWe have shown that soy sauce and vanilla odors improve balance ability in children. Such odor stimulation could be useful for children with cerebral palsy who have balance disorders. A better understanding of the neural mechanisms that link olfactory stimulation with motor activity will facilitate the therapeutic application of odors for children with motor disorders.

Foraminifera, the most ancient known calcium carbonate–producing eukaryotes, are crucial players in global biogeochemical cycles and well-used environmental indicators in biogeosciences. However, little is known about their calcification mechanisms. This impedes understanding the organismal responses to ocean acidification, which alters marine calcium carbonate production, potentially leading to biogeochemical cycle changes. We conducted comparative single-cell transcriptomics and fluorescent microscopy and identified calcium ion (Ca 2+ ) transport/secretion genes and α-carbonic anhydrases that control calcification in a foraminifer. They actively take up Ca 2+ to boost mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate synthesis during calcification but need to pump excess intracellular Ca 2+ to the calcification site to prevent cell death. Unique α-carbonic anhydrase genes induce the generation of bicarbonate and proton from multiple CO 2 sources. These control mechanisms have evolved independently since the Precambrian to enable the development of large cells and calcification despite decreasing Ca 2+ concentrations and pH in seawater. The present findings provide previously unknown insights into the calcification mechanisms and their subsequent function in enduring ocean acidification.

Abstract ObjectivesA pitching motion involves three-dimensional whole body movement. Proper pelvic and trunk rotation movement are important for the prevention of throwing injuries. Given that throwing is not a simple rotation movement, the evaluation of proper motion should reflect muscle strength as well as coordination and pitching motion characteristics. We have devised a throwing rotational assessment (TRA) as a new evaluation of the total rotation angle required for throwing. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of players with throwing disorders compared to a pain-free group using TRA.Materials and methodsThe subjects consisted of 164 high school baseball pitchers who participated in a medical check. Pain-induced tests included an elbow hyperextension test and an intra-articular shoulder impingement test. Pitchers who felt pain in either test were classified into a disorder group (n=61). With the subjects in a position similar to the foot contact phase of throwing, the rotation angles of the pelvis and trunk were measured. All tests were performed in the throwing and opposite directions.ResultsThe disorder group had significantly lower average rotation angles of the pelvis and trunk in the throwing direction and the rotation angle of the trunk in the opposite direction compared to the healthy group.ConclusionTRA reflects the complex whole body rotation movement. Reductions in rotational angles as assessed in TRA may be associated with throwing disorders. TRA is a simple method that may be useful in the early detection of a throwing disorder and could be used in the systematic evaluation during a medical check, as well as during self-check in the sports field.

Abstract Sedimentological and biochronological analyses were undertaken on carbonate deposits from 20 seamounts belonging to the Marcus–Wake Seamount Group, the Magellan Seamounts, and the Marshall Islands Seamounts in the JA area, northwestern Pacific Ocean. Deposition of carbonates on the JA seamounts varied markedly with age. The oldest carbonate deposits are Lower to middle Cretaceous shallow‐water limestones containing mollusks (including rudists), scleractinian corals, and calcareous sponges. Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene carbonates are rare, and no Oligocene carbonates may exist. In contrast, Eocene foraminiferal packstones are widespread, and Miocene–Pleistocene foraminiferal ooze covers the JA seamounts. The limited occurrence of Paleogene carbonate deposits on the JA seamounts is consistent with global observations (i.e., a paucity of Paleogene carbonates). The Cretaceous–Eocene carbonates have been phosphatized, whereas Miocene and later limestones have not. This fact, along with the results of previous studies, suggests that carbonate rocks on seamounts were phosphatized globally during the Oligocene. Upwelling of nutrient‐rich bottom waters during this time is likely responsible for the limited occurrence of Oligocene carbonate rocks on the JA seamounts. The thicknesses of the pelagic caps, which consist mainly of Miocene and younger foraminiferal oozes, varies among the seamounts and depends at least partly on the topography of the top of the seamount.