Saitama Prefectural University

About: Saitama Prefectural University is a education organization based out in Koshigaya, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cohort study. The organization has 299 authors who have published 577 publications receiving 7668 citations. The organization is also known as: Saitama kenritsu daigaku.

ITPKC functional polymorphism associated with Kawasaki disease susceptibility and formation of coronary artery aneurysms.

Abstract: Kawasaki disease is a pediatric systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology for which a genetic influence is suspected We identified a functional SNP (itpkc_3) in the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase C (ITPKC) gene on chromosome 19q132 that is significantly associated with Kawasaki disease susceptibility and also with an increased risk of coronary artery lesions in both Japanese and US children Transfection experiments showed that the C allele of itpkc_3 reduces splicing efficiency of the ITPKC mRNA ITPKC acts as a negative regulator of T-cell activation through the Ca2+/NFAT signaling pathway, and the C allele may contribute to immune hyper-reactivity in Kawasaki disease This finding provides new insights into the mechanisms of immune activation in Kawasaki disease and emphasizes the importance of activated T cells in the pathogenesis of this vasculitis

Absolute Scintillation Yields in Liquid Argon and Xenon for Various Particles

Abstract: For the determination of the absolute scintillation yields –the number of scintillation photons per unit absorbed energy– for a variety of particles in liquid argon, a series of simultaneous ionization and scintillation measurements were performed. The results verified that scintillation yields for relativistic heavy particles from Ne to La are constant despite their extensive range of linear energy transfer. Such a constant level, called "flat top response" level, manifests the maximum absolute scintillation yield in liquid argon. The maximum absolute scintillation yield is defined by the average energy to produce a single photon, Wph(max) = 19.5±1.0 eV. In liquid xenon, the existence of the same flat top response level was also found by conducting scintillation measurements on relativistic heavy particles. The Wph(max) in liquid xenon was evaluated to be 13.8±0.9 eV using the Wph for 1 MeV electrons, obtained experimentally. The ratio between the two maximum scintillation yields at the flat top response level obtained in liquid argon and xenon is in good agreement with the estimation by way of the energy resolutions of scintillation due to alpha particles in both liquids.

Japanese translation and linguistic validation of the US National Cancer Institute’s Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE)

Abstract: The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) has developed the Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) to capture patients’ self-reported symptomatic adverse events in cancer clinical trials. The aim of this study was to develop and linguistically validate a Japanese translation of PRO-CTCAE. Forward- and back-translations were produced, and an independent review was performed by the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) Executive Committee and the US NCI. We then conducted cognitive interviews with 21 patients undergoing cancer treatment. Participants were asked to complete the PRO-CTCAE and were interviewed using semi-structured scripts and predetermined probes to investigate whether any items were difficult to understand or answer. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and a thematic analysis was performed. The data were split into two categories: 1) remarks on the items and 2) remarks on the questionnaire in general. Twenty-one cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or hormone therapy were interviewed at the University of Tokyo Hospital and the Kansai Medical University Hirakata Hospital during 2011 and 2012. Thirty-three PRO-CTCAE items were evaluated as “difficult to understand,” and 65 items were evaluated as “difficult to answer” by at least one respondent. However, on further investigation, only 24 remarks were categorized as “comprehension difficulties” or “clarity” issues. Most of these remarks concerned patients’ difficulties with rating their experience of individual symptomatic events. The study provides preliminary evidence supporting the linguistic validity of the Japanese version of PRO-CTCAE. Further cognitive interviewing is warranted for PRO-CTCAE items relating to sexuality and anxiety and for response options on severity attribute items.

Incidence Survey of Kawasaki Disease in 1997 and 1998 in Japan

Abstract: Objective. To describe the results of a nationwide epidemiologic survey of Kawasaki disease for the 2-year period 1997 and 1998. Design. We sent a questionnaire to all hospitals with 100 beds or more throughout Japan (2663 hospitals) requesting data on patients with Kawasaki disease. Study items included name, sex, date of birth, date of initial hospital visit, diagnosis, address, recurrence, sibling cases, gammaglobulin treatment, and cardiac lesion in the acute stage or 1 month after onset. Results. Of the 2663 hospitals, 68.5% responded, reporting 12 966 patients—7489 males and 5477 females. Of the total patients reported, 6373 (incidence rate of 108.0 per 100 000 children Conclusion. The incidence rates have been steadily increasing for 11 years since 1987. The rate in 1998 was over 1.5 times higher than that in 1987. The age and sex distributions were identical in each survey. Although most of the cardiac lesions at the acute stage decreased to half or less 1 month after onset, giant aneurysms did not decrease and existed persistently after 1 month.