In vitro antiviral activity of polyoxomolybdates. Mechanism of inhibitory effect of PM-104 (NH4)12H2(Eu4(MoO4(H2O)16(Mo7O24)4) · 13H2O on human immunodeficiency virus type 1

A screening for inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) among various types of isopolyoxomolybdates and heteropolyoxomolybdates was carried out by using an in vitro assay system measuring the cytopathogenicity of HIV-1 in CD4⁺ human MT-4 cells. A novel heteropolyoxomolybdate named PM-104 with the chemical formula (NH₄)₁₂H₂(Eu₄(MoO₄)(H₂O)₁₆(Mo₇O₂₄)₄) · 13H₂O was found to be associated with potent anti-HIV-1 activity.

PM-104 interferes with virus infection at a very early step such as adsorption and/or penetration into the cells. In addition to the cytopathic effect of HIV-1 on MT-4 cells, syncytium formation between mock-infected MOLT-4 cells and MOLT-4 cells chronically infected with either HIV-1 or HIV-2 is suppressed by PM-104. PM-104 also blocks the replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). The antiviral properties of PM-104 could be attributed to the combined effect of europium atoms and its peculiar three-dimensional anion structure.     

Difficult airway in a child with multiple juvenile xanthogranulomas

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a benign and self-healing histiocytosis on the skin. A 4-year-old boy with multiple JXG was scheduled for plastic surgery to correct the scar contraction of the neck. The patient was expected to have difficult airway caused by small mouth, limitation of neck movement and numerous nodular lesions located at the face. Initially he underwent resection of the neck scar under local anesthesia with added inhalation anesthesia via mask, and the restricted neck recurvation was improved. One week later, he underwent skin grafting under general anesthesia. We used a spiral tube of 3 mm diameter inserted to the nostril for manual ventilation, and bronchofiberscope-aided tracheal intubation was successfully performed through the laryngeal mask airway under general anesthesia without any problems.     

Imaging aid for thoracoscopic thymectomy; thymic vein visualization

The spread and progress of thoracoscopic surgery has been remarkable. There are many important organs and blood vessels in the mediastinal space, thus, as inadvertent injury invites serious consequences, it is necessary to understand the anatomical position of existing structures. When enucleating the thymoma under a thoracoscope, one of the blood vessels to be careful about is the thymic vein. Therefore, we examined whether the thymic vein could be confirmed using a multidetector-row computed tomography (MD CT). We believed we could understand the anatomical position of the thymic vein by analyzing the high resolution slice data provided in MD CT using a work station. The diameter of the thymic is from a little less than 1 mm to 3 mm, and there were individual variations in position and the number of the vein. The thymic vein flowed into the left brachiocephalic vein in many cases. In some cases, the thymic vein flowed into the right internal thoracic vein or superior vena cava. It appears that visualization of the thymic vein could provide useful data when performing thoracoscopic thymectomy.     

The present situation of occupational health nursing education and how to apply it to the fundamental nursing system]

The purpose of this study was to determine the present situation of occupational health nursing (OHN) education and to discuss future problems facing the fundamental nursing teaching staff. We conducted a questionnaire among fundamental nursing teachers, and our results showed that in occupational health nursing there is a gap between what is being taught at present and what the teaching staff thinks should be taught. In addition, the questionnaire showed that nursing teachers desire to teach such subjects as understanding of clients, health problems, methods of health management, the definition of OHN and concrete care in OHN, from 2 to 10 hours in the community health nursing course of the future. Because we believe that occupational health nurses can acquire a deeper knowledge and practice in continuous training, including postgraduate training, than in a fundamental nursing course, we suggest that there is the problem of how to combine fundamental nursing and continuous education in the future should be carefully studied.     

Beating pulmonary vein sign during catheter ablation

The beating of a pulmonary vein during cardiac catheterization is a rare phenomenon caused by the heart beating through the pericardial effusion when a cardiac tamponade occurs. This “beating pulmonary vein” sign is useful for early detection of a tamponade before circulatory collapse occurs.