The resurrected Jesus and the marginalized people: from a Buraku liberation perspective

Discrimination is one of the most challenging issues that we are faced with in the world today. It impairs human dignity and dehumanizes individuals and particular group of people, violating the order of God’s creation. It has and continues to be a critical issue and a serious challenge for Christian churches today. This thesis aims to link the theme of the liberation for the Burakumin who are the discriminated and marginalized people in Japanese society over a period of years, with the liberating message of the Gospel, and the ecumenical commitment towards the issue of discrimination. The Burakumin are not really known in the world outside Japan. An attempt is made to highlight their discriminatory situation and their struggle for liberation. An attempt has also been made to study the Buraku liberation theology as one of the contextualized liberation theology and highlights its relevance and contribution towards the struggle against the discrimination in Japanese society and also the world at large. Then, as an example of the ecumenical biblical interpretation for the liberation of the marginalized people, it attempts has been made to interpret and re-read the biblical text about the story of the resurrection in John 20:11-18 from the perspective of the Burakumin. Through a Buraku liberation reading, it is hoped that the possibility of interpreting the resurrection of Jesus as the liberating experience for the discriminated and marginalized people can be highlighted with the re-reading and presentation of the resurrected Jesus in the similitude of the discriminated and the marginalized, appearing before the discriminated and marginalized in the society

Unilateral Pedicle Stress Fracture in a Long-Term Hemodialysis Patient with Isthmic Spondylolisthesis

Most unilateral pedicle stress fractures occur on the contralateral side of patients with unilateral spondylolysis. However, there are few reports of unilateral pedicle stress fractures in patients with bilateral spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. We report a unique case of unilateral pedicle stress fracture in a long-term hemodialysis patient with isthmic spondylolisthesis. A 65-year-old man who had undergone hemodialysis presented with lower back pain that had persisted for several years. The patient experienced severe right lower extremity pain with no history of trauma. Computed tomography revealed unilateral pedicle fracture with bilateral L5 spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis with progression of scoliosis. The patient underwent Gill laminectomy of L5 with pedicle screw fixation at L4-S1 and interbody fusion at L5-S1. The patient’s leg pain ceased immediately, and he began walking without leg pain. In our present patient, development of scoliosis caused by destructive spondyloarthropathy may have contributed to a unilateral pedicle fracture

騒音による脳内神経伝達物質の経時的変動に関する研究

金沢大医学部騒音刺激の中枢神経系への影響を生化学的側面から検討、評価するための手技を確立するために脳内神経伝達物質とされるモノアミンに注目した。つまり騒音の影響をモノアミンの量的変動から評価するために、ラットを用い騒音暴露実験を行った。暴露した騒音の音圧レベルは60dB(A)〜100dB(A)とし、暴露時間は最長で4時間とした。モノアミンとしてはノルエピネフリン(NE),ドーパミン(DA),エピネフリン(E)の3種を測定対象とした。本研究ではまずラット脳内アミンの測定をできるだけ迅速にかつ簡便に行うための基礎的検討を行い良好な成績を得た。新しく購入した電気化学検出器(ECD)を用い、これを高速液体クロマトグラフィーに接続し微量であるアミン類の定量を可能にした。ECDは敏感な検出器であるがその電極間電圧を変化することにより電離される物質が異なる。本研究では上記の3種類のアミンを同時に検出するために、それぞれの物質を回収率等を考慮しできるだけ効率よく抽出、測定する必要がある。そのために測定条件を設定するための基礎的検討を十分に行った。測定全般に渡って用いる水、標準液の溶媒、電極間電圧の設定、検出器のアッテネーションの設定、各物質のピークの確認等種々の条件の組合せを検討し、測定に関してはほぼ満足のいく方法を定めることができた。3種のアミンはNE,E,DAの順に溶出、検出された。回収率は70〜80%の間にあり再現性も良好であることから今回設定した測定条件で十分実験的研究に役立つものと判断した。交通騒音をラットに負荷した場合、最も特徴的な変動を示したNEの結果を述べると、音圧100dB(A)で全脳レベルで減少傾向を示したがこれを脳の部位別に検討すると視床下部で減少傾向を、中脳では有意な減少減少を示した。暴露する騒音の音圧レベルないし暴露時間を変化させた場合の評価にはNEを指標にするのが最も効率的であることを確認した。研究課題/領域番号:61570270, 研究期間(年度):1986出典：研究課題「騒音による脳内神経伝達物質の経時的変動に関する研究」課題番号61570270（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所）） （https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-61570270/）を加工して作

Prognostic sub-classification of intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter cohort study with propensity score analysis

There is significant heterogeneity in the clini- copathological characteristics of intermediate hepatocellu- lar carcinoma (IHCC). This also translates to treatment as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is used as first- line therapy for patients with IHCC; however, in Asia liver resection (LR) is preferred. Prognostic tools are required to help guide clinicians in deciding treatment options. This study evaluates the prognostic impact of the Intermediate Stage Score (ISS) on overall survival (OS) in a large, multicenter cohort study of patients with IHCC treated with TACE or surgery LR. Consecutive patients from centers in Japan, Korea, Italy and the United Kingdom who under- went TACE or LR between 2001 and 2015 were enrolled. Propensity score (PS) adjustment was used to remove residual confounding and applied to LR (n=162) and TACE ( n = 449) to determine the prognostic significance of ISS. Among 611 patients, 75 % were men and 25 % women, with a mean age of 70 years. ISS is a valid prognostic tool in the BCLC-B population with a median OS ISS 1–51, 2–38.3, 3–24.3, 4–15.6, 5–16 months ( p \ 0.0001). ISS was analyzed within each treatment modality, and this was a valid prognostic score among those treated with TACE and LR ( p \ 0.001 vs. p = 0.008). In the PS-adjusted model, ISS retained its prognostic utility in TACE and LR groups (p\0.001 vs.p=0.007). ISS optimizes prognostic prediction in IHCC, reducing clinical heterogeneity, and is a useful tool for patients treated for TACE or LR

Combined sequential use of HAP and ART scores to predict survival outcome and treatment failure following chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma: a multi-center comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is variable, despite a myriad of prognostic markers. We compared and integrated the established prognostic models, HAP and ART scores, for their accuracy of overall survival (OS) prediction. RESULTS: In both training and validation sets, HAP and ART scores emerged as independent predictors of OS (p<0.01) with HAP achieving better prognostic accuracy (c-index: 0.68) over ART (0.57). We tested both scores in combination to evaluate their combined ability to predict OS. Subgroup analysis of BCLC-C patients revealed favorable HAP stage (p<0.001) and radiological response after initial TACE (p<0.001) as positive prognostic factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prognostic scores were studied using multivariable Cox regression and c-index analysis in 83 subjects with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) A/B stage from UK and Italy (training set), and 660 from Korea and Japan (validation set), all treated with conventional TACE. Scores were further validated in an separate analysis of patients with BCLC-C stage disease (n=63) receiving initial TACE. CONCLUSION: ART and HAP scores are validated indices in patients with intermediate stage HCC undergoing TACE. The HAP score is best suited for screening patients prior to initial TACE, whilst sequential ART assessment improves early detection of chemoembolization failure. BCLC-C patients with low HAP stage may be a subgroup where TACE should be explored in clinical studies

The ALBI grade provides objective hepatic reserve phenotyping across each BCLC stage of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Overall survival (OS) is a composite clinical endpoint in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to the mutual influence of cirrhosis and active malignancy in dictating patient's mortality. The ALBI grade is a recently described index of liver dysfunction in hepatocellular carcinoma, based solely on albumin and bilirubin levels. Whilst accurate, this score lacks cross-validation, especially in intermediate stage HCC, where OS is highly heterogeneous. METHODS: We evaluated the prognostic accuracy of the ALBI grade in estimating OS in a large, multi-centre study of 2426 patients, including a large proportion of intermediate stage patients treated with chemoembolization (n=1461) accrued from Europe, the United States and Asia. RESULTS: Analysis of survival by primary treatment modality confirmed the ALBI grade as a significant predictor of patient OS after surgical resection (p<0.001), transarterial chemoembolization (p<0.001) and sorafenib (p<0.001). Stratification by Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage confirmed the independent prognostic value of the ALBI across the diverse stages of the disease, geographical regions of origin and time of recruitment to the study (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this large, multi-centre retrospective study, the ALBI grade satisfied the criteria for accuracy and reproducibility following statistical validation in Eastern and Western HCC patients, including those treated with chemoembolization. Consideration should be given to the ALBI grade as a stratifying biomarker of liver reserve in routine clinical practice. LAY SUMMARY: Liver failure is a key determinant influencing the natural history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this large multi-centre study we externally validate a novel biomarker of liver functional reserve, the ALBI grade, across all the stages of HCC

The Halogenated Metabolism of Brown Algae (Phaeophyta), Its Biological Importance and Its Environmental Significance

Brown algae represent a major component of littoral and sublittoral zones in temperate and subtropical ecosystems. An essential adaptive feature of this independent eukaryotic lineage is the ability to couple oxidative reactions resulting from exposure to sunlight and air with the halogenations of various substrates, thereby addressing various biotic and abiotic stresses i.e., defense against predators, tissue repair, holdfast adhesion, and protection against reactive species generated by oxidative processes. Whereas marine organisms mainly make use of bromine to increase the biological activity of secondary metabolites, some orders of brown algae such as Laminariales have also developed a striking capability to accumulate and to use iodine in physiological adaptations to stress. We review selected aspects of the halogenated metabolism of macrophytic brown algae in the light of the most recent results, which point toward novel functions for iodide accumulation in kelps and the importance of bromination in cell wall modifications and adhesion properties of brown algal propagules. The importance of halogen speciation processes ranges from microbiology to biogeochemistry, through enzymology, cellular biology and ecotoxicology

Correction: Impact of age on sorafenib outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma: an international cohort study.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-020-01241-5</jats:p