The Effect of Job Training Programs at a Juvenile Correctional Facility in Japan

We consider the effect of characteristics of prison inmates in general and the job training program participation in particular on the recidivism in Japan. By employing individual level dataset from a Kawagoe Juvenile Correctional Facility, we find that some of the inmates characterstics will lower recidivism and the participation in job training is effective in lowering the probability of re-entry into prison

Involvement of multiple genetic loci in Staphylococcus aureus teicoplanin resistance

Teicoplanin resistance was transformed from a teicoplanin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus into the susceptible strain BB255 to give strain BB938. The cell wall composition, amidation of the iD-glutamate, and peptide crosslinking were identical in BB938 as in BB255 except for a 60% increased length of the glycan chain. Transductional crosses revealed that at least two distinct loci contributed in a cumulative fashion to teicoplanin resistance. One of these loci correlated with a mutation inactivating the anti-sigma factor RsbW. This mutation must have occurred during transformation and selection for teicoplanin resistance in BB938. Genetic manipulations involving the sigB operon showed that transcription factor SigB contributed to decreased teicoplanin susceptibilit

Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma with 2-Stage Total en bloc

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma of the bone occurs at a high rate, and the prognosis is poor. In general, total en bloc spondylectomy is considered when there is only one vertebral metastasis and the primary disease is treated. However, palliative surgery is selected when the primary disease is not being treated or metastasis occurs to an important organ. We encountered a patient in whom lung and vertebra metastases were already present at the time of the first examination at our department and the prognosis was considered poor. However, molecular targeted therapy was markedly effective and enabled 2-stage total en bloc spondylectomy. As of one year after total en bloc spondylectomy, the condition has improved to cane gait, and surgery for lung metastasis is planned. Molecular target drugs might markedly change the current therapeutic strategy for renal cell carcinoma

Spontaneous Symptomatic Pseudoarthrosis at the L2-L3 Intervertebral Space with Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis: A Case Report

Pseudoarthrosis at the intervertebral space in patients with ankylosing spondylitis has occasionally been reported, but symptomatic pseudoarthrosis at the intervertebral disc level is rare in patients with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). Here, we report a case of symptomatic pseudoarthrosis at the L2-L3 intervertebral space that was diagnosed based on clinical history. We first performed L1–L5 fixation, but back-out of the pedicle screw occurred in the early postoperative phase and may have been caused by a short fixation range and concomitant Parkinson's disease. However, the prognosis of the case was favorable after a second surgery. This case indicates that a fixation range of at least 3 above and 3 below is necessary for bone fracture of a thoracolumbar vertebra and pseudoarthrosis in patients with DISH

Mild Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease Improves Outcomes After HLA-Haploidentical-Related Donor Transplantation Using Posttransplant Cyclophosphamide and Cord Blood Transplantation

Haploidentical-related donor transplantation using posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy-haplo) and cord blood transplantation (CBT) are valid alternatives for patients with hematological malignancies when HLA-matched donor transplantation (MDT) is unavailable. However, the effects of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) on outcomes after these transplants have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of acute and chronic GVHD on transplant outcomes after PTCy-haplo transplants and compared them with CBT and MDT. We included a total of 914 adult patients with hematological malignancies in the Kyoto Stem Cell Transplantation Group registry who received PTCy-haplo (N = 120), CBT (N = 402), and MDT (N = 392), and achieved neutrophil engraftment. A multivariate analysis revealed that grade I-II acute GVHD improved of overall survival (OS) after PTCy-haplo [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.39, P = 0.018] and CBT (HR = 0.48, P < 0.001), but not after MDT (HR = 0.80, P = 0.267) compared with patients without acute GVHD. Grade I-II acute GVHD had a trend toward reducing the risk of nonrelapse mortality (NRM) after PTCy-haplo (HR = 0.13, P = 0.060) and this positive effect was significant after CBT (HR = 0.39, P = 0.003). A negative impact of grade III-IV acute GVHD on NRM was observed after CBT and MDT, but not after PTCy-haplo. Limited chronic GVHD had a positive impact on OS after CBT and MDT, but not after PTCy-haplo. In conclusion, mild acute GVHD improved outcomes after PTCy-haplo and CBT, and limited chronic GVHD improved outcomes after CBT and MDT. These data indicated that the effects of GVHD on transplant outcomes depended on transplant platforms