QOL after RT or OP for uterine cervix cancer

This study aimed to research the post-treatment quality of life (QOL) between radiotherapy (RT)- and operation (OP)-treated early cervical cancer survivors, using separate questionnaires for physicians and patients. We administered an observational questionnaire to patients aged 20–70 years old with Stages IB1–IIB cervical cancer who had undergone RT or OP and without recurrence as outpatients for ≥6 months after treatment. We divided 100 registered patients equally into two treatment groups (n = 50 each). The average age was 53 and 44 years in the RT and OP groups, respectively. The RT group included 34 and 66% Stage I and II patients, respectively, whereas the OP group included 66 and 34% Stage I and II patients, respectively. The OP group included 58% of patients with postoperative RT. Combination chemotherapy was performed in 84 and 48% of patients in the RT and OP groups, respectively. On the physicians’ questionnaire, we observed significant differences in bone marrow suppression (RT) and leg edema (OP). On the patients’ questionnaire, significantly more patients had dysuria and leg edema in the OP group than in the RT group, and severe (Score 4–5) leg edema was significantly higher in the post-operative RT group than in the OP only group. The frequency of sexual intercourse decreased after treatment in both groups. On the patients’ questionnaire, there were no significant differences between the two groups regarding sexual activity. These findings are useful to patients and physicians for shared decision-making in treatment choices. The guidance of everyday life and health information including sexual life after treatment is important

Apoptosis of odontoclasts under physiological root resorption of human deciduous teeth

This study was designed to establish the apoptosis of odontoclasts during physiological root resorption of human deciduous teeth. Deciduous teeth were fixed, decalcified, and embedded in paraffin for immunohistochemical (IHC) observations and in Epon for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Apoptotic cells were identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick-end labeling (TUNEL), and then tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity was determined on the same sections. Epon-embedded specimens were sectioned serially into 0.5-μm semithin sections; some of these sections were re-embedded in Epon, sectioned into 0.1-μm ultrathin sections, and observed by TEM. IHC revealed that the nuclei of TRAP-positive odontoclasts on the dentine were generally TUNEL-negative. Around these odontoclasts, a few TRAP-positive structures were present together with TUNEL-positive structures, e.g., a TRAPpositive structure with one TUNEL-positive nucleus, a TRAP-positive structure with one TUNEL-positive nucleus plus one or two TUNEL-negative nuclei, or a TRAP-positive structure with no nucleus. By TEM, some odontoclasts showed nuclear fragments including compacted chromatin. The results suggest that, during apoptosis, odontoclasts fragment into variously sized cellular parts including three or fewer nuclei

Effect of cardiac rehabilitation on the renal function in chronic kidney disease - Analysis using serum cystatin-C based glomerular filtration rate

Background: Whether an individually determined appropriate level of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has a favorable effect on the renal function still remains unclarified. The aim of this study was to confirm the effect of CR on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using cystatin C, which is known to be unaffected by physical exercise. Methods: The study population was comprised of 86 patients (61 males; average age 74 y/o) with a lower-moderate level of chronic kidney disease (CKD) who was admitted to our hospital for treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and who participated in our 3-month CR program. The exercise capacity was assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) and the eGFR was measured by a formula based on the serum cystatin C concentration (eGFRcys) in each patient both at the beginning and end of the CR. Results: In the CVD patients with CKD, both the peak oxygen uptake (VO2) and peak work rate (WR) improved significantly after CR (15.0 ± 3 to 15.8 ± 3 ml/min/kg, p = 0.002. 65.5 ± 21 to 70.2 ± 25 W, p = 0.001). Regarding the renal function, the eGFRcys improved (45.2 ± 11 to 47.3 ± 13 ml/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.023), however, the eGFR assessed by the serum creatinine (eGFRcr) did not improve after CR (45.1 ± 12 to 44.9 ± 13 ml/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.834). Conclusions: In CVD patients, a novel CR program significantly improved the exercise capacity. Further, CR was shown to have a favorable effect on the renal function when it was estimated by the eGFRcys. Keywords: Cardiac rehabilitation, Chronic kidney disease, Cardiovascular disease, Cystatin C, Estimated glomerular filtration rate, Exercise capacit

In vitro analysis on RECQL1 expression.

<p>(A) RECQL1 expression levels in ten OC cell lines. RECQL1 expression was found to be exceptionally high in KOC-2S, KOC-3S, OVCAR-3, OVCAR-5, KOC-7C, SK-OV-3 and Tov-112D ovarian cancer cell lines as compared with the two normal cell lines (ARPE-19 and TIG-3). (B) The effect of RECQL1 silencing on the growth of OC cell line by time-course analysis. A total of ten OC cell lines were transfected with either RECQL1-siRNA (solid circle) or NS-siRNA (triangle) for a period of 120 hours as described in the Materials and Methods. Cell viability decreased with time after siRNA treatment. RECQL1-siRNA significantly inhibited the proliferation of a wide range of OC cell lines in accordance with the reduction of RECQL1 mRNA (shown as histograms). During the time-course, RECQL1 mRNA expression was reduced differentially, depending on cell line. Data represent the means ± SD, n = 3. (C) The effect of RECQL1 silencing on the cell cycle of OC cell line measured by flow cytometric analysis. Cell lines were transfected with either NS-siRNA (Upper panels) or RECQL1-siRNA (lower panels) for 72 hours. The percentage of cell populations in the subG1, G1/S and G2/M stages are shown as mean ± SD in each flow cytometric profile.</p

Measurement of QSAT Residual Magnetism

The Space Environment Research Center of the Kyushu University (SERC) is developing a magnetometer which is one of the mission instrument of the Kyushu Satellite (QSAT). We must understand residual magnetism around the magnetometer in order to correctly measure the magnetic field in space. In fact, the QSAT bus system may have considerable residual magnetism. There is a possibility that this residual magnetism will have a bad effect on the mission, so we have to measure it and estimate how much effect it will have on the mission magnetometer. For the reasons stated above, we have developed a measurement system for residual magnetism of all satellite's bus units semi-automatically. This system uses the UGF-3 magnetometer. Thanks to this instrument, it is possible to estimate residual magnetism of QSAT bus units precisely even in a regular laboratory. This system can estimate residual magnetism of a sample, if its moment is larger than 0.0001 [Am^2]. Also, the result possesses higher reliability, if the magnetic moment is larger than 0.01 [Am^2]. We completed measuring eight units’ residual magnetism, and we analyzed how much magnetic interference would be caused to the mission magnetometer. The results are much less than permissible levels, so magnetic interference is not a critical problem in our view

Histological features and RECQL1

<div><p><b>(++) expression in ovarian cancers. </b></p> <p>(A) Serous adenocarcinoma, (B) Clear cell adenocarcinoma (C) Endometrioid adenocarcinoma, (D) Mucinous adenocarcinoma and (E) intact ovarian stroma as negative control (inset: hematoxylin and eosin staining).</p></div

Tumor cell proliferation index and survival estimate.

<p>(A) Correlation between Ki-67 labeling index and RECQL1 (++) cases. Photomicrograph illustrates high Ki-67 staining in the serous adenocarcinoma. RECQL1 (++) cases were significantly associated with high Ki-67LI (p=0.02). (B) Kaplan-Meier survival estimate between RECQL1 (++) and (+), (-) cases. By log-rank analysis, there was no significance between RECQL1 expression and overall survival (p=0.72).</p