The Importance of Using Things Students Have Already Known : Effective Methods for Teaching Unmotivated Students in English Education and Piano Training

本稿では，大学における英語授業とピアノ実技指導における初学者の苦手意識の傾向を分析し，初学者の苦手意識をなくすための有効性の高い指導方法を検討する。英語学習における学生の苦手意識は，「英語ができない」という強い感情，徒労感，不安感，嫌悪感，無関心，英語を無理やり学習させられているという感情に集約される。このような苦手意識を除くために，学生がすでに学習している英語５文型を用いた簡単な「自由英作文」を行いながら，学生の英語学習の習慣の形成，および英語で表現することに対する関心の喚起を図っていくことを提案する。ピアノ実技指導における学生の苦手意識は，嫌悪感，拒否感，不安感・恐怖感，焦燥感，劣等感，孤独感，義務感，音楽表現との乖離に集約される。このような苦手意識を除くために，既知の曲の「変奏曲」を用いてピアノ実技指導をすることを提案する

Expression of HER2 and MUC1 in Advanced Colorectal Cancer: Frequency and Clinicopathological Characteristics

There have been many reports on the overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in patients with colon cancer. However, the role and frequency of HER2 overexpression have not been clearly defined. Anti-HER2 therapy has been shown to improve the prognosis of HER2-positive patients with breast and stomach cancers. In this study, we explored HER2 expression in patients with colon cancer at stages II and III by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and dual-color in situ hybridization (DISH), and examined the correlation between HER2 expression and clinicopathological factors. Moreover, we examined the correlation between HER2 expression and mucin 1 (MUC1) expression. The subjects were 121 patients with colon cancer at stages II and III who underwent surgery in our hospital during the period from 2007 to 2009. Sections containing the deepest part of a lesion were subjected to immunostaining for HER2 and MUC1. HER2 expression was assessed in accordance with Ventana\u27s Guidelines for HER2 Testing in Stomach Cancer, with sections comprising less than 10% of weakly to moderately stained tumor cells scored as 1 > 2. HER2 expression scored as 2 was defined with sections comprising more than 10% of the weakly to moderately stained tumor cells. Patients with a score of 1 > 2 and 2 were also subjected to DISH using a Dual ISH HER2 kit. MUC1 expression was scored according to the percentage of stained area as follows: 0, 0 to 5%; 1, 5 to 50%; and 2, 50% and higher. Patients with a score of 1 and 2 were defined as MUC1-positive. The analysis of HER2 by IHC yielded the following scores: 45 patients (37.2%), 0; 38 patients (31.4%), 1; 14 patients (11.6%); 1 > 2; 24 patients (19.8%), 2; and 0 patients (0%), 3. For the 38 patients with a score of 1 > 2 and 2, DISH returned ratios of HER2 to Chr17 expression (HER2: Chr17 ratio) from 1.13 to 1.93 (mean = 1.46). There was no significant correlation between HER2 expression and clinicopathological factors. The numbers of MUC1-positive patients according to HER2 score were as follows: 22 patients (48.9%) in the score 0 group (45 patients); 25 patients (65.8%) in the score 1 group (38 patients); 10 patients (71.4%) in the score 1 > 2 group (14 patients), and 22 patients (91.7%) in the score 2 group (24 patients). There was a positive correlation between HER2 expression and MUC1 expression. Specifically, MUC1 expression levels increased with HER2 expression level, and the percentage of MUC1-positive patients was significantly higher in the HER2 score 2 group than in the HER2 score 0 group (P < 0.01). Rates of HER2 positivity by DISH or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in patients who had an HER2 score of 2+ by IHC were 45% and 24% in the patients with stomach and breast cancers, respectively. However, the positivity rate was 0% in the patients with colon cancer in this study. This result indicates that patients with colon cancer who have an IHC HER2 score of 2+ are more likely to be HER2 negative by DISH than patients with breast and stomach cancers, although larger cohort studies are required before a definitive conclusion can be made. There was a positive correlation between HER2 expression and MUC1 expression in this study, although further examination is required because there were no patients who had an HER2 score of 3+ or 2+ by IHC and were HER2 positive by DISH in this study. HER2 expression in colon cancer should be cautiously assessed by both IHC and DISH

Significance of Ki-67 Expression and Risk Category (St. Gallen 2007) in Elderly Breast Cancer Patients, with Emphasis on the Need for Postoperative Adjuvant Therapy

Breast cancer is increasing in the elderly. Although elderly breast cancer patients frequently receive less invasive therapy, its appropriateness is debatable. Ki-67 expression is a controversial prognostic factor and predictor of the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant therapy. This study investigated the value of the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) in elderly breast cancer patients, especially with respect to adjuvant therapy. This retrospective study investigated 82 primary breast cancer patients aged 70 years who underwent surgery between 1995 and 2005. Their clinicopathological findings were reviewed and their Ki-67 LIs were determined. The patients\u27 mean age was 78 years, the mean observation period was 53.8 months, and 60 patients (73.2%) underwent adjuvant therapy. The St. Gallen (2007) risk category and the Ki-67 LI (mean, 15.3%) were both significantly correlated with relapse and prognosis. In the 31 cases with a low Ki-67 LI (< 10%), 1 patient who underwent adjuvant treatment relapsed, but there were no deaths. Among the intermediate- and high-risk patients, Ki-67 was low in 15; 1 patient who underwent adjuvant treatment relapsed, but there were no deaths. For elderly breast cancer patients aged 70 years categorized low risk by St. Gallen (2007) or with a low Ki-67 LI, the risk of relapse and death appears to be low regardless of adjuvant therapy. Though further investigation is needed to determine a method of measuring the Ki-67 LI and determining a cut-off value, our findings suggest that the Ki-67 LI helps with the selection of adjuvant therapy in elderly patients

Clinicopathological Significance of FOXP3 Expression in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The expression of transcription factor forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3), a master control gene for regulatory T cells, has been reported to influence patient survival. However, there have been few reports of the relationship between FOXP3 positive cells and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The aim of this study was to clarify the prognostic value of FOXP3 expression in ESCC. Ninety-five patients who were diagnosed with primary ESCC and underwent subtotal esophagectomy during 2009 and 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Deepest sections from each tumor were selected for immunohistochemistry and the number of FOXP3 positive cells was counted. The median number was used as a cutoff to divide into FOXP3 positive and FOXP3 negative subgroups. Relationships between FOXP3 expression and clinicopathological features, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were determined. Statistical values of p < 0.05 were considered significant. FOXP3 positive cells were found in all 95 cases and the number of FOXP3 positive cells was significantly higher in the peri-tumor compartment than in the intra-tumor compartment (p = 0.0006). For this reason, the peri-tumor compartment numbers were used for all of the association studies. Results showed that the FOXP3 positive group had a significantly larger mean tumor size (43.8 ± 4.1mm vs 29.1 ± 4.0mm, p = 0.0055), and the FOXP3 negative group had a significantly higher percentage of deep invasion (T2, T3, T4)(p = 0.0399). There was no significant association for DFS, however, for OS the FOXP3 positive group demonstrated a significantly better prognosis (p = 0.0024). Multivariate analysis showed that peri-tumor FOXP3 expression is an independent prognostic factor for OS (p = 0.0035). Peri-tumoral FOXP3 expression is an independent and favorable prognostic factor for ESCC

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation for broncho-bronchiolitis obliterans after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: does bronchiolitis obliterans recur in transplanted lungs?

金沢大学付属病院血液内科We report a successful case of living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) for therapy-resistant broncho-bronchiolitis obliterans (BBO) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is one of the late-onset noninfectious pulmonary complications that occur after allogeneic HSCT and is usually resistant to immunosuppressive therapy. A 17-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) had undergone allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an HLA-matched sibling in 1997. Five years later, she relapsed with ALL and was treated with chemotherapy following stem cell rescue and donor lymphocyte infusion from the original BMT donor. Eight months later, BBO resistant to immunosuppressive therapies, including rituximab, developed in combination with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In February 2004, the patient underwent LDLLT from 2 other family members who were mismatched at 3 HLA loci. The patient has been in good health for more than 30 months following LDLLT and shows no sign of BBO in the transplanted lungs, just as with other patients who have undergone lung transplantation for BO associated with chronic GVHD. LDLLT may therefore be considered a viable therapeutic option for the treatment of BO after allogeneic HSCT

Poly ADP-ribose Polymerase (PARP) Staining for Immunohistological Investigation of Primary Breast Cancer

Given that clinical trials of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) 1 inhibitors are underway, in the present study we investigated the prevalence of triple-negative breast cancer and PARP1 expression in patients with primary invasive breast cancer. Immunohistological studies plus PARP staining were performed on samples from 206 primary breast cancer patients undergoing surgery at Showa University Hospital between January 2010 and May 2011. Fifteen patients (7.3%) were found to have triple-negative breast cancer. Hormone receptor-positive patients were significantly more likely to be PARP1 negative. There were no PARP1-negative patients in the triple-negative group. However, there was no significant difference in the rate of PARP1 negativity between patients with triple-negative breast cancer and those with other breast cancer subtypes. There were no PARP1-negative patients in the triple-negative breast cancer group. Given that the effectiveness of PARP inhibitors has not been sufficiently established in clinical trials, a more in-depth analysis is required to determine the factors contributing to effective treatment. Future studies should include more subjects with triple-negative breast cancer and those with BRCA mutations

Conceptual Design of Rapid Circular Particle Accelerator Using High-Gradient Resonant Cavities with Fixed Frequency

A new high-energy particle accelerator with static combined type of magnetic field and high-gradient resonant cavities is introduced for muon acceleration up to 300 MeV and proton acceleration up to 400 MeV. The accelerator concept is expected to realize Mpps-class rapid cycling high-energy particle acceleration in circular particle accelerators. Conceptual designs of the circular accelerator are discussed with an emphasis on short lifetime particles. The fundamental concept of particle acceleration and the related practical issues, which should be discussed when designing the accelerators, are described as well

Neuroscience instrumentation and distributed analysis of brain activity data: a case for eScience on global Grids

The distribution of knowledge (by scientists) and data sources (advanced scientific instruments), and the need for large-scale computational resources for analyzing massive scientific data are two major problems commonly observed in scientific disciplines. Two popular scientific disciplines of this nature are brain science and high-energy physics. The analysis of brain-activity data gathered from the MEG (magnetoencephalography) instrument is an important research topic in medical science since it helps doctors in identifying symptoms of diseases. The data needs to be analyzed exhaustively to efficiently diagnose and analyze brain functions and requires access to large-scale computational resources. The potential platform for solving such resource intensive applications is the Grid. This paper presents the design and development of MEG data analysis system by leveraging Grid technologies, primarily Nimrod-G, Gridbus, and Globus. It describes the composition of the neuroscience (brain-activity analysis) application as parameter-sweep application and its on-demand deployment on global Grids for distributed execution. The results of economic-based scheduling of analysis jobs for three different optimizations scenarios on the world-wide Grid testhed resources are presented along with their graphical visualization