Significance of AgNORs Ratio as a Prognostic Factor of Breast Cancer

The numbers and the sizes of Argyrophilic Nucleolar Organizer Regions (AgNORs) were analysed in 76 cases of mammary invasive ductal carcinoma for the evaluation of biologic behaviour of breast cancer. For the measurement of AgNORs size, a total of AgNORs area per nucleus and the ratio of AgNORs area to the nuclear area were measured by automatic image analyzer as "AgNORs area" and "AgNORs ratio", respectively. Concerning the tumor grade, the mean AgNORs area and ratio were significantly increased in high grade tumor (area: p<0.001, ratio: p < 0.05). A significant increase (p<0.05) of the mean AgNORs ratio was shown in patients with nodal metastasis. The survival time was analysed among four groups separated according to the lymph node status and the mean value of AgNORs amounts. As a result in patients with nodal metastasis, the group that showed high AgNORs ratios of more than the mean value had significantly (p<0.05) shorter survival time as compared with the group of less than the mean AgNORs ratio. There was a tendency in the group of larger AgNORs areas toward poorer prognosis than that of smaller AgNORs areas. On the contrary, the AgNORs number was of no value to predict the prognosis. In the patients without nodal metastasis, the survival time was not affected by any of the AgNORs parameters. In conclusion, the AgNORs ratio was disclosed to be an important variable in predicting the prognosis of the patients with lymph node metastasis of breast cancer

Oral immunotherapy combined with omalizumab for high–risk cow’s milk allergy : a randomized controlled trial

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of oral immunotherapy (OIT) combined with 24 weeks of omalizumab (OMB) at inducing desensitization in children with cow’s milk allergy (CM) compared with an untreated group. The present study was a prospective randomized controlled trial. Sixteen patients (age, 6–14 years) with high IgE levels to CM were enrolled in the present study. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive OMB-OIT group or untreated group. The primary outcome was the induction of desensitization at 8 weeks after OMB was discontinued in OMB-OIT treated group and at 32 weeks after study entry. None of the 6 children in the untreated group developed desensitization to CM while all of the 10 children in the OIT-OMB treated group achieved desensitization (P < 0.001). A significantly decreased wheal diameter in response to a skin prick test using CM was found in the OMB-OIT treated group (P < 0.05). These data suggest that OIT combined with OMB using microwave heated CM may help to induce desensitization for children with high-risk CM allergy. This prospective randomized controlled trial was intended for 50 participants but was prematurely discontinued due to overwhelming superiority of OMB combined with microwave heated OIT over CM avoidance

8.埼玉大学(第1部 事例報告,オンライン・コースにおける授業の評価・改善に関する実践的研究,メディアを活用した学習方法の最適化に関する研究開発)

本報告では、埼玉大学教育学部において担当している「教育方法学概説」授業において検討している、授業設計訓練支援へのオンラインコースの活用について紹介する。本授業においては、指導案作成や模擬授業の方法について指導するが、定着には繰り返し行うことが必要である上、授業終了後も教育実習や、教員となった後も継続的に行う活動であり、一貫した指導、情報提供、さらには自学自習支援が必要であると考える。そこで、これまで筆者らが開発してきた授業設計訓練システムを発展させた遠隔メディアを活用するオンラインコースについて紹介した

Malignant Potential in the Analysis of DNA Ploidy Pattern in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Recently the measurement of cellular DNA content has been focused on knowing the extent of cancer extension and biological behaviour of the tumor cells as well as on producting occurrence of recurrence and the survival time in patients with carcinomas of various organs. And also it is well known that tumor markers such as CEA, CA19-9 and CA72-2 are of great value in predicting recurrence in the follow-up study. It is common that colorectal cancers show well differentiated carcinoma which demonstrates relatively fair prognosis. However, some revealed aggressive and rapid extension of carcinoma, indicating a poor prognosis. The purpose of this study is to certify the significance of the measurement of cellular DNA content for assessing biologic behavior of colorectal cancer in comparison with clinicopathologic factors which have been used for assessment of their prognosis. Development of flow cytometer enabled us to measure the nuclear DNA content with ease, speed and producibility. Furthermore, prevalence of flow cytometric technique makes it possible to know more accurate outcome. When assessed biologically aggressive behavior of tumor cells, potent chemotherapy and extensive surgery are mandatory for improvement of the outcome. It is necessary to search for the method of the accurate assessment of the outcome for patients with carcinomas. The purpose of this study is to clarify the validity of nuclear DNA measurement for assessment of the prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer in comparison with clinicopathologic factors

Evaluation of Surgical Resection for Pancreatic Carcinoma at a Japanese Single Cancer Institute

Background/Aims: Surgical resection is a radical treatment option for pancreatic carcinoma (PC); however, it is still difficult to cure and patient prognosis is poor at this stage. Methodology: We examined the demographics, surgical records and outcome in 64 patients with hilar PC undergoing surgical resection. Results: Pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) was carried out in 48 patients, distal pancreatectomy (DP) in 14 and total pancreatectomy in two. Postoperative complications were observed in 18 patients (28%) but no hospital deaths. All stage I patients showed carcinoma in situ of intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma (IPMC). Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was performed in 15 patients (23%) using gemcitabine or S-1. Cancer recurrence was observed in 36 patients (56%) and 31 died of carcinoma. The 5-year cancer-free and overall survival rate was 12% and 14%, respectively. CA19-9 level, morphological type, T category, lymph node metastasis, extrapancreatic nerve plexus invasion, retropancreatic tissue invasion, distal bile duct invasion, duodenal invasion and arterial system invasion were significant poor prognostic factors; however, portal vein system invasion was not significantly associated with prognosis. Cancer infiltration at bile duct cut-end and dissected peripancreatic tissue margin and presence of residual tumor showed a poor prognosis. Surgical prognosis in only non-invasive IPMC was satisfactory.Conclusions: Radically extended surgical resection is necessary and newly effective adjuvant chemotherapy is a promising modality to improve patient survival in PC patients

Web教材のコンテンツ評価の研究(フレキシブル・ラーニングのための学習支援と評価(I),メディアFDとフレキシブル・ラーニング支援の研究開発)

学校での学習活動で活用可能なWeb教材の特徴を分析し、改善の指針を明らかにするために、Web教材を評価するための70項目を選定するとともに、その項目を用いて、経験豊かな教師による主観的な評価を行い、分析した結果である

Development of Radiation Hard N+-on-P Silicon Microstrip Sensors for Super LHC

Radiation tolerance up to 1015 1-MeV neq/cm2 is required for the silicon microstrip sensors to be operated at the Super LHC experiment. As a candidate for such sensors, we are investigating non-inverting n+-on-p sensors. We manufactured sample sensors of 1 times 1 cm in 4" and 6" processes with implementing different interstrip electrical isolation structures. Industrial high resistive p-type wafers from FZ and MCZ growth are tested. They are different in crystal orientations lang100rang and lang111rang with different wafer resistivities. The sensors were irradiated with 70-MeV protons and characterized in views of the leakage current increase, noise figures, electrical strip isolation, full depletion voltage evolution, and charge collection efficiency