Measuring Energy-saving Technological Change: International Trends and Differences

Technological change is essential for balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability. This study measures and documents energy-saving technological change to understand its trends in advanced countries over recent decades. We estimate aggregate production functions with factor-augmenting technology using cross-country panel data and shift-share instruments, thereby measuring and documenting energy-saving technological change. Our results show how energy-saving technological change varies across countries over time and the extent to which it contributes to economic growth in 12 OECD countries from the years 1978 to 2005

Endothelin-1 Production by Normal Human Cultured Keratinocytes and its Regulation

The possibility that cultured keratinocytes produce endothelins were investigated. The results showed that cultured keratinocytes derived from normal human skin produce endothelin-1. Moreover, keratinocyte endothelin-1 production was completely inhibited by the presence of actinomycin D in the medium. As in the case of endothelial cells, recombinant interleukin-1β was capable of promoting endothelin-1 production in keratinocytes, whereas herapin inhibited it. Thrombin also inhibited endothelin-1 production. These results indicate that the mechanism of endothelin-1 production in keratinocytes is slightly different from the mechanism in vascular endothelial cells

Efficacy Of A Combination Of Transarterial Chemoembolization And Radiation Therapty For Patients With Hepatochellular Carcinoma Ineligible For Resection Or Radiofrequency Ablation.

Purpose: The local control rate of trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was unsatisfactory compared to resection or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). To increase the local control rate for tumors, we performed radiation therapy followed by TACE in our institution. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the TACE and radiotherapy combination in HCC patients ineligible for resection or RFA. Material and Methods: Between January 2017 and April 2020, 33 patients with HCC ineligible for resection or RFA were treated with a combination of TACE and radiation therapy. Eight patients were initial cases, and 25 were recurrent or residual cases. A total dose of 40-60 Gy in 5-20 fractions was delivered to the 50-90% isodose line. Results: The median follow-up period was 16 months (range, 6-47 months); the objective response rate was 66.7%; and the 1- and 2-year overall survival rates, 72.7% and 62.5%, respectively. The objective response rate for HCCs <5 em was 79.2%; the 1- and 2-year overall survival rates, 91.7% and 62.5%, respectively; median progression-free survival, 13.5 months (range, 3-47 months), and the 1- and 2-year local progression-free survival rates, 95.8% and 85.7%, respectively. There was one case each of grade 2 radiation esophagitis and ascites after three months of irradiation. Conclusion: The combination of TACE and radiation therapy shows good local control and acceptable toxicity, particularly in HCCs <5 cm and may be a good treatment option

Establishment and Evaluation of a New Chemiluminescent Enzyme Immunoassay for Carcinoembryonic Antigen Adapted to the Fully Automated ACCESS® System

Peer Reviewe

頭皮皮膚血管肉腫に対する根治的な寡分割高線量放射線治療の実行可能性と有効性の検討

Cutaneous angiosarcoma is a rare but highly aggressive vascular tumor resistant to all treatment modalities available. The aim of this study was to analyze the treatment outcomes of patients who received definitive hypofractionated high-dose radiotherapy (RT) for angiosarcoma of the scalp. Between April 2008 and December 2014, 11 patients with histologically proven cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp visited our Department of Radiation Oncology, because dermatologists suggested that there was no indication for surgery in those cases. One patient rejected all radical treatments and the other 10 patients were treated by RT with curative intent along with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Eight patients were treated with 6 - 12 MeV electron beams and the other 2 patients were treated with 4 MV X-ray Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and electron beams. The total irradiated dose was 63 - 75 Gy (median: 72.5 Gy) in 26 - 30 fractions, and the fraction size was 2.5 Gy in principle. The median age of the patients treated with RT was 80 years old (range: 73 - 91) and the median follow-up time was 16.5 months (range: 5.6 - 86.3). Four patients are still alive. A complete response (CR) was achieved in 10 patients (100%) and only one patient suffered local relapse 20 months after RT. Medians of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and local relapse-free survival (LRFS) were 38.7, 13.4, and 19.8 months, respectively. Local control rates were 100 and 75% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. Skin ulceration was CTCAE grade 2 in 5 patients (50%) and grade 3 in 5 (50%), alopecia was grade 2 in all patients (100%), but no patient developed grade 4 or more severe adverse events after RT. Hypofractionated high-dose RT was feasible and achieved excellent local control of cutaneous angiosarcoma in the elderly patients.博士（医学）・甲第646号・平成28年3月15日Copyright: © 2015 Shimoda E. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.The definitive version is available at " http://clinmedjournals.org/articles/ijccr/international-journal-of-cancer-and-clinical-research-ijccr-2-032.php?jid=ijccr