Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Breast Cancer: Clinicopathological Significance of Bcl-2 Positive Solid Papillary Carcinoma

Solid papillary carcinoma (SPC) is considered a rare malignant breast tumor. Maluf and Koerner first reported this disease entity as a special type of ductal carcinoma in situ with several characteristic histopathological features, including low-grade cellular atypia, intracellular or extracellular mucin deposition, and solid papillary growth pattern, as well as neuroendocrine differentiation. The present paper describes a case of SPC with bcl-2 expression, which is known as a marker for malignancy of neuroendocrine tumors. Interestingly, despite bcl-2 expression being a poor prognostic indicator of neuroendocrine tumors, the patient with this tumor has achieved long-term survival (approximately 6 years) at the time of writing this report. Because previous investigators reported that bcl-2 expression might play a role in the inhibition of the development of breast cancer, we suggest that bcl-2 expression might reflect a good prognosis in patients with SPC, rather than being a poor prognostic indicator, as it is in several types of neuroendocrine tumor. However, to confirm this hypothesis, further investigation is required

CLIMATE AND FRAGILITY RISKS IN JAPANESE DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION: IMPLICATIONS OF ADAPTATION AND PEACE- BUILDING EXPERIENCES

Human security will be progressively threatened by climate change, consequently development cooperation agencies such as JICA need to adopt approaches to strengthen resilience to climate-fragility risks. Currently, JICA's approaches to climate change adaptation and peacebuilding are not connected enough. There is a need for integrating assessments of climate risk and peacebuilding impacts as well as science, engineering and socio-economic approaches. Furthermore, to address climate-fragility risks more broadly, Japan can build on its long history and extensive experience, for example in the water sector and disaster risk reduction

DISCOVERY OF FERROPICRITES AND HIGH-MAGNESIAN ANDESITES FROM THE ERDENETSOGT FORMATION, CENTRAL MONGOLIA

New geochemical and petrological results are presented for greenstones from the Erdenetsogt Formation hosted by the Tsetserleg accretionary terrane in the Hangay region, with particular emphasis on newly found picritic and andesitic rocks. These rocks occur mostly in the lower portion of the Erdenetsogt Formation as massive lavas, sills, and dykes closely associated with varicolored bedded ribbon cherts and siltstones. The protoliths of the studied greenstones comprise (1) plume-derived tholeiitic greenstones with oceanic plateau basalt affinity, (2) arc-derived, calc-alkaline andesites. The plume-derived rocks are characterized by chemical signatures such as slight LREE enrichment similar to that of tholeiitic OIB and the existence of ferropicrite with high FeO* (>14 wt%) and MgO (12–22 wt%), which is characteristic of large igneous provinces (LIPs), including oceanic plateaus. Therefore, their tholeiitic composition and high-Fe and -Ti contents require melting of the source mantle peridotite with addition of some recycled Fe- and Ti-rich basaltic material. The andesites are characterized by glassy texture, high MgO content (up to 7 wt%), and significant LREE enrichment with depletion in Nb and resemble sanukite type of high-magnesian andesite (HMAs). We infer that the Hangay tholeiitic greenstones probably represent an accreted upper section of an oceanic plateau that developed in the deep-water region of the Hangay-Henteypaleo-ocean in the Upper Silurian-Lower Devonian. The Hangay HMAs may have been produced by subduction of young oceanic plate after an oceanward back-stepping of the subduction zone that was a result of the collision during the Carboniferous of the oceanic plateau and the active continental margin of the Central Mongolian Massif

Changes in Quality of Life in Older Hemodialysis Patients: A Cohort Study on Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns

Background: Despite improvements in dialysis treatment, mortality rates remain high, especially among older hemodialysis patients. Quality of life (QOL) among hemodialysis patients is strongly associated with higher risk of death. This study aimed to describe the health-related QOL and its change in older maintenance hemodialysis patients and to demonstrate characteristics associated with health-related QOL. Methods: Data on 892 maintenance hemodialysis patients aged 60 years or older who were surveyed using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form at baseline and 2 years after study enrollment in phases 4 (2009–2011) and 5 (2012–2014) of the Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study were analyzed. We categorized participants into 3 age groups (60–69, 70–79, and ≥80 years) and described baseline physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores, as well as their distribution of changes after 2 years across each category. Results: Hemodialysis patients aged 70–79 years and ≥80 years had lower PCS scores than those aged 60–69 years (median: 70–79 years = 43.1; interquartile range [IQR], 35.2–49.4; ≥80 years = 38.8; IQR, 31.6–43.8; 60–69 years = 45.4; IQR, 37.5–51.4; p < 0.001). In contrast, MCS scores did not significantly differ by age category (70–79 years = 45.6; IQR, 38.4–53.7; ≥80 years = 45.4; IQR, 36.9–55.1; 60–69 years = 46.8; IQR, 39.5–55.7; p = 0.1). As dialysis vintage lengthened, the PCS score significantly became lower, whereas no association was found with change in the MCS score. The MCS score declined over time in older patients, especially among those aged 80 years and older after 2 years’ follow-up. Conclusions: Physical QOL became worse as dialysis vintage lengthened. In contrast, mental QOL declined over time within a relatively short period among older maintenance hemodialysis patients

ODP Leg 123の分化した海嶺玄武岩とオフィオライト玄武岩の岩石学的比較

金沢大学理学部研究課題/領域番号:01740472, 研究期間(年度):1989出典：研究課題「ODP Leg 123の分化した海嶺玄武岩とオフィオライト玄武岩の岩石学的比較」課題番号01740472（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所）） （https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-01740472/）を加工して作

西南日本に露出する古生代海洋性地殼-マントル断面(オフィオライト)の岩石学的研究

金沢大学助手研究課題/領域番号:63740463, 研究期間(年度):1988出典：研究課題「西南日本に露出する古生代海洋性地殼-マントル断面(オフィオライト)の岩石学的研究」課題番号63740463（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所）） （https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-63740463/）を加工して作

Lacustrine organic geochemistry--an overview of indicators of organic matter sources and diagenesis in lake sediments

The factors affecting the amounts and types of organic matter in lacustrine sediments are summarized in this review, and synthesis, of published studies. Biota living in the lake and in its watershed are the sources of the organic compounds initially contributed to the lake system. Microbial reworking of these materials during sinking and early sedimentation markedly diminishes the total amount of organic matter while replacing many of the primary compounds with secondary ones. Much of the organic matter content of sediments is the product of this microbial reprocessing. Various organic matter components of lake sediments nonetheless retain source information and thereby contribute to the paleolimnological record. Carbon/nitrogen ratios of total organic matter reflect original proportions of algal and land-derived material. Carbon isotopic compositions indicate the history of lake productivity and carbon recycling. Biomarker compounds provide important information about contributions from different biota. Sterol compositions and chainlength distributions of n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, and n-alkanols help distinguish different algal and watershed sources and also record diagenetic alterations.Stabilization of functional-group-containing biomarkers by conversion into saturated or aromatic hydrocarbons or by incorporation into bound forms improves their preservation and hence record of source information. Lignin components provide important evidence of watershed plant cover, and pigments reflect algal assemblages. The interplay of the factors influencing the organic matter content of lake sediments is illustrated by overviews of sedimentary records of four lake systems--Lake Biwa (Japan), Lake Greifen (Switzerland), Lake Washington (Pacific Northwest), and the Great Lakes (American Midwest).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30617/1/0000257.pd