AKARI Detection of the Infrared-Bright Supernova Remnant B0104-72.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present a serendipitous detection of the infrared-bright supernova remnant (SNR) B0104-72.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud by the Infrared Camera (IRC) onboard AKARI. An elongated, partially complete shell is detected in all four observed IRC bands covering 2.6-15 um. The infrared shell surrounds radio, optical, and X-ray emission associated with the SNR and is probably a radiative SNR shell. This is the first detection of a SNR shell in this near/mid-infrared waveband in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The IRC color indicates that the infrared emission might be from shocked H2 molecules with some possible contributions from ionic lines. We conclude that B0104-72.3 is a middle-aged SNR interacting with molecular clouds, similar to the Galactic SNR IC 443. Our results highlight the potential of AKARI IRC observations in studying SNRs, especially for diagnosing SNR shocks.Comment: 12 pages with 3 figures, accepted for publication in AKARI PASJ special issu

A new concept for controlling tiny-scale insect pest in green house – noval technology to apply liquid ethyl formate: Poster

As increased agricultural insecticide uses and trends in insecticide resistance, increased labor cost to apply insecticide and limited its application to fertility season in green house. There is a need of a safe, labor-saving and confined space application concept to manage control tiny-scale insect pest such as thrips and whitefly. Fumigation with ethyl formate (EF), which is considered as effective to various insect pest and safely use in quarantine treatment, was evaluated in the confined space (glass house) and semi-confined space (vinyl house). The new application technology for application of liquid EF could be the one of the key options for control of tiny flying insects in greenhouses that would save labor and operation costs. It could be connected to smartfarm technologies in the near future.As increased agricultural insecticide uses and trends in insecticide resistance, increased labor cost to apply insecticide and limited its application to fertility season in green house. There is a need of a safe, labor-saving and confined space application concept to manage control tiny-scale insect pest such as thrips and whitefly. Fumigation with ethyl formate (EF), which is considered as effective to various insect pest and safely use in quarantine treatment, was evaluated in the confined space (glass house) and semi-confined space (vinyl house). The new application technology for application of liquid EF could be the one of the key options for control of tiny flying insects in greenhouses that would save labor and operation costs. It could be connected to smartfarm technologies in the near future

False Memory and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology in Patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Study with Amyloid PET

Introduction: False memory, observed as intrusion errors or false positives (FPs), is prevalent in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but has yet to be thoroughly investigated in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) with Alzheimer’s disease pathology (ADP). We analyzed false versus veridical memory in individuals with a-MCI and measured the utility of false memory for ADP discrimination. Methods: Patients with a-MCI who received neuropsychological testing and amyloid PET were included. Patients were categorized into “with” and “without ADP” groups according to PET results. Memory tests assessed veridical and false memory, and the verity of patient responses was analyzed. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate false memory efficiency in discriminating ADP, and the sensitivity and specificity at the optimal level were estimated using the receiver-operating characteristic curve. Results: Thirty-seven ADP and 46 non-ADP patients were enrolled. The ADP group made more FPs in the recognition tests, and their response verity was significantly lower in every delayed memory test. No group difference, however, was observed in the veridical memory. The logistic regression analysis demonstrated that as the FPs increased, the risk of ADP increased 1.31 and 1.36 times in the verbal and visual recognition tests, respectively. The discriminatory accuracy of the FPs was estimated “low” to “moderate” in the visual and verbal recognition, respectively, with an optimal cutoff above 2.5. Conclusion: Increased false memory was the only feature to discriminate ADP from non-ADP in individuals with a-MCI. Further studies regarding false memory and its mechanism are warranted

Effect of total intravenous versus inhalation anesthesia on long-term oncological outcomes in patients undergoing curative resection for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study

Background Propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) improves long-term outcomes after cancer surgery compared with inhalation anesthesia. However, its effect on patients undergoing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery remains unclear. We aimed to compare the oncological outcomes of TIVA and inhalation anesthesia after curative resection of early-stage NSCLC. Methods We analyzed the medical records of patients diagnosed with stage I or II NSCLC who underwent curative resection at a tertiary university hospital between January 2010 and December 2017. The primary outcomes were recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) according to anesthesia type. Results We included 1,508 patients with stage I/II NSCLC. The patients were divided into the TIVA (n = 980) and Inhalation (n = 528) groups. The two groups were well-balanced in terms of baseline clinical characteristics. The TIVA group demonstrated significantly improved RFS (7.7 years, 95% CI [7.37, 8.02]) compared with the Inhalation group (6.8 years, 95% CI [6.30, 7.22], P = 0.003). Similarly, TIVA was superior to inhalation agents with respect to OS (median OS; 8.4 years, 95% CI [8.08, 8.69] vs. 7.3 years, 95% CI [6.81, 7.71]; P < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that TIVA was an independent prognostic factor related to recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.24, 95% CI [1.04, 1.47], P = 0.014) and OS (HR: 1.39, 95% CI [1.12, 1.72], P = 0.002). Conclusions Propofol-based TIVA was associated with better RFS and OS than inhalation anesthesia in patients with stage I/II NSCLC who underwent curative resection

Clinical Implications of Residual Urine in Korean Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Patients: A Prognostic Factor for BPH-Related Clinical Events

Purpose Although post-void residual urine (PVR) is frequently utilized clinically in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), mainly because of its procedural simplicity, its role as a clinical prognostic factor, predictive of treatment goals, is still under much dispute. We investigated the predictive value of PVR for BPH-related clinical events including surgery, acute urinary retention (AUR), and admission following urinary tract infection (UTI). Methods From January to June of 2006, patients over 50 years of age who were diagnosed with BPH for the first time at the outpatient clinic and were then treated for at least 3 years with medications were enrolled in this study. The variables of patients who underwent surgical intervention for BPH, had occurrences of AUR, or required admission due to UTI (Group 1, n=43) were compared with those of patients who were maintained with medications only (Group 2, n=266). Results Group 1 had a significantly higher PVR, more severe symptoms, and a larger prostate at the time of the initial diagnosis in both the univariate and the multivariate analysis. In the 39 patients who underwent BPH-related surgery, although there was a significant change in Qmax at the time of surgery (mean, 13.1 months), PVR and the symptom score remained unchanged compared with the initial evaluation. In the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve of Group 1 was in the order of prostate volume (0.834), PVR (0.712), and symptom score (0.621). When redivided by arbitrarily selected PVR cutoffs of 50 mL, 100 mL, and 150 mL, the relative risk of clinical BPH progression was measured as 3.93, 2.61, and 2.11. Conclusions These data indicate that, in the symptomatic Korean population, increased PVR at baseline is a significant indicator of BPH-related clinical events along with increased symptom score or prostate volume

Effects of Korean Red Ginseng (Panax ginseng), urushiol (Rhus vernicifera Stokes), and probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and Lactobacillus acidophilus R0052) on the gut–liver axis of alcoholic liver disease

AbstractBackgroundRoles of immune reaction and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) have widely been established in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD).MethodsWe evaluated the biologic efficacy of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG), urushiol, and probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and Lactobacillus acidophilus R0052) in mouse models of ALD. Sixty C57BL/6 mice were equally divided into six feeding groups for 10 weeks: normal diet, alcohol, control, alcohol + KRG, alcohol + urushiol, and alcohol + probiotics. Alcohol was administered via a Lieber–DeCarli liquid diet containing 10% alcohol. TLR-4 expression, proinflammatory cytokines, and histology, as well as the results of liver function tests were evaluated and compared.ResultsNo between-group differences were observed with regard to liver function. TLR-4 levels were significantly lower in the KRG, urushiol, and probiotics groups than in the alcohol group (0.37 ± 0.06 ng/mL, 0.39 ± 0.12 ng/mL, and 0.33 ± 0.07 ng/mL, respectively, vs. 0.88 ± 0.31 ng/mL; p < 0.05). Interleukin-1β levels in liver tissues were decreased among the probiotics and KRG groups. The tumor necrosis factor-α level of liver tissue was decreased in the KRG group.ConclusionThe pathological findings showed that alcohol-induced steatosis was significantly reduced by KRG and urushiol. As these agents improve immunologic capacity, they may be considered in potential anti-ALD treatments

Comparison of Oral Sulfate Solution and Polyethylene Glycol Plus Ascorbic Acid on the Efficacy of Bowel Preparation

Background/Aims The quality of bowel preparation is one of the quality indicators for colonoscopy. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of oral sulfate solution (OSS) and polyethylene glycol plus ascorbic acid (PEG-AA) for bowel preparation. Methods The study involved 167 patients who underwent diagnostic colonoscopies. Inadequate bowel preparation was defined as any score of ≤1 in each colon section based on the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare the efficacy of OSS and PEG-AA. Subgroup analyses were performed based on patient characteristics. Results Overall, 106 (63.5%) patients received OSS, and 61 (36.5%) patients received PEG-AA. The rate of inadequate bowel preparation was 12.3% in patients receiving OSS and 32.8% in patients receiving PEG-AA (p=0.001). OSS (odds ratio [OR] = 0.26; p=0.003) and morning examination (OR=0.11; p=0.038) were significantly associated with efficient bowel preparation. The efficacy of OSS compared with PEG-AA was only significant in patients ≥50 years of age vs. <50 years of age (OR=0.13; p=0.001 vs. OR=0.96; p=0.959) and female vs. male patients (OR=0.06; p=0.002 vs. OR=0.58; p=0.339). Conclusions OSS was significantly more efficient for bowel preparation than PEG-AA, especially in patients ≥50 years of age and female patients. Morning examination led to a good quality of bowel preparation, irrespective of the preparation regimen