Формообразование прецизионных плоских оптических поверхностей при полировании

Regularities of forming surface of the article and wear of working layer of the tool depending on process and kinematical parameters of polishing, coefficients of wear of tool material for existent technological schemes of machining have been reveale. Methods of calculations of production capacity of polishing flat precise of optical articles and filling coefficients of surface of the tool by working layer, which insure its regular wear

Protocol for a single-arm confirmatory trial of adjuvant chemoradiation for patients with high-risk rectal submucosal invasive cancer after local resection: Japan Clinical Oncology Group Study JCOG1612 (RESCUE study)

Introduction: Intestinal resection with lymph node dissection is the current standard treatment for high-risk lower rectal submucosal invasive cancer after local resection; however, surgery affects patients’ quality of life due to stoma placement or impaired anal sphincter function. A recent study demonstrated that adjuvant chemoradiation yields promising results. Methods and analysis: This study aims to confirm the non-inferiority of adjuvant chemoradiation, consisting of capecitabine and concurrent radiotherapy (45 Gy in 25 fractions), measured by 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS), over standard surgery in patients with high-risk lower rectal submucosal invasive cancer after local resection. The primary endpoint is 5 year RFS. The secondary endpoints are 10 years RFS, 5-year and 10-year overall survival, 5-year and 10-year local RFS, 5-year and 10-year proportion of anus-preservation without stoma, Wexner score, low anterior resection syndrome score, adverse events and serious adverse events. During the 5-year trial period, 210 patients will be accrued from 65 Japanese institutions. Ethics and dissemination: The National Cancer Center Hospital East Certified Review Board approved this study protocol in October 2018. The study is conducted in accordance with the precepts established in the Declaration of Helsinki and Clinical Trials Act. Written informed consent will be obtained from all eligible patients prior to registration. The primary results of this study will be published in an English article. In addition, the main results will be published on the websites of Japan Clinical Oncology Group (www.jcog.jp) and jRCT (https://jrct.niph.go.jp/). As to data curation, it has not been prepared yet. Trial registration number: jRCT103118007

Clinical clerkship students’ preferences and satisfaction regarding online lectures during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption in medical education. Students and lecturers had to adapt to online education. The current study aimed to investigate the level of satisfaction and future preference for online lectures among clinical clerkship students and elucidated the factors that affect these outcomes. Methods: We selected a sample of 114 medical students undergoing clinical clerkship during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted onsite lectures before the pandemic and online lectures after the outbreak. A survey was conducted, and the sample included students and 17 lecturers. The average scores of total satisfaction and future preference related to online lectures were computed. Results: Students’ scores on total satisfaction with online lectures and their future preference were higher than those for onsite lectures. Scores on the ease of debating dimension were low and those on accessibility of lectures in online lectures were higher than those in onsite lectures. There was no difference between the two groups in the scores on the comprehensibility and ease of asking questions dimensions. Results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that accessibility determined total satisfaction, and future preference was determined by comprehensibility as well as accessibility. Contrary to students’ future preferences, lecturers favored onsite lectures to online ones. Conclusion: Online lectures are an acceptable mode of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic for students undergoing clinical clerkship. Online lectures are expected to become more pervasive to avoid the spread of COVID-19

Androgen’s effects in female

The metabolic effects of androgens and their underlying mechanisms in females have been revealed by recent studies. An excess of androgens can have adverse effects on feeding behavior and metabolic functions and induce metabolic disorders / diseases, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes, in women and experimental animals of reproductive age. Interestingly, these effects of androgens are not observed in ovariectomized animals, indicating that their effects might be dependent on the estrogen milieu. Central and peripheral mechanisms, such as alterations in the activity of hypothalamic factors, reductions in energy expenditure, skeletal muscle insulin resistance, and β-cell dysfunction, might be related to these androgens’ effects

Clinical Practice of Photodynamic Therapy Using Talaporfin Sodium for Esophageal Cancer

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using a conventional photosensitizer was approved for esophageal cancer in the early 1990s; however, it was replaced by other conventional treatment modalities in clinical practice because of the high frequency of cutaneous phototoxicity and esophageal stricture after the procedure. The second-generation photosensitizer, talaporfin sodium, which features more rapid clearance from the body, was developed to reduce skin phototoxicity, and talaporfin sodium can be excited at longer-wavelength lights comparing with a conventional photosensitizer. Endoscopic PDT using talaporfin sodium was initially developed for the curative treatment of central-type early lung cancer in Japan, and was approved in the early 2000s. After preclinical experiments, PDT using talaporfin sodium was investigated for patients with local failure after chemoradiotherapy, which was the most serious unmet need in the practice of esophageal cancer. According to the favorable results of a multi-institutional clinical trial, PDT using talaporfin sodium was approved as an endoscopic salvage treatment for patients with local failure after chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer. While PDT using talaporfin sodium is gradually spreading in clinical practice, further evaluation at the point of clinical benefit is necessary to determine the importance of PDT in the treatment of esophageal cancer

Fish Fauna at Reefs of the Northern Tokara Islands, Southern Japan

トカラ列島は南西諸島から九州四国太平洋岸にかけて大きく変化する魚類群集構造を捉える上で重要な地理的位置にあるが, 浅海リーフの魚類相についての情報は乏しい。そこで2002, 2003年の10月において, 広島大学練習船豊潮丸を使用し, トカラ構造海峡の南, トカラ列島北部に位置する口之島, 中之島の2島の浅海リーフにおいて, 潜水センサス(のべ12-13時間)を実施した。口之島では156種, 中之島ではハマクマノミを含む113種, あわせて41科199種の魚類を確認した。1種の温帯種をのぞき, すべて南西諸島に出現が認められている熱帯性魚種であった。中之島で確認されたハマクマノミは, これまでの分布の北限を更新した。トカラ構造海峡より北の海域のリーフでは南日本温帯域を中心に分布する温帯性魚種が, 熱帯性魚種とともに出現することが知られているが, トカラ構造海峡を境に以南は, 温帯性魚類の出現が大きく減少することが示唆された。Fish fauna at reefs of the two northern Tokara Islands, southern Japan, were surveyed by underwater daytime census in October 2002 and October 2003. A total of 199 species of 41 families were recorded. Almost all (99%) species were known to distribute down to the southern coral reef Islands. The fish fauna seems to fit the southernmost category of the zoogeographical areas for shallow water reef fishes (subtropical-water area for coral- and rocky-reef fishes; sensu Nakabo, 2002a)

CHLOROPLAST UNUSUAL POSITIONING1 Is Essential for Proper Chloroplast Positioning

The intracellular distribution of organelles is a crucial aspect of effective cell function. Chloroplasts change their intracellular positions to optimize photosynthetic activity in response to ambient light conditions. Through screening of mutants of Arabidopsis defective in chloroplast photorelocation movement, we isolated six mutant clones in which chloroplasts gathered at the bottom of the cells and did not distribute throughout cells. These mutants, termed chloroplast unusual positioning (chup), were shown to belong to a single genetic locus by complementation tests. Observation of the positioning of other organelles, such as mitochondria, peroxisomes, and nuclei, revealed that chloroplast positioning and movement are impaired specifically in this mutant, although peroxisomes are distributed along with chloroplasts. The CHUP1 gene encodes a novel protein containing multiple domains, including a coiled-coil domain, an actin binding domain, a Pro-rich region, and two Leu zipper domains. The N-terminal hydrophobic segment of CHUP1 was expressed transiently in leaf cells of Arabidopsis as a fusion protein with the green fluorescent protein. The fusion protein was targeted to envelope membranes of chloroplasts in mesophyll cells, suggesting that CHUP1 may localize in chloroplasts. A glutathione S-transferase fusion protein containing the actin binding domain of CHUP1 was found to bind F-actin in vitro. CHUP1 is a unique gene identified that encodes a protein required for organellar positioning and movement in plant cells

Efficacy and safety of repeated endoscopic radial incision and cutting procedure for benign esophageal stricture

Background: Radial incision and cutting (RIC) is indicated for refractory benign esophageal strictures after curative treatment for esophageal cancer and has shown favorable short-term outcomes. However, re-stricture after RIC may occur in the long term, and RIC is performed repeatedly in such cases, but the efficacy and safety of repeated RIC are unclear. Therefore, we aimed to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the repeated RIC for refractory benign esophageal strictures after surgical and non-surgical treatment. Methods: Between April 2008 and September 2019, we enrolled patients who were treated with the first RIC for benign esophageal strictures. The RIC was indicated for the refractory stricture and repeatedly performed for re-refractory esophageal stricture after RIC. We retrospectively evaluated the 6-month refractory stricture-free rate, and adverse events in the first RIC and repeated RICs. Results: Forty-six patients (39 men, 7 women; median age, 71 years, range 49–85) were included. RIC was performed once in 24 patients (non-repeated RIC group) and two or more times in 22 patients (repeated RIC group). In all patients, the 6-month refractory stricture-free rate after the first RIC were 42.3%. In the repeated RIC group, the 6-month refractory stricture-free rate after the first and repeated RICs were 18.2% vs 18.2%, respectively. No adverse events were noted. Conclusions: The repeated RIC could not be a curative treatment, but can be effective in the short-term and safe, even for patients with refractory benign esophageal stricture after the first RIC