Dual Energy CT for determining the severity of acute pancreatitis

We aimed to quantitatively compare the iodine concentration measured by Dual Energy Computed Tomography （CT） between acute and mild pancreatitis cases and to evaluate the accuracy of the severity assessment of acute pancreatitis using Dual Energy CT. The contrast CT grade based on the guidelines in Japan and definitive diagnoses were evaluated. Iodine concentrations and C-reactive protein （CRP） levels were compared between mild and severe acute pancreatitis. The CECT grading diagnosed five false negative cases out of 41 patients. Only when the CRP reached the highest level, there was a significant difference between severe and mild cases. There were significant differences between the iodine concentration of severe and mild cases. Our results demonstrated measuring iodine concentration using Dual Energy CT is useful for severity assessment of acute pancreatitis

国際規格ISO 10139-1による市販ティッシュコンディショナーの比較検討

The aim of this study was to analyze the composition of eight commercial tissue conditioners, assess each material using the International Standard (ISO) 10139-1 and relate differences in properties to composition. A visible light spectrophotometer (IR-460: Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) was used to analyze the principal components of both liquids and polymer powders. A High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC: Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) was used to measure the principal ingredients. A gas chromatograph (GC-15A: Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) was used to measure the alcohol concentration. Consistency and penetration tests were carried out as detailed in the ISO 10139-1. The penetration test measurements were also made at 2, 3 and 4 weeks. All materials satisfied the standard in the consistency test and in the penetration test after one week. However, three materials failed to satisfy the standard in the penetration test after two hours. In all materials the powder was found to be poly (ethyl methacrylate), while plasticizers and ethanol content varied. Two materials contained other components thought to be antibiotic or antibacterial agents. There appeared to be a correlation between the ethanol content and the consistency results

Genomes of Neutrophilic Sulfur-Oxidizing Chemolithoautotrophs Representing 9 Proteobacterial Species From 8 Genera

Even in the current era of metagenomics, the interpretation of nucleotide sequence data is primarily dependent on knowledge obtained from a limited number of microbes isolated in pure culture. Thus, it is of fundamental importance to expand the variety of strains available in pure culture, to make reliable connections between physiological characteristics and genomic information. In this study, two sulfur oxidizers that potentially represent two novel species were isolated and characterized. They were subjected to whole-genome sequencing together with 7 neutrophilic and chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. The genes for sulfur oxidation in the obtained genomes were identified and compared with those of isolated sulfur oxidizers in the classes Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. Although the combinations of these genes in the respective genomes are diverse, typical combinations corresponding to three types of core sulfur oxidation pathways were identified. Each pathway involves one of three specific sets of proteins, SoxCD, DsrABEFHCMKJOP, and HdrCBAHypHdrCB. All three core pathways contain the SoxXYZAB proteins, and a cytoplasmic sulfite oxidase encoded by soeABC is a conserved component in the core pathways lacking SoxCD. Phylogenetically close organisms share same core sulfur oxidation pathway, but a notable exception was observed in the family ‘Sulfuricellaceae’. In this family, some strains have either core pathway involving DsrABEFHCMKJOP or HdrCBAHypHdrCB, while others have both pathways. A proteomics analysis showed that proteins constituting the core pathways were produced at high levels. While hypothesized function of HdrCBAHypHdrCB is similar to that of Dsr system, both sets of proteins were detected with high relative abundances in the proteome of a strain possessing genes for these proteins. In addition to the genes for sulfur oxidation, those for arsenic metabolism were searched for in the sequenced genomes. As a result, two strains belonging to the families Thiobacillaceae and Sterolibacteriaceae were observed to harbor genes encoding ArxAB, a type of arsenite oxidase that has been identified in a limited number of bacteria. These findings were made with the newly obtained genomes, including those from 6 genera from which no genome sequence of an isolated organism was previously available. These genomes will serve as valuable references to interpret nucleotide sequences

QOL after RT or OP for uterine cervix cancer

This study aimed to research the post-treatment quality of life (QOL) between radiotherapy (RT)- and operation (OP)-treated early cervical cancer survivors, using separate questionnaires for physicians and patients. We administered an observational questionnaire to patients aged 20–70 years old with Stages IB1–IIB cervical cancer who had undergone RT or OP and without recurrence as outpatients for ≥6 months after treatment. We divided 100 registered patients equally into two treatment groups (n = 50 each). The average age was 53 and 44 years in the RT and OP groups, respectively. The RT group included 34 and 66% Stage I and II patients, respectively, whereas the OP group included 66 and 34% Stage I and II patients, respectively. The OP group included 58% of patients with postoperative RT. Combination chemotherapy was performed in 84 and 48% of patients in the RT and OP groups, respectively. On the physicians’ questionnaire, we observed significant differences in bone marrow suppression (RT) and leg edema (OP). On the patients’ questionnaire, significantly more patients had dysuria and leg edema in the OP group than in the RT group, and severe (Score 4–5) leg edema was significantly higher in the post-operative RT group than in the OP only group. The frequency of sexual intercourse decreased after treatment in both groups. On the patients’ questionnaire, there were no significant differences between the two groups regarding sexual activity. These findings are useful to patients and physicians for shared decision-making in treatment choices. The guidance of everyday life and health information including sexual life after treatment is important

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements