Behavioral Partitioning with Exploiting Function-Level Parallelism

Abstract-This paper proposes a method to efficiently generate hardware from a large behavioral description by behavioral synthesis. For a program with functions which are executable in parallel, this proposed method determines an optimal behavioral partitioning which fully exploits the function-level parallelism with simultaneously minimizing the area in the datapath and control path. This partitioning problem is formulated as an integer programming problem. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method

The Maximum Standardized Uptake Value Is More Reliable Than Size Measurement in Early Follow-up to Evaluate Potential Pulmonary Malignancies Following Radiofrequency Ablation

We retrospectively evaluated the accumulation of fluorodeoxy glucose (FDG) in pulmonary malignancies without local recurrence during 2-year follow-up on positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) after radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Thirty tumors in 25 patients were studied (10 non-small cell lung cancers;20 pulmonary metastatic tumors). PET/CT was performed before RFA, 3 months after RFA, and 6 months after RFA. We assessed the FDG accumulation with the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) compared with the diameters of the lesions. The SUVmax had a decreasing tendency in the first 6 months and, at 6 months post-ablation, FDG accumulation was less affected by inflammatory changes than at 3 months post-RFA. The diameter of the ablated lesion exceeded that of the initial tumor at 3 months post-RFA and shrank to pre-ablation dimensions by 6 months post-RFA. SUVmax was more reliable than the size measurements by CT in the first 6 months after RFA, and PET/CT at 6 months post-RFA may be more appropriate for the assessment of FDG accumulation than that at 3 months post-RFA

Safety and Utility of Endoscopic Removal of Common Bile Duct Stones in the Elderly

We investigated the safety and utility of endoscopic removal of common　bile duct stones (CBDS) in the elderly. In all, 253 patients with CBDS who　underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) between January　2007 and December 2011 at Showa University Hospital were evaluated retorspectively. The median age of the patients was 75 years ; thus, we divided patients　into two groups, those aged ≥ 75 years (Group A ; n ＝ 134) and those aged ＜75 years (Group B ; n ＝ 119). Patients in Group A had significantly higher rates　of endoscopic sphincterotomy in palliative ERCP (24.8% vs. 10.7%; p ＝ 0.008) and　palliative removal of CBDS (34.8% vs. 20.9%; p ＝ 0.015) than patients in Group　B. However, the median dose of flunitrazepam was significantly lower for patients　in Group A than Group B (1 vs. 1.4 mg, respectively ; p ＜ 0.001). The rate of use　of pentazocine (18.5% vs. 54.7%; p ＜ 0.001) and scopolamine butylbromide (6.2%　vs. 23.9%; p ＜ 0.01) was significantly lower in Group A patients, whereas the use　of glucagon was significantly higher in this group (43.8 vs. 15.4%; p ＜ 0.001).　There were no significant differences in the rate of successful endoscopic removal　of CBDS, treatment time, complications, and the recurrence of CBDS between the　two groups. Endoscopic removal of CBDS in the elderly is a safe procedure with　good outcomes if the appropriate treatment is selected

Usefulness of Continuous Regional Arterial Infusion with Doripenem and Protease Inhibitors for Severe Acute Pancreatitis

Doripenem (DRPM) is a relatively new drug belonging to the carbapenem antibiotic group. We hypothesized that the pharmacological characteristics of DRPM could make it useful in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). We investigated the usefulness of continuous regional arterial infusion (CRAI) with DRPM and protease inhibitors for SAP. Two hundred and forty-two patients with SAP were admitted to Showa University Hospital between November 2002 and June 2013. Of these, 53 patients were treated with CRAI with carbapenem antibiotics and nafamostat mesilate (NM), a serine protease inhibitor, via the celiac and superior mesenteric arteries. Clinical outcomes were evaluated retrospectively in 34 patients treated with DRPM and 19 patients undergoing non-DRPM therapy (meropenem n=11, imipenem n=6; biapenem n=2). The median time to commencement of oral intake was significantly shorter in the DRPM than non-DRPM group (9 vs 14 hospital days, respectively; P<0.01). In addition, the rate of walled-off necrosis in the DRPM group tended to be lower than in the non-DRPM group (37.5 vs 64.7%, respectively, P=0.069). The results of the present study suggest that CRAI with DRPM and NM for SAP could have equivalent therapeutic effects to CRAI with other carbapenem antibiotics and NM

Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS)-related AL amyloidosis complicated by amyloid myopathy: a case report

BACKGROUND: Lately, monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) has been defined as a group of renal disorders that are strongly associated with monoclonal protein, including amyloid immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis. Amyloid myopathy is rare (1.5% of all patients with amyloidosis) and the prognosis is poor. Furthermore, only approximately 20% of patients with amyloid myopathy are reported to have renal involvement, indicating a lack of data in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report a rare case of MGRS-related AL amyloidosis complicated by amyloid myopathy that presented with muscle weakness in the upper and lower limbs, neck and fingers, and nephrotic syndrome. Blood, urine, and bone marrow examination revealed monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) (Bence Jones protein-lambda). Muscle biopsy of the vastus lateralis muscle demonstrated amyloid proteins in the sarcolemma and in the blood vessel walls on Congo red staining, suggesting amyloid myopathy, and tiny inclusions in fibers on modified Gomori trichrome stain. Although we thought they were reminiscent of nemaline bodies, we could not confirm the nature of this structure. Renal biopsy demonstrated amyloid proteins in the mesangial region, part of the capillary walls, and the blood vessel walls on direct fast scarlet staining. As these amyloid proteins were positive for p-component staining and negative for amyloid A staining, β2-microglobulin, and pre-albumin, and as lambda light chains were positive in the mesangial region, we diagnosed the patient with MGRS-related AL amyloidosis. Although he was treated with melphalan and dexamethasone, his symptoms did not improve. CONCLUSIONS: AL amyloidosis involving the kidneys and muscles has a poor prognosis, and a delayed diagnosis of amyloid myopathy is common because of its rarity and frequent misdiagnosis, which increases organ function deterioration. Therefore, early detection, therapeutic intervention, and careful follow-up are crucial

第1107回千葉医学会例会・第8回環境生命医学研究会

<p>Prevalence of severe depressive symptoms with 95% confidence intervals by sarcopenia and obesity status in the Kashiwa study.</p