Clinical impact of bladder biopsies with TUR-BT according to cytology results in patients with bladder cancer: a case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There seems to be no consensus concerning taking bladder biopsies during transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT). We investigate the clinical significance of bladder biopsy with TUR-BT and the relationship between urinary cytology and the biopsy results.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We reviewed a total of 424 patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer treated with TUR-BT between 1998 and 2005. Of the total, 293 patients also underwent a bladder biopsy. Biopsies from suspicious-appearing urothelium (N = 59) and those from normal-appearing urothelium (N = 234) were evaluated separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bladder cancer was observed in 23 cases (39.0%) who underwent a biopsy of suspicious-appearing urothelium. Among these 23 cases, 9 cases with visible tumor resection had carcinoma in situ (CIS) only in the biopsies from suspicious-appearing urothelium. Urinary cytology was negative in 3 of the 9 cases. Bladder cancer was observed in 26 cases (11.1%) who underwent a biopsy of normal-appearing urothelium. Of them, 5 cases with visible tumors had CIS only in the multiple biopsies from normal-appearing urothelium. Urinary cytology was positive in all of the 5 cases. No upstaging or upgrading cases were found in these patients by the addition of these two types of biopsy. Furthermore, therapy was not altered in these patients. With or without bladder biopsy was not a significant factor for tumor recurrence in either the univariate or multivariate analysis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Based on the results, it is concluded the multiple biopsies from normal-appearing urothelium are not necessary in patients with negative cytology results because of the low detection rate and lack of influence on therapeutic decisions. Meanwhile, biopsy of suspicious-appearing urothelium is needed in patients with negative cytology results in order to detect CIS due to staging properties. This result supports a recent EAU guideline.</p

Current Performance and On-Going Improvements of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope

An overview of the current status of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope constructed and operated at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is presented. The basic design concept and the verified performance of the telescope system are described. Also given are the status of the instrument package offered to the astronomical community, the status of operation, and some of the future plans. The status of the telescope reported in a number of SPIE papers as of the summer of 2002 are incorporated with some updates included as of 2004 February. However, readers are encouraged to check the most updated status of the telescope through the home page, http://subarutelescope.org/index.html, and/or the direct contact with the observatory staff.Comment: 18 pages (17 pages in published version), 29 figures (GIF format), This is the version before the galley proo

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Not AvailableTHE PAPER DEALS WITH A LABORATORY STUDY IN WHICH A SOIL AMELIORANT OF HYDROXY ALUMINIUM POLYMERS KNOWN AS HYDRAL , WAS TESTED TO IMPROVE SOME OF THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF A HEAVY CLAY SOIL BELONGING TO GREY UPLAND SOIL GROUP. IN INDIA, SUCH SOILS KNOWN AS 'KABAR' AND 'MAR' ARE FOUND IN BUNDELKHAND REGION... THE ADDITION OF HYDRAL ( 0 TO 5% ON THE WEIGHT BASIS) TO THE SOIL RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN HARDNESS AND ADHESION . SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF WATER PERMEABILITY WAS OBSERVED , ALTHOUGH THE EFFECT OF HYDRAL TREATMENT ON POROSITY WAS RATHER SLIGHT.Not Availabl

Fertility Studies on Soils of Okinawa in Relation to Sugarcane Production : 1. Nitrogen absorption of sugarcane on a mature and an immature fields(Department of Agricultural Chemistry)

稲嶺統土壌の熟畑と風化国頭礫層に造成された未熟畑に栽培される株出2回目のサトウキビ(共に1976&acd;1977年作物)について窒素吸収量と原料茎収量との関係を調べた。併せてりん酸とカリの吸収についても調べた。稲嶺統土壌熟畑においては原料茎数150,000本/haで, 収量は135t/haであった。風化国頭礫層未熟畑では原料茎数94,000本/haで収量は98t/haであった。この場合原料茎1本平均重は両圃場の間で大差がないので, 原料茎収量の多少は単位面積当たりの茎数によって決まることが明らかになった。稲嶺統土壌熟畑では窒素地力が高いこと, および窒素施用量が378kg/haあったことが相まってサトウキビの生育中期(7月&acd;11月初旬)の有効茎数確保が充分に行なわれた。これに対し風化国頭礫層未熟畑では窒素地力が未だ十分に高まっておらず, そのため窒素を7月以前に303kg/haと7月下旬に76kg/ha合計379kg/ha施用したにもかかわらず生育中期には葉身中の窒素濃度が低くなり, また有効茎の割合が低くなった。このようなことからこの未熟畑ではサトウキビの生育初期と中期に窒素が不足したものと推定した。サトウキビのりん酸吸収については稲嶺統土壌の熟畑においては135kg/haのりん酸施用量に対して68kg/haをサトウキビが吸収した。このことからこの熟畑がりん酸地力に富んでいると解釈された。一方の風化国頭礫層未熟畑では493kg/haのりん酸施用量に対する吸収量は36kg/haであったが, 特にサトウキビ生育中期のりん酸吸収割合(施肥量に対する)が低かった。サトウキビのこの様なりん酸吸収状態からみてこの未熟畑のりん酸地力は著しく低く, これが原料茎収量を高める場合に対策が必要な障害の一つであると解釈した。今回の研究から抽出される今後の研究課題は(i)窒素地力の低い造成未熟畑における窒素施用法の確立, (ii)造成未熟畑はりん酸地力も低いのでりん酸資材により土壌改良を行なった場合に, サトウキビのりん酸吸収がどのように改善されるかを明らかにすること, (iii)熟畑および造成未熟畑においてサトウキビの機械化栽培が行なわれる場合に, 機械に規制される植付畦巾・株間などが生育茎数の確保におよぼす影響を明らかにすること, などである。Nitrogen absorption of sugarcane was studied in relation to the cane yield on a mature and an immature fields. Immature cane fields are expected to expand in Okinawa, because weathered rocks or mother materials become exposed by leveling of hilly lands which is requested to some extent for future mechanization of the sugarcane cultiviation. It is considered important for the cane production to clarify the difference in nutrient status between the mature fields and the immature fields. In the present study, an university farm of Inamine series soil was used as a mature cane field and an experiment farm at Nago, which was prepared by leveling a hilly topography of weathered Kunigami gravel in 1973,was used as an immature cane field. The second ratoon crop (1976-1977 crop) of sugarcane was studied on the both farms. The cane yields of the 12 month crop were 135t/ha and 98t/ha on the mature field of Inamine soil and the immature field of weathered Kunigami gravel, respectively. The difference in the yield was accounted for a greater number of cane stand on the mature field (150,000/ha) and a lesser on the immature field (94,000/ha), because no significant differences were found in the mean weight of the cane stand between the respective fields. The sugarcane crop on the mature field of Inamine series soil absorbed 305kg of N/ha as received 378kg of nitrogen during the growth period. On the contrary the cane crop on the immature field of weathered Kunigami gravel was found to absorb only 184kg of N/ha as received 379kg of nitrogen. This finding suggested that the mature field has a higher potential to supply the cane crop with soil nitrogen than the immature field. Rather poor recovery of nitrogen by the cane crop of the immature field, specifically at the middle stage of growth, suggested that the cane crop resulted in ineffective tillering which led to a lesser number of the cane stand and a lower yield of the raw cane than that of the mature field. Absorption of phosphorus and potassium by the cane crop was also investigated to some extent on the two different fields, and found was the poorer recovery of phosphorus by the cane crop on the immature field than the mature field. The immature field of weathered Kunigami gravel studied here seemed to be less fertile in phosphorus than the mature field. Future necessities suggested were to study practical effects of improving phosphorus fertility of the immature field on the phosphorus absorption and yield of sugarcane

Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on the yield of sweet potato grown on a calcareous clayey soil of Okinawa (Department of Agricultural Chemistry)

沖縄本島の稲嶺統土壌(ジャーガル土壌の1種)にサツマイモ(品種 : ナカムラサキ)を1972年と1973年の2回にわたり秋植栽培し, 窒素・りん酸・在圃期間などが, 塊根およびかずら収量・でん粉含量・でん粉収量などにおよぼす効果を調べた。カリ(K_2O)は全実験区一様に10a当たり7.0kgの割合で施用したが, 窒素(N)は0,3.5,7.0kgの3段階, りん酸(P_2 O_5)は3.5,7.0kgの2段階, 在圃期間は4カ月および5カ月とし, これら3因子を組合せた実験を行なった。実験前の土壌の養分含量は表土および心土において, それぞれ全窒素0.10,0.11%, 有効態りん酸3.1,13.4mg/100g, 置換性カリ0.54,0.31ml/100gであったが, 塊根収量に対しては窒素施用の効果があり, りん酸の多少および在圃期間の長短による効果はみられなかった。かずら収量は塊根収量と密接な相関関係を示した。でん粉含量は平均22.68%であったが, 処理区間に大きな相違がみられず, そのためでん粉収量には窒素による塊根増収の傾向が反映された。結果としてこの実験の範囲では, 供試土壌が上記程度の養分を含むとき, 秋植サツマイモの塊根およびかずら収量, でん粉収量などを増加させるためには10a当たり窒素7.0kg, りん酸3.5kg施用が適当であり, 在圃期間は4カ月でも良いと考えられた。A variety of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) was grown on a calcareous clayey soil of Okinawa Island in order to investigate the effects of nitrogen, phosphorus, and growth period on the starch content and the yields of root tuber, vine, and starch. Nitrogen was applied in three levels of 0,3.5,and 7.0kg N/10 are, and phosphorus in two levels of 3.5 and 7.0kg P_2O_5/10 are with thorough application of potassium as much as 7.0kg K_2O/10 are. Ammonium sulfate, superphosphate and potassium chloride were used as the source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. Sweet potato seedlings were planted in August of 1972 for the first experiment and harvested four and five months later. The experiment was run in randomized complete block design with three replications. The second experiment in 1973 was run in the same manner as in the first one succeeding the same treatment plots, but with an exception that the second one had only two replications. The root tuber significantly increased in the yield of two years average with the increasing amounts of nitrogen applied but not with phosphorus and growth period when the initial nutrient contents of the farm soil were 0.1% in total nitrogen and 3.1mg per 100g of the surface soil in available phosphorus. The yield of vine showed a close correlation with the root tuber yield. The starch content was 22.68% in average without much deviation regardless the treatments of nitrogen, phosphorus, and growth period. Because of this tendency, the starch yield, which was obtained by multipling the root tuber yield by the starch content, showed a similar trend to the yield of root tuber which demonstrated the effect of applied nitrogen only. As an overall result, the autumn crop of sweet potato yielded best by the applications of 7.0kg N, 3.5kg P_2O_5 and 7.0kg K_2O per 10 are with 4 months of the growth period in the present experiment on this particular soil. The maximum yield of the root tuber obtained here was only 1.7t/10 are, being much lower than those obtained elsewhere. Accordingly, further studies must be done to bring out higher productions on the pertinent amount of nitrogen to be applied, the mineralization of soil nitrogen in organic forms and the fixation problem of phosphorus as well as nitrogen and potassium