Evaluation of peripheral enhancement on contrast-enhanced computed tomography and corresponding pathological findings in colorectal liver metastases after preoperative chemotherapy

Purpose: To correlate peripheral enhancement on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) in patients with post-chemotherapy colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) with the corresponding pathological findings. Material and methods: Forty-four patients with CRLM who underwent hepatic resection after preoperative chemotherapy between 2008 and 2013 were included. Two radiologists blinded to the histopathology findings performed a consensus categorization of the marginal contrast effects of CRLM on CE-CT as follows: Group 1, smooth margin without enhancement; Group 2, smooth margin with an enhanced rim; and Group 3, fuzzy margin with/without an enhanced rim. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the imaging findings with the histological findings. Results: The percentage of infarct-like necrosis was significantly higher in those with CRLM with smooth margins than in those with CRLM with fuzzy margins (p < 0.001, r = 0.62). The percentage of viable cells was lowest in CRLM with smooth margins without enhancement (p < 0.001, r = 0.60). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the type of necrosis is related to the nature of the margins, and the presence of residual cells is related to peripheral enhancement

Farmland Changes in Tokushima Prefecture and Their Impact on Disaster Risk

本研究では、徳島県を対象に、グリーンインフラとして重要な役割を担う農地の変化傾向をとらえ、それに起因する洪水リスクを評価した。洪水災害をハザード、その曝露対象を世帯、世帯が存在する土地特性を雨水流出量で表し、その組み合わせにより洪水リスク評価値を計算した。まず、県内を四つのゾーンに分けて農地変化傾向を分析したところ、市街化調整区域が含まれる都市周辺部、農業が中心の平地部ではまとまって農地が減少しており、中山間地域では小規模かつ分散的な農地減少がみられた。さらに、農林業従事者数が減少するほど農地も減少すること、平地部の農地減少面積が大きいこと、道路密度が2km 以下のメッシュで農地減少が進んでいること、スーパーマーケットと小学校に近いほど農地が減少していることが分かった。最後に、洪水リスク評価値を計算したところ、徳島市西部の石井町や吉野川市付近、徳島市北部の藍住町、北島町付近で洪水リスクが増加するメッシュがまとまって、中山間地域では小規模かつ分散的に洪水リスクが大きくなるメッシュが存在していた。特に、吉野川中下流域では、洪水リスクが高いメッシュと洪水浸水域が重複しており、農地の維持管理が必要であることが示された。The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the disaster risk caused by the changes in farmland as a key part of the green infrastructure and its impact on disaster risk in Tokushima prefecture. We evaluated the risk using two factors: one is evacuation level based on volume of surface runoff (calculated according to land characteristics), and the other is the number of elderly households. From the analysis, high disaster risk areas were observed in the suburban periphery of the city of Tokushima and the small and widely dispersed farmland in the mountains. The high disaster area overlapped with the flood-prone area in the middle and lower sections of the Yoshinogawa river watershed. Therefore, maintenance of the farmland in these areas is important to mitigation of flooding that can increase disaster risk

In situ7Li nuclear magnetic resonance study of the relaxation effect in practical lithium ion batteries

Lithium ion cells comprising actual components of positive electrodes (LiCoO2, LiNixCoyAlz, and LiMn2O4) and negative electrodes (graphite and hard carbon) were assembled for in situ7Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. The 7Li NMR measurements of the cells revealed a “relaxation effect” after overcharging: a decrease of the signal assigned to Li metal deposited on the negative electrode surface by overcharging. The reduction of the Li metal signal was inversely proportional to the increase of the signal of lithium stored in carbon. Therefore, the effect was ascribed to absorption of deposited lithium into the carbon of negative electrodes. The effect, which occurred rapidly in a few hours, reached an equilibrium state at 8–15 h. The slight shift of deposited metal suggests that dendritic Li easily re-dissolved, although larger Li particles remained. A hard carbon electrode has a greater effect of Li metal relaxation than graphite electrodes do, which is explainable by the bufferable structure of the carbon. Results are expected to be important for the discussion of the state of lithium, and for safer battery design

Quantitative monitoring of single nucleotide mutations by allele-specific quantitative PCR can be used for the assessment of minimal residual disease in patients with hematological malignancies throughout their clinical course

BackgroundMonitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with hematological malignancies is important for evaluating the patients\u27 therapeutic response and risk of relapse. Single nucleotide mutations associated with leukemogenesis can be considered as applicable MRD markers.MethodsWe developed an allele-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (AS-qPCR) for FLT3 2503G > T, KIT 2446G > T, and KIT 2447A > T and compared the change in the expression levels of the FLT3 or KIT mutations assessed by AS-qPCR to those of the RUNX1–RUNX1T1 fusion gene and WT1 by conventional quantitative PCR.ResultsThe AS-qPCR using primers including template-mismatched nucleotide or template-mismatched nucleotide plus locked nucleic acid substituted nucleotide provided higher selectivity for mutant nucleotides. The change in the expression levels of the FLT3 or KIT mutations at the time of relapse and just after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation correlated well with that of the RUNX1–RUNX1T1 fusion gene and WT1. Moreover, during complete remission, only AS-qPCR could detect low-level expression of residual mutations.ConclusionsThe AS-qPCR for analyzing single nucleotide mutations contributes to the monitoring of MRD in patients without recurrent fusion gene throughout the clinical course and thus broadens the spectrum of patients in whom MRD can be monitored