子宮内膜症関連卵巣癌と隆起性病変を有する良性卵巣内膜症を鑑別する因子の検討

PURPOSE: Mural nodules and papillary projections can be seen in benign ovarian endometriosis (OE) and malignant transformation of OE (endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer [EAOC]), which can pose a challenging diagnostic dilemma to clinicians. We identify the preoperative imaging characteristics helpful to the differential diagnosis between benign OE with mural nodules and EAOC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 82 patients who were diagnosed pathologically to have OE with mural nodules (n = 42) and malignant transformations of these tumors (n = 40) at the Nara Medical University Hospital from January 2008 to January 2015. All patients were assessed with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery. Patient demographics, and clinical and pathologic features were analyzed to detect the significant differences between the two groups. RESULTS: Histological examinations of resected OE tissue specimens revealed that a majority (78.6%) of the mural nodular lesions were retracted blood clots. We found that the patients with malignant mural nodules, when compared to those with benign nodules, were older, had larger cyst diameters and larger mural nodule sizes, and were more likely to exhibit a taller than wider lesion. They were also more likely to present with various signal intensities on T1-weighted images (T1WI), high-signal intensity on T2-weighted images (T2WI), a lower proportion of shading on T2WI, and were more likely to show an anterior location of the cyst. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, "Height" (>1.5 cm) and "Height-Width ratio (HWR)" (>0.9) of mural nodules, maximum diameter of the cyst (>7.9 cm), and age at diagnosis (>43 years) were independent predictors to distinguish EAOC from OE with mural nodules. CONCLUSION: The "Height" and "HWR" of the mural nodules in the cyst may yield a novel potential diagnostic factor for differentiating EAOC from benign OE with mural nodules.博士（医学）・乙第1415号・平成30年3月15日©2017 Japanese Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Summed Probability Distribution of 14C Dates Suggests Regional Divergences in the Population Dynamics of the Jomon Period in Eastern Japan.

Recent advances in the use of summed probability distribution (SPD) of calibrated 14C dates have opened new possibilities for studying prehistoric demography. The degree of correlation between climate change and population dynamics can now be accurately quantified, and divergences in the demographic history of distinct geographic areas can be statistically assessed. Here we contribute to this research agenda by reconstructing the prehistoric population change of Jomon hunter-gatherers between 7,000 and 3,000 cal BP. We collected 1,433 14C dates from three different regions in Eastern Japan (Kanto, Aomori and Hokkaido) and established that the observed fluctuations in the SPDs were statistically significant. We also introduced a new non-parametric permutation test for comparing multiple sets of SPDs that highlights point of divergences in the population history of different geographic regions. Our analyses indicate a general rise-and-fall pattern shared by the three regions but also some key regional differences during the 6th millennium cal BP. The results confirm some of the patterns suggested by previous archaeological studies based on house and site counts but offer statistical significance and an absolute chronological framework that will enable future studies aiming to establish potential correlation with climatic changes.Marie-Curie Intra-European Fellowship (Grant ID: 625863), SimulPast Project (Consolider-Ingenio CSD2010-00034)This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the Public Library of Science via http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.015480

A Relational Approach to International Education Through Homestay Programs

This paper identifies and analyzes intercultural problems through surveys of homestay programs with Japanese students and American host mothers. Given that participants need to go beyond their cognitive knowledge to interact effectively with people from other cultures, a relational approach may be more effective than traditional intercultural training models in international education. In terms of the relational approach, one incident of intercultural problems is composed of various interpretations and plural options for managing differences. By becoming familiar with this relational approach, participants can make more appropriate behavioral choices and make their global experience more meaningful. Also, instructors or faculty members can develop educational programs more effectively by applying the survey results to international education

Adequateness of Vital Signs on the Hemiplegic Side of Hemiplegic Stroke Patients

本研究では，片麻痺患者の血圧，体温，および動脈血酸素飽和度において，麻痺側と健側間で測定値に差がみられるか検討した．被験者には，脳血管障害等で片麻痺があり，研究に同意の得られた患者２７名を対象とし，そのうち男性は１５名，女性は１２名で，平均年齢は７２．８歳であった．これら患者のバイタルサインを，安静仰臥位で麻痺側と健側同時に測定した．その結果，平均収縮期血圧は，麻痺側で１２０．４４±１７．７４mmHg，健側では１２１．２８±１９．６８mmHg，また平均拡張期血圧は，麻痺側で７２．５８±９．４６mmHg，健側では７１．７２±８．８５mmHg であった．以上の血圧の測定値に麻痺側と健側間で有意差は認められなかった．一方，平均体温は，麻痺側で３６．６１±０．７℃，健側では３６．４３±０．７であり，麻痺側が有意に高値を示した．また，平均動脈血酸素飽和度は，麻痺側で９６．３１±１．８１，健側では９５．９６±１．８６であり，麻痺側が有意に高値を示した．しかし，これら平均体温および平均動脈血酸素飽和度における有意差は，正常変動と比較すると十分小さく，臨床的には意味がないと考えられた．以上から，麻痺側の測定であっても正確な値が得られることが明らかになった．The purpose of the study was to investigate if there were significant differences in vital signs （blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturation measurements）between the hemiplegic and healthy sides of hemiplegic stroke patients. The ２７ patients with hemiplegia due to chronic-phase cerebrovascular impairments were enrolled as study subjects after they provided informed consent for participation in the study. Of the subjects，１５were men and１２were women, with the mean age of ７２．８ years. The vital signs on the hemiplegic and healthy sides of the patients were simultaneously recorded in supine position. The mean systolic arterial pressure was １２０．４４±１７．７４ and １２１．２８±１９．６８mmHg on the hemiplegic and healthy sides, respectively. The mean temperature was３６．６１±０．７and３６．４３±０．７℃ on the hemiplegic and healthy sides, respectively. The mean oxygen saturation measurements was ９６．３１±１．８１ and ９５．９６± １．８６％ on the hemiplegic and healthy sides, respectively. The statistical comparisons showed no significant differences in blood pressure between the hemiplegic and healthy sides. Although there were significant differences in temperature and oxygen saturation measurements between the hemiplegic and healthy sides. Clinical implications suggest that these differences are enough small and negligible. In conclusion, the results showed that vital signs can be accurately measured even on the hemiplegic side

A network biology approach evaluating the anticancer effects of bortezomib identifies SPARC as a therapeutic target in adult T-cell leukemia cells

There is a need to identify the regulatory gene interaction of anticancer drugs on target cancer cells. Whole genome expression profiling offers promise in this regard, but can be complicated by the challenge of identifying the genes affected by hundreds to thousands of genes that induce changes in expression. A proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib, could be a potential therapeutic agent in treating adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) patients, however, the underlying mechanism by which bortezomib induces cell death in ATL cells via gene regulatory network has not been fully elucidated. Here we show that a Bayesian statistical framework by VoyaGene® identified a secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) gene, a tumor-invasiveness related gene, as a possible modulator of bortezomib-induced cell death in ATL cells. Functional analysis using RNAi experiments revealed that inhibition of the expression SPARC by siRNA enhanced the apoptotic effect of bortezomib on ATL cells in accordance with an increase of cleaved caspase 3. Targeting SPARC may help to treat ATL patients in combination with bortezomib. This work shows that a network biology approach can be used advantageously to identify the genetic interaction related to anticancer effects

Deformation analysis of surface and bronchial structures in intraoperative pneumothorax using deformable mesh registration

The positions of nodules can change because of intraoperative lung deflation, and the modeling of pneumothorax-associated deformation remains a challenging issue for intraoperative tumor localization. In this study, we introduce spatial and geometric analysis methods for inflated/deflated lungs and discuss heterogeneity in pneumothorax-associated lung deformation. Contrast-enhanced CT images simulating intraoperative conditions were acquired from live Beagle dogs. The images contain the overall shape of the lungs, including all lobes and internal bronchial structures, and were analyzed to provide a statistical deformation model that could be used as prior knowledge to predict pneumothorax. To address the difficulties of mapping pneumothorax CT images with topological changes and CT intensity shifts, we designed deformable mesh registration techniques for mixed data structures including the lobe surfaces and the bronchial centerlines. Three global-to-local registration steps were performed under the constraint that the deformation was spatially continuous and smooth, while matching visible bronchial tree structures as much as possible. The developed framework achieved stable registration with a Hausdorff distance of less than 1 mm and a target registration error of less than 5 mm, and visualized deformation fields that demonstrate per-lobe contractions and rotations with high variability between subjects. The deformation analysis results show that the strain of lung parenchyma was 35% higher than that of bronchi, and that deformation in the deflated lung is heterogeneous

Electrical Excitation of the Pulmonary Venous Musculature May Contribute to the Formation of the Last Component of the High Frequency Signal of the P Wave

Pulmonary veins (PVs) have been shown to play an important role in the induction and perpetuation of focal AF. Fifty-one patients with AF, and 24 patients without AF as control subjects, were enrolled in this study. Signal-averaged P-wave recording was performed, and the filtered P wave duration (FPD), the root-mean-square voltage for the last 20, 30 and 40 ms (RMS20, 30, and 40, respectively) were compared. In 7 patients with AF, these parameters were compared before and after the catheter ablation. The FPD was significantly longer and the RMS20 was smaller in the patients with AF than those without AF. Because RMS30 was widely distributed between 2 and 10 µV, the AF group was sub-divided into two groups; Group 1 was comprised of the patients with an RMS30 ≧5.0 µV, and group 2, <5.0 µV. In group 1, short-coupled PACs were more frequently documented on Holter monitoring, and exercise testing more readily induced AF. After successful electrical disconnection between the LA and PVs, each micropotential parameter was significantly attenuated. These results indicate that the high frequency signal amplitude of the last component of the P wave is relatively high in patients with AF triggered by focal repetitive excitations most likely originating from the PVs. That is, attenuation by the LA-PV electrical isolation, and thus the high frequency P signals of the last component, may contain the electrical excitation of the PV musculature

The oligosaccharides in a recombinant hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) carrying the pre-S2 region derived from yeast

AbstractThe N- and O-linked oligosaccharides in a yeast-derived HBsAg M protein (pre-S2 + S) were analyzed. Two major structures of the N-linked oligosaccharides bound to residue Asn4 were determined to be high-mannose type oligosaccharides. Man7GlcNAc2 and Man8GlcNAc2, by two-dimensional sugar mapping of the corresponding pyridylamino oligosaccharides. Peptide mapping of the M protein, sequence analysis of the glycopeptides after β-elimination under reducing conditions and sugar-composition analysis revealed that the O-linked oligosaccharides were composed solely or mannose and bound to residue Ser5, Thr6, Thr7, Ser27, Ser28, Ser29 and Thr31 in the pre-S2 region