Development and Operation of the Handbooks for Novice Teachers and Mentors (I) : Towards Constructing Foundation and Basis of Teachers as Continuous Learners

In this study, we developed Handbook for improving the practical teaching competencies for novice teachers and Handbook for supporting Novices for mentors and actually got them used by those teachers. We interviewed three pairs of novice and mentor, obtained feedbacks on their contents & usability and analyzed them. As a result of this research, we reached following three conclusions: 1) Handbook for novice teachers helped in organization and accumulation of the documents of novice teachers training; 2) Handbook for mentors are contributory for mentors to support and to advise novices by offering useful knowledge and so on; 3) Standard can be an index of lesson observation and analyzation for novices as well as a tool promoting their reflections. Furthermore, it also works as a medium connecting novices and mentors. We plan to keep on considering the valid ways to utilize these Handbooks.本研究は，平成25-26年度独立行政法人教員研修センター委嘱事業「教員研修モデルカリキュラム開発プログラム」の成果の一部である。なお，本稿は広島大学（2015）の一部を加筆・修正するとともに，平成27年度日本教育大学協会研究集会（10月10日開催）で発表した内容を加え執筆したものである

AmPhos Pd-Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Catalyst-Transfer Condensation Polymerization: Narrower Dispersity by Mixing the Catalyst and Base Prior to Polymerization

Several palladium catalysts with bulky phosphine ligands other than <i>t</i>-Bu₃P were investigated for Suzuki–Miyaura catalyst-transfer condensation polymerization (CTCP). When the model reaction of 2,5-dibromothiophene with phenylboronic acid ester was carried out with a variety of Pd precatalysts in the presence of K₃PO₄ as a base, we found that the use of di-<i>tert</i>-butyl­(4-dimethyl­aminophenyl)­phosphine (AmPhos) Pd as a precatalyst resulted in exclusive formation of diphenyl-substituted thiophene. Polymerization of thiophene monomer and fluorene monomer with an initiator generated in situ from AmPhos Pd precatalyst and 4-iodobenzonitrile proceeded via the CTCP mechanism, affording polythiophene (P3HT) and polyfluorene with low dispersity and controlled polymer ends. Furthermore, (tolyl)­PdAmPhos­(Br) (<b>7</b>) was synthesized, and its polymerization properties were investigated. We found that polymerization of thiophene monomer with a mixture of <b>7</b> and CsF that had been stirred for 1 h prior to polymerization afforded P3HT with the dispersity of 1.18, which was considerably narrower than that in the case of CTCP with PhPd­(<i>t</i>-Bu₃P)­Br. Block copolymerization of thiophene monomer and fluorene monomer with <b>7</b> proceeded irrespective of the polymerization order, in contrast to PhPd­(<i>t</i>-Bu₃P)­Br-catalyzed block copolymerization, in which only chain extension with thiophene monomer from a polyfluorene propagating end took place and the reverse chain extension did not

Does modified Blumgart anastomosis without intra-pancreatic ductal stenting reduce post-operative pancreatic fistula after pancreaticojejunostomy?

Summary: Background: Post-operative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is one of the most common and serious complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). The aim of this study is to retrospectively compare clinically relevant (CR) POPF and other complications after pacreaticojejunostomy (PJ) after modified Kakita (m-Kakita) or modified Blumgart (m-Blumgart) anastomoses without stenting in a single institution. Methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients underwent PJ using m-Kakita anastomoses (two interrupted penetrating sutures) between January 2009 and December 2011. One hundred eighteen patients underwent m-Blumgart anastomoses (two transpancreatic/jejunal seromuscular sutures to cover the pancreatic stump with jejunal serosa) between January 2014 and December 2015. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and post-operative mortality and morbidity were retrospectively compared between the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in demographics or clinical characteristics between the two groups except operative time. A significantly lower rate of CR-POPF was found in the m-Blumgart group relative to the m-Kakita group (10% vs. 19%, p = 0.038). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the m-Blumgart anastomosis and fistula risk category (Negligible, Low) were independently protective against CR-POPF (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This retrospective single-center study demonstrated that the modified Blumgart method without pancreatic duct stenting was associated with a lower rate of CR-POPF. Keywords: Clinically relevant pancreatic fistula, Pancreaticoduodenectomy, Blumgart anastomosis, Morbidity, Mortalit

Presence of EGFR mutation in pathologically non-malignant specimens from computed tomography-guided lung needle biopsies

Activating mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are characteristic of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR mutations were previously detected in histologically normal lung tissue around NSCLC tumors. Computed tomography-guided lung needle biopsy (CTNB) is an accurate and useful technique for the diagnosis of lung tumors. However, pathologically non-malignant cases occasionally become apparent following lung tumor resection. In this study, we determined the EGFR mutational status of lung tumors diagnosed as non-malignant in CTNB specimens, but diagnosed as NSCLC following surgical resection. Between 2000 and 2008, 1,109 CTNBs were performed at Okayama University Hospital. Among them, 15 cases were initially diagnosed as non-malignant by CTNB, but diagnosed as NSCLC following surgical resection as a result of a high likelihood of malignancy by clinical findings. Twelve paired DNAs of CTNB and corresponding resected specimens were available to examine the EGFR mutational status using a mutant-enriched PCR assay. EGFR mutations were detected in one out of 12 CTNB specimens and three of the corresponding resected tumors. This case harbored the same EGFR mutation in the CTNB specimen and resected tumor, but not in the distant corresponding non-malignant lung tissue. Our results indicated that the detection of EGFR mutations may therefore aid the diagnosis of NSCLC in pathologically non-malignant CTNB specimens