Experimental DML over digital repositories in Japan

In this paper the authors show an overview of Virtual Digital Mathematics Library in Japan (DML-JP), contents of which consist of metadata harvested from institutional repositories in Japan and digital repositories in the world. DML-JP is, in a sense, a subject specific repository which collaborate with various digital repositories. Beyond portal website, DML-JP provides subject-specific metadata through OAI-ORE. By the schema it is enabled that digital repositories can load the rich metadata which were added by mathematicians

Non-contact Cold Thermal Display by Controlling Low-temperature Air Flow Generated with Vortex Tube

In recent years, thermal display has been studied intensively in order to represent a more realistic tactile quality of the object. Since human feels the temperature of the air without touching other objects, it is necessary to present thermal sensation in a non-contact manner. Studies on non-contact heat display have been explored; however, few studies have reported on a device that can display cold in a non-contact manner. In this study, we propose a non-contact cold thermal display using a low-temperature heat source-vortex tube, which can generate ultra-low air temperature when supplied with compressed air. We developed a cooling model that relates the flow velocity of cold air with the absorbed heat from skin; we implemented a prototype system that can control the flow velocity of the generated air; and we conducted an experiment to examine the cold sensation that the system can present. Our results revealed that various cold sensations can be generated so that the faster the flow velocity, the colder a user would feel

Elucidation of the recognition mechanisms for hemicellulose and pectin in Clostridium cellulovorans using intracellular quantitative proteome analysis

Clostridium cellulovorans is an anaerobic, cellulolytic bacterium, capable of effectively degrading and metabolizing various types of substrates, including cellulose, hemicellulose (xylan and galactomannan), and pectin. Among Clostridia, this ability to degrade and metabolize a wide range of hemicellulose and pectin substrates is a unique feature; however, the mechanisms are currently unknown. To clarify the mechanisms of hemicelluloses and pectin recognition and metabolism, we carried out a quantitative proteome analysis of C. cellulovorans cultured with these substrates. C. cellulovorans was cultured in the medium of glucose (control), xylan, galactomannan (Locus bean gum, LBG), or pectin for 36 h. Xylan and galactomannan were used to search for the common recognition mechanisms of hemicellulose, and pectin was used to search for unique recognition systems in C. cellulovorans. Using an isobaric tag method and liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer equipped with a long monolithic silica capillary column, we identified 734 intracellular proteins from all substrates. We performed KEGG analyses and cluster analyses of the resulting proteins. In the KEGG analyses, we found common degradation mechanisms for hemicellulose and pectin. In the cluster analysis corresponding to the genome analysis, we detected substrate-specific clusters that include genes involved in substrate recognition, substrate degradation, and metabolism. Combining the results of the KEGG analyses and cluster analyses, we propose the mechanisms involved in the recognition and metabolism of hemicellulose and pectin in C. cellulovorans

Effect of initial thickness deviation and reduction on longitudinal and cross-sectional precision after tube drawing using plug

In this research, 2D and 3D FEM models are composed for the clarification of the effect of initial thickness distribution on its distribution after drawing and the residual stresses. In the 2D FEM, the minimum bare element numberwas determined in terms on both residual stress precision and calculation time. Based on the results of 2D FEM, the element numberin3D FEM wasdetermined. Using the obtained 3D FEM, the effect of initial thickness distribution was clarified with the combination of thicknessreduction. It was revealed that light reduction in thickness in plug drawing sometimes lead to increase of thickness deviation, against intuitiveprediction based on tube drawing without plug.On the other hand, increase of thickness reduction resulted in decrease of thickness deviation. The mechanism of thickness change was also examined

Randomized Controlled Trial of Epidural versus Patient-controlled Intravenous Analgesia for Postoperative Pain Control after Laparoscopic Gastrectomy

Although epidural analgesia (EDA) is considered standard postoperative analgesia for open gastrectomy, it has been unclear whether EDA has benefits in laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) because postoperative pain after a laparoscopic procedure is significantly reduced. We are conducting a two-arm, single-center, prospective randomized non-inferiority trial to evaluate the postoperative pain relief of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) compared to EDA. A total of 132 patients undergoing LG will be randomized to EDA and PCIA groups (n=64 each) for postoperative pain control. The primary endpoint is postoperative pain at 24 h after surgery. This study will clarify the optimal pain management after LG

Recurrence after Endoscopic Curative Resection of Mucosal Gastric Cancer Associated with an Adjacent Neoplastic Precursor Lesion

A 69-year-old man underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer (EGC) at the lesser curvature in the angle of stomach. Histological examination revealed tub1, pM, ly0, v0, pLM(-), pVM(-), and the resection was considered curative. The scar after ESD was followed by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and biopsy. Twenty months later, EGD showed an ulcerative lesion in the vicinity of the ESD scar, and histological examination of the biopsy specimen showed adenocarcinoma. A distal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection was then performed. Postoperative pathology showed tub1, pM, pN0, ly0, v0, and Stage 1A. Skip lesions were seen in the specimen resected by ESD, and the histological review confirmed so-called “dysplasia-like atypia” (DLA) between the lesions. It has been reported recently that in DLA, the dysplasia-like change involves only the bases of the pits, without upper pit or surface epithelium involvement, and it is said that the rate of DLA is higher in gastric cancer patients. We speculated that a precancerous lesion close to the resected cancer developed into a local recurrence

Long-term survival without recurrence after surgery for gastric yolk sac tumor-like carcinoma: a case report

Background Gastric yolk sac tumor (YST)-like carcinoma is extremely rare, and its prognosis is poor, because most patients have widespread metastases at the time of diagnosis. We report a case of gastric YST-like carcinoma with an adenocarcinoma component without metastases in which curative resection was performed. Case presentation A 77-year-old man complaining of melena and dizziness due to anemia was diagnosed with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma in the gastric cardia, with a benign ulcer in the gastric body. He underwent total gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection for the tumor. Histological examination of the resected specimens revealed a mixture of reticular and glandular neoplastic components morphologically. In the reticular area, an endodermal sinus pattern and some Schiller-Duval bodies were confirmed. Gastric YST-like carcinoma with adenocarcinoma components, T2N0M0 Stage IB, was diagnosed. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the YST was positive for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and p53. In contrast, the adenocarcinoma was positive for p53 and negative for CEA and AFP. The patient remained healthy as of 7 years postoperatively, with no recurrence. Conclusions Routine medical examinations or endoscopic examinations for accidental symptom may be helpful for early diagnosis and good prognosis for gastric YST-like carcinoma, although the prognosis is generally poor

Overexpression of Adenovirus E1A Reverses Transforming Growth Factor-β-induced Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition in Human Esophageal Cancer Cells

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a normal biological process by which epithelial cells acquire a mesenchymal phenotype, is associated with migration, metastasis, and chemoresistance in cancer cells, and with poor prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer. However, therapeutic strategies to inhibit EMT in tumor environments remain elusive. Here, we show the therapeutic potential of telomerase-specific replication- competent oncolytic adenovirus OBP-301 in human esophageal cancer TE4 and TE6 cells with an EMT phenotype. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) administration induced the EMT phenotype with spindleshaped morphology, upregulation of mesenchymal markers and EMT transcription factors, migration, and chemoresistance in TE4 and TE6 cells. OBP-301 significantly inhibited the EMT phenotype via E1 accumulation. EMT cancer cells were susceptible to OBP-301 via massive autophagy induction. OBP-301 suppressed tumor growth and lymph node metastasis of TE4 cells co-inoculated with TGF-β-secreting fibroblasts. Our results suggest that OBP-301 inhibits the TGF-β-induced EMT phenotype in human esophageal cancer cells. OBP-301-mediated E1A overexpression is a promising antitumor strategy to inhibit EMT-mediated esophageal cancer progression

p53-armed oncolytic adenovirus induces autophagy and apoptosis in KRAS and BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) cells harboring KRAS or BRAF mutations show a more-malignant phenotype than cells with wild-type KRAS and BRAF. KRAS/BRAF-wild-type CRCs are sensitive to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting agents, whereas KRAS/BRAF-mutant CRCs are resistant due to constitutive activation of the EGFR-downstream KRAS/BRAF signaling pathway. Novel therapeutic strategies to treat KRAS/BRAF mutant CRC cells are thus needed. We recently demonstrated that the telomerase-specific replication-competent oncolytic adenoviruses OBP-301 and p53-armed OBP-702 exhibit therapeutic potential against KRAS-mutant human pancreatic cancer cells. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of OBP-301 and OBP-702 against human CRC cells with differing KRAS/BRAF status. Human CRC cells with wild-type KRAS/BRAF (SW48, Colo320DM, CACO-2), mutant KRAS (DLD-1, SW620, HCT116), and mutant BRAF (RKO, HT29, COLO205) were used in this study. The antitumor effect of OBP-301 and OBP-702 against CRC cells was analyzed using the XTT assay. Virus-mediated modulation of apoptosis, autophagy, and the EGFR-MEK-ERK and AKT-mTOR signaling pathways was analyzed by Western blotting. Wild-type and KRAS-mutant CRC cells were sensitive to OBP-301 and OBP-702, whereas BRAF-mutant CRC cells were sensitive to OBP-702 but resistant to OBP-301. Western blot analysis demonstrated that OBP-301 induced autophagy and that OBP-702 induced autophagy and apoptosis in human CRC cells. In BRAF-mutant CRC cells, OBP-301 and OBP-702 suppressed the expression of EGFR, MEK, ERK, and AKT proteins, whereas mTOR expression was suppressed only by OBP-702. Our results suggest that p53-armed oncolytic virotherapy is a viable therapeutic option for treating KRAS/BRAF-mutant CRC cells via induction of autophagy and apoptosis