Learning Compliant Stiffness by Impedance Control-Aware Task Segmentation and Multi-objective Bayesian Optimization with Priors

Rather than traditional position control, impedance control is preferred to ensure the safe operation of industrial robots programmed from demonstrations. However, variable stiffness learning studies have focused on task performance rather than safety (or compliance). Thus, this paper proposes a novel stiffness learning method to satisfy both task performance and compliance requirements. The proposed method optimizes the task and compliance objectives (T/C objectives) simultaneously via multi-objective Bayesian optimization. We define the stiffness search space by segmenting a demonstration into task phases, each with constant responsible stiffness. The segmentation is performed by identifying impedance control-aware switching linear dynamics (IC-SLD) from the demonstration. We also utilize the stiffness obtained by proposed IC-SLD as priors for efficient optimization. Experiments on simulated tasks and a real robot demonstrate that IC-SLD-based segmentation and the use of priors improve the optimization efficiency compared to existing baseline methods.Comment: Accepted to IROS202

Congenital Hypofibrinogenemia in a Neonate with a Novel Mutation in the FGB Gene

ArticlePediatric reports. 13(1): 113-117(2021)journal articl

Leptin and high glucose stimulate cell proliferation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells: reciprocal involvement of PKC-α and PPAR expression

AbstractGlucose concentration may be an important factor in breast cancer cell proliferation, and the prevalence of breast cancer is high in diabetic patients. Leptin may also be an important factor since plasma levels of leptin correlated with TNM staging for breast cancer patients. The effects of glucose and leptin on breast cancer cell proliferation were evaluated by examining cell doubling time, DNA synthesis, levels of cell cycle related proteins, protein kinase C (PKC) isozyme expression, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) subtypes were determined following glucose exposure at normal (5.5 mM) and high (25 mM) concentrations with/without leptin in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. In MCF-7 cells, leptin and high glucose stimulated cell proliferation as demonstrated by the increases in DNA synthesis and expression of cdk2 and cyclin D1. PKC-α, PPARγ, and PPARα protein levels were up-regulated following leptin and high glucose treatment in drug-sensitive MCF-7 cells. However, there was no significant effect of leptin and high glucose on cell proliferation, DNA synthesis, levels of cell cycle proteins, PKC isozymes, or PPAR subtypes in multidrug-resistant human breast cancer NCI/ADR-RES cells. These results suggested that hyperglycemia and hyperleptinemia increase breast cancer cell proliferation through accelerated cell cycle progression with up-regulation of cdk2 and cyclin D1 levels. This suggests the involvement of PKC-α, PPARα, and PPARγ

Primary conjunctival follicular lymphoma treated with the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab and low-dose involved-field radiotherapy

金沢大学医学部附属病院眼科金沢大学大学院医学系研究

DIP during perioperative chemotherapy

Purpose : Drug-induced interstitial pneumonia (DIP) that occurs during chemotherapy for breast cancer is a rare but a serious adverse event. Treatments of DIP requires interruption of breast cancer treatment, which may affect the patient’s prognosis. However, there are few reports which discuss DIP during breast cancer treatments. Purpose of this report is to make clear how DIP occurred and influenced breast cancer treatment in our hospital. Patients and Methods : A total of 74 patients who started perioperative chemotherapy in Tokushima Municipal Hospital for breast cancer from January 2019 to December 2020 were evaluated for DIP. Patients’ and tumors’ characteristics, and regimens which caused DIP were investigated. The clinical courses of the DIP patients were also followed up. Results : Twelve of the 74 patients developed DIP. All 12 patients had histories of cyclophosphamide administration ; however, the causative drug could not be determined. Ten of the 12 patients were treated with steroids, and all the patients recovered ultimately from the interstitial pneumonia. While chemotherapy was administered in six patients after mild DIP, no relapse of pneumonia was observed. Conclusion : DIP during perioperative chemotherapy for breast cancer was resolved with appropriate treatment. Patients were able to resume breast cancer treatment with minimal interruption

Cloning, expression analysis, and tissue distribution of esp-1/testisin, a membrane-type serine protease from the rat

Esp-1/testisin, a serine protease abundantly expressed in human and mouse testis, is presumed to play an important role in the process of spermatogenesis and fertilization. In this study, we cloned an esp-1/testisin cDNA from rats, and analyzed its expression and tissue distribution. The isolated cDNA consisted of 1099 nucleotides with a single open reading frame encoding 328 amino acids and an expected molecular mass of 36.6 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of rat Esp-1/Testisin had 89% and 62% identity with its murine and human counterparts, respectively, and appeared to be a trypsin-type serine protease with a hydrophobic region at the C-terminus. By quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, rat esp-1/testisin mRNA was predominantly expressed in testis, as in human and mouse. However, its immunohistochemical distribution was predominantly in the elongated spermatids at steps 12 to 19, and not in the primary spermatocytes and round spermatids. This different distribution profile suggests that Esp-1/Testisin plays a role in species-specific proteolytic events during spermatogenesis and fertilization

PHOSPHATEMIC INDEX EVALUATES PHOSPHORUS LOAD

Objective: Dietary phosphorus (P) restriction is crucial to treat hyperphosphatemia and reduce cardiovascular disease risk and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the wider population. Various methods for dietary P restriction exist, but the bioavailability of P in food should also be considered when making appropriate food choices to maintain patients’ quality of life. Here, we propose the ‘‘Phosphatemic Index’’ (PI) as a novel tool for evaluating dietary P load based on P bioavailability; we also evaluated the effect of continuous intake of different PI foods in mixed meals on serum intact fibroblast growth factor 23 concentration. Design and Methods: A 2-stage crossover study was conducted: Study 1: 20 healthy participants consumed 10 different foods containing 200 mg of P, and the PI was calculated from the area under the curve of a time versus serum P concentration curve; Study 2: 10 healthy participants consumed 4 different test meals (low, medium, or high PI meals or a control) over a 5-day period. Results: Study 1 showed milk and dairy products had high PI values, pork and ham had medium PI values, and soy and tofu had low PI values. In Study 2, ingestion of high PI test meals showed higher fasting serum intact fibroblast growth factor 23 levels and lower serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels compared with ingestion of low PI test meals. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the PI can usefully evaluate the dietary P load of various foods and may help to make appropriate food choices for dietary P restriction in CKD patients

Lifestyle Habits Adjustment for Hypertension and Discontinuation of Antihypertensive Agents

Background: Hypertension is one of lifestyle-related diseases, and prevention and effect of reduction pressure can be expected by non-pharmacological interventions. Authors have continued guidance of adjustment for lifestyle to thousands of hypertensive patients, resulting 4.6%-6.1% case could discontinue hypertensive agents. This study enrolled patients with all necessary related data. Subjects and methods: Subjects were 50 patients with hypertension (M/F: 25/25, age 65.4 ± 8.6 vs. 53.4 ± 6.2 years, BMI 23.4 ± 2.7 vs. 22.3 ± 2.5, respectively), who could discontinued antihypertensive agents. They received consultation and intervention from registered dietitian nutritionists, exercise therapists and nurses. Results: The comparative results on males and females are as follows: smoking habit was 76% vs. 0%, alcohol intake was 60% vs. 0%, diabetes complication was 16% vs. 8%, and hyperlipidemia was 32% vs. 52%, respectively. These cases showed rare to none incidence of cerebral vascular accident (CVA), coronary heart disease (CHD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Consultations in median were 4.0 vs. 4.0 times, median weight reduction was 2.2 kg vs. 1.6 kg and median period withdrawal of the drug was 2.0 years vs. 2.5 years. Discussion and conclusion: When living adjustment is advised, blood pressure decreases due to behavior change. Our results suggest that these cases have less arteriosclerosis development, which enables withdrawal of medicine. It is necessary to carefully observe the progress whether the antihypertensive drug will be unnecessary or will be restarted. Current results obtained would become the fundamental data in the future, and the adjustment for diet and exercise would be useful for more adequate treatment for hypertension

トウニョウビョウ ケア ノ リスク マネージメント

The number of diabetics has been increasing in recent years. The diabetics are under varioustreatments, including the improvement of life habit and the medication for diabetes with insulin.Our hospital set a team of diabetic care, which is composed of a diabetic specialist, certified diabeteseducators（CDEs）, nurses, dietricians and pharmacists. This team takes great care of the diabetics.For medical safety measures, the department of risk management was organized in our hospital.The department investigated the cases of Hiyari-Hatto within 1 year and 3 months, from 2005to 2006, and found that 3% of them was the diabetic case, which was caused by the nurses exceptCDEs. Therefore the department made the manual of diabetic therapy in cooperation with theCDEs. All the staffs in our hospital were educated by the seminars according to the manual. Theknowledge about the diabetic therapy proved to be mostly accurate one year after the last seminar.For the improvement of medical safety, the department of risk management helps the CDEswith holding the educational seminars by giving the informations after analyzing the cases of Hiyari-Hatto and the questionnaires following the seminars

The Combination of BH3-Mimetic ABT-737 with the Alkylating Agent Temozolomide Induces Strong Synergistic Killing of Melanoma Cells Independent of p53

Metastatic melanoma has poor prognosis and is refractory to most conventional chemotherapies. The alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) is commonly used in treating melanoma but has a disappointing response rate. Agents that can act cooperatively with TMZ and improve its efficacy are thus highly sought after. The BH3 mimetic ABT-737, which can induce apoptosis by targeting pro-survival Bcl-2 family members, has been found to enhance the efficacy of many conventional chemotherapeutic agents in multiple cancers. We found that combining TMZ and ABT-737 induced strong synergistic apoptosis in multiple human melanoma cell lines. When the drugs were used in combination in a mouse xenograft model, they drastically reduced tumor growth at concentrations where each individual drug had no significant effect. We found that TMZ treatment elevated p53 levels, and that the pro-apoptotic protein Noxa was elevated in TMZ/ABT-737 treated cells. Experiments with shRNA demonstrated that the synergistic effect of TMZ and ABT-737 was largely dependent on Noxa. Experiments with nutlin-3, a p53 inducer, demonstrated that p53 induction was sufficient for synergistic cell death with ABT-737 in a Noxa-dependent fashion. However, p53 was not necessary for TMZ/ABT-737 synergy as demonstrated by a p53-null line, indicating that TMZ and ABT-737 together induce Noxa in a p53-independent fashion. These results demonstrate that targeting anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 members is a promising method for treating metastatic melanoma, and that clinical trials with TMZ and Bcl-2 inhibitors are warranted