Induction chemotherapy with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and cetuximab (PCE) followed by chemoradiotherapy for unresectable locoregional recurrence after curative surgery in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

BackgroundThe significance of induction chemotherapy (IC) in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) with unresectable locoregional recurrence after curative surgery has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of IC followed by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in these patients.MethodsAmong patients with unresectable locoregional recurrent SCCHN who had not undergone prior irradiation and were eligible for cisplatin, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who received CRT following IC with paclitaxel, carboplatin, or cetuximab (IC-PCE group) and those who received CRT without prior IC (CRT group) between June 2013 and August 2021.ResultForty-two patients were included. The CRT group and IC-PCE group consisted of 15 and 27 patients, respectively. Primary site was the oral cavity (n=25), oropharynx (n=3), hypopharynx (n=13) and larynx (n=1). Objective response rate (ORR) with IC-PCE was 55.6%; 24 patients (88.9%) subsequently received CRT. ORR after completion of CRT was significantly better in the IC-PCE group (95.8% in the IC-PCE group vs. 66.7% in the CRT group, p=0.024). Progression-free survival (PFS) of the total population on median follow-up of 2.4 years (range: 0.8-7.3) tended to be better in the IC-PCE group (2-year PFS: 55.6% in the IC-PCE group vs. 33.3% in the CRT group, log-rank p=0.176), especially in oral cancer (2-year PFS: 37.5% in the IC-PCE group vs. 0% in the CRT group, log-rank p=0.015).ConclusionTherapeutic strategies including IC-PCE in patients with unresectable locoregional recurrent SCCHN after curative surgery may contribute to improved prognosis, especially in oral cancer

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

The Quiescent Intracluster Medium in the Core of the Perseus Cluster

Clusters of galaxies are the most massive gravitationally-bound objects in the Universe and are still forming. They are thus important probes of cosmological parameters and a host of astrophysical processes. Knowledge of the dynamics of the pervasive hot gas, which dominates in mass over stars in a cluster, is a crucial missing ingredient. It can enable new insights into mechanical energy injection by the central supermassive black hole and the use of hydrostatic equilibrium for the determination of cluster masses. X-rays from the core of the Perseus cluster are emitted by the 50 million K diffuse hot plasma filling its gravitational potential well. The Active Galactic Nucleus of the central galaxy NGC1275 is pumping jetted energy into the surrounding intracluster medium, creating buoyant bubbles filled with relativistic plasma. These likely induce motions in the intracluster medium and heat the inner gas preventing runaway radiative cooling; a process known as Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback. Here we report on Hitomi X-ray observations of the Perseus cluster core, which reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere where the gas has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 164+/-10 km/s in a region 30-60 kpc from the central nucleus. A gradient in the line-of-sight velocity of 150+/-70 km/s is found across the 60 kpc image of the cluster core. Turbulent pressure support in the gas is 4% or less of the thermodynamic pressure, with large scale shear at most doubling that estimate. We infer that total cluster masses determined from hydrostatic equilibrium in the central regions need little correction for turbulent pressure.Comment: 31 pages, 11 Figs, published in Nature July

アタラシイ ニホンゴ ノウリョク シケン ノ タメノ ゴイ ヒョウ サクセイ ニ ムケテ

日本語能力試験の実施機関である国際交流基金と日本国際教育支援協会は「日本語能力試験の改善に関する検討会」を2005年に発足させたが、2009年からの新試験開始を目指して各分科会は日々調査研究を重ねている。本稿は、分科会の一つである出題基準分科会漢字表・語彙表部会が行っている語彙表作成作業の2007年9月現在の中間報告である。 部会の活動は、この2年間で4つの段階を経た。作成方針と選別方針を決定し、データベースに関する調査および整備をする第一段階、語彙の選別をする第二段階、語彙の再選別及び記述方法の検討をする第三段階、語彙の再選別と初出級の検討をする第四段階である。実際にどのようなデータベースを使い、どのような検討を重ね、どのような選別作業をしたのか。本稿ではそれぞれの段階ごとに具体的な例を挙げながら報告をする。また、それとともに今後考えていかなければならない課題についても言及する。The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services inaugurated an "Examination Committee on Improving Japanese Language Proficiency Test" in 2005, and have been conducting research on the New Test to be incorporated in 2009. There are various revisions to be made. This is an interim report as of September 2007, on the working of vocabulary list which has been made by the kanji and vocabulary list subdivision of the Test Content Specifications division. The activities of the subdivision have been divided into four stages during these two years. The first stage is for decisions on the policy for composition and selection, and research on the database. The second stage is for the selection of vocabulary. The third stage is for discussion on the re-selection and description of vocabulary. The forth stage is for re-selection of vocabulary and for each level to be decided

Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E  >  2  keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month

Hitomi X-Ray Studies of Giant Radio Pulses from the Crab Pulsar

To search for giant X-ray pulses correlated with the giant radio pulses (GRPs) from the Crab pulsar, we performed a simultaneous observation of the Crab pulsar with the X-ray satellite Hitomi in the 2300 keV band and the Kashima NICT radio telescope in the 1.41.7 GHz band with a net exposure of about 2 ks on 2016 March 25, just before the loss of the Hitomi mission. The timing performance of the Hitomi instruments was confirmed to meet the timing requirement and about 1000 and 100 GRPs were simultaneously observed at the main pulse and inter-pulse phases, respectively, and we found no apparent correlation between the giant radio pulses and the X-ray emission in either the main pulse or inter-pulse phase. All variations are within the 2 fluctuations of the X-ray fluxes at the pulse peaks, and the 3 upper limits of variations of main pulse or inter-pulse GRPs are 22% or 80% of the peak flux in a 0.20 phase width, respectively, in the 2300 keV band. The values for main pulse or inter-pulse GRPs become 25% or 110%, respectively, when the phase width is restricted to the 0.03 phase. Among the upper limits from the Hitomi satellite, those in the 4.510 keV and 70300 keV bands are obtained for the first time, and those in other bands are consistent with previous reports. Numerically, the upper limits of the main pulse and inter-pulse GRPs in the 0.20 phase width are about (2.4 and 9.3) 10(exp 11) erg cm(exp 2), respectively. No significant variability in pulse profiles implies that the GRPs originated from a local place within the magnetosphere. Although the number of photon-emitting particles should temporarily increase to account for the brightening of the radio emission, the results do not statistically rule out variations correlated with the GRPs, because the possible X-ray enhancement may appear due to a >0.02% brightening of the pulse-peak flux under such conditions

Anatomic study of the medial side of the ankle base on the joint capsule: an alternative description of the deltoid and spring ligament

Abstract Background Adult acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD) is caused by impaired medial ligamentous structures and posterior tibialis tendon dysfunction (PTTD). Although degeneration and trauma could separately cause AAFD, how these factors interact in the pathomechanism of AAFD is unclear. The joint capsule in the medial ankle is considered an important structure, providing passive stability by limiting joint movement. Previous reports on the joint capsule suggest its involvement in pathological changes of the ankle, but because of the high priority placed on the ligaments, few reports address the ankle joint from the joint capsule standpoint. The current study aimed to anatomically examine the medial ankle joint, focusing on the deltoid and spring ligaments in perspective of the joint capsule. Methods We conducted a descriptive anatomical study of 19 embalmed cadavers (mean 82.7 years, range 58 to 99). We included 22 embalmed cadaveric ankles. We detached the joint capsule in 16 ankles from the anterior to posteromedial joint, analyzed the capsular attachments of the ankle and adjacent joints, and measured the widths of the bony attachments. We histologically analyzed the joint capsule using Masson’s trichrome staining in 6 ankles. Results The capsule could be separated as a continuous sheet, including 3 different tissues. The anterior capsule was composed of fatty tissue. Between the medial malleolus and talus, the capsule was strongly connected and was composed of fibrous tissue, normally referred to as the deep deltoid ligament. The tibial attachment formed a steric groove, and the talar side of the attachment formed an elliptical depressed area. On the medial part of the subtalar and talonavicular joints, the capsule covered the joints as cartilaginous tissue, normally referred to as the superomedial ligament of the spring ligament. The outer side of the cartilaginous and fibrous tissue formed the sheath floor of the posterior tibialis tendon. Histological analysis revealed three different tissue types. Conclusions The capsules of the ankle, subtalar, and talonavicular joints could be detached as a continuous sheet. The deltoid and the superomedial ligament of the spring ligaments could be interpreted as a part of the continuous capsule, which had different histological features. Level of evidence Descriptive Laboratory Study

Influence of light exposure at nighttime on sleep development and body growth of preterm infants

Previous studies have demonstrated that a light-dark cycle has promoted better sleep development and weight gain in preterm infants than constant light or constant darkness. However, it was unknown whether brief light exposure at night for medical treatment and nursing care would compromise the benefits brought about by such a light-dark cycle. To examine such possibility, we developed a special red LED light with a wavelength of > 675 nm which preterm infants cannot perceive. Preterm infants born at < 36 weeks' gestational age were randomly assigned for periodic exposure to either white or red LED light at night in a light-dark cycle after transfer from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to the Growing Care Unit, used for supporting infants as they mature. Activity, nighttime crying and body weight were continuously monitored from enrolment until discharge. No significant difference in restactivity patterns, nighttime crying, or weight gain was observed between control and experimental groups. The data indicate that nursing care conducted at 3 to 4-hour intervals exposing infants to light for < 15 minutes does not prevent the infants from developing circadian rest-activity patterns, or proper body growth as long as the infants are exposed to regular light-dark cycles