Cluster Mass Reconstruction by a Weak Shear Field

The tidal gravitational field of galaxy clusters causes a coherent distortion of the images of background sources. Since the distribution of image distortions, namely the shear field, traces the local gravitational potential of a deflector, it can be used to reconstruct the two-dimensional mass distribution of clusters of galaxies. Moreover, the shear field can provide unique information on the redshift distribution of high-redshift galaxies. In this review we summarize recently-developed parameter-free methods of cluster-mass reconstruction based on the shear field, and we apply a mass-reconstruction method to the cluster Abell 370 at redshift 0.375.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figure

慢性B型肝疾患に対する核酸アナログ投与例の長期肝病態推移 : マルコフモデルを用いた検討

内容の要旨, 審査の要旨広島大学(Hiroshima University)博士(医学)Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Sciencedoctora

Demonstration of dnp groups on the draining lymph node cells of guinea pigs following skin painting with DNCB by peroxidase labelled antibody method.

The distribution of 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) groups in the draining lymph nodes of guinea pigs 12 h after painting the skin with 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was examined by a peroxidase labelled antibody method using antibody against DNP groups. DNP groups were detected on cells that were found mainly in the subcapsular sinus of the lymph nodes. Electron microscopic examination showed DNP groups distributed on the surface of lymphocytes. The significance of these findings is discussed.</p

Prediction of Effect of Pegylated Interferon Alpha-2b plus Ribavirin Combination Therapy in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

Treatment with pegylated interferon alpha-2b (PEGIFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) is standard therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C. Although the effectiveness, patients with high titres of group Ib hepatitis C virus (HCV) respond poorly compared to other genotypes. At present, we cannot predict the effect in an individual. Previous studies have used traditional statistical analysis by assuming a linear relationship between clinical features, but most phenomena in the clinical situation are not linearly related. The aim of this study is to predict the effect of PEG IFN plus RBV therapy on an individual patient level using an artificial neural network system (ANN). 156 patients with HCV group 1b from multiple centres were treated with PEGIFN (1.5 µg/kg) plus RBV (400–1000 mg) for 48 weeks. Data on the patients' demographics, laboratory tests, PEGIFN, and RBV doses, early viral responses (EVR), and sustained viral responses were collected. Clinical data were randomly divided into training data set and validation data set and analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis (MLRs) and ANN to predict individual outcomes. The sensitivities of predictive expression were 0.45 for the MLRs models and 0.82 for the ANNs and specificities were 0.55 for the MLR and 0.88 for the ANN. Non-linear relation analysis showed that EVR, serum creatinine, initial dose of Ribavirin, gender and age were important predictive factors, suggesting non-linearly related to outcome. In conclusion, ANN was more accurate than MLRs in predicting the outcome of PEGIFN plus RBV therapy in patients with group 1b HCV

Bone microarchitectural analysis using ultra-high-resolution CT in tiger vertebra and human tibia

Background To reveal trends in bone microarchitectural parameters with increasing spatial resolution on ultra-high-resolution computed tomography (UHRCT) in vivo and to compare its performance with that of conventional-resolution CT (CRCT) and micro-CT ex vivo. Methods We retrospectively assessed 5 tiger vertebrae ex vivo and 16 human tibiae in vivo. Seven-pattern and four-pattern resolution imaging were performed on tiger vertebra using CRCT, UHRCT, and micro-CT, and on human tibiae using UHRCT. We measured six microarchitectural parameters: volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), trabecular bone volume fraction (bone volume/total volume, BV/TV), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular number (Tb.N), trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), and connectivity density (ConnD). Comparisons between different imaging resolutions were performed using Tukey or Dunnett T3 test. Results The vBMD, BV/TV, Tb.N, and ConnD parameters showed an increasing trend, while Tb.Sp showed a decreasing trend both ex vivo and in vivo. Ex vivo, UHRCT at the two highest resolutions (1024- and 2048-matrix imaging with 0.25-mm slice thickness) and CRCT showed significant differences (p <= 0.047) in vBMD (51.4 mg/cm(3) and 63.5 mg/cm(3)versus 20.8 mg/cm(3)), BV/TV (26.5% and 29.5% versus 13.8 %), Tb.N (1.3 l/mm and 1.48 l/mm versus 0.47 l/mm), and ConnD (0.52 l/mm(3) and 0.74 l/mm(3)versus 0.02 l/mm(3), respectively). In vivo, the 512- and 1024-matrix imaging with 0.25-mm slice thickness showed significant differences in Tb.N (0.38 l/mm versus 0.67 l/mm, respectively) and ConnD (0.06 l/mm(3)versus 0.22 l/mm(3), respectively). Conclusions We observed characteristic trends in microarchitectural parameters and demonstrated the potential utility of applying UHRCT for microarchitectural analysis

Development of pre and post-operative models to predict early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after surgical resection

Background & Aims Resection is the most widely used potentially curative treatment for patients with early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, recurrence within 2 years occurs in 30–50% of patients, being the major cause of mortality. Herein, we describe 2 models, both based on widely available clinical data, which permit risk of early recurrence to be assessed before and after resection. Methods A total of 3,903 patients undergoing surgical resection with curative intent were recruited from 6 different centres. We built 2 models for early recurrence, 1 using preoperative and 1 using pre and post-operative data, which were internally validated in the Hong Kong cohort. The models were then externally validated in European, Chinese and US cohorts. We developed 2 online calculators to permit easy clinical application. Results Multivariable analysis identified male gender, large tumour size, multinodular tumour, high albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade and high serum alpha-fetoprotein as the key parameters related to early recurrence. Using these variables, a preoperative model (ERASL-pre) gave 3 risk strata for recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the entire cohort – low risk: 2-year RFS 64.8%, intermediate risk: 2-year RFS 42.5% and high risk: 2-year RFS 20.7%. Median survival in each stratum was similar between centres and the discrimination between the 3 strata was enhanced in the post-operative model (ERASL-post) which included 'microvascular invasion'. Conclusions Statistical models that can predict the risk of early HCC recurrence after resection have been developed, extensively validated and shown to be applicable in the international setting. Such models will be valuable in guiding surveillance follow-up and in the design of post-resection adjuvant therapy trials. Lay summary The most effective treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma is surgical removal of the tumour but there is often recurrence. In this large international study, we develop a statistical method that allows clinicians to estimate the risk of recurrence in an individual patient. This facility enhances communication with the patient about the likely success of the treatment and will help in designing clinical trials that aim to find drugs that decrease the risk of recurrence

Markedly lower follow-up rate after liver biopsy in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases than those with viral hepatitis in Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) are recommended to have periodic follow-up exams because these patients are at increased risk of the presence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can lead to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. We investigated the follow-up status of NAFLD patients after a liver biopsy examination.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared the follow-up rates of NAFLD patients who had received an ultrasonography-guided liver biopsy and patients who had received a liver biopsy for chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis B or C).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The 1- and 3-year follow-up rates after the liver biopsy were 92.7% and 88.3% for patients with chronic HBV infection, and 93.4% and 88.2% for patients with chronic HCV infection, respectively. In contrast, the follow-up rates for NAFLD patients were 77.6% and 49.9%, respectively, which were significantly lower than those of patients with chronic viral hepatitis (<it>p </it>< 0.0001). Among NAFLD patients, the respective 1- and 3-year follow-up rates were 73.0% and 44.6% for patients with simple steatosis and 80.0% and 52.4% for patients with NASH based on a pathologic diagnosis, without significant difference between these two subgroups (<it>p </it>= 0.5202).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The outpatient-based follow-up rate after a liver biopsy was significantly lower in NAFLD patients compared to patients with chronic viral hepatitis, regardless of the presence of NASH. It is important to determine how to maintain regular hospital visits for NAFLD patients, preventing patient attrition.</p

Investigation of the outpatient chemotherapy for lung cancer patients in Tokushima University Hospital

Platinum-doublet regimens and docetaxel as first- and second-line chemotherapy, respectively, are shown to prolong the survival of lung cancer patients in various randomized phase III studies. However, the evidence for the efficacy of chemotherapy for lung cancer in the clinical practice is still insufficient. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness and safety of outpatient chemotherapy for lung cancer in the clinical practice. Ninety-four lung cancer cases were retrospectively analyzed. Among these cases, 67 (71.3%) were non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 27 (28.7%) were small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The response rates in SCLC and NSCLC patients were 55.6% (15/27) and 16.9% (11/65), respectively. Objective tumor response rates for the patients were found to decrease substantially with each line of treatment as described previously. All adverse events were well tolerated and no treatment-related death was observed. Median time to treatment failures (TTFs) of first-line treatment were 10.1 months and 4.8 months in SCLC and NSCLC, respectively. These findings indicate that even in the setting of clinical practice, the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy is strictly insured by the appropriate therapeutic management