The design and development of a two-dimensional adaptive truss structure

The functional model of a two dimensional adaptive truss structure which can purposefully change its geometrical configuration is introduced. The details of design and fabrication such as kinematic analysis, dynamic characteristics analysis and some test results are presented for the demonstration of this two dimensional truss concept

Development of a magnetically suspended, tetrahedron-shaped antenna pointing system

A magnetically suspended, tetrahedron-shaped antenna pointing system is proposed for use in a multibeam broadcasting satellite system in the future. The structure of this system is presented, along with its design concept and the functional test results which were obtained in a laser tracking system in the laboratory. According to these results, it has been confirmed that the system has many advantages over conventional systems and excellent performance

Esophageal transit study using a sliding sum image: application to patients with probable and definite systemic sclerosis

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系Purpose: Esophageal complication is common in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but scintigraphic transit patterns based on each subtype have not been understood well. The aim of this study was to develop a new algorithm for integrating a dynamic esophageal transit study and to apply the method to patients with SSc. Methods: A total of 40 patients suspected of having SSc were examined by a dynamic esophageal transit study. The subtypes included 32 with definite SSc (15 limited cutaneous type and 17 diffuse cutaneous type) and 8 with probable SSc. The serial esophageal images were shifted and summed to a functional image (sliding sum image) and compared to a conventional condensed image analysis. Esophageal retention fraction at 90 s (R90) and half-time (T1/2) of transit were also measured. Results: The four patterns of the sliding sum image and condensed image agreed in all patients. Abnormal retention patterns were observed in none of the 8 (0%) patients with the probable SSc and in 15 of 32 (47%) patients with definite SSc (p = 0.014). The severity of scleroderma assessed by modified Rodnan skin thickness score correlated with that of esophageal retention R90 (p = 0.04). Conclusion: The sliding sum image is a simple and effective method for integrating esophageal transit. Patients with definite SSc and severe scleroderma had significantly higher retention patterns, while probable SSc patients showed no esophageal dysmotility. © 2011 The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine

Immunologic Monitoring of Cellular Responses by Dendritic/Tumor Cell Fusion Vaccines

Although dendritic cell (DC)- based cancer vaccines induce effective antitumor activities in murine models, only limited therapeutic results have been obtained in clinical trials. As cancer vaccines induce antitumor activities by eliciting or modifying immune responses in patients with cancer, the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and WHO criteria, designed to detect early effects of cytotoxic chemotherapy in solid tumors, may not provide a complete assessment of cancer vaccines. The problem may, in part, be resolved by carrying out immunologic cellular monitoring, which is one prerequisite for rational development of cancer vaccines. In this review, we will discuss immunologic monitoring of cellular responses for the evaluation of cancer vaccines including fusions of DC and whole tumor cell

Current Immunotherapeutic Approaches in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and notoriously difficult to treat. As the vast majority of patients are diagnosed at advanced stage of the disease, only a small population is curative by surgical resection. Although gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is typically offered as standard of care, most patients do not survive longer than 6 months. Thus, new therapeutic approaches are needed. Pancreatic cancer cells that develop gemcitabine resistance would still be suitable targets for immunotherapy. Therefore, one promising treatment approach may be immunotherapy that is designed to target pancreatic-cancer-associated antigens. In this paper, we detail recent work in immunotherapy and the advances in concept of combination therapy of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. We offer our perspective on how to increase the clinical efficacy of immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer

Phase I/II study of alectinib in lung cancer with RET fusion gene : study protocol

Background : The rearranged during transfection (RET) fusion gene was discovered as a driver oncogene in 1-2% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Alectinib is an approved anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor that may also be effective for RET fusion-positive NSCLC. Methods/Design : RET fusion-positive NSCLC patients treated with at least one regimen of chemotherapy are being recruited. In step 1, alectinib (600 or 450 mg, twice daily) will be administered following a 3+3 design. The primary endpoint is safety. In step 2, alectinib will be administered at the recommended dose (RD) defined by step 1. The primary endpoint is the response rate of RET inhibitor treatment-naïve patients. Conclusion : This is the first study to investigate the safety and preliminary efficacy of alectinib in RET fusion-positive NSCLC patients. If successful, alectinib treatment may lead to substantial and important changes in the management of NSCLC with RET fusion genes

Optimization of prediction methods for risk assessment of pathogenic germline variants in the Japanese population

Predicting pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) in breast cancer patients is important for selecting optimal therapeutics and implementing risk reduction strategies. However, PGV risk factors and the performance of prediction methods in the Japanese population remain unclear. We investigated clinicopathological risk factors using the Tyrer-Cuzick (TC) breast cancer risk evaluation tool to predict BRCA PGVs in unselected Japanese breast cancer patients (n = 1, 995). Eleven breast cancer susceptibility genes were analyzed using target-capture sequencing in a previous study; the PGV prevalence in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 was 0.75%, 3.1%, and 0.45%, respectively. Significant associations were found between the presence of BRCA PGVs and early disease onset, number of familial cancer cases (up to third-degree relatives), triple-negative breast cancer patients under the age of 60, and ovarian cancer history (all P < .0001). In total, 816 patients (40.9%) satisfied the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for recommending multigene testing. The sensitivity and specificity of the NCCN criteria for discriminating PGV carriers from noncarriers were 71.3% and 60.7%, respectively. The TC model showed good discrimination for predicting BRCA PGVs (area under the curve, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.69-0.81). Furthermore, use of the TC model with an optimized cutoff of TC score ≥0.16% in addition to the NCCN guidelines improved the predictive efficiency for high-risk groups (sensitivity, 77.2%; specificity, 54.8%; about 11 genes). Given the influence of ethnic differences on prediction, we consider that further studies are warranted to elucidate the role of environmental and genetic factors for realizing precise prediction

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland