Combined Gastrectomy with Adjacent Organs in T4 Gastric Cancer : Therapeutic Results and Indication

The postoperative morbidity, mortality and survival of 244 T4 gastric cancer patients were examined to assess the therapeutic results and to clarify the indication for combined gastrectomy with adjacent (T4) organs. A total of 190 combined and 54 simple gastrectomies were performed during the 25-year period between 1969 and 1994. Fourteen (7.4%) and 7 (13.0%) patients died of the complications after combined and simple gastrectomies respectively. No statistical significant difference was found in the mortality rates between the gastrectomies. The histological examination of 190 resected specimens by the combined gastrectomy with T4 organs revealed that gastric resections with conclusive curability A, B and C were performed in 33 (17.4%), 84 (44.2%) and 73 (38.4%) cases respectively. Significant differences (P < 0.01) among 3 survival curves of the patients with curability A, B and C were found, and the 5-year survival rates were 65.5%, 35.4% and 9.2% respectively. The survival curve of 176 patients with combined gastrectomy was significantly (P < 0.01) higher than that of 47 patients with simple gastrectomy, and the 5-year survival rates were 31.3% and 4.3%. However, the survival curve and the 5-year survival rate of the patients with simple gastrectomy were not statistically different from those of the patients with curability C. These results suggest that combined gastrectomy with T4 organs in T4 gastric cancer may be indicated for the patients with surgical curability B, but not surgical curability C

Simulation of feedback instability in the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere system

[1] Quiet auroral arcs formation has been investigated theoretically and numerically in a self-consistent dynamic way. By using a three-dimensional magneto-hydro-dynamics simulation of a dipole magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling system, it is shown that multiple longitudinally striated structures of the ionospheric plasma density and the field-aligned current are formed, resulting from nonlinear feedback instability. The areas where these structures appear are consistent with the prediction by the integrated feedback theory that includes the effects of the spatially non-uniform electric field and non-uniform plasma density. Effects of the difference of the field line lengths between the ionosphere and the magnetospheric equator over the auroral latitudes are also discussed on the feedback instability

Major Causes of Death among Older Adults after the Great East Japan Earthquake : A Retrospective Study

This retrospective study investigated the 3-year impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) of 2011 on deaths due to neoplasm, heart disease, stroke, pneumonia, and senility among older adults in the primarily affected prefectures compared with other prefectures, previous investigations having been more limited as regards mortality causes and geographic areas. Using death certificates issued between 2006 and 2015 (n = 7,383,253), mortality rates (MRs) and risk ratios (RRs) were calculated using a linear mixed model with the log-transformed MR as the response variable. The model included interactions between the area category and each year of death from 2010 to 2013. The RRs in the interaction significantly increased to 1.13, 1.17, and 1.28 for deaths due to stroke, pneumonia, and senility, respectively, in Miyagi Prefecture in 2011, but did not significantly increase for any of the other areas affected by the GEJE. Moreover, increased RRs were not reported for any of the other years. The risk of death increased in 2011; however, this was only significant for single-year impact. In 2013, decreased RRs of pneumonia in the Miyagi and Iwate prefectures and of senility in Fukushima Prefecture were observed. Overall, we did not find evidence of strong associations between the GEJE and mortality

The Molecular Mechanism Underlying Continuous Exercise Training-Induced Adaptive Changes of Lipolysis in White Adipose Cells

Physical exercise accelerates the mobilization of free fatty acids from white adipocytes to provide fuel for energy. This happens in several tissues and helps to regulate a whole-body state of metabolism. Under these conditions, the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol (TG) that is found in white adipocytes is known to be augmented via the activation of these lipolytic events, which is referred to as the “lipolytic cascade.” Indeed, evidence has shown that the lipolytic responses in white adipocytes are upregulated by continuous exercise training (ET) through the adaptive changes in molecules that constitute the lipolytic cascade. During the past few decades, many lipolysis-related molecules have been identified. Of note, the discovery of a new lipase, known as adipose triglyceride lipase, has redefined the existing concepts of the hormone-sensitive lipase-dependent hydrolysis of TG in white adipocytes. This review outlines the alterations in the lipolytic molecules of white adipocytes that result from ET, which includes the molecular regulation of TG lipases through the lipolytic cascade

The Adventures Ubiquitous in the Everyday Life Episode2：Vancouver

departmental bulletin pape

Amelioration of ultraviolet-induced photokeratitis in mice treated with astaxanthin eye drops

Purpose: Ultraviolet (UV) acts as low-dose ionizing radiation. Acute UVB exposure causes photokeratitis and induces apoptosis in corneal cells. Astaxanthin (AST) is a carotenoid, present in seafood, that has potential clinical applications due to its high antioxidant activity. In the present study, we examined whether topical administration of AST has preventive and therapeutic effects on UV-photokeratitis in mice. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were administered with AST diluted in polyethylene glycol (PEG) in instillation form (15 μl) to the right eye. Left eyes were given vehicle alone as controls. Immediately after the instillation, the mice, under anesthesia, were irradiated with UVB at a dose of 400 mJ/cm2. Eyeballs were collected 24 h after irradiation and stained with H&E and TUNEL. In an in vitro study, mouse corneal epithelial (TKE2) cells were cultured with AST before UV exposure to quantify the UV-derived cytotoxicity. Results: UVB exposure induced cell death and thinning of the corneal epithelium. However, the epithelium was morphologically well preserved after irradiation in AST-treated corneas. Irradiated corneal epithelium was significantly thicker in eyes treated with AST eye drops, compared to those treated with vehicles (p<0.01), in a doses dependent manner. Significantly fewer apoptotic cells were observed in AST-treated eyes than controls after irradiation (p<0.01). AST also reduced oxidative stress in irradiated corneas. The in vitro study showed less cytotoxicity of TKE2 cells in AST-treated cultures after UVB-irradiation (p<0.01). The cytoprotective effect increased with the dose of AST. Conclusions: Topical AST administration may be a candidate treatment to limit the damages by UV irradiation with wide clinical applications

Photoelectrochemical reduction of CO2 using a TiO2 photoanode and a gas diffusion electrode modified with a metal phthalocyanine catalyst

The mass transport limitations encountered in classical H-cells for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) have spurred research in gas diffusion electrode (GDE) systems. However, current reports on CO2RR required large biases (anode potential vs. cathode potential > -2.0 V) for high current efficiencies. In this work, we combined a TiO2 photoanode and a GDE modified with a Co, Ni or Sn metal phthalocyanine (MPc) catalyst to reduce the external bias requirement for CO2RR. We found the Faradaic efficiencies and the selectivity of the photoelectrolysis products were influenced by (i) the metal cation (Ni, Co or Sn) coordinated to the phthalocyanine, (ii) the electrolyte temperature and concentration and (iii) the magnitude of the applied bias. In addition, analyzes of the voltage distributions between the TiO2 photoanode and the MPc-GDE revealed the current efficiency of the TiO2/MPc-GDE cell was limited predominantly by a high ohmic polarization loss at the TiO2 photoanode due to an excessive thickness of the TiO2 layer. The cathodic process at the MPc-GDE was governed by the activation energy of the electrode. The thickness of the TiO2 photoanode was subsequently optimized for higher current efficiency. The highest Faradaic efficiency for PEC CO2RR was obtained when a NiPc catalyst was utilized as the CO2RR catalyst and the optimum cell conditions were as follows: (i) a GDE electrolyte temperature of 1 M aq. Na2SO4 electrolyte solution and (iii) a TiO2 oxidation time of 3 h. Using these optimized cell conditions and under UV illumination, the as-prepared TiO2/NiPc-GDE cell shows a notably high CO2RR Faradaic efficiency and selectivity for CO (at 98%) and at a lowest reported cell bias of 0.8 V (anode potential vs cathode potential). This work provides an improved understanding of the cell designs of a vapor-fed CO2RR reactor based on a TiO2/MPc-GDE photoelectrochemical system