A meta-study on the feasibility of the implementation of new clean coal technologies to existing coal-fired power plants in an effort to decrease carbon emissions

The renewable energy sector has experienced an incredible growth in the last 15 years. The dependency on fossil fuel based power plants is still likely to continue well into the next half century. The global thermal efficiency of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) since the 1980s has largely remained stagnant at 30-39% (high heat value basis)(2). Recent advances in materials and thermodynamics technologies has allowed for the efficiency of new pilot plants to be increased to 45%, even beyond 50% in some cases(3). The manufacture of these new highly efficient ultra-supercritical (USC) steam cycle CFPPs is an economically and politically difficult prospect. Therefore, it is necessary to investigates methods to apply the thermodynamic improvements available in modern USC CFPPs to the currently operating majority of subcritical (SubC) power plants without a large overhaul in infrastructure i.e. through retrofitting. This meta study will provide an analysis in the trends of the overall and intra-system efficiency of CFPPs, the development new clean coal technologies, then discuss and conclude the feasibility of applying these processes to current power plant infrastructure. A thermodynamic analysis of the most promising clean coal technologies, i.e. advanced pulverized coal combustion systems, oxy-fuel, pre and post-combustion carbon capture systems, steam reheat cycles, co-firing systems, will allow the investigation into whether retrofitting current power plants will generate a significant increase in efficiency. Thereby allowing for the discussion of the viability of retrofitting for the reduction in CFPP carbon emissions and the recommendation of specific options

Differential Expression of Survivin in Mammary Gland Diseases

Objective: Unlike other inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAP), survivin is expressed during fetal development, cannot be detected in normal adult tissues, and is re-expressed in most of the common human cancers. However, the clinicopathological significance of the expression of survivin in human breast carcinoma has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we examined the accumulation of survivin in pathological specimens of mammary gland diseases to identify new protein markers that may lead to improvements in patient management.Methods: We investigated the expression of survivin using immunohistochemistry in 180 cases of breast disease accessioned in the Department of Pathology, International University of Health and Welfare Hospital and Nissan Tamagawa Hospital between 2003 and 2013.Results: Ninety-eight out of 141 malignant tumor cases (69.5%) stained positive for survivin, with no significant staining being detected in the remaining cases. Staining for survivin was completely absent in the epithelial cells of 34 of 39 cases of benign disease. No correlation was observed between the expression of survivin and major prognostic factors in breast carcinomas including patient age, tumor size, histological grade, axillary lymph node metastasis, local recurrence, and visceral metastasis status. However, a significant difference was observed in the expression of survivin between malignant and benign tumors and other benign diseases.Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that the expression of survivin is strongly selective for cancer cells and may be useful for identifying and quantifying human breast cancer

Indocyanine Green for Leakage Control in Isolated Limb Perfusion

Sarcomas are characterized by a high metastatic potential and aggressive growth. Despite surgery, chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of these tumors. Optimal anti-cancer therapy with maximized local efficacy and minimized systemic side effects has been the object of many studies for a long time. To improve the local efficacy of anti-tumor therapy, isolated limb perfusion with high-dose cytostatic agents has been introduced in surgical oncology. In order to control the local distribution of substances, radiolabeled cytostatic drugs or perfusion solutions have been applied but often require the presence of specialized personnel and result in a certain exposure to radiation. In this study, we present a novel strategy using indocyanine green to track tumor perfusion with high-dose cytostatic therapy. In a rat cadaver model, the femoral vessels were cannulated and connected to a peristaltic pump to provide circulation within the selected limb. The perfusion solution contained indocyanine green and high-dose doxorubicin. An infrared camera enabled the visualization of indocyanine green during limb perfusion, and subsequent leakage control was successfully performed. Histologic analysis of sections derived proximally from the injection site excluded systemic drug dispersion. In this study, the application of indocyanine green was proven to be a safe and cost- and time-efficient method for precise leakage control in isolated limb perfusion with a high-dose cytostatic agent

Preliminary Field Observation of Cultivated Crops and Useful Plants in Northeast India and adjacent northern Sagaing Region of Myanmar

This is a preliminary report of a field observation of cultivated crops and useful plants in marketplaces and of farmers in Meghalaya State, Assam State, and Nagaland State of India in 2013, and in northern part of Sagaing Region where the Naga people inhabit in 2014. The field observation team focused on the areas, because they are located adjacent to the places where series of field studies on plant genetic resources were made recently, e.g. Kachin State and Chin State of Myanmar, northern Lao PDR and northern Thailand. The plants used traditionally for food and agriculture in the target areas might provide valuable information for strategic conservation of plant genetic resources for the future and to understand agriculture basic complex in Southeast Asia and South Asia. Both non-glutinous and glutinous rice were sold in the marketplaces of Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland States of India and in Sagaing Region of Myanmar. Glutinous rice is specific to Southeast Asia and East Asia of which Lao PDR has its abundant cultivation area, while it has not been cultivated mostly in countries west of South Asia. Worldwide crops such as radish, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, common pea, eggplant, ginger, and others were also common there. In addition to such popular crops, various shallot plants and other different Allium spp., rice bean with various surface colors, Centella asiatica, Elsholtzia blanda, Zanthoxylum sp., and perilla seed were sold in a certain quantity at marketplaces in Dimapur and Kohima, Nagaland and in Homalin, Sagaing. Indian gooseberry, foxtail millet, hog plum and holy basil were also seen in Nagaland. Through interviews, various vernacular names were recorded in Northeast India and in Sagaing Region of Myanmar for certain crops, which were different from area to area in most cases, and from Hindi words widely used in North India. Traditional uses of rice bean, Centella asiatica, Elsholtzia blanda, Zanthoxylum sp., and perilla and fermented soybean suggested cultural similarity in the range including Nagaland of India and mountainous parts of Myanmar and Lao PDR. The field observation team concluded that minor crop varieties of those areas need to be studied, particularly in scattered Naga villages in Sagaing Region of Myanmar as soon as possible.本報は，2013年にインドのメガラヤ州，アッサム州，ナガランド州，ならびに2014年にミャンマーのザガイン地方域の地方市場と農家を対象に実施した現地観察記録の予備的報告である．これらの地域を対象に選んだのは，今までに現地調査を行なってきたミャンマー，ラオス，タイなどを含む東南アジアの丘陵および山間部の一部であり，東南アジアや南アジアの作物遺伝資源の多様性を考える上で調査が十分とはいえないためである．さらに作物遺伝資源を通じて地域の伝統的な農耕文化複合を理解することは，調査地点の選定や現地における農業生物多様性の保存戦略の策定にも有意義である．アッサム州，メガラヤ州およびザガイン地方域で訪れた市場ではウルチイネとモチイネの両者が売られていた．モチイネは東南アジアや東アジアに特異的であり，南アジアではめったに見ることができない．それらの市場ではダイコン，ブロッコリー，キャベツ，ニンジン，エンドウ，ナス，ショウガなどの世界中で見られる作物も一般的であった．それらに加えてさまざまな色のタケアズキ（ツルアズキ），ツボクサ，Elsholtzia blanda（ナギナタコウジュの仲間），サンショウの仲間，エゴマなどが相当量売られていた．さらにユカン，Spondias cytherea（ホグプラム），ホーリーバジルなども散見された．いくつかの作物についてはインタビューを通じて作物の方名を記録したが多くの場合に地域ごとに異なり，また，東北インドでは北インドで広く使われているヒンディー語の単語とも異なっていた．ザガイン地域の大きな町ではミャンマーの他の都市と同様であるが，山村では全く異なる呼称で呼ばれていた．ツルアズキ，ナギナタコウジュ属のElsholtzia blanda，サンショウ類，エゴマ，ダイズ等の発酵食品などの伝統的な利用はこれらの山地における農耕文化複合の共通性を暗示している．近代化は急速に進みつつあり，東北インドから東南アジア山地，とくにミャンマー・ザガイン地方域に点在するナガ族村落の伝統的な作物の調査を急ぐ必要がある

Long-term outcomes of second-line antiretroviral treatment in an adult and adolescent cohort in Myanmar.

BACKGROUND: Myanmar has a high burden of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and second-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) has been available since 2008 in the public health sector. However, there have been no published data about the outcomes of such patients until now. OBJECTIVE: To assess the treatment and programmatic outcomes and factors associated with unfavorable outcomes (treatment failure, death and loss to follow-up from care) among people living with HIV (aged ≥ 10 years) receiving protease inhibitor-based second-line ART under the Integrated HIV Care Program in Myanmar between October 2008 and June 2015. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using routinely collected program data. RESULTS: Of 824 adults and adolescents on second-line ART, 52 patients received viral load testing and 19 patients were diagnosed with virological failure. However, their treatment was not modified. At the end of a total follow-up duration of 7 years, 88 (11%) patients died, 35 (4%) were lost to follow-up, 21 (2%) were transferred out to other health facilities and 680 (83%) were still under care. The incidence rate of unfavorable outcomes was 7.9 patients per 100 person years follow-up. Patients with a history of injecting drug use, with a history of lost to follow-up, with a higher baseline viral load and who had received didanosine and abacavir had a higher risk of unfavorable outcomes. Patients with higher baseline C4 counts, those having taken first-line ART at a private clinic, receiving ART at decentralized sites and taking zidovudine and lamivudine had a lower risk of unfavorable outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcomes of patients on second-line ART were relatively good in this cohort. Virological failure was relatively low, possibly because of lack of viral load testing. No patient who failed on second-line ART was switched to third-line treatment. The National HIV/AIDS Program should consider making routine viral load monitoring and third-line ART drugs available after a careful cost-benefit analysis

Asymptomatic and sub-microscopic malaria infection in Kayah State, eastern Myanmar

Myanmar has the heaviest burden of malaria in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infections are common in this region and may represent an important reservoir of transmission that must be targeted for malaria elimination.; A mass blood survey was conducted among 485 individuals from six villages in Kayah State, an area of endemic but low transmission malaria in eastern Myanmar. Malaria infection was screened by rapid diagnostic test (RDT), light microscopy and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and its association with demographic factors was explored.; The prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection was 2.3% (11/485) by real-time PCR. Plasmodium vivax accounted for 72.7% (8/11) and Plasmodium falciparum for 27.3% (3/11) of infections. Men were at greater risk of infection by Plasmodium spp. than women. Individuals who worked as farmers or wood and bamboo cutters had an increased risk of infection.; A combination of RDT, light microscopy and PCR diagnostics were used to identify asymptomatic malaria infection, providing additional information on asymptomatic cases in addition to the routine statistics on symptomatic cases, so as to determine the true burden of disease in the area. Such information and risk factors can improve malaria risk stratification and guide decision-makers towards better design and delivery of targeted interventions in small villages, representative of Kayah State

Age Related Changes in Hematological Values of Myanmar Local Puppies

The hematological parameters were used to monitor the health status and its components also changed according to the ages. However, there were no reports for this issues in Myanmar local dogs. Thus, this study was carried out to investigate the age-related changes on the hematological parameters of local puppies in Myanmar. Ten local puppies with the age of 2-3 month old were used in this experiment, which was lasted for 8 weeks.The daily clinical examinations were conducted throughout the entire experimental period for general health check-up. Haematological parameters (Total WBC count and its differential counts, and RBC, HCT, MCV, HGB, MCH, MCHC and platelets) were measured bi-weekly with Abacus Vet-5 automate haematology analyser. According to the results, the total WBC and eosinophil counts were not significantly different (P>0.05), while lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils and basophils were significantly different (P<0.05) with the aging of experimental animals. The values of RBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC and platelets were not significantly different (P>0.05) throughout the experimental periods. Thus, the age-related changes were observed on cell counts of lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, basophils in Myanmar local puppies

pH sensing in skin tumors: Methods to study the involvement of GPCRs, acid‐sensing ion channels and transient receptor potential vanilloid channels

Solid tumors exhibit an inversed pH gradient with increased intracellular pH (pH(i)) and decreased extracellular pH (pH(e)). This inside-out pH gradient is generated via sodium/hydrogen antiporter 1, vacuolar-type H + ATPases, monocarboxylate transporters, (bi)carbonate (co)transporters and carboanhydrases. Our knowledge on how pH(e)-signals are sensed and what the respective receptors induce inside cells is scarce. Some pH-sensitive receptors (GPR4, GPR65/TDAG8, GPR68/OGR1, GPR132/G2A, possibly GPR31 and GPR151) and ion channels (acid-sensing ion channels ASICs, transient receptor potential vanilloid receptors TRPVs) transduce signals inside cells. As little is known on the expression and function of these pH sensors, we used immunostainings to study tissue samples from common and rare skin cancers. Our current and future work is directed towards investigating the impact of all the pH-sensing receptors in different skin tumors using cell culture techniques with selective knockdown/knockout (siRNA/CRISPR-Cas9). To study cell migration and proliferation, novel impedance-based wound healing assays have been developed and are used. The field of pH sensing in tumors and wounds holds great promise for the development of pH-targeting therapies, either against pH regulators or sensors to inhibit cell proliferation and migration