Real-world clinical outcomes of nivolumab and taxane as a second- or later-line therapy for recurrent or unresectable advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundNivolumab is approved in Japan as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) resistant to fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based drugs. It is also used in adjuvant and primary postoperative therapies. This study aimed to report real-world data on nivolumab use for esophageal cancer treatment.MethodsIn total, 171 patients with recurrent or unresectable advanced ESCC who received nivolumab (n = 61) or taxane (n = 110) were included. We collected real-world data of patients treated with nivolumab as a second- or later-line therapy and evaluated treatment outcomes and safety.ResultsMedian overall survival was longer and progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer (p = 0.0172) in patients who received nivolumab than in patients who received taxane as a second- or later-line therapy. Furthermore, subgroup analysis for second-line treatment only showed the superiority of nivolumab in increasing the PFS rate (p = 0.0056). No serious adverse events were observed.ConclusionsIn real-world practice, nivolumab was safer and more effective than taxane in patients with ESCC with diverse clinical profiles who did not meet trial eligibility criteria, including those with poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, comorbidities, and receiving multiple treatments

Minimally Invasive Surgery for Giant Oesophageal and Gastric Leiomyomas

Herein, we describe a case of a 41-year-old woman with two giant leiomyomas located in the lower thoracic oesophagus and gastric cardia that were treated by minimally invasive thoracoscopic and laparoscopic surgery. We first resected the gastric cardia and laparoscopically prepared a gastric tube, and then we resected the lower thoracic oesophagus and intrathoracically anastomosed the oesophagus and gastric tube using thoracoscopic surgery with the patient in the prone position. Two concurrent giant leiomyomas of the oesophagus and stomach are rare, and the choice of surgical procedure to address the tumour from the mediastinum into the abdominal cavity was particularly challenging. We selected a minimally invasive thoracoscopic approach with the patient in the prone position. This strategy seems effective for resecting these giant tumours in the lower thoracic oesophagus and gastric cardia

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

TDS Measurement of Hydrogen Released from Stainless Steel Oxidized in H2O-Containing Atmospheres

Hydrogen dissolved in the Cr2O3 scale formed on the stainless steel in the H2O-containing atmospheres is observed by TDS (thermal desorption spectroscopy) measurements. The amount of dissolved hydrogen in the Cr2O3 scale reaches a maximum about 0.32 mol% when the H2O concentration in the gas reaches 20%. It was found from GDS (glow discharge spectroscopy) measurements that hydrogen may exist at the oxide scale / substrate interface or in Cr2O3 scale bounded that interface. However, results from the Vickers hardness and the observation of scale morphology by SEM (scanning electron microscopy), hydrogen dissolved in the Cr2O3 scale would have little effect on a decrease in the mechanical property of the Cr2O3 scale. Therefore, hydrogen dissolved in the Cr2O3 scale may not be main factor of the deterioration of the Cr2O3 scale

Ecophysiology of Thioploca ingrica as revealed by the complete genome sequence supplemented with proteomic evidence

Large sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, which accumulate a high concentration of nitrate, are important constituents of aquatic sediment ecosystems. No representative of this group has been isolated in pure culture, and only fragmented draft genome sequences are available for these microorganisms. In this study, we successfully reconstituted the genome of Thioploca ingrica from metagenomic sequences, thereby generating the first complete genome sequence from this group. The Thioploca samples for the metagenomic analysis were obtained from a freshwater lake in Japan. A PCR-free paired-end library was constructed from the DNA extracted from the samples and was sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. By closing gaps within and between the scaffolds, we obtained a circular chromosome and a plasmid-like element. The reconstituted chromosome was 4.8Mbp in length with a 41.2% GC content. A sulfur oxidation pathway identical to that suggested for the closest relatives of Thioploca was deduced from the reconstituted genome. A full set of genes required for respiratory nitrate reduction to dinitrogen gas was also identified. We further performed a proteomic analysis of the Thioploca sample and detected many enzymes/proteins involved in sulfur oxidation, nitrate respiration and inorganic carbon fixation as major components of the protein extracts from the sample, suggesting that these metabolic activities are strongly associated with the physiology of Thioploca ingrica in lake sediment

大型鍛鋼品ポリマー焼入れにおける段付き丸棒のフランジ厚みが焼割れ発生に及ぼす影響

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Transomental hernias: Multi-detector row computed tomography findings in 15 clinical cases

Introduction: Transomental hernia (TOH), a type of intra-abdominal hernia formed as a result of incarceration through abdominal greater omental hiatus, is a rare disease that lacks specific physical features, which makes its preoperative diagnosis difficult. This study aims the clinical characteristics and radiological findings of 15 cases of TOH. Methods: From 2009 to 2021, we encountered 15 cases of TOH in which multi-detector row computed tomography (MD-CT) with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) was helpful for the preoperative diagnosis. We performed a clinical study of patients with TOH. Results: The average age of the 15 patients (male, n=9; female, n=6) was 73 years (range, 58-91 years). The preoperative diagnosis, based on MD-CT, was TOH in 11 patients and internal hernia in 4 patients. The preoperative diagnosis of TOH was confirmed in 11 of 15 patients (73%). MD-CT showed dilatation of the small intestine on the ventral side of the ascending colon and the descending colon through the omental hiatus, closed loop, and the convergence of the mesentery or small intestine. Conclusion: The possibility of TOH should be considered when treating patients with obstruction who have no history of laparotomy. MD-CT with MPR is useful for the preoperative diagnosis of TOH