Antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: Position Paper 2017 of the Japanese Allied Committee on Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ARONJ) is an intractable, though rare, complication in cancer patients with bone metastases and patients with osteoporosis who are treated with antiresorptive agents, including bisphosphonates and denosumab. Despite the more than 10 years that have passed since the first cases of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) were reported, our understanding of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of ARONJ remains limited, and data supported by evidence-based medicine are still sparse. However, the diagnosis and staging of ARONJ, identification of risk factors, and development of preventive and therapeutic approaches have advanced significantly over the past decade. The Position Paper 2017 is an updated version of the Position Paper 2010 of the Japanese Allied Committee on Osteonecrosis of the Jaw, which now comprises six Japanese academic societies. The Position Paper 2017 describes a new diagnostic definition for ARONJ, as proposed by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), summarizes our current understanding of the pathophysiology of ARONJ based on a literature search, and suggests methods for physicians and dentists/oral surgeons to manage the disease. In addition, the appropriateness of discontinuing antiresorptive medications (drug holiday) before, during, and after invasive dental treatments is discussed extensively. More importantly, the manuscript also proposes, for the first time, the importance of interactive communication and cooperation between physicians and dentists/oral surgeons for the successful treatment of ARONJ. The Position Paper 2017 is intended to serve as a guide for improving the management of ARONJ patients in Japan

Pathobiological implications of mucin (MUC) expression in the outcome of small bowel cancer.

Mucins have been associated with survival in various cancer patients, but there have been no studies of mucins in small bowel carcinoma (SBC). In this study, we investigated the relationships between mucin expression and clinicopathologic factors in 60 SBC cases, in which expression profiles of MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC6 and MUC16 in cancer and normal tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry. MUC1, MUC5AC and MUC16 expression was increased in SBC lesions compared to the normal epithelium, and expression of these mucins was related to clinicopathologic factors, as follows: MUC1 [tumor location (p = 0.019), depth (p = 0.017) and curability (p = 0.007)], MUC5AC [tumor location (p = 0.063) and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.059)], and MUC16 [venous invasion (p = 0.016) and curability (p = 0.016)]. Analysis of 58 cases with survival data revealed five factors associated with a poor prognosis: poorly-differentiated or neuroendocrine histological type (

HELMINTH PARASITES OF THE JAPANESE MONKEY, MACACA FUSCATA FUSCATA IN EHIME PREFECTURE, JAPAN

Thirty-six Japanese monkeys, Macaca fuscata fuscata captured in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, during 1986-1987 were subjected to postmortem examination. The survey revealed 4 species of helminths : Streptopharagus pigmentatus (69.9% of monkeys), Strongyloides fuelleborni (52.9%), Trichuris sp. (52.9%) and Oesophagostomum aculeatum (5.6%). No cestodes or trematodes were found. The intensity of infection in the monkeys was low except for 3 cases of heavy infection

Cation-Cation Interaction between NpVO2+ and Li+ in a Concentrated LiCl Solution

Hydrated neptunyl ions of Np(V) and Np(VI) in aqueous solutions are known to have a pentagonal-bipyramidal geometry of NpO2(H2O)5 n+ (n: 1 or 2) [1]. Two axial oxygen atoms (Oax) bound to Np to form NpO2 n+ and five oxygen atoms (Oeq) of hydrated water molecules are arranged in the equatorial plane. Neptunyl ion of Np(V), NpVO+, is possible to contact with co-existed cations in solutions. The cation-cation interaction (CCI), which is a mutual coordination ofactinyl ions, was firstly found in a complexation of Np(V)-U(VI) [2]. Following the finding, the CCIs between NpVO2 + and various cations or oxo-cations have been investigated (see references in [3]). These counter cations are multiply charged cations of heavy elements, and the CCI between Np(V) and monovalent light cations has not been reported. In the present study, we report the CCI between Li+ and NpVO+ in a concentrated LiCl solution

Cherenkov counting of 90Sr and 90Y in bark and leaf samples collected around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

The radioactivity of 90Sr and 137Cs in environmental samples, bark and leaf, collected around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in May 2013 was determined with the aim of investigating the migration of both nuclides using their radioactivity ratio. The radioactivity of 90Sr was determined by using Cherenkov counting of 90Y after purification using Sr resin and that of 137Cs was determined by -spectrometry. Quench correction in Cherenkov counting was investigated by measurements of samples spiked with purified 90Y revealed that the radioactivity could be evaluated without quench correction. The radioactivity ratio of 90Sr to 137Cs in bark samples of 4.2×10-3 and 1.2×10-2 was compared with the results from soil samples collected in July 2011 to show that the migration of 90Sr was slower than 137Cs in bark and tree

Measurements of thermal-neutron capture cross-section of Cesium-135 by applying mass spectrometry

The thermal-neutron capture cross-section (σ0) and resonance integral (I0) were measured for the 135Cs(n,γ)136Cs reaction by an activation method and mass spectrometry. Because of difficulty in the preparation of pure 135Cs samples, we used 135Cs contained as an impurity in a normally available 137Cs standard solution. An isotope ratio of 135Cs and 137Cs in a standard 137Cs solution was measured by mass spectrometry to quantify 135Cs. Cesium-135 impurity along with the 137Cs standard solution was irradiated at the hydraulic conveyer of the research reactor in the Institute for Integral Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University. Wires of Co/Al and Au/Al alloys were used as neutron monitors to measure thermal-neutron fluxes and epi-thermal Westcott’s indices at an irradiation position. A gadolinium filter was used to measure the σ0, and a value of 0.133 eV was taken as the cut-off energy. Gamma-ray spectroscopy was used to measure induced activities of 137Cs, 136Cs and monitor wires. On the basis of Westcott’s convention, the σ0 and I0 values were derived as 8.57 ± 0.25 barn, and 45.3 ± 3.2 barn, respectively. The value of σ0 obtained in the present study agreed within the limits of uncertainties with the past-reported value of 8.3 ± 0.3 barn