Effects of Preoperative Use of an Immune-Enhancing Diet on Postoperative Complications and Long-Term Outcome: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Colorectal Cancer Surgery in Japanese Patients

Background: Despite recent advances in surgical techniques and perioperative management, postoperative infectious complications remain a problem in surgical patients. We performed a prospective randomized clinical trial to examine the effects of preoperative Immune Enhancing Diets (IEDs) on postoperative complications in Japanese patients who underwent curative colorectal cancer surgery. This study was also designed to evaluate the optimal dose of preoperative IEDs for the patients without malnutrition. Finally, we analyzed recurrence free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) after surgery in patients who did and did not receive IEDspreoperatively.Material and Methods: This was a prospective, randomized clinical trial conducted at the Department of Surgery, National Defense Medical College, from October 2002 to October 2005. The 88 patients undergoing colorectal surgery were enrolled and were randomly divided into 3 groups. The high- (High, N=26) and low- (Low, N=31) dose groups received normal food and, respectively, 750ml/day or 250ml/ day of IEDs for 5 days before the operation. The primary endpoint was the rates of surgical site infection (SSI) and non- infectious complications. We also evaluated the RFS and DSS rate, respectively. Results: The patients were followed for 77±10 months (9-133 months) after surgery. Incisional SSI rates in the IEDs (High and Low) groups were significantly lower than in the Control group. (0%*, 0%* and 17%) (*P<0.01 vs. Control) The incidences of the infections not involving the surgical site (non-SSI) and the lengths of hospital stay were similar among the three groups. No significant differences were observed in RFS or DSS.Conclusion: In Japanese patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery, preoperative IEDs significantly reduced the rate of incisional SSI as compared with the control group. Very interestingly, in Japanese patients, preoperative 250ml/day IED intake may be adequate for colorectal cancer patients without malnutrition. However, with regard to the long term outcome, beneficial effects of preoperative IEDs are not evident

The Effect of Cranial Change on Oropharyngeal Airway and Breathing During Sleep

Mandibular micrognathia is one of the characteristics of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of bimaxillary surgery without maxillary advancement on the upper airway using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results of comparing pre- and post-operative finite element model. Seven female patients with jaw deformity, who underwent two-jaw surgery (Le Fort1 osteotomy and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy; BSSRO) were enrolled. Maxillary was moved for correcting occlusal plane and mandibular was moved to advancement. Pharyngeal airway space and breathing during sleep were evaluated, comparing the periods of 2 days before and 6 months after the operation. The cross-sectional area of the level of the hard palate (HP) and the level of the tip of the uvula (TU), and airway volume of total, HP-TU, and TP- the level of the base of the epiglottis (BE) were increased. AI and AHI in 2 days before and 6 months after were decreased. As the result of nasal ventilation condition, velocity of HP and TU in 2 days before and 6 months after were decreased. We think that it was revealed that movement of the maxilla without advancement did not affect to the morphology and function of airway

Gastric Ulcer Associated with Cytomegalovirus in an Immunocompetent Patient: Method for Diagnosis

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated gastric ulcers can be found not only in immunocompromised hosts but also in normal individuals. The accurate endoscopic diagnosis of CMV ulcers is not easy because of the absence of characteristic morphological features. We present a case of CMV-associated gastric ulcer in an immunocompetent patient. He was a 33-year-old male with epigastralgia. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed multiple erupted papules and a large irregularly shaped shallow ulcer. We did not find intracellular inclusion bodies characteristic of CMV in hematoxylin-eosin-stained gastric biopsy specimens, while CMV antigens corresponding to intracellular inclusion bodies were confirmed using an immunoperoxidase method with the monoclonal CMV antibody. If CMV ulcers are suspected, it is important to examine for inclusion bodies using not only hematoxylin-eosin staining, but also CMV immunohistochemistry for a sensitive diagnosis

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E  >  2  keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month