The 2013 Incentive Award of the Okayama Medical Association in General Medical Science (2013 Yuuki Prize)

受賞対象論文: Yamamoto H, Higasa K, Sakaguchi M, Shien K, Soh J, Ichimura K, Furukawa M, Hashida S, Tsukuda K, Takigawa N, Matsuo K, Kiura K, Miyoshi S, Matsuda F, Toyooka S：Novel germline mutation in the transmembrane domain of HER2 in familial lung adenocarcinomas. J Natl Cancer Inst (2014) 106, djt33

Usefulness of Thoracoscopic Debridement for Chronic Empyema after an Extrapleural Pneumonectomy

We present the case of a 65-year-old Japanese man diagnosed with chronic empyema (without a bronchopleural fistula) that occurred 7 months after he underwent an extrapleural pneumonectomy for right malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Following thoracic drainage and irrigation for 1 month, we performed surgery by a thoracoscopic approach, in light of his general condition. We performed debridement and removal of the Gore-Tex polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) patch that had been used for the reconstruction of the diaphragm and the pericardium. The empyema had not relapsed when he died from recurrence of the MPM at 4 months after the thoracoscopic surgery. This patientʼs case suggests that thoracoscopic debridement and patch removal can be a therapeutic option for not only early-stage (exudative or fibrinopurulent) empyema but also late-stage (organized and chronic) empyema without a bronchopleural fistula, particularly for patients in poor general condition

Endobronchial Metastasis with Bloody Sputum 20 Years after Complete Resection of type A Non-Invasive Thymoma

Masaoka stage I type A thymomas rarely recur. We report the case of an 82-year-old man who developed endobronchial metastasis after thymothymectomy for Masaoka stage I type A thymoma. Twenty years after surgery, the patient developed bloody sputum, and chest computed tomography revealed a neoplasm obstructing the right upper lobe bronchus of the lung with enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. He underwent right upper lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection. Although preoperative pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, postoperative histopathology revealed endobronchial metastasis of the thymoma. Nine years later, at age 89, the patient is alive and well

Drug Resistance to EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring an activating mutation within the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was defined as a clinically distinct molecular group. These lesions show oncogene addiction to EGFR and dramatic responses to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Several large Phase III trials have shown that EGFR-TKIs improved the progression-free survival of patients with EGFR mutant NSCLC compared to conventional chemotherapy. However, the long-term effectiveness of EGFR-TKIs is usually limited because of acquired drug resistance. To overcome this resistance to EGFR-TKIs, it will be essential to identify the specific mechanisms underlying the resistance. Many investigators have attempted to identify the mechanisms using preclinical models and drug-resistant clinical samples. As a result, several mechanisms have been showed to be responsible for the resistance, but not all of the relevant mechanisms have been uncovered. In this review, we provide an overview of mechanisms underlying drug-resistance to EGFR-TKIs, focusing on results obtained with preclinical models, and we present some possible strategies to overcome the EGFR-TKI resistance

Reconstruction of Anterior Chest Wall with Polypropylene Mesh: Two Primary Sternal Chondrosarcoma Cases

　Primary sternal chondrosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor that is refractory to chemotherapy and radiation. Effective therapy is radical resection of the tumor. We present two patients with primary sternal chondrosarcoma who underwent a radical resection of the lower half of the sternum and bilateral ribs, followed by reconstruction with 2 sheets of polypropylene mesh layered orthogonally. The patients have maintained almost the same pulmonary function as preoperative values, with stability of the chest wall. Although there are various ways to reconstruct the anterior chest wall, reconstruction with polypropylene mesh layered orthogonally is an easy-to-use and sufficient method

Ratioless full-complementary 12-transistor static random access memory for ultra low supply voltage operation

In this study, a ratioless full-complementary 12-transistor static random access memory (SRAM) was developed and measured to evaluate its operation under an ultra low supply voltage range. The ratioless SRAM design concept enables a memory cell design that is free from the consideration of the static noise margin (SNM). Furthermore, it enables a SRAM function without the restriction of transistor parameter (W/L) settings and the dependence on the variability of device characteristics. The test chips that include both conventional 6-transistor SRAM cells and the ratioless full-complementary 12-transistor SRAM cells were developed by a 180 nm CMOS process to compare their stable operations under an ultralow supply voltage condition. The measured results show that the ratioless full-complementary 12-transistor SRAM has superior immunity to device variability, and its inherent operating ability at the supply voltage of 0.22 V was experimentally confirmed

Vth-Shiftable SRAM Cell TEGs for Direct Measurement for the immunity of the Threshold Voltage Variability

We developed VTSTs for 6T-SRAM and RL-SRAM and evaluated them to investigate the influences of SRAM operation by Vth fluctuation using measured FCMs and CΔVths. As a result, we successfully confirmed the superior immunity of Vth fluctuation of the RL-SRAM than the 6T-SRAM.IEEE International Conference on Microelectronic Test Structures (ICMTS 2017), 27-30 March 2017, Grenoble, Franc