LCA in Japan: policy and progress

A summary of the current Japanese activities related to Life Cycle Assessment are presented with a specific comparison of Life Cycle Impact Assessment in relation to European tendencies. Japanese organizations involved in LCA, recent legislation impacting LCA activities and LCA case studies are also tabulated. The LCA priorities of policy makers and industrialists are discussed in comparison and compared to those in the United States. Projects within the Life Cycle Assessment Society of Japan and the Man-Earth Project are highlighted including the construction of a public LCI data base and the prediction of 21st century environmental crise

Trends in the Use of Second-Generation Androgen Receptor Axis Inhibitors for Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer and Clinical Factors Predicting Biological Recurrence

The advent of second-generation androgen receptor axis-targeted agents (ARATs) has revolutionized the treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). Biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS) was used to compare the efficacy of each ARAT. This multicenter retrospective study included 581 patients with newly diagnosed mHSPC who received first-line hormone therapy. The characteristics of patients treated with different ARATs were compared as well as changes in the usage of each drug over time. For BRFS, the apalutamide (Apa) and enzalutamide (Enza) groups, as well as the abiraterone acetate (Abi) and Apa/Enza groups, were compared. In addition, multivariate analysis was performed to determine predictive factors for biochemical recurrence (BCR). The use of second-generation ARATs tended to increase after May 2020. No significant difference in BRFS was found between patients receiving Apa and Enza (p = 0.490) and those receiving Abi or Apa/Enza (p = 0.906). Multivariate analysis revealed that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥ 2.76 and PSA ≥ 0.550 ng/mL were independent predictors of BCR. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics or BRFS in patients with mHSPC receiving different ARATs as first-line treatment. NLR and PSA may be prognostic factors following the first-line treatment of patients with mHSPC

The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Predicts Prognosis in Japanese Patients with LATITUDE High-Risk Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: A Multi-Center Study

Malnutrition is associated with prognosis in cancer. The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), based on the ratio of actual to ideal body weight and also serum albumin level, is a simple screening tool for assessing nutrition. We investigated the GNRI as a prognostic factor for oncological outcomes in patients with high-risk metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) using a Japanese multicenter cohort. This study included a total of 175 patients with LATITUDE high-risk mHSPC, of whom 102 had received androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) plus upfront abiraterone acetate, and 73 had received ADT plus bicalutamide (Bica), from 14 institutions associated with the Tokai Urologic Oncology Research Seminar. Patients were classified into GNRI-low (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified Bica and low GNRI (<98) as independent prognostic factors for reduced times to both castration-resistant prostate cancer and OS, and, therefore, a poor prognosis. Our findings indicate the GNRI may be a practical prognostic indicator in the evaluation of survival outcomes in patients with LATITUDE high-risk mHSPC

Long-term survival of a patient with pulmonary metastatic urothelial carcinoma following metastasectomy

Cisplatin-based systemic chemotherapy is the gold standard for the treatment of patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC), which is a chemosensitive cancer. However, long-term survival has been deemed disappointing. We describe here a case of UC with solitary pulmonary metastasis who had successfully achieved long-term disease-free survival by combination of cisplatin-based chemotherapy and pulmonary metastasectomy. From the finding of this article, we propose that adjuvant chemotherapy may be considered as a viable option after metastasectomy in low volume pulmonary metastatic UC patients. Keywords: Urothelial carcinoma, Pulmonary metastasis, Bladder, Metastasectom

Relationship between Mutations of the Pectin Methylesterase Gene in Soybean and the Hardness of Cooked Beans

Hardness of cooked soybeans [<i>Glycine max</i> (L). Merr.] is an important attribute in food processing. We found one candidate gene, <i>Glyma03g03360</i>, to be associated with the hardness of cotyledons of cooked soybeans, based on a quantitative trait locus and fine-scale mapping analyses using a recombinant inbred line population developed from a cross between two Japanese cultivars, “Natto-shoryu” and “Hyoukei-kuro 3”. Analysis of the DNA sequence of <i>Glyma03g03360</i>, a pectin methylesterase gene homologue, revealed three patterns of mutations, two of which result in truncated proteins and one of which results in an amino acid substitution. The truncated proteins are presumed to lack the enzymatic activity of Glyma03g03360. We classified 24 cultivars into four groups based on the sequence of <i>Glyma03g03360.</i> The texture analysis using the 22 cultivars grown in different locations indicated that protein truncation of Glyma03g03360 resulted in softer cotyledons of cooked soybeans, which was further confirmed by texture analysis performed using F₂ populations of a cross between “Enrei” and “LD00-3309”, and between “Satonohohoemi” and “Sakukei 98”. A positive correlation between hardness and calcium content implies the possible effect of calcium binding to pectins on the hardness of cooked soybean cotyledons