〈報文〉フラット・アレイ型ソーダーについて

The outline of a Flat Array Type Doppler Sodar is discussed and the field test observations with the comparison of the sonic anemometer on the 30m tower are shown

Improvements in Surgical Results for Lung Cancer from 1989 to 1999 in Japan

BackgroundIn 1986, Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery started a nationwide survey of the number of primary lung cancer undergoing resection and this survey was continued annually. Thereafter, investigations of lung cancer surgical results have been conducted three times. The postoperative overall 5-year survival rate was 47.8% in resected cases in 1989, 52.3% in 1994, and 62.0% in 1999, showing improvement over the decade (p < 0.01).ObjectiveTo clarify the factors influencing survival improvements retrospectively.Patients and MethodsThe subjects of the investigation are the patients who underwent resection for primary lung cancers in 1989, 1994, and 1999. Postoperatively, after 5 years, surveys of surgical results were sent to institutes where lung cancer resection had been performed. The subjects undergoing resection who provided 10 items (age, sex, pathologic T factor, pathologic N factor, pathologic M factor, date of resection, histology, curability, prognosis, and survival time) numbered 3004 in 1989, 6895 in 1994, and 12,235 in 1999. They were classified according to the Union International Contre le Cancer 1997 revised tumor, node, and metastasis classification. Differences in age, gender, histology, pathologic stage, curability, and operative death rates were analyzed for each survey year.ResultsAccording to the changes in proportions, the cases over 70 years of age, women, and pathologic stage I increased significantly (p < 0.001), whereas in cases with small cell lung cancer, incomplete resection and operative death decreased significantly over time (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe postoperative 5-year survival rate in Japan improved between 1989 and 1999. The main cause of this improvement was the increase in early stage lung cancer, especially cases with tumors 2 cm or less in size

Homologous expression and characterization of gassericin T and gassericin S, a novel class IIb bacteriocin produced by LA327

Lactobacillus gasseri LA327 isolated from the large intestine tissue in humans is a bacteriocinogenic strain with two kinds of class IIb bacteriocin structural genes, i.e. gassericin T (GT) and acidocin LF221A (Acd LF221A). In this study, DNA sequencing of the genes for GT and Acd LF221A from Lb. gasseri LA327 revealed that the amino acid sequences for GT corresponded with those of GT genes, except for GatK (histidine kinase). However, Acd LF221A genes had analogues which differed in at least one amino acid residue to be a class IIb bacteriocin designated as gassericin S (GS). The LA327 strain retained antimicrobial activity after the deletion of the GT structural genes (gatAX), however both GS and GT activities were lost by deletion of the putative ABC transporter gene (gatT). This indicates that the LA327 strain produces GS and GT, and that GS secretion is performed via GT genes with the inclusion of gatT Homologous expression using deletion mutants for GS and GT, each containing a single peptide, elucidated that GS (GasAX) and GT (GatAX) showed synergistic activity as class IIb bacteriocins, respectively, and that no synergistic activity was observed between GS and GT peptides. The molecular mass of GS was estimated to be theoretical ca. 5,400 Da by in situ activity assay after SDS-PAGE, clarifying that GS was actually expressed as an active class IIb bacteriocin. Furthermore, stability of GS expressed for pH, heat and protease was determined.ImportanceBacteriocins are regarded as potential alternatives for antibiotics in the absence of highly resistant bacteria. In particular, two-peptide (class IIb) bacteriocins exhibit the maximum activity through the synergy of two components, and its antimicrobial spectrum is known to be relatively wide. However, there are few reports of synergistic activity of class IIb bacteriocins by isolation and purification of individual peptides. Our results clarified the interaction of each class IIb component peptide for GT and GS via the construction of homologous mutants, which were not dependent on the purification. These data may contribute to understanding the action mechanisms for class IIb bacteriocins to exhibit the wide antibacterial spectra

Pregnancy is associated with reduced progression of symptomatic adenomyosis: a retrospective pilot study

Abstract Background Adenomyosis is a common gynecological disease in women of reproductive age and causes various symptoms such as dysmenorrhea and heavy menstrual bleeding. However, the influence of pregnancy on the progression of adenomyosis remains unclear. The insight into whether the size of adenomyosis is increased, decreased, or unchanged during pregnancy is also undetermined. The current study aimed to evaluate the influence of pregnancy in patients with symptomatic adenomyosis. Methods This study retrospectively enrolled patients diagnosed with adenomyosis by magnetic resonance imaging between 2015 and 2022 at The University of Tokyo Hospital. Uterine size changes were evaluated by two imaging examinations. In the pregnancy group, the patients did not receive any hormonal and surgical treatments, except cesarean section, but experienced pregnancy and delivery between the first and second imaging examinations. In the control group (nonpregnancy group), the patients experienced neither hormonal and surgical treatments nor pregnancy from at least 1 year before the first imaging to the second imaging. The enlargement rate of the uterine size per year (percentage) was calculated by the uterine volume changes (cm3) divided by the interval (years) between two imaging examinations. The enlargement rate of the uterine size per year was compared between the pregnancy group and the control group. Results Thirteen and 11 patients with symptomatic adenomyosis were included in the pregnancy group and in the control group, respectively. The pregnancy group had a lower enlargement rate per year than the control group (mean ± SE: −7.4% ± 3.6% vs. 48.0% ± 18.5%, P < 0.001), indicating that the size of the uterus with adenomyosis did not change in the pregnancy group. Conclusions Pregnancy is associated with reduced progression of symptomatic adenomyosis

The EZH2–PRC2–H3K27me3 axis governs the endometrial cell cycle and differentiation for blastocyst invasion

Abstract Infertility occurs in 15% of couples worldwide. Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is one of the major problems in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF–ET) programs, and how to manage patients with RIF to achieve successful pregnancy outcomes remains unresolved. Here, a uterine polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2)-regulated gene network was found to control embryo implantation. Our RNA-seq analyses of the human peri-implantation endometrium obtained from patients with RIF and fertile controls revealed that PRC2 components, including its core enzyme enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2)-catalyzing H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) and their target genes are dysregulated in the RIF group. Although fertility of uterine epithelium-specific knockout mice of Ezh2 (eKO mice) was normal, Ezh2-deleted mice in the uterine epithelium and stroma (uKO mice) exhibited severe subfertility, suggesting that stromal Ezh2 plays a key role in female fertility. The RNA-seq and ChIP-seq analyses revealed that H3K27me3-related dynamic gene silencing is canceled, and the gene expression of cell-cycle regulators is dysregulated in Ezh2-deleted uteri, causing severe epithelial and stromal differentiation defects and failed embryo invasion. Thus, our findings indicate that the EZH2–PRC2–H3K27me3 axis is critical to preparing the endometrium for the blastocyst invasion into the stroma in mice and humans