Amino acid and vitamin supplementation improved health conditions in elderly participants

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementation with amino acids and vitamins on health conditions in unhealthy older people. One bedridden inpatient group (n = 10; mean age, 79.8 ± 8.5 y) and one outpatient group (n = 9; mean age, 72.9 ± 12.2 y) participated in this study. A mixture supplementation with amino acids containing arginine (500 mg/day), glutamine (600 mg/day), and leucine (1200 mg/day), and 11 kinds of vitamins was daily administrated for 8 weeks. In both groups, general blood biomarkers such as white blood cell count, natural killer cell activity, and C-reactive protein levels were measured. All measurements were taken before (baseline), at 4 weeks (mid-point), and after each trial (post-point). At mid-point, natural killer cell activity in the outpatient group increased significantly compared to baseline. At post-point, natural killer cell activity in the outpatient and inpatient groups increased significantly compared to baseline. The other blood biomarkers did not show any significant change throughout the trial. This pilot study suggested that a mixture of arginine, glutamine, leucine, and vitamins is useful to support innate immunity in unhealthy older people, even if their diseases, symptoms, and prescribed medicines are different

Testosterone Recovery after Neoadjuvant Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonist versus Agonist on Permanent Iodine-125 Seed Brachytherapy in Prostate Cancer Patients: A Propensity Score Analysis

Optimal neoadjuvant hormone therapy (NHT) for reducing prostate cancer (PC) patients’ prostate volume pre-brachytherapy is controversial. We evaluated the differential impact of neoadjuvant gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist versus agonist on post-brachytherapy testosterone recovery in 112 patients treated pre-brachytherapy with NHT (GnRH antagonist, n=32; GnRH agonists, n=80) (Jan. 2007-June 2019). We assessed the effects of patient characteristics and a GnRH analogue on testosterone recovery with logistic regression and a propensity score analysis (PSA). There was no significant difference in the rate of testosterone recovery to normal levels (> 300 ng/dL) between the GnRH antagonist and agonists (p=0.07). The GnRH agonists induced a significantly more rapid testosterone recovery rate at 3 months post-brachytherapy versus the GnRH antagonist (p<0.0001); there was no difference in testosterone recovery at 12 months between the GnRH antagonist/agonists (p=0.8). In the multivariate analysis, no actor was associated with testosterone recovery. In the PSA, older age and higher body mass index (BMI) were significantly associated with longer testosterone recovery. Post-brachytherapy testosterone recovery was quicker with the neoadjuvant GnRH agonists than the antagonist, and the testosterone recovery rate was significantly associated with older age and higher BMI. Long-term follow-ups are needed to determine any differential effects of GnRH analogues on the quality of life of brachytherapy-treated PC patients

The Diagnosis and Treatment Approach for Oligo-Recurrent and Oligo-Progressive Renal Cell Carcinoma

One-third of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) without metastases develop metastatic disease after extirpative surgery for the primary tumors. The majority of metastatic RCC cases, along with treated primary lesions, involve limited lesions termed “oligo-recurrent” disease. The role of metastasis-directed therapy (MDT), including stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and metastasectomy, in the treatment of oligo-recurrent RCC has evolved. Although the surgical resection of all lesions alone can have a curative intent, SBRT is a valuable treatment option, especially for patients concurrently receiving systemic therapy. Contemporary immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combination therapies remain central to the management of metastatic RCC. However, one objective of MDT is to delay the initiation of systemic therapies, thereby sparing patients from potentially unnecessary burdens. Undertaking MDT for cases showing progression under systemic therapies, known as “oligo-progression”, can be complex in considering the treatment approach. Its efficacy may be diminished compared to patients with stable disease. SBRT combined with ICI can be a promising treatment for these cases because radiation therapy has been shown to affect the tumor microenvironment and areas beyond the irradiated sites. This may enhance the efficacy of ICIs, although their efficacy has only been demonstrated in clinical trials

Computer-controlled closed-loop norepinephrine infusion system for automated control of mean arterial pressure in dogs under isoflurane-induced hypotension: a feasibility study

Introduction: Intra-operative hypotension is a common complication of surgery under general anesthesia in dogs and humans. Computer-controlled closed-loop infusion systems of norepinephrine (NE) have been developed and clinically applied for automated optimization of arterial pressure (AP) and prevention of intra-operative hypotension in humans. This study aimed to develop a simple computer-controlled closed-loop infusion system of NE for the automated control of the mean arterial pressure (MAP) in dogs with isoflurane-induced hypotension and to validate the control of MAP by the developed system. Methods: NE was administered via the cephalic vein, whereas MAP was measured invasively by placing a catheter in the dorsal pedal artery. The proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller in the negative feedback loop of the developed system titrated the infusion rate of NE to maintain the MAP at the target value of 60 mmHg. The titration was updated every 2 s. The performance of the developed system was evaluated in six laboratory Beagle dogs under general anesthesia with isoflurane. Results: In the six dogs, when the concentration [median (interquartile range)] of inhaled isoflurane was increased from 1.5 (1.5-1.5)% to 4 (4-4)% without activating the system, the MAP was lowered from 95 (91-99) to 41 (37-42) mmHg. In contrast, when the concentration was increased from 1.5 (1.0-1.5)% to 4 (4-4.8)% for a 30-min period and the system was simultaneously activated, the MAP was temporarily lowered from 92 (89-95) to 47 (43-49) mmHg but recovered to 58 (57-58) mmHg owing to the system-controlled infusion of NE. If the acceptable target range for MAP was defined as target MAP ±5 mmHg (55 ≤ MAP ≤65 mmHg), the percentage of time wherein the MAP was maintained within the acceptable range was 96 (89-100)% in the six dogs during the second half of the 30-min period (from 15 to 30 min after system activation). The median performance error, median absolute performance error, wobble, and divergence were - 2.9 (-4.7 to 1.9)%, 2.9 (2.0-4.7)%, 1.3 (0.8-1.8)%, and - 0.24 (-0.34 to -0.11)%·min-1, respectively. No adverse events were observed during the study period, and all dogs were extubated uneventfully. Conclusion: This system was able to titrate the NE infusion rates in an accurate and stable manner to maintain the MAP within the predetermined target range in dogs with isoflurane-induced hypotension. This system can be a potential tool in daily clinical practice for the care of companion dogs

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Sitafloxacin 200 mg Once Daily for Refractory Genitourinary Tract Infections

The aim of this ongoing trial is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of sitafloxacin (STFX) 200 mg once daily (QD) for 7 days in patients with refractory genitourinary tract infections, which include recurrent or complicated cystitis, complicated pyelonephritis, bacterial prostatitis, and epididymitis. The primary endpoint is the microbiological efficacy at 5-9 days after the last administration of STFX. Recruitment began in February 2021, and the target total sample size is 92 participants

Identification of 45 New Neutron-Rich Isotopes Produced by In-Flight Fission of a 238U Beam at 345 MeV/nucleon

A search for new isotopes using in-flight fission of a 345 MeV/nucleon 238U beam has been carried out at the RI Beam Factory at the RIKEN Nishina Center. Fission fragments were analyzed and identified by using the superconducting in-flight separator BigRIPS. We observed 45 new neutron-rich isotopes: 71Mn, 73,74Fe, 76Co, 79Ni, 81,82Cu, 84,85Zn, 87Ga, 90Ge, 95Se, 98Br, 101Kr, 103Rb, 106,107Sr, 108,109Y, 111,112Zr, 114,115Nb, 115,116,117Mo, 119,120Tc, 121,122,123,124Ru, 123,124,125,126Rh, 127,128Pd, 133Cd, 138Sn, 140Sb, 143Te, 145I, 148Xe, and 152Ba

Prefilter control scheme for low bitrate tv distribution

In IP-based TV distribution, coding degradation is sometimes evident in critical scenes because the bit rate for compression is rather low. Prefiltering is an effective countermeasure since it replaces the coding noise with the degradation more difficult to detect visually, though it has the drawback that excessive smoothing might occur. This paper proposes a scene-adaptive method to control a prefilter separate from the encoder. By calculating block-wise motion-compensated predictive error variances and correlation coefficients, it estimates the coding noise as well as the potential improvement by prefiltering each frame, realizing a control scheme which performs prefiltering only when effective. 1

学校事故と無罪判決(一)

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