Investigation of laparoscopic therapy in 56 cases of duodenal ulcer perforation

Background: Although conservative therapy has been acceptable as the first-line therapy for duodenal ulcer (DU) perforations, surgical therapies are known to have certain advantages. We investigated the indications for laparoscopic (LS) or open surgery (OS) or conservative therapy (CoT) among 56 DU perforation cases over 5 years. Methods: 31 LSs, 22 OSs and 5 CoTs were analyzed for patient's physical and surgical factors and clinical course. Results: Mean age was 51.6. Male/female ratio was 49/9. Survival ratio was 98%. Although the hospital stay (10.9 vs 19.5 days) and analgesic administrations (1.9 vs 4.6 days) were significantly shorter in LS than OS, almost all OS patients were in serious condition as evidenced by longer waiting time before treatment, stronger pain, bigger hole of perforation, more ascites accumulation and higher morbidity of complications. Two cases of multisurgery were experienced in both LS and OS groups due to leakage of seam, abscess formation, relapsed ulcer or idiopathic intestinal perforation. LS is a therapy more widely usable and more beneficial than the other two. Conclusion: LS, a minimally invasive surgery for DU perforation, should be considered as a first-line standard therapy because of significant advantages such as shorter hospital stay. OS or CoT may be selected when appropriate

Lap-Protector and Circular Stapler Are Useful in Cystogastrostomy for Large Pancreatic Pseudocyst with Severe Infection

Lap-Protector, which is an abdominal wall sealing device, is usually used for wound protection from implantation of malignant cells or pyogenic fluid. A circular stapler is a common easy-to-use device for anastomosis of the digestive tract. We report the case of an infected pancreatic pseudocyst which was treated by surgical procedure using these useful devices. A 69-year-old man was followed up in our hospital after severe acute pancreatitis. He had undergone drainage surgeries twice for intractable pancreatic abscess followed by severe acute pancreatitis. He was admitted to our hospital complaining of loss of appetite, hiccups, and high fever. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed an infected pancreatic pseudocyst which compressed the gastric wall. Internal drainage into the stomach was performed using Lap-Protector and circular stapler. The patient recovered uneventfully. Recently many endoscopic or laparoscopic procedures in cystogastrostomy are reported; however, a conventional open surgical approach is also important. This easy method may be useful for operative cystogastrostomy

Study on Web Service Security

We studied the newly standardized security technologies for Web Services, SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language), which is for authentication, and XACML (XML Access Control Markup Language), which is for access control. We applied these technologies in an experimental system and confirmed that these technologies, combined together, can realize secure Web Services

A Case of Primary Colonic Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma in a Young Man which Preoperatively Mimicked Phlebosclerotic Colitis

A 35-year-old man was referred to our hospital for chronic abdominal pain and diarrhea. Computed tomography showed wall thickening, poor contrast enhancement and calcification of the ascending colon, which were consistent with phlebosclerotic colitis. Malignant character was not detected from a biopsy specimen. Operatively, we observed a scirrhous mass of the ascending colon invading surrounding tissue, which was diagnosed as signet ring cell carcinoma based on analysis of an intraoperative frozen section. Right hemicolectomy with regional lymph node dissection was performed. This case was extremely similar to phlebosclerotic colitis in clinical findings; surgical resection was required for correct diagnosis

Long-term activation of anti-tumor immunity in pancreatic cancer by a p53-expressing telomerase-specific oncolytic adenovirus

Background: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive, immunologically “cold” tumor. Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising treatment to overcome this problem. We developed a telomerase-specific oncolytic adenovirus armed with p53 gene (OBP-702). Methods: We investigated the efficacy of OBP-702 for pancreatic cancer, focusing on its long-term effects via long-lived memory CD8 + T cells including tissue-resident memory T cells (TRMs) and effector memory T cells (TEMs) differentiated from effector memory precursor cells (TEMps). Results: First, in vitro, OBP-702 significantly induced adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is important for memory T cell establishment. Next, in vivo, OBP-702 local treatment to murine pancreatic PAN02 tumors increased TEMps via ATP induction from tumors and IL-15Rα induction from macrophages, leading to TRM and TEM induction. Activation of these memory T cells by OBP-702 was also maintained in combination with gemcitabine+nab-paclitaxel (GN) in a PAN02 bilateral tumor model, and GN + OBP-702 showed significant anti-tumor effects and increased TRMs in OBP-702-uninjected tumors. Finally, in a neoadjuvant model, in which PAN02 cells were re-inoculated after resection of treated-PAN02 tumors, GN + OBP-702 provided long-term anti-tumor effects even after tumor resection. Conclusion: OBP-702 can be a long-term immunostimulant with sustained anti-tumor effects on immunologically cold pancreatic cancer

Applications using high-Tc superconducting terahertz emitters

Using recently-developed THz emitters constructed from single crystals of the high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ, we performed three prototype tests of the devices to demonstrate their unique characteristic properties for various practical applications. The first is a compact and simple transmission type of THz imaging system using a Stirling cryocooler. The second is a high-resolution Michelson interferometer used as a phase-sensitive reflection-type imaging system. The third is a system with precise temperature control to measure the liquid absorption coefficient. The detailed characteristics of these systems are discussed

Generation of electromagnetic waves from 0.3 to 1.6 terahertz with a high-T-c superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta intrinsic Josephson junction emitter

To obtain higher power P and frequency f emissions from the intrinsic Josephson junctions in a high-T-c superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta single crystal, we embedded a rectangular stand-alone mesa of that material in a sandwich structure to allow for efficient heat exhaust. By varying the current-voltage (I-V) bias conditions and the bath temperature T-b, f is tunable from 0.3 to 1.6 THz. The maximum P of a few tens of mu W, an order of magnitude greater than from previous devices, was found at T-b similar to 55K on an inner I-V branch at the TM(1,0) cavity resonance mode frequency. The highest f of 1.6 THz was found at T-b = 10K on an inner I-V branch, but away from cavity resonance frequencies. A possible explanation is presented