A preliminary study on the seasonal cycles of the cyclone activity and the large-scale fields in Europe at the viewpoint comparing with those in East Asia

　Preliminary analyses on the seasonal cycles of the large-scale atmospheric mean fields and the cyclone activity in Europe were performed based mainly on the NCEP/NCAR re-analysis data, at the viewpoint comparing with those in East Asia. 　As for the climatological monthly mean fields (1981~2010), the meridional temperature gradient in East Asia presents striking seasonal change with the maximum in winter and the minimum in summer. It is interesting that such transition from winter to summer and that from summer to winter occur rather rapidly accompanied by the great temperature increase around April to June and the decrease around October to November, respectively, in a wide region of 40~70N. On the other hand, the temperature gradient in Europe is significantly smaller with slight seasonal change than that in East Asian winter. 　By the way, in spite of the above difference of the horizontal temperature gradient between Europe and East Asia, the cyclone activity does not seem to be so weak even around Europe. Thus, the seasonal cycles of the characteristics of the cyclones and their environmental fields around Europe were examined. At the first step, we analyzed the daily cyclone activity in Europe for January and July of 2000. Many low pressure centers at the surface level appeared in both January and July. Referring also to the daily maps of sea level pressure and geopotential height at 500 hPa level, we found that not only the cyclones corresponding to the baroclinic instability waves, but also to the cold vortices which amplitudes increased with height appeared frequently. Moreover, it is interesting that the large-scale cold vortex, which embeds the shortwave trough with the low center at the surface level, appeared in the northern Europe in July as in East Asian winter, when such multi-scale systems sometimes bring the persisting heavy snowfall events in the Japan Sea side of the Japan Islands

Successful Treatment of MMP-9-Expressing Angiosarcoma with Low-Dose Docetaxel and Bisphosphonate

We describe a 78-year-old Japanese patient with angiosarcoma on the scalp. Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining revealed this tumor as positive for matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). After conventional therapy for angiosarcoma with surgical treatment and radiation therapy, we intravenously administered docetaxel at 40 mg/m2 body surface area together with oral administration of 17.5 mg sodium risedronate hydrate. One and a half years after the standard treatment, there was no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis

Successful Treatment of Eccrine Porocarcinoma Metastasized to a Cervical Lymph Node with CyberKnife Radiosurgery

Eccrine porocarcinoma is a rare type of skin cancer that originates from eccrine sweat glands or acrosyringium and mainly occurs in the elderly. In this report, we describe an 85-year-old Japanese woman with eccrine porocarcinoma that metastasized to a cervical lymph node who was cured with CyberKnife radiosurgery. Because our patient had a high risk of perioperative complication, standard surgical therapy with a wide margin was impractical. Our present study suggests the novel possibility of using CyberKnife for the treatment of inoperable metastatic porocarcinoma

Relationship between Target Time above Minimum Inhibitory Concentration Achievement Rate of Meropenem Using Monte Carlo Simulation and In-Hospital Survival in Patients with <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Bacteremia

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia is associated with a high mortality rate, and meropenem (MEPM) is commonly used to treat it. However, the relationship between the time above the minimum inhibitory concentration (fT>MIC) of MEPM and its therapeutic efficacy in P. aeruginosa bacteremia has not been explored. This study aimed to investigate this relationship by defining the target % fT>MIC of MEPM as 75%. The retrospective study spanned 14 years and included hospitalized patients treated with MEPM for P. aeruginosa bacteremia. Monte Carlo simulation was used to calculate the probability of target attainment (PTA) for each patient, and the threshold for a PTA of 75% fT>MIC associated with in-hospital survival was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The ROC curve-derived PTA associated with improved in-hospital survival was 65.0%, a significant finding in multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for patient background factors (odds ratio: 20.49, 95% confidence interval: 3.02–245.23, p = 0.005). This result suggests a dosing regimen that achieves a PTA of at least 65% when the target fT>MIC of MEPM for treating P. aeruginosa bacteremia is defined as 75%

Measuring Regional Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations in the Lower Troposphere with a Non-Dispersive Infrared Analyzer Mounted on a UAV, Ogata Village, Akita, Japan

We have developed a simple measuring system prototype that uses an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) analyzer to detect regional carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and obtain vertical CO2 distributions. Here, we report CO2 measurement results for the lower troposphere above Ogata Village, Akita Prefecture, Japan (about 40&deg; N, 140&deg; E, approximately &minus;1 m amsl), obtained with this UAV system. The actual flight observations were conducted at 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, and 10 m above the ground, at least once a month during the daytime from February 2018 to February 2019. The raw CO2 values from the NDIR were calibrated by two different CO2 standard gases and high-purity nitrogen (N2) gas (as a CO2 zero gas; 0 ppm). During the observation period, the maximum CO2 concentration was measured in February 2019 and the minimum in August 2018. In all seasons, CO2 concentrations became higher as the flight altitude was increased. The monthly pattern of observed CO2 changes is similar to that generally observed in the Northern Hemisphere as well as to surface CO2 changes simulated by an atmospheric transport model of the Japan Meteorological Agency. It is highly probable that these changes reflect the vegetation distribution around the study area

Multiple metastasized extramammary Paget's disease cured with bisphosphonate risedronate sodium after CyberKnife radiosurgery and docetaxel chemotherapy

Invasive extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is highly metastatic to lymph nodes and other organs, including bone, and when metastatic lesions have expanded beyond the inguinal lymph node, it is difficult to cure. In this report, we present a case of multiple metastasized, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand-expressing EMPD in the pelvic lymph nodes successfully cured with continuous administration of bisphosphonate risedronate sodium after intensive CyberKnife radiotherapy and docetaxel monochemotherapy. Our present case suggested the usefulness of bisphosphonates as a maintenance therapy for metastatic invasive EMPD after the intensive chemoradiotherapy

Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Developing from Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa: A Case Report and an Immunohistochemical Study

We describe a 49-year-old Japanese woman with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) developing from recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining revealed dense infiltration of CD163+ M2 macrophages and numerous Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) around the tumor. Since the contribution of immunosuppressive factors (e.g. TGFβ) to the carcinogenesis of SCC from RDEB was recently reported, our present findings suggest one of the possible contributions of immunosuppressive cells, such as CD163+ M2 macrophages and Tregs, to the carcinogenesis of SCC from RDEB

Merkel Cell Carcinoma Concomitant with Invasive Bowen's Disease: Immunohistochemical Investigation of Tumor-Infiltrating Leukocytes

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive, cutaneous, neuroendocrine carcinoma and, in rare cases, occurs with Bowen's disease (BD). In this report, we describe a case of MCC concurrent with invasive BD and compare the profiles of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes in the lesional skin of MCC and invasive BD. Interestingly, immunohistochemical study revealed significant numbers of CD8+ cells and caspase 3-expressing cells in the same areas of invasive BD and MCC. Our present case suggests that MCC concurrent with invasive BD might have a good prognosis because of the substantial number of CD8+ cells in the tumor