Frontal positions and mixed layer evolution in the Seasonal Ice Zone along 140°E in 2001/02

We describe the circulation and seasonal development of the upper ocean in the Seasonal Ice Zone (SIZ) of the Southern Ocean along 140°E. The 140°E section was repeated four times between November 2001 and March 2002, spanning the period from early spring to autumn. The sea ice edge was located at 62°-63°S in November, and retreated to 65°S in January. The circulation in the region is dominated by several fronts: the southern branch of Polar Front (PF-S) was located between 60° and 61.5°S; the northern branch of Southern ACC front (sACCf-N) was located at 61.5°-63°S, and roughly corresponds with the winter sea ice edge; and the southern branch of sACCf, the southern boundary of the ACC, and the Antarctic Slope Front (ASF) were closely spaced and found between 64°S and 65°S. Vigorous cyclonic (clockwise) eddies were identified in the region between the sACCf-N and sACCf-S throughout the period. Changes in salinity made the dominant contribution to changes in density in the SIZ, while changes in temperature made the largest contribution to density changes in the AZ, north of the sACCf. The depth of the mixed layer generally shoaled to the south, in all seasons. The decrease in mixed layer depth occurred in a series of steps. Seasonal variability in the depth of the mixed layer was strongest in the AZ, where summer warming formed a strong seasonal thermocline above the relatively deep (100 m) Winter Water layer. In the SIZ, the mixed layer became warmer, fresher and lighter in summer but the depth of the mixed layer remained at about 50 m throughout the year. The freshest surface waters were observed in the SIZ in January, immediately following the melt and retreat of the sea ice pack. An increase in mixed layer salinity from January to March likely reflects the effect of mixing with saltier waters below the mixed layer. Mixed layer depths south of the ASF were highly variable, both within and between seasons, varying from a minimum of ～20 m in January to over 500 m in March

A Case of Dual-pathology Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) and Cholangiolocellular Carcinoma (CoCC) after Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection

A 75-year-old Japanese man visited our hospital for further examination of liver tumors. He had a history of successful hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication and therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at another hospital. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed two tumors in the liver. He underwent anterior inferior (S5) and posterior inferior (S6) subsegmentectomy of the liver. Microscopic examination found that one tumor was HCC while the other was cholangiolocellular carcinoma (CoCC). We experienced a rare case of liver cancer with two synchronous pathologies, HCC and CoCC

Surgically treated Zenker’s diverticulum： Diverticulectomy and cricopharyngeal myotomy

　Zenker's diverticulum is a very rare disease among gastorointestinal diverticulum. We report a case of Zenker's diverticulum successfully treated with diverticulectomy and cricophalyngial myotomy. A 71-year-old male complained of aspirating water for two years. He was diagnosed as Zenker's diverticulum. Due to his severe symptoms, the operation was performed in an open-neck approach. The left recurrent laryngeal nerve was identified and preserved. An incision was made in the diverticulum wall, and the internal diameter of normal cervical esophagus was measured. The diverticulum was then excised with an automatic suture device in the minor axis direction of the esophagus. A cricopharyngeal myotomy was conducted, because this muscle was fibrotic and stiffened. The patient's symptoms disappeared after the operation. Diverticulectomy and cricopharyngeal myotomy through an open-neck approach is a safe and reliable method that follows, direct access to the diverticulum and recurrent laryngeal nerve

Preoperative radiographic and histopathologic evaluation of central chondrosarcoma

Distinguishing grade 1 chondrosarcoma from grade 2 chondrosarcoma is critical both for planning the surgical procedure and for predicting the outcome. We aimed to review the preoperative radiographic and histologic findings, and to evaluate the reliability of preoperative grading. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 17 patients diagnosed with central chondrosarcoma at our institution between 1996 and 2011. In these cases, we compared the preoperative and postoperative histologic grades, and evaluated the reliability of the preoperative histologic grading. We also assessed the preoperative radiographic findings obtained using plain radiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Preoperative histologic grade was 1 in 12 patients, 2 in 4 patients, and 3 in 1 patient. However, 6 of the 12 cases classified as grade 1 before surgery were re-classified as grade 2 postoperatively. In the radiographic evaluation, grade 1 was suspected by the presence of a ring-and-arc pattern of calcification on plain radiography and CT and entrapped fat and ring-and-arc enhancement on MRI. Grades 2 and 3 were suspected by the absence of calcification and the presence of cortical penetration and endosteal scalloping on plain radiography and CT, as well as soft-tissue mass formation on MRI. Although the combination of radiographic interpretation and histologic findings may improve the accuracy of preoperative grading in chondrosarcoma, the establishment of a standard evaluation system with the histologic and radiographic findings and/or the development of new biologic markers are necessary for preoperative discrimination of low-grade chondrosarcoma from high-grade chondrosarcoma.ArticleARCHIVES OF ORTHOPAEDIC AND TRAUMA SURGERY. 133(9):1225-1231 (2013)journal articl

Metastatic Carcinoma to Subcutaneous Tissue and Skeletal Muscle: Clinicopathological Features in 11 Cases

Objective: Metastatic carcinoma to subcutaneous tissue or skeletal muscle is relatively rare. The present study aimed to clarify the clinicopathological features for confirming the diagnosis as soft tissue metastasis and determining the primary site. Methods: We reviewed records of 11 patients with soft tissue metastasis who were in our institution from 1996 to 2009. Results: In 9 of 10 patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging, findings consisted of poorly circumscribed high-intensity lesions around the tumor on T2-weighted images, irregular peritumoral enhancement and poorly enhanced lesions at the center of the tumor on T1-weighted images. Systematic immunohistochemical examination was more valuable for diagnosing as soft tissue metastasis and confirming the primary site. The expression patterns of cytokeratins 7 and 20 and tissue-specific antibodies such as thyroid transcription factor-1, MUC5AC and CDX2 were useful diagnostic markers. The primary site could be determined in five patients with cytokeratin 7/20 immunophenotype and positivity for tissue-specific antibodies. In four cases, determination of the primary site finally became possible by comparison with the histological findings of operative specimens in past carcinoma and/or in consideration of radiological findings and the results of cytokeratin 7/20 phenotyping. Conclusions: Systematic immunohistochemical examination is helpful for confirmation of the primary origin in soft tissue metastasis of carcinoma in addition to clinical information such as the history and condition of past carcinoma, radiological findings and comparison between the histology of biopsy specimens and past carcinoma.ArticleJAPANESE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 41(3):358-364 (2011)journal articl

93Nb- and 27Al-NMR/NQR studies of the praseodymium based PrNb2Al20

International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems 2014 (SCES2014

Dating of the Dome Fuji, Antarctica deep ice core (scientific paper)

The Antarctic ice sheet preserves paleo-climate information in the form of physical and chemical stratigraphy. A deep ice core was continuously drilled down to a depth of 2,503 m at Dome Fuji station, East Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, during the 1993-97 JARE inland operations. Oxygen isotope measurements were conducted on 7 to 50 cm-long ice core samples selected from the entire core depth. A time scale for the Dome Fuji core is calculated from past accumulation rates and an ice flow model. Past accumulation rates were converted from oxygen isotope values by using an empirical equation obtained in the Dome Fuji area. A steady-state flow model was preciously developed for a time scale calculation of the Summit ice core, Greenland. Using reference depth points from volcanic signals and annual layer thickness values measured on the Dome Fuji core allows for tuning of the calculated time scale. A depth-age profile was obtained for the past 320 kyr. The obtained paleo-temperature profile shows the characteristics of the past three glacial and interglacial periods. The power spectrum of ƒÂ18O change over an interval of 320 kyr reveals three dominant cycles. The paleo-temperature profile coincides quite well with the Vostok ice core data in general but not in detail, suggesting that further studies are needed both for chronological investigations and a multi-factor, cross-correlation analysis between deep ice cores for climatological understanding