Modified Armijo line-search in Riemannian optimization with reduced computational cost

In this paper, we propose a new line-search method that improves the ordinary Armijo line-search in Riemannian optimization. For optimization problems on Riemannian manifolds, many types of globally convergent algorithms have been proposed, and they are often equipped with the Armijo line-search in Riemannian optimization for global convergence. Such existing methods need the computation of a retraction regarding the search direction for each iteration. On the other hand, the proposed line-search decreases the computational cost by incorporating a new strategy that computes the retraction only if a promising candidate for the step length is found. We further present a Riemannian Newton method with the new line-search strategy and prove its global convergence

Comparative studies of MRI and operative findings in rotator cuff tear.

A prospective study was performed to determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with operative findings in the evaluation of patients associated with rotator cuff tears. Fifty-four of 60 shoulders (58 patients) examined by MRI were confirmed as full-thickness tears and 6 as partial-thickness tears at the time of surgery. The oblique coronal, oblique sagittal, and axial planes of T2-weighted images with the 0.5 tesla MRI system were obtained preoperatively and compared with operative findings. MRI correctly identified 46 of 54 full-thickness rotator cuff tears and 5 of 6 partial-thickness tears. A comparison of MRI and operative findings in full-thickness cuff tears showed a sensitivity of 85%, a specificity of 83%, and a positive prospective value (PPV) of 99%. A comparison of partial-thickness tears showed a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 85%, and PPV of 39%. Linear regression analysis showed an excellent correlation between the MRI assessment and measurement at the time of surgery (r = 0.90, P &#60; 0.01). MRI was useful in evaluating large and medium-sized rotator cuff tears, but less useful in distinguishing small full-thickness tears from partial-thickness tears.</p

Combined effects of body mass index and unhealthy behaviors on disability in older Japanese adults: the Okayama study

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is a significant predictor of functional disability in older adults. However, when evaluated, the association between BMI and incident functional disability, considering behaviors only as covariates or not, may not be appropriate. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the combined effects of BMI and unhealthy behaviors on the risk of incident functional disability. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that took place in Okayama City, Japan. Data on BMI and unhealthy behaviors were obtained using the health check-up questionnaire. The certification of Long-Term Care Insurance was used to measure functional disability. Cox proportional hazard models were used; adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for incidence of functional disability across categories of BMI and number of unhealthy behaviors. Results: The relationship between BMI and incident functional disability was U-shaped (HR = 1.18, 95% CI [1.11-1.25], among the underweight range; and 1.26 [1.19-1.34] among the obesity range), and its risk was significantly higher within the normal-to-overweight range of BMI values with co-occurring unhealthy behaviors (with normal weight range and one, 1.17 [1.01-1.21]; two, 1.29 [1.18-1.41]; and three or four unhealthy behaviors 1.38 [1.24-1.54]; as well as among overweight range and one, 1.16 [1.05-1.27]; two, 1.26 [1.15-1.38]; and three or four unhealthy behaviors, 1.47 [1.31-1.64]). In each BMI category, the risk of incident functional disability increased with increasing number of unhealthy behaviors (p = 27.5, for both sexes (2.20 [1.64-2.92] in men and 1.66 [1.35-2.04] in women). Conclusion: It is necessary to consider the combined effects of BMI and behaviors on incident functional disability. Furthermore, interventions targeting multiple behaviors should be considered as such interventions may offer greater benefits than simple interventions

Endocrine therapy for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in non-surgery elderly patients aged 75 or above

The treatment of breast cancer in elderly patients is usually surgery, and in the Japanese Breast Cancer Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for Breast Cancer, the use of only drug therapy is limited to cases of co-morbidities or refusal of surgery. However, there are many cases in which surgery is not performed due to co-morbidities and in which the patient or patient's family declines surgery. We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 19 elderly patients aged 75 or above with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer who selected endocrine therapy as early treatment at our hospital or Yamakawa Breast Clinic during the period from December 2009 to December 2019. We determined the treatment effects, changes in the patients' quality of life (QOL), co-morbidities, medication compliance, and more. Six patients died due to causes other than breast cancer, and one case of death due to breast cancer was confirmed. These results indicate that endocrine therapy can contribute to good progress and QOL maintenance. We suggest that selecting only endocrine therapy as early treatment can be an appropriate option for elderly patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer when their daily life can be monitored by their family members

Nav1.1 haploinsufficiency in excitatory neurons ameliorates seizure-associated sudden death in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome

Dravet syndrome is a severe epileptic encephalopathy mainly caused by heterozygous mutations in the SCN1A gene encoding a voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.1. We previously reported dense localization of Nav1.1 in parvalbumin (PV)-positive inhibitory interneurons in mice and abnormal firing of those neurons in Nav1.1-deficient mice. In the present study, we investigated the physiologic consequence of selective Nav1.1 deletion in mouse global inhibitory neurons, forebrain excitatory neurons or PV cells, using vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT)-Cre, empty spiracles homolog 1 (Emx1)-Cre or PV-Cre recombinase drivers. We show that selective Nav1.1 deletion using VGAT-Cre causes epileptic seizures and premature death that are unexpectedly more severe than those observed in constitutive Nav1.1-deficient mice. Nav1.1 deletion using Emx1-Cre does not cause any noticeable abnormalities in mice; however, the severe lethality observed with VGAT-Cre-driven Nav1.1 deletion is rescued by additional Nav1.1 deletion using Emx1-Cre. In addition to predominant expression in PV interneurons, we detected Nav1.1 in subpopulations of excitatory neurons, including entorhino-hippocampal projection neurons, a subpopulation of neocortical layer V excitatory neurons, and thalamo-cortical projection neurons. We further show that even minimal selective Nav1.1 deletion, using PV-Cre, is sufficient to cause spontaneous epileptic seizures and ataxia in mice. Overall, our results indicate that functional impairment of PV inhibitory neurons with Nav1.1 haploinsufficiency contributes to the epileptic pathology of Dravet syndrome, and show for the first time that Nav1.1 haploinsufficiency in excitatory neurons has an ameliorating effect on the pathology

[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography を用いた進行口腔扁平上皮癌における術前化学放射線療法による治療効果判定の検討

BACKGROUND: [18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is widely used to evaluate tumor metabolic activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of FDG-PET in assessing the histopathological response to preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: Forty-five patients with resectable advanced OSCC who had received preoperative CRT followed by tumor ablative surgery between January 2004 and December 2011 were included in the study. All patients underwent FDG-PET before and after preoperative CRT. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) before (pre-SUV) and after preoperative CRT (post-SUV) and the SUVmax reduction rate (ΔSUV %) were used to evaluate the response to preoperative CRT. Correlations among SUVmax, histopathological response, and expression of cancer antigen Ki-67 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) were analyzed. RESULTS: Preoperative CRT significantly reduced intratumoral FDG uptake (P < 0.001). The pre-SUV and post-SUV were significantly lower in patients with a pathological complete response (pCR) than in those with a non-pCR (pre-SUV P = 0.037; post-SUV P = 0.001). ΔSUV % was higher in patients with pCR than in those with non-pCR (P = 0.029). The pre-SUV was significantly correlated with Ki-67 and HIF-1α expression in pretreatment biopsy specimens (Ki-67 P = 0.046, R = 0.292; HIF-1α P = 0.007, R = 0.385). The expression of both Ki-67 and HIF-1α was significantly lower in patients with pCR than in those with non-pCR (Ki-67 P < 0.001; HIF-1α P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Low pre-SUV and post-SUV and high ΔSUV % may predict a good histopathological response to preoperative CRT. Ki-67 and HIF-1α expression in pretreatment biopsy specimens were predictors of histopathological response to preoperative CRT.博士（医学）・乙第1357号・平成27年3月16日© Springer International Publishing AG, Part of Springer Science+Business Media© Japan Society of Clinical Oncology 201

スマートフォンの普及による若者の電車内行動の変化 ―OOH への影響を考察する―

When considering the lifestyle of young people in recent years, a smartphone is an indispensable tool and it can be said to have great influences on their lives. On the other hand, advertising, such as television and internet are abundant in the streets. Especially, OOH（Out Of Home media） such as transportation advertising and outdoor advertising has been the focus of attention. This is because opportunities to see outdoor media have been increasing with an increase of young people’s going-out time. Then what do young people do during going out? On weekdays, young people as students are spending a lot of school hours and the way to the school in the train. In such a situation, it will be said that a hanging poster in a train is an important advertising media. However, we can see young people addicted to a smartphone in a train. They don’t seem to be seeing a hanging poster. It is guessed that using a smartphone has a possibility to give a certain influence on advertising. Therefore, in this thesis, we’ll clarify the following two points. What kind of influence has the spread of smartphones had on young people’s behavior in a train? What kind of influence has the behavioral changes in a train had on advertising in a train