Initial adjustments in the dosage and rest period of gemcitabine plus cisplatin therapy for patients with incurable biliary tract cancer based on baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values may be crucial for treatment outcomes and the preservation of renal function.

Background: Gemcitabine (GEM) and cisplatin (CDDP) combination therapy (GC therapy) is the standard 1st-line regimen for incurable biliary tract cancers (BTCs). However, the correlation between dynamic changes in renal function and the outcomes of GC therapy remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the association between renal function alterations and treatment outcomes after GC therapy.

Interrelation of the stagnant slab, Ontong Java Plateau, and intraplate volcanism as inferred from seismic tomography.

We investigated the seismological structure beneath the equatorial Melanesian region, where is tectonically unique because an immense oceanic plateau, a volcanic chain and subduction zones meet. We conducted a multi-frequency P-wave tomography using data collected from an approximately 2-year-long seismic experiment around the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP). High-velocity anomalies were revealed beneath the center of the OJP at a depth of ~ 150 km, the middle-eastern edge of the OJP at depths of 200-300 km, and in the mantle transition zone beneath and around the OJP; low-velocity anomalies were observed along the Caroline volcanic island chain above 450 km depth.

Melatonin Treatment and Adequate Sleep Hygiene Interventions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Robust clinical evidence has not been available for melatonin, a drug commonly administered for treating sleep problems of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In a phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, we administered 1-mg melatonin (n = 65), 4-mg melatonin (n = 65), or placebo (n = 66) to196 children with ASD once daily before bedtime under adequate sleep hygiene interventions. The primary outcome was sleep onset latency (SOL) assessed with the electronic sleep diary.

Long-term melatonin treatment for the sleep problems and aberrant behaviors of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Background: Clinical evidence is required about the long-term efficacy and safety of melatonin treatment for sleep problems in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) who underwent adequate sleep hygiene interventions.

Methods: We conducted a 26-week, multicenter, collaborative, uncontrolled, open-label, phase III clinical trial of melatonin granules in children 6 to 15 years of age who had NDDs and sleep problems. The study consisted of the 2-week screening phase, the 26-week medication phases I and II, and the 2-week follow-up phase.

Mechanism of the 2015 volcanic tsunami earthquake near Torishima, Japan.

Tsunami earthquakes are a group of enigmatic earthquakes generating disproportionally large tsunamis relative to seismic magnitude. These events occur most typically near deep-sea trenches. Tsunami earthquakes occurring approximately every 10 years near Torishima on the Izu-Bonin arc are another example.