The Impact of Phenological Gaps on Leaf Characteristics and Foliage Dynamics of an Understory Dwarf Bamboo, .

Phenological gaps exert a significant influence on the growth of dwarf bamboos. However, how dwarf bamboos respond to and exploit these phenological gaps remain enigmatic. The light environment, soil nutrients, leaf morphology, maximum photosynthetic rate, foliage dynamics, and branching characteristics of were examined under the canopies of and .

Selective pollination by fungus gnats potentially functions as an alternative reproductive isolation among five Arisaema species.

Background And Aims: Interspecific difference in pollinators (pollinator isolation) is important for reproductive isolation in flowering plants. Species-specific pollination by fungus gnats has been discovered in several plant taxa, suggesting that they can contribute to reproductive isolation. Nevertheless, their contribution has not been studied in detail, partly because they are too small for field observations during flower visitation.

The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio has a role in predicting the effectiveness of nivolumab in Japanese patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a multi-institutional retrospective study.

Background: The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a well-known prognostic marker in various cancers. However, its role as a predictive marker for the effectiveness of nivolumab in patients with metastatic RCC (mRCC) remains unclear. We evaluated the relationships between the NLR and progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) in mRCC patients treated with nivolumab.

[A Case of General Fatigue Caused by Enzalutamide that was Evaluated Using the Cancer Fatigue Scale and Overcome by Switching to Nighttime Treatment].

An 81-year-old man with castration-resistant prostate cancer experienced general fatigue while receiving enzalutamide treatment. In some patients we encountered the enzalutamide treatment had to be interrupted or the dose decreased because of this adverse effect. We evaluated the patient's general fatigue using the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) score and clarified the quantitative information about his general fatigue.

Pre-pollination barriers between two sympatric Arisaema species in northern Shikoku Island, Japan.

Premise: The genus Arisaema (Araceae) has rapidly diversified in Japan, and multiple species often coexist in the field. Although Japanese Arisaema species hybridize from artificial crossing, hybrid individuals are rare in mixed populations; suggesting the presence of effective pre-pollination barriers. We examined the following reproductive barriers between A.

Genomic characterization for familial cases with urothelial carcinoma.

In this report, we present familial cases of urothelial carcinoma. To investigate the possibility of hereditary urothelial cancer, we performed semiconductor-based next-generation DNA sequencing. A woman in her 80s who had bladder and left ureteral cancer was hospitalized in Sapporo Shirakaba-dai Hospital due to consciousness disturbance.

Long-term follow-up of penile glans necrosis due to paraphimosis.

Introduction: Paraphimosis is a urologic emergency in which the foreskin of the penis becomes trapped behind the coronal sulcus and forms a tight band of constricting tissue. Surgical or conservative release of this constriction is required for the treatment. Delayed treatment will cause devastating outcomes, such as penile glans necrosis.

Laparoscopic Surgery for Seminal Vesicle Cysts and Ureterocele with Urination Disorder: A Case Report of Zinner Syndrome.

Zinner syndrome is defined as seminal vesicle cysts with ipsilateral renal agenesis and an ectopic ureter. Symptomatic cases are very rare. In this article, we present a laparoscopic approach for a case of Zinner syndrome.

Complications within 90 days after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer: results of a multicenter prospective study in Japan.

Purpose: We prospectively evaluated the 90-day postoperative mortality and morbidity of open radical cystectomy by using a standardized reporting methodology. Additionally, we assessed the preoperative characteristics to determine risk factors for major complications.

Methods: This multicenter prospective study included 185 consecutive patients undergoing open radical cystectomy from October 2010 through March 2014.

Clinicopathological characteristics of Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma in adolescents and adults: Diagnosis using immunostaining of transcription factor E3 and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis.

Objectives: To determine the rate and clinicopathological features of Xp11.2 translocation carcinoma using immunostaining of transcription factor E3 and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis.

Methods: We evaluated 638 patients with renal cell carcinoma treated at Sapporo Medical University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan, from 1990 to 2009 by reviewing all hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections and carrying out immunostaining of transcription factor E3 for all cases.

Stereoselective synthesis and reaction of gold(I) (Z)-enethiolates.

Bench-top-storable (Z)-enethiol reagents: gold (Z)-1-decenylthiolates were synthesized stereoselectively in high yields. They are stable upon storage at room temperature without protection from light, and react smoothly with various alkyl halides, α,β-unsaturated ketones, and electron-deficient aryl halides with excellent stereoselectivity.

How do we understand the disagreement in the frequency of surgical site infection between the CDC and Clavien-Dindo classifications?

To clarify the discrepancy in the incidence and severity of surgical site infections (SSI) for radical cystectomy between reports based on the CDC guideline and those using the Clavien-Dindo classification we evaluated 449 consecutive patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer between 1990 and 2012. Of the 115 (25.6%) patients with SSI defined by the CDC guideline, 89 could be analyzed.

[Bilateral urolithiasis with zonisamide developed for a short period of time in a 10-year-old girl with intractable epilepsy].

Zonisamide is an antiepileptic drug mainly used in patients with refractory epilepsy. One of the urological adverse effects caused by zonisamide is urinary lithiasis. We reported bilateral urinary lithiasis with zonisamide developed for a short period of time.

Nitrous oxide reduction-coupled alkene-alkene coupling catalysed by metalloporphyrins.

Porphyrin complexes of iron, manganese and cobalt catalysed reductive dimerization of alkenes with NaBH4 under N2O. The reaction system using Fe(III) porphyrin generated an Fe(I) porphyrin intermediate that reduced N2O to regenerate Fe(III) porphyrin.

Establishment of an ASPL-TFE3 renal cell carcinoma cell line (S-TFE).

Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinoma is a rare disease diagnosed in children and adolescents in the advanced stage with an aggressive clinical course. Various gene fusions including the transcription factor E3 (TFE3) gene located on chromosome X cause the tumor. We established an Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinoma cell line from a renal tumor in a 18-y-old Japanese female and named it "S-TFE.

Evaluation of long-term outcome for patients with renal cell carcinoma after surgery: analysis of cancer deaths occurring more than 10 years after initial treatment.

Objective: We evaluated the outcome of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after surgery in a long-term follow-up study to elucidate the specific biological behaviors of RCC, such as late recurrence and late cancer-specific death.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and pathological features of 625 patients who were diagnosed as having renal cell carcinoma at our institution from 1975 to 2006. We analyzed the parameters and outcomes for the patients who had received radical or partial nephrectomy.

Long-term outcome of small, organ-confined renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is not always favourable.

Unlabelled: WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: Small, organ-confined renal cell carcinoma (RCC) generally has favourable pathological characteristics and a good prognosis. However, late recurrence is a known characteristic of the biological behaviour of RCC and no consensus has been established for surveillance protocols from 5 years after radical or partial nephrectomy. In the present study with long-term follow-up of patients with small RCCs, 18 of 172 patients (10.

[Retrospetive analysis of early postoperative complications of radical cystectomy and urinary diversion performed during a 17-year period].

We retrospectively analyzed early postoperative complications in 293 consecutive patients withbladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy with urinary diversion from 1990 to 2007 at the Department of Urology of the Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine. The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (ver 3.0) was used to evaluate complications that occurred within 30 days after surgery, and grade 3 and higher grades according to the criteria were defined as complications in this study.

[Use of 2-octylcyanoacrylate tissue glue for skin closure in radical retropubic prostatectomy].

2-Octylcyanoacrylate tissue adhesive (2-OCA ; Dermabond® , Ethicon, Inc., Sommerville, New Jersey) is a synthetic tissue adhesive recently used for skin closure in the treatment of minor lacerations and minor surgical incisions. We have been using this adhesive for wound closure in radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) since August 2006.

[Case of urinary mycobacterium fortuitum in a patient with urinary tract tuberculosis posttreatment].

A 70-year-old male who complained of urinary frequency and a feeling of incomplete emptying was admitted to our hospital. Imaging findings showed dilation of the left renal pelvis and ureter. He was diagnosed as having urinary tuberculosis because a positive urinary Mycobacterium tuberculosis result was obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Difluoro-lambda3-bromane-induced oxidative carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions: ethanol as an electrophilic partner and alkynes as nucleophiles.

Reported here for the first time are the oxidative couplings of alkynes and primary alcohols yielding conjugated enones. Although the BF3-catalyzed reaction of terminal alkynes with p-trifluoromethylphenyl(difluoro)-lambda3-bromane results in the fluoro-lambda3-bromanation of triple bonds to afford (E)-beta-fluorovinyl-lambda3-bromanes, reaction of an alkyne with the difluoro-lambda3-bromane in the presence of an alcohol and BF3-Et2O affords directly conjugated enones in good yields. The reaction proceeds in a highly stereo- and regioselective manner under metal-free conditions.

Measurement of plasma concentration of gemcitabine and its metabolite dFdU in hemodialysis patients with advanced urothelial cancer.

Objective: We investigated the pharmacokinetics of gemcitabine and its metabolite in two male patients (52 and 56-year-old) with advanced urothelial cancer receiving hemodialysis three times a week.

Methods: Gemcitabine, 1000 mg/m(2) in 100 ml of saline, was intravenously administered for 30 min. The concentration of gemcitabine and its metabolite 2',2'-difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU) was measured at several given time points using a high-pressure liquid chromatography assay.

Bone scanning--who needs it among patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer?

Background: We evaluated the relationship between serum PSA and clinical variables to eliminate bone scanning in patients with prostate cancer having a low probability of bone metastasis.

Methods: The study included 366 patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer between 1999 and 2005. Bone metastasis was studied for its correlation with various clinical and pathological variables in these patients.