Investigating polychlorinated alkanes in technical chlorinated paraffin mixtures and polymer products available in Vietnam.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are chemical additives mostly composed of polychlorinated alkanes (PCAs) which may impact on the environment and human health; however, little is known about their presence in Southeast Asia. To fill this knowledge gap, we assessed 74 PCA homolog groups commonly referred to as short-chain (SCCPs: PCAs-C), medium-chain (MCCPs: PCAs-C), and long-chain CPs (LCCPs: PCAs-C) in technical CP mixtures (n = 4) and polymer samples (n = 49), including recycled plastics, collected in Vietnam in 2023. The contents of measured PCA homolog groups in technical CP mixtures were 86,000-930,000 mg/kg for PCAs-C; 85,000-990,000 mg/kg for PCAs-C; and 23,000-180,000 mg/kg for PCAs-C.

Impact of lymph node dissection on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with postoperative recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: The effect of lymph node dissection (LND) on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in the effect of ICI between patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) according to the extent of LND performed in surgery prior to postoperative recurrence.

Methods: A total of 134 patients with postoperative recurrence (surgery group, n=26) or unresectable advanced lung cancer (non-surgery group, n=108) who were treated with ICIs between January 2016 and December 2022 were included for analysis.

Anticipated deaths with physician care () at home in one town in Japan: A preliminary report.

Background: There are few reports on the numbers of anticipated deaths ( [り]) at home in Japan.

Method: We used the Japanese death certificate system ( []) for Toyono town citizens who died between 2020 and 2022 and judged a death to constitute when the certificate was not written by a doctor referred from the police.

Results: Among 756 deaths, 109 (14.

Primary Lung Adenocarcinoma With ALK Gene Rearrangement Mostly Occupied by the Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma Component: A Case Report.

Primary lung carcinoma tumors possessing a signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) component at varying proportions are rare, while those primarily composed of an SRCC component are much rarer. Reported here is a case of primary lung adenocarcinoma primarily composed of an SRCC component with a scant acinar component that developed in an 81-year-old male. Approximately 95% of the adenocarcinoma was occupied by an SRCC component that was shown to be diastase-resistant based on positive periodic acid-Schiff staining.

Homologue Composition of Technical Chlorinated Paraffins Used in Several Countries over the Last 50 Years─SCCPs Are Still Out There.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are widely produced chemicals, with certain CP subgroups facing global restrictions due to their environmental dispersion, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. To evaluate the effectiveness of these international restrictions, we assessed the homologue group contribution and the mass fraction of short-chain CPs (SCCPs: C-C), medium-chain CPs (MCCPs: C-C), and long-chain CPs (LCCPs: ≥C) in 36 technical CP mixtures used worldwide over the last 50 years. Using low-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS), we quantified 74 CP homologue groups (CCl-CCl).

Surgical technique for preventing lung torsion after right upper and lower bilobectomy.

In cases of right upper and lower bilobectomy, careful manipulation is required to avoid lung torsion, as only the right middle lobe remains in the right thoracic cavity. We report a case of successful right upper and lower bilobectomy with no torsion of the middle lobe. Our technique prevents postoperative lung torsion by fixing the lung to the chest wall and pericardial fat with silk threads.

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in polyvinyl chloride consumer goods available in the Japanese market.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs), including short-chain CPs (SCCPs) and medium-chain CPs (MCCPs), are hazardous chemical additives widely applied as plasticizers and flame retardants in polymers, mainly in polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In 2017, SCCPs were listed under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). MCCPs were proposed for listing as POPs in 2021.

Enhancing Scientific Support for the Stockholm Convention's Implementation: An Analysis of Policy Needs for Scientific Evidence.

The Stockholm Convention is key to addressing the global threats of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to humanity and the environment. It has been successful in identifying new POPs, but its national implementation remains challenging, particularly by low- and middle-income Parties. Concerted action is needed to assist Parties in implementing the Convention's obligations.

Significance of very-low-voltage coagulation plus coverage with polyglycolic acid sheet after bullectomy for primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

Background: The purpose of this study was to clarify the efficacy of the combination of low-voltage coagulation plus staple line coverage with a polyglycolic acid sheet after bullectomy for primary spontaneous pneumothorax to prevent a postoperative recurrence.

Methods: A total of 143 patients who underwent bullectomy for primary spontaneous pneumothorax between January 2014 and December 2019 were enrolled in this study. We classified the patients into two groups based on additional procedures after bullectomy, namely, low-voltage coagulation for the margin of the staple line plus coverage with a polyglycolic acid sheet (Group A) and staple line coverage with a polyglycolic acid sheet alone (Group B).

Recycling plastics containing decabromodiphenyl ether into new consumer products including children's toys purchased in Japan and seventeen other countries.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants widely used to manufacture several commercial plastic products. The major homologue in commercial PBDE mixtures are listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and are scheduled for global elimination. Hence, to understand more about unintentional contamination of plastic recycling stream by restricted PBDEs, we examined 540 small plastic consumer products (1139 components after dismantling), including children's toys, purchased in 18 countries (mainly Japan) between 2015 and 2019.

Inventory approach for short-chain chlorinated paraffins for the Stockholm Convention implementation in Brazil.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are chemicals with multipurpose applications. Their global production has increased despite their adverse impacts on the environment and human health. In 2017, short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) were listed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Stockholm Convention.

Withdrawal of Glucocorticoid Therapy is Difficult in Women with Polymyalgia Rheumatica: An Observational Study.

Objective: A total of 105 patients (64 women) who were started on glucocorticoid (GC) treatment for polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and/or remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RSPE) syndrome at Ikeda City Hospital from July 2004 to December 2019 were reviewed (PMR: 81, overlap: 20, pure RSPE syndrome: 4). Then, 32 cases that had stopped GC and 17 cases that had continued GC for 7.5 years or longer were evaluated (women:men, stopped GC 12:20, continued GC 13:4, respectively) (PMR:overlap:pure RSPE syndrome, stopped GC 26:6:0, continued GC 14:2:1, respectively).

Intrathoracic lipoma in the horizontal fissure of the right lung: a case report.

Lipomas are benign tumors that originate from mesenchymal tissue, such as subcutaneous tissue. Intrathoracic lipomas are rare, and they can occur in the chest wall, mediastinum and bronchi. In the present case, the patient had an intrathoracic lipoma that was located in the horizontal fissure of the right lung.

Simultaneous determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane in plastic waste by short-column gas-chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry and electron capture detector.

To avoid recycling plastic waste containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) or hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), which are listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), a simple method to determine their contents at the time of waste disposal is needed. Herein, we developed a rapid analytical method using a gas chromatograph coupled with quadrupole mass spectrometry or electron capture detection to simultaneously detect PBDEs and HBCD in plastic waste. PBDEs and HBCD were ultrasonically extracted from plastic samples using toluene.

Short- and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Polyvinylchloride and Rubber Consumer Products and Toys Purchased on the Belgian Market.

This study investigates the presence of Stockholm Convention listed short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and their replacement medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) counterparts in polyvinyl chloride and rubber consumer products and toys purchased on the Belgian market in 2019. SCCPs were detected in 27/28 samples at concentrations ranging from View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Correlation Between Fissureless Technique and Prolonged Air Leak for Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Right Upper Lobectomy.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the clinical usefulness of the fissureless technique, which avoided dissection of the lung parenchyma over the pulmonary artery, in preventing prolonged air leak after video-assisted thoracic surgery right upper lobectomy (VATS RUL).

Methods: Perioperative outcomes, including the frequency of prolonged air leak after fissureless technique or traditional fissure dissection technique, which dissected the lung parenchyma through the fissure, were compared in patients who underwent VATS RUL (n = 213) between January 2016 and March 2020. We adopted our fissural grade to evaluate the degree of fused fissure ranging from II (light incomplete fissure) to IV (severe incomplete fissure), which covered all fissural grades in 213 patients.

Sialadenoma Papilliferum of the Bronchus: An Unrecognized Bronchial Counterpart of the Salivary Gland Tumor With Frequent BRAF V600E Mutations.

Sialadenoma papilliferum (SP) is a rare benign tumor of the salivary glands, and only 3 unequivocal cases of SP arising in the bronchus have been reported. We herein describe the histomorphologic and molecular features of 4 bronchial SP cases and discuss the differential diagnosis of this entity and the relationship with its clinicopathologic mimics, in particular, glandular papilloma and mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma (GP/MP). We encountered 2 male and 2 female patients with bronchial SP (mean: 66.

Clinical usefulness of the 3-tier classification according to the proportion of morphological patterns for patients with pathological stage I invasive lung adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: We classified pathological stage I invasive lung adenocarcinomas according to our 3-tier classification, which was based on the proportion of invasive morphological patterns as follows: (1) patients with each predominant subtype, (2) those with a minor histological subtype, even not the predominant subtype and (3) those without each invasive component. We aimed to evaluate the classification's clinical impact in survival, recurrence, malignant grade, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutational status.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1,269 patients with p-stage I lung adenocarcinoma underwent curative surgical resection between January 2008 and December 2017.

Comparative analysis of the results of video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy simulation using the three-dimensional-printed Biotexture wet-lung model and surgeons' experience.

Objectives: We performed a comparative analysis of the performance of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy simulation using three-dimensional-printed Biotexture lung models by surgeons classified according to their level of expertise. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between surgeons' experience and time to complete the VATS lobectomy simulation.

Methods: Participants were divided into 3 groups: group A included those who had no experience of actual VATS lobectomy (n = 11), group B included those who had performed 5-10 VATS lobectomies (n = 12) and group C included those who had performed >100 VATS lobectomies (n = 6).

Cell-penetrating peptide-mediated cell entry of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.

H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) poses a huge threat to public health and the global economy. These viruses cause systemic infection in poultry and accidental human infection leads to severe pneumonia, associated with high mortality rates. The hemagglutinin (HA) of H5N1 HPAIV possesses multiple basic amino acids, as in the sequence RERRRKKR at the cleavage site; however, the role of this motif is not fully understood.

Prognostic Significance of Ground-Glass Opacity Components in 5-Year Survivors With Resected Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Reports on the prognosis for 5-year survivors with lung adenocarcinoma after resection are sparse. This study aimed to identify factors associated with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) for 5-year survivors with completely resected lung adenocarcinoma, and to determine whether preoperative imaging factors, including the presence of ground-glass opacity (GGO) components, affect late recurrence in long-term survivors.

Methods: Complete resection of lung adenocarcinoma was performed for 1681 patients between January 2000 and December 2013.

Proteolytic cleavage of Podocin by Matriptase exacerbates podocyte injury.

Podocyte injury is a critical step toward the progression of renal disease and is often associated with a loss of slit diaphragm proteins, including Podocin. Although there is a possibility that the extracellular domain of these slit diaphragm proteins can be a target for a pathological proteolysis, the precise mechanism driving the phenomenon remains unknown. Here we show that Matriptase, a membrane-anchored protein, was activated at podocytes in CKD patients and mice, whereas Matriptase inhibitors slowed the progression of mouse kidney disease.

Significant prognostic determinants in lung cancers of the superior sulcus: comparable analysis of resected and unresected cases.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to identify prognostic determinants and to comparably analyze clinical features of patients with both resected and unresected superior sulcus tumors (SSTs).

Methods: The data of 56 patients who underwent any treatment for an SST from 2004 through 2016 in our hospital were reviewed. Overall survival (OS) rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.