Local structure of Amorphous carbon investigated by X-ray total scattering and RMC modeling.

Amorphous carbon is a promising candidate as an energy storage material. In this paper, we performed an X-ray total scattering measurement, RMC modeling, and persistent homology analysis for amorphous carbon samples fabricated at two different heat treatment temperatures. According to the analysis of the nearest-neighbor carbon atoms and their angular histogram, the sample treated at higher temperature shows higher connectivity between carbon atoms than that treated at lower temperature.

Compact laboratory-based X-ray microscope enabling nondestructive 3D structure acquisition of mouse nephron with high speed and better user accessibility.

X-ray microscopes adopting computed tomography enable nondestructive 3D visualization of biological specimens at micron-level resolution without conventional 2D serial sectioning that is a destructive/laborious method and is routinely used for analyzing renal biopsy in clinical diagnosis of kidney diseases. Here we applied a compact commercial system of laboratory-based X-ray microscope to observe a resin-embedded osmium-stained 1-mm strip of a mouse kidney piece as a model of renal biopsy, toward a more efficient diagnosis of kidney diseases. A reconstructed computed tomography image from several hours of data collection using CCD detector allowed us to unambiguously segment a single nephron connected to a renal corpuscle, which was consistent with previous reports using serial sectioning.

Nondestructive cellular-level 3D observation of mouse kidney using laboratory-based X-ray microscopy with paraffin-mediated contrast enhancement.

For three-dimensional observation of unstained bio-specimens using X-ray microscopy with computed tomography (CT), one main problem has been low contrast in X-ray absorption. Here we introduce paraffin-mediated contrast enhancement to visualize biopsy samples of mouse kidney using a laboratory-based X-tray microscope. Unlike conventional heavy-atom staining, paraffin-mediated contrast enhancement uses solid paraffin as a negative contrast medium to replace water in the sample.

Real-space modeling for complex structures based on small-angle X-ray scattering.

A three-dimensional real-space model has been created for hierarchical materials by matching observed and simulated small-angle X-ray scattering patterns. The simulation is performed by arranging the positions of small primary particles and constructing an aggregate structure in a finite-sized cell. In order to avoid the effect of the finite size of the cell, the cell size is extended to infinity by introducing an asymptotic form of the long-range correlations among the primary particles.

Complete Ring Artifacts Reduction Procedure for Lab-Based X-ray Nano CT Systems.

In this article, we introduce a new ring artifacts reduction procedure that combines several ideas from existing methods into one complex and robust approach with a goal to overcome their individual weaknesses and limitations. The procedure differentiates two types of ring artifacts according to their cause and character in computed tomography (CT) data. Each type is then addressed separately in the sinogram domain.

Visualization of internal 3D structure of small live seed on germination by laboratory-based X-ray microscopy with phase contrast computed tomography.

Background: The visualization of internal 3D-structure of tissues at micron resolutions without staining by contrast reagents is desirable in plant researches, and it can be achieved by an X-ray computed tomography (CT) with a phase-retrieval technique. Recently, a laboratory-based X-ray microscope adopting the phase contrast CT was developed as a powerful tool for the observation of weakly absorbing biological samples. Here we report the observation of unstained pansy seeds using the laboratory-based X-ray phase-contrast CT.

[Long-Term Survival Due to Combination Therapy in a Patient with Locally Advanced Body-Tail Pancreatic Cancer].

A 49-year-old man was referred to a neighboring hospital with a chief complaint of abdominal pain.He was diagnosed with locally advanced body-tail pancreatic cancer that had invaded the celiac artery and SMA.He came to our department after undergoing radiotherapy, 2.

Hard x-ray phase contrast imaging using a tabletop Talbot-Lau interferometer with multiline embedded x-ray targets.

We demonstrate hard x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) using a tabletop Talbot-Lau interferometer in which the x-ray source and source grating are replaced with an x-ray source with multiline metal targets embedded in a diamond substrate. This source realizes an array of linear x-ray sources of a few micrometers width without fabrication difficulty because of the shallow penetration depth of electrons irradiated to the metal targets. This enhances the coherence of x rays from each linear source and allows XPCI within 45 cm source-detector distance under 1.

[A case of drug resistant recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumor treated surgically by resection, partial hepatectomy and diaphragmectomy].

This 69-year-old man underwent a partial jejunectomy for gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST) at the age of 60, and subsequently hepatectomy of segment 5, 6, 7 for liver metastasis of GIST a year later. An irregular mass close to the cutting stump of the liver, and a mass that showed enhanced-effect at segment 4 was discovered 28 months after hepatectomy. In order to treat this second recurrence, we administered imatinib and sunitinib sequentially.

[A case of gastric endocrine cell carcinoma that responded to chemotherapy with CPT-11+CDDP].

A 57-year-old male patient was referred to our department with a diagnosis of #3 lymph node recurrence of early gastric cancer after treatment of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). The pathological diagnosis of the ESD specimen was neuroendocrine cell carcinoma of the stomach with positive immunohistochemical staining of chromogranin A. The diameter of the tumor was 10 mm and the depth of invasion was pSM2.

[A case of port site recurrence after thoracoscopic resection for lung metastasis of cecal cancer].

We experienced a case of port site recurrence after thoracoscopic resection for lung metastasis of cecal cancer. The patient was a 57-year-old woman who underwent right hemicolectomy at the age of 51 following a diagnosis of cecal carcinoma. She underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery for pulmonary metastasis 2 years after the first surgery.

High resolution grazing-incidence in-plane x-ray diffraction for measuring the strain of a Si thin layer.

We have measured the strain of a thin Si layer deposited on a SiGe layer using a high resolution x-ray diffraction system. The Si layer was deposited on the SiGe layer in order to introduce a tensile strain to the Si layer. To measure the in-plane lattice constant accurately, we have employed so-called grazing-incidence in-plane diffraction.

[A case report of pathologically complete response with chemo-radiation for rectal cancer].

A 60-year-old female presented to a local hospital with a chief complaint of melena. Since she was found to have a neoplastic lesion in the rectum on endoscopy, she was referred to our hospital. Barium-enema examination and endoscopy showed a 5-cm type-2 lesion proximal to the dentate line, which was diagnosed by biopsy as a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.

[A case of AGC with pCR after preoperative chemotherapy including S-1 plus cisplatin].

A 79-year-old man complaining of epigastralgia was examined and diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer (UML, Type 5, Ant-Less-Gre, cT4a, cN1, cH0, cP1, cStage IV). A poor prognosis was predicted, but we tried preoperative chemotherapy hoping for a down-staging of the tumor. We chose a regimen of S-1 plus cisplatin as follows: S-1 (60 mg/m2) was administered orally for 3 weeks followed 2 weeks of rest, and cisplatin (50 mg/m2) was administered by intravenous drip on day 8.

[A case of anal canal carcinoma with systemic lymph node metastases successfully treated by bevacizumab+mFOLFOX6 therapy].

We describe our experience with a patient who had unresectable anal signet-ring cell carcinoma with extensive metastases to the lymph nodes, lungs, and bones. The patient was treated with bevacizumab (Bev)+mFOLFOX6 and achieved complete response (CR). He was a man in his fifties, who visited a local doctor with the chief complaints of swelling in the axillary and inguinal regions.

[A case of retroperitoneal dedifferentiated liposarcoma successfully treated with IFM and CDDP].

A 53-year-old man was evaluated for a chief complaint of abdominal bloating. Physical examination revealed an abdominal distention and ascites, and CT showed multiple large retroperitoneal masses. The patient was diagnosed with retroperitoneal liposarcoma.

[A case of IL-6 producing malignant mesothelioma of abdomen with thrombocytosis].

A 77-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with abdominal pain and ascites. He had an occupational history of working with asbestos. Abdominal CT showed multiple nodular lesions with enhancement by contrast medium in the cavity.

Adjuvant immunochemotherapy with protein-bound polysaccharide K for colon cancer in relation to oncogenic beta-catenin activation.

Purpose: Protein-bound polysaccharide K is an immunotherapeutic agent that promotes apoptosis by inhibiting nuclear factor-kappaB activation in cancer cells. We previously showed that oncogenic beta-catenin activates nuclear factor-kappaB and inhibits apoptosis by up-regulating beta-transducin repeat-containing protein. We investigated whether the activation state of beta-catenin in the primary tumor is associated with differences in survival rates of patients with colon cancer undergoing immunochemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil plus polysaccharide K vs.

[Combination chemotherapy of TS-1, docetaxel and CDDP produces a remarkable response in a patient with advanced esophageal cancer].

We report a patient with advanced esophageal cancer who achieved a complete response to combination chemotherapy of TS-1, docetaxel and CDDP. A 74-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for advanced esophageal cancer with a complaint of dysphagia. He received chemotherapy, consisting of TS-1 100 mg/body, docetaxel 35 mg/m(2), and CDDP 10 mg/m(2), every 3 weeks.

Pilot study of low-dose, divided maximum tolerated dose of CPT-11 in 21 consecutive patients with metastatic colorectal or gastric cancer.

Purpose: We devised a new treatment regimen, delivering a frequent low dose of CPT-11, calculated by dividing the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) to reduce its toxicity without impairing its efficacy.

Methods: CPI-11, 25 mg/m2, determined by dividing the MTD dose per month by 12, was given on days 1, 2, and 3 of every week, to 21 consecutive patients; 12 with metastatic colon cancer and 9 with metastatic gastric cancers.

Results: The total delivered dose of CPI-11 per patient was more than 1,000 mg in 17 (80.