Long-Term Outcomes of Carbon Dioxide Insufflation in Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Thoracoscopic esophagectomy (TE) with carbon dioxide (CO)insufflation is increasingly performed for esophageal cancer; however, there is limited evidence of the long-term outcomes of CO insufflation on postoperative survival.

Objectives: We investigated the long-term outcomes of TE with or without CO insufflation.

Methods: We enrolled 182 patients who underwent TE for esophageal cancer between January 2003 and October 2013 and categorized them into two groups: with and without CO insufflation.

Retrograde transgastric jejunostomy for nutritional management and aspiration prevention in cases with severe malignant esophageal strictures.

Locally advanced esophageal cancer often presents with dysphagia and can be complicated by aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, nutritional management is important to prevent pneumonia. Enteral nutrition via gastrostomies is common in esophageal cancer patients.

Thoracoscopic esophageal drainage for tracheal compression due to mucocele after esophagogastric bypass: a case report.

Background: Esophagogastric bypass is performed for esophageal strictures. Mucus retention, known as mucocele, sometimes occurs at the stricture oral side of the remnant esophagus. It is often asymptomatic and is expected to be naturally decompressed, but it may cause respiratory failure depending on the case.

Minimally invasive esophagectomy and radical lymph node dissection without recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis.

Background: We introduce a novel operative technique to dissect lymph nodes adjacent to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, referred to as the "native tissue preservation" technique. Using this technique, there was no damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which is maintained in its anatomical position.

Methods: From September 2016 to December 2018, minimally invasive esophagectomy was performed in the left lateral decubitus position in 87 patients with esophageal cancer.

Controlling the Adsorption of Ruthenium Complexes on Carbon Surfaces through Noncovalent Bonding with Pyrene Anchors: An Electrochemical Study.

Surface modifications of carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene or carbon nanotubes, through noncovalent π-π interactions between π-conjugated carbon surfaces and pyrene anchors have received much attention on account of the applications of these materials in organic electronic and sensor devices. Despite the rapidly expanding use of pyrene anchors, little is known about the number of pyrene groups required in order to achieve a stable attachment of molecules on nanocarbon surfaces. So far, systematic studies on such surface modifications through adsorption isotherms and desorption behavior of molecules still remain scarce.

Long-Term Outcome of Sequential Therapy with Lamivudine Followed by Interferon-β in Nucleoside-Naive, Hepatitis B e-Antigen-Positive Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Genotype C Infection.

It is unclear whether the combination of a nucleos(t)ide analog and interferon (IFN) is superior to monotherapy for treating chronic hepatitis B. In this study, we report the long-term outcomes of sequential therapy using lamivudine followed by IFN-β. This study included 24 hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C infection who were treated with lamivudine alone for 16-32 weeks, then with both IFN-β and lamivudine for 4 weeks, and finally with IFN-β alone for 20 weeks.

Virulence genes and antimicrobial susceptibility in Pasteurella multocida isolates from calves.

A total of 378 isolates of Pasteurella multocida from clinically healthy and diseased calves were characterised for their susceptibility to 9 antimicrobial agents and screened by PCR for the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes and 22 genes virulence-associated, including capsule biosynthesis genes. Of the 378 isolates, 102 (27.0%) were resistant to at least one of the 9 tested antimicrobial agents.

Annual changes in predominant genotypes of rotavirus A detected in the feces of pigs in various developmental stages raised on a conventional farm.

The goal of the present study was to improve understanding of the ecology of porcine rotavirus A (RVA) infection in pigs raised on a conventional farrow-to-finish farm. We collected 145 fecal samples over a 3-year period from suckling pigs and their dams, and pigs at 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 days of age. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that 29 samples (20%) were positive for the viral VP7 gene.

Relationship between serotype and the antimicrobial susceptibility of Mannheimia haemolytica isolates collected between 1991 and 2010.

The antimicrobial susceptibilities and serotype distribution of 310 Mannheimia haemolytica isolates obtained from cattle with bovine respiratory disease during 2002-2010 were investigated. Of the 310 isolates, 198 (63.9%) were resistant to at least one of the 16 tested antimicrobial agents.

Genetic diversity of group A rotaviruses associated with repeated outbreaks of diarrhea in a farrow-to-finish farm: identification of a porcine rotavirus strain bearing a novel VP7 genotype, G26.

Group A rotaviruses (GARs) are one of the most common causes of diarrhea in suckling pigs. Although a number of G and P genotypes have been identified in porcine GARs, few attempts have been made to study the molecular epidemiology of these viruses associated with diarrhea outbreaks within a farm over an extended period of time. Here, we investigated the molecular characteristics of GARs that caused four outbreaks of diarrhea among suckling pigs in a farrow-to-finish farm over the course of a year.

Plasmid-mediated florfenicol resistance in Mannheimia haemolytica isolated from cattle.

The aim of this study was to analyse a florfenicol-resistant Mannheimia haemolytica isolated from a calf to determine the genetic basis of its florfenicol-resistance. The antimicrobial susceptibility and plasmid content of the isolate were determined. A florfenicol resistant plasmid carrying the floR gene was identified by PCR and transformed into Escherichia coli JM109 and HB101 strains.

Detection of Salmonella in Swine fecal samples by flow-through immunocapture.

This study reports the preliminary evaluation of flow-through immunocapture (FTI) followed by real-time PCR (FTI-PCR) for the detection of different serotypes of Salmonella in pig fecal specimens. The FTI-PCR method was compared with the direct plating of FTI beads on xylose lysine desoxycholate agar, real-time PCR, and the conventional culturing methods, Rappaport-Vassiliadis and modified semisolid Rappaport-Vassiliadis. Artificially contaminated swine fecal specimens were used to evaluate and compare these methods.

Wave propagation through Cantor-set media: chaos, scaling, and fractal structures.

Propagation of waves through Cantor-set media is investigated by renormalization-group analysis. For specific values of wave numbers, transmission coefficients are shown to be governed by the logistic map and, in the chaotic region, they show sensitive dependence on small changes in parameters of the system such as the index of refraction. For other values of wave numbers, our numerical results suggest that light transmits completely or reflects completely by the Cantor-set media Cinfinity.

Antimicrobial resistance and genetic characterization of fluoroquinolone-resistant Mannheimia haemolytica isolates from cattle with bovine pneumonia.

Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characterization of quinolone-resistant Mannheimia haemolytica was conducted. The antimicrobial susceptibility of 229 M. haemolytica isolates which were obtained from cattle with bovine respiratory disease during the period 1984-2006, was determined using 14 antimicrobial agents.

Optimal duration of additional therapy after biochemical and virological responses to lamivudine in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B: a randomized trial.

Aim: The endpoint of treatment with nucleoside analogs remains unclear for patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B. We report the results of a randomized trial to determine the optimal duration of additional therapy after response to lamivudine in HBeAg-negative patients.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B who exhibited biochemical and virological responses to lamivudine were enrolled.

Plummer-Vinson syndrome successfully treated by endoscopic dilatation.

Plummer-Vinson (Paterson-Brown-Kelly) syndrome is uncommon nowadays. Although iron repletion improves its symptoms, endoscopic dilatation of associated esophageal webs is sometimes required. The case is described of a 69-year-old woman with Plummer-Vinson syndrome who was successfully treated by endoscopic bougienage.

Mutational patterns of hepatitis B virus genome and clinical outcomes after emergence of drug-resistant variants during lamivudine therapy: analyses of the polymerase gene and full-length sequences.

It remains unclear whether mutational patterns of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome are associated with the development of severe hepatitis after the emergence of tyrosine-methionine-aspartate-aspartate (YMDD) variants during lamivudine treatment. Thirty patients with chronic hepatitis B who had YMDD variants during lamivudine therapy and were followed up subsequently while receiving lamivudine alone for at least 6 months were examined retrospectively. The lamivudine resistant mutations in the HBV polymerase gene were detected by a line probe assay, and the full-length sequences of HBV DNA were determined in some patients.

Serotyping of Mannheimia haemolytica isolates from bovine pneumonia: 1987-2006.

Over a period of 20 years, a total of 207 Mannheimia haemolytica samples were isolated from calves affected with pneumonic pasteurellosis and serotyped by the indirect haemagglutination test. Serotypes A1 (102 isolates), A2 (47 isolates) and A6 (42 isolates) were most common; in addition, 16 isolates were serotypes A7, A13, A14 or untypable. The relative prevalence of serotype A6 has increased recently in Japan, as has been reported from other countries.

Fluctuations in chemical gelation.

We study a chemical gelation model in two dimensions which includes both monomer aggregations and bond fluctuations. Our numerical simulation shows that a sol-gel transition occurs when an initial monomer concentration is above a critical concentration. Fractal aggregates grow until the sol-gel transition occurs.

Lamivudine and IFN-beta sequential therapy in HBe antigen-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B virus genotype C infection.

Sequential treatment with lamivudine and interferon (IFN) has induced sustained biochemical and virologic responses in the majority of patients with chronic hepatitis B in France. However, the efficacy of sequential treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C infection has not been evaluated. Twenty-four HBe antigen-positive patients were treated with 100 mg lamivudine alone for 16-32 weeks, then with both 6 MU IFN-beta and lamivudine for 4 weeks, and lastly with IFN-beta alone for 20 weeks.

Frequency of enteropathogen detection in suckling and weaned pigs with diarrhea in Japan.

Fecal samples from suckling (n=153) and weaned (n=116) piglets with diarrhea in Japan were examined for shedding of viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens using culture, microscopic, and polymerase chain reaction methods. In suckling piglets, diarrhea was attributed to infection with a single etiologic agent in 60.8% of cases and with combinations of agents in 22.

Braid group, gauge invariance, and topological order.

Topological order in two-dimensional systems is studied by combining the braid group formalism with a gauge invariance analysis. We show that flux insertions (or large gauge transformations) pertinent to the toroidal topology induce automorphisms of the braid group, giving rise to a unified algebraic structure that characterizes the ground-state subspace and fractionally charged, anyonic quasiparticles. Minimal ground-state degeneracy is derived without assuming any relation between quasiparticle charge and statistics.

Molecular characterization of the major capsid protein VP6 of bovine group B rotavirus and its use in seroepidemiology.

The major inner capsid protein (VP6) gene of the bovine group B rotavirus (GBR) Nemuro strain is 1269 nt in length and contains one open reading frame encoding 391 aa. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities of the Nemuro VP6 gene compared with the published corresponding human and rodent GBR genes were respectively 66-67 and 70-72 %, which are notably lower than those between human and rodent viruses (72-73 and 83-84 %, respectively). Overall identities of VP6 genes among GBRs were substantially lower than those among both group A rotaviruses (GARs) and group C rotaviruses (GCRs) derived from different species of mammals.

Chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay for monitoring hepatitis C virus core protein during interferon-alpha2b and ribavirin therapy in patients with genotype 1 and high viral loads.

This study evaluated an updated chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein for monitoring viral kinetics during treatment with interferon (IFN)-alpha and ribavirin. Using the CLEIA, serum levels of HCV core protein were measured in 17 patients with genotype 1 and high baseline viral loads during the first 4 weeks of combination therapy. HCV RNA was measured by the Amplicor Monitor test for comparison.