[Molecular Genetics as Best Evidence in Glioma Diagnostics].

The development of a genomic landscape of gliomas has led to the internally consistent, molecularly-based classifiers. However, development of a biologically insightful classification to guide therapy is still ongoing. Further, tumors are heterogeneous, and they change and adapt in response to drugs.

Molecular classification of gliomas.

The identification of distinct genetic and epigenetic profiles in different types of gliomas has revealed novel diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive molecular biomarkers for refinement of glioma classification and improved prediction of therapy response and outcome. Therefore, the new (2016) World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of the central nervous system breaks with the traditional principle of diagnosis based on histologic criteria only and incorporates molecular markers. This will involve a multilayered approach combining histologic features and molecular information in an "integrated diagnosis".

Dense magnetized plasma associated with a fast radio burst.

Fast radio bursts are bright, unresolved, non-repeating, broadband, millisecond flashes, found primarily at high Galactic latitudes, with dispersion measures much larger than expected for a Galactic source. The inferred all-sky burst rate is comparable to the core-collapse supernova rate out to redshift 0.5.

Simulation analysis of optimized brachytherapy for uterine cervical cancer: Can we select the best brachytherapy modality depending on tumor size?

Purpose: To choose the optimal brachytherapeutic modality for uterine cervical cancer, we performed simulation analysis.

Methods And Materials: For each high-risk clinical target volume (HR CTV), we compared four modalities [classical conventional intracavitary brachytherapy (ConvICBT), Image-guided ICBT (IGICBT), intracavitary/interstitial brachytherapy (ICISBT), and interstitial brachytherapy (ISBT) with perineal approach] using dose-volume histograms using eight sizes of HR CTV (2 × 2 × 2 cm to 7 × 4 × 4 cm) and organs at risk model.

Results: In ConvICBT, the doses covered 90% of the HR CTV [D90(HR CTV)] decreased from 197% prescribed dose (PD) for the HR CTV size (2 × 2 × 2 cm) to 73% PD for 5 × 4 × 4 cm, whereas the other three modalities could achieve 100% PD for all HR CTV sizes.

Size dependent nanomechanics of coil spring shaped polymer nanowires.

Direct laser writing (DLW) via two-photon polymerization (TPP) has been established as a powerful technique for fabrication and integration of nanoscale components, as it enables the production of three dimensional (3D) micro/nano objects. This technique has indeed led to numerous applications, including micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), metamaterials, mechanical metamaterials, and photonic crystals. However, as the feature sizes decrease, an urgent demand has emerged to uncover the mechanics of nanosized polymer materials.

Saline Flush After Rocuronium Bolus Reduces Onset Time and Prolongs Duration of Effect: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Circulatory factors modify the onset time of neuromuscular-blocking drugs. Therefore, we hypothesized that infusion of a saline flush immediately after rocuronium administration would shorten the onset time without influencing the duration of the rocuronium effect.

Methods: Forty-eight patients were randomly allocated to the control or saline flush group.

mTORC2 and Metabolic Reprogramming in GBM: at the Interface of Genetics and Environment.

Metabolic reprogramming is a central hallmark of cancer, enabling tumor cells to obtain the macromolecular precursors and energy needed for rapid tumor growth. Understanding how oncogenes coordinate altered signaling with metabolic reprogramming and how cancer cells harness cellular metabolism and its metabolites for their survival may yield new insights into tumor pathogenesis. Here, we review the recently identified central regulatory role for mTORC2, a downstream effector of many cancer-causing mutations, in metabolic reprogramming and cancer drug resistance in glioblastoma.

Multi-institutional retrospective analysis of learning curves on dosimetry and operation time before and after introduction of intraoperatively built custom-linked seeds in prostate brachytherapy.

This multi-institutional retrospective analysis examined learning curves for dosimetric parameters and operation time after introduction of intraoperatively built custom-linked (IBCL) seeds. Data from consecutive patients treated with seed implantation before and after introduction of IBCL seeds (loose seed, n = 428; IBCL seed, n = 426) were collected from 13 centers. Dose-volume histogram parameters, operation times, and seed migration rates were compared before and after introduction of IBCL seeds.

Relationship Between Clinical Features and T2-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Images in Symptomatic Rathke Cleft Cysts.

Background: It is not known when surgery is appropriate for the treatment for incidental Rathke cleft cysts because knowledge of their natural history is lacking. In this study, we sought to determine whether symptomatic Rathke cleft cysts could be distinguished by their signal intensities in magnetic resonance (MR) images. We analyzed the relationship between these signal intensities and clinical manifestations of the cysts and their patterns of expansion.

Dispersion Distance and the Matter Distribution of the Universe in Dispersion Space.

We propose that "standard pings," brief broadband radio impulses, can be used to study the three-dimensional clustering of matter in the Universe even in the absence of redshift information. The dispersion of radio waves as they travel through the intervening plasma can, like redshift, be used as a cosmological distance measure. Because of inhomogeneities in the electron density along the line of sight, dispersion is an imperfect proxy for radial distance and we show that this leads to calculable dispersion-space distortions in the apparent clustering of sources.

Synthesis and Characterization of a New Hydroquinone Derivative: Disodium p-Phenylene Diisostearyl Diphosphate.

A novel amphiphilic hydroquinone derivative having a C18 alkyl chain phosphate attached to the hydroquinone (HQ) moiety was chemically synthesized. The thermal stability, distribution between organic and aqueous phases, and in vitro skin permeability were evaluated. This HQ derivative was identified as disodium p-phenylene diisostearyl diphosphate (HQ-2P2IS) by UV, infrared, mass, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies.

Evaluation of Intravesical Prostatic Protrusion as a Predictor of Dutasteride-Resistant Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms/Benign Prostatic Enlargement With a High Likelihood of Surgical Intervention.

Objective: To investigate factors predicting that combination therapy would be insufficient in terms of efficacy, necessitating conversion to surgical intervention, in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and/or benign prostatic enlargement.

Materials And Methods: In total, 218 patients given combination therapy for 6 months or more were enrolled in our study. Candidate factors for surgical intervention before dutasteride administration were statistically analyzed.

Glucose-dependent acetylation of Rictor promotes targeted cancer therapy resistance.

Cancer cells adapt their signaling in response to nutrient availability. To uncover the mechanisms regulating this process and its functional consequences, we interrogated cell lines, mouse tumor models, and clinical samples of glioblastoma (GBM), the highly lethal brain cancer. We discovered that glucose or acetate is required for epidermal growth factor receptor vIII (EGFRvIII), the most common growth factor receptor mutation in GBM, to activate mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) and promote tumor growth.

Salvage brachytherapy for locally recurrent prostate cancer after external beam radiotherapy.

External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is a standard treatment for prostate cancer. Despite the development of novel radiotherapy techniques such as intensity-modulated conformal radiotherapy, the risk of local recurrence after EBRT has not been obviated. Various local treatment options (including salvage prostatectomy, brachytherapy, cryotherapy, and high-intensity focused ultrasound [HIFU]) have been employed in cases of local recurrence after primary EBRT.

Role of vaginal pallor reaction in predicting late vaginal stenosis after high-dose-rate brachytherapy in treatment-naive patients with cervical cancer.

Objective: To assess actual rates of late vaginal stenosis and identify predisposing factors for complications among patients with previously untreated cervical cancer following high-dose-rate brachytherapy.

Methods: We performed longitudinal analyses of 57 patients using the modified Dische score at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 60 months after treatment, which consisted of 15 interstitial brachytherapys and 42 conventional intracavitary brachytherapys, with a median follow-up time of 36 months (range, 6 to 144 months).

Results: More than half of the patients developed grade 1 (mild) vaginal stenosis within the first year of follow-up, and grade 2 (97.

Treatment results of image-guided high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy for pelvic recurrence of uterine cancer.

Purpose: We analyzed clinical data to evaluate the effectiveness of image-guided high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy (HDR-ISBT) for pelvic recurrence of uterine cancer.

Methods And Materials: Between 2003 and 2011, 56 patients were treated with HDR-ISBT with or without external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). The median followup time was 33 months (range, 1-109 months).

Nationwide surveillance of bacterial respiratory pathogens conducted by the surveillance committee of Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and the Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2010: General view of the pathogens' antibacterial susceptibility.

The nationwide surveillance on antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens from patients in Japan, was conducted by Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2010. The isolates were collected from clinical specimens obtained from well-diagnosed adult patients with respiratory tract infections during the period from January and April 2010 by three societies. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted at the central reference laboratory according to the method recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institutes using maximum 45 antibacterial agents.

Compensatory glutamine metabolism promotes glioblastoma resistance to mTOR inhibitor treatment.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is hyperactivated in many types of cancer, rendering it a compelling drug target; however, the impact of mTOR inhibition on metabolic reprogramming in cancer is incompletely understood. Here, by integrating metabolic and functional studies in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines, preclinical models, and clinical samples, we demonstrate that the compensatory upregulation of glutamine metabolism promotes resistance to mTOR kinase inhibitors. Metabolomic studies in GBM cells revealed that glutaminase (GLS) and glutamate levels are elevated following mTOR kinase inhibitor treatment.

Highly efficient blue electroluminescence based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence.

Organic compounds that exhibit highly efficient, stable blue emission are required to realize inexpensive organic light-emitting diodes for future displays and lighting applications. Here, we define the design rules for increasing the electroluminescence efficiency of blue-emitting organic molecules that exhibit thermally activated delayed fluorescence. We show that a large delocalization of the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital in these charge-transfer compounds enhances the rate of radiative decay considerably by inducing a large oscillator strength even when there is a small overlap between the two wavefunctions.

[Laparoscopic resection of a retroperitoneal müllerian cyst: a case report].

A 51-year-old woman had a cystic mass in the retroperitoneal space, below the left kidney, which was incidentally detected at a medical check-up. The size of the mass was 6 cm in diameter, which was similar to that obtained by magnetic resonance imaging 4 years ago. We followed the case and found that the mass was slightly enlarged a year later.

Permanent prostate brachytherapy and short-term androgen deprivation for intermediate-risk prostate cancer in Japanese men: outcome and toxicity.

Objectives: To evaluate the interim outcomes of low-dose-rate permanent brachytherapy (PB) combined with short-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in Japanese men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer excluding those with a Gleason score of 4+3.

Methods: The Protocol-intermediate-risk group (Protocol-IRG) was defined as clinical stage T1c-T2c, Gleason score of 3+4, or lower and prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) level lower than 20 ng/mL. A total of 308 patients underwent brachytherapy in the protocol-IRG group (n=152) or in the low-risk group (n=156).

Preliminary results of MRI-assisted high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy for uterine cervical cancer.

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of our novel MRI-assisted high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy for uterine cervical cancer.

Methods And Materials: Between June 2005 and June 2009, 29 previously untreated patients with cervical cancer were enrolled (2 T2b, 2 T3a, 19 T3b, and 6 T4 tumors). We implanted MRI-compatible plastic catheters using our unique ambulatory technique.

Immediate effects of manual traction on radiographically determined joint space width in the hip joint.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of manual traction of the hip joint on joint space width (JSW) on asymptomatic subjects.

Methods: Asymptomatic, healthy male volunteers (n = 15), aged 25 to 34 years were included in this study. Three radiographs were obtained with the subjects in the supine position, before and after loading with 10% of his body weight, and after manual traction on only the right hip joint.

Longitudinal analysis of late vaginal mucosal reactions after high-dose-rate brachytherapy in patients with gynecological cancer.

Aim: To longitudinally examine the late vaginal mucosal reactions in patients following high-dose-rate brachytherapy (BT).

Patients And Methods: We examined late vaginal mucosal reactions in 100 patients using the modified Dische score at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 60 months after treatment, which consisted of 37 interstitial BTs and 63 conventional intracavitary BTs, with a median follow-up of 41 months (range=6-144 months).

Results: There were no cases of lethal toxicity or severe toxicity requiring surgery.

Direct laser writing of 3D architectures of aligned carbon nanotubes.

Direct laser writing through two-photon polymerization lithography is used to fabricate 3D nanostructures containing aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). SWCNTs are aligned in the laser scanning directions while they are embedded in the structure. The alignment is induced by spatial confinement, volume shrinkage, and the optical gradient force.