Nearly Ideal Random Tiling with Dodecagonal Symmetry from Pentablock Quarterpolymers of the ABCBD Type.

Two-dimensional tiling manners as cross-sectional views of cylindrical domain assembly formed by pentablock quarterpolymers of the ABCBD type in bulk were investigated. Several binary and ternary blends from three mother polymers having different ϕ/ϕ ratios (ϕ and ϕ are the volume fractions of the B and B blocks, respectively) represent nonperiodic but ordered triangle/square tilings, where the / ratios ( and are the numbers of triangles and squares in the observed area, respectively) are all close enough to the theoretical value of 4/√3 ≑ 2.31 for the dodecagonal quasicrystalline (DDQC) state, irrespective of the total number of polygons.

Left atrial dissection associated with disruption of mitral annular calcification: a case report.

Background: Left atrial dissection is an uncommon entity associated with cardiac surgery, catheter interventional procedures, or cardiac trauma. Spontaneous cases have also been reported. The entry of left atrial dissection often occurs in the posterior annulus of the mitral valve, which is also a favourable site for mitral annular calcification (MAC).

Comparison of laparoscopic surgery with open standard surgery for advanced gastric carcinoma in a single institute: a propensity score matching analysis.

Background: Compared with open standard gastrectomy (OG), laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) did not result in inferior disease-free survival for early-stage and locally advanced gastric cancer (AGC). However, whether LG for AGC in elderly patients is more beneficial than OG is unclear.

Methods: This study examined 458 patients with AGC.

Correction to: Review of the efforts of the Japanese Society of Echocardiography for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the initial outbreak in Japan.

In the original publication of the article, the text citations of the Figs. 4-1, 4-2 and 5 should be Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

Review of the efforts of the Japanese Society of Echocardiography for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the initial outbreak in Japan.

Under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Japanese Society of Echocardiography (JSE) has been working to protect medical staff involved in echocardiographic examinations and to prevent secondary infections caused by the examinations since mid-March 2020. This review aims to describe the footprint of the JSE's responses, focusing on the 3 months in which the initial outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic occurred in Japan. We summarized the six parts as follows: (1) the initial actions for COVID-19 of JSE, (2) JSE's actions for infection control-associated echocardiographic examinations, (3) statements from the American Society of Echocardiography during the COVID-19 pandemic and their Japanese translation by JSE, (4) making videos for explaining the practice of echocardiography during the COVID-19 pandemic, (5) attempts with the JSE members' opinions by the communication platform and surveys, and (6) efforts of final statement during the initial spread of COVID-19.

The survival impact of postoperative complications after curative resection in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: propensity score-matching analysis.

Purpose: The relationship between postoperative complications and long-term survival after surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is controversial.

Method: A total of 210 patients with ESCC who underwent subtotal esophagectomy with a reconstructed gastric tube were investigated according to the development of postoperative complications. The associations of age, gender, T and N factors, and pStage with grade 0-2 complications (NSC) and grade 3 and higher complications (SC) were compared by propensity score-matching analysis.

Laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy for a solid-cystic intraabdominal desmoid tumor at a gastro-pancreatic lesion: a case report.

Background: We report a case of an intraabdominal desmoid tumor that occurred at a gastro-pancreatic lesion with spontaneous cystic features, and present the successful laparoscopic resection of the tumor.

Case Presentation: A 20-mm retroperitoneal cystic mass with a solid component was found adjacent to the stomach and pancreatic body in a 52-year-old woman with no history of familial adenomatous polyposis. Laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy with wedge resection of the stomach was performed, and complete resection was achieved without intraoperative and postoperative complications.

The Impact of Immunonutritional and Physical Status on Surgical Outcome After Pancreaticoduodenectomy in Elderly Patients.

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to determine the significance of immunonutritional and physical index in the assessment of risk associated with pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) in the elderly.

Patients And Methods: This study enrolled 92 patients who underwent PD. They were divided into 2 groups: Group A included patients 79 years and younger (n=79) and Group B patients 80 years and older (n=13).

Benefits of laparoscopic surgery compared to open standard surgery for gastric carcinoma in elderly patients: propensity score-matching analysis.

Background: Laparoscopic surgery is frequently performed, and laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) is also widely performed for gastric cancer. Elderly population with gastric cancer has increased in East Asia, including in Japan.

Methods: We examined 1131 patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic and open standard surgeries (OG).

A Real-Time Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging Method for the Detection of Oral Cancers in Mice Using an Indocyanine Green-Labeled Podoplanin Antibody.

Podoplanin is distinctively overexpressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma than oral benign neoplasms and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma but its diagnostic application is quite limited. Here, we report a new near-infrared fluorescence imaging method using an indocyanine green (ICG)-labeled anti-podoplanin antibody and a desktop/a handheld ICG detection device for the visualization of oral squamous cell carcinoma-xenografted tumors in nude mice. Both near-infrared imaging methods using a desktop (in vivo imaging system: IVIS) and a handheld device (photodynamic eye: PDE) successfully detected oral squamous cell carcinoma tumors in nude mice in a podoplanin expression-dependent manner with comparable sensitivity.

Small Imaging Depth LIDAR and DCNN-Based Localization for Automated Guided Vehicle.

We present our third prototype sensor and a localization method for Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), for which small imaging LIght Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and fusion-based localization are fundamentally important. Our small imaging LIDAR, named the Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) LIDAR, uses a time-of-flight method and SPAD arrays. A SPAD is a highly sensitive photodetector capable of detecting at the single-photon level, and the SPAD LIDAR has two SPAD arrays on the same chip for detection of laser light and environmental light.

Single-Photon Avalanche Diode with Enhanced NIR-Sensitivity for Automotive LIDAR Systems.

A single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) with enhanced near-infrared (NIR) sensitivity has been developed, based on 0.18 μm CMOS technology, for use in future automotive light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems. The newly proposed SPAD operating in Geiger mode achieves a high NIR photon detection efficiency (PDE) without compromising the fill factor (FF) and a low breakdown voltage of approximately 20.

[Two cases of acute large bowel obstruction caused by advanced cancer treated with stenting "bridge to surgery" procedure].

Obstructive colorectal cancer accounts for 3.1-15.8% of total colorectal cancer cases, therefore it is not a rare condition.

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis originating from advanced gastric cancer--a report of three cases and review of the literatures.

Background: Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) is a rare complication of gastric cancer. Case 1. A 57-year-old female was diagnosed with gastric cancer and underwent distal gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection.

Minimally invasive total pharyng-laryngo-esophagectomy and reconstruction with gastric tube: report of three cases.

Total pharyngo-laryngo-esophagectomy (TPLE) is indicated for either cervical esophageal cancer or synchronous double cancer of the thoracic esophagus and head and neck and this operation is extremely invasive. We adopted minimally invasive surgery for three patients who underwent this operation: VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery) esophagectomy was undergone in left semi-prone position and laparoscopic approach was also applied to reconstruction with gastric tube. After pharyngo-laryngectomy and gastric tube pull-up through post-mediastinal route, cervical anastomosis was performed.

Positive and negative regulation of podoplanin expression by TGF-β and histone deacetylase inhibitors in oral and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.

Objectives: Podoplanin, a transmembrane sialomucin-like glycoprotein, is known to express at high frequency in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) and possess metastasis-promoting activity such as increased invasion and platelet-aggregating activity. However, the regulatory mechanism of podoplanin expression in OSCC remains unknown.

Materials And Methods: In the present study, we investigated the podoplanin expression in both clinical specimens from total 80 patients (50 OSCC and 30 pharyngeal SCC) and in 4 OSCC cell lines in vitro.

Outcome of hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma patients aged 80 years and older.

Background/aims: The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the effect of age on the outcome of hepatic resection in octogenarian patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methodology: Data of 408 consecutive primary HCC patients who underwent curative hepatectomy were studied. The surgical results of the younger group (<80 years of age) and the elderly group (≥80 years of age) were compared.

Excessive axial plaque redistribution during coronary stent implantation confirmed by intravascular ultrasound.

We report a case of excessive axial plaque redistribution leading to luminal narrowing at the reference segment confirmed by serial intravascular ultrasound during coronary stent implantation.

Laparoscopy-assisted resection for Mesenteric Castleman's disease: Report of a case.

A 65-year-old female patient was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995. An abdominal mass was detected by computed tomography and the patient was preoperatively diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Laparoscopy-assisted surgical resection revealed a mesenteric Castleman's tumor of the hyaline vascular type.

Outcome of repeat hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma aged 75 years and older.

Background: We sought to evaluate the influence of age on the outcome of repeat hepatectomies in patients > or = 75 years with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: We studied 121 curative repeat hepatectomies retrospectively. Among the 121 patients, 100, 20, and 1 received second, third, and fourth hepatectomies, respectively.

High dorsal resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma originating in the caudate lobe.

Standards that enable surgeons to balance radical operative procedures with functional preservation for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the caudate lobe have not yet been established. A 54-year-old man with recurrent HCC originating in the caudate lobe was readmitted to our hospital. The combined resection of the adjacent hepatic parenchyma may have carried a risk of postoperative liver failure.

p53 gene mutations in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and their relevance to etiology and pathogenesis: results in Japan and comparisons with other countries.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is a form of cancer that has varying incidence rates among different countries, distinct geographic areas and different ethnic groups. According to previous reports, p53 gene mutations have been identified in 20-80% of these tumors, and these mutations have occurred at an early stage. These findings suggest that such mutations play an important role in esophageal carcinogenesis, and highlight the importance of mutagens, which cause sequence alterations in the p53 gene.

Efficient induction of specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes to tumor rejection peptide using functional matured 2 day-cultured dendritic cells derived from human monocytes.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are powerful antigen-presenting cells (APCs), that have so far been applied for cancer specific immunotherapy. Recent results suggest that matured DCs derived from human monocytes have a significant impact on the outcome of vaccination. The conventional generation of mature DCs from human monocytes in vitro has been reported to require 5 days for differentiation with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin (IL)-4 and 2 days for stimulation.

Expression of the TRAG-3 gene in human esophageal cancer: the frequent synchronous expression of MAGE-3 gene.

We previously reported some cancer testis antigens, especially for MAGE genes, to be expressed in a relatively high population of gastro-intestinal and breast cancers. TRAG-3 (Taxol resistant associated gene-3) may be another cancer testis antigen; however, its expression has still not been fully studied. The TRAG-3 expression was evaluated in a total of 57 cancer cell lines and 322 cancer samples of gastrointestinal and breast cancers by RT-PCR.