Melatonin suppression during a simulated night shift in medium intensity light is increased by 10-minute breaks in dim light and decreased by 10-minute breaks in bright light.

Exposure to light at night results in disruption of endogenous circadian rhythmicity and/or suppression of pineal melatonin, which can consequently lead to acute or chronic adverse health problems. In the present study, we investigated whether exposure to very dim light or very bright light for a short duration influences melatonin suppression, subjective sleepiness, and performance during exposure to constant moderately bright light. Twenty-four healthy male university students were divided into two experimental groups: Half of them (mean age: 20.

Therapeutic value of splenectomy to dissect splenic hilar lymph nodes for type 4 gastric cancer involving the greater curvature, compared with other types.

Background: Whether splenectomy for splenic hilar lymph node (No. 10) dissection in type 4 gastric cancer involving the greater curvature is necessary is not established. Patients with type 4 gastric cancer often experience peritoneal relapse, despite curative surgery, and total gastrectomy with splenectomy is frequently associated with infectious complications.

Clinical outcomes of microdissection testicular sperm extraction and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in Japanese men with Y chromosome microdeletions.

Purpose: We investigated the clinical results of Japanese men with Y chromosome microdeletions.

Methods: This study retrospectively examined 2163 azoospermic or severe oligozoospermic patients. We investigated the frequency of azoospermia factor (AZF) deletions and sperm retrieval rate (SRR) by microTESE in patients with these deletions, then analyzed the ICSI outcomes.

Pneumonia prevention effects of perioperative oral management in approximately 25,000 patients following cancer surgery.

Aim: We conducted a multicenter study to explore the risk factors of developing pneumonia and the effectiveness of perioperative oral management (POM) for the prevention of pneumonia in postsurgical patients.

Methods And Results: A survey covering eight regional hospitals was conducted over 4 years, from April 2010 to March 2014. Using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, a target group of 25,554 patients with cancer who underwent surgery was selected and assessed from a population of 346,563 patients without pneumonia on admission (sample population).

Facilitated completion of 1-year adjuvant S-1 monotherapy for pathological stage II or III gastric cancer by medical oncologists.

Purpose: Several factors are known to be significantly associated with a low completion rate of 1-year adjuvant S-1 monotherapy for gastric cancer. The present study investigated whether or not the specialties of physicians conducting adjuvant S-1 monotherapy affect the completion rate.

Methods: A total of 437 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy followed by adjuvant S-1 monotherapy for pathological stage II or III gastric cancer between 2008 and 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.

Laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy with double-flap technique versus laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy for proximal early gastric cancer.

Background: Laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy with double-flap technique (LPG-DFT) and laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy (LSTG) may replace laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) for proximal early gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate short- and long-term outcomes after LPG-DFT and LSTG.

Methods: Patients who underwent LPG-DFT or LSTG at the Cancer Institute Hospital in Tokyo between January 2006 and April 2015 were included in this retrospective study.

[A Case in Which Trastuzumab Combined Chemotherapy Was Effective for Recurrence of Post-Operative Gastric Cancer with Partial HER2 Overexpression].

We report a case in which recurrent partial HER2-positive gastric cancer showed complete clinical response to capecitabine (Cape)/oxaliplatin(L-OHP/OX)(CapeOX)plus trastuzumab(Tmab)combined chemotherapy for 32months. A 65-yearold man underwent distal gastrectomy, D2 lymph node dissection, and Roux-en-Y reconstruction for type 2 gastric cancer of the prepyloric anterior wall in December 2014. Pathological stage was as follows: L, ant, Type 2, 32×22 mm, tub1>tub2> por1, pT2(MP), int>med, INF c>a, Ly1a, V0, pN0, cM0, cH0, cP0, pCY0, pStage I B, pPM0(60mm), pDM0(75mm), pR0.

An EBNA3A-Mutated Epstein-Barr Virus Retains the Capacity for Lymphomagenesis in a Cord Blood-Humanized Mouse Model.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) causes B cell lymphomas and transforms B cells The EBV protein EBNA3A collaborates with EBNA3C to repress p16 expression and is required for efficient transformation An EBNA3A deletion mutant EBV strain was recently reported to establish latency in humanized mice but not cause tumors. Here, we compare the phenotypes of an EBNA3A mutant EBV (Δ3A) and wild-type (WT) EBV in a cord blood-humanized (CBH) mouse model. The hypomorphic Δ3A mutant, in which a stop codon is inserted downstream from the first ATG and the open reading frame is disrupted by a 1-bp insertion, expresses very small amounts of EBNA3A using an alternative ATG at residue 15.

B cells infected with Type 2 Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) have increased NFATc1/NFATc2 activity and enhanced lytic gene expression in comparison to Type 1 EBV infection.

Humans are infected with two distinct strains (Type 1 (T1) and Type 2 (T2)) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) that differ substantially in their EBNA2 and EBNA 3A/B/C latency genes and the ability to transform B cells in vitro. While most T1 EBV strains contain the "prototype" form of the BZLF1 immediate-early promoter ("Zp-P"), all T2 strains contain the "Zp-V3" variant, which contains an NFAT binding motif and is activated much more strongly by B-cell receptor signalling. Whether B cells infected with T2 EBV are more lytic than cells infected with T1 EBV is unknown.

Temperature dependence of afterglow in zirconia and its optically-stimulated luminescence by bone-through irradiation for biological temperature probe.

Development of minimally invasive and site-selective biological temperature sensing is quite important in medical field. This study presents a novel temperature sensing technique based on afterglow and optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL). The dependence of afterglow photoluminescent intensity on the environmental temperature of zirconia (ZrO) phosphor is examined to validate its use as a sensing probe.

Entomological Assessment of the Status and Risk of Mosquito-borne Arboviral Transmission in Ghana.

Entomological surveillance is one of the tools used in monitoring and controlling vector-borne diseases. However, the use of entomological surveillance for arboviral infection vector control is often dependent on finding infected individuals. Although this method may suffice in highly endemic areas, it is not as effective in controlling the spread of diseases in low endemic and non-endemic areas.

Size-dependent differences in the proximal remnant stomach: how much does a small remnant stomach after subtotal gastrectomy work?

Background: The application of laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy (LsTG) in the management of early gastric cancer located in the upper third of the stomach creates an extremely small remnant stomach (SRS). However, it is unclear whether retaining such an SRS improves patients' postoperative outcomes in a similar manner to a conventional remnant stomach (CRS).

Methods: Four hundred and nine of 878 patients undergoing laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) between 2006 and 2012 underwent Roux-en-Y reconstruction.

Prospective 10-year follow-up assessment of spinal fusions for thoracic AIS: radiographic and clinical outcomes.

Study Design: Prospective registry. The evolution of spinal instrumentation has provided better outcomes in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS); however, there is a paucity of reliable prospective information on 10-year post-operative outcomes of modern surgical techniques.

Methods: A prospective multicenter registry of patients who had surgical correction of AIS was reviewed.

The Benefits of Sparing Lumbar Motion Segments in Spinal Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Are Evident at 10 Years Postoperatively.

Study Design: A prospective multicenter study.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of sparing lumbar motion segments on spinal mobility and Scoliosis Research Society-22 scores at 10 years after spinal fusion for major thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Summary Of Background Data: In surgical correction for major thoracic AIS, the long-term benefits of sparing lumbar motion segments remain unclear.

Risk factors and prognosis of gastric stasis, a crucial problem after laparoscopic pylorus-preserving gastrectomy for early middle-third gastric cancer.

Background: Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) is a function-preserving procedure for cT1N0 gastric cancer located in the middle-third of stomach, which is currently performed through a laparoscopic approach (LPPG). PPG is sometimes associated with a crucial problem during the early postoperative course, designated gastric stasis. However, information regarding gastric stasis remains to be fully elucidated.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Nonoperated Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in the Middle Years: A Mean 25-Year Follow-up Study.

Study Design: A retrospective long-term follow-up study.

Objective: To investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) status in middle-aged patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) treated non-surgically.

Summary Of Background Data: The HRQOL status using various established questionnaires for non-operated AIS patients has not been fully investigated in long-term follow-up surveys.

Genome Mining of Alkaloidal Terpenoids from a Hybrid Terpene and Nonribosomal Peptide Biosynthetic Pathway.

Biosynthetic pathways containing multiple core enzymes have potential to produce structurally complex natural products. Here we mined a fungal gene cluster that contains two predicted terpene cyclases (TCs) and a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS). We showed the pathway produces flavunoidine , an alkaloidal terpenoid.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Polycyclic γ-Lactams with Multiple Chiral Carbon Centers via Ni(0)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Carbonylative Cycloadditions without Stirring.

γ-Lactam derivatives with multiple contiguous stereogenic carbon centers are ubiquitous in physiologically active compounds. The development of straightforward and reliable synthetic routes to such chiral structural motifs in a stereocontrolled manner should thus be of importance. Herein, we report a strategy to construct polycyclic γ-lactam derivatives that contain more than two contiguous stereogenic centers in an enantioselective as well as atom-economic manner.

Three-dimensional morphological analysis of cervical foraminal stenosis using dynamic flexion-extension computed tomography images.

Background: Morphological features of foraminal stenosis in cervical spondylotic radiculopathy and the adequate extent of facet resection in posterior cervical foraminotomy remain uncertain. Herein, we evaluated quantitatively foraminal widths in cervical spondylotic radiculopathy on dynamic flexion-extension computed tomography using a novel three-dimensional analysis method and determined the extent of facet resection in posterior cervical foraminotomy.

Methods: Seventeen patients undergoing posterior cervical foraminotomy for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy were evaluated.

Bayesian inference for three-dimensional helical reconstruction using a soft-body model.

Estimation of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of a protein using cryo transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) is an inverse problem, which aims to estimate the parameters of a specific physical process from observations. In general, we need to model the observation process to estimate a structure. However, the inconsistency between the model and a real observation process decreases the estimation accuracy.

Fat Grafting for Facial Rejuvenation with Cryopreserved Fat Grafts.

Fat grafting to the face for volume augmentation, and skin rejuvenation have become a popular procedure. However, the main obstacles to fat grafting include the unpredictable volume maintenance rate and the unpredictable number of treatments needed to obtain a satisfactory rejuvenate effect. Therefore, many patients need repeat sessions.

Two cases of a perforated duodenal diverticulum after gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction.

Background: What type of reconstruction procedure should be applied is one of the important issues in surgery for gastric cancer. We have several options for reconstruction procedure after distal gastrectomy. The Billroth II and Roux-en-Y reconstruction have a duodenal stump while the Billroth I does not have it, which is the biggest structural difference in these procedures.

Efficacy of Postoperative Chemotherapy After Resection that Leaves No Macroscopically Visible Disease of Gastric Cancer with Positive Peritoneal Lavage Cytology (CY1) or Localized Peritoneum Metastasis (P1a): A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) patients with positive peritoneal lavage cytology (CY1) and/or localized peritoneum metastasis (P1a) are defined as stage IV in the 15th edition of the Japanese Classification of Gastric Cancer. In Japan, the most common treatment for patients with CY1 and/or P1a is gastrectomy followed by postoperative chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Subjects in this multi-institutional retrospective study were GC patients with CY1 and/or P1a who received surgical resection that leaves no macroscopically visible disease.

Shorter Survival of Patients with Upper-Third Gastric Cancer Preoperatively Diagnosed as Stage IA Compared with Those with Middle to Lower Lesions.

Background: Although preoperatively diagnosed stage IA (cT1N0) gastric cancer includes pathologically advanced disease, patients with cT1N0 middle- to lower-third gastric cancer (MLTG) experience favorable outcomes even if they undergo gastrectomy with limited lymph node dissection; however, whether this is true for upper-third gastric cancer (UTG) patients is unknown. In this study, we examined the survival of patients with cT1N0 UTG compared with patients with MLTG.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data for 1707 consecutive patients with cT1N0 gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy between 2006 and 2013.