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In this study, graphene produced via the ultrasonic exfoliation method was applied as a conductive aid for a SiO anode. The SiO anode with multilayer graphene demonstrated superior cycling, high-rate charge, and high-rate discharge properties, despite the resistivity of the active material layer being slightly higher than that of conventional AB. These properties are due not only to the electronic conductivity of graphene but also to effects related to its shape. A comparison of two types of graphene with different size produced via the same manufacturing method confirmed that graphene with a smaller size is superior in terms of the number of cycles, high rate-of-charge, and high rate-of-discharge; this may be due to the difference in the number of conductive paths formed within the active material layer due to the difference in the number of graphene particles per weight.

A rubber-derived sulfur composite cathode material for the Li-S battery/Li-ion battery was synthesized by the vulcanization process of butadiene rubber as a polymer source and a large amount of sulfur. In this study, the higher vulcanization temperature of 450 °C and a larger amount of sulfur (rubber : sulfur = 1 : 10, mass/mass) than the mass production process of the rubber were applied. The rubber-derived sulfur composite has a large amount of sulfur, ca. 58 wt% and a stable cycling ability with a capacity of 400 mAh g−1 at 30 °C. The cells consisting of the rubber-derived sulfur composite as the cathode and SiO as the anode displayed a great potential as for the next-generation LIBs because of its both electrodes containing no transition metals, outstanding electrochemical properties and safety performance. The cell showed a superior high and low temperature performance from −20–80 °C for over 100 cycles and a good rate performance in which the capacity of ca. 600 mAh g−1 was obtained at the 5 C-rate at 60 °C. In addition, there were no thermal runaway and no evolution of hydrogen sulfide in the nail penetration test.

Abstract In cancer genome analysis, identifying pathogenic alterations and assessing their effects on oncogenic processes is important. Although whole exome sequencing (WES) can effectively detect such changes, driver alterations could not be identified in 27.8% of the cases, according to a previous study. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the utility of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and clarify its differences with WES in terms of driver alteration detection. For this purpose, WGS analysis was conducted on 177 driverless WES samples, selected from 5,480 fresh frozen samples derived from 5,140 Japanese patients with cancer. These samples were selected as primary tumor, both WES and transcriptome profiling were performed, estimated tumor content of ≥ 30%, and no driver alterations were identified by WES. WGS identified driver and likely driver alterations in 68.4 and 22.6% of the samples, respectively. The most frequent alteration type was oncogene amplification, followed by tumor suppressor gene deletion and small variants located outside the coding region. In the remaining 9.0% of samples, no such signals were identified; therefore, further investigations are required. The current study clearly demonstrated the role and utility of WGS in identifying genomic alterations that contribute to tumorigenesis.

Malignant lymphoma (ML) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are the most common hematological and endocrine malignancies. However, ML originating from the intratracheal region is rare, with few reported cases in the literature. We report a case of a 57-year-old woman with double primary cancer, consisting of ML of the intratracheal region and PTC in the isthmus. She complained of hoarseness and exertional dyspnea. Adjacent tumors through the anterior tracheal wall were initially considered as tracheal invasion of the thyroid carcinoma. However, MRI and PET-CT suggested that these tumors had different radiological signs. We performed thyroidectomy and biopsy of the intratracheal tumor with a tracheostomy. Pathological examination revealed PTC and CD-5-positive B-cell indolent intratracheal lymphoma. She received weekly infusions of rituximab for eight weeks after surgery. The intratracheal ML showed complete response, and the tracheocutaneous fistula was closed six months after the initial surgery.

Introduction Oral carcinoma has been reported at a substantial proportion in patients who never smoke and never drink. However, the proportion may vary by subsite and ethnicity.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment is becoming increasingly multidisciplinary, and patient characteristics vary. Therefore, a multidisciplinary tumor board (MTB) is essential in clinical practice. This review provides insights into the benefits and tips for improving head and neck MTB from the perspective of medical oncologists. The MTB is a platform to discuss the optimal application of the standard of care to each case, reach a consensus, and establish a recommendation to support patients’ decision-making. A productive and educational MTB also provides an opportunity to share information on ongoing clinical trials with physicians. Case presentations should be systematic to discuss all new and challenging cases before, during, and after the treatment. Human resource development, particularly of head and neck medical oncologists, is crucial. The type of multidisciplinary network between medical staff and the extent of patient intervention differs among MTB teams. Subsequently, a virtual MTB can establish a medical network between institutions that will contribute to the equalization and centralization of head and neck oncologic care.

Abstract Background Postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is a standard therapy for patients with high-risk factors for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, including positive margin and extra-nodal extension (ENE). However, the prognostic impact of the number of pathological metastatic lymph nodes (pLNs) in hypopharyngeal carcinoma (HPC) is unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate postoperative prognostic factors for locally advanced hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HPSCC) with a focus on the number of pLNs. Methods We retrospectively analyzed medical records of 99 consecutive patients with LA-HPSCC who underwent total pharyngo-laryngo-esophagectomy (TPLE) and bilateral neck dissection (ND) between December 2002 and May 2019. Results The median follow-up time for all censored patients was 63.2 months. The median overall survival (OS) was 101.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 48.1–134.9). patients had pLNs ≥ 3. Forty-six (45.5%) patients were diagnosed with ENE. Twenty (20.2%) patients received postoperative CRT. The multivariate analysis revealed that pLNs ≥ 3 (median OS: 163.2 vs. 31.8 months, hazard ratio [HR] 2.39, 95% CI 1.16–4.94, p

Abstract Background Murine double minute 2 (MDM2) is an oncogene that inhibits p53, leading to decreased apoptosis. Sarcomas showing MDM2 amplification are rare among pediatric patients. Case A 14‐year‐old boy presented with pleomorphic sarcoma of the head showing MDM2 amplification without a well‐differentiated liposarcoma component. Although chemotherapy was initially performed to reduce the tumor size before surgery, the tumor did not shrink. The patient underwent complete surgical resection. Microscopic examination revealed a positive surgical margin; thus, postoperative proton‐beam radiotherapy was performed. 3 years after the therapy, no sign of recurrence was observed. Conclusion Macroscopic surgical resection combined with adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy was effective against MDM2‐amplified pleomorphic sarcoma refractory to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a pediatric patient.

Human papillomavirus-induced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (p16+ OPC) is considered a unique disease entity. Despite highly successful clinical management using (chemo-) radiotherapy, late toxicities cause terrible distress to the patients. Reducing these complications and maintaining a good quality of life are crucial.A 64-year-old woman presented with complaints of a mass on the right side of the neck without pharyngeal symptoms. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography showed accumulation in the right tonsil. The oropharyngeal tumor and involved lymph node were biopsied, and p16-positive squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed on histopathological analysis. Induction chemotherapy (ICT) was administered using intravenous docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil. Subsequently, primary transoral resection and neck dissection were performed. The patient is alive with no pharyngeal complications 43 months postoperatively.Surgical intervention after ICT is attractive as a therapeutic strategy for reducing late toxicity. p16+ OPC may be potentially curable without the use of radiation.