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Abstract Introduction To confirm the feasibility of hypofractionated proton beam therapy (PBT), we compared the acute adverse event rates and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) in prostate cancer patients treated with hypofractionated versus conventionally fractionated (2.0 Gy relative biological effectiveness (RBE)/fraction) PBT. Methods We reviewed 289 patients with prostate cancer, of whom 73, 100, and 116 patients were treated with 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 Gy (RBE)/fraction, respectively. The endpoints were acute genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicities and the IPSS, evaluated up to 6 months after PBT initiation. Results No significant differences were found in acute toxicity rates or the IPSS among the fractionation schedules. Diabetes mellitus, age, and androgen deprivation therapy were not identified as factors associated with the IPSS. Conclusion There were no significant differences in adverse events or quality of life among the three fractionation schedules early after PBT.

Cytochrome P450 1A (CYP450 1A) induction is used widely as a biomarker when assessing exposure to contaminants in environmental systems including pesticides. The effect of chlorpyrifos and carbaryl on CYP450 1A induction was assessed both by measurements of the induction of the EROD activity and the CYP450 1A gene expression in hybrid catfish (Clarius gariepinus x Clarius macrocepharus). Fish were treated with several concentrations of chlorpyrifos (0.43, 4.3 or 43 µM), or carbaryl (1.19, 11.9 or 119 µM) for 24 or 48 h. The livers were then assayed for changes. Chlorpyrifos and carbaryl at all concentrations slightly increased the levels of EROD activity after 24 and 48 h and increased gene expression of CYP450 1A mRNA in dose-dependently. Exposure to chlorpyrifos and carbaryl at high concentrations resulted in significant elevation of CYP450 1A gene expression in comparison to control fish (P < 0.05) at both time intervals. These results showed that the responses of CYP450 1A were more pronounced in gene expression analysis than in EROD assay. This suggests that the induction of CYP450 1A at the gene level was more sensitive than at the protein level. The induction of CYP450 1A following chlorpyrifos and carbaryl exposure indicates the possible use of CYP450 1A as a biomarker for detecting effects of these pesticides in hybrid catfish.

The application of light-weight drive technology into the lithography stage has been the current state of art because of minimization of power loss. The purpose of this article is to point out the so-called, "surface stage" which is composed of Lorentz forced 3 DOF (Degree Of Freedom) planar motor (x, y and theta z), air levitation (bearing) system and motor cooling system, is the most balanced concept for the next generation lithography through the verification of each component by manufacturing simple parts and test stand. This paper presents the design method and procedure, and experimental results of the air levitated surface stage which was conducted several years ago, however the author is convinced that the results are enough to adapt various developments of precision machining tool.

High resolution Fourier transform emission spectroscopy of the Ã2Πi-X2Πi band of the OCS+ ion was performed in the UV region to observe the ν1 (CO stretch) progression bands (υ1 = 0 → 2-5) for both the Ω = 3/2 and 1/2 spin components. Accurate molecular constants including the rotational constants, B0 = 0.194 765(13) and 0.187 106(13) cm-1, and the spin-orbit interaction constants, A0 = -381.0(56) and -126.5(56) cm-1, were determined for the X 2Π and Ã2Π states, respectively, by the simultaneous analysis of the observed progression bands. The CO bond length (rCO = 1.2810 Å) for the Ã2Π state, derived from the rotational constant B0 and Franck-Condon factors, is longer by 0.1756 Å than that (1.1054 Å) for the X 2Π state, while the CS bond length for the Ã2Π state is shorter by 0.0905 Å than that for the X2Π state. Pure rotational transition frequencies in the ground X 2Π state are predicted, as well as transition frequencies of the ν1 fundamental band, with the present molecular constants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether an alternative calculation approach exists for the asymptotic expansion of the probability density function of risky asset prices. We focus on the partial differential equation by using an eigenfunction expansion related to Hermite polynomials. We show that the expansion coefficients can be obtained by solving ordinary differential equations recursively and which order of Hermite polynomials appear in asymptotic expansion explicitly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pure rotational spectra of the FeCO radical in the ν2 (bending) and ν3 (Fe-C stretching) vibrational states of the ground X ³S- electronic state were observed in the millimeter-wave region. The equilibrium rotational and centrifugal distortion constants were determined to be Be = 4374.631 (58) MHz and De = 1.1666 (20) kHz together with the spin-spin coupling constant λe = 691.89 (37) GHz and spin-rotation coupling constant γe = -1079.4 (55) MHz with use of the millimeter-wave results and the λ1 IR data. The equilibrium bond length for Fe-C was derived to be 1.725 Å assuming that for C-O to be 1.159 Å. Since the vibronic symmetry of the excited state of bending vibration is ³π, the analysis of spectrum in the ν2 state required an effective spin-orbit interaction constant of A2 = 6.0219 (61) GHz together with three parity doubling constants of o2 = 36.168 (10) GHz, p2 = 85.18 (34) MHz, and q2 = 4.7024 (17) MHz. The effective spin-orbit interaction constant A2 is attributed to the vibronic mixing of the 3π excited electronic states. The vibronic mixing also cause the parity doubling constants o2 and p2, but the main contribution to q2 is given by the vibrational l-type doubling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy and safety of proton beam therapy (PBT) were retrospectively evaluated in 111 consecutive patients with prostate cancer who underwent definitive PBT between 2008 and 2012. Following exclusion of 18 patients due to treatment suspension, loss to follow-up, and histology, the analysis included 93 patients with a median age of 68 years (range, 49-81 years). A total of 7, 32 and 54 prostate cancer patients were classified as low-, intermediate- and high-risk, respectively, as follows: High-risk, T≥3a or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥20 ng/ml or Gleason Score ≥8; low-risk, T =2b and PSA≤10 ng/ml and Gleason Score=6; intermediate-risk, all other combinations. The median initial prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 9.75 ng/ml (range, 1.4-100 ng/ml) and the median Gleason score was 7 (range, 6-10). Patients with low-risk disease received 74 GyE (relative biological effectiveness= 1.1) in 37 fractions, and those at intermediate or higher risk received 78 GyE in 39 fractions. Complete androgen blockade (CAB) therapy was performed from 6 months prior to PBT for patients with intermediate- or high-risk disease. CAB was continued during PBT and then terminated at the end of PBT for intermediate-risk patients. Patients at high risk continued CAB for 3 years. No combination therapy was used for low-risk patients. All the patients were followed up for >2 years after PBT, and all but one were PSA failure-free. The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.4.0 was used to evaluate late adverse events. One patient developed grade 3 non-infectious cystitis and hematuria. Grade 2 urinary frequency was observed in 1 patient, and grade 2 rectal bleeding occurred in 4 patients. Of the 4 patients with grade 2 rectal bleeding, 2 received anticoagulant therapy, but none had diabetes mellitus or another high-risk comorbidity. The median time to occurrence of an adverse event of grade ≥2 was 14 months (range, 3-41 months). Therefore, the present retrospective study revealed that PBT at 78 GyE/39 Fr was well-tolerated and achieved good tumor control in patients with prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To examine secular trends in the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer in a Japanese community, Hisayama, we established three study-cohorts of Hisayama residents aged =40 years in 1961 (1637 subjects), 1974 (2054), and 1988 (2602). Each cohort was followed up for ten years. The age-standardized mortality from gastric cancer significantly decreased from 2.4 per 1000 person-years in the first cohort to 0.8 in the third cohort for men, and from 1.0 to 0.2, respectively, for women (p < 0.01 for trend in both sexes). The five-year survival rate after gastric cancer significantly improved from the first (32.6%) to the third cohort (73.0%, p < 0.01) for men and from 43.2% to 72.3% (p < 0.05), respectively, for women. The age-standardized incidence of cancer in men was not different among the cohorts (4.3 per 1000 person-years in the first, 5.0 in the second, and 4.9 in the third cohort), while it decreased significantly in women (2.0, 1.8, and 1.2, respectively, p < 0.01 for trend). In conclusion, our findings suggest that in a Japanese population, the mortality from gastric cancer declined during the past 40 years, due mainly to the improvement of survival in both sexes and a decrease in the incidence for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which cloned two cDNA of metallothionein in a freshwater crucian carp. Methodology; Results; Discussion.

Protoplasts isolated from carrot cells were cultured in a chemically defined medium. The majority of them regenerated cell wall and underwent cell division. Cellulose synthesis started without a noticeable lag but the rate of deposition was very low during the initial stage. The degree of polymerization of cellulose was deter-mined by viscosity measurement of the nitrated product. The cellulose formed in the early stage of the wall regeneration consisted mainly of low molecular weight glucan chains. Change in the average molecular weight of cellulose was found during the growth cycle of carrot cells in normal suspension culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variable-pressure scanning electron microscope (VP-SEM) equipped with a high-sensitive backscattered electron (BSE) detector of the YAG type was applied to studies of biological tissue samples. The rat kidney and trachea were fixed, dehydrated in ethanol, critical point-dried and examined in the VP-SEM under a specimen chamber pressure of 1 to 150 Pa. The highresolution surface images of the non-coated specimens were obtained in a low-vacuum (1-20 Pa) environment at an accelerating voltage of 5 kV, while the images at 10-20 kV contained information beneath the surface of the specimens. The observation in the VP-SEM equipped with YAG detector in a low-vacuum (1-20 Pa) environment at low (3-5 kV) accelerating voltages is useful for the three-dimensional analysis of the surface morphology of biological non-coated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanosheets can be used as building blocks to fabricate versatile nanostructured materials. In this paper, morphology of the Cs4W11O36 and Nb3O8 and TaO3 sheets with different layers are analyzed by different field-emission scanning electron microscopes (FE-SEMs). Chemical composition of the single-layered Cs4W11O36 with thickness of about 2 nm, and multilayered Nb3O8 nanosheets with thickness of less than 14 nm are analyzed by both the Si(Li) solid-state detector and transition edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter, successfully. The effects of energy resolution, accelerating voltage and substrate on the quantitative analysis are discussed briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential metals (EMs) can affect the metabolism of nonessential metals. It has been suggested that Fe deficiency increases intestinal absorption of Cd via divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1). To investigate whether EM nutritional status is a host risk factor for Cd accumulation, we studied the effect of nutritional status of Ca, Cu, Mg, Zn, and Fe that most often ingested by humans at levels below recommended dietary allowances on tissue accumulation of orally administered Cd. Mice were divided into groups and given different EM-deficient (EMDF) diets (CaDF, CuDF, MgDF, ZnDF, or FeDF) for 4 weeks. EMDF mice had significantly (p p < 0.05) increased after oral Cd administration in all EMDF mice, but not in any EM-supplemented mice. Intestinal expression of mRNAs for the Fe-transporters DMT1 and ferroportin was increased in FeDF mice, but not in other EMDF mice, causing an increase in hepatic Fe concentration. Similarly, intestinal expression of mRNA for calcium transporter 1 was significantly increased in CaDF mice, but not in other EMDF mice. These results suggest that DMT1 is not the sole transporter of Cd, and that Cd is absorbed and accumulated through multiple pathways that maintain EM homeostasis in EMDF condition. Therefore, EM nutritional status is a risk factor for increasing hepatic accumulation of ingested Cd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated charcoal (AC) is a potential candidate antidote against dioxins. However, it is difficult to take AC as a supplement on a daily basis, because its long-term ingestion causes side effects such as constipation and deficiency of fat-soluble essential nutrients and hypocholesterolemia. Alginatecoated AC, termed Health Carbon (HC), was developed to decrease the side effects of AC, but its pharmacological effects, including side effects, remains unclear. Here, we show that HC enhanced fecal excretion of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and decreased some side effects of unmodified AC, such as hypocholesterolemia, in male mice. Basal diet mixed with HC or unmodified AC at various concentrations was fed to mice for 16 days following a single intraperitoneal administration of [3H]TCDD. Both HC and unmodified AC at 3% or more significantly increased fecal excretion of [3H]TCDD in comparison with the control basal diet. Consistent with this, [3H]TCDD radioactivity in the liver--a major TCDD storage organ--was markedly decreased by HC at concentrations of 3% and 10%. In an examination of potential side effects, unmodified AC at 10% or more caused significant body weight reduction and at 20% caused significant hypocholesterolemia. In contrast, HC caused weight gain reduction only at a concentration of 20%, and there was no evidence of hypocholesterolemia at any dietary HC concentration. HC not only retains the ability of AC to enhance fecal excretion of TCDD but also reduces some of the side effects of AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]