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Abstract: Objectives: To preoperatively determine candidates at definitive risk of postoperative delirium (POD), we identified relevant factors in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans who underwent bypass surgery. Design: A prospective cohort study. Patients and methods: 299 patients (age ≥60 years) who underwent bypasses in 1995–2006 were enrolled. Cognitive impairment was assessed by the Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale, the Confusion Assessment Method was also used, and severity was graded as Grade I–III (mild to severe) based on the Delirium Rating Scale. All patients were followed for 3 years. Results: POD occurred in 88 patients (29%), with a median age of 75 (10) years (IQR). Onset was 2 (1) days postoperatively, and a duration of 2 (2) days was observed. POD was hyperactive in 89% and was Grade I, II, and III in 11%, 68%, and 21% respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified the following risk factors for POD: age ≥72 years (<0.0001), end-stage renal failure (0.001), multiple occlusive lesions (<0.0001), cognitive impairment (0.003), and critical limb ischaemia (0.034). The 3-year survival rate was similar when comparing POD and non-POD patients (84% vs. 88%, NS). Conclusions: This study identified 5 risk factors for POD in patients undergoing bypasses for limb ischaemia. Long-term outcomes were similar when comparing the patients who experienced POD with those who did not. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: The aim of the study is to determine factors affecting ischaemic wound healing and role of the angiosome concept in bypass surgery. Design: Single-centre, retrospective clinical study. Materials and methods: A total of 249 consecutive critical ischaemic limbs with tissue loss in 228 patients who underwent distal bypasses from 2003 to 2009 were reviewed. A total of 81% of patients were diabetic, and 49% of patients had dialysis-dependent renal disease (end-stage renal disease, ESRD). Distal targets of bypasses were the crural artery (57%) and the pedal artery (43%). Results: The complete healing of ischaemic wounds was achieved in 211 limbs (84.7%). ESRD (odds ratio (OR) 0.127, p < 0.001), diabetes (OR 0.216, p = 0.030), Rutherford category 6 (R6) with heel ulcer/gangrene (OR 0.134, p < 0.001), R6 except heel (OR 0.336, p = 0.025) and low albuminaemia (OR 0.387, p = 0.049) were negative predictors of wound healing. Regarding the angiosome, the healing rate in the indirect revascularisation (IR) group was slower than in the direct revascularisation (DR) group, especially in patients with ESRD (p < 0.001). However, the healing rates of the DR and IR groups were similar after minimising background differences with propensity score methods (p = 0.185). Conclusions: In the field of bypass surgery, the angiosome concept seems unimportant, at least in non-ESRD cases. The location and extent of ischaemic wounds as well as co-morbidities may be more relevant than the angiosome in terms of wound healing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

JT-60SA has been designed and is being constructed to demonstrate and develop steady-state high-beta operation. Resistive wall mode (RWM) control, error field correction, and edge-localized mode (ELM) control will be performed using in-vessel coils. For these controls, we have developed a biaxial magnetic sensor to determine 3D magnetic configuration of the plasma. Moreover, for obtaining basic information about JT-60SA plasma, magnetic sensors, in particular, one-turn loops, Rogowski coils, diamagnetic loops, and saddle coils have been developed. Because the length of the vacuum vessel in the poloidal direction of JT-60SA is 16 m and almost twice as long as that of JT-60U, the length of the Rogowski coil and the diamagnetic loop of JT-60SA are also twice as long as those on JT-60U. We have devised new types of sensors and a connector for the mineral-insulated cable because construction and installation of these sensors are much more difficult in JT-60SA. We will report the design and specification of the magnetic sensors for JT-60SA from the physics and engineering aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disassembly of the JT-60U torus was started in 2009 after 18 years of D 2 operations and was completed in October 2012 for assembling the JT-60SA torus at the same position. The JT-60U torus was featured by the complicated and welded structure against the strong electromagnetic force, and by the radioactivation due to deuterium–deuterium (D–D) reactions. Since this work is the first experience of disassembling a large radioactivated fusion device in Japan, careful preparations of disassembly activities, including treatment of the radioactivated materials and safety work, have been made. During the disassembly period over 3 years, careful measures against exposure were taken and stringent control of exposure dose were implemented, and as a result, accumulated collective effective dose of ∼41,000 person-day to workers was only ∼22 mSv in total and no internal exposure was observed. About 13,000 components cut into pieces with measuring the contact dose were removed from the torus hall and stored safely in storage facilities. The total weight of the disassembly components reached up to ∼5400 tonnes. Most of the disassembly components will be treated as non-radioactive ones after the clearance level inspection under the Japanese regulations in the future. The assembly of JT-60SA has started in January 2013 after this disassembly of JT-60U torus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]