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There has been little progress in examination of the oropharynx with a light source such as electric light, a penlight, or a forehead mirror over the past 100 years. It is therefore necessary to develop methods to display and record oropharyngeal observations.Since the aim of this study was to assess the safeness to use from the perspective of physicians, medical staffs, patients, and patients' families and usefulness of pharyngeal scope, the number of devices was limited, the number of patients was not set based on hypothetical statistical tests.A total of 150 volunteers were enrolled in this study. Among them, 96 underwent examination alone and the remaining 28 underwent treatment procedures. The study was done without any complications in all 150 cases. Most (91.3%) physicians hoped to continue using the new device if available. When comparing the use of the device for observation alone and for treatment procedures, there was no significant difference for evaluation items (p .05) except convenience factor which received a significantly different (p = .0154) evaluation from physicians for observation alone and for treatment procedures. A positive evaluation was received about examination, recording/display and explanation from the patients and patients' families.Our new device received positive evaluations by who underwent examination of the oral cavity and pharynx, recording of the results, and treatment procedures.

Rituximab has markedly improved the outcomes of B cell lymphoma, and its maintenance has been shown to be beneficial in low grade B cell lymphoma (LGBCL). We conducted a multicenter, phase II trial of intensive rituximab induction and maintenance therapy for LGBCL to optimize the rituximab monotherapy. Patients with newly diagnosed or rituximab naïve relapsed LGBCL received 8 weekly rituximab as induction, then continued maintenance therapy with rituximab for 4 weeks at 6-month intervals. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR). Forty-five patients were enrolled from 2005 to 2009 and 36 were eligible. The ORR was 83.3% (30/36) with a complete response rate of 72.2% (26/36). The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 76.7% with a median follow-up of 43.0 months. Five grade three toxicities were observed (no grade 4). Our findings suggest that this regimen demonstrates high activity with durable PFS and minimal toxicity in LGBCL patients.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the primary prophylaxis of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in the management of childhood B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). Patients with advanced-stage mature B-NHL were randomized to receive prophylactic G-CSF (G-CSF+) or not receive G-CSF (G-CSF−) based on protocols of the B-NHL03 study. The G-CSF group received 5 μg/kg/d Lenograstim from day 2 after each course of six chemotherapy courses. Fifty-eight patients were assessable, 29 G-CSF + and 29 G-CSF−. G-CSF + patients showed a positive impact on the meantime to neutrophil recovery and hospital stay. On the other hand, they had no impact in the incidences of febrile neutropenia, serious infections, stomatitis and total cost. Our study showed that administration of prophylactic G-CSF through all six chemotherapy courses for childhood B-NHL showed no clinical and economic benefits for the management of childhood B-NHL treatment.

We describe the syntheses of the proposed structure of diphenyl ether oxyneolignan, apteniol A and its derivatives. The diphenyl ether moiety of proposed apteniol A was formed via Ullmann ether synthesis, but the spectral data of the synthesized apteniol A did not agree with that in previous studies. The dimethyl ester derivative of the proposed apteniol A was found to enhance neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells and inhibit antigen-induced degranulation in RBL-2H3 cells.

We applied a metabolite profiling technique to investigate root exudates under phosphorus (P) deficiency. Oryza sativa was grown in culture solution containing three P levels (0, 1, and 8 mg P L−1). Shoot extracts, root extracts, and root exudates were obtained from 18 and 23-day-old plants and their metabolites were determined by capillary electrophoresis/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Eighty, 90, and 65 metabolites were identified in shoot extracts, root extracts, and root exudates, respectively. Sixty-three to eighty-four percent of the metabolites were exuded to the rhizosphere. More than 33% of the metabolites in the root exudates showed higher concentration at low P than at high P. On the other hand, only 14% of the metabolites in the root extracts showed lower concentration at low P than at high P. These results suggest that rice roots actively release many metabolites in response to P deficiency.

Silver lithium niobate (Ag 0.9 Li 0.1 NbO 3 , ALN10) single crystals were grown by a slow cooling method without flux under oxygen flow. By optimizing growth conditions, the ALN10 crystals with sizes of ca. 30 mm cube were successfully grown. Its crystal symmetry was investigated by high energy X-ray diffraction, and the space group at 24°C was assigned to the ferroelectric Pc2 1 b orthorhombic symmetry. The ALN10 crystals were oriented along the [010]o and the [110]o directions, and their piezoelectric properties were measured using the 31 resonators.

When primary and secondary alcohols were treated with the phosphonium salt 1 and ZnBr2 in N,N-dimethylformamide, the corresponding formic acid esters were obtained in good yields.

Reduction of four bicyclic and two steroidal conjugated enones employing diisobutylaluminum hydride (DIBAL) in tetrahydrofuran (THF)/1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) led to allylic alcohols with high levels of diastereo-selectivity.

The water activity and the activity coefficient of water (γw) were calculated from the freezing point depression by using the Hildebrand and Scott’s equation for various solutions of electrolytes, sugars, alcohols, amide, and urea. The water activity measured from the freezing point depression was very close to that at room temperature, showing that the effect of temperature on the water activity is neglegible. The activity coefficient of water was described well as a function of the solute mole fraction (Xs) by the following equation. The parameter α in this equation correlated well with the B-coefficient of viscosity for single-valent electrolytes, with the hydration parameter for nonelectrolytes, and with the number of equatorial-OH groups for sugars suggesting that the solution structure was reflected in this parameter.

Enantiomerically pure (2S,4aS,8S)-(+)-4a,8-dimethyl-2,3,4,4a,5,6,7,8-octahydro-2-naphthalenol (3), a key intermediate in the synthesis of natural geosmin (1), was prepared by enzymatic kinetic resolution. When racemic 3 was submitted to lipase (PS-30)-catalyzed asymmetric acetylation, employing vinyl acetate as the acyl donor, requisite product (+)-3 with a high enantiomeric excess was attained as the remaining alcohol. Recrystallization resulted in an enantiomerically pure sample.