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The experimental basis and instrumentation for the Gekko XII laser fusion program developed at the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE), Osaka University are presented. Many diagnostics are in use to evaluate the key parameters of target implosion in an extremely dense, short period region. In this paper, we describe the present status and future planning of these diagnostics, such as xray, radioactive, and reaction particle measurement, because of their importance for fuel ρR determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the article "Factors associated with diagnostic delay of oral squamous cell carcinoma," by K. Onizawa, which appeared in "Oral Oncology". Diagnostic stages in the customary Japanese system; Identification of lesions; Use of referral letters; Referral to clinics.

To ascertain the involvement of insulin receptors (IRs) in colorectal carcinogenesis, we investigated the association of height, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity with colorectal cancer (CRC) and two subtypes of CRC according to the expression level of IR. We utilized data from a large-scale, population-based prospective cohort study of 18,158 middle-aged and elderly subjects in Akita and Okinawa, Japan. In the statistical analysis, we used the Cox proportional hazards model and estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of CRC and its subtypes as defined by immunohistochemistry of IRβ, a transmembrane subunit of IR. In the IRβ-defined subtypes, height showed no apparent association with the risk of IRβ-positive CRC. In contrast, a multivariable HR of IRβ-positive CRC was 1.77 (95% CI = 1.04-3.03) with a BMI of ≥30.0 kg/m 2 (i.e., obesity), compared to a BMI of <25.0 kg/m 2 . Further, an increase in physical activity was significantly associated with decreased risk of IRβ-positive CRC (multivariable HR per 5 METs-hour/day = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88-0.99). Meanwhile, we found no significant association between any exposure and IRβ-negative CRC. Likewise, heterogeneity between the two subtypes of CRC was not statistically significant. These findings imply that obesity and physical activity exert promoting and suppressing effects on the development of CRC expressing IRs, respectively., (© 2024 UICC.)

Objective: This study aimed to compare the occupational radiation exposure of medical workers between general hospitals and university hospitals., Methods: Radiation exposure data from three hospitals in Hiroshima city, including one university hospital and two general hospitals, were collected using personal dosimeters. Monthly radiation doses were analyzed, and the annual sum of radiation exposure dose was calculated for 538 subjects in general hospitals and 1224 subjects in the university hospital. To assess the impact of locality, additional data from Nagasaki University Hospital and Fukushima Medical University Hospital were included for comparative analysis. Professional affiliations, such as doctors, nurses, and radiological technologists, were considered in the evaluation., Results: The study revealed slight but significant differences in radiation doses between general and university hospitals. In general hospitals, except for radiological technologists, a slightly higher radiation dose was observed compared to university hospitals. Despite the annual increase in the use of medical radiation, the majority of hospital workers in both settings adhered to safety guidelines, with occupational radiation exposure remaining below the limit of detection (LOD). Workers who involved in fluoroscopic procedure, whether at university or general hospitals, had higher radiation doses than those who did not., Conclusion: The study's primary conclusion is that workers in general hospitals experience a slight but significantly higher radiation dose and a lower percentage below the LOD compared to university hospitals. The observed difference is attributed to the greater workload at general hospitals than at university hospitals, and also may be due to the different nature of university hospital and general hospital. University hospitals, characterized by greater academic orientation, tend to benefit from comprehensive support systems, specialized expertise, and advanced technology, leading to more structured and regulated radiation control. These findings provide a basis for targeted interventions, improved safety protocols., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Japan Radiological Society.)

Objectives: The JAVELIN Bladder 100 phase 3 trial showed that avelumab first-line maintenance + best supportive care significantly prolonged overall survival and progression-free survival versus best supportive care alone in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma who were progression-free following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. We report findings from J-AVENUE (NCT05431777), a real-world study of avelumab first-line maintenance therapy in Japan., Methods: Medical charts of patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma without disease progression following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, who received avelumab maintenance between February and November 2021, were reviewed. Patients were followed until June 2022. The primary endpoint was patient characteristics; secondary endpoints included time to treatment failure and progression-free survival., Results: In 79 patients analyzed, median age was 72 years (range, 44-86). Primary tumor site was upper tract in 45.6% and bladder in 54.4%. The most common first-line chemotherapy regimen was cisplatin + gemcitabine (63.3%). Median number of chemotherapy cycles received was four. Best response to chemotherapy was complete response in 10.1%, partial response in 58.2%, and stable disease in 31.6%. Median treatment-free interval before avelumab was 4.9 weeks. With avelumab first-line maintenance therapy, the disease control rate was 58.2%, median time to treatment failure was 4.6 months (95% CI, 3.3-6.4), and median progression-free survival was 6.1 months (95% CI, 3.6-9.7)., Conclusions: Findings from J-AVENUE show the effectiveness of avelumab first-line maintenance in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma in Japan in clinical practice, with similar progression-free survival to JAVELIN Bladder 100 and previous real-world studies, supporting its use as a standard of care., (© 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Urology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Urological Association.)

Objective: To analyse the impact of histological discordance of subtypes (subtypes or divergent differentiation [DD]) in specimens from transurethral resection (TUR) and radical cystectomy (RC) on the outcome of the patients with bladder cancer receiving RC., Patients and Methods: We analysed data for 2570 patients from a Japanese nationwide cohort with bladder cancer treated with RC between January 2013 and December 2019 at 36 institutions. The non-urinary tract recurrence-free survival (NUTR-FS) and overall survival (OS) stratified by TUR or RC specimen histology were determined. We also elucidated the predictive factors for OS in patients with subtype/DD bladder cancer., Results: At median follow-up of 36.9 months, 835 (32.4%) patients had NUTR, and 691 (26.9%) died. No statistically significant disparities in OS or NUTR-FS were observed when TUR specimens were classified as pure-urothelial carcinoma (UC), subtypes, DD, or non-UC. Among 2449 patients diagnosed with pure-UC or subtype/DD in their TUR specimens, there was discordance between the pathological diagnosis in TUR and RC specimens. Histological subtypes in RC specimens had a significant prognostic impact. When we focused on 345 patients with subtype/DD in TUR specimens, a multivariate Cox regression analysis identified pre-RC neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and pathological stage as independent prognostic factors for OS (P = 0.016 and P = 0.001, respectively). The presence of sarcomatoid subtype in TUR specimens and lymphovascular invasion in RC specimens had a marginal effect (P = 0.069 and P = 0.056, respectively)., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the presence of subtype/DD in RC specimens but not in TUR specimens indicated a poor prognosis. In patients with subtype/DD in TUR specimens, pre-RC neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and pathological stage were independent prognostic factors for OS., (© 2024 BJU International.)

Background/aim: Immuno-oncology (IO) combination therapy has become the standard of treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In this retrospective study, we compared the efficacy of first-line molecular targeted therapy (MTT), administered as monotherapy, and IO combination therapy using real-world data of Japanese patients., Patients and Methods: The clinical information of 202 patients with RCC who received MTT (n=144) or IO combination therapy (n=58) at the Kurume University Hospital from May 2008 to May 2022 was collected and retrospectively analyzed. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated., Results: The patients treated with IO combination therapy had a prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) compared with those treated with MTT (p=0.0038). IO combination therapy was significantly associated with a better PFS in patients with intermediate (p=0.0072) and poor risk (p=0.0411) but not in those with favorable risk (p=0.5434). Furthermore, overall survival with IO combination therapy was significantly better in patients at poor risk (p=0.0335). Multivariate analyses suggested that prior nephrectomy (HR=1.501, 95%CI=1.048-2.150, p=0.0268) and first-line therapy (HR=1.962, 95%CI=1.288-2.986, p=0.0017) were independent prognostic factors for PFS., Conclusion: IO combination therapy significantly improved the PFS of patients with advanced RCC, especially those with intermediate- and poor-risk disease. Further investigations focusing on the improvement of survival are warranted., (Copyright © 2022 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: Individuals with diabetes tend to show decreased muscle volume and motor function compared to those without diabetes. Ultrasound is a non-invasive and potentially safe method to assess muscle function in patients with diabetes; however, the characteristics of muscle thickness and quality, measured by ultrasound, in individuals with diabetes are unclear., Methods: This study included 825 community-dwelling older individuals who underwent the Otassha Study comprehensive health survey. We measured the muscle thicknesses and echo intensities of rectus femoris and vastus intermedius; motor function, assessed using knee extension strength; one-leg standing balance; normal walk; fastest walk; timed up-and-go test; and grip strength. Participants were stratified by sex and categorized into those with and without diabetes. We examined inter-group differences in measured values., Results: Only knee extension strength showed significantly lower values in men with diabetes than in those without diabetes. Echo intensities and motor function significantly differed between women with and without diabetes. In adjusted multiple comparisons p values, echo intensities and grip strength significantly differed only in women with diabetes, unlike men with diabetes. Echo intensity of the rectus femoris was significantly higher in women with diabetes than in those without diabetes after adjusting for confounders, but similar to that in men., Conclusion: We observed the deterioration of knee extension strength in men and women with diabetes compared to that in those without diabetes; however, the effects on muscle quality were inconsistent between the sexes. Our study suggested recommending exercise programs, especially for older women with diabetes., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To report a multicenter experience with the management of urachal abscess treatment in Japan., Methods: This was a retrospective study of 263 cases of urachal abscess managed at 12 university hospitals in the Kyushu-Okinawa region over a 10-year period. Age, sex, abscess size, clinical symptoms, type of urachal remnants, and treatment were collected and analyzed., Results: The average age was 29.8 ± 18.1 years, with males accounting for approximately two-thirds of the study population. The average abscess size was 1.7 cm (range 0-11 cm). The most common presenting symptom was umbilical secretion (66%), followed by abdominal pain (46%). A total of 127 patients (48.3%) were treated with antibiotics alone, whereas 136 patients (51.7%) received surgical treatment. The surgical approach was laparotomy in 75 patients (61.0%) and laparoscopic surgery in 48 patients (39.0%). Regarding the type of urachal remnant, the urachus sinus (180 patients) accounted for 68.4% of the total., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study represents the first report on urachal abscess treatment in Japan. Our data show that the clinical symptoms might vary depending on the type of urachus remnant. It should be noted that gross hematuria, a characteristic symptom of urachal cancer, is rare in patients with urachal abscess., (© 2021 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Background/aim: The present study aimed to examine the influence of antibiotics (AB) on the clinical outcomes of Japanese patients treated with immune check point inhibitors (ICIs) for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients., Patients and Methods: A total of 31 patients with metastatic RCC treated with ICIs from November 2016 to April 2019 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed., Results: Five patients were treated with AB prior to ICIs treatment. Median progression free survival (PFS) of patients treated with AB vs. patients not treated with AB was 2.8 months and 18.4 months, respectively. The difference between PFS was statistically significant (p=0.0004). In multivariate analyses, AB use (p=0.0377) and presence of immune related adverse events (p=0.0042) were independent prognostic factors for PFS in association with ICIs therapy., Conclusion: The use of AB before ICIs treatment was a predictor of poor ICIs response in metastatic RCC., (Copyright© 2019, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is considered the route of choice for long-term enteral nutrition. In this study, we evaluated the short term outcomes of PEG and aimed to identify the risk factors for in-hospital mortality as well as adverse events such as aspiration pneumonia., Methods: Three hundred and twenty-four patients who received PEG for enteral nutrition between January 2007 and December 2011 were included in this study. Data regarding baseline characteristics, preoperative biomarkers and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed., Results: The average patient age was 82.3±10.9 (SD) years old. 149 patients (46%) were men and 199 patients (61%) had stroke as a comorbidity. Postoperatively, feeding-related aspiration pneumonia was observed in 72 patients (22%), diarrhea in 40 patients (12%) and peristomal infection in 34 patients (11%). The average postoperative length of stay was 34.6 days. 51 patients (16%) died before discharge, 22 (6.8%) of them within 30 days after PEG. Two deaths (0.6%) were considered procedure-related (bleeding). Multivariate analysis revealed the male gender, lower serum albumin levels and higher blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels as significant prognostic factors for in-hospital mortality. Higher C-reactive protein levels and BUN levels were found to be independently associated with the occurrence of postoperative aspiration pneumonia., Conclusions: Our experience reconfirmed PEG as a minimally invasive and safe procedure for long-term enteral nutrition in patients with impaired oral intake. However, significant prognostic factors should be taken into account during the preoperative evaluation of patients. Deferral of procedure or specialized postoperative care may be indicated in high risk patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify the reference values of muscle thicknesses by age and to elucidate the association of muscle thickness with physical function in a large group of community-dwelling elderly individuals., Participants and Methods: The muscle thicknesses of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus intermedius (VI), and quadriceps femoris (QF) in 777 of 831 enrolled elderly individuals were measured by ultrasonography, and physical function was measured using knee extension strength (KES), one-legged stance, walking, Timed Up and Go, and grip strength tests. Muscle thickness data were divided by sex and categorized into 5-year age groups. Differences in muscle thickness and KES among the age groups were examined, and correlations between muscle thickness and physical function test results were compared by age. The non-parametric independent two-sample Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's correlation coefficients were used in the statistical analysis., Results: Thickness of the RF showed fewer significant differences among all groups and less decreases compared to thickness of the VI in older age groups, especially in men. Thicknesses of the RF, VI, and QF correlated with KES in almost all the thicknesses of muscles in the 65-69 and 70-74 years age groups in men and in almost all age groups in women. The decrease in muscle thicknesses and degree of correlations with aging were different between men and women., Conclusions: Reductions in the thicknesses of the muscles and KES differed by age group and sex. Our results could be used for prescribing exercise in community-dwelling elderly individuals of varying ages., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Objectives: To show the demographics, type of treatment and clinical outcomes of patients with retroperitoneal tumors in Japan., Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of patients with retroperitoneal tumors treated between 2000 and 2012 at 12 university hospitals in Japan. Histology was re-evaluated using the 2013 World Health Organization classification., Results: A total of 167 patients were included in the analysis. The number of diagnosed patients increased over the 12-year study period. Liposarcoma and schwannoma were the most common histological types among intermediate/malignant and benign tumors, respectively. The intermediate/malignant tumors were larger and were more frequently found in older people. Surgical resection was the primary treatment for 151 patients. The median survival duration for patients with malignant tumors was 91 months, and was significantly shorter than that for patients with benign and intermediate tumors (P < 0.01). R2 resection was associated with significantly shorter survival than R0/R1 resection for malignant tumors (P < 0.01), but not for intermediate. Grossly complete resection of the recurrent tumors improved survival., Conclusion: The number of patients diagnosed with retroperitoneal tumors increased over time. R2 resection of primary tumors was found to be associated with poor prognosis in malignant tumors, but not in intermediate tumors. Complete surgical resection of recurrent tumors was associated with a better oncological outcome., (© 2017 The Authors. International Journal of Urology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of the Japanese Urological Association.)

Background: Geminin negatively regulates Cdt1 and induces the formation of prereplicative complexes by loading mini-chromosome maintenance proteins (Mcm) onto chromatin and limiting DNA replication to once per cell cycle. Recent studies have suggested that geminin expression is a marker of the S/G2/M phase of the cell cycle and is associated with a poor prognosis in various human malignancies. This study aimed to clarify the pathobiological role of geminin in intestinal-type gastric carcinoma, and its relationships with minichromosome maintenance 2 (Mcm2) and Ki67 expression., Methods: We performed western blot analysis of seven human gastric cancer cell lines, and immunohistochemical analysis of 72 gastric mucosal lesions and 128 surgically removed advanced intestinal-type gastric carcinomas. Double-labeling immuno-fluorescence was performed to identify the coexpression of geminin and Ki67., Results: Geminin was detected in all cell lines. Geminin labeling indices (LIs) in hyperplastic polyps, low-grade adenomas, high-grade adenomas, and intestinal-type adenocarcinomas were 3.9%, 10.5%, 18.6%, and 27.2%, respectively. The equivalent LIs for Ki67 and Mcm2 were 17.7%, 42.2%, 52.6%, and 59.7%; and 26.7%, 70.0%, 67.8%, and 77.8%, respectively. Double-labeling immunofluorescence revealed coexpression of geminin and Ki67 in both normal and tumor cells. The LI for geminin was significantly correlated with N stage, International Union Against Cancer (UICC) stage, Mcm2 LI, and Ki67 LI. Patients in stages I-IV and stage III with higher LIs for geminin (>25%) had significantly worse prognoses (P < 0.05 and P < 0.04, respectively). Univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the overall survival of stage I-IV tumors was significantly correlated with high geminin LIs (relative risk [RR] = 1.94; P = 0.04)., Conclusions: Geminin expression might reflect the biological nature of gastric intramucosal neoplasms and could be a possible prognostic marker in advanced intestinal-type gastric carcinomas.

Aim: The effectiveness of breast-conserving therapy for mucinous carcinoma has not been well documented. We examined clinical and pathological features of cases to determine whether patients with mucinous carcinoma were suitable candidates for this treatment., Method: Cases of pure type (n=52) and mixed type (n=24) mucinous carcinomas were reviewed with emphasis on the risk factors associated with local recurrences after breast-conserving therapy., Results: Large pure mucinous carcinomas had a low incidence of extensive intraductal spreading (EIS). An inverse correlation existed between the incidence of EIS and tumour size (P<0.05). Comedo type EIS was infrequent (11%) in pure mucinous carcinoma. Incidences of lymphatic vessel invasion (4%) and nodal involvement (4%) were lower in pure mucinous carcinoma than in mixed carcinoma (P<0.05). No nodal involvement occurred in patients with pure mucinous carcinoma less than 3 cm in diameter., Conclusions: Patients with pure mucinous carcinomas, except those invading the local skin, are suitable candidates for breast-conserving therapy. Most pure mucinous carcinomas, including a large tumour up to 5 cm in diameter, can be treated with this therapy., (Copyright Harcourt Publishers Limited.)

Twelve Japanese patients with pancreas head carcinoma who survived 3 years or more after a pancreatoduodenectomy and 50 who survived less than 12 months were reviewed clinicopathologically. The 12 patients who survived for greater than or equal to 3 years exhibited more favourable prognostic factors: a higher incidence of jaundice; a smaller mass; a higher prevalence of an earlier stage tumour and adenocarcinoma of differentiated type; and a lower incidence of venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, and cancer cells at the surgical margins. However the difference was not significant. Univariate log-rank analysis regarding 13 prognostic variables showed that histologic type was a significant factor but multivariate Cox regression analysis failed to reveal an independent significant parameter. Nine of the 12 long-term survivors showed lymph node metastasis and six of the 12 revealed cancer cells at the surgical margins. Six of the 12 long-term survivors died from local recurrence and/or distant metastasis 37-78 months after operation. Only two patients survived more than 5 years after the operation. At the time of writing, one of them was still alive and another was dead 78 months after the operation. Pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreas head carcinoma infrequently offers a permanent cure for the patients with pancreas head carcinoma but sometimes produces a worthwhile long-term survival, even if the resected margins were affected by malignant cells or the lymph node metastasis was evident.

A total of 22 patients with non-icteric pancreas head carcinoma were retrospectively compared with 61 patients with icteric pancreas head carcinoma. No significant difference was found regarding age, sex, greatest diameter, macroscopic type, microscopic type, stage, lymphatic permeation, perineural infiltration, venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, and the presence of cancer cells at the surgical margins. The main location of pancreas head carcinoma could be divided into two sites: the superior (pericholedochal), and inferior or distal (excholedochal) areas of the pancreas head. Sixteen (73%) of the 22 non-icteric pancreas head carcinomas were located in the inferior or distal area (excholedochal), while 28 (46%) of the 61 icteric pancreas head carcinomas were situated in the superior portion (pericholedochal) (P less than 0.05). One (5%) of the 22 non-icteric pancreas head carcinomas was small pancreas carcinoma, compared with 11 (18%) of the 61 icteric pancreas head carcinomas. The cumulative 2-year and 4-year survival rates of the 22 patients with non-icteric pancreas head carcinoma were significantly worse than those of the 61 patients with icteric pancreas head carcinoma [7.9% vs. 24.6% (P less than 0.05) and 0% vs. 13.4% (P less than 0.01)]. These findings suggest that non-icteric pancreas head carcinomas normally arise in an area far from the biliary tree, and include a greater number of large tumors. Any resulting difficulty and delay in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease will usually lead to a worsening of the clinical course of non-icteric pancreas head carcinoma.

We report a case of a 71-year-old female with primary malignant lymphoma of the breast. The patient noticed a lump in the right breast approximately six years prior to consultation to the Surgical Department because of a rapid growth of the lump, and had no other tumors noticed throughout the body during that period. Histology proved the case to be a "reticulum cell sarcoma" (large cell type) producing IgM in the tumor cells, instead of a breast carcinoma as clinically diagnosed. At the same time, a total of 73 cases of mammary malignant lymphoma among Japanese subjects were reviewed. The criteria for primary or secondary malignant lymphoma of the breast, and histological diagnosis and pathogenesis of the primary breast malignant lymphoma were discussed.