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Although environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is an exceptionally useful and powerful tool for monitoring biodiversity, little is known about whether the traits of organisms and their ecosystem characteristics affect eDNA metabarcoding performance. Nationwide surveys can provide more detailed insights, yet such studies have rarely been conducted.In order to evaluate eDNA metabarcoding performance in broad‐scale monitoring, we examined the effects of species ecological/biological traits and ecosystem characteristics on species detection rates and the implications for community analysis. In addition, we tested the effects of sample mixing and transportation methods, including cooling and freezing, on eDNA metabarcoding. On a nationwide scale, we conducted eDNA metabarcoding for fish communities in 18 Japanese lakes.By comparing species records, we observed that certain traits, including body size, body shape, saltwater tolerance and habitat preference, influenced eDNA detection. In addition, the proportion of species detected decreased significantly with an increase in lake surface area owing to ecosystem size effect on species detection.We conclude that species traits, including habitat preference, body size and ecosystem size, should be considered when assessing the eDNA metabarcoding performance in broad‐scale monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the effects of grazing by Galerucella nipponensis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on growth and seed production of its host plant Trapa japonica (Trapaceae). A water tank experiment demonstrated that the new rosette leaves grazed upon by the beetles had a shorter life span than those of ungrazed rosettes. In ponds, severely grazed T. japonica rosettes produced more new leaves than slightly grazed rosettes. The period of seed production was delayed in years when leaves were severely grazed during the flowering seasons. Grazing peaked in later growing seasons when rosettes produce seeds. The ratio of seed production in the latter half of the peak to that in the early half was higher under severe grazing conditions than slight or moderate grazing conditions. A higher density of seeds in ponds in the current year tended to produce more abundant rosettes in the following spring. These results suggest that the herbivory of G. nipponensis induces compensatory reproduction of T. japonica in a complicated manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial structure-mediated indirect effects of an aquatic host plant, Trapa japonica (Trapaceae), on survival of a leaf beetle, Galerucella nipponensis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), with regard to predation by a water strider, Gerris nepalensis (Hemiptera: Gerridae), were investigated in an irrigation pond and under indoor conditions. Beetle density, particularly in the first-instar stage of the larvae, became extremely low in the second generation in the pond, even though food resources were abundant. The biological check method, which excludes natural enemies by caging, suggested that a causal factor of the low density was predation by Gerris nepalensis in midsummer and thereafter. Normally growing rosettes extend their leaves horizontally on the water surface. However, some rosettes of T. japonica grew leaves vertically in the later seasons, and such overgrown rosettes were distributed patchily in the ponds. Beetle density was higher on the latter rosettes than on the former ones. The indoor experiment showed that the water strider can feed on the eggs of beetles on normally grown rosettes but not on the overgrown rosettes. Furthermore, female adults of Galerucella nipponensis preferred the overgrown rosettes over the normally grown rosettes for oviposition when water striders were present. These facts suggest that the spatial structure-mediated indirect effects of the host plant modify the interaction between herbivore and predator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The patient is a 51-year-old man.Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed gigantic type 3 gastric cancer.Enhanced abdominal CT demonstrated a gigantic mass of 15×7 cm in the stomach, and a large number of peritoneal dissemination with moderate amount of ascites.The patient was diagnosed with cT4aN3bM1(peritoneal dissemination), Stage IV gastric cancer(JPN ver8)and was treated by chemotherapy with docetaxel(40mg/m / 2 day 1)plus cisplatin(60mg/m2 day 1)plus S-1(80mg/m2 day 1-14).After 7 courses of chemotherapy, peritoneal dissemination was disappeared.The patient received total gastrectomy and D2 lymphadenectomy as a conversion surgery.The pathological findings revealed a T0N0M0, stage 0; the tumor was determined to be Grade 3 owing to the chemotherapeutic effect.Without postoperative adjuvant therapy, the patient is alive without recurrence at the 5 years follow-up after operation.

A 72-year-old woman had undergone laparoscope-assisted distal gastrectomy with D1 plus lymph node dissection and antecolic Roux-en-Y reconstruction for early gastric cancer. She visited our department outpatient clinic with left upper abdominal pain 1 year and 9 months after the surgery. CT revealed a spiral sign of the superior mesenteric arteriovenous branch. An internal hernia was suspected on hospitalization. Although abdominal symptoms were relieved by conservative treatment, the hernia persisted. Laparoscopic surgery was performed and revealed that almost entire small intestine had been affected due to Petersen's defect. Since no ischemic changes were observed, the defect was repaired laparoscopically with suture closure. There has been no recurrence of internal hernia after the laparoscopic surgery. Internal hernia after distal gastrectomy is relatively rare. However, the risk of internal hernia is high due to the gap between the elevated jejunum and transverse colon mesentery in Roux-en-Y reconstruction and can lead to intestinal necrosis. Since an internal hernia can occur in patients who have undergone gastric resection with Roux-en-Y reconstruction, suture closure of Petersen's defect should be performed to prevent this occurrence.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)is thought to be effective to improve the outcomes in patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophago-gastric junction(AEG). We encountered 3 patients who were confirmed as having a pathological complete response following gastrectomy after NAC. The first patient had Siewert type II and clinical Stage III AEG, the second patient had Siewert type I and clinical Stage III AEG, while the third had Siewert type II and clinical Stage II AEG. Two patients received NAC with 2 courses of S-1 plus cisplatin, while the third patient received 2 courses of docetaxel, S-1, and cisplatin. All of the patients were treated with D2 gastrectomy after the NAC, and remain alive at more than 40 months after initial chemotherapy treatment without recurrence. We report the details of these 3 cases and review the literature.

Recurrent esophageal cancer has a poor prognosis.However, we sometimes encounter cases with long-term survival after radical treatment for recurrent esophageal cancer.We perform radical chemoradiotherapy aggressively when recurrent esophageal cancer is present in a limited area and is sufficiently localized to be treated by radiation therapy.From June 2010 to December 2014, 150 patients underwent curative esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.Forty -one cases relapsed and we treated 13 of them with radical chemoradiotherapy.Complete response(CR), non-CR/non-PD, and progressive disease(PD) were observed in 5, 6, and 2 cases, respectively.The CR rate was 38.4%.The median survival time from recurrence was 500± 39.7 days, and the 1-year and 3-year survival rates were 84.6% and 28.7%, respectively. Four out of 5 CR cases were single site recurrences.The other case was multiple and regrowth of the cancer was identified 253 days after the CR.These results suggest that radical chemoradiotherapy for recurrent esophageal cancer after curative esophagectomy can achieve long time survival, especially in cases with single site lymph node recurrence.

A 74-year-old man admitted with dysphagia was found to have advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, clinical stage IV (T4N2M0). We initiated definitive chemoradiotherapy(dCRT)with combined 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin chemotherapy( FP therapy)and 50.4 Gy irradiation, followed by boost FP therapy, to which the patient showed confirmed complete response(CR). Local recurrence was detected in the scar of the primary lesion at 4 months after the boost FP therapy. Photodynamic therapy(PDT)for this lesion resulted in CR. Thirteen months later, right hilar and right pericardial lymph node metastases were found. The right hilar lymph node metastases were not visible on CT after triweekly docetaxel therapy, but the pericardial lesions remained. The patient underwent salvage lymphadenectomy without further chemotherapy, and at 5 months after surgery, he was alive and recurrence-free.