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Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: The authors have nothing to disclose.

Background: Mastery of technical skills is one of the fundamental goals of surgical training for novices. Meanwhile, performing laparoscopic procedures requires exceptional surgical skills compared to open surgery. However, it is often difficult for trainees to learn through observation and practice only. Virtual reality (VR)-based surgical simulation is expanding and rapidly advancing. A major obstacle for laparoscopic trainees is the difficulty of well-performed dissection. Therefore, we developed a new VR simulation system, Lap-PASS LP-100, which focuses on training to create proper tension on the tissue in laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy dissection. This study aimed to validate this new VR simulation system., Methods: A total of 50 participants were asked to perform medial dissection of the meso-sigmoid colon on the VR simulator. Forty-four surgeons and six non-medical professionals working in the National Cancer Center Hospital East, Japan, were enrolled in this study. The surgeons were: laparoscopic surgery experts with > 100 laparoscopic surgeries (LS), 21 were novices with experience < 100 LS, and five without previous experience in LS. The participants' surgical performance was evaluated by three blinded raters using Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills (GOALS)., Results: There were significant differences (P-values < 0.044) in all GOALS items between the non-medical professionals and surgeons. The experts were significantly superior to the novices in one item of GOALS: efficiency ([4(4-5) vs. 4(3-4)], with a 95% confidence interval, p = 0.042). However, both bimanual dexterity and total score in the experts were not statistically different but tended to be higher than in the novices., Conclusions: Our study demonstrated a full validation of our new system. This could detect the surgeons' ability to perform surgical dissection and suggest that this VR simulator could be an effective training tool. This surgical VR simulator might have tremendous potential to enhance training for surgeons., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: We report two cases in which severe skin disorders developed during sorafenib treatment in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who had previously received nivolumab., Case Report: Case 1: A 50-year-old man with RCC received nivolumab as the fifth-line therapy followed by sorafenib as the sixth-line therapy. On day 15 of sorafenib administration, the patient was hospitalized with systemic erythema multiforme, acne-like skin rash, and hand-foot syndrome. Case 2: A 40-year-old man with RCC received nivolumab as the second-line therapy followed by sorafenib as the fifth-line treatment. On day 12 of sorafenib administration, the patient was hospitalized with an acne-like skin rash and hand-foot syndrome. The skin disorders in the two cases improved within 2-3 weeks after sorafenib discontinuation and the start of treatment with topical and oral steroids., Conclusion: When using sorafenib in patients previously treated with nivolumab, close attention should be paid to the onset of serious skin disorders., (Copyright © 2021 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Relationship between the local structures of middle lanthanoid elements (Ln; Eu, Gd, Tb, and Dy) in their complex oxides and the characteristic features of the L 1 -edge and L 3 -edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) was investigated. There was a significant correlation between the pre-edge peak areas of the Ln L 1 -edge or the full widths at half maximum of the white line of the Ln L 3 -edge XANES spectra and the abstract physical indexes defined by bond angles formed by the middle Ln elements and the two adjacent oxygen atoms, which act as indicators of local configurational disorder of the target element. Theoretical simulation based on multiple scattering theory revealed that the pre-edge peak in the Ln L 1 -edge XANES spectra originates due to the p-d hybridization that occurs above the Fermi energy. This systematic survey demonstrated a universal method to estimate the local structure of the middle Ln elements by means of XANES spectroscopy.

Pt-based catalysts are commonly employed as NO x -trapping catalysts for automobiles, while perovskite oxides have received attention as Pt-free NO x -trapping catalysts. However, the NO x storage performance of perovskite catalysts is significantly inferior at low temperatures and with coexisting gases such as H 2 O, CO 2 , and SO 2 . This study demonstrates that NO x storage reactions proceed over redox site (Mn, Fe, and Co)-doped SrTiO 3 perovskites. Among the examined catalysts, Mn-doped SrTiO 3 exhibited the highest NO x storage capacity (NSC) and showed a high NSC even at a low temperature of 323 K. Moreover, the high NO x storage performance of Mn-doped SrTiO 3 was retained in the presence of poisoning gases (H 2 O, CO 2 , and SO 2 ). NO oxidation experiments revealed that the NSC of Co-doped SrTiO 3 was dependent on the NO oxidation activity from NO to NO 2 via lattice oxygen, which resulted in an inferior NSC at low temperatures. On the other hand, Mn-doped SrTiO 3 successfully adsorbed NO molecules onto its surface at 323 K without the NO oxidation process using lattice oxygens. This unique adsorption behavior of Mn-doped SrTiO 3 was concluded to be responsible for the high NSC in the presence of poisoning gases.

We evaluated the catalytic performance of the Rh-Fe/Al 2 O 3 catalyst during a three-way catalytic reaction and found, by chance, that a part of Fe species was dissolved into the γ-Al 2 O 3 support and worked as an oxygen storage material, which adjusts the oxygen concentration around the catalytically active sites to a suitable level for three-way catalysis. In this study, we demonstrated that the Fe-doped γ-Al 2 O 3 can reversibly store and release oxygen by the redox of Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ at the tetrahedral (T d ) site of the spinel structure without its structure deformation. The finding that a spinel-structured metal oxide, Fe-doped γ-Al 2 O 3 , could work as an oxygen storage material suggested a new opportunity for the development of oxygen storage materials without rare metals.

Purpose: Mucosal prolapse at the site of anastomosis is a long-term complication unique to ISR. It reduces the QOL of patients due to a worsened anal function and local symptoms around the anus. We herein sought to assess the surgical outcomes after Delorme surgery for these patients., Methods: ISR was performed in 720 patients with low rectal cancer between January 2001 and March 2019 at the National Cancer Center Hospital East. Among these patients, the 33 (4.5%) who underwent initial Delorme surgery for postoperative colonic mucosal prolapse were identified from the medical records and then were analyzed retrospectively. We estimated the anal function using Wexner's incontinence score and assessed whether local anal symptoms due to the prolapse improved postoperatively., Results: Stoma closure was performed before Delorme surgery in 15 (45.5%) patients, and we compared the preoperative and postoperative anal function in these patients. The average Wexner's incontinence score changed from 15.1 before to 12.9 after Delorme surgery. Local symptoms around the anus improved in all 33 (100%) patients. Recurrence of colonic mucosal prolapse occurred in 5 patients (15%), and Delorme surgery was reperformed in these cases., Conclusion: Delorme surgery for colonic mucosal prolapse following ISR has clinical benefits for both improving anal local symptoms and slightly improving the anal function.

Background: Urethral injuries (UIs) are significant complications pertaining to transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME). It is important for surgeons to identify the prostate during TaTME to prevent UI occurrence; intraoperative image navigation could be considered useful in this regard. This study aims at developing a deep learning model for real-time automatic prostate segmentation based on intraoperative video during TaTME. The proposed model's performance has been evaluated., Methods: This was a single-institution retrospective feasibility study. Semantic segmentation of the prostate area was performed using a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based approach. DeepLab v3 plus was utilized as the CNN model for the semantic segmentation task. The Dice coefficient (DC), which is calculated based on the overlapping area between the ground truth and predicted area, was utilized as an evaluation metric for the proposed model., Results: Five hundred prostate images were randomly extracted from 17 TaTME videos, and the prostate area was manually annotated on each image. Fivefold cross-validation tests were performed, and as observed, the average DC value equaled 0.71 ± 0.04, the maximum value being 0.77. Additionally, the model operated at 11 fps, which provides acceptable real-time performance., Conclusions: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first effort toward realization of computer-assisted TaTME, and results obtained in this study suggest that the proposed deep learning model can be utilized for real-time automatic prostate segmentation. In future endeavors, the accuracy and performance of the proposed model will be improved to enable its use in practical applications, and its capability to reduce UI risks during TaTME will be verified.

Loading Ag and Co dual cocatalysts on Al-doped SrTiO 3 (AgCo/Al-SrTiO 3 ) led to a significantly improved CO-formation rate and extremely high selectivity toward CO evolution (99.8%) using H 2 O as an electron donor when irradiated with light at wavelengths above 300 nm. Furthermore, the CO-formation rate over AgCo/Al-SrTiO 3 (52.7 μmol h -1 ) was a dozen times higher than that over Ag/Al-SrTiO 3 (4.7 μmol h -1 ). The apparent quantum efficiency for CO evolution over AgCo/Al-SrTiO 3 was about 0.03% when photoirradiated at a wavelength at 365 nm, with a CO-evolution selectivity of 98.6% (7.4 μmol h -1 ). The Ag and Co cocatalysts were found to function as reduction and oxidation sites for promoting the generation of CO and O 2 , respectively, on the Al-SrTiO 3 surface., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The role of catalyst support and regioselectivity of molecular adsorption on a metal oxide surface is investigated for NO reduction on a Cu/γ-alumina heterogeneous catalyst. For the solid surface, computational models of the γ-alumina surface are constructed based on the Step-by-Step Hydrogen Termination (SSHT) approach. Dangling bonds, which appear upon cutting the crystal structure of a model, are terminated stepwise with H atoms until the model has an appropriate energy gap. The obtained SSHT models reflect the realistic infrared (IR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV/Vis) spectra. Vibronic coupling density (VCD), as a reactivity index, is employed to elucidate the regioselectivity of Cu adsorption on γ-alumina and that of NO adsorption on Cu/γ-alumina in place of the frontier orbital theory that could not provide clear results. We discovered that the highly dispersed Cu atoms are loaded on Lewis-basic O atoms, which is known as the anchoring effect, located in the tetrahedral sites of the γ-alumina surface. The role of the γ-alumina support is to raise the frontier orbital of the Cu catalyst, which in turn gives rise to the electron back-donation from Cu/γ-alumina to NO. In addition, the penetration of the VCD distribution of Cu/γ-alumina into the γ-alumina support indicates that the excessive reaction energy dissipates into the support after NO adsorption and reduction. In other words, the support plays the role of a heat bath. The NO reduction on Cu/γ-alumina proceeds even in an oxidative atmosphere because the Cu-NO bond is strong compared to the Cu-O2 bond.

An 82-year-old woman who underwent total thyroidectomy and left cervical lymph node dissection 21 years ago admitted our hospital because of left cervical pain. Neck CT scan showed a 6 cm tumor on the left clavicle. Pathological diagnosis by needle biopsy revealed poorly differentiated to undifferentiated carcinoma, positive for TTF-1, and diagnosed as thyroid cancer lymph node metastasis anaplastic transformation. Administration of lenvatinib was started after radiation therapy. Since thrombocytopenia was observed, lenvatinib was gradually reduced from 14 mg and the dose was continued at 4 mg. The tumor shrinked and the effect of chemotherapy was partial response. She survived for 3 years while continuing lenvatinib. We reported long-term survival due to radiation therapy and lenvatinib of anaplastic transformation of thyroid cancer in lymph node metastasis due to radiation therapy and lenvatinib.

It is important to understand the reduction processes of mixed metal oxides or metal oxide interfaces in three-way catalytic reactions toward replacing the currently used high-cost Pt group metal catalysts. The redox behavior of simple Ni-Cu alloy catalysts, which exhibit high catalytic activity and durability during a three-way catalytic reaction, was studied by operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The operando XAS analyses revealed that Ni-Cu species changed from the NiO-Cu 2 O to Ni-Cu alloy and vice versa under reductive and oxidative conditions, respectively. The real-time monitoring of the oxidation states of Ni and Cu species indicated that the Cu species assisted the reduction of Ni species, in agreement with the density functional theory-based study of NiO reduction by carbon monoxide in the presence of metallic Cu nanoparticles.

Improvement of the low-temperature activity for NO oxidation catalysts is a crucial issue to improve the NO x storage performance in automotive catalysts. We have recently reported that the lattice oxygen species in SrFeO 3-δ (SFO) are reactive in the oxidation of NO to NO 2 at low temperatures. The oxidation of NO using lattice oxygen species is a powerful means to oxidize NO in such kinetically restricted temperature regions. This paper shows that Fe-site substitution of SFO with Mn or Co improves the properties of lattice oxygen such as the temperature and amount of oxygen release/storage, resulting in the enhancement of the activity for NO oxidation in a low-temperature range. In particular, NO oxidation on SrFe 0.8 Mn 0.2 O 3-δ is found to proceed even at extremely low temperatures <423 K. From oxygen release/storage profiles obtained by temperature-programmed reactions, Co doping into SFO increases the amount of released oxygen owing to the reducibility of the Co species and promotes the phase transformation to the brownmillerite phase. On the other hand, Mn doping does not increase the oxygen release amount and suppresses the phase transformation. However, it significantly decreases the oxygen migration barrier of SFO. Substitution with Mn renders the structure of SFO more robust and maintains the perovskite structure after the release of oxygen. Thus, the oxygen release properties are strongly dependent on the crystal structure change before and after oxygen release from the perovskite structure, which has a significant effect on NO oxidation and the NO x storage performance.

Artificial photosynthesis is a desirable critical technology for the conversion of CO 2 and H 2 O, which are abundant raw materials, into fuels and chemical feedstocks. Similar to plant photosynthesis, artificial photosynthesis can produce CO, CH 3 OH, CH 4 , and preferably higher hydrocarbons from CO 2 using H 2 O as an electron donor and solar light. At present, only insufficient amounts of CO 2 -reduction products such as CO, CH 3 OH, and CH 4 have been obtained using such a photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical conversion process. Here, we demonstrate that photocatalytic CO 2 conversion with a Ag@Cr-decorated mixture of CaGa 4 O 7 -loaded Ga 2 O 3 and the CaO photocatalyst leads to a satisfactory CO formation rate (>835 µmol h -1 ) and excellent selectivity toward CO evolution (95%), with O 2 as the stoichiometric oxidation product of H 2 O. Our photocatalytic system can convert CO 2 gas into CO at >1% CO 2 conversion (>11531 ppm CO) at ambient temperatures and pressures., (© 2020. The Author(s).)

Imparting an enhanced CO 2 reduction selectivity to ZnGa 2 O 4 photocatalysts has been demonstrated by controlled crystallization from interdispersed nanoparticles of zinc and gallium hydroxides. The hydroxide precursor in which Zn(ii) and Ga(iii) are homogeneously interdispersed was prepared through an epoxide-driven sol-gel reaction. ZnGa 2 O 4 obtained by a heat-treatment exhibits a higher surface basicity and an enhanced affinity for CO 2 molecules than previously-reported standard ZnGa 2 O 4 . The enhanced affinity for CO 2 molecules of the resultant ZnGa 2 O 4 leads to highly-selective CO evolution in CO 2 photo-reduction with H 2 O reductants. The present scheme is promising to achieve desirable surface chemistry on metal oxide photocatalysts., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A 76-year-old woman visited the hospital due to occult blood in her urine. An abdominal CT scan showed a low-density tumor inside the left iliopsoas muscle in the retroperitoneum, and a well-differentiated liposarcoma was suspected. Therefore, laparoscopic tumor resection was performed. The tumor was on the inside of the left iliopsoas muscle, without any invasion around it. The macroscopic appearance of the resected tumor showed a yellow, fat-like, solid mass and it was histopathologically diagnosed as a well-differentiated liposarcoma. We conclude that a retroperitoneal primary well-differentiated liposarcoma can be treated by laparoscopic surgery, as in our case.

Sr 1.6 K 0.37 Na 1.43 Ta 5 O 15 , which belongs to the Na-substituted Sr 2 KTa 5 O 15 series of compounds with a tetragonal tungsten bronze structure, was fabricated using a flux mixture of KCl and NaCl (KCl/NaCl molar ratio = 55:45). It exhibited higher CO formation rate (94.6 μmol h -1 ), better selectivity for CO evolution (85.5%), and better stability of the photocatalytic activity than those of bare Sr 2 KTa 5 O 15 and other Na-substituted Sr 2 KTa 5 O 15 samples synthesized from flux mixtures with different KCl/NaCl ratios. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies revealed that the surface atomic Sr/Ta ratio of Sr 1.6 K 0.37 Na 1.43 Ta 5 O 15 was larger than that of Sr 2 KTa 5 O 15 . To clarify the factor responsible for the improvement in the photocatalytic activity facilitated by Na substitution, as well as to elucidate the reaction mechanism, the surface species were characterized by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was observed that the bicarbonate species (HCO 3 - K 1.6 K 0.37 Na 1.43 Ta 5 was reduced to CO via the formate species during photoirradiation. The plot of the CO formation rate vs. the surface atomic Sr/Ta ratio for tetragonal tungsten bronze-type Sr-K-Ta-O complex oxides had the summit, indicating that Sr atoms on the surface enhance the photocatalytic activity, while an excessive amount of Sr on the surface leads to the decrease in the photocatalytic activity. Hence, it can be concluded that while the presence of Sr on the surface has a determining effect on the adsorption of CO 15 was reduced to CO via the formate species during photoirradiation. The plot of the CO formation rate vs. the surface atomic Sr/Ta ratio for tetragonal tungsten bronze-type Sr-K-Ta-O complex oxides had the summit, indicating that Sr atoms on the surface enhance the photocatalytic activity, while an excessive amount of Sr on the surface leads to the decrease in the photocatalytic activity. Hence, it can be concluded that while the presence of Sr on the surface has a determining effect on the adsorption of CO 2 and eventually on the photocatalytic activity, excess Sr on the surface that exists as SrCO 3 or Sr 2 Ta 2 O 7 K 1.6 K 0.37 Na 1.43 Ta 5 O 15 showed higher CO formation rate than Sr 2 KTa 5 O 15 did.

Ni-Cu alloy supported on γ-Al2O3 catalysts prepared by high-temperature hydrogen reduction exhibit high catalytic activity and durability for a three-way catalytic reaction under both oxidative and reductive conditions because of their self-regenerating feature. DFT calculations showed that Ni-oxide was reduced to Ni metal by CO in the presence of Cu metal because of the Ni-Cu alloy effect but was not in the absence of Cu metal.

The development of NO x -trapping catalysts for automobiles is highly desired to meet the current strict exhaust emission regulations. This study demonstrates that NO x oxidation and storage reactions proceed over Pt-free Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ with a Ruddlesden-Popper-type layered perovskite structure. Two types of Sr-Fe perovskite with oxygen storage capacity, namely, SrFeO 3-δ and Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ , are studied as NO x -trapping catalysts. Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ shows higher NO x storage capacity than SrFeO 3-δ ; its activity is comparable to that of Pt/Ba/Al 2 O 3 calcined at 1273 K. NO x temperature-programmed desorption and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform experiments confirm the superior NO x -trapping ability of Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ over SrFeO 3-δ . In addition, NO temperature-programmed reactions and O 2 temperature-programmed desorption experiments reveal that these catalysts operate through a novel NO oxidation mechanism involving the consumption of their lattice oxygens and topotactic structural changes at a temperature of around 350-400 K. The reduction performance of trapped NO x on Pd-modified Sr-Fe perovskites is investigated by lean-rich cycle experiments using H 2 as the reductant. Pd/Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ shows significantly high NO x removal efficiency over the entirety of each lean-rich period. Modifying Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ with Pd is also effective for NO x storage in the presence of H 2 O and CO 2 and the regeneration of the catalyst following SO x sorption. Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ , with both NO x adsorption and NO oxidation capabilities, acts as a Pt-free NO x -trapping catalyst, exhibiting both high NO x storage capacity and high thermal tolerance.

This paper describes a systematic study of the spectra and local structures of lanthanide (Ln) L-edge XANES. We found that Ln L 1 and L 3 -edge XANES spectra exhibit characteristic features correlated to their local symmetry through experimental and theoretical simulations. We also propose a simple local structure index criterion for a combination of XANES study and theoretical simulation. Possible solutions of intrinsic problems such as low resolution of characteristic features in the Ln L-edge XANES and site distributions are also discussed., (© 2019 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Background: Congenital ichthyoses (CIs) adversely affect quality of life (QOL) in patients. However, the effects of CIs on patient QOL have not been studied sufficiently., Objective: To investigate the association between disease severity and QOL in patients with harlequin ichthyosis (HI) and ichthyosis: syndromic forms (ISFs) METHODS: Clinical information of patients with HI and ISFs from 2010 to 2015 were obtained from 100 dermatology departments/divisions of principal institutes/hospitals throughout Japan. We examined the relationship between disease severity and QOL in patients with HI and ISFs. Patients who were aged 8 years or older and participated in a multicenter retrospective questionnaire survey in Japan were assessed by dermatology life quality index (DLQI, range of 0-30) and clinical ichthyosis score (range of 0-100)., Results: Netherton syndrome patients had a significantly higher risk of allergy to food or environmental allergens than patients with other phenotypes. Keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness (KID) syndrome patients showed a significantly higher risk of skin infections than patients with other phenotypes. Complete data on DLQI were obtained from 13 patients, whose median age was 21 (8-71) years. Nine patients were male, and 4 were female. Systemic retinoids were administrated to 2 of the 3 HI patients. The Spearman's correlation coefficient between the clinical ichthyosis score and DLQI was 0.611 (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: We confirmed that Netherton syndrome and KID syndrome patients have a higher risk of allergy to food or environmental allergens and of skin infections, respectively. QOL impairment correlates with disease severity in HI and ISFs patients., (Copyright © 2018 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Correction for 'Necessary and sufficient conditions for the successful three-phase photocatalytic reduction of CO2 by H2O over heterogeneous photocatalysts' by Kentaro Teramura et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 8423-8431.

D-dimer, a fibrinolytic end-product, has been regarded as a biomarker indicating the severity of urticaria, especially in chronic urticaria. Regarding acute urticaria, D-dimer level is also suggested to be elevated, which may be significant in comparison with chronic urticaria. However, the clinical features of acute urticaria with concomitant significant elevation of D-dimer level have not been investigated in detail so far. We present four cases of acute urticaria fulfilling the proposed diagnostic criterion of acute infectious urticaria, in which significant elevation of D-dimer level and rapid spontaneous normalization in parallel with the resolution of fever and urticaria occurs. No cases had deep vein thrombosis, disseminated intravascular coagulation and malignancy. All cases responded well to antihistaminic treatment in combination with antibiotics, and their fever and urticaria resolved within 10 days. All cases showed severe wheals persistent for several days resolving with hyperpigmentation. Histologically, infiltration into blood vessel walls and interstitial infiltration of lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear cells were marked in the dermis. In our cases, clinical features accorded with acute infectious urticaria, and their histological features were similar to those of neutrophilic urticaria as described previously. In conclusion, there is a certain group of acute urticaria associated with significant elevation of D-dimer level. These common features of our cases may be characteristic in acute urticaria showing the coagulative and fibrinolytic abnormalities., (© 2018 Japanese Dermatological Association.)

Environmental catalysts are required to operate highly efficiently under severe conditions in which they are exposed to reductive and oxidative atmospheres at high temperatures. This study demonstrates that SrFe 1- x Ti x O 3-δ -supported Pd catalysts exhibit high catalytic activities for NO reduction with C 3 H 6 and CO in the presence of O 2 , which is a model reaction for the purification of automotive exhaust gases. Catalytic activity is enhanced with increasing Ti content, and the highest activity is observed for Pd/SrFe 0.2 Ti 0.8 O 3-δ among the examined catalysts. The state of the loaded Pd species can be controlled by the Fe/(Fe + Ti) ratio in SrFe 1- x Ti x O 3-δ , and highly active PdO nanoparticles are properly anchored on SrFe 0.2 Ti 0.8 O 3-δ . The Ti-rich Pd/SrFe 0.2 Ti 0.8 O 3-δ shows significantly higher catalytic activity and is more thermally stable than the conventional Pd/Al 2 O 3 , which has a high surface area. Since Fe-rich SrFe 1- x Ti x O 3-δ has the high oxygen storage capacity, its response capabilities to atmospheric fluctuations were evaluated by changing the oxygen concentration during NO reduction. As a result, Fe-rich Pd/SrFe 0.8 Ti 0.2 O 3-δ retains its high NO-reduction activity for longer times even under oxidative conditions, when compared to SrFeO 3-δ or Ti-rich Pd/SrFe 1- x Ti x O 3-δ . The oxygen storage properties of Pd/SrFe 0.8 Ti 0.2 O 3-δ allow it to effectively act as an oxygen buffer for NO reduction. These properties ensure that the SrFe 1- x Ti x O 3-δ support, with both high thermal stability and oxygen storage capacity, is a very useful environmental-catalyst material.

Background: The oncological effectiveness of preoperative radiotherapy for locally advanced colon cancer is unclear. We report a case of pathological complete response in a patient with locally advanced ascending colon cancer after preoperative radiotherapy following failure of chemotherapy., Case Presentation: A 65-year-old Japanese woman presented with malaise and hematochezia. A computed tomography (CT) revealed a tumor in the ascending colon which seemed to infiltrate the adjacent structures. She was diagnosed with locally advanced ascending colon cancer stages T4b, N2a, M0, and IIIC. We selected modified FOLFOX6 with panitumumab as neoadjuvant chemotherapy. However, we discontinued the chemotherapy after the 8th cycle because of disease progression and severe adverse effects. The patient then underwent radiotherapy of 60 Gy in 30 fractions, resulting in significant tumor size reduction. One month after the radiotherapy, we performed a right hemicolectomy with multivisceral resection without complications. Histopathologically, we found no residual cancer cells in the resected specimen. The patient remains alive and has not required additional therapies for 24 months, as there are no signs of recurrence., Conclusions: The present case suggests that preoperative radiotherapy might be an effective treatment options for locally advanced colon cancer.

Artificial photosynthesis has recently drawn an increasing amount of attention due to the fact that it allows for direct solar-to-chemical energy conversion. However, one of the basic steps of this process, namely the reduction of CO2 by H2O to afford O2 and CO2 reduction products (CO2RPs) such as HCOOH, CO, HCHO, CH3OH, and CH4, is very difficult to achieve. In contrast to the CO2 reduction in plants and homogenous systems, the reduction of CO2 to CO2RPs over heterogeneous photocatalysts was challenged by the competing reduction of H+ to H2. Unfortunately, most of the research performed so far has focused only on the reduction of CO2, rather than the characterization of the H2O oxidation and H2 production. Moreover, the fact that the heterogeneous photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into CO2RPs by H2O should satisfy several selectivity criteria has often been ignored. Herein, we propose three such evaluation criteria, namely (1) the origin of carbon in CO2RPs (determined using isotopically labeled CO2 (13CO2)), (2) the relative amount of H2 and CO2RPs produced, and (3) the amount of O2 produced by the oxidation of H2O. If all these criteria are satisfied, i.e., the carbons of CO2RPs originate from CO2, the amount of H2 produced is negligible, and a stoichiometric amount of O2 is produced by the oxidation of H2O, then CO2 introduced into the gas phase is believed to be reduced by H2O to CO2RPs in the aqueous phase.

A core-shell structure of Ag-Cr dual cocatalyst loaded-Ga 2 O 3 was found to significantly enhance the formation rate of CO and selectivity toward CO evolution for the photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 where H 2 O is used as an electron donor.

The dynamic behavior of Rh species in 1 wt% Rh/Al 2 O 3 catalyst during the three-way catalytic reaction was examined using a micro gas chromatograph, a NO x meter, a quadrupole mass spectrometer, and time-resolved quick X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements at a public beamline for XAS, BL01B1 at SPring-8, operando. The combined data suggest different surface rearrangement behavior, random reduction processes, and autocatalytic oxidation processes of Rh species when the gas is switched from a reductive to an oxidative atmosphere and vice versa. This study demonstrates an implementation of a powerful operando XAS system for heterogeneous catalytic reactions and its importance for understanding the dynamic behavior of active metal species of catalysts.

Objectives: Passive rise in core body temperature achieved by head-out hot water immersion (HHWI) results in acute increases in serum interleukin (IL)-6 but no change in plasma adrenaline in patients with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI). The purpose of the present study was to determine the mechanism of heat stress-induced increase in serum IL-6., Setting: A cross-sectional study., Methods: The study subjects were nine with CSCI, ten with thoracic and lumbar spinal cord injury (TLSCI) and eight able-bodied (AB) subjects. Time since injury was 16.1 ± 3.4 years in TLSCI and 16.4 ± 4.1 years in CSCI. Subjects were subjected to lower-body heat stress (LBH) by wearing a hot water-perfused suit until 1 °C increase in core temperature. The levels of serum IL-6, plasma adrenaline, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), and counts of blood cells were measured at normothermia and after LBH., Results: Serum IL-6 concentrations increased significantly immediately after LBH in all the three groups. ΔIL-6% was lower in CSCI subjects compared with AB subjects. Plasma adrenaline concentrations significantly increased after LBH in AB and TLSCI subjects, but did not change throughout the study in CSCI subjects. Cardiac output and heart rate increased at the end of LBH in all three groups., Conclusions: Under a similar increase in core temperature, ΔIL-6% was lower in the CSCI group compared with the AB group. These findings suggest that the observed rise in IL-6 during hyperthermia is mediated, at least in part, by plasma adrenaline.

Introduction: Perineal hernia after abdominoperineal resection (APR) is a rare complication, and no standard surgical procedures are established. We describe a simple laparoscopic mesh implantation technique utilizing a large synthetic flat mesh., Presentation of Case: We report a case of perineal hernia after APR. We performed laparoscopic repair using a soft and large synthetic mesh with simple technique. The essence of this technique is that mesh is inserted into the abdominal cavity without trimming and it forms in a conical shape to better adjust to the pelvic cavity., Discussion: The perineal and laparoscopic approaches for perineal hernia repair have been performed most commonly in recent years, but the recurrence rate after repair remains high (24.1%). Using a large mesh could cover the hernial orifice with a sufficient margin, reducing a risk of recurrence caused by shrinkage and slippage of the mesh., Conclusion: Our technique utilizing a large, lightweight, synthetic mesh can be practical and useful for perineal hernia repair after laparoscopic APR., (Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Modification of the surface of Ga 2 O 3 with rare-earth elements enhanced the evolution of CO as a reduction product in the photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 using H 2 O as an electron donor under UV irradiation in aqueous NaHCO 3 as a pH buffer, with the rare-earth species functioning as a CO 2 capture and storage material. Isotope experiments using 13 CO 2 as a substrate clearly revealed that CO was generated from the introduced gaseous CO 2 . In the presence of the NaHCO 3 additive, the rare-earth (RE) species on the Ga 2 O 3 surface are transformed into carbonate hydrates (RE 2 (CO 3 ) 3 ·nH 2 O) and/or hydroxycarbonates (RE 2 (OH) 2(3-x) (CO 3 ) x ) which are decomposed upon photoirradiation. Consequently, Ag-loaded Yb-modified Ga 2 O 3 exhibits much higher activity (209 μmol h -1 of CO) than the pristine Ag-loaded Ga 2 O 3 . The further modification of the surface of the Yb-modified Ga 2 O 3 with Zn afforded a selectivity toward CO evolution of 80%. Thus, we successfully achieved an efficient Ag-loaded Yb- and Zn-modified Ga 2 O 3 photocatalyst with high activity and controllable selectivity, suitable for use in artificial photosynthesis.

The K and Sr cations (K + and Sr 2+ ) in a Sr 2 KTa 5 O 15 photocatalyst were found to be easily substituted by Na cations (Na + ) to form Sr x K y Na z Ta 5 O 15 by a facile one-pot flux method using a mixture of potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl). Sr x K y Na z Ta 5 O 15 fabricated using a mixture of KCl and NaCl with a Ag cocatalyst showed enhanced photocatalytic activity without apparent change in selectivity toward CO for the photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 using H 2 O. The present study demonstrates that the flux treatment significantly affected the phase, morphology, band gap, and surface Sr composition of the catalyst owing to the substitution of K + and Sr 2+ for Na + . The stability and durability of the catalyst were also enhanced as compared to those of the photocatalyst fabricated using only KCl flux due to more stable Ag on the surface of Sr x K y Na z Ta 5 O 15 ., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Ammonium bicarbonate (NH 4 HCO 3 ) was generated by the absorption of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into an aqueous solution of ammonia (NH 3 ). NH 4 HCO 3 was successfully used to achieve highly efficient photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 to carbon monoxide (CO). NH 3 and/or ammonium ions (NH 4 + ) derived from NH 4 HCO 3 in aqueous solution were decomposed into nitrogen (N 2 ) and hydrogen (H 2 ). Stoichiometric amounts of the N 2 oxidation product and the CO and H 2 reduction products were generated when the photocatalytic reaction was carried out in aqueous NH 4 HCO 3 solution. NH 3 and/or NH 4 + was obtained using 500 mg of catalyst (approximately 7500 ppm) in ambient conditions (303 K, 101.3 kPa). Our results demonstrated that NH 2 to CO. A CO formation rate of 0.5 mmol h -1 was obtained using 500 mg of catalyst (approximately 7500 ppm) in ambient conditions (303 K, 101.3 kPa). Our results demonstrated that NH 4 HCO 3 is a novel inorganic sacrificial reagent, which can be used to increase the efficiency of photocatalytic CO production to achieve one step CO 2 capture, storage and conversion.

Pt/SiO 2 reduced at 1073 K exhibited a high catalytic activity in propane dehydrogenation, primarily attributed to the electronic modification of Pt nanoparticles by a strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) effect. The SMSI was observed in the Pt/SiO 2 system following direct reduction in H 2 (>773 K), and was found to increase with increasing reduction temperature.

This study proves that a small amount of Pd loading (1 wt%) on Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ can dramatically enhance the oxygen-storage properties of Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ . The topotactic oxygen intake and release between Sr 3 Fe 2 O 6.75 and Sr 3 Fe 2 O 6 takes place in response to gas switching between an O 2 flow and H 2 flow, regardless of the presence or absence of Pd loading. The effect of Pd loading is significant for the oxygen-release process under H 2 atmosphere; that is, highly dispersed Pd metal nanoparticles sized less than 1 nm formed on Pd/Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ to promote H 2 dissociation, resulting in the improvement of the oxygen-release temperature and rate. Pd/Sr 3 Fe 2 O 7-δ with a layered perovskite structure has a higher oxygen-release property at lower temperature than Pd/SrFeO 3-δ with a perovskite phase without the layered structure. These facts indicate that the surface reaction as well as the crystal structure are responsible for the oxide ion mobility in perovskite structure, and also provide guidelines for designing novel oxygen-storage materials.

We found that plasmonic Au particles on titanium(iv) oxide (TiO 2 ) act as a visible-light-driven photocatalyst for overall water splitting free from any additives. This is the first report showing that surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in a suspension system effectively induces overall water splitting. Modification with various types of metal nanoparticles as co-catalysts enhanced the evolution of H 2 and O 2 . Among these, Ni-modified Au/TiO 2 exhibited 5-times higher rates of H 2 and O 2 evolution than those of Ni-free Au/TiO 2 . We succeeded in designing a novel solar energy conversion system including three elemental technologies, charge separation with light harvest and an active site for O 2 evolution (plasmonic Au particles), charge transfer from Au to the active site for H 2 production (TiO 2 ), and an active site for H 2 production (Ni cocatalyst), by taking advantage of a technique for fabricating size-controlled Au and Ni nanoparticles. Water splitting occurred in aqueous suspensions of Ni-modified Au/TiO 2 even under irradiation of light through an R-62 filter.

A 51-year-old man was detected nasal bleeding, multiple pulmonary nodule and mass, urinalysis abnormality, renal involvement and high titer of proteinase 3-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (PR3-ANCA), and was suspected of granulomatosis with polyangiitis and initiated with steroid pulse therapy. On the day after the start of steroid pulse therapy, generalized peritonitis due to ileal perforation occurred, and emergency ileectomy and peritonitis surgery were performed. Induction therapy with steroid pulse therapy, plasma exchange and intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy (IVCY) and maintenance therapy with glucocorticoid and azathioprine led to good therapeutic outcomes. Gastrointestinal perforation in GPA is a rare complication, and we examined the clinical features, treatment contents, and prognosis of GPA with gastrointestinal perforation from this case and previous reports. Lung involvements were complicated in all reported cases. Gastrointestinal perforations in GPA were frequent in the small intestine, occurred just before and immediately after the start of treatment, and were severe involvement with poor prognosis because of the high mortality rate (46.7%). The frequency of ear, nose and upper respiratory tract lesions in the surviving group was significantly higher than in the dead group (survival 87.5%, death 28.3%, P = 0.041). IVCY were more frequently used in the surviving group (62.5%) than the death group (16.7%), but it was not significantly. GPA complicated with gastrointestinal perforation is a severe condition with poor prognosis, but there is a possibility to improve prognosis by early diagnosis and early initiation of strong treatment.

Background: The surgical indications for patients with pancreatic head cancer (PHC) with clinical portal vein (PV) invasion (cPV) remain controversial. The present study aimed to determine the ability of computed tomography (CT) to diagnose pathological PV involvement (pPV) in PHC., Methods: We evaluated the morphological features (length and circumference) and two sets of diagnostic criteria for cPV determined from preoperative CT findings of 112 consecutive patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy for PHC. This study is listed in the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR; No: UMIN000016827)., Results: Five patients were excluded because enhanced CT data were missing. Morphological features have low diagnostic ability for pPV. We diagnosed 67 patients with cPV based on our diagnostic criteria and those of Klauss, and 42 of them had pPV. The negative predictive values of these diagnostic criteria for pPV were satisfactory (>95%) and the positive predictive value was relatively low (61.2%). Postoperative survival could be predicted based on the cPV type., Conclusion: An accurate diagnosis of pPV based on morphological features determined by preoperative CT is difficult. However, preoperative CT appears useful for selecting patients with PHC who could be candidates for pancreaticoduodenectomy with or without PV resection., (© 2016 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.)

This account describes the work of our group in the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) with ammonia over heterogeneous photocatalysts (photo-SCR) in the past 16 years. We have found that the photo-SCR proceeds over heterogeneous photocatalysts using a gas flow reactor, elucidated the reaction mechanism under UV- and visible-light irradiation by spectroscopic and kinetic studies, and developed a highly active photo-SCR system by improving the photocatalyst material itself and the reaction system with several approaches based on the reaction mechanism., (© 2016 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) photocatalysts, including Ni-Al LDH, are active for the photocatalytic conversion of CO2 in water under UV light irradiation. In this study, we found that a series of LDHs exhibited anodic photocurrent which is a characteristic feature corresponding to n-type materials. Also, we estimated the potentials of photogenerated electrons and holes for LDHs, which are responsible for the photocatalytic reactions, using electrochemical techniques. The flat band potential of the Ni-Al LDH photocatalyst was estimated to be -0.40 V vs. NHE (pH = 0), indicating that the potential of the photogenerated electron is sufficient to reduce CO2 to CO. Moreover, we revealed that the flat band potentials of M(2+)-M(3+) LDH are clearly influenced by the type of trivalent metal (M(3+)) components.

A popcorn-like transformation of graphite oxide (GO) is reported and used to synthesize metal nanoparticle catalysts. The popping step is unique and essential, not only generating a high-surface-area support but also partially decomposing the metal precursors to form well-separated metal oxide nuclei, which would further evolve into highly dispersed and uniform-sized nanoparticles in the subsequent reduction., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A 69-year-old man with a malignant tumor of the stomach underwent distal gastrectomy with partial resection of the abdominal wall, transverse colon, and lateral segment of the liver. Based on a detailed pathological examination of the resected specimen, a diagnosis of undifferentiated gastric cancer was established. Six months after the operation, during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1, diagnostic imaging, including CT and positron emission tomography (PET), revealed a portal vein tumor thrombus and diffusely spreading metastases in the posterior segment of the liver. Despite chemotherapy with S-1/CDDP, the metastatic tumors continued to grow rapidly. The patient died 10 months after the operation. On autopsy, the portal vein tumor thrombus was observed to be composed of undifferentiated cancer cells invading into the liver parenchyma through hepatic sinusoids, with the metastatic tumors replacing 60% or more of the entire liver.

The photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into useful chemical compounds in water without using organic sacrificial reagents is a promising method to overcome environmental and energy problems. Various synthesized layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are capable of reducing CO2 to CO in an aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. However, it is difficult to oxidize H2O to O2 in a photocatalytic system using LDHs as photocatalysts. In this study, we investigated the photocatalytic conversion of CO2 using a Ni-Al LDH in an aqueous solution of NaCl. Hypochlorous acid (HClO) was produced as an oxidation product of Cl(-) with the formation of reduction products such as CO and H2 under photoirradiation. We propose the inclusion of Cl(-) in the reaction solution to be one of the most promising ways for obtaining a hole scavenger, an approach that would enable the construction of an artificial photosynthesis system for the conversion of CO2.