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Microorganisms in the subsurface environment are involved in a wide range of bio-chemical processes such as respiration of organic or inorganic compounds, bio-mineralisation or act as catalyst of chemical reactions. They grow under two main life-forms: microbes are suspended in a fluid (planktonic), or they are organized in sessile colonies attached to solid surfaces (biofilm). In soils, small scale heterogeneity and confined nature of the subsurface environment controls fluid flow as well as nutrient transport and availability for consumption. A traditional approach is to study microbial communities in a mixed batch reactor, this method is powerful to investigate system response to variation of chemical and biological parameters. However this does not allow to investigate interaction of biofilm growth with physical properties of the surrounding environment. In this work we look at the formation of biofilm under heterogeneous flow and transport in porous media. While growing due to flowing nutrient uptake, the biofilm reduces the pore space available and, thus, confines the fluid flow inducing changes in the hydraulic medium properties, such as permeability. We aim to study how flow heterogeneity, the resulting spatial distribution of nutrient and oxygen affects the spatial distribution and growth of microbial biofilm. In this perspective we developed an experimental set-up to visualize and quantify the growth of a bacteria population (engineered fluorescent Pseudomonas Putida) in a heterogeneous porous medium under a flow of nutrient and its impact on the temporal evolution of medium permeability. Using time-lapse fluorescent microscopy applied to microfluidics chip we visualize the spatial distribution of the biomass and quantify the biofilm growth, while monitoring the overall flow driven by a constant pressure drop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, the number of people who suffer with cancer once in their lives has increased since 1985, and the 5-year relative survival rate for cancer patients continues to improve. As a result, there have been reports on the difficulties faced by working age patients because they attempt to simultaneously undergo cancer treatment and work. In June 2012, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published the Basic Plan to Promote Cancer Control Programs with improved cancer countermeasures for working people and children to manage problems related to the employment of cancer patients, and it has been subsequently promoting these initiatives. A report on the needs and problems faced by medical facilities regarding the employment of cancer patients, survivors, and their family members was presented at an investigative commission in August 2014 that assessed ways to support the employment of cancer patients and survivors. In February 2016, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare released its guidelines on providing workplace support to people attempting to simultaneously undergo treatment and continue working. The authors conducted an interview survey of clinical nurses who provided employment and life support to cancer patients. In this study, we present examples of employment support practices provided to cancer patients by clinical nurses that we hope will be helpful to medical facilities providing such support.

An increasing number of patients with lung cancer are undergoing outpatient chemotherapy.It is very important to retain the quality of life (QOL) of these patients.Japanese traditional medicine, TJ-48, has been reported to improve the QOL of patients with advanced cancer. However, the effect of TJ-48 in patients with lung cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy is unknown. The present study was conducted to investigate the factors influencing the QOL of these patients. We used "The QOL questionnaire for cancer patients treated with anticancer drugs" (QOL-ACD) with 16 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The medical factors related to the overall QOL scores and other variables indicating "activity," "physical condition, "psychological condition,""social relationships," "psychological condition," and "face scale" were analyzed. Significant improvement was observed in the total QOL score, mainly owing to the improvement in the patients "physical condition."

Increasing number of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer are receiving outpatient maintenance chemotherapy. It is very important to maintain these patients' quality of life(QOL). Pemetrexed has been reported to be an effective maintenance chemotherapy. However, its effects on the QOL of patients with non-small cell lung cancer who are undergoing outpatient maintenance chemotherapy are unknown; therefore, we conducted this study. To investigate factors that influence the QOL of these patients, we provided a QOL questionnaire,"The QOL Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs(QOL-ACD)"to 7 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The medical factors related to the overall QOL scores, as well as other categories indicating"activity","physical condition","psychological condition","social relationship", and"face scale", were analyzed. No significant reductions in any of the factors were observed in this study.