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Linked color imaging (LCI) improved the visibility of gastric cancer and colorectal flat lesions. This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of LCI in detecting superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (SESCC). We enrolled 37 consecutive SESCC patients (46 SESCCs) diagnosed using LCI and blue laser imaging bright mode (BLI-BRT) and treated in Hiroshima University Hospital between April 2018 and November 2018. Eight professional endoscopists compared images obtained on non-magnifying BLI-BRT and LCI versus conventional white light imaging (WLI). Identification and boundary diagnosis of SESCC with LCI and BLI-BRT were compared with WLI. Changes in lesion visibility were clarified. Interobserver agreement was assessed. Clinicopathological features of lesion that influence visibility with LCI were assessed. In LCI, 37% (17/46) of cases had improved visibility and 63% (29/46) had unchanged visibility (interobserver agreement = 0.74). Among cases with multiple lugol voiding lesions (LVLs), ΔE between the lesion and background mucosa was significantly higher in LCI than in WLI (20.8 ± 7.9 vs 9.2 ± 6.1, P

Background Gastric cancer may develop after successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori, although the incidence is lower than in non-eradicated individuals. We previously reported the appearance of characteristic epithelium with low-grade atypia (ELA) on the surface of gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication. However, whether ELA originates from cancer after re-differentiation or from the non-cancerous surrounding mucosa is unknown. Methods We isolated ELA regions from 10 early gastric cancer patients and analyzed the nucleotide sequences for 90 oncogenes and 35 fusion oncogenes, comparing them with counterpart cancer tissue, normal gastric mucosa, and blood cell-derived DNA. Somatic mutations in each tissue were identified by comparing them with the sequences from whole blood-derived DNA. Result Gene alterations were observed in nine of the ten patients, and up to 42 and 70 somatic mutations were seen in cancer and ELA samples, respectively. Common mutations shared between cancer and ELA tissues were found in eight of these nine patients. In contrast, common mutations between non-cancer mucosa and ELA were only detected in one patient, who also had common mutation between cancer and ELA. ELA-specific nucleotide substitutions were seen in seven patients. In contrast, cancer-specific substitutions were only found in two patients. 18 out of 19 amino acid substitutions present in cancer tissue were also identified in ELA. These results suggest that ELA originated from cancer tissue and accumulated further nucleotide substitutions. Conclusions Differential diagnosis of ELA and normal mucosa should be carefully performed to prevent misdiagnosis of ELA as normal mucosa with atypia., This study was supported by grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI GrantNumber: 16K19379; https://www.jsps.go.jp/j-grantsinaid/).

// Yuji Urabe 1 , Kenichi Kagemoto 2 , C. Nelson Hayes 2 , Koki Nakamura 2 , Kazuhiko Masuda 2 , Atsushi Ono 2 , Shinji Tanaka 3 , Koji Arihiro 4 and Kazuaki Chayama 2 1 Division of Regeneration and Medicine Center for Translational and Clinical Research, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan 2 Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan 3 Department of Endoscopy, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan 4 Department of Pathology, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan Correspondence to: Kazuaki Chayama, email: chayama@mba.ocn.ne.jp Keywords: early-stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; exome sequencing; target sequencing; genomic characterization; TP53 Received: August 26, 2018 Accepted: May 26, 2019 Published: June 25, 2019 ABSTRACT Major risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are smoking, alcohol consumption, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in ADH1B and ALDH2 . Several groups have reported large-scale genomic analyses of ESCCs. However, the specific genetic changes that promote the development of ESCC have not been characterized. We performed exome sequencing of 16 fresh esophageal squamous cell neoplasms and targeted sequencing of 128 genes in 52 archival specimens, of which 26 were cancerous, and 26 were adjacent normal tissue, from Japanese ESCC patients. We found significantly more somatic mutations in TP53 and NOTCH1 , CDKN2A deletions, and CCND1 amplifications in cancerous areas than in non-cancerous areas, consistent with previous studies that have characterized them as tumor suppressors and oncogenes. These data suggest that mutations, deletions, and amplifications, which alter the function of TP53 , NOTCH1 , CDKN2A , and CCND1 , are the key changes that promote the transformation of esophageal mucosa to ESCC.

Background and Aim: The incidence of gastric cancer occurring after successful Helicobacter pylori eradication has been increasing. We aimed to clarify the influence of eradication therapy on the ability to diagnose early gastric cancer after successful H. pylori eradication in patients who underwent annual endoscopic screening. Methods: A total of 220 patients (179 men; mean age 71.0 years) had differentiated-type early gastric cancer that was discovered through annual endoscopic screening. Patients were categorized into 2 groups: the H. pylori-eradicated group (n = 81) and the non-eradicated control group (n = 139). After matching patients by propensity scores, we retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics of 162 patients (81 patients in each group). Furthermore, we compared the characteristics of gastric cancer with submucosal invasion between the 2 groups. Results: The prevalence of early gastric cancer with submucosal invasion was significantly higher in the eradicated group than in the control group, both before propensity score matching (16.0 vs. 7.2%, respectively; p = 0.038) and after propensity score matching of 81 pairs (16.0 vs. 4.9%, respectively; p = 0.021). In the comparative analysis of gastric cancer with submucosal invasion, there was no difference between the 2 groups with respect to factors influencing the ability to diagnose its presence endoscopically. Conclusion: H. pylori eradication therapy increased the prevalence of differentiated-type gastric cancer with submucosal invasion despite patients’ completion of annual endoscopic screening after eradication.

Background: Gastric cancer develops even in Helicobacter pylori-uninfected patients and its typical histological feature is signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) within the mucosal layer. However, the biological characteristics of SRCC remain unclear. We aimed to clarify the pathological and genetic features of SRCC in Helicobacter pylori -uninfected patients.Methods: Seventeen Helicobacter pylori-uninfected patients with mucosal SRCCs were enrolled and their clinicopathological characteristics were compared with those of Helicobacter pylori-infected patients with mucosal SRCCs. Seven SRCCs without Helicobacter pylori infection, including two invasive SRCCs, and seven Helicobacter pylori-positive SRCCs were subjected to a genetic analysis using next-generation sequencing. Results: Helicobacter pylori-uninfected patients with mucosal SRCCs revealed male dominancy and a significantly higher prevalence of smokers among them as compared with the Helicobacter pylori-infected patients with SRCC. A CDH1 mutation (frame shift indel) was detected in one Helicobacter pylori-uninfected cancer not only in the mucosal SRCC but also in the invasive portion. A TP53 mutation was detected in one SRCC without Helicobacter pylori infection. In the control group, ARID1A and TP53 mutations were detected in one SRCC each. The C to A mutation, which is a characteristic smoking-induced mutation, was not found in any of the samples.Conclusions: Some SRCCs in Helicobacter pylori-uninfected patients may have a malignant potential similar to that of SRCCs in Helicobacter pylori-infected patients. Smoking is not a main carcinogenic factor for the development of SRCCs.

Background Gastric cancer develops even in Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori)-uninfected patients and its typical histological feature is signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) within the mucosal layer. However, the biological characteristics of SRCC remain unclear. We aimed to clarify the pathological and genetic features of SRCC in H. pylori-uninfected patients. Methods Seventeen H. pylori-uninfected patients with mucosal SRCCs were enrolled and their clinicopathological characteristics were compared with those of H. pylori-infected patients with mucosal SRCCs. Seven SRCCs without H. pylori-infected, including two invasive SRCCs, and seven H. pylori-infected SRCCs were subjected to a genetic analysis using next-generation sequencing. Results H. pylori-uninfected patients with mucosal SRCCs revealed male dominancy and a significantly higher prevalence of smokers among them as compared with the H. pylori-infected patients with SRCC. A CDH1 mutation (frame shift indel) was detected in one H. pylori-uninfected cancer not only in the mucosal SRCC but also in the invasive portion. A TP53 mutation was detected in one SRCC without H. pylori-infected. In the control group, ARID1A and TP53 mutations were detected in one SRCC each. The C to A mutation, which is a characteristic smoking-induced mutation, was not found in any of the samples. Conclusions Some SRCCs in H. pylori-uninfected patients may have a malignant potential similar to that of SRCCs in H. pylori-infected patients. Smoking may not be the main carcinogenic factor for the development of SRCCs among the H. pylori-uninfected patients.

Sizes and shapes of snow particles were determined from X-ray computed microtomography (micro-CT) images, and their single-scattering properties were calculated at visible and near-infrared wavelengths using a Geometrical Optics Method (GOM). We analyzed seven snow samples including fresh and aged artificial snow and natural snow obtained from field samples. Individual snow particles were numerically extracted, and the shape of each snow particle was defined by applying a rendering method. The size distribution and specific surface area distribution were estimated from the geometrical properties of the snow particles, and an effective particle radius was derived for each snow sample. The GOM calculations at wavelengths of 0.532 and 1.242 µm revealed that the realistic snow particles had similar scattering phase functions as those of previously modeled irregular shaped particles. Furthermore, distinct dendritic particles had a characteristic scattering phase function and asymmetry factor. The single-scattering properties of particles of effective radius reff were compared with the size-averaged single-scattering properties. We found that the particles of reff could be used as representative particles for calculating the average single-scattering properties of the snow. Furthermore, the single-scattering properties of the micro-CT particles were compared to those of particle shape models using our current snow retrieval algorithm. For the single-scattering phase function, the results of the micro-CT particles were consistent with those of a conceptual two-shape model. However, the particle size dependence differed for the single-scattering albedo and asymmetry factor.

Background and Aim: Reddish depressed lesions (RDLs) frequently observed in patients following Helicobacter pylori eradication are indistinguishable from gastric cancer. We examined the clinical and histological feature of RDLs and its relevant endoscopic diagnosis including magnifying narrow-band imaging (M-NBI). Methods: We enrolled 301 consecutive patients with H. pylori eradication who underwent endoscopy using white light imaging (WLI). We examined the prevalence and host factors contributing to the presence of RDLs. Next, we used M-NBI in 90 patients (104 RDLs), and compared the diagnostic efficacy between M-NBI and WLI groups using propensity-score matching analysis. Results: In 301 patients after eradication, 117 (39%) showed RDLs. Male, open-type atrophy, and gastric cancer history were risk factors for RDLs. A gastric biopsy was needed in 83 (71%) during WLI observation and only 2 were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. In M-NBI group, a biopsy was performed in 21 (20%), and 9 were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. A biopsy was required in fewer patients, and the positive predictive value of a biopsy was statistically higher in M-NBI than in the WLI group (p < 0.01). Conclusions: RDLs are frequently observed in high-risk patients for gastric cancer after eradication. M-NBI demonstrated significantly superior diagnostic efficacy with respect to RDL.

It is clinically important to diagnose drug-induced gastric lesions correctly. Recently, the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) has increased worldwide. The histological features induced by PPI have been reported; however, few reports have described endoscopic findings induced by PPI. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the characteristic endoscopic features in PPI users and associated pathogenic factors.We prospectively registered 1007 consecutive participants (70 PPI users and 937 nonusers) who underwent endoscopic examination for cancer screening in three hospitals/clinics. Clinical data and endoscopic findings were recorded in the registration forms. We compared the endoscopic features between the two groups and evaluated contributing factors via univariate and multivariate analyses.Multiple white elevated lesions (MWEL) and cobblestone-like mucosa (CLM) were more commonly observed in PPI users compared with nonusers (p .01). Foveolar hyperplastic polyps were also frequently observed in PPI users but were not statistically significantly different (p = .06). MWEL and CLM were more frequently observed in older patients than in younger patients. MWEL was more frequently observed in female patients than in male patients; however, CLM was predominantly observed in male patients.MWEL and CLM are characteristic endoscopic features in PPI users. A gender-associated difference was noted in terms of the frequency of these lesions.

Backscatter ratios for two kinds of ice crystal models, an irregularly shaped Voronoi aggregates (VA) and a regularly shaped hexagonal columns (COL), are calculated using the geometrical-optics-integral-equation (GOIE) method for volume equivalent sphere radii (Req) ranging from 2.8 to 202.0μm. Ice crystals are assumed to be randomly oriented in three-dimensional (3D) space. Characteristics of the depolarization ratio (δ) and the lidar ratio (L) at a wavelength of 0.532μm and the color ratio (χ) at a wavelength pair of 1.064 and 0.532μm are investigated. The backscatter ratios calculated for VA are generally larger than those for COL. For example, L, δ, and χ for VA are approximately 50~60, 0.5~0.6, and 0.8~0.9, respectively, in the range of Req>10μm; 4~15, 0.2~0.3, and 0.45~0.5 for COL. Effects of deformation of COL on the backscatter ratios are examined by using hexagonal columns with hollowness. It is shown that the L, δ, and χ values significantly increase due to the hollowness. Furthermore, the degree of increase of the backscatter ratios is considerably sensitive to the crystal size and the depth of hollow. On the other hand, backscatter ratios calculated for VA show rather steady values with respect to the number and size of facets.

Backgrounds and Aims: The serological risk-prediction system combined the pepsinogen (PG) test, and anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody is available for evaluation of gastric cancer risk. In this system, chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) or H. pylori infection is diagnosed. Subjects with H. pylori negative and PG test negative (group A) are supposed to be those who have never been infected with H. pylori and are at extremely low risk for gastric cancer. However, a certain proportion of patients with CAG has been identified as the extremely low-risk group (group A). Here we examined endoscopic atrophy and investigated its relationship with the ABC classification system. Methods: We examined 540 patients. All patients underwent an endoscopic examination for evaluating corpus atrophy. Fasting sera were collected and serum PGs and anti-H. pylori antibody (Hp-Ab) titer (E-plate Eiken) were evaluated. Results: Of the 540 patients, 306 were classified into group A. However, 136 of them showed signs of endoscopic atrophy (group A with CAG). Group A with CAG frequently comprised the elderly. A new titer cut-off (Conclusion: The prevalence of group A with CAG patients is a critical problem, especially in elderly subjects.

The serological risk prediction system combines the pepsinogen test and anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibody determination. In this system, chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is diagnosed using the pepsinogen test. Patients who are H. pylori negative and pepsinogen negative are classified into group A, are assumed to be H. pylori uninfected, and are at an extremely low risk for gastric cancer. However, gastric cancers are detected in this group. The aim of this study is to clarify the clinicopathological status of group A patients with gastric cancer. A total of 109 gastric cancer patients classified as group A were enrolled in a multicenter study. Group A patients were divided into two subgroups: group AN (H. pylori uninfected) and group AP (H. pylori infected). They were compared to 183 H. pylori-infected gastric cancer patients who were not in group A. Of the 109 patients, only 7 were classified as group AN; the other 102 were classified as group AP. The clinicopathological features of group AP included older age, predominantly differentiated type cancer, endoscopically visualized CAG, and pepsinogen (PG) I/II ratio lower than that of group AN. In group AN, the depressed type was dominant, and the PG I/II ratio was higher than in those gastric cancer patients who were infected with H. pylori. Patients in group AP had CAG, and their gastric cancers were similar to those of H. pylori-eradicated patients. Concerning the recent ABC classification system, advanced decision criteria should be proposed to decrease the false-negative evaluation of gastric cancer risk.

Background/Aims: Dual red imaging (DRI) is a new, image-enhanced endoscopy technique. There are few reports about the usefulness of DRI during gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). We aimed to examine the usefulness of DRI in endoscopic hemostasis during gastric ESD. Methods: We enrolled a total of 20 consecutive patients who underwent gastric ESD. Five endoscopists compared DRI with white light imaging (WLI) for the visibility of blood vessels and bleeding points while performing endoscopic hemostasis. Results: The visibility of blood vessels was increased in 56% (19/34) of the cases, and the visibility of bleeding points was improved in 55% (11/20) of the cases with the use of DRI compared with the use of WLI. Conclusions: DRI improved the visibility of blood vessels and bleeding points in cases with oozing bleeding, blood pooling around the bleeding points, and multiple bleeding points. Clin Endosc 2020;53:54-59

The incidence of gastric cancer occurring after successful Helicobacter pylori eradication has been increasing. We aimed to clarify the influence of eradication therapy on the ability to diagnose early gastric cancer after successful H. pylori eradication in patients who underwent annual endoscopic screening.A total of 220 patients (179 men; mean age 71.0 years) had differentiated-type early gastric cancer that was discovered through annual endoscopic screening. Patients were categorized into 2 groups: the H. pylori-eradicated group (n = 81) and the non-eradicated control group (n = 139). After matching patients by propensity scores, we retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics of 162 patients (81 patients in each group). Furthermore, we compared the characteristics of gastric cancer with submucosal invasion between the 2 groups.The prevalence of early gastric cancer with submucosal invasion was significantly higher in the eradicated group than in the control group, both before propensity score matching (16.0 vs. 7.2%, respectively; p = 0.038) and after propensity score matching of 81 pairs (16.0 vs. 4.9%, respectively; p = 0.021). In the comparative analysis of gastric cancer with submucosal invasion, there was no difference between the 2 groups with respect to factors influencing the ability to diagnose its presence endoscopically.H. pylori eradication therapy increased the prevalence of differentiated-type gastric cancer with submucosal invasion despite patients' completion of annual endoscopic screening after eradication.

We investigated the spectral refractive indices (RIs) of volcanic ash materials in the wavenumber range of 700–1100 cm− 1 using satellite infrared sounder measurements and radiative transfer calculations. The ash RIs of 10 ash clouds from eight volcanoes were evaluated (Bezymianny on 2 September 2012, Chaiten on 3 May 2008, Kelut on 14 February 2014, Kirishimayama on 27 January 2011, Kliuchevskoi on 30 June 2007 and 18 October 2013, Puyehue–Cordon Caulle on 5 June 2011, Sangeang-Api on 31 May 2014, and Sheveluch on 28 October 2010 and 18 September 2012). We elaborated on a dataset of volcanic ash measurements made by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the Aqua satellite. The measured brightness temperatures in the ash cloud data revealed silicate absorption features at around 10 μm. By applying atmospheric profiles from results of a global data assimilation system and using ash cloud properties (ash optical depth, effective radius, and ash cloud height) as parameters for radiative transfer calculations, least squares analyses for the observed and calculated brightness temperatures were conducted using AIRS channels in the wavenumber range of 700–1100 cm− 1, except for the O3 absorption channels in the range of 980–1070 cm− 1. Using the RIs for typical volcanic rocks in the ascending order of SiO2 content, basalt, andesite, and rhyolite, a mixture of basalt and rhyolite and a mixture of andesite and rhyolite for the ash material were considered. The volume fraction of the mixture was used as a retrieval parameter and as the ash cloud parameter. Using the estimated ash cloud parameters as fixed values, and under the assumption that the RI from the estimated volume fraction had some accuracy in the wavenumber ranges of 850–980 cm− 1 and 1070–1100 cm− 1, the RI imaginary part of each eruptive ash cloud captured by AIRS was then determined from iterative calculations at wavenumbers between 750 cm− 1 and 980 cm− 1. In the wavenumber range of 850–980 cm− 1, the observed brightness temperatures could be approximately simulated using the reported RIs from Pollack, Toon, and Khare (1973) for andesite, basalt, and rhyolite, and their combinations. Furthermore, some estimated RIs were consistent with the reported rock types of the volcanoes, which had been previously classified by compositional analyses in the literature. Our analysis also identified weak absorptions around 750–850 cm− 1, which could not be reproduced by the reported RIs. These weak absorptions were likely due to Si–O and/or Al–O vibrations, which have been proposed in reports from previous laboratory experiments for some silicate glass samples. Our results suggest that the detailed RI of volcanic ash can be determined from an analysis of satellite infrared sounder data. The RI of the ash material estimated from satellite infrared sounder data can be used to improve the ash retrieval algorithms of other satellite measurements. Furthermore, an RI retrieved by sounder measurements may provide diagnostic information regarding volcanic activity from comparisons with the ash RIs from past eruptions.

We investigated the use of backscatter properties of atmospheric ice particles for space-borne lidar applications. We estimated the average backscattering coefficient (β), backscatter color ratio (χ), and depolarization ratio (δ) for ice particles with a wide range of effective radii for five randomly oriented three-dimensional (3D) and three quasi-horizontally oriented two-dimensional (2D) types of ice particle using physical optics and geometrical integral equation methods. This is the first study to estimate the lidar backscattering properties of quasi-horizontally oriented non-pristine ice crystals. We found that the χ–δ relationship was useful for discriminating particle types using Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) data. The lidar ratio (S)–δ relationship, which is determined using space-borne high-spectral-resolution lidar products such as EarthCARE ATLID or future space-borne lidar missions, may also produce robust classification of ice particle types because it is complementary to the χ–δ relationship.

In the original publication of the article, the article title was published with typo. The word "eradiation" should be "eradication" in the article title and keywords.

The backscattering coefficient (β), lidar ratio (S), and depolarization ratio (δ) of ice particles were estimated over a wide range of effective radii to interpret spaceborne 355-nm high-spectral-resolution lidar data from the ATLID sensor onboard the EarthCARE satellite. Five randomly oriented ice particle shapes (3D ice) and two quasi-horizontally oriented particle types (2D ice) were analyzed using five effective angles. The size dependence of β, S, and δ was examined using physical optics and geometrical optics integral equation methods. Differences in β for the same effective radius and ice water content among particle types exceeded one order of magnitude. S-δ relations are useful for inferring ice particle habit and orientation using ATLID data from EarthCARE.

Reddish depressed lesions (RDLs) frequently observed in patients following Helicobacter pylori eradication are indistinguishable from gastric cancer. We examined the clinical and histological feature of RDLs and its relevant endoscopic diagnosis including magnifying narrow-band imaging (M-NBI).We enrolled 301 consecutive patients with H. pylori eradication who underwent endoscopy using white light imaging (WLI). We examined the prevalence and host factors contributing to the presence of RDLs. Next, we used M-NBI in 90 patients (104 RDLs), and compared the diagnostic efficacy between M-NBI and WLI groups using propensity-score matching analysis.In 301 patients after eradication, 117 (39%) showed RDLs. Male, open-type atrophy, and gastric cancer history were risk factors for RDLs. A gastric biopsy was needed in 83 (71%) during WLI observation and only 2 were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. In M-NBI group, a biopsy was performed in 21 (20%), and 9 were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. A biopsy was required in fewer patients, and the positive predictive value of a biopsy was statistically higher in M-NBI than in the WLI group (p0.01).RDLs are frequently observed in high-risk patients for gastric cancer after eradication. M-NBI demonstrated significantly superior diagnostic efficacy with respect to RDL.

The serological risk-prediction system combined the pepsinogen (PG) test, and anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody is available for evaluation of gastric cancer risk. In this system, chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) or H. pylori infection is diagnosed. Subjects with H. pylori negative and PG test negative (group A) are supposed to be those who have never been infected with H. pylori and are at extremely low risk for gastric cancer. However, a certain proportion of patients with CAG has been identified as the extremely low-risk group (group A). Here we examined endoscopic atrophy and investigated its relationship with the ABC classification system.We examined 540 patients. All patients underwent an endoscopic examination for evaluating corpus atrophy. Fasting sera were collected and serum PGs and anti-H. pylori antibody (Hp-Ab) titer (E-plate Eiken) were evaluated.Of the 540 patients, 306 were classified into group A. However, 136 of them showed signs of endoscopic atrophy (group A with CAG). Group A with CAG frequently comprised the elderly. A new titer cut-off (3 U/mL) of the Hp-Ab improved the discrimination of group A with CAG by 8%.The prevalence of group A with CAG patients is a critical problem, especially in elderly subjects.

Biomarkers predicting the response to the anticancer treatment and prognosis in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are required. Recently, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was reported to promote HCC progression and be associated with poor prognosis for patients with HCC. The purpose of this study was to assess serum HMGB1 concentrations before and during sorafenib treatment or hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) and to explore the ability of serum HMGB1 concentrations to predict prognosis. Serum HMGB1 concentrations were measured in 71 and 72 patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib and HAIC, respectively, to assess their usefulness for prediction of the response to the treatment and prognosis. Multivariate analysis identified high HMGB1 at 4 weeks (P = 0.001), high α-fetoprotein (AFP) at baseline (P = 0.025), tumor liver occupying rate (P = 0.009) and modified RECIST (mRECIST, P

We propose a model of irregular shaped ice particles for satellite and ground-based cloud remote sensing applications. Microphysical observations have shown that ice particles generated in convective clouds tend to have highly irregular structures as a result of aggregation process. To simulate such complex structures, we used spatial Poisson–Voronoi tessellations. Furthermore, we adopted fractal-like shapes that were consistent with the proposed mass-dimension and area ratio-dimension relationships of measured cirrus particles. Single-scattering properties of the modeled “Voronoi aggregates” at visible wavelengths with size parameters up to 2246 were estimated from numerical calculations using the finite-difference time-domain method and the geometrical-optics integral-equation method. The phase functions for randomly oriented Voronoi aggregates showed features with no halos in the forward-scattering direction and a flat angular dependence in the side-to-backscattering directions. These characteristics and resultant asymmetry factors agreed with those of measured ice particles. Moreover, we confirmed the weak size and shape dependences of these scattering properties for the Voronoi aggregates, as well as high backscattering depolarization ratios and low linear polarizations.

非球形粒子の散乱特性を計算する幾何光学積分法おいて、積分素面を平行四辺形で表現し光線の位相差を考慮して積分を行うことにより、計算精度を大きく損なうことなく計算効率が向上することを示した。サイズパラメータが50以下の粒子の計算が可能なFDTD法とサイズパラメータが200以上の粒子に適用が可能な簡便な幾何光学手法の間が埋まり、氷晶雲や鉱物性エーロゾルの衛星観測データ解析の高度化等への活用が期待できる。

A method is described for incorporating surface-emitted surface-reflected (SESR) radiation into the infrared emissivity calculation for an anisotropic wind-roughened sea surface slope distribution model that depends on both wind speed and direction. First, the direct emissivity is obtained by ignoring the SESR radiation. Then, the first order SESR emissivity is obtained by using the direct emission as a radiation source. Finally, the ith order SESR emissivity (i ≥ 2) is recursively obtained by using the i-1st SESR emission. Sea surface emissivity up to the second order is calculated for wavelengths of 3.7, 11, and 12 μm at wind speeds of 3, 5, 10, and 15 m/s. Sea surface emissivity derived from the isotropic slope distribution model, which depends only on wind speed, is widely used in radiative transfer models, and validations have been performed through comparisons with measurements. This study examines the applicability of sea surface emissivity calculations to remote sensing measurements with respect to wind speed, emission angle, and the required accuracy of sea surface temperature, by use of sea surface emissivity derived from the anisotropic slope distribution model as a reference. For example, the sea surface temperature accuracy was better than 0.3 K for emission angles below 68° and 56° for isotropic slope distribution models with and without SESR radiation, respectively, for a wavelength of 11 μm, wind speed of 10 m/s, and sea surface temperature of 288 K. The isotropic model without SESR radiation performs well for satellite remote sensing data up to an emission angle of at least ∼50° provided the wind speed is less than ∼10 m/s. Ground based measurements with emission angles larger than 70° could be improved using the anisotropic model with SESR radiation.

We present a shape model of mineral dust particles for use in light-scattering calculations. A spatial Poisson–Voronoi tessellation was applied to simulate the aggregate structure and, therefore, the rough surface of the mineral particles. To develop the shape model, we took into account statistics of shape parameters derived from the cross-sectional areas, maximum dimensions, and perimeters of field-collected dust particles. Light-scattering properties of the modeled Voronoi aggregates were examined by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The results of randomly oriented scattering properties agreed with previously reported laboratory measurements of mineral dust particles.

We derived rain rate, cloud optical thickness and the effective radius in water clouds by a combined use of the Precipitation Radar and the Visible and Infrared Scanner onboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. The derived data were used to study how cloud optical thickness relates to precipitation. In particular, we focused on the changes in cloud optical thickness resulted from changes in the size distributions of cloud droplets associated with precipitation. There were considerable scatter between cloud optical thickness and rain rate on a global scale. However, cloud optical thickness was found to increase with rain rate on average. The tendency to increase was mostly due to increases in liquid water path and depended on rain rate. For strong rain, relatively small increases in the optical thickness with rain rate were observed. Whereas, for weak rain, larger increases with rain rate were found, which is related to considerable changes in liquid water path and in the effective radius of cloud droplets. To study the effects of drop size variation, the relationships between cloud optical thickness and rain rate for same values of liquid water path were analyzed. Results show that there were no significant dependences of cloud optical thickness on rain rate for strong rain. For weak rain, cloud optical thickness was found to decrease with rain rate. In particular, significant differences of optical thickness were found between non-precipitating clouds and precipitating clouds: smaller cloud optical thickness was observed for precipitating clouds. Dispersion of cloud drop size was found in the rain formation process, which may relate to changes in the shape of drop size spectra and leads to the decreases in the cloud optical thickness for precipitating clouds.

A comparison of the physical optics code and GOIE method to solve the problem of light scattering by hexagonal ice crystals has been presented. It was found that in the case of diffraction on a hole in the perpendicular screen, both methods give the same diffraction scattering cross section for the diffraction angles up to 60 degrees. The polarization elements of the Mueller matrix in this case differ significantly even for the angles of 15-30 degrees. It is also shown that in the case of diffraction on the tilted screen, the difference between these methods may be significant. The comparison of the results with the exact solution obtained by FDTD has confirmed that the difference between these methods is not significant for the case of diffraction on the perpendicular screen, but it is slightly preferable to use the GOIE for the calculations. The good agreement with the exact solution confirms the possibility of using the method of physical optics to solve the problem of light scattering by particles with characteristic size greater than 10 microns.

A method is described for incorporating surface-emitted surface-reflected (SESR) radiation into the calculation of infrared sea surface emissivity. Firstly, the direct emissivity is obtained by ignoring SESR emission. Next, the first order SESR emissivity is obtained by using the direct emission as a radiation source. Finally, the i th order SESR emissivity is iteratively obtained by using the i − 1st order SESR emission. Computational results are in good agreement with a Monte Carlo calculation, where the SESR emissivity increases from an emission angle of 50° showing a maximum value of about 0.03 at an emission angle of 80°. The direct emissivity is smaller than the measured emissivity by 0.02∼0.03 around a wavelength of 10 μm at an emission angle of 73.5°. By incorporating the SESR emission into the emissivity model, the discrepancy between the computed and the measured emissivity is significantly reduced. The advantage of the present method over the previous works is that we need not to specify a cutoff angle to differentiate the radiation from the sea and that from the sky for calculating SESR emission. Instead of using a cutoff angle, the probability that radiation originates from the sea is derived from the probability distribution function of sea surface slope. As a result, the uncertainty in the computation of sea surface emissivity attributed to the uncertainty in cutoff angle could be effectively suppressed.

For the purpose of achieving reduction both of NOx, PM (particulate matter) and CO2 by applying DME (Dimethyl ether) to diesel fuel, HE Engineering Corp, Iwatani International Corp. and Daihatsu Diesel Mfg. Co., Ltd. are collaborating to develop a large DME diesel generation system under a subsidy from the METI's “DME Fuel Application Equipment Development Subsidy Program”. In this paper, we introduce investigated subjects on developing the DME diesel engine and present results.

Daily and monthly aerosol optical thickness (AOT) over the ocean, derived from the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS-5) visible data, were compared with those determined from the sun photometer measurements in March and Apri1 2002. Time variations in the daily AOT derived from the GMS-5 showed good agreements with those from the sun photometer measurements. Correlation coefficient between the GMS-5 and the sun photometer derived daily AOTs was 0.85 for 61 samples taken at three sun photometer observation sites; Ryori, Yonagunijima, and Minamitorishima in Japan. The difference of monthly AOT, the GMS-5 minus the sun photometer, in March and April 2002 were −0.03 and 0.03 at Ryori, −0.01 and 0.18 at Yonagunijima, and 0.01 and 0.07 at Minamitorishima, respectively.Monthly regional AOT, defined as the median of the daily AOTs over 30° latitude × 30° longitude region, was calculated in latitude from 60°N to 60°S and in longitude from 80°E to 160°W for March and Apri1 of 2002 and 2003. In the southern hemisphere, monthly regional AOT was less than 0.1; about 0.1∼0.2 in 0°N∼30°N; larger than 0.2 in 30°N∼60°N with a maximum of 0.4∼0.5 in the western region near the Asian continent. AOTs in 2003 were generally smaller than those in 2002 in six regions between 110°E and 160°W of the northern hemisphere, where aerosol loading is most likely affected by the Asian dust. The numbers of regions, in which the AOT increased/decreased/equivalent from 2002 to 2003, were 3/8/1 in March and April, with the AOT changes from 2002 to 2003 to be as large as −0.04∼0.03.

We recently demonstrated that both lisinopril and candesartan, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker, respectively, attenuate pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis in male Wistar Bonn/Kobori (WBN/Kob) rats. The purpose of the present study was to assess whether combination therapy with low doses of both, ineffective when given alone, might synergistically exert protective effects. Lisinopril, candesartan, or a combination of both in drinking water was administered to 10-week-old male WBN/Kob rats for 10 weeks. Parameters of inflammation and fibrosis, positive immunostaining for alpha-smooth muscle actin, and gene expression of cytokine and growth factors were assessed, as well as circulating renin-angiotensin system components. Dose-dependent effects of combination therapy were also investigated. Only combination therapy attenuated gross alterations in the pancreas, as quantitatively confirmed by increases in pancreatic weights and decreases in myeloperoxidase activity, hydroxyproline content, histologic scores, relative fibrosis area, and relative area of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive cells. Combination therapy suppressed up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, platelet-derived growth factor-receptor beta, and transforming growth factor-beta1 mRNA in the pancreas. Dose dependence of combination therapy was recognized with reference to improvement in these parameters. The conclusions are that combination therapy synergistically alleviated pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis in male WBN/Kob rats. This effect may be related to suppression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, platelet-derived growth factor-receptor beta, and transforming growth factor-beta1 mRNA. Compared with the either therapy alone, combination therapy with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker may be more beneficial for treating chronic pancreatitis.

The influence of ice crystal orientation was investigated on retrieving cirrus optical thickness ( τ ) and aspect ratio of ice crystals ( Q ) from satellite measurements using the total and polarized reflectances at a wavelength of 865 nm (r 865 and pr 865 ) . We considered columnar and plate like hexagonal ice crystals whose long axes are randomly oriented in the horizontal plane (2D model) with some amplitude of oscillation expressed by a Gaussian distribution function with the standard deviation of σ . The retrieved τ and Q values significantly depend on the assumption of σ , in particular for the plate type. Furthermore, the relationship between σ and the retrieved values depends on the solar, satellite, and target geometries. In our case study, for one target area, τ value retrieved using the 2D model with σ =5° was approximately twice larger than that using the 2D model with σ =20°, while the retrieved Q value was not significantly influenced by σ . For another target area, the τ (Q) retrieved using the 2D model with σ =5° was about 1.5 (1.8) times larger than that retrieved using the 2D model with σ =20°.

現在，MHフォーマを始めとするブレード型ツインワイヤフォーマ（以下ブレードフォーマと称す）は，その優れた地合形成能力ゆえ，上質紙及び新聞用紙の分野を中心に国内外で広く採用されている。しかしながら，日々増大する高速化及び高紙品質化要求の中で，その原料ジェット着地調整の敏感さ，紙品質表裏差及び低リテンション等改善すべき点も指摘されている。一方，当社が昨年セールスリリースしたMJフォーマに代表されるもう一つのツインワイヤフォーマ：ロールブレード型ツインワイヤフォーマ（以下ロールブレードフォーマと称す）は，原料ジェットの着地調整が容易である，表裏差が少ない及びリテンションが高い等上記ブレードフォーマの欠点を補う特徴を有している。この度，当社は，ブレードフォーマの優れた地合形成能力を維持しつつ，上記ロールブレードフォーマの特徴を従来型ブレードフォーマに適用する技術：VentaShoeテクノロジを開発した。ここでは，その開発コンセプト及び実機検証結果を中心に紹介する。

Optical thickness of the Asian dust aerosols over the ocean near Japan was retrieved from the visible data of the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS-5) from April 7 to 22, 2002 using the method by Masuda et al. [Remote Sens. Environ. 82 (2002) 238] in which the nonsphericity of dust particles was taken into account. The retrieved optical thicknesses were then compared with those derived from the sunphotometer and the skyradiometer measurements. The mean and the standard deviation of the optical thickness difference, GMS minus radiometers, were −0.03 and 0.17, respectively, for 85 samples where the optical thickness ranges from 0.25 to 1.07.

Background & Aims: Pancreatic stellate cells have some similarities to hepatic stellate cells and an intrinsic renin-angiotensin system is present in the pancreas and is enhanced in acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatic hypoxia. We assessed the effects of lisinopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, on spontaneously occurring chronic pancreatitis. Methods: Lisinopril in drinking water (20, 50, or 200 mg/L) was administered to 10-week-old male Wistar Bonn/Kobori (WBN/Kob) rats for 10 weeks and then the inflammatory parameters, fibrosis, serum and pancreatic ACE activity, and expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) messenger RNA (mRNA) as well as positive immunostaining for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were assessed. Results: Lisinopril attenuated gross alterations in the pancreas. This protective effect was confirmed quantitatively by significant increases in pancreatic weights and decreases in pancreatic myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity (an index of granulocyte infiltration), pancreatic hydroxyproline content (an index of collagen deposition), ratio of fibrous tissue, and histologic scores. Lisinopril significantly reduced serum ACE activity but it did not affect pancreatic activity. High doses of lisinopril suppressed the overexpression of TGF-β1 mRNA measured by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and decreased the number of α-SMA-positive cells (activated pancreatic stellate cells) in the pancreas. Conclusions: Lisinopril alleviated chronic pancreatitis and fibrosis in male WBN/Kob rats. It suppressed the expression of TGF-β1 mRNA, resulting in the prevention of pancreatic stellate cell activation, which may be involved in the observed protection. We propose that an ACE inhibitor may be useful for treating chronic pancreatitis.

In Part 1, to clarify the usability of residual oil reclaimed from waste plastics as diesel fuel, the authors evaluated the correlation between the result of FIA ignition test and the calculation result of JIS K2204 Cetane Index.In this report, furthermore, referring to also the fuel density and the distillation characteristics of marine diesel oil, the authors considered the JIS K2204 and the JIS K2280 Cetane Index from ignition characteristics standpoint.

Optical thickness of Asian dust aerosols over the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan were retrieved from the visible data of the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS-5) observed on April 7 and 8, 2000, through look-up tables generated by the doubling and adding method. The retrieved optical thickness, by using conventional spherical particle models, showed unnatural decrease in the middle of day time. The decrease disappeared by the use of the semiempirical theory for nonspherical particles by Pollack and Cuzzi [J. Atmos. Sci. 37 (1980) 868.]. These results are explained by the difference of the phase functions between spherical and nonspherical particles and also the variation of the scattering angle for the target dust area during the satellite measurements. Our results confirm that the use of nonspherical particle model improves the retrieval of dust optical thickness from space.

The effect of ice crystal shape on satellite retrieval of cirrus optical thickness is investigated. The cirrus cloud is assumed to be composed of hexagonal ice crystals randomly oriented in three-dimensional space. Theoretical studies followed by an analysis of ADEOS/POLDER measurements show that the use of total and polarized radiance at a wavelength of 865 nm with multi-directional measurements is useful for improving cirrus optical thickness retrieval from space. The analyses of the POLDER data are performed using the columnar (plate like) hexagonal ice crystal models with aspect ratios ranging from 1.0 to 8.0 (from 0.125 to 1.0). The data observed in the scattering angle range between 60° and 120° are used for retrieval because the polarized reflectance measured in this scattering angle range is very sensitive to the aspect ratio of ice crystals; the total reflectance to cirrus optical thickness. The uncertainty of the retrieved cirrus optical thickness using the total reflectance alone, without considering the effect of aspect ratio, is about 1 for the cirrus cloud with optical thickness of 3–4. This uncertainty is eliminated by taking advantage of the polarized reflectance in retrieval.

This paper describes the results of ignition and combustion characteristics tests conducted on the residual oil produced by the commercial waste plastics oil reclamation system, from the viewpoint of studying its feasibility as a fuel oil for diesel engines. A fuel ignition analyzer (FIA) was used for the ignition test, and a medium-speed diesel engine with 200mm cylinder bore was used for the combustion test. The authors studied combustion performance at different blending ratios of new-reclaimed residual oil to marine diesel oil and at different fuel temperatures, to identify optimal conditions. It is found that the new-reclaimed residual oil (RRO) is distinctly better than MDO in FIA ignition characteristics. Additionally, the analysis results indicate the good correlation between FIA centane number and the centane index (JIS K2204) on blended test fuel oils of RRO.

The purposes of newly developing for MJ series paper machine are to accomplish higher production and operator-friendly operation at 2000 mpm.Since the forming section requires stable sheet forming and good quality of paper on high-speed operation, a suction forming roll at initial drainage zone and the wedge-shape blade was opposing counter blade at mid-mat forming zone are incorporated in MJ former. And today. we are able to propose blade former or roll-blade former according to user needs.In this paper, we present the results of drainage element studies and pilot machine trials.

An atmospheric correction algorithm over the heterogeneous surface on the emergent radiation from the top of the atmosphere is proposed. The surface is simulated by checkerboard type terrain composed of land or ocean pixels. The look-up-table method is used for the atmospheric correction. To investigate the contribution of adjacent pixels, two additional parameters based on the diffuse transmission and reflection function of the atmosphere are introduced. These parameters are independent of the surface reflection properties. At present, the ocean surface is in accordance with the Cox and Munk model surface, whereas that of land is assumed to be Lambertian. The upwelling radiation emerging from the top of the atmosphere is expressed by a sum of radiative interactions between the surface and the atmosphere, and it is simulated using these parameters and combinations until convergence. The present method was developed with reference to currently existing numerical results based on the one-dimensional radiative transfer code. An example of numerical simulation is shown at a wavelength of 0.56 @mm, which corresponds to the representative wavelength of the visible region of spectrum. The dust-like model is used for the aerosols, and the land surface albedo is 0.2 or 0.4. The isotropic ocean wind is 5m/s, and the refractive index is 1.333. The effect of the land surface on the radiance over the ocean is stronger just off the coastal zone and decreases exponentially with increasing distance from the land. It depends upon the solar zenith angle and atmospheric condition as well. The present new version enables us to quantitatively discuss radiative transfer over the heterogeneous surface including the coastal zone. A typical numerical simulation is performed over the Tsukuba lake area in Japan.

The optical thickness and Angstrom coefficient of the aerosols over the ocean near Japan were retrieved from polarization measurements in the visible and near-infrared wavelength regions by the Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER) on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) satellite. The optical thickness over the open sea in the Pacific Ocean was small (

To investigate the feasibility of retrieving spectral aerosol optical thickness from polarization measurements, the degree of polarization of the sky radiation was measured at a 90° angle from the solar direction in the principal plane with a multichannel polarimeter from ships on the Pacific Ocean and on the Inland Sea of Japan in 1997. The direct solar radiation was also measured simultaneously. Both measurements were made at wavelengths (λ) of 443, 490, 565, 670, 765, and 865 nm. A lookup table of the degree of polarization with three parameters (the solar zenith angle, the aerosol optical thickness at λ = 550 nm, and the Angstrom coefficient) was created from radiative transfer calculations. The aerosol model over the ocean is assumed to be composed of the externally mixed “oceanic” and “water soluble” components, whose size distributions are expressed by the lognormal functions. The size distribution parameters and refractive indices are adopted from the International Radiation Commission re...

A multipurpose field radiometer (Optical Research Corporation Model MSR7000) was modified to measure the degree of polarization and radiance of skylight either on the ground or on a ship. The atmospheric observations were performed over Railroad Valley (38°32'N, 115°44'W), Nevada (USA) where the altitude is 1435m in wavelengths from 400nm to 1000nm. The polarization initially increased with increasing wavelength and reached a maximum of 70% at around 500nm. It then decreased with a further increase of wavelength. This trend might be explained by contamination of aerosols in the atmosphere if the surface reflectance is low. Furthermore, at fixed wavelengths polarization decreased generally with increasing sun elevation, whereas the surface reflectance factor increased. Based on a sun-photometer measurement, the atmospheric aerosols were stable during the measurements. In a simulation in which the surface is assumed to be Lambertian with a fixed reflectance, the skylight polarization decreased with increasing sun elevation. The observed magnitude of changing skylight polarization with solar elevation is smaller than that of simulated results. This might be mainly due to neglecting polarization generated by the surface and partly due to neglecting directional dependence of reflectance.