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Magnetic, photocatalytic and antibacterial performance of ZnO NPs were enhanced as doped with Cu.

Immunotherapy with nivolumab for patients with recurrent/metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma has not been evaluated. Here, we aimed to examine the efficacy, safety, and prognostic factors of nivolumab in these patients.This multicentre retrospective observational study involved patients who received nivolumab between April 2017 and June 2019. The patient characteristics were evaluated for association with progression-free and overall survival. Progression-free and overall survival rates were calculated; parameters that were significant in the univariate analysis were used as explanatory variables. Independent factors for progression-free and overall survival were identified using multivariate analysis.Totally, 143 patients were included. The overall response and disease control rates were 27.3% and 46.2%, respectively. The median, 1-year, and 2-year progression-free survival rates were 2.7 months, 25.4%, and 19.2%, respectively; those for overall survival were 11.2 months, 47.3%, and 33.6%, respectively. The independent factors affecting progression-free survival were performance status and immune-related adverse event occurrence, whereas those affecting overall survival were performance status, target disease, and number of previous lines of systemic cancer therapy. Eight patients reported grade ≥3 immune-related adverse events.Nivolumab was effective for recurrent/metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma treatment and was well tolerated by patients.

Secretory carcinoma (SC), previously described as mammary analogue secretory carcinoma, is a new subtype of salivary gland cancer that was added to the World Health Organization’s classification of head and neck tumors in 2017. Although salivary gland cancer in the minor salivary glands is relatively rare, this disease is difficult to diagnose because of its various pathological tissue images and subtypes. In this report, we describe an SC tumor that occurred in the buccal mucosa and originated in the minor salivary glands. The patient was a 53-year-old man who noticed a mass in his right buccal mucosa. The lesion was initially clinically diagnosed as a benign tumor, but was later surgically excised from the patient under local anesthesia at another hospital. The tumor was pathologically diagnosed as malignant and some of the tumor remained following the initial surgery and the patient was referred to our department for additional surgical treatment. After surgical resection under general anesthesia, histopathological examination of the tumor suggested it was SC. Immunohistochemical staining revealed strongly positive staining for S100, vimentin, and mammaglobin and negative staining for DOG-1 and identify of the ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion in the tumor cells. Although no subsequent local recurrence or metastasis was observed three years post-operation in this case, standardized treatment protocols and diagnostic methods are generally still lacking for SC. Salivary gland cancers in the minor salivary glands are relatively rare, but differential and accurate diagnosis is important.

In this work, we show that polarization rotation enhances the piezoresponse in a high-performance lead-free piezoelectric material, Na1/2Bi1/2V1-xTixO3, a solid solution between tetragonal Na1/2Bi1/2VO3 and rhombohedral Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3, obtained by high-pressure synthesis. The system forms a pure perovskite structure with a favorable morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) located around x = 0.90, which separates the tetragonal and rhombohedral phases. In addition, a distinct monoclinic phase with polarization rotation as functions of composition and temperature is observed. XRD measurements revealed the moderately high Curie temperature of 523 K at x = 0.95 in the MPB. The piezoelectric coefficient d33 of the monoclinic x = 0.95 sample, 42 pC/N, is higher than those of the tetragonal and rhombohedral phases. Even though the present lead-free Na1/2Bi1/2V1-xTixO3 ceramics feature smaller d33 values compared to many currently available lead-free piezoelectric materials as a result of insufficient poling and low density, we expect our findings open up opportunities for exploring promising lead-free piezoelectric materials in Na1/2Bi1/2VO3-based perovskites.

A novel A-site deficient quadruple perovskite (Pv) oxide, CuNb2O6, has been successfully obtained by a combination of high-pressure synthesis techniques and topochemical structural transformation. Post-annealing of high-pressure-synthesized Pv-CuNbO3 above 470 K at ambient pressure leads to the formation of Pv-CuNb2O6 due to the topochemical deinsertion of half of the copper ions, which is accompanied by changes in the valence state and coordination environment of the remaining copper ions from triangular coordinated Cu+ into square-planar coordinated Cu2+. A combined structural analysis using synchrotron X-ray and electron diffraction and optical second harmonic generation shows that Pv-CuNb2O6 crystallizes into a non-centrosymmetric cubic structure with the space group I23. Magnetic characterization reveals an antiferromagnetic order below 12 K. We find that this compound exhibits a colossal dielectric constant up to the order of 104. The topochemical cation deinsertion is also found in another high-pressure-synthesized Pv-CuTaO3, which produces cubic Pm Pv-CuTa2O6. The present results are expected to provide a guideline for developing new functional materials.

We report room-temperature (RT) magnetoresistance (MR) in a novel Fe-based perovskite, SrV

Although ameloblastomas are relatively common tumors, they rarely occur in the gingiva or oral mucosa. Most gingival or oral ameloblastomas are peripheral (that is, soft-tissue) ameloblastomas; therefore, an exophytic peripheral lesion from an intraosseous ameloblastoma is unusual. Here, we report a 63-year-old man who had an ameloblastoma with papillomatous proliferation in the lingual gingiva. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined mass in the mandible. These tumors were enucleated intraorally under general anesthesia. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations revealed that the respective tumors were a papilloma and an ameloblastoma, with different origins. The histopathological diagnosis was an intraosseous ameloblastoma with papillary hyperplasia. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful during his 20-month post-enucleation follow-up period.

This study investigates the effects of zoledronic acid (ZA) and compressive force on osteoblast functions, to elucidate the pathogenesis of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). MC3T3-E1 cells were exposed to ZA (1, 10 and 100 µM) to evaluate the effects of ZA on cell proliferation. Furthermore, to investigate the influence of ZA with or without compressive force on osteoblast differentiation, real-time polymerase chain reaction and Alizarin Red S staining were performed. ZA concentrations > 10 μM were highly cytotoxic to MC3T3-E1 cells. Combining 1-μM ZA with compressive force influenced expression levels of osteoblast-related genes and matrix mineralization. The inhibitory effects of ZA on cell proliferation and the combination of ZA and compressive force on osteoblast differentiation may contribute to the pathogenesis of MRONJ.

Introduction In early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC), elective neck dissection (END) is recommended when occult lymph node metastasis is suspected; however, there is no unanimous consensus on the risks and benefits of END in such cases. The management of clinically node-negative (cN0) OTSCC remains controversial. This study, therefore, aimed to evaluate the efficacy of END and its impact on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with cN0 OTSCC. Methods and analysis This is a prospective, multicentre, nonrandomised observational study. The choice of whether to perform END at the same time as resection of the primary tumour is based on institutional policy and patient preference. The primary endpoint of this study is 3-year overall survival. The secondary endpoints are 3-year disease-specific survival, 3-year relapse-free survival and the impact on patient QoL. Propensity score-matching analysis will be performed to reduce selection bias. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the Clinical Research Review Board of the Nagasaki University. The protocol of this study was registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry. The datasets generated during the current study will be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The results will be disseminated internationally, through scientific and professional conferences and in peer-reviewed medical journals., BMJ open, 12 (9), art. no. e059615; 2022

In this work, we show that polarization rotation enhances the piezoresponse in a high-performance lead-free piezoelectric material, Na

Spontaneous polarization (

Spontaneous polarization (Ps) of novel order-disorder type lead-free ferroelectric CaMnTi2O6 was successfully enhanced by partial V4+ substitution for Ti4+. A synchrotron X-ray diffraction study revealed that the polar displacement of octahedrally coordinated (Ti, V) in CaMn(Ti1-xVx)2O6 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) increases with V4+ substitution having Jahn-Teller activity owing to the d1 electronic configuration. Our magnetic study suggested the presence of antisite disorder between Ca2+ and square planar coordinated Mn2+ associated with Mn-V intermetallic charge transfer for x ≥ 0.4, resulting in decreases in spontaneous polarization and the ferroelectric-paraelectric transition temperature. This is the first report on the enhanced polarization owing to the Jahn-Teller distortion of V4+ without stereochemical Pb2+ or Bi3+.

Spin state transitions and intermetallic charge transfers can essentially change material structural and physical properties while excluding external chemical doping. However, these two effects have rarely been found to occur sequentially in a specific material. In this article, we show the realization of these two phenomena in a perovskite oxide PbCoO

We construct the non-stationary Ruijsenaars functions (affine analogue of the Macdonald functions) in the special case $\kappa=t^{-1/N}$, using the intertwining operators of the Ding-Iohara-Miki algebra (DIM algebra) associated with $N$-fold Fock tensor spaces. By the $S$-duality of the intertwiners, another expression is obtained for the non-stationary Ruijsenaars functions with $\kappa=t^{-1/N}$, which can be regarded as a natural elliptic lift of the asymptotic Macdonald functions to the multivariate elliptic hypergeometric series. We also investigate some properties of the vertex operator of the DIM algebra appearing in the present algebraic framework; an integral operator which commutes with the elliptic Ruijsenaars operator, and the degeneration of the vertex operators to the Virasoro primary fields in the conformal limit $q \rightarrow 1$.

International audience; We report a perovskite oxide with a new type of polar structure, CuNbO3, thanks to the use of high-pressure and high-temperature synthesis. The perovskite-type CuNbO3 was previously obtained under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, but its crystal structure has not been solved yet. Our structural analysis reveals that CuNbO3 perovskite crystallizes in a polar monoclinic space group (Pc) with a root 2 a(pc) x root 2 a(pc ) x 2a(pc) unit cell (a(pc) being the pseudo-cubic lattice parameter), which VT, is one maximal nonisomorphic subgroup of the polar rhombohedral space group, R3c. This compound exhibits a remarkable "noncollinear ferrielectric" structure due to parallel displacements of Cu+ and antiparallel displacements of Nb5+ along different axes, representing a new type of polar phase in the perovskite structure. We also observe that the noncollinear ferrielectric Pc s tructure transforms around 470 K into the collinear ferroelectric R3c structure that features parallel displacements of Cu+ and Nb5+ in the same direction. The present work extends the accessible composition range of the perovskite niobate series and demonstrates the role of A-O covalency in determining their crystal structures.

Teratoid cysts are rare congenital cysts that represent less than 1.6% of all intraoral dermoid cysts. We report a case of teratoid cyst in the sublingual region. A 36-year-old man was referred to Akita University Hospital for painless swelling in the sublingual region. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined mass in the sublingual region. The cyst was enucleated via intraoral approach under general anesthesia. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination revealed that the cyst was lined with squamous and pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelia containing cartilage and smooth muscle. The histopathological diagnosis was a teratoid cyst. The postoperative course was uneventful during the follow-up period of 6 months after enucleation.

Oncocytomas are benign salivary gland neoplasms that represent approximately 1.5% of all salivary gland tumors. The majority of these tumors occur in the parotid gland, and few occur in the submandibular gland. We report a rare case of oncocytoma of the submandibular salivary gland. A 73 year-old female presented to our hospital with submandibular soft swelling and pain of two months duration. Fine needle aspiration, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a benign submandibular tumor. A conventional resection of the submandibular gland was performed. Pathological and immunohistochemical examination showed oncocytoma of the submandibular gland. There are few articles about submandibular oncocytoma. This case is expected to contribute to future diagnosis and treatment of oncocytoma of the submandibular gland.

BACKGROUND Excessive Rho/Rho-kinase pathway activation occurs subsequent to stroke. We examined the neuroprotective effects of pre- and posttreatment with fasudil (a Rho-kinase inhibitor) in a rat transient spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion model under normothermic conditions. METHODS After approval by our animal research committee, male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to 1 of 6 groups: pre- and postcontrol (C); pre- and postfasudil (F); and pre- and postsham (S). Fasudil (10 mg/kg) or normal saline was administered intravenously over 30 minutes before ischemia in the pre-F or pre-C groups, and over 30 minutes after reperfusion in the post-F or post-C groups. Sham groups were not subjected to ischemia. Ischemia was induced by aortic occlusion using a balloon catheter combined with hypotension for 10 minutes. Neurologic deficit scores (NDS; 0-8 points) were assessed 1, 7, and 14 days after ischemia, and then histopathologic outcomes were assessed. RESULTS NDS 7 and 14 days after ischemia in the pre-F group (median [range]; 3.5 [2-6] and 2.5 [0-6]) were lower than those in the pre-C group (5.5 [4-7] and 4.5 [4-6]; P = .046 and P = .049), whereas NDS in the post-F group and in the post-C group were not different. The numbers of intact neurons in the gray matter in the pre- and post-F groups (mean ± standard deviation [95% confidence interval]: 25 ± 7 [20-30] and 16 ± 5 [12-19]) were greater than those in the pre- and post-C groups (11 ± 5 [7-14] and 9 ± 3 [7-11]; P < .001 and P = .002). The number of intact neurons in the post-F group (16 ± 5 [12-19]) was lower than the number in the post-S group (26 ± 2 [24-29]; P < .001). The percentages of vacuolation in the white matter in the pre- and post-F groups (21.5 ± 8.4 [15.5-27.5] and 13.6 ± 7.4 [8.3-18.9]) were lower than those in the pre- and post-C groups (43.7 ± 10.4 [36.3-51.1] and 40.6 ± 12.3 [31.8-49.4]; P < .001 and P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrated that intravenous fasudil administered before ischemia improved both neurologic and histopathologic outcomes even 14 days after ischemia, while fasudil administered postinsult improved histopathologic outcomes only in normothermic rats. Fasudil may be a relevant pretreatment paradigm for planned procedures at risk for spinal cord ischemia.

We report an autopsy case of a 25-year-old man with no medical history who died suddenly in an Internet cafe. He was found in cardiorespiratory arrest and did not respond to cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Traumatic lesions were not observed on his body. An autopsy was performed to investigate the cause of death. Upon examination, we discovered a heart tumor that infiltrated from the outside wall to the outflow tract of the left ventricle. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction due to a cardiac tumor was considered the mechanism of death. Histological examination identified an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT). The final diagnosis was death secondary to circulatory failure due to a cardiac IMT. Additionally, a cardiac tumor was diagnosed using post-mortem computed tomography. Only few cases of sudden unexpected death due to cardiac IMT have been reported; we report this case along with a review of the literature.

Octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite have been recognized as bone substitute materials possessing osteoconductivity and biodegradation properties. We evaluated the effectiveness of octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite used for bone augmentation in major oral and maxillofacial surgeries in a clinical trial. Octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite were used in cases of sinus floor elevation in 1- and 2-stage, socket preservation, cyst, and alveolar cleft procedures. A total of 60 patients were evaluated for effectiveness after the implantation of octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite. Although sinus floor elevation in 1-stage, cyst, and alveolar cleft cases met the criteria for the judgment of success, sinus floor elevation in 2-stage and socket preservation groups did not meet the criteria in the initial evaluation. However, an additional evaluation for reconfirmation revealed the effectiveness of octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite in those groups, and all evaluation results ultimately indicated the success of this clinical trial. Therefore, this clinical trial suggested that application of octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite for oral and maxillofacial surgery was safe and effective and that octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite could be a bone substitute candidate instead of autologous bone.

An explicit formula is obtained for the generalized Macdonald functions on the $N$-fold Fock tensor spaces, calculating a certain matrix element of a composition of several screened vertex operators. As an application, we prove the factorization property of the arbitrary matrix elements of the multi-valent intertwining operator (or refined topological vertex operator) associated with the Ding--Iohara--Miki algebra (DIM algebra) with respect to the generalized Macdonald functions, which was conjectured by Awata, Feigin, Hoshino, Kanai, Yanagida and one of the authors. Our proof is based on the combinatorial and analytic properties of the asymptotic eigenfunctions of the ordinary Macdonald operator of $A$-type, and the Euler transformation formula for Kajihara and Noumi's multiple basic hypergeometric series. That factorization formula provides us with a reasonable algebraic description of the 5D (K-theoretic) Alday-Gaiotto-Tachikawa (AGT) correspondence, and the interpretation of the invariance under the preferred direction from the point of view of the $SL(2,\mathbb{Z})$ duality of the DIM algebra., 54 pages, 2 figures

The aim of this study was to investigate the bone resorption effect of the mediators delivered in joint cavity of patients with mandibular condyle fractures by detecting osteoclast markers using cellular biochemistry methods, and by analysing bone resorption activities via inducing osteoclast differentiation of the infiltrated cells from arthrocentesis. Sixteen joints in 10 patients with mandibular condyle fractures were evaluated. The control group consisted of synovial fluid (SF) samples from seven joints of four volunteers who had no clinical signs or symptoms involving the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) or disc displacement. We collected SF cells from all patients during therapeutic arthrocentesis. The infiltrating cells from TMJ SF were cultured, differentiated into tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclast-like cells and examined bone resorption activities. We also investigated factors related to osteoclast induction of SF, using ELISA procedures. Osteoclast-like cells were induced from the SF cells obtained from all patients with condylar fractures. These multinucleated giant cells were positive for TRAP and actin, and had the ability to absorb dentin slices. The levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), soluble form of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (sRANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), in SF samples from the patients, were significantly higher than in the controls. These findings indicate that bone resorption activities in SF from patients with mandibular condyle fractures were upregulated and may participate in the pathogenesis and wound healing.

To prevent the self-reduction of the Cu2O photocathode for solar hydrogen production, we developed a compositing process of a highly crystalized TiO2 layer on the Cu2O photocathode using an excimer-laser-assisted metal-organic deposition (ELAMOD) process. The TiO2 layer was successfully crystalized without oxidation of Cu2O to CuO mainly owing to a photothermal effect with nanosecond duration time induced by laser absorption of the TiO2 precursor while the crystallization of the TiO2 layer by usual furnace heating process was accompanied by oxidation of Cu2O which degrade the water reduction ability. On the TiO2/Cu2O photocathode prepared by ELAMOD process, the self-reduction of Cu2O did not occur and then photocurrent due to water reduction was constant with reaction time while on the bare Cu2O photocathode, the photocurrent decreased owing to the occurrence of the self-reduction. This indicated that reaction stability of the photocathode was largely enhanced after compositing of the crystallineTiO2 layer. This ELAMOD process would be applicable for any kinds of chemically unstable photoelectrodes containing non-oxides such as sulfides and phosphides, and therefore any kinds of photoelectrodes would have potentials toward a practical use by improving their chemical stabilities.