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ABSTRACT Background The expansion of preoperative immunochemotherapy has led to an increase in the number of patients with lung cancer receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Therefore, oncologists should manage a variety of immune‐related adverse events (irAEs). One of the rare, life‐threatening, and recently proposed irAEs is cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Although the standard treatment of irAE is systemic administration of steroids, it has been suggested that tocilizumab may be an effective treatment option for CRS. Case This case describes a 69‐year‐old man with stage IIIA lung adenocarcinoma who received chemotherapy and nivolumab, which is an ICI, as neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy. After the first administration, the patient developed severe skin rash, fever, and arthralgia. We suspected irAEs and administered systemic steroids. However, fever and arthralgia did not improve, although the skin rash disappeared. These were also significant challenges for surgery. Noting the elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, we consulted a rheumatologist. Finally, we decided to terminate neoadjuvant therapy after one cycle and administer tocilizumab. Tocilizumab dramatically improved the patient's symptoms and allowed him to undergo radical surgery. Pathological findings revealed that the patient achieved a major pathological response. Conclusion This indicates the potential effectiveness of early tocilizumab administration for ICI‐induced CRS, even in mild cases.

Investigation of magnetic properties and nanostructure of FePt-B2O3 granular film with carbon buffer layer (BL) of various thicknesses is reported. When the thickness of carbon BL is varied from 0 to 0.6 nm, saturation magnetization (Msfilm) is almost constant at around 750 emu/cm3 and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (Ku⊥film) changes from around 1.0×107 to 2.0×107 erg/cm3. For the granular film with the carbon BL thicker than 0.6 nm, both Msfilm and Ku⊥film decrease. The reduction of Msfilm for the granular film by adding a carbon BL may be due to the alloying of carbon into the FePt magnetic grains. The enhancement of Ku⊥film for the film with a 0.6 nm carbon BL is considered due to the reduction of the in-plane texture component which is supported by the in-plane XRD. The reduction of Ku⊥film for the film with a carbon BL thicker than 0.6 nm is considered due to random growth of magnetic grains on a continuous carbon BL which is supported by the TEM cross-section images. According to these results, the employment of an un-continuous thin carbon BL is a promising method to enhance c-axis texture orientation of the FePt-oxide granular films.

Abstract Background Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)‐positive lung cancer has a better long‐term prognosis with ALK‐inhibitor than other lung cancers. However, resistance to ALK‐inhibitors and the control of metastases in the central nervous system (CNS) remain to be a challenge in the management of ALK‐positive lung cancer. Case We present the case of a 23‐year‐old man who developed multiple brain metastases while receiving alectinib treatment for ALK‐positive lung cancer. After 3 months of lorlatinib initiation, brain metastases disappeared, and complete response (CR) was maintained. Conclusion While lorlatinib can be used as first line therapy, this drug may be considered as second line or later option for patients with multiple brain metastases if the patient has already been treated with other ALK‐inhibitors since lorlatinib is thought to have good CNS penetration. This treatment option should be verified by further research.

A systematic investigation of the magnetic properties and nanostructure of FePt-nitride granular films with nitride of various melting points (Tm) is reported. When Tm of nitride grain boundary materials (GBMs) is varied from 1650 to 3305 °C, the saturation magnetization (Msfilm) changes from 710 to 570 emu/cm3. The Msfilm of FePt-nitride is similar to that of FePt-oxide granular films, almost varies linearly against Tm. At almost the same Tm, FePt-nitride shows a higher Msfilm of around 70 emu/cm3 compared to that of FePt-oxide granular films. According to the torque measurement result of the saturated torque coefficient with fourfold components (L4θsat), FePt-nitride shows a smaller L4θsat than that of FePt-oxide granular films, which suggests that FePt-nitride has a smaller content of the in-plane component than that of FePt-oxide granular films. This is supported by the in-plane x-ray diffraction profile measurement, where FePt-nitride has a smaller integral intensity of (001) diffraction of the L10-FePt phase than FePt-oxide granular films. With further promotion of grain separation, nitrides are more promising GBMs than oxides due to their high Msfilm and smaller content of the in-plane component.

Abstract Peritoneal dissemination is a major metastatic pathway for gastrointestinal and ovarian malignancies. The miR-29b family is downregulated in peritoneal fluids in patients with peritoneal metastases (PM). We examined the effect of miR-29b on mesothelial cells (MC) which play critical a role in the development of PM through mesothelial-mesenchymal transition (MMT). Human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) were isolated from surgically resected omental tissue and MMT induced by stimulation with 10 ng/ml TGF-β1. MiR-29b mimics and negative control miR were transfected by lipofection using RNAiMAX and the effects on the MMT evaluated in vitro. HPMC produced substantial amounts of miR-29b which was markedly inhibited by TGF-β1. TGF-β1 stimulation of HPMC induced morphological changes with decreased expression of E-cadherin and calretinin, and increased expression of vimentin and fibronectin. TGF-β1 also enhanced proliferation and migration of HPMC as well as adhesion of tumor cells in a fibronectin dependent manner. However, all events were strongly abrogated by simultaneous transfection of miR-29b. MiR-29b inhibits TGF-β1 induced MMT and replacement of miR-29b in the peritoneal cavity might be effective to prevent development of PM partly through the effects on MC.

BackgroundThe peritoneal cavity contains many site-specific immune cells which constitute a unique immune microenvironment. However, it is unclear how the local immune signature is altered in patients with peritoneal metastases (PM).MethodsPeritoneal lavage fluid or ascites were obtained from 122 patients with various stages of gastric cancer (GC). Cells recovered from peritoneal fluids were immunostained with mAbs for lymphocyte-, macrophage- and tumor cell-specific antigens and the frequencies of leukocyte subsets and antigen expression levels were evaluated with multi-color flowcytometry.ResultsThe proportions of CD8(+) T cells, CD3(+)CD56(+) NKT-like cells, and CD3(-)CD56(+) NK cells to CD45(+) leukocytes were significantly reduced in patients with PM compared to those without PM. In patients with PM, the rates of CD8 (+) T cells and NKT-like cells correlated inversely with the tumor leukocyte ratio (TLR), the relative frequency of CD326(+) tumor cells to CD45(+) leukocytes. In contrast, the proportion of CD19(+) B cells was significantly increased in patients with PM, and their proportion correlated positively with the TLR and peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) score. In patients with PM, CD14(+) macrophages tended to be increased with enhanced expression of CD14, CD16 and a M2-macrophage marker, CD163. In particular, macrophages in patients with high TLR contained many granules with high side scatter and CD14 expression in their flow profile compared to those without PM.ConclusionPM are accompanied by a drastic change in phenotypes of lymphocyte and macrophage in the peritoneal cavity, which might be involved in the development and progression of intraperitoneal tumor growth.

The spin Hall effect, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, Rashba effect, etc. are extremely important effects for the development of the conduction phenomenon of spin electronics due to the breaking of the spatial inversion symmetry of the hetero interface made of heavy metals such as Pt and W. These are due to SOI (spin-orbit interaction). Most of these studies have been conducted in the frequency domain below GHz, and there are few studies in the energy domain of light. Therefore, in the region of light energy, the magnetic optical Kerr effect spectra of the TbCo/Pt hetero-structured film with large SOI from the Pt interface and the TbCo/Cu hetero-structured film with small SOI from the Cu interface were measured, and the permittivity tensors were investigated respectively. As a result, in the TbCo/Pt hetero-structured film, the dielectric constant off-diagonal component real part of the thin TbCo layer increased about twice as much as that of bulk TbCo in the energy region smaller than 2.5 eV. However, this increase was not observed in the TbCo/Cu hetero-structured film. This result suggests that the influence of the Pt hetero interface where the spatial inversion symmetry is broken may appear even in the energy region of light. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that TbCo/W hetero-structured film using W with a large SOI has the same increasing effect as that of the TbCo/Pt.

Abstract Background The association between the development of checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) with tumor response and survival has remained unclear so far. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between CIP and the clinical efficacy of anti‐programmed cell death‐1 antibody in patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Between January 2016 and August 2019, 203 advanced NSCLC patients were administered with nivolumab or pembrolizumab. Comparisons were made between patients with and without CIP. We evaluated the time‐to‐treatment failure (TTF), progression‐free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results CIP was observed in 28 (14%) patients. CIP was associated with a longer PFS (18.9 months [95% confidence interval, CI: 8.7 months–not reached] vs. 3.9 months [95% CI: 3.4–5.1 months, p

Abstract Background Leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumor that could originate from the gastrointestinal tract, uterus, kidney, retroperitoneum, and the soft tissues of the extremities. It accounts for only 1% of all gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors and primary leiomyosarcoma of the stomach is extremely rare. Most cases reported as leiomyosarcoma of the stomach before the development of KIT immunohistochemistry might be gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) of the stomach and only 18 cases of leiomyosarcoma of the stomach have been reported since early 2000s. We report here a patient with leiomyosarcoma of the stomach treated by laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery (LECS). Case presentation A 59-year-old man was referred to our hospital for an early gastric cancer, which was initially treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection. Six months after his initial treatment, a follow-up esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a small polypoid lesion at the lesser curvature of the proximal stomach, which appeared to be a hyperplastic polyp. However, one and a half years later, the lesion grew and showed more irregular surface. Biopsy at the time revealed smooth muscle cell proliferation suggestive of leiomyoma. Three years later, the lesion grew even larger and biopsy showed pleomorphic spindle cells. Immunohistochemical study showed positive staining for alpha-smooth muscle actin and desmin, but negative for c-kit and CD34. Ki-67 labeling index was nearly 60%. Based on these findings, the diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma was established. The patient subsequently underwent a partial gastrectomy by LECS. The patient is currently in good condition without recurrence or metastasis at 12 months after surgery. Conclusions Leiomyosarcoma of the stomach is extremely rare. This is the first report of leiomyosarcoma of the stomach treated by LECS. We could also follow its appearance change through endoscopic examination for 3 years.

Abstract Background Little is known about the difference in the severity of cardioembolic (CE) stroke between patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) and persistent/permanent AF (PerAF). We assessed stroke severity in patients with CE stroke divided by the type of AF. Methods Three hundred and fifty-eight consecutive patients with CE stroke within 48 h of onset and with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤ 1 before onset were studied. We compared basic characteristics, stroke severity, and functional outcome between patients with PAF (n = 127) and PerAF (n = 231). Results Patients with PerAF were more likely to take oral anticoagulants (OACs) than those with PAF (37% vs. 13%, P 8) on admission (odds ratio [OR] to PAF = 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–2.98; P = 0.02) and of an mRS score ≥ 3 at discharge (OR = 2.07; 95% CI 1.24–3.46; P = 0.006). Patients with PerAF had three times more internal carotid artery occlusion evaluated by magnetic resonance angiography, which indicated a more severe cerebral embolism compared with patients with PAF. Conclusions We found underuse of OAC in high risk AF patients with CE stroke. PerAF is significantly associated with severe stroke on admission and an unfavorable functional outcome at discharge in Japanese patients with CE stroke.

Abstract Background Despite recent progress in systemic chemotherapy, the prognosis of patients with peritoneal metastases from gastric cancer is still poor. Efficacious intraperitoneal and systemic combination chemotherapy regimens to treat patients with peritoneal metastases have recently been developed. Case presentation A 74-year-old man with gastric cancer T4b (transverse mesocolon) N3 M1 (peritoneum) received combination chemotherapy with intraperitoneal administration of paclitaxel, intravenous oxaliplatin, and oral S-1. Eight courses of combined chemotherapy had remarkable anti-tumor effects on the primary lesion, lymph node metastases, and peritoneal metastases. Total gastrectomy with regional lymph node dissection was performed. Pathological examination revealed no viable tumor cells in the resected specimens. After gastrectomy, the patient received 25 courses of the same chemotherapy without oxaliplatin and has no evidence of recurrence 24 months later. Discussion Therapeutic approaches including systemic chemotherapy, extended resection, and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy have been used to treat patients with peritoneal metastases. Repeat therapy with intraperitoneal paclitaxel has been used recently. Intraperitoneal administration of paclitaxel results in prolonged retention in the peritoneal cavity with effects against peritoneal metastases. Repeated administration of paclitaxel does not cause adhesions in the peritoneal cavity. When combination chemotherapy is effective, salvage gastrectomy is a promising option with minimal morbidity and mortality. Conclusion Combined chemotherapy with intraperitoneal paclitaxel and systemic chemotherapy followed by gastrectomy is a promising strategy for patients with advanced gastric cancer and peritoneal metastases.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy has the potential to enhance clinical outcomes by increasing anti-tumor immune responses in the presence of abundant tumor-derived antigen in an immune microenvironment that has not been exposed to previous therapy. The current mainstay of advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treatment remains surgery and radiotherapy with/without conventional chemotherapy. Despite this multi-modality treatment, advanced human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative HNSCC shows poor prognosis. Treatment intensification with neoadjuvant (induction) chemotherapies with platinum drugs are insufficient to significantly prolong overall survival. Although only 15-20% of patients benefit, immunotherapies have been approved and widely used for recurrent and metastatic HNSCC. These successes have led to checkpoint blockade therapies being testing in earlier treatment settings. Recent clinical trials of neoadjuvant immunotherapy show promising results and this methodology has the potential to change the treatment algorithm of HNSCC. This overview examines the treatment history of neoadjuvant approaches for HNSCC, and especially focuses on the recent topics of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for HNSCC.

The dependence of the degree of order and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (Ku⊥) on magnetic layer thickness (dmag) for FePt granular films with various grain boundary materials (GBMs) were investigated. According to the analysis for granular films with a constant GBM volume of 30 vol%, the order, disorder, and non-epitaxial portions co-existed in the FePt granular films. From the separate quantitative evaluation for these portions, the following was found; 1) the degree of order and magnitudes of Ku⊥ for disorder and order portions against dmag were constant, while the film average evaluation resulted in the dependence of the degree of order and Ku⊥ on dmag and the positive correlation between the grain diameter and the degree of order, 2) for the order portion, Ku⊥ had linear correlation with the degree of order, 3) the magnitude of Ku⊥ and the degree of order for the order portion depended on GBM.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are well suited for cancer vaccination strategies. In addition to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and endogenous retrovirus (ERV) encoded proteins, HNSCCs have a relatively high tumor mutational burden encoding potential neoepitopes. Peptide vaccine candidates are prioritized by predicted high-affinity to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I with MHC-II affinity largely not being considered. Herein, we extend previous studies to evaluate therapeutic vaccination in the mouse oral cancer (MOC) 22 model. Two distinct MOC22 derived SLPs were tested – a TSA-oriented mutant intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (mICAM1) and p15E, an ERV encoded antigen. In silico prediction revealed mICAM1 SLP bore strong MHC-I and MHC-II epitopes sharing a mutant residue with vaccination significantly increasing both antigen-specific IFN-γ producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. By contrast, p15E SLP had a predicted high-affinity MHC-I epitope but lacked an MHC-II epitope and vaccination induced antigen-specific CD8+ but not CD4+ T cell responses. Therapeutic mICAM1 vaccination attenuated tumor growth effectively with mICAM1-specific T cells displaying durable IFN-γ production compared with p15E SLP. Furthermore, mICAM1 SLPs carrying weakened MHC-II binding epitopes were unable to control tumor growth. These data underscore the potential value of therapeutic targeting of HNSCC epitopes and highlight the importance of studying distinct antigen classes in this setting. Moreover, they raise the possibility that, at least in part, CD4+ T cell help is critical for cancer vaccination in this preclinical HNSCC model and suggest in silico prediction approaches prioritize overlapping MHC-I and MHC-II epitopes to generate potent cancer vaccines.

Background: Ossifying fibroma arising in the sinonasal tract is rare. Its treatment includes complete resection; however, this can be challenging to perform due to the well-vascularized nature of the fibroma. Some surgical techniques can control intraoperative hemorrhage; however, to date, no reports have assessed the use of preoperative embolization. Methods: We report a case of a child with ossifying fibroma arising from the ethmoid sinus, which was resected by endoscopic surgery using preoperative transarterial embolization. Conclusions: Embolization was effective in decreasing intraoperative hemorrhage. No complications related to the procedure or operation were encountered. Preoperative embolization should be considered for better control of the bleeding that occurs in ossifying fibromas, similar to that in other well-vascularized tumors. Keywords: Preoperative embolization, Pediatric ossifying fibroma, Paranasal ossifying fibroma, Endoscopic skull base surgery

Investigation of magnetic properties and nanostructure of stacked media with a CoPt-B2O3 granular recording layer (GRL) and granular cap layers (CL) with CoPt and a typical ferromagnetic oxide of rare earth (RE) oxide (RE oxide: Gd2O3, Nd2O3, Sm2O3, and CeO2) are reported. CoPt-RE oxide granular layer shows higher saturation magnetization and magnetic anisotropy than that of CoPtCrB continuous layer. In stacked media with CoPt-Gd2O3 granular CL (9 nm), nucleation field increases from 0.7 to 0.8 kOe and saturation field decreases from 21.5 to 12.5 kOe with comparable values to those of CoPtCrB continuous CL. This indicates that CoPt-RE oxide granular CL is effective to control intergranular exchange coupling. Reduction of coercivity distribution ratio (∆Hc/Hc) from 0.15 to 0.09 which is comparable to that of CoPtCrB continuous CL when CoPt-Gd2O3 granular CL thickness is changed from 4 to 9 nm is observed. This means CoPt-Gd2O3 granular CL is effective to reduce switching field distribution. Furthermore, significant reduction of surface roughness (Ra) for media with CoPt-Gd2O3 granular CL (9 nm) from 0.32 to 0.25 nm is observed. This reveals that CoPt-RE oxide granular CL has a great impact to induce stacked media with flat surface. Based on the cross-section observation by TEM, the media with CoPt-Gd2O3 granular CL shows continuous structure of grain boundaries from the GRL up to the CL and which results in one-on-one growth of magnetic grain with homogeneous columnar structure. Focusing on the surface morphology, media with CoPt-Gd2O3 granular CL shows smoother surface than that of media with CoPtCrB continuous CL which supports the Ra evaluation result. These results indicate that the employment of granular CoPt-RE oxide for CL is not only to reduce switching field distribution but also to flatten surface of the stacked media.

The α′′-Fe16N2 has attracted much interest as a candidate for semi-hard magnetic materials. As reported coercivity of α′′-Fe16N2 nanoparticles so far were not high, it is necessary to improve magnetocrystalline anisotropy of α′′-phase to be used practically. Since theoretical calculation suggests a possibility of the improvement of magnetocrystalline anisotropy by substituting of Fe with Co, we challenged to make α′′-(Fe1-xCox)16N2 nanoparticles by hydrogen reduction of α-(Fe1-xCox)OOH as a starting material changing X from 0 to 0.1. We were able to produce α-(Fe1-xCox) nanoparticles through (Fe0.98Co0.02)OOH, and (Fe0.95Co0.05)OOH and (Fe0.95Co0.05)2O3. Sintering occurred during reduction and crystallite diameter D increased with increasing reduction temperature. α′′-(Fe1-xCox)16N2 phase containing α-(Fe,Co) nanoparticles were obtained only at reduction of 340 °C for 4 h and nitridation of 170 °C for 5 h for X = 0.02. It has been revealed that α′′-(Fe1-xCox)16N2 or α′′-Fe16N2 could be formed below D = 50 nm of α-(Fe,Co) or α-Fe. And containing Co make it more difficult to produce α′′-phase. It can be said that the formation of α′′-(Fe1-xCox)16N2 is subject to a limit of D and Co content. Long time nitridation is only way to increase the formation yield of α′′-(Fe1-xCox)16N. High Hc = 2000 Oe was obtained for α′′-(Fe0.98Co0.02)16N2 by changing nitridation time 10 hours from 5 hours. Further long nitradation is expected to increase in Hc of α′′-(Fe0.98Co0.02)16N2.

Investigation of magnetic properties and microstructure of granular media with various multiple oxides as the grain boundary material is reported. Saturation magnetization (Ms), uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy (Ku), and magnetic grain diameter (GD) of the granular media show linear correlation with volume weighted average for melting point (Tm) of each oxides (Tmave). Ku of magnetic grains (Kugrain) shows a trade-off relation with GD that it is a big challenge to satisfy both high Kugrain and small GD by only controlling Tmave. To obtain a granular medium with appropriate Kugrain, GD, and low degree of intergranular exchange coupling, the combination of Tmave control of grain boundary material by mixing oxides and employment of a buffer layer are required. Here the degree of intergranular exchange coupling is estimated from the slope of M-H loop at around coercivity (α). By applying this technique, a typical granular medium with Kugrain of 1.0×107 erg/cm3, GD of 5.1 nm, and α of 1.2 is realized.

Surface morphology of the MgO layer and magnetic properties of FePt-C layer deposited on the MgO were investigated for the FePt-based heat assisted magnetic recording media. Stacking structure of the underlayer for the FePt-C layer was MgO (0-5 nm)/Cr80Mn20 (0-30 nm)/Cr50Ti50 (0-50 nm)/glass sub.. Surface observation result for the MgO film by using an atomic force microscope revealed the existence of nodules with a height of about 2 nm and a network-like convex structure with a height difference of about sub nm (boundary wall, BW) on the MgO crystal grain boundary. Density of the nodules largely depends on the surface roughness of the CrTi layer, RaCrTi and it is suppressed from 10 to 2/0.5 μm2 by reducing RaCrTi from 420 to 260 pm. Height of the BW depends on thickness of the MgO layer, tMgO and it can be suppressed by reducing tMgO to less than 4 nm. From the cross-sectional energy dispersive x-ray mapping, it is clarified that the BW is formed by atomic diffusion of Ti atoms from CrTi layer due to the substrate heating process, and a compound consists of Mg, Ti and O atoms. This BW can be used as a template to magnetically isolate the FePt column in the FePt-based granular film, such as FePt-SiO2, if the size of the BW is reduced to less than 10 nm. M-H loop of the FePt-C granular film deposited on the underlayer showed that the nodule and BW induce oxidation of the FePt grains, and reduction of intergranular exchange coupling.

Investigation of magnetic properties and microstructure of granular media with various double oxides including B2O3 as the grain boundary material is reported. By adding a high Tm second oxide together with B2O3 for the grain boundary material, comparable magnetic properties with that of the single oxide granular media and smaller crystallite size evaluated by X-ray diffraction (GDinplane) than that of the single oxide granular media can be obtained. Among the evaluated media, the granular medium with B2O3− TiO2 is promising for the grain boundary material, showing comparable average Ms and Ku of 806 emu/cm3 and 7.7×106 erg/cm3 with that of the single B2O3 and smaller GDinplane of 4.8 nm than that of the single B2O3 of 5.4 nm. In the TEM image, thin grain boundaries inside the grains can be observed which indicates that small grains with one-on-one grains growth is expected when an underlayer with smaller grain size is utilized.

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) was observed for Co82Pt12 films with various process. And relation between effective damping factor (αeff) and compositional modulation (CM) in the atomic layers, and other magnetic properties to investigate the relationship between local variation of the magnetic properties and the αeff. The CM was changed by the substrate temperature Tsub and deposition rate of the Co-Pt alloy film. As a result, it was found that 1) For the Tsub dependence, αeff took maximum value of 0.22 at Tsub = 200 oC. 2) For the rate dependence, aeff linearly increases with 0.12 to 0.35 with increasing deposition rate from 0.3 to 2.0 nm/sec. 3) There was no similar tendency between aeff and CM for the Co-Pt alloy film with Tsub and rate change. Thus the CM is not dominant factor of the aeff for the compositionally modulated Co-Pt alloy film.

The effect of additional element on compositionally modulated atomic layered structure of hexagonal Co80Pt20 alloy films with superlattice diffraction was investigated. In this study it is found that the addition of Cr or W element to Co80Pt20 alloy film shows less deterioration of hcp stacking structure and compositionally modulated atomic layer stacking structure as compared to Si or Zr or Ti with Ku of around 1.4 or 1.0 × 107 erg/cm3 at 5 at.% addition. Furthermore, for O2 addition of O2 ≥ 5.0 × 10−3 Pa to CoPt alloy, compositionally modulated atomic layer stacking structure will be deteriorated with enhancement of formation of hcp stacking structure which leads higher Ku of 1.0 × 107 erg/cm3.

An observation system of centimeter-order of view of magnetic domain with local magnetization direction was developed by designing a telecentric optical system of finite design through the extension of microscope technology. The field of view realized in the developed system was 1.40 × 1.05 cm as suppressing defocus and distortion. Detection of the local magnetization direction has become possible by longitudinal Kerr observation from the orthogonal two directions. This system can be applied to the domain observation of rough surface samples and time resolved analysis for soft magnetic materials such as amorphous foil strips and soft magnetic thin films.

Changes in plasma constituents in the crossbred (aigamo) duck (female Japanese mallard duck × male mallard) were successively investigated at two-week intervals during winter from December to March. The pattern of changes in plasma triacylglycerol and glucose were similar over this period. A good correlation between plasma total protein and albumin was detected, but the trend in plasma uric acid correlated better with triacylglycerol and glucose than with total protein and albumin. These five plasma constituents were more closely correlated with the average ambient temperature at 2-4 days before blood sampling than on the day of sampling itself, implying that the metabolic response of aigamo ducks to a change in temperature occurs slowly. The concentrations of plasma constituents recorded in aigamo ducks were similar to the mean values for wild and domestic ducks reported in previous studies.

To clarify sleeping behavior of neonatal chicks, two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, the contribution of feeding on sleeping behavior was investigated over a 24 h period. Newly hatched layer-type chicks were kept under continuous lighting, and were maintained at 28°C for one day without any food or water. Thereafter, one group was provided food and water, and another group was given only water for 23 h. The chicks were then video recorded over the next 24 h in order to quantify the following behaviors : (1) active wakefulness or sitting with eyes open, and (2) sitting or standing motionless with their eyes closed and head dropping on the ground (sleeping posture). Thereafter, the chicks were sacrificed and brain serotonin levels determined. The time fasted chicks spent in a sleeping posture was longer than in fed chicks. The serotonin content tended to be higher in fasted than in fed chicks. No significant difference in the concentration of ketone bodies was detected between fed, fast and control chicks. In Experiment 2, the differences of sleeping activity between ad libitum fed layers and broilers were examined. Broiler chicks spent more time in a sleeping posture than layer chicks, but brain serotonin content was higher in layer chicks. In conclusion, sleep in the neonatal stage was largely influence by feeding conditions, and was modified by genetic selection.

Olfactory neuroblastomas rarely secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone, leading to ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome. However, the prevalence, timing, and triggers of ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome in patients with olfactory neuroblastomas remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate these factors and conduct a literature review. Fifteen patients with olfactory neuroblastomas who underwent surgery at our institution were included. The prevalence of ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome development was assessed by evaluating adrenocorticotropic hormone expression using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, 26 patients with olfactory neuroblastomas who developed ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome from previous reports were reviewed. Among the 15 patients, three (20%) showed adrenocorticotropic hormone-positive tumor cells at the time of initial surgery, and two (13%) developed ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome. The timing of developing ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome was 2.5 and 10 years following the initial treatment of olfactory neuroblastoma. Based on the literature review, nine patients with recurrent and metastatic olfactory neuroblastoma developed ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome after the initial surgery, of whom, three had confirmed disease after developing ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome, three developed during disease progression, two developed after receiving chemotherapy, and one developed after undergoing a biopsy. The timing of ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome was 2.5–15 years after initial treatment. Our study revealed that acknowledging olfactory neuroblastomas can manifest as ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome with a certain low prevalence is crucial. Moreover, our study speculated that tumor stimulation, such as biopsy or chemotherapy, as well as disease progression, could trigger ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome onset. Thus, olfactory neuroblastomas can develop into ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome, even long after the initial treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: The relationship between the severity of cardioembolic stroke (CES) and oral anticoagulant (OAC) treatment before stroke onset in very elderly (=80 years) patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) at high bleeding risk remains unknown. Patients and Methods: A total of 364 consecutive patients (=80 years) with CES and NVAF within 48 h following stroke onset were investigated. High bleeding risk was defined as follows: Bleeding history, renal dysfunction (creatinine clearance <30 ml/min), low body weight (=45 kg), and antiplatelet or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use. Patients were divided into two groups: High bleeding risk (n=214) and non-high bleeding risk (n=150). We assessed stroke severity and functional outcome between the two groups, and evaluated the effect of therapy with direct OAC (DOAC) on stroke severity in the high-risk group. Results: The high-risk group had a worse modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at discharge than the non-high-risk group [median: 4 (range=2-5) vs. 3 (range=1-4); p=0.02]. Patients in the high-risk group were categorized according to OAC treatment before stroke onset: No OAC (n=148), warfarin (n=46), and DOAC (n=20). The numbers of patients with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) =8 on admission in these groups were 104 (70%), 30 (65%), and 8 (40%) (p=0.03), respectively. Multivariate analysis confirmed that DOAC therapy had a lower odds ratio (OR) for severe stroke (NIHSS =8) on admission (OR relative to no OAC=0.22, 95% confidence interval=0.08-0.62; p=0.005) and poor functional outcome (mRS =4) at discharge (OR=0.31, 95% confidence interval=0.11-0.90; p=0.03). Conclusion: Very elderly patients with CES at high bleeding risk have unfavorable functional outcomes. DOAC administration may be associated with reduced stroke severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]