Prior work in our laboratory has shown that the expression of an epithelial antigen identified by the monoclonal antibody A9 is amplified in squamous carcinoma cell lines and that the intensity of ...expression is related to aggressive cell growth in vitro and in the nude mouse (1). To determine if alterations in expression of normal epithelial antigens are related to the biological behaviour of squamous cell carcinoma in man, the expression of the A9 antigen and of normal A, B and H blood group antigens in primary tumor tissue sections from 41 patients with cancer of the oral cavity and oral pharynx was analyzed. The majority of these patients had stage III (19/41) or stage IV (17/41) tumors. Antigen expression was analyzed with respect to traditional histologic features and disease-free survival. Median follow-up was 13 months (range 1-53 months). Disease-free survival was decreased (median 8.7 months) in patients with tumors that had high A9 expression compared to patients with low A9 expression (p =. 1328). A stronger association was found for loss of blood group and early relapse. Patients whose tumors failed to express blood group antigen had a median disease-free survival of only 5 months. This was significantly less than that of patients whose tumors retained normal blood group expression (median disease-free survival interval not yet reached) (p =. 018). Variations in the pattern of A9 and ABH blood group antigen expression were independent of T class, N class, tumor stage, keratinization and growth pattern. There was an association of strong A9 expression with tumor grade (differentiation) (p ±. 01). Our observations indicate that these immunohistological staining characteristics are independent of most traditional histologic and clinical grading systems and may have independent prognostic importance in oral cancer. Further study of larger patient populations that include more patients with earlier stage disease are necessary to confirm these findings.
Behcet`s disease (BD) is a chronic relapsing disease involving multiple organ systems. BD is characterized clinically by oral and genital aphthae, cutaneous lesions, and ophthalmological, ...neurological, and/or gastrointestinal manifestations. It is widely recognized that the presence of intestinal lesions may be a poor prognostic factor in intestinal BD, increasing the risk of surgery and decreasing the quality of life. Despite this, the management of intestinal BD has not been standardized. Empirical therapies including 5-aminosalicylic acid and corticosteroids have been used anecdotally to treat intestinal BD, but recent studies have provided evidence for the efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factor α monoclonal antibodies. The development of agents targeting tumor necrosis factor α continues, it seems likely that they will change the therapeutic strategy and clinical outcomes of intestinal BD and inflammatory bowel disease. Monitoring disease activity such as endoscopic evaluation will become more important to obtain better outcomes. Here, we review current and future perspectives in the treatment and outcomes of intestinal BD. (Intest Res 2017;15:318-327)
DPC, which is an acronym for "Diagnosis Procedure Combination," is a patient classification method developed in Japan for inpatients in the acute phase of illness. It was developed as a measuring ...tool intended to make acute inpatient care transparent, aiming at standardization of Japanese medical care, as well as evaluation and improvement of its quality. Subsequently, this classification method came to be used in the Japanese medical service reimbursement system for acute inpatient care and appropriate allocation of medical resources. Furthermore, it has recently contributed to the development and maintenance of an appropriate medical care provision system at a regional level, which is accomplished based on DPC data used for patient classification. In this paper, we first provide an overview of DPC. Next, we will look back at over 15 years of DPC history; in particular, we will explore how DPC has been refined to become an appropriate medical service reimbursement system. Finally, we will introduce an outline of DPC-related research, starting with research using DPC data.
Recently, the number of traffic accidents on trunk roads tends to decrease due to the performance improvement of passenger vehicles. In the commuter rush hour of morning and evening, vehicles via ...residential road increases without going along trunk roads. Therefore, there are many traffic accidents of pedestrians (or bicycles) and vehicles on residential roads. In order to safeguard residents against traffic accidents, traffic calming devices (TCD), such as chicane, speed hump, and school zone, etc. have been introduced. Investigating these effects repeatedly is not easy since many times and efforts are required, such as observed at the place actually. In this paper, the effects of TCDs in residential areas, such as noise, speed, and emission of a vehicle, using Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) are examined. As a result, it is found that it is possible to reduce the speed of the vehicle by TCD, and the level of noise at the location behind TCD becomes higher than the level of noise at the location of TCD implemented.
Gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin) and antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors) are often used to treat chronic pain. The descending ...noradrenergic inhibitory system from the locus coeruleus (LC) to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord plays an important role in the analgesic mechanisms of these drugs. Gabapentinoids activate the LC by inhibiting the release of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and inducing the release of glutamate, thereby increasing noradrenaline levels in the spinal cord. Antidepressants increase noradrenaline levels in the spinal cord by inhibiting reuptake, and accumulating noradrenaline inhibits chronic pain through α₂-adrenergic receptors in the spinal cord. Recent animal studies, however, revealed that the function of the descending noradrenergic inhibitory system is impaired in chronic pain states. Other recent studies found that histone deacetylase inhibitors and antidepressants restore the impaired noradrenergic descending inhibitory system acting on noradrenergic neurons in the LC.
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