This open access book is a must-read for students of and beginners in soil science. In a well-organized and easy-to-follow manner, it provides basic outlines of soil minerals, new methods and recent ...developments in the field, with a special focus on visual aids. The chapters on primary minerals, secondary minerals, non-crystalline inorganic constituents and inorganic constituents sensitive to varying redox conditions will help readers understand the basic components of soils. Further, readers are introduced to new analytical methods with the aid of microscopy and recent developments in the field. Uniquely, the book features case studies on the identification and isolation methods for vivianite crystals from paddy field soils, as well as a useful procedure for identifying noncrystalline constituents such as volcanic glasses and plant opals, which can also be applied to other soils depending on the local conditions. Given its focus and coverage, the book will be useful to all readers who are interested in agronomy, plant production science, agricultural chemistry and environmental science. In addition, it can help biogeochemists further expand their research work on the rhizosphere of wetland plant roots, iron and phosphate dynamics, etc.
Background: Most surveillance programs for postoperative infection focus on surgical site infections (SSI). However, postoperative remote infections are of emerging clinical importance. Using data ...from a multicenter survey administered to patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery, we investigated the incidence of SSI and remote infection after colorectal surgery. Methods: From September 2015 through March 2016, 1,724 patients underwent colorectal surgery in 28 affiliated centers in Japan. We retrospectively recorded patient age, sex, surgical site, surgical approach, wound classification, performance status at discharge, and postoperative infection status. Results: Postoperative infection was noted in 236 (13.7%) patients; 150 and 86 patients underwent colon and rectal surgeries, respectively (incidence of postoperative infection: 13.7% and 14.8%). The incidence of postoperative infection was significantly lower after laparoscopic surgery than after open surgery, in colon and rectal surgery (p < 0.001). Among patients with postoperative infections, 211 (89.4%) had a single infection and 25 (10.6%) had multiple infections. Among patients with a single postoperative infection, SSI and remote infection occurred in 143 (60.6%) and 68 (28.8%) patients, respectively. The most common multiple postoperative infections were "incisional and organ/space SSIs" and "organ/space SSI and bacteremia of unknown origin" (n = 3 each). Conclusions: This study revealed the prevalence distributions for postoperative SSI and remote infections. Because of the substantial effect of remote infections on patient quality of life and the associated social burden, prospective periodic surveillance for SSI and remote infection is necessary for careful evaluation and prevention.
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved a drug called borofalan (10B), a treatment system, and a dose calculation program for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) in March 2020. ...The application pertaining to the products submitted to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency was supported by a Japanese, open‐label, uncontrolled trial (Study 002) in patients with unresectable, locally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma after chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy, or in those with unresectable locally advanced or locally recurrent (LA/LR) head and neck nonsquamous cell carcinoma. The drug was administered as a single intravenous dose using infusion rates of 200 mg/kg per hour for the first 2 hours after the start of administration and 100 mg/kg per hour during irradiation. Neutron irradiation was performed using the devices at a single dose of 12 Gy‐equivalent for oral, pharyngeal, or laryngeal mucosa for up to 60 minutes from 2 hours after the start of drug administration. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR). The results of Study 002 showed that the ORR based on an assessment of the Independent Central Review Committee per RECIST version 1.1 was 71.4% (90% confidence interval CI, 51.3%–86.8%). The lower limit of the 90% CI exceeded the prespecified threshold for ORR. When BNCT is applied to patients with unresectable LA/LR head and neck cancer, precautions should be taken, and patients should be monitored for possible onset of dysphagia, brain abscess, skin disorder, crystal urine, cataract, and/or carotid hemorrhage.
Implications for Practice
Borofalan (10B), a treatment system and a dose calculation program for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), demonstrated significant efficacy in an open‐label, uncontrolled trial in which overall response rate was the primary endpoint for patients with unresectable locally advanced or locally recurrent head and neck cancer. Although no information about survival benefits was obtained, BNCT will become an effective treatment option that is expected to manage local lesions that are intractable with any standard therapy. In addition, BNCT is expected to maintain quality of life of the intended patient population, on account of its high tumor selectivity and low invasiveness.
This article summarizes the regulatory review of data leading to the approval of borofalan in Japan.
Objective: γδ T cells can recognize and attack cancer cells even in the absence of information from dendritic cells. γδ T cells have been used in immune cell therapy because of their strong ability ...to kill cancer cells. However, the number of γδ T cells in peripheral blood is small; therefore, it is important to increase the number of γδ T cells via effective ex vivo culturing.Methods: In this study, we analyzed the effects of beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) on γδ T cells derived from peripheral blood.Results: We confirmed that the number of γδ T cells increased via β-TCP addition to the culture medium in 83.3% of the experiments (5/6 times).Conclusion: As β-TCP has been widely used in medical therapy, it may be used as a possible adjuvant in γδ T-cell-based immune therapy for human disorders.
Most patients with hereditary spherocytosis (HS) have a family history of disease, while those without such a history are difficult to diagnose. We herein report a case of HS with no family history ...harboring a novel heterozygous mutation of SPTA1, c.2161G>A (p.E721K), and a homozygous polymorphism of UGT1A1*6. In silico analyses suggested that the mutation might contribute to the pathogenesis of HS. The coexistence of HS and Gilbert's syndrome increases the risk of gallstones. Therefore, splenectomy, alone or in combination with cholecystectomy, is recommended. The determination of genetic diathesis provides useful information for the management of hemolytic anemia.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to patient health. However, data to optimize antimicrobial use are limited. Furthermore, reducing antibiotic use raises concerns regarding patient safety. ...The effectiveness of antibiotics in reducing the prevalence of AMR is controversial. Researchers at the Japanese Red Cross Ishinomaki Hospital (JRCIH), the only tertiary care hospital in the medical zone, along with local medical and pharmacy associations and public health centers have been leading the AMR control program since 2018. The program involves lectures aimed at optimizing antimicrobial use, regular publication of surveillance data of drug-resistant strains at the JRCIH, and presentation of first-line treatments for community-acquired infections. The delivery of oral antimicrobial agents across the region in 2020 was 28.7% lower than that in 2013, with delivery of cephalosporins, quinolones, and macrolides decreasing by 34.8%, 46.8%, and 56.0%, respectively. Despite these reductions, there has been no associated increase in the number of patients with severe infectious diseases admitted to the JRCIH. The rates of representative drug-resistant bacterial strains, such as extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, decreased by half. Herein, we demonstrated the potential of collaborative efforts to optimize antimicrobial agent use and reduce the AMR prevalence without compromising patient safety.
Phosphatidylserine is localized exclusively to the inner leaflet of the membrane lipid bilayer of most cells, including erythrocytes. This asymmetric distribution is critical for the survival of ...erythrocytes in circulation since externalized phosphatidylserine is a phagocytic signal for splenic macrophages. Flippases are P-IV ATPase family proteins that actively transport phosphatidylserine from the outer to inner leaflet. It has not yet been determined which of the 14 members of this family of proteins is the flippase in human erythrocytes. Herein, we report that ATP11C encodes a major flippase in human erythrocytes, and a genetic mutation identified in a male patient caused congenital hemolytic anemia inherited as an X-linked recessive trait. Phosphatidylserine internalization in erythrocytes with the mutant ATP11C was decreased 10-fold compared to that of the control, functionally establishing that ATP11C is a major flippase in human erythrocytes. Contrary to our expectations phosphatidylserine was retained in the inner leaflet of the majority of mature erythrocytes from both controls and the patient, suggesting that phosphatidylserine cannot be externalized as long as scramblase is inactive. Phosphatidylserine-exposing cells were found only in the densest senescent cells (0.1% of total) in which scramblase was activated by increased Ca(2+) concentration: the percentage of these phosphatidylserine-exposing cells was increased in the patient's senescent cells accounting for his mild anemia. Furthermore, the finding of similar extents of phosphatidylserine exposure by exogenous Ca(2+)-activated scrambling in both control erythrocytes and the patient's erythrocytes implies that suppressed scramblase activity rather than flippase activity contributes to the maintenance of phosphatidylserine in the inner leaflet of human erythrocytes.
We demonstrated the synthesis of 2H-SiC films on graphite and (0001) sapphire substrates by laser chemical vapor deposition. A tris(dimethylamino) silane was used as a novel precursor for the ...synthesis of SiC films in a CH4 atmosphere. The 2H-SiC films were obtained at a deposition temperature of 920K on the sapphire substrate. The films comprised a-axis-oriented columnar grains and their in-plane orientation relationship was 1000 2H-SiC // 0001 sapphire and 0001 2H-SiC // 1000 sapphire. The films were deposited at the rate of 182μmh−1.
Most chromosomal aberrations revealed by chromosomal microarray testing (CMA) are simple; however, very complex chromosomal structural rearrangements can also be found. Although the mechanism of ...structural rearrangements has been gradually revealed, not all mechanisms have been elucidated. We analyzed the breakpoint‐junctions (BJs) of two or more clustered copy number variations (CNVs) in the same chromosome arms to understand their conformation and the mechanism of complex structural rearrangements. Combining CMA with long‐read whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) analysis, we successfully determined all BJs for the clustered CNVs identified in four patients. Multiple CNVs were intricately intertwined with each other, and clustered CNVs in four patients were involved in global complex chromosomal rearrangements. The BJs of two clustered deletions identified in two patients showed microhomologies, and their characteristics were explained by chromothripsis. In contrast, the BJs in the other two patients, who showed clustered deletions and duplications, consisted of blunt‐end and nontemplated insertions. These findings could be explained only by alternative nonhomologous end‐joining, a mechanism related to polymerase theta. All the patients had at least one inverted segment. Three patients showed cryptic aberrations involving a disruption and a deletion/duplication, which were not detected by CMA but were first identified by WGS. This result suggested that complex rearrangements should be considered if clustered CNVs are observed in the same chromosome arms. Because CMA has potential limitations in genotype–phenotype correlation analysis, a more detailed analysis by whole genome examination is recommended in cases of suspected complex structural aberrations.
The oxalate-extractable Al (Al
o
) of weathered Nantai-Imaichi (Nt-I
K
) tephra sampled at Kiwadajima in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan is more than twice as high as that of weathered ...Nantai-Shichihonzakura (Nt-S
K
) tephra. This difference is peculiar because the Nt-I
K
horizon is directly under the Nt-S
K
tephra, without a buried A horizon in between, and the Nt-I
K
compares with the Nt-S
K
in age. The scanning electron microscopic image of the polished section of the pumice prepared from the Nt-S
K
tephra indicated the presence of weathered product, which would be allophanic altermorph of the thin bubble-wall glass as determined by energy-dispersive X-ray analyses. The unweathered thick bubble-wall glass was also present in the Nt-S
K
pumice typically accompanied with the weathered product as a thin film on the periphery. In contrast, the Nt-I
K
tephra lacks unweathered glass, with almost all glass converted to allophanic materials. One of the reasons for the high Al
o
value of the Nt-I
K
tephra compared with the Nt-S
K
is that the former has almost no unweathered glass whereas the latter has them inside the thick bubble-wall glasses.
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