Background
Sarcopenia was identified recently as a poor prognostic factor in patients with cancer. The present study investigated the effect of sarcopenia on short‐ and long‐term outcomes following ...partial hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and aimed to identify prognostic factors.
Methods
Data were collected retrospectively for all consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC with curative intent between January 2004 and December 2009. Patients were assigned to one of two groups according to the presence or absence of sarcopenia, assessed by computed tomographic measurement of muscle mass at the level of the third lumbar vertebra. Clinicopathological, surgical outcome and long‐term survival data were analysed.
Results
Sarcopenia was present in 75 (40·3 per cent) of 186 patients, and was significantly correlated with female sex, lower body mass index and liver dysfunction, as indicated by abnormal serum albumin levels and indocyanine green retention test at 15 min values. In patients with, and without sarcopenia, the 5‐year overall survival rate was 71 and 83·7 per cent respectively, and the 5‐year recurrence‐free survival rate was 13 and 33·2 per cent respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that reduced skeletal muscle mass was predictive of an unfavourable prognosis.
Conclusion
Sarcopenia was predictive of worse overall survival even when adjusted for other known predictors in patients with HCC after partial hepatectomy.
Sarcopenia predicts poor outcome
At present there is no
'ideal' thin-film transistor technology for demanding display applications, such as organic light-emitting diode displays, that allows combining the low-temperature, ...solution-processability offered by organic semiconductors with the high level of performance achievable with microcrystalline silicon. N-type amorphous mixed metal oxide semiconductors, such as ternary oxides Mx1My2Oz, where M1 and M2 are metals such as In, Ga, Sn, or Zn, have recently gained momentum because of their high carrier mobility and stability and good optical transparency, but they are mostly deposited by sputtering. So far no route is available for forming high-performance mixed oxide materials from solution at low process temperatures <250 °C. Ionic mixed metal oxides should in principle be ideal candidates for solution-processable materials because the conduction band states derived from metal s-orbitals are relatively insensitive to the presence of structural disorder and high charge carrier mobilities are achievable in amorphous structures. Here we report the formation of amorphous metal oxide semiconducting thin-films using a 'sol-gel on chip' hydrolysis approach from soluble metal alkoxide precursors, which affords unprecedented high field-effect mobilities of 10 cm2 V−1 s−1, reproducible and stable turn-on voltages Von≈0 V and high operational stability at maximum process temperatures as low as 230 °C.
Our aim was to determine whether variant bile duct (BD) anatomy is associated with portal vein (PV) and/or hepatic artery (HA) anatomy. We examined the associations between BD anatomy and PV and/or ...HA anatomy in 407 living donor transplantation donors. We also examined whether the right posterior BD (RPBD) course was associated with the PV and/or HA anatomy. Variant PV, HA and BD anatomies were found in 11%, 25% and 25%, respectively, of 407 donors enrolled in this study. The presence of a variant BD was more frequently associated with a variant PV than with a normal PV (61% vs. 20%, p < 0.0001). By contrast, the presence of a variant HA was not associated with a variant BD. A supraportal RPBD was found in 357 donors (88%) and an infraportal RPBD was found in 50 donors (12%). An infraportal RPBD was significantly more common in donors with a variant PV than in donors with a normal PV (30% vs. 10%, p = 0.0004). Variant PV, but not variant HA, anatomies were frequently associated with variant BD anatomy. Additionally, an infraportal RPBD was more common in donors with a variant PV than in donors with a normal PV.
This study investigating the anatomy of 407 living liver donors indicates that variant portal vein, but not variant hepatic artery, anatomies are frequently associated with variant bile duct anatomy.
Donor safety is of paramount importance in performing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We retrospectively reviewed donor medical records to confirm whether larger donor hepatectomy is ...absolutely complication‐prone. A total of 441 living donor hepatectomies were performed between October 1996 and July 2012 in our institute, which were divided into three eras (Era I, October 1996 to March 2004; Era II, April 2004 to March 2008; Era III, April 2008 to July 2012) and the incidences of postoperative complications were compared among the three types of hepatectomy—right hepatectomy (RH), left hepatectomy (LH) and left lateral segmentectomy (LLS). Although severe complications (Clavien's grade 3 or more) frequently occurred in RH in Eras I and II (15.4% and 10.7%, respectively), the incidence in Era III decreased to the comparable level observed in LH and LLS (5.4% in RH, 2.3% in LH and 5.3% in LLS). The incidence of postoperative complications did not relate to the type of hepatectomy selected in the latest era. Since most complications after hepatectomy were considered preventable, step‐by‐step meticulous surgical procedures are a prerequisite for further assuring donor safety irrespective of the type of hepatectomy selected.
The authors reassess 441 donor hepatectomies and find that with cumulative experiences, right hepatectomies are no longer complication‐prone compared to left hepatectomies or left lateral segmentectomies. See editorial by Roll and Roberts on page 251.
Samples of the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu were brought to Earth by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. We analyzed 17 Ryugu samples measuring 1 to 8 millimeters. Carbon dioxide–bearing water inclusions are ...present within a pyrrhotite crystal, indicating that Ryugu’s parent asteroid formed in the outer Solar System. The samples contain low abundances of materials that formed at high temperatures, such as chondrules and calcium- and aluminum-rich inclusions. The samples are rich in phyllosilicates and carbonates, which formed through aqueous alteration reactions at low temperature, high pH, and water/rock ratios of <1 (by mass). Less altered fragments contain olivine, pyroxene, amorphous silicates, calcite, and phosphide. Numerical simulations, based on the mineralogical and physical properties of the samples, indicate that Ryugu’s parent body formed ~2 million years after the beginning of Solar System formation.
INTRODUCTION
Observations of asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft found that it is a rubble pile, formed from fragments of a parent asteroid. Samples retrieved from Ryugu by the spacecraft were expected to contain a record of this history, including the formation and early evolution of the parent body, the subsequent impact destruction and partial reaccretion, and later space weathering. The composition of Ryugu was expected to be similar to that of Ivuna-type carbonaceous chondrite meteorites (CI chondrites).
RATIONALE
We investigated the formation history of Ryugu through laboratory analysis of the samples. Specifically, we sought to determine (i) when and where in the Solar System the parent asteroid formed; (ii) the original mineralogy, elemental abundances as a whole, and chemical compositions of the accreted materials, including their ice content; (iii) how these materials evolved through chemical reactions; and (iv) how the material was ejected from the parent body in an impact. To address these issues, we analyzed 17 Ryugu particles of 1 to ~8 mm in size.
RESULTS
We found carbon dioxide (CO
2
)–bearing water in an iron-nickel (Fe–Ni) sulfide crystal, indicating that the parent body formed in the outer Solar System. Remanent magnetization was detected, implying that the solar nebula might still have been present when magnetite crystals formed on the parent body.
We used muon analysis to determine the abundances of light elements, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), sodium (Na), and magnesium (Mg), whose abundances relative to silicon (Si) are similar to those in CI chondrites, whereas oxygen (O) is deficient compared with that in CI chondrites. X-ray computed tomography analysis shows that all our Ryugu samples consist of fine-grained material. There are only rare objects of high-temperature origin, such as melted silicate-rich particles, all being smaller than 100 μm.
Electron microscope observations showed that the samples are breccias, assemblies of numerous small rock fragments with different compositions, mineralogies, and histories. The most common mineralogy contains Mg-rich hydrous silicates, MgCa and MgFe carbonates, hydroxyapatite, Fe sulfides, and Fe oxides. The mineralogy of this major lithology is consistent with classification as a CI chondrite. It also indicates widespread aqueous alteration (reactions with liquid water) on the parent body.
Some Ryugu fragments have a different mineralogy, containing anhydrous silicates (olivine and pyroxene), amorphous silicates, Ca carbonate, phosphides, Fe–Ni sulfide, Fe oxide, and poorly crystalline phyllosilicates. Some small objects (<~30 μm) that formed at high temperatures were also found. This mineralogy suggests that these fragments experienced less aqueous alteration.
We measured mechanical and thermal properties from the Ryugu samples. We found that they are similar, but not identical, to hydrated CI chondrites. Numerical simulations of the thermal history and impact disruption processes of the Ryugu parent asteroid were performed by incorporating the physical and mineralogical properties and appropriate water/rock ratios.
CONCLUSION
We propose that Ryugu’s parent asteroid formed ~1.8 million to 2.9 million years after the beginning of Solar System formation, in the outer Solar System, where water and CO
2
were present as ice. It acquired a water ice/rock mass ratio in the range of 0.2 to 0.9. In this region, material formed at low temperatures is dominant, whereas material of high temperature origin is rare. In the interior of the parent asteroid, radioactive heating caused the water ice to melt at ~3 million years; water-rock reactions then gradually changed the initial anhydrous mineralogy to a largely hydrous mineralogy. At shallow depths, the original material was less altered, at a low water/rock ratio of <0.2. At ~5 million years, all material in the parent asteroid experienced its peak temperature, and aqueous alteration continued. An impact occurred ~1 billion years ago, disrupting the parent asteroid. Some fragments, originating away from the impact point, then reassembled to form Ryugu.
Proposed model of Ryugu’s formation history.
(1) A parent body asteroid forms in the outer Solar System, containing abundant ice. (2 and 3) Radioactive heating causes the ice to melt, which modifies the mineralogy through aqueous alteration reactions. (4 and 5) An impact then disrupts the parent body but does not cause widespread heating. (6) Ryugu formed from reaccumulation of ejected material that originated away from the impact point. All times were measured from the start of Solar System formation. Colors indicate estimated temperatures from our thermal interior and impact models.
Objectives
To assess acetaldehyde (ACH) production by bacteria constituting the oral microbiota and the inhibitory effects of sugar alcohols on ACH production.
Materials and Methods
The predominant ...bacterial components of the salivary microbiota of 166 orally healthy subjects were determined by barcoded pyrosequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. Bacterial ACH production from ethanol or glucose was measured using gas chromatography. In addition, inhibition by four sugars and five sugar alcohols of ACH production was assayed.
Results
Forty‐one species from 16 genera were selected as predominant and prevalent bacteria based on the following criteria: identification in ≥95% of the subjects, ≥1% of mean relative abundance or ≥5% of maximum relative abundance. All Neisseria species tested produced conspicuous amounts of ACH from ethanol, as did Rothia mucilaginosa, Streptococcus mitis and Prevotella histicola exhibited the ability to produce ACH. In addition, xylitol and sorbitol inhibited ACH production by Neisseria mucosa by more than 90%.
Conclusions
The oral microbiota of orally healthy subjects comprises considerable amounts of bacteria possessing the ability to produce ACH, an oral carcinogen. Consumption of sugar alcohols may regulate ACH production by oral microbes.
Background
The effect of splenomegaly in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension is not fully understood. This study was designed to determine the effect of laparoscopic splenectomy on ...portal haemodynamics in these patients.
Methods
Patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension who underwent laparoscopic splenectomy in Kyushu University Hospital from January 2006 to March 2009 were evaluated retrospectively. Correlations between splenic size and portal haemodynamics, and changes in portal haemodynamics and in levels of the vasoactive agents endothelin (ET) 1 and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) before and 7–10 days after laparoscopic splenectomy were analysed.
Results
Portal venous (PV) blood flow, PV cross‐sectional area and PV congestion index correlated significantly with splenic size (P < 0·050). All three were significantly reduced following splenectomy in 59 patients. The hepatic venous pressure gradient, measured in 18 patients, decreased by 25 per cent after splenectomy (P < 0·001). Portal vascular resistance was also reduced, by 21 per cent (P = 0·009). The peripheral blood concentration of ET‐1 decreased from 2·95 to 2·11 pg/ml (P < 0·001), and that of NOx tended to decrease (from 29·2 to 25·0 pg/ml; P = 0·068). In hepatic venous blood, the level of ET‐1 decreased from 2·37 to 1·83 pg/ml (P = 0·006), whereas NOx concentration tended to increase (from 24·5 to 30·9 pg/ml; P = 0·067).
Conclusion
In patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension, splenectomy reduced portal venous pressure. A decrease in splanchnic blood flow, by eliminating splenic blood flow, and reduction in intrahepatic vascular resistance, by normalizing hepatic concentrations of ET‐1 and NOx, may both have contributed.
Splenectomy improves splanchnic haemodynamics
Detection of shallow slow earthquakes offers insight into the near-trench part of the subduction interface, an important region in the development of great earthquake ruptures and tsunami generation. ...Ocean-bottom monitoring of offshore seismicity off southern Kyushu, Japan, recorded a complete episode of low-frequency tremor, lasting for 1 month, that was associated with very-low-frequency earthquake (VLFE) activity in the shallow plate interface. The shallow tremor episode exhibited two migration modes reminiscent of deep tremor down-dip of the seismogenic zone in some other subduction zones: a large-scale slower propagation mode and a rapid reversal mode. These similarities in migration properties and the association with VLFEs strongly suggest that both the shallow and deep tremor and VLFE may be triggered by the migration of episodic slow slip events.
Quantitative susceptibility mapping is useful for assessing iron deposition in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson disease. We aimed to determine whether quantitative susceptibility ...mapping is useful for assessing the lateral asymmetry and spatial difference in iron deposits in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson disease.
Our study population comprised 24 patients with Parkinson disease and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. They underwent 3T MR imaging by using a 3D multiecho gradient-echo sequence. On reconstructed quantitative susceptibility mapping, we measured the susceptibility values in the anterior, middle, and posterior parts of the substantia nigra, the whole substantia nigra, and other deep gray matter structures in both hemibrains. To identify the more and less affected hemibrains in patients with Parkinson disease, we assessed the severity of movement symptoms for each hemibrain by using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.
In the posterior substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson disease, the mean susceptibility value was significantly higher in the more than the less affected hemibrain substantia nigra (P < .05). This value was significantly higher in both the more and less affected hemibrains of patients with Parkinson disease than in controls (P < .05). Asymmetry of the mean susceptibility values was significantly greater for patients than controls (P < .05). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that quantitative susceptibility mapping of the posterior substantia nigra in the more affected hemibrain provided the highest power for discriminating patients with Parkinson disease from the controls.
Quantitative susceptibility mapping is useful for assessing the lateral asymmetry and spatial difference of iron deposition in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson disease.
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