This study examined the long-term maintenance rate after inducing remission by intensive granulocyte/monocyte adsorptive apheresis (GMA) without use of corticosteroids (CS) and GMA re-treatment ...efficacy in the same patients upon relapse with ulcerative colitis. Patients who achieved clinical remission and mucosal healing (MH) by first-time intensive GMA (first GMA) without CS were enrolled. The cumulative non-relapse survival rate up to week 156 was calculated. Patients with relapse during the maintenance period underwent second-time intensive GMA (second GMA) without CS. Clinical remission and MH rates following second GMA were compared to those following first GMA in the same patients. Of the 84 patients enrolled, 78 were followed until week 156 and 34 demonstrated relapse. The cumulative non-relapse survival rate by week 156 was 56.4%. Clinical remission and MH rates after second GMA did not differ from those after first GMA in the same patients (week 6: clinical remission, 100% vs 88.4%, p = 0.134; MH, 100% vs 84.8%, p = 0.074). In conclusion, MH induction by intensive GMA without use of CS in ulcerative colitis patients contributes to subsequent long-term clinical remission maintenance. GMA re-treatment efficacy was comparable to that of first GMA in the same patients who had relapse.
Although the virtual collocation of service providers (SPs) on top of infrastructure providers (InPs) via network virtualization brings various benefits, we posit that operational confidentiality has ...not been considered in this network model. We extend and apply the Secure Multiparty Computation (SMC) protocol to solving Minimum Disclosure Routing (MDR), namely, enabling an SP to route packets without disclosing routing information to InPs. We implement the proposed MDR protocol and evaluate its performance via experiments by comparing it against the prediction based on our analytical performance model. Our study reveals that MDR can be securely achieved with marginal latency overhead with regard to the convergence time in well-engineered nonsecure routing algorithms. Our study sheds light on the path for network virtualization to be used to resolve the challenges for the ISPs of today.
A 66-year-old man underwent laparoscopic total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch surgery, 9 months after he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC). He observed blood in the stool on postoperative ...day 2, and endoscopic examination revealed diffuse erosion and ulceration with mucosal bleeding in both the duodenum and ileum. Despite treatment with intravenous steroids, ganciclovir, and cyclosporin in addition to a blood transfusion, the patient died of hypovolemic shock secondary to massive hemorrhage. Pathological evaluation revealed severe duodenitis and jejunoileitis. Histopathological examination showed findings consistent with UC-induced enteritis as opposed to those associated with infection, Crohnʼs disease, or ischemic enteritis. Early evaluation and prompt treatment are warranted in patients with persistent gastrointestinal bleeding after colectomy for UC because these lesions can cause massive bleeding.
In this paper, we propose a new learning model that utilizes machine translation and large language models. While English education has traditionally been conducted through the relationship between ...English teachers and learners, replacing English teachers with machine translation and large language models may offer the potential to provide an equally or even more efficient and high-quality learning environment. The authors have developed a browser-based service to experience this educational environment for Japanese. To experience a new learning model that is high quality and efficient, we have implemented DeepL, a machine translation service that can translate with high accuracy, and ChatGPT, which uses a large language model that can generate natural sentences and adapt to a variety of tasks interactively. By combining these advanced services, it is now possible to provide explanations of the English translations and to evaluate the essays. This newly developed service is currently being experimentally used in English classes at a Japanese university. Interviews with users who used it revealed that they were easily exposed to English above their level. In other words, the results suggest that this proposed model can provide a better environment for English utilization than teachers. The developed service is available to anyone at the following URL. Transable: https://transable.net
Private educators who offer classes to support the learning of hobbies are often considered educational professionals, but the specifics of their professional skills in pedagogy and learning support ...have not been fully clarified. This study aimed to shed light on an aspect of these skills by revealing the strategies for conducting lessons based on the interests of their clients. Results from the thematic analysis of interviews with ten coaches, both general and high-performing, at a table tennis school in the Tokyo metropolitan area indicated that the coaches used the strategies of “understanding goal-oriented interests through conversation,” “adjusting practice menus and conversation based on interests,” and “professionalism as a service provider.” Additionally, the following strategies were found to be characteristic of high-performing coaches: “sensitive understanding of fluctuating interests,” “collaborative construction of interests through acceptance and suggestion,” and “recognizing interest as an object of support by team.”
abstFig src='/00280006/15.jpg' width='300' text='Location of devices in the experiment' In recent years, a medical procedure called interventional radiology (IR) has been attracting considerable ...attention. Doctors can perform IR percutaneously while observing the fluoroscopic image of patients. Therefore, this surgical method is less invasive. In this surgery, computed tomography (CT) equipment is often used for precise fluoroscopy. However, doctors are exposed to strong radiation from the CT equipment. In order to overcome this problem, we have developed a remote-controlled surgical assistance robot called Zerobot. In animal puncture experiment, the operation of Zerobot was based on joint control. Therefore, during a surgery, the tip of the needle moves when a surgeon orders for a change in the direction of the needle. This makes the robot less user-friendly because the surgeon tracks the trajectory of the tip of the needle. This problem can be solved by using remote center control.
Private educators who offer classes to support the learning of hobbies are often considered educational professionals, but the specifics of their professional skills in pedagogy and learning support ...have not been fully clarified. This study aimed to shed light on an aspect of these skills by revealing the strategies for conducting lessons based on the interests of their clients. Results from the thematic analysis of interviews with ten coaches, both general and high-performing, at a table tennis school in the Tokyo metropolitan area indicated that the coaches used the strategies of “understanding goal-oriented interests through conversation,” “adjusting practice menus and conversation based on interests,” and “professionalism as a service provider.” Additionally, the following strategies were found to be characteristic of high-performing coaches: “sensitive understanding of fluctuating interests,” “collaborative construction of interests through acceptance and suggestion,” and “recognizing interest as an object of support by team.”
PDF
