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Background: The goal of this research was to confirm whether preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA)-1 and -2 levels are useful diagnostic markers for sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) in a prospective study. Methods: Participants were 102 patients who underwent consecutive endoscopic sinus surgery: 18 with IP, two with other types of papilloma, 77 with chronic rhinosinusitis, four with sinonasal cancer, and one with hemangioma. SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 were measured preoperatively by an automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Results: SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 values were significantly correlated (r = 0.603, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis for differentiating papilloma (IP and other types of papilloma) from other diseases yielded an area under the curve of 0.860, with a Youden index of 1.75. Combined with SCCA-2 analysis, the detection system had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.65 and 0.98, respectively. While our study did not find a strong link between SCCA levels and skin or lung diseases, smoking status may influence SCCA levels in IP patients (p = 0.035). We recommend a cutoff value of 1.8 ng/mL for SCCA-1 in IP diagnosis. Conclusions: SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 when combined with imaging and pathology hold promise for enhancing the preoperative detection of IP, which would be a valuable contribution to clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

p16 overexpression is often used as a surrogate marker for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma but remains an uncertain diagnostic tool for HPV-related sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC). Our study involved 79 consecutive SNSCC patients who were treated at a tertiary referral university hospital during 2006–2021. We retrospectively examined their clinical characteristics and conducted p16 immunohistochemistry and HPV detection. We found that 12.7% of the patients exhibited p16 overexpression, which was significantly more common in the nasal cavity and increased from 2015 onward. The HPV was a high-risk type and viral loads ranged from 4.2 to 1.6 × 106 copies/ng DNA with genome integration. Five-year overall survival (OS) and five-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rates were 74.6% and 69.9%, respectively. Our multivariate analysis showed that T category (T1–4a) and hemoglobin levels (≥13.7) were significant favorable prognostic factors for OS, while T category, performance status, and p16 overexpression were significantly associated with RFS. In patients with p16 overexpression, OS was 100% and RFS was 90%. Our findings suggest that p16 overexpression is a reliable surrogate marker for transcriptionally active HPV infection and predicts a favorable prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M-HNSCC), survival outcomes are significantly better in patients who receive anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody therapy than in those who receive standard therapy. However, there is no established biomarker that can predict the anti-PD-1 antibody treatment effect and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in these patients. This study investigated the inflammatory and nutritional status in 42 patients with R/M-HNSCC and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) polymorphisms (rs4143815 and rs2282055) in 35 of the 42 patients. The 1- and 2-year overall survival was 59.5% and 28.6%, respectively; the 1- and 2-year first progression-free survival was 19.0% and 9.5%, respectively, and the respective second progression-free survival was 50% and 27.8%. Performance status and inflammatory and nutritional status (assessed by the geriatric nutritional risk index, modified Glasgow prognostic score, and prognostic nutritional index) were identified as significant indicators of survival outcomes in multivariate analysis. Patients with ancestral alleles in PD-L1 polymorphisms had less frequent irAEs. Performance status and inflammatory and nutritional status before treatment were closely related to survival outcomes after PD-1 therapy. These indicators can be calculated using routine laboratory data. PD-L1 polymorphisms may be biomarkers for predicting irAEs in patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to clarify the roles of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 mutations in sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) and sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC). Samples were collected from 20 cases with IP, 7 with IP and squamous cell carcinoma (IP-SCC), and 20 with SNSCC and examined for HPV infection and EGFR exon 20 mutations. Low- or high-risk HPV DNA was observed in 25% of IP, 57.1% of IP-SCC, and 35% of SNSCC cases. Transcriptionally active HR-HPV infections in IP-SCC and SNSCC, accompanied by p16 overexpression, were observed in 28.5% and 25% of cases, respectively. Heterozygous EGFR exon 20 amino acid insertions (ex20ins), located between amino acids 768–774, were observed in 45% of IP, 28.5% of IP-SCC, and 0% of SNSCC and chronic sinusitis cases. EGFR phosphorylation sites were located at tyrosine (Y) 845, Y1068, Y1086, and Y1197 and induced PI3K/AKT/mTOR activation. The phosphorylation pattern of EGFR with ex20ins resembled that of HPV-related SNSCC and oropharyngeal cancer. The transcriptionally active HR-HPV infection and ex20ins might be responsible for the pathogenesis of IP-SCC cases with different fashions. Since IP-SCC might be a multifactorial disease, further investigation is needed to understand IP-SCC etiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders (e.g., obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder). In MDD treatment, SSRIs do not show remission in approximately 30% of patients, indicating a need for a better treatment option. Forced swimming test (FST) is a behavioral assay to evaluate depression‐like behavior and antidepressant efficacy in rodents. In the present study, we evaluated the combination effect of brexpiprazole with SSRIs on FST in mice, in order to investigate their synergistic effect. Methods: Brexpiprazole (0.003 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to mice 15 min before testing. Escitalopram (10 mg/kg), fluoxetine (75 mg/kg), paroxetine (10 mg/kg), or sertraline (15 mg/kg) were orally administered to mice 60 min before testing. Then, the mice were placed in water and immobility time was measured. Data from animals treated with escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline were pooled as SSRI‐treated group data. Results: Combination treatment of brexpiprazole with SSRIs reduced immobility time in FST more than vehicle or each single treatment. A significant interaction effect was confirmed in the combination of brexpiprazole and SSRIs (p = 0.0411). Conclusion: Efficacy of adjunctive brexpiprazole has already been demonstrated in clinical trials in MDD patients not adequately responding to antidepressants including escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline. The synergistic antidepressant‐like effect of brexpiprazole with SSRIs found in this study supports the already known clinical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several countries are keenly interested in the research and development of novel wireless communication systems using high altitude platform stations (HAPS) because of their great potential benefits. In June and July 2002, we carried out the world's first experiment on International Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000) by radio relay via transponders onboard an unmanned solar powered aircraft at an altitude of 20 km. This experiment demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of applying the IMT-2000 system using a HAPS and a compact cellular phone designed for terrestrial cellular systems. Two experiments were carried out over Kauai Island in Hawaii, USA. In the first experiment, we were unable to establish an IMT-2000 link connection via the aircraft at 20 km because the onboard transponder for the reverse link received unexpected signals from a terrestrial cellular system in commercial use 200 km away on Oahu Island. However, we managed to establish the link by connecting a high gain external antenna to the cellular phone. After the first flight experiment, we developed an onboard receiving antenna with a low sidelobe level to suppress interference signals. In the second experiment, we successfully achieved IMT-2000 video communication with a cellular phone. This paper presents the experimental results and analysis of these IMT-2000 communication experiments. Index Terms--High altitude platform station (HAPS), IMT-2000, radio relay, stratospheric platform, 20 km, unmanned solar-powered aircraft.

Digital TV broadcasting from the stratosphere was tested using an unmanned aerial vehicle, a Pathfinder Plus. A television transmitter installed under the wing transmitted a UHF band signal as the vehicle flew at an altitude of 20 km. The Japanese digital terrestrial broadcasting standard (ISDB-T) was used for transmission. The 13.5-hour flight time included 3 hours of transmission testing. The transmitting equipment worked as expected in spite of the cold and low-atmospheric-pressure environment. Reception at the ground station was satisfactory even when the ISDB-T parameter set used was the one least robust under poor channel conditions. Index Terms--Digital broadcasting, ISDB-T, OFDM, stratospheric platform, unmanned aerial vehicle.

We report the case of a 14-year-old girl with petrous bone cholesteatoma resected through a combined approach from the middle cranial fossa and mastoid process. A favorable outcome can be achieved when applying the transmastoid approach to a cholesteatoma by incorporating the middle fossa approach to preserve inner ear function. We emphasize the utility of integrated three-dimensional image reconstruction as a surgical strategy to determine beneficial routes for facial and inner ear function and accomplishment of radical resection. Visualization by an integrated image of irregular tumor infiltration within the petrous bone facilitates information sharing for better cooperation between surgeons in otolaryngeal and neurosurgical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reproducing characteristics of a magnetoresistive head were studied. Using a two-dimensional finite element method, recording density characteristics and peak shift characteristics of the MR head were estimated with a saturation effect. Recording density characteristics changed with the magnetic saturation of the MR element with a large remanent magnetization and thickness product of the recording medium, but peak shift was not affected by it. Compared with the gap length dependence of the inductive head, the MR head had a lower [D.sub.50] and smaller peak shift than did the inductive head.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. successfully developed the first dopamine D2 receptor partial agonist approved for schizophrenia, the antipsychotic aripiprazole (Abilify®). The drug was approved for this indication in the United States in 2002 and has received approval in the United States, Europe, Japan, and many other countries for several indications including schizophrenia, acute mania, adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), irritability associated with autistic disorder, and Tourette's disorder. Otsuka next developed brexpiprazole (Rexulti®), another D2 receptor partial agonist, which was granted marketing approval in the United States in 2015 as adjunctive therapy in major depressive disorder and for the treatment of schizophrenia. In Japan, brexpiprazole also received approval as a treatment for schizophrenia in 2018. In this review, we describe Otsuka's research history and achievements over the preceding 40 years in the area of antipsychotic drug discovery for dopamine D2 receptor partial agonists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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An epitaxial thin film growth has been applied to prepare bicrystalline CoCrPt longitudinal recording medium using an MgO(100) single crystal disk substrate. X-ray and TEM measurements have revealed that the magnetic layer has a bicrystalline structure which consists of two variant domains with their c-axes lying in-plane and perpendicular to each other. The maximum medium coercivity is observed at (2n+1)[Pi]/4, while the minimum coercivity is observed at n[Pi]/2 from the MgO[010] when measured along the circumferential direction. The highest signal to noise ratio, the highest linear resolution, and the best off-track performance are observed at (2n+1)[Pi]/4 where the direction of the recording magnetic head field lies between the easy magnetization axes of the two variant domains.