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We aimed to examine outcomes and toxicities of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with the central shielding (CS) technique for patients with uterine cervical cancer. This retrospective study included 54 patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics IB-IVA cancer. Whole pelvic radiotherapy or extended-field radiotherapy were performed at the dose of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions with helical tomotherapy (HT). Six patients had para-aortic lymph node metastases. The CS technique with HT was utilized after a total dose of 28.8–41.4 Gy to reduce doses to the rectum and bladder. The prescribed dose of intracavitary brachytherapy was mainly 18–24 Gy in three or four fractions at point A. Concurrent chemotherapy was used for 47 patients (87%). Median follow-up time was 56 months. Seventeen patients (31%) developed recurrence. The recurrence of the cervix was observed in two patients (4%). The 5-year rates of the locoregional control, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were 79, 66 and 82%, respectively. Among several factors evaluated, histological type of adenocarcinoma was only a significantly worse prognostic factor for PFS by multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 4.9 [95% confidence interval, 1.3–18], P  = 0.018). Grade 2 or higher late toxicities were observed in nine patients (17%). Two patients (4%) each had grade 3 proctitis and grade 3 ileus, respectively. No grade 4 toxicity or treatment-related death was observed. The results suggest that IMRT with the CS technique allows a high local control without increasing the risk of complications for cervical cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using recorded data of pressure and temperature, we developed a nondestructive method to estimate the precipitation rate of carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]) hydrate by considering the C[O.sub.2] solution density equation in association with the mass conservation equation. We applied this method to the investigation of the dynamic process of clathrate hydrate precipitation from C[O.sub.2] solution using a high-pressure dissolution system consisting of a high-pressure vessel and optical detecting instruments. The role of stirring was examined. The temperatures studied in the experiments were from 275 to 288 K over a pressure range of 4-8 MPa. Experimental results showed that our method can quantitatively monitor this dynamic process. The volume ratio of precipitated hydrate to that of the pressure-vessel approached 0.09 when a steady state was reached, which took about 100 seconds; more than 60% of the total clathrate hydrate precipitated within 10 seconds at the cooling rates of this experiment. For precipitation, stirring enhanced the cooling and led to a large hydrate precipitation rate from 0.004 to 0.008 in volume ratio per second. For nucleation, however, the residual structure of the solution decreased the amount of hysteresis in the formation of hydrate nuclei during supercooling, of which induction times were reduced by 4-9 minutes.

A full-wave finite-element method with hybrid edge/ nodal elements is, for the first time, applied to investigating the frequency dispersion of microwave propagation characteristics of broad-band traveling-wave (TW) optical modulators using planar electrode configurations. In order to produce a two-step analysis of electrooptic modulation of optical waveguides, the microwave electrode solver is linked to the optical waveguide solver. Numerical results are shown for an ultrabroad-band TW LiNb[O.sub.3] Mach-Zehnder optical modulator with a ridge structure, and the necessity of using the full-wave solver is verified by comparing the calculated 3-dB bandwidth and half-wavelength voltage with the experimental data. Index Terms - Coplanar waveguide, finite-element method, full-wave analysis, microwave photonic device, traveling-wave optical modulator.

Organic compounds having carbon-carbon double bonds react with H5IO6 or NaBrO3 in the presence of NaHSO3, producing iodohydrin and bromohydrin derivatives in good yields. This preparation involves the in situ generation of respective hypohalous acids from H5IO6 and NaBrO3 in the presence of NaHSO3. Iodohydroxylation exhibits high stereroselectivity while bromohydroxylation shows no stereoselectivity. Alkynes react with H5IO6/NaHSO3 producing ketones, and reaction with NaBrO3/NaHSO3 produces alpha, alpha-dibromo ketones.

Functional foods that inhibit α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase activity are effective for regulating the blood glucose level and preventing hyperglycemia. Extracts of adzuki beans (ABs, Vigna angularis), widely eaten in East Asia, can inhibit α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase activity. In this study, we identified and evaluated the components in an AB water extract (ABWE) after boiling, which is an essential process for cooking ABs. The ABWE before boiling inhibited α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase activity and the boiled ABWE showed slightly stronger inhibitory effects. High‐performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses identified (+)‐catechin 7‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranoside (C7G), (+)‐epicatechin 7‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranoside (E7G), and (+)‐catechin as the bioactive components in boiled ABWE. Interestingly, the quantity of E7G significantly increased after boiling (from 0% to 17.1 ± 1.3%). E7G showed stronger inhibition of α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase than C7G; the IC50 values for α‐amylase were 0.74 ± 0.04 mg/mL (C7G) and 0.40 ± 0.09 mg/mL (E7G), and for α‐glucosidase the IC50 values were 0.085 ± 0.032 mg/mL (C7G) and 0.051 ± 0.007 mg/mL (E7G). Our findings suggest that C7G and E7G are the main active components in ABWE as they inhibit α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase and their inhibitory effect is not lost after boiling. These results support the effectiveness of boiled ABs in the promotion of health. Practical Application: We identified (+)‐catechin 7‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranoside (C7G), (+)‐epicatechin 7‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranoside (E7G), and (+)‐catechin in adzuki bean extracts and commercially available boiled adzuki bean products. Interestingly, the E7G content was increased by boiling, and this compound showed strong inhibitory activity toward α‐amylase and α‐glucosidase. These results support the consumption of boiled adzuki beans to prevent acute rises in blood glucose level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]