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Byline: Motohiro. Kawashima, Hidemasa. Kawamura, Masahiro. Onishi, Yosuke. Takakusagi, Noriyuki. Okonogi, Atsushi. Okazaki, Tetsuo. Sekihara, Yoshitaka. Ando, Takashi. Nakano Discretization errors due to the digitization of computed tomography images and [...]

The thermodynamic effect on cryogenic cavitating flow characteristics of pressurized liquid nitrogen in a horizontal rectangular nozzle is precisely investigated by numerical analysis based on an unsteady thermal nonequilibrium two-fluid model and by flow visualization measurement. According to the numerical and experimental study, the sufficiently useful results are proposed to realize the further development and high performance of a type of cryogenic two-phase cooling system. It is numerically and experimentally found that the inception of cryogenic cavitation occurs and the cavity grows in the vicinity of the wall surface of the inlet throat section. It is also found that the continuous process and behavior of cavitation inception, cloud cavity growth, and gas phase diffusion behavior with time in pressurized liquid nitrogen are dominated not only by several additional forces in the gas-phase momentum equation, but also by the thermodynamic effect that acts on the cavitation bubbles due to the inherent properties of cryogenic fluid. Especially under conditions of the same temperature and same aspect ratio of the cloud cavity, similar generating behavior of cavitation can be often found in the high Reynolds number region in spite of large cavitation number. Keywords: Cryogenics, Pressurized Liquid Nitrogen, Cavitation, Multiphase Flow, Internal Flow

The promising results of the PACIFIC study led to the approval of consolidation durvalumab for coverage by the National Health Insurance (NHI) in 2018 for patients with locally-advanced unresectable non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). However, the effect of NHI coverage on the patterns of care for this population remains unclear. Here, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey to determine the patterns of care for patients with stage II–III NSCLC treated with definitive radiotherapy in 2017 (pre-durvalumab era) or in 2019 (post-durvalumab era). Data were obtained from 11 radiotherapy facilities in Gunma prefecture, which has a population of 1.94 million. We identified 80 and 83 patients with stage II–III NSCLC who received definitive radiotherapy in Gunma in 2017 and 2019, respectively. At a given facility, CCRT was the treatment of choice in a significantly greater proportion of patients in 2019 than in 2017 (66% ± 20% vs 51% ± 29%, P  = 0.041). Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) was more frequent in 2019 than in 2017 (24% vs 1.2%). Carboplatin plus paclitaxel was used for CCRT at higher rate in 2019 than in 2017 (73% vs 44%). Consolidation durvalumab was performed in 73% (40/55) of CCRT-treated patients in 2019, and the treatment was performed for the planned 12 months in 45% (18/40) of patients. These data indicate that NHI coverage of durvalumab might be a possible reason for choosing CCRT in patients with stage II–III NSCLC in the real-world setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction Benign metastasizing leiomyoma in the lung is a very rare disease characterized by the growth of uterine leiomyoma tissue. In most cases there is a previous history of hysterectomy for uterine leiomyoma. Case presentation A 50-year-old Asian woman underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy for uterine leiomyoma at the age of 37 years old. She was referred to our hospital because of sudden anterior chest pain. A chest computed tomography scan revealed a ground-glass opacity in her left S10 lung segment and a solitary small nodule in her left bronchial segment, S4. We performed a left lower lobectomy and an upper lung partial resection in order to make a definitive diagnosis and to enable us to determine a further therapeutic strategy. The ground-glass opacity in her left S10 was a primary lung adenocarcinoma, while the small nodule in her left S4 was diagnosed as a benign metastasizing leiomyoma. No additional therapy was done and our patient was followed up with chest computed tomography. Up to date, repetitive evaluation by chest computed tomography has shown no sign of benign metastasizing leiomyoma or lung cancer recurrence. Conclusion This is a very rare case of benign metastasizing leiomyoma of the lung associated with primary lung cancer. This comorbid association should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a solitary lung nodule is detected in a patient with a history of uterine leiomyoma.

Background/aim: To determine the most reliable predictor for pathologic complete response (pCR) in patients who underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy and regional hyperthermia (HCRT) for rectal cancer., Patients and Methods: Thirty-six patients were enrolled. The local control status of the patients was assessed using 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and colonoscopy before and after HCRT. The relationships between various parameters of these clinical examinations and pCR were analyzed., Results: Ten (28%) patients achieved pCR. The accuracies of predicting pCR using FDG-PET/CT, MRI, and colonoscopy were 78%, 61%, and 75%, respectively. FDG-PET/CT was the only independent predictive modality for pCR (p=0.021). The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) and SUV max normalized to liver uptake (SLR) after HCRT showed the highest sensitivity (90%) and the decreasing rate of SUV max and SLR demonstrated the highest specificity (89%) for pCR., Conclusion: SUV max -based parameters of FDG-PET/CT after HCRT were the most reliable predictors for pCR., (Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)