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For plasma window (PW) applications, we developed the cascade arc discharge device with an indirectly heated hollow cathode. The 8-mm channel diameter hollow cathode made of a lanthanum hexaboride (LaB 6) was heated by the C/C composite heater surrounding the cathode to increase the thermionic electron emission. The PW developed successfully separated 2.4 kPa and 16 Pa, and the pressure separation capability was sustained for over 1 h. H- β Stark broadening measurement and the Thomson scattering measurement showed that the electron density and temperature inside the channel reached 10 19 – 10 20 m − 3 and 2.0 eV, respectively. The power balance analysis on the electron thermal energy revealed that the neutral density and temperature inside the channel were as high as 10 23 m − 3 and 4000 K, respectively. The relation between the pressure separation capability and the neutral temperature showed that the flow inside the channel of the PW had the molecular flow feature. The SEM-EDX analysis on the LaB 6 cathode showed that boron diffused to the molybdenum (Mo) shaft during plasma operation, which supported the LaB 6 cathode. Mo shaft became brittle after more than 50 h of operation, exhibiting the necessity of buffer material between the LaB 6 cathode and Mo shaft for long-duration operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After excluding terminally all patients, we evaluated a total of 718 patients treated with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy. They involved 350 episodes of acute hemorrhage and 368 prophylactic procedures in patients with risky varices. The 1-year cumulative survival rate was significantly lower in the acute hemorrhage group than in the prophylactic group (P < 0.05). The difference in survival between the two groups was primarily due to the number of deaths in the first 2 months after sclerotherapy (20.1% vs 0.8%, P < 0.0005). Improvements in the sclerotherapy technique significantly reduced the number of deaths from bleeding (9.3% vs 3.4%, P < 0.05), but not those from liver failure following variceal hemorrhage. Prophylactic EIS is advantageous in the treatment of esophageal varices, i.e. it may prevent deaths from liver failure attributed to variceal hemorrhages. The present study shows that preliminary prevention of variceal hemorrhage provides favorable hemostatic efficacy in patients with risky varices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 41-year-old premenopausal woman presented to our hospital with lower abdominal distention and epigastralgia. An ovarian endometriotic cyst was noted when she was 30 years, and was only followed up until she was 36 years. Suspecting rupture of an ovarian tumor, left adnexectomy was performed. The left ovarian tumor was diagnosed as an ovarian carcinosarcoma of the heterologous type occurring in the endometriotic cyst. The carcinosarcoma was composed of an admixture of high-grade carcinomatous and sarcomatous components, including rhabdomyosarcoma. Thereafter, secondary surgery was concluded, which confirmed the tumor stage to be pT1c3. She postoperatively received 6 cycles of docetaxel/carboplatin as adjuvant chemotherapy and achieved recurrence-free survival for 40 months. Among ovarian carcinosarcomas, cases occurring in endometriotic cysts are particularly rare and may have a relatively good prognosis, because tumor cells, especially sarcoma components, tend to be confined to the ovaries. Pathological estimation of the origin of carcinosarcoma is important, because it appears to correlate with prognosis., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Japan Society of Clinical Oncology 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Background: Vonoprazan (VPZ)-based regimen for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is safe and more efficacious than the proton pump inhibitor-based regimen mainly in adults. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a VPZ-based regimen for H. pylori eradication therapy in adolescents., Methods: An H. pylori screening and treatment longitudinal project for third-year junior high school students in Saga Prefecture began in 2016. Students who tested positive for both urine and stool tests received a VPZ-based regimen. On the checklist, students were asked for diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, urticaria, dysgeusia, or bloody stool occurrence during the therapy., Results: The longitudinal project for H. pylori screening and treatment among third-grade students in Saga Prefecture targeted 41,115 students from 2017 to 2021 and 836 as positive. Of the 645 students, 542 (84.0% in per protocol [PP] analysis and 73.6% in intention-to-treat [ITT] analysis) were successful in primary eradication therapy. The secondary eradication therapy was successful in 79 (96.3% in PP analysis and 76.7% in ITT analysis) of 82 students. In the primary eradication therapy, abdominal pain occurred in 164 (27.9%), diarrhea in 217 (36.9%), nausea or vomiting in 7 (1.2%), and urticaria in 13 (2.2%) students. In the secondary eradication therapy, abdominal pain occurred in 12 (19.4%) and diarrhea in 17 (27.4%) students. The eradication therapy of 5 students was interrupted due to adverse events only by primary eradication therapy., Conclusions: VPZ-based regimen for H. pylori was efficacious and safe for adolescents, as in adults, for both primary and secondary eradication therapies., (© 2022. Japanese Society of Gastroenterology.)

Chronic exposure to cadmium (Cd) leads to an accumulation of Cd in the kidneys. Metallothionein (MT) is a low-molecular-weight protein having a high affinity for Cd. Cd bound to MT in serum is filtered through the glomeruli of kidney nephrons and reabsorbed by endocytosis into the proximal tubules from the luminal side. Accumulation of Cd in renal cells induces MT synthesis, leading to long-term deposition of Cd and the suppression of Cd toxicity. Recently, many studies have investigated the tissue distribution of metals using laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS). However, little information has been available regarding renal Cd distribution. Hence, we dually investigated the renal distribution of Cd by LA-ICP-MS and that of MT by immunohistochemistry to clarify the dose- and time-dependent changes in the distributions of Cd and MT in mice exposed to Cd from drinking water for 1, 2, and 4 months. Both Cd and MT exhibited characteristic heterogeneous distribution patterns in the renal cortex. The accumulation of Cd and MT near the surface of the cortex suggests a preferential accumulation of Cd in the surface nephrons. MT distribution was more pronounced in the proximal tubules than in the distal tubules, and there were clear differences in MT immunostaining even among the proximal tubules. The heterogeneous localization of MT may reflect the nephron-specific accumulation of Cd. Combining elemental imaging of Cd with immunostaining of MT proved a successful strategy to reveal the characteristic renal Cd distribution, especially in the early stages of Cd accumulation.

Background: The screening and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection for all junior high students in Saga Prefecture, Japan, were started in 2016. The present study aims to evaluate the influence of adverse reactions on the success of the eradication therapy., Methods: From 2017 to 2019, 25,006 third-grade junior high school students were tested for urinary anti-H. pylori antibodies. Positive cases were confirmed by H. pylori stool antigen tests. Of the 531 students who were found to be H. pylori-positive, 390 (358 in first-line and 32 in second-line therapy) underwent eradication therapy, and 274 (242 in first-line and 32 in second-line) students actually completed a self-reported form to rate stool consistency (based on the Bristol Stool Scale), the maximum number of bowel movements, and abdominal symptoms during the 7 days of treatment., Results: Among the 274 students, the total of primary and secondary eradication success rates was 87% (95% confidential interval: 82.9-90.1) in intention-to-treat analysis. On days 4, 5, and 6, stool consistency was looser in the primary eradication failure group than in the success group (p < .05). Looser stool consistencies were observed in male students with abdominal pain compared to those who did not experience pain (p < .05). Abdominal pain and diarrhea were detected in 28.5% and 42.7% of the subjects, respectively. The overall incidence of other adverse events was low (n = 8/274, 2.9%), and only two students discontinued treatment because of adverse events., Conclusions: Softening of the stool was related to the eradication failure in the junior high school students, especially in males with abdominal pain. Adverse effects did not induce discontinuation of the eradication treatment., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

We developed a simultaneous analysis method using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) for six principal compounds (atractylenolide III, alisol A, alisol B, paeoniflorin, ferulic acid and (Z)-ligustilide) in a traditional Japanese (Kampo) medicine, tokishakuyakusan (TSS). The HPLC separation was conducted on a reversed-phase TSK-gel ODS-80TS column (4.6 i.d. × 250 mm, 5 µm) at 40°C with a 0.1% phosphoric acid-acetonitrile gradient system. The DAD detection wavelength was set at 205, 232 and 330 nm. Calibration curves for the compounds showed linear regressions with correlation coefficients of >0.999. The intra- and inter-day precision (i.e., the relative standard deviation) were in the range of 0.50-1.55 and 0.70-1.80%, respectively. The average recovery yields of the compounds ranged from 98.3 to 103%. The present results will contribute to shorter analysis times with less organic solvent compared with the individual analysis of each compound for the evaluation of TSS. The application of the established method to TSS will also provide helpful information for the further pharmacological and clinical studies., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Hangekobokuto (banxia-houpo-tang) is a Kampo (traditional Japanese) medicine used mostly for anxiety disorder and consists of Pinellia Tuber, Poria Sclerotium, Magnolia Bark, Perilla Herb and Ginger. Perilla Herb contains an essential oil rich in perillaldehyde, which has a pleasant flavor, but this is easily lost due to heating. We therefore investigated how the major constituents of hangekobokuto, namely perillaldehyde, rosmarinic acid, magnolol and [6]-gingerol, varied with time during decoction and approached an optimal condition for decoction. Rosmarinic acid at 15 min after boiling, and magnolol and [6]-gingerol at 30 min were mostly extracted, while 0.09 mg of perillaldehyde remained at 15 min, but was not detected at 30 min. From these results, a decoction was prepared by adding Perilla Herb 1, 2, 5 and 10 min prior to the termination time of decoction at 30 min. When Perilla Herb was added 1 min beforehand, perillaldehyde was abundant (1.58 mg) and the amount of rosmarinic acid was already the same as that in the conventional decoction at 30 min, but the amount of total extract was inadequate. When Perilla Herb was added 5 min beforehand, perillaldehyde remained to some extent (0.61 mg) and rosmarinic acid was significantly increased compared with that in the conventional decoction at 30 min. From these results, we can conclude that the decoction should be prepared by boiling for not more than 30 min and, if possible, Perilla Herb should be added 5 min prior to the termination time. Considering the antidepressant-like activity of perillaldehyde and rosmarinic acid, the suggested method will not only achieve better treatment for anxiety, but also provide an effective use of crude drugs in the resource-limited environment.

Shosaikoto (Xiaochaihu Tang) is one of the frequently used traditional herbal medicines (Kampo medicines, Japan). To realize the effective use of precious crude drugs, we investigated the major constituents in the residual crude drugs after decoction and aimed for extraction efficiency of shosaikoto with regard to the extract, tannin content, and major constituents. We found that the residual crude drugs had large amounts of compounds, especially saikosaponin b(2), which had a 78.3% yield compared to that in the first decoction. The extraction efficiency increased when decoction time and volume of water increased. Both increases had an additive effect on the yield of the extract and saikosaponin b(2) in particular. We also found that the size of crude drug pieces that are available in Japanese markets is suitable for decoction because of quick permeation of water. From our study, the second decoction may be a valuable contribution to medical treatment and of effective use of crude drugs. Moreover, time and volume of water should be increased when patients have trouble in preparing a decoction. Our study revealing the factors that influence the extraction efficiency of shosaikoto will be the basis for empirical evidence about decocting Kampo medicine.

5-Carboxy-2'-deoxycytidine (dC(COO-)) was synthesized as an anion-carrier to seek a new possibility of modified oligodeoxynucleotides capable of stabilization of duplexes and triplexes. The base pairing properties of this compound were evaluated by use of ab initio calculations. These calculations suggest that the Hoogsteen-type base pair of dC(COO-)-G is less stable than that of the canonical C+-G pair and the Watson-Crick-type base pair of dC(COO-)-G is slightly more stable than the natural G-C base pair. The modified cytosine base showed a basicity similar to that of cytosine (pKa 4.2). It turned out that oligodeoxynucleotides 13mer and 14mer incorporating dC(COO-) could form duplexes with the complementary DNA oligomer, which were more stable than the unmodified duplex. In contrast, it formed a relatively unstable triplex with the target ds DNA.

For the synthesis of 2',3' -didehydro-3' -deoxy-4' -C-ethynylthymidine (8: 4' -Ed4T), a recently reported promising anti-HIV agent, a new approach was developed. Since treatment of 1-(2,5-dideoxy-beta-l-glycero-pent-4-enofuranosyl)thymine with Pb(OBz)4 allowed the introduction of a 4'-benzoyloxy leaving group, nucleophilic substitution at the 4' -position became feasible for the first time. Thus, reaction between the 4'-benzoyloxy derivative (11) and Me3SiC identical with CAl(Et)Cl as a nucleophile led to the isolation of the desired 4'-"down"-ethynyl derivative (15) stereoselectively in 62% yield.

For the synthesis of 2',3'-didehydro-3'-deoxy-4'-ethynylthymidine (8: 4'-Ed4T), a recently reported promising anti-HIV agent, a new approach was developed. Since treatment of 1-(2,5-dideoxy-beta-L-glycero-pent-4-enofuranosyl)thymine with Pb(OBz)4 allowed the introduction of the 4'-benzoyloxy leaving group, nucleophilic substitution at the 4'-position became feasible for the first time. Thus, reaction between the 4'-benzoyloxy derivative (14) and Me3SiCCAl(Et)Cl as a nucleophile led to the isolation of the desired 4'-"down"-ethynyl derivative (18) stereoselectively in 62% yield. As an application of this approach, other 4'-substituted nucleosides, such as the 4'-allyl (24a) and 4'-cyano (26a) derivatives, were synthesized using organosilicon reagents. In these instances, pretreatment of 14 with MeAlCl2 was necessary.