Search

Simple Summary: In recent years, much research has focused on how exercise improves cancer prognosis and how the protein myokine, which is associated with exercise, inhibits cancer progression. However, there have been few detailed studies on oral cancer. This study is the first to show that exercise inhibits the progression of oral cancer. While other studies have shown that exercise suppresses growth, decreases the tumor formation rate, or improves survival in patients with other organ cancers, this study showed that exercise inhibits tumor formation and growth in oral cancer and prolongs survival. Furthermore, while many studies have demonstrated an indirect immune-mediated mechanism by which exercise suppresses cancer, this study suggests the additional possibility that myokines released by exercise directly affect oral cancer cells. This study has the above novelties. Major advances have been made in cancer treatment, but the prognosis for elderly cancer patients with sarcopenia and frailty remains poor. Myokines, which are thought to exert preventive effects against sarcopenia, have been reported to be associated with the prognosis of various cancers, but their effect on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is unknown. The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of exercise on the control of HNSCC and to examine the underlying mechanism involved. Mice were injected with HSC-3-M3 cells, a human cell line of highly metastatic and poorly differentiated tongue cancer, at the beginning of the study. Just prior to transplantation, blood was collected from the mice, and the levels of myokines were measured by ELISA. Oncostatin M (OSM), a selected myokine, was added to HSC-3-M3 cells, after which the cell proliferation ability, cell cycle, and protein expression were analyzed in vitro. Tumor cell viability was lower (control: 100%, exercise: 75%), tumors were smaller (control: 26.2 mm3, exercise: 6.4 mm3), and survival was longer in the exercise group than in the control group in vivo. OSM inhibited HSC-3-M3 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. The addition of OSM increased the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase, decreased the proportion of cells in the G2/M phase, and increased the expression of the CDK inhibitors p21 and p27. These results indicate that exercise may directly inhibit the proliferation of HNSCC cell lines via OSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a stiffness sensitivity analysis with principal strain application to decrease the out-of-plane vibration, which is the main source of the sound radiation of mechanical structures with thin plate parts. The sensitivity is evaluated as a differential coefficient of the target response with respect to the design variable, e.g., stiffness or mass. For suppressing the out-of-plane vibration, we pay attention to finding an appropriate location on the structure to add local stiffness. The location is decided according to stiffness sensitivity analysis results. The compliance frequency response function (FRF) is considered as the target response, and the thickness of stiffener is considered as the design variable. The validity of the proposed method is examined through numerical simulation with a finite element method (FEM) model of a thin plate. The modal principal strain distributions, stiffness sensitivity, and FRF changes by local thickening are calculated based on 4 selected natural modes. It is also examined by the experimental approach. The expected reduction of the response is attained by adding the stiffener (a thin stainless plate) to the appropriate location on the plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local electromagnetic field enhancement in resonant metamaterials is useful for efficient generation of nonlinear phenomena; however, the field enhancement is suppressed by losses of nonlinear elements in metamaterials. For overcoming this issue, we investigate the nonlinear response of an electromagnetically induced transparency-like metasurface loaded with gas as the nonlinear element. To induce nonlinearity in the gas associated with discharges, an electromagnetic wave with a modulated amplitude is incident on the metasurface. The measured waveform and spectrum of the transmitted electromagnetic wave, along with light emission from the discharge microplasma, reveal that frequency mixing can occur on the metasurface. The parameter dependence of the conversion efficiency of the frequency mixing phenomenon shows that the efficiency is determined almost entirely by the ratio of the duration of microplasma generation to the modulation period of the incident wave amplitude. This result implies that the frequency mixing is derived from a binary change in the transmittance of the metasurface caused by the generation and quenching of the microplasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignancy of all salivary neoplasms, and no effective treatment strategy for MEC has been established other than resection. In this study, we showed that Purkinje cell protein (PCP) 4/peptide (PEP) 19 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are predicted to play important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of MEC. The detection of PCP4/PEP19 and HER2 may be useful for providing more effective treatments against MEC. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is one of the most common malignant salivary gland carcinomas, but no effective treatment strategy has been established other than surgical resection. Purkinje cell protein (PCP) 4/peptide (PEP) 19 is a calmodulin-binding antiapoptotic peptide that is expressed and inhibits apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an epidermal growth factor that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many carcinomas, particularly breast and gastric carcinomas. In the present study, we performed immunohistochemical analyses of samples from 73 patients who underwent surgical resection for MEC of the salivary gland using antibodies against PCP4/PEP19 and HER2. PCP4/PEP19 expression was related to better prognosis, while HER2 expression was associated with worse prognosis. Patients that were PCP4/PEP19-positive and HER2-negative showed similar outcomes to PCP4/PEP19 and HER2 alone. Therefore, PCP4/PEP19 and HER2 are predicted to play important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of MEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: As sarcopenia has been shown to be associated with a variety of functional impairments and increased mortality, it has become increasingly important to evaluate sarcopenia comorbidity in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We assessed sarcopenia in patients with OSCC in a way that is feasible in daily practice and retrospectively evaluated its impact on prognosis. Patients with both low quality and low quantity of cervical muscles had a significantly worse prognosis. Assessing sarcopenia by evaluating both the quality and quantity of preoperative cervical skeletal muscle mass may be useful in optimizing the treatment of patients with OSCC without requiring additional imaging or patient burden. Accumulating evidence has shown that sarcopenia in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is at a risk of poor prognosis. There is no universal consensus on how to assess sarcopenia in patients with OSCC in daily practice. It is important to validate the usefulness of sarcopenia assessment from cervical muscles, which are frequently used in routine clinical practice in patients with OSCC. In this study, we investigated whether preoperative lumbar (L3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in OSCC patients were associated with cervical (C3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity from CT measurements. We also investigated whether skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in the C3 muscles were associated with survival rates in patients with OSCC. We demonstrated that both the quality and quantity of muscle between the C3 and L3 levels were positively correlated with each other. We also demonstrated that the survival rates in patients with low sternocleidomastoid muscle mass index, high processus spinosus muscle-intramuscular adipose tissue content, and the combination of both were significantly lower than those in the controls. These results suggest that the assessment of sarcopenia from multiple neck muscles by preoperative CT measurements may be useful in predicting the prognosis of patients with OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fatigue of C/C composites was investigated in bending and shear modes. In bending, a large stress ratio resulted in a decrease in strength; the decrease became small without water present. However, a large ratio led to a decrease in Young''s modulus, regardless of the presence of water. In shear, degradation in strength or fatigue life decreased with increasing the ratio. For specimens fatigue degraded in air, static strength in water decreased as compared with that in air. It is strongly suggested that fatigue degradation in C/C composites is promoted by a combination of stress corrosion and crack propagation promoted by a wedge effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

26,26,26,27,27,27-Hexafluoro-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D[sub 3] (ST-630) is a newly developed agent to maintain the levels of calcium and phosphorus in blood. Herein, we investigated the effect of this compound on the expression of vitamin-D-responsive genes in vitamin-D-deficient mice. ST-630 was more effective than 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D[sub 3] [1,25(OH)[sub 2] D[sub 3] ] with respect to the induction of Cyp24 and calbindin-D[sub 9k] mRNAs in the kidney and in the small intestine. Moreover, the increase in mRNA levels of vitamin-D-responsive genes induced by ST-630 lasted longer than that induced by 1,25(OH)[sub 2] D[sub 3] . These results indicate that ST-630 was more effective in inducing Cyp24 and calbindin-D[sub 9k] gene expression than 1,25(OH)[sub 2] D[sub 3] when both compounds were injected into vitamin-D-deficient mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has the highest mortality rate among all head and neck cancers. To date, the impact of preoperative malnutrition and sarcopenia on survival in OSCC patients remains controversial. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of preoperative nutritional status and abnormalities in body composition on the mortality of OSCC patients. The disease-specific survival (DSS) rate among patients with a high intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) and a low psoas muscle mass index was significantly lower than that in controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and high IMAC were independent risk factors. We demonstrated that preoperative malnutrition and abnormal body composition, such as abnormal preoperative skeletal muscle quality, are associated with DSS in OSCC patients. Our study suggests that the evaluation of preoperative malnutrition and skeletal muscle quality would be useful for predicting mortality in patients with OSCC. The impact of preoperative malnutrition and sarcopenia on survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients remains controversial. We investigated the effects of the preoperative nutritional status and abnormalities in body composition on the mortality of OSCC patients. A retrospective study involving 103 patients with OSCC was conducted. Disease-specific survival (DSS) according to the preoperative psoas muscle mass index (PMI) and intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) was evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the predictive performance of the covariates with respect to DSS. The DSS rate in patients with high IMAC and low PMI was significantly lower than that in controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and high IMAC were independent risk factors. We demonstrated that preoperative malnutrition and abnormal body composition, such as preoperative skeletal muscle quality, are associated with DSS in OSCC patients. Our study suggests that the evaluation of preoperative malnutrition and skeletal muscle quality would be useful for predicting mortality in patients with OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel three component gel is obtained from the reaction of succinic acid, Cu(NO3)2, and 1,4-diaza-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) in various organic solvents. The presence of the three components is essential for gelation in the solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The presence of cervical lymph node metastasis is the most important prognostic factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Therefore, the detection of metastatic lymph nodes before treatment is most important to improve patient prognosis. The purpose of this study was to combine imaging findings of cervical lymph nodes and histopathological factors of biopsy specimens associated with cervical lymph node metastasis in OSCC. Our results suggest that cervical lymph node metastasis is related to the internal echo of ultrasonography (US), rim enhancement of enhanced Computed Tomography (CT), vascular invasion, and Yamamoto–Kohama (YK) classification of biopsy specimens. We have established new diagnostic criteria combining these factors. This strategy may reduce false negative diagnoses of cervical lymph node metastasis. Purpose: To establish a diagnosis method based on imaging findings and histopathological factors associated with cervical lymph node metastasis. Methods: A total of 1587 cervical lymph nodes that were detected using imaging tools in 73 OSCC patients who underwent surgical treatment were enrolled to evaluate the association between imaging findings (long diameter, short diameter, long–short ratio, US findings (hilum and internal echo), contrast effect with enhanced CT, standardized uptake value (SUV) max and SUV average with 18F FDG-Positron Emission Tomography (PET)) and metastatic cervical lymph nodes. In 57 OSCC patients, biopsy specimens were evaluated for histopathologic factors (budding score, lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, nerve invasion, and YK classification) and the presence of cervical lymph node metastases. Cervical lymph node metastasis was determined based on histopathological examination of the lymph nodes of patients with no metastasis observed 3 years after primary surgery. Results: In total, 22 of the 73 patients had cervical lymph node metastasis pathologically. In the comparison of the presence of metastatic lymph nodes, univariate analysis showed significant differences in cervical lymph node long and short diameter, long/short ratio, internal echo, rim enhancement, SUV max, SUV average, budding score, and vascular invasion. Multivariable analysis showed significant differences in internal echo, rim enhancement, SUV max, and budding score. Conclusions: We propose a chart diagnostic system that combines imaging and histopathological findings to improve the diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) laser is environmentally safe, due to the absence of any poisonous or hazardous gases, and also economical, without the need for expensive gases. We can thus expect a safe and low cost REBa2Cu3Oy (REBCO)-coated conductor fabrication process by using an Nd:YAG laser. We investigated the fabrication of YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO) films using a PLD method with a fourth harmonic Nd:YAG laser. The YBCO films showed good superconducting properties; for example, on SrTiO3 single crystalline substrates, Tc and Jc were about 90 K and 2.5 MA/cm^2, respectively, at 77 K. In order to enhance Jc in magnetic fields, BaSnO3 was doped into YBCO films by means of a combinatorial Nd:YAG-PLD method. The combinatorial method enabled the growth and study of a library of samples ranging from pure-YBCO to BSO-doped-YBCO. We demonstrated rapid optimization of BaSnO3 content by the combinatorial method and concluded that the optimal BSO content was around 3.6 wt%. In addition, in order to enhance material yield of the Nd:YAG-PLD method, we optimized the oxygen pressure and distance between the target and substrate. On a substrate with dimensions of 10\times 10\ mm^2, the material yield of a YBCO film reached about 19.0%. These results suggest that the Nd:YAG-PLD method is promising for forming YBCO-coated conductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prediction of postoperative complications is important for oral and maxillofacial surgeons. We herein aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Estimation of Physiologic Ability and Surgical Stress (E-PASS) and Acute Physiology, Age, and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scoring systems to predict postoperative complications in patients undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery. Methods: Thirty patients (22 males, 8 females; mean age: 65.1 ± 12.9 years) who underwent major oral surgeries and stayed in the intensive care unit for postoperative management were enrolled in this study. Postoperative complications were discriminated according to the necessity of the therapeutic intervention by the Medical Department, i.e. according to the Clavien–Dingo classification. E-PASS and APACHE II scores as well as laboratory test values were compared between patients with/without postoperative complications. Results: Postoperative complications were developed in seven patients. The comprehensive risk score (CRS: 1.13 ± 0.24) and APACHE II score (13.0 ± 2.58) were significantly higher in patients with postoperative complications than in those without ones (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively). The CRS showed an appropriate discriminatory power for predicting postoperative complications (area under the curve: 0.814). Furthermore, a correlation was detected between APACHE II scores and postoperative data until C-reactive protein levels decreased to < 1.0 mg/L (r = 0.43, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The E-PASS and APACHE II scoring systems were both shown to be useful to predict postoperative complications after oral and maxillofacial surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If structures with complex shapes have space limitations, vibration tests using an exciter or impact hammer for the excitation are difficult. Although measuring the auto frequency response function at an unexcited point may not be practical via a vibration test, it can be obtained by assuming that the inertia acting on a dummy mass is an external force on the target structure upon exciting a different excitation point. We propose a method to estimate the auto frequency response functions at unexcited points by attaching a small mass (dummy mass), which is comparable to the accelerometer mass. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing the auto frequency response functions estimated at unexcited points in a beam structure to those obtained from numerical simulations. We also consider random measurement errors by finite element analysis and vibration tests, but not bias errors. Additionally, the applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated by applying it to estimate the auto frequency response function of the lower arm in a car suspension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We introduce the novel concept of decomposing the FRFs into paths. • The concept is based upon the FRFs, not upon transmissibilities as in GTDT. • The methodology can realize clear visualization of the contents of the FRFs. • It can evaluate the contributions of paths to the FRFs quantitatively. • The presented approach will promise to solve NVH problems. Frequency response functions (FRFs) lie within the framework of the linear response theory in elastic structures. In FRFs, the inputs/outputs relationships are strictly determined, but there is no way of knowing how waves are propagated and converted from the input signals into the output signals. Thus, the wave propagation between the inputs and outputs cannot be clearly understood by the FRFs. In this study, we succeeded in visualizing the contents of these FRFs by decomposing them into geometric paths using a signal flow graph. Moreover, we succeeded in quantitatively evaluating the contributions of the paths to these FRFs. In terms of application, when the noise or vibration of industrial products is loud and unpleasant, this analytical methodology can help identify the cause behind such nuisance by using paths in contribution to FRFs. This methodology is expected to pave the way for taking quantitative countermeasures on the basis of analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigated the influence of laser sources, such as an excimer and a Nd:YAG laser, on REBa2Cu3O y (RE123) film growth by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Good superconducting properties such as T c ∼90K and J c >1MA/cm2 at 77K were obtained for the films produced in this study. On the other hand, J c values in magnetic fields were lower compared to a Y123 film prepared by a conventional excimer-PLD method. In addition to the J c values, surface morphologies were also different. The Y123 film produced by Nd:YAG-PLD exhibited smaller grain diameters than the film produced by excimer-PLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various coatings have been developed for biodegradable Mg alloys to control the degradation speed and to improve the bone conductivity. In this study, hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings were formed on pure Mg, Mg-0.8mass% Ca (MgCa), Mg-4mass% Y-3mass% rare earth (RE) (WE43), Mg-3mass% RE-1mass% Y (EW31) and Mg-4mass% RE (RE4) alloy rods with a chemical solution deposition method. The HAp-coated and uncoated Mg/Mg alloy rods were implanted in the femurs of rats for 3–6 months, and the corrosion suppression and bone formation abilities of the HAp coating were examined using a scanning electron microscope. The corrosion rate of WE43 was suppressed by 1/3 with the HAp coating for 6 months, and the corrosion product showed very slow dissolution. The effect of the HAp coating for pure Mg and MgCa disappeared in 1–2 months with the thinning of the rods accompanying with the obvious dissolution of the corrosion products. The effect of the HAp coating for EW31 and RE4 was not stable due to the expansion and collapse of the corrosion products. The bone formation was enhanced on the HAp layers. Eventually, the HAp coating basically suppressed the corrosion initiation and corrosion progress of Mg substrates. The magnitude of the suppression effect depended mainly on the chemical and physical stability of the corrosion products. Unlabelled Image • In vivo corrosion control of various Mg/Mg alloys with hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating • Degradation of 5 kinds of HAp-coated Mg/Mg alloys in rat femur examined with SEM • HAp coating effectively suppressed Mg alloy-corrosion with stable corrosion product • Decline of HAp coating effect with degradation of corrosion product • Enhancement of bone formation directly on HAp coating layer [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]