Setting behaviour of luting cements monitored by an ultrasonic method

The purpose of this study was to monitor the setting behaviour and elastic modulus of luting cements using an ultrasonic device. The ultrasonic equipment comprised a pulser-receiver, transducers and an oscilloscope. The transit time through the cement disk was multiplied by the thickness of the specimen, and the sonic velocity within the material was then calculated. The sonic velocities of the longitudinal and shear waves were used to determine the elastic modulus. Analysis of variance and the Tukey HSD test were used to compare the elastic moduli of the set cements. In the earliest stages of the setting process, most of the ultrasound energy was absorbed by the cements and the sound waves were relatively weak. As the cements hardened, the sound velocities increased and this tendency differed among the luting cements used. The mean elastic moduli of the specimens ranged from 2.9 to 9.9 GPa after 15 min, from 14.4 to 20.3 GPa after 24 h and from 12.1 to 15.9 GPa after 1 month. The setting processes of the luting cements were thus clearly defined by using the present ultrasonic method.     

Utility of noise addition image made by using water phantom and image addition and subtraction software

In optimizing exposures, it is very important to evaluate the impact of image noise on image quality. To realize this, there is a need to evaluate how much image noise will make the subject disease invisible. But generally it is very difficult to shoot images of different quality in a clinical examination. Thus, a method to create a noise addition image by adding the image noise to raw data has been reported. However, this approach requires a special system, so it is difficult to implement in many facilities. We have invented a method to easily create a noise addition image by using the water phantom and image add-subtract software that accompanies the device. To create a noise addition image, first we made a noise image by subtracting the water phantom with different SD. A noise addition image was then created by adding the noise image to the original image. By using this method, a simulation image with intergraded SD can be created from the original. Moreover, the noise frequency component of the created noise addition image is as same as the real image. Thus, the relationship of image quality to SD in the clinical image can be evaluated. Although this method is an easy method of LDSI creation on image data, a noise addition image can be easily created by using image addition and subtraction software and water phantom, and this can be implemented in many facilities.     

Analysis of intrahepatic vascular morphological changes of chronic liver disease for assessment of liver fibrosis stages by micro-flow imaging with contrast-enhanced ultrasound: preliminary experience

Objective  

To assess morphological vascular changes due to an increase in liver fibrosis by using micro-flow imaging (MFI) of contrast-enhanced ultrasound.     

Early trabeculectomy bleb walls on anterior-segment optical coherence tomography

Background  

To correlate the cross-sectional features of filtering blebs on anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) 2 weeks after trabeculectomy with bleb function at 6 months.     

Gemcitabine and s-1 combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer: a retrospective study

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine and S-1 combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer.

Patients and Methods

A retrospective study was performed on 15 consecutive patients. Gemcitabine was administered intravenously at 1,000 mg/m² on days 8 and 15. Oral S-1 (60 mg/m² in 2 divided doses) was given daily for the first 2 weeks, followed by 1 week of rest. This 3-week course of treatment was repeated. The primary endpoint was response rate, and the secondary endpoints were overall survival, progression-free survival, and safety.

Results

The overall response rate was 26.7%, and the disease control rate was 73.4%. The overall survival was 12.0 months (95% CI, 9.5–14.5 months), and the progression-free survival was 8.0 months (95% CI, 4.3–11.7 months). Adverse events of grade 3 or 4 occurred in 33.3%, and the major grade 3/4 toxicities were anemia (20.0%), leukopenia (13.3%), and anorexia (13.3%).

Conclusion

Gemcitabine and S-1 combination chemotherapy is effective and safe in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer.Key Words: Biliary tract cancer, Chemotherapy, Gemcitabine, S-1     

Cell surface tetraspanin CD9 mediates chemoresistance in small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with extremely high mortality due to the appearance of widespread metastases early in its clinical course and rapid acquisition of chemoresistance after initial therapy. A theory of cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance is thought to be a principal mechanism in which extracellular matrix proteins provide a survival advantage against cytotoxic drug-induced apoptosis. We found that the tetraspanin family member CD9 was expressed preferentially in SCLC tumors and metastases from three of seven relapsed patients, whereas chemona?ve primary tumors from 16 patients were CD9 negative with only one exception. Additionally, CD9 was highly expressed on SCLC cell lines rendered resistant to cisplatin or etoposide, and was upregulated in parental chemosensitive cells within 48 hours after exposure to either of these compounds. CD9-expressing chemoresistant SCLC cells adhered more tightly to fibronectin via β1 integrin, but they were less motile than the respective chemosensitive parental lines. Notably, treatment of the chemoresistant cells with chemokine CXCL12 downregulated CD9 and transiently restored motility. Moreover, selective targeting of CD9 by treatment with specific monoclonal antibody ALB6 or a small interfering RNA triggered apoptosis in the chemoresistant cells. Taken together, our findings implicate CD9 in the cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance mechanism, highlighting CD9 as an attractive therapeutic target to improve therapeutic outcomes in SCLC.