Estimation and statistical analysis of model parameters using sequential Monte Carlo for phenol and p-cresol separation.

Model-based design and optimization methods facilitate industrial applications of chromatographic separations. The uncertainty of the model parameters must be quantified to ensure robust design and control. In this study, we propose an approach using the sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) method based on the Bayesian principle to estimate the uncertainty of the parameters. The linear driving force model for separation of phenol and p-cresol was considered as an example. By comparing different injection tests, we confirmed the necessity of pulse injection and breakthrough experiments to estimate parameters with sufficient accuracy and precision. We also found that modeling observation errors carefully is critical to obtain reasonable estimation.

HORN-9: Special-purpose computer for electroholography with the Hilbert transform.

Holography is a technology that uses light interference and diffraction to record and reproduce three-dimensional (3D) information. Using computers, holographic 3D scenes (electroholography) have been widely studied. Nevertheless, its practical application requires enormous computing power, and current computers have limitations in real-time processing. In this study, we show that holographic reconstruction (HORN)-9, a special-purpose computer for electroholography with the Hilbert transform, can compute a 1, 920 × 1, 080-pixel computer-generated hologram from a point cloud of 65,000 points in 0.030 s (33 fps) on a single card. This performance is 8, 7, and 170 times more efficient than a previously developed HORN-8, a graphics processing unit, and a central processing unit (CPU), respectively. We also demonstrated the real-time processing and display of 400,000 points on multiple HORN-9s, achieving an acceleration of 600 times with four HORN-9 units compared with a single CPU.

Biomarkers predicting the response to chemotherapy and the prognosis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has been improved by multidisciplinary therapy with chemoradiotherapy and surgery, but it remains poor. Advanced stage, malignant potential, and chemo-resistance contribute to the poor prognosis. Here, we attempted to identify predictive factors of the response to chemotherapy and the prognosis of ESCC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined 51 ESCC patients who were treated with chemotherapy followed by radical surgery, and 23 patients who were treated with chemotherapy alone. We conducted quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction gene expression analysis using RNA extracted from 74 tumor tissue samples collected before chemotherapy and 67 tumor tissue samples collected after chemotherapy, focusing on PIK3CA, AKT-1, mTOR, 4E-BP1, p70S6K, PD-L1, and PD-L2. RESULTS: The proportions of patients with high expressions of AKT-1 and PD-L1 before chemotherapy were significantly higher among the non-responders than among the responders (p = 0.034, p = 0.020, respectively). Multivariate analyses revealed that high PD-L1 expression before chemotherapy was associated with poor response to chemotherapy (odds ratio 2.998; 95% CI 1.043-8.619; p = 0.042) and high p70S6K expression before chemotherapy was a poor prognostic factor (hazard ratio 2.518; 95% CI 1.058-5.988; p = 0.037). In addition, the patients with high expression of PD-L1 and PD-L2 in the tumors after chemotherapy had significantly worse survival than those with low expression of these genes (p = 0.012, p = 0.007, respectively). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that PD-L1 and p70S6K in the primary ESCC tissues were related to a poor response to chemotherapy and poor prognosis, respectively.

Dedicated processor for hologram calculation using sparse Fourier bases.

Recently, a calculation method involving sparse point spread functions in the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) domain was proposed. In this paper, a dedicated processor using the STFT algorithm is described, which is implemented on a field-programmable gate array. All the operations in this algorithm are implemented using fixed-point arithmetic. Since this algorithm includes a trigonometric function and an error function, lookup tables (LUTs) are utilized to reduce the calculation costs. We have devised a dedicated circuit architecture that allows parallel operations. In addition, a central processing unit could generate holograms using the STFT-based algorithm with fixed-point arithmetic and LUTs at a higher speed than the generation using floating-point arithmetic.

Phase retrieval using axial diffraction patterns and a ptychographic iterative engine.

We propose a phase retrieval method using axial diffraction patterns under planar and spherical wave illuminations. The proposed method uses a ptychographic iterative engine (PIE) for the phase retrieval algorithm. The proposed approach uses multiple diffraction patterns. Thus, adjusting the alignment of each diffraction pattern is mandatory, and we propose a method to adjust the alignment. In addition, a random selection of the measured diffraction patterns is used to further accelerate the convergence of the PIE-based optimization. To confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method, we compare the conventional and proposed methods using a simulation and optical experiments.

The sterno-tracheal distance is an important factor of anastomotic leakage of retrosternal gastric tube reconstruction after esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a serious complication after esophagectomy. The retrosternal (RS) route has been selected majorly to reduce reflux and related pneumonia and considering mediastinal recurrences. AL has been developed more in RS than posterior mediastinal (PM) route reconstruction. Therefore, we suspected the sterno-tracheal distance (STD) might be related to AL and started the selection according to the STD from 2009. METHODS: A total of 221 patients who underwent a subtotal esophagectomy with gastric tube reconstruction during January 2004-April 2017 were investigated. The patients were classified into the 'after STD selection' (A; n = 144) group and the 'before STD selection' (B, n = 77) group. The incidences of and the risk factors for AL between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The incidence of AL was high in the B group (18.2%), and 78.6% of the patients who developed AL were treated with RS route reconstruction. The median STDs of the patients with AL and no AL were 10.3 mm and 14.5 mm, respectively (p = 0.001). These results demonstrated that the STD was a risk factor for AL in the RS route. Based on these results, 13 mm was set as the cutoff value. After STD selection, the median STD increased from 14.0 to 17.3 mm (p = 0.001), and the incidence of AL decreased significantly from 26.2 to 11.1% in the RS route (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: The STD was the independent risk factor for AL in the RS route. RS route reconstruction should be avoided for the patients with STD < 13 mm.

Dynamic-range compression scheme for digital hologram using a deep neural network.

This Letter aims to propose a dynamic-range compression and decompression scheme for digital holograms that uses a deep neural network (DNN). The proposed scheme uses simple thresholding to compress the dynamic range of holograms with 8-bit gradation to binary holograms. Although this can decrease the amount of data by one-eighth, the binarization strongly degrades the image quality of the reconstructed images. The proposed scheme uses a DNN to predict the original gradation holograms from the binary holograms, and the error-diffusion algorithm of the binarization process contributes significantly to training the DNN. The performance of the scheme exceeds that of modern compression techniques such as JPEG 2000 and high-efficiency video coding.

Real-time three-dimensional video reconstruction of real scenes with deep depth using electro-holographic display system.

Herein, we demonstrate a real-time, three-dimensional (3D) video-reconstruction system using electro-holography in real-world scenes with deep depth. We calculated computer-generated holograms using 3D information obtained through an RGB-D camera. We successfully reconstructed a 3D video (in real time) of a person moving in real-world space and confirmed that the proposed system operates at ~14 frames per second. In addition, we successfully reconstructed a full-color 3D video of the person. Furthermore, we varied the number of persons moving in the real-world space and evaluated the proposed system's performance by varying the distance between the RGB-D camera and the person(s).

Digital holographic particle volume reconstruction using a deep neural network.

This paper proposes a particle volume reconstruction directly from an in-line hologram using a deep neural network (DNN). Digital holographic volume reconstruction conventionally uses multiple diffraction calculations to obtain sectional reconstructed images from an in-line hologram, followed by detection of the lateral and axial positions, and the sizes of particles by using focus metrics. However, the axial resolution is limited by the numerical aperture of the optical system, and the processes are time consuming. The method proposed here can simultaneously detect the lateral and axial positions, and the particle sizes via a DNN. We numerically investigated the performance of the DNN in terms of the errors in the detected positions and sizes. The calculation time is faster than conventional diffracted-based approaches.

Aortoenteric fistula following overlap esophagojejunal anastomosis using linear staplers for cancer of the esophagogastric junction: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Aortoenteric fistula (AEF), occasionally reported as a fatal complication after aortic or other vascular procedures, is a communication between the aorta and the digestive tract. AEF as a fatal complication of overlap esophagojejunostomy after esophagogastrectomy has not been reported previously. Herein, we report a case of AEF after laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy and transhiatal lower esophagectomy for cancer of the esophagogastric junction, in which linear staplers were used for overlap esophagojejunostomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old woman with advanced cancer of the esophagogastric junction underwent laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy and transhiatal lower esophagectomy with abdominal and lower mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Double tract reconstruction by the overlap method was performed. The patient was discharged from the hospital 10 days after surgery with a good postoperative course. However, she developed sudden-onset massive hematemesis and melena the day after discharge, resulting in death. Autopsy revealed that the stapled edge of the entry hole of the overlap esophagojejunostomy was in direct contact with the descending aorta. AEF was found at the esophagojejunostomy site. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first report of AEF as a fatal complication of overlap esophagojejunostomy after esophagogastrectomy. Although we could not definitively identify the cause of the AEF, it could be attributed to direct contact between the stapled edge and the bare thoracic aorta over a period of 10 days. To avoid direct contact with the aorta in esophagojejunostomy with linear staplers, all stapled edges should be covered by suturing and attention should be paid to the position of these edges.

Special-purpose computer HORN-8 for phase-type electro-holography.

Electro-holography is a promising display technology that can reconstruct a photorealistic three-dimensional (3D) movie; however, it is yet to be realized practically owing to the need for enormous calculation power. A special-purpose computer for electro-holography, namely HORN, has been studied for over 20 years as a means to solve this problem. The latest version of HORN, HORN-8, was developed using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology. Initially, a circuit for amplitude-type electro-holography was implemented in HORN-8; however, implementation of phase-type electro-holography has remained an issue. In this paper, the development of new version of HORN-8 and its cluster system, which achieved a real-time reconstruction of a 3D movie with point clouds comprised of 32,000 points for phase-type electro-holography, was reported.

The effects of the herbal medicine Daikenchuto (TJ-100) after esophageal cancer resection, open-label, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Daikenchuto (TJ-100), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, is widely used in Japan. Its effects on gastrointestinal motility and microcirculation and its anti-inflammatory effect are known. The purpose of this prospective randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effect of TJ-100 after esophagectomy in esophageal cancer patients. METHODS: Forty patients for whom subtotal esophageal resection for esophageal cancer was planned at our institute from March 2011 to August 2013 were enrolled and divided into two groups at the point of determination of the operation schedule after informed consent was obtained: a TJ-100 (15 g/day)-treated group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). The primary efficacy end-points were maintenance of the nutrition condition and the recovery of gastrointestinal function. The secondary efficacy end-points were the serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level and adrenomedullin level during the postoperative course, the incidence of postoperative complications, and the length of hospital stay after surgery. RESULTS: We examined 39 patients because one patient in the TJ-100 group was judged as having unresectable cancer after surgery. The mean age of the TJ-100 group patients was significantly older than that of the control group patients.The rate of body weight decrease at postoperative day 21 was significantly suppressed in the TJ-100 group (3.6% vs. the control group: 7.0%, p = 0.014), but the serum albumin level was not significantly different between the groups. The recovery of gastrointestinal function regarding flatus, defecation, and oral intake showed no significant between-group differences, but postoperative bowel symptoms tended to be rare in the TJ-100 group. There was no significant between-group difference in the length of hospital stay after surgery. The serum CRP level at postoperative day 3 was 4.9 mg/dl in the TJ-100 group and 6.9 mg/dl in the control group, showing a tendency of a suppressed serum CRP level in the TJ-100 group (p = 0.126). The rate of increase in adrenomedullin tended to be high postoperatively, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: TJ-100 treatment after esophageal cancer resection has the effects of prompting the recovery of gastrointestinal motility and minimizing body weight loss, and it might suppress the excess inflammatory reaction related to surgery.

Large-scale electroholography by HORN-8 from a point-cloud model with 400,000 points.

We developed a HORN-8 system that generates computer-generated holograms at a high speed. The cluster system employed eight HORN-8 boards and achieved a level of performance that was 1,000 times faster than that of a PC. From a point-cloud model comprising 65,536 (216) points, the proposed cluster system can update a 2-million-pixel (1,920 × 1,080) hologram at 60 frames per second. 65,536 (216) is the internal memory size of the HORN-8 hardware. However, the HORN-8 system can calculate a hologram at a high speed even if the number of point-cloud sources exceeds 65,536 (216). Herein, we spatiotemporally divided a point-cloud model comprising ~400,000 points and succeeded in reproducing the video-holography. We demonstrated the performance of the special-purpose computer for electroholography using HORN-8 hardware that does not require a large internal memory when the calculation speed is high.

CXCR4 Expression is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Chemokines and their receptors are known to play important roles in the tumorigenesis of many malignancies. The chemokine CXCL12 and its receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7 were suggested to be involved in cancer invasion and metastasis. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of the expressions of CXCL12, CXCR4 and CXCR7 in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: We used immunohistochemistry (IHC) and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to evaluate the expressions of CXCL12, CXCR4, and CXCR7 in ESCC patients' tumor biopsy specimens obtained during preoperative endoscopy or surgery. These results were compared with the patients' clinicopathological parameters and survival. RESULTS: IHC was conducted for 172 patients. High expression of CXCR4 in the cytoplasm and nuclei and that of CXCR7 were associated with poor cause-specific survival (CSS) (P= .002 and .010, respectively). The specimens from 52 of the 172 patients were examined by RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR. The expression levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) of CXCR4 and CXCR7 were significantly increased in the tumors compared with normal esophageal mucosae (P < .0001). The expression level of mRNA of CXCR4 was associated with poor recurrence-free survival and CSS (P = .012 and .038, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: CXCR4 expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with ESCC.

The European, Japanese and US protective helmet, gloves and boots for firefighters: thermoregulatory and psychological evaluations.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and subjective responses of the European, Japanese (JPN) and US firefighters' helmet, gloves and boots for international standardisation. Three experimental conditions were evaluated (clothing mass: 9.4, 8.2 and 10.1 kg for the three conditions, respectively) at the air temperature of 32°C and 60% relative humidity. The results showed that there was no significant difference among the three conditions in oxygen consumption, heart rate, total sweat rate, rectal temperature and mean skin temperature, whereas peripheral temperatures and subjective perceptions were lower in the JPN condition than in the other conditions (P < 0.05). These results indicate that a 0.5-kg reduction in helmet mass and a 1.1-kg reduction in boot mass during exercise resulted in a significant decrease in head and leg temperatures and subjective perceptions, while a 1.9-kg reduction in total clothing mass had insignificant influences on the metabolic burden and overall body temperature.

Glutamine protects the small intestinal mucosa in anticancer drug-induced rat enteritis model.

Supportive therapy during chemotherapy has become essential, but effective preventive therapies to gastrointestinal mucosal injury are few. We investigated the efficacy of glutamine in rat anticancer drug-induced enteritis model. In this study, we used twenty male SD rats. They were divided into control, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (orally administered at 20 mg/kg day), 5-FU+glutamine (1000 mg/kg/day) and 5-FU+glutamine+fiber and oligosaccharide (GFO(®)) (1000 mg/kg/day) groups. All groups were sacrificed on day 6 and upper jejunums were excised. The jejunal villous height was measured in specimens. IgA level in jejunal washing solution, and serum diamine oxidase activity were also measured. The jejunal villous height was recognized as shorter in the specimen from 5-FU treated rats compared with 5-FU+glutamine treated rats (p<0.001). Serum diamine oxidase activity in 5-FU+glutamine group were significantly superior to that in 5-FU group (p=0.028). IgA level in jejunal washing solution tended to be higher in 5-FU+glutamine group than that in 5-FU group (p=0.076). On the other hand, serum diamine oxidase activity and IgA level in jejunal washing solution showed no significant difference between 5-FU+GFO and 5-FU treatment group. Our results suggest that glutamine showed protective effects on mucosal injury of small intestine in rat anticancer drug-induced enteritis model.

[Pathological complete response in a case of advanced esophageal cancer invading aorta treated by preoperative chemotherapy with docetaxel and cisplatin plus 5-FU].

The patient was a 64-year-old man, diagnosed as cStage IVa esophageal cancer invading the aorta with lymph node metastasis. He received combination chemotherapy with docetaxel/cisplatin/5-FU(DFP therapy). After one course, CT and endoscopic examination showed remarkable reduction of the primary lesion and lymph node metastasis. We performed subtotal esophagectomy and gastric tube reconstruction by the retroposterior mediastinum route. The pathological specimen evidenced fibrosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells on almost all layers, but showed no viable malignant cells in the middle thoracic esophagus. Therefore, the pathological effect was judged as Grade 3(pCR). This case suggested that DFP combination chemotherapy may prove to be a useful treatment for advanced esophageal cancer with invasion to other organs.

Alteration of the oral environment in patients undergoing esophagectomy during the perioperative period.

OBJECTIVE: During the perioperative period, oral ingestion is changed considerably in esophagectomy patients. The aim of this study was to investigate oral environment modifications in patients undergoing esophageal cancer treatments due to changes in dietary intake and swallowing functions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty patients who underwent operation for removal of esophageal cancer in Tokushima University Hospital were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: It was found that 1) the flow rate of resting saliva decreased significantly at postoperative period by deprived feeding for one week, although it did not recover several days after oral ingestion began, 2) the accumulation of dental plaque and the number of mutans streptococci in saliva decreased significantly after operation, while both increased relatively quick when oral ingestion began, and 3) the swallowing function decreased significantly in the postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that dental professionals should emphasize the importance of oral health care and provide instructions on plaque control to patients during the perioperative period of esophageal cancer treatment.

Therapeutic hypothermia for severe cerebral air embolism complicating pleural lavage for empyema.

Cerebral air embolism during pleural lavage is a rare, but potentially fatal complication. We present a case of severe cerebral air embolism that developed during pleural lavage for empyema and was successfully treated by therapeutic hypothermia. A 77-year old male patient with empyema developed severe cerebral air embolism during pleural lavage via a chest tube. Cranial computed tomography and cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed many small bubbles and widespread infarction in the territory of the right middle cerebral artery. The patient received therapeutic hypothermia maintained at 33°C for 24 h and could leave the hospital without delayed sequelae.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) and CD44 act as important biomarkers in several solid tumors. However, few studies have examined the relationships between ALDH1 expression and the prognosis and clinical characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: This study was a retrospective case-control study and included 152 patients with ESCC. A total of 56 patients underwent surgery (OP group), 40 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy involving weekly docetaxel plus 5-fluorouracil and low-dose cisplatin (DFP therapy) prior to undergoing surgery (NAC group), and 56 patients received initial systemic DFP therapy (CT group). The ALDH1 and CD44 immunohistochemical expression levels of each tumor were evaluated and compared with the prognosis and clinical characteristics of the ESCC patients. RESULTS: In the OP and NAC groups, multivariate analysis found that ALDH1 was independently associated with postoperative recurrence and prognosis (OP group, P=0.004 and 0.016, respectively; NAC group, P=0.026 and 0.014, respectively). In addition, CD44 was found to be associated with postoperative recurrence in the OP group and prognosis in the NAC group (P=0.024 and 0.047, respectively). Among the ALDH1-negative clinical stage II/III patients, the OP and NAC groups displayed better prognoses than the CT group (P<0.001). However, among the ALDH1-positive clinical stage II/III patients, the OP and NAC groups displayed poorer prognoses than the CT group (P=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: ALDH1 was found to be a predictor of postoperative recurrence and prognosis in ESCC, and CD44 might be a predictor of recurrence and prognosis. ALDH1 expression might affect the treatment strategy for ESCC.