Effects of Halogenations and Conformational Isomers on Positron Binding in Halogenated Hydrocarbons.

We studied isomeric conformer effects on the positron affinity (PA) of halogenated hydrocarbons using density functional theory combined with the electron-positron correlation-polarization potential (CPP) model. PA values are computed for 75 halogenated hydrocarbons, including fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), and bromine (Br) derivatives of methane, ethylene, and ethane molecules. The positive PA values can be described by a linear combination of the dipole moment and polarizability of parent molecules.

Development of an Automated Crack Detection System for Port Quay Walls Using a Small General-Purpose Drone and Orthophotos.

Aging port infrastructure demands frequent and reliable inspections, yet the existing automated systems often require expensive industrial drones, posing significant adoption barriers for local governments with limited resources. To address this challenge, this study develops a low-cost, automated crack detection system for port quay walls utilizing orthophotos generated from a small general-purpose drone. The system employs the YOLOR (You Only Learn One Representation) object detection algorithm, enhanced by two novel image processing techniques-overlapping tiling and pseudo-altitude slicing-to overcome the resolution limitations of low-cost cameras.

Applications of the density functional method combined with the electron-positron correlation-polarization potential to positron binding to hydrocarbons and water clusters.

We present benchmark calculations using the electron-positron correlation-polarization potential (CPP) method with the atomic polarizability model to evaluate the positron affinities of key categories of polyatomic hydrocarbons and water microclusters. The universal model parameter of the generalized gradient approximation for CPP is optimized based on the experimentally measured positron affinities of the representative hydrocarbon molecules. Using this method, the positron affinities and positron binding features of water clusters up to hexamers are investigated.

Improved local control and survival outcomes with RADPLAT in T4 oropharyngeal cancer: a retrospective study.

Backgrounds: Standard treatments for locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) include surgery and chemoradiotherapy (CRT). While surgery offers good tumor control, it often results in significant postoperative functional impairments. Conversely, intravenous chemoradiotherapy (IV-CRT) is less effective in controlling primary tumors in T4 OPC cases and offers limited options for salvage surgery after recurrence.

Triglyceride/high density lipoprotein cholesterol index and future cardiovascular events in diabetic patients without known cardiovascular disease.

The triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) index, calculated as TG divided by HDL-C, has been suggested as a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated the association between the TG/HDL-C index and CVD events in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with retinopathy and hyperlipidemia but no known CVD, enrolled in the EMPATHY study, which compared intensive and standard statin therapy (targeting LDL-C levels < 70 mg/dL and ≥ 100 to < 120 mg/dL, respectively). A total of 4665 patients were divided into high (TG/HDL-C ≥ 2.

Dose-finding and efficacy confirmation trial of the superselective intra-arterial infusion of cisplatin and concomitant radiation therapy for locally advanced maxillary sinus cancer (JCOG1212): final analysis.

Background: JCOG1212 is a dose-finding and efficacy confirmatory study of concurrent superselective intra-arterial infusion of cisplatin and radiotherapy (RADPLAT) for locally advanced primary squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus (cT4a,bN0M0). In this study, we report the results of the final analysis of the efficacy confirmation phase for the T4a cohort with 5-year follow-up data to evaluate the late adverse events and long-term efficacy.

Methods: Based on the results of the dose-finding phase, the efficacy confirmation phase consisted of seven weekly intra-arterial infusions of cisplatin 100 mg/m combined with radiotherapy (70 Gy).

Multistate Transition Metal Carbonyl Bonding Beyond Minimum Energy Pathway: Nonlocality of Spin-Orbit Interaction.

Transition metal carbonyl and transition metal dinitrogen are fundamental chemical complexes in many important biological and catalytic processes. Interestingly, binding between a transition metal (TM) atom and carbonyl or dinitrogen results in spin state change. However, no study has evaluated the spin-orbit (SO) effect along the association pathway of any TM-CO or TM-N bond.

Establishment of a HFpEF model using female Dahl salt-sensitive rats: a valuable tool for elucidating the pathophysiology of HFpEF in women.

The pathogenesis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains unclear, and effective treatments are limited. HFpEF is more prevalent in females, indicating potential gender differences in its pathogenesis. However, no female HFpEF model animals have been established.

Characteristics and Clinical Assessment of Elbow Pain in Youth Baseball Players.

Elbow injuries related to the throwing motion in baseball during the growth period present difficulties for early detection and may cause serious future disabilities. This study aimed to comprehensively determine the characteristics and clinical assessment of elbow pain in youth baseball players. Two hundred and sixteen young baseball players underwent elbow medical examination.

Impact of comprehensive geriatric assessment on treatment strategies and complications in older adults with colorectal cancer considering surgery.

Background And Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) in customizing care for elderly cancer patients, specifically focusing on colorectal cancer. The research compared treatment strategies and outcomes in older adults considered for surgery before and after the initiation of a Geriatric Oncology Service (GOS).

Methods: Conducting a comparative study, two cohorts of consecutive colorectal cancer patients aged 75 or older were examined: the control group (n = 156) and the GOS group (n = 158).

Esaxerenone: blood pressure reduction and cardiorenal protection without reflex sympathetic activation in salt-loaded stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is involved in the mechanisms of blood pressure elevation, organ fibrosis, and inflammation. MR antagonists have been used in patients with hypertension, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease. Esaxerenone, a recently approved MR blocker with a nonsteroidal structure, has demonstrated a strong blood pressure-lowering effect.

Triglyceride-Glucose Index Associated with Future Renal Function Decline in the General Population.

Background: The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index), calculated as the logarithmic product of fasting triglyceride and glucose concentrations, is recognized as a simple marker of insulin resistance. However, the association between the TyG index and future decline of renal function remains unclear in the general population.

Objective: To investigate whether the TyG index was associated with future decline of renal function in the general population who had not progressed to chronic kidney disease stage G2.

Incidence and characteristics of aspiration pneumonia in the Nagasaki Prefecture from 2005 to 2019.

Background: Aspiration pneumoniae remains a major health concern, particularly in the older population and has poor prognosis; however, the concept itself remains vague worldwide. This study aimed to determine the actual situation and characteristics of aspiration pneumonia from 2005 to 2019 in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.

Methods: Cases of aspiration pneumonia that occurred in the Nagasaki Prefecture between 2005 and 2019 were analyzed using emergency transportation records.

Frequency-multiplexed on-demand storage in five modes of atomic frequency comb through simultaneous application of control pulses.

In quantum communication with quantum repeaters, multiplexed quantum memory is expected to enhance communication rates. When using an atomic frequency comb (AFC) for on-demand storage, the frequency mode number is often limited by the optical power of the control pulses. Here, using a space-coupled waveguide electro-optic modulator, we increased the output power, allowing us to apply control pulses to multiple modes simultaneously.

[Recurrence of a Giant Emphysematous Bulla After Bullectomy:Report of a Case].

A 38-year-old male, he was diagnosed with a giant pulmonary bulla occupying 2/3 of the right thoracic cavity on chest computed tomography( CT). The preoperative pulmonary function was unfavorable, so bullectomy of right upper lobe with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery( VATS) was performed. The outpatient follow-up was completed at 6 months after surgery.

Dose-Finding and Efficacy Confirmation Trial of the Superselective Intra-arterial Infusion of Cisplatin and Concomitant Radiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Maxillary Sinus Cancer (JCOG1212): Results of the Efficacy Confirmation Phase in Patients with T4aN0M0.

Purpose: Locally advanced maxillary sinus cancers require radical surgery as a standard treatment, but this often results in significant disfigurement and impairment of function. JCOG1212 seeks to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the superselective intra-arterial infusion of cisplatin and concomitant radiation therapy (RADPLAT) for T4aN0M0 and T4bN0M0 maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinomas. We herein report the results of the efficacy confirmation phase in the T4a cohort.

Oncological Impact of the Level of Inferior Mesenteric Artery Ligation in Low Rectal Cancer Surgery.

Background/aim: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical impact of the level of inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) ligation in patients with advanced low rectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: All enrolled patients (n=350) underwent curative resection of rectal cancer with D3 lymph node dissection, with either IMA (high-tie) or superior rectal artery (SRA) (low-tie) ligation.

Results: There were 27 and 65 patients in the high-tie and low-tie groups, respectively.

Intra-arterial Chemotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer.

Superselective intra-arterial chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer is a combination of intensive local delivery of anticancer drugs using microcatheters and external beam radiation. Unlike conventional chemoradiotherapy, it is highly effective in treating the primary tumor, but it cannot treat distant metastases. In the field of head and neck cancer, where quality of life is significantly impaired by curative surgery from a functional and cosmetic point of view, it is a useful treatment not only for unresectable cases but also for resectable advanced cancers, with the maxillary sinus being a particularly good indication.

Stability and bonding nature of positronic lithium molecular dianion.

We studied the stability of a system consisting of a positron (e+) and two lithium anions, [Li-; e+; Li-], using first-principles quantum Monte Carlo calculations combined with the multi-component molecular orbital method. While diatomic lithium molecular dianions Li22- are unstable, we found that its positronic complex can form a bound state with respect to the lowest energy decay into the dissociation channel Li2- and a positronium (Ps). The [Li-; e+; Li-] system has the minimum energy at the internuclear distance of ∼3 Å, which is close to the equilibrium internuclear distance of Li2-.

Rapid imaging of thymoma and thymic carcinoma with a fluorogenic probe targeting γ-glutamyltranspeptidase.

In recent years, thoracoscopic and robotic surgical procedures have increasingly replaced median sternotomy for thymoma and thymic carcinoma. In cases of partial thymectomy, the prognosis is greatly improved by ensuring a sufficient margin from the tumor, and therefore intraoperative fluorescent imaging of the tumor is especially valuable in thoracoscopic and robotic surgery, where tactile information is not available. γ-Glutamyl hydroxymethyl rhodamine green (gGlu-HMRG) has been applied for fluorescence imaging of some types of tumors in the resected tissues, and here we aimed to examine its validity for the imaging of thymoma and thymic carcinoma.