Efficacy evaluation of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy screening for secondary prevention of gastric cancer using the standardized detection ratio during a medical check-up in Japan.

We used standardized detection ratio to evaluate the quality of nasal upper gastrointestinal endoscopy screening for the secondary prevention of gastric cancer, and examined the gastric cancer risk in the era of total Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication. We performed 21,931 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies, 77 subjects were diagnosed with gastric cancer. Of these, 28 had gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication, 47 had gastric cancer with H. pylori-positive or others, and 2 had H. pylori-negative gastric cancer. The Standardized detection ratios for men and women were 5.33 and 4.82, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses performed exclusively on first endoscopy subjects, excluding H. pylori-negative gastric cancer, revealed that smoking was a risk factor for developing gastric cancer (adjusted odds ratio, 3.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.65-6.64; p = 0.001). A statistically significant interaction was found between daily alcohol consumpption and H. pylori eradication on gastric cancer development (p = 0.005). In conclusion, relatively high standardized detection ratio values suggest that an appropriate endoscopic diagnosis of gastric cancer should be performed during a medical check-up. Smoking is a risk factor for developing gastric cancer, and continued alcohol consumption suggests a possible risk for developing gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication.

Surfactant-Assisted Synthesis of Mesoporous Metal Phosphonates to Control Surface Properties Including an Opportunity to Organize a Bulky Biphenyl Linker.

A wide variety of properties by the presence of functional organic groups have so far been investigated by using periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO)-type materials but not yet discussed with surface properties that are controlled through the success in synthesizing analogous non-silica-based hybrid mesoporous materials and subsequent evaluation and/or comparison of their properties. Here, we demonstrated the advance in synthesizing biphenyl group (-Ph-Ph-, also expressed as -2Ph)-containing mesoporous metal phosphonates with a rational understanding of surface properties. Ordered mesoporous films of aluminum and titanium ones (AOP-2Ph and TiOP-2Ph) were fabricated by spin-coating and their powders were recovered by spray-drying with the confined assembly of spherical mesopores. As in the case of PMO-type materials, the possibility to organize a -Ph-Ph- linker at the molecular scale was found in the powder samples of AOP-2Ph and TiOP-2Ph because thick frameworks would give an opportunity to organize the bulky -Ph-Ph- linker as the small-sized domains even around spherical mesopores. Surface properties of AOP-2Ph and TiOP-2Ph were evaluated by using the data of water (H2O) adsorption isotherms and compared with those containing different organic groups. The unique hydrophilicity starting from the hydration of AlO4 units was drastically reduced by the presence of -Ph-Ph- groups with a disappearance of the capillary condensation by the presence of mesopores. In addition, a partial replacement of TiO6 units with AlO4 and/or its hydrated AlO6 species was proposed for decreasing the strong hydrophobicity of TiOP-2Ph. The contact angle over the spin-coated films was also measured by using a droplet of H2O, indicating that the surface of the films, especially TiOP-2Ph, was extremely hydrophilic. Although surface properties at the molecular scale can be evaluated by using molecular H2O vapor during the measurement of H2O adsorption isotherms, the interaction of the H2O cluster (droplet) with the bulk surface seems to be predominated by inorganic moieties.

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings in functional constipation and irritable bowel syndrome diagnosed using the Rome IV criteria: a cross-sectional survey during a medical check-up in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The Rome IV criteria have been established as an international standard for diagnosing disorders of gut-brain interaction. In this study, we aimed to examine the upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic findings and symptoms of subjects with functional constipation (FC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) of individuals undergoing a medical check-up. METHODS: A total of 13,729 subjects underwent a medical check-up at Osaka City University-affiliated clinic, MedCity21, between April 2018 and March 2019. Among the 5,840 subjects who underwent screening upper GI endoscopy and completed a questionnaire based on the Rome IV criteria, 5,402 subjects were consecutively enrolled after excluding subjects with a large amount of gastric residue (n = 6), those who had previously undergone partial or total gastrectomy (n = 40), or those with daily use of low-dose aspirin (n = 82), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n = 63), or acid secretion inhibitors (n = 308). RESULTS: Robust Poisson regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, Helicobacter pylori infection status, alcohol intake, and smoking habits showed a significant association between FC and corpus erosion (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 2.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51-5.67; p < 0.01) and red streaks (aPR, 3.83; 95% CI, 2.53-5.79; p < 0.01), whereas IBS was significantly associated with erosive gastritis (aPR, 8.46; 95% CI, 4.89-14.67; p < 0.01) and duodenitis (aPR, 7.28; 95% CI, 3.64-14.59; p < 0.01). Red streaks tended to be associated with IBS (aPR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.00-3.83; p = 0.05). Subjects with IBS were the most to complain of both upper and lower GI symptoms and psychological symptoms, followed by those with FC and controls. IBS subjects with erosive gastritis or duodenitis had significantly more complaints of stomachache and feeling stressed than those without erosive gastritis or duodenitis (54.5% vs. 18.8%; p = 0.03 and 66.7% vs. 25.0%; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with FC and IBS had a variety of upper GI and psychological symptoms. In the upper GI endoscopic findings, corpus erosion and red streaks were associated with FC, and erosive gastritis, duodenitis, and possibly red streaks were associated with IBS.

Lifestyle changes during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impact metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic precipitated lifestyle changes. We aimed to clarify whether COVID-19-induced lifestyle changes affected the development of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). METHODS: This retrospective longitudinal study included 973 participants who underwent health check-ups between 2018 and 2020. We used data from the MedCity21 health examination registry. Participants' clinical characteristics and lifestyle habits were investigated. Independent lifestyle predictors of MAFLD development before the pandemic (2018-2019) and during the pandemic (2019-2020) were identified using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In 2018, 261 (27%) patients were diagnosed with MAFLD. Before the pandemic, 22 patients developed new MAFLD. During this time, routine late-night meals were identified as an independent lifestyle predictor of MAFLD development (hazard ratio [HR] 2.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-6.36, P = .046). In contrast, 44 patients developed new MAFLD during the pandemic. During this time, higher daily alcohol intake was identified as an independent lifestyle predictor of MAFLD development (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, P = .008). In participants aged <60 years, daily alcohol intake and the proportion of participants who ate 2 times/day were significantly higher in patients who developed MAFLD during the pandemic than in those who did not. In participants aged ≥60 years, no lifestyle habits were associated with MAFLD development before or during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: New MAFLD diagnoses increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in lifestyle factors, particularly in those aged <60 years, must be monitored and addressed as the pandemic continues.

A questionnaire-based survey on the etiopathogenesis of chronic constipation during a medical check-up in Japan.

The study group of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology released evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for chronic constipation (CC) in 2017, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was treated as one of the causes of CC. We examined the differences in characteristics between IBS and non-IBS subjects with CC who underwent a medical check-up in Japan. A total of 10,658 subjects participated in this study, and we focused on 467 subjects who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of CC using a questionnaire survey. The number of IBS subjects was 21, and they had sleep disorders, were more symptomatic (e.g., abdominal pain, abdominal bloating/distension, feeling stressed, annoyance, lack of motivation, fatigue upon waking, and feeling depressed), and had more episodes of sensation of incomplete evacuation and anorectal obstruction/blockage during defecation than non-IBS subjects. Furthermore, stool frequency of IBS subjects was significantly different from non-IBS subjects. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that the factors associated with a higher stool frequency were IBS [odds ratio (OR), 2.46; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00-6.05; p = 0.049], male sex (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.20-3.23; p = 0.007), and regular exercise (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.05-3.07; p = 0.033). These findings suggest that IBS has unique characteristics in subjects with CC.

A Robust Mesoporous Al2 O3 -Based Nanocomposite Catalyst for Abundant NOx Storage with Rational Design of Pt and Ba Species.

The nanostructural design of heterogeneous catalysts has often been demanded for assessing synergetic effects, which should be developed further by using high-surface-area porous metal oxide supports. However, such opportunities have been undermined by the poor stability of ordered mesoporous structures. Herein, rational design is demonstrated to obtain nanocomposite catalysts showing improved NOx storage properties owing to the presence of Ba species over a well-designed mesoporous alumina (Al2 O3 ) support. It is found that Ba species are impregnated successfully only after the stabilization of the mesoporous structure by full crystallization of Al2 O3 frameworks to the γ-phase, with the formation of Pt nanoparticles coinciding with complete removal of organic components. All the insights during this synthetic procedure are essential for designing high-performance catalysts to purify and recover NOx molecules, and are applied for designing a variety of cutting-edge mesoporous nanocomposite catalysts.

Prevalence and risk factors of functional constipation in the Rome IV criteria during a medical check-up in Japan.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Functional constipation (FC) is one of the functional bowel disorders with symptoms of constipation in the Rome IV criteria. This study aimed to examine the epidemiology of FC in a large-scale survey of individuals undergoing a medical check-up in Japan. METHODS: A total of 13 729 subjects who underwent a medical check-up at MedCity21 between April 2018 and March 2019 were given a questionnaire that inquired about bowel habits. Among them, 10 658 subjects participated in this study, and FC was diagnosed based on the Rome IV criteria. RESULTS: The number of subjects who fulfilled diagnostic criteria of FC was 220, and the prevalence of FC was 2.1%. Compared with subjects with non-FC, those with FC were more complaining of abdominal bloating and distension, feeling stressed, getting annoyed, lack of motivation, fatigue upon waking, and feeling depressed. The risk of FC was significantly lower among subjects who drank alcohol more than 5 days a week, exercised for more than 30 min at least twice a week for more than 1 year, and were getting enough rest by sleeping, whereas it was significantly higher among women and subjects who were eating faster than other people. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of FC in Japanese subjects during a medical check-up was relatively low compared with that in Western countries. Subjects with FC had troublesome symptoms, and it might be suggested that female sex, lack of regular exercise with moderate activity, insufficient rest by sleeping, and eating faster were a risk of FC.

Utility of Kyoto Classification of Gastritis in subjects with a high-negative titer of anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody during a medical check-up.

Subjects with a high-negative titer (3-9.9 U/ml) of serum anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibody represent a heterogeneous group of currently H. pylori-infected, H. pylori-uninfected, and previously H. pylori-infected cases. We investigated the characteristics of subjects with a high-negative titer during a medical check-up and the utility of H. pylori infection score, the sum of scores of endoscopic findings based on the Kyoto Classification of Gastritis, for diagnosing H. pylori infection. Subjects with 13C-urea breath test-positive or H. pylori stool antigen test-positive were diagnosed as currently H. pylori-infected. Although around half of subjects with a high-negative titer were after eradication therapy (48.6%), currently H. pylori-infected were considerably confirmed (11.7%). H. pylori infection score showed a high value of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.84-1.00] with the most suitable cut-off value of 1.0 (sensitivity: 0.92; specificity: 0.90). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that H. pylori infection score was an independent factor associated with increased prevalence of H. pylori infection (odds ratio, 9.53; 95% CI, 2.64-34.40; p<0.001). Currently H. pylori-infected subjects were considerably included among the subjects with a high-negative titer, and the Kyoto Classification of Gastritis was useful to predict current H. pylori infection.

Impact of tumor microenvironment on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

We retrospectively investigated the impact of the tumor microenvironment (TME) on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as first-line treatment in 70 patients with advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer and who were seen at Osaka City University Hospital (Osaka, Japan) between August 2013 and December 2017. Using immunohistochemical staining with 28-8 and D7U8C Abs, the tumor proportion score was assessed for programmed cell death-1 ligand-1 (PD-L1), as high (50% or more) or low (less than 50%), and ligand-2 (PD-L2) expression, respectively. The extent of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes was evaluated on a scale of 0-3, with 0-1 as low and 2-3 as high. The TME of the 52 evaluable pretreatment specimens was categorized into 4 subtypes, according to the respective PD-L1 tumor proportion and CD8+ scores, as follows: (a) high/high (13.5%, n = 7); (b) low/low (42.3%, n = 22); (c) high/low (17.3%, n = 9); and (d) low/high (26.9%, n = 14). Expression of PD-L2 was significantly the highest in type 1 (57.1% vs 4.5% vs 11.1% vs 7.1%, respectively; P = .0090). Response rate was significantly the lowest in type 1 (14.3% vs 81.8% vs 66.7% vs 78.6%, respectively; P = .0085). Progression-free survival was the shortest in type 1 and the longest in type 4 (median, 2.4 vs 11.3 vs 8.4 vs 17.5 months, respectively; P = .00000077). The efficacy of EGFR-TKIs differed according to the TME, and the phenotype with high PD-L1 and CD8+ expression might be the subset that would poorly benefit from such treatment.

Further Understanding of the Reactivity Control of Bisphosphonates to a Metal Source for Fabricating Highly Ordered Mesoporous Films.

Mesoporous metal organophosphonates having embedded organic functions are a promising platform to hybridize organics and non-siliceous inorganic frameworks in their molecular scale. However, the reactivity between a bisphosphonate and a metal source is dramatically different for their combination and then hampers to construct ordered mesoporous structures even when using amphiphilic organic molecules. By proposing an advanced method to adjust such reactivity, we recently succeeded in fabricating ordered mesoporous aluminum organophosphonate (AOP) films with chemically designable benzene units inside their hybrid frameworks. The reactivity of the organically bridged bisphosphonates has been controlled by utilizing dissimilar reactivities of acid-base pairs like P-OH and P-OEt groups to AlCl3 . Here, we further prove our reactivity-control concept through the introduction of organic groups, such as those having symmetric thiophene, asymmetric amide, and hydrophilic ether units. Liquid-state 31 P NMR measurements further clarified the usefulness of the control of the -OH/ -OEt ratio in the same bisphosphonate molecules for obtaining highly ordered mesostructured AOP films.

Phase I/II study of intermitted erlotinib in combination with docetaxel in patients with recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (WJOG4708L).

BACKGROUND: Preclinical data suggest sequential administration of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) following chemotherapy may improve efficacy. We hypothesized that intermittent delivery of EGFR-TKI following chemotherapy may increase efficacy. METHODS: This was a multicenter, single-arm phase I/II study to evaluate the efficacy of intermitted erlotinib in combination with docetaxel in patients with EGFR-negative NSCLC who failed one prior chemotherapy. The phase I primary objectives were to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD) of erlotinib. Erlotinib was administered orally once per day on days 2-16 in combination with 60 mg/m2 docetaxel on day1 for 21 days. A standard 3 + 3 dose escalation design was employed for erlotinib from 100 to 150 mg/dose. The phase II primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). The ORR and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a binomial distribution. This study required 45 patients. RESULTS: In the phase I part, the planned dose escalation was completed without reaching MTD. The RD of erlotinib was determined as 150 mg/dose. In the phase II part, the ORR and disease control rate were 17.1% (95%CI: 7.2-32.1%) and 53.7% (95%CI: 37.4-69.3%), respectively. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.5 (95%CI: 3.1-4.5) and 11.3 (95%CI: 8.6-16.6) months, respectively. The common non-hematological adverse event was febrile neutropenia (grade 3-4:19.6%). Two treatment-related deaths were occurred because of interstitial lung disease and pleural infection. CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent dosing of erlotinib plus docetaxel is clinically feasible in phase I part but did not significantly improve ORR in phase II part.

Obesity and hiatal hernia may be non-allergic risk factors for esophageal eosinophilia in Japanese adults.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal eosinophilia (EE) is a basal condition of eosinophilic esophageal disorders including eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and asymptomatic EE. EoE is considered as an allergic disorder, while it is unclear whether other non-allergic conditions are involved in the pathophysiology of EE. The aim of this study is to investigate the non-allergic risk factors for EE. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included subjects who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy on a medical health check-up. We compared clinical characteristics between subjects with EE (n = 27) and those without EE (n = 5937). RESULTS: The detection rate of EE was 0.45% (27/5964 persons). Of 27 subjects with EE, 20 subjects were symptomatic and 7 were asymptomatic. On univariate analysis, subjects with EE significantly had higher body mass index (BMI) compared to those without EE; 23.4 (4.4) vs 22.3 (4.5) kg/m2, median (interquartile range), p = 0.005. Endoscopic findings revealed that subjects with EE had significantly higher proportion of hiatal hernia (29.6% vs 14.7%; p = 0.049). Subjects with EE were significantly younger and had higher proportion of bronchial asthma; 45 (11.5) vs 51 (18) years, p = 0.013; 25.9% vs 5.2%, p < 0.001, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that subjects with EE were positively associated with BMI [odds ratio (OR) 1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.20; p = 0.010) and hiatal hernia (OR 2.63; 95% CI 1.12-6.18; p = 0.026) compared to those without EE. On trend test, advanced BMI classification had significant trend for increased prevalence of EE (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity and hiatal hernia may be non-allergic risk factors for EE in Japanese adults.

Analytical Understanding of the Materials Design with Well-Described Shrinkages on Multiscale.

Shrinkages derived from condensation of frameworks are one of the significant steps for fabricating demanded materials having unique morphologies and properties. Enormous efforts have been dedicated to understanding their mechanisms that are quite useful for the materials design. In this context, diversified measuring and observing tools have been facilitated to evaluate structural contractions and corresponding driving forces. All of the investigations are crucial to encourage the utilization of such shrinkages for the precise design of nanomaterials. In this review, we summarize significant works how to analyze shrinkages in multiscale during the synthesis of materials, which will be useful as a follow-up review to our latest contribution. Well-defined porous materials are also selected as a good candidate for understanding well-described shrinkages. This review aims to provide a detailed glimpse of the development of analyses on shrinking behaviors in multiscale for the materials design. Shrinking degree and direction in multiscale, which are driven by condensation of frameworks, are predominant for understanding and/or predicting final nanostructures of materials after shrinkages.

Mesopore Connectivity Improving Aerosol-Assisted Synthesis of Mesoporous Alumina Powders with High Surface Area.

Considering the closed packing of supramolecular mediated cage-type (spherical) mesopores inside spherical particles that are typically obtained by the aerosol-assisted process, uniform mesopores cannot be packed so periodically and then the mesopores are less connected and/or occasionally isolated, leading to the formation of low-surface-area mesoporous particles. In this study, we proposed the controlled swelling of such cage-type mesopores for improving their connectivity. Actually, we succeeded in preparing high-surface-area mesoporous alumina powders using poly(oxyethylene)- block-poly(oxypropylene)- block-poly(oxyethylene) (EO nPO mEO n) type triblock copolymers such as Pluronic P123. The surface area of the mesoporous alumina powders was originally low (278 m2 g-1 without organic additives), which can be drastically increased up to ca. 540 m2 g-1 through the controlled welling with suitable addition of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene and 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene. The insight is promising for further development of the aerosol-assisted approach for recovering high-quality mesoporous powders and helpful for rational catalyst design by utilizing mesoporous alumina powders with extremely high surface area.

Molecular Design of Bisphosphonates To Adjust Their Reactivity toward Metal Sources for the Surfactant-Assisted Synthesis of Mesoporous Films.

The precise control of primary reactions in solutions is one of the most significant steps for the nanoscale design of inorganic solids in multidisciplinary fields. However, further growth of the inorganic species to give bulkier species disturbs such designs. The surfactant-assisted synthesis of mesoporous materials is a good strategy for addressing such concerns because pores formed by supramolecularly mediated processes are surrounded by nanometer-sized continuous frameworks. Many experiments are generally conducted to optimize the reaction conditions for the synthesis of highly ordered mesostructures. Herein, to minimize such trial-and-error efforts, a new and practical concept is proposed for the precise design of porous materials. By adjusting the reactivity between bisphosphonates and metal sources through molecular design of the starting bisphosphonate compound, it was possible to synthesize mesoporous films with unique compositions by a surfactant-assisted approach.

Evaporation-induced Self-assembly Process Controlled for Obtaining Highly Ordered Mesoporous Materials with Demanded Morphologies.

A large number of periodic mesoporous materials have been reported using amphiphilic organic molecules with increasing development of synthetic methods for mesostructural, morphological, and compositional designs. The evaporation-induced self-assembly (ESIA) process to fabricate ordered mesoporous films is one of the most essential synthetic methods, which has extensively been applied for obtaining a wide variety of samples (e.g., films and monoliths, including powders). It contains complicated physical variations and chemical reactions, but has been simply explained by several research groups. However, a current, exact understanding of such complicated systems should be given with respect to all the variations and reactions. In this article, I have mainly surveyed the exact EISA process by considering the difference between simple and controlled EISA processes on the basis of my own experiments. I believe that the insights are consequently helpful for obtaining highly ordered mesoporous materials with demanded morphologies.

Comparison of the Clinical Courses of Patients with Influenza after Neuraminidase Inhibitors Treatment: A Postcard Survey of the 2013-2014 Influenza Season in Osaka.

Background In Japan, four neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are currently prescribed to patients with influenza A and B. To know the backgrounds and clinical courses of patients with influenza who were treated with NAIs is important in the selection of appropriate medications. Methods We conducted a multicenter observational study in Osaka with postcard questionnaires. Patients who were prescribed NAIs were provided postcard questionnaires containing questions on their backgrounds, body temperatures, and durations of other influenza symptoms. We analyzed the factors that were associated with early fever alleviation using a logistic regression model. Results The postcard response rate was 31% (326 of 1050), and 307 patients were enrolled in this study [150 patients who were under 10 years old (type A, 118; and type B, 32) and 157 patients who were 10 or older (type A, 114; and type B, 43)]. In the patients under 10, the multivariate analysis showed that influenza type (Type B vs Type A; Odds Ratio, 0.13; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.04-0.38) was associated with early fever alleviation. However, NAIs were not related to early fever alleviation. Laninamivir tended to contribute more to early fever alleviation compared to oseltamivir in patients under 10 (Odds Ratio, 2.50;$95% Confidence Interval: 0.90-7.80). Conclusions The types,of prescibed NAIs were not significantly related to early fever alleviation. However, the fever durations of the patients under 10 who were prescribed laninamivir were shorter than those of patients under 10 who were prescribed oseltamivir or zanamivir.

Asymmetric block copolymers for supramolecular templating of inorganic nanospace materials.

This review focuses on polymeric micelles consisting of asymmetric block copolymers as designed templates for several inorganic nanospace materials with a wide variety of compositions. The presence of chemically distinct domains of asymmetric triblock and diblock copolymers provide self-assemblies with more diverse morphological and functional features than those constructed by EOn POm EOn type symmetric triblock copolymers, thereby affording well-designed nanospace materials. This strategy can produce unprecedented nanospace materials, which are very difficult to prepare through other conventional organic templating approaches. Here, the recent development on the synthesis of inorganic nanospace materials are mainly focused on, such as hollow spheres, tubes, and porous oxides, using asymmetric triblock copolymers.

The Macroscopic Appearance of Computed Tomography-guided Needle Biopsy Specimens Correlates with Tumor Metastasis in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT)-guided needle biopsy is a well-established and dependable procedure for the diagnosis of pulmonary lesions. Some tissue biopsy samples have loose cohesion and disintegrate into tiny pieces before formalin fixation. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between the fresh macroscopic appearance of samples obtained using CT-guided needle biopsy and the clinicopathological features of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A total of 111 patients who underwent CT-guided lung needle biopsy at Osaka City University Hospital between May 2009 and May 2013 were enrolled. Macroscopic appearance was categorized as either loose or tight cohesion. Samples were evaluated using Azan staining to detect collagen fibers. The staining intensity was multiplied by the percentage of positive cells, and the specimen was categorized as having either low (<100) or high expression ( ≥100). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate significant covariates for tumor metastasis. RESULTS: In the cohort of 111 patients, the diagnostic rates in loose and tight cohesions were 82.6% and 87.5%, respectively (p=0.509). In 60 patients diagnosed with NSCLC, Azan staining of collagen fibers was positive in 93.5% of the samples with tight cohesion and 28.6% of the samples with loose cohesion (p<0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression models, distant metastasis was significantly associated with loose cohesion (p=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the macroscopic appearance of CT-guided biopsy samples correlates with tumor metastasis in NSCLC.

Efficient optimization of the synthetic conditions for aerosol-assisted high-quality mesoporous CeO2 powders.

The morphology of surfactant-assisted mesoporous metal oxides was tuned to obtain high surface-area particles by utilizing the synthetic conditions for fabricating transparent thin films through an evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process. For investigating their potential applications, especially for designing heterogeneous catalysts, mesoporous metal oxides should be obtained in powder forms; however, a serious limitation associated with their reproducibility persists. Herein, along with a rapid optimization approach, starting from determining and improving chemical composition for the fabrication of mesoporous metal oxide films, an advanced approach to obtain highly porous metal oxide powders is presented using a temperature-controlled spray-drying process with step-by-step but smooth optimization by combining several EISA processes, involving the utilization of a precursor solution optimized for a slow-drying process in the case of ceria (CeO2) using poly(styrene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO).