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BACKGROUND: Retrocaval ureter is a rare congenital anomaly resulting fromanomalous development of inferior vena cava (IVC) and not from anomalous ofthe ureter. The anomaly always occurs on the right side due to regression of rightsupracardinal vein and persistence of right posterior cardinal vein. Retrocavalureter tends to be associated with various vena cava anomalies because of theembryogenesis. We aimed to identify the prevalence of associated congenitalvenous anomalies (CVA) resulting from cardinal vein development in adults withretrocaval ureter using computed tomography (CT) images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 22 adults with retrocaval ureter. Weevaluated CT findings and determined the incidence of associated CVA using thinslice data sets from CT scanner with 64 or more detectors. We compared theprevalence of CVA in the retrocaval ureter group (mean age: 57 ± 19 years) andin the control group of 6189 adults with normal ureter (mean age: 66 ± 14 years). RESULTS: In the retrocaval ureter group, 4 (18.2%) adults had CVA including doubleIVC, right double IVC, preisthmic IVC with horseshoe kidney, and preaorticiliac confluence. One of 2 adults with preaortic iliac confluence had right doubleright IVC. In the control group, 49 (0.79%) adults had CVA including 37 doubleIVC, 11 left IVC, and 1 IVC interruption azygos continuation. Fifteen horseshowkidneys were found. The prevalence of associated CVA in the retrocaval uretergroup was higher than that in the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Retrocaval ureter is frequently associated with CVA. Various CVAwith retrocaval ureter could happen because of abnormal development of notonly the right posterior or supra cardinal vein but also other cardinal veins.

Pyramid-type antireflective subwavelength structures for large-diameter ( > 30 cm ) silicon lenses are promising for broadband astronomical observations. The refractive index and dielectric loss tangent of the lens material, columnar crystal silicon which is manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Electronic Chemicals Co., Ltd., were measured at around 30 K using a Martin–Puplett-type Fourier transform spectrometer. The measured refractive index and dielectric loss tangent between 200 GHz and 1.6 THz were ∼  3.42 and 1– 5 × 10 - 4 , respectively. Three different pyramid-type structures with a period of 265 μ m and depth of 600 μ m were simulated to obtain their reflectance using an electromagnetic field simulator, HFSS. The structures were fabricated on both sides of a 100-mm-diameter plane-convex lens made of columnar crystal silicon with a 150-mm radius of curvature using a metal-bonded V-shaped blade and a dedicated three-axis machine. The fabrication errors in the period and depth were less than 10 μ m . The reflectance of the lens flat surface was measured using a vector network analyzer to be between - 8 and - 17  dB in the range of 110–170 GHz, which was consistent with the result from the simulation.

Pancreatic cancer is often associated with an intense production of interstitial collagens, known as the desmoplastic reaction. To understand more about desmoplasia in pancreatic cancer, the expression of mRNA for type I and III collagens and potent desmoplastic inducing growth factors transforming growth factor- β (TGF- β ), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) A and C and epidermal growth factor (EGF) was analysed by quantitative RT–PCR. Expression of both collagens in 23 frozen primary pancreatic cancer nodules was significantly higher than that in 15 non-neoplastic pancreatic tissues. The expressions of mRNAs for TGF- β , acidic FGF, basic FGF and PDGF C were likewise higher in surgical cancer nodules, while that of CTGF, PDGF A and EGF were not. Among these growth factors, the expression of TGF- β mRNA showed the most significant correlation with that of collagens ( P <0.0001). By immunohistochemistry, TGF- β showed faint cytoplasmic staining in cancer cells. In contrast, isolated cells, mainly located on the invasive front surrounding cancerous nests, were prominently and strongly stained. These TGF- β -positive cells contained a segmented nucleus, were negative for anti-macrophage (CD68) and positive for anti-granulocyte antibodies, indicating their granulocytic nature. In conclusion, TGF- β seemed to play a major role among the various growth factors in characteristic overproduction of collagens in pancreatic cancer. Moreover, the predominant cells that express TGF- β were likely to be infiltrated granulocytes (mostly are neutrophils) and not pancreatic cancer cells.

This paper presents recent achievements in field theoretical approach toward substantial linkage among key hieratical scales dominating polycrystalline plasticity of metals and alloys. Major ingredients of the theory are briefly shown first, which is followed by several overwhelming results and some implications including key factors for dislocation cell structure evolution, key features of polycrystalline plasticity and their rational modeling in crystal plasticity-based constitutive equation.

Background: We previously reported that the primary tumour/vessel tumour/nodal tumour (PVN) classification is significantly superior to the UICC pTNM classification and the Nottingham Prognostic Index for accurately predicting the outcome of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast in a manner that is independent of the nodal status and the hormone receptor status. Methods: The purpose of the present study was to compare the outcome predictive power of a modified PVN classification to that of the newly devised pathological UICC pTNM classification and the reclassified Nottingham Prognostic Index in a different group of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma ( n =1042) using multivariate analyses by the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results: The modified PVN classification clearly exhibited a superior significant power, compared with the other classifications, for the accurate prediction of tumour recurrence and tumour-related death among patients with invasive ductal carcinoma in a manner that was independent of the nodal status, the hormone receptor status, and adjuvant therapy status. Conclusion: The modified PVN classification is a useful classification system for predicting the outcome of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.

BACKGROUND: Hyperplastic polyps are common benign colorectal polyps, and are thought to have little association with malignant tumours in the colorectum. However, several reports suggest that some hyperplastic polyps may develop into colorectal neoplasms. AIM: To clarify genetic alterations in colorectal hyperplastic polyps. METHODS: Twenty eight colorectal polyps having serrated components were resected from patients endoscopically. The K-ras gene mutations in codons 12 and 13 were analysed by PCR-RFLP. Intranuclear p53 protein was immunostained by the avidin-biotin complex method. RESULTS: A mutation of the K-ras gene was detected in nine (47%) of 19 hyperplastic polyps, and five (56%) of nine adenomas. p53 protein nuclear accumulation was detected immunohistochemically in two (22%) of nine adenomas, but not in any of the hyperplastic polyps. CONCLUSION: Some hyperplastic polyps may be true neoplastic lesions, and could be precursors of malignant neoplasia.

Inflation is the leading theory of the first instant of the universe. Inflation, which postulates that the universe underwent a period of rapid expansion an instant after its birth, provides convincing explanation for cosmological observations. Recent advancements in detector technology have opened opportunities to explore primordial gravitational waves generated by the inflation through “B-mode” (divergent-free) polarization pattern embedded in the cosmic microwave background anisotropies. If detected, these signals would provide strong evidence for inflation, point to the correct model for inflation, and open a window to physics at ultra-high energies. LiteBIRD is a satellite mission with a goal of detecting degree-and-larger-angular-scale B-mode polarization. LiteBIRD will observe at the second Lagrange point with a 400 mm diameter telescope and 2622 detectors. It will survey the entire sky with 15 frequency bands from 40 to 400 GHz to measure and subtract foregrounds. The US LiteBIRD team is proposing to deliver sub-Kelvin instruments that include detectors and readout electronics. A lenslet-coupled sinuous antenna array will cover low-frequency bands (40–235 GHz) with four frequency arrangements of trichroic pixels. An orthomode-transducer-coupled corrugated horn array will cover high-frequency bands (280–402 GHz) with three types of single frequency detectors. The detectors will be made with transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers cooled to a 100 milli-Kelvin base temperature by an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. The TES bolometers will be read out using digital frequency multiplexing with Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) amplifiers. Up to 78 bolometers will be multiplexed with a single SQUID amplifier. We report on the sub-Kelvin instrument design and ongoing developments for the LiteBIRD mission.

There are many studies that show biological differences between invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) with and without nodal metastasis, but no prognostic classification taking into consideration any biological differences between them is currently available. We previously investigated the histological characteristics that play an important role in tumour progression of IDCs according to their nodal status, and a new prognostic histological classification, the primary tumour–vessel tumour–nodal tumour (PVN) classification, was devised based on the histological characteristics of IDCs with and without nodal metastasis. Multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to compare the ability of the PVN classification to predict tumour recurrence and death in 393 IDC patients based on the following histological classifications: (1) the pTNM classification, (2) the Nottingham Prognostic Index, (3) the modified Nottingham Prognostic Index, and (4) the histologic grade. In IDCs without nodal metastasis, only the PVN classification significantly increased the hazard rates (HRs) of tumour recurrence and death ( P <0.05), independent of the hormone receptor status. Similarly, in IDCs with nodal metastases, only the PVN classification significantly increased the HRs of tumour recurrence and death ( P <0.05), independent of the hormone receptor status. We conclude that the PVN prognostic histological classification is the best classification available for IDC of the breast.

During amphibian intestinal remodeling, thyroid hormone (TH) induces adult stem cells, which newly generate the absorptive epithelium analogous to the mammalian one. We have previously shown that hyaluronan (HA) is newly synthesized and plays an essential role in the development of the stem cells via its major receptor CD44 in the Xenopus laevis intestine. We here focused on HA synthase (HAS) and examined how the expression of HAS family genes is regulated during natural and TH-induced metamorphosis. Our quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that the mRNA expression of HAS2 and HAS3, but not that of HAS1 and HAS-rs, a unique Xenopus HAS-related sequence, is upregulated concomitantly with the development of adult epithelial primordia consisting of the stem/progenitor cells during the metamorphic climax. In addition, our in situ hybridization analysis indicated that the HAS3 mRNA is specifically expressed in the adult epithelial primordia, whereas HAS2 mRNA is expressed in both the adult epithelial primordia and nearby connective tissue cells during this period. Furthermore, by treating X. laevis tadpoles with 4-methylumbelliferone, a HA synthesis inhibitor, we have experimentally shown that inhibition of HA synthesis leads to suppression of TH-upregulated expression of leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled 5 (LGR5), an intestinal stem cell marker, CD44, HAS2, HAS3, and gelatinase A in vivo. These findings suggest that HA newly synthesized by HAS2 and/or HAS3 is required for intestinal stem cell development through a positive feedback loop and is involved in the formation of the stem cell niche during metamorphosis.