Squamous Cell Carcinoma Arising from Aparaurethral Region

A 69-year-old man was referred to our hospital with dysuria and gross hematuria associated with a rapidly growing perineal mass. Serum squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen level was high (2.4 ng/mL). Magnetic resonance imaging examination revealed a tumor posterior and inferior to the pendular urethra with a cystic lesion inside. Tumor resection together with total penectomy was performed. Pathohistological findings revealed well-differentiated SCC arising from the paraurethral region. The patient remained free of disease without adjuvant therapy at 70 months after surgery. To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of paraurethral SCC.

Early Results of Omitting Completion Axillary Lymph Node Dissection in Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis-Positive Breast Cancer Patients

Background: We investigated the early results of omitting completion axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for axillary node metastasis-negative (N0), sentinel node (SN) metastasis-positive breast cancer patients. Patients and Methods: 489 patients had invasive N0 breast cancer treated without completion ALND, regardless of their SN metastasis status. Analyses included the associations between the SN metastasis status, clinicopathological findings and recurrence, between recurrence and clinicopathological findings, and recurrence-free survival. Results: 430 patients were SN biopsy (SNB)-negative, and 59 were SNB-positive. The SNB-positive patients received significantly more potent adjuvant therapy than the SNB-negative patients. Median follow-up was 3.7 years, and the axillary node recurrence was seen in 6 patients (1.2%) and recurrence in 21 patients. The SN status showed no associations with the clinicopathological findings or recurrence. Univariate analysis showed recurrence was associated with absence of hormonal therapy, ER-negative, PgR-negative, HER2-positive or triple-negative (TNBC) disease, a tumor ≥2.1 cm and higher nuclear grade. Multivariate analysis showed recurrence was associated with absence of hormonal therapy and a tumor ≥2.1 cm. Cox proportional hazards model showed recurrence was extremely early in ER-negative and TNBC patients. Conclusion: Completion ALND can be skipped in N0 breast cancer patients even if they are SNB-positive, but adjuvant therapy is essential.

Upgraded Pellet Making by Torrefaction—Torrefaction of Japanese Wood Pellets

Upgraded wood pellets were produced and evaluated by torrefaction of wood pellets. In this study, conventional wood pellets were initially prepared and subsequently torrefied on a laboratory and then larger scale. During the laboratory scale production, pellets from wooden parts of Japanese cedar (sugi, Cryptomeria japonica) and Japanese oak (konara, Quercus serrata) trees were heat- treated in an inert gas oven under nitrogen atmosphere around 170°C - 320°C. For the Japanese cedar, the calorific values were improved by heat treatment up to 260°C. By heat treatment at 240°C, the upgrade ratio of higher heating value (HHV) was nearly 30% and the energy yield was 97%. For the Japanese oak, the calorific values were improved by heat treatment up to 320°C. By heat treatment at 280°C, the upgrade ratio of HHV exceeded 30% and the energy yield was 84%. On a larger scale, a conventional charcoal oven was modified for torrefied wood pellet production, meaning that torrefied wood pellet with 25 MJ/kg of calorific value was produced during heat treatment at 350°C. A mixture of conventional and torrefied pellets was applied to a commercial pellet stove, and torrefied wood pellets produced in this study might be usable as fuel for conventional pellet stoves.

Fundamental Study on the Production of ＂Hyper Wood Pellet＂——Effect of Torrefaction Condition on Grinding and Pelletizing Properties

In order to upgrade the conventional wood pellet, Japanese softwood and hardwood chips were torrefied at around 200-350℃, and pelletized. The characteristics of the torrefied material/pellets such as their calorific value, grinding energy, pelletizing energy and elemental composition, were also evaluated in this study. The calorific value rose with increasing torrefaction temperature and exceeded 25 MJ/kg （an increase of nearly 40% compared to the untreated state） for torrefaction at around 350℃. The grinding energy greatly decreased with increasing torrefaction temperature, and the reduction was larger for Japanese oak hardwood chips. The pelletization energy for the torrefied material tended to be slightly smaller than in the untreated case. People named such torrefied pellet as ＂hyper wood pellet＂.