Endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer:Current and original devices

Compared with endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD),endoscopic mucosal resection(EMR) is easier to perform and requires less time for treatment.However,EMR has been replaced by ESD,because achieving en bloc resection of specimens > 20 mm in diameter is difficult with EMR.The technique of ESD was introduced to resect large specimens of early gastric cancer in a single piece.ESD can provide precise histological diagnosis and can also reduce the rate of recurrence,but has a high level of technical difficulty,and is consequently associated with a high rate of complications,a need for advanced endoscopic techniques,and a lengthy procedure time.To overcome disadvantages in both EMR and ESD,various advances have been made in submucosal injections,knives,other accessories,and in electrocoagulation systems.

Development of a novel endoscopic manipulation system: The Endoscopic operation robot

AIM: To develop and evaluate the endoscopic operation robot (EOR). The EOR is a robot system designed specifically for remote manipulation of the scope during gastrointestinal endoscopy by a seated endoscopist. METHODS: Total colonoscopy examinations using a colonoscopy training model were performed compared conventional insertion by manual manipulation and remote-controlled insertion, using the EOR. The author investigated the time taken for each of the 50 examinations. RESULTS: The median insertion time (in minutes) for each 10 examinations (EOR vs manual manipulation) was 73.70 ± 25.37 vs 3.77 ± 1.34 in the first group, 38.40 ± 6.24 vs 3.40 ± 0.97 in the second group, 27.6 ± 4.01 vs 2.70 ± 0.95 in the third group, 23.8 ± 3.65 vs 3.10 ± 0.88 in the fourth group, and 22.9 ± 5.02 vs 2.60 ± 1.08 in the fifth group.CONCLUSION: The study suggested the possibility of the clinical application of the EOR.

Association of depressive symptoms with dietary habits among Japanese physicians

The aim of this study was to determine the association of depressive symptoms with dietary habits among physicians working in hospitals in Japan. We mailed an anonymous questionnaire with the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology and items about dietary habits to 10,000 randomly selected physicians. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association of depressive symptoms with dietary habits. The participants comprised 3862 physicians (3025 men and 837 women). Among the respondents, 252 (8.3%) men and 88 (10.5%) women were determined to be in depressive symptoms. For men, “never eat a balanced diet” (Odds ratio;95% confidence interval, 2.54;1.70 - 3.80), and for women “eat quite small meals” (3.81;1.14 - 13.1), “always eat until full” (4.40;1.48 - 13.1), and “never eat a balanced diet” (3.05;1.49 - 6.23) were associated with depressive symptoms. For men, “do not eat too much” (0.57;0.39 - 0.83) was associated with prevention of depression. Physicians should recognize the important role of healthy dietary habits in good mental health. Hospitals should intervene to help physicians address depressive symptoms and dietary habits.

Relativistic Spin-Isospin Dependent Response Function of Nucleus

A full relativistic formalism is employed to derive the relativistic particle-hole and delta-hole excitation polariza tion insertion of pion propagator in nuclear matter.The spin-isospin-dependent response function of nucleus at high energy-momentum transfer is calculated with the nuclear matter approximation.The short range correlation effect,two-nucleon absorption and nucleus form factor effects are included in the calculation.The position and width of the resonance peak of the spin-isospin mode are reproduced and found to be coincident with experiment data.The position of the peak and its width is sensitive to Landau-Migdal parameter g'which is about 0.6.

A Simple Method for Detection of Multiple Chemical-Specific IgGs in Serum Based on Dot Blotting

Plastic resins are known to cause occupational allergies. Therefore, serum-specific antibodies against plastic resins have been widely investigated as diagnostic markers for occupational allergies. In this study, we aimed to establish a convenient method for detection of multiple chemical-specific IgG antibodies in human serum based on dot blot analysis. Toluene diisocyanate (TDI), phthalic anhydride (PA), and formaldehyde (FA), which are frequently used to synthesize various resins, reacted well with lysine residues of human serum albumin (HSA) under alkaline conditions. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) showed that the structures of chemical adducts of HSA were different from those of native HSA. Therefore, we performed dot blot assays using these adducts as artificial antigens. Serum samples from workers at plants utilizing plastic resins strongly reacted with TDI, PA, and FA adducts in HSA, while reduced signals were detecting using the serum from unexposed workers. These results suggested that dot blot assays using chemical-HSA adducts as antigens could be beneficial for simultaneously measuring multiple chemical-specific IgGs.