Validation of Real-Time PCR Analyses for Line-Specific Quantitation of Genetically Modified Maize and Soybean UsingNew Reference Molecules

Novel analytical methods based on real-time quantitative polymerase chain reactions by use of new reference molecules were validated in interlaboratory studies for the quantitation of genetically modified (GM) maize and soy. More than 13 laboratories from Japan, Korea, and the United States participated in the studies. The interlaboratory studies included 2 separate stages: (1) measurement tests of coefficient values, the ratio of recombinant DNA (r-DNA) sequence, and endogenous DNA sequence in the seeds of GM maize and GM soy; and (2) blind tests with 6 pairs of maize and soy samples, including different levels of GM maize or GM soy. Test results showed that the methods are applicable to the specific quantitation of the 5 lines of GM maize and one line of GM soy. After statistical treatment to remove outliers, the repeatability and reproducibility of these methods at a level of 5.0% were <13.7 and 15.9%, respectively. The quantitation limits of the methods were 0.50% for Bt11, T25, and MON810, and 0.10% for GA21, Event176, and Roundup Ready soy. The results of blind tests showed that the numerical information obtained from these methods will contribute to practical analyses for labeling systems of GM crops.

A clinical comparison between dedifferentiated low-grade osteosarcoma and conventional osteosarcoma

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical behaviour, prognosis, and optimum treatment of dedifferentiated low-grade osteosarcoma (DLOS) diagnosed based on molecular pathology.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 13 DLOS patients (six men, seven women; median age 32 years (interquartile range (IQR) 27 to 38)) diagnosed using the following criteria: the histological coexistence of low-grade and high-grade osteosarcoma components in the lesion, and positive immunohistochemistry of mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) associated with MDM2 amplification. These patients were then compared with 51 age-matched consecutive conventional osteosarcoma (COS) patients (33 men, 18 women; median age 25 years (IQR 20 to 38)) regarding their clinicopathological features.

RESULTS

The five-year overall survival (OAS) rates in the DLOS and COS patients were 85.7% and 77.1% (p = 0.728), respectively, and the five-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 57.7% and 44.9% (p = 0.368), respectively. A total of 12 DLOS patients received chemotherapy largely according to regimens for COS. Among the nine cases with a histological evaluation after chemotherapy, eight showed a poor response, and seven of these had a necrosis rate of < 50%. One DLOS patient developed local recurrence and five developed distant metastases.

CONCLUSION

Based on our study of 13 DLOS cases that were strictly defined by histological and molecular means, DLOS showed a poorer response to a standard chemotherapy regimen than COS, while the clinical outcomes were not markedly different. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:745-752.

Direct Measurement of the Cosmic-Ray Proton Spectrum from 50 GeV to 10 TeV with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station

In this paper, we present the analysis and results of a direct measurement of the cosmic-ray proton spectrum with the CALET instrument onboard the International Space Station, including the detailed assessment of systematic uncertainties. The observation period used in this analysis is from October 13, 2015 to August 31, 2018 (1054 days). We have achieved the very wide energy range necessary to carry out measurements of the spectrum from 50 GeV to 10 TeV covering, for the first time in space, with a single instrument the whole energy interval previously investigated in most cases in separate subranges by magnetic spectrometers (BESS-TeV, PAMELA, and AMS-02) and calorimetric instruments (ATIC, CREAM, and NUCLEON). The observed spectrum is consistent with AMS-02 but extends to nearly an order of magnitude higher energy, showing a very smooth transition of the power-law spectral index from -2.81±0.03 (50-500 GeV) neglecting solar modulation effects (or -2.87±0.06 including solar modulation effects in the lower energy region) to -2.56±0.04 (1-10 TeV), thereby confirming the existence of spectral hardening and providing evidence of a deviation from a single power law by more than 3σ.

Abstract P2-14-17: Long-term oncologic safety of nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction

Background

Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is an alternative procedure to skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) for selected patients who undergo immediate reconstruction. However, the evidence of long-term oncologic safety of NSM has not been established. In this study, we aimed to compare the prognosis of breast cancer patients who underwent NSM to those who underwent SSM with immediate reconstruction.

Methods

The clinicopathological factors including recurrence site, pathologic stage, nipple-tumor distance, histological type, lymphovascular invasion, margin status, ER, PgR and HER2 status of stage 0–III primary breast cancer patients who underwent NSM or SSM with immediate primary reconstruction with tissue expander from our breast center database was retrospectively assessed. Patients with a nipple tumor distance of &lt;1 cm who underwent NSM were excluded. 190 patients who underwent NSM and 729 patients who underwent SSM were included in the analysis. All patients underwent MRI or US before treatment. Nipple-tumor distance was mainly measured by MRI.

Results

The median follow-up period was 71 months (range: 10 - 131 months) for the NSM group and 79 months (range: 9 - 140 months) for the SSM group. There were no significant difference of clinicopathological factors between the NSM group and the SSM group, except of the larger diameter of tumor in the SSM group. NSM was performed for 60 patients (32%) with stage 0, 71 patients (37%) with stage I, and 59 patients (31%) with stage II/III. SSM was performed for 185 patients (26%) with stage 0, 268 patients (37%) with stage I, and 276 patients (37%) with stage II/III. Local recurrence was found in 11 (5.8%) patients in the NSM group and in 44 (6.0%) patients in the SSM group. In the NSM group, only one (0.5%) patient had local recurrence in the nipple areola complex. In terms of DFS and overall survival (OS) rate, there was no difference between the NSM group and the SSM group (DFS; 89.5% vs 89.2%, HR, 1.044; p = 0.8992; 95% CI, 0.5116–1.9519, and OS; 98.4% vs 96.4%, HR, 0.963; p = 0.9116; 95% CI, 0.473–1.793). According to breast cancer subtype, in the NSM group, all of the 11 patients (100%) who developed local recurrence in the NSM group was hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer. 29 of the 44 patients (65.9%) who developed local recurrence in the SSM group was HR-positive/HER2-negative, 6 patients (13.6%) was HR-negative/HER2-positive, and 7 patients (15.9%) was triple-negative breast cancer. Among patients who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the NSM group (3 of 14 patients, 21.4%) had a trend for higher local recurrence rate than the SSM group 7 of 116 patients (6.0%) (p = 0.0813). However, no local recurrence in the nipple areola complex was observed for the NSM group. In addition, there was no difference of OS between the NSM group (92.9%) and the SSM group (90.5%) (HR, 0.903; p = 0.9943; 95% CI, 0.049-4.739).

Conclusions

Our results suggested that NSM with immediate reconstruction might be safe as well as SSM for breast cancer with the nipple–tumor distance of &gt;1 cm with respect to their prognosis and local control regardless of breast cancer subtype or invasiveness. Further studies with a large sample size to assess the risk of local recurrence for NSM after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Citation Format: Yamashita Y, Hayashi N, Nagura N, Kajiura Y, Yoshida A, Takei J, Suzuki K, Tsunoda H, Yamauchi H. Long-term oncologic safety of nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-14-17.

Abstract P5-18-05: Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of young patients with ductal carcinoma in situ

Background: The peak age at diagnosis of breast cancer differs between patients in Asian countries (40 - 50 years), and those in Western countries (60 - 70 years). With the increasing use of screening mammography, the incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has increased significantly in younger Asian women. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the clinicopathological features and prognosis in young patients with DCIS is relatively limited. We aimed to compare the clinicopathological features of younger patients with that of older patients with DCIS and to evaluate their prognostic factors.Methods: A total of 1445 women were diagnosed with DCIS between the years 2005 and 2015. Patients with the past history of breast cancer and managed without surgery were excluded. The young age group included patients &lt;50 years of age, whereas the old age group included patients ≥50 years of age at diagnosis. We compared the clinicopathological characteristics [tumor size, surgery type, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) status, HER2 status, nuclear grade, margin status, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, family history of breast cancer, and screening presentation or presentation with symptoms] and prognosis [disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS)] between the groups. DFS included the following events: contralateral breast cancer, loco-regional, and distant recurrences. DFS and OS were estimated using the Kaplan–Maier method. The risk factors associated with events were estimated using the log-rank test for univariate analysis. P values &lt; 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Result: Among the 1445 patients diagnosed with DCIS, 1281 were included in this study. The median age at diagnosis was 47 years (range, 22-87 years). The median follow-up time was 72 months (range, 1-162 months). ER and/or PgR status was positive in 1133 patients (88%). HER2 status was positive in 289 patients (23%). Premenopausal status was noted in 867 patients (68%). The median tumor size was 3.0 cm. Of 1281, 202 (18%) patients received endocrine therapy, 846 (66%) received breast conserving surgery, and 724 (86%) received radiation therapy. There were 765 patients (60%) in the young group. Significantly more patients in the young group had low nuclear grades, were ER and/or PgR positive, were HER2 receptor negative, underwent mastectomy, presented with symptoms, and had close/positive margins. Fifty-eight (4.5%) events occurred: 41 (3.2%) contralateral breast cancers, 19 (1.5%) loco-regional recurrences, and one (0.1%) distant metastasis. No death due to breast cancer was reported. On multivariate analysis, the young group (hazard ratio: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.01 - 4.95, P = 0.04), and presentation with clinical symptoms (hazard ratio: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.07-4.10, P = 0.03) significantly correlated with worse DFS. OS was not significantly different between the groups.Conclusion: This was the largest study with young patients with DCIS in the Asian population. We found that age at diagnosis was a significant independent factor associated with DFS. While genetic background also requires consideration, women with DCIS at &lt;50 year of age may require intensive surveillance. This result requires confirmation with longer follow-up.

Citation Format: Seki A, Matsuda N, Kajiura Y, Kobayashi D, Hayashi N, Tsunoda H, Suzuki K, Yoshida A, Takei J, Yamauchi H. Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of young patients with ductal carcinoma in situ [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-18-05.

Factors influencing the use of over-the-counter drugs and health foods/supplements

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and health foods/supplements are used as means of self-medication with the aim of preventing diseases and maintaining health. No reports have yet addressed the relationship between healthcare systems and self-medication. Here, we carried out a retrospective survey to identify healthcare system factors affecting OTC drug and health food/supplement usage. Patients hospitalized at Gifu Municipal Hospital between October 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015 were given a survey. The items surveyed were age, gender, disease, alcohol intake/smoking status, insurance classification, and medical pharmaceuticals, OTC drugs, and health foods/supplements used immediately before hospitalization. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis using OTC drugs and health foods/supplements as dependent variables with patient attributes, medical insurance, etc. as independent variables. A total of 5,965 patients were analyzed. OTC users comprised 2.6 % (156 people) of the total. The use of OTC drugs was significantly higher for females and alcohol consumers than in other categories. In contrast, the use of OTC drugs was significantly lower for participants in public expense/medical subsidy programs. Health foods/supplements were used by 4.0 % of all subjects (240 people); their use was significantly higher among females and users of medical pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, the use of health foods/supplements was significantly lower for smokers, users of the latter-stage elderly healthcare system, and users of public expense/medical subsidy programs.

The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) on the International Space Station: Results from the First Two Years of Operation

The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) space experiment, which has been developed by Japan in collaboration with Italy and the United States, is a high-energy astroparticle physics mission on the International Space Station (ISS). The primary goals of the CALET mission include investigation of possible nearby sources of high-energy electrons, detailed study of galactic cosmic-ray acceleration and propagation, and search for dark matter signatures. With a long-term observation onboard the ISS, the CALET experiment measures the flux of cosmic-ray electrons (including positrons) up to 20 TeV, gamma-rays to 10 TeV, and nuclei up to 1,000 TeV based on its charge separation capability from Z = 1 to 40. Since the start of science operation in mid-October, 2015, a continuous observation has been maintained without any major interruptions. The number of triggered events over 10 GeV is nearly 20 million per month. By using the data obtained during the first two-years, here we present a summary of the CALET observations: 1) Electron+positron energy spectrum, 2) Nuclei analysis, 3) Gamma-ray observation with a characterization of the on-orbit performance. The search results for the electromagnetic counterparts of LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave events are also discussed.

Extended Measurement of the Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron Spectrum from 11 GeV to 4.8 TeV with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station

Extended results on the cosmic-ray electron + positron spectrum from 11 GeV to 4.8 TeV are presented based on observations with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) on the International Space Station utilizing the data up to November 2017. The analysis uses the full detector acceptance at high energies, approximately doubling the statistics compared to the previous result. CALET is an all-calorimetric instrument with a total thickness of 30 X_{0} at normal incidence and fine imaging capability, designed to achieve large proton rejection and excellent energy resolution well into the TeV energy region. The observed energy spectrum in the region below 1 TeV shows good agreement with Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) data. In the energy region below ∼300  GeV, CALET's spectral index is found to be consistent with the AMS-02, Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT), and Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE), while from 300 to 600 GeV the spectrum is significantly softer than the spectra from the latter two experiments. The absolute flux of CALET is consistent with other experiments at around a few tens of GeV. However, it is lower than those of DAMPE and Fermi-LAT with the difference increasing up to several hundred GeV. The observed energy spectrum above ∼1  TeV suggests a flux suppression consistent within the errors with the results of DAMPE, while CALET does not observe any significant evidence for a narrow spectral feature in the energy region around 1.4 TeV. Our measured all-electron flux, including statistical errors and a detailed breakdown of the systematic errors, is tabulated in the Supplemental Material in order to allow more refined spectral analyses based on our data.

A b map implying the first eastern rupture of the Nankai Trough earthquakes

The Nankai Trough megathrust earthquakes inflicted catastrophic damage on Japanese society and more widely. Most research is aimed at identifying strongly coupled regions that are considered as a major source of future disastrous earthquakes. Here we present a b-value map for the entire Nankai Trough zone. The b value, which represents the rate of occurrence of small earthquakes relative to larger ones, is inversely dependent on differential stresses, and has been used to detect highly stressed areas on fault planes in various tectonic situations. A remarkable finding is that the b value is inversely correlated with the slip-deficit rate (SDR). Moreover, the b value for the areas of high SDR in the eastern part is lower than that in the western part, indicating that differential stress on asperities in the eastern part is higher than that in the western part. This may explain the history of the Nankai Trough earthquakes, in which the eastern part tends to rupture first.

Earthquakes generated from the Nankai Trough have caused much devastation over the years. Here, the authors present a b-value map for the Nankai Trough zone, where the Eastern part of the trough has lower b-values than the West, which may help to explain why the Eastern part tends to rupture first.

Abstract P3-01-03: The loss of lymph node metastasis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with cytologically proven node-positive primary breast cancer

Purpose:While the sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) depends on breast cancer subtype, it has been reported that over 30% of patients with node-positive breast cancer achieved an axillary pathologic complete response (pCR) after NAC. However, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) still remains as a standard treatment because of the difficulty of assessment of lymph node (LN) status after NAC. ALND will be omitted if axillary LN status is accurately assessed. Our purpose of this study was to predict the loss of axillary LN metastasis after NAC in primary breast cancer patients.

Patients and Methods: Among 997 consecutive patients who underwent surgery after NAC from January 2006, to December 2016, 279 patients with cytologically proven node-positive were included in this analysis. All patients were assessed using CT or PET-CT, and ultrasonography (US) before NAC. LN status after NAC was assessed by US. Patients with cT4 tumor, and supra/subclavicular and parasternal LN metastasis were excluded. Clinical LN status after NAC (ycN) was compared to pathological LN status (ypN) on surgical specimen. The association between LN status and clinicopathological factors including nuclear grade (NG), tumor size, the use of trastuzumab, and breast cancer subtypes, was assessed.

Result: Of the 279 patients with LN-positive before NAC, 166 patients (59.5%) had ER+/HER2- tumor, 51 patients (18.3%) had ER+/HER2+ tumor, 33 patients (11.8%) had ER-/HER2- tumor, and 29 patients (10.4%) had ER-/HER2+ tumor. 179 patients (64.2%) had ycN0 and 102 patients (36.6%)had ypN0. There was significant difference of rate of the loss of LN metastasis after NAC; 37 of 166 patients (22.3%) with ER+/HER2- tumor, 24 of 51 patients (47.1%) with ER+HER2+ tumor, 19 of 33 patients (57.6%) with ER-HER2- tumor, and 22 of 29 patients (75.9%) with ER-HER2+ tumor, (p&lt;0.01).The accuracy of assessment of the loss of LN metastasis by US (ycN0/ypN0) was high in 20 of 25 patients (80.0%) with ER-/HER2+ tumor and in 14 of 19 patients (73.4%) ER-/HER2- tumor compared to ER+ tumor; 21 of 39 patients (53.8%) with ER+/HER2+ tumor and 34 of 96 patients (35.4%) with ER+/HER2- tumor (p&lt;0.01). For patients with ycN0/ypN+, the median number of residual LN metastasis was 1 in ER-/HER2+ tumor (range:1-2) and ER-/HER2- tumor (range:1-3), and 2 in ER+/HER2+ tumor (range:1-6) and ER+/HER2- tumor (range:1-14). Among patients with ER-/HER2+ tumor, there was association between the loss of LN metastasis and the use of trastuzumab (p&lt;0.01). There was no association between the loss of LN metastasis and NG or tumor size.

Conclusion: Our results showed patients with ER-/HER2+ tumor and cytologically proven LN metastasis who received NAC with trastuzumab might have the loss of LN metastasis if assessed as ycN0 by US after NAC, whereas, the patients in ER+ tumor have a high risk to have residual LN metastases after NAC even if assessed as ycN0. Further studies are warranted the prognostic impact of the omission of ALND for these populations.

Citation Format: Namura M, Hayashi N, Tsunoda H, Yoshida A, Takei J, Suzuki K, Nakamura S, Yamauchi H. The loss of lymph node metastasis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with cytologically proven node-positive primary breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-01-03.

Next-generation sequencing for patients with non-obstructive azoospermia: implications for significant roles of monogenic/oligogenic mutations

Azoospermia affects up to 1% of adult men. Non-obstructive azoospermia is a multifactorial disorder whose molecular basis remains largely unknown. To date, mutations in several genes and multiple submicroscopic copy-number variations (CNVs) have been identified in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia. The aim of this study was to clarify the contribution of nucleotide substitutions in known causative genes and submicroscopic CNVs in the genome to the development of non-obstructive azoospermia. To this end, we conducted sequence analysis of 25 known disease-associated genes using next-generation sequencing and genome-wide copy-number analysis using array-based comparative genomic hybridization. We studied 40 Japanese patients with idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia. Functional significance of molecular alterations was assessed by in silico analyses. As a result, we identified four putative pathogenic mutations, four rare polymorphisms possibly associated with disease risk, and four probable neutral variants in 10 patients. These sequence alterations included a heterozygous splice site mutation in SOHLH1 and a hemizygous missense substitution in TEX11, which have been reported as causes of non-obstructive azoospermia. Copy-number analysis detected five X chromosomal or autosomal CNVs of unknown clinical significance, in addition to one known pathogenic Y chromosomal microduplication. Five patients carried multiple molecular alterations. The results indicate that monogenic and oligogenic mutations, including those in SOHLH1 and TEX11, account for more than 10% of cases of idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia. Furthermore, this study suggests possible contributions of substitutions in various genes as well as submicroscopic CNVs on the X chromosome and autosomes to non-obstructive azoospermia, which require further validation.

Role of fatty liver in the association between obesity and reduced hepatic insulin clearance

AIM

Hepatic insulin clearance (HIC) is important in regulating plasma insulin levels. Diminished HIC causes inappropriate hyperinsulinaemia, and both obesity and fatty liver (FL), which are known to decrease HIC, can be found either together in the same patient or on their own. The mechanism by which obesity reduces HIC is presumed to be mediated by FL. However, few reports have examined the role of FL in the relationship between obesity and HIC in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. Therefore, our study investigated the association of HIC with clinical factors, including insulin sensitivity indices, focusing on the presence or absence of FL and obesity in T2D patients.

METHOD

Baseline data from 419 patients with T2D (279 men, 140 women; mean age: 57.6 years; body mass index: 25.5kg/m²) controlled by diet and exercise were analyzed. HIC was calculated from the ratio of fasting c-peptide to fasting insulin levels (HIC_CIR). Correlation analyses between HIC_CIR and clinical variables were performed using Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients and single regression analysis in all participants and in those with obesity and FL either alone or in combination.

RESULTS

HIC_CIR was significantly correlated with whole-body insulin sensitivity indices and influenced by FL, but only in the FL group was obesity independently influenced HIC level. HIC_CIR decreased in those with both FL and obesity compared with those with only one such complication.

CONCLUSION

HIC_CIR may be used to evaluate whole-body insulin sensitivity in T2D. Also, compared with obesity, the influence of FL strongly contributed to a reduced HIC.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

These trials were registered by the Japan Pharmaceutical Information Centre clinical trials information (JapicCTI) as 101349 and 101351.

Energy Spectrum of Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron from 10 GeV to 3 TeV Observed with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station

First results of a cosmic-ray electron and positron spectrum from 10 GeV to 3 TeV is presented based upon observations with the CALET instrument on the International Space Station starting in October, 2015. Nearly a half million electron and positron events are included in the analysis. CALET is an all-calorimetric instrument with total vertical thickness of 30 X_{0} and a fine imaging capability designed to achieve a large proton rejection and excellent energy resolution well into the TeV energy region. The observed energy spectrum over 30 GeV can be fit with a single power law with a spectral index of -3.152±0.016 (stat+syst). Possible structure observed above 100 GeV requires further investigation with increased statistics and refined data analysis.

Wireless EEG patch sensor on forehead using on-demand stretchable electrode sheet and electrode-tissue impedance scanner

A wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor using a stretchable electrode sheet and electrode-tissue impedance measurement module is presented herein. The sensor can be attached to the forehead using biocompatible gel with the electrode sheet. The sensor is compactly designed for 3 cm × 9 cm × 6 mm with weight of 12 g. Impedance scanning circuit is also proposed to evaluate the skin surface condition before EEG measurements. We developed the impedance scanning board for 3 cm × 5 cm × 3 mm, with weight of 5.6 g. Results show that the proposed system demonstrates a promising performance in diagnosing the Alzheimer's disease using frequency domain analysis.