Kyushu Area Research Articles

Efficacy of second-line chemotherapy after standard combination chemotherapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer: The results from the NAPOLEON study.

661 Background: Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GnP) and FOLFIRINOX (FFX) have been established as standard first-line combination chemotherapy (CTx) for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC). However, the efficacy of second-line CTx and the significance of combination CTx in clinical practice are unclear. We therefore investigated the efficacy of second-line CTx in patients with MPC. Methods: Data were collected from CTx-naive MPC patients treated with first-line combination CTx at 14 hospitals in the Kyushu area of Japan from December 2013 to June 2018. The median overall survival (mOS) from second-line treatment was compared between patients who received second-line CTx (CT group) and those who received best supportive care (BSC group). Furthermore, in the CT group, the mOS was compared between the patients who received combination CTx and those who received mono-CTx. To control potential bias in the selection of second-line treatment, we also conducted a propensity score-adjusted analysis. Results: A total of 255 patients received GnP or FFX as first-line CTx. Of these, there were 156 (61%) in the CT group and 77 (30%) in the BSC group. The number of patients who received FFX/GnP as first-line CTx was 79 (51%)/77 (49%) in the CT group and 15 (20%)/62 (80%) in the BSC group, respectively (P < 0.01). The mOS in the CT group was significantly longer than that in the BSC group (5.2 vs. 2.7 months; hazard ratio [HR] 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31-0.57; p < 0.01 and 5.2 vs. 2.6 months; adjusted HR 0.39; 95% CI 0.28-0.55; p < 0.01). In the CT group, 89 (57%) patients received combination CTx, and 67 (43%) received mono-CTx. There was no significant difference in the mOS between the combination CTx and mono-CTx patients (5.5 vs. 4.4 months; HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.62-1.26; p = 0.88 and 5.6 vs. 4.4 months; adjusted HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.56-1.30; p = 0.47). Conclusions: Among patients with MPC receiving second-line treatment, the CT group had a significantly longer mOS than the BSC group, but combination CTx conferred no improvement in the survival duration compared with mono-CTx.

An Investigation of the Status of Patient Attendance for Dental Implant Maintenance Therapy in Five Dental Clinics in Depopulating Areas in Kyushu

An Investigation of the Status of Patient Attendance for Dental Implant Maintenance Therapy in Five Dental Clinics in Depopulating Areas in Kyushu

Supply-Demand Balance Measures of the Kyushu Area

Supply-Demand Balance Measures of the Kyushu Area

Examination of introduction process of a stone chamber in Japan Kyushu area

Examination of introduction process of a stone chamber in Japan Kyushu area

Characterization and correlation of the Hegawa‐Kasamori 5 tephra, a widespread tephra aged c. 450 ka associated with large‐scale pyroclastic flows from southern Kyushu, SW Japan

ABSTRACTA Middle Pleistocene widespread tephra, defined here as Hegawa‐Kasamori 5 tephra (Hgw‐Ks5), has been newly recognized over a broad area of Japan. Large‐scale pyroclastic flow deposits associated with co‐ignimbrite ash fall deposits (CAFDs) of Hgw‐Ks5 have been identified in the proximal southern Kyushu area, south‐west Japan. Hgw‐Ks5 possibly originated from the Aira caldera in southern Kyushu, and it is widely spread and intercalated with deposits of the Kasamori Formation, Honshu Island, more than 1000 km away from the source. In the north‐west area of the Aira Caldera, the tephra is sparsely distributed in the form of non‐welded ignimbrites, and is exposed stratigraphically above the well‐known Kobayashi‐Kasamori tephra. Hgw‐Ks5 is characterized through petrographic features, major element geochemistry of glass shards, and refractive indices of orthopyroxene. The results of previous stratigraphic isotope studies indicate that the eruptive age of Hgw‐Ks5 is 434–458 ka (Marine Isotope Stage 12). Assuming that the CAFDs originating from the Aira Caldera are distributed concentrically, the apparent volume of Hgw‐Ks5, estimated from the area of distribution and CAFD thickness, is ~100 km3. Therefore, a volcanic explosivity index of 7 is assigned to the Hgw‐Ks5 eruption.

P6513Temporal trends in coronary intervention strategies and the impact on one-year clinical events: data from a Japanese multi-center real-world cohort study

Abstract Background While it is clear that device technology of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has advanced over the course of the last 40 years and the evidence for improvements in the efficacy of PCI is clear, it is less clear whether the prognosis following PCI continues to improve year by year. Methods The Kumamoto Intervention Conference Study Real-World Registry is a multi-center registry that enrolls consecutive patients undergoing PCI in 17 centers in Kyushu area, Japan. To elucidate the clinical impact of recent changes in treatment strategies, 8,841 consecutive participants (historical PCI: n=4,038, enrolled between January 2013 and December 2014, and current PCI: n=4,803, between January 2015 and March 2017) with 1-year follow-up data were analysed. Baseline demographic data, cardiovascular risk factors, and the medication being taken at discharge were documented. The primary endpoint was defined as a major adverse cardiac event (MACE), comprising cardiovascular death or non-fatal MI, including stent thrombosis (ST), occurring within 1 year of PCI. Results Regarding the relationships between presenting symptoms and PCI status, ACS, STEMI, NSTEMI, and UAP were similarly common, but the proportion of patients with multi-vessel disease was lower and the proportion with type B2/C lesions was higher in the current PCI group (p=0.004 and p<0.001, respectively). The prevalences of left main trunk lesions and Killip classes III or IV were comparable between the groups, but in-stent restenotic lesions were significantly more frequent in the historical PCI group (p<0.001). In addition to the change in the DAPT regimen, more optimal medical therapy was introduced during this time period, including the use of β-blockers, ACE-Is, and statins. The incidences of MACE were comparable between historical PCI and current PCI (2.2% vs. 2.1%, p=0.693), even though complex lesions were more frequent during the more recent period. During this period, the use of radial approaches, drug eluting stents, and coronary imaging increased, but the use of intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) or thromboaspiration decreased. The incidences of major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE), cardiac death, non-fatal MI, and stent thrombosis were similar between the historical and current periods (Figure). Multivariate analysis for overall patients, after adjustment, showed that multi-vessel disease, type B2/C lesions, ACS, and DES use were significant independent predictors of MACE. Figure 1. Comparison of Clinical Events Conclusion An improvement in the prognosis associated with PCI has not occurred in recent years. However, the lesions being treated are becoming more complex, and the selection of evidence-based approaches, the use of coronary imaging, and the optimal medication treatments may have contributed to comparable outcomes being maintained. Acknowledgement/Funding Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. Japan.

Present status of pumped hydro storage operations to mitigate renewable energy fluctuations in Japan

This paper focuses on pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) plants’ current operations after electricity system reforms and variable renewable energy (VRE) installations in Japan. PHES plants have historically been developed to create electricity demand at night in order to operate base load power plants, such as nuclear power plants, in stable conditions. Therefore, many PHES plants are located midway between nuclear power plants and large demand areas. However, all nuclear power plants had to - at least temporarily - shut down after the Great East Japan Earthquake followed by a nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi in 2011, and renewable energy power plants have been deployed rapidly after the introduction of a feed-in-tariff (FIT) scheme. Therefore, PHES plants are being used to mitigate fluctuations of VRE, especially in areas where renewable energy has been significantly installed. The daily highest capacity ratio of PHES plants in Kyushu area has recorded three times higher than it in the other areas where the past operating mode is still conducted. But those operations on PHES plants are simply followed as a dispatch rule of the Organization for Cross- regional Coordination of Transmission Operators (OCCTO), market-based operations have not been conducted enough yet. The market design shall be changed to harmonize VRE installation and PHES plants’ operations are necessary to make the transition from the past operating mode of PHES plants across Japan.

Formation and Development of Zainichi(Koreans in Japan) Community in Kyushu Area: Focusing on Fukuoka

Formation and Development of Zainichi(Koreans in Japan) Community in Kyushu Area: Focusing on Fukuoka

神道系保育所・幼稚園等における保育・教育理念の特色 ―全国神社保育団体連合会の九州ブロックにおける加盟園を事例として―

神道系保育所・幼稚園等における保育・教育理念の特色 ―全国神社保育団体連合会の九州ブロックにおける加盟園を事例として―

Cost-effectiveness analysis of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin in patients with genotype 2 chronic hepatitis C: an analysis with real world outcomes from a multicentre cohort in Japan

ObjectivesA number of publications have demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin (SOF+RBV) compared with the former standard therapy with interferon (IFN)-containing regimens. Unlike these cost-effective analyses, where efficacy parameters...

고고자료로 본 고대 영산강유역과 큐슈지역과의 교류관계

고고자료로 본 고대 영산강유역과 큐슈지역과의 교류관계

Crustal Extension and Graben Formation by Fault Slip‐Associated Pore Opening, Kyushu, Japan

AbstractCrustal extension in graben takes place by normal (+strike‐slip) faulting, yet the physical processes involved are poorly understood. A series of shallow large earthquakes struck the Kumamoto area of Kyushu, Japan, in 2016. The Mw7.0 main shock was a slip along the southern boundary of the Beppu‐Shimabara Graben, where NS‐extensional crustal deformation is now taking place. We conducted a tomographic inversion for crustal P and S velocities and Poisson's ratio (Vp, Vs, and σ) in Kyushu. The most outstanding feature in this region is a Beppu‐Shimabara Graben‐parallel belt of low Vp and Vs anomalies at depths of the upper crust. We find that within the belt dVs/Vs ≈ dVp/Vp (<0) in marked contrast to relations in other low‐velocity regions where |dVs/Vs| > |dVp/Vp|. This observation can be interpreted as due to water‐saturated, oblate‐spheroid pores with either of two very different geometries: one almost round pore and the other very flat pore. We calculate 3‐D density anomaly distributions and 2‐D gravity anomaly profiles for these two pore models. The gravity anomaly map calculated for spherical pores shows a significant negative anomaly belt that spatially agrees with observed Bouguer anomaly map. The spatial agreement is very poor if pores are modeled as flat. This and extensive seismicity within Beppu‐Shimabara Graben imply significance of fault‐associated round pore formation in the process of graben opening. Seismic tomography combined with gravity and poroeasticty analyses can constrain the crack/pore state of extensionally deforming crust.

Dental and Periodontal Status of Dentists and Dental Hygienists Engaging in Oral Implant Treatments in the Kyushu Area

Dental and Periodontal Status of Dentists and Dental Hygienists Engaging in Oral Implant Treatments in the Kyushu Area

Temporal and Spatial Excess Leukemia Deaths Around the Nuclear Power Plant in Kyushu, Japan (1970-2005)

Background/AimExcess incidence of cancer including leukemia among people living in the vicinity of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in normal operation has been reported on from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Korea, and others. But in Japan, any epidemiologic investigations have not been conducted yet while 18 NPP facilities have discharged radioactive substances e.g. tritium. 13 among 47 prefectures in Japan had NPPs until 2010, and 7 of them were ranked in top 15 leukemia mortality. We estimated the Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMRs) on leukemia of municipalities around the NPPs in Kyushu area, the western parts of Japan, and then summarized their temporal-spatial changes with using empirical Bayesian estimates.MethodsWe estimated leukemia SMRs with using data of age-sex specific five-year municipal population among 1965-2005 of Japanese Census, age-sex specific cause-specific leukemia deaths of Japanese Vital Statistics, and leukemia deaths of each municipalities. To adjust spatial variations of SMRs in the towns and villages with sparse population, we have applied empirical Bayes method with Poisson distribution model.ResultsSMRs of leukemia in the study region increased after beginnings of the operation of NPPs. The municipalities located the nearest to NPP had excess SMR (3.69: 95% CI, 3.11-5.56) comparing to farther areas of the prefecture. NPP Reactor type of the study areas was Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) which released more radioactive substances comparing to Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). The study suggests the relationship between leukemia and NPPs normally operated in Japan.

Diaporthe species complex occurring on Asparagus kiusianus in Japan

In 2016, a new disease caused by the Diaporthe species complex was discovered in “hamatamabouki”, the Japanese wild asparagus (Asparagus kiusianus Makino), in the coastal area of Northern Kyushu. Two distinct fungal species were recorded as causing the brown and oval-shaped lesions shown by the aerial parts of the plants. Diaporthe asparagi (Phomopsis asparagi) was identified based on molecular analysis of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS), while D. unshiuensis, a first report on the genus Asparagus, was identified using the multi-locus sequence analysis of the ITS region, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-alpha) and the beta-tubulin (TUB) genes. The morphological characteristics of these species were observed, most of which being in accordance with previous descriptions. When A. kiusianus plants were exposed to infection by D. asparagi and D. unshiuensis to fulfill Koch’s postulates, both fungal species proved to be pathogenic.

The Nonlinear Optimal Triggering Perturbation of the Kuroshio Large Meander and Its Evolution in a Regional Ocean Model

AbstractBased on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) method, we explore the nonlinear optimal triggering perturbation of the Kuroshio large meander (LM) and its evolution, and reveal the role of nonlinear physical processes in the formation of the LM path. The results show that the large amplitudes of the perturbations are mainly located in the upper 2000 m in the southeastern area of Kyushu (29°–32°N, 131°–134°E), where the eastward propagation of the cold anomaly is vital to the formation of the LM path. By analyzing the depth-integrated vorticity equation of the perturbation, we find that linear advection, namely, the interaction between the perturbation and the reference field, tends to move the cyclonic eddy induced by the optimal triggering perturbation eastward, while the nonlinear advection associated with the interaction of perturbations tends to move the cyclonic eddy westward. The opposing effects of the nonlinear advection and the linear advection slow the eastward movement of the cyclonic eddy so that the eddy has a chance to effectively develop, eventually leading to the formation of the Kuroshio LM path.

Heavy Rainfall Duration Bias in Dynamical Downscaling and Its Related Synoptic Patterns in Summertime Asian Monsoon

AbstractDynamical downscaling (DDS) was conducted over Japan by using a regional atmospheric model with reanalysis data to investigate the rainfall duration bias over Kyushu, Japan, in July and August from 2006 to 2015. The model results showed that DDS had a positive rainfall duration bias over Kyushu and a dry bias over almost all of Kyushu, which were emphasized for extreme rainfall events. Investigated was the rainfall duration bias for heavy rainfall days, accompanied by synoptic-scale forcing, in which daily precipitation exceeded 30 mm day−1 and covered over 20% of the Kyushu area. Heavy rainfall days were sampled from observed rainfall data that were based on rain gauge and radar observations. A set of daily climatic variables of horizontal wind and equivalent potential temperature at 850 hPa and sea level pressure, around southwestern Japan, corresponding to the sampled dates, was selected to conduct a self-organizing map (SOM) and K-means method. The SOM and K-means method objectively classified three synoptic patterns related to heavy rainfall over Kyushu: strong monsoon, weak monsoon, and typhoon patterns. Rainfall duration had a positive bias in western Kyushu for the strong monsoon pattern and a positive bias in southern and east-coast Kyushu for the typhoon pattern, whereas there was little rainfall duration bias in the weak monsoon pattern. The bias for the typhoon pattern was related to rainfall events with a strong rainfall peak. The results suggest that bias correction for rainfall duration would be required for accurately estimating direct runoff in a catchment area in addition to the precipitation amount.

3A2-B6 「科学リテラシーパスポートβ」を用いることによる利用者の気づきの変容 : 九州地区のワークショップ実践事例をもとに(知の循環型社会における対話型博物館機能の提案,課題研究発表,学びの原点への回帰-イノベーティブ人材育成のための科学教育研究-)

3A2-B6 「科学リテラシーパスポートβ」を用いることによる利用者の気づきの変容 : 九州地区のワークショップ実践事例をもとに(知の循環型社会における対話型博物館機能の提案,課題研究発表,学びの原点への回帰-イノベーティブ人材育成のための科学教育研究-)

한중일 반월형석도 비교 연구

This paper aims to compare the archaeological stone harvesting knives from Korea, China, and Japan. First, harvesting knives of the Misari assemblage, the first crop cultivation culture in Korea, is characterized by the rectangular shape and double-edged blade. This feature is also observed in the Duman and Amnok river basins in North Korea, while in China it is found only in the Liaodong mountain area represented by the Machengzi culture. However, in detail, only one example form China has a double-edged blade so this feature is probably selected when they adopt stone harvesting knives in the Korean Peninsula. Second, the materials from the Shang-Zhou period in the Shandong area were examined, considering the origin of Songguk-ri culture. While comb shape is dominant in this assemblage, more importantly, stone harvesting knives disappeared in this phase. This situation is totally different from that of the Korean Bronze Age, where they had developed a new triangle shape according to the development of wet rice cultivation. It is difficult to deny the possibility of the interaction between Korea and the Shandong area, in spite of the difference in the number of stone knives as the former had it already in the previous phase. Finally, both grooving and perforated type and two-hole type appeared in the northern Kyushu area. Generally, they are boat shape and double edged, while no triangle shape has been found. This indicates early rice cultivation diffused to northern Kyushu before the appearance of triangle shape in the Korean peninsula. This difference show a similar pattern to that was observed between the Machengzi culture and Misari assemblage. Probably multifunctional double edged knives were preferred when they introduced crop cultivation.

Marine Litter Measures Related to Local Features and Multi-sectorial Participation in Western Coastal Areas in Kyushu

Marine Litter Measures Related to Local Features and Multi-sectorial Participation in Western Coastal Areas in Kyushu