With a view to learning the status, on a wide scale, of the new-infection of hookworms in a rural district, the author examined the pupils of lower secondary schools in Ichiharagun, Chiba Prefecture, and obtained the following results: 1. The ratio of hookworm-ova positive cases was as high as 29.7%of all the pupils examined. By sex, it was higher in the male group than in the female group; and farmers'children showed a higher percentage than non-farmers'.
2. The percentage of new-infection was 2.2%at the minimum, 28.0%at the maximum, 12.4%on an average.In the 20 schools of all the 21 examined, percentages were not higher than 20%.And a significant correlation was found between the total infection rate and the rate of new-infection.
3. The rate of new-infection was also higher among the male than among the female examinees. By their family occupation, it was higher among farmers' children.
4. Distribution of different species among the group of people newly infected with hookworms was closely correlated with such distribution picture in the corresponding area.

In Ichihara-gun, Chiba Prefecture, a rural district, two villages where no anti-hookworm measure had hitherto been taken were selected for the study. The inhabitants of these two villages were first given mass anthelmintic treatment twice, but after that no more anti-hookworm measure was taken. In such natural conditions, theconditions of newand re-infection were observed for more than one year's time byway of stool examination.
1. The hookworm egg-positive rates: 82.4% for Itohisa, Miwa-machi, and 41.2% for Nakano, Shitsu-mura. Both species were present, but Necator americanus predominated in either of the two areas.
2. The cumulative rates of new-and re-infection for the whole year: It was higher in Itohisa (36.9%) than in Nakano (8.4%). But, in the two other villages where antihookworm measures had been executed over a long period of time, such rate was extremely low.
3. The seasonal fluctuations of the rates of new-and re-infection: In both of these subject villages it was higher in the warmer season including the wet season, i. e. mid-April to mid-July.
4. Analysis of the rates of new-and re-infection by modesof living: In Itohisa, school children showed a higher rate of new-infection, and the adults of the same area presented the higher rates of both new-infection andre-infection.In Nakano, no significant difference was seen between school children and adults, but one thing to be noted is that the cases of conversion to positive among school children were all of them new-infection cases.
5. New-and re-infection rates by sex: No particular difference was recognized in either of the two areas.
6. Classification of new-and re-infection cases by species: In bothof the villages, majority of the cases carried Necator americanus only.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The role of uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) in the liver is currently unclear. Emerging evidence suggests a relationship between UCP2 and oxidative stress. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that UCP2 expression in the liver might change during warm ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) according to oxidative stress. METHODS: Wistar rats were subjected to 40 (short ischemia) or 90 (long ischemia) minutes of partial lobar ischemia followed by 4 hours of reperfusion. UCP2 expression in the ischemic and nonischemic lobes was assessed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Malondialdehyde concentrations in the liver tissue were also compared. RESULTS: Malondialdehyde concentrations in the ischemic lobes were significantly higher in the long ischemia group. In the ischemic lobes of the short ischemia group, UCP2 protein expression was induced in hepatocytes, which did not express the protein prior to treatment, and the expression levels were higher than in the long ischemia group. The intralobular distribution of UCP2 seemed to correlate inversely with that of the necrotic area. UCP2 expression was observed, even in nonischemic lobes with similar intralobular heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: UCP2 was induced in hepatocytes after warm I/R. Although the primitive role of UCP2 expression may be cytoprotective in nature, its actual protective effect in hepatic I/R may be minimal
Animals ; Hepatocytes ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ion Channels ; Ischemia ; Liver ; Malondialdehyde ; Mitochondrial Proteins ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion

Background: Poly (adenosine diphosphate)-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for tumors with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), including pathogenic mutations in BRCA1/2, have been developed. Genomic analysis revealed that about 20% of uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS) have HRD, including 7.5%–10% of BRCA1/2 alterations and 4%–6% of carcinomas of the uterine corpus, and 2.5%–4% of the uterine cervix have alterations of BRCA1/2. Preclinical and clinical case reports suggest that PARP inhibitors may be effective against those targets. The Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (JGOG) is now planning to conduct a new investigator-initiated clinical trial, JGOG2052. Methods JGOG2052 is a single-arm, open-label, multi-center, phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of niraparib monotherapy for a recurrent or persistent rare fraction of gynecologic malignancies with BRCA1/2 mutations except for ovarian cancers. We will independently consider the effect of niraparib for uLMS or other gynecologic malignancies with BRCA1/2 mutations (cohort A, C) and HRD positive uLMS without BRCA1/2 mutations (cohort B). Participants must have 1–3 lines of previous chemotherapy and at least one measurable lesion according to RECIST (v.1.1). Niraparib will be orally administered once a day until lesion exacerbation or unacceptable adverse events occur. Efficacy will be evaluated by imaging through an additional computed tomography scan every 8 weeks. Safety will be measured weekly in cycle 1 and every 4 weeks after cycle 2 by blood tests and physical examinations. The sample size is 16–20 in each of cohort A and B, and 31 in cohort C. Primary endpoint is the objective response rate.

PURPOSE: To identify baseline prognostic factors for survival in patients with disease progression, during or after chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We pooled data from patients randomized between 2009 and 2012 in 2 phase III, global double-blind studies of ramucirumab for the treatment of advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma following disease progression on first-line platinum- and/or fluoropyrimidine-containing therapy (REGARD and RAINBOW). Forty-one key baseline clinical and laboratory factors common in both studies were examined. Model building started with covariate screening using univariate Cox models (significance level=0.05). A stepwise multivariable Cox model identified the final prognostic factors (entry+exit significance level=0.01). Cox models were stratified by treatment and geographic region. The process was repeated to identify baseline prognostic quality of life (QoL) parameters. RESULTS: Of 1,020 randomized patients, 953 (93%) patients without any missing covariates were included in the analysis. We identified 12 independent prognostic factors of poor survival: 1) peritoneal metastases; 2) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score 1; 3) the presence of a primary tumor; 4) time to progression since prior therapy <6 months; 5) poor/unknown tumor differentiation; abnormally low blood levels of 6) albumin, 7) sodium, and/or 8) lymphocytes; and abnormally high blood levels of 9) neutrophils, 10) aspartate aminotransferase (AST), 11) alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and/or 12) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Factors were used to devise a 4-tier prognostic index (median overall survival [OS] by risk [months]: high=3.4, moderate=6.4, medium=9.9, and low=14.5; Harrell's C-index=0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64–0.68). Addition of QoL to the model identified patient-reported appetite loss as an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: The identified prognostic factors and the reported prognostic index may help clinical decision-making, patient stratification, and planning of future clinical studies.
Adenocarcinoma ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Appetite ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Clinical Decision-Making ; Disease Progression ; Double-Blind Method ; Drug Therapy ; Esophagogastric Junction ; Factor Analysis, Statistical* ; Humans ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Lymphocytes ; Mass Screening ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neutrophils ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Quality of Life ; Sodium ; Stomach Neoplasms*