Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after esophagectomy have been reported to occur in 15.9-30% of patients and lead to increased postoperative morbidity and mortality, prolonged duration of hospital stay, and additional medical costs. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the possible prevention of PPCs by intensive preoperative respiratory rehabilitation in esophageal cancer patients who underwent esophagectomy. The subjects included 100 patients (87 males and 13 females with mean age 66.5 ± 8.6 years) who underwent esophagectomy. They were divided into two groups: 63 patients (53 males and 10 females with mean age 67.4 ± 9.0 years) in the preoperative rehabilitation (PR) group and 37 patients (34 males and 3 females with mean age 65.0 ± 7.8 years) in the non-PR (NPR) group. The PR group received sufficient preoperative respiratory rehabilitation for >7 days, and the NPR group insufficiently received preoperative respiratory rehabilitation or none at all. The results of the logistic regression analysis and multivariate analysis to correct for all considerable confounding factors revealed the rates of PPCs of 6.4% and 24.3% in the PR group and NPR group, respectively. The PR group demonstrated a significantly less incidence rate of PPCs than the NPR group (odds ratio: 0.14, 95% confidential interval: 0.02~0.64). [Correction added after online publication 25 June 2012: confidence interval has been changed from -1.86~ -0.22] This study showed that the intensive preoperative respiratory rehabilitation reduced PPCs in esophageal cancer patients who underwent esophagectomy.

Abstract1) The effect of feeding on pancreatic exocrine secretion in sheep was examined.Feeding significantly stimulated the secretion of pancreatic juice. The pattern of pancreatic juice secretion was biphasic, initial rapid secretion reaching a peak at 30min after feeding. The second more gradual increase was observed during the experimental period between 80 and 120min after feeding.Protein and amylase output also increased immediately after feeding.2) When digesta from the abomasum was removed through an abomasal cannula to inhibit the entry of digesta into the duodenum, the basal secretion level of pancreatic juice was decreased.Feeding in this situation caused marked increases in juice flow (2.55-fold), protein output (2.76-fold) and amylase output (2.69-fold).3) Under the normal feeding regime, the immediate increase in exocrine flow rate seems to be caused by enhanced vagus nerve activity.Jpn. J. Zootech. Sci., 55 (12): 973-977, 1984

Fast neutrons generated by the interaction between ions and the solar atmosphere are important observation problems to clarify the ion acceleration mechanism in the Sun, but so far neutrons have been detected from only 12 X-class solar flares in the highland on the ground due to the influence of atmospheric absorption. As for observations in space, SEDA-AP at the International Space Station continued to operate until 2018 and succeeded in neutron detection from 52 solar flares, but there are currently no dedicated space missions. In order to overcome this situation, we have been designing and developing 3U CubeSat and novel neutron/gamma-ray sensors since 2018 with the aim of performing satellite observations from outer space. The sensor consists of the multi-layered plastic scintillator bars readout with Si PM, which is a semiconductor photo-sensor, and detects fast neutrons from the tracks of ejected protons by elastic scattering. Furthermore, by placing GAGG scintillator arrays at the bottom, it is designed to be sensitive to gamma-rays based on the principle of the Compton camera. In this presentation, we will report on the scientific motivation and the development status of CubeSat and neutron/gamma-ray sensors.