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Nano-/microstructures can be formed with the aid of small amounts of impurities during deposition with noble gas plasma irradiation, which is referred to as codeposition etching. This can be a new method for lithography-free semiconductor nanofabrication. Here, the codeposition etching method was employed with argon plasma and molybdenum (Mo) impurities on various semiconductors. Structures can be formed only on substrates that have a lower sputtering yield than the seed impurity. The density, area, and height of structures are related to both the impurity deposition rate and the substrate material. Moreover, two mechanisms of impurity nucleation are proposed according to time dependence results for the formation of the structures.

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Detached plasma formation is a way to reduce the heat load on the wall in magnetic fusion devices. This study proposes a novel analysis technique consisting of the conditional averaging, sliding window, and tomography to reveal the spatiotemporal behavior of the rotating radial ejection event of detached plasma, which further contributes to local heat load reduction. The used equipment is a high-speed camera and an electrostatic probe located at the periphery of the linear plasma device NAGDIS-II. By applying this method, four-dimensional (4D) behavior of the emission structure along time (1D) and space perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field (3D) was clarified; a rotating distorted structure appears as a precursor, which is then scraped and transported radially and axially. The proposed method is widely applicable to short-term rigid-body rotating structures, especially in linear plasmas.

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Optical diffusion is an essential process used to manage photons in a wide range of photoelectric systems. This work proposes an approach to fabricate novel optical diffusers by a plasma-processing technique, using fiberform nanostructures formed by helium plasma irradiation and subsequent annealing. After an annealing procedure in the air for oxidation, the optical properties and the light-diffusing abilities of these nanostructured thin films were studied. In addition to the morphology analysis and total transmittance measurement, the diffusion efficiency of the optical diffusers was analyzed using a transmitted scatter distribution function (TDF). It was revealed that the diffusion efficiency of a device with an irradiation time of 30 minutes could reach 97%. The results demonstrate the potential of these nanostructured optical diffusers for various photoelectric applications.

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When tungsten (W) is deposited with helium (He) plasma (He-W co-deposition) on W surface, enhanced growth of fiberform nanostructure (fuzz) occurs, and sometimes it grows into large-scale fuzzy nanostructures (LFNs) thicker than 0.1 mm. In this study, different numbers of mesh opening (apertures) and W plates with nanotendril bundles (NTBs), which are tens of micrometers high nanofiber bundles, were used to investigate the condition for the origin of the LFN growth. It was found that the larger the mesh opening, the larger the area where LFNs are formed and the faster the formation tends to be. On NTB samples, it was found that NTBs grew significantly when exposed to He plasma with W deposition, especially when the size of the NTB reached [Formula: see text] mm. The concentration of the He flux due to the distortion of the shape of the ion sheath is proposed as one of the reasons to explain the experimental results.

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To the best of our knowledge, there are currently no reports on primary uterine ependymoma. We operated on a 38-year-old woman suspected with uterine fibroids; surgical findings led to the diagnosis of primary anaplastic ependymoma of the uterus. Most extraneural ependymomas arising from the ovary and perigenital peritoneum occur in women of reproductive age and express estrogen and progesterone receptors. The etiology of such tumors is unknown, and a treatment strategy has not been established yet. Therefore, it is essential to accumulate cases for identifying mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and disease progression to facilitate diagnosis and development of an effective treatment.

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Reports of pregnancy following treatment for vulvar carcinoma are extremely uncommon, as the main problem of subsequent pregnancy is vulvar scarring following radical surgery. We herein report the case of a patient who was diagnosed with stage I squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva at the age of 17 years and was treated with multimodal therapy, including neoadjuvant chemotherapy, wide local excision with bilateral inguinal lymph node dissection and adjuvant radiotherapy. The patient became pregnant spontaneously 9 years after her initial diagnosis and the antenatal course was good, except for mild acute pyelonephritis at 25 weeks of gestation. An elective caesarean section was performed at 38 weeks of gestation due to vulvar scarring following multimodal therapy, particularly radiotherapy. The patient remains alive and well, without signs of recurrence or metastasis 12 years after her diagnosis and treatment. Radical vulvectomy as well as multimodal therapy for vulvar carcinoma, particularly radiotherapy, may cause extensive skin scarring. The presence of vulvar scarring following multimodal therapy for vulvar carcinoma may increase the incidence of caesarean delivery.

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A cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma is categorized as a leiomyoma with an unusual growth pattern, which is characterized by remarkable extrauterine bulbous growth in continuity with a dissecting myometrial component. A 36-year-old patient was preoperatively diagnosed with a mature cystic teratoma of the left ovary, and according to MRI, the tumor protruded from the uterus into the right broad ligament and was 10 cm in diameter. She underwent laparoscopic surgery to resect ovarian teratoma and the tumor under the right broad ligament. The tumor was almost completely resected and diagnosed as a cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma based on intraoperative and pathological findings. Recurrence was not seen for 26 months postoperatively in our case. Gross specimens are often mistaken for malignant lesions, but this was a benign disease. Even if some remnants of the leiomyoma remained postoperatively, recurrence has never been reported. When a cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma is resected laparoscopically, intrapelvic structures around it, such as the ureter, uterine artery, bladder, rectum and external iliac vessels, must be given careful attention.

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We present a patient with a low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm, resulting in disseminated peritoneal adenomucinosis (pseudomyxoma peritonei) with uterine involvement, and mimicking primary mucinous endometrial adenocarcinoma. On immunohistochemistry, neoplastic glands were cytokeratin 7-negative and cytokeratin 20-positive, indicating a gastrointestinal origin rather than a primary ovarian mucinous neoplasm. A diagnosis of uterine metastasis of appendiceal origin was made, based on the constellation of clinicopathological findings, that is, preceding appendiceal neoplasm, peritoneal involvement, absence of coexisting prototypical endometrioid adenocarcinoma or endometrial hyperplasia. The patient underwent hysterectomy and there was no evidence of disease progression at the 12-month follow up. This suggested the indolent nature of this particular neoplasm, despite its advanced stage.

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Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) commonly occurs in advanced malignancies associated with a cancer-related hypercoagulable state, but the prevalence of NBTE in patients with less advanced malignancies is unknown. A 46-year-old woman had multiple thromboembolic events and disseminated intravascular coagulation on admission. Transthoracic echocardiography showed several growths on the mitral valve. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging revealed a rapidly enlarging large tumor. In spite of anticoagulation therapy, she died 1.5 months after admission. At autopsy, NBTE with stage Ia ovarian cancer was diagnosed. In cases of higher-growth rate tumors with abundant necrosis, NBTE may occur in early-stage (even in stage Ia) ovarian cancer. In the majority of stage Ia ovarian cancers, curative surgical resection can be done. Prognostic improvement may be gained by such positive intervention, although this depends on the patient's general condition when NBTE occurs. With tumor resection, there is a possibility that the patient will recover from the hypercoagulable state and a poor outcome will be avoided.

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The efficacy and toxicity of salvage chemotherapy with a combination of irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11) and mitomycin C (MMC) in elderly Japanese patients with gynecological malignancies are reported. Six patients, aged 75 years or older, two with stage IV uterine cervical cancer and four with platinum- and taxane-resistant ovarian cancer, were treated. CPT-11 (120 mg/m(2)) was administered intravenously for 4 h with 500 ml of normal saline solution, followed by 3.5 mg/m(2) of MMC with 100 ml of normal saline, administered for 60 min, on days 1 and 15 and every 5 weeks thereafter. Six patients received a total of 24 courses of treatment, which provided an opportunity to explore, in a preliminary manner, the efficacy and toxicity of this approach. All patients demonstrated reasonable tolerance to this management strategy. There were no deaths attributable to toxicity. In a carefully selected patient population, CPT-11 and MMC chemotherapy could be administered to elderly Japanese patients with gynecological malignancies. Phase I and II studies are needed to confirm the feasibility of this treatment.

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A spinal intradural hemorrhage due to a neurinoma is very rare and requires emergency surgery. We report the first case of a spinal intradural hemorrhage due to a neurinoma in an early puerperal woman. The patient had a history of intermittent episodes of lower back pain for 3 years. The antenatal course to that time had been uneventful. Two days after a normal vaginal delivery, she presented with sudden onset of spinal lesion with severe symptoms and an emergency laminectomy was performed to remove an intradural hemorrhagic lesion due to a neurinoma. In this case, we speculate that clots in the intratumoral vessels spontaneously occurred during pregnancy and obstructions of these vessels followed by necrosis and hemorrhage of distal tissues occurred in the early postpartum stage. Moreover, the change in posture caused by the change in the maternal center of gravity following delivery, as well as the frequent bending required for the care of the newborn, may have been contributing factors. Mild but repetitive traction force caused by the change in posture and frequent bending may have created exertion on the vascular attachment to the nerve roots, causing the intradural hemorrhage.

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PROBLEM: There are few reports on the association between autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and antiphospholipid syndrome; only five reports were found on a MEDLINE search between 1966 and 2001. Therefore, the etiology and the optimal treatment of them are not clear. METHOD OF STUDY: We encountered a case of AIH complicated by antiphospholipid syndrome in pregnancy. We present the clinical course and treatment of this case, and discuss some problems in managing such a patient. RESULTS: The patient received low-dose prednisolone and low-dose aspirin and delivered a live-born infant at term without any adverse effects. CONCLUSION: In this case, there was no relation between the variation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and the one of beta2-glycoprotein I (GPI)-dependent anticardiolipin antibody. It is supposed that there was no relation between the activity of AIH and the one of antiphospholipid syndrome, and it is also supposed that one is not secondary to the other.

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A 76-year-old woman with stage IIb cervical cancer with a bulky tumor experienced aortitis during continuous intraarterial cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The chemotherapy was administered through a catheter tip placed in the aorta abdominalis, utilizing an external infusion pump. During the third course of chemotherapy, she complained of left-sided lower back pain and moderate fever was observed. Elevated white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) level were noted, and an abdominal X-ray and urgent computed tomography (CT) were performed. The catheter tip was displaced against the arterial blood flow. At this level of the aortic wall, soft tissue density surrounded the aorta completely. Aortitis caused by the intraarterial chemotherapy, was strongly suspected. It was thought that the maldistribution of drugs and changes in the drug flow occurred due to the vertebral height movement of the catheter tip against the aortic blood flow, and there, flow to the vasa vasorum may have occurred. Chemical vasculitis of the vasa vasorum due to the anticancer drugs was strongly suspected as a contributing factor of the aortitis. Because of the long-term use of an intraarterial catheter, the maldistribution of drugs and changes in the drug flow occurred physically and biologically during the course of the chemotherapy. We recommend occasional monitoring of the location of the catheter tip and a repeat evaluation with contrast medium in regard to flow to the vasa vasorum.

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Large uterine myomas (compressed veins in the pelvis), and the resulting impaired blood flow have been associated with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Careful detection of the preoperatively formed thrombi and strict perioperative management, such as in the following cases we report, may reduce lethal pulmonary embolism and may positively affect patient prognosis.

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