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Notes: Holocene inner-shelf storm deposits preserved beneath the Sendai coastal plain facing the Pacific coast of north-eastern Japan were formed during a transgressive–regressive cycle. The evolution of the Holocene wave-dominated depositional system along the Sendai coast is reconstructed using 76 AMS (accelerator mass spectrometers) 14C ages and the origin of bed thickness variations in the inner-shelf storm deposits is explored. The Holocene succession is 〈30 m thick and overlies latest Pleistocene to early Holocene non-marine deposits above a transgressive ravinement surface. It comprises transgressive ravinement and inner-shelf deposits, and regressive inner shelf, shoreface, and coastal plain deposits. The inner-shelf deposits comprise alternating sand and mud layers interpreted as stacked storm beds. The average preservation interval of a single storm bed is shortest during the transgression (5·7–20·6 years), and then increases to a maximum during the early regression (83·3–250·0 years), decreasing to 7·7–31·3 years with shoreline progradation. Average accumulation rates decreased during the transgression and then increased during the regression, but the sand/mud ratio varies little, reflecting inefficient sediment segregation downdip on the inner shelf. The vertical pattern of sand-layer thicknesses also shows no relationship to position within the cycle, although small-scale intervals of upward thickening and thinning probably relate to lateral switching of river mouths and/or random storm processes. The average thickness of storm beds is the highest in the interval deposited during the period from maximum flooding to early regression. This is probably because of the low preservation potential of thin beds associated with frequent, low-magnitude storms during this period of low accumulation rates and extensive reworking. This preservation bias and the nature of the Sendai inner shelf resulted in an absence of characteristic bed thickness trends in the preserved storm deposits.

Notes: The Pleistocene Higashikanbe Gravel, which crops out along the Pacific coast of the Atsumi Peninsula, central Japan, consists of well-sorted, pebble- to cobble-size gravel beds with minor sand beds. The gravel includes large-scale foreset beds (5–10 m high) and overlying subhorizontal beds (0·5–3 m thick), showing foreset and topset structure, from which the gravel has previously been interpreted as deposits of a Gilbert-type delta. However, (1) the gravel beds lack evidence of fluvial activity, such as channels in the subhorizontal beds; (2) the foresets incline palaeolandwards; (3) the gravels fill a fluvially incised valley; and (4) the gravels overlie low-energy deposits of a restricted environment, such as a bay or an estuary. The foresets generally dip towards the inferred palaeoshoreline, indicating landward accretion of gravel. Reconstruction of the palaeogeography of the peninsula indicates that the Higashikanbe Gravel was deposited as a spit similar to that developed at the western tip of the present Atsumi Peninsula, rather than as a delta. According to the new interpretation, the large-scale foreset beds are deposits on the slopes of spit platforms and accreted in part to the sides of small islets that are fragments of the submerging spit during relative sea-level rise. The subhorizontal beds include nearshore deposits on the spit platform topsets and deposits of gravel shoals or bars, which are reworked sediments of the spit beach gravels during a transgression. The lack of spit beach facies in the subhorizontal beds results from truncation by shoreface erosion. Dome structure, which is a cross-sectional profile of a recurved gravel spit at its extreme point, and sandy tidal channel deposits deposited between the small islets were also identified in the Higashikanbe Gravel. The Higashikanbe Gravel fills a fluvially incised valley and occupies a significant part of a transgressive systems tract, suggesting that gravelly spits are likely to be well developed during transgressions. The large-scale foreset beds and subhorizontal beds of gravelly spits in transgressive systems tracts contrast with the foreset and topset beds of deltas, characteristic of highstand, lowstand and shelf-margin systems tracts.

Notes: Summary VAU therapy (vinblastine, Adriamycin, and UFT) was given postoperatively to 31 patients with stage I, II, or III renal-cell carcinoma, and the incidence of relapse as well as the survival of patients were studied. Administration was started at 7–14 days post-surgery; 5 mg/m2 vinblastine and 30 mg/m2 Adriamycin were given i.v. once every 4 weeks for a total of five courses, and three capsules of UFT (containing 300 mg tegafur) were given p.o. every day for 2–3 years. The postoperative observation period ranged from 2 years and 6 months to 7 years and 1 month (mean, 4 years and 2 months). The 1-year survival of patients was 100%, and the 3- and 5-year survival values were 96%. These results were significantly better (P〈0.01) than the respective values (81%, 72%, and 60%) obtained for the historical controls, i.e., the 60 patients with stage I, II, or III renal-cell carcinoma who received no chemotherapy. Side effects such as alopecia, gastrointestinal symptoms, and myelosuppression were encountered, but all symptoms were so mild and transient that discontinuation of the treatment was not necessary. As VAU therapy might be useful as adjuvant chemotherapy for renal-cell carcinoma, it seems to merit further study.

Notes: Summary Combination three-drug chemotherapy with adriamycin (ADM), cyclophosphamide (CPM), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was performed in 24 cases of advanced bladder cancer who underwent surgical treatment, and three cases with recurrent or metastatic bladder cancer. The average age (25 men and 2 women) was 53. Of the 24 cases, nine were in stage T2, 10 in T3, and five in T4. One course consisted of a combination of 30 mg/m2 of ADM, 300 mg/m2 of CPM, and, 250 mg of 5-FU, administered five times. The combination was administered to three groups: every day for 5 days consecutively in group A, twice a week for 21/2 weeks in group B, and once every 4 weeks for 16 weeks in group C. After injection of ADM, CPM, and 5-FU, 200 mg/day of 5-FU was administered PO daily in all three groups. The 5-year survival rate of the 24 cases (apart from 3 cases with measurable metastatic tumor) was 58%. The 5-year survival rate for stage T2 was 88%, and that for stage T3 was 62.5%; all patients with stage T4 disease died before 3 years and 6 months. Partial response was seen in two out of three patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. Alopecia was observed in all cases as a side-effect of the chemotherapy. Also anorexia, nausea, and myelosuppression were observed in many cases, though the degree was tolerable. However, there were no disorders of the cardiovascular system, except for one case with transient hypotension.