We conducted a field experiment in a cool‐temperate deciduous forest to investigate the dynamic behavior of soil CO2 and the vertical distribution of soil respiration. Soil CO2 concentration (C) was measured half‐hourly at four depths for 6 months in 2000 with infrared gas analyzers installed below ground. Using C profiles, soil surface CO2 efflux (F0), CO2 production rates of the topsoil (PA), and CO2 flux from the subsoil to topsoil (FCA) were evaluated half‐hourly by applying Fick's first law. Some remarkable short‐term and long‐term variations were found in C, F0, PA, FCA, and the contribution of topsoil respiration to total soil respiration (PA/F0), which include (1) rapid increase in C and decrease in F0 and PA due to rainwater infiltration, (2) diurnal variation in C coupled with that of the atmosphere, (3) diurnal variation in F0 and PA similar to that of topsoil temperature, (4) decrease in C, F0, and PA following soil drying in August, (5) linearly increasing FCA between late May and mid‐September, and (6) decrease in PA/F0 from around 0.9 during summer to 0.3 in November. The variation of PA was mainly controlled by soil temperature at −0.07 m between 7° and 17°C, although PA did not respond well to soil temperature above and below this temperature range. Above 17°C, PA increased linearly with soil moisture, and moisture variation accounted for the PA decrease in August. Neither temperature nor moisture explained the PA behavior below 7°C. Subsoil respiration (FCA) showed an exponential relationship with soil temperature at −1 m.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is useful not only for preoperative staging of gynecologic malignancies but also for prediction of the histopathologic features of a variety of intrapelvic tumors. Familiarity with the specific imaging findings that have been reported for the uterine cervix is a goal of radiologists. The typical MR imaging findings of uterine cervical lesions correspond to the histopathologic features. These lesions can be categorized as epithelial neoplasms, nonepithelial neoplasms, and nonneoplastic diseases. Cervical carcinoma accounts for most cases of malignant lesions and is staged by using the classification system established by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. MR imaging allows differentiation between endophytic and exophytic growth and between normal and abnormal findings after hysterectomy and irradiation. Other epithelial neoplasms of the uterine cervix include adenoma malignum, which is a special type of cervical adenocarcinoma, as well as carcinoid tumor and malignant melanoma. Nonepithelial neoplasms of the uterine cervix include malignant lymphoma and leiomyoma. Nonneoplastic diseases of the uterine cervix include cervical pregnancy, cervicitis, nabothian cysts, polyps, and endometriosis.

Purpose: To study the MR characteristics of nonbenign uterine smooth muscle tumors. Materials and Methods:Nine patients with pathologically proven leiomyosarcomas, and three patients with smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (SMTUMP) were included in this study. Twelve cases of benign uterine leiomyomas and variants, in which gynecologists suspected leiomyosarcomas, were also analyzed. In each case we studied the size, location, signal intensity, and contrast enhancement of the tumors.Results: Nine of the 12 nonbenign characters had more than 50% of high-intensity areas on T2-weighted images (T2WI), and some hyperintense foci on T1-weighted images (T1WI). In the contrast study, nine of 12 nonbenign characters had welldemarcated unenhanced areas. On the other hand, only two of 12 benign characters showed such a signal intensity pattern, and none of them had a pocket-like unenhanced area. Conclusion:Although there were some exceptions, more than 50% of high signal on T2WI, and the presence of any small high-signal areas on T1WI with unenhanced pockets were considered MR-suggestive for SMTUMPs and leiomyosarcomas.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) such as deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) often occurs after surgery and rarely occurs even before surgery in patients with ovarian cancer. It is well known that levels of plasma D-dimer (DD) before treatment in most ovarian cancer patients are increased. This study therefore examined whether increased levels of DD are associated with presence of VTE before treatment of ovarian cancer. Between November 2004 and March 2007, DD levels prior to initial treatment were measured in 72 consecutive patients with presumed epithelial ovarian cancer (final diagnosis: epithelial ovarian cancer, n ¼ 60; and epithelial ovarian borderline malignancy, n ¼ 12). Venous ultrasound imaging (VUI) of the lower extremity was conducted for all patients except for two patients in whom DVT was detected by pelvic computed tomography (CT). When DVT was found, pulmonary scintigraphy was subsequently performed to ascertain presence of PTE. D-dimer levels were above the cut-off value (0.5 mg ml À1 ) in 65 of 72 patients (90.2%). Venous ultrasound imaging or CT revealed DVT in 18 of 72 patients (25.0%) and pulmonary scintigraphy found PTE in 8 patients (11.1%). All patients with VTE were asymptomatic when VTE was found. D-dimer levels were associated with incidence of VTE (0 -1.4 mg ml À1 ; 0 of 26 (0%), 1.5 -7.4 mg ml À1 ; 9 of 30 (30%) and X7.5 mg ml À1 ; 9 of 16 (56.3%), P for trend ¼ 0.0003). However, even if 1.5 mg ml À1 was used as a cut-off value, this had low specificity and positive predictive value (47.2, 38.3%), though it had high sensitivity and negative predictive value (100, 100%). Therefore, ovarian cancer patients with DD level X1.5 mg ml À1 should be examined using VUI to detect silent DVT. Patients with VTE underwent preventive managements including anticoagulant therapy before initial treatment, chemotherapy or surgery, and after surgery. There was no clinical onset of postoperative VTE in all 72 patients. Measurement of DD levels and subsequent ultrasonography revealed that silent or subclinical VTE frequently occurs before surgery in ovarian cancer. The usefulness of preoperative assessment of VTE needs further confirmation in randomised controlled trials.

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) occur most frequently in the gonads and are relatively rare in other sites, such as the pineal gland, neurohypophysis, mediastinum, and retroperitoneum. GCTs are thought to originate from primordial germ cells, which migrate to the primitive gonadal glands in the urogenital ridge. Extragonadal GCTs might also originate from these cells when the cells are sequestered during their migration. Pathologic subtypes of GCTs vary, and the prevalence of mixed tumors is high. These factors produce a diversity of radiologic findings and make prospective radiologic diagnosis difficult in many cases. However, similar radiologic findings have been observed in pathologically equivalent tumors in varying sites. Seminomas appear as uniformly solid, lobulated masses with fibrovascular septa that enhance intensely. Nonseminomatous GCTs appear as heterogeneous masses with areas of necrosis, hemorrhage, or cystic degeneration. Fat and calcifications are hallmarks of teratomas, most of which are benign. In immature teratomas, scattered fat and calcification within larger solid components are occasionally seen. These imaging characteristics reflect the pathologic features of each tumor, and histologically similar GCTs at varying sites have similar radiologic features. Knowledge of the pathologic appearances of GCTs and their corresponding radiologic appearances will allow radiologists to diagnose these tumors correctly.