Descending necrotizing mediastinitis in a healthy young adult.

A 26-year-old man with right lower mandibular and chest pain, fever, and respiratory distress was urgently transported to our hospital. CT images revealed gas collection and an abscess from the neck to the mediastinum with bilateral pleural effusion. Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) induced by an odontogenic infection of a right mandibular molar abscess was diagnosed.

Gaussia Luciferase as a Genetic Fusion Partner with Antibody Fragments for Sensitive Immunoassay Monitoring of Clinical Biomarkers.

In this study, we show the utility of Gaussia luciferase (GLuc), which is much smaller than previously found luciferases, as the fusion partner with artificial antibody species for developing sensitive immunoassay systems. As an example, we constructed a bioluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (BL-ELISA) system determining the major glucocorticoid cortisol. A monoclonal antibody was newly elicited against a cortisol-albumin conjugate, and the genes encoding its variable domains (VH and VL) were cloned and combined to encode a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv).

Unidirectional Mechanistic Valved Mechanisms for Ammonia Transport in GatCAB.

Glutamine amidotransferase CAB (GatCAB), a crucial enzyme involved in translational fidelity, catalyzes three reactions: (i) the glutaminase reaction to yield ammonia (NH3 or NH4(+)) from glutamine, (ii) the phosphorylation of Glu-tRNA(Gln), and (iii) the transamidase reaction to convert the phosphorylated Glu-tRNA(Gln) to Gln-tRNA(Gln). In the crystal structure of GatCAB, the two catalytic centers are far apart, and the presence of a hydrophilic channel to transport the molecules produced by the reaction (i) was proposed. We investigated the transport mechanisms of GatCAB by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and free energy (PMF) calculations.

Uptake of microparticles into the epithelium of human nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue.

The M cells of nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue (NALT) have been considered to play an important role for vaccine delivery systems in humans. A number of investigations have reported particle uptake data in NALT of rodents. However, there have been no reports indicating any involvement of the nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue in human vaccination.

The role of M cells of human nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue in influenza virus sampling.

Little is known about the role of the M cells of human nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue in the sampling of viruses that cause respiratory infections. To clarify whether M cells could function as a gateway for influenza virus into human nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue, excised adenoid tissue was incubated in media containing influenza A virus for 30, 60, and 90 min, respectively. Transmission electron microscopic observation revealed that many influenza viruses adhered to M cell surfaces and were taken up into the cytoplasmic vesicles of M cells after 30 min incubation; the viruses had been transported into enfolded lymphoid cells after 60 min incubation.

[A case of advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma successfully treated with superselective intra-arterial infusion of docetaxel].

Docetaxel is an excellent agent with a high antitumor effect for advanced/recurrent head and neck cancer. A 67-year-old male with advanced hypopharyngeal cancer (T3N2bM1: Stage IV) underwent two courses of superselective intra-arterial infusion of docetaxel and intravenous administration of CDDP and 5-FU. Using a coaxial technique, a microcatheter was placed in the feeding artery.

Participation of Fas-mediated apoptotic pathway in KB, a human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell line, after irradiation.

In head and neck clinical oncology, recurrent cancer after initial irradiation therapy is no longer sensitive to irradiation. To explore the irradiation resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a human cell line, KB, derived from the floor of the oral cavity was used. The participation of the Fas-mediated apoptotic pathway was suggested by the upregulation of the surface Fas molecule, the reduction of the apoptotic cell fraction after inhibition of caspase 8 which is a Fas-related initiator caspase, and the changes in Fas-related genes after irradiation.

Anti-HER2-antibody enhances irradiation-induced growth inhibition in head and neck carcinoma.

To explore the antiproliferative effects of rhumAbHER2 on head and neck squamous carcinoma cell (HNSCC) lines and breast cancer cell lines (BCCLs) and to evaluate the combined effects with irradiation, 2 human HNSCC lines and 2 BCCLs were exposed to rhumAbHER2 with or without irradiation. The results showed that combined treatment enhanced the growth and colonization inhibitory effects of rhumAbHER2 or irradiation. Interestingly, the apoptotic cell fraction produced by irradiation disappeared on combined treatment.

[Case report of a malignant schwannoma in the neck with rare pathological findings].

In this report, we describe a rare case of a malignant transformation in an ancient schwannoma arising in the right side of the neck of a 51-year-old man. The patient was referred to our hospital because of a mass that had been present for three years. The mass, measuring about 4 x 2 cm, was elastic and hard, relatively well demarcated, and movable upon palpation.

Teratocarcinosarcoma of the nasal cavity. Report of a case showing favorable prognosis.

We report a very rare case of teratocarcinosarcoma of the nasal cavity showing a favorable prognosis. The patient was a 66-year-old man with a mass completely obstructing the right nasal cavity. Subsequently, extirpation of the mass and Denker-Watsuji operation were performed, and the patient was treated with a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising in benign ancient schwannoma: a case report with an immunohistochemical study.

A rare example of malignant transformation in an ancient schwannoma arising in the right side of the neck of a 51-year-old man without any clinical manifestations suggesting neurofibromatosis is described. The tumor, approximately 4 cm at its largest dimension, was well circumscribed and had a direct connection with the sympathetic nerve. Microscopically, the central portion of the tumor showed features of ancient schwannoma characterized by extensive hyalinization with cystic degeneration, scattered spindle cells with hyperchromatic and tapered nuclei, and some symplastic changes.

A case of bilateral eosinophilic granuloma in the temporal bone.

We present a case of bilateral eosinophilic granuloma in the temporal bone in a 47-year-old woman, who visited our hospital with a headache and a feeling of occlusion in her left ear. Her left tympanic membrane was slightly turbid and pure tone audiometry revealed mild left sensorineural deafness. CT disclosed a shadow of soft tissue in the left mastoid antrum and mastoid cells, which was indicative of marked destruction of the bone.

Detection of varicella-zoster virus DNA in peripheral mononuclear cells from patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome or zoster sine herpete.

On the basis of alterations in varicella-zoster virus (VZV) antibody titers, it appears that Bell's palsy in some patients could be associated with VZV reactivation, that is, zoster sine herpete. To obtain stronger evidence of this association, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect VZV DNA in auricular lesions or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Bell's palsy or Ramsay Hunt syndrome patients. VZV DNA was detected in the auricular lesions of Ramsay Hunt syndrome, in PBMCs from 2 Ramsay Hunt syndrome patients, and in 4 of 17 samples from 16 Bell's palsy patients.

[A case of adult meningitis with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at the onset].

Here we report a case of pneumococcal meningitis with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at the onset. The patient was a 60-year-old man who a few days before visiting our hospital experienced common cold-like symptoms, and then he suddenly developed bilateral hearing loss. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on the day of admission revealed pleocytosis and his CSF culture demonstrated pneumococci.

[Pathological evaluation of superselective one-shot intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for head and neck tumors].

Since 1992, we have treated 43 patients with head and neck tumors by superselective intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy (SIIC) via femoral artery. In 8 patients among then, operation was performed thereafter with/without radiation therapy (RT). CDDP and/or CBDCA were utilized as the chemotherapeutic modality.

[Three cases of aspiration caused by cerebrovascular disorder that were managed with total laryngectomy].

Total laryngectomy can be used to prevent aspiration pneumonia in patients with severe dysphagia, though caution is required with regard to the indications. In this paper, we describe 3 patients in whom severe dysphagia developed as a result of cerebrovascular disorders, and who repeatedly developed aspiration pneumonia. We managed them with total laryngectomy, and this has prevented aspiration pneumonia in all three.

Production of contiguously arranged chlamydospores in Candida albicans.

Contiguous arrangements of two to three chlamydospores occurred in a clinical isolate of Candida albicans. Time-lapse photography showed that the terminal cell of a cell chain was first transformed into a chlamydospore and such transformation proceeded centripetally to the next cell in the chain. Ultrathin sections revealed that the outermost layer of the three-layered chlamydospore wall was continuous throughout the interconnected spores, with the other layers surrounding each spore separately.