A Case of Gallbladder Metastasis of Malignant Melanoma.

In the clinical course of malignant melanoma, which can metastasize to multiple organs, gallbladder metastases are rarely detected. A 69-year-old man who underwent resection of a primary malignant melanoma was subsequently treated with nivolumab for lung metastases and achieved complete response. Seven years after surgery, multiple nodules were found in the gallbladder, and he underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

[Two Cases of Closed LECS for Early Gastric Cancer].

In recent years, laparoscopy and endoscopy cooperative surgery(LECS)is reported as the treatment of gastric cancer. We report closed LECS performed for an elderly patient with remnant gastric cancer and gastric cancer in a patient with lung cancer. Case 1 is an 85-year-old male.

Rare case of retroperitoneal mitotically active leiomyoma in a postmenopausal woman.

Leiomyomas are benign smooth muscle tumors, and retroperitoneal leiomyomas without coexisting uterine leiomyomas are extremely rare. Mitotically active leiomyomas, which are leiomyomas with increased mitotic activity, are rarely observed in postmenopausal women, except under the influence of exogenous hormones. This report presents a rare case of a retroperitoneal mitotically active leiomyoma in a postmenopausal woman.

A RaPID Macrocyclic Peptide That Inhibits the Formation of α-Synuclein Amyloid Fibrils.

There is considerable interest in drug discovery targeting the aggregation of α-synuclein (αSyn) since this molecular process is closely associated with Parkinson's disease. However, inhibiting αSyn aggregation remains a major challenge because of its highly dynamic nature which makes it difficult to form a stable binding complex with a drug molecule. Here, by exploiting Random non-standard Peptides Integrated Discovery (RaPID) system, we identified a macrocyclic peptide, BD1, that could interact with immobilized αSyn and inhibit the formation of fibrils.

[Unresectable Advanced HER2-Positive Gastric Cancer Leading to a Perforation during Chemotherapy with Trastuzumab plus Paclitaxel].

The patient was a 70s female with gastric cancer. CT and PET scans revealed metastases of para-aortic lymph nodes, hepatoduodenal ligament lymph nodes, and left supraclavicular lymph nodes. She was diagnosed with T4a, N2, M1(LYM), and cStage ⅣB and was given chemotherapy with paclitaxel due to chronic kidney disease and trastuzumab treatment.

[A Case of Inverted LECS for GIST Near the Pylorus Ring].

Laparoscopy and endoscopy cooperative surgery(LECS)is a surgical procedure to avoid excessive resection of the gastrointestinal wall and preserve its function. For gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GIST)near the cardia and pylorus ring, the function of the cardia and pylorus can be preserved by minimum excision and hand-sewn suture closures. Here, we report a case successfully treated with inverted LECS for GIST near the pylorus ring.

[A Case of Laparoscopic Subtotal Gastrectomy with a Very Small Remnant Stomach in an Elderly Patient with Multiple Malignant Gastric Tumors].

An 85-year-old man was referred to our hospital for anemia. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed 6 malignant gastric lesions. Abdominal CT showed a primary tumor.

[A Case of Colon Cancer with Suspected DPD Deficiency Causing Severe Adverse Effects following Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Capecitabine].

The present study reports a case of colon cancer in a 76-year-old female who underwent laparoscopic right colectomy. Pathological findings revealed pT3(SS), pN2a, cM0, and pStage Ⅲb. Hence, we administered adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine.

Structural dynamics of the chromo-shadow domain and chromodomain of HP1 bound to histone H3K9 methylated peptide, as measured by site-directed spin-labeling EPR spectroscopy.

The structural dynamics of the chromo-shadow domain (CSD) and chromodomain (CD) of human HP1 proteins essential for heterochromatin formation were investigated at the nanosecond and nanometer scales by site-directed spin labeling electron paramagnetic resonance and pulsed double resonance spectroscopy. Distance measurements showed that the spin-labeled CSD of human HP1α and HP1γ tightly dimerizes. Unlike CD-CD interaction observed in fission yeast HP1 in an inactivated state (Canzio et al.

[A Case of Surgery for Transversal Colon Cancer with Intestinal Malrotation -Visualizing Method of Blood Flow in the Fluorescence Navigation Period].

Background: Anastomotic blood flow evaluation using the fluorescence method with indocyanine green(ICG)is expected to decrease the risk of anastomotic leakage in colorectal cancer surgery. The fluorescence method is considered to be also useful for assessing arterial divergence patterns in patients with special anatomical features. We report a case of transverse colon cancer with intestinal malrotation treated with laparoscopic surgery using the ICG fluorescence method.

[A Case of Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer with Common Hepatic Artery Anomaly].

A 67-year-old woman with upper abdominal pain was referred to our hospital. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a type 3 gastric cancer at the greater curvature of the angular notch. Abdominal CT helped detect the primary tumor.

Solitary Cardiac Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Cardiac metastasis originating from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare condition with a poor prognosis. No therapeutic standards for cardiac metastasis originating from HCC have been established. At 19 months after a curative hepatectomy, a 64-year-old Japanese hepatitis B virus-positive male patient experienced solitary cardiac metastasis originating from HCC.

Nutritional assessment and surgical outcomes in very elderly patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy: a retrospective study.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the nutritional factors and clinical outcomes of pancreaticoduodenectomy between elderly and non-elderly patients.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 122 consecutive patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy from April 2008 to April 2020. Preoperative and postoperative nutritional factors (prognostic nutritional index), complication rates, and survival rates were compared between the elderly (≥ 80 years) and non-elderly (< 80 years) patient groups.

The Late Phase/Early Phase Ratio of Pancreatic CT Values as a Novel Predictor of Pancreatic Fistula after Distal Pancreatectomy.

Post-operative pancreatic fistula (POPF) remains the most common complication after distal pancreatectomy (DP). In this retrospective study, we reviewed the data from patients who underwent DP between 2008 and 2019 in our institute to determine whether the late phase/early phase ratio (L/E ratio) by preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan in the pancreas could predict POPF occurrence after DP. We examined the relationship between preoperative or intraoperative factors and the occurrence of POPF after DP using statistical methods in 23 males and 21 females with a mean age of 73.

Characterization of the genes responsible for rubber degradation in Actinoplanes sp. strain OR16.

A Gram-positive rubber-degrading bacterium, Actinoplanes sp. strain OR16 (strain NBRC 114529), is able to grow on agar plates containing natural and synthetic rubber as the sole sources of carbon and energy. When this strain was grown on natural rubber latex overlay agar plates, translucent halos around the cells were observed.

Preoperative predictive factors of pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy: usefulness of the CONUT score.

Purpose: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most important factor affecting morbidity and mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Patients with a high controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, which is used to assess nutritional status, are expected to have high morbidity rates. This study aimed to determine the usefulness of the CONUT score.

Preoperative Nutritional Assessment Using the Controlling Nutritional Status Score to Predict Pancreatic Fistula After Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Unlabelled: Backgound: This study aimed to determine the usefulness of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) scorescore for predicting postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF).

Patients And Methods: Data from 108 consecutive pancreaticoduodenectomy cases performed at the Surgery Department of Iwakuni Clinical Center, from April 2008 to May 2018, were included. Preoperative patient data and postoperative complication data were collected.

Preoperative C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio as a Predictive Factor for Gallbladder Carcinoma.

Background/aim: The C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) is associated with outcomes in patients with sepsis. We aimed to evaluate the significance of preoperative CAR in therapeutic outcomes after gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) resection.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-three patients who underwent surgical resection for GBC between January 2008 and September 2019 were enrolled.

Structural analysis of cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) using high-field DNP-NMR.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) is a water-soluble synthetic polymer, widely used in materials for functional films and moldings, fiber fabric sizing agents, paper coating resins, and adhesives. PVOH is mainly applied in the form of an aqueous solution, yet after its application, insolubility (water resistance) is required. To achieve this, additives are introduced.

Myosin and Other Energy-Transducing ATPases: Structural Dynamics Studied by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance.

The objective of this article was to document the energy-transducing and regulatory interactions in supramolecular complexes such as motor, pump, and clock ATPases. The dynamics and structural features were characterized by motion and distance measurements using spin-labeling electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In particular, we focused on myosin ATPase with actin-troponin-tropomyosin, neural kinesin ATPase with microtubule, P-type ion-motive ATPase, and cyanobacterial clock ATPase.

Structural Dynamics of the N-Extension of Cardiac Troponin I Complexed with Troponin C by Site-Directed Spin Labeling Electron Paramagnetic Resonance.

The secondary structure of the N-extension of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was determined by measuring the distance distribution between spin labels attached to the i and i + 4 residues: 15/19, 23/27, 27/31, 35/39, and 43/47. All of the EPR spectra of these regions in the monomeric state were broadened and had a amplitude that was reduced by two-thirds of that of the single spin-labeled spectra and was fit by two residual distance distributions, with a major distribution one spreading over the range from 1 to 2.5 nm and the other minor peak at 0.

Safety of Surgical Treatment for Elderly Patients with Gallbladder Carcinoma.

Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is a common malignancy with a poor prognosis. With the average life expectancy increasing globally, the incidence of GBC is predicted to increase as well. We investigated the safety and feasibility of surgical treatment for elderly patients with GBC.

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma in Remnant Pancreas after Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Acinar Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report.

We report a case of a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in the remnant pancreas of a 78-year-old man after pancreaticoduodenectomy for acinar cell carcinoma, a relatively rare pancreatic neoplasm. After diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma, subtotal stomach-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. The pathological diagnosis was acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas (disease stage IA, pT1, pN0, M0), without regional lymph node invasion.

Clinicopathological features of breast cancer in Japanese female patients with Lynch syndrome.

Background: Lynch syndrome (LS) is a predominantly inherited syndrome caused by a pathological germline mutation in one of the mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Whether breast cancer (BC) is one of the LS-associated tumors is controversial. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the clinical features of BC in Japanese patients with LS.

Preoperative Risk Factors for Conversion of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy to Open Cholecystectomy and the Usefulness of the 2013 Tokyo Guidelines.

To identify predictive factors for conversion from laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) to open cholecystectomy performed for mixed indications as an acute or elective procedure. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 236 consecutive cases of LC performed in our department between January 2012 and January 2015, and evaluated preoperative risk factors for conversion and the usefulness of the 2013 Tokyo guidelines (TG2013) for diagnosing acute cholecystitis. The conversion rate in our series was 8% (19/236 cases).