[Mitral regurgitation associated with essential thrombocythemia and gallbladder cancer].

A 64-year-old man with essential thrombocythemia was admitted to our hospital because of cardiac failure. Echocardiography revealed severe mitral regurgitation and a gallbladder tumor was detected incidentally by ultrasonography. Although the gallbladder tumor was strongly suspected to be malignant, we considered that the radical operation would be possible because of its early stage.

Aberrant crypt foci as precursors of the dysplasia-carcinoma sequence in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Purpose: Long-standing ulcerative colitis (UC) predisposes patients to the development of colorectal cancer, but surveillance of colitis-associated cancer by detecting the precancerous lesion dysplasia is often difficult because of its rare occurrence and normal-looking appearance. In sporadic colorectal cancer, aberrant crypt foci (ACF) have been reported by many investigators to be precursor lesions of the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. In the present study, we analyzed the genetic background of ACF to determine whether they could be precursors for dysplasia, and we examined the usefulness of endoscopic examination of ACF as a surrogate marker for surveillance of colitis-associated cancer.

[Acute myelogenous leukemia with multilineage myelodysplasia, positive direct Coombs test, and elevated levels of platelet-associated IgG].

A 75-year-old man was admitted to our hospital in October, 2005 for examination of pre-diagnosed pancytopenia. His bone marrow showed myeloid dysplasia, and 30.4% of the nucleated cells were blasts.

[T-cell rich B-cell lymphoma associated with neutrophilia and thrombocytosis].

A 49-year-old man was admitted with high-grade fever, night sweating and cervical lymphadenopathy in September 2005. On examination, both neutrophilia and thrombocytosis were noted in the peripheral blood, a bone marrow examination revealed marked both myeloid and megakaryocytic hyperplasia. The sera obtained at initial presentation showed an elevated levels of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

A novel treatment for early gastrointestinal carcinoma by ultrasonic endoscopic mucosal stripping.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to clarify the indications for a new endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) technique that employs a cavitational ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA). Endoscopic mucosal resection has proved an effective technique for treating early mucosal gastrointestinal cancer. However, resecting a lesion larger than 2 cm en bloc requires special devices and a long processing time; and it engenders the risk of bleeding, perforation, and other complications.

Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is a disease with a high mortality rate and it has been increasing in prevalence worldwide. Chemoprevention, as well as primary and secondary prevention, for colorectal cancer have attracted much attention. Many chemopreventive trials have been performed, and several agents, including nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and sulindac, cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitors, such as celecoxib, vitamin D, folate, and calcium, have been shown to have some effect.

Glutathione-S-transferase P1-1 protects aberrant crypt foci from apoptosis induced by deoxycholic acid.

Background & Aims: Aberrant crypt foci, precursors of colonic adenoma, are frequently positive for glutathione-S-transferase P1-1. Because deoxycholic acid is an apoptosis-inducing xenobiotic in the colon, we examined the possibility that aberrant crypt foci, through the cytoprotecting function of glutathione-S-transferase P1-1, resist deoxycholic acid-induced apoptosis, thereby surviving to become adenomas and subsequently cancer.

Methods: Glutathione-S-transferase P1-1 or cyclooxygenase-2 expression and the percentage of apoptotic cells in aberrant crypt foci were examined by immunohistochemistry and by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling, respectively.

Reversal of multiple drug resistance in cholangiocarcinoma by the glutathione S-transferase-pi-specific inhibitor O1-hexadecyl-gamma-glutamyl-S-benzylcysteinyl-D-phenylglycine ethylester.

Cholangiocarcinoma is markedly resistant to chemotherapy and has a dismal prognosis, but its mechanism of drug resistance is unknown. This study examines whether glutathione S-transferase-pi (GSTP1-1) is involved in resistance to anticancer drugs in cholangiocarcinoma and whether GSTP1-1-specific inhibitors can overcome this resistance. First, immunohistochemical examination disclosed strong staining of all our 17 cholangiocarcinoma specimens for GSTP1-1, irrespective of histological type.