Latitudinal variation and coevolutionary diversification of sexually dimorphic traits in the false blister beetle .

Sexual traits are subject to evolutionary forces that maximize reproductive benefits and minimize survival costs, both of which can depend on environmental conditions. Latitude explains substantial variation in environmental conditions. However, little is known about the relationship between sexual trait variation and latitude, although body size often correlates with latitude.

[A case of successful control for primary duodenal cancer with combined CPT-11, CDDP and DOC chemotherapy].

We have experienced a rare case of primary duodenal carcinoma with perforation of the duodenum. Combined CPT- 11, CDDP and DOC chemotherapy achieved a partial response. A 54-year-old man with serious abdominal pain visited our hospital with a diagnosis of acute peritonitis due to perforation of digestive tract on CT scan.

[A case of long survival of unresected gastric cancer with excellent QOL administered by S-1 alone].

We report a case of unresectable gastric cancer, who had been treated with S-1 alone for 3 years without cancerous symptoms. The patient was a 66-year-old male. His diagnosis was advanced gastric cancer based on gastrofiberscopy.

Value of expression of p21WAF1/CIP1 as a prognostic factor in advanced middle and lower rectal cancer patients treated with preoperative radio-chemotherapy.

Recent molecular biological studies suggested certain molecular markers might be useful as prognostic factors in patients with colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether cyclin dependent inhibitor kinase p21WAF1/CIP1 (p21), p53 expression, and/or the presence of apoptosis had prognostic value in predicting survival in patients with advanced middle and lower rectal cancer who were treated with preoperative radio-chemotherapy. We examined the immunohistochemical expression of p21 and p53, and determined the degree of apoptosis in resected middle and lower rectal cancers from patients who received preoperative radio-chemotherapy (irradiation group, n=40) and from those who did not receive treatment (control group, n=35).

Apoptosis and apoptosis-associated gene products related to the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer.

To evaluate the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on gastric cancer, we examined the correlation between induction of apoptosis and expression of p53, Bcl-2, and Bax. Eighty-five patients with advanced gastric cancer were retrospectively divided into the following two groups: 54 patients received 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) at 300 mg/body/day for 14 days and cisplatin (CDDP) at 15 mg/body/day for 2 days as group A; 31 patients without any preoperative chemotherapy as group B. According to histological changes in tumors due to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the therapeutic effects on tumors were evaluated.