Sex-based molecular profiling of hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

It has been suggested that sex affects not only the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but also the outcome after treatment. However, no sex-specific therapeutic targets for HCC have been identified. Identification of sex-specific genes will allow for the development of more personalized therapies.

Tumor HLA-DR expression linked to early intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poor because of the high frequency of intrahepatic recurrence (IHR), particularly early IHR within 1 year of hepatectomy. To search for genes involved in early IHR, we performed DNA microarray analysis in a training set of 33 HCCs and selected 46 genes linked to early IHR from approximately 6,000 genes by means of a supervised learning method. Gene selection was validated by a false discovery rate of 0.

A rare case of the cutaneous form of adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma: assessment of remission by PCR for clonal T-cell receptor gamma gene rearrangements in an electron beam-irradiated cutaneous lesion.

Adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma is a lymphoproliferative disorder aetiologically associated with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I infection. A cutaneous lesion often develops in the disease, and in rare cases, is even the only manifestation. Here we report a rare case of 'cutaneous' adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma with neither atypical cells in the peripheral blood nor lymph node involvement.

Influence of collimator size on three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy of the cyberknife.

Purpose: In stereotactic conformal radiotherapy of the CyberKnife, multiple narrow beams from a cylindrical collimator are delivered to a planning target volume (PTV) without an isocenter by inverse planning. The influence of collimator size on stereotactic conformal radiotherapy was examined.

Materials And Methods: Five targets including two spherical targets (2.

Molecular signature associated with plasticity of bone marrow cell under persistent liver damage by self-organizing-map-based gene expression.

The mechanism that regulates the plasticity of bone marrow cells (BMCs) into hepatocytes is poorly understood. We developed a green fluorescent protein/carbon tetrachloride model to find that BMC transplantation recovered liver damage. Serum albumin level and liver fibrosis were recovered by BMC transplantation.

Narrow-band imaging in the diagnosis of colorectal mucosal lesions: a pilot study.

Background And Study Aims: A newly developed narrow-band imaging (NBI) technique, in which modified optical filters were used in the light source of a video endoscope system, was applied during colonoscopy in a clinical setting. This pilot study evaluated the clinical feasibility of the NBI system for evaluating colorectal lesions.

Patients And Methods: A total of 43 colorectal lesions in 34 patients were included in the study.

Impact of pretreatment cholinesterase level on survival of inoperable intrahepatic or hepatic-hilar carcinomas treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy.

Purpose: Prognostic factors for inoperable hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinomas (IHCC), and hepatic-hilar cholangiocellular carcinomas (HHCC) treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) were evaluated.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-five consecutive patients were treated with 3DCRT (HCC, 14; IHCC, 11; HHCC, 10). Doses of 3DCRT ranged from 30-70 Gy (mean, 51.

A case of colorectal carcinoma in adenoma analyzed by a cDNA array.

Patient And Methods: A 68-year-old woman presenting with bloody stools and anemia was referred to our hospital. Colonoscopy showed a Is-type tumor of 45 mm in diameter in the cecum and three Is-type tumors in the ascending colon. Ileocecal resection with regional lymph node dissection was performed.

Appearance of enhanced tissue features in narrow-band endoscopic imaging.

This study was performed to examine the usefulness of medical endoscopic imaging utilizing narrow-band illumination. The contrast between the vascular pattern and the adjacent mucosa of the underside of the human tongue was measured using five narrow-band illuminations and three broadband illuminations. The results demonstrate that the pathological features of a vascular pattern are dependent on the center wavelength and the bandwidth of illumination.

Successful treatment of pyogenic granuloma with injection of absolute ethanol.

Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is a small, almost always solitary, sessile or pedunculated, raspberry-like vegetation of exuberant granulation tissue. Conservative treatment by techniques such as cryosurgery, laser surgery, and electrodesiccation are usually adequate, whereas excisional treatment can often result in noticeable scars. We attempted a different approach using an injection of absolute ethanol in five patients with recurrence due to inadequate cryosurgery.

[Usefulness of 3D conformal radiation therapy for reduction of radiation-induced white matter injury].

Purpose: The usefulness of three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy(3DCRT) in decreasing radiation-induced white matter changes(WMC) was assessed.

Material And Methods: Thirty-seven patients(age 5-77 years, mean 42 years; male/female = 11/26) with primary intracranial tumors received 40 Gy or more, and were followed up with MRI for more than one year. Thirty-four patients underwent chemotherapy(with a platinum drug, 16; without a platinum drug, 18).

A multi-institutional retrospective analysis of external radiotherapy for mucosal melanoma of the head and neck in Northern Japan.

Purpose: A multi-institutional retrospective study was performed in northern Japan to analyze the outcome of external radiotherapy as the definitive treatment modality for localized mucosal melanoma of the head and neck.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-one patients with localized mucosal melanoma of the head and neck treated by external radiotherapy at nine institutions of the Northern Japan Radiation Therapy Oncology Group between 1980 and 1999 were enrolled in this study. Radiotherapy alone was performed in 21 patients, and the remaining 10 patients received postoperative radiotherapy for gross residual tumors.

Genetic polymorphisms of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors are associated with susceptibility to psoriasis vulgaris.

To elucidate the association between killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and psoriasis vulgaris (PV), we typed 14 KIR genes in 96 Japanese cases and 50 healthy controls using PCR with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). Here we report an interesting association between certain KIRs and Japanese cases with PV. The frequencies of KIR2DS1 and KIR2DL5 were significantly increased in PV cases compared with controls (KIR2DS1, 43 of 96 (45%) in cases vs 14 of 50 (28%) in controls; KIR2DL5, 46 of 96 (48%) in cases vs 15 of 50 (30%) in controls, p<0.

Overexpression of inducible cyclic AMP early repressor inhibits transactivation of genes and cell proliferation in pancreatic beta cells.

Transcriptional control mediated by the cyclic AMP-responsive element (CRE) represents an important mechanism of gene regulation. To test our hypothesis that increased inducible cyclic AMP early repressor (ICER) Igamma inhibits function of CRE-binding proteins and thus disrupts CRE-mediated transcription in pancreatic beta cells, we generated transgenic mice with beta-cell-directed expression of ICER Igamma, a powerful repressor that is greatly increased in diabetes. Three transgenic lines clearly show that increased ICER Igamma expression in beta cells results in early severe diabetes.

Usefulness of narrow-band imaging endoscopy for diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus.

Background: A newly developed endoscope lighting system called a narrow-band imaging system emphasizes certain histological features such as capillary and crypt pattern. The usefulness of NBI for the diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus (BE) was evaluated.

Methods: Eleven patients with previously diagnosed BE were enrolled in this study.

Molecular signature in three types of hepatocellular carcinoma with different viral origin by oligonucleotide microarray.

Chronic infection with hepatitis B or C virus (HBV or HCV) is the most clearly established risk factor for hepato-cellular carcinoma (HCC). One type of HCC (non-B, non-C HCC) also appears to develop in patients negative for both HBV and HCV. Using a supervised learning method, we investigated gene expression in 11 non-B, non-C HCCs with high-density oligonucleotide microarrays, and compared the patterns of gene expression with those of HBV-infected HCCs (B-type HCCs) and HCV-infected HCCs (C-type HCCs) in the previous dataset.

Altered Levels of Cytochrome P450 Genes in Hepatitis B or C Virus-infected Liver Identified by Oligonucleotide Microarray.

Background: Molecular pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be clarified. Many studies with DNA chip technology have revealed altered levels of several cytochrome P450 (CYP) family genes in human HCC. However, little is known about their alterations in hepatitis B virus (HBV)- and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected livers.