[A case of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma mimicking a liver abscess].

A 23-year-old woman was presented with fever and epigastric pain. Contrast enhanced computed tomography revealed a 40mm mass in the lateral segment. Blood tests showed the elevation of WBC and CRP.

Intrahepatic subcapsular biloma after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography treated by endoscopic biliary drainage.

Several major complications from endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), including pancreatitis, cholangitis, and hemorrhage have been discussed in detail; however, a few uncommon but severe complications have been reported. We encountered an unusual case of post-ERCP intrahepatic subcapsular biloma. An 89-year-old woman with a 25-mm mass located at the hepatic hilum, suggestive of cholangiocarcinoma, underwent ERCP which demonstrated complete stricture of the common hepatic duct.

[A case of left subphrenic abscess caused by gastric ulcer penetration that was successfully treated with endoscopic transgastric drainage].

A 65-year-old male visited our hospital because of fever and difficulty in walking. He was suffering from left-sided hypochondrial pain for a month. Laboratory tests performed on admission revealed a white blood cell count of 1700/μl and C-reactive protein level of 9.

[A very elderly case of complete remission by chemotherapy in a patient of primary esophageal non-Hodgkin lymphoma].

A very elderly patient with primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the esophagus is reported. An 87-year-old woman presented with dysphagia. Endoscopy revealed an elevated lesion with ulceration in the middle and lower esophagus.

Fasting and high-fat diet alter histone deacetylase expression in the medial hypothalamus.

Increasing attention is now being given to the epigenetic regulation of animal and human behaviors including the stress response and drug addiction. Epigenetic factors also influence feeding behavior and metabolic phenotypes, such as obesity and insulin sensitivity. In response to fasting and high-fat diets, the medial hypothalamus changes the expression of neuropeptides regulating feeding, metabolism, and reproductive behaviors.

Dopamine D5 receptor immunoreactivity is differentially distributed in GABAergic interneurons and pyramidal cells in the rat medial prefrontal cortex.

In the rodent neocortex, the dopamine D5 receptor (D5R) appears to be the predominant subtype of D1-like receptors that are generally considered to play important roles in cognitive functions subserved by the prefrontal cortex (PFC). In this study, to identify the precise localization of D5R in rat PFC, we used a receptor-specific antibody and observed the immunolabeled structures by light and confocal laser scanning microscopies. D5R immunolabeling was found in nearly all neurons, both excitatory and inhibitory neurons.

A case of acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas that formed extensive tumor thrombus of the portal vein.

A 58-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of anorexia and back pain. He had been previously diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis with blood thrombus of the splenic vein at another hospital. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a large mass in the body and tail of the pancreas, which directly invaded the stomach and the spleen.

Synaptic characteristics between cortical cells in the rat prefrontal cortex and axon terminals from the ventral tegmental area that utilize different neurotransmitters.

Projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have been demonstrated to terminate in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and to be dopaminergic and/or gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic), forming a neural circuit implicated in certain memory and cognitive processes. However, it has not been determined whether gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and dopamine (DA) are localized in certain types of axon terminals from the VTA to the PFC. To determine the synaptic characteristics made by postsynaptic prefrontal cortical structures and mesoprefrontal fibers utilizing either GABA or DA, we performed a double-labeling method for electron microscopy, in which we combined peroxidase markers for anterograde tract-tracing with postembedding immunogold labeling for tyrosine hydroxylase, DA, and GABA in rats.

Immunolocalization of muscarinic receptor subtypes in the reticular thalamic nucleus of rats.

In this study, to identify the precise localization of the muscarinic receptor subtypes m2, m3 and m4 in the rostral part of the rat reticular thalamic nucleus (rRt), namely, the limbic sector, we used receptor-subtype-specific antibodies and characterized the immunolabeled structures by light, confocal laser scanning, and electron microscopies. The m2-immunolabeling was preferentially distributed in the distal dendrite region where cholinergic afferent fibers tend to terminate and in the peripheral region of somata, whereas the m3-immunolabeling was more preferentially distributed in a large part of somata and in proximal dendrite shafts than in the distal dendrite region. Dual-immunofluorescence experiments demonstrated that majority of rRt neurons with parvalbumin immunoreactivity contain both m2 and m3.

Intraductal papillary mucinous tumor of the pancreas associated with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

A 43-year-old male with a history of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) was admitted to our center with severe abdominal pain and was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. CT showed multiple cysts in the liver and both kidneys along with ADPKD and a cystic mass, 4 cm in diameter, in the pancreatic head. The main pancreatic duct was dilated to 1 cm in diameter.

Thalamocortical projection from the ventral posteromedial nucleus sends its collaterals to layer I of the primary somatosensory cortex in rat.

Here we examined quantitatively axonal projections originating from the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus (VPM) to layer I of the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) by extracellular and intracellular injections of biocytin as an anterograde tracer. Following the extracellular injections, two types of VPM afferents with different arborization patterns in SI were observed. The type I extended vertically, forming dense plexus in layers IV and VI, and projected collaterals to layer I.

Microglial ecto-Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in a rat model of focal homologous blood clot embolic cerebral ischemia: an enzyme histochemical study.

Post-ischemic changes in ecto-Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in microglia and the infarcted tissue were studied in a rat model of focal embolic cerebral ischemia using an enzyme histochemical method. Ecto-Ca(2+)-ATPase activity was observed in whole brains in non-operated and sham-operated control animals. In addition, this enzyme activity was determined to be localized in ramified microglia.