An unusual presentation of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: A case of fibrosarcomatous dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with pleomorphic angiectatic tumor-like changes.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a locally aggressive superficial mesenchymal neoplasm characterized by monomorphic spindle-cell proliferation with a storiform pattern. It can demonstrate pigmentation, myxoid changes, myoid differentiation, plaque-like growth, and fibrosarcomatous features; its varied presentation often complicates diagnosis. We report an extremely rare case of fibrosarcomatous DFSP with features reminiscent of a pleomorphic hyalinizing angiectatic tumor (PHAT) in a 73-year-old male.

[Effect of a Discharge Planning Educational Program in a University Hospital].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a discharge planning educational program on multidisciplinary team staff in a community. We provided training to nurses of a university hospital. The training covered an introduction to discharge planning, decision-making support, home care medicine and home nursing care, the medical social welfare system, and case review meetings.

Presence of minute cancer cell dissemination in peritoneal lavage fluid detected by reverse transcription PCR is an independent prognostic factor in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.

Background: Presence of minute cancer cell dissemination in peritoneal lavage fluid detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been reported to be a reliable predictor of the prognosis in several kinds of cancers, but has not been determined in pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Peritoneal lavage fluid was harvested just after a laparotomy in 83 patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Half of the fluid was examined by cytology and the remaining half was used to measure carcinoembryonic antigen/beta-2-microglobulin (beta2M) mRNA expression.

Evaluation of the lateral sentinel node by indocyanine green for rectal cancer based on micrometastasis determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

The significance of dissecting the lateral pelvic lymph node (LN) for lower rectal cancer remains controversial. We detected the lateral sentinel node (SN) by indocyanine green (ICG) and micrometastases using carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Twenty-five patients who underwent curative surgery with a dissection of the lateral pelvic LNs between 2003 and 2005 were examined.

Effect of surface preparation using ethyl acetate on the shear bond strength of repair resin to denture base resin.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effect of using ethyl acetate as a surface preparation agent on the shear bond strength of repair resin to denture base resin.

Materials And Methods: The flat surfaces of a heat-processed denture base resin were prepared with one of the following: (1) without preparation, (2) 60-second application of ethyl acetate, (3) 120-second application of ethyl acetate, (4) 180-second application of ethyl acetate, and (5) 5-second application of dichloromethane. An autopolymerizing repair resin was applied.

Role of P-glycoprotein in accumulation and cytotoxicity of amrubicin and amrubicinol in MDR1 gene-transfected LLC-PK1 cells and human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Amrubicin is a completely synthetic 9-aminoanthracycline agent for the treatment of lung cancer in Japan. The cytotoxicity of C-13 hydroxy metabolite, amrubicinol, is 10 to 100 times greater than that of amrubicin. The transporters responsible for the intracellular pharmacokinetics of amrubicin and amrubicinol remains unclear.

Effect of tacrolimus and partial hepatectomy on transthyretin metabolism in rats.

Liver transplantation, which serves as treatment of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP), and domino liver transplantation, which utilizes resected livers from patients with FAP for treatment of liver diseases, may induce changes in transthyretin (TTR), a pathogenic FAP-related protein. To evaluate this possibility, we performed a 70% hepatectomy or administered tacrolimus to Dark Agouti (DA) rats for 7 days and then measured changes in liver TTR mRNA levels and changes in serum TTR concentrations. After hepatectomy, TTR mRNA levels decreased by 77%; at day 3, they returned to preoperative levels.