Effects of Thoracic Epidural Anesthesia on Systemic and Local Inflammatory Responses in Patients Undergoing Lung Cancer Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Inflammatory responses play major roles in the development of acute lung injury following lung cancer surgery. The authors tested the hypothesis that thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) during surgery could attenuate both systemic and local inflammatory cytokine productions in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery.

Design: A prospective randomized controlled trial.

[A case of intraductal tubulopapillary adenocarcinoma with bone metastases].

A woman in her 70s with main pancreatic duct dilatation was referred to our hospital. Various imaging examinations showed an extensive mass within the lumen of the main pancreatic duct in the head and body of the pancreas. The microscopic examination of a biopsy specimen revealed an adenocarcinoma.

Intraluminal diamond-like carbon coating with anti-adhesion and anti-biofilm effects for uropathogens: A novel technology applicable to urinary catheters.

Objectives: To examine anti-adhesion and anti-biofilm effects of a diamond-like carbon coating deposited via a novel technique on the inner surface of a thin silicon tube.

Methods: Diamond-like carbon coatings were deposited into the lumen of a silicon tube with inner diameters of 2 mm. The surface of the diamond-like carbon was evaluated using physicochemical methods.

Genetic profiles of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma in Japanese patients.

The genetic characteristics of Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in the Japanese population is unclear. This study aims to investigate the genetic characteristics from nondysplastic BE (NDBE) to early EAC in Japan. Clinical information was collected.

A review of a new voltage-gated Ca channel αδ ligand, mirogabalin, for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain.

Introduction: Neuropathic pain (NeP) is a chronic and refractory condition in many patients, and its treatment is a challenge for physicians. A new voltage-gated Ca channel αδ ligand, mirogabalin, has a high specific binding affinity for the αδ subunit, with a slower dissociation rate for αδ-1 than αδ-2 compared to that of pregabalin. Mirogabalin was shown to be effective in NeP animal models, with a margin of safety between central nervous system side effects and the analgesic effect of the dose.

Long-term outcomes of cold snare polypectomy for superficial non-ampullary duodenal epithelial tumors.

Background And Aim: The effectiveness of cold snare polypectomy (CSP) for superficial non-ampullary duodenal epithelial tumors (SNADETs) regarding long-term outcomes is not fully clarified. This study aimed to investigate long-term outcomes of CSP for SNADETs.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with sporadic SNADETs and treated with CSP at Chiba University Hospital between March 2015 and May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.

Diagnosis of medial meniscal ramp lesion is difficult by pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging evaluation and needs a methodical arthroscopic exploration.

Background: Meniscal ramp lesion (RL) is the peripheral lesion of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus (PHMM) associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation in diagnosing RL and to identify whether the difficulty in diagnosis differs depending on the location of RL.

Methods: ACL-injured patients undergoing ACL reconstruction from January 2017 to January 2019 were enrolled.

Unexpectedly high thermostability of an NADP-dependent malic enzyme from a psychrophilic bacterium, Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10.

Psychrophilic enzymes are generally active at low temperatures, and their functions have attracted much interest in food processing, biochemical research, and chemical industry. However, their activities are usually lost above their growth temperature because of their flexible and unstable structure. Here, we unexpectedly found that a homodimeric NADP-dependent malic enzyme from a psychrophilic bacterium, Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10 (SL-ME) showed sufficient activity with 60°C treatment, similar to its counterpart from mesophilic Escherichia coli (MaeB).

Migration infrastructures and the production of migrants' irregularity in Japan and the United Kingdom.

The article examines the migration infrastructures and pathways through which migrants move into, through and out of irregular status in Japan and the UK and how these infrastructures uniquely shape their migrant experiences of irregularity at key stages of their migration projects. Our analysis brings together two bodies of migration scholarship, namely critical work on the social and legal production of illegality and the impact of legal violence on the lives of immigrants with precarious legal status, and on the role of migration infrastructures in shaping mobility pathways. Drawing upon in-depth qualitative interviews with irregular and precarious migrants in Japan and the UK collected over a ten-year period, this article develops a three-pronged analysis of the infrastructures of irregularity, focusing on infrastructures of entry, settlement and exit, casting a comparative light on the mechanisms that produce precarious and expendable migrant lives in relation to access to labour and labour conditions, access and quality of housing and law enforcement, and how migrants adapt, cope, resist or eventually are overpowered by them.

On the Accuracy of QM/MM Models: A Systematic Study of Intramolecular Proton Transfer Reactions of Amino Acids in Water.

This work presents a systematic assessment of QM/QM' and QM/MM models with respect to direct QM calculations for the tautomerization (neutral to zwitterion) reactions of amino acids (glycine, alanine, valine, aspartate, and neutral and protonated histidine) solvated in a 160 water cluster. The effect of varying QM region size and choice of embedding potentials, including fixed-charge and polarizable molecular mechanics force fields (TIP3P and EFP) and various semiempirical QM methods (PM7, GFN2-xTB, DFTBA, DFTB3, HF-3c, and PBEh-3c), on the accuracy of the models was examined. A surprising finding was that molecular mechanics force fields outperformed many of the semiempirical methods.

Usefulness of the FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel in diagnosis of central nervous system infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Purpose: The BioFire FilmArray® Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel (FAMEP) is designed to rapidly and accurately detect common multiple pathogens that cause central nervous system (CNS) infection, including viruses, bacteria, and yeast. The FAMEP's usefulness in the setting of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has not been fully evaluated. This retrospective study evaluated the usefulness of the FAMEP in the screening for CNS infection after allogeneic HSCT.

The integrative bioinformatic analysis deciphers the predicted molecular target gene and pathway from curcumin derivative CCA-1.1 against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Background: The poor outcomes from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) therapy are mainly because of TNBC cells' heterogeneity, and chemotherapy is the current approach in TNBC treatment. A previous study reported that CCA-1.1, the alcohol-derivative from monocarbonyl PGV-1, exhibits anticancer activities against several cancer cells, as well as in TNBC.

Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 accelerates cell proliferation by targeting c-Myc in liver cancer cells.

Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1) has emerged as an ideal target in cancer therapeutics. However, the functions of STEAP1 in liver cancer remain unexplored. The current study aimed to characterize the biological roles of STEAP1 in liver cancer.

Utility of underwater EMR for nonpolypoid superficial nonampullary duodenal epithelial tumors ≤20 mm.

Background And Aims: The application of underwater EMR (UEMR) for nonpolypoid superficial nonampullary duodenal epithelial tumors (SNADETs) has not been comprehensively assessed. Therefore, the current study aimed to validate the efficacy of UEMR versus conventional EMR and cap-assisted EMR (EMRC) for SNADETs measuring ≤20 mm.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with sporadic nonpolypoid SNADETs measuring ≤20 mm undergoing EMR, EMRC, or UEMR at Chiba University Hospital between May 2004 and October 2020 (EMR, 21 patients and 23 SNADETs; UEMR, 60 patients and 61 SNADETs; EMRC, 45 patients and 48 SNADETs).

Prognostic value of measurable residual disease at allogeneic transplantation for adults with core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia in complete remission.

Pretransplant measurable residual disease (MRD) has been shown to be associated with relapse incidence following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, it remains less clear whether pretransplant MRD status affects transplant outcomes in core binding factor AML (CBF-AML). We retrospectively evaluated the effect of pretransplant MRD, which was measured by a polymerase chain reaction of RUNX1-RUNX1T1 or CBFB-MYH11 fusion transcripts, on transplant outcomes for a cohort of 959 adult patients with t(8;21) or inv(16) AML treated by allogeneic HCT during complete remission (CR), between 2000 and 2018.

Controlling Major Portal Vein Invasion Progression during Lenvatinib Treatment by Carbon-Ion Radiotherapy in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Macrovascular invasion (MVI), including portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT), is strongly associated with poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While recommended standard treatment for patients with advanced HCC is systemic therapy, various treatment approaches, including resection, transarterial chemoembolization, and radiation, have been empirically suggested to improve prognosis by eliminating or controlling MVI. Herein, we report our experience of a case with advanced HCC where MVI was controlled by carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) while on systemic therapy, resulting in a prolonged survival.

CCA-1.1, a Novel Curcumin Analog, Exerts Cytotoxic anti- Migratory Activity toward TNBC and HER2-Enriched Breast Cancer Cells.

Objective: Chemoprevention curcumin Analog-1.1 (CCA-1.1) demonstrates antineoplastic effect toward cancer cells.

Determination of reactivation rate and risk factors for Hepatitis B virus reactivation in low-positive cases: A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: In quantitative assays for hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, although the amplification reaction signal is detected for low-positive cases, quantification remains challenging. HBV reactivation has been reported in many studies, but only a few have focused on HBV low-positive cases. This study aimed to determine the reactivation rate and risk factors for HBV reactivation in low-positive cases.

Stabilization of fatty acid synthesis enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 suppresses acute myeloid leukemia development.

Cancer cells reprogram lipid metabolism during their malignant progression, but limited information is currently available on the involvement of alterations in fatty acid synthesis in cancer development. We herein demonstrate that acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1), a rate-limiting enzyme for fatty acid synthesis, plays a critical role in regulating the growth and differentiation of leukemia-initiating cells. The Trib1-COP1 complex is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets C/EBPA, a transcription factor regulating myeloid differentiation, for degradation, and its overexpression specifically induces acute myeloid leukemia (AML).