Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma presenting umbilical hernia and Sister Mary Joseph's nodule.

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare aggressive tumor of the peritoneum. An increasing number of malignant mesothelioma cases have been reported in recent years. We report here a very rare case of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma with both umbilical hernia and umbilical metastasis which is also called Sister Mary Joseph's nodule.

Emergency upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in the Emergency Room of Tokai University Hospital.

The Tokai University Hospital is the only tertiary emergency hospital in the western region of Kanagawa prefecture and treats many patients; for example, more than 7,000 cases (including 297 helicopter-transfer cases) were transferred to the Emergency Room (ER) of the hospital in 2008. In cases where an emergency endoscopy is necessary, such as suspected upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract bleeding, the gastroenterologists and the ER staff collaborate on patient care, diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this study was to summarize such cases in the hospital and to elucidate the possible problems that such collaboration may cause, by means of a questionnaire completed by both the gastroenterology and the ER staff.

Impaired function of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells in murine liver fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis (LF) caused by chronic liver damage has been considered as an irreversible disease. As alternative therapy for liver transplantation, there are high expectations for regenerative medicine of the liver. Bone marrow (BM)- or peripheral blood-derived stem cells, including endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), have recently been used to treat liver cirrhosis.

Lesion-targeted thrombopoietin potentiates vasculogenesis by enhancing motility and enlivenment of transplanted endothelial progenitor cells via activation of Akt/mTOR/p70S6kinase signaling pathway.

Thrombopoietin (TPO), a physiological regulator of megakaryocyte and platelet development, is a multifunctional positive regulator in early hematopoiesis by hematopoietic stem cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of TPO on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) for therapeutic vasculogenesis in vitro and in vivo, and the intracellular signaling mechanism exerting the activity of EPCs. 7-day culture-expanded EPCs derived from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were applied to each assay.

Association of inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms with platelet recovery in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura patients after the eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

Background: Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is associated with the cytokine response and dysregulation of the cytokine network. Gene polymorphisms of proinflammatory cytokines are associated with several diseases including ITP. Recently, the successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori has been reported to improve the platelet counts in some patients with ITP.

Ultrasonographic diagnosis of adult intussusception caused by pedunculated colon carcinoma.

Adult intussusception is clinically rare. We report a case with colon intussusception caused by a pedunculated polyp of the sigmoid colon in a 54-year-old male. Abdominal ultrasonographic screening for hematochezia showed intussusception in the sigmoid colon, demonstrating a multiple concentric ring sign and a mobile leading colon polyp.