Simultaneous Hydrostatic and Compressive Loading System for Mimicking the Mechanical Environment of Living Cartilage Tissue.

In vivo, articular cartilage tissue is surrounded by a cartilage membrane, and hydrostatic pressure (HP) and compressive strain increase simultaneously with the compressive stress. However, it has been impossible to investigate the effects of simultaneous loading in vitro. In this study, a bioreactor capable of applying compressive stress under HP was developed to reproduce ex vivo the same physical loading environment found in cartilage.

Diffusion tensor imaging of rectal carcinoma: Clinical evaluation and its correlation with histopathological findings.

Objective: This study sought to assess the feasibility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to noninvasively evaluate histological grade and lymph node metastasis in patients with rectal carcinoma (RC).

Methods: Thirty-seven consecutive patients with histologically confirmed RC were examined by 1.5-T MRI.

A novel mesenchymal-associated transcriptomic signature for risk-stratification and therapeutic response prediction in colorectal cancer.

Risk stratification in Stage II and III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is critical, as it allows patient selection for adjuvant chemotherapy. In view of the inadequacy of current clinicopathological features for risk-stratification, we undertook a systematic and comprehensive biomarker discovery effort to develop a risk-assessment signature in CRC patients. The biomarker discovery phase examined 853 CRC patients, and identified a gene signature for predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Colorectal cancer risk factors in asymptomatic Chilean population: a survey of international collaboration between Japan and Chile.

In Chile, the mortality from colorectal cancer has been on the rise. A national screening program based on a fecal immunochemical test was started in 2012 as an international collaboration with Japan. This case-control study was designed to identify the risk factors for colorectal cancer, with a goal of increasing the participation rate for colorectal cancer screening.