Optimization of culture-preservation methods to maintain developmental competence in porcine MII oocytes post-IVM.

After in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes, those that matured to the metaphase II (MII) stage were selected for further culture over a period of 24-48 h. Subsequently, these oocytes were either parthenogenetically activated or used for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to evaluate their in vitro developmental competence. Parthenogenetically activated MII oocytes developed to the blastocyst stage after 42 h of continuous culture, whereas SCNT oocytes reached the blastocyst stage within 30 h of culture.

Caspases downregulate nickel and hydrogen peroxide-induced IL-8 production via modification of c-Jun N-terminal kinases.

Nickel (Ni) is a typical hapten in allergic contact dermatitis. However, it has been used in various metal materials due to its usefulness. Although Ni ions induce apoptosis of inflammatory cells and the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-8 (IL-8), the effects of the apoptotic pathway on the signaling that induces cytokine production have not been sufficiently clarified.

Biological Evaluation of Isosteric Applicability of 1,3-Substituted Cuneanes as m-Substituted Benzenes Enabled by Selective Isomerization of 1,4-Substituted Cubanes.

We herein evaluate a biological applicability of 1,3-substituted cuneanes as an isostere of m-substituted benzenes based on its structural similarity. An investigation of a method to obtain 1,3-substituted cuneanes by selective isomerization of 1,4-substituted cubanes enables this attempt by giving a key synthetic step to obtain a cuneane analogs of pharmaceuticals having m-substituted benzene moiety. Biological evaluation of the synthesized analogs and in silico study of the obtained result revealed a potential usage of cuneane skeleton in medicinal chemistry.

Efficacy of Intravesical Instillation Therapy with Low-Dose Tokyo-172 Bacillus Calmette-Guérin to Prevent Recurrence of Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer and Treat Carcinoma in situ: A Multi-Institutional Retrospective Study.

Introduction: There are various doses, durations, and strains of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical instillation therapy, but optimal treatment has not yet been established. We retrospectively investigated the efficacy and safety of low-dose BCG therapy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and carcinoma in situ (CIS) in a multicenter study.

Methods: From 1991 to 2019, 323 patients who received BCG therapy to prevent recurrence of NMIBC were analyzed as group A.

Patients with Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Previously Treated with Nephroureterectomy Have a High Risk of Recurrence after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Intravesical Instillation Therapy.

Background: There is a high incidence of intravesical recurrence after transurethral resection of bladder tumor for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is widely used to prevent recurrence and progression. There are two types of NMIBC: primary NMIBC and subsequent NMIBC after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).

High frequency of bone recurrence as an initial recurrence site after radical surgery in T1N3 gastric cancer: a propensity score matching analysis.

Purpose: T1 gastric cancer (GC) with seven or more metastatic lymph nodes is extremely rare, and very few clinical studies have been conducted to evaluate the clinicopathological features of their recurrence.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of T1 GC and T2-4 GC patients who had multiple nodal metastases after radical surgery from 2006 to 2020. Propensity score matching was performed to compare the two groups of patients.

Atypical clinical presentation of mechanical small bowel obstruction with superior mesenteric vein occlusion caused by a retained free intraperitoneal staple after laparoscopic appendectomy: A case report.

Mechanical small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common postoperative complication, and most cases are caused by postoperative adhesions. We herein report a case of SBO with superior mesenteric vein occlusion caused by a metal staple after laparoscopic appendectomy. A 35-year-old Japanese woman presented to our department with severe upper abdominal pain and vomiting.

Laparoscopic high anterior resection for triple colorectal cancers with persistent ascending and descending mesocolons: A case report.

Persistent mesocolon is an embryological anomaly of the colon resulting from failure of the primitive dorsal mesocolon to fuse with the parietal peritoneum. We herein present a case of laparoscopic high anterior resection for triple colorectal cancers with persistent ascending and descending mesocolons and a right-bound inferior mesenteric artery. Preoperative 3-D CT demonstrated that the sigmoid colon had shifted to the right abdomen and was located under the ascending colon.

Overexpression of microRNA-5100 decreases the aggressive phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells by targeting PODXL.

Metastasis is the main cause of cancer-associated death, and metastasis of pancreatic cancer remains difficult to treat because of its aggressiveness. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the regulation of various human transcripts, and many miRNAs have been reported to correlate with cancer metastasis. We identified an anti-metastatic miRNA, miR-5100, by investigating differences in miRNA profiling between highly metastatic pancreatic cancer cells and their parental cells.

Laparoscopic en bloc excision of gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the rectum after neoadjuvant imatinib therapy: anteriorly extended intersphincteric resection combined with partial resection of the prostate.

We herein present a novel technique for laparoscopic en bloc excision involving anteriorly extended intersphincteric resection with partial resection of the posterior lobe of the prostate for large rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). The sequence of neoadjuvant imatinib therapy and this less invasive surgery for marginally resectable rectal GISTs has the potential to obviate the need for urinary reconstruction and permanent stomas without jeopardizing the tumor margin status.

Multidisciplinary treatment including systemic chemotherapy for a malignant phyllodes tumour of the prostate.

A 22-year-old man was referred to our hospital with macroscopic hematuria and consistent anal pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an enlarged prostate tumour invading the bladder and rectum. A biopsy revealed an unclassified spindle cell sarcoma.

Feasibility and safety of intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy after laparoscopic total gastrectomy: inverted T-shaped anastomosis using linear staplers.

Background: Although laparoscopic distal gastrectomy has been widely accepted in clinical practice, laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) is not yet familiar because of the difficulty in esophagojejunostomy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate perioperative and short-term outcomes of our procedure of intracorporeal gastrojejunostomy using linear staplers after LTG.

Methods: Of 98 consecutive patients who underwent LTG for gastric cancer in our department between August 2002 and December 2010, 94 patients underwent esophagojejunostomy with a linear stapling device.

Improvement of quality of life and survival using self-expandable metal stent placement for severe malignant stenosis of the gastric body: a case report.

Introduction: Advanced gastric carcinoma often decreases quality of life because of upper gastrointestinal tract stenosis. Self-expandable metal stents have been thought to be an effective, minimally invasive treatment for stenosis. However, the effectiveness of self-expandable metal stent placement for carcinomatous stenosis of the gastric body and antrum has not been clarified, and there have been few reports of such cases.

Computed tomographic lymphography predicts the difficulty of sentinel lymph node biopsy with dye.

Background: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been a method of choice for treating breast cancer. Computed tomographic lymphography (CT-LG) provides a view of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) with the detailed lymphatic anatomy preoperatively, and the SLN is easily identified during SLNB. In this article, we examined the usefulness of CT-LG to predict the difficulty of SLNB with the dye method.

[Myocardial metastasis from renal cell carcinoma treated with sorafenib].

We present a case of myocardial metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) during the treatment with sorafenib. A 63-year-old male, who had undergone right radical nephrectomy, received interferon-alpha (IFN), interleukin (IL-2) and 5-flurouracil (5-FU) for the treatment of lung and pleural metastases. However, since this metastasis showed progressive disease, we administered sorafenib.

Significance of combination therapy of zoledronic acid and gemcitabine on pancreatic cancer.

In the present study, we examined the cytotoxic effects of combination therapy with zoledronic acid (ZOL) and gemcitabine (GEM) on pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Four human pancreatic cancer cell lines were treated with ZOL, GEM or a combination of both, and the effects of the respective drug regimens on cell proliferation, invasion and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression were examined. A pancreatic cancer cell line was also intrasplenically or orthotopically implanted into athymic mice and the effects of these drugs on tumor metastasis and growth in vivo were evaluated by histological and immunohistochemical analyses.

[A long-term survivor case with good quality of life due to biliary bypass and gemcitabine for advanced pancreatic cancer].

A 54-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of upper abdominal pain and anorexia. Physical examination revealed jaundice, and abdominal CT demonstrated a pancreatic mass and dilatation of bile duct. The patient was operated with the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Novel bactericidal surface: Catechin-loaded surface-erodible polymer prevents biofilm formation.

We developed a novel bactericidal surface based on a catechin-loaded surface-erodible polymer. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg), which is the main constituent of tea catechins, showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli biofilm formation and a dose-dependent enhanced destructive effect on biofilm. EGCg-immobilized surfaces were prepared by photopolymerization of liquid biodegradable polyesters.

New infusion device for trans-tissue, sustained local delivery of anticancer agent to surgically resected tissue: potential use for suppression of local recurrence of pancreatic cancer.

Local recurrence is a major cause of death of patients who have undergone resection for pancreatic cancer. To reduce the incidence of local recurrence, a new drug-infusion device, which is fixed on resected tissues immediately after surgery, was devised for trans-tissue, sustained local delivery. The drug-infusion device proposed here has the following functions: tight adhesion of the device on resected tissues, sustained drug infusion to the tissue, drug reloading, and easy removal from the body after use.

Novel strategic therapeutic approaches for prevention of local recurrence of pancreatic cancer after resection: trans-tissue, sustained local drug-delivery systems.

Local recurrence and hepatic metastasis are still the major causes of death of patients who have undergone resection for pancreatic cancer. To decrease the incidence of local recurrence, we have proposed and devised several trans-tissue and local delivery systems, all of which could be applied immediately after surgery at the resected sites: (1) System I: a drug-loaded photocured gelatinous tissue-adhesive gel (bioactive substance reservoir) that enables the sustained release of a drug, protein, or gene-encoding adenovirus, (2) System II: an anti-cytokine antibody-fixed photocured gelatinous, tissue-adhesive gel (cytokine barrier) that prevents cytokine permeation into the resected tissue, (3) System III: a gene-modified cell sheet that enables the sustained release of a very costly protein produced by gene-transduced cells and (4) System IV: a percutaneous drug-delivery device that enables continuous drug infusion and easy removal from the body. This review article is a summary of our several years of efforts and attempts, which are composed of integrated disciplines including active biomaterials and genetic- and tissue-engineerings, to overcome the recurrence of pancreatic cancer.

Confocal imaging of biofilm formation process using fluoroprobed Escherichia coli and fluoro-stained exopolysaccharide.

We developed a novel method of evaluating biofilm architecture on a synthetic material using green fluorescent protein-expressing Escherichia coli and red fluorescence staining of exopolysaccharides. Confocal laser scanning microscopy observation revealed the time course of the change in the in situ three-dimensional structural features of biofilm on a polyurethane film without structural destruction: initially adhered cells are grown to form cellular aggregates and secrete exopolysaccharides. These cells were spottily distributed on the surface at an early incubation time but fused to form a vertically grown biofilm with incubation time.

Trans-tissue, sustained release of gemcitabine from photocured gelatin gel inhibits the growth of heterotopic human pancreatic tumor in nude mice.

Purpose: Although gemcitabine, a deoxycytidine analogue, recently demonstrated improvements in the response rate for pancreatic cancer, the median survival for patients is limited to 4-6 months. The purpose of the present study was to develop trans-tissue delivery of gemcitabine, which is based on photocured gelatin gel immobilized with gemcitabine, and to validate whether such a system inhibits the growth of the pancreatic tumor in vivo.

Experimental Design: The in vitro release profile of gel-embedded gemcitabine from a gel was examined based on in vitro chemosensitivity of AsPC1 cell (human pancreatic cancer cell line) for gemcitabine.

Benign mediastinal teratoma complicated by cardiac tamponade: report of a case.

We present herein the case of a 48-year-old woman with a benign mediastinal teratoma that had been followed up for 3 years, who developed acute cardiac tamponade. The patient had initially undergone an exploratory sternotomy, at which time the tumor was histologically diagnosed as a benign mature teratoma that could not be resected due to its severe, wide adhesion to the surrounding organs. However, following the development of cardiac tamponade, both sternotomy and right intercostal thoracotomy were employed, and the tumor could be excised with cardiopulmonary bypass standby.

A large inflammatory polyp of the gallbladder masquerading as gallbladder carcinoma.

An inflammatory polyp of the gallbladder is a rare variant of benign gallbladder polyp. Differentiation between an inflammatory polyp and polypoid gallbladder carcinoma is difficult when the polyp is more than 1 cm in diameter. We report a rare case of a large inflammatory polyp of the gallbladder masquerading as gallbladder carcinoma in a 37-year-old Japanese woman who was incidentally diagnosed with a large gallbladder polyp, measuring 1 cm in diameter, by ultrasonography.