Clinical benefit of switching from paclitaxel to docetaxel or vice versa in cutaneous angiosarcoma patients resistant to first taxane chemotherapy.

Cutaneous angiosarcoma (CAS) is a rare soft-tissue sarcoma of vascular endothelial origin. Paclitaxel (PTX) and docetaxel (DTX) are used as systemic chemotherapy; however, chemoresistance often occurs in CAS. Switching one taxane to the other (i.

Skull metastases from extramammary Paget's disease emerging 8 years after initial treatment with no local progression: illustrative case.

Background: The foci of distant metastasis from extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) are the lung, liver, truncal bones, vertebrae, and brain. However, skull metastases have not been reported.

Observations: The authors treated a patient with calvarial and skull base metastases from EMPD who had undergone wide local resection of EMPD 8 years before, and they report his clinical course.

Hydrophilic Shell Matrix Proteins of and the Identification of a Core Set of Conchiferan Domains.

Despite being a member of the shelled mollusks (Conchiferans), most members of extant cephalopods have lost their external biomineralized shells, except for the basally diverging Nautilids. Here, we report the result of our study to identify major Shell Matrix Proteins and their domains in the Nautilid in order to gain a general insight into the evolution of Conchiferan Shell Matrix Proteins. In order to do so, we performed a multiomics study on the shell of , by conducting transcriptomics of its mantle tissue and proteomics of its shell matrix.

Safety and Efficacy of FIT039 for Verruca Vulgaris: A Placebo-Controlled, Phase I/II Randomized Controlled Trial.

Trial Design: Human papillomavirus infection causes verruca vulgaris. CDK9 inhibitor FIT039 inhibits DNA virus proliferation in animal models. We conducted a multicenter, single-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized phase I/II clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of FIT039 against verruca vulgaris.

Deciphering deterministic factors of predation pressures in deep time.

Predation pressure occurs as a result of predation frequency and prey vulnerability. Although quantifying these factors individually is essential to precisely understand predation effects on evolution, they have been generally less accessible. Here, using a modified form of Poisson function, we quantified the frequencies and vulnerabilities, as well as the resulting predation pressures, concerning the shell drillers versus prey interactions from the Eocene and Miocene periods.

Insights into the Evolution of Shells and Love Darts of Land Snails Revealed from Their Matrix Proteins.

Over the past decade, many skeletal matrix proteins that are possibly related to calcification have been reported in various calcifying animals. Molluscs are among the most diverse calcifying animals and some gastropods have adapted to terrestrial ecological niches. Although many shell matrix proteins (SMPs) have already been reported in molluscs, most reports have focused on marine molluscs, and the SMPs of terrestrial snails remain unclear.

False-positive serology following intravenous immunoglobulin and plasma exchange through transfusion of fresh frozen plasma in a patient with pemphigus vulgaris.

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and plasma exchange through transfusion of fresh frozen plasma are therapeutic options for patients with refractory pemphigus vulgaris. Passive acquisition of various clinically important antibodies through these therapies can occur, leading to false serology and negatively affecting patients' clinical care. It is recommended that dermatologists recognize the possibility of these phenomena and interpret them appropriately.

An in-silico genomic survey to annotate genes coding for early development-relevant signaling molecules in the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata.

The pearl oyster Pinctada fucata has great potential as a model system for lophotrochozoan developmental biology research. Pinctada fucata is an important commercial resource, and a significant body of primary research on this species has emphasized its basic aquaculture biology such as larval biology and growth, aquaculture, pearl formation and quality improvement, shell formation, and biomineralization. Recently, a draft genome sequence of this species was published, and many experimental resources are currently being developed, such as bioinformatics tools, embryo and larva manipulation methods, gene knockdown technique, etc.

[Long-term follow-up of ofloxacin-combined therapy for leprosy patients].

This reports a long-term follow-up study on clinical effects of ofloxacin (OFLX)-combined therapy to 14 leprosy patients with various types and stages. Combined drugs were diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS), rifampicin (RFP) and clofazimine. Clinical evaluation of the treatment after OFLX-combined therapy was remarkable improvement 10 cases, improvement 3 and re-exacerbated after improvement 1 to whom clofazimine and minocycline were prescribed.

Isolation, cloning, and characterization of a novel phosphomannan-binding lectin from porcine serum.

Mannan-binding protein (MBP) is a C-type serum lectin that is an important constituent of the innate immune defense because it activates the complement system via the lectin pathway. While the pig has been proposed to be an attractive source of xenotransplantable tissues and organs, little is known about porcine MBP. In our previous studies, phosphomannan, but not mannan, was found to be an effective inhibitor of the C1q-independent bactericidal activity of newborn piglet serum against some rough strains of Gram-negative bacteria.

MR imaging of lymph nodes in the head and neck.

This article reviews imaging-based nodal classification, recent advancements in MR imaging techniques for lymph node imaging, and characteristics of MR imaging for necklymphadenopathy. Further technical development of MR imaging is necessary to improve accuracy of diagnosis of lymph node metastases in patients with no head and neck cancer. Development of new tissue-specific MR contrast agents and functional imaging studies to address biologic activity of lymph nodes is essential in the future.

Strategies for sperm chemotaxis in the siphonophores and ascidians: a numerical simulation study.

Chemotactic swimming behaviors of spermatozoa toward an egg have been reported in various species. The strategies underlying these behaviors, however, are poorly understood. We focused on two types of chemotaxis, one in the siphonophores and the second in the ascidians, and then proposed two models based on experimental data.

Paramagnetic effect of supplemental oxygen on CSF hyperintensity on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MR images.

Background And Purpose: Oxygen has a known paramagnetic effect and increases CSF signal intensity on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MR images. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effect of supplemental oxygen on CSF signal intensity and the arterial partial pressure of oxygen and to determine the possible synergistic effect of oxygen and albumin on T1 shortening effect in vitro.

Methods: Six healthy volunteers underwent FLAIR MR imaging of the brain before and during inhalation of 10 to 15 L/min of 100% oxygen for < or = 30 min.

MR imaging of lymph nodes in the head and neck.

This article reviews imaging-based nodal classification, recent advancements in MR techniques for lymph node imaging, and characteristics of MR imaging for neck lymphadenopathy. Further technical development of MR imaging is necessary to improve accuracy of lymph node metastases in patients with N0 neck. Development of new tissue-specific MR contrast agents and functional imaging studies to address biologic activity of lymph nodes are essential in the future.

Store-operated calcium channel regulates the chemotactic behavior of ascidian sperm.

The sperm-activating and -attracting factor released from the eggs of the ascidians Ciona intestinalis and Ciona savignyi requires extracellular Ca(2+) for activating sperm motility and eliciting chemotactic behavior of the activated sperm toward the egg. Here, we show that modulators of the store-operated Ca(2+) channel, SK&F96365, Ni(2+), 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborane, and thapsigargin inhibit the chemotactic behavior of the ascidian sperm; on the other hand, blockers of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels did not inhibit the chemotaxis, even though they inhibited the sperm activation operated by voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels. The blockers of store-operated Ca(2+) channels also inhibited the asymmetrical flagellar beating and turning movements of the ascidian sperm, which are typical signs of sperm chemotaxis.