Enhanced expression of neopterin in valve tissue of bicuspid aortic stenosis.

Background: Aortic valve stenosis (AS) occurs in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients at a relatively young age compared to tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) patients. However, the underlying cause of this phenomenon remains unknown. Neopterin, which is a by-product of the guanosine triphosphate (GTP) pathway, enhances the oxidative potential of reactive oxygen species.

5'‑isomiR is the most abundant sequence of miR‑1246, a candidate biomarker of lung cancer, in serum.

MicroRNA (miRNA/miR) 5'‑isoforms (5'‑isomiRs) differ from canonical sequences registered in the microRNA database in the length of their 5' ends. The 'seed sequence' of miRNAs that bind to target mRNAs is 2‑8 nucleotides from the 5' end; thus, shifts at the 5' end can cause a 'seed shift'. Accumulating data from miRNA deep sequencing have revealed that, in a substantial number of miRNAs, sequences corresponding to specific isomiRs, not the canonical form, are the most abundant.

A rare case of recurrent ovarian cancer with gene rearrangement: A case report.

gene fusion is rare in gynecological cancer. Entrectinib is a novel targeted drug, which is a potent inhibitor of TRK A, B and C. The present case report described a case of recurrent ovarian cancer with rearrangement, which was detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and treated with entrectinib.

Successful Management of Platinum-resistant Ovarian Cancer by Weekly Nedaplatin Followed by Olaparib: Three Case Reports.

Background: Treatment for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer is difficult and challenging because available chemotherapeutic agents only offer short survival improvements. The efficacy of re-treatment with platinum-based agents including nedaplatin for platinum-resistant patients has not been fully investigated.

Case Report: We describe herein three cases of heavily treated platinum-resistant ovarian cancer that were successfully treated with weekly nedaplatin followed by olaparib.

Successful management of preoperatively diagnosed torsion of a subserosal uterine fibroid by pneumoperitoneum laparoscopic single-port surgery.

Objective: Preoperative diagnosis and successful management of acute torsion of a subserosal fibroid by using appropriate imaging modalities and single-port laparoscopic surgery.

Case Report: A 44-year-old nulliparous woman presented with lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging with contrast enhancement revealed a tumor in the pouch of Douglas with a low contrast at the center and thin-rim enhancement.

Pelvic Exenteration as Potential Cure and Symptom Relief in Advanced and Recurrent Gynaecological Cancer.

Background/aim: Pelvic exenteration is a radical procedure for certain advanced or recurrent gynaecological cancers, performed with curative or palliative intent. Its validity has evolved as operative mortality and morbidity have improved. This surgery was evaluated to determine the validity of these claims.

Neointimal coverage after second generation drug-eluting stent implantation has a relationship with pre-existing atherosclerotic lesion characteristics.

The relationship between preexisting atherosclerotic lesion characteristics and neointimal thickness after second-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) placement is still unknown. Thus, we evaluated that relationship using optical coherence tomography (OCT).A single-center, retrospective, observational study was conducted.

Serum levels of candidate microRNA diagnostic markers differ among the stages of non-small-cell lung cancer.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising markers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Numerous studies evaluating miRNAs as markers for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been conducted in recent years; however, the majority of candidate markers proposed via individual studies were inconsistent and no marker miRNAs for the diagnosis of early stage NSCLC have been established. In the present study, miR-145, miR-20a, miR-21 and miR-223, which were previously reported as candidate diagnostic markers of NSCLC, were re-evaluated.

Neopterin and Cardiovascular Events Following Coronary Stent Implantation in Patients with Stable Angina Pectoris.

Aim: Neopterin is an activation marker for monocytes/macrophages. We prospectively investigated the predictive value of plasma neopterin levels on 2-year and long-term cardiovascular events in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) undergoing coronary stent implantation.

Methods: We studied 123 consecutive patients with SAP who underwent primary coronary stenting (44 patients with bare metal stent: BMS group and 79 with drug-eluting stent: DES group).

Identification of miR-305, a microRNA that promotes aging, and its target mRNAs in Drosophila.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of important biological processes. Here, we describe a novel Drosophila miRNAs involved in aging. We selected eight Drosophila miRNAs, displaying high homology with seed sequences of aging-related miRNAs characterized in other species, and investigated whether the over-expression of these miRNAs affected aging in Drosophila adult flies.

Enhanced expression of natriuretic peptide receptor A and B in neutrophils of culprit lesions in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Natriuretic peptides and their specific receptors have been suggested to have regulatory effects on smooth muscle cell (SMC) growth and inflammatory cell reactions. However, the roles of natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPR‑A) and B (NPR‑B) in unstable plaques remain to be studied in detail. Frozen sections from 82 coronary artery segments were used.

Relationship between tissue Doppler measurements of left ventricular diastolic function and silent brain infarction in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Left ventricular (LV) diastolic function assessed by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is reported to be associated with left atrial (LA) blood stasis in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of diastolic TDI parameters with silent brain infarction (SBI) on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and in turn the risks of subsequent stroke or dementia, in non-valvular AF patients.

Methods And Results: The study population consisted of 171 neurologically asymptomatic patients with non-valvular AF who underwent transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) (128 men; mean age, 63 ± 11 years).

Serum Mac-2 binding protein is a novel biomarker for chronic pancreatitis.

Aim: To determine the efficacy of Mac-2 binding protein (Mac-2bp) for diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.

Methods: Fifty-nine healthy volunteers (HV), 162 patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), and 94 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were enrolled in this study. We measured serum Mac-2bp using our developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.

Specific increase in serum core-fucosylated haptoglobin in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Background/objectives: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has the worst prognosis of all malignancies, and its diagnosis in early stages is the most important prognostic factor. Chronic pancreatitis (CP), a common background of PDAC occurrence, is morphologically defined as progressive pancreatic fibrosis and inflammation accompanied by pancreatic exocrine cell atrophy. We recently found that inflammation and fibrosis are independent characteristic histological changes in noncancerous lesions in PDAC patients despite the absence of a past history of clinical CP.

Predictors of silent brain infarction on magnetic resonance imaging in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: A transesophageal echocardiographic study.

Background: Silent brain infarction (SBI) is often found in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and may be related to cognitive decline. We investigated the predictors of SBI on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with nonvalvular AF.

Methods: The study population consisted of 103 neurologically asymptomatic patients with nonvalvular AF who underwent TEE before transcatheter AF ablation (76 men; mean age 63 ± 10 years).

[Vascular Calcification - Pathological Mechanism and Clinical Application - . The significance of arterial calcification in unstable plaques].

Plaque rupture or erosion with subsequent thrombus formation is the principal mechanism underlying the sudden onset of acute coronary syndromes. Plaque inflammation and increased oxidative stress play important roles in the pathogenesis of plaque destabilization. Macrophages, T lymphocytes, and neutrophils are the dominant types of inflammatory cells at human coronary unstable plaques, such as ruptured plaques or eroded plaques.

Relationship between CHADS2 score and complex aortic plaques by transesophageal echocardiography in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

The CHADS2 score is widely used for risk stratification of thromboembolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Although the correlation of CHADS2 score with left atrial (LA) abnormality as detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been reported in previous studies, the relationship between CHADS2 score and complex aortic plaque, which is also a significant risk factor for thromboembolism, has not been fully investigated. We assessed aortic plaques by TEE in 150 patients age ≥ 55 y with NVAF.

Enhanced expression of hemoglobin scavenger receptor and heme oxygenase-1 is associated with aortic valve stenosis in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

A high prevalence and a rapid progression of aortic valve stenosis (AS) in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) has been reported. In these circumstances, intraleaflet hemorrhage of aortic valve may be related to the development of AS in HD patients. We immunohistochemically examined the relationship among intraleaflet hemorrhage, neovascularization, hemoglobin scavenger receptor (CD163), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) using surgically resected aortic valve specimens from AS patients undergoing HD.

Relationship between oxidative stress and aortic valve stenosis in humans: an immunohistochemical study.

Background: Oxidative stress contributes to plaque formation and the destabilization of coronary atherosclerotic lesions. It has been reported that disease processes and clinical risk factors of aortic valve stenosis (AS) are similar to those of atherosclerosis. In this study, we immunohistochemically examined the expression of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), an oxidative stress-related molecule, by using surgically resected aortic valve specimens from AS patients.

Myeloperoxidase and progression of aortic valve stenosis in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Currently, there is an increased incidence of aortic valve stenosis (AS) in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), though the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a leukocyte-derived enzyme that catalyzes the formation of reactive oxygen species and is an index of oxidative stress. The study aim was to examine, immunohistochemically, the expression of MPO, using surgically resected aortic valve specimens from AS patients undergoing HD.