Forefoot and hindfoot kinematics in subjects with medial tibial stress syndrome during walking and running.

Excessive foot pronation during static standing, walking and running has been reported as a contributing factor for the development of medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). The motion of foot pronation consists of hindfoot and forefoot motion. However, no previous studies have investigated forefoot and hindfoot kinematics during walking and running in subjects with MTSS.

Duodenal diverticulitis accompanied by abscess formation treated successfully using an endoscopic nasobiliary drainage catheter: a case report.

Diverticulitis and diverticular abscesses are rare and potentially serious complications of duodenal diverticulum. These conditions often lead to perforation of the diverticulum, necessitating surgical treatment. There have been few reported cases of duodenal diverticulitis with or without perforation treated by endoscopic drainage.

Formulation for Effective Screening and Management of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: Noninvasive NAFLD Management Strategy.

To establish a versatile means for screening and management of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), shear wave velocity was measured in 20 normal controls and 138 consecutive nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) cases. Referencing biochemical properties in 679 healthy volunteers, a formula to distinguish NASH suspects was established and validated in another cohort of 138 histologically proven NAFLD cases. NASH and simple steatosis (SS) suspects were selected based on a plot of shear wave velocity against age.

Value of shear wave velocity measurements for the risk assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma development in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease : HCC risk assessment by VTTQ.

Purpose: To evaluate the value of measuring shear wave velocity evoked by acoustic radiation force impulse (VTTQ) for the risk assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: VTTQ was measured three times in each of the four liver segments in 163 NAFLD patients, including 14 HCC cases; the results were statistically evaluated.

Results: The VTTQ was 3.

A safe and effective dose of cisplatin in hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cisplatin (CDDP) is an anticancer agent that is commonly used in hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to clarify the safe and effective dose of CDDP in HAI for HCC. The hypervascular area was measured in 42 HCCs before and after HAI with CDDP.

Active treatments are a rational approach for hepatocellular carcinoma in elderly patients.

Aim: To determine whether an active intervention is beneficial for the survival of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: The survival of 740 patients who received various treatments for HCC between 1983 and 2011 was compared among different age groups using Cox regression analysis. Therapeutic options were principally selected according to the clinical practice guidelines for HCC from the Japanese Society of Hepatology.

Phase I study of miriplatin combined with transarterial chemotherapy using CDDP powder in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: There is no standard therapeutic procedure for the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with poor hepatic reserve function. With the approval of newly developed chemotherapeutic agent of miriplatin, we have firstly conducted the phase I study of CDDP powder (DDP-H) and miriplatin combination therapy and reported its safety and efficacy for treating unresectable HCC in such cases. To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) for the combination of transarterial oily chemoembolization (TOCE) and transarterial chemotherapy (TAC) using miriplatin and DDP-H for treating unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Successful laparoscopic division of a patent ductus venosus: report of a case.

Patent ductus venosus (PDV) is a rare condition of a congenital portosystemic shunt from the umbilical vein to the inferior vena cava. This report presents the case of an adult patient with PDV, who was successfully treated with laparoscopic shunt division. A 69-year-old male was referred with hepatic encephalopathy.

Formula to predict platelet count after partial splenic arterial embolization in patients with hypersplenism.

Purpose: To establish a formula to guide appropriate embolization volume for postprocedural platelet gain following partial splenic arterial embolization (PSE) for hypersplenism.

Materials And Methods: The hepatic volume (Vh) and splenic volume (Vsp) were measured by using 2-mm-thick computed tomography images before and after PSE in 20 patients with various chronic liver diseases. A formula was derived from the relationship between the platelet count increase ratio (dPlt%) and the organ volumes, which was then evaluated in another cohort.

Identification of cellular genes showing differential expression associated with hepatitis B virus infection.

Aim: To investigate the impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on cellular gene expression, by conducting both in vitro and in vivo studies.

Methods: Knockdown of HBV was targeted by stable expression of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in huH-1 cells. Cellular gene expression was compared using a human 30K cDNA microarray in the cells and quantified by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (qRT-PCR) in the cells, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and surrounding non-cancerous liver tissues (SL).

Multicentric occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Aim: To reveal the manner of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) focusing on multicentric occurrence (MO) of HCC.

Methods: We compared clinicopathological characteristics between patients with and without MO of HCC arising from NASH background. The clinical features were implicated with reference to the literature available.

Shear wave velocity is a useful marker for managing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Aim: To investigate whether a noninvasive measurement of tissue strain has a potential usefulness for management of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Methods: In total 26 patients, 23 NASHs and 3 normal controls were enrolled in this study. NASH was staged based on Brunt criterion.

Clinical advantage of highly sensitive on-chip immunoassay for fucosylated fraction of alpha-fetoprotein in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been widely used as a diagnostic master for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the fucosylated fraction of AFP (AFP-L3) has been reported to be a specific marker for HCC. However, AFP-L3 has not always been reliable in cases with low serum AFP concentrations. Recently, a novel automated immunoassay for AFP-L3, the micro-total analysis system (μ-TAS), has been developed.

Fucosylated fraction of alpha-fetoprotein as a predictor of prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after curative treatment.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of measuring the Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP-L3) for prognostic predictor in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: A total of 477 HCC patients who underwent percutaneous ablative therapy or hepatectomy were enrolled. Overall survival and recurrence-free survival were respectively evaluated retrospectively and prospectively.

Progress toward liver-based gene therapy.

The liver is involved in the synthesis of serum proteins, regulation of metabolism and maintenance of homeostasis and provides a variety of opportunities for gene therapy. The enriched vasculature and blood circulation, fenestrated endothelium, abundant receptors on the plasma membranes of the liver cells, and effective transcription and translation machineries in the hepatocytes are some unique features that have been explored for delivery, and functional analysis, of genetic sequences in the liver. Both viral and non-viral methods have been developed for effective gene delivery and liver-based gene therapy.

Fucosylated fraction of alpha-fetoprotein, L3, as a useful prognostic factor in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with special reference to low concentrations of serum alpha-fetoprotein.

Background: The aim of the present study was to establish L3 fraction before initial treatment as a useful prognostic factor in a prospective fashion in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) where the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was very low.

Methods: From 1990 to 2004, 298 HCC patients in whom L3 could be measured were examined in the present study. Enrolled patients with HCC underwent operation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and percutaneous ablation therapy.

Liver metastasis 30 years after enucleation of the left eyeball for choroidal melanoma.

Here, we report a case of 70-year-old female with metastatic choroidal melanoma in the liver, which was detected 30 years after enucleation of the left eyeball. At first, two hypovascular tumors (4cm and 1cm in diameter) were detected in the liver as high-density areas on plain computed tomography (CT). They were demonstrated as hyper- and hypo-intensity lesions on T1- and T2-weighted image of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), respectively, with superparamagnetic iron oxide uptake.

Increased hTR expression during transition from adenoma to carcinoma is not associated with promoter methylation.

Human telomerase RNA component (hTR) expression, which increases in the majority of cancer cells with an acquisition of telomerase activity, was concomitantly evaluated with methylation status and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression in colorectal cancers and precursor lesions. hTR and hTERT expressions were detected by in situ hybridization and reverse transcription following polymerase chain reaction, respectively, in 15 colonic adenomas, 19 sporadic colonic cancers at various histological stages, and 3 normal colonic mucosa samples. The methylationstatus of hTR was evaluated by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction following restriction endonuclease digestion and direct sequencing.

Inductive effects of dexamethasone on the gene expression of Cbfa1, Osterix and bone matrix proteins during differentiation of cultured primary rat osteoblasts.

Runx2/core binding factor alpha 1 (Cbfa1) and Osterix (Osx) are osteoblast-specific transcription factors essential for the development of a mature osteoblast phenotype and are thought to activate osteoblast marker genes in vivo to produce a bone-specific matrix. Dexamethasone (Dex) is known to be a potent stimulator of osteoblastic differentiation in vitro, however, the exact role is still unclear. To investigate the mechanisms of the stimulation of osteoblastic differentiation by Dex, we evaluated the effects of Dex on proliferation and mineralization as well as on mRNA expression of Cbfa1, Osx and osteoblast marker genes, osteocalcin (OC) and bone sialoprotein (BSP) mRNAs in differentiating foetal rat calvarial cells (FRCC), which were cultured for 35 days in the presence or absence of 10(-7) M Dex.

Interferon can block telomere erosion and in rare cases result in hepatocellular carcinoma development with telomeric repeat binding factor 1 overexpression in chronic hepatitis C.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether IFN therapy for chronic hepatitis C could overcome telomere reduction in the liver, a possible risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development.

Experimental Design: Relative telomeric repeat content (RTC) in the liver was measured before and after IFN therapy in 21 chronic hepatitis C cases. Liver samples were obtained at average intervals of 12, 75, and 32 months in eight complete responders (CRs) and one biochemical responder (BR), four CRs in whom HCC developed after an eradication of hepatitis C virus, and eight nonresponders, respectively.

Sensitive and specific detection of circulating cancer cells in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma; detection of human telomerase reverse transcriptase messenger RNA after immunomagnetic separation.

Purpose: We evaluated whether detection of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA after immunomagnetic separation is useful to detect circulating cancer (CC) cells.

Experimental Design: Two ml of peripheral blood were collected from 55 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 20 cases with chronic liver diseases devoid of cancer, and 20 healthy volunteers. Then 1500 and 500 micro l were subjected to immunomagnetic separations using Ber-EP4 and anti-CD45 antibodies, harvested and supernatant cells were collected as epithelial and nonleukocyte fractions, respectively.

Telomere length variation and maintenance in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Background: Despite the recent discovery of interchromosomal telomere length variation, a role for heterogeneity in telomere maintenance has yet to be established. This study investigated the significance of telomere length variation between chromosomes with respect to the association of cancer progression and telomere length regulation.

Methods: Terminal restriction fragment (TRF) was evaluated in 20 surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma specimens (HCC), corresponding noncancerous liver tissue specimens (NCL), and in 10 liver tissue specimens with chronic liver diseases devoid of cancer (DOC).

In situ localization and in vitro expression of osteoblast/osteocyte factor 45 mRNA during bone cell differentiation.

The in situ localization of osteoblast/osteocyte factor 45 (OF45) mRNA during bone formation has been examined in the rat mandible from embryonic day 14 (E14) up to postnatal 90-day-old Wistar rats. Gene expression was also examined during cell culture not only in primary rat osteoblast-like cells but also in two clonal rat osteoblastic cell lines with different stages of differentiation, ROB-C26 (C26) and ROB-C20 (C20) using Northern blot analysis. The C26 cell is a potential osteoblast precursor cell line, whereas the C20 cell is a more differentiated osteoblastic cell line.