Progressive HIV-associated Cholangiopathy in an HIV Patient Treated with Combination Antiretroviral Therapy.

We herein describe a case of progressive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated cholangiopathy despite normalization of laboratory parameters, which had indicated liver dysfunction, after the initiation of combined anti-retroviral therapy (cART). HIV-associated cholangiopathy remains important as a differential diagnosis of bile duct disorders, although it is considered to be a rare disease in the era of cART. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography could thus be a powerful tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of this disease.

Short-term surgical outcomes from a phase III study of laparoscopy-assisted versus open distal gastrectomy with nodal dissection for clinical stage IA/IB gastric cancer: Japan Clinical Oncology Group Study JCOG0912.

Backgrounds: No confirmatory randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated the efficacy of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) compared with open distal gastrectomy (ODG). We performed an RCT to confirm that LADG is not inferior to ODG in efficacy.

Methods: We conducted a multi-institutional RCT.

AP-SKAT: highly-efficient genome-wide rare variant association test.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have revealed associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and phenotypes such as disease symptoms and drug tolerance. To address the small sample size for rare variants, association studies tend to group gene or pathway level variants and evaluate the effect on the set of variants. One of such strategies, known as the sequential kernel association test (SKAT), is a widely used collapsing method.

Recovery from Choriocarcinoma Syndrome Associated with a Metastatic Extragonadal Germ Cell Tumor Hemorrhage.

A germ cell tumor is the most common form of malignancy in early male life, and can be classified as either seminomatous or nonseminomatous. Choriocarcinoma, comprised of nonseminomatous germ cells, is the most aggressive type of germ cell tumor and characteristically metastasizes to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes and less frequently to the lungs, liver, bone or brain [Shibuya et al., 2009;48: 551-554].

Clinical response to liposomal doxorubicin and rituximab in HHV-8-associated multicentric Castleman's disease in an HIV-positive patient.

We report a patient with HIV-associated multicentric Castleman's disease who had recurrent human herpesvirus-8 viremia associated with intermittent febrile exanthema and lymphadenopathy. Although the patient relapsed after single-agent treatment with liposomal doxorubicin, weekly infusions of rituximab led to complete remission even though the reactivation of the Kaposi's sarcoma was unfortunately observed. Rituximab could not only eliminate the accumulation of HHV-8 load but also play a part in the modulation of dysregulated CD20-positive B cells in HIV-associated multicentric Castleman's disease.

Late recurrence of breast carcinoma metastasis to the hypopharynx: a case report.

Background: We report a rare case of a patient with a hypopharyngeal metastasis from breast cancer.

Case Presentation: Isolated breast cancer metastasis to the hypopharynx has been previously reported in only one autopsy case. Herein, we report a 56-year-old woman with metastases to the hypopharynx almost 24 years after receiving a mastectomy and chemotherapy to treat primary breast carcinoma.

Primary combined small and squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx: A case report.

We herein report a very rare case of combined small-cell carcinoma (SmCC) of the hypopharynx, with a squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) element. A 74-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of throat pain and hoarseness. On hypopharyngoscopy, a tumor was identified in the right anterior wall of the piriform sinus and, following examination of a biopsy sample, the lesion was diagnosed as SqCC.

Chylous leakage from a remaining duplicated left-sided thoracic duct after esophagectomy successfully treated by ligation of the left-sided thoracic duct with left-sided video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with the patient in the prone position.

A 69-year-old man who had undergone an esophagectomy was diagnosed with chylous leakage on postoperative day 2, and his pleural effusion output gradually increased daily. On postoperative day 6, intranodal lymphangiography using lipiodol demonstrated chylous leakage from branches of an incomplete duplicated left-sided thoracic duct; it also indicated successful ligation of the right-sided thoracic duct at initial operation. After lymphangiography, the chylous leakage did not heal and remained uncontrollable.

Abnormal Expressions of DNA Glycosylase Genes NEIL1, NEIL2, and NEIL3 Are Associated with Somatic Mutation Loads in Human Cancer.

The effects of abnormalities in the DNA glycosylases NEIL1, NEIL2, and NEIL3 on human cancer have not been fully elucidated. In this paper, we found that the median somatic total mutation loads and the median somatic single nucleotide mutation loads exhibited significant inverse correlations with the median NEIL1 and NEIL2 expression levels and a significant positive correlation with the median NEIL3 expression level using data for 13 cancer types from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. A subset of the cancer types exhibited reduced NEIL1 and NEIL2 expressions and elevated NEIL3 expression, and such abnormal expressions of NEIL1, NEIL2, and NEIL3 were also significantly associated with the mutation loads in cancer.

Prognostic value of aberrant promoter hypermethylation of tumor-related genes in early-stage head and neck cancer.

Staging and pathological grading are useful, but imperfect predictors of recurrence in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Accordingly, molecular biomarkers that predict the risk of recurrence are necessary to improve clinical outcomes. The methylation statuses of the promoters of 11 tumor-related genes (p16, RASSF1A, E-cadherin, H-cadherin, MGMT, DAPK, DCC, COL1A2, TAC1, SST, and GALR1) were analyzed in 133 HNSCC cases using quantitative methylation-specific PCR.

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognostic Factors of Patients with Siewert Type II Esophagogastric Junction Carcinoma: A Retrospective Multicenter Study.

Background: The incidence of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) carcinoma is increasing, but its optimal surgical management remains controversial.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the database of 400 patients with Siewert type II EGJ carcinoma who were treated surgically at 7 institutions between March 1986 and October 2010. We examined the clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic factors, and risk factors associated with each recurrence pattern.

The effect of ventilation tube insertion or trans-tympanic silicone plug insertion on a patulous Eustachian tube.

Conclusions This study suggests that long-term ventilation tube insertion is the first-choice surgical treatment for a 'sniff-type' patulous Eustachian tube (PET). When treating a refractory PET, it is important to determine whether the patient had a habitual sniff. Objectives PET patients were divided into two groups: patients with a habitual sniff (sniff-type PET) and those without a habitual sniff (non-sniff-type PET).

Necessary circumferential resection margins to prevent rectal cancer relapse after abdomino-peranal (intersphincteric) resection.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the adequate circumferential resection margin (CRM) for abdomino-peranal (intersphincteric) resection (ISR) that would prevent the relapse of rectal cancers.

Methods: The records of 41 cases that underwent curative ISR for rectal cancer were retrospectively reviewed. The relapse-free survival rates and overall survival rates were evaluated and correlated with the maximum depth of the inner muscularis layer reached during ISR (i.

Progressive internal landmark registration for surgical navigation in laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

Purpose: A surgical navigation system supports the comprehension of anatomical information during surgery. Patient-to-image registration is the alignment process between CT volume and patient coordinate systems. Achieving accurate registration in the surgical navigation of laparoscopic surgery is very challenging due to soft tissue deformation.

Ultraviolet photochemical reaction of [Fe(III)(C2O4)3](3-) in aqueous solutions studied by femtosecond time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy using an X-ray free electron laser.

Time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy was performed for aqueous ammonium iron(III) oxalate trihydrate solutions using an X-ray free electron laser and a synchronized ultraviolet laser. The spectral and time resolutions of the experiment were 1.3 eV and 200 fs, respectively.

Pneumoperitoneum simulation based on mass-spring-damper models for laparoscopic surgical planning.

Laparoscopic surgery, which is one minimally invasive surgical technique that is now widely performed, is done by making a working space (pneumoperitoneum) by infusing carbon dioxide ([Formula: see text]) gas into the abdominal cavity. A virtual pneumoperitoneum method that simulates the abdominal wall and viscera motion by the pneumoperitoneum based on mass-spring-damper models (MSDMs) with mechanical properties is proposed. Our proposed method simulates the pneumoperitoneum based on MSDMs and Newton's equations of motion.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery in gastric cancer patients with extensive lymph node metastasis.

Gastric cancer with extensive lymph node metastasis (ELM) is usually considered unresectable and is associated with poor outcomes. Cases with clinical enlargement of the para-aortic lymph nodes and/or bulky lymph node enlargement around the celiac artery and its branches are generally dealt with as ELM. A standard treatment for gastric cancer with ELM has yet to be determined.

Adequate Margins to Prevent Local Re-recurrence of Rectal Cancer: Viewpoint of Pathological Findings.

Background: A sufficient surgical margin is critical for preventing re-recurrence and achieving R0 status after resection of a local recurrence of rectal cancer (LRRC).

Patients And Methods: Re-recurrence-free survival was analyzed in 110 cases of LRRC according to histological type of primary lesion. The circumferential resection margin (CRM) was classified as 'R1' (x=0 μm), 'R0 shortness' (0 μm View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Epigenetic inactivation of galanin and GALR1/2 is associated with early recurrence in head and neck cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of galanin (GAL) and galanin receptor (GALR) promoter hypermethylation in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The methylation status of three genes-GAL, GALR1, and GALR2 was examined in HNSCC patient tumors using quantitative methylation-specific PCR (Q-MSP). To determine the prognostic value of GAL, GALR1 and GALR2 methylation status, their associations with various clinical characteristics and patient survival were assessed in HNSCC patient tumors (n = 142).

Clinical application of a surgical navigation system based on virtual laparoscopy in laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

Purpose: Knowledge of the specific anatomical information of a patient is important when planning and undertaking laparoscopic surgery due to the restricted field of view and lack of tactile feedback compared to open surgery. To assist this type of surgery, we have developed a surgical navigation system that presents the patient's anatomical information synchronized with the laparoscope position. This paper presents the surgical navigation system and its clinical application to laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

PAFFT: A new homology search algorithm for third-generation sequencers.

DNA sequencers that can conduct real-time sequencing from a single polymerase molecule are known as third-generation sequencers. Third-generation sequencers enable sequencing of reads that are several kilobases long. However, the raw data generated from third-generation sequencers are known to be error-prone.

A delayed-onset rectourethral fistula after intersphincteric resection for very low rectal cancer: a case report and literature review.

Rectourethral fistula is one of the complications that can occur after prostatectomy in the urologic discipline. However, a delayed-onset rectourethral fistula after intersphincteric resection (ISR) for low rectal cancer is extremely rare. Here, we report one such case in a 57-year-old man.