Pharyngeal cancer surveillance using narrow band imaging during conventional upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that narrow band imaging (NBI) is useful for detecting superficial pharyngeal cancer. Nevertheless, pharyngeal observation is not a routine practice during upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. Two aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of pharyngeal observation during upper GI endoscopy and to determine the prevalence of pharyngeal cancer in asymptomatic high-risk patients.

Conditioned mesenchymal stem cells produce pleiotropic gut trophic factors.

Background: Although mounting evidence implicates mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in intestinal tissue repair, controversy remains regarding the engraftment, proliferation, and differentiation for repopulating MSCs in recipient tissues. Therefore, we investigated the paracrine and/or endocrine role of MSCs in experimental colitis.

Methods: We analyzed the therapeutic effects of MSC-conditioned medium (MSC-CM) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)- or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis.

Linkage between coenzyme a metabolism and inflammation: roles of pantetheinase.

Pantetheinase is an enzyme hydrolyzing pantetheine, an intermediate of the coenzyme A degradation pathway. Pantetheinase has long been considered as the enzyme that recycles pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) generated during coenzyme A breakdown. Genetic analyses showed that mammals have multiple genes known as vanin family genes.

Characteristics of Japanese inflammatory bowel disease susceptibility loci.

Background: There are substantial differences in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) genetics depending on the populations examined. We aimed to identify Japanese population-specific or true culprit susceptibility genes through a meta-analysis of past genetic studies of Japanese IBD.

Methods: For this study, we reviewed 2,703 articles.

[Bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion and severe basilar artery stenosis in a patient with fibromuscular dysplasia: a case report].

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a non-atherosclerotic, non-inflammatory arterial disease of unknown etiology. We report a 26-year-old woman who presented with transient ischemic attack (TIA) due to bilateral internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion and severe basilar artery stenosis, as FMD was diagnosed by a biopsy specimen of right ICA. Imaging investigations included magnetic resonance angiography and catheter angiogram without characteristic "string of beads" pattern, before reaching a definitive diagnosis by pathologist.

Awake video-thoracoscopic surgery for intractable pneumothorax in pregnancy by using a single portal plus puncture.

A 31-year old female patient in the ninth week of pregnancy complained of chest pain and dyspnoea. The patient had experienced an episode of spontaneous pneumothorax on the left side at the age of 20 and had undergone chest tube drainage. Her medical history was unremarkable and she had no history of smoking.

Study of prolonged administration of lanthanum carbonate in dialysis patients.

Data of 36 months were accumulated regarding the effects of lanthanum carbonate (LA) on serum phosphate concentrations in dialysis patients. Fifty-three patients (average age and dialysis history 58.4 years and 9.

Collision tumors of hepatocellular carcinoma and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.

We report a case of synchronous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MM-per). A 56-year-old man with no past history of asbestos exposure, chronic viral hepatitis, or alcoholic liver injury was admitted to our hospital with left flank pain and abdominal tumor. Partial hepatectomy, splenectomy, partial diaphragm resection, and partial gastrectomy were performed.

[An autopsy case of unresectable colon cancer who developed lung injury by cetuximab].

We report the case of a woman in her 60s with unresectable advanced colon cancer. After the first course of cetuximab as second-line therapy, she had developed drug-induced lung injury. Steroid pulse therapy had been ineffective, and she died of respiratory failure on day 9.

STIM1-regulated Ca2+ influx across the apical and the basolateral membrane in colonic epithelium.

In nonexcitable cells, store-operated Ca(2+) entry is the most important pathway for influx of extracellular Ca(2+) serving as a second messenger in the cytoplasm. The present study investigated the expression, localization and polar distribution of two key components of store-operated Ca(2+) entry identified, e.g.

Hyperferritinemia after adult allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: quantification of iron burden by determining non-transferrin-bound iron.

Iron overload is a common complication in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We studied the prevalence of iron overload using serum ferritin from 122 allogeneic HCT survivors who had survived a median of 1259 (range 134-4261) days. We also quantified iron overload by determining non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI), which reflects iron overload more directly than ferritin, and compared the results with those of the ferritin assay.

[Modified FOLFOX6(mFOLFOX6)in metastatic colorectal carcinoma patients with poor performance status].

Because mFOLFOX6 has few contraindications, it is useful for poor performance status(PS)cases. However, in Japan, there are some reports that the dose is reduced easily. We retrospectively examined the safety/usefulness of the full dose mFOLFOX6(first-line)for advanced colon cancer patients with poor PS.

[A complete response of scirrhous gastric carcinoma treated with trastuzumab combination therapy].

Trastuzumab is the first molecular-target medicine for gastric cancer in acknowledgment of the effectiveness and safety in a randomized controlled trial for the HER2-positive gastric cancer. The HER2-positive rate of gastric cancer tends to be high for a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. We report a case of HER2-positive scirrhous gastric carcinoma we treated, for whom a complete response was obtained by trastuzumab combination therapy.

Involvement of reactive oxygen species in sonodynamically induced apoptosis using a novel porphyrin derivative.

In this study, we investigated the induction of apoptosis by ultrasound in the presence of the novel porphyrin derivative DCPH-P-Na(I). HL-60 cells were exposed to ultrasound for up to 3 min in the presence and absence of DCPH-P-Na(I), and the induction of apoptosis was examined by analyzing cell morphology, DNA fragmentation, and caspase-3 activity. Reactive oxygen species were measured by means of ESR and spin trapping technique.

Shaped crystal growth of langasite-type piezoelectric single crystals and their physical properties.

We have grown shape-controlled langasite-type crystals by the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method. Columnar shaped La(3)Ta(0.5)Ga(5.

Shape-controlled crystal growth of Sr3NbGa3Si2O14 and Sr3TaGa3Si2O14 piezoelectric crystals by the micro-pulling-down method.

We grew column-shaped Sr(3)NbGa(3)Si(2)O(14) (SNGS) and Sr(3)TaGa(3)Si(2)O(14) (STGS) langasite-type piezoelectric single crystals by the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method. 3-mm-diameter SNGS and STGS crystals were grown using a Pt-Rh crucible with a 3-mm-diameter columnar die. According to X-ray rocking curve measurements, the grown crystals had crystallinity equivalent to that of crystals grown by the Czochralski (Cz) method.

Esophagectomy using a thoracoscopic approach with an open laparotomic or hand-assisted laparoscopic abdominal stage for esophageal cancer: analysis of survival and prognostic factors in 315 patients.

Unlabelled: Survival and prognostic factors were analyzed in 315 patients with esophageal cancer undergoing thoracoscopic-assisted esophagectomy (TAE). The 5-year survival rate of 57.8% was satisfactory, indicating the oncological feasibility of TAE.

[Right lower lobectomy with flap bronchoplasty for primary lung cancer].

A 59-year-old man was referred to our hospital for further investigation of an abnormal chest shadow. A chest computed tomography( CT) revealed a tumor shadow originating in the superior segment( S6)of the right lower lobe. Bronchoscopy showed no visible tumor, but adenocarcinoma cells were detected in brush cytology samples.

Results of chemoradiotherapy for stage I esophageal cancer in medically inoperable patients compared with results in operable patients.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate long-term results of chemoradiotherapy for clinical T1b-2N0M0 esophageal cancer and to compare outcomes for operable and inoperable patients. Patients with stage I esophageal cancer (Union for International Cancer Control [UICC] 2009), excluding patients with cT1a esophageal cancer, were studied. All patients had histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma.

A prospective randomized split-mouth study on pain experience during chairside archwire manipulation in self-ligating and conventional brackets.

Objective: To investigate patient discomfort during archwire engagement and disengagement in patients treated with self-ligating and conventional brackets using a split-mouth design.

Materials And Methods: Eighteen consecutive patients (15 female, 3 male; age: 22.2 ± 6.

Midline correction by asymmetric reciprocal torque: a pilot study.

Objective: Can we correct dental midline discrepancies by systematic torque bends on all canines and premolars without extraction and mesiodistal tooth movement?

Patients And Methods: Eight orthodontic patients (4 males, 4 emales, mean age 31 years) presented a dental midline discrepancy of 2-4 mm, moderate deviation of the chin, no skeletal asymmetry, and a horizontal orientation of the occlusal plane in the frontal aspect. On the side where the mandible was shifted medially, asymmetric torque bends moved the antagonist canine and both premolar crowns buccally, while palatal crown torque was used on the maxillary canine and premolars on the other side. Lingual crown torque corrected the medially shifted canine and premolars in the mandibular dental arch, and buccal crown torque the laterally shifted lower canine and premolars.

Validation of the multiple sensor mechanism of the Keap1-Nrf2 system.

The Keap1-Nrf2 system plays a critical role in cellular defense against electrophiles and reactive oxygen species. Keap1 possesses a number of cysteine residues, some of which are highly reactive and serves as sensors for these insults. Indeed, point mutation of Cys151 abrogates the response to certain electrophiles.

[Thymic carcinoid associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1].

We report a case of a thymic carcinoid associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1( MEN-1). A 37-year-old man was referred to our hospital for further examination of an abnormal chest shadow. A chest computed tomography (CT) showed an anterior mediastinal mass measuring 6.

Epitaxial crystal growth and solid-state polymerization of piperonyl muconate on the {001} surface of KCl crystal for controlling polymer chain alignment.

We investigated the crystal growth of piperonyl (E,E)-muconate [bis(3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl) (E,E)-muconate, MDO] on inorganic crystalline substrates during vapor deposition for the control of polymer chain alignment by the subsequent solid-state photopolymerization of the MDO monomer thin films deposited on the substrate. We controlled the arrangement of the MDO molecules and the polymer chains produced on the substrate, depending on the lattice parameters of the substrate surfaces used. The epitaxial crystal growth of MDO on the {001} plane of a KCl single crystal was observed under the condition that the crystal lattice lengths of MDO agreed well with the specific space distance of the substrate; i.

Long-term results of radiochemotherapy for solitary lymph node metastasis after curative resection of esophageal cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and toxicity of definitive radiochemotherapy for solitary lymph node metastasis after curative surgery of esophageal cancer.

Methods And Materials: We performed a retrospective review of 35 patients who underwent definitive radiochemotherapy at Tohoku University Hospital between 2000 and 2009 for solitary lymph node metastasis after curative esophagectomy with lymph node dissection for esophageal cancer. Radiotherapy doses ranged from 60 to 66 Gy (median, 60 Gy).