[A very elderly case of advanced gastric cancer with disseminated carcinomatosis of bone marrow and multiple bone metastasis, diagnosed by extremely elevated serum alkaline phosphatase levels, and treated with low-dose S-1 to avoid disseminated intravascular coagulation].

We report an 87-year-old woman who was admitted to our hospital due to anemia and extremely elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels. We diagnosed advanced gastric cancer with disseminated carcinomatosis of the bone marrow and multiple bone metastasis. She was immediately treated with low-dose S-1 (50mg/body, p.

Hepatitis C-related cirrhosis with sustained prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence by long-term administration of super-low-dose peginterferon-alpha 2b.

A 78-year-old male who experienced multiple recurrences of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and ablation and survived for more than 10 years. His serum HCV RNA level was 2.8 log IU/ml and the serotype of HCV was 2.

Age-dependent eradication of Helicobacter pylori in Japanese patients.

Aim: To determine the general risk factors affecting the failure rate of first-line eradication therapy in Japanese patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.

Methods: The present study enrolled 253 patients who had an H.

Survivin is expressed in early hepatocellular carcinoma and surrounding hepatitis tissue.

It has been suggested that survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, is an attractive novel target for anticancer therapy. The present study investigated the expression of survivin during the early stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and associated hepatitis, and attempted to elucidate how this expression is correlated with clinicopathological factors. Twenty-two patients (15 men and 7 women) underwent a liver tissue biopsy for the diagnosis of HCC.

Serum type IV collagen level is predictive for esophageal varices in patients with severe alcoholic disease.

Aim: To determine factors predictive for esophageal varices in severe alcoholic disease (SAD).

Methods: Abdominal ultrasonography (US) was performed on 444 patients suffering from alcoholism. Forty-four patients found to have splenomegaly and/ or withering of the right liver lobe were defined as those with SAD.

Survivin expression in early hepatocellular carcinoma and post-treatment with anti-cancer drug under hypoxic culture condition.

Aim: To investigate the expression of survivin during the early stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Immunohistochemical expression of survivin in liver tumor and non-tumor tissue specimens taken from 17 patients was compared. In addition, to determine the survivin expression in response to anti-cancer drugs in early stage HCC, the survivin expression was determined after the treatment of the HCC cells with anti-cancer drugs under hypoxic culture conditions.

Useful detection of CD147 (EMMPRIN) for pathological diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma in needle biopsy samples.

Aim: To make clear whether CD147 (EMMPRIN) expression in pathological tumor samples with a fine-needle aspiration biopsy is useful for pathological diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Twenty-two patients (15 men and 7 women; median age 68 years, range 56-81 years) underwent a liver tissue biopsy in order to make a diagnosis of HCC. Paraffin-embedded liver biopsy tissue samples from 22 patients were stained with anti-CD147 antibody, murine monoclonal antibody 12C3 (MAb12C3) for immunohistochemical analysis.

Conformational change in the active center region of GST P1-1, due to binding of a synthetic conjugate of DXR with GSH, enhanced JNK-mediated apoptosis.

Treatment of cells with a synthetic conjugate of DXR with GSH via glutaraldehyde (GSH-DXR) caused cytochrome c to be released from the mitochondria to the cytosol following potent activation of caspase-3 and -9 by typical DNA fragmentation. This apoptosis was regulated by the JNK-signaling pathway. In the present experiment, binding of GSH-DXR to GST P1-1 allosterically led to the disappearance of its enzyme activity and activated the kinase activity of JNK without dissociation of the JNK-GST P1-1 complex.

Interferon monotherapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C and normal serum aminotransferase levels at commencement of treatment.

Background: Approximately 30% of patients with chronic hepatitis C have normal serum alanine amino transferase (ALT) levels. While interferon (IFN) monotherapy is approved for patients with chronic hepatitis C infection, the effectiveness of such therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with normal ALT levels at commencement of treatment remains poorly understood.

Methods: Ninety-four individuals (M/F, 54 : 40; median age, 46 years) with normal ALT levels (< 50 IU/l) at the commencement of treatment who were positive for both anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) and serum HCV-RNA were studied.