[CA19-9 Producing Gastric Cancer with Early Recurrence of Multiple Colon Metastases Following Gastrectomy-A Case Report].

A 90-year-old male underwent total gastrectomy for gastric cancer 10 months earlier. The cancer was pathologically diagnosed as Stage ⅢA. Preoperative serum CA19-9 level was as high as 1,326 U/mL, but quickly decreased after surgery.

[Long-Term Survival in a Patient with Combined Hepatocellular-Cholangiocarcinoma Treated with Multidisciplinary Therapy - A Case Report].

The patient was a woman in her 50's. She went to the hospitalfor epigastric discomfort. Numerous hypovascular tumors spreading almost to the entire liver were detected via abdominal CT.

The morphogenesis-related NDR kinase pathway of Colletotrichum orbiculare is required for translating plant surface signals into infection-related morphogenesis and pathogenesis.

Plant infection by pathogenic fungi involves the differentiation of appressoria, specialized infection structures, initiated by fungal sensing and responding to plant surface signals. How plant fungal pathogens control infection-related morphogenesis in response to plant-derived signals has been unclear. Here we showed that the morphogenesis-related NDR kinase pathway (MOR) of the cucumber anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare is crucial for appressorium development following perception of plant-derived signals.

[Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1(MEN1)Presenting with Hypoglycemic Attacks - A Case Report].

A woman in her 60s visited our hospital because of frequent hypoglycemia and episodes of unconsciousness over the last 6 years. A 4 cm tumor was detected on the pancreatic tail using abdominal computed tomography and ultrasonography. An insulinoma was strongly suspected from the results of the fasting test and glucagon load test, and a distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed.

[Gastric Cancer Diagnosed with Metastasis of the Navel(Sister Mary Joseph's Nodule) - A Case Report].

A woman in her 60s was admitted to our hospital with pain and induration of the navel. She was diagnosed with gastric cancer with metastasis to the navel and underwent total gastrectomy and navel extraction. Because disseminated nodules were detected in the Douglas pouch and sigmoid colon, sigmoidectomy was performed to prevent bowel obstruction.

[Successful Placement of Self-Expandable Metallic Stent for Malignant Gastrojejunostomy Obstruction Following Pancreatoduodenectomy - A Case Report].

A man in his 50 s, who had undergone subtotal stomach-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy with modified Child's reconstruction for pancreatic cancer 8 months back, was hospitalized because of vomiting and difficulty in feeding.Radiological and endoscopic studies revealed a malignant obstruction of the gastrojejunostomy site due to peritoneal recurrence of the cancer.Although a self-expandable metallic stent(SEMS)was placed in the anastomotic site, it slipped back into the stomach 3 days later.

Observational cohort study focused on treatment continuity of patients administered XELOX plus bevacizumab for previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: There has been remarkable progress in systemic chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer due to the widespread use of irinotecan, oxaliplatin, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody, and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody. It is important to continue treatment with the optimal combination of these drugs and prolong progression-free survival (PFS) to improve overall survival (OS). We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of 40 patients treated with XELOX plus bevacizumab for previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer to investigate treatment continuity.

Effects of macroporous hydroxyapatite carriers on the growth and function of human hepatoblasts derived from fetal hepatocytes.

Improvement of three-dimensional (3D) culture conditions, including substrates for cell growth, is needed for various cell-based applications. In this study, we developed hydroxyapatite (HAp) macroporous carriers having several pore size distributions and tried to obtain the findings about the effective pore sizes for the growth and function of hepatoblasts derived from human fetal hepatocytes. Cellular CYP3A4 activity was significantly enhanced when 20% HAp macroporous carrier was used, reaching 1.

[Adjuvant Surgery for Initially Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer following Gemcitabine and S-1 Chemotherapy--A Case Report].

A man in his 60s was admitted with obstructive jaundice. A hypovascular tumor, 55 mm in diameter, was detected in the pancreas head on imaging. The superior mesenteric vein showed severe stenosis bilaterally and the roots of all branches were invaded by the tumor.

[Surgical treatment for gall bladder cancer with a confluence stone-a case report].

The patient was a 71-year-old man. In September 2011, he experienced abdominal pain with high fever. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) diagnosed acute cholecystitis with a confluence stone (corlette classification type II).

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spores host bacteria that affect nutrient biodynamics and biocontrol of soil-borne plant pathogens.

The aim of this research was to isolate and characterize bacteria from spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). We designated these bacteria 'probable endobacteria' (PE). Three bacterial strains were isolated from approximately 500 spores of Gigaspora margarita (Becker and Hall) using a hypodermic needle (diameter, 200 μm).

Cell sheet technology for regeneration of esophageal mucosa.

The progress of tissue-engineering technology has realized development of new therapies to treat various disorders by using cultured cells. Cell- and tissue-based therapies have been successfully applied to human patients, and several tissue-engineered products have been approved by the regulatory agencies and are commercially available. In the review article, we describe our experience of development and clinical application of cell sheet-based regenerative medicine.

Phytochemicals to suppress Fusarium head blight in wheat-chickpea rotation.

Fusarium diseases cause major economic losses in wheat-based crop rotations. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) in wheat and rotation crops, such as chickpea, may negatively impact pathogenic Fusarium. Using the headspace GC-MS method, 16 VOC were found in greenhouse-grown wheat leaves: dimethylamine, 2-methyl-1-propanol, octanoic acid-ethyl ester, acetic acid, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, nonanoic acid-ethyl ester, nonanol, N-ethyl-benzenamine, naphthalene, butylated hydroxytoluene, dimethoxy methane, phenol, 3-methyl-phenol, 3,4-dimethoxy-phenol, 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethyethyl)-phenol, and 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane; and 10 VOC in field-grown chickpea leaves: ethanol, 1-penten-3-ol, 1-hexanol, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, trans-2-hexen-1-ol, trans-2-hexenal, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 3-methyl-benzaldehyde and naphthalene.

Probing force-induced unfolding intermediates of a single staphylococcal nuclease molecule and the effect of ligand binding.

Single-molecule manipulation techniques have given experimental access to unfolding intermediates of proteins that are inaccessible in conventional experiments. A detailed characterization of the intermediates is a challenging problem that provides new possibilities for directly probing the energy landscape of proteins. We investigated single-molecule mechanical unfolding of a small globular protein, staphylococcal nuclease (SNase), using atomic force microscopy.

Synthesis of diphenylmethyl analogues and their affinity for the melanocortin-4 receptor and the serotonin transporter.

While examining antagonists of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4 receptor), we found that compound 12b, containing a diphenylmethyl moiety, had a relatively high affinity for the MC4 receptor. When diphenylmethyl analogues were further examined, compounds 12c and 18 were also found to exhibit a high affinity for the MC4 receptor (IC(50)=46.7 nM and 33.

Novel piperazines: potent melanocortin-4 receptor antagonists with anxiolytic-like activity.

In the present study, we found that a novel piperazine compound, 11a, showed a moderate affinity (IC(50)=333nM) for the MC4 receptor. We developed the new type of piperazine compounds and found that mono-piperazine 11b exhibited a high-affinity (IC(50)=40.3nM) for the MC4 receptor.

Structure-activity relationships of novel piperazines as antagonists for the melanocortin-4 receptor.

During the investigation of antagonists for the MC4 receptor, we found that 10ab having a naphthyl group showed almost the same binding affinity for the MC4 receptor as that of the lead compound 1 with a benzoyl group. We also developed a new type of compounds, namely, bis-piperazines, and found that the bis-piperazines 10 exhibited a high affinity for the MC4 receptor. In particular, (-)-10bg exhibited the highest affinity for the MC4 receptor with an IC50 value of 8.

Design and synthesis of 1-(4-benzoylphenyl)imidazole derivatives as new potent 20-HETE synthase inhibitors.

Structural modification of the novel 20-HETE synthase inhibitor 1 (IC(50) 310nM) is described. Introduction of a side chain with a carboxylic acid at the terminal position to 1 resulted in increased ability to inhibit human renal microsomal production of 20-HETE (7c: IC(50) 7.9nM), with good selectivity toward CYP2D6 and cyclooxygenases (COX)-1 and -2.

A new class of chiral pyrrolidine-pyridine conjugate base catalysts for use in asymmetric Michael addition reactions.

Direct catalytic asymmetric Michael addition reactions of ketones to nitroolefins using newly developed chiral pyrrolidine-pyridine conjugate bases as catalysts are described. The desired 1,4-adducts are obtained in excellent yields with high enantio- and diastereoselectivities.

Rapid genetic diagnosis with the transcription-reverse transcription concerted reaction system for cancer micrometastasis.

Background: Detection of cancer micrometastases is required for improvement of cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to establish a rapid and practical genetic assay to detect micrometastasis in gastric cancer and to assess its clinical significance with respect to prognosis.

Methods: A novel RNA amplification system with transcription-reverse transcription concerted reaction (TRC) was introduced for quantitative detection of cancer-specific carcinoembryonic antigen messenger RNA.

An ultrasonic motor driven by the phase-velocity difference between two traveling waves.

This paper presents a new ultrasonic motor in which the rotor rotation speed is locked by the phase-velocity difference between the two traveling waves propagating on the stator and the rotor. First, the unique construction to excite two traveling waves both in the stator and the rotor is described. Then, the operation principle of the present motor is revealed by our careful experiments.

Application of molecular diagnosis for detection of peritoneal micrometastasis and evaluation of preoperative chemotherapy in advanced gastric carcinoma.

Background: In advanced gastric cancer, peritoneal recurrence is the main cause of death after curative surgical resection. The aim of this report was to describe a novel approach for quantitative genetic diagnosis using peritoneal lavage for the identification of patients at high risk for peritoneal recurrence and for evaluation of the clinical response to intraperitoneal chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.

Methods: Nineteen patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent staging laparoscopy and intraperitoneal chemotherapy before surgical resection or systemic chemotherapy between June 1999 and September 2001 were enrolled in this study.

Quantitative molecular diagnosis of peritoneal lavage fluid for prediction of peritoneal recurrence in gastric cancer.

We developed a quantitative multiple-marker RT-PCR assay for sensitive detection of free cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity and examined the significance of this molecular diagnostic technique for detection and prediction of peritoneal dissemination in patients with gastric cancer. Preoperative peritoneal lavage fluid samples obtained from 129 patients with gastric cancer were subjected to RT-PCR assay with primers specific for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin-20 (CK-20), and conventional cytological examination with Papanicolaou staining. The multi-marker RT-PCR assay was positive in 59 of 129 (46%) gastric cancer patients, whereas conventional cytology was positive in only 9 of 129 (7%) patients.

Anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like activities of MCL0129 (1-[(S)-2-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-isopropylpiperadin-1-yl)ethyl]-4-[4-(2-methoxynaphthalen-1-yl)butyl]piperazine), a novel and potent nonpeptide antagonist of the melanocortin-4 receptor.

We investigated the effects of a novel melanocortin-4 (MC4) receptor antagonist,1-[(S)-2-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-isopropylpiperadin-1-yl)ethyl]-4-[4-(2-methoxynaphthalen-1-yl)butyl]piperazine (MCL0129) on anxiety and depression in various rodent models. MCL0129 inhibited [(125)I][Nle(4)-D-Phe(7)]-alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) binding to MC4 receptor with a K(i) value of 7.9 nM, without showing affinity for MC1 and MC3 receptors.

[A case of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix penetrating the urinary bladder].

The patient, an 81-year-old woman, had the chief complaint of macroscopic hematuria. Cystoscopy revealed a bladder tumor, which was determined by biopsy to be mucin-producing adenocarcinoma. Appendiceal carcinoma that invaded the bladder were diagnosed preoperatively by air-contract barium enema and magnetic resonance.