Pearls & Oy-sters: Cognitive and Affective Dysfunction Caused by a Small Cerebellar Hemangioblastoma.

The primary function of the cerebellum is the coordination and regulation of movement; therefore, cerebellar tumors usually present with ataxia, dysarthria, and vertigo. Large tumors also cause elevated intracranial pressure that may lead to a disturbance of consciousness. Furthermore, it has become increasingly evident that the cerebellum plays a substantial role in cognitive and affective processing.

Impact of comorbidities on oncological outcomes of Japanese patients with high grade soft tissue sarcomas.

Background: Considering the invasiveness of standard multidisciplinary approaches used for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma, including surgery with wide margins, intensive chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, evaluation of comorbidities in high-grade soft tissue sarcoma patients is essential. Several previous studies have reported the impact of comorbidities on the survival of soft tissue sarcoma patients. Patient health status differs between nationalities or ethnic groups and only limited data has been reported with respect to the impact of comorbidities on Japanese soft tissue sarcoma patients.

Association of Dermatomyositis Sine Dermatitis With Anti-Nuclear Matrix Protein 2 Autoantibodies.

Importance: Reports on dermatomyositis (DM) sine dermatitis (DMSD) are scarce, and the concept of the disease has not been widely accepted.

Objective: To confirm the existence of DMSD, determine its prevalence, and characterize its serologic features.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This is a cohort study that reviewed clinical information, laboratory data, and muscle pathology slides from January 2009 to August 2019.

Calreticulin as A Novel Potential Metastasis-Associated Protein in Myxoid Liposarcoma, as Revealed by Two-Dimensional Difference Gel Electrophoresis.

Myxoid liposarcoma (MLS) is a mesenchymal malignancy. To identify innovate seeds for clinical applications, we examined the proteomes of primary tumor tissues from 10 patients with MLS with different statuses of postoperative metastasis. The protein expression profiles of tumor tissues were created, and proteins with differential expression associated with postoperative metastasis were identified by two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and mass spectrometry.

Clinical significance of the tail-like pattern in soft-tissue sarcomas on magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: An infiltrating abnormal signal around soft-tissue tumors along the fascial, neurovascular, or musculature plane on magnetic resonance imaging (T2-weighted, gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted, or short-tau inversion recovery) is recognized as the "tail-like pattern". The tail-like pattern was intensively analyzed in myxofibrosarcoma, but not in other sarcomas. We aimed to answer some key questions about the tail-like pattern such as its incidence and effect on oncological outcomes.

Preoperative Ultrasonographic Evaluation for Malignancy of Soft-Tissue Sarcoma: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Ultrasonography is useful for distinguishing between benign and malignant soft-tissue tumors. However, no study has focused on its usefulness in the differential diagnosis between low-grade and high-grade soft-tissue sarcomas. We conducted a retrospective study to determine the usefulness of the parameters of ultrasonograph and to develop a practical scoring system for distinguishing between high-grade and low-grade sarcomas.

Preoperative evaluation of intraoperative blood loss during malignant soft tissue tumor resection by ultrasonography.

Background: Preoperative evaluation of the risk of surgery-related blood loss in malignant soft tissue tumor resection is difficult because of wide variations in histological subtype, malignancy, location, and size. Ultrasonography is useful for the evaluation of blood flow around a soft tissue tumor and has the potential to preoperatively estimate intraoperative blood loss in tumor resection. To date, there has been no report regarding blood loss evaluation using ultrasonography in this field.

Vertebral Artery Stump Syndrome.

Carotid stump syndrome is a well-documented embolic source for ischemic stroke. However, few cases have been reported of a similar condition - termed vertebral artery stump syndrome - which affects the posterior circulation after vertebral artery origin occlusion. We herein report a case of infarction of the right superior cerebellar artery and left posterior inferior cerebellar artery territories due to vertebral artery stump syndrome.

Differential diagnosis between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors utilizing ultrasound parameters.

Purpose: Preoperative discrimination between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors is critical for the prevention of excess application of magnetic resonance imaging and biopsy as well as unplanned resection. Although ultrasound, including power Doppler imaging, is an easy, noninvasive, and cost-effective modality for screening soft tissue tumors, few studies have investigated reliable discrimination between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors.

Methods: To establish a modality for discrimination between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors using ultrasound, we extracted the significant risk factors for malignancy based on ultrasound information from 40 malignant and 56 benign pathologically diagnosed soft tissue tumors and established a scoring system based on these risk factors.

Development of Stemness in Cancer Cell Lines Resistant to the Anticancer Effects of Zoledronic Acid.

Background: Drug resistance is closely related to cancer cell stemness, that is acquired along with resistance to various anticancer agents. However, this has not been investigated as a potential mechanism underlying cancer cell resistance to zoledronate, that is used to suppress bone metastasis.

Materials And Methods: Zoledronate-resistant A549 lung cancer and MG63 osteosarcoma cell lines were established by repeated treatment with sub-lethal concentrations of zoledronate.

D-dimer Level Changes During Systemic Chemotherapy Can Predict Prognosis of High-grade Musculoskeletal Sarcoma Patients.

Background/aim: Plasma D-dimer levels have been known to be associated with tumor progression; we, therefore, investigated whether the D-dimer levels during preoperative systemic chemotherapy can be prognostic indicators in patients with high-grade musculoskeletal sarcoma.

Patients And Methods: We investigated 28 cases of high-grade sarcomas, and evaluated the utility of D-dimer levels for preoperative evaluation of the effects of systemic chemotherapy.

Results: Among the candidate parameters determined based on D-dimer levels at several time-points of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and several oncological outcomes, the plasma D-dimer level completion of the second course of chemotherapy and the ratio of plasma D-dimer levels at completion of preoperative chemotherapy to the level of plasma D-dimer on referral, could significantly predict patient prognosis (p=0.

[A case of cerebellar brainstem form of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy associated with idiopathic CD4+ lymphocytopenia].

A 77-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia. T2-weighted MRI showed high signal intensity in the left upper dorsal pons and bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles. JC virus (JCV) DNA was detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Analysis of the risk factors for febrile neutropenia in patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma.

Background: Although systemic chemotherapy is inevitably selected as the modality of treatment for high-grade bone and soft tissue sarcoma (BSTS), limited information is available regarding febrile neutropenia (FN).

Patients And Methods: FN incidence, blood culture results and risk factors were analyzed in 35 patients with high-grade BSTS.

Results: FN occurred in 51% of the patients and 24% of the courses of systemic chemotherapy.

Unplanned resection of a soft tissue sarcoma: clinical characteristics and impact on oncological and functional outcomes.

Background: Over the past three decades, several studies have reported worse outcomes with unplanned resection for malignant soft tissue tumors. However, the impact of these studies on preventing unnecessary unplanned resection remains unknown.

Methods: In a retrospective survey on the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas, we compared cases of unplanned resection with cases of planned resection in terms of the properties of unplanned resection and the oncological and functional outcomes.

D-dimer levels in the differential diagnosis between lipoma and well-differentiated liposarcoma.

Background: Lipoma and well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLS) are two representative lipogenic soft tissue tumors that have similar clinical, radiological, and pathological characteristics. Accordingly, it is difficult to distinguish these tumors preoperatively. Plasma D-dimer levels are associated with the status of tumor progression, and we hypothesized that D-dimer levels could contribute to differential diagnosis.

[Cross-reactivity of Instant-View M-1 for detection of benzodiazepine-related drugs and their metabolites in urine].

Immunoassays are useful methods for the determination of regulated drugs in clinical and forensic laboratories. Although the Instant-View M-1 (IV M-1) immunoassay kit is frequently used to screen drugs in laboratories in Japan, basic information about the IV M-1 such as its specificity and reactivity is not available. In this study, we determined the specificity and cross-reactivity of IV M-1 for the detection of benzodiazepine-related drugs and their metabolites in urine.

Lung cancer cell line sensitivity to Zoledronic acid is BAX-dependent.

Background: Zoledronate (Zol), an anti-osteoclastic and anticancer drug, is used to control bone metastasis in several cancer types, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the mechanisms behind Zol resistance in NSCLC are unclear.

Materials And Methods: Zol-resistant cell lines were developed by repeated treatment of A549 and H1650 NSCLC cell lines with Zol.

Proteomic approach toward personalized sarcoma treatment: lessons from prognostic biomarker discovery in gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

Sarcomas range from curable tumors to those causing death via metastasis and recurrence. Thus, there is an urgent need for biomarker identification in order to assess the degree of malignancy, predict prognosis, and evaluate possible therapies. Various proteomic approaches and different clinical materials have been used to this end, and candidate biomarkers have been reported for the different types of sarcomas.

[Anti-Ma2, anti-NMDA-receptor and anti-GluRε2 limbic encephalitis with testicular seminoma: short-term memory disturbance].

A 36-year-old man presented with cognitive impairment and disturbance of short-term memory functions with character change. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed no abnormalities; however, brain MRI revealed high-signal intensity from bilateral hippocampus lesions on fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images and T(2) weighted images. The 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET demonstrated high glucose uptake in the bilateral hippocampus lesions.

Surgical site infection in malignant soft tissue tumors.

Background: Postoperative wound complications, including surgical site infections, which frequently occur in the course of management of musculoskeletal sarcomas, sometimes necessitate repeat surgeries, including amputation, and may result in a prolonged healing time, prolonged hospital stay, or fatal outcome. A comprehensive understanding of surgical site infections associated with specific diseases is needed to reduce the risk.

Methods: This series comprised 84 patients with malignant soft tissue tumors treated at our institute.

D-dimer levels as a prognostic factor for determining oncological outcomes in musculoskeletal sarcoma.

Background: Plasma d-dimer levels have been associated with the status of tumor progression or oncological outcomes in cancer. Although there are many evidences suggesting the involvement of procoagulant trend in musculoskeletal sarcoma, no clinical data on d-dimer levels and oncological outcome of musculoskeletal sarcoma has been reported.

Methods: In this study, we included a total of 85 patients who were diagnosed with musculoskeletal sarcoma and treated at our institute.

Venous thromboembolism in the management of patients with musculoskeletal tumor.

Background: Although patients with musculoskeletal tumors are at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), few detailed studies on the incidence, clinical course, and risk factors of this condition have been reported.

Methods: A total of 299 patients with musculoskeletal tumors during the preceding 3 years were enrolled. D-dimer (DD) levels on admission and on postoperative days 1, 7, and 14 were routinely assessed.