Risk factors for cervical lymph node metastasis in endoscopically resected superficial hypopharyngeal cancers.

Objective: Hypopharyngeal cancer is a head and neck cancer with a poor prognosis, and most cases show metastases on diagnosis. Cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis is a poor prognostic factor in hypopharyngeal cancer patients. The identification of risk factors for LN metastasis can help guide surgical treatment strategies for these patients.

[A case of early cystic duct carcinoma concomitant with xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC)].

We reported a case of early cystic duct carcinoma concomitant with xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC). This case was a 72-year-old man in whom thickening of the gallbladder wall was pointed out an abdominal ultrasonography and elevation of the CA19-9 level was detected at a local clinic. Endoscopic ultrasonography and CT demonstrated a mass in the cystic duct.

Effects of intracellular and extracellular concentrations of Ca2+, K+, and Cl- on the Na+-dependent Mg2+ efflux in rat ventricular myocytes.

Intracellular Mg2+ concentration ([Mg2+]i) was measured in rat ventricular myocytes with the fluorescent indicator furaptra (25 degrees C). After the myocytes were loaded with Mg2+, the initial rate of decrease in [Mg2+]i (initial Delta[Mg2+]i/Deltat) was estimated upon introduction of extracellular Na+, as an index of the rate of Na+-dependent Mg2+ efflux. The initial Delta[Mg2+]i/Deltat values with 140 mM [Na+]o were essentially unchanged by the addition of extracellular Ca2+ up to 1 mM (107.

Effects of membrane potential on Na+ -dependent Mg2+ extrusion from rat ventricular myocytes.

To study Mg2+ transport across the cell membrane, the cytoplasmic concentration of Mg2+ ([Mg2+](i)) in rat ventricular myocytes was measured with the fluorescent indicator furaptra (mag-fura-2) under Ca2+ -free conditions (0.1 mM EGTA) at 25 degrees C. The fluorescence ratio signal of furaptra was converted to [Mg2+](i) using calibration parameters previously estimated in myocytes (Watanabe and Konishi, Pflügers Arch 442: 35-40, 2001).