Estrogen signaling ability in human endometrial cancer through the cancer-stromal interaction.

The estrogen pathway plays an important role in the etiology of human endometrial carcinoma (EC). We examined whether estrogen biosynthesis in the tumor microenvironment promotes endometrial cancer. To examine the contribution of stromal cells to estrogen signaling in EC, we used reporter cells stably transfected with the estrogen response element (ERE) fused to the destabilized green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene.

Anaplastic ganglioglioma arising from a Lhermitte-Duclos-like lesion. Case report.

The authors report the case of a 7-year-old boy with a history of developmental delay who presented with aggressive behavior. A magnetic resonance (MR) image showed a mass lesion originating from the cerebellar vermis with an atypical folial pattern and contrast enhancement. Histologically, the subtotally resected specimen consisted mostly of neuropil with nodular foci of ganglion cells.

Novel method for bulla detection with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in patients with spontaneous pneumothorax.

Detection of bullae is usually performed during lung inflation with an inspiratory hold in collaboration with anesthetists (conventional method). One cause leading to recurrent pneumothorax is failure to detect the position and extent of bullae under the conventional method. We herein present a novel method for detecting bullae under negative intrathoracic pressure, enabling exploration in the narrow cupola space without lung inflation.

Glycyrrhizin inhibits interleukin-8 production and nuclear factor-kappaB activity in lung epithelial cells, but not through glucocorticoid receptors.

This study was designed to examine the glucocorticoid-like inhibitory effect of glycyrrhizin (GL) on interleukin (IL)-8 production in A549 lung epithelial cells. GL, as well as dexamethasone (DEX) inhibited both tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha- and IL-1beta-induced IL-8 production, mRNA expression, and promoter activity in A549 cells. Both GL and DEX inhibited transactivation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, without inhibiting translocation of the NF-kappaB p65 subunit to the nucleus.

Redetermination of the perovskite-type compound YRh(3)B revealing a Rh deficiency.

In contrast with previous structural studies of ytterbium trirhodium boride, YbRh(3)B, that suggest a boron deficiency, the current redetermination of the crystal structure of YbRh(3)B revealed instead a rhodium deficiency with a refined composition of YbRh(2.67 (2))B. In the ABX(3) perovskite-type structure, Yb, B and Rh are located on the A, B and X positions, respectively, with site symmetries of mm for the A and B sites, and 4/mm.

Selectivity and recovery performance of phosphate-selective molecularly imprinted polymer.

A phosphate-selective molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared using 1-allyl-2-thiourea as a functional monomer, and the binding ability and selectivity of the polymer were evaluated. The imprinted polymer showed high binding ability to and selectivity for phosphate in aqueous media. The recoverability of phosphate from the imprinted polymer was also examined, and nearly 70% of highly concentrated phosphate could be recovered.

Multicenter phase II trial of neoadjuvant exemestane for postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive, operable breast cancer: Saitama Breast Cancer Clinical Study Group (SBCCSG-03).

This multicenter phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of 4 months of neoadjuvant exemestane in 44 postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and/or progesterone receptor-positive, stage II to IIIB breast cancer measuring >or=3 cm. Pathological response was assessed by a central review board using response criteria proposed by the Japanese Breast Cancer Society. Clinical response [complete or partial response (PR)] was assessed by caliper, mammography, or ultrasound.

Immunohistochemical expression of apoptosis regulating proteins and sex hormone receptors in meningiomas.

Meningiomas are well known to be responsive to estrogen/progesterone stimulation, and their expression of estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) has been documented. On the other hand, there are several reports studying expression of apoptosis-regulating proteins (ARPs) and its significance in meningiomas. However, very limited published information exists on the exact relation among sex hormone receptor status, apoptosis, proliferation index (PI), and histological grade in meningiomas.

Perinatal bile acid metabolism: bile acid analysis of meconium of preterm and full-term infants.

Background: Our purpose was to evaluate the metabolism of bile acids in the fetus by analyzing the bile acid composition of meconium of preterm (less than 30 weeks' gestational age) and full-term infants and comparing the results with the bile acid composition of feces of preterm and full-term infants 6 days after delivery.

Methods: The concentrations of individual bile acids were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after solvolysis and hydrolysis of bile acid conjugates.

Results: In meconium, the main bile acids were chenodeoxycholic and hyocholic acids.

Absorption spectrum of surface-bound cap-shaped gold particles.

A surface-adsorbed monolayer of cap-shaped gold particles upon submicrometer-sized polystyrene spheres exhibits pronounced absorption in the visible region. When the surrounding refractive index was altered by immersion in a fluid, the direction of the shift in the absorption spectrum was dependent on the incidence angle of the irradiation. When a thiol molecule, known to adsorb selectively on gold upon polystyrene, was added, the resultant shift in the absorption spectrum's peak was consistently toward longer wavelengths.

Brain tissue microarrays in neurodegenerative diseases: validation of methodology and immunohistochemical study of growth-associated protein-43 and calretinin.

A tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed using 47 neurodegenerative diseases (NDD), including Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 30) and non-AD NDD (n = 17), and from seven controls. For validation of the methodology, the following three immunostains were used. Tau and beta-amyloid-related pathologies were more significantly recognized in tauopathies/AD compared to non-tauopathies/controls, and these results were comparable to the assessment of the whole brain sections.

Current trends of sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer--a surgeon's perspective.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is standard care for patients with early-stage breast cancer, and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is considered unnecessary when sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) are tumor-free. Additional non-SLN metastasis in patients with positive SLNs can be estimated using several risk factors such as primary tumor size, metastatic tumor size in SLNs, lymphatic vessel invasion, and so on. All patients with positive SLNs may be treated with further ALND based on their own risk for non-SLN metastasis.

Significance and problems of histopathological examination and utility of real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction method for the detection of sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has become a common procedure for breast cancer patients. Many reported feasibility studies have revealed a high identification (95.4% of 2,125 cases) and accuracy rate on histopathological analysis (94% frozen and 97% paraffin).

A diagnostic support tool for lumbar spinal stenosis: a self-administered, self-reported history questionnaire.

Background: There is no validated gold-standard diagnostic support tool for LSS, and therefore an accurate diagnosis depends on clinical assessment. Assessment of the diagnostic value of the history of the patient requires an evaluation of the differences and overlap of symptoms of the radicular and cauda equina types; however, no tool is available for evaluation of the LSS category. We attempted to develop a self-administered, self-reported history questionnaire as a diagnostic support tool for LSS using a clinical epidemiological approach.

Fine needle aspiration of poorly defined indurated and well-defined breast lesions: a cytopathologic comparative study.

Objective: To compare the cytologic findings and diagnoses of breast fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples of well-defined lesions (WDL) with those of poorly defined indurated lesions.

Study Design: We examined 371 consecutive breast FNA specimens obtained without diagnostic image guidance. Fifty-eight lesions were described by the examining pathologists as PDILs, and the remaining 313 lesions were described as WDLs.

Calcified vestibular schwannoma in the cerebellopontine angle.

Although vestibular schwannoma is a common tumor in the cerebellopontine angle, calcified vestibular schwannoma is rare. A 59-year-old woman with sudden onset epileptic seizures, was referred to Hokkaido Neurosurgical Memorial Hospital. Neurological examination revealed left Bruns nystagmus, left deafness and left cerebellar ataxia.

[Risk factors of recurrence in resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer].

We reviewed risk factors of recurrence in resected pathological stage I non-small cell lung cancer (I NSCLC). Objective is 229 complete resected I NSCLC in our department. Risk factors of recurrence were carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), histology, differentiation, lymphatic invasion, blood vessel invasion, pleural invasion and tumor size.

Intestinal anisakidosis (anisakiosis).

A case of intestinal anisakidosis in a 42-year-old man in Japan is presented. His chief complaint was an acute onset of severe abdominal pain. Approximately 12 hours before the onset of this symptom, he had eaten sliced raw mackerel ("sashimi").

External cervical resorption associated with traumatic occlusion and pyogenic granuloma.

This report describes a rare situation in which external cervical resorption was associated with gingival enlargement (pyogenic granuloma) in the upper left central incisor (tooth 21) in a 28-year-old man. Tissue from the lesion was examined histopathologically; periodontal, endodontic and restorative treatments were performed; and the occlusal disharmony, which had resulted in traumatic occlusion, was corrected. Three years after these treatments, the gingiva is normal and healthy and there is no sign of recurrence of the pathologic enlargement.

Intraoperative cytologic diagnosis of symptomatic carcinoma (pulmonary small cell carcinoma) metastatic to the pituitary gland: a case report.

Background: Carcinoma metastatic to the pituitary gland is infrequent and has been reportedly detected in approximately 1% of pituitary surgical cases. It may masquerade as a pituitary adenoma both clinically and radiologically.

Case: A 49-year-old man presented with a 1-month history of severe headache, diplopia and blurred vision.

The prevalence of intrinsic subtypes and prognosis in breast cancer patients of different races.

A recent report indicated that a high prevalence of basal-like breast tumors (estrogen receptor [ER]-negative, progesterone receptor [PR]-negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor [HER] 2-negative, and cytokeratin 5/6-positive and/or HER1-positive) could contribute to a poor prognosis in African American women with breast cancer. It has been reported that Japanese women with breast cancer have a significantly better survival rate than other races in the USA. These findings suggest that breast cancers in Japanese women have favorable biological characteristics.

Expression of oligodendroglial differentiation markers in pilocytic astrocytomas identifies two clinical subsets and shows a significant correlation with proliferation index and progression free survival.

The growth pattern of pilocytic astrocytoma (PAs) is unpredictable. Gene expression profiling has recently demonstrated an inverse relationship between myelin basic protein (MBP) expression and progression free survival (PFS) in PAs. We present here the pattern of expression of oligodendroglial differentiation markers (ODMs) in PAs by immunohistochemistry and their correlation with PI and PFS.