Vertebral hemangiomas are the most common benign lesion of the spine which are often an asymptomatic incidental finding. However, a few hemangiomas are aggressive and characterized by bone expansion and extraosseous extension into the paraspinal and epidural spaces. We report the case of a patient presenting an aggressive vertebral hemangioma causing back pain and bilateral numbness of the legs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer has improved (10%) but remains worse than that for other cancers. Early pancreatic cancer diagnosis is challenging, and delayed diagnosis can delay treatment, which impairs survival. Practitioners do not promptly refer cases to a general hospital, causing delayed discovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cystine/glutamate antiporter (xCT) is a crucial transporter that maintains cellular redox balance by regulating intracellular glutathione synthesis via cystine uptake. However, no robust and simple method to determine the cystine uptake activity of xCT is currently available. We have developed a method to measure the xCT activity via the reaction of selenocysteine and fluorescein -diacrylate (FOdA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ability to detect cell surface proteins using fluorescent-dye-labeled antibodies is crucial for the reliable identification of many cell types. However, the different types of cell surface proteins used to identify cells are currently limited in number because they need to be expressed at high levels to exceed background cellular autofluorescence, especially in the shorter-wavelength region. Herein we report on a new method, quinone methide-based catalyzed labeling for signal amplification (CLAMP), in which the fluorescence signal is amplified by an enzymatic reaction that strongly facilitates the detection of cell surface proteins on living cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF