Endoscopic submucosal dissection allows less-invasive curative resection for gastric tube cancer after esophagectomy - a case series.

Detection of early gastric tube cancers (GTCs) has increased with more detailed surveillance endoscopy using indigo carmine dye following esophagectomy. This retrospective study clarified the clinicopathological features and application of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for GTCs. Data collected for eight GTCs treated by ESD included clinical and pathological features and outcomes following ESD.

Present status and strategy of NSAIDs-induced small bowel injury.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are well known to cause gastroduodenal mucosal lesions as an adverse effect. Recently, the serious problem of NSAID-induced small intestinal damage has become a topic of great interest to gastroenterologists, since capsule endoscopy and balloon enteroscopy are available for the detection of small intestinal lesions. Such lesions have been of great concern in clinical settings, and their treatment and prevention must be devised as soon as possible.

[Two cases of KRAS wild-type unresectable or recurrent colorectal cancer effectively treated by cetuximab after progression of prior chemotherapy].

Cetuximab, an anti-EGFR human/mouse chimeric antibody, has just been approved in Japan for patients with EGFR positive unresectable or recurrent colorectal cancer, as monotherapy or in combination with irinotecan. We reported two cases of unresectable or recurrent colorectal cancer effectively treated by cetuximab after the progression of the prior chemotherapy. Case 1: A51-year-old male suffered from sigmoid colon cancer with synchronous liver metastases.

Synchrotron-radiation-based Mössbauer spectroscopy.

We have developed a new method that yields Mössbauer absorption spectra using synchrotron radiation (SR); this method is applicable for almost all Mössbauer nuclides including those that cannot be measured by previous methods using radioisotope (RI) sources. The Mössbauer spectrum of the 68.752 keV excited state of 73Ge, which cannot be measured using a RI source, was measured using SR.

Lactoferrin suppress the adipogenic differentiation of MC3T3-G2/PA6 cells.

Lactoferrin accelerates the differentiation of osteogenic and chondrogenic lineage cells, whereas it inhibits the myogenic and adipogenic differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells; however, the effect of lactoferrin on the differentiation of preadipocytes is unknown. In this study, we examined the effect of lactoferrin on adipogenic differentiation using a mouse preadipocyte cell line, MC3T3-G2/PA6. The cells were cultured in differentiation medium with or without lactoferrin to induce cellular differentiation.

Effects of lactoferrin on the differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells.

Lactoferrin accelerates bone formation, but the precise cellular mechanism behind this is still unclear. We examined the effect of lactoferrin on the differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells using a typical pluripotent mesenchymal cell line, C2C12. Cells were cultured in low-mitogen differentiation medium to induce cell differentiation, with or without the addition of lactoferrin.

Bacteremia caused by Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis.

Desulfovibrio species are anaerobic gram-negative, pleomorphic bacilli rarely causing infection in humans. In the present report, we describe a case of bacteremia caused by Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis. The patient, for whom biapenem was administered, rapidly improved without any sequelae.

Dynamics of Rhodobacter capsulatus [2FE-2S] ferredoxin VI and Aquifex aeolicus ferredoxin 5 via nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) and resonance Raman spectroscopy.

We have used (57)Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) to study the Fe(2)S(2)(Cys)(4) sites in oxidized and reduced [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins from Rhodobacter capsulatus (Rc FdVI) and Aquifex aeolicus (Aa Fd5). In the oxidized forms, nearly identical NRVS patterns are observed, with strong bands from Fe-S stretching modes peaking around 335 cm(-1), and additional features observed as high as the B(2u) mode at approximately 421 cm(-1). Both forms of Rc FdVI have also been investigated by resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy.

Effects of airborne particulate matter on respiratory morbidity in asthmatic children.

Background: The effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) are a major human health concern. In this panel study, we evaluated the acute effects of exposure to PM on peak expiratory flow (PEF) and wheezing in children.

Methods: Daily PEF and wheezing were examined in 19 asthmatic children who were hospitalized in a suburban city in Japan for approximately 5 months.

Characterization of the Fe site in iron-sulfur cluster-free hydrogenase (Hmd) and of a model compound via nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS).

We have used (57)Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) to study the iron site in the iron-sulfur cluster-free hydrogenase Hmd from the methanogenic archaeon Methanothermobacter marburgensis. The spectra have been interpreted by comparison with a cis-(CO)2-ligated Fe model compound, Fe(S2C2H4)(CO)2(PMe3)2, as well as by normal mode simulations of plausible active site structures. For this model complex, normal mode analyses both from an optimized Urey-Bradley force field and from complementary density functional theory (DFT) calculations produced consistent results.

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure and nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy reveal that NifB-co, a FeMo-co precursor, comprises a 6Fe core with an interstitial light atom.

NifB-co, an Fe-S cluster produced by the enzyme NifB, is an intermediate on the biosynthetic pathway to the iron molybdenum cofactor (FeMo-co) of nitrogenase. We have used Fe K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy together with (57)Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) to probe the structure of NifB-co while bound to the NifX protein from Azotobacter vinelandii. The spectra have been interpreted in part by comparison with data for the completed FeMo-co attached to the NafY carrier protein: the NafY:FeMo-co complex.

Apparatus for time-resolved and energy-resolved measurement of internal conversion electron emission induced by nuclear resonant excitation with synchrotron radiation.

A high-energy and large-object-spot type cylindrical mirror analyzer (CMA) was constructed with the aid of electron trajectory simulations. By adopting a particular shape for the outer cylinder, an energy resolution of 7% was achieved without guide rings as used in conventional CMAs. Combined with an avalanche photodiode as an electron detector, the K-shell internal conversion electrons were successfully measured under irradiation of synchrotron radiation at 14.

Notch signal organizes the Drosophila olfactory circuitry by diversifying the sensory neuronal lineages.

An essential feature of the organization and function of the vertebrate and insect olfactory systems is the generation of a variety of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) that have different specificities in regard to both odorant receptor expression and axonal targeting. Yet the underlying mechanisms that generate this neuronal diversity remain elusive. Here we demonstrate that the Notch signal is involved in the diversification of ORNs in Drosophila melanogaster.

Stable top-up operation at SPring-8.

Top-up operation allows SPring-8 to provide highly stable X-ray beams with arbitrary filling patterns. The implementation of top-up operation is described, with a focus on the simultaneous achievement of stability of stored current, beam orbit, purity of an isolated single bunch, and beam injection efficiency. Stored-current fluctuations have been routinely reduced to a level of 10(-3).

Ethanol injection for ablation of an intractable digestive tract fistula: report of a case.

We successfully occluded an intractable digestive tract fistula by injecting it with absolute ethanol after all other treatments failed. A 48-year-old man suffered from a complex and relapsing digestive tract fistula after curative surgery for advanced colon cancer invading the pancreas and duodenum. After conservative management by fasting, drainage, and irrigation failed, fibrin glue infusion achieved only transient occlusion.

Iliac lymph node metastasis of an unknown primary tumor: report of a case.

Metastasis to the lymph nodes around the iliac vessels from cancer of an unknown primary (CUP) tumor has not yet been reported in either the English or Japanese literature and it is therefore described herein for the first time. The patient was a 70-year-old woman with persistent right leg edema. Computed tomography (CT) displayed a mass around the iliac vessels while physical, laboratory, and other imaging examination did not show any other tumor.

Polarization-dependent six-beam X-ray pinhole topographs.

X-ray six-beam pinhole topograph images were obtained for a silicon crystal with incident synchrotron X-rays. The polarization state of X-rays incident on the sample crystal was controlled by using a four-quadrant phase-retarder system [Okitsu et al. (2002).

Clinical evaluation of patients with inflammatory connective tissue diseases complicated by cytomegalovirus antigenemia.

We evaluated the occurrence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and the background characteristics in twenty-three hospitalized patients with inflammatory connective tissue diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis, rheumatoid vasculitis, microscopic polyangitis, and Takayasu's arteritis. Cytomegalovirus antigenemia was demonstrated in 10 of 23 evaluable patients. Five of ten patients with CMV antigenemia developed symptomatic CMV disease (all cases of fever, two cases of liver involvement, two cases of interstitial pneumonia, and one case of unknown organ involvement), whereas the remaining five patients were asymptomatic.

How nitrogenase shakes--initial information about P-cluster and FeMo-cofactor normal modes from nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS).

Nitrogenase catalyzes a reaction critical for life, the reduction of N(2) to 2NH(3), yet we still know relatively little about its catalytic mechanism. We have used the synchrotron technique of (57)Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) to study the dynamics of the Fe-S clusters in this enzyme. The catalytic site FeMo-cofactor exhibits a strong signal near 190 cm(-)(1), where conventional Fe-S clusters have weak NRVS.

Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia 6 years after clonal detection of inv(11)(q21q23) and MLL gene rearrangement.

Results of recent studies with animal models suggest that expression of MLL fusion proteins promotes acute leukemogenesis. However, the most potent MLL fusion proteins are not sufficient for the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The clinical data on the pathogenesis of this type of leukemia are limited.

Response of temporomandibular joint intermittent closed lock to different treatment modalities: A multicenter survey.

This study investigated the clinical picture and different treatment methods and results at a number of institutions with the aim of establishing an effective method of treatment for intermittent closed lock (intermittent lock) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The subjects were 104 patients (29 males, 65 females) diagnosed with intermittent lock among 1787 temporomandibular disorder patients. The cases were classified into two types based on the time and occasion when the intermittent lock occurred.

Precision wavelength measurement of the 14.4 keV Mössbauer photon.

The wavelength of the 14.4 keV Mössbauer photon has been determined by using undulator radiation and diffraction of FZ silicon crystals. For the wavelength determination a goniometer equipped with a laser rotary encoder and a sine-bar angle optical interferometer was developed; a temperature-monitoring system and X-ray optics related to the experiment were also developed.

Normal mode analysis of Pyrococcus furiosus rubredoxin via nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) and resonance raman spectroscopy.

We have used (57)Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) to study the Fe(S(cys))(4) site in reduced and oxidized rubredoxin (Rd) from Pyrococcus furiosus (Pf). The oxidized form has also been investigated by resonance Raman spectroscopy. In the oxidized Rd NRVS, strong asymmetric Fe-S stretching modes are observed between 355 and 375 cm(-1); upon reduction these modes shift to 300-320 cm(-1).