Environmental surveillance of poliovirus in sewage water around the introduction period for inactivated polio vaccine in Japan.

Environmental virus surveillance was conducted at two independent sewage plants from urban and rural areas in the northern prefecture of the Kyushu district, Japan, to trace polioviruses (PVs) within communities. Consequently, 83 PVs were isolated over a 34-month period from April 2010 to January 2013. The frequency of PV isolation at the urban plant was 1.

A supplement to the revision of the Scirtes flavoguttatus species-group (Coleoptera: Scirtidae: Scirtinae).

New species of the Scirtes flavoguttatus species-group are described from SE Asia. Altogether 34 species are newly described, including Scirtes beccus sp. nov.

Pneumococcal endocarditis complicating meningitis and arthritis in a previously healthy woman: A case report.

is the most common cause of community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults. Pneumococcal endocarditis coexisting with meningitis is rare, especially in healthy individuals. A 66-year-old woman was admitted with pneumococcal bacteremia, meningitis, and arthritis.

Awareness of salt restriction is not reflected in the actual salt intake in Japanese hypertensive patients.

Objectives: The Japanese guidelines for hypertension management recommend reducing salt intake to <6 g/day for hypertensive patients. However, it is not currently known whether hypertensive patients' awareness of the recommended reduced salt diet correlates with their actual intake. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between actual salt intake of Japanese hypertensive patients and their awareness of the recommended guidelines for reduced dietary salt intake.

Visually confirmed post-systolic shortening during the recovery period in four cases of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

We report visually confirmed post-systolic shortening (PSS) during the recovery period and the relationship between PSS and electrocardiographic abnormalities in 4 cases of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). In these 4 cases, the appearance of visually confirmed PSS during the recovery period coincided with observation of the deepest T wave and the longest QT interval. The transmural repolarization gradient and heterogeneous duration of myocardial contractions may cause PSS in the TTC recovery period.

Pancreaticoduodenetomy combined with hepatic artery resection following preoperative hepatic arterial embolization.

Background: The possibility of resection for locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with involvement of hepatic or superior mesenteric artery is low. The treatment strategy for these locally advanced PDAC needs to be elucidated.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 107 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for PDAC between 2007 and 2012.

Human T cells expressing BEND3 on their surface represent a novel subpopulation that preferentially produces IL-6 and IL-8.

BEN domain-containing protein 3 (BEND3) has no transmembrane region, is localized in the cytoplasm, and is involved in chromatin function and transcription. We here identified a novel subpopulation of human T cells that expressed BEND3 on their cell surface (BEND3(+) T cells). BEND3(+) T cells consisted of approximately 3% of T cells in the peripheral blood, were present in both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, and were also observed in cord blood.

A case of ascending aortic dissection and rupture caused by giant cell arteritis.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by granulomatous inflammation in the wall of medium-sized and large-sized arteries, and it usually occurs in patients over 50 years of age.(1)) Symptoms are nonspecific, and include fatigue, fever, and headache.(2)) It is occasionally combined with aortic complications, and ruptures resulting in death.

A case of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and acquired von Willebrand syndrome: response to medical therapy.

Heyde's syndrome is the combined occurrence of acquired von Willebrand disease caused by aortic valve stenosis and gastrointestinal bleeding that occurs particularly in elderly patients. The bleeding may be linked to the intravascular shear-induced proteolysis of high-molecular-weight multimers (HMWMs) of von Willebrand factor (vWF). Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) in the left ventricular outflow tract generates a high shear stress condition that can induce such proteolysis.

MCP/CCR2 signaling is essential for recruitment of mesenchymal progenitor cells during the early phase of fracture healing.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate chemokine profiles and their functional roles in the early phase of fracture healing in mouse models.

Methods: The expression profiles of chemokines were examined during fracture healing in wild-type (WT) mice using a polymerase chain reaction array and histological staining. The functional effect of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) on primary mouse bone marrow stromal cells (mBMSCs) was evaluated using an in vitro migration assay.

Clinical significance of anatomical variant of the left hepatic artery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma applied to right-sided hepatectomy.

Background: Full understanding of the hilar anatomy is crucial for successful surgical resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC).

Methods: The three-dimensional positional relationship between the left hepatic artery (LHA) and the umbilical portion of the left portal vein (UP) was evaluated using multidetector-row computed tomography (CT) in 58 consecutive patients who underwent right-sided hepatectomy for Bismuth-Corlette IIIa or IV tumors. The positional relationship of the LHA related to UP was classified into the following three types: L-UP type, LHA runs into the left lateral section (LLS) from the left caudal side of the UP; R-UP type, LHA runs into the LLS from the right cranial side of the UP; and combined type, one branch of the LHA runs into the LLS from the right cranial side of the UP, and the other from the left caudal side of the UP.

Tips and tricks of surgical technique for pancreatic cancer: portal vein resection and reconstruction (with videos).

Surgical resection is the only hope for cure in patients with pancreatic cancer. To improve the resectability and achieve better prognosis of this lethal disease, extended resection for pancreatic cancer has been applied. We have performed portal vein resection aggressively for pancreatic cancer with portal vein invasion.

Intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct.

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a rare variant of bile duct tumors characterized by papillary growth within the bile duct lumen and is regarded as a biliary counterpart of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas. IPNBs display a spectrum of premalignant lesion towards invasive cholangiocarcinoma. The most common radiologic findings for IPNB are bile duct dilatation and intraductal masses.

A case with myxoma of the left ventricular outflow tract.

Left ventricular (LV) myxomas are rare. We present a case of a LV myxoma arising from the interventricular septum of the LV outflow tract in a 76-year-old woman. General examination of the patient did not reveal any abnormality except for a grade 3/6 systolic murmur in the left parasternal area.

Double figure-of-eight reconstruction technique for chronic anterior sternoclavicular joint dislocation.

Sternoclavicular joint dislocations account for <5 % of all dislocations of the shoulder girdle. Whereas most cases of anterior dislocation do not experience symptoms, some patients with anterior instability remain symptomatic and require reconstructive surgery to stabilize the sternoclavicular joint. We present the case of a 57-year-old male diagnosed with sternoclavicular joint anterior dislocation and unusual swallowing difficulty while bending the neck forward.

TNFα, PDGF, and TGFβ synergistically induce synovial lining hyperplasia via inducible PI3Kδ.

Objectives: To determine the mechanism underlying hypertrophic synovium in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We examined micromass cultures of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) stimulated with tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and/or transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). The hypertrophic architecture of the micromasses, expression of phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) isoforms, and persistent activation of PI3K-Akt pathways were investigated.

Discordance and accordance between patient's and physician's assessments in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: The American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) remission criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more stringent than index-based criteria, making it more difficult to achieve a patient's global assessment (PGA) than an evaluator's global assessment (EGA). We investigated the reason for the discrepancy between the PGA and the EGA in a Japanese clinical cohort.

Method: We assessed clinical and laboratory variables in our clinical cohort.

Preoperative immunonutrition decreases postoperative complications by modulating prostaglandin E2 production and T-cell differentiation in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy.

Background: An immune-enhancing diet has been used to alter eicosanoid synthesis, cytokine production, and immune function in an attempt to limit the undesired immune reactions after injury from surgery. This prospective randomized study was designed to investigate the effect of preoperative immunonutrition on operative complications, and the participation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on T-cell differentiation in patients undergoing a severely stressful surgery.

Methods: The enrolled patients who were scheduled to undergo pancreatoduodenectomy were randomized into two groups.

MicroRNA-451 down-regulates neutrophil chemotaxis via p38 MAPK.

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small noncoding RNAs that regulate the activity of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and cellular processes. MicroRNA-451 (miR-451) is one of the miRNAs that is conserved perfectly among vertebrates, and it regulates cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis in tumors. However, the role of miR-451 in autoimmune arthritis is unknown.

Preoperative diagnosis and surgical management for solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas.

Background: Preoperative diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas (SPN) remains difficult and optimal surgical management for SPN has yet to be fully defined.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was undertaken of all 10 patients (six women, four men) who underwent surgery for SPN between 2001 and 2013.

Results: Mean age was 26 years (range, 16-33 years) for women, and 50 years (range, 35-76 years) for men.

Surgical strategy for hilar cholangiocarcinoma of the left-side predominance: current role of left trisectionectomy.

Objective: To evaluate recent surgical strategy for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC) of the left-side predominance.

Background: When employing left hemihepatectomy (LH) for HC, vasculobiliary anatomy of the right liver often makes it difficult to achieve a tumor-free margin of the right posterior sectional bile duct (RPSBD). Because left trisectionectomy (LTS) can produce a longer resection margin for the RPSBD, we have expanded the indications for LTS over the last 5 years.

Isoquercitrin activates the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signal pathway in rat H4IIE cells.

Background: Isoquercitrin, a flavonoid compound that is widely distributed in medicinal and dietary plants, possesses many biological activities, including inhibition of adipocyte differentiation. In this study, we investigated the effect of isoquercitrin on lipid accumulation and its molecular mechanisms in rat hepatoma H4IIE cells.

Methods: To investigate the effect of isoquercitrin on lipid accumulation, H4IIE cells were induced by FFA and the total lipid levels were detected by Oil Red O staining.

Self-assessment tool of disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis by using a smartphone application.

Objectives: The disease activities of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) tend to fluctuate between visits to doctors, and a self-assessment tool can help patients accommodate to their current status at home. The aim of the present study was to develop a novel modality to assess the disease activity of RA by a smartphone without the need to visit a doctor.

Subjects And Methods: This study included 65 patients with RA, 63.

A case of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in a 70-year-old patient.

A 70-year-old man was admitted because of syncope and dyspnea. Two months before admission, exertional dyspnea occurred with syncope. Ventricular tachycardia with a monomorphic left bundle-branch block configuration was detected.