Impact of 5-fluorouracil metabolizing enzymes on chemotherapy in patients with resectable colorectal cancer.

Although 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is an important drug for colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment, no useful biomarker is currently available to predict treatment response. Since 5-FU is converted into active or inactive forms by orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) or dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), a correlation between these enzymes and response to 5-FU has been suggested. However, such a correlation has not been investigated prospectively.

Complicated intra-abdominal infections worldwide: the definitive data of the CIAOW Study.

The CIAOW study (Complicated intra-abdominal infections worldwide observational study) is a multicenter observational study underwent in 68 medical institutions worldwide during a six-month study period (October 2012-March 2013). The study included patients older than 18 years undergoing surgery or interventional drainage to address complicated intra-abdominal infections (IAIs). 1898 patients with a mean age of 51.

An anatomic study of the impressions on the greater trochanter: bony geometry indicates the alignment of the short external rotator muscles.

In this study, 44 hip regions from 25 embalmed cadavers were dissected to identify the bony landmarks on the greater trochanter, which indicate the individual short external rotator muscle insertions. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) images were obtained to identify the bony impressions on the greater trochanter. Then, the soft tissues were removed and their insertions were identified to assess correlation with micro-CT images.

Diagnosis of Biliary Atresia Can not be Excluded by Declining Trend of Serum Direct Bilirubin.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the clinical courses of patients with biliary atresia (BA) during neonatal period. We examined 19 patients with BA, who underwent blood tests including direct bilirubin (D-Bil) within 20 days of age, in 3 tertiary hospitals in Japan. The first blood sample was collected at 8.

Pseudoperipheral palsy due to infarction in the internal capsule.

Pseudoperipheral palsy can be caused by cerebral cortical infarctions; however, it is rarely caused by lacunar infarctions, including those in the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Meanwhile, the somatotopic localization of the corticospinal tract in the posterior limb of the internal capsule remains unknown. We herein report the case of an 81-year-old Japanese woman who presented with a left hand drop.

Pleuroperitoneal shunt for refractory chylothorax accompanied with a mediastinal lymphangioma: a case report.

A 21-month-old Japanese boy was admitted with cough and hypoxemia. Chest X-ray showed massive right pleural effusion, which consisted of chyle. Computed tomography showed poor contrast area at superior and anterior mediastinum.

Spontaneous reduction of a floated ossification of the ligamentum flavum after posterior thoracic decompression (floating method); report of a case (abridged translation of a primary publication).

Background Context: Although complete resection is the preferred surgical treatment for ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF), it sometimes results in the floating method because of adhesion to, or ossification of, the dura mater. It is difficult to anticipate the degree of floating, and if the floated ossification is large, decompression of the spinal cord may not be sufficient.

Purpose: To describe a case of spontaneous reduction of a floated OLF after posterior decompression.

Response to peginterferon-alpha 2b and ribavirin in Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1.

Purpose: Patient age and gender may be associated with response to peginterferon alpha plus ribavirin, the current standard of care (SOC) for chronic hepatitis C genotype 1. We queried whether there was an association between age, gender, and treatment response to SOC in Japanese patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1.

Methods: Between 2006 and 2009, HCV-infected Japanese patients treated with peginterferon alpha-2b plus ribavirin for 48 weeks were enrolled.

Increased protein-conjugated acrolein and amyloid-β40/42 ratio in plasma of patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

The objective of this study was to determine whether plasma levels of acrolein, a compound that causes cell damage, and amyloid-β (Aβ) are useful biochemical markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study included 221 elderly subjects divided into 101 non-demented [33 healthy control and 68 non-demented subjects with white matter hyperintensity (nd-WMH)], 50 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 70 AD. Increases in both protein-conjugated acrolein (PC-Acro) and Aβ40/42 ratio were observed in MCI and AD patients compared with values in control subjects.

A case of basaloid carcinoma of the esophagus with a solitary lung metastasis for which thoracoscopic partial lung resection was performed.

We experienced a case of basaloid carcinoma of the esophagus with a solitary lung metastasis for which thoracoscopic partial lung resection was performed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of basaloid carcinoma of the esophagus with lung metastasis for which surgery was performed. There are no evidence-based treatment strategies for postoperative recurrence of basaloid carcinoma of the esophagus.

[Lung metastasis of basaloid-squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus; report of a case].

A 69-year-old woman had undergone a subtotal esophagectomy for basaloid-squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus 2 years before (pT3, ly1, v2, pN0, pStage II). Right lung metastasis was detected by follow up chest computed tomography( CT). A partial resection of the right lung was performed.

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the prone position.

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy performed with the patient in the left lateral position has been occasionally reported since the 1990s, but it has not been established as a standard procedure. This may be because the success of this procedure largely depends on the technical competence of an assistant to secure an adequate field of view during the procedure. Thoracoscopic esophagectomy with the patient in the prone position has recently been introduced and has been consistently shown to be useful.

[Case of acute brainstem and striatal encephalopathy associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection].

Acute encephalopathy with bilateral striatal necrosis (EBSN) is a rare reversible neurological disease characterized by an abrupt onset following an acute infectious disease and by severe extra-pyramidal signs associated with striatal lesions. Brainstem involvement is rarely observed in this disease. We report a 10-year-old boy who had EBSN associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Clinical results of posterior stabilization without decompression for thoracolumbar burst fractures: is decompression necessary?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical outcome of posterior stabilization without decompression for thoracolumbar burst fractures. Thirty-one consecutive cases of thoracolumbar fractures involving T11-L2 stabilized by a pedicle screw system were reviewed. Neither reduction of the height of a fractured body nor any decompression procedure was added during surgery.

Etiology of neonatal gastric perforation: a review of 20 years' experience.

Purpose: Gastric perforation (GP) of the newborn is a rare, serious, and life-threatening problem, and its etiology remains unclear. Although historically GP has often been described as "spontaneous'', some cases are non-spontaneous. The aim of the present study was to review cases of GP and to discuss its etiology in a single prefecture in Japan over a period of 20 years.

H1N1 influenza (swine flu)-associated thrombotic microangiopathy with a markedly high plasma ratio of von Willebrand factor to ADAMTS13.

We describe an 18-year-old woman infected with H1N1 influenza followed by thrombotic microangiopathy. During the acute phase, her plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF) were remarkably elevated, whereas those of ADAMTS13 were reduced without its inhibitors, generating a markedly high ratio of VWF to ADAMTS13 in circulation. A retrospective analysis established the following hypothesis: an influenza-mediated cytokine storm induced an enhanced release of unusually large VWF multimers (UL-VWFM) from vascular endothelial cells, generating platelet thrombi in microcirculatures under high shear stress.

[Patient with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome with prolonged disturbance of consciousness and convulsion after cerebral aneurysm surgery].

A 73-year-old patient developed convulsion and prolonged disturbance of consciousness after clipping surgery for unruptured cerebral aneurysm. The patient's consciousness improved four days after surgery, and radiological findings suggested posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). The cause of PRES is thought to be dysfunction of blood brain barrier by a sudden increase in blood pressure.

CD5-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a retrospective study in 337 patients treated by chemotherapy with or without rituximab.

Background: CD5-positive (CD5+) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) shows poor prognosis and frequent central nervous system (CNS) relapses under anthracycline-containing chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to determine the prognosis and CNS relapse incidence of CD5+ DLBCL in the rituximab era.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed 337 patients with CD5+ DLBCL who received chemotherapy with (R-chemotherapy group; n = 184) or without (chemotherapy group; n = 153) rituximab.

A revised clinical assessment of motor and memory disturbances.

For clinical assessment of motor disturbances, the motor system is better classified into the voluntary versus automatic motor systems than into the pyramidal versus extrapyramidal motor systems. The voluntary motor system is related to externally guided movements initiated by the premotor area while the automatic motor system is related to memory guided automatic movements initiated by the supplementary motor area and supported by an appropriate posture and associated movements. Among the pyramidal tract signs, muscle weakness alone is related to involvement of the corticospinal fibers of Betz cell origin while hyperreflexia and spasticity is related to involvement of the reticulospinal fibers running medial to the corticospinal fibers in the spinal cord.

Occipitocervical fusion has potential to improve sleep apnea in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and upper cervical lesions.

Study Design: Case series.

Objective: To analyze factors that contribute to the development of sleep apnea in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and upper cervical lesions.

Summary Of Background Data: No large prospective study has analyzed the association between sleep apnea and upper cervical involvement resulting from RA.

Delayed diagnosis of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture.

We report a case of late presentation of traumatic rupture of the diaphragm discovered incidentally on chest radiography (CXR) during an annual medical checkup. A 60-year-old man suffered severe blunt trauma from heavy steel frames collapsing against his back, resulting in pelvic and femoral fractures as well as pulmonary contusions. The patient recovered, but 10 months later CXR performed for lung cancer surveillance during an annual medical checkup revealed a traumatic rupture of the diaphragm.

Plasma pre beta1-HDL level is elevated in unstable angina pectoris.

Pre beta1-HDL, a minor HDL subfraction consisting of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), phospholipids and unesterified cholesterol, plays an important role in reverse cholesterol transport. Plasma pre beta1-HDL levels have been reported to be increased in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and dyslipidemia. To clarify the clinical significance of measuring plasma pre beta1-HDL levels, we examined those levels in 112 patients with CAD, consisting of 76 patients with stable CAD (sCAD) and 36 patients with unstable angina pectoris (uAP), and in 30 patients without CAD as controls.

Posterior instrumented fusion without neural decompression for incomplete neurological deficits following vertebral collapse in the osteoporotic thoracolumbar spine.

Previous reports have emphasized the importance of neural decompression through either an anterior or posterior approach when reconstruction surgery is performed for neurological deficits following vertebral collapse in the osteoporotic thoracolumbar spine. However, the contribution of these decompression procedures to neurological recovery has not been fully established. In the present study, we investigated 14 consecutive patients who had incomplete neurological deficits following vertebral collapse in the osteoporotic thoracolumbar spine and underwent posterior instrumented fusion without neural decompression.