[A case of advanced gastric cancer exhibiting pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy].

A 77-year-old woman diagnosed as having advanced gastric cancer with para-aortic lymph node metastasis received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin, and S-1. After 2 courses of chemotherapy, distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy was performed. There were no viable cancer cells in the primary lesion and lymph nodes.

Monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension with sufficient tricuspid regurgitation in a rat model.

Background And Purpose: It is well known that monocrotaline (MCT) induces pulmonary hypertension (PH) in rats. This model is very useful for understanding the physiology of PH and developing treatments for PH. However, it is very difficult to estimate pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) in this model.

Possible link between strain ST-T change on the electrocardiogram and subendocardial dysfunction assessed by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography.

Aims: Strain ST-T changes on surface electrocardiogram (ECG) may reflect subendocardial dysfunction. We hypothesized that strain ST-T changes are associated with (i) decrease in longitudinal strain, (ii) decrease in early systolic clockwise twist and early diastolic untwisting, and (iii) augmentation of peak twist due to subendocardial dysfunction.

Methods And Results: Three levels of left ventricular (LV) short-axis views and three LV apical views were acquired in 46 hypertensive patients with LV hypertrophy and 23 age-matched control subjects using 2D echocardiography.

A feasibility study of UFT/LV and irinotecan (TEGAFIRI) in advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer: Osaka Gastrointestinal Cancer Chemotherapy Study Group (OGSG) PROG 0304.

Objective: This is a feasibility trial of oral uracil/tegafur (UFT)/oral leucovorin (LV) and irinotecan (TEGAFIRI) with maximum dose confirmed in Japan. To document the toxicity and define the objective response rate (RR); and determine progression-free and overall survival.

Methods: Patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) received: UFT 300 mg/m(2), LV 75 mg/body and CPT-11 150 mg/m(2) (UFT and LV given on days 1-14, and CPT-11 on day 1, every 3 weeks).

3D analysis of benign positional nystagmus due to cupulolithiasis in posterior semicircular canal.

Conclusions: The characteristic of both the vertical-torsional positional nystagmus with long time constant and its disappearance at the neutral head position could diagnose cupulolithiasis in posterior semicircular canal (PSCC) in the eight patients with the PSCC type of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (P-BPPV).

Objective: The aim of the study was to diagnose cupulolithiasis in patients with P-BPPV.

Patients And Methods: We used three-dimensional rotation axis analysis of nystagmus of the vertical-torsional positional nystagmus in 111 patients with P-BPPV and evaluated its time constant.

[Super-elderly colon cancer with peritoneal dissemination effectively treated with modified FOLFOX6 chemotherapy--report of a case].

We reported a case of super-elderly colon cancer with peritoneal dissemination effectively treated with modified FOLFOX6 chemotherapy. A 80-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for abdominal distension in January 2007. Abdominal CT showed peritoneal dissemination and colonoscopy revealed transverse colon cancer.

Whole-body MRI for detecting metastatic bone tumor: diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted images.

Purpose: We assessed the diagnostic value of whole body magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (WB-MRI) using diffusion-weighted images (DWI) for detecting bone metastasis and compared it with that of skeletal scintigraphy (SS).

Materials And Methods: Thirty patients with malignancies (breast cancer, 17 patients; prostate cancer, 9; and one patient each, thyroid cancer, liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma) underwent both WB-MRI and SS to detect bone metastasis. All patients were followed more than 6 months by MR imaging, SS, or computed tomographic (CT) examination.

[A case report of complete response by TS-1 and paclitaxel combination chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer].

We report a case in which combination chemotherapy of TS-1 and paclitaxel was effective for gastric cancer with malignant ascites, metastatic ovarian cancer and hydronephrosis. Judging from the above issue, the stage was IV and the type was Borrmann 4. The chemotherapy schedule was adjusted at the patient' s request without hindering her activities of daily living.

[Complete response to CPT-11 and UFT/LV combination therapy in a case with simultaneous multiple lung metastases from colon cancer].

We report the complete response for one year of a patient with simultaneous multiple lung metastases from colon cancer who was treated using a combination of irinotecan (CPT-11) and uracil/tegafur (UFT)/Leucovorin (LV) using a schedule reported overseas. A 61-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital and diagnosed with ascending colon cancer and simultaneous multiple lung metastases. The patient underwent a right hemicolectomy and was treated with CPT-11 (150 mg/m(2)) on day 1 and oral UFT and oral LV on days 1-14.

Amebic liver abscess rupturing into the lesser omentum space.

A case of an amebic abscess localized in the lesser omentum is reported. There was no sign of a liver abscess in the imaging examination or the operative findings. However, it is likely that the amebic infection occurred after a liver abscess ruptured into the abdominal cavity.

Whole body MRI for detecting metastatic bone tumor: comparison with bone scintigrams.

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of whole body MRI (WB-MRI [magnetic resonance imaging]) and bone scintigram (BS) at detecting bone metastasis.

Materials And Methods: WB-MRI was performed on 16 patients for detecting bone metastasis (6 breast carcinoma, 7 prostatic carcinoma, 1 renal cell carcinoma [RCC], 1 hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC], and 1 primary unknown). BS was also performed in all cases.

Changes over time in thymidine phosphorylase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase when colon cancer samples are left at room temperature.

The changes over time in thymidine phosphorylase (TP) and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) were studied when colon cancer samples were left at room temperature. The TP levels and the TP/DPD ratio showed no changes over time in either the tumor or normal tissues. DPD levels increased over time in the normal tissues (P = 0.

Expression of Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor-like Growth Factor in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-likegrowth factor (HB-EGF) belongs to the EGF familyand was originally identified in the conditionedmedium of a human histiotic lymphoma cell line, U937 (1). This protein is synthesized as a preproformof 208 amino acids (2), is expressed as amembrane-anchored HB-EGF, and is released as asoluble form of 87 amino acids after being processedby protease (1,2). HB-EGF binds to the EGF receptor(EGF-R) in competition with EGF (3), and exogenoussoluble HB-EGF is known to stimulateDNA synthesis in primary rat hepatocytes in a dosedependentmanner (4).

[A case of shoulder pain following right basilic vein catheterization].

We have experienced a case of total laryngectomy with graft of the rectus abdominis muscle skin flap because of the recurrent lingual cancer. Just before the operation, we used right basilic vein for introduction of a central venous catheter. Right shoulder pain occurred on the first postoperative day.

An autopsy case of sudden death in renal transplant recipient.

Few autopsy cases of sudden death in renal transplant recipients have been reported in the literature. The present case was a 50-year-old female recipient of a living-related renal transplant, who died suddenly after a good post-transplant course of 14 years. The patient was admitted in December 2000 for detailed investigation for ascites, and died unexpectedly 1 month later.

Activation of c-Src is inversely correlated with biological aggressiveness of breast carcinoma.

In order to investigate whether c-Src is involved in carcinogenesis and progression of breast carcinoma, we examined the expression of activated c-Src in tissue sections from surgically resected human breast specimens. First, we confirmed the specificity of the antibody against activated c-Src (Clone 28) using six cell lines established from human breast carcinomas by western blotting. As expected, activated c-Src was detected as a 60 kDa band in all cell lines tested.

Expression of ets-1 and ets-2 in colonic neoplasms.

Background: Investigation of transcription regulators in carcinoma can contribute greatly to clarifying the biological character of the carcinoma. In this study, we examined the expression of ets-1 and ets-2, prominent transcription regulators belonging to the ets family, in various colonic tissues.

Materials And Methods: We investigated the expression of ets-1 and ets-2 in normal colon, hyperplastic polyps, adenomas, carcinoma-in-adenoma and colonic adenocarcinomas by means of immunohistochemistry.

Expression of the G2-M modulators in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Background: Cell-proliferating activity is one of the prominent parameters for evaluating the biological aggressiveness of carcinomas. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma has been studied to identify modulators of the G1-S boundary. In the present study we investigated the modulators of another important checkpoint, the G2-M checkpoint.

Expression of p57/Kip2 protein in extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma.

Background: Evaluation of the biological character of carcinomas requires understanding of cell cycle regulators. P57 (Kip2) belongs to the Cip/Kip family and is known to be one of the universal negative regulators of cell cycle.

Methods: In the present study, therefore, we investigated p57 expression in 37 extrahepatic bile duct carcinomas (BDC) and 28 intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinomas (CCC).

Actigraphic assessment of the preoperative hypnotic effects of brotizolam and zopiclone.

Brotizolam and zopiclone have a common ability to bind to the benzodiazepine recognition site and have been used as useful preoperative hypnotics. The aim of the present study was the quantitative evaluation of the preoperative hypnotic effects of brotizolam and zopiclone by actigraphy. Forty patients received brotizolam 0.

MR-based three-dimensional presentation of cartilage thickness in the femoral head.

The purpose of our study was to visualize the hyaline cartilage of the femoral head and to evaluate the distribution of the thickness by three-dimensional reconstruction of MRI data. The MRI was performed in 10 normal volunteers, 1 patient with osteonecrosis and 4 with advanced osteoarthritis. A fast 3D spoiled gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state pulse sequence (TR 22 ms/TE 5.

Expression of p57/Kip2 protein in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: Evaluation of the biologic character of carcinomas requires understanding of cell cycle regulators.

Aims: To investigate p57 expression in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma and cyst adenoma.

Methodology: We examined the expression of p57(Kip2), a member of the Cip/Kip family, in 45 pancreatic adenocarcinomas, 7 cystadenomas, and 7 chronic pancreatitis cases.

Expression of p57/Kip2 protein in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Evaluation of the biological character of carcinomas requires understanding of cell cycle regulators. In the present study, we investigated the expression of p57 (Kip2) in 90 hepatocellular carcinomas and 66 noncancerous lesions. The average p57 labeling index in noncancerous lesions was 72.

Expression of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Background: Previous studies demonstrated that heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) contributes to carcinogenesis and carcinoma progression. In this study, we investigated its expression in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Methods: We immunohistochemically investigated the expression of HB-EGF in 40 cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.