Laparoscopic treatment of a simple hepatic cyst using argon beam coagulation

Although simple hepatic cyst (SHC) is frequently detected incidentally during screening imaging examinations, consensus is lacking regarding the management of SHC, resulting in considerable confusion and difficulty in selecting therapy for children. We report a pediatric case of SHC treated laparoscopically using an argon beam coagulator. Keywords: Liver cyst, Laparoscopic deroofing, Argon beam coagulator, Chil

Lung metastases from cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma 23 years after initial treatment

Cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma (CACC) is an extremely rare neoplasm of head and neck region, and is characterized by propensity for local recurrence and perineural invasion. Late distant metastases occur usually to lungs. Although patients with lung metastases from CACC cannot be cured, long-term survival may be possible due to its slow-growing malignancy. We report a case of a 69-year-old female with lung metastases from CACC 23 years after initial surgery of scalp nodule

De novo meningiomas and cavernous malformations developing after coil embolization for dural arteriovenous fistula

A 25-year-old woman presented with exophthalmos. With the diagnosis of dural arteriovenous fistula of the transverse sinus, the patient underwent coil embolization. Fifteen years later, she sustained visual disturbance due to de novo tuberculum sellae meningioma that was resected. Surveillance magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed at the age of 42 years detected tumor recurrence and small, apparent meningioma in the cerebral convexity. The patient underwent the second tumor resection at the age of 46 years. The histological appearance was consistent with meningothelial meningioma. In addition, surveillance MRI at the age of 43 years detected de novo cerebral and cerebellar cavernous malformations (CMs). These CMs showed repeat hemorrhages on MRI but remained asymptomatic during the next 38 months. De novo meningiomas and CMs may develop in association with radiation exposure during endovascular therapy. Sufficiently long-term follow-up is recommended after endovascular therapy for monitoring secondary pathologies

Possible association between minor head injury and intratumoral hemorrhage: A metastatic brain tumor from thyroid carcinoma

A 78-year-old woman presented after a fall and injury in the left forehead. She had undergone surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma 14 years prior and breast carcinoma 7 years prior. The patient had exhibited uneventful postoperative courses without relapse or metastasis. Anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents were not prescribed her. At presentation, the patient exhibited no focal neurological deficits. Computed tomography revealed a 19 × 20 mm hemorrhagic lesion in the right temporal lobe. On cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, the center of the lesion exhibited inhomogeneous intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted sequences with heterogeneous enhancement. In contrast, the perilesional hemorrhagic regions, appearing hyperintense on both T1- and T2-weighted sequences, showed temporary regression followed by marked enlargement over the subsequent 123 days. The patient underwent total tumor resection. The microscopic findings of the resected specimens were consistent with papillary thyroid carcinoma. Minor head injuries may trigger intratumoral hemorrhage in metastatic brain tumors. Metastasis should be assumed when patients with a history of thyroid carcinoma present with a solitary parenchymal lesion with the appearance of cerebral cavernous malformation, even if they have been disease free for a long period

Dural-based large B-cell lymphoma masquerading as a tentorial meningioma

A 53-year-old woman presented with a 2-week history of headache and vertigo. Computed tomography revealed a hyperdense tumor, measuring 30 × 31 × 36 mm in diameter, in the anteromedial parts of the cerebellar hemispheres. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging 10 days later revealed an apparent extra-axial tumor with broad attachment to the medial tentorium cerebelli and rapid growth to a diameter of 40 × 41 × 46 mm. Cerebral angiography revealed no obvious feeding vessels or tumor stains. The patient underwent biopsy through the left occipital transtentorial route. The histological appearance was consistent with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Intracranial lymphoma may present as a dural tumor that mimics a meningioma. Rapid tumor growth incongruous with benign meningiomas should be assumed to be possible lymphoma, and prompt biopsy should be performed

Transcriptome Analysis by RNA Sequencing of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Stocked on International Space Station for 1584 Days in Frozen State after Culture on the Ground

As a space project, in “Stem Cells” by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), frozen mouse ES cells were stored on the International Space Station (ISS) in the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for 1584 days. After taking these cells back to the ground, the cells were thawed and cultured, and their gene expressions were comprehensively analyzed using RNA sequencing in order to elucidate the early response of the cells to long-time exposure to space radiation consisting of various ionized particles. The comparisons of gene expression involved in double-stranded break (DSB) repair were examined. The expressions of most of the genes that were involved in homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) were not significantly changed between the ISS-stocked cells and ground-stocked control cells. However, the transcription of Trp53inp1 (tumor protein 53 induced nuclear protein-1), Cdkn1a (p21), and Mdm2 genes increased in ISS-stocked cells as well as Fe ion-irradiated cells compared to control cells. This suggests that accumulated DNA damage caused by space radiation exposure would activate these genes, which are involved in cell cycle arrest for repair and apoptosis in a p53-dependent or -independent manner, in order to prevent cells with damaged genomes from proliferating and forming tumors