A Novel Plasmid Carrying Capsule Gene Cluster Found in Lactococcus garvieae Isolated from Filefish

Lactococcus garvieae is recognized as a crucial bacterial pathogen of freshwater and marine fish species. It has been divided into two serological phenotypes, namely KG? and KG+. Difference of the two phenotypes is owing to the presence or absence of polysaccharide capsule, and a phenotypic change from KG? to KG+ occurs during stocking of isolates for a long period or by repeated subculturing. We found that the phenotypic change occurred more readily in L. garvieae isolates from cultured filefish, thread-sail filefish Stephanolepis cirrhifer and black scraper Thamnaconus modestus, than those from other fish species. Thus we studied the gene cluster for capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis (capsule gene cluster) of a filefish isolate, strain BSLG13015, and revealed that the strain possessed the same capsule gene cluster as those from other fish species, but that it was integrated in a newly identified plasmid. The plasmid, a size of 31,654 bp and circular, was named pBSLG13015. It was detected in all of KG? filefish isolates but not in KG+ filefish isolates or L. garvieae from other fish species. It is highly probable that the easier change from KG? to KG+ in L. garvieae filefish isolates is attributed to the loss of the plasmid

Microrna-9-5p-CDX2 axis: A useful prognostic biomarker for patients with stage II/III colorectal cancer

A lack of caudal-type homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX2) protein expression has been proposed as a prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the relationship between CDX2 levels and the survival of patients with stage II/III CRC along with the relationship between microRNAs (miRs) and CDX2 expression are unclear. Tissue samples were collected from patients with stage II/III CRC surgically treated at Kyoto University Hospital. CDX2 expression was semi-quantitatively evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The prognostic impacts of CDX2 expression on overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) were evaluated by multivariable statistical analysis. The expression of miRs regulating CDX2 expression and their prognostic impacts were analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas Program for CRC (TCGA-CRC). Eleven of 174 CRC tissues lacked CDX2 expression. The five-year OS and RFS rates of patients with CDX2-negative CRC were significantly lower than those of CDX2-positive patients. Multivariate analysis of clinicopathological features revealed that CDX2-negative status is an independent marker of poor prognosis in stage II/III CRC. miR-9-5p was shown to regulate CDX2 expression. TCGA-CRC analysis showed that high miR-9-5p expression was significantly associated with poor patient prognosis in stage II/III CRC. In conclusion, CDX2, the post-transcriptional target of microRNA-9-5p, is a useful prognostic biomarker in patients with stage II/III CRC

Endoscopic retroperitoneal repair of superior lumbar hernia (Grynfeltt hernia) using self-fixating mesh to prevent nerve injury: a case report

Abstract Background The primary superior lumbar hernia, also called the Grynfeltt Hernia, is a rare entity; hence, a standard surgical repair method has not been established. It is important for this repair procedure not only to prevent recurrence by placing an adequate size of mesh but also to avoid nerve injury. The endoscopic retroperitoneal approach is considered a useful technique for this procedure, requiring no mobilization of the colon and providing good visibility of the surrounding nerves. A self-fixating mesh does not require a traumatic fixation, which is considered advantageous for nerve preservation. Case presentation A 72-year-old woman, complaining of left lumbar swelling, was diagnosed with a primary left superior lumbar hernia and underwent endoscopic retroperitoneal hernia repair. With the patient in the right lateral decubitus position, five small ports were inserted, and the retroperitoneal space was dissected. The 2.0 × 1.0-cm hernial orifice was found, and the 12th subcostal nerve above the hernial orifice and the iliohypogastric and the ilioinguinal nerves below the hernial orifice were identified. A 15 × 10-cm self-fixating mesh was placed in the retroperitoneal space without mesh tacking. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the first postoperative day. Two years after surgery, there was no sign of recurrence, and chronic pain and neuropathic symptoms were absent. Conclusions Endoscopic retroperitoneal repair of primary superior lumbar hernia using a self-fixating mesh seems to be useful for nerve preservation

F-Box/WD Repeat Domain-Containing 7 Induces Chemotherapy Resistance in Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells

Although the cancer stem cell (CSC) concept has provided a reasonable explanation for cancer recurrence following chemotherapy, the relationship between CSCs and chemotherapy resistance has not been thoroughly investigated, especially in solid tumors. We aimed to identify the mechanism underlying colorectal cancer (CRC) chemoresistance focusing on the cell cycle mediator F-Box/WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBXW7). From 55 consecutive CRC cases who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) at Kyoto University Hospital, pre-treatment endoscopic biopsy specimens were collected and divided into two groups upon immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis: 21 cases of FBXW7 high expression (FBXW7-high group) and 34 cases of low expression (FBXW7-low group). High FBXW7 expression in pre-treatment biopsy specimen was significantly associated with poor pathological therapeutic effect (p = 0.019). The proportion of FBXW7-positive cells in surgically resected CRC specimens from patients who underwent NAC or NACRT was significantly higher than that in the pre-treatment biopsy specimens (p < 0.001). The expression of FBXW7 was inversely correlated with that of Ki67 in both pre-treatment biopsy specimens and surgically resected specimens. FBXW7 expression in the EpCAMhigh/CD44high subpopulation isolated by flow cytometry from CRC samples was significantly higher than that in the EpCAMhigh/CD44low subpopulation. Cell-cycle analysis in CRC cell lines revealed that, upon FBXW7 silencing, the proportion of G0/G1 cells was significantly lower than that in control cells. Moreover, knockdown of FBXW7 in CRC cell lines increased the sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs in vitro and in vivo. A subset of CRC stem cells possesses chemoresistance through FBXW7 expression. Cell cycle arrest induced by FBXW7 expression should be considered as a potential therapeutic target to overcome chemoresistance in CRC stem cell subsets

Surgeons’ involvement in COVID-19 treatment: a practice by a regional core hospital in Japan to avoid physician burnout

Abstract Background To prevent task accumulation on certain divisions, our institution developed a unique system of allocating inpatient treatment of COVID-19 patients to doctors who were not specialized in respiratory infections. The objective of this study was to investigate whether surgeons can be involved in the COVID-19 inpatient treatment without negatively affecting patient outcome, and how such involvement can affect the wellbeing of surgeons. Methods There were 300 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized from January to June 2021, and 160 of them were treated by the redeployed doctors. They were divided into 3 groups based on the affiliation of the treating doctor. Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared between the groups. In addition, the impact of COVID-19 duty on participating surgeons was investigated from multiple perspectives, and a postduty survey was conducted. Results There were 43 patients assigned to the Department of Surgery. There were no differences in the backgrounds and outcomes of patients compared with other groups. The surgeon’s overtime hours were significantly longer during the duty period, despite no change in the number of operations and the complication rate. The questionnaire revealed that there was a certain amount of mental and physical burden from the COVID-19 duty. Conclusion Surgeons can take part in inpatient COVID-19 treatment without affecting patient outcome. However, as such duty could negatively affect the surgeons’ physical and mental wellbeing, further effort is needed to maintain the balance of fulfilling individual and institutional needs