Primary appendiceal adenocarcinoma of colonic type with perforating peritonitis.

Primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix is rare, especially the colonic type. We report a case of appendiceal adenocarcinoma of colonic type associated with perforating peritonitis after aorto-femoral artery bypass surgery. A 79-year-old woman presented with fever and pain in the right lower abdomen. She had undergone aorto-femoral artery bypass surgery due to arteriosclerosis obliterans 6 months earlier. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a suspected pool of fluid surrounding the artificial vessel and a mass lesion in the upper end of the fluid collection. These findings suggested localized peritonitis due to appendiceal perforation. Emergency laparotomy showed a pool of pus around the artificial vessel and inflamed appendix, which adhered to the surrounding tissue. The mass was excised in combination with an ileocaecal resection, followed by an ileocolic anastomosis. The histological diagnosis was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the appendix, colonic type. The tumour had infiltrated and obstructed the lumen of the orifice of the appendix, which may have caused perforation of the appendix. She was examined at regular periodic follow-ups and no evidence of recurrence or metastasis was noted in the 12-month postoperative period. These findings indicate that, in cases of acute appendicitis, especially with perforation, the possibility of appendiceal adenocarcinoma should be considered.</p

Two operated cases of mesenteric abscess caused by penetration of the transverse colon associated with a diverticulum

We encountered 2 cases of penetration of fecal matter through a diverticulum of the transverse colon, which is a rare disease. Case 1 was a 33-year-old man who was examined in the clinic with a complaint of epigastralgia. Tenderness and muscular defense were found in the upper abdomen. On abdominal CT examination, wall thickening and increased fat concentration were seen in the transverse colon. He was diagnosed with peritonitis and underwent emergency surgery. On laparotomy, a tumor mass was found in the transverse colon close to the liver curvature. The patient was diagnosed with mesenteric abscess due to penetration of fecal matter through a diverticulum of the transverse colon. Right hemicolectomy was carried out. Case 2 was a 43-year-old woman who was examined in the clinic with a complaint of right lower abdominal pain. Muscular defense and rebound tenderness were found in the lower abdomen. On abdominal CT examination, abscess formation was seen in the right lower abdomen. She was diagnosed with peritonitis and underwent emergency surgery. On laparotomy, a tumor mass was found in the transverse colon. The patient was diagnosed with mesenteric abscess due to penetration of the transverse colon associated with a diverticulum. Partial removal of the transverse colon was carried out

Comparative Study between Nude Mice and Immunosuppressed Hamsters as Recipients of Human Tumor Xenografts

We comparatively examined nude mice and hamsters as to their suitability as recipients of human cancers. CD-1 nude mice and golden hamsters immunosuppressed with anti-hamster thymocyte serum were used. Nude mice were superior in the areas of primary transplantation and subsequent transfer and maintenance. However, growth of tumors transplantable to both animals (a lung cancer line LC-1, a colon cancer line RPMI4788) tends to be better in hamsters than in nude mice. The better development of LC-1 and RPMI4 788 cells in hamsters than in nude mice appears to be related to the superior gain in body weight shown by hamsters

Sound velocity and elastic properties of Fe–Ni–S–Si liquid: the effects of pressure and multiple light elements

Fe–Ni–S–Si alloy is considered to be one of the plausible candidates of Mercury core material. Elastic properties of Fe–Ni–S–Si liquid are important to reveal the density profile of the Mercury core. In this study, we measured the P-wave velocity (VP) of Fe–Ni–S–Si (Fe73Ni10S10Si7, Fe72Ni10S5Si13, and Fe67Ni10S10Si13) liquids up to 17 GPa and 2000 K to study the effects of pressure, temperature, and multiple light elements (S and Si) on the VP and elastic properties. The VP of Fe–Ni–S–Si liquids are less sensitive to temperature. The effect of pressure on the VP are close to that of liquid Fe and smaller than those of Fe–Ni–S and Fe–Ni–Si liquids. Obtained elastic properties are KS0 = 99.1(9.4) GPa, KS’ = 3.8(0.1) and ρ0 =6.48 g/cm3 for S-rich Fe73Ni10S10Si7 liquid and KS0 = 112.1(1.5) GPa, KS’ = 4.0(0.1) and ρ0=6.64 g/cm3 for Si-rich Fe72Ni10S5Si13 liquid. The VP of Fe–Ni–S–Si liquids locate in between those of Fe–Ni–S and Fe–Ni–Si liquids. This suggests that the effect of multiple light element (S and Si) on the VP is suppressed and cancel out the effects of single light elements (S and Si) on the VP. The effect of composition on the EOS in the Fe–Ni–S–Si system is indispensable to estimate the core composition combined with the geodesy data of upcoming Mercury mission

Antitumor effect of combined intraperitoneal administration of human recombinant interferon-beta and interferon-gamma against intraabdominal carcinomatosis in nude mice.

The development of useful therapy for intraabdominal carcinomatosis originating from gastrointestinal cancer is an important theme in cancer therapy. We developed recently an experimental model of intraabdominal carcinomatosis in nude mice by intraperitoneal transplantation of human colon cancer cells (RPMI 4788). Using this model, we investigated the antitumor effects of recombinant human interferon (rIFN)-beta and rIFN-gamma administered singly or in combination. Treatment was initiated 2 days after CD-1 nude mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with 5 X 10(6) RPMI 4788 cells. Intraperitoneal administration for 10 consecutive days of either rIFN-beta (2.5 X 10(5) IU/mouse/day) or rIFN-gamma (2.5 X 10(5) JRU/mouse/day) resulted in a significant prolongation of survival compared with the saline control group [survival in the control: 41.8 +/- 5.6 days (mean +/- SD)]. Combined administration of rIFN-beta and rIFN-gamma for 10 days yielded a marked synergistic effect on the prolongation of survival (114.0 +/- 8.2 days). However, combined administration of rIFN-beta and rIFN-gamma in a single dose equal to the total dose given fractionally over 10 days did not yield a synergistic effect. These results suggest that daily administration of rIFN-beta and rIFN-gamma combined may provide a highly potent antitumor effect against human peritoneal carcinomatosis.</p

Wind Pressure Characteristics of High-rise buildings in Middle and High-height Urban Areas Spread over Local Terrain

In an urban area where middle and high-height buildings are densely built on a complex terrain, it is important for wind-resistant design to know what kind of strong wind blows during a typhoon and the wind pressure acts on the building. In this study, we focused on the wind of the wind direction SSE observed during typhoon LAN (2017), and investigated the relationship between the topography and the flow field around the buildings, and the wall surface pressure by LES. As a result, we clarified the complicated flow due to the interference between the target building and the local terrain and surrounding buildings. In addition, the validity was shown by comparing the wind pressure coefficient of LES with that of the wind tunnel experiment

Effect of vagus nerve stimulation against generalized seizure and status epilepticus recurrence

ObjectiveVagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a palliative surgery for drug-resistant epilepsy. The two objectives of this study were to (1) determine the seizure type most responsive to VNS and (2) investigate the preventive effect on status epilepticus (SE) recurrence.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 136 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who underwent VNS implantation. We examined seizure outcomes at 6, 12, and 24 months following implantation of VNS as well as at the last visit to the Juntendo Epilepsy Center. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the prognostic factors.Results125 patients were followed up for at least 1 year after VNS implantation. The percentage of patients with at least a 50% reduction in seizure frequency compared with prior to VNS implantation increased over time at 6, 12, and 24 months after VNS implantation: 28, 41, and 52%, respectively. Regarding overall seizure outcomes, 70 (56%) patients responded to VNS. Of the 40 patients with a history of SE prior to VNS implantation, 27 (67%) showed no recurrence of SE. The duration of epilepsy, history of SE prior to VNS implantation and seizure type were correlated with seizure outcomes after VNS implantation in univariate analysis (p = 0.05, p &lt; 0.01, and p = 0.03, respectively). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, generalized seizure was associated with VNS response [odds ratio (OR): 4.18, 95% CI: 1.13–15.5, p = 0.03]. A history of SE prior to VNS implantation was associated with VNS non-responders [(OR): 0.221, 95% CI: 0.097–0.503, p &lt; 0.01]. The duration of epilepsy, focal to bilateral tonic–clonic seizure and epileptic spasms were not significantly associated with VNS responders (p = 0.07, p = 0.71, and p = 0.11, respectively).ConclusionFollowing 125 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy for an average of 69 months, 56% showed at least 50% reduction in seizure frequency after VNS implantation. This study suggests that generalized seizure is the most responsive to VNS, and that VNS may reduce the risk of recurrence of SE. VNS was shown to be effective against generalized seizure and also may potentially influence the risk of further events of SE, two marker of disease treatment that can lead to improved quality of life

Increased amyloidogenic processing of transgenic human APP in X11-like deficient mouse brain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>X11-family proteins, including X11, X11-like (X11L) and X11-like 2 (X11L2), bind to the cytoplasmic domain of amyloid β-protein precursor (APP) and regulate APP metabolism. Both X11 and X11L are expressed specifically in brain, while X11L2 is expressed ubiquitously. X11L is predominantly expressed in excitatory neurons, in contrast to X11, which is strongly expressed in inhibitory neurons. <it>In vivo </it>gene-knockout studies targeting X11, X11L, or both, and studies of X11 or X11L transgenic mice have reported that X11-family proteins suppress the amyloidogenic processing of endogenous mouse APP and ectopic human APP with one exception: knockout of X11, X11L or X11L2 has been found to suppress amyloidogenic metabolism in transgenic mice overexpressing the human Swedish mutant APP (APPswe) and the mutant human PS1, which lacks exon 9 (PS1dE9). Therefore, the data on X11-family protein function in transgenic human APP metabolism <it>in vivo </it>are inconsistent.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To confirm the interaction of X11L with human APP ectopically expressed in mouse brain, we examined the amyloidogenic metabolism of human APP in two lines of human APP transgenic mice generated to also lack X11L. In agreement with previous reports from our lab and others, we found that the amyloidogenic metabolism of human APP increased in the absence of X11L.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>X11L appears to aid in the suppression of amyloidogenic processing of human APP in brain <it>in vivo</it>, as has been demonstrated by previous studies using several human APP transgenic lines with various genetic backgrounds. X11L appears to regulate human APP in a manner similar to that seen in endogenous mouse APP metabolism.</p

Development of a new method for assessing otolith function in mice using three-dimensional binocular analysis of the otolith-ocular reflex

In the interaural direction, translational linear acceleration is loaded during lateral translational movement and gravitational acceleration is loaded during lateral tilting movement. These two types of acceleration induce eye movements via two kinds of otolith-ocular reflexes to compensate for movement and maintain clear vision: horizontal eye movement during translational movement, and torsional eye movement (torsion) during tilting movement. Although the two types of acceleration cannot be discriminated, the two otolith-ocular reflexes can distinguish them effectively. In the current study, we tested whether lateral-eyed mice exhibit both of these otolith-ocular reflexes. In addition, we propose a new index for assessing the otolith-ocular reflex in mice. During lateral translational movement, mice did not show appropriate horizontal eye movement, but exhibited unnecessary vertical torsion-like eye movement that compensated for the angle between the body axis and gravito-inertial acceleration (GIA; i.e., the sum of gravity and inertial force due to movement) by interpreting GIA as gravity. Using the new index (amplitude of vertical component of eye movement)/(angle between body axis and GIA), the mouse otolith-ocular reflex can be assessed without determining whether the otolith-ocular reflex is induced during translational movement or during tilting movement