A Case of Spontaneous Ruptured Solid Pseudopapillary Tumor of Pancreas Resected by Laparoscopic Surgery

Solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) is an uncommon neoplasm of the pancreas. A rare case of spontaneous rupture of SPT is reported. A 13-year-old female felt acute abdominal pain without blunt abdominal trauma. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a tumor in the pancreas tail with fluid collection around it. The tumor was diagnosed as SPT with hemoperitoneum associated with spontaneous rupture. The bleeding was stopped conservatively and she was referred for surgery at three months after the rupture. At that time, CT revealed a tumor 4 cm in diameter, which protruded from pancreas tail without distant metastases. Since peritoneal dissemination was not seen on intraoperative exploration, laparoscopic enucleation was performed. Pathologically, the tumor was diagnosed as SPT with rupture of the capsule of tumor, and complete resection was confirmed. The patient has been followed up for two years, and she is alive without recurrence

Proteomic and meta-transcriptomic study on lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer

AbstractTo examine the proteomic background of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in gastric cancer, we performed protein expression profiling of paired non-tumor, primary tumor, and LNM tissues. Using a label-free proteomic approach, we generated protein expression profiles of 3894 unique proteins and identified 109 differentially expressed proteins. Functional pathway analysis of the differentially expressed proteins showed that members of the beta-3 integrin (ITGB3) pathway were significantly enriched. Aberrations of ITGB3 were reported in various malignancies; however, ITGB3 in LNM tissues has not been examined to date. Different level of ITGB3 expression was confirmed in 20 gastric cancer cases by Western blotting. We analyzed the mRNA levels of the differentially expressed proteins by using a public mRNA expression database; 38.8% of the proteins examined, including those involved in oxidation and reduction, showed correlation between protein and mRNA levels. Proteins without such correlation included factors related to cell adhesion. Our study suggests a novel role for the integrin pathway in the development of LNM in gastric cancer and indicated possible benefits of observational transcriptomic analysis for proteomic studies

Residential relocation and change in social capital: A natural experiment from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Social connections in the community (“social capital”) represent an important source of resilience in the aftermath of major disasters. However, little is known about how residential relocation due to housing destruction affects survivors’ social capital. We examined changes in social capital among survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. People who lost their homes were resettled to new locations by two primary means: (i) group relocation to public temporary trailer housing or (ii) individual relocation, in which victims moved into government-provided housing by lottery or arranged for their own accommodation (market rental housing or private purchase/new construction). The baseline for our natural experiment was established 7 months before the 11 March 2011 disaster, when we conducted a survey of older community-dwelling adults who lived 80-km west of the earthquake epicenter. Approximately 2.5 years after the disaster, the follow-up survey gathered information about personal experiences of disaster as well as health status and social capital. Among 3421 people in our study, 79 people moved via group relocation to public temporary trailer housing, whereas 96 people moved on their own. The individual fixed-effects model showed that group relocation was associated with improved informal socializing and social participation (β coefficient = 0.053, 95% confidence interval: 0.011 to 0.095). In contrast, individual relocation was associated with declining informal socializing and social participation (β coefficient = −0.039, 95% confidence interval: −0.074 to −0.003). Group relocation, as compared to individual relocation, appeared to preserve social participation and informal socializing in the community

THYMIDYLATE SYNTHETASE AND THYMIDINE KINASE ACTIVITIES IN DMH-INDUCED COLON CARCINOMAS IN RATS AND EFFECTS OF UFT

Carcinoma of the colon was induced in rats by injection of a carcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH), and thymidylate synthetase (TS) and thymidine kinase (TK) activities, which catalyze the biosynthesis of dTMP by the de novo pathway and the salvage pathway of pyrimidine synthesis, respectively, were measured in normal control colon, DMH-treated normal colon, and DMH­ induced colon carcinoma with or without administration of two doses of an anti-cancer drug UFT (a combination of tegafur and uracil).TS and TK activities were both increased after treatment with DMH, markedly in colon carcinoma tissue, and to a lesser degree in normal-appearing colon tissue. This phenomenon is well explained by the hypothesis that biochemical alterations of DNA-synthesizing enzyme activities occur as a preliminary step prior to the development of overt cancerous transformation.A low dose of UFT inhibited TS activity but enhanced TK activity, therefore, the salvage pathway may compensate for the reduced level of the de novo synthesis. On the other hand, a large dose of UFT reduced both TS and TK activities, perhaps due to cytotoxic effects of UFT incorporation into RNA

Right-sided Bochdalek hernia in an elderly adult: a case report with a review of surgical management

Abstract Background Bochdalek hernias are one of the most common types of diaphragmatic hernia, with most cases diagnosed during the neonatal period. In contrast, diagnosis of a Bochdalek hernia in an adult is rare and is typically observed on the left side of the diaphragm. Even more rare is the diagnosis of a right-sided Bochdalek hernia in an adult, where there is concurrent visceral malformation in most cases. Case presentation We describe a case of an 89-year-old female who presented with abdominal pain. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed decreased intravenous contrast uptake and thickening of the wall of herniated small intestine through the right side of the diaphragm, which led to the diagnosis of a strangulated diaphragmatic hernia. The patient underwent emergent laparotomy and required a partial resection of the necrotic ileum and a hernia repair with direct closure. Interestingly, in this case, organ malformation was not observed. The patient was discharged approximately 2 weeks after surgery without complication. Conclusions Adult right-sided Bochdalek hernia with strangulation in the absence of hepatic atrophy is a rare entity. Considering the severity of this condition, accurate diagnosis and proper treatment are needed. A tailored operative approach is required on an individual case basis

Effects of Kampo (Japanese Herbal) Medicine “Sho-Saiko-To” on DNA-Synthesizing Enzyme Activity in 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine-Induced Colonic Carcinomas in Rats

Abstract Sho-Saiko-To (SST) is a modified Japanese traditional Chinese herbal medicine containing seven medical plants: Bupleuri radix, Pinelliae tuber, Suxtallariae radix, Zizyphi fructus, Ginseng radix, Glycyrrhizae radix, and Zingiberis recens rhizoma. This preparation has been used in the treatment of some inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system and chronic hepatitis. In the present study, the effects of SST were investigated on the activities of DNA-synthesizing enzymes in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colonic carcinomas in rats. Six-week administration of SST prevented nearly 100% of the body weight loss and the final number of the colonic carcinomas compared to those in the rats treated with DMH alone, and suppressed the enhanced activities of thymidylate synthetase (TS) and thymidine kinase (TK) which were involved in the DE NOVO and salvage pathways of pyrimidine synthesis, respectively, in DMH-induced colonic carcinomas. These results indicate that SST may show directly and/or indirectly inhibitory effects on the development of colonic carcinomas