Hepatic resection of metastatic tumor from serous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary.

Metastatic carcinomas are the largest group of malignant tumors of the liver. But parenchymal liver metastasis from cystic ovarian adenocarcinoma is very rare. We report a case in which the resection of metastatic liver neoplasm from ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma was done 7 yr after initial treatment. A 48-yr-old oriental housewife complained of easy fatigability and right lower quadrant discomfort. The hepatic mass was detected by ultrasonographic examination. Serum albumin, bilirubin, and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase were normal. Alkaline phosphatase level was slightly increased at 146 IU/L. A tumor marker study showed alpha-fetoprotein 0.97 IU/mL, carcinoembryonic antigen 0.965 ng/mL, cancer antigen 125 1,267 ng/mL and CA 19-9 106.1 ng/mL. The operation involved cholecystectomy and segmentectomy VI and VII of the liver. The patient recovered from the surgery without any complication. On the 10th postoperative day, the patient received a single-regimen chemotherapy with paclitaxel (Taxol, 155 mg/m(2) BSA) and was discharged. She has been carefully followed-up without any evidence of recurrence after completion of the remaining 5 cycles of chemo-therapy, at intervals of three weeks

Pure nongestational choriocarcinoma of the ovary: a case report

Abstract Pure ovarian choriocarcinoma can be gestational or nongestational in origin. Nongestational choriocarcinoma of the ovary is extremely rare, and its diagnosis is very difficult during the reproductive years. We present a case of a 33-year-old woman diagnosed with pure nongestational ovarian choriocarcinoma. Following surgery, multiple courses of a chemotherapy regimen of etoposide, methotrexate, and actinomycin-D (EMA) were effective.</p

Akt regulates the expression of MafK, synaptotagmin I, and syntenin-1, which play roles in neuronal function

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Akt regulates various cellular processes, including cell growth, survival, and metabolism. Recently, Akt's role in neurite outgrowth has also emerged. We thus aimed to identify neuronal function-related genes that are regulated by Akt.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed suppression subtractive hybridization on two previously established PC12 sublines, one of which overexpresses the wild-type (WT) form and the other, the dominant-negative (DN) form of Akt. These sublines respond differently to NGF's neuronal differentiation effect.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A variety of genes was identified and could be classified into several functional groups, one of which was developmental processes. Two genes involved in neuronal differentiation and function were found in this group. v-Maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog K (MafK) induces the neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells and immature telencephalon neurons, and synaptotagmin I (SytI) is essential for neurotransmitter release. Another gene, <it>syntenin-1 </it>(<it>Syn-1</it>) was also recognized in the same functional group into which <it>MafK </it>and <it>SytI </it>were classified. Syn-1 has been reported to promote the formation of membrane varicosities in neurons. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses show that the transcript levels of these three genes were lower in PC12 (WT-Akt) cells than in parental PC12 and PC12 (DN-Akt) cells. Furthermore, treatment of PC12 (WT-Akt) cells with an Akt inhibitor resulted in the increase of the expression of these genes and the improvement of neurite outgrowth. These results indicate that dominant-negative or pharmacological inhibition of Akt increases the expression of <it>MafK</it>, <it>SytI</it>, and <it>Syn-1 </it>genes. Using lentiviral shRNA to knock down endogenous Syn-1 expression, we demonstrated that Syn-1 promotes an increase in the numbers of neurites and branches.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Taken together, these results indicate that Akt negatively regulates the expression of <it>MafK</it>, <it>SytI</it>, and <it>Syn-1 </it>genes that all participate in regulating neuronal integrity in some way or another.</p

Drug delivery by a self-assembled DNA tetrahedron for overcoming drug resistance in breast cancer cells

A DNA tetrahedron is employed for efficient delivery of doxorubicin into drug-resistant breast cancer cells. The drug delivered with the DNA nanoconstruct is considerably cytotoxic, whereas free doxorubicin is virtually non-cytotoxic for the drug-resistant cells. Thus, the DNA tetrahedron, made of the inherently natural and biocompatible material, can be a good candidate for the drug carrier to overcome MDR in cancer cells.close11

Multiple Sclerosis and Peripheral Multifocal Demyelinating Neuropathies Occurring in a Same Patient

The co-occurrence of multiple sclerosis and peripheral demyelinating neuropathy is rare. It has been disputed whether these are pathologically related or coincidental findings. We report a 36-year-old woman who presented with diplopia, right facial palsy and left-sided weakness. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a lesion indicative of central demyelinating disease. Nerve conduction studies revealed peripheral multifocal demyelinating neuropathies. We suggest that the central and the peripheral lesions may be continua of a demyelinating process

Acid-Resistance Enhancement of Thin-Film Composite Membrane Using Barrier Effect of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets

In this study, the effect of graphene oxide nanosheets (GONs) embedded in a thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide (PA) membrane on the acid resistance of the membrane was investigated by comparison with the effect of oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes (o-SWNTs). Both GONs and o-SWNTs increased the hydrophilicity of the membranes and caused the formation of ridges and clustered bumps on the surfaces, resulting in slightly improved water permeability. However, the o-SWNTs-embedded membrane did not show a difference in acid resistance depending on the concentration of embedded material, but the acid resistance of the GONs-embedded membrane increased with increasing concentration. The acid resistance of the GONs-embedded membranes appears to be mainly due to the barrier effect caused by the nanosheet shape of the GONs along with a sacrificial role of the PA layer protruded by the addition of GONs and the decrease of acid reaction sites by the hydrogen bonding between GONs and PA. When the TFC PA membrane was prepared with a high amount (300 ppm) of the GONs without considering aggregation of GONs, membrane selectivity exceeding 95% was maintained 4.7 times longer than the control TFC membrane. This study shows that the acid resistance can be enhanced by the use of GONs, which give a barrier effect to the membrane