Multiple hepatic sclerosing hemangioma mimicking metastatic liver tumor successfully treated by laparoscopic surgery: Report of a case

AbstractIntroductionHepatic sclerosing hemangioma is a very rare benign tumor, characterized by fibrosis and hyalinization occurring in association with degeneration of a hepatic cavernous hemangioma. We report here a rare case of multiple hepatic sclerosing hemangioma mimicking metastatic liver tumor that was successfully treated using laparoscopic surgery.Presentation of caseA 67-year-old woman with multiple liver tumors underwent single-incision laparoscopic sigmoidectomy under a diagnosis of advanced sigmoid cancer with multiple liver metastases. Examination of surgical specimens of sigmoid colon revealed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma invading the serosa, and no lymph node metastases. Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 remained within normal limits throughout the course. Two months after sigmoidectomy, the patient underwent laparoscopic partial hepatectomy of S1 and S6 of the liver and cholecystectomy. Histopathological examination showed that the tumors mainly comprised hyalinized tissue and collagen fibers with sporadic vascular spaces on hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections, yielding a diagnosis of multiple hepatic sclerosing hemangioma. No evidence of recurrence has been seen as of 21 months postoperatively.DiscussionDifferentiating multiple sclerosing hemangiomas from metastatic liver tumors was quite difficult because the radiological findings were closely compatible with liver metastases. Laroscopic hepatectomy provided less blood loss, a shorter duration of hospitalization, and good cosmetic results.ConclusionSclerosing hemangioma should be included among the differential diagnoses of multiple liver tumors in patients with colorectal cancer. Laparoscopic hepatectomy is useful for diagnostic therapy for undiagnosed multiple liver tumors

Social skills and loneliness in junior high school students

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between social skills and loneliness, and to contribute to prevention and intervention of loneliness in junior high school students. Questionnaires were administered to 83 students (45 males and 38 females). Correlation analysis showed that loneliness score was negatively related to the scores of peer reinforcement, social initiation, conflict resolution and assertion skills, and also positively related to the score of withdrawal behaviors. In addition, this study found gender differences in the role of social skills and problem behaviors on loneliness. Boys' loneliness was negatively related to peer reinforcement, social initiation, and assertion skills, and girls' loneliness was negatively related to conflict resolution skills, whereas both boys' and girls' loneliness were associated with withdrawal behaviors. These findings were discussed in terms of the context of social skills training

Loss of histone H4K20 trimethylation predicts poor prognosis in breast cancer and is associated with invasive activity

INTRODUCTION: Loss of histone H4 lysine 20 trimethylation (H4K20me3) is associated with multiple cancers, but its role in breast tumors is unclear. In addition, the pathological effects of global reduction in H4K20me3 remain mostly unknown. Therefore, a major goal of this study was to elucidate the global H4K20me3 level in breast cancer tissue and investigate its pathological functions. METHODS: Levels of H4K20me3 and an associated histone modification, H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3), were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in a series of breast cancer tissues. Univariate and multivariate clinicopathological and survival analyses were performed. We also examined the effect of overexpression or knockdown of the histone H4K20 methyltransferases, SUV420H1 and SUV420H2, on cancer-cell invasion activity in vitro. RESULTS: H4K20me3, but not H3K9me3, was clearly reduced in breast cancer tissue. A reduced level of H4K20me3 was correlated with several aspects of clinicopathological status, including luminal subtypes, but not with HER2 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that reduced levels of H4K20me3 independently associated with lower disease-free survival. Moreover, ectopic expression of SUV420H1 and SUV420H2 in breast cancer cells suppressed cell invasiveness, whereas knockdown of SUV420H2 activated normal mammary epithelial-cell invasion in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: H4K20me3 was reduced in cancerous regions of breast-tumor tissue, as in other types of tumor. Reduced H4K20me3 level can be used as an independent marker of poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. Most importantly, this study suggests that a reduced level of H4K20me3 increases the invasiveness of breast cancer cells in a HER2-independent manner

Non–contact real–time detection of trace nitro-explosives by MOF composites visible–light chemiresistor

To create an artificial structure to remarkably surpass the sensitivity, selectivity and speed of the olfaction system of animals is still a daunting challenge. Herein, we propose a core-sheath pillar (CSP) architecture with a perfect synergistic interface that effectively integrates the advantages of metal–organic frameworks and metal oxides to tackle the above-mentioned challenge. The sheath material, NH₂-MIL-125, can concentrate target analyte, nitro-explosives, by 10¹² times from its vapour. The perfect band-matched synergistic interface enables the TiO₂ core to effectively harvest and utilize visible light. At room temperature and under visible light, CSP (TiO₂, NH₂-MIL-125) shows an unexpected self-promoting analyte-sensing behaviour. Its experimentally reached limit of detection (～0.8 ppq, hexogeon) is 10³ times lower than the lowest one achieved by a sniffer dog or all sensing techniques without analyte pre-concentration. Moreover, the sensor exhibits excellent selectivity against commonly existing interferences, with a short response time of 0.14 min

Case report on a coronary artery bypass graft for a patient with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome associated with systemic lupus erythematosus

　Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is an immune disease in which antiphospholipid antibodies cause hypercoagulability and thromboembolic complications. We experienced APS cases associated with systemic lupus erythematosus with three-vessel lesions of the coronary artery. After a below knee amputation on a 60-year-old woman with APS, she complained of chest pain at rest. An electrocardiogram showed an ST depression and a coronary angiography showed complicated three-vessel disease, as a result she was referred to the cardiac surgery department. A coronary artery bypass with arterial grafts was performed along with postoperative anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy, and the short-term graft patency was good. Case reports of coronary artery bypass grafts for secondary APS are rare, so we report here on our case and our strategy to treat thromboembolic complications

A surgical case of mitral valve replacement for a patient with Fabry disease complicated with hemodialysis

　Fabry disease is a rare genetic disease, and surgical reports for the patients with Fabry disease are also rarer.　A 58-year-old man presented with chest pain. At the age of 40, he commenced dialysis due to chronic renal failure and at the age of 50, he developed shortness of breath on exertion, and echocardiography showed mitral regurgitation and left ventricular hypertrophy. He was then diagnosed with Fabry disease due to decreased alpha-galactosidase activity. This diagnosis led to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). The ERT was effective as he had not never experienced further exacerbation of congestive heart failure. While the CHF was put under control, his mitral stenosis gradually worsened, and the patient began to have more chest pain and became hypotensive. He then referred to our section for mitral valve replacement. His mitral annulus was severely calcified and we removed mitral annulus calcification (MAC) at minimum so that we could stich needles and implanted mechanical valve. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and bradycardia made his hemodynamics unstable against ERT, which also caused low dialysis efficiency. It took longer than usual to wean him off catecholamines. His hemodynamics became more stable and dialysis efficiency generally improved, so he moved from ICU to ward on postoperative day 11. On day 32, he was transferred back to the referring hospital for his rehabilitation.　We have reported a surgical case of Fabry disease, that are not only rare but have high perioperative risk due to Fabry disease’s specific complications

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery via a right mini-thoracotomy

　Minimally invasive surgery, which has become very active outside the cardiovascular field, has recently come to the fore in this area. Then, procedures such as offpump coronary artery bypass grafts without extracorporeal circulation and stent grafts for treating aortic aneurysms have been frequently performed.　In cardiac surgery, as in other surgical fields, more and more surgeries that are less and less invasive have been introduced in recent years. Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting has contributed to the development of these less invasive surgeries. For example, cardiac surgery utilizing a partial sternotomy was introduced as a way to better access the surgical location. However, minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) through a right mini-thoracotomy, a portaccess cardiac surgery, is said to be trending recently because it avoids a sternotomy and has less bleeding and wound infection. All of these factors not only promote early recovery, but are also expected to have a positive impact on early discharge and the health care economy.　With surgeons and hospitals accumulating experience, MICS is being applied to more complex lesions and has begun to be used to treat the aortic valve in addition to the mitral valve. Off-the-job training and team building are also key factors for implementing a successful program. This type of port-access cardiac surgery is already beginning to be developed into a robotically assisted heart surgery by various facilities around the world

Recurrent Ascending Colon Cancer Manifesting as Inferior Vena cava Thrombus

We report an extremely rare case of recurrent ascending colon cancer manifesting as inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombus. A 77-year-old woman previously diagnosed with ascending colon cancer underwent right hemicolectomy with lymph node dissection. Though the tumor invaded the retroperitoneum and involved the right ovarian artery and vein, curative operation was performed. The patient took 5-FU p.o. Two and a half years later, tumor thrombus in the IVC extending into the right atrium was incidentally found and diagnosed as recurrence of colon cancer by biopsy. RF-induced hyperthermia using 5-FU and CDDP i.v. was immediately performed, but she died after 6 months because of multiple liver and pulmonary metastases. In treating colon cancers invading the retroperitoneum, it should be recalled that some cases recur as tumor thrombus in the IVC and that close follow-up is therefore necessary

Ba2NiOsO6: A Dirac-Mott insulator with ferromagnetism near 100 K

The ferromagnetic semiconductor Ba2NiOsO6 (Tmag ~100 K) was synthesized at 6 GPa and 1500 {\deg}C. It crystallizes into a double perovskite structure [Fm-3m; a = 8.0428(1) {\AA}], where the Ni2+ and Os6+ ions are perfectly ordered at the perovskite B-site. We show that the spin-orbit coupling of Os6+ plays an essential role in opening the charge gap. The magnetic state was investigated by density functional theory calculations and powder neutron diffraction. The latter revealed a collinear ferromagnetic order in a >21 kOe magnetic field at 5 K. The ferromagnetic gapped state is fundamentally different from that of known dilute magnetic semiconductors such as (Ga,Mn)As and (Cd,Mn)Te (Tmag < 180 K), the spin-gapless semiconductor Mn2CoAl (Tmag ~720 K), and the ferromagnetic insulators EuO (Tmag ~70 K) and Bi3Cr3O11 (Tmag ~220 K). It is also qualitatively different from known ferrimagnetic insulator/semiconductors, which are characterized by an antiparallel spin arrangement. Our finding of the ferromagnetic semiconductivity of Ba2NiOsO6 should increase interest in the platinum group oxides, because this new class of materials should be useful in the development of spintronic, quantum magnetic, and related devices