Endoscopic Biliary Drainage Using Guidewire Cannulation in a Case with Severe Duodenal Stenosis Caused by Duodenal Undifferentiated Carcinoma

We present a case of duodenal carcinoma, 12 cm in size, with severe stenosis at the second portion of the duodenum. When the patient developed obstructive jaundice, it was impossible to perform endoscopic biliary drainage by standard cannulation due to the stenosis, but was succeeded by wire-guided cannulation using papillotome. Histology of the tumor showed undifferentiated carcinoma without differentiation to any specific cell type. Systemic chemotherapy was started with 5-FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin. Biliary stent worked well until the patient succumbed three months after. Herein we demonstrate the new advantage of wire-guided cannulation in case of duodenal stenosis

Trimming of a Migrated Biliary Nitinol Stent Using Argon Plasma

Metallic stent migration is a well-known complication which cannot always be managed by removal or repositioning, especially in case of uncovered stent. We report a patient who developed obstructive jaundice due to migration of an expandable metallic stent (EMS) inserted in the lower bile duct. Trimming of the EMS using argon plasma was performed, with the power setting of 60 W and 2.0 l/min of argon flow. The distal part of the EMS was removed and mechanical cleaning using balloon catheter was performed for remnant EMS. Without additional stent insertion, jaundice was relieved in a few days. No complication was recognized during the procedure and no recurrence of jaundice in the rest of his life

Autoimmune Pancreatitis Accompanied by Cholecystitis, Periaortitis and Pseudotumors of the Liver

A variety of extrapancreatic lesions have been associated with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), and these lesions can be difficult to diagnose. We report a patient referred to Shizuoka Cancer Center with the diagnosis of a possible biliary carcinoma with liver metastasis who was shown to have AIP accompanied by pseudotumors of liver. Clinical imaging revealed diffuse enlargement of the head of the pancreas with irregular narrowing of the main pancreatic duct and inferior common bile duct, multiple liver masses, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and thickening of the wall of the gallbladder and abdominal aorta. Cytology and biopsy from the pancreaticobiliary tract was negative for malignancy. Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA19-9) levels were in the normal range, but soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL2R), IgG4 and antinuclear antibody were abnormally high (sIL2R: 2,550 U/ml; IgG4: 764 mg/dl). Corticosteroid therapy was effective and these abnormal findings all improved. This case demonstrates the clinical importance of AIP accompanied by other systemic disorders in the differential diagnosis of patients with a pancreatic mass lesion

Pressure-Induced Antiferromagnetic Bulk Superconductor EuFe2_2As2_2

We present the magnetic and superconducting phase diagram of EuFe$_2$As$_2$ for $B \parallel c$ and $B \parallel ab$. The antiferromagnetic phase of the Eu$^{2+}$ moments is completely enclosed in the superconducting phase. The upper critical field vs. temperature curves exhibit strong concave curvatures, which can be explained by the Jaccarino-Peter compensation effect due to the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between the Eu$^{2+}$ moments and conduction electrons.Comment: submitted to the proceedings of the M2S-IX Toky

Immunohistochemical analyses of beta-catenin and cyclin D1 expression in giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB): A possible role of Wnt pathway in GCTB tumorigenesis.

Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a benign neoplasm but occasionally shows local recurrence, and histologically consists of osteoclast-like giant cells (GC) and stromal mononuclear cells (SC), which are capable of proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation. Activation of Wnt signaling can induce osteoblast differentiation and osteoclastgenesis during bone resorption process. This study analyzed the profiles of beta-catenin and cyclin D1 expression in GCTB to elucidate an involvement of Wnt pathway in tumorigenesis. We performed immunohistochemistry for beta-catenin, cyclin D1, and Ki-67 in 16 GCTB tumors, including 5 recurrent cases that were surgically resected. All 16 cases of GCTB displayed beta-catenin, cyclin D1, and Ki-67 expression. Immunoreactivity for beta-catenin was observed in nuclei of SC and GC. Cyclin D1 immunoreactivity was found mainly in nuclei of GC, while Ki-67 immunoreactivity was restricted to nuclei of SC. The nuclear beta-catenin labeling index (LI) in both SC (60.6 vs. 41.8%, p=0.074) and GC (41.7 vs. 20.1%, p=0.095) was higher in recurrent tumors than in primary tumors in all the 4 cases. However, Ki-67 LI in SC (18.8 vs. 19.9%, p=0.851) and cyclin D1 LI in GC (55.4 vs. 70.1%, p=0.225) were not higher in recurrent tumors than in primary tumors. Our results suggested activation of Wnt/ beta-catenin pathway in GCTB tumorigenesis. Since cyclin D1 in GC was never associated with the expression of the well-known proliferative marker Ki-67, cyclin D1 expression might play a role in GC formation instead of promoting cell proliferation during GCTB tumorigenesis. Importantly, it was suggested that the nuclear beta-catenin staining level might be associated with tumor recurrence in GCTB

Utility of Nd isotope ratio as a tracer of marine animals : regional variation in coastal seas and causal factors

Isotopic compositions of animal tissue are an intrinsic marker commonly used to trace animal origins and migrations; however, few isotopes are effective for this purpose in marine environments, especially on a local scale. The isotope ratio of the lanthanoid element neodymium (Nd) is a promising tracer for coastal animal migrations. Neodymium derives from the same geologic materials as strontium, well known as an isotopic tracer (87Sr/86Sr) for terrestrial and anadromous animals. The advantage of the Nd isotope ratio (143Nd/144Nd, expressed as εNd) is that it varies greatly in the ocean according to the geology of the neighboring continents, whereas oceanic 87Sr/86Sr is highly uniform. This study explored the utility of the Nd isotope ratio as a marine tracer by investigating the variation of εNd preserved in tissues of coastal species, and the causes of that variation, in a region of northeastern Japan where the bedrock geology is highly variable. We measured εNd and 87Sr/86Sr in seawater, river water, and soft tissues of sedentary suspension feeders: the mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis and Mytilus coruscus and the oyster Crassostrea gigas. We also measured concentrations of three lanthanoids (La, Ce, and Pr) in shellfish bodies to determine whether the Nd in shellfish tissue was derived from solution in seawater or from suspended particulates. The εNd values in shellfish tissue varied regionally (−6 to +1), matching the ambient seawater, whereas all 87Sr/86Sr values were homogeneous and typical of seawater (0.7091–0.7092). The seawater εNd values were in turn correlated with those in the adjacent rivers, linking shellfish εNd to the geology of river catchments. The depletion of Ce compared to La and Pr (negative Ce anomaly) suggested that the Nd in shellfish was derived from the dissolved phase in seawater. Our results indicate that the distinct Nd isotope ratio derived from local geology is imprinted, through seawater, on the soft tissues of shellfish. This result underscores the potential of εNd as a tracer of coastal marine animals

Applicability of Permanent Mold Casting for Lead Free Bronze with Sulfide Dispersion (Post-Print Version)

The leaded bronze, the leaded brass, the lead free bronze including bismuth and the lead free bronze with sulfide dispersion were cast into the permanent mold for thesolidification cracking test. The applicability of the permanent mold casting process for bronzes was evaluated with comparison of the range of the solidificationtemperature. The lead free bronze with sulfide dispersion was more unbreakable than the other copper alloys. There were differences of the dendrite form near by the fracture and the distribution of the residual melt segregated at a part of theend of the solidification. The lead free bronze with sulfide dispersion may have a solidification form being unlikely to crack. It dispersion is possible to apply the permanent mold castings process rather than the other copper alloys, and the applicability is almost same as brass castings.70th World Foundry Congress 2012 (WFC 2012) held 25-27 April 2012, Monterrey, Mexico

Optical IFU Observations of GOALS Sample with KOOLS-IFU on Seimei Telescope: Initial results of 9 U/LIRGs at z<z < 0.04

We present ionized gas properties of 9 local ultra/luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) at $z <$ 0.04 through IFU observations with KOOLS-IFU on Seimei Telescope. The observed targets are drawn from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS), covering a wide range of merger stages. We successfully detect emission lines such as H$\beta$, [OIII]$\lambda$5007, H$\alpha$, [NII]$\lambda\lambda$6549,6583, and [SII]$\lambda\lambda$6717,6731 with a spectral resolution of $R$ = 1500-2000, which provides (i) spatially-resolved ($\sim$200-700 pc) moment map of ionized gas and (ii) diagnostics for active galactic nucleus (AGN) within the central $\sim$3--11 kpc in diameter for our sample. We find that [OIII] outflow that is expected to be driven by AGN tends to be stronger (i) towards the galactic center and (ii) as a sequence of merger stage. In particular, the outflow strength in the late-stage (stage D) mergers is about 1.5 times stronger than that in the early-state (stage B) mergers, which indicates that galaxy mergers could induce AGN-driven outflow and play an important role in the co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, and 2 tables, accepted for publication in PAS