Successful Treatment of Gastric Cancer in Pregnancy

SummaryObjectiveGastric cancer during pregnancy is rare, and even in Japan where a high rate of gastric cancers are reported, only 0.016% of pregnant women suffer from this disease. Generally, the cancer is already advanced at the time of detection and the prognosis for the woman is usually extremely poor. Moreover, prioritizing treatment of the woman often results in a premature birth.Case ReportWe report a case of gastric cancer in a 32-year-old pregnant woman, gravida 6, para 4. The mother and the neonate had good prognoses after early diagnosis, cesarean delivery and surgery.ConclusionDiagnosis of gastric cancer in pregnant women is often delayed even when they are symptomatic, because the symptoms are taken to be symptoms of hyperemesis or expansion of the uterus. However, since the nausea and vomiting arising from hyperemesis generally improves by the 20th week of gestation, the presence of protracted digestive symptoms in the second trimester calls for prompt investigation of digestive disorders. This case highlights the importance of early detection of gastric cancer for a positive prognosis, considering the rapidity with which gastric cancer advances in pregnancy

Confirmation of a one-dimensional spin-1/2 Heisenberg system with ferromagnetic first-nearest-neighbor and antiferromagnetic second-nearest-neighbor interactions in Rb2{}_{2}Cu2{}_{2}Mo3{}_{3}O12{}_{12}

We have investigated magnetic properties of Rb$_2$Cu$_2$Mo$_3$O$_{12}$ powder. Temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility and magnetic-field dependence of magnetization have shown that this cuprate is a model compound of a one-dimensional spin-1/2 Heisenberg system with ferromagnetic first-nearest-neighbor (1NN) and antiferromagnetic second-nearest-neighbor (2NN) competing interactions (competing system). Values of the 1NN and 2NN interactions are estimated as $J_1 = -138$ K and $J_2 = 51$ K ($\alpha \equiv J_2 / J_1 = -0.37$). This value of $\alpha$ suggests that the ground state is a spin-singlet incommensurate state. In spite of relatively large $J_1$ and $J_2$, no magnetic phase transition appears down to 2 K, while an antiferromagnetic transition occurs in other model compounds of the competing system with ferromagnetic 1NN interaction. For that reason, Rb$_2$Cu$_2$Mo$_3$O$_{12}$ is an ideal model compound to study properties of the incommensurate ground state that are unconfirmed experimentally.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

THE ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION OF Gynura procumbens SENSITIZES WiDr COLON CANCER CELL LINE AGAINST 5-FLUOROURACIL BUT SHOWS ANTAGONISM WITH CISPLATIN

Our recent study has evaluated fraction of ethyl acetate of Gynura procumbens (FEG) as co-chemotherapeutic agent in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin (CISP) against colon cancer cell line, WiDr cells. This study aims to assess whether FEG show synergism with 5-FU and CISP and to evaluate its regulation on proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis on WiDr colon cancer cells. (3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) MTT assay was performed to determine the growth inhibitory effect of both single (FEG, 5-FU, or CISP) and combination treatments. FEG (25-500 μg/mL),  5-FU (25-1000 μM)  and CISP (5-100 μM) inhibited cells growth in a dose dependent manner and exhibited IC50 value of 125  μg/mL, 848 mM and 43 mM, respectively. FEG sensitizes WiDr cells that was treated by 5-FU, boosting its therapeutic potential. Conversely when FEG was combined with CISP, it caused antagonism.  The antiproliferative effect of single and combination treatment was determined by studying the cell proliferation kinetics under MTT assay. Flowcytometry and (4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) DAPI staining was used to disclose the mechanism of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. FEG inhibited cell proliferation, induced G1 and S phase arrest and apoptosis. The inhibitory effect was enhanced when FEG was combined with 5-FU, differing from CISP. According to the datas obtained, FEG appeared to possess sensitizing properties, and caused cell cycle arrest and apoptosis on WiDr cells. FEG demonstrated a possibility of additive to synergism properties when combined with 5-FU but not with CISP.   Keywords: Gynura procumbens; WiDr; G1 and S phase arrest; apoptosis

Successful Treatment of Fetal Intraperitoneal Administration of Immunoglobulin in a Case of Fetal Hemolytic Anemia with 131,072-Fold Anti-E Alloimmunization

Object. We present here the case of severe fetal anemia caused by anti-E antibody positive, which showed a favorable course only with fetal intraperitoneal administration of immunoglobulin. Case. The mother was 31 years old, blood type B Rh : CCDee, gravida 1, with no history of transfusion. Anti-E antibody was detected in the maternal cross-match test at the 18th gestational week. In percutaneous umbilical blood sampling, the umbilical blood hemoglobin level was 9.1 g/dL and the result of the direct Coombs' test was positive at the 26th gestational week. Immunoglobulin injection into fetal abdominal cavity (IFAC) was administered a total 7 times. During the pregnancy, the indirect Coombs' test showed a 131,072-fold increase. Conclusion. In this case, IFAC to block the reticuloendothelial system Fc receptor was successful. This procedure is promising as one of the treatment options for blood group incompatible pregnancy

Extracellular-to-intracellular water ratios are associated with functional disability levels in patients with knee osteoarthritis: results from the Nagahama Study.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that greater extracellular-to-intracellular water (ECW/ICW) ratios in lower-limb muscles are associated with worsened functional abilities in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: We analyzed data from 787 participants (82.2% female; mean age, 69.6 ± 5.3 years) from the Nagahama Prospective Cohort who were ≥60 years old and had radiographically confirmed bilateral knee OA. The Knee Scoring System (KSS) was used to assess functional abilities. Lower-limb ECW/ICW ratios and skeletal mass index values were determined with multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test for associations between ECW/ICW ratios and functional abilities. Subgroup analyses based on OA severities and symptomaticity were also conducted. RESULTS: Increased ECW/ICW ratios were associated with a 4.38-point decrease in the KSS function scores (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.15-5.62 points) after adjusting for covariates. This association varied according to the degree of knee symptoms, especially in individuals with radiologically mild OA. ECW/ICW ratios in individuals with asymptomatic mild OA were associated with a 2.14-point decrease in the KSS function score (95% CI, 0.32-3.96 points), whereas those in individuals with severe symptomatic mild OA were associated with a 6.16-point decrease (95% CI, 2.13-10.19 points). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that higher ECW/ICW ratios are associated with greater functional disability in patients with knee OA. Therefore, ECW/ICW ratio measurements with multi-frequency BIA can serve as valuable indicators for functional disability in patients with knee OA. Key Points • Higher extracellular-to-intracellular water (ECW/ICW) ratios are associated with greater functional disability levels in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). • ECW/ICW ratios are useful clinical signs as a biomarker for poor functional abilities in patients with knee OA

Anomalous thermal conductivity and local temperature distribution on harmonic Fibonacci chains

The harmonic Fibonacci chain, which is one of a quasiperiodic chain constructed with a recursion relation, has a singular continuous frequency-spectrum and critical eigenstates. The validity of the Fourier law is examined for the harmonic Fibonacci chain with stochastic heat baths at both ends by investigating the system size N dependence of the heat current J and the local temperature distribution. It is shown that J asymptotically behaves as (ln N)^{-1} and the local temperature strongly oscillates along the chain. These results indicate that the Fourier law does not hold on the harmonic Fibonacci chain. Furthermore the local temperature exhibits two different distribution according to the generation of the Fibonacci chain, i.e., the local temperature distribution does not have a definite form in the thermodynamic limit. The relations between N-dependence of J and the frequency-spectrum, and between the local temperature and critical eigenstates are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to J. Phys.: Cond. Ma

Comparison between alkali heat treatment and sprayed hydroxyapatite coating on thermally-sprayed rough Ti surface in rabbit model: Effects on bone-bonding ability and osteoconductivity.

In this study, we investigated the effect of different surface treatments (hydroxyapatite (HA) coating, alkali heat treatment, and no treatment) on the ability of bone to bond to a rough arc-sprayed Ti metal surface, using rabbit models. The bone-to-implant contacts for untreated, HA-coated, and alkali heat-treated implants were 21.2%, 72.1%, and 33.8% at 4 weeks, 21.8%, 70.9%, and 30.0% at 8 weeks, and 16.3%, 70.2%, and 29.9% at 16 weeks, respectively (n = 8). HA -coated implants showed significantly higher bone-to-implant contacts than the untreated and alkali heat-treated implants at all the time point, whereas alkali heat-treated implants showed significantly higher bone-to-implant contacts than untreated implants at 4 and 16 weeks. The failure loads in a mechanical test for untreated, HA coated, alkali heat-treated plates were 65.4 N, 70.7 N, and 90.8 N at 4 weeks, 76.1 N, 64.7 N, and 104.8 N at 8 weeks and 88.7 N, 92.6 N, and 118.5 N at 16 weeks, respectively (n = 8). The alkali heat-treated plates showed significantly higher failure loads than HA-coated plates at 8 and 16 weeks. The difference between HA-coated plates and untreated plates were not statistically significant at any time point. Thus HA coating, although it enables high bone-to-implant contact, may not enhance the bone-bonding properties of thermally-sprayed rough Ti metal surfaces. In contrast, alkali heat treatment can be successfully applied to thermally-sprayed Ti metal to enhance both bone-to-implant contact and bone-bonding strength