Reduced Nogo-P3 in adults with developmental coordination disorder (DCD)

Nogo-N2 is associated with the premotor cognitive process that precedes motor response (e.g., conflict monitoring), whereas Nogo-P3 is related to the inhibition of the actual motor response. We examined the influence of motor clumsiness of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) on components of the event-related potential in a Go/Nogo task. Participants were healthy adults (N = 81) that were classified into control and DCD groups based on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children Second Edition. We manipulated the difficulty in stopping a response by varying the frequency of Nogo stimuli in a response task into rare (20%) and frequent (80%) conditions, and Nogo-N2 and Nogo-P3 were calculated from electroencephalograms (EEGs) during the Go/Nogo tasks. The commission error rate in the rare condition was significantly higher in the DCD group than in the control group, indicating that motor clumsiness decreases task performance. There were no differences in Nogo-N2 between DCD and control groups. However, Nogo-P3 in the rare condition was reduced in the DCD group compared to the control group. These results suggest that the influence of motor clumsiness is limited to the cognitive process after the initiation of the actual motor response.Peer reviewe

Immunohistochemical analysis of cancer stem cell markers in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been reported to play an important role in chemoradiation resistance. Although the association of CSC markers with clinicopathological outcomes after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) has been reported in various types of cancers, there have been no such reports for pancreatic cancer. Here we examined the sequential changes in CSC marker expressions after NACRT in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) and the impact of these changes on the prognosis. Methods: We used immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expressions of the CSC markers epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), CD24, CD44, CD133, CXCR4 and Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in resected specimens obtained from 28 PA patients, and we compared these expressions with the patients' clinicopathological parameters and survival data. Results: The expression frequencies of CD44 and ALDH1 were significantly higher in the NACRT group (n = 17) compared to the non-NACRT group (n = 11), but the CD133 expression was significantly lower in the NACRT group. In the NACRT group, the expression of CD133 was inversely correlated with that of ALDH1, and CD133 +/ALDH1-expression was associated with an unfavorable patient outcome. Conclusion: This is the first report showing that NACRT may influence the expression frequencies of CD44, CD133 and ALDH1 in PA patients. Moreover, CD133 and ALDH1 expressions may be useful predictors of prognosis in PA patients who have received NACRT

An intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct mimicking a hemorrhagic hepatic cyst: a case report

An intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct is a biliary, epithelium-lined, cystic lesion that exhibits papillary proliferation and rarely causes large hemorrhagic cystic lesions. Here, we report a case of an intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct mimicking a hemorrhagic hepatic cyst in a middle-aged man with large hemorrhagic hepatic cysts who experienced abdominal pain and repeated episodes of intracystic bleeding. Following portal vein embolization, extended right hepatic lobectomy was performed, and intraoperative cholangiography revealed communication between the intracystic space and the hepatic duct. Although histological studies revealed that the large hemorrhagic lesion was not lined with epithelium, the surrounding multilocular lesions contained biliary-derived epithelial cells that presented as papillary growths without ovarian-like stroma. A diagnosis of oncocytic-type intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct was made, and we hypothesized that intracystic bleeding with denudation of the lining epithelial cells might occur as the cystically dilated bile duct increased in size. Differential diagnosis between a hemorrhagic cyst and a cyst-forming intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct with bleeding is difficult. However, an intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct could manifest as multilocular hemorrhagic lesions; therefore, complete resection should be performed for a better prognosis

Efficacy and safety of abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with previous malignancy

Background: Abatacept (ABT) is known to lower infection risk than other biologics and is effective and safe in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, there were inconsistent reports on the impact of ABT on malignancies which are more common in the elderly and strongly related to prognosis. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ABT in patients with RA with previous malignancy in clinical practice. Design: A multicenter, retrospective study. Methods: Patients who received ABT for RA in two hospitals in Yokohama until May 2022 were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of a history of malignancy (no previous malignancy: NP group, previous malignancy: PM group). The collected parameters were compared between the groups using propensity score matching. Results: In this study, 312 patients were included, of whom 73 had previous malignancies when starting ABT. The age at ABT initiation was significantly higher in the PM group, the rate of methotrexate use was significantly lower in the PM group, and the Steinbrocker stage was significantly higher in the PM group. After matching these 3 factors, 68 patients were selected from each group. No significant differences in the ABT continuation rate, and malignancy incidence were observed between the two groups after ABT initiation. In addition to these factors, when matched for smoking history, interstitial lung disease, disease duration, sex, and inflammatory status, which are known risk factors for malignancy in RA, 40 patients were selected from each group. No significant differences in the ABT continuation rate, and malignancy incidence were observed between the two groups after ABT initiation. Conclusion: In our clinical practice, ABT was as effective and safe in patients with a history of malignancy as in those without