Dermoscopic Features of Eccrine Porocarcinoma Arising from Hidroacanthoma Simplex

Eccrine porocarcinoma is a rare cutaneous neoplasm that mainly affects elderly people and grows slowly over a long period of time but often experiences an accelerated growth phase. Eccrine porocarcinoma may arise de novo or evolve from a pre-existing benign eccrine poroma. We reported a 86-year-old Japanese woman presenting with two reddish-colored pendulated lesions on a keratotic light brown plaque on the right thigh. Dermoscopic examination of the light-brown plaque demonstrated many whitish globular structures in a light-brown background. At the two reddish-colored pendulated lesions, polymorphous and prominent vessel proliferation was observed together with irregularly shaped whitish negative network. Immunohistochemical study demonstrated a positive CEA staining at ductal structures and atypical clear cells of reddish nodules. A diagnosis of eccrine porocarcinoma arising in a pigmented hidroacanthoma simplex was eventually established, and the dermoscopic features of eccrine porocarcinoma from hidroacanthoma simplex was described for the first time

Dermoscopic Features of a Black Hairy Tongue in 2 Japanese Patients

Dermoscopic features of a black hairy tongue have never been reported. Dermoscopy might be useful in speculating pathologic features of oral lesions. The objective was to identify additional dermoscopic criteria. Two Japanese patients who were clinically given a diagnosis of “black hairy tongue” were evaluated for dermoscopic features. We have shown characteristic dermoscopic features of brownish hair-like elongation of filiform papillae with whitish lingual papillae. Dermoscopic examination seemed useful as an adjunct to the diagnosis of this benign disorder of the tongue, demonstrating exact changes in shape and color of filiform papillae. It might also be helpful in more objective observation of the therapeutic efficacy

Dermoscopic Features of Pigmented Bowen's Disease in a Japanese Female Mimicking Malignant Melanoma

Various structures have been reported for dermoscopic features of pigmented Bowen's disease (BD), which could be a mimic of various pigmented skin lesions. A 79-year-old Japanese woman presented with a 3-year history of brown-black macule on her right upper arm without symptom. Dermoscopic examination demonstrated irregular flossy streaks, irregular brown dots/globules, blue-whitish regression structures, and overlaying whitish scaly areas. We suspected pigmented skin lesions including seborrheic keratosis, pigmented eccrine poroma, and malignant melanoma and excised completely with a 5 mm margin. Histopathological features were consistent with a diagnosis of pigmented BD. Although similar dermoscopic features might be revealed in pigmented skin lesions and it may occasionally be difficult to distinguish between pigmented BD and other pigmented skin lesions, dermoscopy would be useful in speculating pathologic features of pigmented BD

Seaweed intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: the Japan Public Health Center–based Prospective (JPHC) Study

BackgroundThe minerals, vitamins, soluble dietary fibers, and flavonoids of seaweed are protective for preventing cardiovascular diseases. However, the association between seaweed intake and risk of cardiovascular disease has not been established.ObjectivesWe examined the dietary intake of seaweed and its impact upon stroke and ischemic heart disease risk among a Japanese study population.MethodsWe surveyed 40,707 men and 45,406 women from 2 large cohorts (age range: 40–69 y). Seaweed intake was determined by FFQ at baseline (1990–1994). Incidences of stroke and ischemic heart disease were ascertained until the end of 2009 (Cohort I) or 2012 (Cohort II). Sex-specific cardiovascular disease HRs (95% CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models after stratification by area and adjustment for cardiovascular disease risk and dietary factors.ResultsDuring 1,493,232 person-years of follow-up, 4777 strokes (2863 ischemic stroke, 1361 intraparenchymal hemorrhages, and 531 subarachnoid hemorrhages) and 1204 ischemic heart disease cases were identified. Among men, significant multivariable HRs (95% CIs) for almost daily consumption compared with almost no consumption of seaweed were seen in ischemic heart disease [0.76 (0.58, 0.99); P-trend = 0.04] and total cardiovascular diseases [0.88 (0.78, 1.00); P-trend = 0.08]. Among women, such inverse associations were 0.56 (0.36, 0.85; P-trend = 0.006) for ischemic heart disease and 0.89 (0.76, 1.05; P-trend = 0.10) for total cardiovascular diseases. No significant associations were observed between seaweed intake and risk of total stroke or stroke types among either men or women.ConclusionsSeaweed intake was inversely associated with risk of ischemic heart disease

Deletion of Asxl1 results in myelodysplasia and severe developmental defects in vivo

Somatic Addition of Sex Combs Like 1 (ASXL1) mutations occur in 10-30% of patients with myeloid malignancies, most commonly in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs), and are associated with adverse outcome. Germline ASXL1 mutations occur in patients with Bohring-Opitz syndrome. Here, we show that constitutive loss of Asxl1 results in developmental abnormalities, including anophthalmia, microcephaly, cleft palates, and mandibular malformations. In contrast, hematopoietic-specific deletion of Asxl1 results in progressive, multilineage cytopenias and dysplasia in the context of increased numbers of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, characteristic features of human MDS. Serial transplantation of Asxl1-null hematopoietic cells results in a lethal myeloid disorder at a shorter latency than primary Asxl1 knockout (KO) mice. Asxl1 deletion reduces hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal, which is restored by concomitant deletion of Tet2, a gene commonly co-mutated with ASXL1 in MDS patients. Moreover, compound Asxl1/Tet2 deletion results in an MDS phenotype with hastened death compared with single-gene KO mice. Asxl1 loss results in a global reduction of H3K27 trimethylation and dysregulated expression of known regulators of hematopoiesis. RNA-Seq/ChIP-Seq analyses of Asxl1 in hematopoietic cells identify a subset of differentially expressed genes as direct targets of Asxl1. These findings underscore the importance of Asxl1 in Polycomb group function, development, and hematopoiesisclos

eServer p5の板材弾塑性解析への試用報告

九州大学情報基盤センターに新たに導入された，IBM eServer p5を試用させていただく機会を得たので，有限要素法による板材弾塑性解析プログラムを使い得られた知見を報告する．1. 静的陽解法による板材弾塑性解析 2. 例題の記述と解析条件 3. 解析結果 4. 結

Endoplasmic reticulum oxidase 1α is critical for collagen secretion from and membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase levels in hepatic stellate cells

Upon liver injury, excessive deposition of collagen from activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a leading cause of liver fibrosis. An understanding of the mechanism by which collagen biosynthesis is regulated in HSCs will provide important clues for practical anti-fibrotic therapy. Endoplasmic reticulum oxidase 1 alpha (ERO1 alpha) functions as an oxidative enzyme of protein disulfide isomerase, which forms intramolecular disulfide bonds of membrane and secreted proteins. However, the role of ERO1 alpha in HSCs remains unclear. Here, we show that ERO1 alpha is expressed and mainly localized in the endoplasmic reticulum in human HSCs. When HSCs were transfected with ERO1 alpha siRNA or an ERO1 alpha shRNA-expressing plasmid, expression of ERO1 alpha was completely silenced. Silencing of ERO1 alpha expression in HSCs markedly suppressed their proliferation but did not induce apoptosis, which was accompanied by impaired secretion of collagen type 1. Silencing of ERO1 alpha expression induced impaired disulfide bond formation and inhibited autophagy via activation of the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway, resulting in intracellular accumulation of collagen type 1 in HSCs. Furthermore, silencing of ERO1 alpha expression also promoted proteasome-dependent degradation of membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), which stimulates cell proliferation through cleavage of secreted collagens. The inhibition of HSC proliferation was reversed by treatment with MT1-MMP-cleaved collagen type 1. The results suggest that ERO1 alpha plays a crucial role in HSC proliferation via posttranslational modification of collagen and MT1-MMP and, therefore, may be a suitable therapeutic target for managing liver fibrosis

Psychological Effects of Hands-On Training Using Public Transportation among Inpatients with Physical Disabilities: Analysis of the Self-Efficacy and Perception of Occupational Enablement Using a Multimethod Design

Introduction. This study is aimed at understanding how practicing the use of public transportation can affect the self-efficacy and perceptions of occupational enablement among patients with physical disabilities in a recovery rehabilitation hospital. Method. We recruited 21 inpatients with physical disabilities caused by stroke or orthopedic diseases from a recovery rehabilitation hospital in Japan and used a multimethod design including an intervention study and a follow-up survey. The intervention study utilized a before-after trial and provided hands-on training in the use of public transportation as the intervention. How self-efficacy and perceptions of occupational enablement changed before and after the intervention was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS). The follow-up survey was conducted to investigate whether patients used public transportation postdischarge. Results. Only differences in the VAS scores regarding self-efficacy were significant between before and after the hands-on training in the use of public transportation, whereas differences regarding the perceptions of occupation enablement were not. Self-efficacy after the intervention was higher than that before the intervention. In the follow-up survey, both VAS scores of the psychological factors were significantly higher in the group that used public transportation postdischarge than in the group that did not. Conclusion. Providing hands-on training in the use of public transportation for inpatients with physical disabilities increased their self-efficacy, indicating that psychological factors should be evaluated to predict their occupational skill improvement and to verify the outcomes of an occupational therapeutic intervention