Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Foreign Bodies

Foreign body ingestion, a common emergency encountered in clinical practice, is a potentially serious condition. Most foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract pass spontaneously. However, objects that are relatively long or large may lodge in the upper gastrointestinal tract, potentially causing perforation, bleeding, and obstruction. This literature review summarizes the natural history and clinical aspects of these types of foreign bodies in adults as well as the various methods for their removal. Endoscopic removal is a relatively safe and effective procedure for removing these types of foreign bodies. The development of endoscopic techniques and devices has resulted in their widespread use, with good results, as the primary treatment

A Rare Case of a Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma of the Colon Mimicking a Juvenile Polyp

Primary signet ring cell carcinoma (SRC) of colon at early stage is quite rare. Only 26 cases were reported until now. We report an early stage of primary SRC which was misdiagnosed as a juvenile polyp and treated with polypectomy followed by surgical resection. A 21-year-old male was administered for hematochezia. Abdominopelvic enhanced computed tomography revealed a polyp with active bleeding at the proximal rectum just below the rectosigmoid junction. Colonoscopy examination revealed a colon polyp with 0.5 cm sized head. Polypectomy was performed with snare and the polyp was completely removed. Biopsy revealed SRC. Surgical resection was also performed and there were no residual tumor or lymph node metastasis in the surgical specimen

Recurrent Renal Leiomyosarcoma Mimicking a Colonic Submucosal Tumor: A Case Report

A primary leiomyosarcoma of the kidney is a rare, but highly aggressive, neoplasm, accounting for only 0.1% of all invasive renal tumors. Local or systemic recurrence is common, but a leiomyosarcoma is difficult to diagnose preoperatively. We recently encountered an interesting case of an unusual recurrence of a renal leiomyosarcoma. A 57-year-old woman visited our hospital complaining of lower abdominal pain. Four years previously, she had undergone a left nephrectomy. She had a primary leiomyosarcoma of the kidney that had been misdiagnosed as a renal cell carcinoma. Colonoscopy revealed the presence of a lesion similar to a submucosal tumor in the descending colon. Postoperative pathologic examination confirmed that the mass was a recurrent leiomyosarcoma. We report this unusual case and present a review of the literature

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Gastric Adenoma and Gastric Cancer in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Background/Aims. To evaluate the incidence of gastric adenoma and gastric cancer in colorectal cancer patients, as well as the clinicopathological features that affect their incidence. Methods. Among patients who underwent surgery after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer between January 2004 and December 2013 at Chungnam National University Hospital, 142 patients who underwent follow-up upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were assigned to the patient group. The control group included 426 subjects randomly selected. The patient group was subdivided into two: one that developed gastric adenoma or cancer and one that did not. Clinicopathological characteristics were compared between these groups. Results. In total, 35 (24.6%) colorectal cancer patients developed a gastric adenoma or gastric cancer, which was higher than the number in the control group (20 [4.7%] patients; p<0.001). Age, alcohol history, and differentiation of colorectal cancer were associated with higher risks of gastric adenoma or gastric cancer, with odds ratios of 1.062, 6.506, and 5.901, respectively. Conclusions. In colorectal cancer patients, screening with upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is important, even if no lesions are noted in the upper gastrointestinal tract at colorectal cancer diagnosis. Endoscopic screening is particularly important with increasing age, history of alcohol consumption, and poor cancer differentiation

Associations among Organochlorine Pesticides, Methanobacteriales, and Obesity in Korean Women

BACKGROUND: Although Methanobacteriales in the gut has recently been linked to obesity, no study has examined the hypothesis that waist circumference, a marker of visceral obesity, are positively associated with Methanobacteriales in the general population. Since Methanobacteriales increase in a petroleum-contaminated environment to biodegrade petroleum as one way of autopurification, we also hypothesized that high body burden of highly lipophilic petroleum-based chemicals like organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) is associated with higher levels of Methanobacteriales in the gut. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Among 83 Korean women who visited a community health service center for a routine health checkup, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) based on 16S rDNA was used to quantify Methanobacteriales in feces. Nine OCPs were measured in both serum and feces of 16 subjects. Methanobacteriales were detected in 32.5% (27/83 women). Both BMI and waist circumference among women with Methanobacteriales were significantly higher than in women without Methanobacteriales (P = 0.04 and P = 0.01, respectively). Also, Methanobacteriales levels in feces were positively associated with BMI and waist circumference (r = +0.23 and P = 0.03 for both). Furthermore, there were significant correlations between feces Methanobacteriales levels and serum concentrations of most OCPs, including with cis-nonachlor (r = +0.53, P<0.05), oxychlordane (r = +0.46, P<0.1), and trans-nonachlor (r = +0.43, P<0.1). Despite high correlations of serum and feces concentrations of most OCPs, feces OCP concentrations were not clearly associated with feces Methanobacteriales levels. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: In this cross-sectional study, the levels of Methanobacteriales in the human gut were associated with higher body weight and waist circumference. In addition, serum OCP concentrations were positively correlated with levels of Methanobacteriales. There may be a meaningful link among body burden of OCP, Methanobacteriales in the gut, and obesity in the general population

Orthodenticle homeobox 2 is transported to lysosomes by nuclear budding vesicles

Transcription factors (TFs) are transported from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and disappear from the nucleus after they regulate gene expression. Here, we discover an unconventional nuclear export of the TF, orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2), in nuclear budding vesicles, which transport OTX2 to the lysosome. We further find that torsin1a (Tor1a) is responsible for scission of the inner nuclear vesicle, which captures OTX2 using the LINC complex. Consistent with this, in cells expressing an ATPase-inactive Tor1aΔE mutant and the LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) breaker KASH2, OTX2 accumulated and formed aggregates in the nucleus. Consequently, in the mice expressing Tor1aΔE and KASH2, OTX2 could not be secreted from the choroid plexus for transfer to the visual cortex, leading to failed development of parvalbumin neurons and reduced visual acuity. Together, our results suggest that unconventional nuclear egress and secretion of OTX2 are necessary not only to induce functional changes in recipient cells but also to prevent aggregation in donor cells