Phylogeography of Juniperus Species (Cupressaceae) with a Disjunct Distribution in the Island Areas of Japan

departmental bulletin pape

コハツセイ スイシンケイ ナイブンピツシュヨウ ノ ゲカテキチリョウ

　Recently, new treatment guidelines and classifications were proposed for the management of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors（P-NETs）, and are now being used in clinical practice. The World Health Organization classification published in 2010 emphasized the importance of a grading system for P-NETs based on parameters of proliferative activity, such as mitotic count and Ki-67 labeling index, proposed by the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society. For surgical treatment of P-NETs, it is important to select a strategy based on the degree of tumor malignancy. However, there are still no clear indications for organ-preserving pancreatic resection or lymph node dissection. This article outlines the surgical management and clinicopathological features of P-NETs. There are various surgical options, such as tumor enucleation, spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy（SpDP），distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, pancreatoduodenectomy, and duodenumpreserving pancreatic head resection. Hepatectomy is the first choice for liver metastasis from welldifferentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma without extrahepatic metastasis. Other treatment options are radiofrequency ablation, transarterial chemoembolization/ embolization, and liver transplantation. Systematic chemotherapy, biotherapy such as somatostatin analogue and interferon-α, and targeted therapy are used for recurrence after surgery and unresectable tumors. This article also gives details of the surgical techniques available for tumor enucleation and SpDP

ヒドウジョウミャク オ オンゾン シタ ヒオンゾン ビソクスイ セツジョジュツ ショウカカン ニュウセン シュジュツゴ ノ ヒゾウ ノ タイセキ ヘンカ

Aim: There is a paucity of information about changes in splenic volume after surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate postoperative changes in splenic volume（SV）and the factors influencing SV after spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy（SPDP）with conservation of the splenic artery and vein （CSAV）, and after surgery of the digestive tract and breast.Methods: We investigated 113 patients who underwent SPDP with CSAV（n=7）, breast surgery （n=24）, colorectal surgery（n=45）, distal gastrectomy（n=27）and total gastrectomy（n=10）. SV changes were determined for three years after surgery using volumetry based on computed tomographic imaging, and splenic vein diameter changes after SPDP with CSAV were also determined.Results: Splenic vein diameter after SPDP with CSAV did not change during 3 years. SV did not change significantly during 3 years after SPDP with CSAV and distal gastrectomy. After breast and colorectal surgery, and total gastrectomy, SV was decreased.Conclusions: Postoperative SV changes differed according to the type of surgery. SV did not change significantly during 3 years after SPDP with CSAV

Mannose-recognition mutant of the galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine-specific C-type lectin CEL-I engineered by site-directed mutagenesis

Background CEL-I is a galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine-specific C-type lectin isolated from the sea cucumber Cucumaria echinata. Its carbohydrate-binding site contains a QPD (Gln-Pro-Asp) motif, which is generally recognized as the galactose specificity-determining motif in the C-type lectins. In our previous study, replacement of the QPD motif by an EPN (Glu-Pro-Asn) motif led to a weak binding affinity for mannose. Therefore, we examined the effects of an additional mutation in the carbohydrate-binding site on the specificity of the lectin. Methods Trp105 of EPN-CEL-I was replaced by a histidine residue using site-directed mutagenesis, and the binding affinity of the resulting mutant, EPNH-CEL-I, was examined by sugar-polyamidoamine dendrimer assay, isothermal titration calorimetry, and glycoconjugate microarray analysis. Tertiary structure of the EPNH-CEL-I/mannose complex was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Results Sugar-polyamidoamine dendrimer assay and glycoconjugate microarray analysis revealed a drastic change in the specificity of EPNH-CEL-I from galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine to mannose. The association constant of EPNH-CEL-I for mannose was determined to be 3.17 × 103 M- 1 at 25 °C. Mannose specificity of EPNH-CEL-I was achieved by stabilization of the binding of mannose in a correct orientation, in which the EPN motif can form proper hydrogen bonds with 3- and 4-hydroxy groups of the bound mannose. Conclusions Specificity of CEL-I can be engineered by mutating a limited number of amino acid residues in addition to the QPD/EPN motifs. General significance Versatility of the C-type carbohydrate-recognition domain structure in the recognition of various carbohydrate chains could become a promising platform to develop novel molecular recognition proteins

Successful local treatment for repeated hepatic recurrences of cholangiolocellular carcinoma: a report on a long-term survivor

Abstract Background Cholangiolocellular carcinoma (CoCC) is a rare liver tumor arising from the canals of Hering found between the cholangioles and interlobular bile ducts. Although morphologically CoCC mimics intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), CoCC exhibits a unique intermediate biologic behavior between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and ICC. Curative resection is required for prolonged survival in patients with CoCC. However, effective therapy for postoperative hepatic recurrence has not yet been standardized. Case presentation A 40-year-old man had an asymptomatic liver mass found during a regular medical examination. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a well-enhanced mass, 15 cm in diameter, in the right liver. He underwent right hemihepatectomy at a local hospital under the preoperative diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Pathologic examination confirmed a moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, leading to a diagnosis of ordinary ICC. Twelve months after surgery, he was referred to our hospital due to three hepatic recurrences in the left medial segment. He underwent partial hepatectomy for the recurrence, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy using gemcitabine alone. After the second hepatectomy, hepatic recurrences developed an additional seven times. The numbers and sizes of the recurrent tumors were very limited at each recurrence, satisfying the standard criteria for percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of HCC. All lesions were treated by percutaneous RFA, although this was an exceptional approach for ICC. He is now alive without evidence of disease 9.2 years after the first hepatectomy. Because his clinical outcome was satisfactory and not compatible with the typical negative outcomes of ordinary ICC, we re-reviewed the histological findings of his tumor. The tumor was composed of small gland-forming cells proliferating in an anastomosing pattern; the cell membrane was strongly immunoreactive for epithelial membrane antigen. These findings were in accordance with the typical features of CoCC, revising his final diagnosis from ICC to CoCC. Conclusions This case report demonstrates a satisfactory outcome using repeated local treatments, such as hepatectomy and RFA, for hepatic recurrences of CoCC, suggesting that a localized treatment approach can be considered to be a therapeutic option. We should be careful in making a definitive diagnosis of ICC and ruling out CoCC because the diagnosis potentially dictates the treatment strategy for recurrences