Posttraumatic Cranial Cystic Fibrous Dysplasia

A 14-year-old was girl admitted to our hospital with a subcutaneous mass of the occipital head. The mass had grown for 6 years, after she had sustained a head injury at the age of 6, and was located directly under a previous wound. Skull X-ray Photograph (xp), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a bony defect and cystic changes in the skull corresponding to a subcutaneous mass. Bone scintigraphy revealed partial accumulation. The patient underwent total removal of the skull mass, and the diagnosis from the pathological findings of the cyst wall was fibrous dysplasia (FD). The radiographic findings for cystic cranial FD can be various. Progressive skull disease has been reported to be associated with head trauma, but the relationship between cranial FD and head trauma has not been previously reported. Previous studies have suggested that c-fos gene expression is a key mechanism in injury-induced FD

Exploring indicators of genetic selection using the sniffer method to reduce methane emissions from Holstein cows

Objective This study aimed to evaluate whether the methane (CH4) to carbon dioxide (CO2) ratio (CH4/CO2) and methane-related traits obtained by the sniffer method can be used as indicators for genetic selection of Holstein cows with lower CH4 emissions. Methods The sniffer method was used to simultaneously measure the concentrations of CH4 and CO2 during milking in each milking box of the automatic milking system to obtain CH4/CO2. Methane-related traits, which included CH4 emissions, CH4 per energy-corrected milk, methane conversion factor (MCF), and residual CH4, were calculated. First, we investigated the impact of the model with and without body weight (BW) on the lactation stage and parity for predicting methane-related traits using a first on-farm dataset (Farm 1; 400 records for 74 Holstein cows). Second, we estimated the genetic parameters for CH4/CO2 and methane-related traits using a second on-farm dataset (Farm 2; 520 records for 182 Holstein cows). Third, we compared the repeatability and environmental effects on these traits in both farm datasets. Results The data from Farm 1 revealed that MCF can be reliably evaluated during the lactation stage and parity, even when BW is excluded from the model. Farm 2 data revealed low heritability and moderate repeatability for CH4/CO2 (0.12 and 0.46, respectively) and MCF (0.13 and 0.38, respectively). In addition, the estimated genetic correlation of milk yield with CH4/CO2 was low (0.07) and that with MCF was moderate (−0.53). The on-farm data indicated that CH4/CO2 and MCF could be evaluated consistently during the lactation stage and parity with moderate repeatability on both farms. Conclusion This study demonstrated the on-farm applicability of the sniffer method for selecting cows with low CH4 emissions

Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) in Colorectal Cancer - Prognostic Significance of Portal Blood Level -

The prognostic significance of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) values in the drainage vein of the tumor (portal blood levels of CEA) of colorectal cancer patients were evaluated by examining the correlation with the peripheral blood levels of CEA and histopathologic findings of the tumor. 1) Portal blood levels of CEA were significantly increased by the operative procedure. Mean values of CEA in portal blood were higher than those in peripheral blood. Portal blood CEA was correlated with Dukes\u27 staging, and revealed higher positive rates than CEA in peripheral blood in each stage. Elevated CEA levels were noted in those who had cancer infiltration extending through the proper muscle layer. There was a close correlation between portal CEA and CEA content in cancerous tissue (ng/g, wet weight) (p<0.05), but no significant correlation between peripheral CEA level and cancerous tissue CEA (r = 0.372). The mean values of portal CEA in aneuploidy were significantly higher than those in diploidy. These findings indicate that circulating CEA in peripheral blood might be influenced by the metabolic process of CEA in the liver as well as cancer progression rather than CEA production of the tumor. 2) The 5 year survival rate of the patient\u27s group with a negative rate of portal CEA (93%) was far better than that with a positive rate (57%). This study suggested that the portal blood level of CEA in colorectal carcinoma may be very useful for assessment of the patient\u27s survival

肝予備能評価における99mTc-GSA肝シンチグラフィ定量解析法の有用性-99mTc-PMT,99mTc-Sn colloidとの比較-

金沢大学大学院医学系研究

Clinical Aspect of Peripheral Cholangiocarcinoma: A Study of 7 Hepatectomy Cases

To clarify the features and problems presented by a peripheral cholangiocarcinoma (CCC), seven patients with hepatectomy from the First Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University School of Medicine (6 patients), and from Department of Surgery, National Ureshino Hospital (one patient) were reviewed. Men predominate with ratio of 5:2, and an average age was 65.4 years. Tumor location was left lateral segment in 4 patients, right lobe, middle lobe and posterior segment in one, respectively. Three patients were associated with hepatolithiasis. Underlying liver disease was found in 4 patients (57%); cirrhosis in 3 patients, and chronic hepatitis in one. Initial symptoms were abdominal pain, fever and palpable abdominal mass. In imaging modalities available, the detection rates of tumor were 100% in CT and 67% in US and angiography, respectively. Combination of MRI and CT clearly showed tumor characteristics. The serum CEA was slightly elevated in 5 patients (83%), but serum CA19-9 rose strikingly in 3 patients. Most tumors showed an infiltrating growth along intrahepatic bile duct, with a portal vein thrombus and/or satellite tumors frequently. In 3 patients, early recurrence with intrahepatic metastasis occured within the first 6 months. The patient of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma containing a squamous or signet ring cell carinoma showed an extremely poor prognosis. This study suggests that early detection of small CCC and an extended resection are the most important factors for the survival of patient

Pancreatic Pseudocysts - Proposal for Diagnosis and Surgical Management -

To determine the clinical features and problems presented by a pancreatic pseudocyst, eighteen patients managed at our hospitals since 1980 were reviewed. Males predominated with a ratio of 16: 2, and the average age was 36.2 years. Pseudocyst was located in the pancreatic head in 6, in the body in 6, in the tail in 5 and multiple pseudocysts in one case. The cause of pancreatic pseudocyst was chronic pancreatitis in 9 (including 8 patients with histories of alcoholism), acute pancreatitis in 2 and trauma in 7 patients, respectively. Three patients were associated with pancreatic calculi. Rupture of pseudocyst occurred in one patient with multiple cysts. Autopsy showed acute pancreatic necrosis and penetration to the stomach and duodenum. The indications for surgery were principally cyst-related symptoms(infection, hemorrhage, enlargement and compression of adjacent organs) and differential diagnosis from malignancy. Most of the patients underwent internal drainage ; 9 cystojejunostomy, 2 cystogastrostomy). Three patients underwent cystojejunostomy with longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy for chronic pancreatitis. Massive hemorrhage after cystogastrostomy occurred in one patient with infected pseudocysts, which required removal of the cysts. Postoperative outcome of the 17 surgical patients was excellent in 16 patients. Only one patient died of pancreatitis associated with alcohol abuse, resulting in a 5.9% mortality. This study suggests that adequate internal drainage by pancreaticojejunostomy to treat the underlying pancreatic disease is most important to obtain an excellent prognosis in patients with pseudocysts

Biliary Cystadenocarcinoma - Report of 2 Cases -

The clinical and pathologic features of two patients with biliary cystadenocarcinoma were presented and the previous literatures were reviewed. Case 1 : A 52-year-old man complained of heart burn and weight loss. Abdominal ultrasound and CT offered suspicions of biliary cystadenocarcinoma of the left hepatic lobe. Left hepatic lobectomy was performed, but the tumor invaded to adjacent viscera. The resected tumor (26×21×5.5 cm) was multilocular cystadenocarcinoma with mucin production. He survived for one year and 8 months after surgery. Case 2: A 60-year-old man suffering from sudden-onset frost and high fever underwent left lateral segmentectomy of the liver with a diagnosis of cystadenocarcinoma defined by biopsy specimen in previous operation. The tumor (6.0×4.5×3.5 cm) was multilocular cyst with mucin-producing papillary adenocarcinoma. He died of recurrent cancer 2 years and one month after surgery. The histogenesis of cystadenocarcinoma is still unclear because of its rare disease. The presence of benign epithelium in our cases may support their origin from cystadenoma

Developing horizontal convection against stable temperature stratification in a rectangular container

The effect of background stable temperature stratification in the developing stage of horizontal convection is studied by conducting laboratory experiments. By imposing horizontally differential heating at the top of a layer of low-temperature water, both vertical and horizontal temperature differences are explicitly defined. In developing horizontal convection of the present study, the flow structures are driven only by the baroclinic torque produced by the horizontal temperature difference, and braked by the restoring force of stable temperature stratification. We thus defined a nondimensional stratification parameter, which represents the balance of the braking force and the baroclinic torque, in addition to the Rayleigh number. Various features of the flow structures, maximum velocity, stream function, roll thickness, circulation of the roll, total kinetic energy, and Reynolds number, which are quantified via particle-tracking velocimetry, are summarized in spaces of the two nondimensional parameters. In the developing horizontal convection, the quantified flow features are well organized by power laws of the nondimensional parameters. The finite domain of the fluid container augments the effect of the apparent braking force, and the bulk quantities of the roll structures are suppressed by the stable temperature stratification. These results are the evidences for the significance of the nondimensional stratification parameter in the developing horizontal convection, unlike thermally equilibrated horizontal convection conventionally considering destabilizing thermal buoyancy as the primary driving force