Duodenal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Treated by Wedge Resection in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Report of a Case and Review of the Japanese Literature

A case of duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) treated by wedge resection in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is reported. A 55-year-old man with a history of NF-1 was admitted for surgery for a duodenal tumor. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a 2.5 cm duodenal submucosal tumor. Abdominal computed tomography showed a homogenously enhanced mass in the third portion of the duodenum. The patient successfully underwent wedge resection of the duodenal tumor. Histological examination revealed proliferation of spindle tumor cells arranged in a bundle pattern. This tumor was immunohistochemically positive for c-Kit and CD34, and negative for S-100 and α-SMA. A mitotic count showed 3 mitoses per 50 high-power fields. The tumor was diagnosed as a low-risk GIST. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. GIST in a patient with NF-1 is rare, only 27 cases being reported in the Japanese literature

Direct electrochemical analyses of human cytochromes b5 with a mutated heme pocket showed a good correlation between their midpoint and half wave potentials

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cytochrome <it>b</it>₅performs central roles in various biological electron transfer reactions, where difference in the redox potential of two reactant proteins provides the driving force. Redox potentials of cytochromes <it>b</it>₅span a very wide range of ~400 mV, in which surface charge and hydrophobicity around the heme moiety are proposed to have crucial roles based on previous site-directed mutagenesis analyses.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Effects of mutations at conserved hydrophobic amino acid residues consisting of the heme pocket of cytochrome <it>b</it>₅were analyzed by EPR and electrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammetry of the heme-binding domain of human cytochrome <it>b</it>₅(HLMW<it>b</it>₅) and its site-directed mutants was conducted using a gold electrode pre-treated with β-mercarptopropionic acid by inclusion of positively-charged poly-L-lysine. On the other hand, static midpoint potentials were measured under a similar condition.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Titration of HLMW<it>b</it>₅with poly-L-lysine indicated that half-wave potential up-shifted to -19.5 mV when the concentration reached to form a complex. On the other hand, midpoint potentials of -3.2 and +16.5 mV were obtained for HLMW<it>b</it>₅in the absence and presence of poly-L-lysine, respectively, by a spectroscopic electrochemical titration, suggesting that positive charges introduced by binding of poly-L-lysine around an exposed heme propionate resulted in a positive shift of the potential. Analyses on the five site-specific mutants showed a good correlation between the half-wave and the midpoint potentials, in which the former were 16~32 mV more negative than the latter, suggesting that both binding of poly-L-lysine and hydrophobicity around the heme moiety regulate the overall redox potentials.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Present study showed that simultaneous measurements of the midpoint and the half-wave potentials could be a good evaluating methodology for the analyses of static and dynamic redox properties of various hemoproteins including cytochrome <it>b</it>₅. The potentials might be modulated by a gross conformational change in the tertiary structure, by a slight change in the local structure, or by a change in the hydrophobicity around the heme moiety as found for the interaction with poly-L-lysine. Therefore, the system consisting of cytochrome <it>b</it>₅and its partner proteins or peptides might be a good paradigm for studying the biological electron transfer reactions.</p

Did inequalities in mothers’ and children’s health and well-being in Japan increase through the pandemic? Evidence from nationwide surveys and routinely collected data

Marginalised families faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores inequalities in Japanese mothers’ and children’s health and well-being and family economic stability before and during the pandemic. Data sources were as follows: nationwide surveys in 2019 and 2021 of families with children using medical institutions across Japan; infant mortality and adolescent suicide rates between 2018 and 2021 from publicly available sources. Outcomes by poor and non-poor families were compared for 2019 and 2021 using simple descriptive statistics. Poor mothers’ part-time working increased from 41% to 61% and regular employment was reduced by two thirds. The well-being of poor mothers worsened from 39% to 55%. Employment opportunities and well-being did not change for non-poor mothers. School subsidies among poor families increased from 23% to 55%. The infant mortality rate (IMR) among unemployed families increased significantly from 12.9/1000 to 18.2/1000 between 2018 and 2021 compared with a decreasing overall IMR from 1.9/1000 to 1.7/1000. Suicide rates in 10–19-year-olds increased over the same period although no socio-economic indicators were available. Inequalities in mothers’ and children’s health and well-being indicators and family economics increased between 2019 to 2021 in Japan. This study cannot attribute causes but suggests a possible role of the pandemic

GAP MEASUREMENT IN NB/NBOX/AL INJECTION CONTROLLED PLANAR 3 TERMINAL DEVICES

Characteristics of Nb/NbOx/Al injection controlled planar three terminal superconducting devices (injection controlled links) have been studied experimentally. A built-in Nb/AlOx/Nb Josephson junction is used to perform direct tunneling measurement, whose results show that the gap in the Nb strip decreases according as its critical current is suppressed. It is also shown that the static characteristics of the devices with high and low injector resistance can be fitted to a simple heating model and a modified heating model respectively

Transient improvement of urticaria induces poor adherence as assessed by Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8.

Poor adherence to medication is a major public health challenge. Here, we aimed to determine the adherence to oral and topical medications and to analyze underlying associated factors using the translated Japanese version of Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 regarding urticaria treatment. Web-based questionnaires were performed for 3096 registered dermatological patients, along with a subanalysis of 751 registered urticaria patients in this study. The adherence to oral medication was significantly associated with the frequency of hospital visits. Variables that affected the adherence to topical medication included age and experience of drug effectiveness. The rate of responses that "It felt like the symptoms had improved" varied significantly among the dermatological diseases treated with oral medications. Dermatologists should be aware that adherence to the treatment of urticaria is quite low. Regular visits and active education for patients with urticaria are mandatory in order to achieve a good therapeutic outcome by increasing the adherence