Small Cell Carcinoma of the Tonsil Treated with Irinotecan and Cisplatin: A Case Report and Literature Review

We report a rare case of extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma arising in the palatine tonsil treated by combined chemotherapy with irinotecan/cisplatin following irradiation therapy. This chemotherapy regimen was recently found to be effective for small cell lung carcinoma. Our case is the first report of combined irinotecan/cisplatin chemotherapy to treat extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma of the oropharynx

Surgical Management of Malignant Tumors of the Trachea: Report of Two Cases and Review of Literature

Malignant neoplasms occurring from the trachea are extremely rare. Therefore, their clinical characteristics and surgical results have not been thoroughly discussed. These tumors are often misdiagnosed and treated as bronchial asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is critically important to probe the cause-effect relationship between the medical presentations and the clinical diagnosis. In this report, two cases of tracheal malignancy suffering from dyspnea due to obstruction of the proximal trachea are described, and a review of the literature is presented

Magnetic phase diagram of antiferroquadrupole ordering in HoB2C2

The magnetic phase diagram for antiferro-quadrupole (AFQ) ordering in tetragonal HoB$_2$C$_2$ has been investigated by measurements of elastic constants $C_{11}$, $C_{44}$ and $C_{66}$ in fields along the basal $x$-$y$ plane as well as the principal [001]-axis. The hybrid magnet (GAMA) in Tsukuba Magnetic Laboratory was employed for high field measurements up to 30 T. The AFQ phase is no longer observed above 26.3 T along the principal [001] axis in contrast to the relatively small critical field of 3.9 T in fields applied along the basal [110] axis. The quadrupolar intersite interaction of $O_{xy}$ and/or $O_2^2$ is consistent with the anisotropy in the magnetic phase diagram of the AFQ phase in HoB$_2$C$_2$.Comment: Phys. Rev. B. (2005) in press. approx 8 pages, 10 figure

Gender with marital status, cultural differences, and vulnerability to hypertension: Findings from the national survey for noncommunicable disease risk factors and mental health using WHO STEPS in Bhutan

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the Kingdom of Bhutan. Thus, the early detection and prevention of hypertension is critical for reducing cardiovascular disease. However, the influence of sociocultural factors on vulnerability to hypertension needs further investigation. This study performed secondary data analysis on 1, 909 individuals in a cross-sectional study (the National survey for noncommunicable disease risk factors and mental health using World Health Organization (WHO) STEPS approach in Bhutan– 2014). Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated a significant association between gender with marital status and hypertension. Women had a higher odds ratio than men (Ref) when married (AOR: 1.27, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.23–1.31), and when separated, divorced, or widowed (AOR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.12–1.26). People who speak the Tshanglakha language scored the highest odds (AOR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.20–1.27), followed by Lhotshamkha (AOR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.06–1.12) and Dzongkha (Ref) after adjusting for various social and biomedical factors. Additionally, tobacco use displayed decreased odds for hypertension. To promote the early detection and prevention of hypertension, these cultural factors should be considered even within small geographic areas, such as Bhutan. It is necessary to strengthen hypertension preventive strategies for people who speak Tshanglakha and Lhotshamkha. Furthermore, careful consideration should be given to preventing hypertension among adults aged 40 years or more, women who are married, separated, divorced, or widowed, and men who never married in Bhutan

Monitoring Twenty-Six Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients by BCR-ABL mRNA Level in Bone Marrow: A Single Hospital Experience

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is caused by the BCR-ABL oncogene. The Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) from a reciprocal translocation, t(9;22) (q34;q11) causes a fusion gene, BCR-ABL, that encodes a constitutively active tyrosine kinase. Treatment of CML by imatinib is effective to control the tyrosyl phosphorylation of the protein related to the cell signaling. BCR-ABL mRNA is overexpressed in the minimal residual disease (MRD), known as an early sign of relapse. Between December 2005 and June 2008, we measured BCR-ABL mRNA levels in the bone marrow (BM) from patients by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) in Aomori Prefectural Central Hospital. Eighty-six samples from 26 patients were collected. Among the 26 CML patients, 11 patients (42%) were in the pretreatment group. Seven (64%) of the 11 patients achieved complete molecular response (CMR). In the post-treatment group consisting of the remaining 15 patients, 9 (60%) patients achieved CMR. The patients receiving imatinib at a dose over 300mg per day required 13 (6-77) months [median (range)] to achieve CMR. On the other hand, the patients receiving a dose below 300mg per day required 29.5 (11-84) months [median (range)]. When BCR-ABL mRNA was detected during the treatment course of patients with CMR, careful observation of BCR-ABL mRNA was useful for tracking the clinical course of patients. In conclusion, the BCR-ABL mRNA level was useful for monitoring the clinical course in 26 patients with CML

SHG-specificity of cellular Rootletin filaments enables naïve imaging with universal conservation

Despite growing demand for truly naïve imaging, label-free observation of cilium-related structure remains challenging, and validation of the pertinent molecules is correspondingly difficult. In this study, in retinas and cultured cells, we distinctively visualized Rootletin filaments in rootlets in the second harmonic generation (SHG) channel, integrated in custom coherent nonlinear optical microscopy (CNOM) with a simple, compact, and ultra-broadband supercontinuum light source. This SHG signal was primarily detected on rootlets of connecting cilia in the retinal photoreceptor and was validated by colocalization with anti-Rootletin staining. Transfection of cells with Rootletin fragments revealed that the SHG signal can be ascribed to filaments assembled from the R234 domain, but not to cross-striations assembled from the R123 domain. Consistent with this, Rootletin-depleted cells lacked SHG signal expected as centrosome linker. As a proof of concept, we confirmed that similar fibrous SHG was observed even in unicellular ciliates. These findings have potential for broad applications in clinical diagnosis and biophysical experiments with various organisms

Reconstruction of past microbial flora using phylogenetic analysis of ice core samples

第2回極域科学シンポジウム　氷床コアセッション 11月16日（水） 国立極地研究所 2階大会議

Caspase-mediated cleavage of phospholipid flippase for apoptotic phosphatidylserine exposure.

Phospholipids are asymmetrically distributed in the plasma membrane. This asymmetrical distribution is disrupted during apoptosis, exposing phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) on the cell surface. Using a haploid genetic screen in human cells, we found that ATP11C (adenosine triphosphatase type 11C) and CDC50A (cell division cycle protein 50A) are required for aminophospholipid translocation from the outer to the inner plasma membrane leaflet; that is, they display flippase activity. ATP11C contained caspase recognition sites, and mutations at these sites generated caspase-resistant ATP11C without affecting its flippase activity. Cells expressing caspase-resistant ATP11C did not expose PtdSer during apoptosis and were not engulfed by macrophages, which suggests that inactivation of the flippase activity is required for apoptotic PtdSer exposure. CDC50A-deficient cells displayed PtdSer on their surface and were engulfed by macrophages, indicating that PtdSer is sufficient as an "eat me" signal