Complete response of Sister Mary Joseph Nodule from gastric adenocarcinoma treated with combination chemotherapy of low-dose S-1 and cisplatin

A case of an unresected, advanced gastric cancer with Sister Mary Joseph nodule was presented. It was treated with new combination chemotherapy of low-dose S-1 and cisplatin producing complete response of periumbilical metastasis. Few treatments are efficacious for umbilical invasion of peritoneal dissemination. A complete response for Sister Mary Joseph nodule from gastric adenocarcinoma has not been ever reported.     

A case of vulval extramammary Paget's disease associated with pancreatic cancer that was successfully treated with chemotherapy

We report the case of an 84-year-old woman with vulval extramammary Paget's disease associated with pancreatic cancer who was successfully treated. At first, biweekly low-dose FP (cisplatin 10 mg/body, 5-fluorouracil 250 mg/body) was administered by intravenous infusion. Next, we attempted a regimen of gemcitabine (1,000 mg/body) was administered weekly by intravenous infusion. As a result, the size of the pruritic lesion of the vulva was reduced more than 50%, and the serum level of CA19-9 decreased clearly. These treatments would be a valid option in certain cases of pancreas cancer and extramammary Paget's disease.     

Hepatic taurine, glycine and individual bile acids in early human fetus

OBJECTIVE: To examine 3alpha-hydroxy individual bile acid and the association between taurine and taurine-conjugated bile acid in human fetal liver. METHODS: Taurine, glycine and the individual bile acids in liver samples taken from 17 human fetuses whose abortion was induced from 12 to 23 weeks' gestation were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: The concentrations of taurine, glycine and bile acids in early fetal life were not related to gestational age. Hepatic taurine was statistically correlated with total taurine-conjugates (r = 0.798; P < 0.0001), but hepatic glycine was not correlated with glycine-conjugates (r = -0.103; P > 0.05). Lithocholic acid was conjugated exclusively with taurine. CONCLUSIONS: Our results supported that in human fetal life there is a considerable bile acid pool in liver, and that taurine works effectively on the bile acid metabolism depending on the hepatic taurine concentration.     

Biweekly low-dose cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil combination chemotherapy for advanced gastrointestinal carcinoma

Biweekly intravenous infusions of low-dose cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were evaluated in 80 patients with advanced or recurrent gastric, colorectal, pancreatic or gallbladder adenocarcinoma. CDDP was given biweekly at a dose of 15 mg/m2 infused for 30 minutes, and 5-FU 375 mg/m2 was infused for 2 hours as many times as possible. The response rate among patients with gastric cancer was 26%, colorectal cancer 10%, pancreatic cancer 7.7%, and gallbladder cancer 42.9%. The response rates were not so high, but the median survival time of patients with recurrent gastric cancer was 17.3 months, pancreatic cancer 6.7 months, and gallbladder cancer 10.7 months. A patient with unresected advanced pancreatic head cancer with liver and para-aortic lymph node metastases received this therapy 38 times, and lived for 54 months. No severe side effects occurred in any of these cases. Thus, this chemotherapy could well be effective for the outcome of cases of advanced gastrointestinal carcinoma.     

Anomalous origin of the anterior cerebral artery and congenital skull dysplasia--case report.

A 37-year-old male had a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm associated with an anomalous right anterior cerebral artery originating from the right internal carotid artery immediately distal to the ophthalmic artery and running between the optic nerves. The anomaly was associated with congenital skull dysplasia and other systemic bone anomalies, apparently an incomplete form of cleidocranial dysostosis. The aneurysm was successfully clipped with hematoma evacuation.     

Tuberculosis of the contralateral adrenal gland: a case report

Unilateral adrenal tuberculosis is a very rare disease. A 66-year-old woman presented with epigastric discomfort and general fatigue. Abdominal CT scan revealed a homogeneous mass shadow in the right adrenal region. Findings of physical examination were normal except that the patient was obese. Hormonal data were in normal range. Adrenal scintiscanning demonstrated no RI uptake in the right adrenal gland. Right adrenalectomy was performed under the diagnosis of nonfunctioning tumor of the right adrenal gland. Histopathological examination, however, revealed typical tuberculosis with Langhans' type of giant cells and infiltrated lymphocytes. Of 322, 148 autopsies performed during the twelve years between 1970 and 1981 in Japan, 228 cases of adrenal tuberculosis were recognized. Furthermore, only 18 cases had tuberculous regions in the adrenal gland alone.