Surgical resection for small bowel obstruction due to right ovarian metastasis after ileocecal resection for cecal cancer: A case report

Although oophorectomy for ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer is encouraged to improve the prognosis, that is also performed to relieve the symptom such as abdominal distention. We report a surgical case of intestinal obstruction due to ovarian metastasis after ileocecal resection for cecal cancer diagnosed at 77 years old.     

Impact of statin use on the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver resection: a subgroup analysis of patients without chronic hepatitis viral infection

Background

Statins have been reported to reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The effect of perioperative statin use on the prognosis of HCC patients undergoing liver resection remains unclear.

A Rare Case of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Tocilizumab-induced Intestinal Mucosal Injury

Intestinal mucosal injury that develops as a complication of tocilizumab (TCZ) is usually associated with diverticulosis. We herein report a rare case of TCZ-induced intestinal mucosal injury in the absence of diverticulosis. A 74-year-old woman suffering from rheumatoid arthritis started taking TCZ. Six months later, she complained of hematochezia and abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed multiple ulcers spreading from the cecum to the transverse colon but no diverticulosis. These lesions were cured at three months after the discontinuation of TCZ. We should consider TCZ as a risk factor for intestinal mucosal injury, even if patients have no history of intestinal disease associated with diverticulosis.     

Inhibitory Effects of Partially Decomposed Alginate on Production of Glucan and Organic Acid by Streptococcus sobrinus 6715

Our previous study has already clarified that partially decomposed alginate (Alg53) by Vibrio alginolyticus SUN53 has a competitive inhibitory effect on sucrase. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of Alg53 on the production of glucan from sucrose by glucosyltransferase and acid from glucose by Streptococcus sobrinus 6715. Glucosyltransferase was prepared from cultural medium of S. sobrinus using ultrafiltration and hydroxyapatite chromatography. In order to examine the inhibitory effect of Alg53 for production of glucan by GTase, partially purified GTase, sucrose and Alg53 solution were incubated at 37°C. The influence of Alg53 on the production of acid from glucose was evaluated by a degree of pH decline during the incubation for 60 min. The original Alg53 solution markedly inhibited to 21% of the synthesis of water-insoluble glucan from sucrose and that of 10-fold diluted of Alg53 solution was 23%. However, the production of water-soluble glucan from sucrose by GTase was hardly affected by Alg53. Furthermore, Alg53 suppressed dose-dependently pH decline by organic acid converted from glucose. These results suggest that Alg53 is expected as a functional food material which prevents or reduces dental caries.     

Plasma endothelin-1 levels depress optic nerve head circulation detected during the glucose tolerance test

Purpose To determine the relationship between the changes in optic nerve head (ONH) circulation and the level of plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) during the glucose tolerance test (GTT). Methods Twenty-six healthy volunteers with normal GTT and 15 patients with mild hyperglycemia and abnormal GTT were studied. The ONH circulation [square blur rate (SBR) value], blood pressure, intraocular pressure (IOP), blood glucose, blood insulin and plasma ET-1 were determined before and every hour up to 3 h after an oral intake of 75 g of glucose. Results The SBR increased in the normal glucose tolerance group at all times during the GTT, but it decreased significantly in the abnormal glucose tolerance group (P < 0.05). Before the GTT, the plasma ET-1 level was not significantly different in the two groups; however, the level increased 1 h after the oral GTT in the abnormal glucose tolerance group (P < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in mean blood pressure or IOP. Conclusions ONH circulation increased after glucose intake in the normal glucose tolerance group and remained high even after the blood glucose level had returned to its baseline. The decrease in ONH circulation in the abnormal glucose tolerance group was attributed partly to the increased ET-1.     

Localization and function of the brainstem neuronal mechanism for respiratory control]

Recently, the neural mechanism of respiratory control in the brainstem has been extensively analyzed mainly in vitro. A neuronal group in the ventrolateral medulla, the ventral respiratory group (VRG), is important in respiratory rhythm and pattern generation. A small region in the rostral VRG, the pre-B?tzinger Complex (pre-B?tC), is the kernel of respiratory rhythmogenesis. A novel region ventrolateral to the facial nucleus, the para-facial respiratory group (pFRG), was found and has been considered to also generate respiratory rhythm. These two oscillators, pre-B?tC and pFRG, are coupled and synchronized. In central chemoreception, small cells surrounding fine vessels in the most superficial layer in the rostral ventral medulla are considered to be primary chemoreceptor cells. Currently, several kinds of neurotransmitters, including glutamic acid, serotonin, ATP and acetylcholine, are considered to play important roles in the signal transduction from chemoreceptor cells to the VRG and other parts of the respiratory neuronal network. The mechanism of respiratory suppression by opioids is the blockade of excitatory drive to the pre-B?tC. Although recently we have elucidated that propofol, widely used intravenous anesthetics, suppresses respiratory output through the activation of GABAA receptor, the mechanism of respiratory depression by inhalation anesthetics remains unknown.     

A phase I and II clinical trial of a newly developed ultrasound hyperthermia system with an improved planar transducer

: The clinical usefulness of a newly developed ultrasound hyperthermia system was evaluated.

: The hyperthermia system uses a modified planer transducer operated at frequencies of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 MHz. The transducer has a nonvibrating part at the center to reduce the central hot spot. Frequency sweeping technique is also used to eliminate the annular hot spot around the center. Thirty-eight tumors in 29 patients were examined in this study. In 35 tumors, hyperthermia was given in conjunction with irradiation and/or chemotherapy, and in the remaining 3 tumors, hyperthermia alone was given. In all, a total of 153 hyperthermia sessions were performed.

: The number of hyperthermia sessions per tumor ranged from 1 to 7 (mean, 4.0 ± 1.3). The number of intratumor thermometr points per session ranged from 1 to 8 (mean, 4.3 ± 1.5). The average intratumor temperature for tumors with a maximum depth of <3 cm, 3–6 cm, and >6 cm was 42.1 ± 1.2, 41.7 ± 1.4, and 39.9 ± 2.0°C, respectively. The percentage of monitored intratumor points with temperature exceeding 42°C was 56 ± 31%, 43 ± 34%, and 21 ± 24%, respectively. Of the 30 evaluable tumors treated with combined irradiation, 12 showed complete response, 14 partial response, and 4 no change. Observed complications included pain at the treatment site in 13 of the 153 treatment sessions and vesicle formation in 3 of the 38 treatment sites. No serious complication was seen.

: These results indicate that the newly developed ultrasound hyperthermia system is clinically useful for the treatment of localized superficial and subsurface tumors with a maximum tumor depth of no more than 6 cm.