Safety and efficacy of azilsartan in paediatric patients with hypertension: a phase 3, single-arm,open-label,prospective study

Clinical and Experimental Nephrology - Azilsartan is an angiotensin II receptor blocker indicated for the treatment of adult hypertension. A previous single-dose study suggested that azilsartan may...     

Correction to: Renal involvement of monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease associated with an unusual monoclonal immunoglobulin A glycan profile

Clinical and Experimental Nephrology -     

Phase I study of napabucasin in combination with FOLFIRI + bevacizumab in Japanese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

International Journal of Clinical Oncology - Napabucasin is an oral NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 bioactivatable agent that generates reactive oxygen species, is hypothesised to affect multiple...     

Mechanism for lipid abnormalities of erythrocyte membranes in biliary obstruction: lecithin content and its fatty acyl composition.

The lipid compositions of erythrocyte membranes, plasma and bile of 16 patients with biliary obstruction were analysed to obtain information regarding the origin of excess lecithin which is usually found in the erythrocyte membranes in obstructive jaundice. Phospholipids and free cholesterol were found to be increased proportionally to the degree of biliary obstruction with an elevation in the free cholesterol/phospholipid ratio in the red cell membranes. The increase in phospholipid content is primarily due to lecithin. There was a highly significant alteration in the fatty acid composition of lecithin of erythrocyte membranes, plasma and bile from patients with severe jaundice. Red cell membrane lecithin amounted to more than 40% of the total phospholipid in these patients. Interestingly, the fatty acid composition of lecithin showed a similar pattern in erythrocyte membranes, plasma and bile. In addition, the fatty acyl chain composition of lecithin in lipoprotein-X was very similar to that of the red cell membrane. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy showed an alteration in membrane morphology and a reduced number of membrane-associated particles in the fractured faces. From these findings, we suggest that the lecithin of lipoprotein-X is derived from abnormal bile lecithin, which is incorporated into erythrocyte membranes by fusion with lipoprotein-X. On the other hand, the fatty acid composition of bile lecithin from patients with mild jaundice, whose erythrocyte membrane lecithin amounted to less than 31% of total phospholipid, was not different from that of normal individuals. However, in sharp contrast to the bile content, the fatty acid composition of erythrocyte membranes and plasma in these same patients showed a similar but small change compared to that of patients with severe biliary obstruction. The red cells of patients with mild jaundice were almost normal, biconcave disc-shaped, as observed by scanning electron microscopy and no abnormalities in the distribution or number of membrane particles were detected by freeze-fracturing. We propose that the abnormal lecithin content of erythrocyte membranes in patients with mild jaundice can be explained by the gradual exchange of lecithin between red blood cells and plasma lipoprotein.     

CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteoma in the long bones of the lower extremity

AIM:To present our initial experience with computed tomography guided radiofrequency ablation(RFA) of osteoid osteoma(OO) in our institution.METHODS:RFA was performed on eight patients(5 males and 3 females) with clinically and radiologically diagnosed OO(femoral neck,n = 4;femoral diaphysis,n = 2;tibial diaphysis,n = 1;fibular diaphysis,n = 1).Ablation was performed using an electrode with a 10-mm exposed tip for a total of 4-6 min at a targeted temperature of 90 degrees Celsius.No cooling system was used.The intervention was accepted as technically successful if the tip of the electrode could be placed within the center of the nidus.We defined clinical success as a disappearance within 2 wk after treatment of symptoms that had manifested at presentation.RESULTS:All procedures were technically successful.No major or immediate complications were observed.Clinical success was achieved in six of eight patients in the first procedure.A second procedure was performed for two patients who had recurrent or continued pain,and one of these cases was successfully treated.The overall rate of success was 87.5%(7/8).No complication was observed.CONCLUSION:Our preliminary results indicate a favorable success rate and no complications and are compatible with the previous reports of RFA of OO.     

Endoscopic therapy for Barrett's esophagus

There are many foreign reports about the endoscopic ablation therapy for Barrett's esophagus. Endoscopic ablation therapy include thermal therapy (electrocoagulation, laser etc.), photodynamic therapy or endoscopic resection and so on. Ablation of Barrett's esophagus by these therapy in combination with adequate acid suppression lead to mucosal replacement by squamous epithelium. But the true value of these endoscopic therapy has not been fully investigated. Further studies are required.     

Fractional anisotropy and tumor cell density of the tumor core show positive correlation in diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of malignant brain tumors

A noninvasive technique for assessing tumor tissue characteristics is required to assist preoperative surgical planning for malignant brain tumors. Preoperative information on tumor cell density within a tumor would help better define the target for tumor biopsy, resulting in more accurate diagnosis and grading of malignant brain tumors. One possible source of this information is diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), although to date studies have focused on its ability to delineate white matter fiber tracks by fiber-tracking and to detect tumor infiltration around the tumor and normal white matter interface. However, the use of DTI for providing information on cell density has also been examined, although with the controversial results. In addition the exact relationships between cell density and the two key values that DTI provides, namely fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), still need to be investigated. In the present study we performed a retrospective investigation of tumor cell density and FA and MD values in biopsy cases. We found that FA has a good positive correlation (R=0.75) and MD has a good negative correlation (R=0.70) with tumor cell density within the tumor core. Similar correlation was observed between the Ki-67 labeling index and FA (R=0.71) and MD (R=0.62). Thus, measurement of both FA and MD within the tumor core has a potential to provide detailed information on tumor cell density within the tumor. Although data obtained from DTI should be interpreted carefully and comprehensively with other imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography, DTI seems to be informative for planning the best biopsy target containing the highest cell density.     

Various Neurological Symptoms by Neurolymphomatosis as the Initial Presentation of Primary Testicular Lymphoma

Neurological symptoms induced by the infiltration of malignant lymphoma into the nervous systems are subsumed under the term neurolymphomatosis (NL). Here, we report the case of a 30-year-old Japanese man with primary testicular lymphoma complicated, as seen in various neurological findings, by secondary NL prior to testicular swelling. Painless right scrotal enlargement was noticed more than 1 month after the appearance of neurological complications such as right upper extremity numbness, dysarthria, facial palsy, and diplopia. Proactive investigation and biopsies of extranodal sites at high risk of central nervous system infiltration of malignant lymphoma, such as the testes, should be considered when secondary NL is suspected based on imaging findings.Key Words: Neurolymphomatosis, Primary testicular lymphoma, Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Central nervous system infiltration