Role of Electron‐Donative Dopant Molecules in the Triboelectrification of Polystyrene Films

The triboelectrification between iron carrier beads and polystyrene films molecularly‐doped with 50 electron‐donative organics are investigated in a nitrogen atmosphere and low humidity (<10% RH) conditions. The electrochemical oxidation potential of the dopants correlates well with the tribocharging amount within the framework of a homologous series of dopant molecules, but turns out not to be a widely applicable and reliable indication. Considerations of liquid‐phase electrochemical oxidations and solid‐phase frictional electrifications lead us to use calculated oxidation potentials instead of the measured one, and it is revealed that a relatively good relation holds between the calculated potential and the charging amount. However, there still exists some dispersion of the data in the relationship. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements of the film surfaces, combined with the above findings, reveal that the dopants form charge transfer complexes with environmental dioxygen and that they serve as the positive‐charging sites. This is evidenced by an even more reliable relationship between the charging amount and the binding energy of O1s electrons. A possible mechanism is proposed for the positive charging of organic compounds on the basis of the charge‐transfer model.     

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma metastases to the small intestine and colon presenting as an intussusception

A case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma metastases to the small intestine and colon presenting as an intussusception is described. Although malignant fibrous histiocytoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in late adult life, GI involvement has rarely been reported. The review of both our case and eight cases in the English-language literature suggests that GI involvement from malignant fibrous histiocytoma occurs most frequently in the small intestine (six of nine) and that two major clinical manifestations of GI involvement are GI bleeding (five of nine) from ulcerated tumors and intussusception (two of nine) led by polypoid tumors.     

Incremental value of high <Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis> value diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging at 3-T for prediction of extracapsular extension in patients with prostate cancer: preliminary experience

Purpose

To investigate whether high b value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) contributes to the improvement of diagnostic ability of extracapsular extension (ECE) in prostate cancer (PC).

Materials and methods

Forty-three patients with PC underwent multiparametric MRI including DWI (b values: 0, 2000 s/mm²) at 3-T. Two radiologists assessed the presence of ECE and the diagnostic certainty degree using conventional diagnostic method by consensus. Tumor apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC, ×10^?3 mm²/s) was also measured. Independent predictors of ECE were identified among PSA, tumor ADC, Gleason score, and conventional MRI. ECE in patients with low diagnostic certainty by conventional MRI was further reevaluated using ADC cutoff value, and the results were combined with those of patients with high diagnostic certainty by conventional MRI (MRI + ADC method).

Results

Tumor ADC was an independent predictor of ECE, and the ADC cutoff value was 0.72. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of conventional MRI and MRI + ADC method in the diagnosis of ECE were 44, 92, and 72%, and 78, 96, and 88%, respectively. Among MRI findings leading to the judgement of low diagnostic certainty, broad tumor contact was most common (72% of the patients).

Conclusions

The addition of ADC obtained with high b value DWI at 3-T to conventional MRI improved the diagnostic ability of ECE.

     

Distribution of orexin neurons in the adult rat brain

Orexin (ORX)-A and -B are recently identified neuropeptides, which are specifically localized in neurons within and around the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) and dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH), the regions classically implicated in feeding behavior. Here, we report a further study of the distribution of ORX-containing neurons in the adult rat brain to provide a general overview of the ORX neuronal system. Immunohistochemical study using anti-ORX antiserum showed ORX-immunoreactive (ir) neurons specifically localized within the hypothalamus, including the perifornical nucleus, LHA, DMH, and posterior hypothalamic area. ORX-ir axons and their varicose terminals showed a widespread distribution throughout the adult rat brain. ORX-ir nerve terminals were observed throughout the hypothalamus, including the arcuate nucleus and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, regions implicated in the regulation of feeding behavior. We also observed strong staining of ORX-ir varicose terminals in areas outside the hypothalamus, including the cerebral cortex, medial groups of the thalamus, circumventricular organs (subfornical organ and area postrema), limbic system (hippocampus, amygdala, and indusium griseum), and brain stem (locus coeruleus and raphe nuclei). These results indicate that the ORX system provides a link between the hypothalamus and other brain regions, and that ORX-containing LHA and DMH neurons play important roles in integrating the complex physiology underlying feeding behavior.     

Secondary metabolites of Cinnamosma madagascariensis and their alpha-glucosidase inhibitory properties

Two new drimane-type sesquiterpenes, cinnamadin (1) and cinnamodial 11alpha,12beta-dimethyl acetal (2), together with pereniporin B (3), ugandensolide (4), polygodial (5), capsicodendrin, cinnamodial (6), sitosterol, stigmasterol, lignoceric acid, cinnamosmolide (7), D-mannitol, and delta-tocotrienol were isolated from Cinnamosma madagascariensis. The structures of the new compounds were determined by physical, chemical, and spectroscopic evidence. Compound 7 and D-mannitol were isolated in high yield (5% and 1.36%, respectively). Evaluation of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory properties of the isolated metabolites demonstrated that compounds 1 and 4 show moderate effects, while cinnamodial (6) exhibited the most potent activity. The chemosystematics of Cinnamosma species are also discussed.     

A two-step laparoscopy-assisted curative resection for a patient with obstructive colitis accompanied by advanced sigmoid colon carcinoma: Report of a case

This report presents the case of a two-step laparoscopic resection and reconstruction for obstructive colitis accompanied by advanced sigmoid colon cancer. An 81-year-old woman was admitted with a diagnosis of ileus. Computed tomography revealed a circumferential tumor in the sigmoid colon and a diffuse dilated large intestine on the oral side of the tumor. On the 7th day after admission, her temperature was 38.8°C, she had increased white blood cell count (24 610 cells/mm(3)), and suffered persistent severe abdominal pain. An emergency laparoscopy-assisted Hartmann procedure was performed, based on a tentative diagnosis of obstructive colitis due to sigmoid colon cancer. The descending colon and residual rectum were anastomosed laparoscopically by double-stapling technique 6 months after the initial surgery. Her postoperative course was uneventful for both procedures and she was discharged after 10 and 18 postoperative days, respectively. This case demonstrates that an initial laparoscopic emergency excision followed by a later reconstruction might be a safe and simple surgical technique for patients with obstructive colitis accompanied by left-sided colon carcinoma.     

Surgical Outcomes for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background  

The present study investigated outcomes following surgical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).     

Radical Second Resection Provides Survival Benefit for Patients with T2 Gallbladder Carcinoma First Discovered after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Port site recurrence or peritoneal seeding is a fatal complication following laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder carcinoma. The aims of this retrospective analysis were to determine the association of gallbladder perforation during laparoscopic cholecystectomy with port site/peritoneal recurrence and to determine the role of radical second resection in the management of gallbladder carcinoma first diagnosed after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A total of 28 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder carcinoma were analyzed, of whom 10 had a radical second resection. Five patients had recurrences; port site/peritoneum recurrence in 3 and distant metastasis in 2. The incidence of port site/peritoneal recurrence was higher in patients with gallbladder perforation (3/7, 43%) than in those without (0/21, 0%) (p = 0.011). The outcome after laparoscopic cholecystectomy was worse in 7 patients with gallbladder perforation (cumulative 5-year survival of 43%) than in those without (cumulative 5-year survival of 100%) (p <0.001). Among 13 patients with a pT2 tumor, the outcome after radical second resection (cumulative 5-year survival of 100%) was better than that after laparoscopic cholecystectomy alone (cumulative 5-year survival of 50%) (p = 0.039), although there was no survival benefit of radical second resection in the 15 patients with a pT1 tumor (p = 0.65). In conclusion, gallbladder perforation during laparoscopic cholecystectomy is associated with port site/peritoneal recurrence and worse patient survival. Radical second resection may be beneficial for patients with pT2 gallbladder carcinoma first discovered after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.