Examination of percutaneous microwave coagulation and radiofrequency ablation therapy for metastatic liver cancer

Percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) and radio frequency ablation therapy (RFA) as treatments for metastatic liver cancer were examined. PMCT or RFA was administered for 18 metastatic liver cancer lesions (primary lesion: 11 colon rectal cancer, one esophagus cancer, one thyroid cancer, one pancreatic cancer, one pheochromocytoma) in 16 patients from July 1999 to March 2002. RFA was performed 1 time for 12 minutes in principle, using a Cool-tip RF system from Radionics. Patients had a mean age of 58.8 years and the mean diameter of the neoplasms was about 22 mm. Critical complications were not seen. The rate of partial recurrence was 35.3% as of March, 2002, in an average observation period of 7.3 months. On the other hand, with the medical treatment for the hepatocellular carcinoma provided during this period, the rate of partial recurrence was 14.8%. The treatment of metastatic liver cancer by PMCT and RFA is associated with a high rate of a recurrence as compared with hepatocellular carcinoma, and needs to be examined to discover ways of adaptation and improvement of the technology.     

Is D2 lymph node dissection necessary for early gastric cancer?

Background The objective of this study was to clarify a survival benefit of D2 lymphadenectomy in patients with early gastric carcinoma (GC). Methods A retrospective study was conducted to examine the incidence of metastasis to level 2 lymph nodes, the causes of postoperative death, and the mode of recurrence in 1041 patients who head early GC and underwent D2 lymphadenectomy with curative intent. Results Postoperative mortality occurred in 129 (12,4%) of 1041 patients, 6 patients (.6%) died of surgical complications 108 (10.2%) died of diseases other than cancer, and 16 (1.5%) died of recurrence. Hematogenous metastasis was the major mode of recurrence (56.3% of recurrences). The incidence of metastasis to level 2 nodes was 2.5% (26 of 1041 patients, 18 of whom were alive). Thus, the estimated survival benefit of radical lymphadenectomy for patients with early GC was calculated to be 1.7% (18 of 1041 patients). Conclusions D2 lymphadenectomy in patients with early GC had little survival benefit because (1) metastasis to level 2 nodes was rare, (2) most causes of death were not related to the tumor, and (3) more than half the recurrences were hematogenous. Use of radical lymphadenectomy for early GC should be limited.     

Expansion of Lung Vα14 NKT Cells by Administration of α-Galactosylceramide-pulsed Dendritic Cells

NKT cells, a novel murine lymphoid lineage bearing an invariant T cell receptor encoded by Vα14 and Jα281 gene segments, recognize a specific ligand glycolipid, α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) in a CDld-dependent manner. Recent research has revealed that activated Vα14 NKT cells have dramatic antitumor effects against a wide variety of tumor cell lines in vivo and in vitro. Here, we demonstrate strong in vivo antitumor effects brought about by treatment with α-GalCer-pulsed dendritic cells in comparison with in vitro -activated Vα14 NKT cells. Furthermore, we show a significant expansion of endogenous Vα14 NKT cells in the lung following the administration of α-GalCer-pulsed dendritic cells. The feasibility of immunotherapy with α-GalCer-pulsed dendritic cells is discussed.     

Interaction between antibiotics and non-conventional antibiotics on bacteria

The individual activity of antibiotics such as ampicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin and gentamicin in combination with compounds known to modify bacterial resistance to given antibiotics was studied using the checkerboard method. The combination of promethazine with either ampicillin, tetracycline or erythromycin or the combination of methylene blue and erythromycin produced significant synergistic activity against Escherichia coli. Verapamil, however, in combination with ampicillin reduced the activity of ampicillin against E. coli. Combinations of clomipramine with either tetracycline or erythromycin, promethazine and erythromycin or verapamil and ampicillin were synergistic against Staphylococcus epidermidis that was resistant to these antibiotics. The only synergy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was shown by the combination of methylene blue and gentamicin.     

Plasma concentrations of VEGF and bFGF in patients with gastric carcinoma

We examined plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in 54 patients with gastric carcinoma. Postoperative survival was significantly poorer in patients with plasma VEGF levels more than 10.0 pg/ml at the time of surgery. By an univariate analysis of the factors affecting survival, serosal invasion, lymph node metastasis, peritoneal dissemination, lymphatic vessel invasion, curability, and VEGF proteins were significant. By a multivariate analysis only VEGF levels and curability remained significant. Patients with recurrent disease, including liver metastasis, had significantly higher plasma VEGF concentrations than those with resectable primary tumors. VEGF, not bFGF, may serve as an independent prognosticator and a sensitive indicator for liver recurrence in patients with gastric carcinoma.     

The differences between the primary structures of mitochondrial DNAs from rat liver and ascites hepatoma (AH-130).

Rat mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) of ascites hepatoma (AH-130) and normal liver cells (Donryu strain) were digested by various restriction endonucleases and the cleavage patterns compared by agarose gel electrophoresis. Different cleavage patterns were observed between AH-130 and liver mtDNAs when they were digested by HindII and EcoRI. The mtDNA of AH-130 lost one clevage site of HindII and one clevage site of EcoRI. The cleavage patterns of mtDNAs from other organs and strains tested were the same as that of liver mtDNA. From these observations we concluded that the molecular clone of AH-130 mtDNA was different from that of other mtDNAs.     

Clinicopathologic study of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in sinonasal and hard palate regions in 15 Japanese cases

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the sinonasal region have been the subject of numerous studies. Previous reports have suggested that nasal lymphomas occurring in Orientals are mostly of the natural killer cell (NK)/T-cell phenotype which contrasts with the preponderance of the B-cell type in western populations. Recent studies indicated that NK/T-cell lymphoma constitutes the clinical condition of lethal midline granuloma. These reports led us to question whether all NK/T lymphomas are always lethal midline granuloma. We have investigated a series of 15 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphomas in the nasal and/or paranasal sinuses clinically, immunohistochemically and for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This study showed that the presence of EBV was common in nasal NK/T lymphoma, and this type of lymphoma was clearly highly frequent in other types of nasal lymphoma in our department. Moreover, in 4 cases of NK/T-cell lymphomas, the clinical features of lethal midline granuloma did not appear, indicating that NK/T lymphomas are not always lethal midline granuloma.