A case of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma with a good response to treatment

A rare case of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in a 49-year-old Japanese woman is presented. The tumor was limited to the peritoneum, and was cytologically and histologically identified as being composed of two components, epithelial and non-epithelial forms. The transition in her CA-125 level suggested that this tumor had good prospects of developing into a malignant mesothelioma. The good prognosis of the patient is considered to be attributed to detecting this tumor in its early stage and to aggressive chemotherapy.     

Influence factors on the development of obesity in 3-year-old children based on the Toyama study

BACKGROUND: Obesity in childhood increases the risk of obesity in adulthood. Obesity in adulthood is a risk factor for chronic diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. Therefore, it is important to eliminate factors influencing the development of obesity in children from the viewpoint of preventive medicine. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the relationship between obesity and lifestyle in 3-year-old children in a case-control study. METHODS: Subjects were selected from the Toyama study at health checkups for 3-year-old children which are done routinely by local governments in Japan on all children of that age. A special questionnaire consisting of items on lifestyle and environmental factors of the children and past histories of parents was distributed to the Toyama study participants beforehand and was collected at the checkup. Matched-pair comparisons were performed between obese children whose body mass index was 18 or more (N = 427) and control children (N = 854) matched by sex and birth month. Multivariate stepwise conditional logistic regression analysis was also applied to assess the influence of confounding factors. RESULTS: The following six factors significantly influenced the development of obese 3-year-old children using the Mantel-Haenszel method: the mother's job, limited playtime outdoors (1 hour or less), snacking irregularity, an overweight father (body mass index >/= 24), an overweight mother (body mass index >/= 24), and overweight at birth (birth weight >/= 3,500 g). An overweight mother or father, limited playtime outdoors, overweight at birth, and snacking irregularity were significantly related to obesity in 3-year-old children after adjusting for confounding factors by multivariate stepwise conditional logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We have suggested several factors influencing the development of obesity in 3-year-old Japanese children: parental overweight and overweight at birth as host factors, physical inactivity and snacking irregularity as behavioral factors, the mother's job as an environmental factor.     

A new periodogram using one-way analysis of variance for circadian rhythms

A new periodogram was proposed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), termed ANOVA periodogram, in order to reveal a precise significant periodicity. Thirty 3-day complex computer-simulated time series with known periodicity (24 h) and three 2-h data-missing occurring periodically (23 h, 20 min) were used to compare the ANOVA periodogram with Enright's one. In results, the ANOVA periodogram was superior to Enright's periodogram in the accuracy of assessing the major periodicity.     

Normal motor learning during pharmacological prevention of Purkinje cell long-term depression

Systemic delivery of (1R-1-benzo thiophen-5-yl-2[2-diethylamino)-ethoxy] ethanol hydrochloride (T-588) prevented long-term depression (LTD) of the parallel fiber (PF)-Purkinje cell (PC) synapse induced by conjunctive climbing fiber and PF stimulation in vivo. However, similar concentrations of T-588 in the brains of behaving mice and rats affected neither motor learning in the rotorod test nor the learning of motor timing during classical conditioning of the eyeblink reflex. Rats given doses of T-588 that prevented PF-PC LTD were as proficient as controls in learning to adapt the timing of their conditioned eyeblink response to a 150- or 350-ms change in the timing of the paradigm. The experiment indicates that PF-PC LTD under control of the climbing fibers is not required for general motor adaptation or the learning of response timing in two common models of motor learning for which the cerebellum has been implicated. Alternative mechanisms for motor timing and possible functions for LTD in protection from excitotoxicity are discussed.     

Vascular evaluation using transabdominal ultrasound for gallbladder polyps

Journal of Medical Ultrasonics - Ultrasound (US) is a cost-effective and noninvasive procedure without radiation exposure, with real-time evaluation and high spatial resolution. Although it is...     

Mantle cell lymphoma of the rectum at an early stage: a case report.

We report a very rare early-stage case of mantle cell lymphoma, which arose from the rectum. A 60-year-old man presented with a small elastically hard polypoid lesion in the rectum. The lesion was 1.2 x 1.2 cm in size. As a preoperatively barium enema and endoscopy suggested a benign tumor of the rectum, he underwent local excision of a rectal polypoid mass transanally under spinal anesthesia. However, histological examination revealed a malignant lymphoma, because the lesion was histologically characterized by solid growths of small to medium-sized round cells. Furthermore, immunohistochemical tests revealed B-cell marker positivity and CD5 positivity, but cyclin D1 negativity. Since it was reported that lymphomas with a mantle cell lymphoma morphology and CD5 expression, but without cyclin D1 overexpression, exist in about 10% of mantle cell lymphoma cases, we diagnosed his disease as mantle cell lymphoma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an early-stage mantle cell lymphoma, originating from the rectum.     

Block of transmitter release by botulinum C1 action on syntaxin at the squid giant synapse

Electrophysiological, morphological, and biochemical approaches were combined to study the effect of the presynaptic injection of the light chain of botulinum toxin C1 into the squid giant synapse. Presynaptic injection was accompanied by synaptic block that occurred progressively as the toxin filled the presynaptic terminal. Neither the presynaptic action potential nor the Ca²⁺ currents in the presynaptic terminal were affected by the toxin. Biochemical analysis of syntaxin moiety in squid indicates that the light chain of botulinum toxin C1 lyses syntaxin in vitro, suggesting that this was the mechanism responsible for synaptic block. Ultrastructure of the injected synapses demonstrates an enormous increase in the number of presynaptic vesicles, suggesting that the release rather than the docking of vesicles is affected by biochemical lysing of the syntaxin molecule.     

Hepatocellular carcinoma: a case of extrahepatic seeding after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation using an expandable needle electrode

A 2.5-cm diameter, exophytic seeding of hepatocellular carcinoma was detected by contrast-enhanced computed tomography in a 76-year-old man. He had previously undergone a radiofrequency ablation therapy with an expandable, ten-hook needle electrode for the treatment of a 1.5-cm hepatocellular carcinoma in liver segment VI. Ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy revealed that this hepatocellular carcinoma was moderately differentiated, as initial tumor was. An additional radiofrequency ablation achieved complete ablation of this neoplastic mass on contrast-enhanced computed tomography scanning. Recurrences were not found for eight months after. To prevent tumor seeding, using thermocoagulation when retracting the needle electrode may be useful.     

Role of Rab27 in synaptic transmission at the squid giant synapse

Small GTPase Rab is a member of a large family of Ras-related proteins, highly conserved in eukaryotic cells, and thought to regulate specific type(s) and/or specific step(s) in intracellular membrane trafficking. Given our interest in synaptic transmission, we addressed the possibility that Rab27 (a close isoform of Rab3) could be involved in cytosolic synaptic vesicle mobilization. Indeed, preterminal injection of a specific antibody against squid Rab27 (anti-sqRab27 antibody) combined with confocal microscopy demonstrated that Rab27 is present on squid synaptic vesicles. Electrophysiological study of injected synapses showed that the anti-sqRab27 antibody inhibited synaptic release in a stimulation-dependent manner without affecting presynaptic action potentials or inward Ca²⁺ current. This result was confirmed in in vitro synaptosomes by using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Thus, synaptosomal Ca²⁺-stimulated release of FM1-43 dye was greatly impaired by intraterminal anti-sqRab27 antibody. Ultrastructural analysis of the injected giant preterminal further showed a reduced number of docked synaptic vesicles and an increase in nondocked vesicular profiles distant from the active zone. These results, taken together, indicate that Rab27 is primarily involved in the maturation of recycled vesicles and/or their transport to the presynaptic active zone in the squid giant synapse.