Changes of cancer diagnosis disclosure to children in Japan in the last 20 years

International Journal of Clinical Oncology - The practice of cancer diagnosis disclosure to children has been changed with the times. The regulations of clinical trials in the 2000s might change...     

Spontaneous recovery of fear differs among early – late adolescent and adult male mice

Adolescence is a vulnerable period for developing anxiety-related mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which requires a long-term course of therapy when a traumatic event has been experienced during childhood. However, the biological mechanism underlying these age-dependent characteristics remains unclear. In the present study, we used early adolescent, late adolescent and adult (4-, 8-, and 15-week old) male mice to examine age differences in fear memory, fear extinction, and spontaneous recovery of fear. We also measured the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 2 in the dorsal hippocampus (dHip) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) following a spontaneous recovery test. Our major findings were as follows: (1) early adolescent and adult mice did not recover the fear response; only late adolescent mice recovered the fear response. (2) The ERK2 in the dHip was more activated after the spontaneous recovery test in late adolescent mice than in adult mice, and the ERK2 in the BLA was more activated after the spontaneous recovery test in adult mice than in late adolescent mice. These results suggest that there exists a unique period in which spontaneous recovery occurs and that these late adolescent behavioral signatures may be related to alteration in the ERK2 phosphorylation in the dHip and BLA.     

A case report: Severe bone marrow suppression caused by 6-mercaptopurin in Crohn's disease patient]

A 23-year-old man was admitted for treatment of acute exacerbation of ileitis and perianal abscess caused by Crohn's disease. After incision and drainage of the abscess, coupled with antibiotic therapy, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) was commenced. His white blood cell (WBC) count on day 12 after initiation of 6-MP was not decreased. However, on day 24 he was re-admitted because of severe myelosuppression (WBC: 300/microl), which was complicated by the recurrence of the perianal abscess. Myelosuppression was prolonged and required the administration of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). G-CSF was continued for 17 days to achieve recovery of his WBC count to a normal level.     

Spontaneous Uterine Venous Rupture During Labour: A Case Report With Postoperative Ultrasonographic Findings

EDITORIAL COMMENT: We accepted this case for publication to remind readers that although uterine rupture during labour in a primigravida is extremely uncommon it does occur, or at any rate nulliparas can develop abdominal pain and shock in labour with a haemoperitoneum resulting from a tear in a vein in the lower posterior uterine wall. When one sees the hugely dilated uterine and ovarian venous plexuses at Caesarean section it is easy to believe that bleeding from such a vessel during labour could be prodigious. This case suggests that a dilated vein with blood flow derangements may be the cause. Nonetheless, as the authors warn us, the necessary response is not a precise diagnosis, but rapid laparotomy. See also Editorial Comment to Chin MMS, Harvey JA, Duffy BL. Uterine rupture during labour in a primigravida. Aust NZ J Obstet Gynaecol 1996; 36: 210.     

Fit and fill analysis of a newly designed femoral stem in cementless total hip arthroplasty for patients with secondary osteoarthritis

The fit and fill of the femoral canal are critical to the success of cementless femoral stems in total hip arthroplasty. It is difficult for conventional stems to provide a good fit and fill for the femora of patients with secondary osteoarthritis. Based on measurements of 100 femora of these patients, we designed two types of Fukui Medical School (FMS) stems with a proximal lateral flare that differed in the medial radius. We compared the fit and fill of the FMS stems with those of four conventional stems, using computer simulation. The mean proximal fit and total fit of the FMS stems were 46% and 53% respectively, a significant improvement compared with the other stems examined. The mean fill of FMS stems was 82% at the lower end of the lesser trochanter and 84% at the upper end of the isthmus, values that were significantly higher than those of the other stems. Since September 1995, we have implanted FMS stems in 15 hips with secondary osteoarthritis. Radiographic evaluations showed that the canal fill of the FMS stems was significantly greater in the proximal femur compared with other stems previously inserted at our department. A summary of this paper was presented at the 9th Symposium on Computer-Assisted Radiology; June 1995, Berlin, and at the 8th International Symposium on Technology in Arthroplasty; September 1995, Puerto Rico.     

A case of a small hepatoma with multicentric development in precirrhotic fibrosis

Multicentricity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered, especially in patients with liver cirrhosis. This paper describes an operative case of a male patient with probable multicentric development of HCC in precirrhotic fibrosis. The main tumors inside the capsule were completely necrotic due to transarterial embolization (TAE). Histologic examination disclosed discrete tiny nodules of HCC that were not detected grossly. They showed highly differentiated trabecular arrangements: Edmondson I. A scirrhous type was noted in the center of the tumors. At the borders of the tumors the carcinoma cells exhibited replacing growth patterns and it was thought that they developed multicentrically. Partial resection must be performed as extensively as possible in a case such as the present one.     

Definition of carcinoma of the gastric cardia

Summary This study concerns the definition of carcinoma of the gastric cardia. The topography of the esophagogastric mucosal junction (mucosal EGJ) was investigated with an endoscope in 182 patients who were free of hiatal hernias, ulcers, and neoplasms in the esophagus and stomach. The relationship between the EGJ and the cardiac gland area was then examined histologically in 56 resected specimens containing intact EGJs and cardia gland areas. Furthermore the cancerous center was determined; the shortest distance between the cancerous center and the EGJ and the amount of esophageal invasion were measured in 102 resected carcinomas located close to the junction; the carcinomas contained the EGJ and were good enough for pathohistological examination. The EGJ was located 0.5–1.0 cm proximal to the His angle (the gastric cardia) in radiological and endoscopic examinations. Histologically the cardiac gland area was found to straddle the EGJ at a range of about 1 cm proximal and 2 cm distal to the junction. Among the upper stomach carcinomas, most of the tumors (87.5%) whose center was located within 2 cm from the EGJ invaded the esophagus. In conclusion, carcinoma of the gastric cardia is defined as a lesion with its center located within 1 cm proximal and 2 cm distal to the EGJ.

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Definition des Kardiacarcinoms

Zusammenfassung Diese Untersuchung befaßt sich mit der Definition von Carcinomen der Kardia. An 182 Patienten, die weder Hiatushernien, Ulcera noch Neoplasien des Oesophagus bzw. des Magens aufwiesen, wurde die Lage des Übergangs von der Oesophagus- zur Magenmucosa (esophagogastric mucosal junction, EGJ) endoskopisch untersucht. Dann wurde die Beziehung zwischen EGJ und dem Drüsengebiet der Kardia histologisch anhand von 56 Resektaten mit intaktem EGJ und Kardiadrüsenzone untersucht. Außerdem wurde an 102 resezierten Carcinomen mit Sitz in der Nähe des gastrooesophagealen Übergangs die kürzeste Ent fernung zwischen Carcinomzentrum und EGJ und das Ausmaß der Oesophagusinfiltration bestimmt; die Proben schlossen den EGJ ein und konnten pathohistologisch beurteilt werden. Bei der radiologischen und endoskopischen Untersuchung fand sind der EGJ 0,5–1,0 cm vom His-Winkel entfernt. Die histologische Untersuchung zeigte, daß die Kardiadrüsenzone sich vom EGJ etwa 1 cm nach proximal und 2 cm nach distal erstreckt. Die meisten Tumoren des oberen Magens (87,5%), deren Zentrum innerhalb von 2 cm vom EGJ entfernt lag, infiltrierten in den Oesophagus. Ein Kardiacarcinom ist demzufolge als Läsion zu definieren, deren Zentrum innerhalb von 1 cm proximal und 2 cm distal des EGJ liegt.