Association between intra-tumoral microbiome and genetic alterations in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas.

Background/objectives: We previously demonstrated that intra-tumoral microbiome infection may affects the clinicopathological characteristics of pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) and showed that these characteristics are also influenced by gene mutations. The aim of this study was to investigate whether specific microbiome infections lead to alterations in the expression of specific genes in IPMNs.

Methods: DNA was extracted from 26 resected IPMN samples and subjected to genetic mutation assessment and microbiome analysis.

Correlation analysis of urinary D/L-amino acid ratios and renal injury by using 5/6 nephrectomy model rats.

Renal injury, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), is a global public health problem. Recent studies have reported that several D/L-amino acid ratios are affected during renal injury; however, most reports have focused on renal dysfunction, and few have focused on the association between D/L-amino acid changes and histopathological alterations in the kidney. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the correlation between D/L-amino acid ratios and the histopathological findings of renal injury in a 5/6 nephrectomy rat model.

Detection of retinal dysfunction induced by HCN channel inhibitors using multistep light stimulus and long-duration light stimulus ERG in rats.

Ivabradine, a hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel inhibitor, has been reported to induce photosensitivity-related visual disturbances such as phosphene in humans. Ivabradine-induced visual disturbances are caused by inhibition of HCN channels in the retina, and the mechanisms have been verified using HCN channel knockout mice and electroretinography (ERG). However, in rats, classical ERG using single flash light stimulus with standard analyses of waveform amplitude and latency has not revealed abnormal retinal function after administration of ivabradine.

Oncogenic Targets Regulated by Tumor-Suppressive and : Facilitates Cancer Cell Aggressiveness in Breast Cancer.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the family act as critical players (tumor-suppressor or oncogenic) in a wide range of human cancers. Analysis of microRNA (miRNA) expression signatures and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database revealed that that two passenger strand miRNAs, and , were downregulated in cancer tissues, and their low expression was closely associated with worse prognosis in patients with BrCa. Functional assays showed that and overexpression significantly inhibited cancer cell aggressiveness, suggesting these two miRNAs acted as tumor-suppressors in BrCa cells.

, Regulated by Multiple microRNAs, Facilitates Cancer Cell Aggressiveness in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Coronin proteins are actin-related proteins containing WD repeat domains encoded by seven genes (, , , , , , and ) in the human genome. Analysis of large cohort data from The Cancer Genome Atlas revealed that expression of , , , , and was significantly upregulated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tissues ( < 0.05).

Surgical Stress Evaluation of Left Lateral Sectionectomy Based on Skeletal Muscle Catabolism.

Background: By examining skeletal muscle catabolism, we aimed to investigate whether laparoscopic left lateral sectionectomy (LLS) is less invasive compared with the open approach.

Methods: The psoas muscle index (PMI) was measured using computed tomography images before and after surgery. We assessed the relationship between the perioperative PMI reduction rate and the estimation of physiologic ability and surgical stress (E-PASS) score and then compared the PMI reduction rates associated with different approaches.

Successful conversion surgery for stage IV gastric cancer with liver metastases after second-line chemotherapy with ramucirumab and paclitaxel: a case report.

Background: In recent years, conversion surgery after chemotherapy has been considered a promising strategy for improving the prognosis of patients with stage IV gastric cancer. However, there are few reports on conversion gastrectomy after second-line chemotherapy. Here, we report a case of long-term survival of a patient with liver metastases from gastric cancer who underwent conversion surgery after second-line chemotherapy with ramucirumab and paclitaxel.

Automatic switching valve system to minimize variation of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based chiral amino acid profiling.

Although d-amino acids are less prevalent in nature, they have been detected in mammals (including humans) and it is widely accepted that they might play important physiological roles. While an analytical method for chiral amino acid profiling is strongly required, it has not been well-established because of the difficulties associated with analysis. A high-sensitivity and high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analytical method was recently reported by our group for chiral amino acids; however, it lacked sufficient repeatability for several d-amino acids.

[A Case of Advanced Gastric Cancer Showing Pathological Complete Response after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with S-1 and Oxaliplatin].

A 57-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for treatment of gastric cancer presenting as a type 2 tumor in the lower third of the stomach. According to pre-therapeutic imaging examinations and laparoscopy, she was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer, cT4a(SE)N2M0, Stage Ⅲ. Therefore, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was planned, and she received the SOX regimen.

Availability of multistep light stimulus method for evaluation of visual dysfunctions.

In the field of drug safety research, electroretinography (ERG) is commonly conducted according to the international standard method propounded by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) in recent years. However, various ERG methods other than the ISCEV standard method are also utilized depending on the intended purpose of the evaluation. In this study, we investigated the availability of a multistep light stimulus method for evaluation of rod function in Long-Evans rats using sildenafil, which is known to inhibit phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6) in phototransduction and induce visual dysfunctions in humans.

Usefulness of computed tomography with air insufflation of the stomach prior to percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy procedure.

We examined the results of computed tomography (CT) with and without air insufflation of the stomach prior to performing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). We retrospectively analyzed 366 patients who underwent PEG. CT images obtained with and without air insufflation were examined for the presence or absence of contact between the gastric anterior wall and abdominal wall.

Long DNA passenger strand highly improves the activity of RNA/DNA hybrid siRNAs.

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are potent tools in biomedical research, which can reduce the expression level of target proteins through RNAi pathway. They are composed of 19-25 bp double strand RNA (dsRNAs), therefore, stimulate dsRNAs dependent interferon responses in a non-specific manner. This problem has prevented siRNAs from being applied as new therapeautic agents.

Ulcerative colitis associated with isolated unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy.

We herein describe a rare case of ulcerative colitis associated with unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy. A 64-year-old woman developed severe active ulcerative colitis and was treated with prednisolone. The dose of oral prednisolone was reduced to 7.

Efficacy of peroral pancreatoscopy in the diagnosis of pancreatic diseases.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of peroral pancreatoscopy in the diagnosis of pancreatic diseases.

Methods: Both 3.7-mm (thin) and 0.