Nighttime Lighting Influences on the Plankton Feeding and Growth of Juvenile Pacific Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus orientalis.

During fingerling production of Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) Thunnus orientalis, heavy mortality can occur immediately after juveniles are transferred from nursery tanks to sea cages; however, nighttime lighting can moderate this mortality. Additionally, various live prey aggregate due to nighttime lighting in practical sea cage culture of PBF. Here, we investigated whether the growth and viability of PBF juveniles could be improved through promoting feeding on live prey that aggregate under nighttime lighting. Two treatment groups were established using land-based tanks under constant environmental conditions, one in which the juveniles were fed live prey at night (night-feed in four replicate tanks) and the other in which juveniles were not fed during the night (control in four replicate tanks). Although the survival rate did not differ significantly between the two groups, growth was significantly improved in the night-feed group, in which 69-78% of the juveniles showed evidence of feeding during the night. Thus, nighttime lighting plays a vital role in the aggregation of various live prey. PBF juveniles consume these prey in sea cages, which promotes their growth. This may partially serve as a countermeasure against the heavy mortality observed in sea cages.

A case of intravascular lymphoma diagnosed with a primary vitreoretinal lymphoma-like fundus lesion.

PURPOSE: We report a case of intravascular lymphoma with primary vitreoretinal lymphoma-like fundus findings. CASE: A 61-year-old man with a one-week history of temporal visual field defect in the left eye was referred by a local ophthalmologist to our department. A yellowish-white raised patchy lesion was found in the nasal fundus of the left eye. Vitreoretinal lymphoma was suspected, and vitrectomy was performed in the left eye for diagnostic purpose. However, vitreous interleukin-10 concentration was low and no significant result was obtained. He had fever of around 38 °C, and respiratory failure that started 2 weeks before ophthalmological examination, worsened. Intravascular lymphoma was diagnosed from the results of histopathological examinations of transbronchial lung biopsy, bone marrow biopsy and random skin biopsy. With the start of systemic chemotherapy, the subretinal lesions shrank gradually and systemic condition was stable. However, 5 months after the start of chemotherapy, spread to the central nervous system was observed, and chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy was started in another hospital. After the start of CAR-T therapy, the subretinal lesions shrank further. CONCLUSIONS: Intravascular lymphoma may be accompanied by primary vitreoretinal lymphoma-like intraocular lesions. If intraocular lesions are accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever of unknown origin, the possibility of intravascular lymphoma should be suspected and systemic work-up should be performed.

[A Case of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of the Testis, Which Also Developed in the Rectum after Resection of a Large B-Cell Lymphoma].

A man aged 65 years had undergone high orchidectomy of the right testis for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL) occurring primarily in the testis 11 months before. Although he was referred to another hospital for postoperative chemotherapy, he refused the treatment by self-judgement. For 1 month, he had been experiencing melena and anal pain, so he visited our department in June. Rectal palpation revealed a sub-circumference tumor palpable from the anal margin, in which a part protruded outside the anus. CT revealed a sub-circumference hypertrophic wall from the rectal Ra to the anus and intramural enlarged lymph nodes, without metastases to the other organs. Systemic gallium scintigraphy detected a strong concentration in the rectum. The endoscopic examination of the inferior region revealed a circumference type 2 tumor at Rb, and biopsy revealed DLBCL. Clinically, this case was considered a testoid DLBCL with rectal metastasis. Therefore, we performed laparoscopic rectal amputation in July, XX. sT3N1b, cM0. The postoperative course was uneventful. After the patient was discharged from our department, he received chemotherapy at another hospital. At present, 4 years 0 month postoperatively, the patient condition is favorable without recurrence. When perforation occurs in gastrointestinal DLBCL, the start of chemotherapy is delayed and the primary lesion worsen. Therefore, we performed surgical therapy first. Such cases must be evaluated for metastases or new lesions carefully.

[A Case of Isolated Metachronous Splenic Metastasis after Rectal Cancer Surgery].

A 50-year-old woman underwent laparotomic anterior resection(D3)and total hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy (type 2, 3.0×4.5 cm, pT4a[SE], N1a, M1c2[ovary and peritoneum], H0, P1, PUL0, stage Ⅳc, tub2>por, Cur B)for ovarian metastasis from rectal cancer in June 20XX. During the outpatient visit in May, 2 years and 11 months after surgery, a splenic tumor was found on abdominal contrast-enhanced CT, without distant metastasis in other organs. In July 20XX, laparoscopic splenectomy was performed for suspected splenic metastasis of rectal cancer. The specimen of the resected tumor showed pathological findings consistent with metastasis of rectal cancer. Currently, the patient is being followed up without any sign of recurrence. Herein, we report a rare case of isolated metachronous splenic metastasis, whose associated prognosis might be improved by surgical treatment, in reference to the literature.

[A Case of a Patient with Locally Recurrent Rectal Cancer Who Underwent Surgical Resection after Chemotherapy with FOLFOXIRI plus Bevacizumab].

A 60-year-old woman underwent intersphincteric resection for lower rectal cancer in 2016. The pathological stage was pT3N1M0, stage Ⅲa and the cancer was curatively resected. Local recurrence was detected 6 months after the surgery. The patient received chemotherapy of 4 courses of FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab(Bev). A Grade 4 adverse event(febrile neutropenia) occurred but the treatment was continued after a dose reduction to 80%. The size of the tumor decreased significantly after chemotherapy and posterior pelvic exenteration with sacral resection was performed. Pathological analysis revealed a positive radial margin but there were no remarkable complications after surgery and no obvious recurrence during the 9 months after the operation. Therefore, we concluded that FOLFOXIRI plus Bev chemotherapy is a manageable and useful treatment for locally recurrent rectal cancer.

BCR-ABL1-positive chronic myeloid leukemia emerging in a patient with secondary myelofibrosis harboring the JAK2-V617F mutation.

A 53-year-old woman with a 27-year history of myeloproliferative neoplasms came to our hospital because of a marked white blood cell count increase and progressive anemia. Clinical examination demonstrated positivity for BCR-ABL1 and JAK2-V617F mutations. She was given a diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia. Using the international scale, a molecular response (MR) 4.5 was achieved after treatment with dasatinib, despite the persistence of marked splenomegaly. The pathological findings of myelofibrosis were demonstrated by bone marrow biopsy. After stopping dasatinib administration for 4 years and 5 months, treatment with ruxolitinib was started. Five months later, the size of her spleen was reduced. We speculated that translocation of BCR-ABL1 might have occurred in a sub-clone of the JAK2-V617F mutated tumor clone.

Visual spectral sensitivity of photopic juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis).

Although Pacific bluefin tuna is a species that relies on vision, its photopic visual function is not well known; we therefore recorded electroretinograms to investigate photopic spectral sensitivity in juveniles of this species (49-81 days post-hatch; standard length 74-223 mm). The peak spectral sensitivity wavelength was 505 nm. We estimated that two (λ(max) = 512-515 nm and 423-436 nm) or three (λ(max) = 512-515 nm, 423-436 nm, and 473 nm) types of cone visual pigments contribute to photopic vision; these spectral sensitivities are adapted to surface water habitats in clear ocean and coastal water.

Changes in the scotopic vision of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) with growth.

In cultured juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis), reducing the mass deaths caused by collision or contact with tank or net walls at night is a priority for seedling production. Pacific bluefin tuna is a visually dependant species, although its scotopic vision is poor. We recorded electroretinograms to investigate the visual function with growth in the dark-adapted eyes of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna. Peak wavelengths of spectral sensitivity [38-62 days posthatch (dph), 77-167 mm standard length (SL)] were observed between 474 and 494 nm. Visual light sensitivity has a tendency to increase slightly with growth at 28-64 dph in individuals that measured 29-175 mm SL. However, visual temporal resolution did not significantly increase with growth at 38-62 days dph in individuals that measured 77-167 mm SL. These results suggest that the mass death continues between 28 and 64 dph because of low visual function and increasing swimming speed with growth.

Spectral sensitivity of juvenile chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in visible and ultraviolet light.

Although chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) is widely distributed all over the world, the relevance of its visual sensitivity to its ecology is not yet fully understood. We investigated spectral sensitivity in juvenile chub mackerel in the range of ultraviolet (UV) to visible light (369-652 nm) by electroretinogram (ERG) using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Sensitivity peaked at a wavelength of approximately 482 nm in dark-adapted fish and 525 nm in light-adapted fish. A secondary sensitivity peak in the UV range at approximately 382 nm was found in both dark- and light-adapted fish. The UV sensitivity of chub mackerel may be attributable to UV transmissibility of the optical media and to the presence of a beta-band of visible light-sensitive visual pigments, and not to an alpha-band of UV visual pigments. This UV sensitivity may be useful for feeding or communication with other fishes.

Electroretinographic analysis of night vision in juvenile pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis).

We used electroretinogram recordings to investigate visual function in the dark-adapted eyes of the juvenile scombrid fishes Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) and chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) and the carangid fish striped jack (Pseudocaranx dentex). Despite the fast swimming speed of the Pacific bluefin tuna, analysis of flicker electroretinograms showed that visual temporal resolution in this species was inferior to that in chub mackerel. Peak wavelengths of spectral sensitivity in Pacific bluefin tuna and striped jack were 479 and 512 nm, respectively. The light sensitivity of Pacific bluefin tuna was comparable to that of chub mackerel but lower than that of striped jack. The Pacific bluefin tuna may not need high-level visual function under dim light conditions in natural habitat because it is a diurnal fish. However, this low temporal resolution and light sensitivity probably explain the mass deaths from contact or collisions with net walls in cultured Pacific bluefin tuna.

Immunohistochemical analysis of phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor might provide a surrogate marker of EGFR mutation.

PURPOSE: Overexpression of EGFR is found in several malignancies including lung cancers. Recently, EGFR mutation has been shown to correlate with responsiveness to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Although antibodies against phophorylated EGFR have been used in vitro, phosphorylated EGFR has yet not been examined well in resected non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We studied the immunohistochemistry of anti-EGFR and phosphorylated EGFR in 97 resected NSCLCs, examined the relationship with EGFR mutation, and performed quantitative RT-PCR of the EGFR gene in the TaqMan assay. RESULT: EGFR mutation was seen in 27% of 97 NSCLCs and 37% of 70 adenocarcinomas. EGFR was stained in 60% of 97 NSCLCs. Phosphorylation of tyrosine 845 (pY845) and 1068 (pY1068) was positive in 49% and 48%, respectively. The observed correlation with EGFR mutation and pY845 or pY1068 was statistically significant (P=0.0001 for pY845, P<0.0001 for pY1068, chi square test), although phospho-EGFR status was not associated with a particular mutation type. pY1068-positive tumors also correlated with female, light smoker, and adenocarcinoma histology, but not with mRNA expression. Moreover, patients with pY1068-positive tumors showed prolonged survival (P=0.0093, log-rank test). CONCLUSION: It is possible that immunohistochemistry of phosphorylated EGFR can substitute for EGFR mutation analysis. Further investigation is necessary to determine whether phospho-EGFR immunohistochemistry predicts response to TKIs and survival benefit.

Expression of Foxp3 in non-small cell lung cancer patients is significantly higher in tumor tissues than in normal tissues, especially in tumors smaller than 30 mm.

Active suppression by CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (T regs) plays an important role in the down-regulation of T cell responses to foreign and self-antigens. Thus far, the potential role of T regs in human tumors has been reported. T reg-mediated suppression of antitumor immune responses may partly explain the poor clinical response to vaccine-based immunotherapy for human cancer. The forkhead transcription factor Foxp3 is a critical regulator of T regs development and function. Foxp3 represents a specific marker for the T regs. In this study, we measured the Foxp3 mRNA expression in tumors and in normal tissues from 46 patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and tumor tissues showed a significantly higher expression of Foxp3 mRNA than normal tissues. The expression of Foxp3 mRNA and the tumor diameter were inversely proportional. These results suggest that T regs expressing Foxp3 selectively accumulate in tumor tissues of NSCLC and contribute to antitumor immune dysfunction, especially in the early stages.

Biological properties and gene expression associated with metastatic potential of human osteosarcoma.

Lung metastasis has a great influence on the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma. We previously established two high-metastatic sublines, M112 and M132, from the HuO9 human osteosarcoma cell line by in vivo selection. In this study, we newly isolated a high-metastatic subline, H3, and three low-metastatic sublines, L6, L12 and L13, from HuO9 by the dilution plating method. Three high-metastatic sublines produced more than 200 metastatic nodules in the lung, while three low-metastatic sublines produced no or few nodules after injection of 2 x 10(6) cells into the tail vein of nude mice. There were significant differences in the motility and invasiveness between high- and low-metastatic sublines, whereas the growth rates in vitro and the tumorigenicity in vivo showed no correlation with their metastatic abilities. Early adherence to culture plates was significantly lower in two of three low-metastatic sublines, which occupied smaller surface areas on the culture plates than other sublines did. Comparison of the expression of 637 cancer-related genes by cDNA microarray revealed that seven genes were differentially expressed between high- and low-metastatic sublines. Among them, five genes (AXL, TGFA, COLL7A1, WNT5A, and MKK6) were associated with adherence, motility, and/or invasiveness. These results suggest that the differences in motility/invasiveness and adhesive abilities are key determinants of lung metastasis in osteosarcoma.

Utility of serosal stamp cytology as an indicator for high-risk peritoneal metastasis in colorectal cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although peritoneal lavage cytology is widely performed during surgery for gastric cancer and the results have been reported to provide an accurate prognostic factor, its value has not been well established in colorectal cancer. In this study, we demonstrated the utility of serosal stamp cytology from the viewpoint of cell adhesion molecules. METHODOLOGY: Between 1997 and 1999, peritoneal lavage cytology and serosal stamp cytology were performed in 34 patients with resectable colorectal cancer. Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) was examined as an index of the progress degree of peritoneal metastasis. RESULTS: Although peritoneal lavage cytology was positive in one case, serosal stamp cytology was positive in 10 cases. E-cadherin expression was lost in all peritoneal lavage cytology and/or serosal stamp cytology positive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that serosal stamp cytology is more sensitive and simple than peritoneal lavage cytology. Serosal stamp cytology may be useful in identifying patients at high risk for peritoneal recurrence.

A case of intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma of the pancreas with the onset of acute pancreatitis.

Intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma of the pancreas has been reported with increasing frequency. We report a case with intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma of the pancreas and discuss surgical treatment and current imaging modalities. A case with intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma was analyzed by radiological findings and clinical course. A 47-year-old man developed abdominal pain and nausea. Computed tomography showed a diffusely dilated main pancreatic duct. Duodenoscopy showed a patulous orifice of the pancreas with massive mucus secretion, but the pancreatic juice was not positive for malignant cells. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed a markedly dilated pancreatic duct extending from the body to the tail of the pancreas. Distal pancreatectomy was performed with splenectomy and lymph nodes dissection. Histopathological diagnosis was intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinoma. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is useful for diagnosing intraductal papillary mucin-producing tumors. To avoid unnecessary total pancreatectomy and preserve pancreatic function, intraoperative frozen section examination is widely available for the surgical treatment of intraductal papillary mucin-producing tumors.