Megahertz detection of spectroscopic polarization by a time-encoded supercontinuum vector beam.

We demonstrated a 40-MHz detection of spectroscopic polarization by a supercontinuum vector beam with a wavelength-dependent polarization state. To achieve the high-repetition-rate measurement, we detected the rotation angle of polarization and the spectrum by measuring the temporal waveform using a photodetector after expanding the pulse duration of the supercontinuum vector beam. The spectrum of the supercontinuum vector beam was measured using a spectrometer. We compared it with the temporal waveforms, confirming a good agreement of spectra between the conventional spectrometer and the temporal waveforms. The detection method is useful for many applications requiring high-repetition-rate spectroscopic-polarization measurements, such as the defect inspection of thin optical materials.

Enzymatic degradation of glucosaminoglucan and cellulase resistance of cellulose nanofiber coated with glucosaminoglucan.

AIMS: Enzymatic degradation of ß-1,4-linked glucose and glucosamine (glucosaminoglucan, GG), which is prepared from Thiothrix nivea and can act as a cellulose-aminating agent with a strong affinity to cellulose, was attempted. METHODS AND RESULTS: A chitosanase-secreting fungal strain was isolated as a GG-degrading microbe. GG was found to be degraded by not only chitosanases but also cellulases. Based on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, both enzymes were found to produce GlcN-Glc from GG. The cellulases also produced GlcN-Glc-GlcN-Glc as an additional final digest. Furthermore, aminated (GG-coated) cellulose nanofibers exhibited cellulase resistance. The flexibility of GG adsorbed onto a cellulose crystal was almost identical to that of cellulose, as estimated via the molecular dynamics calculations. CONCLUSIONS: The chitosanase and cellulase hydrolyzed the ß-1,4-linkage from Glc to GlcN and were expected to recognize the tetramer and hexamer units of GG depending on their final products. The cellulose nanofibers acquired cellulase resistance via amination with GG, probably because of the lower activity of cellulase to GG than cellulose.

Demonstration of a spherical plasma mirror for the counter-propagating kilojoule-class petawatt LFEX laser system.

A counter-propagating laser-beam platform using a spherical plasma mirror was developed for the kilojoule-class petawatt LFEX laser. The temporal and spatial overlaps of the incoming and redirected beams were measured with an optical interferometer and an x-ray pinhole camera. The plasma mirror performance was evaluated by measuring fast electrons, ions, and neutrons generated in the counter-propagating laser interaction with a Cu-doped deuterated film on both sides. The reflectivity and peak intensity were estimated as ∼50% and ∼5 × 1018 W/cm2, respectively. The platform could enable studies of counter-streaming charged particles in high-energy-density plasmas for fundamental and inertial confinement fusion research.

Enhancement of Ablative Rayleigh-Taylor Instability Growth by Thermal Conduction Suppression in a Magnetic Field.

Ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth was investigated to elucidate the fundamental physics of thermal conduction suppression in a magnetic field. Experiments found that unstable modulation growth is faster in an external magnetic field. This result was reproduced by a magnetohydrodynamic simulation based on a Braginskii model of electron thermal transport. An external magnetic field reduces the electron thermal conduction across the magnetic field lines because the Larmor radius of the thermal electrons in the field is much shorter than the temperature scale length. Thermal conduction suppression leads to spatially nonuniform pressure and reduced thermal ablative stabilization, which in turn increases the growth of ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

Petapascal Pressure Driven by Fast Isochoric Heating with a Multipicosecond Intense Laser Pulse.

Fast isochoric laser heating is a scheme to heat matter with a relativistic intensity (>10^{18} W/cm^{2}) laser pulse for producing an ultrahigh-energy-density (UHED) state. We have demonstrated an efficient fast isochoric heating of a compressed dense plasma core with a multipicosecond kilojoule-class petawatt laser and an assistance of externally applied kilotesla magnetic fields for guiding fast electrons to the dense plasma. A UHED state of 2.2 PPa is achieved experimentally with 4.6 kJ of total laser energy that is one order of magnitude lower than the energy used in the conventional implosion scheme. A two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation confirmed that diffusive heating from a laser-plasma interaction zone to the dense plasma plays an essential role to the efficient creation of the UHED state.

Clinicopathological analysis of clinically occult extrapulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis in intra-pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes associated with pelvic malignant tumors: A study of nine patients.

The clinicopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of clinically occult extrapulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis in lymph nodes (LN-LAM) being dissected during surgical staging of pelvic malignancy have not been well investigated. We assessed samples from nine female patients (median age, 61). None had past or familial history of tuberous sclerosis and had LAM lesions other than LN such as lung. The primary malignancies included four endometrial endometrioid carcinomas, one endometrial carcinosarcoma, three ovarian serous carcinomas and one urothelial carcinoma. Median follow-up was 43 months. The number of affected LNs ranged from 1 to 15 (median, 2) with sizes ranging from 1 to 13 mm (median, 3.0). Six cases had clinically occult LN-LAM only within the pelvic LNs, two only within para-aortic LNs, and one within both pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes. Immunohistochemically, LAM cells exhibited a strong diffuse positivity for ß-catenin and E-cadherin in all nine cases. Clinically occult LN-LAM mainly affects peri- or post-menopausal women. On rare occasions, occult LN-LAM may manifest as systemic LAM, including in the lung. ß-catenin and E-cadherin carry potential utility as additional diagnostic markers.

MicroRNA-7 expression in colorectal cancer is associated with poor prognosis and regulates cetuximab sensitivity via EGFR regulation.

MicroRNA-7 (miR-7) has been reported to be a tumor suppressor in all malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its significance for CRC clinical outcomes has not yet been explored. The potential for miR-7 to act as a tumor suppressor by coordinately regulating the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway at several levels was examined. We investigated the tumor inhibitory effect of miR-7 in CRC, with particular focus on the relationship between miR-7 and the EGFR pathway. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR was used to evaluate miR-7 expression in 105 CRC cases to determine the clinicopathologic significance of this miRNA. The regulation of EGFR by miR-7 was examined with miR-7 precursor-transfected cells. Furthermore, we investigated whether miR-7 suppresses proliferation of CRC cells in combination with cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody against EGFR. Multivariate analysis indicated that low miR-7 expression was an independent prognostic factor for poor survival (P = 0.0430). In vitro assays showed that EGFR and RAF-1 are direct targets of miR-7, which potently suppressed the proliferation of CRC cells, and, interestingly, that the growth inhibitory effect of each of these was enhanced by cetuximab. miR-7 is a meaningful prognostic marker. Furthermore, these data indicate that miR-7 precursor, alone or in combination with cetuximab, may be useful in therapy against CRC.

Expression of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-related Factors in Adherent Placenta.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is a key process influencing cancer progression and metastasis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related factors in chorionic villi and decidual cells in adherent placenta. The current study included 19 patients diagnosed with adherent placenta after hysterectomy. The expression of E-cadherin, Vimentin, Snail, and transforming growth factor-ß in placental tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Immunostaining intensity was semiquantitatively evaluated using the HSCORE algorithm. In the chorionic villi of the invasive part (placenta with invasion into myometrium), E-cadherin expression was significantly lower than that in the noninvasive part (placenta with no invasion). In the decidual cells of the invasive part, expression of transforming growth factor-ß and Snail significantly increased. These results suggest that epithelial-mesenchymal transition may contribute to excessive trophoblast invasion into the myometrium in adherent placenta.

Clinicopathological Features of Second Primary Colorectal Cancer Incidentally Identified by 18F-FDG-PET.

As positron emission tomography using F18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) is becoming a common imaging modality the number of colorectal cancers incidentally detected by FDG-PET is expected to increase. In this study, we investigated the clinicopathological features of 15 cases of second primary colorectal cancer incidentally detected by PET during other cancer evaluation in patients who underwent surgery. We also discussed the significance of FDG-PET in evaluating cancer status. None of the patients had undergone FDG-PET for suspected colorectal disease; 6 were being evaluated by FDG-PET for lung cancer, 5 for nasopharyngeal or laryngeal cancer, 3 for gastrointestinal cancer, and 1 for uterine cancer. The average tumor size was 36.1 ± 14.4 mm (range, 25-70 mm) and the mean maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was 11.9 ± 6.0 (range, 3.0-29.6). Although 4 cases (26.7%) had distant metastasis, 3 (20%) were Tis or T1 cancer, 3 (20%) were T2 cancer. Of the 15 cases, 6 (40%) could have been underwent laparoscopic surgery. Our study found that asymptomatic cases of colorectal cancer can be detected by FDG-PET during evaluation for other cancer. Therefore, in some cases, FDG-PET is useful for detecting second primary colorectal cancer at a relatively early and curable stage.

Outlet Obstruction of Temporary Loop Diverting Ileostomy.

Stoma formation is commonly performed in operations to treat carcinoma, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). In this study, we report several cases of stomal outlet obstruction and investigate the clinical features of cases of outlet obstruction in patients who underwent diverting loop ileostomy. Sixty-one patients with IBD, FAP or rectal cancer who required diverting loop ileostomy were identified for inclusion in this study. We defined outlet obstruction as a small bowel obstruction at the opening of the ileostomy following surgery. All cases of outlet obstruction were diagnosed by computed tomography. In the univariate analysis the type of diagnosis, type of operation, age, and white blood cell count were the factors significantly associated with outlet obstruction following ileostomy, and outlet obstruction was considered to have a connection with restorative proctocolectomy. In conclusion, we found that adhesion and twisting of the ileostomy were the causes of outlet obstruction. For temporary diversion, simple rotation of the ileostomy should be recommended, especially in restorative proctocolectomy. Additional study is required to explore other risk factors of outlet obstruction.

Feasibility of Reduced Port Laparoscopic Colectomy for Colon Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Reduced port laparoscopic surgery has recently emerged as a method to improve the cosmetic results of conventional laparoscopic surgery. We reported our technique of reduced port laparoscopic colectomy using 3-port and short-time outcomes. METHODOLOGY: Between 2005 and 2012, we performed 161 reduced port laparoscopic colectomies using the 3-port technique. Data analyzed in-cluded age, gender, body mass index (BMI), duration of surgery, number of harvested lymph nodes, and duration of hospital stay. RESULTS: All of the cases were successfully performed using the 3-port procedure. The median durations of surgery and postoperative hospital stay were 140 mm (range 75-463 mm) and 9 days (range 5-38 days), respectively. No mortality was associated with this technique. CONCLUSION: Reduced port laparoscopic colectomy is feasible and may have advantages over conventional laparoscopic colectomy.

C-reactive protein level as a possible predictor for early postoperative ileus following elective surgery for colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Inflammatory reactions are par- tially responsible for postoperative ileus (POI). Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acknowledged marker of inflammation. In this study the CRP response with respect to POI in elective colorectal surgery was exam- ined to define the role of serum CRP as an early predic- tor of POI. METHODOLOGY: Three hundred eighty-three patients who underwent elective colorectal resection were identified for inclusion in this study. We defined early POI as that occurring within 30 days following the surgery. Thirty-five patients with POI were com- pared to a subgroup of 348 patients with an unevent- ful postoperative course, and the correlation between postoperative serum CRP levels and POI in colorectal surgery was investigated. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, length of operation, surgical blood loss, and serum CRP were factors significantly associated with POI following colorectal surgery; however, these fac- tors lost their significance on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that an increase in CRP levels alone is not a predictor for POI following surgery for colorectal surgery. Although inflammatory responses are known to contribute to the ileus, ad- ditional study is required to identify risk factors that would be more useful for prediction of POI.

[SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA WITH CLOACAL EXSTROPHY: A CASE REPORT].

A 41-year-old man with a history of cloacal exstrophy presented to a local clinic with abdominal pain and bowel sounds. He was noted to have pain at the site of scarring due to cloacal exstrophy and a laceration at its center, which was stained with feces. He was referred to our department because of an enterocutaneous fistula. Skin biopsy of the neoplastic lesion at this site led to a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. Computed tomography showed tumor invasion of the ileum and right inguinal lymph node enlargement. We performed tumor resection, partial enterectomy, intestinal anastomosis, abdominal wall reconstruction with a left pedicled anterolateral thigh flap, split-thickness skin grafting, and right inguinal lymph node biopsy. Histopathological examination revealed cancer growth, invasion, and pearl formation in the lymph nodes, leading to a diagnosis of abdominal squamous cell carcinoma with metastasis to the inguinal lymph nodes. The skin graft took well, and the patient was discharged. He is scheduled for right inguinal lymph node dissection at a later date.

FDG-PET/CT of schwannomas arising in the brachial plexus mimicking lymph node metastasis: report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Schwannoma is a tumor that develops on peripheral nerves or spinal roots. Although any part of the body can be affected, axillar and supraclavicular lesions are unusual for schwannoma. We report two cases of schwannoma arising in the brachial plexus, which were detected by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT). CASE 1: A 75-year-old Japanese woman showed high FDG accumulation in a subclavicular or axillary lesion found by FDG-PET/CT. Axillar-subclavicular lymph node metastasis was suspected and surgical excision was performed. Histological evaluation revealed schwannoma. CASE 2: A 75-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with suspected primary lung cancer with brain metastases. She showed high FDG uptake at a subclavicular or axillary lesion found by FDG-PET/CT. Surgical excision was performed to arrive at a definitive diagnosis. The mass was located at the trunk of the brachial plexus and was identified as a schwannoma. CONCLUSION: Although schwannoma within an axillar or subclavicular lesion is relatively rare, brachial plexus schwannoma should be considered in the diagnosis of masses detected by FDG-PET/CT.

Adenoma of the nipple projecting out of the nipple: curative resection without excision of the nipple.

BACKGROUND: Adenoma of the nipple is a rare breast tumor that is often mistaken clinically for Paget's disease and misinterpreted pathologically as invasive ductal carcinoma. CASE REPORT: We report herein a distinctive case of adenoma of the nipple projecting out of the nipple. In the current case, we were able to perform curative resection through a periareolar incision similar to a microdochectomy without excision of the nipple. The diagnosis of adenoma of the nipple was confirmed histopathologically. CONCLUSION: Although the tumor was found on top of the nipple, curative tumor resection without excision of the nipple was possible and the nipple was completely preserved. Adenoma of the nipple is a benign tumor, and thus the diagnosis of adenoma of the nipple must be confirmed so that unnecessary surgery can be avoided.

Addition of Bevacizumab to First-Line Chemotherapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab for metastatic colorectal cancer patients. METHODOLOGY: All unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer patients who began receiving bevacizumab at participating facilities from 2006 to 2011 were retrospectively analyze to determine the safety and efficacy. The primary end points were Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS). The secondary end points were adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients were enrolled in the study. The primary tumor site was the colon in 53 patients and the rectum in 48 patients. The most common metastatic sites were the liver (63.4%), lung (31%), and peritoneum (10%). In first-line therapy, 76 (75.2%) patients received the FOLFOX regimen. Among these patients, 33 (43.4%) patients received FOLFOX alone, and 43 (56.6%) received FOLFOX plus bevacizumab. The addition of bevacizumab to first-line chemotherapy was associated with increases in median PFS (12.5 vs. 6.0 months; P = .00001) and median OS (24.0 vs. 16.0 months; P = 0.0221). The risks of adverse events were not significantly increased with the addition of bevacizumab. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of bevacizumab to first-line therapy in CRC patients provided clinically significant patient benefit, including statistically significant improvement in OS and a favorable tolerability profile.

The factors associated with the failure of transcatheter pelvic arterial embolization for intractable postpartum hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: The transcatheter pelvic arterial embolization (TAE) is effective for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). There has been a little information about the factors for ineffectiveness of TAE. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with TAE failure for PPH. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty-five women who underwent TAE for intractable PPH were included. Clinical factors involving age, history of pregnancy, gestational weeks of delivery, mode of delivery, causes of PPH, complete blood count, blood loss volume, transfusion amount, shock index and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) score were compared between TAE success group (n=48) and TAE failure group (n=7). RESULTS: The uni- and multi-variate analyses revealed that advanced maternal age (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.12-2.18) and retained placenta as a cause of PPH (15.48, 2.04-198.12) were found to be significant factors for TAE failure. CONCLUSION: The advanced age and retained placenta were independent factors associated with TAE failure for intractable PPH.

Synchronous colorectal liver metastasis in patients without node metastasis: possibility of localized liver metastasis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The liver is the most common distant site of metastasis from colorectal cancer and is often the only organ affected. We hypothesized that whether distant disease is localized in the liver or is a more systemic disease, may be important in the prognosis of patients with synchronous liver metastasis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of localized liver metastasis in cases with colorectal synchronous liver metastasis and without lymph node involvement. METHODOLOGY: Three hundred and twenty-five consecutive patients who underwent colorectal resection were identified for inclusion in this study, of which 24 cases with synchronous liver metastasis were detected. Of these, 11 who underwent curative simultaneous surgical resection of primary tumor and liver metastases were analyzed in this study. The clinical and pathological features of these cases were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 11 patients with synchronous liver metastasis from colorectal cancer, 4 had disease recurrence, but none of those without regional node involvement had disease recurrence. In the multivariate analysis, only regional node metastases were significantly associated with disease recurrence. Recurrence-free interval by Kaplan-Meier curves differed significantly among patients with positive regional nodes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results imply that synchronous liver metastasis without regional lymph node metastasis is localized disease.

The association of VEGF-C expression with tumor lymphatic vessel density and lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although tumors metastasize to lymph nodes via the lymphatics, the importance of vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) expression in mediating the process has not been well elucidated. We investigated the correlation between VEGF-C expression and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and node metastasis in cases with gastric cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). METHODOLOGY: Immunohistochemistry, VEGF-C expression and LVD were performed in 41 patients with gastric cancer invading the muscularis propria and 19 patients with GIST. The clinicopathological features of these cases were compared. RESULTS: In gastric cancer, VEGF-C expression was significantly associated with tumor LVD and lymph node metastasis. In GIST, none of these patients had lymph node metastasis and VEGF-C expression was not detected. The LVD was significantly higher in the cases with gastric cancer than in those with GIST. In gastric cancer, LVD was increased more in patients with positive lymph nodes than in those with negative lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the expression of VEGF-C is associated with tumor LVD and lymph node metastasis, suggesting that VEGF-C plays a critical role in node metastasis via lymphangiogenesis. The clinical observation that GIST rarely metastasizes to the lymph nodes may depend on the lack of VEGF-C expression.

Interdigestive migrating contractions are coregulated by ghrelin and motilin in conscious dogs.

During fasting, gastrointestinal (GI) motility is characterized by cyclical motor contractions. These contractions have been referred to as interdigestive migrating contractions (IMCs). In dogs and humans, IMCs are known to be regulated by motilin. However, in rats and mice, IMCs are regulated by ghrelin. It is not clear how these peptides influence each other in vivo. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between ghrelin and motilin in conscious dogs. Twenty healthy beagles were used in this study. Force transducers were implanted in the stomach, duodenum, and jejunum to monitor GI motility. Subsequent GI motility was recorded and quantified by calculating the motility index. In examination 1, blood samples were collected in the interdigestive state, and levels of plasma ghrelin and motilin were measured. Plasma motilin peaks were observed during every gastric phase III, and plasma ghrelin peaks occurred in nearly every early phase I. Plasma motilin and ghrelin levels increased and decreased cyclically with the interdigestive states. In examination 2, saline or canine ghrelin was administered intravenously during phase II and phase III. After injection of ghrelin, plasma motilin levels were measured. Ghrelin injection during phases II and III inhibited phase III contractions and decreased plasma motilin levels. In examination 3, ghrelin was infused in the presence of the growth hormone secretagogue receptors antagonist [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6. Continuous ghrelin infusion suppressed motilin release, an effect abrogated by the infusion of [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6. Examination 4 was performed to evaluate the plasma ghrelin response to motilin administration. Motilin infusion immediately decreased ghrelin levels. In this study, we demonstrated that motilin and ghrelin cooperatively control the function of gastric IMCs in conscious dogs. Our findings suggest that ghrelin regulates the function and release of motilin and that motilin may also regulate ghrelin.