Primary leiomyoma of the ureter: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Only 14 cases of leiomyoma with ureteral origin have been reported previously. Such primary leiomyomas often present as hydronephrosis, making the diagnosis difficult. Radical nephroureterectomy is often performed because of the possible diagnosis of a malignant tumor. We report the 15th case of primary leiomyoma with a ureteral origin. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old Japanese man presented with a chief complaint of asymptomatic gross hematuria with a history of hypertension. Enhanced computed tomography showed a tumor at the upper part of the right ureter that appeared to be the cause of hydronephrosis and contracted kidney; no retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy and distal metastasis were observed. A well-defined 20-mm (diameter) defect was identified at the upper of the right ureter on retrograde pyelogram with no bladder cancer on cystoscopy. Urine cytology and right divided renal urine cytology findings were negative. Laparoscopic nephroureterectomy was performed, and the extracted tumor measured 20 × 13 mm. Histopathological examination revealed primary leiomyoma with no recurrence 16 months after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative examination with the latest available ureteroscopic technology can help preserve renal function in the case of benign tumors by enabling preoperative ureteroscopic biopsy or intraoperative rapid resection. Moreover, nephroureterectomy is recommended in the case of preoperative suspicion of ureteral malignant tumors.

Complications of permanent makeup procedures for the eyebrow and eyeline.

ABSTRACT: Japan is one of the few countries that consider the application of permanent makeup a medical procedure, and only doctors and nurses are allowed to perform this procedure. Studies on the safety and esthetic outcomes of permanent makeup procedures are not available, although there are studies that report allergies and other complications associated with permanent makeup. Thus, we aimed to study the complications and esthetic outcomes of permanent makeup.We surveyed clients who underwent permanent eyebrow or eyeline makeup procedures at the Shibuya Mori Clinic between November 2016 and March 2020 using a paper-based questionnaire. The permanent makeup procedures involved inorganic pigments, such as iron oxide and titanium dioxide. The questionnaire consisted of 2 parts: the first part asked whether the clients had experienced persistent redness, itching, swelling, infection, or any other complications (multiple answers possible). The second part used a 5-point Likert scale to rate the clients' satisfaction with the color, shape, and overall appearance of their permanent makeup. We retrospectively studied the clients' responses to survey items.A total of 1352 clients participated in the survey. The median period between the procedure and survey response was 15 days. Overall, complications were reported in 12.1% of cases. The most common complication for each type of procedure was itching for eyebrow procedures (8.2%) and swelling for eyeline procedures (13.2%). Infections were reported in 3 cases (0.2%). None of the post-procedure symptoms persisted until the time of this study. The Likert scale measurements revealed that 89.6% of subjects were satisfied with the aesthetic outcome of their permanent makeup procedure(s).We believe that all symptoms observed in this study were due to needle insertion. No allergies were observed, and the infection rate was quite low (0.2%). Thus, our results suggest that permanent makeup procedures are safe and are associated with high client satisfaction. We must note that the appropriate environment, equipment, and techniques are important prerequisites.

[A Case of Metastatic Small Intestinal Tumor Diagnosed with Intestinal Obstruction].

A 76-year-old man with a past history of liver transplantation because of liver cirrhosis visited a hospital in October 2018 because of vomiting and abdominal pain. Although the patient underwent conservative medical treatment, no improvement of the symptoms was observed, and he received consultation at our hospital. After thorough examination, and because of the policy of inpatient treatment after the diagnosis of adhesion ileus obstruction post liver transplantation surgery, intestinal decompression was performed using an ileus tube. However, there was no improvement in the symptoms even after inserting the ileus tube, and intestinal obstruction was diagnosed in November 2018. During the preoperative examination, a tumorous shadow was found in the right lung, although it became a policy of scrutiny after improvement of the bowel obstruction. During the laparotomy, a macroscopic tumor exposed on the serosal surface was observed on the anal side at 120 cm from the Treitz ligament, and this site was considered to be the blocking origin. Partial resection of the small intestine including the blockage site was performed. The pathological result revealed the diagnosis of adenosquamous carcinoma. Furthermore, immunostaining was CK7 positive, CK20 negative, TTF-1 negative, and Napsin negative, suggesting the possibility of a metastatic tumor derived from lung cancer. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 9. On day 30 after surgery, the left pleural effusion increased and pleural effusion cytology revealed a diagnosis of primary lung adenocarcinoma Stage Ⅳ. Considering the patient's PS, it became a best supportive care(BSC)policy after consultation with the family, and it ended on postoperative day 70. Here, we report about a case diagnosed with metastatic small bowel cancer and intestinal obstruction and conduct a literature review.

[A Case of Resection for Bleeding from a Gallbladder Tumor].

A 77-year-old woman was taking anticoagulant medication for pulmonary hypertension. Black stools were noted in August 2018. Close abdominal ultrasonography revealed a broad-based tumor at the base of the gallbladder. Lower endoscopy showed no obvious digestive tract hemorrhage but hemorrhage from a gallbladder tumor was suspected. The resected procedure was suspected for gallbladder cancer(cT2N0M0, cStageⅡ), but dizziness 5 days before operation. The patient complained of severe anemia, and underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for hemorrhage control. In the macroscopic examination of the specimens, tumorous lesions and blood clots were found adhered to the bottom of the gallbladder. The histopathological diagnosis was papillary adenocarcinoma.

[A Case of Laparoscopic Resection of Cecal Carcinoma Complicated with IgG4-Related Disease].

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery in patients with retroperitoneal fibrosis has been reported to be difficult due to mesenteric and retroperitoneal fibrotic thickening. Here, we report a case of laparoscopic surgery with IgG4-related disease. CASE PRESENTATION: A 60-year-old man with IgG4-related kidney disease and autoimmune pancreatitis was diagnosed with cecal cancer. Laparoscopic ileocecal resection was performed. Preoperative CT showed no evidence of retroperitoneal fibrosis but showed a localized fibro-inflammatory lesion between the retroperitoneum and mesentery in front of the right kidney due to interstitial nephritis. Intraoperative findings revealed focal adhesions in the duodenal front within the range consistent with CT findings. CONCLUSIONS: This report shows that the degree and extent of fibrosis were similar between preoperative CT and actual surgical findings. Thus, it is possible that tissue fibrosis in patients with IgG4-related disease could be predicted by preoperative CT.

[Gastrectomy for Bleeding Gastric Cancer During Ramucirumab plus Paclitaxel Therapy-A Case Report].

A 66-year-old woman diagnosed with advanced Stage Ⅳ gastric cancer(T4aN3M1[LYM])received RAM plus wPTX as third-line chemotherapy(ramucirumab 8mg/kg on the 1st and 15th day, paclitaxel 80mg/m2 on the 1st, 8th, and 15th day).After receiving 3 courses of this treatment, para-aortic lymphadenopathy had diminished but anemia had progressed because of tumor hemorrhage.Six weeks after the last administration of RAM, an open distal gastrectomy with D1 plus lymph node dissection and Billroth Ⅰ reconstruction was performed.The patient was discharged on the 9th day after surgery without complications such as postoperative bleeding and delayed wound healing.RAM plus wPTX therapy was restarted 6 weeks after the operation.Postoperative late complication there is no adverse event including adenocarcinoma and continues the same therapy at present.The perioperative treatment under the use of angiogenesis inhibitor has risk of postoperative bleeding and wound healing delay and includes surgery timing of treatment may be difficult.In our case, surgery was performed 6 weeks after the final administration of RAM.

[A Case of Liver Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer Undifferentiated from Biliary Cystadenocarcinoma].

A 74-year-old woman was found to have a hepatic mass based on CT findings. She was diagnosed as having cecum cancer, and it was difficult to distinguish whether the hepatic mass was liver metastasis or biliary cystadenocarcinoma. We proceeded with the surgery for cecum cancer, and laparoscopic ileocecal resection with D3 lymph node dissection was performed. The histopathological diagnosis was mucinous adenocarcinoma, and the pathological stage was T3N2H1P0M1a, Stage IV. After the surgery, her CEA level was elevated, and we diagnosed the hepatic mass as a liver metastasis. A CapeOX plus bevacizumab regimen was administered but was discontinued for 2 courses due to the development of adverse effects and her decision. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI revealed a multilocular and lobulated mass, which was a low-intensity area in T1WI and high-intensity area in T2WI, and the mass had no significant contrast effects. These images were unspecific for liver metastasis of colorectal cancer, and we performed segmental 6 hepatectomy for diagnosis and curative surgery. A histopathological diagnosis of liver metastasis of cecum cancer was made. Here, we report a case of liver metastasis of colorectal cancer that was undifferentiated from biliary cystadenocarcinoma.

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Glasgow Edinburgh Throat Scale (GETS-J): Use for a symptom scale of globus sensation.

OBJECTIVE: Globus sensation, a feeling of lump or something stuck in the throat, could be caused by structural, functional, and psychogenic diseases. Due to a possible multifactorial nature of the disease, neither diagnosing test battery nor standard treatment for globus sensation has been established. Therefore, a questionnaire to accurately identify globus patients and evaluate the severity of the disease is desired. Glasgow Edinburgh Throat Scale (GETS) is a 10-item questionnaire about the throat symptoms consisting of three subscales relating to dysphagia, globus sensation, and pain/swelling in the throat. It was reported that globus patients marked high scores specifically for the globus scale among three scales, indicating that GETS can be used as a valid symptom scale for globus sensation. Aims of this study were to translate GETS into Japanese and to test its reliability and validity. METHODS: Fifty-five patients complaining of globus sensation without abnormal endoscopic and CT findings were enrolled into the study. They were asked to answer the questions of GETS translated into Japanese (GETS-J). Reliability (internal consistency) of the questionnaire was tested using Cronbach's coefficient alpha. To test the validity, principal components analysis was used to identify the factorial structure of the questionnaire and GETS-J data were compared with those reported in the original GETS. Contribution of psychiatric comorbidities to globus sensation was also investigated by examining the correlation between Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and GETS-J. RESULTS: Reliability of the questionnaire examined by the Cronbach's coefficient alpha was satisfactory and all higher than 0.75. Principal components analysis identified following three questions as the globus scale: Q1, Feeling something stuck in the throat; Q5, Throat closing off; Q9, Want to swallow all the time. Somatic distress, i.e., patients' reaction to throat symptoms, was significantly correlated with globus scale (r=0.680). Anxiety component of HADS was significantly correlated with somatic distress but not with globus scale. These results were consistent with those of the original GETS except for the replacement of Q3 (discomfort/irritation in the throat) to Q5 (throat closing off) for globus scale in GETS-J. CONCLUSION: Translation of GETS into Japanese showed high reliability and validity, suggesting that translation and cross-cultural adaptation were not problematic. High correlation of globus scale of GETS-J with somatic distress indicated that GETS-J could be a useful questionnaire to identify the globus patients and evaluate the severity of the disease. Anxiety may complicate the somatic distress in patients with globus sensation.

[A Case of the Relapsing Polychondritis Limited to the Trachea].

A 62-year-old woman, who had dysesthesia in the throat, and polyposia the previous year, was admitted in a coma because of respiratory failure. Computed tomography scans demonstrated dilatation of the esophagus and stenosis of the trachea. After emergency intubation, extubation was not possible due to a collapsed trachea, so we performed a tracheostomy. The tracheoscopy from the stoma showed an esophagus-like trachea due to disappearance of the tracheal cartilage and the straight pattern on the membranous portion, and the lumen deformed with coughing. With the continuous dyspnea episode, the patient was diagnosed as having tracheomalacia. Anti-type II collagen antibody and pathological findings of the trachea led us to the diagnosis of Relapsing Polychondritis.

Association between heart rate variability, blood pressure and autonomic activity in cyclic alternating pattern during sleep.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) is frequently followed by changes in heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP), but the sequential associations between CAP and autonomic nerve activity have not been studied. The study aimed to reveal the precise changes in heart rate variability (HRV) during phase A of the CAP cycle. DESIGN: Polysomnography was recorded according to the CAP Atlas (Terzano, 2002), and BP and electrocardiogram were simultaneously recorded. The complex demodulation method was used for analysis of HRV and evaluation of autonomic nerve activity. SETTING: Academic sleep laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Ten healthy males. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The increase in HR (median [first quartile - third quartile]) for each subtype was as follows: A1, 0.64 (-0.30 to 1.69), A2, 1.44 (0.02 to 3.79), and A3, 6.24 (2.53 to 10.76) bpm (A1 vs. A2 P < 0.001, A1 vs. A3 P < 0.001, A2 vs. A3 P < 0.001). The increase in BP for each subtype was as follows: A1, 1.23 (-2.04 to 5.75), A2, 1.76 (-1.46 to 9.32), and A3, 12.51 (4.75 to 19.94) mm Hg (A1 vs. A2 P = 0.249, A1 vs. A3 P < 0.001, A2 vs. A3 P < 0.001). In all of phase A, the peak values for HR and BP appeared at 4.2 (3.5 to 5.4) and 8.4 (7.0 to 10.3) seconds, respectively, after the onset of phase A. The area under the curve for low-frequency and high-frequency amplitude significantly increased after the onset of CAP phase A (P < 0.001) and was higher in the order of subtype A3, A2, and A1 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: All phase A subtypes were accompanied with increased heart rate variability, and the largest heart rate variability was seen in subtype A3, while a tendency for less heart rate variability was seen in subtype A1.

Integrin-linked kinase is involved in lactoferrin-induced anchorage-independent cell growth and survival in PC12 cells.

AIMS: Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) causes anchorage-independent cell growth in PC12 cells. The present study investigated the mechanisms involved in bLf-induced anchorage-independent cell growth and survival in PC12 cells. MAIN METHODS: The number of adherent cells and suspended cells was estimated separately by using a methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay, and the sum of both optical density (O.D.) (570 nm) values was used as a measure of the total number of cells. KEY FINDINGS: Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) plays an important role in integrin and growth factor signaling pathways. Stable transfection of PC12 cells with a dominant negative kinase-deficient mutant of ILK (DN-ILK) inhibited bLf-induced anchorage-independent cell growth. The ILK activity in the parental cells was transiently activated after addition of bLf, whereas bLf-induced activation of ILK was blocked in DN-ILK-transfected cells. bLf also activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK); however, the p38 MAPK activation was inhibited by stable DN-ILK transfection. Moreover, cell viability in the suspended cells by bLf strongly decreased after treatment with SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 MAPK. SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that ILK is involved in bLf-induced anchorage-independent cell growth and viability via activation of p38 MAPK.

Bovine lactoferrin stimulates anchorage-independent cell growth via membrane-associated chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate proteoglycans in PC12 cells.

Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) is an iron-binding secretory protein present in breast milk, mucosal secretions, and the secondary granules of neutrophils. Although bLf has multiple functions, including antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities, its effect on neuronal cells is not fully understood. We report that bLf prevents cell adhesion of PC12 cells and allows them to be cultivated in suspension. PC12 cells normally adhere well to plastic culture plates and show anchorage-dependent cell growth, but we found that soon after adding bLf, they detach from culture plates and begin to grow in suspension. When bLf was removed from the medium, the cells began to re-adhere to the plates. Thus, bLf inhibits cell adhesion and stimulates anchorage-independent growth in PC12 cells. On the other hand, bLf-induced cell suspension growth was not observed when cells were grown on a laminin matrix, suggesting that bLf does not affect integrin-mediated cell adhesion on a laminin matrix. Treatment of cells with heparin or chondroitin sulfate A or C inhibited bLf-induced growth in cell suspension. Furthermore, pretreatment of cells with heparinase and/or chondroitinase prevented direct binding of bLf to the cell membrane. These results suggest that bLf binds to the membrane of PC12 cells via membrane-associated proteoglycans and leads to anchorage-independent growth.