Correction to: Measuring and understanding adherence in a home-based exercise intervention during chemotherapy for early breast cancer.

In the original publication, the sixth author name was published incorrectly as A. Wood. The correct author name should read as W. A. Wood.

Tacrolimus-Induced Apoptosis is Mediated by Endoplasmic Reticulum-derived Calcium-dependent Caspases-3,-12 in Jurkat Cells.

Apoptotic signal pathways are delivered to caspase-3, caspase-9, or both in different cells via the death receptor pathway, mitochondrial pathway, or by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) pathway through initiators of caspase-3, -8, -9, or -12. Tacrolimus (Tac)-induced apoptosis was characterized by nuclear fragmentation and caspase-3 activation. We examined the effect of tacrolimus on ER-derived calcium and caspase-3,-12-mediated apoptosis on Jurkat human T lymphocyte. Tac decreased the viability of Jurkat cells in a dose-dependent manner. Tac also increased continuously intracellular concentration of calcium from 24 hours to 72 hours. We did not find intracellular calcium changes on the treatment of calcium ionorpore (A23187) regardless of 1 nmol/L Tac concentration level. However, calcium adenosine triphosphatase inhibitor (thapsigargin) increased intracellular calcium accumulation and co-treating 1 nmol/L Tac further induced intracellular calcium accumulation. Interestingly, we found that 1 nmol/L Tac treatment induced activation of caspase-12 protease as well as the catalytic activity of caspase-3 but not catalytic activation of caspase-6, -8, and -9 proteases in Jurkat cells. These data advance our understanding of Tac-induced apoptosis is ER-derived calcium and caspases-3,-12- mediated apoptosis in human Jurkat cell line.

Parkinson's disease and the risk of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture: a nationwide population-based study.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) were at higher risk of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) compared to controls and had elevated mortality rates. Compared to conservative treatment, surgical treatment for OVCF in PD patients seemed to be associated with better outcomes. INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of OVCF in patients with PD. METHODS: Data from patients over the age of 60 years who were diagnosed with PD were collected between 2004 and 2013 from the Korean National Health Insurance Database (n = 3370). The comparison group (non-PD) consisted of randomly selected patients (five per patient with PD; n = 16,850) matched to the PD group, who were newly diagnosed annually according to age and sex. Cox proportional hazard regressions were used to examine the relationships between osteoporosis, OVCF, surgery for OVCF, and PD. Household income and residential area of patients were also assessed. Overall survival rates were calculated after adjusting for confounding factors, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease. RESULTS: OVCF was developed in 12.5% of patients in the PD group and in 7.4% of patients in the control group. PD was associated with increased risk of osteoporosis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-1.43; p < 0.001), OVCF (HR 1.66; 95% CI, 1.47-1.87; p < 0.001), and surgery for OVCF (HR 2.69; 95% CI, 1.78-4.08; p < 0.001). Household income was not significantly related with development of osteoporosis, incidence of OVCF, or surgery for OVCF. Residential area was statistically associated with osteoporosis, OVCF, and surgery for OVCF. The mortality rate of the PD group was about 1.7 times higher than that of the non-PD group after adjusting for potential confounders, and the mortality rate of the PD with OVCF group was higher than that of the non-PD group, but not significantly (p = 0.09). The survival rate of the PD group with surgery for OVCF showed a trend toward a more positive prognosis compared with that of the PD group with conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PD had significantly increased risk of osteoporosis and OVCF. Surgical treatment for OVCF in PD patients was associated with a better prognosis than conservative treatment.

Effect of the duration of hospice and palliative care on the quality of dying and death in patients with terminal cancer: A nationwide multicentre study.

Early referral to hospice and palliative care (HPC) has significant benefits, but little is known about the appropriate time for referral. The purpose of this study of terminal cancer patients was to identify the most appropriate time for referral to HPC. Cross-sectional correlation study design was used. Participants were the bereaved relatives, who were the adult primary caregivers of the 1,829 terminal cancer patients who died 2-6 months previously in nationwide centres that provide HPC in Korea. A post-bereavement survey (Good Death Inventory, GDI) of family caregivers was used to assess patients' quality of dying and death. Relative to patients who were in HPC for 3-7 days and HPC for 8-21 days, those in HPC for 22-84 days had significantly higher quality of dying. Propensity score matched comparison between the group hospitalised for 22-84 days (n = 65) and the group hospitalised for 85 days or longer (n = 65) showed no significant differences in all the items on quality of dying and death. Our results suggest that terminal cancer patients who stay in HPC at least for 22 days have improved quality of dying and death.

Measuring and understanding adherence in a home-based exercise intervention during chemotherapy for early breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Ensuring and measuring adherence to prescribed exercise regimens are fundamental challenges in intervention studies to promote exercise in adults with cancer. This study reports exercise adherence in women who were asked to walk 150 min/week throughout chemotherapy treatment for early breast cancer. Participants were asked to wear a FitbitTM throughout their waking hours, and Fitbit steps were uploaded directly into study computers. METHODS: Descriptive statistics are reported, and both unadjusted and multivariable linear regression models were used to assess associations between participant characteristics, breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, chemotherapy toxicities, and patient-reported symptoms with average Fitbit steps/week. RESULTS: Of 127 women consented to the study, 100 had analyzable Fitbit data (79%); mean age was 48 and 31% were non-white. Mean walking steps were 3956 per day. Nineteen percent were fully adherent with the target of 6686 steps/day and an additional 24% were moderately adherent. In unadjusted analysis, baseline variables associated with fewer Fitbit steps were: non-white race (p = 0.012), high school education or less (p = 0.0005), higher body mass index (p = 0.0024), and never/almost never drinking alcohol (p = 0.0048). Physical activity variables associated with greater Fitbit steps were: pre-chemotherapy history of vigorous physical activity (p = 0.0091) and higher self-reported walking minutes/week (p < 0.001), and higher outcome expectations from exercise (p = 0.014). Higher baseline anxiety (p = 0.03) and higher number of chemotherapy-related symptoms rates "severe/very severe" (p = 0.012) were associated with fewer steps. In multivariable analysis, white race was associated with 12,146 greater Fitbit steps per week (p = 0.004), as was self-reported walking minutes prior to start of chemotherapy (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Inexpensive commercial-grade activity trackers, with data uploaded directly into research computers, enable objective monitoring of home-based exercise interventions in adults diagnosed with cancer. Analysis of the association of walking steps with participant characteristics at baseline and toxicities during chemotherapy can identify reasons for low/non-adherence with prescribed exercise regimens.

Palmitate induces ER calcium depletion and apoptosis in mouse podocytes subsequent to mitochondrial oxidative stress.

Pathologic alterations in podocytes lead to failure of an essential component of the glomerular filtration barrier and proteinuria in chronic kidney diseases. Elevated levels of saturated free fatty acid (FFA) are harmful to various tissues, implemented in the progression of diabetes and its complications such as proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of palmitate cytotoxicity in cultured mouse podocytes. Incubation with palmitate dose-dependently increased cytosolic and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, depolarized the mitochondrial membrane potential, impaired ATP synthesis and elicited apoptotic cell death. Palmitate not only evoked mitochondrial fragmentation but also caused marked dilation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Consistently, palmitate upregulated ER stress proteins, oligomerized stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) in the subplasmalemmal ER membrane, abolished the cyclopiazonic acid-induced cytosolic Ca(2+) increase due to depletion of luminal ER Ca(2+). Palmitate-induced ER Ca(2+) depletion and cytotoxicity were blocked by a selective inhibitor of the fatty-acid transporter FAT/CD36. Loss of the ER Ca(2+) pool induced by palmitate was reverted by the phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor edelfosine. Palmitate-dependent activation of PLC was further demonstrated by following cytosolic translocation of the pleckstrin homology domain of PLC in palmitate-treated podocytes. An inhibitor of diacylglycerol (DAG) kinase, which elevates cytosolic DAG, strongly promoted ER Ca(2+) depletion by low-dose palmitate. GF109203X, a PKC inhibitor, partially prevented palmitate-induced ER Ca(2+) loss. Remarkably, the mitochondrial antioxidant mitoTEMPO inhibited palmitate-induced PLC activation, ER Ca(2+) depletion and cytotoxicity. Palmitate elicited cytoskeletal changes in podocytes and increased albumin permeability, which was also blocked by mitoTEMPO. These data suggest that oxidative stress caused by saturated FFA leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and ER Ca(2+) depletion through FAT/CD36 and PLC signaling, possibly contributing to podocyte injury.

Overexpression of PI3K-p110α in the progression of uterine cervical neoplasia and its correlation with pAkt and DJ-1.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of PI3K-p110α, pAkt, PTEN, the signaling molecules from PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, DJ-1, an oncoprotein and HSP90a, a molecular chaperone, and their correlation in uterine cervical neoplasia, in order to elucidate their role in cervical carcinogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry, the authors analyzed the expression of PI3K-p110α, pAkt, PTEN, DJ-1 and HSP90α, and their correlation in ten normal tissues, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) including 30 CIN1 and 31 CIN3, and 33 cases of invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). RESULTS: The expression of all proteins significantly increased in CIN3 compared to CIN1, and only the expression of PI3K-p110α significantly increased in invasive SCC compared to CIN3. There was a significant positive correlation between the expression of PI3K-p110α and DJ-1, as well as PI3K-p110α and pAkt in CIN3 and invasive SCC. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of PI3K-p110α is associated with progression of uterine cervical neoplasia, and the expression of pAkt and DJ-1 is positively correlated with PI3K-p110α expression in this process.

First Report of Tomato spotted wilt virus in Brugmansia suaveolens in Korea.

Brugmansia suaveolens, also known as angel's trumpet, is a semi-woody shrub or a small tree. Because flowers of B. suaveolens are remarkably beautiful and sweetly fragrant, B. suaveolens is grown as ornamentals outdoors year-round in the tropics and subtropics, and as potted plants in temperate regions (1). In February 2013, virus-like symptoms including mosaic symptoms followed by distortion of leaves were observed in a potted B. suaveolens in a nursery in Chung-Nam Province, Korea. Symptomatic leaves were analyzed for the presence of several ornamental viruses including Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Tomato bush stunt virus (TBSV), and Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) by immune-strip diagnostic kits that were developed by our laboratory. Positive controls and extract from healthy leaves of B. suaveolens as a negative control were included in each immune-strip assay. TSWV was detected serologically from the naturally infected B. suaveolens, but CMV, TBSV, and TMV were not detected from the B. suaveolens. The presence of TSWV (named TSWV-AT1) was confirmed by commercially available double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA kits (Agdia, Elkhart, IN). TSWV-AT1 was mechanically transmitted from the ELISA-positive B. suaveolens to Capsicum annuum and Nicotiana glutinosa, respectively. Inoculated C. annuum showed chlorotic rings in the inoculated leaves and inoculated N. glutinosa produced mosaic and systemic necrosis in the inoculated leaves after 7 days inoculation, respectively, which were consistent with symptoms caused by TSWV (2). To confirm further TSWV-AT1 infection, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was performed using the One-Step RT-PCR (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) with TSWV-specific primers, TSWV-NCP-For and TSWV-NCP-Rev (3), designed to amplify a 777-bp cDNA of the nucleocapsid protein (NCP) gene. Total RNAs from naturally infected B. suaveolens, symptomatic C. annuum, and N. glutinosa were extracted using RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). Total RNAs obtained from a Korean isolate of TSWV (Accession No. JF730744) and healthy B. suaveolens were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The expected size of the RT-PCR product was amplified from symptomatic B. suaveolens, C. annuum, and N. glutinosa but not from healthy leaves of B. suaveolens. The amplified RT-PCR product from TSWV-AT1 was directly sequenced using BigDye Termination kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Multiple alignment of the TSWV-AT1 NCP sequence (AB910533) with NCP sequences of other TSWV isolates using MEGA5 software (4) revealed 99.0% aa identity with an Korean TSWV isolate (AEB33895) originating from tomato. These results provide additional confirmation of TSWV-AT1 infection. It is known that high-value ornamentals may act also as reservoirs for TSWV that can infect other ornamentals and cultivated crops, because TSWV has a very broad host range (2). Elaborate inspections for TSWV and other viruses are necessary for production of healthy B. suaveolens, since the popularity and economic importance of this ornamental plant is increasing. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TSWV in B. suaveolens in Korea. References: (1) Anonymous. OEPP/EPPO Bull. 34:271, 2004. (2) G. Parrella et al. J. Plant Pathol. 85:227, 2003. (3) B.-N. Chung et al. Plant Pathol. J. 28:87, 2012. (4) K. Tamura et al. Mol. Biol. Evol. 28:2731, 2011.

First Report of Cucumber mosaic virus in Catharanthus roseus in Korea.

Catharanthus roseus, commonly known as Madagascar rosy periwinkle (also called vinca), is a tropical perennial herb of the family Apocyanaceae. Periwinkle is a bedding plant widely used in Korea because of its drought tolerance, low maintenance, and varied flower colors. In May 2013, virus-like foliar symptoms, including a mosaic with malformation of leaves, were observed on a periwinkle plant in a greenhouse located in Chonbuk Province, Korea. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) was identified in the symptomatic plant by serological testing for the presence of CMV coat protein (CP) with an immune-strip kit developed by our laboratory. The presence of CMV was confirmed by serological detection with a commercially available double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA kit (Agdia, Elkhart, IN). Sap from the serologically positive sample was mechanically inoculated to test plants using 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The virus (named CMV-Vin) caused necrotic local lesions on Chenopodium amaranticolor at 5 days-post-inoculation (dpi), while mild to severe mosaic was observed in Capsicum annuum, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita pepo 'Cheonggobong,' Nicotiana glutinosa, N. tabacum'Samsun NN,' Physalis angulate, and Solanum lycopersicum 'Pink-Top' 10 to 14 dpi. Examination of the inoculated plant leaves by DAS-ELISA and electron microscopy (leaf dips) showed positive reactions to CMV and the presence of spherical virions ~28 nm in diameter, respectively. To verify whether CMV was the causal agent for the disease symptoms observed in naturally infected periwinkle, virus-free periwinkle (10 plants) was mechanically inoculated by sap from local lesions on C. amaranticolor inoculated with CMV-Vin. At 6 weeks after inoculation, all plants produced systemic mosaic and distortion of leaves, resulting in strong DAS-ELISA reactions for CMV, whereas mock-inoculated periwinkle plants remained symptomless and virus-free. The presence of CMV-Vin in all naturally infected and mechanically inoculated plants was further verified by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Total RNAs were extracted with a RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) and RT-PCR was carried out with the One-Step RT-PCR Kit (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) using a pair of primers, CMVCPFor and CMVCPRev (1), which amplified the entire CP gene. RT-PCR products (657 bp) were obtained from all naturally infected and mechanically inoculated plants as well as from a positive control (viral RNAs from virions), but not from healthy tissues. The amplified RT-PCR products were directly sequenced using BigDye Termination kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Multiple alignment of the CMV-Vin CP sequence (Accession No. AB910598) with CP sequences of other CMV isolates using MEGA5 software revealed that 91.8 to 99.0% and 71.0 to 73.0% identities to those of CMV subgroup I and subgroup II, respectively. These results provide additional confirmation of CMV-Vin infection. Being perennial, periwinkle plants could serve as a reservoir for CMV to infect other ornamentals and cultivated crops (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of CMV infection on periwinkle in Korea. References: (1) S. K. Choi et al. Virus Res. 158:271, 2011. (2) P. Palukaitis et al. Adv. Virus. Res. 41:281, 1992.

First Report of Cucumber mosaic virus in Saintpaulia ionantha in Korea.

African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) is an ornamental species of the family Gesneriaceae and is characterized by fleshy leaves and colorful flowers. This popular, exotic ornamental, originally from Kenya and Tanzania, is vegetatively produced from cutting and tissue culture (1). In May 2013, virus-like foliar symptoms, including a mosaic with dark green islands and chlorosis surrounding the veins, were observed on an African violet plant in a greenhouse located in Icheon, Korea. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) was identified in the symptomatic plant by serological testing for the presence of CMV coat protein (CP) with a commercial immunostrip kit (Agdia, Elkhart, IN). The presence of CMV was confirmed by serological detection with a commercially available double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA kit (Agdia). Sap from the serologically positive sample was mechanically inoculated to test plants using 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The virus (named CMV-AV1) caused necrotic local lesions on Chenopodium amaranticolor at 5 days post-inoculation (dpi), while mild to severe mosaic was observed in Nicotiana glutinosa, N. tabacum 'Samsun NN,' Cucurbita pepo 'Super-Top,' Physalis angulate, and Solanum lycopersicum 'Unicorn' 10 to 14 dpi. Examination of the inoculated plant leaves by DAS-ELISA and electron microscopy (leaf dips) showed positive reactions to CMV and the presence of spherical virions ∼28 nm in diameter, respectively. To verify whether CMV-AV1 is the cause of disease symptoms observed in African violet, virus-free African violet (10 plants) was mechanically inoculated by sap from local lesions on C. amaranticolor inoculated with CMV-AV1. At 8 weeks after inoculation, all plants produced systemic mosaic and chlorosis surrounding veins, resulting in strong DAS-ELISA reactions for CMV, whereas mock-inoculated African violet plants remained symptomless and virus-free. The presence of CMV-AV1 in all naturally infected and mechanically inoculated plants was further verified by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Total RNAs were extracted with the RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), according to the manufacturer's instructions. RT-PCR was carried out with the One-Step RT-PCR Kit (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) using a pair of primers, CPTALL3 and CPTALL5 (2), amplifying the entire CP gene and part of an intergenic region and 3'-noncoding region of CMV RNA3. RT-PCR products (960 bp) were obtained from all naturally infected and mechanically inoculated plants as well as from positive control (viral RNAs from virions), but not from healthy tissues. The amplified RT-PCR products were purified with QIAquick PCR Purification Kit (Qiagen) and sequenced using BigDye Termination kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Multiple alignment of the CMV-AV1 CP sequence (Accession No. AB842275) with CP sequences of other CMV isolates using MEGA5 software revealed that 91.8 to 99.0% and 71.0 to 73.0% identities to those of CMV subgroup I and subgroup II, respectively. These results provide additional confirmation of CMV-AV1 infection. CMV may pose a major threat for production of African violet since the farming of African violet plants is performed using the vegetative propagation of the African violet leaves in Korea. In particular, mosaic and chlorosis symptoms in African violet cause damage to ornamental quality of African violet. To our knowledge, this is the first report of CMV infection of African violet in the world. References: (1) S. T. Baatvik. Fragm. Flor. Geobot. Suppl. 2:97, 1993. (2) S. K. Choi et al. J. Virol. Methods 83:67, 1999.

The effects of oncostatin M on trophoblast cells: influence on matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9, and invasion activity.

Oncostatin M (OSM), a cytokine of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) family, can either promote or inhibit cell growth in various normal and tumor cells and is expressed in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, multiple myeloma, and other inflammatory conditions. We investigated one of the possible mechanisms involved in trophoblast invasion using the human placental cell line derived from first trimester extravillous trophoblasts (HTR8SVneo): modulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 expression and enzymatic activity. And we addressed also the effects of exogenous OSM on the in vitro invasion activity of HTR8SVneo cells. We found that OSM enhanced the constitutive RNA and protein expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in HTR8SVneo cell lines. Also, OSM treatment increased significantly the enzymatic activity of MMP-2 on gelatin zymography. The effects OSM on enzymatic activity of MMP-9 was not significant. We found that OSM increased invasion activities of HTR8SVneo cells in time-dependent and dose-dependent manners. This study suggests that OSM enhances invasion activities of extravillous trophoblasts during the first trimester through the increased enzyme activity of gelatinases, especially MMP-2.

Observation of a near-threshold enhancement in the e+e- -->Lambda+_(c)Lambda-_(c) cross section using initial-state radiation.

We report a measurement of the exclusive e+ e- -->Lambda+_(c)Lambda-_(c) cross section as a function of center-of-mass energy near the Lambda+_(c)Lambda-_(c) threshold. A clear peak with a significance of 8.2sigma is observed in the Lambda+_(c)Lambda-_(c) invariant mass distribution just above threshold. With an assumption of a resonance origin for the observed peak, a mass and width of M=[4634 (+8)_(-7)(stat)(+5)_(-8)(syst)] MeV/c(2) and Gamma_(tot)=[92 (+40)_(-24)(stat)(+10)_(-21)(syst)] MeV are determined. The analysis is based on a study of events with initial-state-radiation photons in a data sample collected with the Belle detector at the Upsilon(4S) resonance and nearby continuum with an integrated luminosity of 695 fb(-1) at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+ e- collider.

Observation of two resonant structures in e+ e- -->pi+ pi- psi(2S) via initial-state radiation at Belle.

The cross section for e+ e- --> pi+ pi- psi(2S) between threshold and sqrt[s]=5.5 GeV is measured using 673 fb(-1) of data on and off the Upsilon(4S) resonance collected with the Belle detector at KEKB. Two resonant structures are observed in the pi+ pi- psi(2S) invariant-mass distribution, one at 4361 +/- 9 +/- 9 MeV/c2 with a width of 74 +/- 15 +/- 10 MeV/c2, and another at 4664 +/- 11 +/- 5 MeV/c2 with a width of 48 +/- 15 +/- 3 MeV/c2, if the mass spectrum is parametrized with the coherent sum of two Breit-Wigner functions. These values do not match those of any of the known charmonium states.

Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy with intracorporeal Billroth I stapled anastomosis using a hand access device for patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Billroth I gastroduodenostomy is an anastomotic procedure used widely after gastric resection for distal gastric cancer. As laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) gains increasing popularity, various techniques of laparoscopic gastroduodenal anastomosis are being introduced. METHODS: To investigate the feasibility and benefit of their novel surgical technique of intracorporeal Billroth I stapled anastomosis using a hand access device (IBISA-HAD), the authors performed LADG using IBISA-HAD for 23 patients with distal gastric cancer and LADG using minilaparotomy Billroth I stapled anastomosis (MLBISA) for 10 patients. RESULTS: The time required for the anastomosis procedure of IBISA-HAD was 45.5 +/- 12.0 min, and the operative time, perioperative transfusion, and hospital stay were not significantly different between IBISA-HAD and MLBISA. The IBISA-HAD procedure provided a markedly enhanced vision of the stapling process, leading to less wound retraction and extension than MLBISA. CONCLUSION: The IBISA-HAD technique can provide a markedly enhanced view of the stapling procedure with the help of a current state-of-art laparoscopy system. The authors believe that this novel technique can guide an accurate laparoscopic anastomosis for the surgeon dealing with obese patients who have distal gastric cancer.

Measurement of the near-threshold e+e- --> D(*)+/-D(*)-/+ cross section using initial-state radiation.

We report a measurement of the exclusive e+e- -->D(*)+/-D*-/+ cross section as a function of center-of-mass energy near the D(*)+/-D*-/+ threshold with initial-state radiation. A partial reconstruction technique is used to increase the efficiency and to suppress background. The analysis is based on a data sample collected with the Belle detector with an integrated luminosity of 547.8 fb(-1).

A prospective, randomized trial of endoscopic band ligation versus endoscopic hemoclip placement for bleeding gastric Dieulafoy's lesions.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Dieulafoy's lesion is a rare cause of massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage, most commonly in the proximal stomach. Mechanical endoscopic methods have recently become the standard therapeutic approach. However, there have been few studies comparing the efficacy of different mechanical endoscopic methods in treating gastric Dieulafoy's lesions. This study was therefore carried out to compare the hemostatic efficacy and safety of endoscopic band ligation (EBL) and endoscopic hemoclip placement (EHP) in the treatment of bleeding gastric Dieulafoy's lesions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2002 and October 2003, 26 consecutive patients with bleeding gastric Dieulafoy's lesions were prospectively enrolled and were randomly assigned to undergo EBL (13 patients) or EHP (13 patients). Demographic characteristics, endoscopic variables, and outcome parameters, including rates of hemostasis and recurrent bleeding, were analyzed. RESULTS: One O-ring was applied in each case in the EBL group, and the median number of hemoclips applied was one (range one to four) in the EHP group. There were no significant differences between the groups with regard to age, sex, presence of shock, initial hemoglobin level, coagulopathy, concurrent diseases, location of the lesion, type of bleeding stigmata, blood transfusion requirements, or hospitalization periods. Primary hemostasis was achieved in all 26 patients. There was one case of recurrent bleeding in each group; secondary hemostasis was achieved with EBL in one of these patients and by endoscopic epinephrine injection in the other. There were no second episodes of recurrent bleeding, no procedure-related complications, no cases in which surgery was needed, and no bleeding-related deaths in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In this small study, no differences were detected in the efficacy or the safety of EBL vs. EHP in the management of bleeding gastric Dieulafoy's lesions.

Endoscopic band ligation for control of acute peptic ulcer bleeding.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The use of endoscopic band ligation (EBL) is being extended to treat various causes of upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of EBL for control of acute peptic ulcer bleeding and to define the lesions that are most suitable for this technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 19 patients with major stigmata of acute peptic ulcer bleeding were treated using EBL; 11 patients had active bleeding and eight patients had a nonbleeding visible vessel. RESULTS: The site of acute peptic ulcer bleeding was the stomach in 12 patients, the duodenum in four patients, and Billroth II anastomosis in three. Initial hemostasis was achieved in 19 patients (100 %) in a single session. There were no rebleeding episodes in any of the patients, and there was no bleeding-related or procedure-related death. During long-term outpatient follow-up, bleeding did not recur. CONCLUSIONS: EBL is an effective and safe endoscopic treatment for small-sized nonfibrotic acute peptic ulcer bleeding. Larger studies in patients with acute peptic ulcer bleeding are needed to confirm these promising results.