[A Case of Giant Liver Metastasis from Gastric Cancer after Surgery for Which Transcatheter Arterial Embolization and Chemotherapy Made Hepatic Resection Possible].

The prognosis of liver metastasis from gastric cancer, which often exhibits incurable factors, is dismal, and no effective therapy exists. We report a case of giant liver metastasis from gastric cancer after surgery, for which transcatheter arterial embolism and chemotherapy(G-SOX)made it possible to perform hepatic resection. The patient was a 78-year-old woman who underwent distal gastrectomy combined with D2 lymphadenectomy at our department in August 2014. She complained of abdominal distension, and a liver metastasis measuring more than 16 cm in diameter was found on computed tomography in April 2015. Transcatheter arterial embolization was performed followed by chemotherapy(9 courses of G-SOX were administered). These therapies were effective, enabling partial hepatic resection to be performed. The patient remains alive and free from recurrence 4 months after surgery. Although no effective therapy exists for liver metastasis from gastric cancer, intensive therapies may enable curative resection.

Pericarditis and pleuritis associated with human parvovirus B19 infection in a systemic lupus erythematosus patient.

Human parvovirus B19 (PVB19) infection sometimes shows systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like symptoms. We present an SLE patient showing pericarditis and pleuritis with a fever and an acute swelling of extremities 2 months after the fist consultation. Initially, a diagnosis of SLE exacerbation was made. Additional laboratory examination showed positive results for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to PVB19 and PVB19 DNA in serum and pleural effusion at that time. After 1 month, PVB19 DNA in serum and IgM antibody to PVB19 was negative. Based on these findings, a final diagnosis of PVB19 infection in an SLE patient was made. PVB19 infection should be taken into consideration for SLE with acute swelling of the extremities and fever, as these symptoms are often observed in adult cases of PVB19 infection. Steroid pulse therapy rapidly improved these symptoms, and later the dose of steroid was reduced to 5 mg/day of prednisolone. Thus, steroids may be one of the choices for severe and/or rapidly progressive symptoms of pericarditis and pleuritis due to PVB19 infection.

Claudin expression profiles in Epstein-Barr virus-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Claudins are a family of proteins that are structural and functional components of tight junctions and have crucial roles in the maintenance of cellular arrangement, adhesion and paracellular transport. Recent studies have shown that changes and/or loss of claudin expression plays an important role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression, and altered expression of claudins has been reported in various human carcinomas. Non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated carcinoma with characteristic clinicopathological features. The aim of this study was to investigate claudin expression profiles in EBV-associated non-keratinizing NPC. We analyzed expressions of claudin-1, -2, -3, and -4 in 18 cases of EBV-associated non-keratinizing NPC by immunohistochemical methods. Claudin-1 was expressed in all 18 cases, but claudin-2 was not expressed in any of the 18 cases. Claudin-3 expression was variable, with 8 of the 18 cases (45%) showing no immunoreactivity for claudin-3. Claudin-4 displayed positive immunoreactivity in all cases, even in claudin-3-negative cases. Claudin-3 and -4 are receptors for cytotoxic Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) and CPE has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for malignant tumors expressing claudin-3 and/or -4, because CPE specifically and rapidly lyses cells expressing these proteins. Clinically, treatment of distant metastases is a serious problem in EBV-associated non-keratinizing NPC, because frequently there is lymph node involvement and distant metastasis before detection of the primary tumor. Therefore, CPE therapy may be a potential therapeutic target for EBV-associated non-keratinizing NPC, since our results clearly showed claudin-3 and/or -4 expression in all cases studied.

Giant cell arteritis of the breast: a case report with a review of literatures.

Although giant cell arteritis (GCA), clinically designated as temporal arteritis, is recognized as a systemic disease, the breast may be the primary organ in which it is manifested. GCA of the breast is a rare disease that mainly occurs in postmenoposal elderly women. It manifests as nodules or pain in the breast, with or without tenderness, and is associated with significant constitutional symptoms that resemble those of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). These symptoms can be treated with or without prednisone therapy and can improve without the development of organ dysfunction. The clinical manifestations can often be recognized only by retrospective analysis after excisional biopsy. GCA of the breast occasionally mimics carcinoma, and its initial manifestations may be similar to those of other forms of vasculitis involving the breast, such as polyarteritis nodosa and Wegener granulomatosis. Biopsy is indispensable for establishing a definitive diagnosis. Thus far, the findings of imaging procedures, such as mammography and ultrasonography, for patients with mammary GCA have not been reported in detail, and no distinctive findings associated with this condition have been identified. Considering this and the fact that spontaneous remission may occur in some cases, mammary GCA probably often goes undiagnosed or may be misdiagnosed as an ordinary mammary disease. GCA of the breast should be considered as a potential diagnosis in the case of elderly women presenting with PMR-like symptoms and tenderness, lumps, or pain in the breast. We report a case of GCA affecting the breast and review previous reports on this condition in an attempt to summarize the features that distinguish this disease from other vascular diseases of the breast.

Decreased factor XIII activity in a patient with subcutaneous bleeding after double filtration plasmapheresis.

Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) is often performed as a treatment for autoimmune diseases including pemphigus vulgaris. We report a pemphigus vulgaris patient with subcutaneous bleeding, gradually spreading over a period of 10 days after DFPP. In this patient, factor XIII activity was markedly decreased. In three other patients, factor XIII activities were markedly reduced the day following DFPP, were but restored by days 7-10. From these findings, subcutaneous bleeding may have occurred in the present patient due to a delayed recovery of the decreased factor XIII activity after DFPP. Therefore, decreased factor XIII activity could be a critical cause of subcutaneous bleeding after DFPP.

Multifocal fibrosclerosis: retroperitoneal fibrosis associated with a suprasellar tumor and pachymeningitis.

A 42 year-old man with lumbago and fever had hydronephrosis due to a mass surrounding the abdominal aorta, associated with pachymeningitis and a suprasellar tumor. He was given a diagnosis of multifocal fibrosclerosis, involving both retroperitoneal and intracranial fibrosis. He responded to treatment with corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide. The intracranial lesions seemed to be rare, but important manifestations of the systemic disease, and were clearly visualized by magnetic resonance imaging. The phenotype of the infiltrated lymphocytes was CD4+, supporting the hypothesis that autoimmunity was involved pathogenetically. We propose a comprehensive category termed "inflammatory fibrotic disease" including both systemic and localized diseases.

Nephrotic syndrome with crescent formation and massive IgA deposition following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for natural killer cell leukemia/lymphoma.

We describe herein a case of nephrotic syndrome (NS) following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) for natural killer cell leukemia/lymphoma. Histologic studies defined the diagnosis as crescentic glomerulonephritis with massive immunoglobulin A (IgA) deposition, which has never been reported in NS cases following allo-BMT. Most of the massive infiltrated cells in the interstice were CD3(+)CD4(-)CD8(+) T cells derived from the donor. We observed mesangial deposition of Haemophilus parainfluenza outer membrane (OMHP) antigen and decreased glycosylation of the IgA1 hinge in the recipient's samples is consistent with the recently reported pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy. Further, the titer of IgA antibody against the donor serum was as high as other IgA nephropathy cases. These findings suggest that NS and crescentic glomerulonephritis in this case occurred as one of the forms of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and that IgA deposition was associated with H parainfluenza and decreased glycosylation of the IgA1 hinge.