Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Breast Cancer: Clinicopathological Significance of Bcl-2 Positive Solid Papillary Carcinoma.

Solid papillary carcinoma (SPC) is considered a rare malignant breast tumor. Maluf and Koerner first reported this disease entity as a special type of ductal carcinoma in situ with several characteristic histopathological features, including low-grade cellular atypia, intracellular or extracellular mucin deposition, and solid papillary growth pattern, as well as neuroendocrine differentiation. The present paper describes a case of SPC with bcl-2 expression, which is known as a marker for malignancy of neuroendocrine tumors. Interestingly, despite bcl-2 expression being a poor prognostic indicator of neuroendocrine tumors, the patient with this tumor has achieved long-term survival (approximately 6 years) at the time of writing this report. Because previous investigators reported that bcl-2 expression might play a role in the inhibition of the development of breast cancer, we suggest that bcl-2 expression might reflect a good prognosis in patients with SPC, rather than being a poor prognostic indicator, as it is in several types of neuroendocrine tumor. However, to confirm this hypothesis, further investigation is required.

Oxidation of primary aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes with difluoro(aryl)-λ3-bromane.

Oxidation of primary aliphatic aldehydes with p-trifluoromethylphenyl(difluoro)-λ(3)-bromane in dichloromethane at 0 °C afforded acid fluorides selectively in good yields, while that of aromatic aldehydes in chloroform at room temperature produced aryl difluoromethyl ethers. A larger migratory aptitude of aryl groups compared to primary alkyl groups during a 1,2-shift from carbon to an electron-deficient oxygen atom in bromane(III) Criegee-type intermediates will result in these differences in the reaction courses.

Weakly nucleophilic conjugate bases of superacids as powerful nucleophiles in vinylic bimolecular nucleophilic substitutions of simple ß-alkylvinyl(aryl)-λ3-bromanes.

We report herein, for the first time, the stereoselective synthesis of simple (E)-ß-alkylvinyl(aryl)-λ(3)-bromanes via a boron-λ(3)-bromane exchange reaction and their unique bimolecular nucleophilic substitutions at the vinylic ipso carbon atom under mild conditions. Interestingly, even weakly nucleophilic anions such as conjugate bases of superacids (HBF(4), TfOH, Tf(2)CH(2), Tf(3)CH, Tf(2)NH, etc.) function as nucleophiles toward the vinyl-λ(3)-bromanes. For instance, the vinylic S(N)2 reaction of (E)-vinyl-λ(3)-bromanes with potassium bis(triflyl)methanide stereoselectively produced (Z)-vinyloxy oxosulfonium ylides with exclusive inversion of configuration via oxygen attack, while that with potassium bis(triflyl)imide afforded predominantly (Z)-vinyloxysulfoximines. In marked contrast, (E)-ß-alkylvinyl-λ(3)-iodanes do not undergo the vinylic S(N)2 reaction with these conjugate bases of superacids. The differences between the nucleofugalities of aryl-λ(3)-iodanyl and aryl-λ(3)-bromanyl groups (the latter being greater) probably play a pivotal role in these unique reactions.

Double common bile duct: report of a case.

We report a case of double common bile duct. A 51-year-old woman was examined for abdominal pain. Ultrasound revealed a stone of approximately 7 mm in the gallbladder, and abdominal computed tomography revealed air in the intrahepatic bile duct and gallbladder. The endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed that the contrast medium flowed into the duodenal bulbus from the gallbladder. The diagnosis was inflammatory cholecystoduodenal fistula, and a cholecystectomy was performed. There were no inflammatory changes surrounding the gallbladder. The resected specimen showed that the fistula was covered by a mucous membrane with Brunner's glands. The muscle layer of the fistula was continuous to the duodenum from the gallbladder, and no new connective tissue or inflammatory adhesion between the muscles could be seen. A double common bile duct was diagnosed in this patient. The postoperative course was uneventful.