[The Efficacy of Combined Use of Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab-Based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for HER2 Positive Breast Cancer].

NeoSphere trial showed that combined use of pertuzumab and trastuzumab-based chemotherapy for HER2 positive breast cancer improved the rate of pathological complete response (pCR). We retrospectively examined the efficacy of combined use of pertuzumab and trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HER2 positive breast cancer. Eleven patients with HER2 positive breast cancer who had completed neoadjuvant chemotherapy and undergone surgery included in this study. Four patients were hormone-receptor-positive and HER2 positive, 7 patients were hormone-receptor-negative and HER2 positive. Ten patients were treated with 4 courses of 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC), followed by 4 courses of docetaxel with trastuzumab and pertuzumab (HPD). One patient was treated with 4 courses of HPD. The rate of pCR (ypT0/is and ypN0) was 81.8%, and this outcome was better than the NeoSphere trial and the TRYPHAENA trial. As a result, our study suggested an additional therapeutic effect of 4 courses of FEC followed by 4 courses of HPD.

Aspiration biopsy-nucleic acid diagnosis of thyroid malignant lymphoma by vectorette PCR: experience of eight cases.

The usefulness of a new method to detect B-cell monoclonality named VR, which is a combination of the digestion with restriction enzymes and vectorette PCR, in aspiration biopsy-nucleic acid diagnosis (ABND) of thyroid malignant lymphoma was investigated. ABND was performed in 12 patients in whom malignant lymphoma was suspected. Among the patients who underwent open surgery, monoclonality was detected in the aspirates in four (50%) of eight patients with malignant lymphoma, but was not detected in one patient with Hashimoto disease. ABND using VR is a useful adjunct of aspiration biopsy cytology in the diagnosis of thyroid malignant lymphoma.

Incidentally detected splenogonadal fusion in a laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair operation: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Splenogonadal fusion (SGF) is a rare congenital malformation in which the spleen is connected to the gonad. Few SGF cases have been reported in the English scientific literature, and we are unaware of any previous case reports of SGF with inguinal hernia by laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair (TAPP). Here, we report a case of SGF that was incidentally detected during a TAPP procedure, with an uneventful postoperative course without complications. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 76-year-old male presented with a 10-year history of left inguinal swelling. He was diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia, and we performed TAPP. Laparoscopy revealed the left inguinal hernia and two reddish-purple masses, one located close to the left inguinal ring. A cord of soft tissue extended cranially from the mass to the spleen, and passed through the left internal inguinal ring caudally. We cut the cord for mesh placement and to make an accurate diagnosis of the mass. Pathological and intraoperative findings indicated a diagnosis of continuous SGF. DISCUSSION: We observed two important clinical issues in this case. First, the potential for incidental diagnoses of SGF may be increasing. Second, to our knowledge, this is the first case report of a patient with SGF identified by TAPP. Such a therapeutic strategy for incidentally detected SGF has not been described; here we report a successful experience. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with SGF diagnosed by a TAPP procedure. The postoperative course was uneventful using our method.

Delta Np73 expression in thyroid neoplasms originating from follicular cells.

AIMS: p73, a homologue of p53, is known as a negative regulator of tumour progression. However, delta Np73, an isoform of p73 lacking the NH2-terminal transactivation domain plays an oncogenic role by interfering with the activity of p53 and TA (full-length transactivating isoforms) p73. In this study, we investigated the expression of delta Np73 in human thyroid neoplasms originating from follicular cells. METHODS: We immunohistochemically investigated delta Np73 expression in 223 thyroid neoplasms. Delta Np73 expression level was evaluated as the sum of positivity score and intensity score. RESULTS: Normal follicular cells did not express delta Np73, but 27.3% of follicular adenoma, 85.4% of follicular carcinoma, 99.2% of papillary carcinoma, and 95.7% of anaplastic carcinoma were positive for the transcript. Delta Np73 expression level did not differ between widely invasive and minimally invasive follicular carcinomas. In papillary carcinoma, the level was inversely linked to tumour size, extrathyroid extension, and clinically apparent metastasis. Furthermore, in anaplastic carcinoma, delta Np73 expression level was significantly lower than that in papillary carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that delta Np73 plays a role predominantly in the early phase of papillary carcinoma progression.

Serotonin differentially regulates short- and long-term prediction of rewards in the ventral and dorsal striatum.

BACKGROUND: The ability to select an action by considering both delays and amount of reward outcome is critical for maximizing long-term benefits. Although previous animal experiments on impulsivity have suggested a role of serotonin in behaviors requiring prediction of delayed rewards, the underlying neural mechanism is unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To elucidate the role of serotonin in the evaluation of delayed rewards, we performed a functional brain imaging experiment in which subjects chose small-immediate or large-delayed liquid rewards under dietary regulation of tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin. A model-based analysis revealed that the activity of the ventral part of the striatum was correlated with reward prediction at shorter time scales, and this correlated activity was stronger at low serotonin levels. By contrast, the activity of the dorsal part of the striatum was correlated with reward prediction at longer time scales, and this correlated activity was stronger at high serotonin levels. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that serotonin controls the time scale of reward prediction by differentially regulating activities within the striatum.

Needle tract implantation of follicular neoplasm after fine-needle aspiration biopsy: report of a case.

We herein report a 28-year-old woman with a follicular neoplasm showing subcutaneous needle tract implantation. One month after fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for a tumor measuring 2.5 cm, the patient became aware of a subcutaneous nodule measuring about 1 cm at the needle insertion site. FNAB smear of this nodule showed poorly cohesive clusters of follicular cells with nuclear crowding, overlapping and resetting with some microfollicular architecture. Total thyroidectomy and resection of the subcutaneous nodule were performed. Although there was no capsular or vascular invasion of the nodule, the lesion was diagnosed as follicular carcinoma because of the subcutaneous seeding. Ki-67 labeling indices of the thyroid nodule and implanted tumor were higher than 5%. Furthermore, although galectin-3 was completely negative in the thyroid nodule, it was heterogeneously positive in the implanted tumor. It is therefore suggested that high cell proliferating activity as a characteristic of the original nodule and the subsequently obtained invasive characteristic of the implanted tumor contributed to this event. To date, there has not been any recurrence of the implanted lesion. Because implanted follicular carcinoma can be surgically removed, this complication should not impair the usefulness of FNAB.

Clinical significance of lymph node metastasis of thyroid papillary carcinoma located in one lobe.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that lymph node metastasis can be of prognostic value. In this study, we investigated the clinical significance of node metastasis focusing on metastasis in the central compartment for patients with papillary carcinoma located in one lobe. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated the frequency of lymph node metastasis in 759 patients with papillary carcinoma to determine whether and how such metastasis affects disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: Central node metastasis was observed in 63% of patients, and the frequency was increased in relation to tumor size. The frequency of lateral node metastasis was 62.0%, which was also directly related to tumor size. On multivariate analysis of cases showing tumor larger than 1 cm, central node metastasis was recognized as an independent prognostic factor of DFS. The frequency of metastasis to the paratracheal nodes contralateral to the tumor was drastically elevated for tumors larger than 1 cm, but metastasis to this region did not independently predict worse DFS. CONCLUSION: Central node metastasis independently predicts a worse DFS for patients with papillary carcinoma larger than 1 cm.

Negative correlation between right prefrontal activity during response inhibition and impulsiveness: a fMRI study.

Behavioral disinhibition in Go/No-Go task is thought to be associated with impulsiveness in humans. Recent imaging studies showed that neural circuits involving diverse areas of the frontal cortex and other association cortex sites such as the parietal cortex are implicated in the inhibition of response during No-Go trials. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between regional cerebral activation during No-Go trials and impulsiveness. Seventeen right-handed healthy volunteers participated in the study. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure the brain activation during a Go/No-Go task. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, 11(th) version (BIS-11) was used to measure impulsiveness. Activated regions included the right middle frontal gyrus and the inferior parietal lobe, which is consistent with previous neuroimaging studies. A negative correlation was observed between the motor impulsiveness of BIS-11 and No-Go-related activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (RDLPFC). Our results suggest that the RDLPFC is the area most sensitive to differences in individual motor impulsiveness and its activity may be an indicator of the individual capacity for response inhibition.

A case of myclonus, resembling epileptic seizure, induced by short-term sulpiride treatment.

An 86-year-old woman with delusional disorder was treated with oral sulpiride at a dose of 200 mg/day. On the seventh day of treatment, she suddenly developed abrupt brief rhythmical contractions every 5 s in her neck muscles, orofacial muscles, muscles of upper limbs and lower legs bilaterally. Although there was no impairment of consciousness, her speech was interrupted by the myoclonic episodes. We suspected that the epileptic seizure-like myoclonus might be a drug-induced acute extrapyramidal symptom. We therefore injected 5 mg of biperiden (i.m.), and the myoclonus ceased shortly thereafter. This myoclonus, resembling an epileptic seizure, did not recur subsequently after sulpiride treatment was discontinued. The present case shows that myoclonus can occur after even brief sulpiride treatment in certain elderly patients. (Int J Psych Clin Pract 2002; 6: 215-216 ).

Minute pancreatic carcinoma with initial symptom of acute pancreatitis.

We experienced a case of minute pancreatic carcinoma in a 59-year-old man who complained of upper abdominal pain after drinking alcohol. Abdominal ultrasonography (US) revealed dilatation of the main pancreatic duct (MPD). Abdominal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) showed slight dilatation of the MPD and its obstruction near the portal vein. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) demonstrated occlusion of the MPD, and cytology of aspirated pancreatic juice was negative for malignancy. With the diagnosis of benign localized obstruction of the MPD, the patient underwent surgery. There was a clear demarcation of hardness and color of the pancreas on the left margin of the superior mesenteric vein, and the caudal pancreas was hard and fibrotic. Intraoperative US revealed slight dilatation of the MPD, and the aspiration cytology result was class IV. First, segmental resection of the pancreas was performed, but pathological examination of frozen section showed neither malignancy nor stenotic lesion. An additional small portion of the proximal pancreas was resected. The specimen included a ductal carcinoma, 5 mm in diameter. Accordingly, a pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. Microscopically, the minute carcinoma had already penetrated the duct wall and infiltrated lymph vessels and veins. The patient has been under close observation at our outpatient clinic, and so far there have been no signs of recurrence. To improve the poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer, we should be alert to the occurrence of acute pancreatitis as an initial symptom.