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Presented herein is the case of a 41-year-old woman who was admitted to Teikyo University Hospital with abdominal and back pain. Clinical examination revealed a large mass of the pancreas and multiple nodules in the liver. After surgical resection of the pancreatic and liver tumors, liver nodules recurred repeatedly, and a solitary mass lesion occurred in the right lung. Grossly, the pancreatic tumor was large and partially cystic. Histologically, small and uniform tumor cells proliferated, having solid and pseudopapillary patterns. These pathological findings enabled a pathological diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas to be made. The pathological appearance of the liver and lung tumors was similar to that of the pancreatic tumor. This is the first report of a case of pancreatic SPT that showed lung metastasis. It should be kept in mind that pancreatic SPT may take such an aggressive clinical course, although they are usually benign in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the case of a 76-year-old man who developed febrile unconsciousness with magnetic resonance imaging findings indicating encephalitis. The old man who had suffered from acute hepatitis during his childhood, underwent a medical examination that revealed abnormal liver function. With these findings combined, a diagnosis of encephalitis was made, although the lumbar puncture could not be performed because of the bleeding tendency. In spite of immediately started acyclovir, the patient's condition deteriorated rapidly, resulting in deep coma.

To clarify the importance of hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infection and p53 gene mutation in the genesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we investigated DNA samples of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded HCC tissue specimens from patients in the North China area of Harbin, Heilongjian province. Fifty-eight DNA samples from 43 cases obtained during surgery and the remaining 15 autopsy materials were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) about HBV and HCV. The p53 gene (exon 7) mutant testing, in addition, was performed by PCR-direct sequencing. Histopathologically, we determined the histological grade of HCC in all specimens. Forty-five (77.6%) of 58 cases were HBV DNA-positive; only two (3.4%) HCV RNA-positive cases were found. Two of 37 samples screened showed a point mutation (AGG to AGT) at codon 249, the exon 7 hot spot of the p53 gene. The fact implies that HBV plays a very important role, but aflatoxin B1 is not an important factor in the genesis of HCC in Harbin, Heilongjian district, People''s Republic of China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice with ill-developed Peyer's patches develop neither antibodies nor protection against lethal herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection by oral immunization. However, SCID mice carrying spleen cells from immunocompetent BALB/c mice had serum anti-HSV-1 antibody; anti-HSV-1 IgA antibody was detected in eye wash samples, and the mice were protected against lethal HSV-1 infection (88% survival rate). Western blotting showed that antibodies in SCID mice carrying spleen cells from BALB/c mice recognized 60-kDa HSV-1. The effector cells in transferred spleen cells were CD4+, not CD8+, T cells. Donor T cells were detected in the submucosal layer of the gut in SCID mice 1 day after transfer. Rapid movement of donor T cells to the gut may have a role in mucosal immunity to HSV-1. Thus, the normal environment for mucosal immunity develops in SCID mice without prior presence of CD4+ T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]