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Plutonium Fuel Fabrication Facility of Plutonium Fuel Development Center, JAEA is in the phase of maintenance and decommissioning. We have been dismantling alpha contaminated gloveboxes for over 20 years. The wet recovery equipment gloveboxes that are used to recover plutonium and uranium from scrap fuel were chosen as the priority gloveboxes to be dismantled. These gloveboxes and other gloveboxes in the same room have been size reduced and removed by 2023. We also dismantled non-radioactive ancillary facilities and non-radioactive giant gloveboxes from 2007 to 2010. This made enough space to dismantle contaminated gloveboxes and store resulting wastes that follow. Several incidents occurred in these 20 years, and we took recurrence prevention measures on each occasion. Thus, the dismantling activities became safer and well organized as the work progresses. In this report, we review and summarize the dismantling activities and the lessons we have learned for the past years. In addition, we show radiological control measures we adopted and implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When severe contamination incidents occur in plutonium fuel handling facilities, containment tents are assembled to contain alpha-emitting radionuclides from spreading and rescue workers for evacuation with necessary decontamination. However, the time to assemble the conventional containment tents is too long, and the inhalation risk is proportionately high. Inadequacies in tent structures were also recognized. Therefore, we developed new containment tents that are more easily assembled and function effectively, by improving and refurbishing the shortcomings of conventional tents. The new tents were evaluated in an airborne contamination situation at the plutonium fuel fabricating facility. The tents appropriately functioned for the intended use, but other shortcomings emerged, therefore, we modified the tent structure. The new features of the developed and modified tents can be summarized as follows: 1. The time to assemble the set of tents is significantly reduced from two hours to half an hour. 2. Multiple evacuation pathways can be arranged by adding a new passage tent with zippers on all the side surfaces. 3. Various layouts can be arranged by changing the tent connection method. The tents could be used for similar but wider alpha-emitting radioactive particulate handling facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Rare co-existance of disease or pathology Background: Currently, 3 molecular targeted drugs are available for the treatment of unresectable and recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and result in improved prognoses and rare occurrence of bone metastases. However, there is no established treatment guideline for bone metastases of GIST. Case Report: The patient was a 56-year-old male who was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma in 1997. Partial resection of the small bowel was performed. As part of post-operative follow-up in 2004, a computed tomography scan showed metastatic lesions in the liver and the right femoral neck. Accordingly, partial hepatectomy was performed, followed by artificial femoral head replacement. In 2006, bone metastases were detected in the sternum, cervical and thoracic vertebra, and the right upper arm; therefore, the patient was subjected to radiotherapy. However, further histopathological examination revealed positive findings for CD34+ and KIT cells, prompting a diagnosis of GIST. Imatinib was started. The disease remained stable. However, in 2010, metastasis to the right ilium was detected, after which there was an increase in metastatic lesions in the thoracic vertebra, prompting a diagnosis of progressive disease. Thus, treatment with sunitinib was initiated. In 2012, the patient experienced spinal paralysis due to metastasis in the eighth thoracic vertebra. In 2013, metastases in the right ilium, lungs, and liver were detected. In 2014, the patient died. Conclusions: Multidisciplinary treatment via radiotherapy and surgery for GIST with bone metastases indicates the possibility of extending the overall survival further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Uterine sarcoma is a rare tumor that is often difficult to classify based on morphological and immunohistochemical analysis alone. Limited access to molecular biological analysis in routine practice would hinder making a definitive diagnosis. Case Presentation: In this report, we describe a case of a mesenchymal tumor arising from the uterine cervix in a 52-year-old woman. From microscopic morphology of the resected specimen, epithelioid leiomyosarcoma, high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma, or uterine gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) were considered as differential diagnoses. The immunophenotype of the tumor featured smooth muscle differentiation and hormone receptor expression. The cell membrane and cytoplasm were positive for c-kit, although no mutation was found in the c-kit or PDGFRA gene. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis revealed a relatively low frequency of YWHAE rearrangement, whereas there were few NUTM2A and NUTM2B split signals. Conclusions: In this case, the tumor was not typical of any three of the differential diagnoses mentioned above. However, insufficient frequency of YWHAE, NUTM2A, and NUTM2B gene rearrangement and absence of mutation in both the c-kit and PDGFRA genes suggested that this tumor should be categorized as epithelioid leiomyosarcoma. This is an instructive case showing a potential diagnostic pitfall of uterine sarcoma. Comprehensive approaches including molecular biological techniques are required for definitive diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma (PHE) is an unusual vascular tumor of intermediate malignancy that rarely metastasizes and tends to arise in the lower limbs of young adults and children. Histologically, PHE shows fascicular proliferation of eosinophilic spindle cells and/or epithelioid cells showing "pseudomyogenic" morphology. Immunohistochemically, PHE is usually positive for vimentin, cytokeratin, CD31 and ERG. Method: We examined FOSB immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 27 cases consisting of 4 PHE and its histologic mimics including 6 epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas (EHE), 8 angiosarcomas (AS), 4 Kaposi sarcomas (KS) and 5 epithelioid sarcomas (ES). In addition, we performed IHC of CAMTA1 which has recently been established as a useful marker of EHE. We elucidated the diagnostic utility of FOSB IHC in the differential diagnosis of PHE and its histological mimics and also examined the usefulness of FOSB and CAMTA1 IHC combination in the differential diagnosis of the tumors. Results: IHC revealed diffuse and strong FOSB expression in all PHE cases, while the other tumor types demonstrated limited, weak or no FOSB expression. All EHE cases exhibited diffuse and moderate to strong expression of CAMTA1. All tumor types except for EHE showed limited, weak or no CAMTA1 reactivity. Conclusions: Diffuse and strong FOSB expression was specific for PHE in the current series and FOSB IHC is an effective tool for differentiating between PHE and its histological mimics. Moreover, the combination of FOSB and CAMTA1 IHC is useful for distinguishing PHE from EHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exogenous lipoid pneumonia is a rare disease caused by aspiration or inhalation of oily substances.Case Presentation: A 66-year-old male with dry cough (Case 1) and a 38-year-old female with shortness of breath (Case 2) demonstrated ground-glass opacities on chest computed tomography and were diagnosed with lipoid pneumonia based on the confirmation of lipid-laden alveolar macrophages. Both patients habitually performed sesame oil pulling via nasal or mouth washing for several months prior to the diagnosis.Conclusion: Steroid therapy and bronchoalveolar lavage resulted in improvement in Case 1, and no intensive therapy was required for Case 2. Sesame oil pulling has been rarely been reported to cause lipoid pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survivin is expressed in the nucleus and/or cytoplasm of various malignant cells. Nuclear survivin is critical for the completion of mitosis, while cytoplasmic survivin functions as an inhibitor of apoptosis. The expression of survivin has been reported to be associated with the aggressiveness of certain types of cancer. The present study examined the association between cigarette smoking history and the expression of survivin and Ki-67 in lung adenocarcinomas of pathological (p) stages I, II and III. The expression of survivin and Ki-67 in adenocarcinomas was also compared with that of other p-stage I lung cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC), large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small cell carcinoma (SmCCs), of patients with a smoking history. In adenocarcinomas at p-stage I, labeling indices (LIs) of nuclear survivin and Ki-67 were significantly higher in tissue samples from smokers than those from non-smokers; however, the nuclear survivin and Ki-67 LIs in p-stage II and III adenocarcinomas from non-smokers and smokers were similar to those in p-stage I adenocarcinomas of smokers. The nuclear survivin and Ki-67 LIs in adenocarcinomas of smokers at p-stage I were lower than those in SqCCs, LCNECs and SmCCs of smokers at the same stage. Smokers with adenocarcinoma also exhibited a higher survival rate compared with that of smokers with SqCCs, LCNECs and SmCCs. The present results indicated that a history of smoking is associated with increased nuclear survivin and Ki-67 expression in lung adenocarcinomas of p-stage I, but not p-stages II or III. In addition it was revealed that, in smokers, the nuclear survivin and Ki-67 expression in p-stage I adenocarcinomas was lower than that of other p-stage I lung cancer types, and was associated with an enhanced survival rate. In conclusion, smoking is associated with the histogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma but not with the development of lung adenocarcinoma, based on the nuclear expression levels of Ki-67 and survivin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cancer cells of lung adenocarcinoma with a micropapillary pattern (MPP) have been found to frequently invade lymphatic vessels, and the prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma with an MPP is poor. In the present study, the cancer cells of lung adenocarcinomas containing an MPP were found to express vimentin more extensively than those in lung adenocarcinoma without an MPP. The contribution of cancer cells in the MPP component to adenocarcinoma lymphatic invasion was assessed using vimentin as a marker. Vimentin expression was analyzed in the cancer cells present in each lymphatic vessel and compared with the expression of vimentin in the cancer cells in the adenocarcinomas without an MPP component. The results showed that the cancer cells in the lymphatic vessels expressed vimentin more extensively than those in the adenocarcinoma components without an MPP, suggesting that cancer cells derived from an MPP component are present in the lymphatic vessels. By contrast, the area of the MPP component in each adenocarcinoma was <25%. These findings suggest that cancer cells in MPP components have a high capacity to invade lymphatic vessels and that their high invasive capacity may be associated with a poor prognosis in patients with adenocarcinoma with an MPP component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Hyperplastic polyps (HPs) of the stomach have been reported to be mostly benign. However, in rare cases, carcinomas have been found in HPs. We treated a 59-year-old Japanese male who underwent a total gastrectomy, and a gross examination of the resected stomach revealed a 4.8 � 3.8-cm polyp on the greater curvature of the antrum and multiple small polyps in the whole gastric mucosa. Histologically, the large polyp consisted mainly of hyperplastic foveolar epithelium, while the presence of variously colored lobules demonstrated a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma mixed with signet-ring cell carcinoma. Hyperplastic polyps should therefore be carefully examined microscopically as a polypectomy specimen and in resected stomach specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins are O-glycosylated on serine or threonine residues with the monosaccharide β-N-acetylglucosamine, which is then termed O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). It has been shown that abnormal O-GlcNAc modification (O-GlcNAcylation) of proteins is one of the causes of insulin resistance and diabetic complications. In this study, in order to examine the relationship between O-GlcNAcylation of proteins and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in noninsulin-dependent type (type 2) diabetes, we investigated the level of O-GlcNAcylation of proteins, especially that of PDX-1, and the expression of O-GlcNAc transferase in Goto–Kakizaki (GK) rats, which are an animal model of type-2 diabetes. By immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses, the expression of O-GlcNAc transferase protein and O-GlcNAc-modified proteins in whole pancreas and islets of Langerhans of 15-week-old diabetic GK rats and nondiabetic Wistar rats was examined. The expression of O-GlcNAc transferase at the protein level and O-GlcNAc transferase activity were increased significantly in the diabetic pancreas and islets. The diabetic pancreas and islets also showed an increase in total cellular O-GlcNAc-modified proteins. O-GlcNAcylation of PDX-1 was also increased. In the diabetic GK rats, significant increases in the immunoreactivities of both O-GlcNAc and O-GlcNAc transferase were observed. PUGNAc, an inhibitor of O-GlcNAcase, induced an elevation of O-GlcNAc level and a decrease of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in isolated islets. These results indicate that elevation of the O-GlcNAcylation of proteins leads to deterioration of insulin secretion in the pancreas of diabetic GK rats, further providing evidence for the role of O-GlcNAc in the insulin secretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pink-flowered gentian plants (Gentiana scabra) have been bred from spontaneous mutations of blue-flowered gentian plants, but the formation mechanism(s) is unknown so far. To investigate the process, two independent pink-flowered gentian plant lines were analyzed by a molecular biological approach. HPLC analysis showed that petals of the blue-flowered cultivar contained a small amount of cyanidin derivatives and major delphinidin derivatives, whereas pink petals had only a small amount of cyanidin derivatives. To find the causal factor(s) of this change, we focused on flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase (F3′,5′H), which is a key enzyme for delphinidin biosynthesis in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Molecular analyses confirmed that the loss of delphinidin synthesis could be attributed to the insertions of different transposable elements in the F3′,5′H gene in each independent pink-flowered gentian plant. Sequence analysis showed that these transposable elements were classified into an hAT superfamily and terminal-repeat retrotransposon in miniature (TRIM), by which normal F3′,5′H transcripts were interrupted. Southern blot analysis indicated that they belong to high copy number elements and are also found in a related gentian species (G. triflora). These results suggest that the transposable elements inserted in F3′,5′H are the source of the mutations and may also play a substantial role in the genomic evolution of the genus Gentiana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of pleural malignant mesothelioma (MM) is unusual and the cases that appear as a localized tumor are extremely rare. A case of localized pleural MM including immunohistochemical findings is presented. A 70-year-old man had an abnormal shadow found during a routine roentgenogram at an annual health checkup and was admitted to Toneyama National Hospital (Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) for detailed examinations. Chest X-rays showed a 2 × 5 cm-sized nodule with relatively smooth margins in the right segment three. Computed tomography (CT) showed an extrapleural mass with a smooth surface and a thickened parietal pleura, and results of a biopsy performed under CT scanning yielded MM. Systematic examinations did not show any metastasis and the patient underwent surgery for removal of the mass. The resected tumor, measuring 3.2 × 3.1 cm, was firm, partially encapsulated, and irregularly shaped. Pathological examinations revealed that it consisted of large polygonal cells, partially showing myxoid patterns, which led to a diagnosis of localized pleural MM. Tumor recurrence was seen, and the duration between initial symptoms and death was 29 months. This case suggests that localized pleural MM has a high proliferative potential and aggressive course, and is considered an early stage of diffuse pleural MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In suspension cultures of Phytolacca americana, betacyanin accumulation was reduced when cell division was inhibited by treatment with various inhibitors of DNA synthesis or anti-microtubule drugs. Aphidicolin (APC), an inhibitor of DNA synthesis, reduced the incorporation of radioactivity from labeled tyrosine into betacyanin, but the incorporation of radioactivity from labeled 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) into betacyanin was not affected by similar treatments. Propyzamide, another anti-microtubule drug, reduced incorporation of radioactivity from tyrosine and DOPA into betacyanin. However, the rate of incorporation from DOPA was higher than that from tyrosine. The results suggest that inhibition of betacyanin accumulation in Phytolacca americana cells by APC and propyzamide is due to suppression of the reaction converting tyrosine to DOPA, which may be closely related to cell division. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) strongly promoted betacyanin accumulation in suspension cultures of Phytolacca americana L. The betacyanin accumulation attained a maximum al 5 μM 2,4-D, when betacyanin content per cell reached 252% as compared to the control (2,4-D free). 2,4-D elevated the level of free tyrosine, which is tine precursor of betacyanin. The addition of 1 mM tyrosine tö the medium partially reversed the reduction of betacyanin accumulation caused by the removal of 2,4-D. Tracer experiments using labelled tyrosine showed that 2,4-D activated the biosynthetic pathway from tyrosine to betacyanin. These results indicate that a sufficient supply of tyrosine and the activation of biosynthesis of betacyanin from tyrosine by 2,4-D elevate the level of betacyanin [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]