Search

Anorexia nervosa causes various complications accompanying weight loss and malnutrition. Although bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax (SBSP) is uncommon, caution is needed in anorexia nervosa because this complication can be fatal. We encountered a 17-year-old girl with SBSP from emphysematous pulmonary changes due to anorexia nervosa. She was hospitalized with SBSP during treatment for anorexia nervosa. Chest tube drainage was started on admission, but no improvement was achieved. Surgery was therefore performed. Lung lesions on surgical specimens demonstrated malnutrition-induced emphysematous changes, a risk factor for SBSP. Attention should be paid to the occurrence of SBSP during the clinical course of anorexia nervosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • This is the first report regarding non-malignant tracheoesophageal fistula due to mechanical stress from a displaced external tracheal stent. • The method described here is original and useful for tracheoesophageal fistula repair. • We report the change of the flap composed of intercostal muscle and rib periosteum with growth for several years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report superheat-resistant polymers, poly(benzoxazole imide)s (PBOI), with very low coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) and sufficient ductility for applications as the plastic substrates of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. Diamines incorporating benzoxazole (BO) units were synthesized for this purpose. A PBOI derived from a BO-containing diamine and 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (s-BPDA) has excellent properties that are superior to those of s-BPDA/ p -phenylenediamine ( p -PDA) polyimide such as an undetectable T g , a very low CTE (9.6 ppm K −1 ), a very high the 5% weight loss temperature ( T d 5 = 592 °C) in N 2 , and good ductility while remaining the highest level of non-flammability (UL-94, V-0). The use of another BO-incorporating diamine permitted further improvement in the target properties: an extremely high T d 5 (609 °C) in N 2 and a considerably low CTE (3.3 ppm K −1 ) close to that of a silicon wafer. These results show that the PBOIs examined in this work are promising candidates for use as the plastic substrates in OLED displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Surgical treatments are recommended to correction of asymmetric pectus carinatum. • This treatment requires not only reduction of the protruded site in the thoracic wall but also elevate the opposite site that is relatively located in the lower position. • We developed a new surgical procedure using a J-shaped pectus bar which could elevates the more concaved portion, and compresses the protruded side at the same time. • Our data suggest that our new procedure showed highly preferable results in repairing the asymmetric deformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: MicroRNA (miR)-143 and -145 were down-regulated in human bladder cancer T24 cells. The enforced expression of miR-143 induced growth-suppression in T24 cells through down-regulation of ERK5 and Akt expression at translational level, and chemically-modified synthetic miR-143 (miR-143/BP) exhibited a greater growth inhibitory effect than wild-type miR-143. In addition, the synthetic miR-143/BP induced apoptotic cell death in some of the transfected cells. Furthermore, co-treatment with the synthetic miR-143/BP and cisplatin showed the additive growth-suppressing effect on T24 cells. These findings suggest that the chemically-modified synthetic miR-143 functions as a tumor suppressor in T24 cells by targeting ERK5 and/or Akt. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid ring A (BPD-MA) induces direct tumor cell damage and microvascular injury. We administered BPD-MA at 3h or 15min before laser irradiation to KLN205 and LM8 tumors in murine models. Tumor growth delay was induced more effectively by 15-min-interval PDT than by 3-h-interval PDT. Vascularity and blood perfusion was significantly decreased by 15-min-interval PDT. We observed death of all tumor cells, except peripheral cells, in the 3-h-interval PDT group, and death of cells around the damaged tumor vasculature in the 15-min-interval PDT group. Thus, 15-min-interval PDT enhanced the antitumor effect by damaging tumor vasculature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The relative sensitivities of different tumor cells to photodynamic therapy (PDT) with benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid ring A (BPD-MA) were compared in the four tumor cells. A good correlation was observed between the cell survival at 0.1 μg/ml of BPD-MA and sensitizer uptake/106 cells (r = −0.99) or the plating efficiency of cells (r = 0.99). At 3 h after the irradiation, a significant difference was observed in the proportion of apoptotic cells among the four tumor cells (p = 0.024). In conclusion, cell responses to PDT depend on the several factors such as the cell line, photosensitizer dose, and fluence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in dogs is an aggressive malignant neoplasm, originating in the epithelium of the urinary bladder. The DEK nuclear protein is overexpressed in several types of human bladder cancer, where it is involved in chromatin reconstruction, gene transcription and apoptosis. Since DEK represents a potential therapeutic target for canine TCC, this study was designed to investigate DEK expression in canine TCC and to determine the effects of DEK mRNA silencing on TCC cells in vitro. The gene expression profiles of seven selected cancer-associated genes was assessed in four canine TCC cell lines and expression of DEK protein was evaluated in bladder tissue biopsies from healthy dogs and those affected with cystitis or TCC. After transfection of four canine TCC cell lines with DEK-specific or scrambled siRNA, annexin V staining was performed to evaluate apoptosis, and methylthiazole tetrazolium assays were performed to assess both cell viability and sensitivity to carboplatin. DEK mRNA expression was relatively high in canine TCC cells and expression of the DEK protein was significantly greater in TCC tumours compared with the other tissue samples. After transfection with DEK-specific siRNA, apoptosis, cell growth inhibition, and enhanced sensitivity to carboplatin were observed in all TCC cells assessed. These research findings suggest that DEK could be a potential therapeutic target for canine TCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]