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Purpose: To verify distress and impact thermometer (DIT) for screening emotional distress in gynecological cancer patients by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale total (HADS-T) as gold standard and to assess emotional changes by DIT and HADS-T. Methods: A prospective study was conducted in newly diagnosed gynecological cancer patients during the peri-treatment period after the cancer diagnosis followed by 6-month. We defined a HADS-T score of ≥11 as being indicative of emotional distress. Results: 117 patients were enrolled between May 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012, and 95 were eligible. The median age was 54 years (range 31-77). (1) From the baseline to 3-month, distress (DIT-D) ≥4 with Impact (DIT-I) ≥2 exhibited sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV) of 0.776 [95 % confidential interval (CI) 0.688, 0.850], 0.889 (95 % CI 0.824, 0.954), 0.868 (95 % CI 0.792, 0.949), and 0.808 (95 % CI 0.731, 0.886), respectively. (2) At 6-month, DIT-D ≥2 with DIT-I ≥1 exhibited sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of 0.893 (95 % CI 0.778, 1), 0.825 (95 % CI 0.707, 0.942), 0.781 (95 % CI 0.638, 0.928), and 0.917 (95 % CI 0.826, 1). (3) At 6-month, the HADS-T, DIT-D, and DIT-I scores in individual patients were significantly reduced by a mean of 4.57 ( p < 0.0001), 2.34 ( p < 0.0001), and 1.10 ( p = 0.0031), respectively, compared with those scores of baseline (Student's paired t test), but still remained high. Conclusions: (1) On acute phase within 3-month setting, DIT; DIT-D ≥4 with DIT-I ≥2, is a reliable cut-off to screen emotional distress among gynecological cancer patients. (2) The patients' moods had improved, but not completely recovered at 6-month after the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor (EGFR) signaling pathway have a major role in the treatment of KRAS wild-type colorectal cancer patients. The EGFR pathway has been shown to be activated in gastric cancer (GC). However, published data on KRAS and BRAF mutation status is limited in GC and has not been compared between GC from different geographic regions.Methods:The prevalence of KRAS and BRAF mutations was established in 712 GC: 278 GC from the United Kingdom, 230 GC from Japan and 204 GC from Singapore. The relationship between KRAS/BRAF mutation status, DNA mismatch repair (MMR) status, clinicopathological variables and overall survival was analysed.Results:Overall, 30 (4.2%) GC carried a KRAS mutation. In total, 5.8% of the UK GC, 4% of Japan GC and 1.5% of Singapore GC were KRAS mutant. KRAS mutant GC had fewer lymph node metastases in the UK cohort (P=0.005) and were more frequent in elderly patients in the Japan cohort (P=0.034). KRAS mutations were more frequent in MMR-deficient GC in the UK and the Japanese cohort (P<0.05). A BRAF mutation was only detected in a single Japanese GC.Conclusions:This large multicentre study demonstrated that KRAS mutations and DNA MMR deficiency have a role in a small subgroup of GC irrespective of country of origin, suggesting that this subgroup of GC may have developed along a common pathway. Further studies need to establish whether concomitant mutations or amplifications of other EGFR signalling pathway genes may contribute to the activation of this pathway in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but fatal tumour. Although most MPM patients show pleural effusion at even the early stage, it is hard to diagnose as MPM at the early stage because a sensitive and reliable diagnostic marker for MPM has not been found in plasma or pleural effusion.Methods: In this study, we investigated whether intelectin-1 was specifically contained in MPM cells and the pleural effusion of MPM patient by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: Malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines, but not lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, secreted intelectin-1. In immunohistochemistry, epithelioid-type MPMs, but neither pleura-invading lung adenocarcinomas nor reactive mesothelial cells near the lung adenocarcinomas, were stained with anti-intelectin antibodies. Pleural effusion of MPM patients contained a higher concentration of intelectin-1 than that of lung cancer patients.Conclusion: These results suggest that detection of intelectin-1 may be useful for a differential diagnosis of epithelioid-type MPM in immunohistochemistry and that a high concentration of intelectin-1 in pleural effusion can be used as a new marker for clinical diagnosis of MPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thromboembolic events are a major complication in ovarian cancer patients. Tissue factor (TF) is frequently overexpressed in ovarian cancer tissue and correlates with intravascular thrombosis. TF binds to coagulation factor VII (fVII), changing it to its active form, fVIIa. This leads to activation of the extrinsic coagulation cascade. fVII is produced by the liver and believed to be supplied from blood plasma at the site of coagulation. However, we recently showed that ovarian cancer cells express fVII transcripts under normoxia and that this transcription is inducible under hypoxia. These findings led us to hypothesise that ovarian cancer cells are intrinsically associated with TF-fVIIa coagulation activity, which could result in thrombosis.Methods: In this study, we examined whether ectopically expressed fVII could cause thrombosis by means of immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, western blotting and flow cytometry.Results: Ectopic fVII expression occurs frequently in ovarian cancers, particularly in clear cell carcinoma. We further showed that ovarian cancer cells express TF-fVIIa on the cell surface under normoxia and that this procoagulant activity is enhanced by hypoxic stimuli. Moreover, we showed that ovarian cancer cells secrete microparticles (MPs) with TF-fVIIa activity. Production of this procoagulant secretion is enhanced under hypoxia.Conclusion: These results raise the possibility that cancer cell-derived TF-fVIIa could cause thrombotic events in ovarian cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uterine cervical and endometrial cancers are common malignant solid neoplasms for which there are no useful prognostic markers. In this study, we evaluate the relationship between ATP-binding cassette superfamily F2 (ABCF2) expression and clinical factors including clinical stage, histologic type, grade and prognosis in uterine cervical and endometrial cancer. Two hundred and sixty seven cervical and 103 endometrial cancers were studied. ATP-binding cassette superfamily F2 cytoplasmic expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining and scored as positive or negative. Among cervical cancer cases, 149 (55.8%) expressed ABCF2. The overall survival was longer in ABCF2-negative than ABCF2-positive cases (P=0.0069). Statistically significant prognostic factors for survival were ABCF2 positivity (risk ratio (rr)=1.437), old age (rr=1.550) and advanced stage (rr=2.577). ATP-binding cassette superfamily F2 positivity was an independent prognostic factor by multivariate proportional hazard test (P=0.0002). Among endometrial cancer cases, 72 (69.9%) were cytoplasmic ABCF2 positive. However, there was no significant relationship between ABCF2 expression and age, clinical stage, histologic type, histologic grade, oestrogen receptor status or prognosis. ATP-binding cassette superfamily F2 expression may be a useful prognostic marker in cervical but not endometrial cancer. The role of ABCF2 protein may differ depending on the type of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a preliminary result from the latest hypernuclear γ -ray spectroscopy experiment (KEK-E566) is presented together with a short discussion. The experiment was performed at the KEK-PS K6 beam line in 2005. In this experiment, the 12C(π+, K +)12 ΛC reaction was employed to populate 12 ΛC/11 ΛB hypernuclei. A germanium detector array, Hyperball2, was constructed to detect γ -rays emitted from the hypernuclei produced. Three hypernuclear γ -ray peaks were observed and assigned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a feasibility study to examine whether small numbers of cancer cells could be utilised for analysis of the EGFR gene status using the loop-hybrid mobility shift assay, which is a modified heteroduplex technique. Cytology specimens obtained by transbronchial abrasion were successfully used for analysis of the EGFR gene status in 50 of 52 (96.2%) patients diagnosed with class V non-small-cell carcinoma. Furthermore, the relationship between the EGFR gene status and clinical outcome was analysed in 25 patients treated with gefitinib. Overall, 10 of 11 patients with EGFR mutations in exon 19 or 21 showed tumour regression with gefitinib treatment, compared to only two of 14 patients with wild-type EGFR. The response rate was significantly higher in the EGFR mutation group than in the wild-type EGFR group (90.9 vs 14.3%, P=0.00014). Logistic regression analysis revealed that EGFR mutations in cytology specimens represented an independent predictor of the gefitinib response. The overall and progression-free survivals were significantly longer in the EGFR mutation group than in the wild-type EGFR group (P<0.05). In conclusion, cytology specimens could be useful for analysing the EGFR status in the majority of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer to determine whether they are likely to benefit from gefitinib treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of evidence indicates that genetic factors are involved in an increased risk of infection. We investigated whether mannose-binding lectin (MBL) gene polymorphisms that cause low levels of MBL are associated with the occurrence of major infections in patients, mainly bearing hematological malignancies, after high-dose chemotherapy (HDT) rescued by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT). A retrospective evaluation of 113 patients treated with HDT and auto-PBSCT revealed that the low-producing genotypes, B/B and B/LXA, were associated with major bacterial infection (P=0.0016, OR 7.9). We next performed a nation-wide large-scale study to assess the allele frequency of the MBL coding mutation in a total of 2623 healthy individuals in Japan. The frequency of allele B was estimated to be~0.2, almost the same in seven different areas of Japan. This common occurrence suggests that MBL deficiency may play an important role in the clinical settings of immunosuppression.Genes and Immunity (2005) 6, 162-166. doi:10.1038/sj.gene.6364165 Published online 27 January 2005 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cell cycle non-specific anticancer agents such as cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) are believed to depend linearly on the value of the area under the drug concentration time curve, which is supported by a mathematical model. However, the quantitative non-linear phenomena of both the cytocidal effect and DNA crosslink formation by cisdiammine(glycolato)platinum (nedaplatin) have been shown in vitro. Therefore, we developed a new mathematical model to explain these phenomena.Methods: We assumed that nedaplatin enters intracellular fluid from medium through simple diffusion to form DNA crosslinks that kill cells. We developed a mathematical model to represent this assumption using differential equations that we then solved using an original computer program. The calculated results were compared with the experimental data.Results: The drug's simple diffusion rate constant, the DNA crosslink formation rate constant, and the crosslink-dependent cell death rate constant in the model were 1.8 x 10(-14) (l h-1), 1.6 x 10(8) (l mol-1/2 h-1), 5.45 x 10(1) (mol-1), respectively. The model fits the experimental results statistically. The model also demonstrated theoretical proof that continuous exposure at a low dose was superior to the short exposure at a high dose seen in published experimental data.Conclusions: We developed a mathematical model to describe the non-linear pharmacodynamic effect of nedaplatin in vitro. This model may provide a novel drug infusion procedure for cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)-like IP has been known as the most serious complication of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS), its pathologic features and pathogenesis are poorly understood. We investigated biopsied and autopsied lung tissues from five patients who died of UIP-like IP associated with HPS (HPSIP). The salient histopathologic features of HPSIP observed were: (1) alveolar septa displaying florid proliferation of type-2 pneumocytes (2PCs) with characteristic foamy swelling/degeneration; (2) patchy fibrosis with lymphocytic and histiocytic infiltration centered around respiratory bronchioles, occasionally showing constrictive bronchiolitis; and (3) honeycomb change without predilection for the lower lobes or subpleural area. Those peculiar 2PCs were histochemically characterized by the over accumulation of phospholipid, immunohistochemically by a weak positivity for surfactant protein, and ultrastructurally by the presence of numerous giant lamellar bodies that compressed the nucleus with occasional cytoplasmic disruption, together suggesting a form of cellular degeneration with an over accumulation of surfactant (giant lamellar body degeneration). The present study strongly indicates that there is a basic defect in the formation/secretion process of surfactant by the 2PCs in HPS, which may well be the triggering factor for the HPSIP development. Other factors, such as macrophage dysfunction, may be working synergistically for further acceleration of the inflammatory process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the efficacy of thin-section oblique axial magnetic resonance (MR) images in evaluating cervical invasion by endometrial carcinoma.Methods: Sixty-seven patients with endometrial carcinoma were evaluated with pathologic correlation. We compared the accuracy in the assessment of cervical invasion by endometrial carcinoma between parasagittal MR images and thin-section oblique axial MR images by using T2-weighted and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted pulse sequences.Results: Cervical invasion by endometrial carcinoma was confirmed by pathologic examination. Cervical invasion was seen in 16 patients. The accuracy rates of parasagittal T2-weighted images, thin-section oblique axial T2-weighted images, parasagittal contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images, and thin-section oblique axial contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images were 74.7%, 89.5%, 82.0%, and 95.5%, respectively. Statistically significant differences were seen between parasagittal T2-weighted images and thin-section oblique axial T2-weighted images (p = 0.002) and between parasagittal contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images and thin-section oblique axial contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images (p = 0.003).Conclusion: Thin-section oblique axial MR images are considered to be useful for the assessment of cervical invasion by endometrial carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report two cases of cholesterol granuloma in the middle cranial fossa. On CT the lesions appeared as a nonspecific, nonenhancing soft-tissue mass with bone erosion. On MRI they were seen as areas of high signal intensity surrounded by a low-intensity peripheral zone on both T1- and T2-weighted images. Cholesterol granuloma is thought to occur when pneumatised cellsin the temporal bone become obstructed. Although this lesion usually occurs in the petrous bone, it can extend to the middle cranial fossa. The diagnosis and surgical management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a patient with calcification of the convexity dura mater and an acute epidural haematoma. CT revealed a calcified layer between the haematoma and brain parenchyma, which mimicked acute bleeding into a calcified chronic subdural haematoma. The appearance of a calcified haematoma does not always mean a 'chronic' lesion, and that emergency operation should not be foregone, when there is a history of acute head trauma and progressive impairment of consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "KRAS and BRAF mutations are rare and related to DNA mismatch repair deficiency in gastric cancer from the East and the West: Results from a large international multicentre study" by NCT Van Grieken and colleagues, published in a 2013 issue of the journal is presented.