Search

Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the liver is an extremely rare disease with a very poor prognosis. An 83-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with left abdominal pain. Laboratory data showed mildly elevated C-reactive protein and biliary enzymes. The tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-fetoprotein, and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 were within normal ranges. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a 60 mm-sized low-density mass with poor contrast enhancement located in the lateral segment of the liver. The tumor showed low signal on T

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the pathological features and imaging findings of pancreatic carcinoma in situ (PCIS). Methods Twenty patients with PCIS were categorized as flat (F) (n = 6) and low papillary (LP) (n = 14) types. Results None of F type and 8 (57%) of 14 with LP type lesions showed intraductal infiltrations of the main pancreatic duct (MPD) greater than 10 mm. None of F type and 3 (21%) of 14 with LP type lesions showed skip lesions in the MPD. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed irregular MPD stenoses in 5 (83%) of 6 with F and 13 (100%) of 13 with LP type lesions. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography determined that the median lengths of the irregular MPD stenoses were 3.6 mm for F, and 11.6 mm for LP type lesions. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography determined that the median lengths of the irregular MPD stenoses were 2.8 mm for F, and 14.3 mm for LP type lesions. Pancreatic cancer recurrences limited to the remnant pancreas occurred in 2 patients with LP type lesions. Conclusions In LP type PCIS, intraductal infiltration of the MPD occurs frequently. There may be multiple lesions, and lesions may recur in the remnant pancreas. Long-term strict follow-up assessments should be implemented for LP type PCIS.

Early diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is essential for improving prognosis; however, diagnosing PDAC at an early stage is challenging. In patients with localized high-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-PanIN), whose tumorous lesion is undetectable on cross-sectional images such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance image, long-term survival is expected. Pancreatic cystic lesions or main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilatation are important indirect findings for the initial diagnosis of HG-PanIN. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) should play important roles in detecting abnormal image findings, such as local irregular MPD stenosis, caliber MPD changes, small cystic lesions, or branch duct dilatation. Additionally, EUS could detect hypoechoic areas around the MPD stenosis in some patients with HG-PanIN. Subsequently, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and its associated pancreatic juice cytology, including serial pancreatic juice aspiration cytologic examination (SPACE) after placement of an endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage (ENPD) tube, may have high diagnostic accuracy for confirming the malignancy in HG-PanIN. Although ERCP and its associated pancreatic cytology, including SPACE, may be associated with post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP), a recent randomized trial suggested that a 4-Fr ENPD tube may reduce the incidence of PEP. In the future, further prospective multicenter studies are required to establish a standard method of SPACE. Additionally, further studies for novel biomarkers could help to establish evolutionary methods with duodenal fluid and pancreatic juice for the early and accurate diagnosis of early-stage PDAC.

Methyl halides released from the ocean serve as important carriers of halogen into the atmosphere. The transported halogens are released into the atmosphere through photolysis, and catalyze ozone depletion. Marine bacteria are known to be a source of methyl halides in marine environments, but the effects of environmental temperature on the production of methyl halides by bacteria have not been studied. Here, we examined the effect of temperature on methyl halide production in a culture of marine bacteria (HKF-1) belonging to Erythrobacter , which was incubated for several days at 15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, or 30 °C. We also analyzed the effect of temperature on the production of methyl halides in a culture of the marine γ -proteobacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri . The concentrations of methyl halides such as CH 3 Cl, CH 3 Br, and CH 3 I in the gas phase above cultured samples were determined using dynamic headspace gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Bacterial growth was monitored by measuring the optical density at 600 nm. The production rate of CH 3 Cl by marine bacteria (HKF-1) was increased with increasing temperature from 15 °C to 30 °C, and the maximum production rate for CH 3 Cl was ~ 19 pmol (10 9 cells) − 1 d − 1 at 30 °C, which was about 26 times higher than that at 15 °C (~ 0.7 pmol (10 9 cells) − 1 d − 1 ). The production rates of CH 3 Cl by P. stutzeri were also increased with increasing temperature from 15 °C to 30 °C. The production rates for CH 3 Br by bacteria (HKF-1) were increased with increasing temperature from 15 °C to 30 °C, whereas changes in the production rates for CH 3 I by these two bacteria were relatively small during the temperature rise from 15 °C to 30 °C. Higher production rates of CH 3 Cl, CH 3 Br, and CH 3 I were observed during the exponential phase than during the stationary phase in the cultures of HKF-1. The ratio of production rates (CH 3 Cl:CH 3 Br:CH 3 I) was 1.0:0.12:0.015 in the cultures of HKF-1, and this ratio was almost constant between 15 °C and 25 °C. These results suggested that water temperature could affect the production of methyl halides derived from bacteria and would be a significant factor for estimating the emissions of methyl halides from marine environments.