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Background and study aims We developed an e-learning program for endoscopic diagnosis of invasion depth of early gastric cancer (EGC) using a simple diagnostic criterion called non-extension sign, and the contribution of self-study quizzes to improvement of diagnostic accuracy was evaluated. Methods We conducted a prospective randomized controlled study that recruited endoscopists throughout Japan. After completing a pretest, the participants watched video lectures and undertook post-test 1. The participants were then randomly allocated to either the self-study or non-self-study group, and participants in the first group completed the self-study program that comprised 100-case quizzes. Finally, participants in both groups undertook post-test 2. The primary endpoint was the difference in post-test 2 scores between the groups. The perfect score for the tests was set as 100 points. Results A total of 423 endoscopists completed the pretest and were enrolled. Post-test 1 was completed by 415 endoscopists and 208 were allocated to the self-study group and 207 to the non-self-study group. Two hundred and four in the self-study group and 205 in the non-self-study group were included in the analysis. Video lectures improved the mean score of post-test 1 from 72 to 77 points. Participants who completed the self-study quizzes showed significantly better post-test 2 scores compared with the non-self-study group (80 vs. 76 points, respectively, P Conclusions Our e-learning program showed that self-study quizzes consolidated knowledge of the non-extension sign and improved diagnostic ability of endoscopists for invasion depth of EGC.

A 55-year-old man with several comorbidities including idiopathic interstitial pneumonia under long-term corticosteroid therapy, longstanding myocardial infarction, chronic heart failure, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, constipation, and history of paralytic ileus, was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase. He also tested positive for anti-topoisomerase I antibodies without clinical diagnosis of any connective tissue disease, including systemic sclerosis. Approximately 5 months after the initiation of nilotinib for CML, he developed upper abdominal distension with intermitting abdominal pain, and based on abdominal computed tomography findings, a diagnosis of pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) was made. Five courses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy quickly eliminated the PI and related symptoms without the cessation of nilotinib and, thereafter, additional oral prokinetic agents and non-absorbable antibiotics ensured the non-recurrence of PI. At 6 and 18 months after commencing nilotinib therapy, major and complete molecular response were achieved, respectively. It is suspected that both gastrointestinal hypokinesis related to the presence of anti-topoisomerase I antibodies and mucosal permeability due to corticosteroid therapy had existed. Thus, subsequent administration of nilotinib may have triggered PI by depressing gastrointestinal motility via the inhibition of c-kit.

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of a single administration of dexamethasone (DEX) on day 1 against DEX administration on days 1–3 in combination with palonosetron (PALO), a second-generation 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in non-anthracycline and cyclophosphamide (AC) moderately-emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC). This phase III trial was conducted with a multi-center, randomized, open-label, non-inferiority design. Patients who received non-AC MEC as an initial chemotherapy were randomly assigned to either a group administered PALO (0.75 mg, i.v.) and DEX (9.9 mg, i.v.) prior to chemotherapy (study treatment group), or a group administered additional DEX (8 mg, i.v. or p.o.) on days 2–3 (control group). The primary endpoint was complete response (CR) rate. The CR rate difference was estimated by logistic regression with allocation factors as covariates. The non-inferiority margin was set at −15% (study treatment group − control group). From April 2011 to March 2013, 305 patients who received non-AC MEC were randomly allocated to one of two study groups. Overall, the CR rate was 66.2% in the study treatment group (N = 151) and 63.6% in the control group (N = 154). PALO plus DEX day 1 was non-inferior to PALO plus DEX days 1–3 (difference, 2.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −7.8%–12.8%; P-value for non-inferiority test = 0.0004). There were no differences between the two groups in terms of complete control rate (64.9 vs 61.7%) and total control rate (49.7% vs 47.4%). Anti-emetic DEX administration on days 2–3 may be eliminated when used in combination with PALO in patients receiving non-AC MEC.

Background The regimens of nab-P+GEM have become available for advanced pancreatic cancer, especially metastatic disease. However, there are not enough data of nab-P+GEM for LAPC. Methods This is a retrospective multiple institutes cohort study using medical records of LAPC patients who received nab-P+GEM between January 2015 and September 2017. We have surveyed their characteristics and treatment outcomes. Results The number of relevant patients was 48 at 11 institutes. Median age was 68 years old, male/female : 22/26, ECOG PS 0/1/2 : 33/13/2, primary site; head/body/tail : 28/18/2. Relative dose intensity was nab-P; 0.588 (0.065-1.012) and GEM; 0.656 (0.368-1.012). Response rate was 27.0% and Disease control rate was 94.6% among patients who had target lesion. Median progression-free survival was 9.4 months (95% CI, 5.4 – 13.4) and median overall survival was 19.6 months (95% CI, 13.9 – 24.3). The most common adverse event of grade 3 or higher was neutropenia (61.7%). Febrile neutropenia was 8.3%. Conclusions It seemed that nab-P+GEM was effective for patients with LAPC. Prospective and further investigation in more cases is expected. Legal entity responsible for the study Hokkaido Gastrointestinal Cancer Study Group. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Triplet therapy using docetaxel, cisplatin, and S-1 (DCS) against unresectable gastric cancer as previously reported by us showed high clinical efficacy, with a 87.1% total response rate; however, it also showed a high incidence of grade 3/4 toxicity. With the aim of reducing toxicities, we conducted a phase II study of modified DCS (mDCS), using a reduced dose of docetaxel, and evaluated the clinical efficacy and adverse events of this regimen. Patients with unresectable gastric cancer received chemotherapy with S-1 (40 mg/m2 b.i.d) on days 1–14, and docetaxel (50 mg/m2) plus cisplatin (60 mg/m2) on day 8 every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was the response rate (RR). Overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and toxicities were also evaluated. Forty-nine patients were enrolled from November 2011 to April 2014, and 43 were eligible. The overall RR was 79.1%, including two cases of a complete response (4.7%), and 32 cases of a partial response (74.4%). Nine cases had stable disease (20.9%) but none showed progressive disease. Of the 43 cases, 15 cases (34.9%) underwent curative conversion surgery. The median PFS was 350 days (95% CI 240–416 days) and median OS was 722 days (95% CI 411 days–not reached). Grade 3/4 neutropenia developed in 79.1%, and febrile neutropenia in 34.9%, of patients. Non-hematological grade 3/4 adverse events were anorexia (25.6%), nausea (4.7%), and diarrhea (9.3%). Modified DCS therapy showed high clinical efficacy sufficient enough to attempt conversion therapy against unresectable gastric cancer. Modified DCS showed fewer toxicities, but careful management of these is still essential.

A 61-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who was undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage renal failure was transferred to our hospital due to severe thrombocytopenia and anemia. A bone marrow biopsy showed the complete absence of megakaryocytes and erythroblasts. Cyclosporine treatment resulted in the improvement of her megakaryocyte and erythroblast levels, and a decrease in her serum level of anti-c-Mpl (thrombopoietin receptor) antibodies. After this initial improvement, her anemia progressively worsened, despite the continuous administration of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine. Her platelet and leukocyte counts remained stable. This is the first report of a probable case of anti-c-Mpl antibody-associated pure red cell aplasia and acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura.

An 86-year-old man presented with enlarged left submandibular, left inguinal, and superficial femoral lymph nodes. He was diagnosed with Langerhans cell sarcoma (LCS) on the basis of the histopathological findings of the left inguinal lymph node biopsy. In addition, laboratory examinations revealed normocytic normochromic anemia, and bone marrow aspiration and biopsy led to a diagnosis of idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance (ICUS). Because of the patient's age, he was administered a regimen of cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (THP-COP), and achieved a partial response after six courses. However, he developed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 11 months after completion of the THP-COP therapy, and received only supportive care until his death. LCS is an extremely rare and aggressive dendritic cell neoplasm. To the best of our knowledge, only 67 cases have been reported in the literature. There are case reports describing the concurrence of hematological malignancies. Herein, we report the first documented development of LCS in a patient with ICUS who progressed to AML, and summarize the published data on the epidemiology of and therapeutic options for LCS.

832 Background: The J003 trial and RECOURSE trial revealed the safety and efficacy of TAS-102 for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). In March 2014, TAS-102 was approved in Japan. However, in these pivotal trials, there were few cases in which regorafenib was administered as prior treatments, and also there were few reports on the effectiveness and safety of TAS-102 after administration of regorafenib. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 126 patients who received TAS-102 after administration of regorafenib in the multi-institutional retrospective study (HGCSG1503). This study was analyzed by CTCAE v4.0 for adverse events (AEs), RECIST v1.1 for response rate (RR)/disease control rate (DCR), and Kaplan-Meier method for progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Patients characteristics were as follows; male/female 75/51, median age 66.5 (range 38-84), ECOG PS (0/1/2/3) 48/64/12/2, KRAS Exon2 wild/mutant 64/60 (2 patients; KRAS Exon2 was not tested). The initial starting dose was 70 mg/m2 (n = 100, 79.4%) and reduced dose (n = 26, 20.6%). Dose reductions were required in 30 patients (30.9%). The common ≥grade 3 AEs were neutrophil count decreased (45.1%), white blood cell decreased (34.9%), and anemia (28.6%). RR and DCR were 0% and 36.5%, respectively. Median PFS and OS were 2.1 and 5.7 months. In the analysis on the relationship between ECOG PS 0-1 and PS 2-3, median PFS was 2.2 vs. 1.4 months (HR 2.187, p = 0.008), and MST was 6.5 vs. 2.7 months (HR 2.424, p = 0.002). Conclusions: In this analysis, TAS-102 after administration of regorafenib in the real-world clinical practice showed similar efficacy and safety to the pivotal clinical trials, except for patients with PS 2-3. Clinical trial information: 000020551.

脂肪性肝疾患（FLD）の発生に及ぼすアルコール摂取の影響には不明な点が残されている．今回我々は2008年1月から12月までに腹部超音波検査を含む健康診断を受診した3185名を対象に脂肪肝の頻度に対するアルコール摂取の影響を多重ロジスティック回帰分析により解析した．内臓脂肪性肥満，空腹時高血糖，脂質異常症はいずれも脂肪肝頻度の増加と関連していた．1日アルコール摂取量20 g未満（少量飲酒群），20 g以上から40 g未満（軽度飲酒群）および40 g以上から60 g未満（中等度飲酒群）では脂肪肝のオッズ比は有意に低下した．男女別に飲酒の影響を検討したところ，男性では軽度飲酒群から中等度飲酒群におけるFLDの調整オッズ比は非飲酒群および1日アルコール摂取量60 g以上の多量飲酒群より低かった．一方，女性ではアルコール摂取の影響は明らかでなかった．以上の結果からFLDに及ぼす飲酒の影響には性差があり，男性では軽度ないし中等度までのアルコール摂取は過栄養性FLDの発生を抑制する可能性が示唆された．

Double- and triple-hit lymphomas (DHL/THL), high-grade B-cell lymphomas with an extremely poor prognosis, are defined by a chromosomal breakpoint affecting the MYC/8q24 locus in combination with another recurrent breakpoint. The successful use of dose-adjusted (DA) EPOCH-R in patients with MYC-positive lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma (BL) was recently reported. A 74-year-old man with acute renal dysfunction and hyperkalemia was transferred to our emergency center by ambulance. PET-CT revealed a left renal hilar mass enveloping the abdominal para-aortic domain and bladder and hydronephrosis. High (18)F-FDG uptake revealed lymph node, peritoneum, and multiple bone metastases. Analysis of the bone marrow aspirate revealed abnormal lymphoid cells with deeply basophilic cytoplasm and numerous vacuoles resembling Burkitt cells. Chromosomal analysis revealed a complex chromosomal karyotype, including t(14;18)(q32;q21), and FISH analysis confirmed split BCL2, BCL6, and MYC signals. Bone marrow biopsy revealed diffusely infiltrating large abnormal lymphoid cells with a CD10⁺, CD20⁺, BCL2⁺, BCL6⁺, c-MYC⁺ and MUM1(-) immunophenotype. B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and BL, was diagnosed. The patient achieved a partial response after eight courses of DA-EPOCH-R chemotherapy. Our experience suggests that DA-EPOCH-R may be an effective treatment for DHL/THL.

We developed a capillary zone electrophoresis method with indirect UV detection for determination of ammonium cations and alkali and alkaline earth metal cations in jellyfish. As the background electrolyte, a mixture of N-methylbenzylamine, citrate, and 18-crown-6 was used for the complete separation of all analyte cations. The limits of detection were 0.13 - 0.34 mg l(-1) at a signal-to-noise ratio of three. The values of the relative standard deviation of peak area were 3.2 - 4.9%. The proposed method successfully determined the above analyte cations in jellyfish for approximately 4 min.

Background When gastric perforation occurs during endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer, a surgical treatment generally is performed. Considering the increasing number of EMRs and the possibility of perforation, our research sought to investigate whether endoscopic treatment for gastric perforation is possible. Methods From 1987 to 2004, 121 of 2460 patients who underwent gastric EMR at the National Cancer Center Hospital had gastric perforation during EMR (4.9%). The initial 4 patients were treated with emergent surgery. The subsequent 117 patients who were treated with endoclips formed our study population. Results Endoscopic closure with endoclips in 115 patients (98.3%) was successful. Two patients with unsuccessful endoscopic closure underwent emergent surgery. In the past 6 years, patients with perforation during gastric EMR treated with endoscopic closure had a recovery rate similar to that of the nonperforation cases. Conclusions Gastric perforation during endoscopic resection can be conservatively treated by complete endoscopic closure with endoclips.

A 55-year-old female with stage IVA follicular lymphoma in third complete remission underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Neutrophil engraftment was achieved on day +18; however, platelet counts remained below 10 × 10(3)/µL, necessitating transfusions twice a week for more than 3 months. Bone marrow showed a decreased number of megakaryocytes with hypolobulated nuclei. No graft versus host disease, viral infection, or disease relapse was observed. Furthermore, severe thrombocytopenia below 5.0 × 10(3)/µL refractory to transfusion appeared on day +240 after influenza virus infection. Treatments with intravenous immunoglobulin, romiplostim, and rituximab were administered without any recovery. Subsequently, eltrombopag was initiated on day +443, after which platelet counts rose gradually and continued to rise above 20 × 10(3)/µL after 10 weeks of administration. The serum thrombopoietin (TPO) level was markedly elevated, and anti-TPO receptor (TPOR) antibody was detected in the patient's serum. Anti-TPOR antibody may play an important role in some cases of prolonged thrombocytopenia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with unknown etiology, and eltrombopag could be a novel therapeutic option for such cases.

A 79-year-old female diagnosed with T cell/histiocyte-rich large B cell lymphoma in complete remission after six cycles of rituximab-combined chemotherapy developed severe anemia, reticulocytopenia, and bone marrow erythroid hypoplasia. She was diagnosed with pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) accompanied by Coombs-negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia evidenced by a lack of glycophorin-A-positive cells in the bone marrow, haptoglobin under the detection level, and a high titer of RBC-bound IgG. Anti-erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) antibody was detected in the serum, and oligoclonal α/β and γ/δ T cells were also detected in her peripheral blood by Southern blotting analysis. Parvovirus B19 DNA was not detected by PCR. Although the treatment with rituximab had limited efficacy (specifically, only for hemolysis), subsequent cyclosporine therapy led to prompt recovery of erythropoiesis with the disappearance of anti-EPOR antibody and oligoclonal T cells. This is the first case report of anti-EPOR antibody-associated PRCA in a patient with malignant lymphoma treated successfully with cyclosporine.

To test the masking effect of motivation on ultradian fluctuations in arousal, we examined the self-rating scores for sleepiness, fatigue, and motivation and the electroencephalographic data for 5 male university students (age range, 18 to 20 years). They watched either an animated video series (Animation condition) intended to enhance motivation or interest or a landscape video series (Landscape condition) intended to induce lack of interest due to boredom. Each subject watched the two series for more than one week in a 3.1 × 3.1 m isolation unit. Each series was presented for 12 min. every 20 min. from 0900 to 1800. Subjective sleepiness and fatigue increased, and motivation was decreased for Landscape condition, suggesting the validity of the experimental manipulation. Closed-eye Oz-EEG alpha and beta activities fluctuated in an ultradian manner for both conditions, although slower cycles were observed at an interval of the Animation condition. The coefficients of variation of time series data were also lower for the Animation condition. These data suggest that either high motivation or absence of sleepiness or fatigue mask ultradian arousal cycles by producing fewer or slower fluctuations.

Primary malignant lymphoma of the uterine cervix is a rare disease, and the therapeutic strategy has not been clearly established. A 45-year old woman presented with vaginal bleeding and hypermenorrhea in January 2012. Physical examination revealed a mass in the pelvic cavity approximately the size of a neonate's head. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) showed a solid mass 11 cm in size in the uterine cervix with homogeneous low intensity on T1-weighted images, iso-high intensity on T2-weighted images, and heterogeneous iso-high intensity on gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetate(Gd- DTPA)-enhanced images. Multiple lymphadenopathy were also detected in the pelvis. The Papanicolaou smear indicated class 5 cervical cytology, and a subsequent histological examination by a punch biopsy of the cervix showed diffuse infiltration of medium- to large-sized mononuclear cells that stained positive for CD20 and CD79a and negative for CD3, CD5, and EBER. Bone marrow biopsy revealed no abnormality. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography(PET-CT)showed strong fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG)accumulation in the uterine cervix mass, and in the pelvic and right inguinal lymphadenopathy. The patient was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the uterine cervix, Ann Arbor stage II AE. She was successfully treated with 8 courses of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone(R-CHOP) chemotherapy, and maintains a complete remission.

A 58-year-old female diagnosed with early stage esophageal carcinoma in our hospital underwent endoscopic resection by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in April 2013. F-FDG PET/CT performed immediately prior to the ESD showed focal F-FDG accumulations in the vertebral body of Th8, and vertebral body and arch of L4 with SUV max of 3.98–4.42 (Fig. 1a–c). No masses or osteoclastic lesions were observed. MRI findings of the lesions showed low intensity on T1WI and high intensity on STIR image (Fig. 2a–d). To clarify the cause of the FFDG accumulation in the bone, we performed bone biopsy from the vertebral arch of L4. Histopathological findings revealed hypercellular marrow (80 % cellularity) and increases in number and size of megakaryocytes, most of which were in maturated form with hyperlobulated nuclei, which are usually found in cases with myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) (Fig. 3a, b). Reticulin fibrosis of marrow was observed minimally by Gitter staining (Fig. 3c), and collagen fibrosis was not observed. In contrast, laboratory workup for peripheral blood showed no abnormality: WBC 6,920/lL (stab 0.0 %, seg 61.0 %, lymph 30.0 %, mono 6.0 %, eosino 1.5 %, and baso 1.5 %), RBC 452 9 10/ lL, Hb 14.1 g/dL, Ht 40.6 %, PLT 33.3 9 10/lL, reticulocytes 1.2 %, LDH 229 U/L, VB12 351 mg/dL, and NAP score 223. Bone marrow biopsy subsequently performed from the left iliac bone showed normocellular marrow, but the number of megakaryocytes was also increased (Fig. 3d). Furthermore, JAK2 V617F mutation was detected in the bone marrow sample by real-time qualitative PCR with a sensitivity of more than 2 % of all alleles. G-banding showed normal diploid karyotype, and BCR–ABL translocation was not detected by FISH analysis. 5 months after the first visit, her laboratory data of peripheral blood was within the normal range, and FFDG PET/CT also showed similar F-FDG accumulation in the bone, without new lesions. We will continue to follow her progress carefully. The JAK2 V617F mutation is present in patients with Philadelphia-negative MPN, including over 90 % of polycythemia vera cases and about half of essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis cases [1]. The JAK2 V617F mutation may also be detected in healthy individuals without overt MPN [2]. Nielsen et al. [2] reported that the JAK2 V617F mutation was detected in 18 of 10,507 participants (0.2 %) in the general population, and three of these 18 individuals with the JAK2 V617F mutation developed overt myeloproliferative disorder during up to 17.6 years of follow-up. In the present case, focal F-FDG accumulation in bone marrow and histopathological findings, other than the finding of the left iliac bone marrow as positive for JAK2 V617F mutation, suggest that the patient is more likely to develop some form of overt MPN in the A. Fujimi (&) Y. Kanisawa Department of Hematology and Oncology, Oji General Hospital, 3-4-8 Wakakusa-cho, Tomakomai 053-8506, Japan e-mail: Akihito.fujimi@ojihosp.or.jp

Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura (AATP) is a rare disorder characterized by severe thrombocytopenia associated with total absence or a selective decrease in bone marrow megakaryocytes. A 67-year-old male presented with a 2-month bleeding tendency. He was referred to our hospital because of severe thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow biopsy showed complete absence of megakaryocytes without dysplasia in cells of the myeloid and erythroid lineages. AATP was diagnosed. In addition, mild normocytic normochromic anemia and reticulocytosis were also observed and haptoglobin was below the detectable level. Coombs-negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) was diagnosed based on the high titer of RBC-bound IgG and negative direct and indirect coombs test results. He was first treated with cyclosporine 200 mg per day and subsequently with prednisolone but only slight temporary improvement was achieved. Administration of eight doses of rituximab 375 mg/m(2) per week ameliorated both thrombocytopenia and anemia. AATP should be considered in the differential diagnosis of thrombocytopenia, and immunosuppressive therapy is a potential first-line treatment. This is the first case report of AATP accompanied by AIHA successfully treated with rituximab.

A 69-year-old male was referred to our hospital because of anemia, renal insufficiency, and a positive urine test for Bence-Jones protein. A bone marrow examination showed 73.7% of myeloma cells with lymphoplasmacytic morphology, the strong expressions of CD20 and CD23 by flow cytometry, and the chromosomal aberration of CCND1/IGH by FISH analysis. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, IgG-λ type. The initial treatment with bortezomib plus dexamethasone (BD) provided a rapid decrease in the level of IgG; however, he developed bortezomib-induced recurrent paralytic ileus accompanied by aspiration pneumonia during the second course. Interestingly, CD23 expression on myeloma cells decreased from 87.7% to 2.2% after 2 courses of BD. Negative CD23 expression was maintained following lenalidomide plus dexamethasone therapy. There are extremely few reports on CD23 expression on myeloma cells, and this is the first case report of multiple myeloma in which CD23 expression was lost after BD therapy.

We report a case of anal variceal bleeding successfully treated with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS). A 64-year-old man with alcoholic liver cirrhosis was hospitalized because of repeated anal bleeding. Colonoscopy revealed external anal varices connecting with rectal varices. Three days after admission, external anal variceal bleeding was observed. Angiography revealed that the anorectal varices formed by hepatofugal inferior mesenteric vein drained into the internal iliac vein. On angiography, the variceal blood flow rate was extremely low, therefore we performed EIS. Seven days after therapy, thrombosis of anorectal varices was observed.

We report a case of 70-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital due to hematemesis in June 2004. He was diagnosed by gastroscopy as having a type III moderately-poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed multiple lymph nodes swelling (#13, #16), finally he was diagnosed with gastric cancer stage IV (cT3, cN3, cM1). He was treated with S-1, but lymph nodes swelling increased in size, and then in March 2005, the treatment was changed to a second-line chemotherapy consisting of CPT-11 and CDDP. Abdominal CT scan showed a remarkable reduction of #16b1 lymph node, and the second-line chemotherapy was continued until 23 courses. But in April 2007, gastroscopy revealed the enlargement of gastric lesion. He was treated by third-line chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel and doxifluoridine. This therapy was effective and continued until 7 courses. However, the treatment gradually became resistant and he died in May 2008, which was 4 years since the initial diagnosis.

A 65-year-old male diagnosed with hypertension and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in April 2010 at a different hospital was administered angiotensin II receptor blocker and low-dose aspirin. Although laboratory data at that time showed eosinophilia (2,860/lL), further examination was not performed. He had a history of smoking 1.5 packs of cigarettes a day for 45 years, but no history of diabetes mellitus. He developed cerebral infarction in January 2012, but recovered uneventfully with conservative treatment, including statins for dyslipidemia. He was subsequently referred to our hospital to investigate the eosinophilia. On physical examination, he had several swollen lymph nodes in bilateral inguinal regions, but no cutaneous lesion was observed. Laboratory data were as follows: WBC 10,600/ lL, eosinophil 840/lL, Hb 11.2 g/dL, Plt 8.8 9 10/lL, FDP 12.0 lg/mL, LDH 352 U/L, BUN 17.5 mg/dL, Cr 1.00 mg/dL, IgE 8,600 IU/mL, ACTH 15.3 pg/mL and cortisol 9.4 lg/dL, as well as negative test results for ANA and MPO-ANCA. The urinalysis showed proteinuria and microhematuria. Parasite eggs were not detected in the feces. Bone marrow examination showed 9.1 % eosinophils among all nucleated cells without dysplasia, and FIP1L1-PDGFRa and BCR-ABL chromosomal aberrations were not detected by FISH analysis. Chest and abdominal CT showed several enlarged inguinal lymph nodes up to 18 mm in the minor axis. Although he stated that he had recognized these inguinal masses about 10 years previously and that they had not changed markedly in size, we performed biopsy from the right inguinal lymph node. Histopathological findings revealed needle-shaped clefts in the lumen of arterioles with multinucleated giant cell infiltration surrounded by normal lymphoid follicles (Fig. 1a–c). Perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration, mainly of eosinophils, was also observed. Flow cytometric analysis of lymph node showed no abnormality. The diagnosis of cholesterol crystal embolism (CCE) to lymph node was made. As he presented no other clinical manifestations of CCE, no further therapeutic intervention was performed. CCE is a rare systemic disease caused by occlusion of small arteries by cholesterol crystals released from atheromatous plaques of the aorta or major branches. Chest CT in this patient also showed calcification and wall thickness of the thoracic aorta, which can be a source of cholesterol crystals (Fig. 2). The common manifestations of CCE are characteristic skin lesions, such as livedo reticularis, cyanosis or ulceration, renal impairment, and gastrointestinal disorder. CCE involvement of lymph node is extremely rare. Only a few preand postmortem cases of CCE to lymph node have been reported to date [1, 2]. CCE usually occurs following an invasive vascular procedure, or anticoagulant or thrombolytic therapy, but it can also occur spontaneously. We surmised that the CCE in this patient was spontaneous, as he had not undergone any such intervention during this clinical course. The exact time at which the CCE developed was unclear, but pathological findings of lymph nodes showing CCE with giant cell infiltration and no signs of fibrosis suggested that it had been a relatively recent event. Hence, we suspect that the A. Fujimi (&) A. Hashimoto Y. Kanisawa Department of Hematology and Oncology, Oji General Hospital, 3-4-8 Wakakusa-cho, Tomakomai 053-8506, Japan e-mail: Akihito.fujimi@ojihosp.or.jp

Two controversial issues regarding p53 are whether it is involved in apoptosis induction of tumor cells by a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor and, given that p53 is indeed involved, which genes of acetylated p53 targets are responsible for giving rise to apoptotic death. We, in the present study, first confirmed that some substantial extent of apoptotic cell death was seen when p53-deficient cells (KATO-III) were transfected with wild-type p53 and treated with sodium butyrate (SB) or trichostatin A. By Western blotting, using specific antibodies, we then demonstrated that residues 320, 373, and 382 lysines of p53 were acetylated in KATO-III cells transfected with wild-type p53 (KATO-III/p53) treated with a HDAC inhibitor. However, as revealed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling staining, only those KATO-III cells transfected with K320R p53 or K373R p53 became insensitive to the HDAC inhibitor, suggesting that these two residues of p53 may be essential for HDAC inhibitor-induced apoptosis, whereas others such as K382R p53 may not. Furthermore, reverse transcription-PCR demonstrated that among various p53-related proapoptotic genes, expression of PIG3 and NOXA were clearly enhanced by SB treatment in KATO-III/p53 cells but not in KATO-III/K320R or KATO-III/K373R cells. Finally, we revealed that apoptosis could be evoked by SB even in cells where p53 mutations occur at residues other than 320 lysine or 373 lysine (TMK-1 and HSC-39 cells) and that this apoptosis was significantly, although not totally, suppressed by the anti-p53 antisense. It was, therefore, concluded that acetylation of the p53 molecule at residues 320 and 373, giving rise to up-regulation of PIG3 and NOXA, is one of the mechanisms for induction of apoptosis by HDAC inhibitors in cancer cells.