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Phase equilibria among the η-Fe2Al5 phase and its higher-ordered phases with the η framework structure were determined experimentally. The solubility range of the η phase at elevated temperature does not differ remarkably from that in previous studies, but this phase is found to undergo complicated phase transformations upon cooling. Four phases are present, namely η’, η”, η”’ and ηm, with higher-order atomic orderings in the c-axis chain sites of the orthorhombic crystal structure of the parent η phase. The η” and η”’ phases form on the Al-poor and Al-rich sides, respectively, in equilibrium with the ζ-FeAl2 phase below ~415°C and θ-Fe4Al13 phase below ~405°C. The η’ and ηm phases become stable below 312°C and 343°C with the peritectoid reactions η’ → ηm + η”’ and ηm → η + η”, respectively. The η phase is not stable below 331°C with the eutectoid reaction of ηm + η”’ → η. On the basis of these findings, we unraveled the phase equilibria among the η-Fe2Al5 phase and its higher-ordered phases with the η framework structure., Graphical abstract

BackgroundTransforming acidic coiled-coil containing protein 3 (TACC3) is expressed during the mitotic phase of nuclear division and regulates microtubules. Recently, high TACC3 expression in tumor cells of various cancers including soft tissue sarcoma has been reported. However, its role in

The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is thought to involve dysfunction of the programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway; PD-1 negatively regulates autoimmunity by interacting with its ligand, PD-L1. We therefore investigated PD-1/PD-L1 expression in synovial tissue of patients with RA. We immunohistochemically stained synovial specimens from 51 patients with RA and assessed the association between PD-1/PD-L1 expression and rheumatoid factor (RF), the total count of infiltrating T cells, C-reactive protein (CRP), and Krenn’s synovitis score. PD-1 expression on infiltrating lymphocytes was detected in 34/51 RA cases (66.7%), while PD-1 expression was very mildly correlated only with the number of total infiltrating T cells (R2 = 0.1011, P = 0.0230). On the other hand, PD-L1 expression on synovial lining cells was observed in 37/51 RA cases (72.5%). Furthermore, a higher PD-L1 expression was significantly associated with RF positive state (P = 0.0454), and the correlations between PD-L1 expression and the number of infiltrating T cells (R2 = 0.5571, P

Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a transcription factor that is expressed in medullary thymic epithelial cells. It plays an essential role in central tolerance by eliminating self-reactive T cells. Recently, extrathymic AIRE-expressing cells have been revealed, which are associated with peripheral tolerance. Moreover, AIRE expression has been demonstrated in skin tumors and breast cancer. However, the expression of AIRE in osteosarcoma is unknown. We used immunohistochemistry to investigate AIRE expression in biopsy samples from 43 patients with conventional osteosarcoma and statistically analyzed the association between AIRE expression and clinicopathological characteristics. High AIRE expression was detected in 25 patients (58.1%), and significantly associated with the presence of lung metastasis (P = 0.014) and an increased number of forkhead box P3-positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (regulatory T cells) (P = 0.014). The overall survival rate for all osteosarcoma patients with high AIRE expression was significantly shorter than that for those with low AIRE expression (P = 0.046). In a subgroup analysis of American Joint Committee on Cancer stage II patients who underwent complete surgical resection and conventional chemotherapy, the overall survival and metastasis-free survival rates were significantly shorter for patients with high AIRE expression than for those with low AIRE expression (P = 0.019 and P

Gene and protein abnormalities of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) play an important role in the pathogenesis of various cancers and serve as important therapeutic targets. We investigated ALK protein expression, phosphorylation, and genetic aberrations using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in 81 soft tissue tumor samples: inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, n=1; alveolar soft part sarcoma, n=2; leiomyosarcoma, n=10; well-differentiated liposarcoma, n=7; pleomorphic liposarcoma, n=2; extraskeletal osteosarcoma, n=1; epithelioid sarcoma, n=1; synovial sarcoma, n=4; malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, n=4; undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, n=19; rhabdomyosarcoma, n=6; myxofibrosarcoma, n=8; myxoid liposarcoma, n=11; fibrosarcoma, n=4; and desmoid-type fibromatosis, n=1. ALK protein expression, gene signal gain (without translocation), and phosphorylation were observed in 33/81 (40.7%), 55/81 (67.9%), and 30/81 (37.0%) tumor samples, respectively. ALK protein expression was statistically associated with phosphorylation, but not with gene signal gain. ALK phosphorylation-positive cases showed a statistically worse metastasis-free survival compared with phosphorylation-negative cases (P=0.0215). Particularly, metastasis of myxoid liposarcoma was associated with ALK phosphorylation (P=0.0019), but not with ALK protein expression or gene signal gain. However, the prognosis had no association with ALK protein expression, gene signal gain, or phosphorylation. ALK protein expression and phosphorylation play an important role in tumor biology and provide potential therapeutic targets for soft tissue tumors. Future research should focus on the oncogenic role and the efficacy of potential inhibitors of ALK.

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) decrease lower esophageal sphincter pressure,which may result in gastrointestinal disease.In a previous study,we observed an increased risk of gastrointestinal disease following treatment with CCBs in elderly patients.However,there have been few epidemiological studies in non-elderly patients to determine whether CCBs increase the risk of gastrointestinal disease.We hypothesized that there would be greater use of antisecretory drugs,such as H2-receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs),among patients prescribed CCBs and to test this hypothesis,performed a dynamic retrospective cohort study from September 2005 to August 2008 at six community pharmacies in Nagasaki Prefecture,targeting patients aged< 55 y.Correlations between initiation of treatment with antisecretory drugs and maintenance therapy with PPIs were determined by the Cox proportional hazards model.The study included 86 patients on CCBs and 93 controls not on them.During the study period,12 patients on CCBs and 6 controls started to use antisecretory drugs,for which the hazard ratio was 4.02 (95% confidence interval 1.82-10.10,P

There is no established optimum treatment for malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) at present, and few MFH cell lines are established. In the present study, we established new MFH cell lines, KHZ-MFH and SFT85-03, and investigated the JAK/STAT (Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription) signaling pathway. We found that MFH cells secreted high levels of IL-6 and that STAT3 was constitutively activated in these cells. The JAK2 kinase inhibitor, tyrphostin AG490, suppressed the growth of MFH cells and inhibited the secretion of IL-6. Furthermore, blockade of activated STAT3 by forced expression of a cytokine signaling repressor, SOCS3 gene as well as a dominant-negative STAT3 in these cells significantly suppressed their growth. These results indicated that an autocrine mechanism of the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway could promote the growth of MFH cells and that this pathway could be a therapeutic target of MFH.

A 73-year-old woman with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) had an elevated serum CA19-9 level, but not KL-6. Her condition worsened and she subsequently died and this was associated with a rise in the serum KL-6 level. At autopsy, the lung showed a honeycomb appearance macroscopically and, microscopically, hyaline membrane formation was seen. Immunohistochemical staining revealed partial colocalization of KL-6 and CA19-9 to dilated bronchiolar cells. These features suggest that the mechanisms that cause the synthesis and release of CA19-9 and KL-6 from damaged lung tissue in IPF are likely to differ from those in diffuse alveolar damage. In addition, serum KL-6 levels may reflect the severity of disease more sensitively than CA19-9 levels.

Transforming acidic coiled-coil-containing protein 3 (TACC3), a microtubule regulator, is associated with various cancers. However, the relationship between TACC3 and soft tissue sarcomas (STS) remains unclear. We investigated the expression of TACC3 in 136 STS patient samples using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, and the statistical associations between TACC3 expression and clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated. Additionally, the expression levels of the tumor suppressor p53 and of the cell proliferation marker Ki-67 were also assessed by IHC. High TACC3 expression was detected in 94/136 of STS cases (69.1%), and significantly correlated with higher grade according to the French Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer system (P

【背景】肝細胞癌に対する局所療法の一つとしてラジオ波焼灼療法(Radiofrequency ablation : RFA)は急速に普及しつつある.今回, 我々は当院におけるRFAの経験を報告し, その有用性と安全性を検討した.【対象】腫瘍径3cm以下, 腫瘍数3個以内の適応基準に合致しRFA治療が完遂し追跡可能であった肝細胞癌76症例, 117結節について検討した.【結果】平均観察期間10.0±6.0ヶ月で局所再発は117結節中11結節(9.4%)で, 異所再発は76症例中21例(27.6%)であった.死亡例は4例で死因は肝細胞癌が2例, 肝不全が1例, 脳出血が1例であった.主な合併症は疼痛, 発熱, 嘔気・嘔吐, 一過性の肝障害, 呼吸苦, 胆道系酵素の上昇や胸水であったが全て対症療法で対応可能であった.【結語】RFAは重篤な副作用が少なく, 肝細胞癌の局所制御性に優れた治療法であると考えられた.

(Nitrosyl)(salen)ruthenium(II) complex 1 was found to serve as an efficient catalyst for the epoxidation of conjugated olefins under photoirradiation, with 2,6-dichloropyridine N-oxide (2) or tetramethylpyrazine N,N'-dioxide as a stoichiometric oxidant. High enantioselectivity was achieved irrespective of the substitution pattern of olefins. The choice of solvent depends on stability of the resulting epoxides: high enantioselectivity is generally observed in the reaction with ethereal solvents, but use of benzene is recommended when the resulting epoxides are acid-sensitive.

An essential nutrient selenium has been reported to be a potential cancer preventive and inhibitory agent, although no exact mechanism has yet been proposed. Since little is known about the anti-proliferative effect of selenium on osteosarcoma, this issue was addressed in the present study in vitro using three osteosarcoma cell lines, and in vivo using an osteosarcoma transplantable to nude mice. Selenium inhibited the tumor growth in vitro and morphological changes indicative of apoptosis were demonstrated. Osteosarcomas in nude mice were inhibited in growth by selenium with no cytotoxic change in normal tissues. The findings suggested that selenium may offer a novel therapeutic modality for osteosarcoma.

The histological grade of chondrosarcoma correlates well with their clinical behavior and with the patient's survival duration. We have previously demonstrated that p21 was expressed in the hypertrophic chondrocytes of the growth plate. To assess the relationship of p21 (waf1/cip1) to cell differentiation in chondrosarcoma, we examined the p21 expression in 14 cases of chondrosarcoma immunohistochemically and the induction of p21 by insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) during cell differentiation in SW1353 chondrosarcoma cells. p21 immunoreactivity was seen in well-differentiated chondrosarcoma cells and was mutually exclusive with MIB1 reactivity in grade-1 chondrosarcoma. In vitro, the proteoglycan synthesis of SW1353 cells was increased by IGF-I in a dose-dependent manner. However, cell proliferation was not markedly stimulated. Overexpressions of p21 mRNA and p21 protein in SW1353 cells were induced by IGF-I 100 ng/ml. Our results suggested that the p21 expression was directly related to tumor differentiation and that the p21 expression was an important mediator for IGF-I in chondrosarcoma cells.

STUDY DESIGN A case report. OBJECTIVES To illustrate a rare case of synovial sarcoma arising within a peripheral nerve. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA A synovial sarcoma arising within a peripheral nerve is very unusual. Only five cases of primary synovial sarcoma within a peripheral nerve have been reported. This is the first case with involvement of the nerve root. The authors diagnosed the tumor arising within the S1 nerve root as synovial sarcoma using cytogenetic analysis that detected the chimeric SYT/SSX gene. METHODS In addition to the immunohistochemical study, a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was conducted for the SYT-SS10 fusion gene using archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor specimens. RESULTS Computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging performed before surgery, and the intraoperative findings showed that the tumor was embedded within the S1 nerve root. Although the histologic findings were suggestive of a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, the results of the cytologic study confirmed its diagnosis of synovial sarcoma. CONCLUSION Primary intraneural synovial sarcoma, although rare, must be distinguished from malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. The molecular assay of the detection of the SYT/SSX fusion gene is useful to make a definite diagnosis of monophasic synovial sarcoma.

It is essential for terminal chondrocytes to die before the conversion of calcified cartilage to bone. We have previously demonstrated that apoptosis occurred in the terminal hypertrophic chondrocyte of the growth plate. However, the essential mechanism by which the differentiation of chondrocytes is regulated has not yet been characterized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism for regulating chondrocyte differentiation. We focused on PTHrP and p21 which regulated the differentiation of chondrocytes and investigated how these factors interacted with each other in chondrocyte differentiation in the growth plate. PTHrP was strongly positive on immunostaining at the interface between the proliferating and the upper zone of the hypertrophic chondrocytes, whereas p21 was negative. On the other hand, p21 was positive in the lower zone of hypertrophic chondrocytes. Furthermore, PTHrP up-regulated the cell proliferation and down-regulated the expression of the p21 messengers in SW-1353 chondrosarcoma cells. These findings indicated that PTHrP might be a negative regulator for p21 in the differentiation of chondrocytes.

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21Waf-1 is recognized as a negative regulator of cell cycle progression, and it possibly mediates cell differentiation and apoptosis. To understand the role of p21Waf-1 in phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC), we induced the overexpression of p21Waf-1 in cultured rat SMC. The recombinant adenovirus vector encoding p21Waf-1 (AdvCMVp21) was constructed by homologous recombination and the vector encoding beta-galactosidase (AdvCMVLacZ) was used as an experimental control. Administration of AdvCMVp21 suppressed serum-induced proliferation and cell cycle progression; however, the number of quiescent cells and the population of TUNEL-positive cells were not altered. Overexpression of p21Waf-1 did not affect the expression of contractile proteins and the availability of an endogenous growth factor signal p21Waf-1 may regulate cell cycle progression in SMC without affecting the apoptotic process and cell differentiation. Furthermore, the longitudinal diameter of AdvCMVp21 infected cells was increased compared with that of AdvCMVLacZ infected cells. Total protein content was also increased in AdvCMVp21 infected cells. Responses to the serum stimulation, proliferation and total protein synthesis may be independently regulated. Thus, the suppression of cell cycle progression by p21Waf-1 resulted in cellular hypertrophy of SMC.

Giant-cell tumor is predominantly a benign condition, but it can evolve into a malignant tumor or metastasize to the lung. Transformation of benign giant-cell tumor into sarcoma is relatively common after radiation therapy. We report here a case of a patient who had local recurrence seven years after marginal resection and radiation therapy for a giant-cell tumor of the sacrum. One years after initial operation, the patient returned to us because of a lump in the lower abdomen, and re-resection of the tumor and radiation therapy (50Gy) were performed. Microscopic examination showed the typical feature of benign giant-cell tumor. Seven years after the radiation therapy, low back pain developed gradually and a computerized tomography showed a huge tumor of the pelvic space. Histological features of the tumor indicated malignant transformation into fibrosarcoma.

We report a case of dedifferentiated leiomyosarcoma. The patient was a 56 year-old man. The tumor was local recurrence in the right greater pectoral muscle after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Tumor showed typical moderately leiomyosarcoma with dedifferentiated component. This component was revealed as pleomorphic malignant fibrous histiocytoma as a result of immunohistochemistry. These results indicated dedifferentiated components derive from loose muscle features due to dedifferentiation. We diagnosed this case as dedifferentiated leiomyosarcoma.

過去7年間に新たに多発性骨髄腫と診断された19例について調査した．男性9例，女性10例，年齢は33～88歳であった．腰痛を有するものは12例，初発症状として腰痛を認めたものは9例であった．診断までに整形外科受診を行っていた症例は11例で，整形外科受診が診断の契機となった症例は4例にすぎなかった．診断の契機としては，15例が血液検査異常，特に血清蛋白の高値8例，貧血7例，蛋白分画異常7例であった．また，整形外科受診時の診断名は6例が脊椎圧迫骨折，3例が変形性脊椎症などであった．MRIを施行した15例中，多発性骨髄腫の所見を認めるものは7例であった．多発性骨髄腫の多くが腰痛を有し，初発症状として腰痛を認め，整形外科受診を行う可能性が高いことがわかった．頑固な腰痛・増強する腰痛や付随症状を有する腰痛に対しては血液検査，尿検査，MRIの精査が必要であると思われた．

Newly-designed optically active (salen)manganese(III) complexes (5) catalyze highly enantioselective benzylic hydroxylation and moderate level of enantiomer-differentiating oxidation (kinetic resolution) of the resulting benzylic alcohols. Thus, the enantiomeric excess of hydroxylation product was increased through kinetic resolution, as the reaction time was prolonged. For example, enantiomeric excess of 3,3-dimethylindan-1-ol, the hydroxylation product of 1,1-dimethylindan using 5a as a catalyst in chlorobenzene, was 84% after 10 min and 90% after 20 h.

We describe a rare case of pleomorphic type of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) in the buttock that presented a systemic involvement. The case was of a 58-year-old woman presenting hepatic dysfunction and inflammatory reactions including fever, positive C-reactive protein (CRP), an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and high levels of platelets and ferritin. The fever of 3 months duration subsided on the first postoperative day. The MFH resection also brought rapid normalization in CRP, platelets, and leukocytes. The local and systemic productions of cytokines induced by this tumor were evaluated. In vivo and in vitro production of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor alpha by tumor cells were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Blood samples taken preoperatively, tumor tissues, and the primary culture medium showed extraordinarily high IL-6 levels. The plasma IL-6 level was normalized postoperatively. Immunohistochemistry showed the positivity of tumor cells for IL-6. The IL-6 produced by the tumor was concluded to have been responsible for the systemic illness.

We present five patients with acute traumatic hemarthrosis of the knee who also had hemorrhage within the bone marrow around the knee detected by magnetic resonance imaging. No additional bony, ligamentous, meniscal or osteochondral injuries were evident from clinical examination, initial and repeated plain radiographs, or magnetic resonance imaging. The main symptoms were sharply localized pain and tenderness of the contused area. When hemarthrosis was demonstrated at the first office visit, three cases had fat droplets in the blood. Two patients with hemarthrosis of the knee undergoing arthroscopy showed no obvious lesions of intra-articular structures. Instead they showed congestion of the joint capsule located in accordance with the traumatic episode. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated marrow abnormalities as diffusely low and high signal intensity areas in T1-weighted and T2-weighted images, respectively, in locations consistent with the traumatic episode and the symptoms. These disappeared within an average of 13 weeks (range in 4 cases, 12 to 16 weeks). These findings were considered diagnostic of bone contusion. Symptom duration was about 2 weeks in all cases. In conclusion the clinician should consider the possibility of coexisting bone contusion in cases of acute traumatic hemarthrosis of the knee with no evidence of bone or intra-articular lesions on clinical examination and conventional radiographs.

In the Mn-salen catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of some olefins, non-linear relationship between reaction temperature and enantioselectivity was observed. For example, the epoxidation of 1,3-cycloalkadiene with complex 3a as a catalyst showed the maximum enantioselectivity at 0 °C. It was also found that the electronic nature of the aromatic substituent in the salen ligand affects enantioselectivity but its effect does not necessarily correspond to the Hammet's σ-values. Based on these new experimental results, we propose a reaction mechanism which proceeds through metallaoxetane intermediate, for one oxygen atom transfer reaction from oxo (salen)manganese(V) complex to olefins.

This article reports a case of osteoid osteoma of the proximal humerus. A 22-year-old man had pain in the right shoulder for 18 months after a traffic accident. We found a small sclerotic change in the proximal humerus on X-ray images and typical nidus on CT in his first visit to our hospital. The tumor was removed and the pain in the shoulder disappeared completely after operation. He underwent arthroscopic surgery for the pain at another hospital one year ago, but the cause of the pain was not identified. We reviewed X-ray images which were taken 18 months ago at that hospital. The images did not show any marked changes. Osteoid osteoma of the proximal humerus is rare but we should consider the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma for patients with severe and long-term pain in the shoulder.

Enantioselective synthesis of three insect pheromones, (5 Z , 13 S )-5-tetradecen-13-olide, (9 R )-decan-9-olide, and ( S )-2-acetoxytridecane, has been achieved by using Mn-salen catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation as a key step.

Primary hepatic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is extremely rare, and the etiology of disease is not fully understood. We present herein the case of a primary hepatic MALT lymphoma with Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis C virus infection. A 71-year-old male was admitted to our institution to undergo a precise evaluation of a hepatic tumor incidentally detected during a computed tomography (CT) scan for chest examination. Dynamic CT showed faint enhancement during the arterial phase. The gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed a hyper-intensity on the arterial phase and low intensity during the late and hepatocyte phases. Liver biopsy specimen showed small to intermediate size atypical lymphocytes with positive CD20 immunohistochemical staining. It was finally diagnosed as primary hepatic MALT lymphoma. FDG-PET/CT showed faintly increased uptake with a maximum standardized uptake value of 4.6, and did not show other pathological uptake. We present the rare case of primary hepatic MALT lymphoma and discussed the etiology of this disease.

On the basis of the newly proposed hypothesis on the mechanism of asymmetric induction, highly efficient (salen)manganese(III) complex (3) was constructed as a catalyst for asymmetric epoxidation. With this catalyst, the highest level of enantioselectivity was realized in the epoxidation of various conjugated cis-olefins.

The new Mn-salen catalysts bearing (1R,2R,3R,6R)-3,6-dimethylcyclohexane-1,2-diamine as an ethylenediamine part was found to show higher asymmetric induction in the epoxidation of conjugated cis-olefins than the Mn-salen catalyst bearing optically active cyclohexanediamine as an ethylenediamine part. This result supports our proposal that olefins approach metal-oxo bond along nitrogen-manganese bond axis in salen-catalyzed epoxidation.

Enantioselective synthesis of three insect pheromones, (5 Z , 13 S )-5-tetradecen-13-olide, (9 R )-decan-9-olide, and ( S )-2-acetoxytridecane, has been achieved by using Mn-salen catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation as a key step.

(Nitrosyl)(salen)ruthenium(II) complex 1 was found to serve as an efficient catalyst for the epoxidation of conjugated olefins under photoirradiation, with 2,6-dichloropyridine N-oxide (2) or tetramethylpyrazine N,N'-dioxide as a stoichiometric oxidant. High enantioselectivity was achieved irrespective of the substitution pattern of olefins. The choice of solvent depends on stability of the resulting epoxides: high enantioselectivity is generally observed in the reaction with ethereal solvents, but use of benzene is recommended when the resulting epoxides are acid-sensitive.