Case of needle tract seeding during preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable pancreatic cancer.

Reports of needle tract seeding (NTS) as a complication of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) have been increasing. To date, most of the reported cases of NTS have been diagnosed during the postoperative follow-up period. Herein, we report a case of NTS that occurred during preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy after EUS-FNA for resectable pancreatic cancer. The patient underwent transgastric EUS-FNA for a pancreatic tail tumor. He was diagnosed as having resectable pancreatic cancer and received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After completion of the chemotherapy, computed tomography showed a thick-walled cyst-like structure appearing between the pancreas and the gastric wall. Combined resection revealed adenocarcinoma invasion into the cyst-like structure. Based on the clinical course, and surgical and pathological findings, the condition was diagnosed as NTS. It is thus crucial that after EUS-FNA, a detailed review of the imaging findings be conducted in the preoperative period. If adhesions between the stomach and the pancreas are observed after transgastric EUS-FNA, combined resection of the gastric wall should be considered.

Inhibitory effect of indole analogs against Paenibacillus larvae, the causal agent of American foulbrood disease.

Paenibacillus larvae, a Gram-positive bacterium, causes American foulbrood (AFB) in honey bee larvae (Apis mellifera Linnaeus [Hymenoptera: Apidae]). P. larvae spores exit dormancy in the gut of bee larvae, the germinated cells proliferate, and ultimately bacteremia kills the host. Hence, spore germination is a required step for establishing AFB disease. We previously found that P. larvae spores germinate in response to l-tyrosine plus uric acid in vitro. Additionally, we determined that indole and phenol blocked spore germination. In this work, we evaluated the antagonistic effect of 35 indole and phenol analogs and identified strong inhibitors of P. larvae spore germination in vitro. We further tested the most promising candidate, 5-chloroindole, and found that it significantly reduced bacterial proliferation. Finally, feeding artificial worker jelly containing anti-germination compounds to AFB-exposed larvae significantly decreased AFB infection in laboratory-reared honey bee larvae. Together, these results suggest that inhibitors of P. larvae spore germination could provide another method to control AFB.

Effects of mastication on human somatosensory processing: A study using somatosensory-evoked potentials.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of mastication on somatosensory processing using somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs). Fourteen healthy subjects received a median nerve stimulation at the right wrist under two conditions: Mastication and Control. SEPs were recorded in five sessions for approximately seven minutes: Pre, Post 1, 2, 3, and 4. Subjects were asked to chew gum for five minutes after one session in Mastication. Control included the same five sessions. The amplitudes and latencies of P14, N20, P25, N35, P45, and N60 components at C3', frontal N30 component at Fz, and P100 and N140 components at Pz were analyzed. The amplitude of P45-N60 was significantly smaller at Post 1, 2, 3, and 4 than at Pre in Control, but not in Mastication. The latency of P25 was significantly longer at Post 2, 3, and 4 than at Pre in Control, but not in Mastication. The latency of P100 was significantly longer at Post 2 than at Pre in Control, but not in Mastication. These results suggest the significant effects of mastication on the neural activity of human somatosensory processing.