Direct comparison of a covalently-linked dyad and a 1:1 mixture of tetrabenzoporphyrin and fullerene as organic photovoltaic materials.

A p-i-n organic photovoltaic cell with tetrabenzoporphyrin (BP), a BP-C60 dyad and PCBM for the p-, i- and n-layers, respectively, gave a better fill factor and power conversion efficiency than the corresponding p-i-n cell having a 1:1 blend film of BP and PCBM as the i-layer.

[Pancreatic and gastric metastases occurring a decade after nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma].

We report the case of a 64-year-old man who underwent resection on two occasions for recurrent renal cell carcinoma. He first underwent right nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma, and 10 years later, he underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic metastasis. Microscopic extracapsular invasion without lymph node metastasis was observed at that time. Twelve years after the first surgery, he was diagnosed with stomach metastasis. Clinically, metastases to other organs was not observed, and endoscopic ultrasonography revealed no changes in the submucosal layer; endoscopic submucosal dissection was subsequently performed. Pathologically, the tumor was found to be localized in the mucosal layer. There has been no occurrence of metastases for 2 years and 6 months since the last surgery.

[A case of a huge recurrent mesenteric desmoid tumor].

A 64-year-old man underwent resection of a mesenteric desmoid tumor in May 2006. He presented with a chief complaint of loss of appetite at a local hospital in July 2011. A huge abdominal tumor was detected on computed tomography, and he was referred to our hospital. We suspected recurrence of the desmoid tumor 5 years and 2 months after the first surgery and performed re-resection, revealing two tumors, measuring 32×29×10cm and 7.0×6.0×4.5cm, respectively. Histopathologic examination yielded a diagnosis of mesenteric desmoid tumor recurrence. Four months after re-resection, the patient is alive without recurrence.

Automated assessment of myocardial viability after acute myocardial infarction by global longitudinal peak strain on low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) assesses myocardial viability at the early stage of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but its assessment is subjective and variable. Automated function image (AFI) determines global longitudinal peak strain (GLPS) based on tissue tracking technique. The ability of GLPS obtained by AFI during dobutamine stress to assess myocardial viability after AMI was investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Low-dose DSE at day 3 in 23 consecutive patients with AMI was performed using Vivid 7 (GE Healthcare). Segmental longitudinal peak strain with AFI and obtained GLPS was analyzed. Wall motion score index (WMSI) by echocardiography 1 month later was determined. In 18 patients, left ventriculography was also performed at 3.2±1.5 months later to obtain left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and regional wall motion (RWM, SD/chord). GLPS was improved during dobutamine infusion at 10 µg · kg(-1) · min(-1) (-12.9 ± 3.5% to -15.2 ± 3.6%, P=0.0004). GLPS during dobutamine stress showed good correlations with follow-up WMSI (R=0.47, P=0.02), with peak CK-MB (R = 0.52, P=0.01), with RWM (R = -0.48, P=0.04), and with LVEF (R = -0.54, P=0.02), whereas GLPS at baseline showed no correlations with them. Averaged segmental peak strain at baseline and during stress were correlated with follow-up WMSI (R = 0.50 and 0.43, respectively), but not with LVEF. CONCLUSIONS: GLPS during dobutamine stress determined by AFI is a promising, objective index to assess myocardial viability on the early stage of AMI.

Nicorandil treatment in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: It is controversial as to whether nicorandil would have cardioprotective effects in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who are undergoing reperfusion therapy. A meta-analysis was performed to study the impacts of nicorandil on functional outcomes after AMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Randomized prospective cohort or retrospective cohort publications were identified up to October 2007 by means of a computer search of MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases. Two reviewers checked the quality of the studies and extracted data regarding patient and disease characteristics, study design, functional parameters such as Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade after reperfusion, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI). Seventeen studies were included for the meta-analysis in this study. Nicorandil treatment reduced the incidence of TIMI flow grade < or =2 in 1,337 patients of 10 studies (risk ratio 0.63; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44 to 0.91). While no beneficial effect was observed on the peak creatine kinase value, nicorandil treatment was associated with greater LVEF (by 3.7%, 95%CI 1.8 to 5.7%), and lower LVEDVI (by 8.8 ml/kg, -14.4 to -3.3 ml/kg) in 905 patients of 11 studies. CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analysis demonstrated that nicorandil treatment adjunctive to reperfusion therapy has beneficial effects on microvascular function and on functional recovery after AMI.

[Case of gastric cancer with recurrence of carcinomatous lymphangiosis of the lung 7.6 years after surgery and successfully treated with S-1/low-dose CDDP/Lentinan combination therapy].

A 78-year-old woman underwent gastrectomy for type 3 gastric cancer with pyloric stenosis, which was detected in November 1997. Thoracic and abdominal CT and other diagnostic procedures were conducted regularly for 5 years after surgery. The patient was recurrence-free and her clinical course was satisfactory. Starting in early May 2005, however, she began to experience respiratory difficulty at exertion, which exacerbated rapidly thereafter. Examination at a department of respiratory physiology led to a diagnosis of a recurrence of stomach cancer and carcinomatous lymphangiosis+lymphatic metastasis to the peritoneal cavity. She was referred to us for palliative care. The accentuated respiratory difficulty was eased with oxygen inhalation and opioid administration. With improvement in her respiratory condition, a combination of S-1 80 mg/day, CDDP 10 mg x once/week and Lentinan 1 mg x twice/week, was initiated. Within about 2 weeks, her respiratory difficulty was eliminated and after 4 weeks x 2 courses, the tumor images were no longer recognized in the thoracic and abdominal CTs. The combination therapy of S-1/low-dose CDDP/Lentinan is free of evident adverse effects and may be a potent therapeutic alternative as a palliative therapy for malignant stomach cancers in elderly patients or those in a poor systemic condition.

Clinical interpretation of the histological typing of gastric cancer using endoscopic forceps biopsy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Histological typing of gastric cancer is important for determining the treatment strategy and predicting the prognosis. We compared the histological types obtained by endoscopic forceps biopsy with the finally determined histological types of surgically resected specimens to investigate the reliability of histologically typing gastric cancer by biopsy. METHODOLOGY: Agreement between the biopsy typing and the final histological typing based on the predominant histology of the resected tumor was studied in 115 consecutive gastric cancers. RESULTS: The overall agreement rate of histological typing of gastric cancer was 75.7%. In patients with early gastric cancer, the agreement rate was a high 82.5% and the final histological type was usually predicted. In patients with advanced gastric cancer, the agreement rate was 72.0%, which was significantly lower than for early gastric cancer (p<0.05). The agreement rate for advanced differentiated cancer was also significantly lower than that for early cancer (63.6% vs. 90.0%) (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The reliability of using histological typing by biopsy to set the indications for endoscopic treatment and for preoperative prediction of the prognosis is expected to be good for differentiated early gastric cancer, but it might not be adequate for advanced cancer or undifferentiated cancer.