A case of an advanced renal collecting duct carcinoma in which initial therapeutic effect was achieved with pembrolizumab plus axitinib.

Introduction: Renal collecting duct carcinoma is often found in advanced cancers and has a poor prognosis. Here, we present the case of symptomatic metastatic collecting duct carcinoma in which we observed an initial therapeutic effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Case presentation: The patient was a 69-year-old male who was referred to our hospital for examination of a right chest tumor and related pain. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography and tumor biopsy were performed, leading to a diagnosis of collecting duct carcinoma. A combination of pembrolizumab plus axitinib was initiated as first-line therapy; right chest pain decreased, and tumor shrinkage was observed. Seven months after treatment initiation, tumor progression was noted. Cabozantinib was initiated as second-line therapy; however, was discontinued due to patient fatigue. The patient died 15 months after the initiation of treatment. Conclusion: For symptomatic metastatic collecting duct carcinoma, pembrolizumab plus axitinib may have initial therapeutic effects.

[LAPAROSCOPIC LIVE DONOR NEPHRECTOMY WITH HORSESHOE KIDNEY: A CASE REPORT].

We performed laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy (LDN) on approximately 200 patients in Ehime Prefectural Center Hospital between 2003 and 2016. In 2016, a fifty-something woman who was a donor candidate for her husband was revealed to have a horseshoe kidney through contrast-enhanced computed tomography; other LDN procedures used a retroperitoneal approach, but this one used a transperitoneal approach since the latter approach allowed for a more favorable visual field. The left kidney was selected since renal scintigraphy showed equal bilateral renal function and renal arteries are simpler on the left side. The kidney was removed after the isthmus was successfully transected without ischemia. The opened calyx in the left kidney was sutured via bench surgery, and the kidney was transplanted to the recipient. Postoperative courses of both donor and recipient were good.

A simple and selective fluorometric assay for dopamine using a calcein blue-Fe2+ complex fluorophore.

A novel fluorimetric assay for dopamine using calcein blue (CB) complexed with Fe(2+) ion as a chemical sensor is described. The fluorescence arising from CB of the CB-Fe(2+) complex is quenched by the Fe(2+) ion. When dopamine is added to a solution of the CB-Fe(2+) complex, a dopamine-Fe(2+) complex is formed as the result of a ligand exchange reaction between CB and dopamine which permits the fluorescence from CB to be recovered. The fluorescence intensity at the wavelength of 440 nm (at the excitation wavelength of 340 nm) was found to be proportional to the concentration of the dopamine added to the CB-Fe(2+) complex solution, which permits dopamine to be quantitatively determined. The selectivity for dopamine in the presence of other catecholamines and related compounds was good. The calibration curve for dopamine, determined using experimental data was successfully simulated based on the equilibrium of the ligand exchange reaction between CB and dopamine. The working range is from 50 µM to 1mM and the limit of detection and limit of quantization are ca 10 µM and 50 µM, respectively. The assay is simple and economical, compared with conventional methods such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

An amphiphilic fluorescent probe for the visualization of histamine in living cells.

A novel fluorescent probe composed of two moieties, Nile Red and an iminodiacetic acid-Ni(2+) complex, for the detection of histamine in living cells is described. The probe was successfully applied to visualizing histamine in RAW264 cells, representing the first demonstration of the imaging of histamine itself in living cells.

Selective fluorescence detection of histamine based on ligand exchange mechanism and its application to biomonitoring.

We report on a novel histamine monitoring method by using a fluorescent probe, a complex between Ni(2+) and calcein, based on a ligand exchange mechanism. The fluorescence intensity of this probe, which has been reduced due to effective quenching by Ni(2+) ion, increases drastically by an addition of histamine. Furthermore, the probe shows high selectivity toward histamine among the various neurotransmitters in 0.1M phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4). Biomonitoring studies to detect histamine released from RAW264 cells are successfully represented.

Phospholipid-linked coumarin: a fluorescent probe for sensing hydroxyl radicals in lipid membranes.

A fluorescent probe, DPPEC (1,2-dipalmitoylglycerophosphorylethanolamine labeled with coumarin) was developed for detecting hydroxyl radical (*OH) in lipid membranes. The coumarin moiety contributes to the fluorescent detection of *OH and the phospholipids moiety gives a driving force to localize the probe in lipid membranes. DPPEC in liposomal membranes rapidly reacted with *OH and increased the fluorescence intensity, depending on the concentration of *OH. The increase in the fluorescence intensity induced by *OH was effectively suppressed by the addition of DMSO. The probe exhibited a higher fluorescence response to *OH over other reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, alkylperoxyl radical, and hypochlorite. DPPEC would be useful as a new type of fluorescent probe that can localize in lipid membranes and detect *OH efficiently.

Methodology of reversible protein labeling for ratiometric fluorescent measurement.

The first fluorescent labeling technology, which can induce not only an increase in the fluorescence intensity but also a shift in the fluorescence spectrum, has been developed for "ratiometric" measurements for a protein by utilizing a newly designed "field-sensitive" fluorescent probe and its corresponding unique amino acid tag.

Sequential injection chemiluminescence immunoassay for anionic surfactants using magnetic microbeads immobilized with an antibody.

A rapid and sensitive immunoassay for the determination of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) is described. The method involves a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system equipped with a chemiluminescence detector and a neodymium magnet. Magnetic beads, to which an anti-LAS monoclonal antibody was immobilized, were used as a solid support in an immunoassay. The introduction, trapping and release of the magnetic beads in the flow cell were controlled by means of a neodymium magnet and adjusting the flow of the carrier solution. The immunoassay was based on an indirect competitive immunoreaction of an anti-LAS monoclonal antibody on the magnetic beads and the LAS sample and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled LAS, and was based on the subsequent chemiluminscence reaction of HRP with hydrogen peroxide and p-iodophenol, in a luminol solution. The anti-LAS antibody was immobilized on the beads by coupling the antibody with the magnetic beads after activation of a carboxylate moiety on the surface of magnetic beads that had been coated with a polylactic acid film. The antibody immobilized magnetic beads were introduced, and trapped in the flow cell equipped with the neodymium magnet, an LAS solution containing HRP-labeled LAS at constant concentration and the luminol solution were sequentially introduced into the flow cell based on an SIA programmed sequence. Chemiluminescence emission was monitored by means of a photon counting unit located at the upper side of the flow cell by collecting the emitted light with a lens. A typical sigmoid calibration curve was obtained, when the logarithm of the concentration of LAS was plotted against the chemiluminescence intensity using various concentrations of standard LAS samples (0-500ppb) under optimum conditions. The time required for analysis is less than 15min.