Chiral all-organic nitroxide biradical liquid crystals showing remarkably large positive magneto-LC effects.

The liquid crystalline chiral nitroxide biradical (S,S,S,S)-3 synthesized has shown much larger 'positive magneto-LC effects' in the chiral nematic (N*) phase than the monoradical (S,S)-1.

Bilateral Pleural Effusions as an Initial Presentation in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by sicca symptoms. Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and tracheobronchial sicca are the most common symptoms of pulmonary involvement in primary SjS, and they are rarely accompanied by serositis such as pleuritis or pericarditis. We report a case of SS presenting initially with bilateral pleural effusions. A 63-year old man was admitted to our hospital with a one-month history of cough, dyspnea, and right chest pain. Chest-computed tomography revealed bilateral pleural effusions. Serum anti-SS-A antibody titer was 1 : 256. Ophthalmological examination revealed a positive Schirmer test. Lip biopsy showed atrophy and plasmacytic infiltration of the salivary gland. Corticosteroid treatment was initiated. Pleural effusions were almost completely resolved by day 30. The patient has not experienced any recurrence.

[Malignant pleural mesothelioma with multiple nodules].

A 62-year-old man with left chest pain had left pleural effusion pointed out on a chest radiograph. Chest CT scans showed multiple nodules on the left parietal pleura and pleural effusion. He was referred to our hospital and we performed thoracoscopic examination. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (biphasic type) was diagnosed, based on the pathological findings of a parietal nodular mass, including immunohistological analysis. Chemotherapy using carboplatin and pemetrexed reduced the size of tumor and left pleural effusion. This is a rare case with atypical CT findings of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein B1 expression in malignant mesothelioma.

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein B1, an RNA-binding protein required for mRNA maturation, reportedly is overexpressed in early lung cancer and in several other tumors, including precancerous lesions. Expression of the protein was assessed immunohistochemically in 39 specimens of malignant mesothelioma and five of non-neoplastic pleura, and by flow cytometry in a human epithelioid mesothelioma cell line. No tumor showed overexpression, but 29 of 39 cases showed modest expression. Patients whose tumors showed expression had significantly better survival rates than others. Epithelioid tumors and reactive mesothelial cells were more likely to express the protein than sarcomatoid tumors and resting mesothelial cells. Flow cytometric analysis of an epithelioid mesothelioma cell line demonstrated stronger expression in exponentially growing than growth-restricted cells. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein B1 is expressed widely in malignant mesotheliomas and in reactive mesothelial cells, but is not overexpressed. This protein may regulate proliferation linked with differentiation toward epithelioid morphology in mesothelial cells. Expression of the protein may be a prognostic indicator for patents with malignant mesothelioma.

Infrequent existence of simian virus 40 large T antigen DNA in malignant mesothelioma in Japan.

Malignant mesothelioma is the most common primary pleural neoplasm. Association of simian virus 40 (SV40) with malignant mesothelioma has been reported, suggesting that SV40 plays an important role in the origin of a subset of these tumors. However, significant geographic variation is present as to how often this association occurs. As no study concerning SV40 in malignant mesothelioma has been reported from Japan, we examined the frequency of SV40 infection in Japanese malignant mesothelioma cases. In pleural malignant mesothelioma tissue from 35 patients in Japan, we sought the presence of SV40 large T antigen DNA using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as well as expression of the viral protein using immunohistological methods. Real-time PCR demonstrated that two of 35 mesotheliomas contained DNA sequences encoding portions of SV40 large T antigen. None of the 35 malignant mesothelioma specimens showed immunoreactivity for SV40 large T antigen. SV40 infection does not appear to have a major role in the development of malignant mesothelioma in Japan.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma is the most common primary pleural neoplasm. Angiogenesis is an important component of a variety of pathological processes, including carcinogenesis and tumor metastases. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most potent known endothelial, cell specific mitogen. The authors assessed the relation between VEGF expression and clinicopathological variables or overall survival, in malignant mesothelioma. We studied 37 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and found that 36 out of 37 (97.3%) malignant mesothelioma samples were stained positively for VEGF. An increased expression of VEGF was observed in the epithelioid type compared with the other histological types of malignant mesothelioma, including the biphasic and sarcomatoid types. No statistically significant association was observed between VEGF expression and gender, age, or clinical stage. Furthermore, the expression of VEGF did not impact on the survival of patients with malignant mesothelioma. Although VEGF expression might be important for tumor development and maintenance, it was not identified as a prognostic factor in malignant mesothelioma.

Erdheim-Chester disease in a child presenting with multiple jaw lesions.

BACKGROUND: Erdheim-Chester disease is a rare histiocytic disease entity related to juvenile xanthogranuloma. It is a systemic condition, usually occurs in adult, characterized by infiltration of foamy histiocytes within the bone and soft tissues. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report a case of 13-year-old female patient who first presented with multiple osteolytic lesions of the jaws followed by bilateral symmetrical bone lesions affecting the lower extremities, as well as brain and abdominal involvement. Histological findings of the jaw lesions showed lipid-storing CD68 (+), CD1a (-) histiocytes with Touton type giant cells. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of Erdheim-Chester disease with jaw bone lesions occurring as initial presenting symptom.

Clinical significance of the expression of tumor-associated antigen, RCAS1, and its soluble protein in pleural fluid in malignant mesothelioma.

RCAS1 is a type II membrane protein which is also secreted as a soluble protein. RCAS1 may play a role in evading immune surveillance by tumor cells and be responsible for the aggressive behavior of tumors. We examined the usefulness of RCAS1 in the follow-up of malignant mesothelioma. In addition, we examined the usefulness of its soluble protein (sRCAS1) in pleural effusion for the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma. We studied 38 patients with pleural malignant mesothelioma and examined the correlation between RCAS1 expression, clinicopathologic variables and overall survival. We also determined the pleural fluid sRCAS1 concentration with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that 34 out of 38 (89.5%) malignant mesothelioma cells stained for RCAS1. The positive rate was 90.9% in biphasic type, 78.6% in epithelioid type, and 100% in sarcomatoid type. No statistically significant correlation was observed between RCAS1 expression and gender, age, histology or clinical stage. Interestingly, survival of the malignant mesothelioma patients with RCAS1 expression was significantly increased compared with those without (median survival time: 13.0 vs. 4.3 months, p=0.011). Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors, using the Cox proportional hazards model, revealed that RCAS1 expression had a significantly positive effect on survival. sRCAS1 concentrations in pleural fluid in malignant mesothelioma were lower than those in lung cancer (2.18+/-2.20 vs. 46.3+/-129 U/ml; p=0.019). RCAS1 expression is informative for the follow-up of malignant mesothelioma patients. In addition, sRCAS1 in pleural fluid may be useful for the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma.

Syringomatous adenoma of the nipple: a case report.

Syringomatous adenoma of the nipple is a rare disease. To our knowledge, only 23 cases have been reported in the literature. We present the case of a 36-year-old lactating woman with syringomatous adenoma of the nipple, in whom local excision of the tumor was performed. Histologically, the tumor consisted of tubules, ductules and epithelial cell strands, and most of the proliferating ducts showed a characteristic teardrop or comma-shaped appearance. Careful monitoring to detect local recurrence is considered necessary, because syringomatous adenoma of the nipple, while being benign, is a locally invasive tumor.