Focal atrial tachycardia originating from the pulmonary vein with onset later than 3 years of age might have a better prognosis, possibly converting in adolescence.

Two cases of focal atrial tachycardia probably originating from the pulmonary vein with onset later than 3 years of age are presented. Both cases had associated variable atrioventricular conduction and showed no signs of heart failure, and they converted to sinus rhythm at the time of puberty. In cases of focal atrial tachycardia originating from the pulmonary vein with onset later than 3 years of age, drug therapy may be effective. Even if drug therapy is not effective, changes in the autonomic nervous system are reflected strongly in the pulmonary veins, so that changes in autonomic nervous system regulation with growth might terminate focal atrial tachycardia. Therefore, focal atrial tachycardia originating from the pulmonary vein with onset later than 3 years of age might have a better prognosis.

Improved outcomes with advancements in high intensity focused ultrasound devices for the treatment of localized prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the association between long-term clinical outcomes and morbidity with high intensity focused ultrasound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included patients with stage T1c-T3N0M0 prostate cancer who were treated with Sonablate® (SB) devices during 1999 to 2012 and followed for more than 2 years. Risk stratification and complication rates were compared among the treatment groups (ie SB200/500 group, SB500 version 4 group and SB500 tissue change monitor group). Primary study outcomes included overall, cancer specific and biochemical disease-free survival rates determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis (Phoenix definition). Secondary outcomes included predictors of biochemical disease-free survival using Cox models. RESULTS: A total of 918 patients were included in the study. Median followup in the SB200/500, SB500 version 4 and the SB500 tissue change monitor groups was 108, 83 and 47 months, respectively. The 10-year overall and cancer specific survival rates were 89.6% and 97.4%, respectively. The 5-year biochemical disease-free survival rate in the SB200/500, SB500 version 4 and SB500 tissue change monitor group was 48.3%, 62.3% and 82.0%, respectively (p < 0.0001). The overall negative biopsy rate was 87.3%. On multivariate analysis pretreatment prostate specific antigen, Gleason score, stage, neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy and high intensity focused ultrasound devices were significant predictors of biochemical disease-free survival. Urethral stricture, epididymitis, urinary incontinence and rectourethral fistula were observed in 19.7%, 6.2%, 2.3% and 0.1% of cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term followup of patients with high intensity focused ultrasound demonstrated improved clinical outcomes due to technical, imaging and technological advancements.

[A case of complete response of multiple lung metastases of renal cell carcinoma with the flexible administration of sunitinib].

A 72-year-old male underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy of left renal cell carcinoma in March 2010. Pathological findings revealed clear cell renal cell carcinoma, G3, pT1b, INFα and v1. At 3 months after operation, computed tomography (CT) showed multiple metastases in bilateral lungs. Sunitinib was administered with a scheduled cycle of drug administration for 4 weeks at a dose of 37.5 mg/day followed by 2 weeks of rest. Administration of sunitinib was interrupted at day 18 due to common terminology criteria for adverse events v 3.0 (CTCAE) grade 2 thrombocytopenia. After 3 weeks, sunitinib was restarted with a scheduled cycle of drug administration for 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks of rest at the same dose. After 6 cycles, CT revealed complete response of lung metastasis and there was no evidence of the disease at 12- month follow-up.

Value of metastin receptor immunohistochemistry in predicting metastasis after radical nephrectomy for pT1 clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

KISS-1 is a metastasis-suppressor gene of human melanoma, and encodes metastin, which was identified as the ligand of a G-protein-coupled receptor (metastin receptor). The precursor protein is cleaved to 54 amino acids, which may be further truncated into carboxy-terminal fragments. Previous studies showed that lack of metastin receptor in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is associated with tumor progression, but the prediction of metastasis in patients with pT1 clear cell RCC after radical nephrectomy is difficult. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of metastin receptor immunohistochemistry in predicting metastasis after nephrectomy for pT1 clear cell RCC. After verification of the correlation between immunostaining and mRNA expression, we evaluated the clinical value of metastin receptor immunohistochemistry. Fifty-four patients were enrolled in this study; following radical nephrectomy, seven patients were found to have lung metastasis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value with negative immunostaining of metastin receptor were 85.7, 97.6, 46.2, and 97.6 %, respectively. Metastasis-free survival rates were significantly higher in patients with positive staining (97.6 %) than in patients with negative staining (53.8 %) (P < 0.001). In univariate analysis for metastasis-free survival, negative immunostaining of metastin receptor was a significant risk factor for metastasis (P = 0.001). Furthermore, negative immunostaining of metastin receptor was an independent predictor for metastasis in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 3.735; 95 % CI 0.629-22.174; P = 0.002). In conclusion, our study suggests that negative expression of metastin receptor in clear cell RCC is significantly related to metastasis.

Vanadium-catalyzed enantioselective Friedel-Crafts-type reactions.

Vanadium-mediated enantioselective Friedel-Crafts (FC)-type reactions were established using the dinuclear vanadium complex (R(a),S,S)-1a. The vanadium complex promoted the FC-type reaction of imines with 2-naphthols or indoles to give corresponding adducts with high enantioselectivities.

[A case report on a patient with inflammatory pseudotumor of the bladder].

A 43-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a bladder tumor, which was incidentally found by abdominal ultrasonography in a health examination. Cystoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging showed a 3 cm submucosal bladder tumor localized at the top of the bladder. We performed transurethral resection of bladder tumor. Histopathological features was inflammatory tumor of urinary bladder. No local recurrence was seen 6 months after surgery.

High-intensity focused ultrasound as salvage therapy for patients with recurrent prostate cancer after external beam radiation, brachytherapy or proton therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) as a salvage therapy in patients with recurrence of localized prostate cancer after external beam radiation (EBRT), brachytherapy, or proton therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients who had undergone salvage HIFU for biopsy-proven prostate cancer after primary radiation therapy. Patient characteristics and oncological outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Records of 22 patients with a median (range) follow-up of 24 (5-80) months were reviewed. Patients were men with presumed organ-confined disease who had been treated with salvage HIFU following recurrent disease after EBRT (fourteen patients), brachytherapy (five patients: four with high-dose brachytherapy using In(192) ; and one with low-dose brachytherapy using Au(98) ) or proton therapy (three patients). The median (range) age at salvage HIFU was 65 (52-80) years, with a median (range) prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level before radiation therapy of 14.3 (5.7-118) ng/mL and a median (range) PSA level of 4.0 (1.2-30.1) ng/mL before HIFU. The median (range) period to HIFU after radiation therapy was 36 (4-96) months. The biochemical disease-free survival (bDFS) rate in all patients at 5 years was 52%. Rates of bDFS in low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups were 100%, 86%, and 14%, respectively. One of the twelve patients who received post-HIFU prostate biopsy showed malignancy. Side effects included urethral stricture in four patients, grade I urinary incontinence in four patients, rectourethral fistula and epididymitis in one of each patient. CONCLUSION: Salvage HIFU is a promising treatment option for local recurrence after radiation therapy, with morbidity comparable with other forms of salvage treatment.

Surgical resection using retroperitoneal approach for solitary fibrous tumor in the pelvis.

This report concerns a case of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) for which surgical resection was performed using a retroperitoneal approach. A 41-year-old man was referred to our hospital with urinary retention. Abdominal ultrasound sonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) showed a hypervascular mass lesion in the pelvis. Transrectal biopsy showed SFT. Surgical resection was carried out using a retroperitoneal approach and preserving the neural network related to urinary and erectile functions. Based on immunohistochemical findings, the tumor was diagnosed to be malignant SFT in the pelvic cavity. Urinary function improved post-operation. There was no change to IIEF-5 and it continued to function well. The patient showed no sign of recurrence 12 months after surgery and required no additional therapy.

[Laparoscopic resection of retroperitoneal epidermoid cyst on the right adrenal gland: a case report].

A woman in her sixties was found to have pain in her upper back. An adrenal tumor was found by abdominal sonography and she was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed right adrenal cystic tumor. We diagnosed the tumor as right adrenal cystic tumor, and performed surgical excision by laparoscopic surgery. The resected tissue was a gray surface cystic mass, weighing 20 g. Histopathological examination of excised tumors revealed an epidermoid cyst.

Quality of life following high-intensity focused ultrasound for the treatment of localized prostate cancer: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To report our health-related quality of life (QOL) and functional outcomes following high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for localized prostate cancer. METHODS: Data from prostate cancer patients undergoing HIFU at our institution between January 1999 and April 2007 were collected in our prospective database. Standard preoperative and surgical parameters, as well as baseline urinary function, QOL and sexual assessment were included. The Japanese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-general (FACT-G), the FACT-prostate (P) and the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) were used for the functional assessment. These self-administered questionnaires were collected preoperatively and again at 6, 12 and 24 months postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 326 patients were included in the analysis. Maximum flow rate and residual urine volume were significantly impaired at 6 months (P = 0.010) after HIFU, even if they returned to baseline values at 12 or 24 months after HIFU. The total FACT-G score significantly improved at 24 months (P = 0.027) after HIFU. At 6, 12 and 24 months after HIFU, 52%, 63% and 78%, respectively, of the patients, not receiving neoadjuvant hormonal therapy, were potent. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, functional and QOL outcomes after HIFU therapy for localized prostate cancer are better than those after other treatment modalities.

Salvage high-intensity focused ultrasound for biopsy-confirmed local recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To present experience in high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) used as a salvage therapy for biopsy-confirmed local recurrence at the vesico-urethral anastomosis after radical prostatectomy (RP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From July 2006, four patients diagnosed with prostate cancer recurrence after RP were treated with HIFU, with or without salvage radiotherapy, using the Sonablate 500 (Focus Surgery, IN, USA). Biochemical failure was defined as in increase in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of >0.2 ng/mL. No patients received any adjuvant therapy after HIFU therapy before reporting failure. RESULTS: The mean age and initial PSA level before RP was 74 years and 10.0 ng/mL, respectively. After RP, one patient was stage T2aN0M0, two were stage T3N0M0 and the last had an unknown pathological stage. Three patients received external beam radiotherapy as salvage therapy after RP. The mean PSA level before HIFU, tumour volume at the vesico-urethral lesion and operative duration were 4.3 ng/mL, 4.6 mL and 27 min, respectively. Adenocarcinomas were confirmed by biopsy of the tumour at the vesico-urethral anastomotic lesion before HIFU. At 24 months of follow-up, patients 2 and 4 were classified a biochemically disease-free. Biopsies at the anastomotic site after HIFU in three patients showed no malignancy, with fibrosis. There were no complications. CONCLUSION: Salvage HIFU for patients with recurrence after RP is feasible, even though they received salvage radiotherapy before HIFU. More patients and a longer follow-up are needed to evaluate the safety and oncological adequacy of this new approach.

Metastasis to gallbladder and adrenal gland of renal cell carcinoma.

We studied a case of metastasis to the gallbladder and left adrenal gland of clear cell-type renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the right kidney. A polypoid gallbladder tumor and left adrenal mass were found 2 years after surgery for clear cell-type RCC in a 50-year-old man. The gallbladder tumor and left adrenal mass showed hypervascularity on diagnostic imaging. Systemic image screening showed no other metastatic lesion. Simple cholecystectomy and left adrenalectomy were performed. A histopathological examination showed tumor cells in a gallbladder polyp. Furthermore, based on various specific and immunohistochemical studies, the patient was pathologically diagnosed to have gallbladder and right adrenal gland metastasis of clear cell-type RCC.

[Retroperitoneal mixed-type liposarcoma detected by health examination].

A 68-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a retroperitoneal tumor, which was incidentally found by abdominal ultrasonography in a health examination. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed retroperitoneal liposarcoma in the right retroperitoneal space. He underwent surgical excision of the tumor with Gerota fascia and perinephrium. The resected tissue was a pale yellow solid and white mucous mass, weighing 1,100 g. Histopathological examination of excised tumors revealed mixed-type liposarcoma (well-differentiated and myxoid types). He received no adjuvant therapy.

Transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound for the treatment of localized prostate cancer: eight-year experience.

OBJECTIVE: To report on the long-term results of high-intensity focused ultrasound in the treatment of localized prostate cancer. METHODS: A total of 517 men with stage T1c-T3N0M0 prostate cancer treated with Sonablate devices (Focus Surgery, Indianapolis, IN, USA) between January 1999 and December 2007 were included in the study. Biochemical failure was defined according to the Phoenix definition (prostate-specific antigen nadir + 2 ng/mL). results: The median follow-up period for all patients was 24.0 months (range, 2 to 88). The biochemical disease-free rate (BDFR) in all patients at 5 years was 72%. The BDFR in patients with stage T1c, T2a, T2b, T2c and T3 groups at 5 years were 74%, 79%, 72%, 24% and 33%, respectively (P < 0.0001). BDFR in patients in the low, intermediate and high-risk groups at 5 years were 84%, 64% and 45%, respectively (P < 0.0001). The BDFR in patients treated with or without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy at 7 years were 73% and 53% (P < 0.0001), respectively. In multivariate analysis, pretreatment prostate-specific antigen levels (hazard ratio 1.060; P < 0.0001; 95% confidence interval 1.040-1.080), neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (hazard ratio 2.252; P < 0.0001; 95% confidence interval 1.530-3.315) and stage (P = 0.0189) were demonstrated to be statistically significant variables. Postoperative erectile dysfunction was noted in 33 out of 114 (28.9%) patients who were preoperatively potent. CONCLUSIONS: High-intensity focused ultrasound therapy appears to be minimally invasive, efficacious and safe for patients with localized prostate cancer, particularly those with low- and intermediate-risk cancer.

Metastin inhibits migration and invasion of renal cell carcinoma with overexpression of metastin receptor.

BACKGROUND: Metastin, the final peptide of the KiSS-1 gene, has been proposed to suppress cell motility. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tissue expresses metastin or its receptor, and clarified whether metastin can suppress migration and/or invasion and/or proliferation of RCC cells in vitro. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five RCC samples were submitted. Fresh RCC tissues were prepared for real-time RT-PCR, and formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues blocks were examined by immunohistochemistry. RCC cell lines Caki-1 and ACHN were supplied for cell migration, invasion, and proliferation assays. MEASUREMENTS: Real-time RT-PCR was performed by using Taq Man gene expression system. ENVISION system was used in immunohistochemistry. Wound-healing assay and matrigel assays were used to identify migration and invasion abilities of RCC cell lines. Cell Counting Kit-8 was applied to measure the cell proliferation. Cell morphology was examined under a META system. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS15.0J. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: In twenty-five RCC samples, the mRNA level of metastin receptor was identified to be significantly higher than non-neoplastic renal cortex by real-time RT-PCR (p=0.011). Immunohistochemical study also detected metastin receptor protein in all RCC tumors. In vitro, this study showed that metastin inhibited migration and invasion of Caki-1 and ACHN cells. In contrast, it had no effects on cell proliferation. Metastin (10 micromol/l) induced excessive formation of focal adhesions and stress fibers in Caki-1 and ACHN cells; this phenomenon was inhibited by pretreating pharmacological Rho-kinase inhibitor (Y-27632) to those cells. CONCLUSION: This is the first report regarding overexpression of the metastin receptor hOT7T175 in human RCC. We demonstrate that metastin can inhibit migration and invasion of the RCC cell line, which is regulated by a Rho-kinase inhibitor. Metastin and its receptor are therefore probable targets for suppressing RCC.

[Renal infarction with renal abscess onset due to infective endocarditis: a case report].

A 68- year-old male was referred with fever and urinary tract infection. Abdominal computed tomography showed a right renal infarction with abscess and abscesses in the liver and spleen. Cardiac ultrasonic examination showed a vegitation in the aortic valve. Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with infective endocarditis and multiple abdominal organ abscesses. The renal infarctions and multiple abscesses probably developed due to dissemination of warts associated with infective endocarditis. We performed emergency valve replacement at the cardiovascular surgery unit at our hospital. Improvements were made in the multiple abscesses after subsequent treatment with an antibiotic agent. The renal diseases associated with infective endocarditis were found to be diverse and we concluded that it is important to understand the conditions of the disease correctly for appropriate treatment.

[Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma of the left iliopsoas muscle].

A 62-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a 10 cm retroperitoneal tumor, which was incidentally found on the abdominal computed tomography (CT). CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy revealed that the tumor was malignant, but could not define the exact pathology of the tumor. The tumor was resected. The pathological study revealed atypical spindle to polygonal shaped cells embedded in the myxomatous stroma. The tumor was diagnosed as extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma. Walking difficulty was observed postoperatively, which was considered to have been caused by damage of a branch of the femoral nerve. The difficulty had gradually overcome with rehabilitation before discharge.

Impact of a clinical pathway in cases of transurethral resection of the prostate.

Due to the recent dramatic increase in health care costs, costs containment for medical care has been recognized as an important issue. We evaluated the effects of a clinical pathway on hospital charges and the clinical outcome. The subjects consisted of 48 patients who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TUR-P) at the Department of Urology, Nerima General Hospital via its own clinical pathway during the two-year period from April 1998 to March 2000. The mean length of hospital stay, clinical outcome and the medical insurance charges for these patients were compared with those of 68 patients who had undergone TUR-P before the implementation of the clinical pathway. As a result of the clinical pathway implementation for TUR-P, the length of hospital stay decreased from 17.2 days to 3.8 days and the total medical insurance charges (insurance points) also decreased from 37,484.6 to 31,278.9 yen. The postoperative complications did not substantially differ before and after the implementation of the clinical pathway. These results demonstrate that the establishment of clinical pathway can improve the treatment efficiency for almost all patients. It is, however, important to take into account the individuality of patients.

Acute myocardial infarction during combined chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin for testicular cancer.

We report a case of acute myocardial infarction during combined chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin for testicular cancer. A 30-year-old smoker without any history of ischemic heart disease complained of sudden chest pain on the ninth day of his third course of chemotherapy. An electrocardiogram showed ST segment elevation in II, III and aVF. Emergency coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of the right coronary artery by a thrombus, which was removed by coronary atherectomy.

[A case report: simultaneous bilateral testicular tumors with different cell types--complete response after combination chemotherapy of cisplatin and irrinotecan hydrochloride--].

A 38-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of bilateral scrotal swelling. On examination, the patient was found to have bilateral testicular tumors with jugular chain lymph node and para-aortic lymph node metastasis. He underwent bilateral inguinal orchiectomy. Histopathological examination of the excised tumors revealed seminoma, embryonal carcinoma, yolk sac tumor and immature teratoma in the right testis and seminoma in the left testis. The patient was treated postoperatively with two courses of BEP (bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin) therapy and two courses of EP (etoposide, cisplatinum) therapy. The patient had lung metastasis during the follow-up period and we treated him with salvage combination chemotherapy of cisplatin and irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11). After the third course of cisplatin and CPT-11 chemotherapy the lung metastasis disappeared and we performed retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. The patient has remained free of disease 11 months after discharge.