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We previously demonstrated that interferon γ (IFN-γ) derived from donor T cells co-opts the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) → aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) axis to suppress idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS). Here we report that the dysregulated expression of AP-1 family genes in Ahr−/− lung epithelial cells exacerbated IPS in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation settings. AHR repressed transcription of Jund by preventing STAT1 from binding to its promoter. As a consequence, decreased interleukin-6 impaired the differentiation of CD4+ T cells toward Th17 cells. IFN-γ– and IDO1-independent induction of Ahr expression indicated that the AHR agonist might be a better therapeutic target for IPS than the IDO1 activator. We developed a novel synthetic AHR agonist (referred to here as PB502) that potently inhibits Jund expression. PB502 was highly effective at inducing AHR activation and ameliorating IPS. Notably, PB502 was by far superior to the endogenous AHR ligand, L-kynurenine, in promoting the differentiation of both mouse and human FoxP3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells. Our results suggest that the IDO1-AHR axis in lung epithelial cells is associated with IPS repression. A specific AHR agonist may exhibit therapeutic activity against inflammatory and autoimmune diseases by promoting regulatory T-cell differentiation.

This study aimed to develop a mathematical model for the survival of Clostridium perfringens in hamburgers and sandwiches and to evaluate their microbial risk. The primary model was developed in hamburgers using 4 strains of C. perfringens at 5, 10, 15, 25 and 37 °C, and the kinetic parameters of the primary model were fitted well with the Weibull model (R2 ≥ 0.95). The secondary model was developed and validated in hamburgers and sandwiches using the Davey model, which was evaluated by Bf, Af, and RMSE values within the acceptable range. A probabilistic risk model was developed and simulated using @Risk program to estimate the probability of infection (Pinf) of C. perfringens based on the data on prevalence (n = 100), time, temperature, and consumption of hamburgers and sandwiches (150.00 ± 20.96 g). Based on the simulation model, the mean C. perfringens exposure dose was 0.00976 CFU/g, and the estimated mean Pinf was 1.78 × 10–13, which was very low in comparison with the current available data. The proposed model and the result can thus be useful to establish risk management options and microbial criteria for C. perfringens contamination in hamburgers and sandwiches.

Most deaths from colon cancer are due to metastasis. Recently, PGE2 was found to influence colon cancer invasion and metastasis. 15-PGDH, an enzyme that metabolizes PGE2, is known as a tumor suppressor in colonic carcinogenesis. This study investigated the effect of 15-PGDH on colon cancer metastasis.15-PGDH expression by immunohistochemical staining, clinicopathologic features, and 5-year cancer-specific survival were investigated in colon cancer patients. Liver metastasis was examined by assaying 15-PGDH activity in an animal model. Changes in PGE2, proliferation, migration, and invasion of the colorectal cancer cell line HCT116, were examined using a 15-PGDH inhibitor (SW033291) or enhancer (CDDO-ME). The expression of genes involved in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was also studied.The absence of 15-PGDH expression significantly correlated with advanced-stage, lymph node metastasis, and decreased cancer-specific survival in colon cancer patients. Inhibition of 15-PGDH increased colon cancer liver metastasis in the animal model. The 15-PGDH inhibitor, SW033291, increased PGE2 and decreased 15-PGDH expression on HCT116. However, treatment with CDDO-ME, a substance that enhances 15-PGDH, showed the opposite results. Inhibition of 15-PGDH increased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but activation of 15-PGDH showed the opposite effect. Inhibition of 15-PGDH also affected the EMT markers, N-cadherin, Snail, and Twist2.15-PGDH inhibition increased colon cancer metastasis by inducing changes in EMT-related genes via an increase in PGE2 expression and could be a promising biomarker for anticancer treatment.

Purpose The establishment of a preclinical model of the abscopal effect on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and evaluation of whether the hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) multitumor Hepa1-6 mouse HCC model could be used to suppress nonradiated tumor mass was performed in this study. Methods and Materials Hepa1-6 mouse liver cancer cell lines were used to form tumors. Immunogenicity was analyzed using ELISpot and immune cell labeled antibody. Interferon (IFN) β expression was confirmed through polymerase chain reaction. Results After investigation, the intratumoral transcription of type Ⅰ IFN increased by 2-fold. The antitumor immune response to Hepa 1-6 cells induced by radiation was increased. Moreover, the influx of activated CD8+ T cells was increased in nonirradiated tumors. The number of dendritic cells and activation status were evaluated by flow cytometry on the second day after irradiation. Flow cytometry revealed a significantly increased dendritic cell population expressing the CD11c molecule in tumor-draining lymph nodes. Furthermore, because irradiation leads to adaptation of immune resistance of tumor cells against RT, we sought to elucidate a potent tool to overcome the resistance and confirm the ability of PD-L1 antibody to survive late RT resistance. Conclusions The immunologic mechanism of the abscopal effect was revealed and the application of PD-L1 inhibitor successfully performed as a breakthrough in late RT resistance in the Hepa1-6 tumor model.

The two primary mechanisms by which iodinated contrast media (CM) causes contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI) are the hemodynamic effect causing intrarenal vasoconstriction and the tubular toxic effect causing acute tubular necrosis. Inhibition of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), which degrades prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), promotes tissue repair and regeneration in many organs. PGE2 causes intrarenal arterial vasodilation. In this study, we investigated whether a 15-PGDH inhibitor can act as a candidate for blocking these two major mechanisms of CIAKI. We established a CIAKI mouse model by injecting a 10 gram of iodine per body weight (gI/kg) dose of iodixanol into each mouse tail vein. A 15-PGDH inhibitor (SW033291), PGE1, or PGE2 were administered to compare the renal functional parameters, histologic injury, vasoconstriction, and renal blood flow changes. In addition, human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells were cultured in a CM-treated medium. SW033291, PGE1, or PGE2 were added to compare any changes in cell viability and apoptosis rate. CIAKI mice that received SW033291 had lower serum levels of creatinine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and kidney injury molecule 1 (p

In the present study, we demonstrated the marked activity of SW033291, an inhibitor of 15-hydoxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), in preventing acute kidney injury (AKI) in a murine model of ischemia-reperfusion injury. AKI due to ischemic injury represents a significant clinical problem. PGE2is vasodilatory in the kidney, but it is rapidly degraded in vivo due to catabolism by 15-PGDH. We investigated the potential of SW033291, a potent and specific 15-PGDH inhibitor, as prophylactic treatment for ischemic AKI. Prophylactic administration of SW033291 significantly increased renal tissue PGE2levels and increased post-AKI renal blood flow and renal arteriole area. In parallel, prophylactic SW033291 decreased post-AKI renal morphology injury scores and tubular apoptosis and markedly reduced biomarkers of renal injury that included blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and kidney injury molecule-1. Prophylactic SW033291 also reduced post-AKI induction of proinflammatory cytokines, high-mobility group box 1, and malondialdehyde. Protective effects of SW033291 were mediated by PGE2signaling, as they could be blocked by pharmacological inhibition of PGE2synthesis. Consistent with activation of PGE2signaling, SW033291 induced renal levels of both EP4receptors and cAMP, along with other vasodilatory effectors, including AMP, adenosine, and the adenosine A2Areceptor. The protective effects of SW0333291 could largely be achieved with a single prophylactic dose of the drug. Inhibition of 15-PGDH may thus represent a novel strategy for prophylaxis of ischemic AKI in multiple clinical settings, including renal transplantation and cardiovascular surgery.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly aggressive neuroectodermal carcinoma arising from mechanoreceptor Merkel cells. Multiple MCCs are even rarer. We report a case of two independent MCCs simultaneously present in the cheek of a patient, which were effectively and esthetically treated using a cheek flap. Punch biopsy performed in a 60-year-old woman admitted with a chief complaint of two skin-colored hard nodules in her left cheek, accompanied by an itching sensation, was suggestive of MCC. Accordingly, we performed sentinel lymph node biopsy through the modified Blair incision under general anesthesia, in cooperation with the head and neck surgery department. The defect was covered with a cheek flap by slightly extending the existing incision following wide excision with a safety margin of 1 cm. This paper is significant in that it introduces an effective reconstruction technique that maintains function using a cheek flap for the management of this rare case. In addition, this paper is the first to classify multiple MCCs according to the time of onset. We believe that this paper presents an effective alternative reconstruction technique with sentinel node biopsy through the modified Blair incision.

Objective Recurrence rates following preauricular sinus (PAS) surgery vary. Few studies have investigated recurrence after primary PAS surgery in histopathological terms. We performed a histopathological analysis of the causes of revision surgery for PAS, with a view to reducing the recurrence rate after primary surgery. Methods We reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent revision surgery after primary excision of a PAS between 2002 and 2017. A pathologist reviewed the histopathology slides. Results In total, 24 patients underwent revision surgery; of those, histopathology slides were available for 18 patients (19 revisions). The mean interval between primary and revision surgery was 50.4 months. We detected lumen with stratified squamous epithelium in 14 of the 19 (73.7%) revisions. Cartilage tissue was attached to the epithelial lining of the lumen in 14 of the 17 (82.4%) slides containing lumen. Inflammatory changes were found in all slides, and granulation tissue was detected in 10 of 19 revision surgery slides. Conclusions To prevent PAS recurrence after primary surgery, we recommend a wide local excision including the inflammatory soft tissue, with concomitant partial removal of the cartilage of the ascending helix adjacent to the PAS.

Chordomas are rare, locally aggressive bone malignancies with poor prognoses. However, those with minimal or no bone involvement are more easily resectable because of their well-delineated margins and thus have better prognoses. Such extraosseous chordomas of the spine are localized both intradurally and extradurally. Only a few case reports have focused on extraosseous, extradural spinal chordomas. Radiologically, this type of chordoma has a dumbbell shape; however, dumbbell-shaped spinal tumors are traditionally thought to be neurogenic tumors (i.e., schwannomas or neurofibromas). We herein report a unique case involving a woman with a dumbbell-shaped extraosseous chordoma protruding predominantly into the retropharyngeal space. A 44-year-old woman presented for evaluation of a left submandibular mass. A T2-hyperintense, gadolinium-enhancing mass was found in her cervical spinal canal, protruding through the C2/3 neural foramen into the retropharyngeal space with minimal vertebral involvement. The initial diagnosis was a neurogenic tumor, most likely a schwannoma. After subtotal removal, the pathologic diagnosis was a chordoma. Because chordomas and schwannomas have significantly different prognoses, caution is warranted when a dumbbell-shaped tumor is identified in the spine with minimal or no vertebral deterioration on radiology. This report also provides the first thorough review of extraosseous dumbbell-shaped intraspinal–extraspinal chordomas.

The objective of the study was to develop a predictive model of Salmonella spp. growth in pasteurized liquid egg white (LEW) and to estimate the salmonellosis risk using the baseline model and scenario analysis. Samples were inoculated with six strains of Salmonella, and bacterial growth was observed during storage at 10–37 °C. The primary models were developed using the Baranyi model for LEW. For the secondary models, the obtained specific growth rate (μmax) and lag phase duration were fitted to a square root model and Davey model, respectively, as functions of temperature (R2 ≥ 0.98). For μmax, the values were satisfied within an acceptable range (Af, Bf: 0.70–1.15). The probability of infection (Pinf) due to the consumption of LEW was zero in the baseline model. However, scenario analysis suggested possible salmonellosis for the consumption of LEW. Because Salmonella spp. proliferated much faster in LEW than in egg white (EW) during storage at 20 and 30 °C (p &lt, 0.01), greater Pinf may be obtained for LEW when these products are stored at the same conditions. The developed predictive model can be applied to the risk management of Salmonella spp. along the food chain, including during product storage and distribution.

In the present study, we demonstrated the marked activity of SW033291, an inhibitor of 15-hydoxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), in preventing acute kidney injury (AKI) in a murine model of ischemia-reperfusion injury. AKI due to ischemic injury represents a significant clinical problem. PGE(2) is vasodilatory in the kidney, but it is rapidly degraded in vivo due to catabolism by 15-PGDH. We investigated the potential of SW033291, a potent and specific 15-PGDH inhibitor, as prophylactic treatment for ischemic AKI. Prophylactic administration of SW033291 significantly increased renal tissue PGE(2) levels and increased post-AKI renal blood flow and renal arteriole area. In parallel, prophylactic SW033291 decreased post-AKI renal morphology injury scores and tubular apoptosis and markedly reduced biomarkers of renal injury that included blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and kidney injury molecule-1. Prophylactic SW033291 also reduced post-AKI induction of proinflammatory cytokines, high-mobility group box 1, and malondialdehyde. Protective effects of SW033291 were mediated by PGE(2) signaling, as they could be blocked by pharmacological inhibition of PGE(2) synthesis. Consistent with activation of PGE(2) signaling, SW033291 induced renal levels of both EP(4) receptors and cAMP, along with other vasodilatory effectors, including AMP, adenosine, and the adenosine A(2A) receptor. The protective effects of SW0333291 could largely be achieved with a single prophylactic dose of the drug. Inhibition of 15-PGDH may thus represent a novel strategy for prophylaxis of ischemic AKI in multiple clinical settings, including renal transplantation and cardiovascular surgery.

This paper presents a new method for the effective detection of real-life garbage dumping actions. Garbage dumping has become a serious problem with the continuous increase of city populations around the world. While monitoring surveillance camera footage is commonly used to catch garbage dumping, this approach is often unable to recognize real-life garbage dumping actions, resulting in many false alarms. Thus, We propose a quick and easy way to detect a variety of garbage dumping actions using pedestrian attribute information. The proposed method includes a pedestrian detector that detects pedestrians and their attribute, and behavior discriminator that identifies a garbage dumping action by comparing the pedestrian attribute pattern in each image frame with a dumping behavior pattern DB. The performance of the proposed method is confirmed by experiments using a garbage dumping action data set similar to real-life situations. When compared with previous studies, the proposed method can be faster as it is simple and only makes deep learning calls once. The proposed method is shown to be capable of identifying pedestrian behavior at a speed of 15 fps, indicative of potential application to real CCTV.

Abnormally increased neuronal activity in the lateral habenula (LHb) is closely associated with depressive-like behavior. Despite the emphasis on the pathological importance of NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) and the involvement of calcium permeable AMPA receptor (CP-AMPAR) as major Ca2+ source, the functions of NMDAR and CP-AMPAR on LTD modulation in the LHb still have not been fully investigated. Here, we found that NMDAR-dependent LTD by low frequency stimulation was induced in both synaptic and extrasynaptic regions in the LHb. In addition, CP-AMPAR was necessary for the activation of NMDAR in the induction phase of NMDAR-dependent LTD. The acute stress, which induced depressive behavior, had a blocked effect on synaptic NMDAR-dependent LTD but left extrasynaptic NMDAR-dependent LTD intact. These findings show that NMDAR-dependent LTD in LHb plays an important role in regulating neuronal activity, which is probable to be excessively increased by repeated stress, via maintaining homeostasis in both synaptic and extrasynaptic regions of the LHb. Moreover, NMDAR and CP-AMPAR may serve as a depression-related modulator and be regarded as a promising therapeutic target for treatment of psychopathology such as depression.

Road traffic volume survey is a survey to determine the number and type of vehicles passing at a specific point for a certain period of time. Previously, a method of classifying the number of vehicles and vehicle types has been used while a person sees an image photographed using a camera with the naked eye, but this has a disadvantage in that a lot of manpower and cost are incurred. Recently, a method of applying an automated algorithm has been widely attempted, but has a disadvantage in that the accuracy is inferior to the existing method performed by manpower. To address these problems, we propose a method to automate road traffic volume surveys and a new method to verify the results. The proposed method extracts the number of vehicles and vehicle types from an image using deep learning, analyzes the results, and automatically informs the user of candidates with a high probability of error, so that highly reliable traffic volume survey information can be efficiently generated. The performance of the proposed method is tested using a data set collected by an actual road traffic survey company. The experiment proved that it is possible to verify the vehicle classification and route simply and quickly using the proposed method. The proposed method can not only reduce the investigation process and cost, but also increase the reliability due to more accurate results.

Objectives The aims of this study were to clarify the activation of complement pathways in patients with lupus nephritis (LN), and to elucidate the association between these complement activation types and clinical outcomes. Methods We enrolled 115 patients with biopsy-proven LN from 2003 to 2016 from the lupus cohort at the Busan Paik Hospital and the Jeju National University Hospital in Korea. The patients were divided into two groups based on the patterns of glomerular complements deposits. The presence of C1q, C4 and/or C3 deposits in the glomerulus was considered evidence for the activation of the classical pathway with or without alternative pathway activation (group 1, N = 93), and glomerular C3 deposition without C1q and C4 deposits was considered as a marker for the alternative pathway limited activation (group 2, N = 22). The study end point was progression of kidney disease defined as a ≥50% reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate from baseline values or advancement to end-stage renal disease. Results The mean estimated glomerular filtration rate and median urine protein-to-creatinine ratio of the patients were 85.7 ± 32.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 3.1 g/g, respectively, at the time of kidney biopsy. Forty-nine patients (43%) had nephrotic range of proteinuria. Compared to group 1 patients, those in group 2 were older, were more likely to be males and were more hypertensive. In addition, plasma C3 and C4 levels were significantly lower in group 1 patients compared to those in group 2. Moreover, anti-dsDNA concentration was significantly higher in group 1 patients compared to those in group 2. The mean follow-up time was 5.4 ± 3.4 years. The rates of response to one-year immunosuppressive treatment were poorer in group 2 patients compared to those in group 1. During the follow-up time, the progression of kidney disease was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 patients. Conclusion This study showed that there was alternative complement pathway limited activation in the renal tissue in a small number of patients with LN, and these patients had worse renal outcomes compared to patients with glomerular classical complement pathway activation with or without alternative pathway activation.

BACKGROUND Various animal models have been introduced into the study of liver metastasis of colorectal cancer, but they have not been compared under the same conditions. The aim of this study was to identify an optimized mouse model that showed a high rate of hepatic metastasis and expression of clonal dynamics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Athymic nude mice (n=30) were divided into two equal groups for the creation of a splenic injection model (SIM) and surgically orthotopic implantation model (SOIM) of liver metastasis of colorectal cancer using HCT116 cells. Hepatic metastasis was confirmed by gross and microscopic examinations. Expression of MET transcriptional regulator MACC1 (MACC1) in colon cancer cell lines and metastatic tumors in the group with a higher liver metastasis rate was confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS The observation time was significantly shorter for SIM than for SOIM (33.0±6.8 vs. 41.2±7.2 days, p

The aims of this study are to evaluate the usefulness of submucosal deformity pattern analysis with endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for predicting the depth of invasion in early gastric cancer (EGC) and the treatment results of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). The endoscopic and EUS parameters of 345 patients with endoscopically suspected EGC who underwent endoscopic or surgical resection between July 2012 and May 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were classified into three categories as follows according to the morphologic type of submucosal deformity identified by EUS: (1) no submucosal deformity, (2) wedge-shaped deformity, and (3) arch-shaped deformity. The presence of an arch-shaped submucosal deformity on EUS and an active endoscopic ulcer or surrounding mucosal fold convergence/clubbing on conventional endoscopy were defined as suggestive of deep submucosal cancer invasion (SCI). Upper location (p = 0.034) and the presence of an arch-shaped submucosal deformity on EUS (p

Nevus sebaceus is a hamartoma of the sebaceous gland that occurs congenitally, from which various secondary tumors can arise with a prevalence of 5%-6%. Benign neoplasms commonly arise from nevus sebaceous, but they have a very low malignant potential. Two neoplasms may occasionally arise within the same lesion, but it is rare for three or more neoplasms to occur in a nevus sebaceus simultaneously. A 61-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital for a 4 cm×2.5 cm growing tumor in a verrucous form arising within a periauricular nevus sebaceus in the post auricle of the left ear that had developed 30 years earlier. The nodule was diagnosed as 3 different types of tumors: trichilemmoma, desmoplastic trichilemmoma, and basal cell carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the coexistence of three different tumors arising from nevus sebaceous. It contain malignant neoplasm also. Surgeons should be aware of the need for close monitoring and early complete surgical excision of sebaceous nevus in order to improve patient outcomes.

Fibrosis is the final pathological outcome of many chronic kidney diseases and is quite common. Thus, development of effective anti-fibrotic agents is urgently needed. Although histone deacetylases (HDACs) have been reported to be involved in renal fibrosis, current HDAC inhibitors are unsatisfactory anti-fibrosis drugs. Therefore, more potentially relevant anti-renal fibrosis HDAC inhibitors are needed. We initially found that non-cytotoxic concentrations of SB939 (pracinostat) had strong anti-fibrotic activity, drastically decreasing TGF-β1-induced alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in the NRK renal fibroblast cell line. Similar anti-fibrotic activity of SB939 on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was confirmed using the HK-2 human renal proximal tubular epithelial cell line. SB939 inhibited Smad-independent TGF-β signaling involving the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways. To evaluate in vivo anti-fibrotic activity, we administered SB939 in a unilateral ureteric obstruction (UUO) model. SB939 treatment markedly inhibited the accumulation of α-SMA and tissue injury. Inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines in the obstructed kidney were also significantly decreased by SB939 treatment. Our results suggest that SB939 might be a promising therapeutic drug for preventing renal fibrosis.

In this paper, we presented the analysis results on the characteristics of pulsed-LFM signal and pulsed-NLFM signal about the bandwidth, time-bandwidth product and auto correlation. And the calculation methods for actual necessary bandwidth of frequency modulated pulse signal were verified. Also, the relations between time-bandwidth and autocorrelation were analyzed.

In this paper, unmodulated pulse radar and four types of BPSK communication interference signal were designed to show the possibility of radar interference effect analysis using simulation. To verify this, the results of the interference impact measurement between the 1.3 GHz band long range radar and the BPSK communication signal conducted by NTIA were compared and analyzed with the simulation results. The simulation results showed good similarity below target detection probability error 1.25 in comparison with the measurement results. As a result, it showed the potential for easier, faster and more consistent analysis results using simulation to solve the difficulties of measurement using actual radar equipment.

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) shows therapeutic potential as an endogenous target in cardiovascular diseases. Although it is involved in cardiovascular metabolism and mitochondrial biology, its mechanisms of action are unclear. We investigated how BH4 regulates cardiovascular metabolism using an unbiased multiple proteomics approach with a sepiapterin reductase knock-out (Spr-/-) mouse as a model of BH4 deficiency. Spr-/- mice exhibited a shortened life span, cardiac contractile dysfunction, and morphological changes. Multiple proteomics and systems-based data-integrative analyses showed that BH4 deficiency altered cardiac mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Along with decreased transcription of major mitochondrial biogenesis regulatory genes, including Ppargc1a, Ppara, Esrra, and Tfam, Spr-/- mice exhibited lower mitochondrial mass and severe oxidative phosphorylation defects. Exogenous BH4 supplementation, but not nitric oxide supplementation or inhibition, rescued these cardiac and mitochondrial defects. BH4 supplementation also recovered mRNA and protein levels of PGC1α and its target proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis (mtTFA and ERRα), antioxidation (Prx3 and SOD2), and fatty acid utilization (CD36 and CPTI-M) in Spr-/- hearts. These results indicate that BH4-activated transcription of PGC1α regulates cardiac energy metabolism independently of nitric oxide and suggests that BH4 has therapeutic potential for cardiovascular diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction.

Purpose The diagnostic criteria of gastric intraepithelial neoplasia (IEN) are controversial across the world. We investigated how many discrepancies occur in the pathologic diagnosis of IEN and early gastric carcinoma in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) specimens, and evaluated the reasons of the discordance. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed 1,202 ESD specimens that were originally diagnosed as gastric IEN and early carcinoma at 12 institutions. Results The final consensus diagnosis of carcinoma were 756 cases, which were originally 692 carcinomas (91.5%), 43 high-grade dysplasias (5.7%), 20 low-grade dysplasias (2.6%), and 1 others (0.1%), respectively. High- and low-grade dysplasia were finally made in 63 and 342 cases, respectively. The diagnostic concordance with the consensus diagnosis was the highest for carcinoma (91.5%), followed by low-grade dysplasia (86.3%), others (63.4%) and high-grade dysplasia (50.8%). The general kappa value was 0.83, indicating excellent concordance. The kappa values of individual institutions ranged from 0.74 to 1 and correlated with the proportion of carcinoma cases. The cases revised to a final diagnosis of carcinoma exhibited both architectural abnormalities and cytologic atypia. The main differential points between low- and high-grade dysplasias were the glandular distribution and glandular shape. Additional features such as the glandular axis, surface maturation, nuclear stratification and nuclear polarity were also important. Conclusion The overall concordance of the diagnosis of gastric IEN and early carcinoma in ESD specimens was excellent. It correlated with the proportion of carcinoma cases, demonstrating that the diagnostic criteria for carcinoma are more reproducible than those for dysplasia.

Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a locally aggressive vascular tumor that usually occurs in soft tissues of the extremity and rarely in the retroperitoneum. We report a unique case of isolated massive fetal ascites attributed to KHE, involving the retroperitoneum and multiple visceral organs, along with the Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon. We suspect that retroperitoneal KHE might have caused massive fetal ascites because of its high potential to invade the lymphatic vessels aggressively in the retroperitoneal space, which possibly permits intestinal lymph leakage into the peritoneal cavities.

A major goal of breast cancer research is to prevent the molecular events that lead to tumour metastasis. It is well-established that both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important roles in cell migration and metastasis. Accordingly, this study examined the molecular mechanisms of the anti-metastatic effects of NecroX-5, a mitochondrial ROS scavenger. NecroX-5 inhibited lung cancer metastasis by ameliorating migration in a mouse model. In human cancer cells, the inhibition of migration by NecroX-5 is cell type-dependent. We observed that the effect of NecroX-5 correlated with a reduction in mitochondrial ROS, but mitochondrial ROS reduction by MitoQ did not inhibit cell migration. NecroX-5 decreased intracellular calcium concentration by blocking Ca2+ influx, which mediated the inhibition of cell migration, AKT downregulation and the reduction of mitochondrial ROS levels. However, the reduction of mitochondrial ROS was not associated with supressed migration and AKT downregulation. Our study demonstrates the potential of NecroX-5 as an inhibitor of breast cancer metastasis.

Purpose: Colorectal obstruction develops most frequently by carcinoma, and 7%–30% of these colorectal carcinomas are acute cases. The oncologic safety of self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) insertion as a bridge to surgery has not yet been established. Thus, we investigated the oncologic safety of SEMS insertion as a bridge to surgery in patients with obstructive colorectal cancer. Methods: This retrospective had 56 patients enrolled requiring emergency management for obstructive colorectal cancer at stage II or III, who had undergone curative surgery between July 2008 and June 2011. These subjects were divided into two groups: patients who had undergone emergency surgery without SEMS insertion (non-stent group) and those who had undergone elective surgery after preoperative decompression with SEMS insertion (stent group). The two groups were compared for clinicopathologic characteristics, postoperative complications, and survival rate. Results: Enterostomy was performed in 25 patients (100.0%) in the non-stent group and 1 patient (3.2%) in the stent group; laparoscopic surgery was carried out in 7 patients (28.0%) in the non-stent group and 19 patients (61.29%) in the stent group, each showing statistically significant differences. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative complications and 5-year disease-free survival rate (72% vs. 74.19%, P=0.87, respectively). Conclusion: In treatment of malignant colorectal obstruction, elective operation after stent insertion had similar oncologic outcomes compared with emergency operation. Preoperative stent insertion not only lowers the incidence of enterostomy but also makes laparoscopic surgery possible, thereby enhancing patients’ quality of life. Therefore, preoperative stent insertion is a useful method that may replace emergency surgery in treatment of malignant colorectal obstruction.

Background and Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the parameters of conventional white-light endoscopy and magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (MENBI) for the prediction of discrepancies between pre- and post-resectional histology in cases of gastric adenoma with low-grade dysplasia (LGD) that were diagnosed based on endoscopically biopsied specimens. Methods The medical records of 266 lesions with gastric LGD that were diagnosed by endoscopic forceps biopsies were retrospectively reviewed. The Vienna classification was used for histologic diagnosis. These patients all underwent MENBI examinations followed by analyses of the incidence of histologic discrepancies and histologic heterogeneity. The relationship between white-light endoscopic/MENBI parameters and the presence of histologic discrepancies was also analyzed. Results Discrepancies between the pre- and post-resectional histologies were found in 74 cases (27.9%). Among those cases, the histology was upgraded in 71 cases, whereas the histology was downgraded in three cases. The presence of erythema and positive MENBI findings were independent factors for the prediction of upgraded histologic discrepancies (P-values = 0.008

Background/Aims: The influence of the endoscopist on the polyp detection rate (PDR) is underappreciated in clinical practice. Moreover, flat lesions or lesions of the proximal colon are more difficult to detect. Here, we evaluated the differences in the PDR and the characteristics of detected polyps according to the experience of the colonoscopist. Methods: We collected data on 2,549 patients who underwent screening colonoscopy performed by three fellows. The PDR was calculated according to the percentage of patients who had at least one polyp (method A) and according to the percentage of detected lesions (method B). The primary outcome included the change in the PDR, and the secondary outcome included the change in the characteristics of the detected polyps with increasing experience of the colonoscopist. Results: No proportional correlation was found between the PDR and increasing experience in colonoscopy with method A; however, with method B, the PDR increased after 400 colonoscopies ( p=0.0209). With method B, the detection rates of small polyps (

The present study aimed to develop and validate a predictive model of Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus growth in fresh egg under isothermal and non-isothermal (fluctuating temperature) conditions and also estimate infection probability based on Monte Carlo simulation and scenario analysis. Egg yolk and egg white were inoculated with six serovars of Salmonella and three strains of S. aureus and stored at 5, 10, 20, 30, and 37 °C. No growth of Salmonella spp. and S. aureus was observed at all temperatures in egg white. However, growth of both strains was observed at above 10 °C in egg yolk. Primary growth models for both strains in egg yolk were developed based on the Baranyi model. Secondary models were developed as a function of temperature for lag phase duration (LPD) and maximum specific growth rate (μmax) using Davey and second-order polynomial, and square root models, respectively. The primary and secondary models for both strains were fitted well with a high degree of goodness-of-fit (R2 ≥ 0.99). Bias factor (Bf) was 0.96–1.08, and root mean square error (RMSE) was 0.04–0.15 log CFU/mL. The model was validated and found to be applicable to a scenario involving the consumption of an egg omelet, and other strains of S. aureus, including food isolates. As the results of validation, the developed model was conservatively applicable to other strains (Bf: 0.88–1.07, RMSE: 0.05–0.23 log CFU/mL) and egg products (Bf: 0.94–1.09, RMSE: 0.04–0.06 log CFU/mL of μmax). The dynamic model was validated for 3 temperature profiles: 1) rapidly changing and 2) slowly changing at 10–25 °C, and 3) 2-h cycles change at 15–30 °C with corresponding RMSE values less than 0.5 log CFU/mL. Using a baseline simulation model, the probability of infection for Salmonella spp. and S. aureus from the consumption of ready-to-eat egg products (e.g., rolled omelet) was estimated as zero. However, scenario analysis that factored for possible initial contamination by pathogens in egg products suggested that the probability of infection has a positive relationship with initial contamination level. The developed growth model can provide useful data for quantitative microbial risk assessment and risk management options of Salmonella spp. and S. aureus during the consumption of egg-related foods.

Recently, as the desire for sustaining good health, has increased, spinning exercise to increase the exercise effect in a short time is getting the spotlight. In this paper, we developed a gesture recognition technology which enables busy persons to enjoy spinning exercise at any time and at any place they want using easy to carry wearable device. The proposed scheme provides a training system which collects real time data from an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensor attached to wrist and head of sports participants and analyzes the accuracy of spinning exercise using the decision tree-based classification scheme. For the validation of the spinning gesture recognition technology, we analyzed the performance of the proposal algorithm by applying it to the interactive gaming content platform. The results shows that the proposed the proposed technology can help users to enjoy correct spinning exercise program.