There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Epidemiology and Molecular Carcinogenesis

Resveratrol, a constituent of red wine, has long been suspected to have cardioprotective effects. Interest in this compound has been renewed in recent years, first from its identification as a chemopreventive agent for skin cancer, and subsequently from reports that it activates sirtuin deacetylases and extends the lifespans of lower organisms. Despite scepticism concerning its bioavailability, a growing body of in vivo evidence indicates that resveratrol has protective effects in rodent models of stress and disease. Here, we provide a comprehensive and critical review of the in vivo data on resveratrol, and consider its potential as a therapeutic for humans.

Therapeutic potential of resveratrol: the in vivo evidence.

The contribution of tumorigenic stem cells to haematopoietic cancers has been established for some time, and cells possessing stem-cell properties have been described in several solid tumours. Although chemotherapy kills most cells in a tumour, it is believed to leave tumour stem cells behind, which might be an important mechanism of resistance. For example, the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug transporters have been shown to protect cancer stem cells from chemotherapeutic agents. Gaining a better insight into the mechanisms of stem-cell resistance to chemotherapy might therefore lead to new therapeutic targets and better anticancer strategies.

/pdf/tumour-stem-cells-and-drug-resistance-210hrtgy2n.pdf

Tumour stem cells and drug resistance

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an endothelial cell-specific mitogen in vitro and an angiogenic inducer in a variety of in vivo models. Hypoxia has been shown to be a major inducer of VEGF gene transcription. The tyrosine kinases Flt-1 (VEGFR-1) and Flk-1/KDR (VEGFR-2) are high-affinity VEGF receptors. The role of VEGF in developmental angiogenesis is emphasized by the finding that loss of a single VEGF allele results in defective vascularization and early embryonic lethality. VEGF is critical also for reproductive and bone angiogenesis. Substantial evidence also implicates VEGF as a mediator of pathological angiogenesis. In situ hybridization studies demonstrate expression of VEGF mRNA in the majority of human tumors. Anti-VEGF monoclonal antibodies and other VEGF inhibitors block the growth of several tumor cell lines in nude mice. Clinical trials with various VEGF inhibitors in a variety of malignancies are ongoing. Very recently, an anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody (bevacizumab; Avastin) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with chemotherapy. Furthermore, VEGF is implicated in intraocular neovascularization associated with diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

/pdf/vascular-endothelial-growth-factor-basic-science-and-17gyy6h97s.pdf

Vascular endothelial growth factor: basic science and clinical progress.

The most widely studied detection for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood of cancer patients has been based on immunomagnetic enrichment using antibodies against epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), which is overexpressed in epithelial cells. A neurotrophin receptor p75 (p75NTR) is expressed in a candidate stem cell fraction in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), which shows significantly higher colony formation, enhanced tumor formation in mice, along with strong expression of epithelial mesenchymal transition-related genes. Here, we describe a method to detect CTCs in ESCC based on the combined expression of EpCAM and p75NTR using flow cytometry, demonstrating the feasibility of expression analysis of multiple cell surface markers in viable cells.

Flow Cytometric Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells Using a Candidate Stem Cell Marker, p75 Neurotrophin Receptor (p75NTR).

西洋医学的治療に抵抗した難治性の褥瘡に帰耆建中湯加附子が奏功した4症例を経験した。症例1は82歳, 女性。繰り返す褥瘡に帰耆建中湯加附子が有効であった。帰耆建中湯加附子の内服を継続することにより、新たな褥瘡の再発はない。症例2は59歳, 女性。直径2cmの褥瘡周囲の皮下に直径10cmにわたるポケット形成があり、同部の皮膚は紫色を呈していた。帰耆建中湯加附子内服後、皮膚の色は正常になり褥瘡は治癒した。症例3は85歳, 男性。過去2回、瘻孔を伴う褥瘡の手術を受けたが治癒しなかった。帰耆建中湯加附子内服後、体交時, おむつ交換時に看護婦を大声で怒る元気がでてきた。また、創部消毒時に強い痛みを訴えるようになった。痛みの自覚は血流が改善してきたことによると考え、同方を継続。褥瘡の治癒とともに全身状態も改善した。症例4は64歳, 女性。心筋梗塞後に心停止し、脳死状態になり、仙骨部に褥瘡を形成するに至った。褥瘡は大学付属病院,総合病院で治療を受けたが改善しなかった。帰耆建中湯加附子 (黄耆30.0g, 白河附子6.0g) で治癒した。帰耆建中湯加附子は、難治性の褥瘡には一度は試みてよい方剤と考えられた。

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/kampomed1982/49/2/49_2_273/_pdf

Four Cases Report of Intractable Pressure Ulcers Effectively Treated with Kigi-kenchu-to-ka-bushi

Effect of Keishi-bukuryo-gan on asymptomatic cerebral infarction for short term

Background: Influenza virus is a worldwide health problem with significant economic consequences. To study the gene expression pattern induced by influenza virus infection, it is useful to reveal the pathogenesis of influenza virus infection; but this has not been well examined, especially in vivo study.

/pdf/gene-expression-of-cell-surface-antigens-in-the-early-phase-w6pqj1jzo9.pdf

Gene expression of cell surface antigens in the early phase of murine influenza pneumonia determined by a cDNA expression array technique.

The aim of this paper is to examine whether intraoperative examination of paratracheal nodes can indicate cervical node dissection and whether this approach is valid From 1988 to 1997, 76 patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma received esophagectomies with and without cervical lymph node (LN) dissection based on the results of intraoperative pathological diagnosis from selective checking of paratracheal LN We retrospectively examined the outcomes for the patients and the micro metastasis in the dissected lymph node using cytokeratin staining Three of the seven patients with cervical LN dissection were detected as having cervical LN metastasis by postoperative hematoxylin-eosin or cytokeratin staining Five (7%) of the 69 patients without cervical LN dissection had cervical LN recurrence after the operation Four of the seven patients who were diagnosed as having metastasis or micro metastasis in paratracheal LN by postoperative examination had cervical LN recurrence after the operation In conclusion, the esophagectomy with and without cervical LN dissection for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma based on the results of intraoperative pathological diagnosis from selective checking of paratracheal LN was not fully acceptable The reliability of intraoperative pathological diagnosis of selective checking may improve by increasing the number of checked LN and the detection of micro metastasis

Validity of intraoperative pathological diagnosis of paratracheal lymph node as a strategy for selection of patients for cervical lymph node dissection during esophagectomy.

Yutaka Shimada

Papers

Flow Cytometric Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells Using a Candidate Stem Cell Marker, p75 Neurotrophin Receptor (p75NTR).

Four Cases Report of Intractable Pressure Ulcers Effectively Treated with Kigi-kenchu-to-ka-bushi

Effect of Keishi-bukuryo-gan on asymptomatic cerebral infarction for short term

Gene expression of cell surface antigens in the early phase of murine influenza pneumonia determined by a cDNA expression array technique.

Validity of intraoperative pathological diagnosis of paratracheal lymph node as a strategy for selection of patients for cervical lymph node dissection during esophagectomy.