BACKGROUND: Stathmin1 is a microtubule-regulating protein that has an important role in the assembly and disassembly of the mitotic spindle. The roles of stathmin1 in carcinogenesis of various cancers, including prostate and breast cancer, have been explored. However, its expression and roles in gastric cancer have not yet been described. METHODS: Stathmin1 expression in paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 226 patients was analysed by immunohistochemistry. Roles of stathmin1 were studied using a specific small interfering RNA (siRNA). RESULTS: The expression of stathmin1 was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis, TNM stages and vascular invasion, and negatively with recurrence-free survival, in the diffuse type of gastric cancer. The median recurrence-free survival in patients with a negative and positive expression of stathmin1 was 17.0 and 7.0 months, respectively (P ¼ 0.009). When the expression of stathmin1 was knocked down using siRNA, the proliferation, migration and invasion of poorly differentiated gastric cancer cells in vitro were significantly inhibited. Moreover, stathmin1 siRNA transfection significantly slowed the growth of xenografts in nude mice. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that stathmin1 can be a good prognostic factor for recurrence-free survival rate and is a therapeutic target in diffuse-type gastric cancer.

Bacterial canker was first observed on the kiwifruit cv. 'Hort16A (Actinidia chinensis)' in Jeju Province, Korea, in spring 2006. Die back or blight on young canes, often with red-rusty exudation on canes or trunks, and dark brown irregular spots surrounded with yellowish halos on leaves are the typical symptoms. These symptoms closely resemble those caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae on the kiwifruit cv. 'Hayward (Actinidia deliciosa)'. A sudden outbreak and rapid spread of the bacterial canker resulted in the death of severely infected vines and eradication of completely devastated orchards of the kiwifruit cv. 'Hort16A'. Contaminated pruning shears and climatic conditions appear to have been responsible for the sudden outbreak and rapid spread of the epidemics on the kiwifruit cv. 'Hort16A' vines. The causal bacterium was isolated from diseased vines of the kiwifruit cv. 'Hort16A' and identified as P. syringae pv. actinidiae, which is the same bacterial pathogen responsible for cankers on the kiwifruit cv. 'Hayward' by morphological, cultural, physiological and biochemical, molecular and pathogenicity analyses.

ME-NBI and EUS are accurate predictors of SESCC invasion depth. If both methods suggest a mucosal depth of lesion invasion, the accuracy of the prediction is increased. Therefore, when possible, it would be better to evaluate the invasion depth of SESCC using both ME-NBI and EUS before deciding to perform endoscopic resection.

In contrast to other retrospective multisurgeon series, our retrospective single-surgeon series suggests that microsurgical fenestration of the lamina terminalis may not reduce the incidence of shunt-dependent hydrocephalus or cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. A prospective multicenter trial is needed to definitively address the use of this maneuver.