For the clinical diagnosis of MM2-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, cortical hyperintensity signals on diffusion-weighted MRI are useful for the cortical form and thalamic hypoperfusion or hypometabolism on cerebral blood flow SPECT or [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose PET for the thalamic form.

Macrophages may phagocytose inhaled tungsten via CD163 and play an important role in forming the fibrotic lesion of hard metal lung disease with cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Methionine‐depleting total parenteral nutrition (Met‐depleting TPN), infusing AO‐90 amino acid solution (lacking both L‐methionine and L‐cysteine) as a sole nitrogen source, showed synergistic effects with 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) in tumor‐bearing rats and in clinical trials with gastrointestinal tract cancers. In this study, the effect of Met‐depleting TPN with 5‐FU upon thymidylate synthase (TS) activity was examined, and the histological effect of this treatment on human gastric cancer was evaluated. Fourteen preoperative advanced gastric cancer patients were divided randomly into two groups. Seven cases were given Met‐depleting TPN for 7 days before surgery with continuous intravenous administration of 5‐FU (500 mg/body per day; total 4.0 g/body) (AO‐90 group). The other 7 received conventional L‐methionine‐containing TPN with 5‐FU (control group). All patients underwent gastrectomy without complications due to these treatments. Resected materials were examined for TS kinetics, and the anti‐cancer effect was also assessed histopathologically. The specimens in the AO‐90 group showed marked degeneration of cancer, while almost no effect was seen in the control group. The free TS activity of carcinoma tissue in the AO‐90 group was decreased and the TS inhibition rate was increased in comparison with the control group (P= 0.0165 and P= 0.0243, respectively). Met‐depleting TPN appears to play a role as a biomodulator of 5‐FU in human gastric cancer.

To characterize gastrointestinal cancer survivors' ability to psychologically adjust, we examined the relationship between psychological characteristics (quality of life (QOL), anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms) and self-efficacy (perceived ability to initiate coping strategies). Forty-seven subjects (32 males and 15 females) were recruited from outpatient clinics or general surgical wards after readmission for therapy unrelated to cancer. All had undergone treatment for gastrointestinal cancer. Japanese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy--General (FACT-G), Japanese version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Japanese version of Impact of Event Scale--Revised (IES-R), and The Self-Efficacy Scale for Advanced Cancer (SEAC) were administered. Correlation analyses revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between three subscales of SEAC and QOL (total of FACT-G value) and a significant negative correlation between anxiety, depression (the total of HADS value), post-traumatic stress symptoms (the total of IES-R value), and SEAC. In multiple regression analysis, the influence from Affect Regulation Efficacy (subscale of SEAC) was the largest in anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms while the influence from Activities of Daily Living Efficacy (subscale of SEAC) was the largest in QOL and depression. Our findings revealed that a strong relationship between self-efficacy and psychological adjustment, and that there should be several psychological intervention forms performed at various treatment stages to enhance self-efficacy in this population of gastrointestinal cancer survivors. These results also imply the effectiveness of interventions on self-efficacy for gastrointestinal cancer survivors and the influence of psychological factors such as QOL, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Forty-two participants in two nursing homes who were ≥65 years of age were randomised to receive a jelly containing 10 billion heat-killed Lactobacillus paracasei MCC1849 cells (LP group) or a placebo jelly without lactobacilli (placebo group) for 6 weeks. Three weeks after beginning jelly intake, all subjects received an influenza vaccination (A/H1N1, A/H2N3 and B). Blood samples were collected before and after the treatment period. There were no significant differences in immune parameters, including in antibody responses against the vaccination, between the groups. In the subgroup of the oldest old, defined as ≥85 years of age (n = 27), the antibody responses to the A/H1N1 and B antigens, which were impaired in the placebo group, were improved in the LP group. No significant effects of non-viable L. paracasei MCC1849 were observed in the elderly. A possible beneficial effect in the oldest old should be explored in further large-scale studies.