The prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer is very poor because of late diagnosis and the lack of response to various therapies. We tried to identify proteins that might be available for early diagnosis and effective therapies by proteomic profiling of pancreatic cancer tissues. Pancreatic cancerous and paired non-cancerous tissues obtained from surgical resections or autopsies of 10 patients were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The differential display showed 11 spots whose expression was increased in cancerous tissues compared with the paired non-cancerous tissues. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) system identified the spots as ·enolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), triosephosphate isomerase, transgelin, calmodulin, superoxide dismutase(Mn) mitochondrial precursor, glutathione S-transferase P, cyclophilin A, protein disulfide isomerase A3 precursor, and apolipoprotein A-I precursor. Two of the 11 spots were detected as GAPDH. We noticed that 4 of 11 spots were enzymes involved in glycolytic pathway. Increased glycolysis in cancer cells has been regarded as the effect of intratumoral hypoxia and is possibly associated with tumor invasion, metastasis or resistance to therapies. These glycolytic proteins and transgelin, were confirmed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.Abbreviations: GAPDH, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase; TPI, triosephosphate isomerase; 2-DE, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis; MnSOD, superoxide dismutase(Mn) mitochondrial precursor; PDI-A3, protein disulfide isomerase A3 precursor; GST-p, glutathione S-transferase P

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) was originally believed to be a benign disease. However, it has been recently revealed that NASH could lead to irreversible liver disease in some patients. We report an unusual case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a 76-year-old man with NASH. He had no history of alcohol consumption, drug use, or blood transfusion. He was negative for all serological viral markers and autoantibodies. In addition, he was obese (body mass index [BMI], 30.75 kg/m(2)) and had type 2 diabetes mellitus. A liver biopsy specimen showed moderate steatosis with necroinflammatory changes, ballooning degeneration, Mallory bodies, pericellular fibrosis, and evidence of nodular regeneration. He was diagnosed with NASH with cirrhosis. Simultaneously, a liver tumor, measuring 19 mm in diameter, was detected in segment 6. A tumor biopsy specimen revealed well-differentiated HCC, and imaging modalities confirmed the characteristics of HCC. To our knowledge, ten patients who had HCC with NASH were reported. In all patients with NASH and HCC, cirrhosis was present. Patients with NASH and cirrhosis may progress to HCC, and regular screening, based on tumor markers and imaging modalities, is needed to detect HCC in patients with NASH and cirrhosis.

Isotope effect on H− / D − volume production is studied by measuring both VUV emission and negative ion density in the source. In a double plasma type source, under some discharge conditions, extracted D − currents are nearly the same as H − currents, although VUV emission intensity (corresponding to production of vibrationally excited molecules) in D2 plasmas is slightly lower than that in H2 plasmas. Considering the factor √ 2 due to mass difference, D − ion density in the extraction region of the source is higher than H − ion density. In another experiment with a rectangular arc chamber, axial distributions of H − / D − ion densities in the source are measured directly using a laser photodetachment method. Relationship between H − / D − production and plasma parameter control with using a magnetic filter (MF) is discussed. Furthermore, relative intensities of extracted negative ion currents are discussed compared with the negative ion densities in the source. Production and control of D2 plasmas are well realized with the MF including good combination between the filament position and field intensity of the MF. Extracted H − and D − currents depend directly on negative ion densities in the source.

Natural cis-trikentrin B was synthesized enantioselectively using, as key steps, an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of an allenic dienamide followed by aromatization to construct an indole ring and cleavage of bicyclo[2.2.1]heptene to launch a cis-dimethylcyclopentane ring. Diels-Alder adducts 9 and 10 were elaborated to provide allenic dienamide 25, and its intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction proceeded smoothly. Aromatization to an indole ring and stereoselective cleavage of the bicyclo[2.2.1]heptene ring were performed successfully. Introduction of an (E)-butenyl group via addition of propylmagnesium bromide and subsequent anti elimination of water gave natural cis-trikentrin B.

An appropriate trigger for BCR-ABL1 mutation analysis has not yet been established in unselected cohorts of chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia patients. We examined 92 patients after 12 months of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Univariate analysis revealed that significant factors associated with not attaining a major molecular response (MMR) were the presence of the minor BCR-ABL1 fusion gene, a low daily dose of TKI, and the emergence of BCR-ABL1 kinase domain mutations conferring resistance to imatinib. Factors associated with the loss of sustained MMR were a low daily dose of TKI and the emergence of alternatively spliced BCR-ABL1 mRNA with a 35-nucleotide insertion. Taken together, our results suggest that the search for BCR-ABL1 mutations should be initiated if patients have not achieved MMR following 12 months of TKI treatment.