If the patient was 75 years old or younger and was judged fit for lobectomy, limited resection for cStage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed excellent outcomes and was not inferior to the reported results of lobectomy for small-sized NSCLC. The carcinomas with C/T≤0.25 rarely recur and are especially good candidates for limited resection.

Lung cancer treatment is difficult owing to chemoresistance. Hypoxia‐inducible factor 1 (HIF‐1) and HIF‐1‐induced glycolysis are correlated with chemoresistance; however, this is not evident in lung cancer. We investigated the effect of HIF‐1α and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), a transmembrane protein neutralizing intracellular acidosis, on chemoresistance and prognosis of lung cancer patients after induction chemoradiotherapy. Associations of HIF‐1α, glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), and CAIX with chemoresistance of lung cancer were investigated using A549 lung cancer cells under normoxia or hypoxia in vitro. HIF‐1α‐induced reprogramming of glucose metabolic pathway in A549 cells and the effects of HIF‐1 and CAIX on the cytotoxicity of vinorelbine were investigated. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed to determine HIF‐1α, GLUT1, and CAIX expression levels in cancer specimens from lung cancer patients after induction chemoradiotherapy. Hypoxia induced HIF‐1α expression in A549 cells. Moreover, hypoxia induced GLUT1 and CAIX expression in A549 cells in a HIF‐1‐dependent manner. Glucose metabolic pathway was shifted from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis by inducing HIF‐1α in A549 cells. HIF‐1 and CAIX induced chemoresistance under hypoxia, and their inhibition restored the chemosensitivity of A549 cells. The expression levels of HIF‐1α, GLUT1, and CAIX were associated with poor overall survival of lung cancer patients after induction chemoradiotherapy. HIF‐1 and CAIX affected the chemosensitivity of A549 cells and prognosis of lung cancer patients. Therefore, inhibition of HIF‐1 and CAIX might improve prognosis of lung cancer patients after induction chemoradiotherapy. Further analysis might be helpful in developing therapies for lung cancer.

beta-Sanshool and gamma-sanshool, unsaturated aliphatic acid amides isolated from the pericarpium of Zanthoxylum piperitum De Candolle (Rutaceae), relax the circular muscle of the gastric body, as well as contract the longitudinal muscle of the ileum and distal colon in an experimental system using the gastrointestinal tract isolated from a guinea pig.

An inflammatory myoglandular polyp of the large bowel is a rare but distinct clinical entity that was first described by Dr S Nakamura and others in 1992. It is characterized histologically by inflammatory granulation tissue in the lamina propria, proliferation of smooth muscle and hyperplastic glands which sometimes show cystic dilatation. The typical endoscopic appearance is that of a pedunculated spherical polyp with a smooth surface and patchy redness that resembles a ripe strawberry. There may also be a patchy mucous exudate. Thus far, only a small number of cases have been reported and the pathogenesis and natural history remain unclear. We describe the endoscopic and histological findings of an inflammatory myoglandular polyp in the distal transverse colon.A 42-year-old Japanese man was investigated because of a positive fecal occult blood test. Barium enema radiographs revealed two colonic polyps: one in the distal transverse colon and one in the sigmoid colon. At colonoscopy, the polyp in the transverse colon was approximately 10 mm in diameter with a spherical shape, pedunculated base and a smooth surface as shown in Figure 1. Red areas were noted on the surface of the polyp. Histological evaluation revealed hyperplastic glands and an inflamed and widened fibromuscular stroma with lymphoid follicles ( Fig. 2; HE ×25). The appearance was consistent with an inflammatory myoglandular polyp. The polyp in the sigmoid colon was a small tubular adenoma. Inflammatory myoglandular polyps need to be distinguished from Peutz-Jegher-type polyps, juvenile polyps, inflammatory polyps, inflammatory cap polyps, and polyps associated with mucosal prolapse, sometimes involving colostomy sites.

The mechanisms by which Dai-kenchu-to (TJ-100), a kampo medicine, enhances gastrointestinal motility was investigated using isolated guinea pig ileum. TJ-100 induced contractions accompanied by autonomous contraction at a concentration of more than 3 x 10(-4) g/ml in a dose-related manner. The TJ-100-induced ileal contraction was suppressed by atropine and tetrodotoxin, but not by hexamethonium. This effect was partially suppressed in the presence of high concentrations of ICS 205-930, a serotonin 4 (5-HT4) receptor antagonist. In addition, TJ-100 showed an acetylcholine (ACh)-releasing action in the smooth muscle tissues of ileum. These results suggest that contractile response induced by TJ-100 is partially mediated by ACh released from the cholinergic nerve endings and that 5-HT4 receptors would be involved in the effect of TJ-100.