[en] Extravaginal testicular torsion is known to be the predominant mechanism of the torsion in fetuses and neonates. In this torsion, twisting of the spermatic cord occurs outside the sac of the tunica vaginalis in the scrotum. Herein, we describe the sonographic findings of an extravaginal testicular torsion in a newborn baby who presented with a hard scrotal mass. Gray-scale ultrasound (US) showed hypoechoic linear striations in the testis with a thick hyperechoic peritesticular rim. Surgical exploration revealed an extravaginally twisted testis

[en] Charcoal can be used for preoperative localization of metastatic lymph nodes in the neck. Charcoal remains stable without causing foreign body reactions during as hort period. However, foreign body reactions may develop if charcoal is left in situ for more than 6 months. We reported a case of charcoal granuloma mimicking local recurrence on fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography and ultrasonography in a 47-year-old woman who had cervical lymph node dissection due to metastatic invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.

[en] Highlights: • Locomotion behavior and brood size were reduced in C. elegans fed with gliadin. • ROS production and oxidative-stress responses were increased with gliadin intake. • Reduction in pumping rate was caused by the gliadin-induced oxidative stress. Clinical attention to gluten-related disorders, such as celiac disease and nonceliac gluten sensitivity, is on the rise. However, identifying the pathophysiological mechanisms of gluten-related disorders remains elusive. Gliadin, a component of gluten, is known to play a major role in gluten toxicity. Caenorhabditis elegans has been widely used as the predominant experimental animal model to study toxicity and stress response in biomedical research. We investigated the stress response induced by gliadin intake in C. elegans to evaluate its toxicity and found brood size, body bending, and pumping rates to be significantly altered in response to gliadin. Notably, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and Pgst-4::GFP transgene expression, an indicator of the oxidative-stress response, were significantly increased after gliadin intake. Reduced pumping rates were most likely caused by gliadin-induced oxidative stress, since pumping rates in oxidative stress-sensitive mev-1 mutants were more severely reduced than in oxidative stress-resistant daf-2 mutants following gliadin intake. Our results indicated that gluten/gliadin intake in C. elegans triggered ROS production and induced an oxidative stress response that reduced pumping rates and decreased brood size. We suggest C. elegans to be a useful model system for studying gluten/gliadin toxicity.

[en] We hypothesized that methyl-guanine methyl transferase (MGMT) promoter methylation status, a predictor of the chemosensitivity for high grade gliomas (HGGs), may be associated with computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging variables. Out of 38 consecutive patients with HGGs, 24 patients whose MGMT promoter methylation status was available [12 men and 12 women; median age, 49 years; age range, 22-79 years; WHO grade III (n = 7), WHO grade IV (n = 17)] were enrolled retrospectively. CT attenuation, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy (FA), and relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) were measured for enhancing tumors. Qualitative imaging features were also analyzed. Mann-Whitney and Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate relationships between MGMT promoter methylation status and imaging variables. Maximum CT attenuation was significantly lower in the methylated MGMT promoter group than that in the unmethylated MGMT promoter group (30.3 ± 9.5 HU versus 39.2 ± 4.7 HU, respectively, p = 0.009). While ADC values tended to be higher in the methylated group than in the unmethylated group (p = 0.055), ADC ratio was significantly higher, and the FA and FA ratios were significantly lower in the methylated group than in the unmethylated group (p = 0.032, p = 0.006 and p = 0.007, respectively). In contrast, rCBV ratio did not differ between the two groups (p = 0.380). Regarding imaging features, only ill-defined margin was seen more frequently in the methylated group than in the unmethylated group (45.5% versus 7.7%, respectively, p = 0.048). Preoperative imaging can predict MGMT promoter methylation status, which is of paramount importance for predicting treatment response to chemotherapy with an alkylating agent. (orig.)

[en] We determined the differently expressed protein profiles and their functions in bladder cancer tissues with the aim of identifying possible target proteins and underlying molecular mechanisms for taking part in their progression. We examined the expression of proteins by proteomic analysis and western blot in normal urothelium, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers (NMIBCs), and muscle-invasive bladder cancers (MIBCs). The function of cofilin was analyzed using T24 human bladder cancer cells. The expression levels of 12 proteins were altered between bladder cancers and normal bladder tissues. Of these proteins, 14-3-3σ was upregulated in both NMIBCs and MIBCs compared with controls. On the other hand, myosin regulatory light chain 2, galectin-1, lipid-binding AI, annexin V, transthyretin, CARD-inhibitor of NF-κB-activating ligand, and actin prepeptide were downregulated in cancer samples. Cofilin, an actin-depolymerizing factor, was prominent in both NMIBCs and MIBCs compared with normal bladder tissues. Furthermore, we confirmed that cofilin phosphorylation was more prominent in MIBCs than in NMIBCs using immunoblotting and immunohistochemcal analyses. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) increased the phosphorylation of cofilin and elevated the migration in T24 cells. Knockdown of cofilin expression with small interfering RNA attenuated the T24 cell migration in response to EGF. These results demonstrate that the increased expression and phosphorylation of cofilin might play a role in the occurrence and invasiveness of bladder cancer. We suspected that changes in cofilin expression may participate in the progression of the bladder cancer