Objective: Impaired fibrinolysis is associated with a higher incidence of both multiple organ dysfunction and mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 is the chief inhibitor of fibrinolysis. We investigated the influence of the 4G/5G polymorphism (rs1799768) of the PAI-1 gene on the plasma PAI-1 level and the outcome of critically ill patients. Methods: In 41 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU, PAI-1 gene polymorphism was assessed, plasma PAI-1 and arterial lactate concentrations were measured and clinical severity scores were recorded. Results: Homozygotes for the 4G allele had higher plasma levels of PAI-1 antigen. The mean ± SD PAI-1 antigen level was 193.31 ± 167.93 ng/ml for the 4G/4G genotype, 100.67 ± 114.16 ng/ml for the 4G/5G genotype and 0.43 ± 0.53 ng/ml for the 5G/5G genotype. There was a significant correlation between plasma PAI-1 and arterial lactate concentrations, as well as between PAI-1 and severity scores. The mortality rate was 63, 33 and 0% for patients with the 4G/4G, 4G/5G and 5G/5G genotypes, respectively. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the 4G/5G polymorphism of the PAI-1 gene affects the plasma PAI-1 concentration, which could impair fibrinolysis and cause organ failure, and thus the presence of the 4G allele increases the risk of death.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The thoracoabdominal approach with extended abdominal incision and a left thoracotomy is the traditional approach for the treatment of cardiac cancer with lower esophageal invasion. However, this procedure entails high morbidity and mortality. We evaluated the effectiveness of the laparoscopic transhiatal approach without a thoracotmy. METHODOLOGY We retrospectively analyzed the data obtained from 40 patients who underwent total gastrectomy with lower esophagectomy for cardiac cancer with lower esophageal invasion. These patients were divided into 2 groups: patients who underwent surgery via the conventional thoracoabdominal approach with extended abdominal incision and a left thoracotomy group (CTA group) and patients who underwent surgery via the laparoscopic transhiatal approach without a thoracotomy group (LTH group). RESULTS All the LTH group patients were successfully treated without a thoracotomy. The 1- second forced expiratory volume was significantly lower in LTH group than in CTA group. No difference was observed between the groups with respect to the mean length of resected esophagus. The LTH group patients did not develop postoperative pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS The laparoscopic transhiatal approach is safe and feasible for the resection of gastric cardiac cancer with lower esophageal invasion in patients with compromised respiratory function.

Although, a variety of techniques have been described to reduce the risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula, there is no consensus on appropriate technique for closure of the pancreatic remnant after distal pancreatectomy. We developed a new surgical technique, transduodenal pancreatic juice drainage, for preventing postoperative pancreatic fistula. The procedure involves a transduodenal approach. A pancreatic stent was inserted into the main pancreatic duct from the papilla of Vater to its the distal side, and continuous suction drainage was performed. The pancreatic parenchyma was divided using a knife, and the main pancreatic duct was ligated. The cut surface of the remaining pancreas was closed by hand suturing. This procedure was performed on 10 patients, and none of them developed clinical postoperative pancreatic fistula. We consider our transduodenal pancreatic juice drainage technique to be an effective procedure for preventing postoperative pancreatic fistula in patients who have undergone distal pancreatectomy.

A 79-year-old female patient underwent breast-conservation surgery following a diagnosis of right breast cancer in July 2007. In November 2008, the patient presented at our hospital with acute onset of lower abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with panperitonitis due to gastrointestinal perforation, and underwent an emergency operation. At the time of the operation, one site of free perforation was found in the small intestine, and a 2-3-cm nodule was found in the 50-cm anal side from the site of this perforation. Multiple metastases to the para-aortic lymph nodes and mesenteric lymph nodes were also found. The patient recovered without complications and was discharged from the hospital, but 3 months after surgery she succumbed due to multiple liver metastases. It is important to identify metastatic intestinal tumors in patients who have breast cancer.

HASH(0x2b08f4ed75e0)

A 69-year-old female visited our department with a diagnosis of rectosigmoid cancer and multiple hepatic metastases (stage IV). Abdominal CT revealed multiple metastatic lesions in the bilateral lobes of the liver. The primary lesion was considered to be resectable, and high anterior resection of the rectum was performed. After the operation, 6 courses of therapy with bevacizumab (BV) and modified FOLFOX6 were performed. CT showed a partial response, and tumor marker levels became normal. After a total of 11 courses of this therapy, grade 3 peripheral neuropathy developed, and the therapy was changed to BV and capecitabine (Cape). After 6 courses of this therapy, CT showed the maintenance of partial response, and tumor marker levels were also within the normal range. BV and Cape therapy may be useful not only for reducing peripheral neuropathy, but also as a maintenance therapy in patients requiring the suspension of oxaliplatin administration due to peripheral neuropathy.

The production of e;{+}e;{-} pairs for m_{e;{+}e;{-}}<0.3 GeV/c;{2} and 1<p_{T}<5 GeV/c is measured in p+p and Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV. An enhanced yield above hadronic sources is observed. Treating the excess as photon internal conversions, the invariant yield of direct photons is deduced. In central Au+Au collisions, the excess of the direct photon yield over p+p is exponential in transverse momentum, with an inverse slope T=221+/-19;{stat}+/-19;{syst} MeV. Hydrodynamical models with initial temperatures ranging from T_{init} approximately 300-600 MeV at times of approximately 0.6-0.15 fm/c after the collision are in qualitative agreement with the data. Lattice QCD predicts a phase transition to quark gluon plasma at approximately 170 MeV.

In this study, we examined the effects of direct hemoperfusion through filters with immobilized polymyxin B (PMX-DHP) on leukocyte function and plasma levels of cytokines in patients with septic shock. We found that PMX-DHP caused increased expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor (CXCR) 1 and CXCR2, along with decreased expression of CD64 and CD11b, by circulating neutrophils in septic patients. Plasma levels of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, and high-mobility group box-1, were elevated in patients with septic shock compared to healthy controls, but cytokine levels were not altered by PMX-DHP. These results suggest that PMX-DHP influences neutrophils via a mechanism that does not involve cytokine. Ex vivo perfusion of heparinized blood from patients with sepsis and septic shock through PMX filters in a laboratory circuit caused a significant decrease in neutrophil and monocyte counts. After 120 min of perfusion, neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes were decreased by 78%, 70%, and 10%, respectively, compared with baseline values. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that activated neutrophils with high levels of CD11b/CD64 expression and low levels of CXCR1/CXCR2 expression showed preferential adhesion to PMX filters. Neutrophils isolated from the blood after ex vivo PMX perfusion caused less damage to an endothelial cell monolayer than cells from sham-treated blood, whereas neutrophil phagocytosis of opsonized E. coli was unaffected. These results indicate that PMX-DHP selectively removes activated neutrophils and reduces the ability of circulating cells to cause endothelial damage. Selective removal of activated neutrophils using PMX-DHP may improve the systemic inflammatory response in septic patients.

Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is the third most common primary neoplasm of the heart. The lesions generally appear singly, but multiple PFEs may rarely occur. The case is reported of multiple PFEs in a woman initially admitted for acute cerebral infarction. Echocardiography revealed four masses, one located on each cusp of the aortic valve and one on the left ventricular outflow tract. All four lesions were successfully removed surgically. An histopathologic examination revealed PFEs arising from the ventricular and valvular endocardium.

The momentum distribution of electrons from semileptonic decays of charm and bottom quarks for midrapidity |y|<0.35 in p+p collisions at square root of s=200 GeV is measured by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider over the transverse momentum range 2<pT<7 GeV/c. The ratio of the yield of electrons from bottom to that from charm is presented. The ratio is determined using partial D/D-->e(+/-)K(-/+)X (K unidentified) reconstruction. It is found that the yield of electrons from bottom becomes significant above 4 GeV/c in pT. A fixed-order-plus-next-to-leading-log perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculation agrees with the data within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties. The extracted total bottom production cross section at this energy is sigma(bb)=3.2(-1.1)(+1.2)(stat)(-1.3)(+1.4)(syst)mub.