Resistance to chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapies is a major problem facing current cancer research. The mechanisms of resistance to 'classical' cytotoxic chemotherapeutics and to therapies that are designed to be selective for specific molecular targets share many features, such as alterations in the drug target, activation of prosurvival pathways and ineffective induction of cell death. With the increasing arsenal of anticancer agents, improving preclinical models and the advent of powerful high-throughput screening techniques, there are now unprecedented opportunities to understand and overcome drug resistance through the clinical assessment of rational therapeutic drug combinations and the use of predictive biomarkers to enable patient stratification.

Cancer drug resistance: an evolving paradigm

There has been much effort recently to define the role of adipocytokines, which are soluble mediators derived mainly from adipocytes (fat cells), in the interaction between adipose tissue, inflammation and immunity. The adipocytokines adiponectin and leptin have emerged as the most abundant adipocyte products, thereby redefining adipose tissue as a key component not only of the endocrine system, but also of the immune system. Indeed, as we discuss here, several adipocytokines have a central role in the regulation of insulin resistance, as well as many aspects of inflammation and immunity. Other adipocytokines, such as visfatin, have only recently been identified. Understanding this rapidly growing family of mainly adipocyte-derived mediators might be of importance in the development of new therapies for obesity-associated diseases.

Adipocytokines: mediators linking adipose tissue, inflammation and immunity.

Bevacizumab plus Irinotecan,Fluorouracil,and Leucovorin for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is essential for driving plasticity during development, but is an unintentional behaviour of cells during cancer progression. The EMT-associated reprogramming of cells not only suggests that fundamental changes may occur to several regulatory networks but also that an intimate interplay exists between them. Disturbance of a controlled epithelial balance is triggered by altering several layers of regulation, including the transcriptional and translational machinery, expression of non-coding RNAs, alternative splicing and protein stability.

Regulatory networks defining EMT during cancer initiation and progression

Epidemiology and Natural History of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Erythrocytes, an well as Levovist microbubble contrast agent, enhance the heating effect of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and increase the coagulation volume produced by HIFU irradiation. In vitro experiments used human plasma with various concentrations of human erythrocytes in combination with or without Levovist. In vivo experiments used eight Japan white rabbits with three levels of anaemia. Using a 2.17 MHz transducer, HIFU was applied for 60 seconds, and the temperature rise and the volume of coagulation necrosis was evaluated. There was a significant correlation between the HIFU‐induced temperature rise and hematocrit, with a correlation coefficient of 0.998 (p=0.0001). Although the temperature rise was smaller at low hematocrit, it was significantly increased by adding Levovist to the suspension (p<0.01). The mean volume of coagulation necrosis was significantly higher in the rabbits with higher hematocrit (p<0.01), and that in the moderate anaemia group was significantly increased by u...

Erythrocytes and microbubble contrast agents, improve the therapeutic efficiency of high intensity focused ultrasound

Two cases of occult breast cancer presented with an axillary mass

PURPOSE: We report a patient with rectosigmoidal adenomatous polyposis. METHODS: A 57-year-old male presented with a submucosally invasive well-differentiated adenocarcinoma in the rectum and approximately 100 adenomatous polyps with an extremelty unusual distribution limited exclusively to the rectum and sigmoid colon. RESULTS: There was no family history of colorectal disease or any related disorders. No extracolonic manifestations were found. Because this case was considered to be a discriminative phenotype of familial adenomatous polyposis, DNA from a peripheral sample of whole blood was screened for APC germline mutation by a combination of protein truncation test and single stranded conformation polymorphism, but no mutation was found. CONCLUSION: This patient may have a novel entity of adenomatous polyposis with a peculiar distribution. It may be caused by some genetic alteration other than APC mutation.

Rectosigmoidal adenomatous polyposis: a novel entity of polyposis? Report of a case.

Achieving complete dissection of the lymph nodes located at the roots of the left gastroepiploic vessels is difficult when distal gastrectomy is the surgical goal; firstly, because the short gastric vessels must be preserved to supply blood to the remnant stomach; and also, because the roots of the left gastroepiploic vessels at the splenic hilus are obscured intraoperatively by adipose tissues. We describe herein a technique which enables complete and easy dissection of the lymph nodes located along and at the roots of the left gastroepiploic vessels.

Complete dissection of the lymph nodes located along and at the roots of the left gastroepiploic vessels during distal gastrectomy

Background: This study evaluated the difference of postoperative complications according to the radiation technique after preoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer Methods: Among 224 patients with rectal cancer who underwent preoperative radiotherapy, 159 patients were treated with the 2-portal technique and 65 patients with the 4-portal technique Comparison was performed between these 2 groups Results: The 5-year disease-free survival and local recurrence rate showed no difference between the 2 groups There was also no difference in postoperative mortality However, the 4-portal group had a significantly lower morbidity rate of 369% than the 2-portal group of 541% (P 02) The rate of major complications that needed reoperation was also significantly lower in the 4-portal group (0%) than the 2-portal group (119%) (P 01) The anastomotic leakage rate was significantly lower in the former (28% vs 200%, P 033) Conclusion: The 4-portal technique is a better technique than the 2-portal technique for decreasing postoperative complications in preoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer © 2007 Excerpta Medica Inc All rights reserved

Clinical surgery-International The 4-portal technique decreases adverse effects in preoperative radiotherapy for advanced rectal cancer: comparison between the 2-portal and the 4-portal techniques

Hirokazu Nagawa

Papers

Erythrocytes and microbubble contrast agents, improve the therapeutic efficiency of high intensity focused ultrasound

Two cases of occult breast cancer presented with an axillary mass

Rectosigmoidal adenomatous polyposis: a novel entity of polyposis? Report of a case.

Complete dissection of the lymph nodes located along and at the roots of the left gastroepiploic vessels during distal gastrectomy

Clinical surgery-International The 4-portal technique decreases adverse effects in preoperative radiotherapy for advanced rectal cancer: comparison between the 2-portal and the 4-portal techniques