An autopsy case of disseminated cryptococcosis manifesting as acute diarrhea in a patient with primary biliary cirrhosis

A 58-year-old woman with an 18-year history of primary biliary cirrhosis was admitted because of pneumococcal pneumonia. She was treated with antibiotics and mechanical ventilation. After the pneumonia improved, she developed severe watery diarrhea. Although vancomycin was administered enterally, the diarrhea persisted. She died of multiple organ failure within 16 days of the onset of diarrhea. An autopsy showed intracapillary cryptococci in the systemic organs, especially in the intestinal tract. The cause of diarrhea was considered to be extensive intestinal mucosal necrosis due to disseminated cryptococcosis. This is a rare case of cryptococcal infection manifesting as acute diarrhea.

Multiple (18)F-FDG, PET-CT for postoperative monitoring of breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) may be useful in the post-treatment follow-up of breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE

To assess the usefulness of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-CT (PET-CT) for postoperative monitoring of breast cancer patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred twenty-nine PET-CT studies performed on 55 female postoperative breast cancer patients (median age 56 years, range 36-86 years) were analyzed. The median interval between the PET-CT studies was 6 months (range 1-15 months). In order to determine the usefulness of serial PET-CT examinations in the postoperative follow-up of breast cancer patients, the PET-CT findings were compared with the physical findings, findings obtained by other imaging modalities, and the (18)F-FDG-PET (PET) findings.

RESULTS

The PET findings were negative in 4 metastatic bone lesions with a positive bone scan. The PET findings were also negative in 6 of 9 osteogenic bone metastases and one of 64 osteolytic bone lesions. There were 5 cases with false-positive of PET, which were determined to be areas of soft-tissue hyperactivity. All false-positive/-negative findings were corrected by the addition of CT.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study lend support to the clinical role of PET-CT in the postoperative follow-up/monitoring of breast cancer patients.

Method to reconstruct exoplanetary spectrum

We present a method for spectroscopic observations of exoplanets. Coronagraphic image of a star-planet system and its objective spectra are observed simultaneously. Stellar image and objective spectrum without coronagraphic suppression are also obtained as reference. By convolution of the coronagraphic image with the reference stellar spectrum, pseudo-objective spectra are synthesized. The difference between the observed and the synthesized pseudospectra reveals the distinctive features of planetary spectrum. We carry out laboratory demonstration of the proposed technique and show that the planetary spectrum is reconstructed.

CONGENITAL ROSAI-DORFMAN DISEASE WITHOUT LYMPHADENOPATHY

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare histiocytic proliferative disorder with massive lymphadenopathy. We here describe RDD of a neonate who presented with paleness and hepatosplenomegaly but not lymph-node swelling. Routine laboratory studies showed anemia, thrombocytopenia, and an elevated value of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Histological examination of the liver revealed a proliferation of histiocytes with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, which were positive for S-100 protein and CD68 but not CD1a and did not reveal Birbeck granules. Radiological studies showed hepatosplenomegaly and a narrowing of the hepatic vein, which might have contributed to hypersplenism resulting in anemia and thrombocytopenia. This case is thought to be congenital RDD without lymphadenopathy.

Myxoid chondrosarcoma in the pineal region

The authors report a case of a myxoid chondrosarcoma of the pineal region in a 37-year-old woman who presented with an intratumoral hemorrhage. Partial removal of the tumor in an initial surgery resulted in failure to establish a definitive diagnosis. The residual tumor enlarged after a second intratumoral hemorrhage 14 months after the onset of the first symptoms, and gross-total resection of the tumor was achieved in a second surgery. Histological and immunohistochemical findings after the second surgery were consistent with a diagnosis of myxoid chondrosarcoma. Radical excision of a tumor was considered to play an important role in the management of intracranial myxoid chondrosarcoma.

Anomalous arterial supply to the gallbladder from the superior mesenteric artery: angiography and computed tomography findings in two cases

The arterial supply of the gallbladder usually arises from the right hepatic artery. Other origins include the left, proper, and common hepatic arteries. We report cases of the cystic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery and arising from the dorsal pancreatic artery originating in turn from the superior mesenteric artery, as demonstrated by angiography and computed tomography.

Spontaneous Tumors in Domestic Hamsters

A total of 90 tumors from 85 domestic hamsters (70 Djungarian hamsters and 15 Syrian hamsters) were examined by histology. In the Djungarian hamsters, 64 neoplastic and 11 non-neoplastic lesions were identified, whereas 14 Syrian hamsters showed neoplastic disease, and one showed non-neoplastic disease. The Djungarian hamsters showed a high prevalence of neoplastic disease, similarly to laboratory Djungarian hamsters. In the Djungarian hamsters, almost all tumors were integumental, whereas hematopoietic tumors were the most common type in the Syrian hamsters. The most common integumental tumors in the Djungarian hamsters were mammary tumors, atypical fibromas and papillomas, and a spectrum of integumental tumors that have not been reported in laboratory Djungarian hamsters were identified. Most mammary tumors occurred in the females, whereas all atypical fibromas were observed in the males. In the Syrian hamsters, plasmacytomas and lymphomas were the most common tumors. The small number of Syrian hamsters in this study may reflect the low prevalence of spontaneous tumors seen in laboratory Syrian hamsters. The mean age of the affected hamsters was 19.8 months, which is relatively advanced. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study of tumors in domestic hamsters.

Search for B+-->D*+pi0 decay

We report on a search for the doubly Cabibbo suppressed decay B+-->D*+pi0, based on a data sample of 657x10(6) BB pairs collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. We find no significant signal and set an upper limit of B(B+-->D*+pi0)<3.6x10(-6) at the 90% confidence level. This limit can be used to constrain the ratio between suppressed and favored B-->D*pi decay amplitudes, r<0.051, at the 90% confidence level.

Renal Collecting Duct Carcinoma in a Dog

An 8-year-old, male, mongrel dog developed severe cough and anorexia and died within 3 months. Autopsy revealed an invasive grayish-white mass in the right kidney and multiple nodules in the lungs, thoracic wall, and spleen. Histologically, the renal mass and the other nodules were mainly composed of papillotubular structures lined by oval-to-polygonal pleomorphic cells. The cells were reactive with DBA, PNA, and UEA-1 lectins and positive for vimentin but negative for CD10 and high molecular weight cytokeratin. Because of its histological, histochemical, and immunohistochemical similarities with human collecting duct carcinoma (CDC), a diagnosis of renal collecting duct carcinoma with pulmonary, thoracic, and splenic metastases was established. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of CDC in animals.

Observation of B{0}-->ppK*0 with a large K*0 polarization

Using a 492 fb{-1} data sample collected near the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e{+}e{-} collider, we observe the decay B{0}-->ppK*0 with a branching fraction of (1.18{-0.25}{+0.29}(stat)+/-0.11(syst))x10{-6}. We study the decay dynamics of B{0}-->ppK*0 and compare with B{+}-->ppK*+. The K*0 meson is found to be almost 100% polarized (with a fraction of (101+/-13+/-3)% in the helicity zero state), while the K*+ meson has a (32+/-17+/-9)% fraction in the helicity zero state. The direct CP asymmetries for B{0}-->ppK*0 and B{+}-->ppK*+ are measured to be -0.08+/-0.20+/-0.02 and -0.01+/-0.19+/-0.02, respectively. In addition, we report improved measurements of the branching fractions B(B{+}-->ppK*+)=(3.38{-0.60}{+0.73}+/-0.39)x10{-6} and B(B{0}-->ppK{0})=(2.51{-0.29}{+0.35}+/-0.21)x10{-6}, which supersede our previous measurements.

Measurement of B(Ds{+}-->mu+nu(mu))

We present a measurement of the branching fraction B(D{s}{+}-->mu{+}nu{mu}) using a 548 fb{-1} data sample collected by the Belle experiment at the KEKB e{+}e{-} collider. The D{s} momentum is determined by reconstruction of the system recoiling against DKgammaX in events of the type e{+}e{-}-->D{s}{*}DKX, D{s}{*}-->D{s}gamma, where X represents additional pions or photons from fragmentation. This full-reconstruction method provides high resolution in the neutrino momentum and thus good background separation, equivalent to that achieved by experiments at the tau-charm factories. We obtain the branching fraction B(D{s}{+}-->mu{+}nu{mu})=[6.44+/-0.76(stat)+/-0.57(syst)]x10{-3}, implying a D{s} decay constant of f{D{s}}=[275+/-16(stat)+/-12(syst)] MeV.

Production of new charmoniumlike states in e+e- -->J/psiD*D[over](*) at sqrt[s] approximately 10.6 GeV

We report a study of the processes e+e- -->J/psiD*D[over](*). In J/psiD*D[over]* we observe a significant enhancement in the D*D[over]* invariant mass spectrum, which we interpret as a new charmoniumlike state and denote X(4160). The X(4160) parameters are M=(4156(-20)+25+/-15) MeV/c2 and Gamma=(139(-61)+111+/-21) MeV. We also report a new measurement of the X(3940) mass and width: M=(3942(-6)+7+/-6) MeV/c2 and Gamma=(37(-15)+26+/-8) MeV. The analysis is based on a 693 fb(-1) data sample recorded near the Upsilon(4S) resonance by the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy collider.

Observation of a resonancelike structure in the pi +- psi' mass distribution in exclusive B-->Kpi +- psi' decays

A distinct peak is observed in the pi +/- psi' invariant mass distribution near 4.43 GeV in B-->K pi +/- psi' decays. A fit using a Breit-Wigner resonance shape yields a peak mass and width of M=4433+/-4(stat)+/-2(syst) MeV and Gamma=45-13+18(stat)-13+30(syst) MeV. The product branching fraction is determined to be B(B 0-->K -/+Z+/-(4430)) x B(Z+/-(4430)-->pi+/-psi')=(4.1+/-1.0(stat)+/-1.4(syst)) x 10(-5), where Z+/-(4430) is used to denote the observed structure. The statistical significance of the observed peak is 6.5 sigma. These results are obtained from a 605 fb(-1) data sample that contains 657 x 10(6) BB pairs collected near the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric energy e+ e- collider.

Observation of B_(s)(0)-->phigamma and search for B_(s)(0)-->gammagamma decays at Belle

We search for the radiative penguin decays B_{s}{0}-->varphigamma and B_{s}{0}-->gammagamma in a 23.6 fb{-1} data sample collected at the Upsilon(5S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e{+}e{-} asymmetric-energy collider. We observe for the first time a radiative penguin decay of the B_{s}{0} meson in the B_{s}{0}-->varphigamma mode and we measure B(B_{s}{0}-->varphigamma)=(57_{-15}{+18}(stat)-11+12(syst))x10{-6}. No significant B_{s}{0}-->gammagamma signal is observed and we set a 90% confidence level upper limit of B(B_{s}{0}-->gammagamma)<8.7x10{-6}.

Measurement of time-dependent CP-violating parameters in B(0)-->K_(S)(0)K_(S)(0) decays

We report a measurement of the CP-violating parameters in B;{0}-->K_{S}{0}K_{S}{0} decays based on a data sample of 657x10{6} BB[over ] pairs collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e;{+}e{-} collider. In this Letter, one neutral B meson is fully reconstructed in the B;{0}-->K_{S}{0}K_{S}{0} decay mode, and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified by its decay products. The CP-violating parameters are measured from the asymmetry in the distributions of the proper-time interval between the two B decays: S_K_{S}{0}K_{S}{0}}=-0.38_{-0.77}{+0.69}(stat)+/-0.09(syst) and A_{K_{S}{0}K_{S}{0}}=-0.38+/-0.38(stat)+/-0.05(syst).

Observation of anomalous upsilon(1S)pi+pi(-) and upsilon(2S)pi+pi(-) production near the upsilon(5S) resonance

We report the first observation of e;{+}e;{-}-->Upsilon(1S)pi;{+}pi;{-}, Upsilon(2S)pi;{+}pi;{-}, and first evidence for e;{+}e;{-}-->Upsilon(3S)pi;{+}pi;{-}, Upsilon(1S)K+K-, near the peak of the Upsilon(5S) resonance at sqrt[s] approximately 10.87 GeV. The results are based on a data sample of 21.7 fb;{-1} collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB e;{+}e;{-} collider. Attributing the signals to the Upsilon(5S) resonance, the partial widths Gamma(Upsilon(5S)-->Upsilon(1S)pi;{+}pi;{-})=0.59+/-0.04(stat)+/-0.09(syst) MeV and Gamma(Upsilon(5S)-->Upsilon(2S)pi;{+}pi;{-})=0.85+/-0.07(stat)+/-0.16(syst) MeV are obtained from the observed cross sections. These values exceed by more than 2 orders of magnitude the previously measured partial widths for dipion transitions between lower Upsilon resonances.

Observation of a new DsJ meson in B+-->D0D0K+ decays

We report the observation of a new DsJ meson produced in B+-->D0DsJ-->D0D0K+. This state has a mass of M=2708+/-9(-10)(+11) MeV/c2, a width Gamma=108+/-23(-31)(+36) MeV/c2 and a 1- spin-parity. The statistical significance of this observation is 8.4 sigma. The results are based on an analysis of 449 x 10(6) BB events collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider.

Observation of the psi(4415)-->DD2*(2460) decay using initial-state radiation

We report measurements of the exclusive cross section for e(+)e(-)-->D(0)D(-)pi(+) over the center-of-mass energy range 4.0 GeV to 5.0 GeV with initial-state radiation and the first observation of the decay psi(4415)-->D(0)D(-)pi(+). From a study of the resonant substructure in psi(4415) decay we conclude that the psi(4415)-->D(0)D(-)pi(+) decay is dominated by psi(4415)-->DD(2)(*)(2460). We obtain B(psi(4415)-->D(0)D(-)pi(nonresonant)(+))/B(psi(4415)-->DD(2)(*)(2460)-->D(0)D(-)pi(+))<0.22 at 90% C.L. The analysis is based on a data sample collected with the Belle detector with an integrated luminosity of 673 fb(-1).