Background/Aim: Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is a glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzyme known to regulate ferroptosis, which is a non-apoptotic form of cell death accompanied by iron-dependent accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study evaluated the expression and function of GPX4 in GC. Materials and Methods: The expression of GPX4 was examined in five human GC cell lines (KATO-III, MKN-1, MKN-28, MKN-45, and MKN-74) using real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting. The role of GPX4 in GC was examined using small interference RNA and cell proliferation and ROS assays. Finally, we analyzed GPX4 expression in tumor tissues from 106 patients who underwent GC surgery using immunohistochemistry and evaluated the relationship between GPX4 levels and clinical outcomes of GC. Results: GPX4 was expressed in all GC cell lines at various levels. GPX4 silencing and inhibition significantly reduced cell proliferation and increased ROS generation. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2, a known biomarker of ferroptosis, were increased after GPX4 silencing. GPX4 expression was found to be an independent prognostic factor for overall and disease-specific survival in GC patients. Conclusion: GPX4 can regulate cancer cell death via ferroptosis in GC cell lines and represents a significant risk factor for survival in patients with GC.

We report on a spectacular flare in the water-vapor maser emission from the KL nebula, which we found in 1997 December. The flare, at a velocity of 7.9 km s⁻¹, continued to increase in intensity exponentially and had a flux density greater than 3.5×10⁶ Jy. The central velocity of the flare component was 7.9 km s⁻¹ and the line width was less than 40 kHz. We did not detect a “rapid„ time variation in the intensity. The flare component is currently increasing steadily. A preliminary VLBI observation was made using a Japanese domestic VLBI network, called J-Net, in order to determine the location of the flare. Its position is $$\alpha= 05^\textrm h32^\textrm m 46^\textrm s.6, \delta=-5^\circ 24^\prime 27^{\prime \prime}_.{2} (1950.0) \pm 1^{\prime \prime}.$$ In this region, strong outbursts were reported during the period from 1979 August to 1985 November (Matveenko et al. 1988, AAA 49.131.147). Both the central velocity and the position of the present flare seems to be the same as that of previous ones. This suggests a common origin of these phenomena.

Background/Aim: The Barthel index and Katz index are useful in assessing the physical function status of patients. We prospectively evaluated the relationship between the Barthel and Katz indices and postoperative complications in older patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Patients and Methods: We enrolled 250 patients aged ≥65 years who underwent gastrointestinal surgery between September 2018 and April 2020. Postoperative complications within 30 days after surgery were categorized using the Clavien-Dindo classification. The primary endpoint was the incidence of postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥II. Results: Of the 250 patients (age, 74.1±6.2 years), 149 (59.6%) were male and 101 (40.4%) were female. The Barthel index was <100 in 49 patients (19.6%), and the Katz index was B-G in 23 patients (9.2%). Seventy-five patients (30%) developed postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥I, and 72 patients (28.8%) developed complications of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥II within 30 days after surgery. A Barthel index of <100 was more common in the group with complications, while the Katz index did not differ. A Barthel index of <100 was also a significant multivariate predictor of complications of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥II. Conclusion: The Barthel index is a useful predictor of postoperative complications in older individuals undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies, and the liver is the most common site of hematogenous metastasis of GC. AMIGO2 is a type I transmembrane protein that has been implicated in tumour cell adhesion in adenocarcinomas; however, its importance in GC remains undetermined. Methods: We analyzed AMIGO2 expression by immunohistochemistry using the specific monoclonal antibody for human AMIGO2 in 128 patients who underwent GC surgery to evaluate its relationship between various metastatic and clinical outcomes in GC. Results: Immunohistochemistry revealed that AMIGO2 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival, disease-specific survival, and liver metastasis in GC patients. Conclusions: This study showed that AMIGO2 is induced in GC tissues and can mediate hepatic metastasis. Determining AMIGO2 expression in GC will help predict patient prognosis and the incidence of liver metastasis.

Background The neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proposed to be a surrogate marker of inflammation and immunological status and to have prognostic value in various malignancies. This study was conducted to clarify the prognostic significance of preoperative NLR in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods We enrolled 135 patients with histologically-proven HCC who underwent initial curative hepatectomy. Based on the median NLR values, patients were divided into: NLR ≥ 2.0 (NLR-high, n = 69) and NLR < 2.0 (NLR-low, n = 66).Results In univariate analysis, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 59.8 % ± 6.7% and 75.6% ± 6.5% (P = 0.028) in the NLR-high and NLR-low groups, respectively. Furthermore, the 5-year disease specific survival rates were 68.6% ± 6.7%, and 81.2 ± 6.4% (P = 0.048) in the NLR-high and NLR-low groups, respectively.Conclusion Our results showed that high NLR was an independent predictor for OS in hepatectomy-treated HCC, suggesting that NLR may be a novel prognostic biomarker for HCC. On the other hand, NLR also has a limitation to predict postoperative prognosis of HCC patients by itself.