Abstract. Combination chemotherapy with oxaliplatin plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX) or irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFIRI) has become a standard regimen for advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer. Numerous studies have reported that long-term use of FOLFOX or FOLFIRI leads to better survival for these patients. Thus, control of the toxicity of these drugs may be crucial to prolonging survival. Fucoidan is one of the major sulfated polysaccharides of brown seaweeds and exhibits a wide range of biological activities. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of fucoidan on suppressing the toxicity of anti-cancer drugs. A total of 20 patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer scheduled to undergo treatment with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI were randomly allocated into a fucoidan treatment group (n=10) and a control group without fucoidan treatment (n=10). Results showed that fucoidan regulated the occurrence of fatigue during chemotherapy. Chemotherapy with fucoidan was continued for a longer period than chemotherapy without fucoidan. Additionally, the survival of patients with fucoidan treatment was longer than that of patients without fucoidan, although the difference was not significant. Thus, fucoidan may enable the continuous administration of chemotherapeutic drugs for patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer, and as a result, the prognosis of such patients is prolonged.

We isolated a new marine bacteria, which displayed alginate-depolymerizing activity in plate assays, from seawater in Mihonoseki Harbor, Japan. Analysis of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence of one of the isolates proved that this alginate-depolymerizing bacterium belonged to the genus Vibrio and it was named Vibrio sp. O2. The alginate lyase genes of Vibrio sp. O2 were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Two alginate lyase-producing clones, pVOA-A4 and pVOA-B5, were obtained. The alginate lyase gene alyVOA from pVOA-A4 was composed of an 858-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 285 amino acid residues, while alyVOB from pVOA-B5 was composed of an 828-bp ORF encoding 275 amino acid residues. The degree of identity between the deduced amino acid sequences of AlyVOA or AlyVOB and Photobacterium sp. ATCC43367 alginate poly(ManA)lyase AlxM was 92.3% or 32.6%, respectively. Alginate lyase consensus regions corresponding to the sequences YFKAGXYXQ and RXELR were observed in all three of these sequences. AlyVOA and AlyVOB both degraded polymannuronate in plate assays and were therefore confirmed to be poly(beta-D-mannuronate)lyases.

This article describes a prenatal ultrasonographic finding of an infarcted intestinal volvulus. Ultrasonography showed polyhydramnios, multiple dilated intestinal loops, increased transverse abdominal area, and ascites. After cesarean section due to premature rupture of membranes and fetal distress, derotation of the infarcted volvulus caused postoperative thrombocytopenia, hyperkalemia, and acidosis and a subsequent resection was required. A high output of intestinal juice from the jejunostomy caused severe hypovolemia and electrolyte imbalance with resultant death. Increased transverse abdominal area caused by marked intestinal dilatation, ascites, fetal distress, and hydrops fetalis may suggest an infarcted intestinal volvulus.

Our findings demonstrate that reduction of IAP to 4 mmHg using the retraction method prevents the transient renal dysfunction caused by prolonged 12 mmHg pneumoperitoneum during LC, suggesting that the retraction method reduces the risk of perioperative renal dysfunction during laparoscopic surgery.

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