Gene Expression Profiling Identified High-mobility Group AT-hook (HMGA2) as Being Frequently Upregulated in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: Esophageal cancer is one of the most deadly malignancies worldwide and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most frequent type. Methods: We identified up-regulated genes from gene expression profiles of HKESC-4 cell line, its parental tumor tissues, non-tumoral esophageal epithelia and lymph nodes with metastatic carcinoma using Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 microarray. Results: Four genes [High-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2), paternally expressed 10 (PEG10), SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains 2 (SHANK2) and WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein 3 (WISP3)] were selected for further validation with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in a panel of ESCC cell lines and clinical specimens. HMGA2 was found to be overexpressed in the panel of ESCC cell lines tested. By using immunohistochemistry, HMGA2 was found to be up-regulated in 70% of ESCC tissues (21 out of 30 cases). Conclusion: This study demonstrates successful use of gene microarray to identify and reveal HMGA2 as a novel and consistently overexpressed gene in ESCC cell lines and clinical samples.published_or_final_versio

Clinical correlation of nuclear survivin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

To examine the correlation of survivin (both total and nuclear survivin) with clinicopathological parameters of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. Tumors and non-tumor tissues near the proximal resection margins were resected from ESCC patients undergone esophagectomy. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to detect survivin mRNA expression level in the 10 paired tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues. To confirm with the clinical situation, survivin mRNA and protein expression were measured by qPCR and immunoblot, respectively, in 5 ESCC cell lines and a non-neoplastic esophageal epithelial cell line. Immunohistochemistry was employed to reveal the cellular localization of survivin in tumor tissues isolated from the 64 ESCC patients undergone surgery alone. Up-regulation of survivin mRNA and protein was found in 5 ESCC lines (HKESC-1, HKESC-2, HKESC-3, HKESC-4, and SLMT-1) when compared to a non-neoplastic esophageal epithelial cell line NE-1. In particular, HKESC-3, HKESC-4, and SLMT-1 cells demonstrated ~50-fold increase in survivin mRNA. High level of survivin mRNA in tumor tissues when compared to non-tumor tissues was found in 70 % (7 of 10) of clinical cases. The increase in expression ranged from ~twofold to ~16-fold. Immunohistochemistry results showed that survivin was found at the cell nuclei in all specimens examined. Nuclear expression of survivin was inversely associated with the likelihood of developing nodal metastasis (p = 0.021) and significantly associated with early-stage ESCC (p = 0.039). Nuclear survivin could serve as a marker for indicating disease status in ESCC patients. © 2012 The Author(s).published_or_final_versio

Effect of autoclave sterilisation and heat activated sodium hypochlorite irrigation on the performance of nickel-titanium rotary files against cyclic fatigue

The present study aims to assess the impact of heat-activated sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and/or autoclave sterilisation on the cyclic fatigue resistance (CFR) of heat-treated nickel-titanium rotary files used in root canal treatment. The CFR of One Curve (OC) files was evaluated under the following conditions: as received (Group 1; control), immersion in NaOCl at 23 ± 1ºC (Group 2), immersion in NaOCl at 60 ± 1ºC (Group 3), autoclave sterilisation at 135 1ºC (Group 4), combined treatment of autoclave sterilisation and immersion in NaOCl at 23 ± 1ºC (Group 5), and combined treatment of autoclave sterilisation and immersion in NaOCl at 60 ± 1ºC (Group 6). A simulated root canal in a zirconia block was utilised to test the performance of the files. All the types of treatments resulted in significant reductions in fracture resistance of the OC files. Immersion of the files in NaOCl at 23ºC revealed the smallest reduction, while combined treatment of autoclaving and immersion in NaOCl at 60ºC caused the greatest reduction. Autoclave sterilisation or exposure of OC files to 2.5% NaOCl adversely affect the cyclic fatigue life and increasing solution temperature or combined treatment caused additionally significant reduction in CFR

Analysis and recognition of isolated putonghua vowels by Karhunen-Loève transformation techniques

A systematic study on a speaker-independent vowel recognition model has been performed. Karhunen-Loève Transformation (KLT), or Principal Component Analysis, technique was applied subsequent to a spectral analysis of the speech signal by 18 non-overlapping critical-band filters. Four experiments have been conducted using selected segments of 8 isolated Putonghua (Mandarin) vowels, spoken twice in 5 tones by 38 females and 13 males. The first experiment uses the same speech sample in training and testing to evaluate the effects of KLT, speaker normalization, distance metric and number of vowel classes. A modified Mahalanobis distance coupled with a 7-class condition was found to give the best performance. In the next experiment, one sample was used to train the model, and another trial of the same speech, spoken by the same group of speakers, was used to test it. It was found that, in general, a sex-specific and tone-specific procedure could be avoided without significant loss in performance. The third experiment repeatedly trained the model with 50 speakers and tested it wiht the remaining one until all 51 speakers had been tested. Under this stringent condition, an average recognition rate of 88.2% was achieved using only 4 classificatory dimensions. In the last experiment, all segments of a vowel were labelled using the most stringent conditions. The model was confirmed to perform well for one male and one female speaker selected at random. Also, the vowel that had caused the greatest confusion was found to be well recognized when treated as an allophone of another vowel. Finally, the possibility of extending the present technique to diphthong recognition is discussed together with some preliminary results. © 1986.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Establishment and characterization of a new xenograft-derived human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line HKESC-4 of Chinese origin

A new human esophageal cancer cell line, HKESC-4, was established from a nude-mouse xenograft of a moderately differentiated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) developed from a 65-year-old Hong Kong Chinese man. The cellular characteristics (morphological, electron microscopic, and immunohistochemical studies), tumorigenicity in athymic nude mice, cytogenetic features, and DNA ploidy of the cell line were investigated. The cell line was maintained in vitro for 17 months and passaged 80 times. HKESC-4 grew as a monolayer, with a doubling time of 63 hours. The epithelial nature of HKESC-4 included the presence of cytokeratin intermediate filaments, as shown by antibodies (AE1/AF3, CAM5.2, and MAK 6), and the presence of the tonofilaments, as seen under electron microscopy. HKESC-4 was tumorigenic in nude mice and had DNA aneuploidy. The cytogenetic abnormalities of HKESC-4 included -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9, -10, -11, -12, -15, -16, -17, -18, -19, +20, -21, -22, +del(11)(p11), +i(11)(q10), and +21 marker chromosomes. Comparative genomic hybridization analysis demonstrated chromosomal gains at 1p36.13, 3q23∼q28, 5p15.33∼p15.1, 6p25.1∼p22.3, 7p21.3∼p11.2, 7q11.21∼q21.13, 8q23.3∼q23.3, 11p11.2, 11q12.1∼q13.2, 14q21.3∼q32.2, 17p13.3, 18p11.32∼p11.31, and 20p13∼p12.2 and chromosomal losses at 1q12, 2p25.1∼p24.3, 13p13∼p11.2, 21p, 22p13∼p11.2, and Y. The newly established cell line HKESC-4 promises to be a useful tool in future studies of molecular pathogenesis and therapeutics in ESCC. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Cateter central de inserção periférica: descrição da utilização em UTI Neonatal e Pediátrica Catéter central de inserción periférica: descripción da utilización en UTI Neonatal y Pediátrica Peripherally inserted central catheter: description of its utilization in Neonatal and Pediatric ICU

Estudo descritivo, retrospectivo, documental que objetivou descrever a utilização do cateter central de inserção periférica (PICC) em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal e Pediátrica quanto à inserção, manutenção e remoção, e identificar o perfil das crianças que receberam PICC, por meio de análise descritiva e estatística de 176 instrumentos preenchidos por enfermeiros, em um período de dois anos. A população assistida foi de 125 pacientes, principalmente prematuros (43,2%) e do sexo masculino (60%). Para inserção do dispositivo as veias basílica e cefálica (43,2%) e o cateter 1.9 Fr (85,8%) foram utilizados. Houve índice de sucesso nas punções (98,9%), porém a remoção antecipada ocorreu em virtude de obstrução (25%), infiltração (18%), suspeita de contaminação (16,6%), tração (13,9%), ruptura (11,2%), retirada acidental (8,3%), flebite (4,2%), cianose (1,4%) e migração (1,4%), com média de permanência de 14,5 dias. Para a manutenção do cateter é requerida a capacitação e a educação permanente dos profissionais, estratégias que qualificam a assistência.<br>Estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo, documental, cuyo objetivo fue describir la utilización del catéter central de inserción periférica (PICC) en una Unidad Pediátrica de Cuidados Intensivos en relación con la inserción, mantenimiento y remoción, e identificar el perfil de los niños que lo recibieron PICC, por medio de análisis descriptivo y estadístico de 176 instrumentos diligenciados por enfermeros, en un período de dos años. La población asistida fue de 125 pacientes, principalmente prematuros (43,2%), de sexo masculino (60%). Para inserción del dispositivo las venas basílica y cefálica (43,2%) y el catéter 1.9 Fr (85,8%) fueron principalmente utilizados. El éxito en las punciones fue (98,9%), aunque la remoción anticipada ocurrió en virtud de obstrucción (25%), infiltración (18%), sospecha de contaminación (16,6%), tracción (13,9%), ruptura (11,2%), retirada accidental (8,3%), flebitis (4,2%), cianosis (1,4%) y migración (1,4%), con media de permanencia de 14,5 días. Para el mantenimiento del catéter es requerida la capacitación y educación permanente de los profesionales, estrategias que cualifican la asistencia.<br>The purpose of this descriptive, retrospective, documental study is to describe the use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) in a neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit regarding their insertion, maintenance, and removal. This study also characterized the population which received the catheter through descriptive and statistical analysis of 176 instruments filled out by nurses, in a two year period. The population attended consisted of 125 patients, mainly premature (43.2%) and male (60%). The basilic and cephalic (43.2%) veins were primarily used for the insertion of a 1.9Fr (85.8%) catheter. The success rate was 98.9% in the punctures, but anticipated removal occurred due to obstruction (25%), infiltration (18%), suspected contamination (16,6%), traction (13,9%), rupture (11,2%), accidental removal (8,3%), phlebitis (4,2%), cyanosis (1,4%), and migration (1,4%), with an average period of permanence of 14.5 days. In order to maintain the catheter, professional education and preparation are required to qualify care