The Acceptance of Wrinkles: Ageing in Kazuo Ishiguro's Novels

In this dissertation I discuss the role of ageing in Kazuo Ishiguro's An Artist of the Floating World (1986), The Remains of the Day (1989) and Never Let Me Go (2005). Although the three novels appear rather different in their themes and setting, they are comparable in their portrayal of the development of the attitude towards ageing, or impending death, which is greatly influenced by Japanese culture.

The combined effects of high-energy shock waves and ionising radiation on a human bladder cancer cell line

The effects of high-energy shock waves (HESW) generated by an experimental Siemens lithotripter in combination with 137Cs gamma-rays were examined in vitro. Proliferation after treatment of immobilised pellets of either single cells or multicellular spheroids of the bladder cancer cell line RT4 was determined using colony-forming assays and cell cycle analysis. Surviving and cell cycle fractions were calculated for each shock wave and radiation application mode separately, and for sequential combination in different successions for the purpose of characterizing the interaction of both treatment modalities. Combination of HESW and ionising radiation turned out to act additively or slightly supra-additively on both biologic models

Cell-type Specific Protoporphyrin IX Metabolism in Human Bladder Cancer in vitro

5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA)–supported fluorescence endoscopy of the urinary bladder results in a detection rate of bladder cancer superior to that of white light endoscopy. The different accumulation of the metabolite protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) in tumor cells after ALA instillation is poorly understood; however, it is crucial to optimize diagnosis and potential phototherapy. For systematic analysis of cell-type specific PPIX accumulation and metabolism two human bladder carcinoma cell lines (RT4 and J82), a normal urothelial cell line (UROtsa), and a fibroblast cell line (N1) were chosen, and grown in two different growth states to model important tissue components of the urinary bladder, i.e. tumor, normal epithelium and stroma. To quantitate PPIX content, fluorescence intensities measured by flow cytometry were matched with cellular PPIX extraction values, and related to relative ferrochelatase activity, cellular iron content, number of transferrin receptors per cell and porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) activity. For in vitro experiments, the initial correlation of relative flow cytometric and spectrometric measurements of PPIX provides a calibration curve for consequent flow cytometric PPIX quantification. Lower fluorescence of normal cells could be explained by significant differences of ferrochelatase activity and iron content in comparison to tumor cells. However, the content of iron was not related to transferrin receptor content. PBGD activity seemed to play a minor role for the differential accumulation of PPIX in urothelial cells. In conclusion, the in vitro culture of urothelial cells and fibroblasts indicates that the most important metabolic step for PPIX accumulation in the urinary bladder is the transition from PPIX to heme. Further investigation of PPIX metabolism does support the validation of photodynamic diagnosis, and might also lead the way to a highly specific tumor related molecule

Cell-type-specific response to shock waves of suspended or pelleted cells as analysed by flow cytometry or electrical cell volume determination

Shock-wave-induced cell damage of suspended or pelleted bladder cancer cells was analysed with the flow cytometric propidium iodide (PI)/fluorescein diacetate assay, and electrical volume determination using the CASY 1 analyser system and growth curves. The CASY system revealed a smaller fraction of suspended RT4 cells with impaired membrane integrity than the flow cytometric assay. No differences were found for pelleted RT4 cells and suspended J82 cells. The discrepancies of the two viability assays indicated a different response of the cell membrane to shock waves which was dependent on the exposure system and the cell type. Growth curves indicated delayed cell death for suspended RT4 cells and exclusively immediate cell death for pelleted RT4 cells and suspended J82 cells. PI positive suspended RT4 cells were morphologically intact while pelleted RT4 cells and suspended J82 cells were mainly disrupted. From these data it can be concluded that intracellular or membrane alterations seem to be correlated with the occurrence of cavitational effects while cell disruption can likewise occur by the direct impact of the shock wave

Indocyanine green (ICG) and laser irradiation induce photooxidation

The cellular uptake and subcellular localization of indocyanine green (ICG; absorption band 700-850 nm), and cell survival and ultrastructural changes following ICG-mediated phototherapy were investigated in vitro in four different cell lines derived from human skin (SCL1 and SCL2 squamous cell carcinoma, HaCaT keratinocytes and N1 fibroblasts). The cellular uptake of ICG (1-50 microM, incubation times 1, 4, 24 h) was saturable, highly cumulative and could be inhibited by the addition of 250 microM bromosulphophthalein indicating the involvement of the organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP). For HaCaT cells, the maximum cellular uptake (Vmax) and the Michaelis constant (K(m)) were 9.9 +/- 1.1 mM and 47 +/- 16 microM, respectively, following a 24-h incubation with ICG. Fluorescence microscopy revealed a cytoplasmic distribution of ICG, probably bound to glutathione S-transferase. Following irradiation with a cw-diode laser (805 nm, 80 mW/cm2) at doses of 24 or 48 J/cm2, the phototoxicity was determined using the MTT assay as a measure of cell viability. For all cell lines, ICG concentrations above 25 microM produced a significant phototoxic effect. The EC50, of ICG for HaCaT cells following irradiation at 24 J/cm2 was 20.1 +/- 3.9 microM. Growth curves showed that even HaCaT cells treated at the EC50 were killed within a week following treatment. Electron microscopy 1 h after ICG-mediated phototherapy revealed cytoplasmic vesiculation, dilation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi complex and the perinuclear cisternae and the beginning of chromatin condensation in the nucleus. These ultrastructural findings are not consistent with a photothermal action of ICG-mediated phototherapy. Taken together with those of previous studies by our group these results support photooxidation as a major cell-killing mechanism

Indocyanine green: intracellular uptake and phototherapeutic effects in vitro

Indocyanine green (ICG; absorption peak in human plasma 805 nm) was investigated for ICG-mediated phototherapy in vitro. The cellular uptake of ICG (1 microM-50 microM) into HaCaT keratinocytes after an incubation period of 24 h increased up to an intracellular ICG concentration of 12.1 +/- 1.3 nmol per 10(6) cells. To examine dose dependent phototoxic effects in vitro, keratinocytes were incubated with 0 microM-50 microM ICG for 24 h and irradiated by a diode laser (805 nm) with different energy densities (0, 12, 24, 48 J cm-2). All applied ICG concentrations except for 5 microM yielded a cell killing effect in combination with irradiation depending significantly on ICG concentration and light dose. Cell viability for dark control and cells incubated with 50 microM ICG and irradiated with 48 J cm-2 was 0.82 +/- 0.15 and 0.07 +/- 0.02, respectively. Sodium azide (100 mM), a quencher of reactive oxygen species, inhibited significantly the cell killing using 50 microM ICG and 24 J cm-2. Taken together, photoactivation of ICG by irradiation with a diode laser was shown to induce effectively cell killing of HaCaT keratinocytes. Moreover, this effect was inhibited by sodium azide, thus irradiation of ICG might induce a photodynamic reaction