Prognostic value and targeted inhibition of survivin expression in esophageal adenocarcinoma and cancer-adjacent squamous epithelium

Background: Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis and its over expression is associated with poor prognosis in several malignancies. While several studies have analyzed survivin expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, few have focused on esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and/or cancer-adjacent squamous epithelium (CASE). The purpose of this study was 1) to determine the degree of survivin up regulation in samples of EAC and CASE, 2) to evaluate if survivin expression in EAC and CASE correlates with recurrence and/or death, and 3) to examine the effect of survivin inhibition on apoptosis in EAC cells. Methods: Fresh frozen samples of EAC and CASE from the same patient were used for qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis, and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue was used for immunohistochemistry. EAC cell lines, OE19 and OE33, were transfected with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to knockdown survivin expression. This was confirmed by qRT-PCR for survivin expression and Western blot analysis of cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase 3 and survivin. Survivin expression data was correlated with clinical outcome. Results: Survivin expression was significantly higher in EAC tumor samples compared to the CASE from the same patient. Patients with high expression of survivin in EAC tumor had an increased risk of death. Survivin expression was also noted in CASE and correlated with increased risk of distant recurrence. Cell line evaluation demonstrated that inhibition of survivin resulted in an increase in apoptosis. Conclusion: Higher expression of survivin in tumor tissue was associated with increased risk of death; while survivin expression in CASE was a superior predictor of recurrence. Inhibition of survivin in EAC cell lines further showed increased apoptosis, supporting the potential benefits of therapeutic strategies targeted to this marker. © 2013 Malhotra et al

How Much Pharyngeal Exposure Is “Normal”? Normative Data for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Events Using Hypopharyngeal Multichannel Intraluminal Impedance (HMII)

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) can cause atypical symptoms, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis. The aim of this study was to establish the normative data for LPR using hypopharyngeal multichannel intraluminal impedancepH (HMII)

A Cross-sectional Analysis of the Prevalence of Barrett Esophagus in Otolaryngology Patients With Laryngeal Symptoms

Populations at risk for esophageal adenocarcinoma remain poorly defined. Laryngeal symptoms can be secondary to laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and can occur without associated gastroesophageal reflux symptoms such as heartburn and regurgitation

Feasibility, safety, acceptability, and yield of office-based, screening transnasal esophagoscopy (with video)

Endoscopic screening for esophageal neoplasia can identify patients eligible for early intervention for pre-cancerous lesions. Unsedated transnasal esophagoscopy may provide an efficient and accurate endoscopic assessment with fewer risks and less cost compared to conventional upper endoscopy

In Vitro Differentiation of Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells into Hepatocytes: State of the Art

Stem cells are a unique source of self-renewing cells within the human body. Before the end of the last millennium, adult stem cells, in contrast to their embryonic counterparts, were considered to be lineage-restricted cells or incapable of crossing lineage boundaries. However, the unique breakthrough of muscle and liver regeneration by adult bone marrow stem cells at the end of the 1990s ended this long-standing paradigm. Since then, the number of articles reporting the existence of multipotent stem cells in skin, neuronal tissue, adipose tissue, and bone marrow has escalated, giving rise, both in vivo and in vitro, to cell types other than their tissue of origin. The phenomenon of fate reprogrammation and phenotypic diversification remains, though, an enigmatic and rare process. Understanding how to control both proliferation and differentiation of stem cells and their progeny is a challenge in many fields, going from preclinical drug discovery and development to clinical therapy. In this review, we focus on current strategies to differentiate embryonic, mesenchymal(-like), and liver stem/progenitor cells into hepatocytes in vitro. Special attention is paid to intracellular and extracellular signaling, genetic modification, and cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. In addition, some recommendations are proposed to standardize, optimize, and enrich the in vitro production of hepatocyte-like cells out of stem/progenitor cells

マウス タイシ カンゾウ ニ オイテ Thy1 ヨウセイ ノ カンヨウケイ サイボウ ワ CD49f ヨウセイ カン ゼンク サイボウ ノ セイジュクカ オ ソクシンスル

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(医学)甲第11380号医博第2803号新制||医||884(附属図書館)23023UT51-2005-D131京都大学大学院医学研究科外科系専攻(主査)教授 千葉 勉, 教授 中畑 龍俊, 教授 生田 宏一学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Medical ScienceKyoto UniversityDA

Improved export hay quality characters of oat

Producing oat hay has increased across the southern region of Australia to meet growing export demand over the last five years. More than 500,000 t of oat hay was exported in 2003. Market growth is dependent on producing oat hay that is consistently palatable each year. During this time grading systems have been refined by hay processors to include water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), dry matter digestibility (DMD), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), and acid detergent fibre (ADF). There is increased emphasis in the breeding program to improve oat varieties for hay production. The outcomes of the breeding program are to release oat varieties with higher hay production, improved disease resistance, and enhanced hay quality. High DMD and WSC with low NDF and ADF combine to provide more consistently palatable oat hay for export markets. The study was conducted to determine if our hay quality evaluation strategy was effective and to assess if there were significant differences between a selected group of varieties and breeding lines for WSC, DMD, NDF, and ADF. Replicated hay quality data for 12 oat varieties and breeding lines were generated from two sites in South Australia and three replications in 2002. Hay samples were bulked from three replications for 11 varieties and breeding lines at nine sites in 2002. Hay quality was evaluated for 36 entries using three replications at three sites and 14 entries at one site in South Australia in 2003. Hay quality was also evaluated for 18 entries sown at three sites in Western Australia. NIR predictions for the WSC, DMD, NDF, ADF were provided by FEEDTEST® located in Hamilton, Victoria. Comparison of replicated data from limited sites and bulked samples from several sites showed the sampling error was greatest from the bulked samples. To achieve a sampling error of 5%, two replications were needed for WSC and ADF. Significant variety differences were found for DMD, WSC, NDF, and ADF in the first year. Quality results for 2003 will be presented at the conference.vokMyynti MTT tietopalvelu