Snail1 expression in human colon cancer DLD-1 cells confers invasive properties without N-cadherin expression

AbstractThe epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental characteristic of carcinoma cells. EMT is generally associated with a change in cellular morphology from cobblestone to spindle shape, reduced expression of epithelial markers such as E-cadherin, and enhanced expression of mesenchymal markers such as N-cadherin. This EMT-associated reciprocal expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin has been called the “cadherin switch”. Downregulation of E-cadherin enables cells to dissociate from colonies while upregulation of N-cadherin is associated with increased invasiveness. The transcription factor Snail1 induces these changes in various epithelial cell lines, including canine MDCK cells and human A431 cells. In the present study, we introduced a Snail1 expression vector into human DLD-1 cells and isolated stable transfectants. These cells showed changes in morphology, reduced expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin and occludin, and elevated invasion and migration. However, neither expression of N-cadherin protein nor its corresponding mRNA was detected. Therefore, elevated N-cadherin expression is not required for invasiveness of the cells

Comparison between single-muscle evaluation and cross-sectional area muscle evaluation for predicting the prognosis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study

IntroductionThe most effective method of assessing sarcopenia has yet to be determined, whether by single muscle or by whole muscle segmentation. The purpose of this study was to compare the prognostic value of these two methods using computed tomography (CT) images in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Materials and methodsSex- and age-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were employed for each parameter of sarcopenia related to overall survival, disease-free survival, and disease-specific survival. Harrell’s concordance index was calculated for each model to assess discriminatory power.ResultsIn this study including 165 patients, a significant correlation was found between the CT-based assessment of individual muscles and their cross-sectional area. Single muscle assessments showed slightly higher discriminatory power in survival outcomes compared to whole muscle assessments, but the difference was not statistically significant, as indicated by overlapping confidence intervals for the C-index between assessments. To further validate our measurements, we classified patients into two groups based on intramuscular adipose tissue content (P-IMAC) of the spinous process muscle. Analysis showed that the higher the P-IMAC value, the poorer the survival outcome.ConclusionOur findings indicate a slight advantage of single-muscle over whole-muscle assessment in prognostic evaluation, but the difference between the two methods is not conclusive. Both assessment methods provide valuable prognostic information for patients with OSCC, and further studies involving larger, independent cohorts are needed to clarify the potential advantage of one method over the other in the prognostic assessment of sarcopenia in OSCC

Analysis of expression of anti-microbial peptides and E-cadherin in radicular cysts and established dental epithelial cells

Background: Radicular cysts are inflammatory cysts that develop in association with an infected root canal. It is thought that persistent inflammation may stimulate proliferation of dental epithelial cells around the root to form a cyst. However, pathogenesis and the mechanism of epithelial proliferation have not been clarified. Recently, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were identified from jaw cyst fluid, and may participate in inflammatory responses to bacterial infection and play an important role in defense mechanisms. The expression of AMPs in radicular cysts and the response of dental epithelial cells to bacterial infection were examined in the present study. Methods: Twenty samples of radicular cysts and apical granulomas were assessed for the expression of alpha-defensin (HNP), cathelicidin LL37, beta-defensinl-2 (hBDI-2), and E-cadherin by immunohistochemistry. An immortalized rat dental epithelial cell line (HAT-7) was used for in vitro experiments and assayed for E-cadherin and-AMP production after incubation with/without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation after incubation with/without LPS or LL37 was assayed by a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Results.: HNP was observed in apical granulomas, while HNP and hBD2 were observed in radicular cysts. E-cadherin was observed more in radicular cysts than apical granulomas. LPS stimulation facilitated clear hBD2 and E-cadherin transcription and protein induction in HAT7. Cell proliferation was not enhanced after LPS stimulation. Conclusion: Dental epithelial cells produce AMPs and consolidate epithelial intercellular junctions against bacterial infection and may playa role as a secondary barrier for preventing infection.</p

Assessment of postoperative complications using E-PASS and APACHE II in patients undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery

Abstract Background The prediction of postoperative complications is important for oral and maxillofacial surgeons. We herein aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Estimation of Physiologic Ability and Surgical Stress (E-PASS) and Acute Physiology, Age, and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scoring systems to predict postoperative complications in patients undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery. Methods Thirty patients (22 males, 8 females; mean age: 65.1 ± 12.9 years) who underwent major oral surgeries and stayed in the intensive care unit for postoperative management were enrolled in this study. Postoperative complications were discriminated according to the necessity of the therapeutic intervention by the Medical Department, i.e. according to the Clavien–Dingo classification. E-PASS and APACHE II scores as well as laboratory test values were compared between patients with/without postoperative complications. Results Postoperative complications were developed in seven patients. The comprehensive risk score (CRS: 1.13 ± 0.24) and APACHE II score (13.0 ± 2.58) were significantly higher in patients with postoperative complications than in those without ones (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively). The CRS showed an appropriate discriminatory power for predicting postoperative complications (area under the curve: 0.814). Furthermore, a correlation was detected between APACHE II scores and postoperative data until C-reactive protein levels decreased to < 1.0 mg/L (r = 0.43, p < 0.05). Conclusion The E-PASS and APACHE II scoring systems were both shown to be useful to predict postoperative complications after oral and maxillofacial surgery

Lipoteichoic Acid and Lipopolysaccharides Are Affected by p38 and Inflammatory Markers and Modulate Their Promoting and Inhibitory Effects on Osteogenic Differentiation

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are cell wall components of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, respectively. Notably, oral microflora consists of a variety of bacterial species, and osteomyelitis of the jaw caused by dental infection presents with symptoms of bone resorption and osteosclerosis. However, the effects of LTA and LPS on osteogenic differentiation have not yet been clarified. We examined the effects of LTA and LPS on osteoblasts and found that LTA alone promoted alizarin red staining at low concentrations and inhibited it at high concentrations. Additionally, gene expression of osteogenic markers (ALP, OCN, and OPG) were enhanced at low concentrations of LTA. High concentrations of LPS suppressed calcification potential, and the addition of low concentrations of LTA inhibited calcification suppression, restoring the gene expression levels of suppressed bone differentiation markers (ALP, BSP, and OCN). Moreover, the suppression of p38, a signaling pathway associated with bone differentiation, had opposing effects on gene-level expression of tumor necrosis factor-&alpha; (TNF-&alpha;) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), suggesting that mixed LTA and LPS infections have opposite effects on bone differentiation through concentration gradients, involving inflammatory markers (TNF-&alpha; and IL-6) and the p38 pathway

Impact of Preoperative Low Prognostic Nutritional Index and High Intramuscular Adipose Tissue Content on Outcomes of Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The impact of preoperative malnutrition and sarcopenia on survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients remains controversial. We investigated the effects of the preoperative nutritional status and abnormalities in body composition on the mortality of OSCC patients. A retrospective study involving 103 patients with OSCC was conducted. Disease-specific survival (DSS) according to the preoperative psoas muscle mass index (PMI) and intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) was evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the predictive performance of the covariates with respect to DSS. The DSS rate in patients with high IMAC and low PMI was significantly lower than that in controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and high IMAC were independent risk factors. We demonstrated that preoperative malnutrition and abnormal body composition, such as preoperative skeletal muscle quality, are associated with DSS in OSCC patients. Our study suggests that the evaluation of preoperative malnutrition and skeletal muscle quality would be useful for predicting mortality in patients with OSCC