Ectopic cervical thymoma in a patient with Myasthenia gravis

Ectopic cervical thymoma is rare and is often misdiagnosed as a thyroid tumor or other malignancy. Ectopic thymic tissue can be found along the entire thymic descent path during embryogenesis. However, a thymoma arising from such ectopic thymic tissue is extremely rare. Herein we report a patient with ectopic cervical thymoma and myasthenia gravis (MG) and discuss the management

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid induces apoptosis and sub-G1 arrest of 320 HSR colon cancer cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Histone deacetylases and histone acetyl transferases covalently modify histone proteins, consequentially altering chromatin architecture and gene expression.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The effects of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, a HDAC inhibitor, on 320 HSR colon cells were assessed in 320 HSR colon cancer cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Concentration and time-dependent inhibition of 320 HSR cell proliferation was observed. Treatment of 320 HSR cells with 5 μM SAHA for 72 h significantly inhibited their growth by 50% as compared to that of the control. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis demonstrated significant inhibition of cell cycle progression (sub-G1 arrest) and induction of apoptosis upon various SAHA concentrations after 48 h. In addition, the anti-apoptosis proteins, survivin and Bcl-xL, were significantly inhibited by SAHA after 72 h of treatment. Immunocytochemistry analysis revealed that SAHA-resistant cells were positive for cyclin A (85%), ki-67 (100%), p53 (100%), survivin (100%), and p21 (90%) expression. Furthermore, a significant increase cyclin A-, Ki-67-, p53-, survivin-, and p21-positive cells were noted in SAHA-resistant tumor cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results demonstrated for the first time in 320 HSR colon adenocarcinoma cells that SAHA might be considered as an adjuvant therapy for colon adenocarcinoma.</p

Rare gallbladder adenomyomatosis presenting as atypical cholecystitis: case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gallbladder adenomyomatosis is a benign condition characterized by hyperplastic change in the gallbladder wall and overgrowth of the mucosa because of an unknown cause. Patients with gallbladder adenomyomatosis usually present with abdominal pain. However, we herein describe a case of a patient with gallbladder adenomyomatosis who did not present with abdominal pain, but with only fever.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 34-year-old man presented to our hospital with a fever. No abdominal discomfort was declared. His physical examination showed no abnormalities. Ultrasound of the abdomen revealed thickness of the gallbladder. Acute cholecystitis was diagnosed. The fever persisted even after 1 week of antibiotic therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen showed gallbladder adenomyomatosis with intramural Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses. Exploratory laparotomy with cholecystectomy was performed. The fever recovered and no residual symptoms were reported at the 3-year follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Gallbladder adenomyomatosis can present with fever as the only symptom. Although the association between gallbladder adenomyomatosis and malignancy has yet to be elucidated, previous reports have shown a strong association between gallbladder carcinoma and a subtype of gallbladder adenomyomatosis. Surgical intervention remains the first-choice treatment for patients with gallbladder adenomyomatosis.</p

Novel Method for Differentiating Histological Types of Gastric Adenocarcinoma by Using Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy

[[abstract]]Gastric adenocarcinoma, a single heterogeneous disease with multiple epidemiological and histopathological characteristics, accounts for approximately 10% of cancers worldwide. It is categorized into four histological types: papillary adenocarcinoma (PAC), tubular adenocarcinoma (TAC), mucinous adenocarcinoma (MAC), and signet ring cell adenocarcinoma (SRC). Effective differentiation of the four types of adenocarcinoma will greatly improve the treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma to increase its five-year survival rate. We reported here the differentiation of the four histological types of gastric adenocarcinoma from the molecularly structural viewpoint of confocal Raman microspectroscopy. In total, 79 patients underwent laparoscopic or open radical gastrectomy during 2008–2011: 21 for signet ring cell carcinoma, 21 for tubular adenocarcinoma, 14 for papillary adenocarcinoma, 6 for mucinous carcinoma, and 17 for normal gastric mucosas obtained from patients underwent operation for other benign lesions. Clinical data were retrospectively reviewed from medical charts, and Raman data were processed and analyzed by using principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Two-dimensional plots of PCA and LDA clearly demonstrated that the four histological types of gastric adenocarcinoma could be differentiated, and confocal Raman microspectroscopy provides potentially a rapid and effective method for differentiating SRC and MAC from TAC or PAC[[notice]]補正完

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

An endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor from hind limbs of infrarenal aortic cross-clamped rats.

We tested the hypothesis that an endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor released from ischemic hind limbs increases the activity of calcium channels in vascular smooth muscle, thus contributing to intraoperative hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias and declamping mortality. Intraoperative hypertension was generated in rats by infrarenal aortic cross-clamping for 5 hours after which plasma was obtained from femoral vein blood. In vitro contractile activity of naive aortic rings incubated for 2 hours in plasma collected from ischemic rats demonstrated reduced relaxation to acetylcholine. The impaired relaxation to acetylcholine in ischemic plasma incubated rings was significantly reversed by L-arginine, but not by prior treating ischemic plasma with heating or superoxide dismutase and catalase. These results suggest a non-protein and non-free radical mediated inhibition of NOS. Incubating naive aortic rings (endothelium intact) in ischemic plasma for 2 hours significantly increased contraction to the calcium channel agonist, Bay K 8644. However, in isolated smooth muscle cells (without endothelium) loaded with fura-2, no difference was noted in Bay K 8644 stimulated (Ca\sp{2+}) \sb{\rm i}. The increase in responsiveness to Bay K 8644 exhibited a negative correlation with the maximal relaxation to acetylcholine (R = $-$0.99) suggesting that the apparent increase in activity of calcium channels is mediated through inhibition of nitric oxide by an endogenous NOS inhibitor on endothelium. In in vivo studies, hind limb ischemia was generated by infrarenal aortic cross-clamping and tying the left femoral artery for 5 hours in rats with bilateral femoral and sciatic nerves cut. Mean blood pressure significantly increased during the 5 hour ischemic period. However, in ischemic rats infused with L-arginine, the intraoperative hypertension was prevented during the 5 hour period suggesting that the hypertension may be mediated by overcoming the actions of nitric oxide. The rates of mortality and arrhythmias two hours after declamping were 50% in ischemic alone, and 100% in ischemic rats treated 10 minutes before declamping with N\sp{\omega}-nitro-L-arginine (nitric oxide inhibitor). In ischemic rats infused with L-arginine, the mortality rate was reduced to zero and arrhythmic rate was inhibited. These findings suggest the impaired vascular smooth muscle relaxation is mediated endogenously through inhibition of the nitric oxide-cyclic GMP pathway. Further we conclude that the profound increase in sensitivity of calcium channels in vascular smooth muscle is mediated through inhibition of NOS in endothelium by an endogenous NOS inhibitor released from the ischemic hind limbs. L-Arginine prevents intraoperative hypertension during cross-clamping and decreases the mortality rate and arrhythmias after declamping by maintaining the synthesis of nitric oxide by mass action.Ph.D.PhysiologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/104796/1/9610152.pdfDescription of 9610152.pdf : Restricted to UM users only

Impaired Gut Epithelial Tight Junction Expression in Hemodialysis Patients Complicated with Intradialytic Hypotension

Background. There is accumulating evidence pointing to uremia-induced impairment of the intestinal epithelial barrier structure in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. In this study, the impact of intradialytic hypotension on intestinal barrier integrity is being explored. Methods. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of 4 types of tight junction (TJ) proteins such as occludin, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), claudin-1, and claudin-4, in colonic samples of a group of patients receiving segmental colectomy. Five patients with nondialysis CKD (group 2), 5 HD patients with intradialytic hypotension (group 3), and 5 non-CKD subjects (group 1) were examined. Results. Both patients’ groups 2 and 3 demonstrated significantly reduced expression of occludin as compared to group 1 (p<0.05 and p<0.01, resp.). Except for claudin-4, expression of all markers of TJ proteins was significantly reduced in patients’ group 3 as compared to control (p<0.01). In addition, decreased expressions of claudin-1 and ZO-1 were also more pronounced in group 3 when compared to group 2. Conclusions. This study extends the earlier finding by demonstrating that dialysis-related hypotension caused even marked depletion of the key protein constituents of the epithelial TJ

Association of Cortactin, Fascin-1 and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Expression in Ovarian Carcinomas: Correlation with Clinicopathological Parameters

Cortactin, fascin-1 and EGFR are recognized as important factors in tumor progression. We tested the hypothesis that cortactin, fascin-1 and EGFR expression correlates with clinicopathological parameters of the four most common ovarian surface epithelial carcinomas – serous cystadenocarcinoma, mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, endometrioid adenocarcinoma, and clear cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of cortactin, fascin-1 and EGFR was performed using tissue microarrays of 172 specimens comprising 69 serous cystadenocarcinomas, 44 mucinous cystadenocarcinomas, 45 endometrioid adenocarcinomas and 14 clear cell carcinomas. All ovarian carcinomas showed significant expression of cortactin, fascin-1 and EGFR in staining intensity, tumor percentages and immunostaining scores. In addition, higher immunostaining scores of fascin-1 correlated with more advanced cancer stages (TNM), poorer histological differentiation and poorer survival rate of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. Similarly, higher immunostaining scores of cortactin correlated with T stages and histological differentiation of serous cystadenocarcinoma. The immunostaining scores of EGFR did not correlate with TNM stages, tumor differentiation or prognosis in the four ovarian surface epithelial carcinomas. Our findings suggest that cortactin and fascin-1 may serve as good biomarkers in evaluating aggressiveness of ovarian serous and mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. And the pharmacological inhibitors of fascin-1 activity may slow down tumor progression and prolong survival time in patients with mucinous cystadenocarcinoma

Overexpression of Fascin-1 in Advanced Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Tissue Microarray Analysis of Immunostaining Scores with Clinicopathological Parameters

Objective: Fascin-1 is an actin-binding protein that promotes cell proliferation, adhesion and motility. We tested the hypothesis that fascin-1 expression correlates with clinicopathological parameters of colorectal adenocarcinomas