Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) mRNA expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and non-cancerous liver tissue

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) regulates lipid metabolism in the liver. It is unclear, however, how this receptor changes in liver cancer tissue. On the other hand, mouse carcinogenicity studies showed that PPARα is necessary for the development of liver cancer induced by peroxisome proliferators, and the relationship between PPARα and the development of liver cancer have been the focus of considerable attention. There have been no reports, however, demonstrating that PPARα is involved in the development of human liver cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The subjects were 10 patients who underwent hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. We assessed the expression of PPARα mRNA in human hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and non-cancerous tissue, as well as the expression of target genes of PPARα, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A and cyclin D1 mRNAs. We also evaluated glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in the glycolytic system.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The amounts of PPARα, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA in cancerous sections were significantly increased compared to those in non-cancerous sections. The level of cyclin D1 mRNA tends to be higher in cancerous than non-cancerous sections. Although there was a significant correlation between the levels of PPARα mRNA and cyclin D1 mRNA in both sections, however the correlation was higher in cancerous sections.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present investigation indicated increased expression of PPARα mRNA and mRNAs for PPARα target genes in human hepatocellular carcinoma. These results might be associated with its carcinogenesis and characteristic features of energy production.</p

Ethological interpretation of the trace fossil Zoophycos in the Hikoroichi Formation (Lower Carboniferous), southern Kitakami Mountains, Northeast Japan

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EVALUATION OF ICHNODIVERSITY BY IMAGE-RESAMPLING METHOD TO CORRECT OUTCROP EXPOSURE BIAS

We propose a new method to evaluate the diversity of ichnofossils from outcrop. Ichnodiversity (defined here as the number of ichnotaxa) characterizes paleoenvironmental conditions. However, the apparent numbers of ichnotaxa observed in outcrops are significantly affected by differences in areas of exposed outcrops. This study proposes a new method to evaluate ichnodiversity, independent of outcrop exposure bias, by using an image-resampling technique combined with the shareholder quorum subsampling method. In this method, the relationship between observed and detected numbers of ichnotaxa is estimated by subsampling from existing outcrop images. The relative diversity of ichnotaxa is obtained at a given value of the estimated coverage parameter, representing the ratio of the observed number of ichnotaxa to the actual diversity. The method was verified by analyzing artificial images of ichnoassemblages, and the method successfully estimated reasonable values of relative diversity of ichnotaxa. It was also suggested that the spatial distribution patterns of ichnofossils on the bedding planes does not affect the estimated intensity of ichnodiversity when using this method. This method was also applied to field data pertaining to deposits of the submarine channel-levee complex in the Oligocene Izaki Olistolith of the Nichinan Group, southwest Japan. As a result, the ichnodiversity of the successions in the Izaki Olistolith was reconstructed to be relatively high in channel deposits and low in levee deposits