Spatiotemporal expression of TRPM4 in the mouse cochlea

The present study was conducted to elucidate the presence of the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 4, TRPM4, in the mouse inner ear. TRPM4 immunoreactivity (IR) was found in the cell body of inner hair cells (IHCs) in the organ of Corti in the apical side of marginal cells of the stria vascularis, in the apical portion of the dark cells of the vestibule, and in a subset of the type II neurons in the spiral ganglion. Subsequently, changes in the distribution and expression of TRPM4 in the inner ear during embryonic and postnatal developments were also evaluated. Immunohistochemical localization demonstrated that the emergence of the TRPM4-IR in IHCs occurs shortly before the onset of hearing, whereas that in the marginal cells happens earlier, at the time of birth, coinciding with the onset of endolymph formation. Furthermore, semiquantitative real-time PCR assay showed that expressions of TRPM4 in the organ of Corti and in the stria vascularis increased dramatically at the onset of hearing. Because TRPM4 is a Ca2+-activated monovalent-selective cation channel, these findings imply that TRPM4 contributes to potassium ion transport, essential for the signal transduction in IHCs and the formation of endolymph by marginal cells. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Biopsy of cervical lymph node

Abstract Objective: This report examines 60 non-cancer patients who underwent a cervical lymph node biopsy, and discusses the value of the cervical lymph node biopsy as a diagnostic tool. Methods: Sixty patients with cervical lymph node enlargement who had lymph node biopsies at the Juntendo University between 2004 and 2007 were examined. The clinical parameters including age, size of the lymph node, white blood cell (WBC), C reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrase (LDH), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2r) were measured at initial examination. Fine needle aspiration cytology was carried out in all patients. The patients were divided into 2 groups, including the malignant lymphoma (ML) group and the benign disease group. These groups were compared based on the patient's clinical parameters. Results: Serum levels of LDH, sIL-2r, age and lymph node size in the ML group were significantly higher than in the benign group. WBC and CRP showed no significant differences. Simple regression analysis showed that there are correlation between the size of enlargement lymph node and serum levels of LDH and sIL-2r in ML group. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that a biopsy should be considered early to patients with an advanced age, large swollen lymph nodes or high levels of serum sIL-2r or LDH.

Novel use of a Weerda laryngoscope for transoral excision of a cervical ganglioneuroma: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>A ganglioneuroma is a benign neoplasm arising from neural crest cells of the sympathetic nerve fibers and is most commonly seen in the posterior mediastinum or retroperitoneum. Although very uncommon, ganglioneuromas must be included in the differential diagnosis of neck masses. In young adult women, neck incisions made for excision of these benign tumors should be avoided whenever possible.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We herein describe the case of a 19-year-old Japanese woman with a ganglioneuroma. The tumor was found in the parapharyngeal space, an unusual location. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy was performed but was considered inadequate to make a definitive diagnosis, so the asymptomatic lesion was surgically excised using a Weerda laryngoscope. The lesion measured 4 × 3 cm in size and was encapsulated. A pathological analysis showed the presence of two distinct cell types, ganglion cells and Schwann cells, embedded in a loose myxoid stroma. The final diagnosis was a ganglioneuroma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A complete excision was made possible by using a transoral approach with a novel use of the Weerda laryngoscope. Although its applicability to specific cases depends on the location, size and nature of the tumor, we believe that the Weerda laryngoscope will continue to be useful for performing transoral surgery for cervical tumors.</p

Usefulness of Choline-PET for the detection of residual hemangiopericytoma in the skull base: comparison with FDG-PET

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Choline is a new PET tracer that is useful for the detection of malignant tumor. Choline is a precursor of the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine, a major phospholipid in the cell membrane of eukaryotic cells. Malignant tumors have an elevated level of phosphatidylcholine in cell membrane. Thus, choline is a marker of tumor malignancy.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>The patient was a 51-year-old man with repeated recurrent hemangiopericytoma in the skull base. We performed Choline-PET in this patient after various treatments and compared findings with those of FDG-PET.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Choline accumulated in this tumor, but FDG did not accumulate. We diagnosed this tumor as residual hemangiopericytoma and performed the resection of the residual tumor. FDG-PET is not appropriate for skull base tumor detection because uptake in the brain is very strong.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We emphasize the usefulness of Choline-PET for the detection of residual hemangiopericytoma in the skull base after various treatments, compared with FDG-PET.</p

Plasma Free Amino Acid Profiling of Five Types of Cancer Patients and Its Application for Early Detection

BACKGROUND: Recently, rapid advances have been made in metabolomics-based, easy-to-use early cancer detection methods using blood samples. Among metabolites, profiling of plasma free amino acids (PFAAs) is a promising approach because PFAAs link all organ systems and have important roles in metabolism. Furthermore, PFAA profiles are known to be influenced by specific diseases, including cancers. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the characteristics of the PFAA profiles in cancer patients and the possibility of using this information for early detection. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Plasma samples were collected from approximately 200 patients from multiple institutes, each diagnosed with one of the following five types of cancer: lung, gastric, colorectal, breast, or prostate cancer. Patients were compared to gender- and age- matched controls also used in this study. The PFAA levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS). Univariate analysis revealed significant differences in the PFAA profiles between the controls and the patients with any of the five types of cancer listed above, even those with asymptomatic early-stage disease. Furthermore, multivariate analysis clearly discriminated the cancer patients from the controls in terms of the area under the receiver-operator characteristics curve (AUC of ROC >0.75 for each cancer), regardless of cancer stage. Because this study was designed as case-control study, further investigations, including model construction and validation using cohorts with larger sample sizes, are necessary to determine the usefulness of PFAA profiling. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that PFAA profiling has great potential for improving cancer screening and diagnosis and understanding disease pathogenesis. PFAA profiles can also be used to determine various disease diagnoses from a single blood sample, which involves a relatively simple plasma assay and imposes a lower physical burden on subjects when compared to existing screening methods