Fibrinogen gamma-A chain precursor in CSF: a candidate biomarker for Alzheimer's disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may be valuable for exploring protein markers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The prospect of early detection and treatment, to slow progression, holds hope for aging populations with increased average lifespan. The aim of the present study was to investigate candidate CSF biological markers in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD and compare them with age-matched normal control subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We applied proteomics approaches to analyze CSF samples derived from 27 patients with AD, 3 subjects with MCI and 30 controls. The AD group was subdivided into three groups by clinical severity according to clinical dementia rating (CDR), a well known clinical scale for dementia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrated an elevated level of fibrinogen gamma-A chain precursor protein in CSF from patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD compared to the age-matched normal subjects. Moreover, its expression was more prominent in the AD group than in the MCI and correlated with disease severity and progression. In contrast, fibrinogen gamma-A chain precursor protein was detected very low in the age-matched normal group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that the CSF level of fibrinogen gamma-A chain precursor may be a candidate biomarker for AD.</p

Altered Heart Rate Variability During Gameplay in Internet Gaming Disorder: The Impact of Situations During the Game

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is characterized by a loss of control over gaming and a decline in psychosocial functioning derived from excessive gameplay. We hypothesized that individuals with IGD would show different autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses to the games than those without IGD. In this study, heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed in 21 young males with IGD and 27 healthy controls while playing their favorite Internet game. The subjects could examine the game logs to identify the most and least concentrated periods of the game. The changes in HRV during specific 5-min periods of the game (first, last, and high- and low-attention) were compared between groups via a repeated measures analysis of variance. Significant predictors of HRV patterns during gameplay were determined from stepwise multiple linear regression analyses. Subjects with IGD showed a significant difference from controls in the patterns of vagally mediated HRV, such that they showed significant reductions in high-frequency HRV, particularly during the periods of high attention and the last 5 min, compared with baseline values. A regression analysis showed that the IGD symptom scale score was a significant predictor of this reduction. These results suggest that an altered HRV response to specific gaming situations is related to addictive patterns of gaming and may reflect the diminished executive control of individuals with IGD while playing Internet games

A Case of Familial Comedonal Darier's Disease

Darier's disease is a genetic disorder of keratinization with autosomal dominant inheritance. Its appearance is usually in the form of greasy, crusted, keratotic yellow-brown papules and plaques found particularly on seborrheic areas of the body. However, there are some clinical variants showing atypical skin lesions. Here we report an unusual case of Darier's disease, which mainly showed prominent comedonal papules over the face

Oncoprotein HCCR-1 expression in breast cancer is well correlated with known breast cancer prognostic factors including the HER2 overexpression, p53 mutation, and ER/PR status

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oncoprotein HCCR-1 functions as a negative regulator of the p53 and contributes breast tumorigenesis. The serum HCCR-1 assay is useful in diagnosing breast cancer and mice transgenic for HCCR developed breast cancers. But it is unknown how <it>HCCR-1 </it>contributes to human breast tumorigenesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Oncogene HCCR-1 expression levels were determined in normal breast tissues, breast cancer tissues and cancer cell lines. We examined whether HCCR-1 protein expression in breast cancer is related to different biological characteristics, including ER, PR, p53 genotype, and HER2 status in 104 primary breast cancer tissues using immunohistochemical analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HCCR-1 was upregulated in breast cancer cells and tissues compared with normal breast tissues. In this study, overexpression of HCCR-1 was well correlated with known breast cancer prognostic markers including the presence of steroid receptors (ER and PR), p53 mutation and high HER2 overexpression. HCCR-1 was not detected in the ER-negative, PR-negative, p53 negative and low HER2 breast cancer tissues. These data indicate that the level of HCCR-1 in breast cancer tissues is relatively well correlated with known breast cancer factors, including the HER2 overexpression, p53 mutation, and ER/PR status.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Determination of HCCR-1 levels as options for HER2 testing is promising although it needs further evaluation.</p

The bone morphogenetic protein antagonist gremlin 1 is overexpressed in human cancers and interacts with YWHAH protein

BACKGROUND: Basic studies of oncogenesis have demonstrated that either the elevated production of particular oncogene proteins or the occurrence of qualitative abnormalities in oncogenes can contribute to neoplastic cellular transformation. The purpose of our study was to identify an unique gene that shows cancer-associated expression, and characterizes its function related to human carcinogenesis. METHODS: We used the differential display (DD) RT-PCR method using normal cervical, cervical cancer, metastatic cervical tissues, and cervical cancer cell lines to identify genes overexpressed in cervical cancers and identified gremlin 1 which was overexpressed in cervical cancers. We determined expression levels of gremlin 1 using Northern blot analysis and immunohistochemical study in various types of human normal and cancer tissues. To understand the tumorigenesis pathway of identified gremlin 1 protein, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen, GST pull down assay, and immunoprecipitation to identify gremlin 1 interacting proteins. RESULTS: DDRT-PCR analysis revealed that gremlin 1 was overexpressed in uterine cervical cancer. We also identified a human gremlin 1 that was overexpressed in various human tumors including carcinomas of the lung, ovary, kidney, breast, colon, pancreas, and sarcoma. PIG-2-transfected HEK 293 cells exhibited growth stimulation and increased telomerase activity. Gremlin 1 interacted with homo sapiens tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein, eta polypeptide (14-3-3 eta; YWHAH). YWHAH protein binding site for gremlin 1 was located between residues 61–80 and gremlin 1 binding site for YWHAH was found to be located between residues 1 to 67. CONCLUSION: Gremlin 1 may play an oncogenic role especially in carcinomas of the uterine cervix, lung, ovary, kidney, breast, colon, pancreas, and sarcoma. Over-expressed gremlin 1 functions by interaction with YWHAH. Therefore, Gremlin 1 and its binding protein YWHAH could be good targets for developing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against human cancers

Open Surgical Repair Using the Femoral Vein for a Mycotic Superior Mesenteric Artery Aneurysm

Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) aneurysms are rare and often fatal. A 72-year-old man had previously been admitted to the emergency room with epigastric pain and heart murmur. The echocardiographic diagnosis was vegetation on the aortic and mitral valves, with moderate regurgitation from both valves due to infective endocarditis. No aneurysm was detected on abdominal computed tomography, and emergency double-valve replacement was performed. On postoperative day 25, the patient experienced abrupt abdominal pain, and computed tomography revealed a mycotic SMA aneurysm. Open surgical repair of the SMA aneurysm was performed using the femoral vein, and the patient's postoperative course was uneventful