The efficacy of preoperative PET/CT for prediction of curability in surgery for locally advanced gastric carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The benefits of preoperative ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT for gastric cancer remain uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of preoperative ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT on the surgical strategy for locally advanced gastric cancer retrospectively.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From January 2007 to November 2008, ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT was performed in 142 patients who had been diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer by computed tomography or gastrofiberscope findings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Detection rates were 88.7% (126/142) for primary tumors and 24.6% (35/142) for local lymph nodes (LN). Nine patients with metastatic lesions underwent induction chemotherapy without operation. Of 133 patients subjected to operation, positive FDG uptake in primary tumors (<it>p </it>= 0.047) and local lymph nodes (<it>p </it>< 0.001) was related to non-curable operations. The mean standard uptake value (SUV) of primary tumors of patients who underwent non-curable operations was significantly higher than that of patients with curable operations (<it>p </it>= 0.001). When the SUV was greater than 5 and FDG uptake of LN was positive, non-curable operations were predicted with a sensitivity of 35.2%, a specificity of 91.0% and an accuracy of 76.7%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>High SUV of the primary tumor and positive FDG uptake in local lymph nodes at PET/CT could predict non-curative resection in locally advanced gastric cancer. Therefore, information from preoperative PET/CT can help physician decisions regarding other modalities without laparotomy.</p

REGNET: Mining context-specific human transcription networks using composite genomic information

Background: Genome-wide expression profiles reflect the transcriptional networks specific to the given cell context. However, most statistical models try to estimate the average connectivity of the networks from a collection of gene expression data, and are unable to characterize the context-specific transcriptional regulations. We propose an approach for mining context-specific transcription networks from a large collection of gene expression fold-change profiles and composite gene-set information.Results: Using a composite gene-set analysis method, we combine the information of transcription factor binding sites, Gene Ontology or pathway gene sets and gene expression fold-change profiles for a variety of cell conditions. We then collected all the significant patterns and constructed a database of context-specific transcription networks for human (REGNET). As a result, context-specific roles of transcription factors as well as their functional targets are readily explored. To validate the approach, nine predicted targets of E2F1 in HeLa cells were tested using chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Among them, five (Gadd45b, Dusp6, Mll5, Bmp2 and E2f3) were successfully bound by E2F1. c-JUN and the EMT transcription networks were also validated from literature.Conclusions: REGNET is a useful tool for exploring the ternary relationships among the transcription factors, their functional targets and the corresponding cell conditions. It is able to provide useful clues for novel cell-specific transcriptional regulations. The REGNET database is available at http://mgrc.kribb.re.kr/regnet.open0

G-protein-coupled receptor 81 promotes a malignant phenotype in breast cancer through angiogenic factor secretion

G-protein-coupled receptor 81 (GPR81) functions as a receptor for lactate and plays an important role in the regulation of anti-lipolytic effects in adipocytes. However, to data, a role for GPR81 in the tumor microenvironment has not been clearly defined. Here, GPR81 expression in breast cancer patients and several breast cancer cell lines was significantly increased compared with normal mammary tissues and cells. GPR81 knockdown resulted in impaired breast cancer growth and led to apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the inhibition of GPR81 signaling suppressed angiogenesis through a phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3K)/Akt-cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) pathway, which led to decreased production of the pro-angiogenic mediator amphiregulin (AREG). Overall, these findings identify GPR81 as a tumor-promoting receptor in breast cancer progression and suggest a novel mechanism that regulates GPR81-dependent activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling axis in tumor microenvironment.open

Metal-organic and covalent organic frameworks (MOFs and COFs) as adsorbents for environmentally significant gases (H2, CO2, and CH4)

A series of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) possessing various functionalities, pore structures, and surface areas were evaluated for sorption and storage properties of environmentally significant gases (H_2, CO_2, and CH_4). It was concluded that the gas sorption behavior follows a general trend that materials with high surface area show enhanced gas uptake performance. For example, MOF-177 (SA = 5200 m^2/g) captures 7.2 wt% of H_2 at 77 K and 19 wt% of CH_4 at 298 K. In addition, MOF-177 exhibits exceptionally high gravimetric CO_2 uptake up to 120 wt% at 298 K. Similarly, the gas storage capacity for COFs seems to follow the same trend and it is determined by the apparent surface area. The architectural stability of both COFs and MOFs upon high pressure H_2 and CH_4 gas sorption measurements were manifested by isotherms which reach saturation without significant hysteresis

Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Intractable Childhood Epilepsy: a Korean Multicenter Experience

We evaluated the long-term outcome of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in 28 children with refractory epilepsy. Of these 28 children, 15 (53.6%) showed a >50% reduction in seizure frequency and 9 (32.1%) had a >75% reduction. When we compared seizure reduction rates according to seizure types (generalized vs. partial) and etiologies (symptomatic vs. cryptogenic), we found no significant differences. In addition, there was no correlation between the length of the stimulation period and treatment effect. The seizure reduction rate, however, tended to be inversely related to the seizure duration before VNS implantation and age at the time of VNS therapy. VNS also improved quality of life in this group of patients, including improved memory in 9 (32.1%), improved mood in 12 (42.9%), improved behavior in 11 (39.3%), improved altertness in 12 (42.9%), improved achievement in 6 (21.4%), and improved verbal skills in 8 (28.6%). Adverse events included hoarseness in 7 patients, dyspnea at sleep in 2 patients, and wound infection in 1 patient, but all were transient and successfully managed by careful follow-up and adjustment of parameters. These results indicate that VNS is a safe and effective alternative therapy for pediatric refractory epilepsy, without significant adverse events

A two-photon fluorescent probe for lysosomal zinc ions

The selective detection of zinc ions in lysosomes over that in cytosol is achieved with a fluorescent probe, which enabled the fluorescence imaging of endogenous zinc ions in lysosomes of NIH 3T3 cells as well as mouse hippocampal tissues by two-photon microscopy under excitation at 900 nm.open

Cognitive Effects of Low-dose Topiramate Compared with Oxcarbazepine in Epilepsy Patients

Background and Purpose: Low-dose topiramate (TPM) monotherapy has recently been found effective for seizure control in newly diagnosed epilepsy. In higher dosages, TPM has been associated with relatively high rates of adverse cognitive effects; similar side effects have been seen after rapid titration or polytherapy. However, its cognitive effects during low-dose monotherapy have not been established. We evaluated the cognitive effects of low-dose TPM compared with oxcarbazepine (OXC), a drug that does not appear to affect cognitive function. Methods: Cognitive tests and subjective complaints of 30 patients with low-dose TPM monotherapy (50-200 mg/day) were retrospectively compared with those of 30 patients with OXC monotherapy at 1 year of medication. The two groups did not differ with respect to epilepsy-relevant variables, nor on baseline neuropsychological tests. Results: The TPM group showed a significant difference in the performance of delayed word recall (P&lt;0.05), backward digit span (P&lt;0.01), and verbal fluency (P&lt;0.05) compared with the OXC group. The TPM group showed worse performances of digit span and verbal fluency. The OXC group showed better performances of delayed word recall. The incidence of cognitive complaints was higher in the TPM group (50%) than in the OXC group (20%) (P&lt; 0.05). These cognitive effects shown in the TPM group were dose-related. The cognitive dysfunction was trivial with patients taking 50 mg/day TPM. Conclusions: Even at low-dose, TPM has a negative effect on working memory and verbal fluency compared with OXC. It can be demonstrated at 1 year of treatment

Extranodal Marginal Zone Lymphoma Occurring along the Trachea and Central Airway

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma is a low-grade B cell lymphoma that presents with an indolent clinicopathologic nature. Although this tumor can occur in various sites, including the gastrointestinal tract and lungs, it develops and spreads extremely rarely along the trachea and central airway. We report a case of extranodal lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue with tracheobronchial involvement. An 83-year-old woman presented with a cough and dyspnea. Bronchoscopic evaluation confirmed diffuse, multiple nodular lesions in both the trachea and large bronchi, and she was diagnosed with an extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of the tracheobronchial tree. After systemic chemotherapy, she survived for more than 18 months

A C1069G SNP of the MC4R gene and its association with economic traits in Korean native cattle (brown, brindle, and black)

Background: The melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4R) plays an important role in regulating food intake and body weight in mammals. In the present study, we identified the MC4R gene in native Korean brown, brindle, and black cattle by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and investigated its association with economic traits. A total of 413 cattle from the three breeds were tested for backfat thickness, carcass weight, longissimus muscle area, and marbling score, and statistical data were analyzed using the SAS program. Results: The C allele had the highest frequency in brown and brindle cattle, and the G allele frequency was highest in black cattle. The C1069G SNP was significantly (p &lt; 0.05) associated with only marbling scores in brown and brindle cattle but no significant association was detected between the marbling scores and polymorphism in black cattle. Conclusions: These results suggest that a C1069G SNP of the MC4R gene may be useful as a genetic marker for marbling scores in Korean brown and brindle cattle