Endobronchial Electrocautery Using Snare

Between May 1987 and March 1994, upper airway and tracheobronchial electrosurgery with snare was performed in 13 patients (10 men and 3 women), ranging in age from 18 to 87 years. Four patients had benign lesions, and nine had malignant tumors. Total eradication has been achieved in the two patients with benign lesions. Electroexcision of the endobronchial portion of the tumor helped to clear the respiratory airways in all cases with malignant tumors. There has been no major side effects such as bleeding due to this method. Electrocautery is an available economical tool, which helps to diagnose and treat obstructing airway mass lesions

Clinical Study in 11 Cases of Endobronchial Foreign Body

We report 11 cases of endobronchial foreign body. From January 1982 through December 1994, a total of 11 cases were diagnosed roentogenographically and bronchoscopically at our hospital. These patients consisted of 10 men and 1 woman with a mean age of 58.5 years (range 33 to 77 years). Symptoms on presenting were usually cough, sputum, or chest pain. The foreign bodies were inorganic in 10 cases and of organic origin in 1 case. Three patients were not aware that they had aspirated a foreign body. In 9 patients, the endobronchial foreign bodies were successfully removed endoscopically. One patient spontaneously expectorated the foreign body before bronchoscopy. One patient underwent thoracotomy because the foreign body could not be removed bronchoscopically. There were no severe complications during or after the endoscopic removal of the foreign bodies, but in one patient extraction of the foreign body caused pneumonia after bronchoscopy. In conclusion, flexible bronchoscopy is useful for the diagnosis and treatment of endobronchial foreign bodies

Citizen science: a new approach to advance ecology, education, and conservation

Citizen science has a long history in the ecological sciences and has made substantial contributions to science, education, and society. Developments in information technology during the last few decades have created new opportunities for citizen science to engage ever larger audiences of volunteers to help address some of ecology’s most pressing issues, such as global environmental change. Using online tools, volunteers can find projects that match their interests and learn the skills and protocols required to develop questions, collect data, submit data, and help process and analyze data online. Citizen science has become increasingly important for its ability to engage large numbers of volunteers to generate observations at scales or resolutions unattainable by individual researchers. As a coupled natural and human approach, citizen science can also help researchers access local knowledge and implement conservation projects that might be impossible otherwise. In Japan, however, the value of citizen science to science and society is still underappreciated. Here we present case studies of citizen science in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and describe how citizen science is used to tackle key questions in ecology and conservation, including spatial and macro-ecology, management of threatened and invasive species, and monitoring of biodiversity. We also discuss the importance of data quality, volunteer recruitment, program evaluation, and the integration of science and human systems in citizen science projects. Finally, we outline some of the primary challenges facing citizen science and its future.Dr. Janis L. Dickinson was the keynote speaker at the international symposium at the 61th annual meeting of the Ecological Society of Japan. We appreciate the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan for providing grant to Hiromi Kobori (25282044). Tatsuya Amano is financially supported by the European Commission’s Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship Programme (PIIF-GA-2011- 303221). The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the funding agencies or the Department of the Interior or the US Government.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11284-015-1314-

Overexpression of LIM and SH3 Protein 1 leading to accelerated G2/M phase transition contributes to enhanced tumourigenesis in oral cancer.

BACKGROUND: LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP-1) is a specific focal adhesion protein involved in several malignant tumors. However, its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is unknown. The aim of this study was to characterize the role and molecular status/mechanism of LASP-1 in OSCC. METHODS: We evaluated LASP-1 mRNA and protein expressions in OSCC-derived cell lines and primary OSCCs. Using an shRNA system, we analyzed the effect of LASP-1 on the biology and function of the OSCC cell lines, HSC-3 and Ca9-22. The cells also were subcutaneously injected to evaluate tumor growth in vivo. Data were analyzed by the Fisher's exact test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Bonferroni correction was used for multiple testing. RESULTS: Significant up-regulation of LASP-1 was detected in OSCC-derived cell lines (n = 7, P<0.007) and primary OSCCs (n = 50, P<0.001) compared to normal controls. LASP-1 knockdown cells significantly inhibited cellular proliferation compared with shMock-transfected cells (P<0.025) by arresting cell-cycle progression at the G2 phase. We observed dramatic reduction in the growth of shLASP-1 OSCC xenografts compared with shMock xenografts in vivo. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that overexpression of LASP-1 is linked closely to oral tumourigenicity and further provide novel evidence that LASP-1 plays an essential role in tumor cellular growth by mediating G2/M transition

LASP-1 promotes tumor growth <i>in vivo</i>.

<p>shLASP-1- and shMock-transfected cells (HSC-3 and Ca9-22) were injected subcutaneously into the backs of female nude mice (n = 3). The tumor growth of the shLASP-1-injected mice is significantly (*<i>P</i><0.05; Mann-Whitney U test) inhibited compared to the shMock-injected mice. Immunohistochemistry clearly demonstrated decreased immunostaining for LASP-1 in the shLASP-1-derived tumors than shMock injected mice. H&E staining confirmed the presence of tumor cells. Original magnification, ×200.</p

Proliferation of shLASP-1-transfected cells.

<p>To determine the effect of shLASP-1 on cellular proliferation, shLASP-1- and shMock-transfected cells were seeded in six-well plates at a density of 1×10⁴ viable cells/well. The shLASP-1 transfected HSC-3 and Ca9-22 cells have a significant (*<i>P</i><0.025; Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction) decrease in cellular growth compared with the shMock-transfected cells.</p

shLASP-1 promotes G2 arrest.

<p>(A) Flow cytometric determination of DNA content was analyzed using the Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer. shLASP-1-transfected HSC-3 and Ca9-22 cells show significant (*<i>P</i><0.025; Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction) G2 phase accumulation as opposed to the shMock-transfected cells. (B) Immunoblotting analysis shows down-regulation of cyclin A and cyclin B and up-regulation of phospho-cdc2 in the knockdown cells.</p

Expression of LASP-1 in shLASP-1-transfected cells.

<p>(A) Expression of <i>LASP-1 </i>mRNA in shMock- and shLASP-1-transfected cells (HSC-3- and Ca9-22-derived transfectants; 2 clones each). The <i>LASP-1</i> mRNA expression in the shLASP-1 is significantly (*<i>P</i><0.025; Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction) lower than that in the shMock-transfected cells. (B) Immunoblotting analysis of LASP-1 protein in the shMock- and shLASP-1-transfected cells (HSC-3- and Ca9-22-derived transfectants; 2 clones each). The LASP-1 protein in the shLASP-1 transfected cells is depleted markedly compared with the shMock-transfected cells.</p

Evaluation of LASP-1 protein expression in primary OSCCs.

<p>(A) The status of LASP-1 protein expression in primary OSCCs (n = 50) and the normal counterparts based on an IHC scoring system. IHC scores are calculated as follows: IHC score = 1×(number of weakly stained cells in the field)+2×(number of moderately stained cells in the field)+3×(number of intensely stained cells in the field). The LASP-1 IHC scores for normal oral tissues and OSCCs range from 2.5 to 97 (median, 35) and 43 to 265 (median, 178), respectively. LASP-1 protein expression levels in OSCCs are significantly higher than in normal oral tissues (*<i>P</i><0.001; Mann-Whitney U test). (B, C) Representative IHC results of LASP-1 in normal oral tissues and primary OSCCs. Original magnification, ×100. Scale bars, 5 µm. LASP-1 is highly overexpressed in OSCCs compared to normal oral tissues.</p

Evaluation of LASP-1 expression in OSCC-derived cell lines.

<p>(A) Quantification of <i>LASP-1</i> mRNA expression in OSCC-derived cell lines by qRT-PCR analysis. mRNA expression levels are normalized to GAPDH. Significant up-regulation of <i>LASP-1</i> mRNA is seen in seven OSCC-derived cell lines compared with that in HNOKs. Data are expressed as the means ± SEM of triplicate results (*<i>P</i><0.007; Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction). (B) Immunoblotting analysis of LASP-1 protein in the OSCC-derived cell lines and HNOKs. LASP-1 protein expression is up-regulated in the OSCC-derived cell lines compared with that in the HNOKs. Densitometric LASP-1 protein data are normalized to GAPDH protein levels. The values are expressed as a percentage of the HNOKs.</p