Solitary fibrous tumor of the buccal mucosa: A case report

Solitary fibrous tumors （SFTs） were reported in 1931 as tumors derived from mesenchymal tissue. They occur mainly in the pleura and peritoneum and rarely in the oral and maxillary regions. This report presents the case of a 48-year-old woman with a tumor in the left buccal mucosa. We suspected a salivary gland tumor or hemangioma. Excision was performed under general anesthesia. The lesion was removed as a single mass. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses led to the diagnosis of SFT. We report this case based on a literature review

Microscale sample deposition onto hydrophobic target plates for trace level detection of neuropeptides in brain tissue by MALDI-MS

A sample preparation method that combines a modified target plate with a nanoscale reversed-phase column (nanocolumn) was developed for detection of neuropeptides by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A gold-coated MALDI plate was modified with an octadecanethiol (ODT) self-assembled monolayer to create a hydrophobic surface that could concentrate peptide samples into a ∼200–500-µm diameter spot. The spot sizes generated were comparable to those obtained for a substrate patterned with 200-µm hydrophilic spots on a hydrophobic substrate. The sample spots on the ODT-coated plate were 100-fold smaller than those formed on an unmodified gold plate with a 1-µl sample and generated 10 to 50 times higher mass sensitivity for peptide standards by MALDI-TOF MS. When the sample was deposited on an ODT-modified plate from a nanocolumn, the detection limit for peptides was as low as 20 pM for 5-µl samples corresponding to 80 amol deposited. This technique was used to analyze extracts of microwave-fixed tissue from rat brain striatum. Ninety-eight putative peptides were detected including several that had masses matching neuropeptides expected in this brain region such as substance P, rimorphin, and neurotensin. Twenty-three peptides had masses that matched peaks detected by capillary liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization MS. 1 2 Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48772/1/916_ftp.pd

Phamacogenomics of Clozapine-Induced Agranulocytosis

Background: Clozapine-induced agranulocytosis (CIA)/clozapine-induced granulocytopenia (CIG) (CIAG) is a life-threatening event for schizophrenic subjects treated with clozapine. Methods: To examine the genetic factor for CIAG, a genome-wide pharmacogenomic analysis was conducted using 50 subjects with CIAG and 2905 control subjects. Results: We identified a significant association in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region (rs1800625, p = 3.46 × 10−9, odds ratio [OR] = 3.8); therefore, subsequent HLA typing was performed. We detected a significant association of HLA-B*59:01 with CIAG (p = 3.81 × 10−8, OR = 10.7) and confirmed this association by comparing with an independent clozapine-tolerant control group (n = 380, p = 2.97 × 10−5, OR = 6.3). As we observed that the OR of CIA (OR: 9.3~15.8) was approximately double that in CIG (OR: 4.4~7.4), we hypothesized that the CIG subjects were a mixed population of those who potentially would develop CIA and those who would not develop CIA (non-CIA). This hypothesis allowed the proportion of the CIG who were non-CIA to be calculated, enabling us to estimate the positive predictive value of the nonrisk allele on non-CIA in CIG subjects. Assuming this model, we estimated that 1) ~50% of CIG subjects would be non-CIA; and 2) ~60% of the CIG subjects without the risk allele would be non-CIA and therefore not expected to develop CIA. Conclusions: Our results suggest that HLA-B*59:01 is a risk factor for CIAG in the Japanese population. Furthermore, if our model is true, the results suggest that rechallenging certain CIG subjects with clozapine may not be always contraindicated

Novel Protocol for the Chemical Synthesis of Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone Analogues — An Efficient Experimental Tool for Studying Their Functions

The crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (cHH) is present in many decapods in different isoforms, whose specific biological functions are still poorly understood. Here we report on the first chemical synthesis of three distinct isoforms of the cHH of Astacus leptodactylus carried out by solid phase peptide synthesis coupled to native chemical ligation. The synthetic 72 amino acid long peptide amides, containing L- or D-Phe3 and (Glp1, D-Phe3) were tested for their biological activity by means of homologous in vivo bioassays. The hyperglycemic activity of the D-isoforms was significantly higher than that of the L-isoform, while the presence of the N-terminal Glp residue had no influence on the peptide activity. The results show that the presence of D-Phe3 modifies the cHH functionality, contributing to the diversification of the hormone pool

Differential and shared genetic effects on kidney function between diabetic and non-diabetic individuals

A large-scale GWAS provides insight on diabetes-dependent genetic effects on the glomerular filtration rate, a common metric to monitor kidney health in disease.Reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can progress to kidney failure. Risk factors include genetics and diabetes mellitus (DM), but little is known about their interaction. We conducted genome-wide association meta-analyses for estimated GFR based on serum creatinine (eGFR), separately for individuals with or without DM (nDM = 178,691, nnoDM = 1,296,113). Our genome-wide searches identified (i) seven eGFR loci with significant DM/noDM-difference, (ii) four additional novel loci with suggestive difference and (iii) 28 further novel loci (including CUBN) by allowing for potential difference. GWAS on eGFR among DM individuals identified 2 known and 27 potentially responsible loci for diabetic kidney disease. Gene prioritization highlighted 18 genes that may inform reno-protective drug development. We highlight the existence of DM-only and noDM-only effects, which can inform about the target group, if respective genes are advanced as drug targets. Largely shared effects suggest that most drug interventions to alter eGFR should be effective in DM and noDM.</p