Ferrocenylnaphthalene Diimide-Based Electrochemical Detection of Aberrant Methylation in hTERT Gene

Since aberrant methylation at CpG sites is linked to the silencing of tumor suppressor genes, DNA methylation analysis is important for cancer diagnosis. We developed ferrocenylnaphthalene diimide (FND), which has two ferrocenyl moieties at the substituent termini, as an electrochemical indicator for hybridized DNA duplexes. In this study, we attempted to detect aberrant methylation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT), an efficient cancer marker, using FND-based hybridization coupled with electrochemical detection via a multi-electrode chip

Electrochemical telomerase assay for screening for oral cancer

Telomerase has long been known to be a marker for cancer. We have developed a new method of detecting it: the electrochemical telomerase assay (ECTA). We have previously confirmed that the assay is easier to do and more precise than the conventional telomeric repeat amplification protocol, which is currently the most widely used. Here we describe a pilot study made to establish a screening system for oral cancer using ECTA. We evaluated three types of clinical samples obtained from 44 patients with oral cancer and 26 healthy volunteers: exfoliated cells from the whole oral cavity, exfoliated cells from local lesions, and tissue from the lesion itself. The current increase ratio (Δi) obtained by ECTA was significantly higher in the oral cancer group for each type of sampling used. The threshold value for Δi was 19% when calculated by analysis of receiver-operating characteristic curves. Sensitivity and specificity values were 86% and 85% for cells from the oral cavity, 82% and 85% in cells from local lesions, and 95% and 92% in cells from the tumour itself, respectively. There were also no significant differences in sensitivity and specificity associated with age, size of tumour, site of lesion, or degree of malignancy. ECTA therefore seems to be a promising assay for screening for oral cancer

Screening for Oral Cancer Using Electrochemical Telomerase Assay

Electrochemical telomerase assay (ECTA) developed by our group was evaluated in an oral cancer screening using exfoliated oral cells and tissues obtained from patients of oral cancer, mucosa associated disease, or healthy volunteers. Telomerase activity from ECTA is correlated with hTERT mRNA expression level using a real‐time PCR and was increasing in the following order: healthy volunteer group<mucosa associated disease group<oral cancer group. Sensitivity and specificity of ECTA were 88% and 72%, respectively when used 17% of the threshold value based on the receiver operating characteristic curve in ECTA data

Oral Cancer Screening Based on Methylation Frequency Detection in hTERT Gene Using Electrochemical Hybridization Assay via a Multi‐electrode Chip Coupled with Ferrocenylnaphthalene Diimide

Ferrocenylnaphthalene diimide‐based electrochemical hybridization assay via a multi‐electrode chip was applied to detect the methylation frequency in the promoter region of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene for clinical samples from tissues, local exfoliated oral cells from a lesion, or from entire oral cavity after their methylation specific PCRs. These methylation frequencies were increased with cancer progress as the following order: healthy volunteers, oral leukoplakia as precancerous lesion, and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Operating characteristic analysis of the obtained current data doesn\u27t only give excellent discrimination ability of OSCC, but also of oral leukoplakia from healthy volunteers for all samples. Sensitivity and specificity was 95% and 90%, respectively, which is a comparable with methods in practical use

Alterations in 18F-FDG accumulation into neck-related muscles after neck dissection for patients with oral cancers

Background: 18 F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ( 18 F-FDG) accumulations are commonly seen in the neck-related muscles of the surgical and non-surgical sides after surgery with neck dissection (ND) for oral cancers, which leads to radiologists having difficulty in diagnosing the lesions. To examine the alterations in 18 F-FDG accumulation in neck-related muscles of patients after ND for oral cancer. Material and Methods: 18 F-FDG accumulations on positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) in neck-related muscles were retrospectively analyzed after surgical dissection of cervical lymph nodes in oral cancers. Results: According to the extent of ND of cervical lymph nodes, the rate of patients with 18 F-FDG-PET-positive areas increased in the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and posterior neck muscles of the surgical and/or non-surgical sides. In addition, SUVmax of 18 F-FDG-PET-positive areas in the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles were increased according to the extent of the ND. Conclusions: In evaluating 18 F-FDG accumulations after ND for oral cancers, we should pay attention to the 18 F-FDG distributions in neck-related muscles including the non-surgical side as false-positive finding

Advanced Clinical Usefulness of Ultrasonography for Diseases in Oral and Maxillofacial Regions

Various kinds of diseases may be found in the oral and maxillofacial regions and various modalities may be applied for their diagnosis, including intra-oral radiography, panoramic radiography, ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear medicine methods such as positron emission tomography. Of these modalities, ultrasound imaging is easy to use for the detection of noninvasive and soft tissue-related diseases. Doppler ultrasound images taken in the B-mode can provide vascular information associated with the morphology of soft tissues. Thus, ultrasound imaging plays an important role in confirming the diagnosis of many kinds of diseases in such oral and maxillofacial regions as the tongue, lymph nodes, salivary glands, and masticatory muscles. In the present article, we introduce three new applications of ultrasonography: guided fine-needle aspiration, measurement of tongue cancer thickness, and diagnosis of metastasis to cervical lymph nodes

A Case of Chronic Infectious Arthritis of the Temporomandibular Joint Associated with Osteomyelitis without Malocclusion

Infectious arthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is rare, and previous reports have identified malocclusion resulting from condylar deformity and displacement of the condyle as one of the clinical characteristics of the disease. Here we report the case of a 33-year-old man with chronic infectious arthritis of the TMJ without malocclusion associated with osteomyelitis of the right mandible. Based on radiological findings of more prominent inflammation at the TMJ than in other regions and on the observed efficacy of antibiotic administration, we made a diagnosis of suppurative arthritis of the TMJ. Based on our empirical experience, including the present case, we speculate that refusal to cooperate with medical care may be a factor in the development of infectious arthritis of the TMJ

Direct EPR Detection of Nitric Oxide in Mice Infected with the Pathogenic Mycobacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis

It has been shown that treatment of mice preinfected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis with spin NO traps (iron complexes with diethyldithiocarbamate) enables detection of large amounts of NO in internal organs 2 and 4 weeks after infection (up to 55–57 μmol/kg of wet lung tissue accumulated with spin NO traps during 30 min). The animals were infected with the drug-sensitive laboratory strain H37Rv and a clinical isolate nonrespondent to antituberculous drugs (the multidrug-resistant strain of M. tuberculosis) obtained from a patient with an active form of tuberculosis. Two weeks after infection with the multidrug-resistant strain, the NO level in the lungs, spleen, liver and kidney increased sharply concurrently with slight lesions of lung tissue. A reverse correlation, i.e., low level of NO in the lungs and other internal organs and extensive injury of lung tissue, was established for H37Rv-infected mice. Four weeks after infection, NO production in the lungs increased dramatically for both M. tuberculosis strains resulting in 80–84% damage of lung tissue. The lesion is suggested to be due to the development of defense mechanisms in M. tuberculosis counteracting NO effects