Snail1 expression in human colon cancer DLD-1 cells confers invasive properties without N-cadherin expression

AbstractThe epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental characteristic of carcinoma cells. EMT is generally associated with a change in cellular morphology from cobblestone to spindle shape, reduced expression of epithelial markers such as E-cadherin, and enhanced expression of mesenchymal markers such as N-cadherin. This EMT-associated reciprocal expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin has been called the “cadherin switch”. Downregulation of E-cadherin enables cells to dissociate from colonies while upregulation of N-cadherin is associated with increased invasiveness. The transcription factor Snail1 induces these changes in various epithelial cell lines, including canine MDCK cells and human A431 cells. In the present study, we introduced a Snail1 expression vector into human DLD-1 cells and isolated stable transfectants. These cells showed changes in morphology, reduced expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin and occludin, and elevated invasion and migration. However, neither expression of N-cadherin protein nor its corresponding mRNA was detected. Therefore, elevated N-cadherin expression is not required for invasiveness of the cells

Successful resection of rectal carcinoma in an Evans' syndrome patient followed by predonisolone and high-dose immunoglobulin: report of a case.

A 69-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of anal bleeding and fatigue. The patient was previously diagnosed as having Evans' syndrome on the basis of hematological examination and had been treated with predonisolone for 8 years. On admission, severe anemia and thrombocytopenia were noted. Colonoscopy and Barium enema studies demonstrated an irregular tumor with hemorrhagic ulceration in the rectum, which was histopathologically confirmed as an adenocarcinoma. After red blood cells and platelets were transfused, and the patient was treated with high-dose gammaglobulin, predonisolone, and camostat mesylate, the platelet count gradually increased and hemolysis was well controlled. The patient then underwent Hartmann's operation and splenectomy without any postoperative complications. Predonisolone and high-dose immunoglobulin therapy in a rectal cancer burdened patient with Evans' syndrome is considered useful in combination with surgical treatment. This is the first case report of rectal carcinoma resection in a patient with Evans' syndrome.</p

Bipolar localization of putative photoreceptor protein for phototaxis in thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus

Funding Information: This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for scientific research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan (no. 11640653 to K.M.).We identified an open reading frame from a database of the entire genome of Synechococcus elongatus, the product of which was very similar to pixJ1, which was proposed as photoreceptor gene for phototaxis in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 [Yoshihara et al. (2000) Plant Cell Physiol. 41: 1299]. The mRNA of S. elongatus pixJ (SepixJ) was expressed in vivo as a part of the product of an operon. SePixJ was detected exclusively in the membrane fraction after cell fractionation. Immunogold labeling of SePixJ in ultra-thin sections indicated that it existed only in both ends of the rod-shaped cell; probably bound with the cytoplasmic membrane.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Biochemical modulation of 5-fluorouracil with a streptococcal preparation, OK-432, against murine colon-26 carcinoma.

Conventional therapy for colorectal carcinoma using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has shown limited antitumor action. The purpose of our study was to investigate synergistic antitumor effects of the streptococcal preparation of OK-432 and 5-FU, and to elucidate the mechanisms of interaction between the 2 agents in mice. Biochemical modulation of OK-432 and 5-FU were determined in vivo against colon-26 carcinoma. The concentration of 5-FU and its metabolites, and the activity of thymidylate synthase and thymidine kinase, respectively, were measured using cytosolic extracts of the tumors. Combination treatment with OK-432 produced a significant increase in intratumor 5-FU and 5-FU in RNA (F-RNA) concentrations, increased the thymidylate synthetase inhibition rate, and decreased thymidine kinase activity, as compared with the results observed in the control mice. These additive antitumor effects are obtained by use of the 2 agents; the mechanism of action is considered to be the suppression of both the de novo and the salvage pathway for DNA synthesis, along with the suppression of RNA synthesis.</p

Validation of radiographic response evaluation criteria of preoperative chemotherapy for bone and soft tissue sarcomas: Japanese Orthopaedic Association Committee on Musculoskeletal Tumors Cooperative Study

AbstractBackgroundThe radiographic evaluation of the response to preoperative chemotherapy for bone and soft tissue sarcomas is based mostly on the change in primary tumor size before and after chemotherapy, as is done for many solid cancers. Its prognostic correlation, however, has hardly been validated.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective validation study of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) radiographic response evaluation criteria of preoperative chemotherapy for bone and soft tissue sarcomas as a JOA Committee on Musculoskeletal Tumors cooperative study. A total of 125 consecutive patients with high-grade bone (n = 77) and soft tissue (n = 48) sarcomas treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and definitive surgery in 25 tertiary referral hospitals were selected for the study. We investigated the correlation between the tumor size-based radiographic response evaluation criteria of preoperative chemotherapy for bone and soft tissue sarcomas provided by the JOA Committee on Musculoskeletal Tumors (hereafter called the JOA criteria) and the patients’ overall survival using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test.ResultsThe JOA criteria correlated relatively well with survival for malignant bone tumors (mostly comprising osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma) but not for soft tissue sarcomas, suggesting that the tumor size-based radiographic evaluation criteria for the response to preoperative chemotherapy in patients with soft tissue sarcomas is invalid.ConclusionsThe JOA criteria, based on the change in primary tumor size, is valid for malignant bone tumors but invalid for soft tissue sarcomas. Other new evaluation modalities of the response to preoperative chemotherapy using innovative functional imaging techniques are needed for soft tissue sarcomas

Endoscopical Segmental Piecemeal Tumorectomy for Nodular Elevation of Colorectal Tumor: Applicability and Patient's Quality of Life

Endoscopical segmental piecemeal tumorectomy (ESPT) for nodular elevation of colorectal tumor is advantageous in terms of minimizing both surgical invasion and postoperative burden to the patients. Nodular elevation of colorectal tumors is said to occur when the body of the tumor is adenomatous and the surface of the focal cancer grows more horizontally into the lumen than vertically. We report here four cases of nodular elevation of colorectal tumors which were each treated by different surgical procedures.</p

Successful Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy Aggravated by Portal Vein Thrombosis with Balloon-Occluded Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration

This report presents the case of a 78-year-old female with hepatic encephalopathy due to an inferior mesenteric venous-inferior vena cava shunt. She developed hepatocellular carcinoma affected by hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis and underwent posterior sectionectomy. Portal vein thrombosis developed and the portal trunk was narrowed after hepatectomy. Portal vein thrombosis resulted in high portal pressure and increased blood flow in an inferior mesenteric venous-inferior vena cava shunt, and hepatic encephalopathy with hyperammonemia was aggravated. The hepatic encephalopathy aggravated by portal vein thrombosis was successfully treated by balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration via a right transjugular venous approach without the development of other collateral vessels

ヨウレイリン ノ ジュカンシャダンリョウ ソクテイ ノ タメ ノ オオガタ ウリョウケイ ノ ケンテイ

幼齢林における樹冠遮断量の測定上の問題点を解決できるような大型雨量計のデザインを提示し,実際に作製した大型雨量計を用いてその実用性を検討した。雨量計の重要な要素である受水面積は,我が国の一般的な幼齢林の植栽密度,植物への影響,メンテナンス性,既往の大型雨量計を用いた樹冠遮断研究における受水面積の決定基準などを参考にして,約5m^2が適当であると決めた。大型雨量計の実用性は,次の各実験により確認した。まず,降雨強度の大きい降雨イベントにおいても雨量計からの排水水量を正確に測定できるようするために,本研究で用いた500mLの転倒マス型量水計を対象に大流量を含めた流量検定を行い,流量と1転倒に要する水量との関係を求めた。次に,大型雨量計の初期損失量を求めたところ0.2mm以下であり,大型雨量計の排水性は良好であった。さらに,大型雨量計の受水面積を厳密に求めるために,自然降雨を対象にした大型雨量計と貯留型雨量計の比較観測を行った。転倒マス型量水計の検定結果を考慮して補正した大型雨量計からの排水水量と,貯留型雨量計が示した雨量の関係は,良好な直線関係を示しており,その直線の傾きから大型雨量計の厳密な受水面積を決めた。また,その直線関係は,通常の降雨イベントだけでなく強度の大きい降雨イベントにおいても成り立っていたため,本研究で提示した大型雨量計は降雨強度の大きいイベントにも耐えうる実用性の高い雨量計であることがわかった。We proposed a design of a large plastic-sheet net-rainfall gauge for measurements of interception loss at young forests in Japan, and calibrated the proposed gauge with a standard rain gauge. The appropriate orifice area of the proposed gauge was suggested to be approximately 5m^2, considering the prevalent stand density of young forests in Japan, negative influences of water-logging on nearby plants, and the standard method to determine orifice areas in previous studies. The calibration of the proposed gauge was made by the following three steps. First, in order to examine robustness of the proposed gauge under strong rain conditions, we made a dynamic calibration of an attached tipping bucket flow meter under a variety of inflow water fluxes. This calibration provided a correction function revealing accurate water volume which is necessary to register a tip of the flow meter, as a function of the inflow water flux. Second, we found that initial loss of water, being retained on the proposed gauge, was less than 0.2 mm, indicating good drainage of the proposed gauge. Third, to calculate the accurate orifice areas of the proposed gauges, we made comparative measurements of rainfall using three proposed gauges and a standard gauge. Good linear relationships were found between total drainage water volumes from the proposed gauges, which were corrected by the above correction function, and rainfall observed by the standard gauge. By making use of the slopes of lines, we determined the accurate orifice areas of the proposed gauges. The line successfully fitted to a rainfall event with strong rainfall intensity, indicating that the proposed gauge was applicable to monitor rainfall interception even in strong rainfall conditions

Change in hippocampal theta oscillation associated with multiple lever presses in a bimanual two-lever choice task for robot control in rats.

Hippocampal theta oscillations have been implicated in working memory and attentional process, which might be useful for the brain-machine interface (BMI). To further elucidate the properties of the hippocampal theta oscillations that can be used in BMI, we investigated hippocampal theta oscillations during a two-lever choice task. During the task body-restrained rats were trained with a food reward to move an e-puck robot towards them by pressing the correct lever, ipsilateral to the robot several times, using the ipsilateral forelimb. The robot carried food and moved along a semicircle track set in front of the rat. We demonstrated that the power of hippocampal theta oscillations gradually increased during a 6-s preparatory period before the start of multiple lever pressing, irrespective of whether the correct lever choice or forelimb side were used. In addition, there was a significant difference in the theta power after the first choice, between correct and incorrect trials. During the correct trials the theta power was highest during the first lever-releasing period, whereas in the incorrect trials it occurred during the second correct lever-pressing period. We also analyzed the hippocampal theta oscillations at the termination of multiple lever pressing during the correct trials. Irrespective of whether the correct forelimb side was used, the power of hippocampal theta oscillations gradually decreased with the termination of multiple lever pressing. The frequency of theta oscillation also demonstrated an increase and decrease, before and after multiple lever pressing, respectively. There was a transient increase in frequency after the first lever press during the incorrect trials, while no such increase was observed during the correct trials. These results suggested that hippocampal theta oscillations reflect some aspects of preparatory and cognitive neural activities during the robot controlling task, which could be used for BMI