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The putative serine protease inhibitor (serpin) genes encoded on Echinococcus multilocularis genome and their expressions in metacestodal stage
Get PDFCC-BY-NC-NDTwo putative serpin genes were identified in Echinococcus multilocularis, in addition to the already reported serpinEmu, and were designated as serpin2Emu and serpin3Emu. Western blot analysis using polyclonal antibodies against serpinEmu, putative serpin2Emu protein, and putative serpin3Emu protein indicated that all three proteins were localized in both intracellular and excretory-secretory (ES) fractions of E. multilocularis metacestodes. In addition, immune staining of parasite tissue indicated that all three proteins were localized at the germinal layer
Surgical Treatment of Idiopathic Multiple Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation Identified at the Onset of Cerebral Infarction: A Case Report
Get PDFThis work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0).Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM), which is asymptomatic in most cases, is often identified in patients with central nervous system disorders such as brain abscesses and/or cerebral infarctions. We have reported a patient with idiopathic multiple PAVM identified at the onset of cerebral infarction. A 69-year-old woman visited the Department of Neuropathic Internal Medicine at our hospital with chief complaints of numbness in her left hand and a feeling of weakness. The patient was given a diagnosis of subacute cerebral infarction. Multiple old lacunar infarctions were also observed in the deep white matter of the left frontal lobe. Chest computed tomography showed multiple nodular structures, mainly in the right lower lung field (S8), as well as continuous arteries and veins at the site; thus, the patient was finally diagnosed with multiple PAVM. Right lower thoracoscopic lobectomy was performed, as is typical surgical practice in such cases. The patient had a favorable postoperative course, and had no recurrence of cerebral infarction. Although the patient’s lesions were mainly restricted to S8, the fact that there were multiple lesions deemed a lobectomy as the appropriate course of treatment. This case emphasizes that attention should be paid to cases of multiple PAVM since cerebral infarction may arise from the disease
Photodynamic diagnosis of visceral pleural invasion of lung cancer with a combination of 5-aminolevulinic acid and autofluorescence observation systems.
Get PDFThis is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License 4.0 (CCBY-NC),BACKGROUND:
Visceral pleural invasion (PL) is a prognostic factor in lung cancer. In the lung, lymph flows along the pleura, in addition to the flow toward the pulmonary hilum just as the pulmonary arteries and veins run toward it. Even with the same tumor diameter, a PL1 or higher level of pleural invasion is indicative of a more advanced disease stage. Final diagnosis based on the PL level is made by pathological examination of excised specimens. However, if an intraoperative diagnosis can be established, proper selection of the surgical procedure can be made, and unnecessary surgeries for disseminated lesions can be avoided. We investigated optical diagnostic techniques for identifying the presence or absence of visceral pleural invasion in lung cancer by capitalizing on the phenomenon of 5-amino-levulinic acid (5-ALA) being metabolized to a photosensitizing substance or protoporphyrin IX within malignant tumors, generating red luminescence in response to excitation light.
METHOD:
This study included 38 patients with primary lung cancer who underwent surgery. They received 5-ALA (20mg/kg) orally 4h before surgery and then we assessed the presence or absence of pleural invasion using an autofluorescence observation system. At visceral pleural invasion sites, we were able to confirm tumor sites visualized in red with a clear border in contrast to the green autofluorescence generated in normal tissues.
RESULT:
Red luminescence could be confirmed in 100% of PL1-PL3 patients (14/14) and 41.6% of PL0 patients (10/24) with primary lung cancer. PL0 patients in whom visualization was possible were preoperatively diagnosed as having PL1 and many of them showed vascular channel invasion. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of this diagnostic technique were 100%, 58.0%, 63.1%, and 100%, respectively. Red fluorescence emission was observed significantly more often in pleural invasion cases.
CONCLUSION:
Accurate intraoperative diagnosis for visceral pleural invasion in lung cancer may contribute to determining the indications for limited operations such as segmental resection. In addition, accurate local diagnosis has the possibility of being applicable to photodynamic therapy
Preservation of chromosomal integrity in murine spermatozoa derived from gonocytes and spermatogonial stem cells surviving prenatal and postnatal exposure to γ‐rays in mice
Get PDFPre- and postnatal male mice were acutely (659-690 mGy/min) and continuously (0.303 mGy/min) exposed to 2 Gy γ-rays to evaluate spermatogenic potential and chromosome damage in their germ cells as adults. Acute irradiation on Days 15.5, 16.5, and 17.5 post-coitus affected testicular development, as a result of massive quiescent gonocyte loss; the majority of the seminiferous tubules in these testes were devoid of germ cells. Acute irradiation on Days 18.5 and 19.5 post-coitus had less effect on testicular development and spermatogenesis, even though germ cells were quiescent gonocytes on these days. Adverse effects on testicular development and spermatogenesis were observed following continuous irradiation between Days 14.5 and 19.5 post-coitus. Exposure to acute and continuous postnatal irradiation after the differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells and spermatogonia resulted in nearly all of the seminiferous tubules exhibiting spermatogenesis. Neither acute nor continuous irradiation was responsible for the increased number of multivalent chromosomes in primary-spermatocyte descendents of the exposed gonocytes. In contrast, a significant increase in cells with multivalent chromosomes was observed following acute irradiation on Days 4 and 11 post-partum. No significant increases in unstable structural chromosomal aberrations or aneuploidy in spermatozoa were observed, regardless of cell stage at irradiation or the radiation dose-rate. Thus, murine germ cells that survive prenatal and postnatal irradiation can restore spermatogenesis and produce viable spermatozoa without chromosome damage. These findings may provide a better understanding of reproductive potential following accidental, environmental, or therapeutic irradiation during the prenatal and postnatal periods in humans
Activation of muscarinic receptors prevents TNF-α-mediated intestinal epithelial barrier disruption through p38 MAPK.
Get PDFCC-BY-NC-NDIntestinal epithelial cells form a tight barrier to act as selective physical barriers, repelling hostile substances. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a well characterized pro-inflammatory cytokine which can compromise intestinal barrier function and the suppression of TNF-α function is important for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study, we investigated the contribution of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-induced signalling pathways to the maintenance of epithelial barrier function. We first demonstrated the existence of functional muscarinic M3 and histamine H1 receptors in colonic epithelial cell HT-29/B6. As we previously reported, muscarinic M3 receptor prevented TNF-α-induced barrier disruption through acceleration of TNF receptor (TNFR) shedding which is carried out by TNF-α converting enzyme (TACE). M3 receptor-mediated suppression of TNF-α function depends on Gαq/11 protein, however, histamine H1 receptor could not ameliorate TNF-α function, while which could induce Gαq/11 dependent intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. We found that p38 MAPK was predominantly phosphorylated by M3 receptor through Gαq/11 protein, whereas H1 receptor barely upregulated the phosphorylation. Inhibition of p38 MAPK abolished M3 receptor-mediated TNFR shedding and suppression of TNF-α-induced NF-κB signalling. The p38 MAPK was also involved in TACE- mediated EGFR transactivation followed by ERK1/2 phosphorylation. These results indicate that not H1 but M3 receptor-induced activation of p38 MAPK might contribute to the maintenance of epithelial barrier function through down-regulation of TNF-α signalling and activation of EGFR
