Changes of cancer diagnosis disclosure to children in Japan in the last 20 years

International Journal of Clinical Oncology - The practice of cancer diagnosis disclosure to children has been changed with the times. The regulations of clinical trials in the 2000s might change...     

Predator stress-induced depression is associated with inhibition of hippocampal neurogenesis in adult male mice

Stress has been suggested to disturb the 5-hydroxytryptamine system and decrease neurogenesis, which contribute to the development of depression. Few studies have investigated the effect of predator stress, a type of psychological stress, on depression and hippocampal neurogenesis in adult mice; we therefore investigated this in the present study. A total of 35 adult male Kunming mice were allocated to a cat stress group, cat odor stress group, cat stress + fluoxetine group, cat odor stress + fluoxetine group, or a control group(no stress/treatment). After 12 days of cat stress or cat odor stress, behavioral correlates of depression were measured using the open field test, elevated plus maze test, and dark-avoidance test. The concentrations of hippocampal 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection. Neurogenesis was also analyzed using a bromodeoxyuridine and doublecortin double-immunostaining method. Cat stress and cat odor stress induced depression-like behaviors; this effect was stronger in the cat stress model. Furthermore, compared with the control group, cat stress mice exhibited lower 5-hydroxytryptamine concentrations, higher 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations, and significantly fewer bromodeoxyuridine+/doublecortin+-labeled cells in the dentate gyrus, which was indicative of less neurogenesis. The changes observed in the cat stress group were not seen in the cat stress + fluoxetine group, which suggests that the effects of predator stress on depression and neurogenesis were reversed by fluoxetine. Taken together, our results indicate that depression-like behaviors induced by predator stress are associated with the inhibition of hippocampal neurogenesis.     

Nitric oxide synthase activity in neutrophils from patients with localized aggressive periodontitis

BACKGROUND: Localized aggressive periodontitis (LAgP) is associated with neutrophil dysfunction including defective chemotaxis and reduced calcium influx factor activity. Nitric oxide (NO) and its enzyme, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), have been suggested to be involved in chemotaxis. Some reports, however, were unable to detect either NO or NOS in human neutrophils. In this study, we focused on NOS activity in LAgP neutrophils and examined the involvement of NOS in chemotaxis of normal neutrophils and NOS activity in neutrophils from normal subjects and patients with LAgP. METHODS: Neutrophils from 10 normal subjects and 10 LAgP patients were isolated from peripheral venous blood. Membrane associated-NOS (MA-NOS) and soluble NOS (S-NOS) were extracted from cells with or without FMLP stimulation. NOS activity was measured using the radiolabeled L-arginine to L-citrulline conversion assay. RESULTS: N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of NOS, significantly inhibited FMLP-induced chemotaxis (P<0.01) and dibutyryl cGMP, an activator of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, significantly attenuated the inhibition by L-NAME (P<0.01). Unstimulated and FMLP-stimulated MA-NOS activity in LAgP neutrophils was statistically significantly higher than that in normal neutrophils (P<0.05). S-NOS activity in LAgP neutrophils was higher than that in normal neutrophils. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that NOS is present in human neutrophils and may be involved in FMLP-induced chemotaxis in normal neutrophils. NOS activity is increased in LAgP and is negatively correlated to chemotaxis response.     

Neural hyperplasia in maxillary bone of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B patient

Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2B is the rarest and most aggressive form of MEN syndrome. MEN 2B patients manifest characteristic oral and facial features besides the neural crest cell-derived tumors, including medullary carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, mucosal neuroma, and ganglioneuromatosis of the gut. We report a case of MEN 2B diagnosed on the basis of the warning signs of mucosal neuroma and multiple neural hyperplasias in the maxillary bone resected during orthognathic surgery. A subsequent systemic examination under the pathologic diagnosis of neural lesions revealed medullary thyroid carcinoma, megacolon, thickened corneal nerves, and RET gene mutation, thus verifying the diagnosis of MEN 2B. An immunohistochemical study revealed an increased number of unmyelinated Schwann cells in the hyperplastic nerves. We suggest that intraosseous neural hyperplasia is a specific finding of the MEN 2B syndrome in addition to the known oral and facial manifestations.     

The effect of extracellular calcium ion on gene expression of bone-related proteins in human pulp cells

Calcium hydroxide is often used for induction of reparative dentin formation in endodontic treatment. However, little is known about the mechanism by which calcium hydroxide works. The calcium ion (Ca2+) is an important regulator of cell functions. In this study, we examined the effect of extracellular Ca2+ on gene expression of bone-related proteins in human cultured pulp cells in serum-free conditions. A Ca2+ level elevated by 0.7 mM induced an increase in mRNA expression of osteopontin and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2. However, mRNA levels of BMP-4 and alkaline phosphatase decreased under the elevated Ca2+ culture condition. The same concentration of additional magnesium ions had little effect on expressions of the examined bone-related protein mRNAs. These findings suggest that Ca2+ in Ca(OH)2 specifically modulates osteopontin and BMP-2 levels during calcification in pulp.     

Expression of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase alpha subunit isoforms in rat salivary glands: occurrence of sense and antisense RNAs of the alpha3 isoform in the sublingual gland

We examined the expression of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase alpha-subunit isoforms in rat salivary glands by RT-PCR. Isoform alpha1 was expressed strongly in all three major salivary glands. The alpha2 isoform was expressed in both submandibular gland (SMG) and sublingual gland (SLG) but faintly in the parotid gland (PG). The alpha3 was detected only in the SLG, and the alpha3 mRNA in the SLG was 1/8 of its level in the brain. Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase alpha3 isoform in the SLG, was localized predominantly on the basolateral plasma membranes in serous cells by immunohistochemical method. We also found the presence of natural antisense RNA of the alpha3 isoform in rat SLG: the 1st-strand cDNA prepared with gene-specific forward primers targeted to the CDS region and to the promoter region of the alpha3 gene in place of oligo(dT) or gene-specific reverse primers produced reasonable PCR products corresponding to the alpha3 cDNA sequence by the subsequent PCR reaction. Synthesis of the 1st-strand cDNA with the gene-specific forward primers was prevented by RNase digestion of the total RNA preparation, indicating that the PCR products in the RT-PCR system were not due to the contaminated genomic DNA, if any. The alpha3 protein level in rat SLG increased with aging, and levels of both alpha3 mRNA (sense RNA) and alpha3 antisense RNA were higher in SLGs of aged rats than in those of young rats, respectively.     

Adverse effect of dentine bonding agent on the oral mucosa of guinea pigs

The purpose of present study was to determine the possibility of nebulous discoloration of the oral mucosa of guinea pigs as a result of the application of dentine bonding agents. The materials used were the Clearfil Photo Bond (CPB) system's mixture agent, universal agent and catalyst agent. Four types of experimental catalysts were used. In male albino guinea pigs weighing 300-500 g, oral mucosa irritation tests were performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA). Macroscopical findings on the oral mucosa showed that there was strong nebulous discoloration immediately after application of CPB mix and CPB catalyst and throughout the experimental periods. However, CPB without 10-methacryloxdecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) did not produce noticeable nebulous discoloration and inflammation. The CPB mix caused pathological changes, such as paraketosis and hyperkeratosis on the endepidermis of the mucosa, immediately after its application.     

The pathological significance of Langerhans cells in oral cancer

The functional role of Langerhans cells (LCs) in oral cancer was studied, based on a quantitative analysis of LCs in squamous cell carcinomas arising from the tongue. LCs were identified by their positiveness for S100-protein and other cytological characters based on PAP method. LCs increased in number in the cancer region and showed an intimate relationship with lymphocytes in terms of their number and distribution. Moreover, in those cases with many LCs, clusters consisting of LCs and lymphocytes were often found to combine into "hydropic degeneration-like" lesions as seen in allergic disease such as dermal lichen planus. These findings, as well as the review of literature, suggested some immunological role of LCs in oral carcinoma.