CD44 variant 6 in endometrioid carcinoma of the uterus: its expression in the adenocarcinoma component is an independent prognostic marker

The expression of variant isoforms of CD44 (CD44v) correlates with the metastatic potential of various carcinomas. In endometrial cancer, however, the significance of CD44v-expression as a prognostic indicator has not been fully investigated, nor has it been compared with that of p53, estrogen receptor or Ki67. Surgical material consisted of 14 atypical endometrial hyperplasias (AEH) and 163 endometrial carcinomas (EC). Expression of CD44s, v3 and v6 in carcinoma tissue, and other prognostic markers were immunohistochemically evaluated. The expression in the squamous differentiation was strictly excluded for the evaluation of immunohistochemistry, because the significance was different from that in the adenocarcinoma component. CD44s was frequently expressed in AEH and EC. On the other hand, CD44v3- and v6-positivities were rare or nonexistent in AEH, but were observed in 8 and 35% of EC, respectively. CD44v3-expression correlated significantly with histologic grade and lymph node metastasis. However, there was no correlation between CD44v6 expression and any clinicopathologic factor, nor were other prognostic markers expressed. Univariate analysis revealed that each CD44 was a prognostic determinant in the patients with EC. However, employing multivariate analysis, there were only three independent factors: p53 overexpression, CD44v6 expression and myometrial invasion. CD44v6 expression in the adenocarcinoma component may directly affect the behavior of carcinoma and the prognosis of patients with EC.     

Repair of infarcted myocardium mediated by transplanted bone marrow-derived CD34+ stem cells in a nonhuman primate model

Rodent and human clinical studies have shown that transplantation of bone marrow stem cells to the ischemic myocardium results in improved cardiac function. In this study, cynomolgus monkey acute myocardial infarction was generated by ligating the left anterior descending artery, and autologous CD34(+) cells were transplanted to the peri-ischemic zone. To track the in vivo fate of transplanted cells, CD34(+) cells were genetically marked with green fluorescent protein (GFP) using a lentivirus vector before transplantation (marking efficiency, 41% on average). The group receiving cells (n = 4) demonstrated improved regional blood flow and cardiac function compared with the saline-treated group (n =4) at 2 weeks after transplant. However, very few transplanted cell-derived, GFP-positive cells were found incorporated into the vascular structure, and GFP-positive cardiomyocytes were not detected in the repaired tissue. On the other hand, cultured CD34(+) cells were found to secrete vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and the in vivo regional VEGF levels showed a significant increase after the transplantation. These results suggest that the improvement is not the result of generation of transplanted cell-derived endothelial cells or cardiomyocytes; and raise the possibility that angiogenic cytokines secreted from transplanted cells potentiate angiogenic activity of endogenous cells.     

Oral squamous cell carcinoma: electron microscopic and immunohistochemical characteristics

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common oral malignancy, and we performed electron microscopic and immunohistochemical investigation of the tumor. In patients with cervical metastasis, microvilli were developed and a small number of desmosomes were found, regardless of the width of the intercellular spaces. In patients without the metastasis, few microvilli were found in relatively wide intercellular spaces, or numerous microvilli were found in narrow intercellular spaces, and a large number of desmosomes were shown. However, these findings were different from those of tumors that had received radiotherapy, in which numerous microvilli and a small number of desmosomes were found in the nonmetastatic cases. Transferrin receptor, which is a marker of cell proliferation, was localized on the cell membrane, especially in microvilli. Ultrastructural similarity between the primary tumor and the metastatic tumor was recognized, however, the features of microvilli, desmosomes, and the intercellular spaces differed between them in most cases. It is suggested that microvilli might be related to the metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Immunohistochemically, the protein expression of p53 and pRb2/p130 was related to the clinical course of the patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma; the mechanism of the synthesis of these proteins should be investigated in order to understand the biological behavior of the tumor.     

Ultrastructure of oral sarcoma

Sarcoma of the oral region is extremely rare and ultrastructural studies of the tumor are limited in number. We collected oral sarcomas, such as fibrosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, angiosarcoma, alveolar soft-part sarcoma, solitary plasmacytoma, and osteosarcoma, and performed ultrastructural studies of these tumors. The value of these studies for an understanding of the biological behavior of the tumors was then investigated. In these studies, electron microscopic examinations of oral sarcoma were of assistance in our attempt to establish correct diagnosis and histogenesis. Data from the studies of oral sarcoma by light microscopy, electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry should be accumulated.     

Rapid and efficient generation of lentivirally gene-modified dendritic cells from DC progenitors with bone marrow stromal cells

Since dendritic cells (DC) play pivotal roles in both innate and adaptive immunity, DC can be a good target for immuno-gene therapy. However, the optimal generation method for gene-modified DC has not yet been well exploited. CD34+ cells from cord blood (CB), bone marrow (BM), or peripheral blood (PB) were expanded in a medium containing stem cell factor (SCF), flt 3 ligand (Flt3L) and thrombopoietin (TPO) with or without HESS-5, a murine BM stromal cell line, for 2 weeks (the first expansion step), then differentiated to DC in a medium containing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), flt 3 ligand (Flt3L), stem cell factor (SCF), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-4, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 9 days (the second differentiation step). DC progenitors were transduced with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vectors at different time points during the second step. Use of HESS-5 during the first step resulted in more DC generation than without it (cell expansion: CB, 10,461 vs. 354-fold; BM, 962 vs. 225-fold; peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), 8,506 vs. 240-fold; %DC: CB, 83.4% vs. 76.9%; BM, 83.6 vs. 69.8%; PBMC, 85.9 vs. 60.5%). Gene transduction to the in vitro expanded DC progenitors at day 3 during the second step, resulted in better final yield of the gene-modified DC than that to those at day 0 or day 6 (as much as 44% of DC expressed green fluorescence protein (GFP) as a transgene) and the transduction efficiency correlated with endocytic ability and percent of S phase. DC transduced with an HIV vector encoding a melanoma antigen, MART-1, were adequately recognized by specific anti-MART-1 CTL. The two-step culture method with HESS-5 is useful for rapid expansion of DC progenitors and subsequent lentiviral gene transduction to DC.     

Changes in blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity during water drinking in humans

To investigate the possible involvement of the sympathetic nervous system in pressor response during water drinking, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) were continuously measured in healthy young volunteers throughout the experiments of a 5-min control, 2 min of drinking 500 ml water, and a 28-min recovery. To avoid the effects of water passing through the oropharyngeal and esophageal regions and/or effects of swallowing, an equal amount of water was directly infused to the stomach through a stomach tube for 2 min. Water drinking caused a transient increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and HR immediately after drinking (DeltaMAP, 12.6 +/- 2.1 mmHg; DeltaHR, +19.9 +/- 1.7 beats/min at the peak). An abrupt decrease of MSNA was observed directly during water drinking (Deltaburst rate, -6.9 +/- 1.3 bursts/min; Deltatotal activity, -2,606 +/- 491 U/min), and it increased to the baseline level thereafter. Gastric infusion had little or no effect on MAP, HR, and MSNA. The present study demonstrated that a pressor response during water drinking was associated with the attenuation of MSNA and not generated by gastric infusion of water at the same rate as in this drinking manner. In conclusion, the rapid rise in BP might be caused through stimulations from the oropharyngeal region, swallowing-induced factors, and/or a feedforward mechanism by a central descending signal from the higher brain centers.     

Increased matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity in human ovarian cancer cells cultured with conditioned medium from human peritoneal tissue

Ovarian cancer cells disseminate by attachment to the peritoneal mesothelial cell surface of the abdominal cavity. We therefore investigated the influence of conditioned medium (CM) from human peritoneal tissues and mesothelial cells on the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by ovarian cancer cells. The molecular weights of MMPs stimulating factors derived from human peritoneal tissues and mesothelial cells were estimated using microconcentrators with various cut-off membranes. Human peritoneal tissues were obtained from 12 surgical patients, and mesothelial cells were isolated from three peritoneal specimens. Exposure to CM from peritoneal tissue caused a concentration-dependent increase of the MMP-2 and MMP-9 bands in CM from NOM1 ovarian cancer cells, as shown by zymography. There was a significant difference in the increase of MMP-2 and MMP-9 (2.46-fold and 7.14-fold, respectively, at 0.4mg/ml protein; P < 0.005). CM from mesothelial cells also significantly increased the secretion of MMP-9 by NOM1 cells. The molecular size of possible MMP-9-stimulating factors secreted by peritoneal tissues and mesothelial cells was above M 100000. Further, CM of peritoneal tissues and mesothelial cells also induced the invasiveness of NOM1 cells. These findings suggest that mesothelial cells may secrete some factors which predominantly induce the MMP-9 production and increase invading cell numbers.     

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the CYP11B1 gene in the Japanese population

Summary Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the CYP11B1 gene were studied in Japanese using cDNA clone P450c11 as a probe. Genomic DNAs from 60 unrelated Japanese individuals were digested with 8 different restriction enzymes and analyzed by Southern blot hybridization. Two RFLPs were detected inMspI digests of the DNA. One(A) was characterized by polymorphic bands at 3.4 and 2.5 kilobasepairs (kb) and the other (B) by polymorphic bands at 1.7 and 1.2 kb. The third RFLP was observed inPvuII-digested samples and was polymorphic at 5.8 and 4.0 kb bands. Two of the three RFLPs found, RFLP (A) and (C), have not been described in the only previous report which was based on Caucasian samples. We also examined the RFLPs of a 3 generation family of 11-hydroxylase deficiency caused by an abnormality of the CYP11B1 gene. All the family members were homozygous in all three RFLPs and was thus not informative.     

Genomic alterations in primary cutaneous melanomas detected by metaphase comparative genomic hybridization with laser capture or manual microdissection: 6p gains may predict poor outcome

To clarify the correlation of genomic alterations with clinical and histological features, we performed metaphase comparative genomic hybridization analysis on 20 primary cutaneous melanomas, which were obtained by laser capture or manual microdissection, and 16 melanoma cell lines. There were no differences in the average number of aberrations between acral melanomas (AM) and non-AM, although gains of 5q and 11q13 were more frequent (P=0.05) and 10q loss was less frequent (P=0.01) in AM than in non-AM. Although tumor thickness is considered a measurable estimate of clinical expression, there were no differences in the average number of aberrations among 4 groups, classified by thickness of the tumor. While the majority of aberrations were equally distributed among the 4 groups, 6p gains were found only in the thickest tumors. Patients with 6p or 1q gains had a lower overall survival rate than those without them (P=0.0002 or P=0.013). While gains of 1q, 2q, 3p, 3q, 7q, 20p, and 20q were more frequent in the cell lines than in the primary tumors (P<0.01), losses of 6q, 9p, 10p, and 10q were equally found in both cell lines and primary tumors. The present study showed that chromosomal aberrations had already occurred in the thinner tumors, and that 6p and 1q gains may be a prognostic factor.     

OSTEOCLAST-LIKE GIANT CELL TUMOR OF THE LIVER

A 66-year-old male with osteoclast-like giant cell tumor of the liver that arose in the non-cirrhotlc liver is presented. The liver tests were almost normal, and plasma levels of alpha-fetoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen were within normal limits. The findings of liver scan by ^99mTc phytate, celiac angiography, and CT scans are described for the first time for this rare neoplasm, showing a large, unresectable liver tumor. Histologically, the tumor mainly consisted of osteoclast-like giant cells and mononuclear cells, which were focally arranged in a vaguely trabecular pattern and sarcomatous pattern. By an electromicroscopic study, however, no definitive evidence was obtained whether it arose from epithelial cells or nonepithellal cells. Various clinicopathological features were described and compared with previously reported cases including two cases arising in the liver.