Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene associated with incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39 : 786–792 Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in promoting angiogenesis and is overexpressed in several malignancies. Polymorphisms of the VEGF gene can alter VEGF protein expression, which may be biologically significant and account for heterogeneity in disease risk and outcome. The aim of this case–control study was to evaluate potential associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the VEGF gene with susceptibility of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Patients and methods: Five VEGF SNP (?1154 G/A, +405 G/C, +936 C/T, ?2578 C/A and ?460 C/T) were determined in peripheral blood isolated from 80 patients with OSCC and from 40 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy volunteers (RT‐PCR). Results: The +936 T allele and the ?2578 C/A SNP were expressed significantly more often in the OSCC‐group (P = 0.002; P < 0.0001) where three associations between two SNPs (+936 and +405, ?2578 and ?1154, ?460 and ?2578) were found. Conclusion: Our findings provide support that +936 T allele and ?2578 C/A SNP of the VEGF gene alone or in combination with other SNP are associated with OSCC. The SNPs may be used as biomarker for the development of specialized anti‐VEGF drugs. Further studies must confirm the value of preoperative genetic analysis for prognosis.     

Novel serum metabolomics‐based approach by gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry for detection of human skin cancers: Candidate biomarkers

Skin cancer incidence rates are continuing to rise; however, if detected at an early stage, they can be cured with minimally invasive treatment. Therefore, the identification of novel and robust biomarkers for the early detection of skin cancer is required to improve the quality of life of the patient after treatment. In the present study, we aimed to identify novel biomarkers of skin cancers. We carried out serum metabolomics using gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry for two types of skin cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. The changes in the expression of metabolites compared with healthy volunteers were analyzed by principal component analysis. Among all 118 metabolites, 27 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 33 in patients with melanoma showed significant changes in comparison with healthy volunteers. Principal component analysis showed that both skin cancer groups could be distinguished from the healthy volunteers group. We further investigated the specific metabolites most useful for these distinctions. In the squamous cell carcinoma group, these metabolites were glycerol, 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid, sebacic acid, fucose and suberic acid. In the melanoma group, these metabolites were glutamic acid, sebacic acid, suberic acid, 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid and phenylalanine. The present study identified several metabolites that were distinct for certain skin cancer types, which could potentially be used as diagnostic biomarkers leading to novel clinical management strategies.     

Ventricular fibrillation associated with early repolarization in a patient with thyroid storm

We present a case of a 69-year-old male who was hospitalized for the treatment of thyroid storm due to Grave’s disease, who presented with unexpected ventricular fibrillation (VF). The possible etiology was early repolarization (ER), characterized by J-point elevation in inferior and posterolateral leads, unmasked by the attenuation of beta-adrenergic effect with normalization of thyroid hormones and following the administration of a beta-blocker. Our case focuses attention on the occurrence of VF in a patient with ER during the treatment of hyperthyroidism, which to our knowledge is the first such report.     

Long-term motor practice induces practice-dependent modulation of movement-related cortical potentials (MRCP) preceding a self-paced non-dominant handgrip movement in kendo players

Effects of long-term motor practice on movement-related brain activities were investigated by measuring from the scalp, movement-related cortical potentials (MRCP) associated with self-paced right (dominant) and left (non-dominant) brisk handgrip movements with a 20% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) in 8 elite kendo players (kendo group) and 8 healthy young adults (control group). The kendo players had engaged in regular practice since childhood. Three components of MRCP were obtained from all subjects. These components relating to the preparation (Bereitschaftspotential: BP and negative slope: NS′) and initiation (motor potential: MP) of the movements were compared between the two groups. The BP onset time for a non-dominant handgrip task was significantly earlier in the control group than in the kendo group. Moreover, BP onset time appeared significantly earlier preceding the non-dominant handgrip task as compared with the dominant one only in the control group. Furthermore, MP amplitudes in the kendo group were significantly larger than in the control group. These findings suggest that long-term motor practice affects brain activities, leading to practice-dependent modulations in the cortical areas involved in the preparation and initiation of self-paced non-dominant handgrip movements in kendo players.