The 1.5 GHz Electromagnetic Near-field Used for Cellular Phones Does Not Promote Rat Liver Carcinogenesis in a Medium-term Liver Bioassay

We have recently established that local exposure to a 929.2 MHz electromagnetic near-field, used for cellular phones, does not promote rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term bioassay system. In the present study, a 1.439 GHz electromagnetic near-field (EMF), another microwave band employed for cellular phones in Japan, was similarly investigated. Time division multiple access (TDMA) signals for the Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) Japanese cellular telephone standard system were directed to rats through a quarter-wavelength monopole antenna. Numerical dosimetry showed that the peak SARs within the liver were 1.91–0.937 W/kg, while the whole-body average specific absorption rates (SARs) were 0.680–0.453 W/kg, when the time-averaged antenna radiation power was 0.33 W. Exposure was for 90 min a day, 5 days a week, over 6 weeks, to male F344 rats given a single dose of diethylnitrosamine (200 mg/kg, i.p.) 2 weeks previously. At week 3, all rats were subjected to a two-thirds partial hepatectomy. At week 8, the experiment was terminated and the animals were killed. Carcinogenic potential was scored by comparing the numbers and areas of the induced glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive foci in the livers of exposed (48) and sham-exposed rats (48). Despite increased serum levels of corticosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and melatonin, the numbers and the areas of GST-P-positive foci were not significantly altered by the exposure. These findings clearly indicated that local body exposure to a 1.439 GHz EMF, as in the case of a 929.2 MHz field, has no promoting effect on rat liver carcinogenesis in the present model.     

Association of Loss of Heterozygosity at the p53 Locus with Chemoresistance in Osteosarcomas

Although the osteosarcoma is considered to be among the most chemosensitive malignancies and preoperative chemotherapy is commonly applied, an appreciable proportion of cases are in fact quite insensitive. Predictive markers for chemosensitivity are therefore desirable in order to develop effective treatment strategies. Thirty-two cases of conventional osteosarcomas treated at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo, were analyzed. The sensitivity to preoperative chemotherapy was investigated with reference to loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the 17p13 ( p 53) and 13q14 ( Rb ) loci and expression of the cell-cycle associated proteins, p53, Rb, p21/Waf-1, mdm-2 and Ki-67, as detected immunohistochemically. LOH was detected by analyzing polymerase chain reaction products at marker microsatellite loci. The efficacy of chemotherapy was evaluated both radiologically and histologically. LOH at p 53 or Rb loci was seen in 54% (13/24) and 58% (14/24) of cases, respectively. Only 15% of osteosarcomas with LOH at the p 53 locus were sensitive to preoperative chemotherapy, as compared to 64% of tumors without such loss ( P <0.05). A similar but much less distinct tendency was observed with LOH at the Rb locus. No relationship was evident between chemosensitivity and immunohistochemical staining patterns for p53, Rb, p21/Waf-1, mdm-2 or Ki-67. The results suggest that p 53 gene deletion, but not the other parameters investigated, may be useful for predicting chemoresistance of osteosarcomas.     

Primary AA type amyloidosis of the urinary bladder: a case report

Primary amyloidosis of the urinary bladder is a rare disease entity. A total of 61 cases have been reported in the Japanese literature, and most of them were AL type amyloidosis. We report here a case of primary AA type amyloidosis. A 52-year-old man presented with a chief complaint of asymptomatic gross hematuria. Cystoscopy revealed yellowish elevated lesions, transurethral mucosal biopsies were performed, and the histopathological diagnosis indicated a primary AA type amyloidosis of the urinary bladder. Systemic amyloidosis was clinically eliminated. The yellowish lesions in the bladder through cystoscopy disappeared spontaneously one year later without any specific treatment, but periodical work-up may be necessary to rule out recurrence of the disease or bladder tumor.     

Trastuzumab-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: In the present study, we investigated the degree of protein expression and gene amplification of HER-2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines and freshly isolated tumors, and trastuzumab-mediated biological activity, in particular antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against HER-2-expressing esophageal SCC cell lines. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Ten different SCC cell lines with various levels of HER-2 status evaluated by flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry (HercepTest), and fluorescence in situ hybridization were evaluated for ADCC, growth inhibitory, or apoptosis-inducing activities mediated by trastuzumab. RESULTS: Trastuzumab induced ADCC against HER-2-expressing esophageal SCC and the activities reflected the degree of HER-2 expression analyzed by flow cytometric analysis, but not by HercepTest nor fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. Furthermore, trastuzumab-mediated ADCC against transforming growth factor-beta-producing SCC was enhanced by the treatment with SB-431542, which is a selective inhibitor of the phosphorylation induced by transforming growth factor-beta. There were very marginal effects of anti-proliferative or apoptosis-inducing activities mediated by trastuzumab for HER-2-expressing esophageal SCC. CONCLUSION: HER-2-expressing esophageal SCC cells could be killed by trastuzumab-mediated ADCC and the activity reflected the degree of HER-2 expression detected by flow cytometry.     

Combining intermediate levels of the Endotoxin Activity Assay (EAA) with other biomarkers in the assessment of patients with sepsis: results of an observational study

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: The Endotoxin Activity Assay (EAA) is a useful test to risk stratify patients with severe sepsis and assess for Gram negative infection. However, the significance of intermediate levels of EAA (0.4-0.59) at the bedside has not been well elucidated. The purpose of this study was to interpret intermediate EAA levels in clinical practice. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included all adult patients with suspected sepsis admitted to our medico-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in whom EAA was measured from July 2008 to September 2011. Data collected included EAA, white blood cell (WBC) count and differential, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and bacterial cultures. Data were analyzed by comparative statistics. RESULTS: Two hundred and ten patients were studied. Ninety two (43%) patients had culture documented gram negative infection. Patients with Gram-negative organisms in cultures had significantly higher EAA levels (0.47, IQR 0.27) than those without any Gram-negative organisms in cultures (0.34, IQR 0.22) (p < 0.0001). For patients with intermediate EAA levels (0.40 to 0.59), PCT levels and presence of left shift of WBC significantly differed between patients with Gram negative organisms in their blood or other cultures and those who had no organisms in any of the cultures (4.9 versus 1.7 ng/mL, p < 0.05; 57.9 versus 18.9%, p < 0.0004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We confirm that high levels of EAA in our cohort of patients with suspected sepsis are strongly associated with gram negative infection. In those patients with intermediate elevation in EAA levels, use of PCT and WBC differential can provide additional diagnostic value to clinicians at the bedside.