Shape of Barrett's epithelium is associated with prevalence of erosive esophagitis

AIM:To test the hypothesis that the shape and length of Barrett‘s epithelium are associated with prevalence of erosive esophagitis.METHODS:A total study population comprised 869 patients who underwent endoscopy during a health checkup at our hospital.The presence and extent of Barrett‘s epithelium were diagnosed based on the Prague C & M Criteria.We originally classified cases of Barrett‘s epithelium into two types based on its shape,namely,flamelike and lotus-like Barrett‘s epithelium,and into two groups b...     

Critical role for chicken Rad17 and Rad9 in the cellular response to DNA damage and stalled DNA replication

The Rad17-replication factor C (Rad17-RFC) and Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 complexes are thought to function in the early phase of cell-cycle checkpoint control as sensors for genome damage and genome replication errors. However, genetic analysis of the functions of these complexes in vertebrates is complicated by the lethality of these gene disruptions in embryonic mouse cells. We disrupted the Rad17 and Rad9 loci by gene targeting in the chicken B lymphocyte line DT40. Rad17-/- and Rad9-/- DT40 cells are viable, and are highly sensitive to UV irradiation, alkylating agents, and DNA replication inhibitors, such as hydroxyurea. We further found that Rad17-/- and Rad9-/- but not ATM-/- cells are defective in S-phase DNA damage checkpoint controls and in the cellular response to stalled DNA replication. These results indicate a critical role for chicken Rad17 and Rad9 in the cellular response to stalled DNA replication and DNA damage.     

A Novel Characterization Method for Graft‐Polymer Structures Chemically Attached on Thermally Stable Polymer Films

Most polymer grafts in grafted polymer films obtained by radiation‐induced solid graft polymerization are not analyzed in detail due to difficulties in isolation of the grafts without structural decomposition. Herein, a novel structural and molecular weight characterization method is reported for polymer grafts that are chemically attached to thermally and chemically stable polymer substrates, based on a swelling‐induced graft detachment in hot water. Polymer grafts prepared by the radiation‐induced polymerization of alkyl acrylate into poly(ethylene‐co‐tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) followed by a sulfonation reaction are found to have a ternary copolymer structure whose monomer units contain –COOH or –SO₃H groups, or both.     

Clinicopathological characteristics of esophageal squamous papillomas in Japanese patients--with comparison of findings from Western countries

To clarify the characteristics of esophageal squamous papillomas (ESPs) in the Japanese population, we investigated 38 ESPs of 35 Japanese patients from a file with 17,387 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies in our university hospital. ESPs accounted for 0.20% of the total number of endoscopies and comprised 21 females and 14 males with an average age of 59.2 years. More than half of the ESPs (52.6%) were located in the middle esophagus. The ratio of human papilloma virus (HPV) positive ESPs was 10.5% and all were located in the middle esophagus of female patients only. HPV-positive ESP cases were younger (46.8 years) than HPV-negative cases (60.8 years). Based on comparison with the reports from western countries, we attribute the low prevalence in the lower esophagus to the relatively fewer occurrences of severe reflux esophagitis (RE) due to chronic gastritis with low gastric acid secretion among Japanese patients.     

Novel Fluorinated Polymer by Radiation‐Induced Polyaddition of Bisperfluoroisopropenyl Terephthalate with 1,4‐Dioxane

Radical polyaddition of bis(α‐trifluoromethyl‐β,β‐difluorovinyl) terephthalate [CF₂?C(CF₃)OCOC₆H₄COOC(CF₃)?CF₂] (BFP) with 1,4‐dioxane (DOX) was investigated under γ‐rays radiation from a ⁶⁰Co source to produce higher molecular weight polymers compared to those yielded by benzoyl peroxide initiation. Prior to polyaddition, the addition reactions of 2‐benzoxypentafluoropropene [CF₂?C(CF₃)OCOC₆H₅] (BPFP) with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and DOX, and BFP with THF were examined in order to develop probable polyaddition reaction conditions. The polymer bearing 1.5 × 10⁴ as a molecular weight was obtained under the feed molar ratio of DOX/BFP = 16 with an irradiation dose of 2 000 kGy at 40 °C, which is a much higher molecular weight compared to that yielded by benzoyl peroxide.

     

Novel RASA1 mutations in Japanese pedigrees with capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation

Capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation (CM-AVM, MIM#608354) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multiple cutaneous capillary malformations co-occurring with fast-flow vascular anomalies, such as arteriovenous malformation or fistula. Despite the identification of RASA1 as the first causative gene in Western patients with CM-AVM, there have been no literature reports of Japanese patients with this gene mutation. We herein report two Japanese pedigrees harboring multiple affected members with CM-AVM. Whole-exome sequencing in the two probands identified novel heterozygous mutations in RASA1, which were co-segregated with the disease in each family and were not reported in large-scale sequencing databases. One was a frameshift mutation and the other a splice-site mutation causing aberrant splicing, confirmed by a minigene assay. There were no other genes commonly disrupted among these probands. RASA1 was a major causative gene even in Japanese patients with CM-AVM, although obvious locus heterogeneity was known for this disease.