Elemental distributions and microtensile bond strength of the adhesive interface to normal and caries-affected dentin

The aim of this study was to evaluate the microtensile bond strength (microTBS) and the elemental contents of the adhesive interface created to normal versus caries-affected dentin. Extracted human molars with coronal carious lesions were used in this study. A self-etching primer/adhesive system (Clearfil Protect Bond) was applied to flat dentin surfaces with normal and caries-affected dentin according to the manufacturer's instructions. After 24 h water storage, the bonded specimens were cross-sectioned and subjected to a microTBS test and electron probe microanalysis for the elemental distributions [calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), and nitrogen (N)] of the resin-dentin interface after gold sputter-coating. The microTBS to caries-affected dentin was lower than that of normal dentin. The demineralized zone of the caries-affected dentin-resin interface was thicker than that of normal dentin (approximately 3 microm thick in normal dentin; 8 microm thick in caries-affected dentin), and Ca and P in both types of dentin gradually increased from the interface to the underlying dentin. The caries-affected dentin had lost most of its Mg content. The distributions of the minerals, Ca, P, and Mg, at the adhesive interface to caries-affected dentin were different from normal dentin. Moreover, a N peak, which was considered to be the collagen-rich zone resulting from incomplete resin infiltration of exposed collagen, was observed to be thicker within the demineralized zone of caries-affected dentin compared with normal dentin.     

Mechanism of slowing of mucociliary transport induced by SO2 exposure

Responses of nasal mucociliary transport mechanisms to exposure to 6 ppm SO₂ were studied in chickens in vivo. This model takes advantage of the natural cleft palate which exposes the mucociliated base of the nasal septum. Exposure to 6 ppm SO₂ decreased the mucociliary transport rate along the base of the nasal septum. The minimum force required to move an iron particle along this area of mucous membrane by use of a magnetic field in vivo increased significantly after SO₂ exposure, while the minimum force required to move an iron particle on a pool of mucus collected from the same chicken and tested in vitro showed no change after SO₂ exposure. The elastic recoil distance of mucus was measured both in vivo and in vitro. The in vivo recoil distance decreased significantly after SO₂ exposure, while SO₂ exposure did not change recoil distance in vitro. It is proposed that exposure of chickens to SO₂ results in the formation of multiple points of adhesion of strands of mucus between the acinar gland cells and the emergent extracellular mucus or adhesion of a mucous blanket to the cilia, causing mucociliary transport to be retarded or static.     

Crossmodal attention between vision and touch in temporal order judgment task

Four experiments investigated the effects of cross-modal attention between vision and touch in temporal order judgment tasks combined with spatial cueing paradigm. In Experiment 1, two vibrotactile stimuli with simultaneous or successive onsets were presented bimanually to the left and right index fingers and participants were asked to judge the temporal order of the two stimuli. The tactile stimuli were preceded by a spatially uninformative visual cue. Results indicated that shift of spatial attention yielded by visual cueing resulted in the modulation of accuracy of the subsequent tactile temporal order judgment. However, this cueing effect disappeared when participants judged simultaneity of the two stimuli, instead of their temporal order (Experiment 2) or when the cue lead time between the visual cue and the stimuli was relatively long (Experiment 3). Experiment 4 replicated an effect of crossmodal attention on the direction of visual illusory line motion induced by a somatosensory cue (Shimojo, Miyauchi, & Hikosaka, 1997). These results demonstrate that substantial crossmodal links exist between vision and touch for covert exogenous orienting of attention.     

Innovative Fixation Technique for Avulsion Fractures of the Calcaneal Tuberosity

Avulsion fractures of the calcaneal tuberosity, although relatively uncommon, occur more frequently in patients with osteoporosis and in the elderly. The results of closed manipulation are poor in these fractures, usually requiring open reduction and internal fixation. However, it is difficult to fix the bone fragment rigidly, because the avulsed bone fragment is small and thin, and the bone quality of the calcaneal body in the elderly is poor. Hence, it is necessary to limit prolonged weight-bearing after the operation. We performed an innovative surgical procedure of suture fixation to the anchor screw in four cases, following which earlier postoperative rehabilitation with full weight-bearing walking and range of motion exercises was possible, and bony union was achieved without repeated displacement of the fragment in all patients. We believe this technique would prove useful in surgical management of calcaneal tuberosity avulsion fractures.     

High HNRNPA3 expression is associated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in patients treated with radical cystectomy

ObjectiveWe sought to identify heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A3 (HNRNPA3) expression in bladder cancer and its relationship to clinicopathological findings and prognosis.MethodsImmunohistochemical staining for HNRNPA3 was performed on 122 archived radical cystectomy specimens, with immunoreactivity being stratified on a 0 to 3 scale. The percentage of HNRNPA3 expressing tumor cells was calculated and multiplied by the staining score over an average of 5 areas to obtain a semiquantitative H-score (maximum value: 300). HNRNPA3 expression was categorized as high (≥80) or low (<80).ResultsThe patients’ median age was 70 years, and the median follow-up period was 39.4 months. High HNRNPA3 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (P= 0.014) and S100A8, S100A9 and uroplakin III expression (P= 0.028, 0.002, and 0.047, respectively). Log-rank tests indicated that high HNRNPA3 expression was significantly associated with disease progression and cancer-specific death (P= 0.013 and 0.006, respectively). In the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, only lymph node metastasis was associated with disease progression and cancer-specific survival.ConclusionHNRNPA3 may be a new biomarker to predict biologically aggressive cancers and determine the appropriate treatment modality in patients after radical cystectomy.     

Tumor Necrosis Factor Gene Polymorphism in Chronic Sinusitis

Objectives It is likely that genetic factors play a role in the etiology of chronic sinusitis, and airway inflammation is an important pathological feature in chronic sinusitis. We hypothesized that individuals with greater inflammatory responses may be more likely to acquire the disease. Polymorphisms of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) genes have been described, and certain inflammatory diseases are reportedly associated with certain alleles of TNF genes. The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is an association between some alleles of TNF genes and chronic sinusitis. Study Design Thirty‐eight Japanese patients with intractable chronic sinusitis were selected on the basis of the following criteria: 1) persistent mucous or mucopurulent nasal discharge and/or postnasal dripping for longer than 3 years and 2) opacification in bilateral maxillary sinuses and ethmoid cells on plain radiographic films. Methods Both tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and tumor necrosis factor‐β (TNF‐β) gene polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with restriction fragment length polymorphisms in these patients and 35 healthy control subjects. Results A significantly higher frequency (P < .05) of TNFB*2 allele of TNF‐β gene polymorphism was observed in patients with chronic sinusitis (74%) compared with control subjects (56%). There was no association between alleles of TNF‐α and chronic sinusitis. Conclusion We concluded that TNF‐β gene polymorphism may form a component of the genetic predisposition to chronic sinusitis in Japanese patients.     

CD98 regulates the phosphorylation of HER2 and a bispecific anti-HER2/CD98 antibody inhibits the growth signal of human breast cancer cells

Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family proteins are currently major targets of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies against various epithelial cancers. However, the resistance of cancer cells to HER family-targeted therapies, which may be caused by cancer heterogeneity and persistent HER phosphorylation, often reduces overall therapeutic effects. We herein showed that a newly discovered molecular complex between CD98 and HER2 affected HER function and cancer cell growth. The immunoprecipitation of the HER2 or HER3 protein from lysates of SKBR3 breast cancer (BrCa) cells revealed the HER2-CD98 or HER3-CD98 complex. The knockdown of CD98 by small interfering RNAs inhibited the phosphorylation of HER2 in SKBR3 cells. A bispecific antibody (BsAb) that recognized the HER2 and CD98 proteins was constructed from a humanized anti-HER2 (SER4) IgG and an anti-CD98 (HBJ127) single chain variable fragment, and this BsAb significantly inhibited the cell growth of SKBR3 cells. Prior to the inhibition of AKT phosphorylation, BsAb inhibited the phosphorylation of HER2, however, significant inhibition of HER2 phosphorylation was not observed in anti-HER2 pertuzumab, trastuzumab, SER4 or anti-CD98 HBJ127 in SKBR3 cells. The dual targeting of HER2 and CD98 has potential as a new therapeutic strategy for BrCa.     

Accumulation of L-[2-(F-18)]fluorophenylalanine in peri-infarct area in a patient with acute cerebral infarction

We studied the brain uptake of amino acid in a patient with acute cerebral infarction with L-[2-(F-18)] fluorophenylalanine and positron emission tomography. The increased accumulation of the ligand was specifically found in the peri-infarct area where oxygen metabolism was still maintained but decreased later in the 72-day follow-up period. The kinetic analysis revealed that increased accumulation was not due to increased transport from the blood to the brain but to delayed washout from the brain to the blood. Although the mechanism is still unknown, abnormally high accumulation of L-[F-18]fluorophenylalanine may predict delayed neuronal changes after ischemic insults of the brain.     

Total Esophagectomy versus Proximal Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer at the Cervicothoracic Junction

To investigate the adequate extent of esophagectomy and lymphadenectomy for an esophageal cancer localized at the cervicothoracic junction, the mortality and morbidity rates, survival rates, and patterns of recurrence were retrospectively analyzed in two groups—14 patients who underwent total esophagectomy with or without laryngectomy and 15 patients who underwent proximal esophagectomy with or without laryngectomy—at Kurume University Hospital from 1981 to 1996. Proximal esophagectomy with or without laryngectomy resulted in a lower hospital mortality rate and better overall survival for patients who underwent curative esophagectomy compared with total esophagectomy with or without laryngectomy. Multivariate analysis indicated that the extent of esophagectomy (total esophagectomy versus proximal esophagectomy) was not a prognostic factor. The incidence of recurrence was not different between the two groups. Lymph node metastasis or recurrence from such esophageal cancers was localized to the neck and upper mediastinum. For an esophageal cancer localized at the cervicothoracic junction, therefore, proximal esophagectomy with or without laryngectomy and with cervical and upper mediastinal lymphadenectomy could be better indicated for preselected patients.