Prediction of spinal cord ischemia with a retrievable stent graft on endovascular treatment for a case of thoracic aortic aneurysm

Multiple aortic aneurysms in Behçet’s disease were repaired with transluminaly placed endovascular stent grafts. Before deploying the stent graft device for permanent implantation for the saccular aneurysm located in the descending thoracic arota, from which feeding arteries for the spinal cord possibly branched, a retrievable stent graft was inserted and evoked spinal cord potential (ESP) were monitored in order to predict spinal cord ischemia. The original retrievable stent graft, constructed of a self-expandable Z-shaped stainless steel stent covered with e-PTFE, can be easily withdrawn into a 18 Fr. sheath after deployment. Blood flow into intercostal arteries branching from that part of the descending aorta where the permanent stent graft is planned to be implanted, is intercepted by the retrievable stent graft. A change of ESP during the temporary implantation of the device indicates that spinal cord ischemia would be caused by permanent implantation of the stent graft. In this case, no change of ESP was observed and the patient showed no postoperative paraplegia.The retrievable stent graft was useful for prediction of spinal cord ischemia before endoluminal stent graft repair of the descending aortic aneurysm. However, the device is not flexible enough to fit a severely tortuous aorta, therefore we are obliged to select patients to some extent. Further improvement of the device is required to make prediction of spinal cord ischemia with the retrievable stent graft possible in all cases.     

Molecular and cellular biomarkers for field cancerization and multistep process in head and neck tumorigenesis

Summary One way to explain the development of head and neck cancer is through the theories of field cancerization, i.e., the exposure of an entire field of tissue to repeated carcinogenic insult, and multistep process, i.e., development of multiple cancers in a predisposed field through a series of recognizable states. Recent molecular genetic studies of histologically normal and prealignant epithelia of high-risk subjects and studies of malignant tumors in aerodigestive tract epithelia have identified a continuum of accumulated specific genetic alterations that possibly occur during the clonal evolution of tumors, namely, during the multistep process. Second primary or multiple primary tumors arise in the same fields as independent clones, with similar but unique molecular genetic and/or cellular alterations. Consequently, the assessment of these genetic and phenotypic alterations has been integrated into clinical chemoprevention trials in an effort to identify biomarkers that are also risk predictors and intermediate end points. This review covers candidate biomarkers of the processes of field cancerization and multistep tumor development in aerodigestive tract epithelia, including general and specific genetic markers, proliferation markers, and squamous differentiation markers.     

Isolation of hepatic drug metabolism inhibitors from the seeds ofMyristica fragrans

The hexane extract from Nutmeg, the seed ofMyristica fragrans significantly inhibited hepatic drug-metabolizing enzyme activity. Through systematic fractionation by SiO₂ column and vacuum liquid chromatography monitoring by bioassay, three components, myristicin, (I), licarin-B(II) and dehydrodiisoeugenol(III) were isolated as active principles. Compounds II and III, with a single treatment (200 mg/kg, i.p.) showed not only a significant prolongation of hexobarbital-induced sleeping time but also a significant inhibition of aminopyrine N-demethylase and hexobarbital hydroxylase activities in mice. Compounds I and II provoked a sleep episode at a subhypnotic dose of HB, suggesting that they posses CNS-depressant properties.     

Comparative analysis of NK/T-cell lymphoma and peripheral T-cell lymphoma in Korea: Clinicopathological correlations and analysis of EBV strain type and 30-bp deletion variant LMP1

Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL) and peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) are prevalent in the Asian population and exhibit a high association with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Moreover, differentiation of these two groups is often difficult and problematic. We investigated 35 cases of NKTL (22 nasal cases and 13 extranasal cases) and 30 cases of PTCL in terms of their clinical features, immunohistology, EBV positivity, EBV strain-type polymorphism and latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) deletion variant distribution. Eighteen cases (82%) of nasal NKTL and seven (54%) of extranasal NKTL showed EBV positivity by EBV in situ hybridization. Fifteen cases (50%) of PTCL revealed EBV positivity. EBV strain type A was predominant in NKTL (18:5), and EBV strain types A and B were distributed evenly in PTCL (6:6). EBV-positive patients had significantly shorter survival than EBV-negative patients (P < 0.05), and EBV positivity correlated with advanced clinical stage (P < 0.05). Patients harboring type A EBV showed slightly poorer prognoses than those having type B, though it was not obviously statistically different (P = 0.07). The LMP1 deletion variant was prevalent in both NKTL (three wild-type LMP1, 15 deletion variants) and PTCL (three wild-type LMP1, eight deletion variants, two coexistent forms) patients, but did not have prognostic impact. Our results indicate that EBV acts as a negative prognostic factor in NKTL and PTCL, and that the intrinsic properties of a specific viral strain might influence the clinical behavior of these diseases.     

Anionic polymerization of fluorine-containing vinyl monomers, 12. Anionic polymerization mechanism of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene

Initiation and propagation reaction mechanisms of the anionic polymerization of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene (HEBD) were investigated. The initiation reaction with caesium tert-butoxide was found to be completed within 5 min although the reactions were carried out at a much lower temperature than that of the polymerization reaction. The initiation reaction was, therefore, inferred to take place in an anionic fashion by adding the tert-butoxide anion to HFBD. In order to clarify the propagation reaction mechanism of HFBD which yielded a polymer with a polyvinylene structure, the polymerization reactivity of HFBD and hexafluoro-2-butyne (HFBY), the isomerization of HFBD to HFBY, and the structural difference between poly(HFBD) and poly(HFBY) were discussed. In spite of the low yield of HFBY by the isomerization reaction under polymerization conditions, higher yields of poly(HFBD) were obtained. Judging from the X-ray analysis which showed that poly(HFBD) was highly crystalline and poly(HFBY) was amorphous, poly(HFBD) might not be produced by polymerization of HFBY. An addition reaction of the propagating anion to the carbon-2 of the HFBD monomer followed by isomerization at the propagating living end to yield poly[1,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)vinylene] is proposed.     

Polyglutamine aggregates stimulate ER stress signals and caspase-12 activation

Accumulation of unfolded and malfolded proteins causes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, stimulating unfolded protein response (UPR) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation and activating caspase-12 located on the ER. Little is known about the relationship between the ER stress and polyglutamine [poly(Q)] aggregates. Poly(Q)72 repeats [poly(Q)(72)] induced the stimulation of ER stress signals such as JNK activation, upregulation of Grp78/Bip and caspase-12 activation in C2C5 cells. We prepared antiserum against the cleavage site of mouse caspase-12 at D(318) (anti-m12D318), and showed that poly(Q)(72) with perinuclear aggregates, cytoplasmic inclusions and nuclear inclusions stimulated JNK activation and anti-m12D318 immunoreactivity, but poly(Q)(72) with dispersed aggregates and small nuclear aggregates showed a significantly less effect. Poly(Q)(72) and poly(Q)(11) dispersed in cytoplasm did not. Anti-m12D318-positive cells showed apoptotic features. Unlike anti-m8D387 immunoreactivity, the anti-m12D318 immunoreactivity was not coaggregated with poly(Q). Ac-IETD-fmk (caspase-8 inhibitor) and Ac-DEVD-CHO (caspase-3 inhibitor) did not prevent the anti-m12D318 immunoreactivity induced by poly(Q)(72) aggregates. Anti-m12D318 immunoreactivity was detected in caspase-8(-/-) and caspase-3(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts expressing poly(Q)(72) aggregates. Thus, caspase-12 was activated by poly(Q)(72) aggregates via a pathway independent of caspase-8 and caspase-3 activation, and caspase-12 activation was closely associated with poly(Q) aggregate-mediated cell death. Stimulation of ER stress signals may be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders with poly(Q) expansion.