An alternative method of arterial reconstruction after hepatic arterial thrombosis following living-related liver transplantation

BACKGROUND: Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) remains an important cause of graft loss after liver transplantation. Emergency rearterialization methods are limited in cases of living-related liver transplantation in which the graft hepatic artery is thin and short. CASE: A 19-year-old woman who underwent living-related liver transplantation for biliary atresia developed HAT on the 4th postoperative day. During the emergency laparotomy the recipient hepatic artery was found to be too short to anastomose, so the recipient's right gastroepiploic artery was anastomosed to the graft hepatic artery. The patient is now alive and well 6 months after reoperation, and she has experienced no further episode of HAT. CONCLUSION: The right gastroepiploic artery can be used easily and safely for hepatic graft revascularization without causing ischemia of the stomach. An additional skin incision is not required, and the artery is long enough to anastomose to the graft artery directly. The method of hepatic graft rearterialization described here is an important option for patients who undergo living-related or split liver transplantation.     

Effects of transforming growth factor beta-1 and all-trans-retinoic acid on androgen-induced development of neonatal mouse bulbourethral glands in vitro

Effects of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta1) and all-trans-retinoic acid (All-trans-RA) on development of bulbourethral glands (BUGs) of neonatal mice were investigated in vitro. BUGs from 0-day-old male mice were cultured for 6 days in serum-free, chemically defined medium containing transferrin and bovine serum albumin, supplemented with 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT; 10-8 M) and insulin (10 microg/mL) alone or in combination. Prior to culture, BUGs from 0-day-old mice consisted of a simple epithelial rudiment encapsulated by mesenchyme. Epithelial growth and ductal branching occurred in BUGs cultured in medium containing DHT and insulin or DHT alone, but epithelial branching did not occur in BUGs cultured in the presence of insulin alone. Addition of TGF-beta1 at concentrations of > 5 ng/mL (0.2 x 10-9 M) to medium containing both insulin and DHT, inhibited the expected increase in overall size of BUGs, epithelial area and ductal branching in a dose-dependent manner. TGF-beta1 also decreased [3H]-thymidine labelling indices of both epithelium and mesenchyme. TGF-beta1 at 10 ng/mL elicited these inhibitory effects on BUGs cultured in medium containing DHT alone. Addition of All-trans-RA (10-8 to 10-6 M) to the medium containing DHT plus insulin, or DHT alone did not exert significant effects on either overall size of BUGs or epithelial growth and ductal branching. All-trans-RA at 10-6 M decreased the [3H]-thymidine labelling index of mesenchyme of BUGs cultured in medium with DHT plus insulin or DHT alone, but did not decrease the [3H]-thymidine labelling index of epithelium. The present results indicate that TGF-beta1 inhibits androgen-induced epithelial and mesenchymal growth as well as epithelial morphogenesis of BUGs from neonatal mice. Such an inhibitory effect of TGF-beta1 is not mimicked by All-trans-RA at physiological concentrations.     

Activated STAT1 suppresses proliferation of cultured rat mesangial cells

BACKGROUND: JAK-STAT signaling has been shown to promote development and proliferation in lymphopoietic and hematopoietic lineages. We investigated the effect of activated STAT1 on mesangial cell proliferation. METHODS: Rat mesangial cells of primary culture (rMCs) were used in the following experiments: (1) Whole cell lysates were immunoblotted against JAK1 and JAK2. (2) Whole cell lysates and nuclear proteins were extracted from rMCs with or without treatment with interferon-gamma, and immunoblotting was performed against both STAT1 and tyrosine (701)-phosphorylated STAT1. (3) rMCs and rMCs electroporated with either wild-type STAT1, mutated STAT1, or antibody against STAT1 were incubated with interferon-gamma for 20 hours, followed by a further incubation with [3H]-thymidine for four hours. RESULTS: JAK1, JAK2, and STAT1 were detected in whole cell lysates, suggesting that JAK-STAT signaling could be activated by interferon-gamma (INF-gamma). Using an antibody specific for tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT1, we detected signal in the INF-gamma-treated nuclear extracts, which showed translocation of phosphorylated STAT1 to the nucleus. [3H]-thymidine incorporation in the presence of INF-gamma was significantly lower than that of control in a dose-dependent manner. The introduction of wild-type STAT1 enhanced the effect of interferon-gamma and decreased [3H]-thymidine incorporation, whereas tyrosine-mutated (Y701F) STAT1 and SH2 domain (R602T)-mutated STAT1 reversed INF-gamma-induced suppression of [3H]-thymidine incorporation. Electroinjected antibody against STAT1 increased [3H]-thymidine incorporation upon stimulation with INF-gamma. CONCLUSION: STAT1 activated by interferon-gamma suppresses mesangial cell proliferation.     

Gene Amplification of int-2 and erbβ in Human Esophageal Cancer: Relationship to Clinicopathological Variables

Gene amplification is a relatively frequent event in human malignant tumors and is believed to play an important role in tumor progression. The int-2 and erbB genes are amplified more frequently than any other genes in human esophageal cancer. In order to investigate the correlation between these two proto-oncogenes and the clinical behavior of esophageal cancer, we examined DNA amplification of int-2 and erbB and analyzed their relationship to clinicopathological variables. Genomic DNA was extracted from 21 esophageal squamous carcinomas and normal esopfiageal mucosa, as well as from 4 metastatic tumors. We used Southern blot analysis for detection of gene amplification. Amplification of int-2 was observed in 13 of 21 cases (62%) and in all the metastatic tumors (4/4; 100%). We found a significant correlation between amplification of int-2 and the length of the primary lesion. Amplification of erbB was detected in 3 of 18 patients (17%). All patients who showed amplification of erbB also demonstrated amplification of int-2. These results suggest that amplification of int-2 or neighboring genes on 11q may participate in tumor progression and metastasis in patients with esophageal squamous cancer.     

Rapid and efficient identification of cysteine-rich peptides by random screening of a venom gland cDNA library from the hexathelid spider Macrothele gigas.

We identified novel 10 multi-cysteine peptides, namely Magi 7-16, from the spider Macrothele gigas by simple random cDNA screening of the venom gland. Mass analysis of the crude venom detected the mass numbers of the cross-linked forms of all peptides, confirming their presence in the venom. Magi 11, a C-terminus amidated peptide, was chemically synthesized and was indistinguishable from the native peptide proving the feasibility of the method for peptide identification. Moreover, toxicological assays showed diverse lethal or paralytic activities of these peptide toxins on mice and/or insects.     

Improved trends in survival and engraftment after single cord blood transplantation for adult acute myeloid leukemia

Unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT) is an alternative curative option for adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who need allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) but lack an HLA-matched related or unrelated donor. However, large-scale data are lacking on CBT outcomes for unselected adult AML. To investigate the trends of survival and engraftment after CBT over the past 22 years, we retrospectively evaluated the data of patients with AML in Japan according to the time period of CBT (1998–2007 vs 2008–2013 vs 2014–2019). A total of 5504 patients who received single-unit CBT as first allogeneic HCT for AML were included. Overall survival (OS) at 2 years significantly improved over time. The improved OS among patients in ≥ complete remission (CR)3 and active disease at CBT was mainly due to a reduction of relapse-related mortality, whereas among patients in first or second CR at CBT, this was due mainly to a reduction of non-relapse mortality. The trends of neutrophil engraftment also improved over time. This experience demonstrated that the survival and engraftment rate after CBT for this group has improved over the past 22 years.Subject terms: Acute myeloid leukaemia, Cancer immunotherapy     

Maintenance and characterization of an Epstein Barr virus-infected CD56-negative T cell lymphoma.

T cell lymphoma carrying Epstein Barr virus (EBV(+) TL) is very rare among Western countries while it is much more common among Japanese. Here we report an EBV(+) TL which has been maintained for years by the use of mice with severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice. Lymphoma was obtained from a 55-year-old male suffering from oculomotor nerve palsy and lymphadenopathy. A small piece of biopsied tumor was transplanted into SCID mice and the lymphoma has been maintained for over 3 years with passages every 2 - 3 weeks. The maintained lymphoma, termed as TMS24, and the original lymphoma cells showed identical phenotype and genotype, including diffuse medium-sized cell morphology lacking granules, suppressor / cytotoxic immunophenotype and identical T cell receptor beta-chain gene rearrangement mode. Further, both were shown to carry an identical EBV clone in terms of the number of terminal repeats and the latency II-type restricted gene expression profile. Cytogenetically, TMS24 retained two characteristic chromosomal translocations of t(1;18)(q32;q21) and t(6;12)(p21;q24). Since only one cell line with such characters has been reported previously, TMS24 should be useful for detailed analysis of EBV(+) TL.     

Genetic polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor beta (ESR2) gene and the risk of epithelial ovarian carcinoma

Ovarian cancer is influenced by exogenous and endogenous estrogens as suggested by experimental and epidemiological evidence. Estrogen receptor beta is a predominant estrogen receptor in the normal ovary. Polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor beta gene (ESR2) might influence epithelial ovarian risk through regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis. This population-based case–control study included 313 women with epithelial ovarian carcinoma and 574 controls, frequency-matched on age and ethnicity. Unconditional logistic regression was used to test associations of rs1271572, rs1256030, rs1256031, and rs3020450 ESR2 genotypes with ovarian cancer risk. Compared to homozygous common allele carriers, homozygous carriers of variant alleles for rs1271572 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.15–2.79, p global = 0.01] and rs1256030 [OR = 1.67, CI: 1.08–2.59, p global = 0.04], and women with haplotypes, including variant alleles of rs1271572, rs1256030, and rs1256031 SNPs [OR = 1.75, CI: 1.17–2.63, p global = 0.007], had significantly increased risk of ovarian carcinoma. The association of the rs1271572 genotype was strongest among women who had never used contraceptive steroids (p for interaction = 0.04). Our data suggest that ESR2 might be a susceptibility marker for epithelial ovarian cancer.     

Predicting outcome of one-step total hysteroscopic resection of sessile submucous myoma

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To analyze variables for successful 1-step hysteroscopic myomectomies of sessile submucous myomas. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: Single operator's practice in a university hospital and its related hospitals. PATIENTS: Twenty-eight patients with sessile submucous myomas and menorrhagia, infertility, or both. INTERVENTIONS: Our strategy for hysteroscopic myomectomy is as follows. First, we scraped and/or vaporized intrauterine dome of myoma until top of myoma was even with level of wall of cavity. Next, the remnant intramural node was squeezed by uterine contractions induced by prostaglandin F2alpha injection. Finally, the newly raised myoma dome was sectioned or vaporized electrosurgically only within the space of the intrauterine cavity and/or was separated mechanically from healthy myometrium without electrosurgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Submucous myomas in 16 (57.1%) patients were completely removed after 1 surgery. By logistic regression analysis, thickness of outer myometrial layer of myoma node (OR 3.06, p = .02), myoma size (OR 0.86, p = .04), and intramural extension degree (OR 0.91, p = .03) were significantly associated with outcome of complete resection. CONCLUSION: Thickness of outer myometrial layer of myoma node, myoma size, and intramural extension degree predicted outcome of 1-step hysteroscopic myomectomy. The chance of performing successful surgery increased with increased thickness of outer myometrial layer of myoma, and decreased with larger myomas and greater degrees of intramural extension.