GM1 / GD1b / GA1 synthase expression results in the reduced cancer phenotypes with modulation of composition and raft‐localization of gangliosides in a melanoma cell line

Gangliosides are expressed in neuroectoderm‐derived tumors, and seemed to play roles in the regulation of cancer properties. To examine the behavior and roles of individual gangliosides, GM1/GD1b/GA1 synthase cDNA was introduced into the melanoma cell line SK‐MEL‐37, and changes in tumor phenotypes were analyzed. The transfectant cells showed neo‐expression of GD1b, GT1b, and GM1, and reduced expression of GM3, GM2, GD2, and GD3. Function analyses revealed that the transfectant cells had definite reduction in cell growth and invasion. Tyrosine‐phosphorylation levels of proteins such as p130Cas and paxillin were also reduced in the transfectants. These results suggested that the expression of GM1/GD1b/GA1 synthase resulted in the suppression of tumor properties. In the analyses of the floating patterns of gangliosides using fractions from sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation of TritonX‐100 extracts, the majority of gangliosides were found in glycolipid‐enriched microdomain (GEM)/raft fractions, while GD3, GD1b, and GT1b in the transfectant cells tended to disperse to non‐GEM/raft fractions. Furthermore, GD3, GD1b, and GT1b in non‐GEM/raft dominantly had unsaturated fatty acids, while those in GEM/rafts contained more saturated forms than in non‐GEM/rafts. This might be a mechanism for the decreased tumor properties in the transfectants of GM1/GD1b/GA1 synthase cDNA. (Cancer Sci 2010)     

Wraparound end-to-end hepaticojejunostomy (roux-en-Y) for intrahepatic pigment calculi

Intrahepatic pigment calculi are frequently found in East Asia and are associated with a considerable morbidity and mortality. The various methods of surgical treatment are unsatisfactory. A wraparound end-to-end hepaticojejunostomy presented may provide an effective and alternative method of treatment.     

Permanent pacemaker implantation in premature infants less than 2,000 grams of body weight.

Pacemaker implantation in premature infants presents technical problems because of the relatively larger size of the pulse generator compared with their bodies. A new technique with which successful generator implantation was performed in 2 premature infants less than 2,000 g of body weight is described. The generator is wrapped in a Gore-Tex surgical membrane. A piece of membrane overlying the electrical contact surface of the generator is removed, and the generator is fixed to the abdominal wall in the peritoneal cavity. The technique is simple to perform and would give relative ease in generator exchange.     

Surgical treatment for hypoplastic left heart syndrome: case reports.

A 58-day-old girl with hypoplastic left heart syndrome underwent bypass grafting from the pulmonary artery to the descending aorta, ligation of the ductus arteriosus, and banding of the main pulmonary artery distal to the graft. Anastomoses of the graft were performed by partial clamping of the arteries under moderate surface hypothermia. The patient tolerated the procedure well and was discharged from the intensive care unit on the eleventh postoperative day, but she died on the twentieth day of metabolic derangement. Our total experience with this anomaly includes three other infants, and a summary of these patients and applied surgical procedures are presented. Surgical and diagnostic considerations for this anomaly based on our experiences are discussed.     

Prediction of cadaver kidney function by ligandin analysis

Ligandin is an enzyme having glutathione S-transferase activity that is confined to the proximal tubule in the kidney. A study was conducted to determine if the ligandin level in the perfusate that was used for kidney preservation had any predictive value for assessment of the function of the cadaver kidney transplant. This study included two groups. In the first group an aliquot of perfusate was collected at the end of the preservation. Twelve preservations were included in this group representing 24 kidneys. Mean ligandin values were 43 and 144 μM/min/perfusate for the immediate function and ATN groups respectively (P < 0.0002). In the second group ultrafiltrate was collected for the first hour from 12 kidneys. The ligandin values were 4 μM/min/ultrafiltrate for the immediate function group and 42 μM/min/ultrafiltrate for the ATN group. There is a great potential that ligandin values can be used to provide an accurate assessment of kidney quality prior to transplantation.     

Serum angiotensin converting enzyme level in bronchial asthma.

Using hippuryl-L-histidyl-L-leucine as a substrate analogue, serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) was spectrophotometrically estimated in patients with bronchial asthma. The mean level of asthmatic patients was significantly lower than that of the control subjects. The reduced serum ACE activities did not change during an acute asthmatic attack. Significantly lower levels of serum ACE occurred in patients with chronic asthma than in those who only suffered with occasional asthma. Serum ACE activity was not reduced when the patients were taking steroids. Serum ACE activity could not be correlated with either the systolic blood pressure or the diastolic blood pressure of our asthmatic patients. However, serum ACE activity was correlated with the serum beta-globulin fraction in asthmatic patients.     

Changes in myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors during acute rejection of heterotopically transplanted rat hearts.

To evaluate changes of the myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors in acute cardiac graft rejection, the density and binding affinity value of the myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors in heterotopically transplanted rat isografts and allografts were analyzed. Hearts from Fisher rat donors were transplanted either to the Fisher rats (isografts) or to Lewis rats (allografts). Histologic examination of the allografts showed mild to moderate rejection on the seventh and fourteenth days and showed severe rejection on the twenty-first day after transplantation. The density values in the allografts and isografts similarly increased significantly (p < 0.05) above the normal level on the seventh and fourteenth days after transplantation. The density in allografts on the twenty-first day decreased significantly (p < 0.05) below the normal level, while that in isografts remained at the normal level. In contrast, the binding affinity value of myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors in both isografts and allografts did not change after transplantation. These results demonstrated that myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors presented upregulation in mild to moderate rejection, whereas these receptors presented downregulation in severe rejection. The data suggested that downregulation of myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors plays a major role in decreased cardiac contractility during severe rejection, but not during mild and moderate rejection.     

Experimental intraocular lens implantation in the rabbit eye and in the mouse peritoneal space. Part V: Phagocytosis and nuclear patterns of giant cells observed on the implanted lens surface

The major cellular components on intraocular lenses experimentally implanted in the rabbit eye and in the mouse peritoneal space were examined. They consisted of macrophages and their metamorphosed epithelioid cells with occasional formations of foreign-body giant cells from the fusion of the macrophage-related cells. Lymphocytes, individually and in clusters, were also seen on the lenses implanted in the mouse peritoneal space but rarely on those implanted in the rabbit eye. Macrophages, epithelioid cells, and giant cells exhibited active phagocytosis on the implanted intraocular lenses. These cells phagocytized not only minor foreign particles such as artificially fed latex or carbon colloids but also living cells including erythrocytes, leukocytes, and lymphocytes. The nuclear pattern of the giant cell formation process initially assumed a centrally located nuclear distribution of a foreign-body giant cell type, and then a peripherally located Langhans type distribution when the number of nuclei reached about five in both the mouse peritoneal space and the rabbit eye chamber. Ultra-large giant cells containing a number of nuclei, however, were only observed on lenses implanted in the rabbit eye, demonstrating a difference between the two environments.