The assessment of cell proliferation during 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene-induced hamster tongue carcinogenesis by means of histone H3 mRNA in situ hybridization

The aim of this study was to investigate cell kinetics and ultrastructural changes during carcinogenesis using a hamster 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA)-induced tongue cancer model. Five squamous cell carcinomas, five dysplastic epithelia, seven hyperplastic epithelia, and four normal epithelia were obtained from 21 hamster tongues by applying 1.0% acetone solution of DMBA on the left lingual mucosa after scratching with a root canal broach. Ultrastructural examination revealed that the number of microvilli increased, whereas that of desmosomes decreased during carcinogenesis. Cell proliferation was analyzed by means of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization (ISH) for histone H3 mRNA. The BrdU and histone H3 mRNA labeling indices (LIs) were lowest for normal epithelium, higher for hyperplastic and dysplastic epithelia, and highest for squamous cell carcinoma. Cytoplasmic histone H3 mRNA and nuclear BrdU were localized in virtually identical areas of serial sections. The correlation coefficient for the relationship between these two LIs was 0.97 (P 0.001). These results suggest that the assessment of cell proliferation using H3 mRNA ISH will be a useful technique for investigating biological behavior during carcinogenesis.     

Sympathectomy decreases size and invasiveness of tongue cancer in rats

The sympathetic nervous system plays a role in carcinogenesis wherein locally released sympathetic neurotransmitters affect proliferation, angiogenesis, vessel permeability, lymphocyte traffic and cytokine production. The present in vivo study was designed to investigate whether surgical sympathectomy, both unilateral and bilateral, had an effect on tumor growth, interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and lymphatics in rat tongue cancer. We used 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO) in drinking water for 19 weeks to induce tongue cancer in 20 Dark Agouti rats. After 11 weeks, one group underwent unilateral sympathectomy and another underwent bilateral sympathectomy, while the third group underwent sham surgery. By 19 weeks, tumors in the bilaterally sympathectomized (BL-SCGx) rats were significantly smaller (P<0.05), more diffuse in appearance and less invasive (P<0.05) compared with the large exophytic tumors in the sham-operated rats. The relative lymphatic area was significantly decreased (P<0.05) in tumors in the BL-SCGx rats compared with the sham group. Interestingly, the tumors in rats that underwent unilateral or bilateral sympathectomy had a significantly lower (P<0.05) IFP than those in sham rats. Lack of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive nerves and few neuropeptide Y (NPY) positive fibers indicate absence of sympathetic nerve fibers in the bilateral sympathectomized group. The peritumoral lymph vessel area was correlated with the tumor size (P<0.001), depth of invasion (P<0.001), weight of rats (P<0.005) and IFP (P<0.05). In conclusion, the present study presents evidence that deprivation of sympathetic nerves decreases tumor growth in rat tongue, probably caused by decreasing IFP and lymph vessel area.     

高效天然分子疫苗免疫猪血清筛选尾蚴抗原的结果分析

采用日本血吸虫天然分子(Schistosoma japonicum immature egg ws-vaccine,SjiEw)免疫猪血清识别日本血吸虫可溶性尾蚴抗原(Soluble cercariae antigen,SCA),以筛选新的具有保护性免疫潜在价值的抗原分子。按常规方法制备日本血吸虫尾蚴抗原。家猪随机分组并分次免疫日本血吸虫天然分子疫苗,制备SjiEw疫苗免疫猪血清,通过蛋白免疫印迹技术分析其与SCA的免疫反应性。结果显示SDS-PAGE中SCA有16条主带。SjiEw疫苗免疫猪血清共筛选6种具免疫学活性的抗原分子,分子量分别为:50、56、66、68、70、85kDa。这些抗原分子的获得为以后的天然分子编码基因工程疫苗的制备奠定基础。     

Organization of motoneurons in the dorsal hypoglossal nucleus that innervate the retrusor muscles of the tongue in the rat

This anatomical investigation was prompted by the incomplete knowledge of the myotopic organization of the dorsal subdivison of the hypoglossal nucleus. Intrinsic muscle motoneurons were not segregated and labeled previously with regard to the lateral division of the hypoglossal nerve. Also, motoneuron number and cell size, in relation to the individual retrusor tongue musculature, were rarely addressed previously. Retrograde labeling of retrusor muscle motoneurons in the dorsal subdivision of the rat hypoglossal nucleus was done. Cholera toxin conjugate horseradish peroxidase (CTHRP) was injected into the retrusor tongue muscles with only the lateral division of the hypoglossal nerve intact. The dorsal subdivision of the hypoglossal nucleus contained approximately 800 motoneurons ranging in cell body size from 19 to 41 μm. When either the styloglossus, hyoglossus, superior longitudinal, or inferior longitudinal muscle was isolated and injected with CTHRP, a separate motoneuron pool for each muscle was seen. The extrinsic muscle motoneurons, styloglossus and hyoglossus, were found rostrolateral and caudolateral respectively. In contrast, the intrinsic superior and inferior longitudinal muscle motoneurons were found more central and medial in the nucleus. Extrinsic muscle motoneurons were larger (≈30 μm) than intrinsic muscle motoneurons (≈26 μm; P < .0001). Intrinsic muscle motoneurons account for a great majority of the motoneurons in the dorsal aspect of the hypoglossal nucleus and their axons have been shown to be contained in the lateral (retrusor) division of the hypoglossal nerve. This study revealed the myotopic organization of the retrusor subdivision of the rat hypoglossal nucleus. Anat Rec 254:222–230, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Simultaneous recording of ultrasound and polysomnography during natural sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a pilot study

Tongue base deformation may play a critical role in the phenomenon of obstructive sleep apnea, but polysomnography provides limited information regarding the effect of tongue motion during natural sleep. We reported on preliminary results of combining a novel ultrasound system and polysomnography for simultaneous recordings during natural sleep in volunteers and patients with obstructive sleep apnea. All participants underwent time‐synchronized polysomnography and submental transcutaneous ultrasound examinations. The wearable ultrasound device detected the air–mucosal interface of the tongue surface and automatically determined the maximum tongue base thickness in real time. All participants reported no sensation of heat, no sign of skin allergy, and an average of mild disturbance after the ultrasound recordings. In the individual patient with obstructive sleep apnea, we demonstrated a significant difference (P < 0.001) between the ultrasonic tongue base thickness measured during eupnea and that measured during snoring, hypopnea and apnea. The ultrasonic tongue base thickness increased and remained before the occurrence of obstructive apnea. On average, increased tongue base thicknesses of 2.5 (4.1%), 6.0 (9.8%) and 7.7 mm (12.5%) are associated with snoring, hypopnea and apnea, respectively. Our present data demonstrate that simultaneous examination of ultrasonic tongue base thickness and polysomnography is feasible for prolonged recording during natural sleep. The proposed method also enables the detection of significant differences in ultrasonic tongue base thickness between eupnea and obstructive respiratory events evaluated using polysomnography. This novel technique can be used to generate hypotheses for subsequent investigations of the underlying mechanisms and individualized combined therapy for obstructive sleep apnea. Clinical trial registration: This study has been registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry website with the registration number of ChiCTR‐DDT‐13003313. The date of registration was 13 July 2013.     

When genetics and genealogies tell different stories-maternal lineages in Gaspesia

Data from uniparentally inherited genetic systems were used to trace evolution of human populations. Reconstruction of the past primarily relies on variation in present-day populations, limiting historical inference to lineages that are found among living subjects. Our analysis of four population groups in the Gaspé Peninsula, demonstrates how this may occasionally lead to erroneous interpretations. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Gaspesians revealed an important admixture with Native Americans. The most likely scenario links this admixture to French-Canadians from the St. Lawrence Valley who moved to Gaspesia in the 19th century. However, in contrast to genetic data, analysis of genealogical record shows that Native American maternal lineages were brought to Gaspesia in the 18th century by Acadians who settled on the south-western coast of the peninsula. Intriguingly, within three generations, virtually all Métis Acadian families separated from their nonadmixed relatives and moved eastward mixing in with other Gaspesian groups, in which Native American maternal lines are present in relatively high frequencies. Over time, the carriers of these lines eventually lost memory of their mixed Amerindian-Acadian origin. Our results show that a reliable reconstruction of population history requires cross-verification of different data sources for consistency, thus favouring multidisciplinary approaches.     

基于Mask Scoring R-CNN的齿痕舌象识别

目的:提出一种基于Mask Scoring R-CNN和迁移学习的舌象特征识别方法。方法:首先使用CNN提取特征,使用ResNet-101和特征金字塔网络（FPN）的主干网络,可以从低层次和高层次的网络中提取特征,根据不同比例绘制金字塔特征的级别。接着使用区域生成网络将从主干网络中提取的特征生成候选感兴趣区域（ROI）。最后为每个ROI检测并分割齿痕。结果:在232例样本的测试集上进行测试,F1分数为0.95,准确率为0.93,精确率为0.99,召回率为0.914。结论:该方法能够在小样本舌象数据集上有效识别齿痕特征、准确定位齿痕位置、标定齿痕大小、提取齿痕个数,该方法具有良好的有效性、通用性、泛化性,能够为后续齿痕严重程度分析提供依据。同时为疾病预防、移动医疗保健或从生物信息学角度跟踪疾病进展提供客观、方便的计算机辅助舌诊方法。     

表皮生长因子影响肿瘤患者舌苔变化的分子机制研究

目的 研究表皮生长因子（EGF）对食管癌细胞Eca-109细胞周期及表皮生长因子受体（EGF－R）表达的影响，探讨EGF促进肿瘤患者舌苔增厚的分子机制。方法 应用流式细胞术，检测EGF－R的表达和细胞周期。结果 EGF能明显促进Eca-109细胞膜上EGF－R的表达，使细胞增殖活性大大增强。结论EGF有是通过促进EGF－R的表达影响舌苔形成。