CA125-producing adenocarcinoma of the seminal vesicle

A case of primary seminal vesicle carcinoma is reported. The tumor was a CA125-producing adenocarcinoma consisting of fine papillary-tubular, intricate branching or anastomosing glandular structures and was composed of small cuboidal, but occasionally hobnailed, cells with mostly clear, but occasionally granular, cytoplasm. Some tumor cells showed evidence of secretion of seromucinous materials into the interpapillary and cystic space. lmmunohistochemically, almost half of the tumor cells expressed a positive reaction with anti-CAl25, a common serological marker for ovarian epithelial carcinomas; however, no tumor cells expressed any other serological tumor markers such as carcinoem-bryonic antigen, α-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, prostatic specific acid phosphatase, or prostatic specific antigen. The patient showed a high level of serological CA125, which fluctuated parallel with the growth, removal and recurrence of the tumor. The morphological and immunohistochemical findings suggested a close relationship between the present tumor and clear cell carcinoma of the ovary, which is thought to be of a Müllerian-Wolfian duct origin.     

View from beneath: pathology in focus. Renal cell carcinoma metastasis to the tongue.

Metastases to the tongue from distant primaries are very rare. A case of renal cell carcinoma metastasis to the tongue, occurring in a 58-year-old man, is presented and previously reported cases are reviewed.     

Synergistic antitumor activity of cisplatin and UFT in nude mice bearing transplantable nasopharyngeal hybridoma

Combination therapy with cisplatin (CDDP) and UFT, a drug prepared with 1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-5-fluorouracil and uracil at a mixing molar ratio of 1:4, was examined in nude mice bearing transplantable human nasopharyngeal hybrid cell (A2L/AH). The tumor growth of A2L/AH was inhibited in the group administered UFT 20 mg/kg, but was not in 10 mg/kg group in comparison with the control group. An inhibition rate (IR) of the tumor growth at 20 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg doses was 80.2 and 21.3%, respectively. The group received CDDP (5 mg/kg, q7d x 3, 2 mg/kg, q7d x 3, and 1 mg/kg, qd x 6) by intraperitoneal injection, resulted in 75.2, 37.4, and 23.1% inhibitions, respectively. While, the response rate in the group treated with CDDP (1 mg/kg, qd x 6) and UFT (10 mg/kg) showed a synergistic effects (IR, 66.3%) which was higher than in the group administered CDDP (2 mg/kg, q7d x 3) and UFT (10 mg/kg) (IR, 58.3%).     

SNIPER(TACC3) induces cytoplasmic vacuolization and sensitizes cancer cells to Bortezomib

We previously developed a hybrid small molecule SNIPER (Specific and Nongenetic IAP‐dependent Protein ERaser) against transforming acidic coiled‐coil‐3 (TACC3), SNIPER(TACC3), that induces proteasomal degradation of TACC3 protein. In this study, we found that SNIPER(TACC3) induces cytoplasmic vacuolization derived from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and paraptosis‐like cell death selectively in cancer cells. Mechanistic analysis suggests that accumulation of ubiquitylated protein aggregates that requires X‐linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) induces ER stress, which results in ER‐stress responses involving X‐box binding protein‐1 (XBP‐1) and ER‐derived vacuolization in cancer cells. Importantly, inhibition of proteasome enhanced the SNIPER(TACC3)‐induced vacuolization, and the combination treatment of SNIPER(TACC3) and bortezomib exhibited a synergistic anticancer activity in several cancer cell lines. The induction of paraptosis‐like cell death in cancer cells by SNIPER(TACC3) could be applied to treat cancer cells resistant to undergo apoptosis by overexpression of XIAP.     

Active posterior rhinomanometry by means of a fine nasal catheter for obtaining postnasal pressure

Recent years, active anterior rhinomanometry using a anesthetic face mask is probably more commonly employed than active posterior rhinomanometry because of occasional failure in obtaining the oropharyngeal pressure in the latter method. Thus, in attempt to overcome the disadvantage in active posterior rhinomanometry, we employed a fine nasal catheter (# 8F infant feeding nasal catheter) through the nasal cavity instead of a peroral mouth piece. Nasal resistances in a normal adult were measured by mask active posterior rhinomanometry with a mouth piece or a nasal catheter for obtaining postnasal pressure using Rhinorheograph MPR -2100 (manufactured by Nihon-Kohden Co., Ltd.). In adult, no significant differences of unilateral and bilateral nasal resistances between with the mouth piece and with the nasal catheter were found either on inspiration or expiration. It could be concluded in this fundamental study that active posterior rhinomanometry with the fine nasal catheter is useful and has no procedure problems.     

Four strains of spontaneously hyperlipidemic (SHL) mice: phenotypic distinctions determined by genetic backgrounds

Spontaneously hyperlipidemic (SHL) mice are Japanese wild mice (KOR) with disruption of the apolipoprotein E (Apo E) gene. These mice (KOR-Apoe(shl)) are superhypercholesterolemic and develop severe xanthoma, but their atherosclerosis is relatively mild compared with Apo E knockout mice. First, we tested whether this distinction is due to additional mutation of the Apoc1 and/or Apoc2 genes in KOR-Apoe(shl). Southern blot analysis, but found no gross disruption of these genes. Next, we tested whether the phenotypic distinction is due to differences in the genetic background. To this end, we established three lines of congenic SHL mice with a genetic background of C57BL/6, BALB/c or C3H/He, and named them, respectively, C57BL/6.KOR-Apoe(shl) (B6.KOR-Apoe(shl)), BALB/c.KOR-Apoe(shl) (C.KOR-Apoe(shl)) and C3H/He.KOR-Apoe(shl) (C3.KOR-Apoe(shl)). Hypercholesterolemia was most severe in KOR-Apoe(shl) followed the by others as follows; KOR-Apoe(shl)>C3.KOR-Apoe(shl)>C.KOR-Apoe(shl)>B6.KOR-Apoe(shl). In contrast, atherosclerosis was most severe in B6.KOR Apoe(shl) followed by the others: B6.KOR-Apoe(shl)>C.KOR-Apoe(shl)>C3.KOR-Apoe(shl)> or =KOR-Apoe(shl). This order, however, did not match that in xanthoma, which was highly prominent in KOR-Apoe(shl) but mild in B6.KOR-Apoe(shl), C.KOR-Apoe(shl) and C3.KORApoe(shl). This order, however, did not match that in xanthoma, which was highly prominant in KOR-Apoe(shl) but mild in B6.KOR-Apoe(shl), C.KOR-Apoe(shl) and C3.KOR-Apoe(shl). These distinctions suggest that the severity of each of the phenotypes is determined by distinct genetic backgrounds which probably are composed of polymorphism of lipid metabolism-related proteins. We found that apolipoprotein A-I is decreased in each SHL strain and polymorphic between B6.KOR-Apoe(shl) and the other strains examined. This polymorphism may be related to the most severe atherosclerosis observed in B6.KOR-Apoe(shl). It is most likely that combination of such polymorphisms is due to the genetic background accountable for phenotype distinctions.