Changes in Cell Characteristics Due to Culture Conditions in Cell Lines From Human Small Cell Lung Cancer

Eight cultured cell lines were established from human smallcell lung cancers. Every cell line showed the morphologicaland biochemical characteristics of small cell cancer. Changesin cell characteristics were observed in many of these celllines when culture conditions were changed: "oat cell type"changed to "intermediate cell type" and vice versa when serum-freemedium was changed to serum-supplemented medium; a deficiencyof vitamin A in the medium caused a change to squamous cellsand vice versa; and a tumor promoter (teleocidin B) enhancedthe adherence of these cells to the surface of plastic culturedishes. These findings provide evidence that many small celllung cancer cell lines can change their morphology with changesin the environment of the cells.     

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor–Bound Stents: Application of In Situ Capture Technology of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Porcine Coronary Model

Objectives

We evaluated the in vivo performance of a newly devised vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐bound stent in a porcine coronary model.

Background

An anti‐CD34 antibody‐bound stent, which captures endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to accelerate tissue formation, did not reduce intimal hyperplasia. By targeting the VEGF receptor, which is expressed on endothelial‐lineage cells, we developed VEGF‐bound stents that may enable selective capture of EPCs followed by rapid endothelialization.

Methods

Metallic stents were first coated with poly‐(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol), and then chemically bound with either VEGF or anti‐CD34 antibody. These stents were placed in porcine coronary arteries for up to 14 days. Stent surface was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and by scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Results

After 2‐day stenting with VEGF‐bound stents, small populations of KDR (VEGF receptor‐2)‐positive cells adhered to the stent struts. After 7‐ and 14‐day stenting, struts were fully covered with newly regenerated tissue. SEM images showed that the uniform tissue formed on struts was morphologically similar to native endothelium and was continuously connected with adjacent native endothelium. On the other hand, for the anti‐CD34 antibody‐bound stents, stent struts were rapidly covered by newly generated tissue that consisted of multicellular aggregates.

Conclusions

Compared with anti‐CD34 antibody‐bound stents, VEGF‐bound stents provide highly selective capture of EPCs, followed by rapid formation of intact endothelium tissue at an early period of stenting. These results suggest that VEGF‐bound stents could represent a promising therapeutic option for cardiovascular stenting, although further long‐term follow‐up experiment with double‐blinded fashion is needed prior to clinical application. (J Interven Cardiol 2014;27:63–72)

     

Job Demands,Job Resources,and Job Performance in Japanese Workers: A Cross-sectional Study

This study investigated the cross-sectional association of job demands (i.e., psychological demands) and job resources (i.e., decision latitude, supervisor support, co-worker support, and extrinsic reward) with job performance. A total of 1,198 workers (458 males and 740 females) from a manufacturing company in Japan completed a self-administered questionnaire that included the Job Content Questionnaire, Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire, and demographic survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, decision latitude (β=0.107, p=0.001) and extrinsic reward (β=0.158, p<0.001) were positively and significantly associated with job performance while supervisor support (β=−0.102, p=0.002) was negatively and significantly associated with job performance. On the other hand, psychological demands or co-worker support was not significantly associated with job performance. These findings suggest that higher decision latitude and extrinsic reward enhance job performance among Japanese employees.     

Prognosis and pathological characteristics of five children with non-Shiga toxin-mediated hemolytic uremic syndrome

BACKGROUND: The three major signs of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) are hemolytic anemia, thrombopenia and acute renal failure. HUS is classified into Shiga toxin-mediated HUS (Stx-HUS) and non-Shiga toxin-mediated HUS (nStx-HUS). The prognosis of nStx-HUS is reported to be less favorable than that of Stx-HUS. Although the association between the prognosis and pathological characteristics of HUS have been reported such that the prognosis was considered to be poor for thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) with predominant arterial involvement (arterial TMA), good for TMA with predominant glomerular involvement (glomerular TMA) and dependent on the extent of necrosis in cases of renal cortical necrosis, it is not yet clear whether pathological findings are also related to the renal prognosis of nStx-HUS cases. Therefore the purpose of the present paper was to analyze renal biopsy findings and prognosis for five children with nStx-HUS. METHODS: Clinical records of five cases of nStx-HUS among 74 cases of diagnosed HUS were reviewed, and information and data were summarized. RESULTS: Histological examination of the kidney led to the diagnosis of arterial TMA in three cases, and glomerular TMA and severe renal cortical necrosis in one case each. Analysis of the relationship between renal histological findings and the prognosis found that three patients with arterial TMA and one patient with severe renal cortical necrosis later developed end-stage renal failure while one patient with glomerular TMA has continued to show normal renal function. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that pathological findings are closely related to the prognosis in cases of nStx-HUS.     

Perspectives on phantom boarder symptom

Phantom boarder symptom (PBS) is a hallucinatory and delusional syndrome that tends to occur in the elderly, in which the patient imagines that someone uninvited is living in their home. This article provides an overview of the historical background that has led to the current focus on PBS as a single symptom, from its classification as late paraphrenia to its being recognized as a type of misidentification, and discusses classification problems and PBS subclassifications. In addition, the results of our own investigation of PBS, which focused on PBS in senile dementia, support the findings of previous studies, such as the absence of a relationship between dementia severity and the occurrence of delusion. The discussion therefore focuses on the psychosocial factors that serve as the mechanism of PBS onset, and directions and possibilities for therapy are suggested.     

The influence of cutaneous factors on the transcutaneous pO2 and pO2 at various body sites

The transcutaneous partial pressures of oxygen (tcpO2) and carbon dioxide (tcpCO2) were measured at eight different sites in 10 adult male subjects with an electrode at a temperature of 44 degrees C. The mean tcpO2 values (mmHg) were significantly lower on the face (forehead 26.6, cheek 29.6) and the palm (26.4) than at other sites (60.6-69.6). The tcpCO2 values (mmHg) were only slightly higher on the face. Removal of the stratum corneum produced an average increase of the tcpO2 on the palm of 37.6 mmHg and on the forehead of 19.6 mmHg. However, in 10 children with an age range of 3-9 years, the difference in the mean pO2 between the cheek and forearm was very small. There was no significant difference in the cutaneous blood flow at 44 degrees C between the cheek, palm and forearm.     

Hydrogen peroxide mobilizes Ca^2＋ through two distinct mechanisms in rat hepatocytes

Aim： Hydrogen peroxide （H2O2） is produced during liver transplantation. Ischemia/reperfusion induces oxidation and causes intracellular Ca^2＋ overload, which harms liver cells. Our goal was to determine the precise mechanisms of these processes. Methods： Hepatocytes were extracted from rats. Intracellular Ca^2＋ concentrations （[Ca^2＋]i）, inner mitochondrial membrane potentials and NAD（P）H levels were measured using fluorescence imaging. Phospholipase C （PLC） activity was detected using exogenous PIP2. ATP concentrations were measured using the luciferin-luciferase method. Patch-clamp recordings were performed to evaluate membrane currents.
Results： H2O2 increased intracellular Ca^2＋ concentrations （[Ca^2＋]i） across two kinetic phases. A low concentration （400 μmol/L） of H2O2 induced a sustained elevation of [Ca^2＋]i that was reversed by removing extracellular Ca^2＋. H2O2 increased membrane currents consistent with intracellular ATP concentrations. The non-selective ATP-sensitive cation channel blocker amiloride inhibited HRO2-induced membrane current increases and [Ca^2＋]i elevation. A high concentration （1 mmol/L） of H2O2 induced an additional transient elevation of [Ca^2＋]i, which was abolished by the specific PLC blocker U73122 but was not eliminated by removal of extracellular Ca^2＋. PLC activity was increased by 1 mmol/L H2O2but not by 400 μmol/L H2O2.
Conclusions： H2O2 mobilizes Ca^2＋ through two distinct mechanisms. In one, 400 μmol/L H2O2-induced sustained [Ca^2＋]i elevation is mediated via a Ca^2＋ influx mechanism, under which H2O2 impairs mitochondrial function via oxidative stress, reduces intracellular ATP production, and in turn opens ATP-sensitive, non-specific cation channels, leading to Ca^2＋ influx. In contrast, 1 mmol/L H2O2-induced transient elevation of [Ca^2＋]i is mediated via activation of the PLC signaling pathway and subsequently, by mobilization of Ca^2＋ from intracellular Ca^2＋ stores.