The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine
Online ISSN : 1349-3329
Print ISSN : 0040-8727
ISSN-L : 0040-8727
238 巻, 2 号
February
選択された号の論文の11件中1~11を表示しています
Regular Contribution
  • Haiqing Zhao, Chunfeng Hou, Aiwu Hou, Dongyuan Zhu
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 85-91
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/01/09
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    Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is a secreted growth factor involved in many oncogenic processes, and neuropilin-2 (NRP2) is essential for neuronal guidance as a well-acknowledged co-receptor of VEGF receptors. The overexpression of NRP2 has been reported in many types of cancers, but the significance of NRP2 in glioblastoma is not elucidated. To investigate the clinical significance of VEGF-C and NRP2 in glioblastoma, we detected their expression in 86 cases of glioblastoma with immunohistochemistry and categorized our cohort into high- and low-expression groups according to the immunohistochemistry score, which was the product of the score of staining intensity multiplied by the score reflecting the percentage of positive cells. The proportion of glioblastoma with high VEGF-C expression was 34.9% (30/86), and that with high NRP2 expression was 37.2% (32/86). The proportion of glioblastoma with high expression of both VEGF-C and NRP2 was 15.1% (13/86). Moreover, the proportion of cases with high VEGF-C and low NRP2 was 19.7% (17/86), while the proportion of cases with low VEGF-C and high NRP2 was 22.1% (19/86). The high expression of both VEGF-C and NRP2 was associated with poorer survival rate (P = 0.023), and can be identified as an independent prognostic factor in glioblastoma (P = 0.030). Moreover, cases with low NRP2 expression are easier for complete tumor resection (P = 0.038). In conclusion, the concurrent high expression of VEGF-C and NRP2 is predictive of the unfavorable prognosis in glioblastoma, indicating that the VEGF-C-NRP2 signaling pathway is a potential and promising drug target in glioblastoma therapy.
  • Masanobu Asano, Guang Hong, Yusuke Matsuyama, Weiqi Wang, Satoshi Izum ...
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 93-103
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/01/20
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    Oral fat sensitivity (OFS, the ability to detect fat) may be related to overeating-induced obesity. However, it is largely unknown whether OFS affects taste preference and eating habits. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate (1) the association between body mass index (BMI) and OFS and (2) the relationship of OFS with four types of taste preference (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) and eating habits using serial concentrations of oleic acid (OA) homogenized in non-fat milk and a self-reported questionnaire. Participants were 25 healthy Japanese individuals (mean age: 27.0 ± 5.6 years), among whom the OA detection threshold was significantly associated with BMI. Participants were divided into two subgroups based on oral sensitivity to 2.8 mM OA: hypersensitive (able to detect 2.8 mM OA, n = 16) and hyposensitive (unable to detect 2.8 mM OA, n = 9). The degree of sweet taste preference of the hypersensitive group was significantly higher than that of the hyposensitive group. Furthermore, there was significantly higher degree of preference for high-fat sweet foods than low-fat sweet foods in the hypersensitive group. There was also a significant inverse correlation between the OA detection threshold and the degree of both spare eating and postprandial satiety. Thus, OFS is associated not only with BMI, but also with the preference for high-fat sweet foods and eating habits. The present study provides novel insights that measuring OFS may be useful for assessing the risk of obesity associated with overeating in countries, including Japan, where BMI is increasing in the population.
  • Zhongyuan Li, Dahu Zhang, Yuanqiao He, Zhiyong Ding, Fei Mao, Tao Luo, ...
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 105-112
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/01/19
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    A worldwide decline in the quality of human semen is currently occurring. In mammals, sperm are produced from diploid stem-cell spermatogonia by spermatogenesis in testes and become mature in epididymis. Nevertheless, these biological processes can be affected by Gram-negative bacterial infection mediated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major endotoxin of Gram-negative bacteria. It is well known that LPS can disturb spermatogenesis and affect sperm maturation and quality in vivo. However, the effect of LPS on the ejaculated mature sperm in vitro remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to assess the in vitro toxicity of LPS on human sperm function and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Human sperm were incubated with LPS (0.1-100 μg/ml) for 1-12 h in vitro and, subsequently, sperm viability, motility and capacitation, and the acrosome reaction were examined. LPS dose-dependently inhibited total and progressive motility and the ability to move through a viscous medium of the sperm but did not affect sperm viability, capacitation, and the acrosome reaction. To explore the underlying mechanism of LPS’s actions, we examined the effects of LPS on the intracellular concentrations of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and calcium ([Ca2+]i) and protein-tyrosine phosphorylation of human sperm, which are key regulators of human sperm function. LPS decreased intracellular cAMP dose-dependently but had no effect on [Ca2+]i and protein-tyrosine phosphorylation of human sperm. These findings suggest that LPS inhibits human sperm motility by decreasing intracellular cAMP.
  • Hiroki Kondo, Yugo Shobugawa, Akinobu Hibino, Ren Yagami, Clyde Dapat, ...
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 113-121
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/01/23
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    The current School Health and Safety Act in Japan states that children with influenza infection should stay home until day 6th after symptoms onset. This was an amendment of a previous version recommending school return on day 3 after defervescence. Here, we investigated the duration of fever and virus shedding after laninamivir treatment in 7 children infected with influenza A(H3N2) virus and 21 children with influenza B virus in relation to the school return timing recommended by the School Health and Safety Act during the 2011-2012 influenza season. Nasal discharge was collected on the first, second, and third hospital visits and virus titers were assessed by virus culture and real-time PCR. Duration of fever after laninamivir treatment was 1 day longer for influenza B than for influenza A(H3N2). Virus detection rates with 50% tissue culture infectious dose and viral RNA were highest at the first visit and gradually decreased at subsequent visits. Virus positivity rates were detectable at the time of defervescence in less than half of the enrolled patients (14.3-42.9%). Virus shedding rates were similarly low (0.0-19.0%) on day 3 or later from defervescence and on day 6 or later from fever onset (school return dates per the old and current School Health and Safety Act) regardless of the influenza type. In conclusion, despite the higher efficacy of laninamivir against A(H3N2) viruses than B viruses, viral shedding is low after return to school for both types, regardless of the version of the School Health and Safety Act.
  • Guosong Shen, Pingya He, Ying Du, Su Zhang
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 123-129
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/01/23
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    Neural tube defect (NTD) is a serious congenital defect, but current methods for identifying NTD are limited. We used proteomic analysis of maternal serum to identify NTD-specific proteins whose levels differed between women with NTD fetuses (n = 50) and those with healthy fetuses (n = 40). Three NTD-specific protein peaks (8,130.6, 15,941.7, and 3,960.3 m/z) were identified using MALDI-TOF-mass spectrophotemetry, and were included in a diagnostic model developed using Biomarker Patterns software. The model used cut-offs for the relative intensity of the three peaks to indicate if a case had or did not have NTD. The model identified 48 of the 50 NTD cases and 36 of the 40 control cases correctly, resulting in the sensitivity of 96.0% (48/50) and the specificity of 90.0% (36/40). The diagnostic model was also tested on 105 clinical cases at high risk for NTD, as determined by having high alpha-fetoprotein levels, resulting in the sensitivity of 100% (101/101) and the specificity of 75.0% (3/4). Using the International Protein Index database, we identified proteins with a molecular mass of 8,130.6 Da as ADP-ribosylation factor 1 and a protein similar to cold agglutinin FS-1 antibody light-chain. The 15,941.7-Da peak corresponded to vitamin K3 protein, and the identity of the 3,960.3-Da protein was unclear. Thus, this study developed a diagnostic model consisting of the three peaks which may be indicators of NTD. This new assay may be at least as accurate for diagnosing NTD compared with the commonly used clinical test that assesses alpha-fetoprotein levels.
  • Chisato Noguchi, Kazuyo Kamitori, Akram Hossain, Hiroshi Hoshikawa, Ay ...
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 131-141
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/01/30
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    Glucose is a major energy source for mammalian cells and is transported into cells via cell-specific expression of various glucose transporters (GLUTs). Especially, cancer cells require massive amounts of glucose as an energy source for their dysregulated growth and thus over-express GLUTs. d-allose, a C-3 epimer of d-glucose, is one of rare sugars that exist in small quantities in nature. We have shown that d-allose induces the tumor suppressor gene coding for thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) and inhibits cancer cell growth by G1 cell cycle arrest. It has also been reported that GLUTs including GLUT1 are over-expressed in many cancer cell lines, which may contribute to larger glucose utilization. Since d-allose suppresses the growth of cancer cells through the upregulation of TXNIP expression, our present study focused on whether d-allose down-regulates GLUT1 expression via TXNIP expression and thus suppresses cancer cell growth. Western blot and real-time PCR analyses revealed that d-allose significantly induced TXNIP expression and inhibited GLUT1 expression in a dose-dependent manner in three human cancer cell lines: hepatocellular carcinoma (HuH-7), Caucasian breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231), and neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y). In these cell lines, d-allose treatment inhibited cell growth. Importantly, d-allose treatment decreased glucose uptake, as measured by the uptake of 2-deoxy d-glucose. Moreover, the reporter assays showed that d-allose decreased the expression of luciferase through the hypoxia response element present in the tested promoter region. These results suggest that d-allose may cause the inhibition of cancer growth by reducing both GLUT1 expression and glucose uptake.
  • Qiao Jin, Xiang Jun Li, Pei Guo Cao
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 143-151
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/02/03
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    Sensitizing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells to irradiation is important to achieve satisfactory therapeutic effect with low-dose radiotherapy. Erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma A2 (EphA2) is a member of the Eph receptor family that constitutes the largest family of tyrosine kinase receptors. EphA2 overexpression is one of the poor prognostic factors in many progressive cancers. Importantly, EphA2 is a potential target of microRNA-26b (miR-26b), and miR-26b expression is down-regulated in several types of cancer. In this study, we measured the expression levels of miR-26b and EphA2 protein in seven human HCC cell lines by quantitative PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Overall, lower miR-26b expression levels tended to be associated with higher EphA2 levels in HCC cell lines. Among the cell lines examined, 97H HCC cells expressed the lowest level of miR-26b and highest level of EphA2 protein. Thus, using 97H HCC cells, EphA2 mRNA was verified as the target of miR-26b by the luciferase reporter assay. Accordingly, a synthetic miR-26b, miR-26b mimics, was used to mimic the function of endogenous miR-26b. In 97H HCC cells transfected with miR-26b mimics or short-hairpin RNA targeting EphA2 mRNA, expression of EphA2 protein was reduced, which was associated with significantly lower proliferation rate and invasion ability and with higher apoptosis rate in response to low-dose irradiation, compared to control cells. In contrast, 97H HCC cells over-expressing EphA2 showed higher proliferation rate and invasion ability and lower apoptosis rate upon irradiation. These data suggest that miR-26b enhances the radiosensitivity of 97H HCC cells by targeting EphA2 protein.
  • Toshimi Aizawa, Shoichi Kokubun, Hiroshi Ozawa, Takashi Kusakabe, Yasu ...
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 153-163
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/02/11
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    Spinal disorders affect mainly older people and cause pain, paralysis and/or deformities of the trunk and/or extremities, which could eventually disturb locomotive functions. For ensuring safe and high-quality treatment of spinal disorders, in 1987, the Tohoku University Spine Society (TUSS) was established by orthopedic departments in Tohoku University School of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals in and around Miyagi Prefecture. All spine surgeries have been enrolled in the TUSS Spine Registry since 1988. Using the data from this registration system between 1988 and 2012, we demonstrate here the longitudinal changes in surgical trends for spinal disorders in Japan that has rushed into the most advanced “aging society” in the world. In total, data on 56,744 surgeries were retrieved. The number of spinal surgeries has annually increased approximately 4-fold. There was a particular increase among patients aged ≥ 70 years and those aged ≥ 80 years, with a 20- to 90-fold increase. Nearly 90% of the spinal operations were performed for degenerative disorders, with their number increasing approximately 5-fold from 705 to 3,448. The most common disease for surgery was lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) (35.9%), followed by lumbar disc herniation (27.7%) and cervical myelopathy (19.8%). In 2012, approximately half of the patients with LSS and cervical myelopathy were ≥ 70 years of age. In conclusion, the number of spinal operations markedly increased during the 25-year period, particularly among older patients. As Japan has a notably aged population, the present study could provide a near-future model for countries with aging population.
Review
  • Dongjuan Liu, Xin Zhao, Xin Zeng, Hongxia Dan, Qianming Chen
    原稿種別: Review
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 165-177
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/02/16
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    Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral and maxillofacial malignancy, and its morbidity and mortality rates are still high in most countries. Oral potentially malignant disorders (PMDs) are used to refer to a heterogeneous group of conditions that are characterized by increased risk for malignant transformation to OSCC. Currently identified oral PMDs include leukoplakia, erythroplakia, palatal lesions associated with reverse smoking, oral lichen planus, oral submucous fibrosis, actinic keratosis, and discoid lupus erythematosus. The early detection and diagnosis of these lesions are important for cancer prevention and disease management. In recent years, there has been a growing and persistent demand for new non-invasive, practical diagnostic techniques that might facilitate the early detection of oral PMDs. The non-invasive detection techniques evaluated in this review are divided into four categories: vital staining with a solution that can be used as a mouth rinse or applied onto a suspected area of the mouth, light-based detection systems, optical diagnostic technologies that employ returned optical signals to reflect structural and morphological changes within tissues, and salivary biomarkers. Most of these techniques have shown great potential for screening and monitoring oral PMDs. In this review article, the authors critically assess these non-invasive detection techniques for oral PMDs. We also provide a summary of the sensitivity and specificity of each technique in detecting oral PMDs and oral cancer, as well as their advantages, disadvantages, clinical applications, and indications.
Regular Contribution
  • Satoru Fukuyama, Koichiro Matsumoto, Yasuko Kaneko, Keiko Kan-o, Naota ...
    原稿種別: Regular Contribution
    2016 年 238 巻 2 号 p. 179-184
    発行日: 2016年
    公開日: 2016/02/16
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    Spirometry in health checkup may contribute to early diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Although post-bronchodilator airflow limitation is essential for definite diagnosis of COPD and post-bronchodilator normalization of airflow is suggestive of asthma, this test has not been prevailed in health checkup. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of airflow limitation defined by pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry in health checkup. Post-bronchodilator spirometry was conducted for participants with airflow limitation in a town-wide health checkup for residents aged 40 years and older in Hisayama, a town in the western part of Japan. The prevalence of pre- and post-bronchodilator airway limitation defined by FEV1/FVC < 70% were estimated. A total of 2,232 participants underwent pre-bronchodilator spirometry. In males, the age of current smokers was significantly younger than those of never smokers and former smokers. In females, the ages of current- and former smokers were significantly younger than never smokers. The values of %FEV1 and %FVC in current smokers were significantly lower than those in former smokers and never smokers. Two hundred sixty nine subjects, 85% of total subjects with a pre-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC < 70%, completed post-bronchodilator spirometry. The prevalence of pre-bronchodilator airflow limitation was 14.6% in males and 13.7% in females, and the prevalence of post-bronchodilator airway limitation was 8.7% and 8.7%, respectively. Post-bronchodilator spirometry in health checkup would reduce the number of subjects with probable COPD to two-third. Recommendation for those examinees to take further evaluations may pave the way for early intervention.
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