T-category reflects the histopathologic characteristics of gallbladder cancer

AIMS

Gallbladder (GB) cancer is a relatively uncommon gastrointestinal malignancy and is known to often result in unfavorable outcomes. Recent advances in aggressive surgical resection have improved the overall survival rate of patients with GB cancer. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes and prognostic factors of GB cancer following a surgical resection with curative intent.

METHODS

Between March 2001 and March 2009, 89 patients with GB cancer underwent surgical resection with curative intent at the National Cancer Center of Korea. We then conducted a retrospective analysis of clinicopathologic data.

RESULTS

Nineteen patients underwent simple cholecystectomy and 70 patients underwent extended cholecystectomy. Tumor-free resection margins were obtained in 84 cases. The 1-, 3- and 5-year disease-specific survival rates in the 89 patients were 85.8%, 68.0% and 64.1%, respectively. By multivariate analysis, only the T-category was significant (p < 0.001). The T-category showed a close correlation with all of the other histopathologic factors which were significant in univariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

The T-category of GB cancer represents not only the depth of the primary tumor but also the aggressiveness of its histopathologic nature.

Hysterectomy prevention using the uterine hollow obliterations (HYUNHO) method for placenta previa

OBJECTIVE

We have invented a method of hysterectomy prevention called the uterine hollow obliteration (HYUNHO) method to preserve the uterus and fertility after treating placenta previa or accreta.

METHODS

Eighty patients underwent cesarean section because of placenta previa between January 2003 and December 2009. All patients eligible for the study were evaluated by followup and a telephone questionnaire about fertility, menstruation recovery, and complications.

RESULTS

The success rate on preserving the uterus with the HYUNHO method was 96.2%. Three cases required additional procedures, including a cesarean hysterectomy or uterine artery embolization (UAE), two cases underwent a cesarean hysterectomy after delivery, and one case underwent UAE.

CONCLUSION

The HYUNHO method is a safe, easy method for placenta previa, although it should be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.

Fabrication of stem cell chip with peptide nanopatterned layer to detect cytotoxicity of environmental toxicants

A stem cell chip with peptide nanopatterned layer was fabricated to detect the effects of environmental toxins on human neural stem cells (HB1 x F3) electrochemically. The cell chip was recently developed as in vitro monitoring tool for determining the cell viability simply and rapidly compared to the conventional methods. However, cell chip composed of neural stem cells have not been reported due to the difficulties for maintaining its stemness and cell attachment on the artificial electrode surface, which is critical for sensitive detection of cell viability electrochemically. In this study, we fabricated peptide nanopatterned layer on gold electrode for increasing the affinity between the stem cell and an artificial electrode surface by self-assembly technique. After the confirmation of fabricated nanopatterned surface, neural stem cells were immobilized on chip surface and the viability was measured by electrochemical method. Thereafter, neural stem cells were treated with two kinds of common environmental toxins, and the intensities of reduction peak obtained by cyclic voltammetry (CV) were decreased with the increase of concentrations of environmental toxins. These electrochemical results were validated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Our newly developed stem cell chip can be used as useful label-free analysis tool for detecting drug effects or for assessing the toxicity electrochemically.

Expression of p53, p27 and Jab1 protein in epithelial ovarian tumors

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to investigate expression of p53, p27 and Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (Jab1) proteins in epithelial ovarian tumors and the values of these factors as discriminating markers for the transformation of borderline tumors to cancers.

METHODS

Forty-seven cases of paraffin-embedded tissues of epithelial ovarian tumors including 22 cases of benign ovarian tumors, nine cases of borderline tumors, and 16 cases of invasive cancers were used to evaluate expression of p53, p27 and Jab1 proteins by immunohistochemical methods.

RESULTS

p53 protein was expressed in 13.6% of the benign tumors, 44.4% of the borderline tumors and 62.5% of the malignant tumors and p27 protein was expressed in 95.5% of the benign tumors, 66.7% of the borderline tumors, and 37.5% of the malignant tumors. Expression of Jab1 protein was observed in 22.7% of the benign tumors, 77.8% of the borderline tumors and 62.5% of the malignant tumors. Expressions of p53, p27 and Jab1 proteins in malignant tumors were all higher than in benign tumors and the expression of p27 protein in malignant tumors was lower than in benign tumors (p < 0.05). Expression of Jab1 protein in borderline tumors was significantly higher than in benign tumors (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Expression of p53, p27 and Jab1 proteins can be used to discriminate between benign and malignant tumors in epithelial ovarian tumors.

Detection of dopamine in dopaminergic cell using nanoparticles-based barcode DNA analysis

Nanotechnology-based bio-barcode-amplification analysis may be an innovative approach to dopamine detection. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of this bio-barcode DNA method in detecting dopamine from dopaminergic cells. Herein, a combination DNA barcode and bead-based immunoassay for neurotransmitter detection with PCR-like sensitivity is described. This method relies on magnetic nanoparticles with antibodies and nanoparticles that are encoded with DNA, and antibodies that can sandwich the target protein captured by the nanoparticle-bound antibodies. The aggregate sandwich structures are magnetically separated from solution, and treated in order to remove the conjugated barcode DNA. The DNA barcodes were then identified via PCR analysis. The dopamine concentration in dopaminergic cells can be readily and rapidly detected via the bio-barcode assay method. The bio-barcode assay method is, therefore, a rapid and high-throughput screening tool for the detection of neurotransmitters such as dopamine.

Comparison of clinico-physiologic and CT imaging risk factors for COPD exacerbation

To date, clinico-physiologic indices have not been compared with quantitative CT imaging indices in determining the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. We therefore compared clinico-physiologic and CT imaging indices as risk factors for COPD exacerbation in patients with COPD. We retrospectively analyzed 260 COPD patients from pulmonary clinics at 11 hospitals in Korea from June 2005 to November 2009 and followed-up for at least one year. At the time of enrollment, none of these patients had COPD exacerbations for at least 2 months. All underwent clinico-physiologic and radiological evaluation for risk factors of COPD exacerbation. After 1 yr, 106 of the 260 patients had at least one exacerbation of COPD. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that old age, high Charlson Index, and low FEV(1) were significant in a clinico-physiologic model, with C-statistics of 0.69, and that increased age and emphysema index were significant in a radiologic model, with C-statistics of 0.64. The difference between the two models was statistically significant (P = 0.04 by bootstrap analysis). Combinations of clinico-physiologic risk factors may be better than those of imaging risk factors in predicting COPD exacerbation.

Stenting from the vertebral artery to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There are only a few reports on the feasibility and safety of stents used in the PICA, and clinical and angiographic follow-up results have not been fully addressed. We report our experiences of treating PICA origin or vertebral artery-PICA lesions by using self-expanding stents as adjuvant or rescue therapy with angiographic and clinical follow-up results.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six patients were treated with self-expanding stent placements from the vertebral artery to the PICA. Two patients had a vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm involving the PICA origin, 3 had vertebral artery-PICA aneurysms, and 1 had segmental stenosis of the vertebral artery harboring the origin of the PICA. The safety, feasibility, and follow-up angiographic results were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS

All procedures were successfully performed without any procedure-related complications. None of the patients showed PICA territorial infarction on DWI posttreatment. All patients were neurologically intact during the clinical follow-up of 3-24 months following the procedure. Follow-up angiography was performed at between 6 and 12 months in 5 of the 6 patients and was scheduled for the sixth patient but was not performed. The PICA showed good patency without in-stent stenosis in all 5 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with lesions of the PICA origin or vertebral artery-PICA lesions, vertebral artery-to-PICA stent placement may be an option for preserving PICA patency in selected cases.

Single nucleotide polymorphism association study for backfat and intramuscular fat content in the region between SW2098 and SW1881 on pig chromosome 6

This study was carried out to identify SNP associated with fatness traits on pig chromosome 6. In total, 11,067 putative genomic variations were detected in 125 complete bacterial artificial chromosome sequences corresponding to the region between SW2098 and SW1881, which harbors multiple QTL affecting intramuscular fat content (IMF) and backfat thickness (BFT). Among 173 putative SNP validated by MassArray, 120 SNP were used in an association study on 541 offspring produced by a cross of Korean native pig and Landrace breeds. The significance level of each SNP was determined using single marker regression analysis. Further, significant threshold values were determined using a false discovery rate. Nine out of 120 SNP showed significant effects on BFT or IMF or both. Of the 9 significant SNP, 4 were significantly associated with IMF, 7 were significantly related to BFT, and 2 SNP (Kps8172 and Kps6413) showed significant effects on both traits. Moreover, multiple regression analysis considering all significant SNP was used to correct spurious false positives due to linkage disequilibrium. Consequently, only 1 SNP (Kps6413) was significant for IMF, whereas 4 SNP including Kps6413 showed significant effects on BFT. The significant SNP had generally additive effects and on average explained 1.72% of the genetic variation for IMF and 3.92% for BFT, respectively. These markers can potentially be applied in pig breeding programs for improving IMF and BFT traits after validation in other populations.

Abstract A52: Overexpression of Sp2 increases susceptibility to wound- and carcinogen-induced papillomas in vivo and inhibits cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis of epidermal stem cells in vitro

Transcription factors regulate gene expression and de-regulation of their activities can transform normal cells into tumor cells. The Sp-family of transcription factors consists of nine distinct genes (Sp1–9) that are evolutionarily-conserved and share a common DNA-binding domain. Sp2 is one of several poorly-characterized members of this transcription factor family. Inactivation of Sp2 function in zebrafish and mice indicates that Sp2 is required for the completion of gastrulation and embryogenesis, respectively, and thus Sp2 is an essential gene. A causal relationship between Sp2 and tumorigenesis is also suggested by the observation that Sp2 expression is correlated directly with the progression of human prostate cancers and murine cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. To determine if this correlation is functionally meaningful we created transgenic mice that over-express mouse Sp2 in basal cells of stratified epithelia. We reported recently that these animals (Sp2-C) exhibit increased susceptibility to wound- and carcinogen (DMBA/TPA)-induced tumorigenesis, and we concluded that Sp2 over-expression is oncogenic. To determine whether wound-induced papillomas depend on infiltrating T-cells for growth we treated transgenic animals with Tacrolimus, a well-characterized T-cell inhibitor, before and after surgical wounding. We find that Tacrolimus treatment in Sp2-C, but not wild-type animals, increased wound-induced papillomagenesis dramatically indicating that a T-cell mediated immune response limits the outgrowth of these lesions. To determine if Sp2 DNA-binding activity is required for the increased susceptibility to wound- and carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis, we generated a transgenic mouse line (Sp2-Not1) that over-expresses a mutated Sp2 cDNA lacking a functional DNA binding domain. Interestingly, the incidence of papillomagenesis in Sp2-Not1 mice is half that of wild-type littermates when treated with DMBA/TPA. Moreover, Sp2-Not1 mice do not develop wound-induced neoplasms. Instead Sp2-Not1 mice exhibit a decreased capacity to heal surgical wounds. We interpret these results to indicate that the transgene carried by Sp2-Not1 mice negatively regulates keratinocyte proliferation and/or viability in vivo. To determine the molecular mechanisms underlying the phenotypes presented by our transgenic strains we have prepared primary keratinocyte cultures and analyzed rates of proliferation, expression of differentiation-specific markers, cell-cycle progression, and the incidence of apoptosis. CyQUANT® cell proliferation and tritiated-thymidine incorporation assays showed that keratinocytes obtained from Sp2-C and Sp2-Not1 animals proliferate poorly in vitro compared to wild-type keratinocytes. Flow cytometric analyses indicated that Sp2-C and Sp2-Not1 keratinocytes progress through the cell cycle inefficiently and accumulate in all cell-cycle compartments. Flow cytometry following annexin V/PI staining, immunohistochemistry for cleaved caspases-3, and genomic DNA laddering assays indicate increased numbers of apoptotic cells in Sp2-C and Sp2-Not1 cultures relative to cultures prepared from wild-type littermates. In summary, (1) Sp2 over-expression in epidermal progenitor cells is oncogenic and requires Sp2 DNA-binding activity. (2) Wound-induced papillomagenesis in Sp2 transgenic mice is inhibited by infiltrating T-cells. (3) Sp2 over-expression inhibits progression through all cell-cycle compartments in vitro and induces programmed cell death.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2011 Sep 14-18; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(18 Suppl):Abstract nr A52.

Catastrophic massive intracardiac thrombus in a 40-year-old patient with dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy has been associated with left ventricular (LV) thrombosis which leads to substantial morbidity and mortality as a site for systemic emboli. We report an interesting case of a stroke and acute limb ischemia secondary to a large mobile pedunculated LV thrombus in 40-year-old patient with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Response patterns to bronchodilator and quantitative computed tomography in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) show different spirometric response patterns to bronchodilator, such that some patients show improvement principally in expiratory flow (forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FEV(1)), whereas others respond by improvement of lung volume (forced vital capacity; FVC). The mechanisms of these different response patterns to bronchodilator remain unclear. We investigated the associations between bronchodilator responsiveness and quantitative computed tomography (CT) indices in patients with COPD.

METHODS

Data on a total of 101 patients with stable COPD were retrospectively analysed. Volume and flow responses to bronchodilator were assessed by FVC and FEV(1) changes before and after inhalation of salbutamol (400 μg). Volumetric CT was performed to quantify emphysema, air trapping and large airway thickness. Emphysema was assessed by the volume fraction of the lung under -950 Hounsfield units (HU; V(950)) at full inspiration and air trapping by the ratio of mean lung density (MLD) at full expiration and inspiration. Airway wall thickness and wall area percentage (WA%; defined as wall area/[wall area + lumen area] × 100), were measured near the origin of right apical and left apico-posterior bronchus.

RESULTS

Among quantitative CT indices, the CT emphysema index (V(950 insp)) showed a significant negative correlation with postbronchodilator FEV(1) change (R = -0·213, P = 0·004), and the CT air-trapping index correlated positively with postbronchodilator FVC change(R = 0·286, P≤0·001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that CT emphysema index had independent association with postbronchodilator FEV(1) change and CT air-trapping index with postbronchodilator FVC change.

CONCLUSION

The degrees of emphysema and air trapping may contribute to the different response patterns to bronchodilator in patients with COPD.

Cell chip with nano-scale peptide layer to detect dopamine secretion from neuronal cells

A cell chip with a nano-scaled thin film of cysteine modified synthetic oligopeptide C(RGD)4 was fabricated to detect dopamine secretion from neuronal cells. Thin C(RGD)4 peptide layer was fabricated on chip surface for increasing the binding affinity of cells to gold electrode surface, which is essential for the electrochemical detection of dopamine released from PC12 cells. The structural formation of the peptide thin film was confirmed by both atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Redox characteristics of chemical dopamine were firstly characterized by voltammetric tool to compare the dopamine released from PC12 cells. Cells grown on the chip were then subjected to cyclic voltammetric (CV) analysis after 48 hours of incubation. The intensities of reduction peaks were found to be increased with increasing the concentrations of PC12 cells. In addition, the electrochemical redox signal increased more in the cells treated with glucose and potassium compared to the control group. Hence, the developed cell chip can be used to determine the effects of drugs on living cells electrochemically.

Measurement limits to 134Cs concentration in soil

We investigate the caesium concentrations in soils in mountain areas near Gori nuclear power plant in Korea, focusing on the measurement limits to the (134)Cs. In order to lower the minimum detectable amount (MDA) of activity for the (134)Cs, we have used the ammonium molybdophosphate (AMP) precipitation method to get rid of the (40)K existing in natural radioactivity, which reduces the MDA activity about 10 times smaller than those without the AMP precipitation method. The MDA results for the (134)Cs were found to be in the range between 0.015 and 0.044 Bq/kg-dry weight. In order to diminish the background, we also have measured a part of the soil samples in Yangyang, a small town in the east coast of Korea. However, it turns out that in order to detect the (134)Cs in the samples the MDA should be reduced to the level of mBq/kg-dry weight.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of dopamine on self-assembled gold nanoparticles

Dopamine, a potent neurotransmitter in the brain, influences a variety of motivated behaviors and plays a major role in Parkinson's disease. In this study, the Raman signal of dopamine was detected on a fabricated nanoparticle-immobilized glass surface by surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy (SERS). Amine-modified glass was prepared by the self-assembly of amine-terminated silane on substrate, followed by the deposition of gold nanoparticles. The gold nanoparticles deposited on the glass surface were functionalized by anti-dopamine or dopamine. The antigen-dopamine was captured by antibody-assembled gold substrate and detected by SERS. The optical properties and morpology of the glass substrate with immobilized gold nanoparticles were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. The Raman spectrum of dopamine displayed broad bands at 1267, 1331, 1158, 1478, 1578 and 1584 cm(-1). The strongest peaks in the spectra (at 1267 and 1478 cm(-1)) were identified as phenolic carbon-oxygen and phenyl C=C stretches, respectively. A working curve of the SERS signal constructed from cathecol ring vibration versus antigen-dopamine concentration was obtained at 1478 cm(-1), and the non-optimized detection limit for anti-dopamine surface antigen was as low as 1 ng/ml. These results suggest that SERS-based immunosensor can be a promising tool for the detection and screening of neurotransmitters.

Predictors of pulmonary function response to treatment with salmeterol/fluticasone in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease and responses to therapies are highly variable. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of pulmonary function response to 3 months of treatment with salmeterol/fluticasone in patients with COPD. A total of 127 patients with stable COPD from the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) Cohort, which were prospectively recruited from June 2005 to September 2009, were analyzed retrospectively. The prediction models for the FEV(1), FVC and IC/TLC changes after 3 months of treatment with salmeterol/fluticasone were constructed by using multiple, stepwise, linear regression analysis. The prediction model for the FEV(1) change after 3 months of treatment included wheezing history, pre-bronchodilator FEV(1), post-bronchodilator FEV(1) change and emphysema extent on CT (R = 0.578). The prediction models for the FVC change after 3 months of treatment included pre-bronchodilator FVC, post-bronchodilator FVC change (R = 0.533), and those of IC/ TLC change after 3 months of treatment did pre-bronchodilator IC/TLC and post-bronchodilator FEV(1) change (R = 0.401). Wheezing history, pre-bronchodilator pulmonary function, bronchodilator responsiveness, and emphysema extent may be used for predicting the pulmonary function response to 3 months of treatment with salmeterol/fluticasone in patients with COPD.

Analysis of intracellular state based on controlled 3D nanostructures mediated surface enhanced Raman scattering

Near-infrared surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful technique for analyzing the chemical composition within a single living cell at unprecedented resolution. However, current SERS methods employing uncontrollable colloidal metal particles or non-uniformly distributed metal particles on a substrate as SERS-active sites show relatively low reliability and reproducibility. Here, we report a highly-ordered SERS-active surface that is provided by a gold nano-dots array based on thermal evaporation of gold onto an ITO surface through a nanoporous alumina mask. This new combined technique showed a broader distribution of hot spots and a higher signal-to-noise ratio than current SERS techniques due to the highly reproducible and uniform geometrical structures over a large area. This SERS-active surface was applied as cell culture system to study living cells in situ within their culture environment without any external preparation processes. We applied this newly developed method to cell-based research to differentiate cell lines, cells at different cell cycle stages, and live/dead cells. The enhanced Raman signals achieved from each cell, which represent the changes in biochemical compositions, enabled differentiation of each state and the conditions of the cells. This SERS technique employing a tightly controlled nanostructure array can potentially be applied to single cell analysis, early cancer diagnosis and cell physiology research.