Association study of genetic variants on chromosome 7q31 with susceptibility to normal tension glaucoma in a Japanese population

The caveolin 1 to caveolin 2 (CAV1-CAV2) gene region on chromosome 7q31 has been reported to be associated with susceptibility to primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in previous studies. We investigated whether genetic variants in the CAV1-CAV2 region are associated with NTG in Japanese patients. Two hundred and ninety-two Japanese patients with NTG and 352 Japanese healthy controls were recruited. We genotyped three single-nucleotide polymorphisms; that is, rs1052990, rs4236601, and rs7795356, in the CAV1-CAV2 gene region and assessed the allelic diversity among cases and controls. The frequency of the minor allele (G) of rs1052990 was significantly decreased in NTG cases compared with controls (P=0.014, OR=0.71), whereas NTG or POAG cases had a significantly higher frequency of the allele than controls in previous studies. Conversely, rs7795356 did not show any significant association with NTG cases, and rs4236601 was monomorphic in the Japanese study population. Our findings did not correspond with previous positive results, suggesting that CAV1-CAV2 variants studied in the present study are not important risk factors for NTG susceptibility in all populations. Further studies are needed to elucidate the possible contribution of the CAV1-CAV2 region to the development of glaucoma.

Esophageal submucosal dissection under steady pressure automatically controlled endoscopy (SPACE): a randomized preclinical trial

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

A new overtube system has been developed for steady pressure automatically controlled endoscopy (SPACE) in the gastrointestinal tract. The objectives of this study were to validate the feasibility and safety of SPACE in the esophagus, and to evaluate its potential advantages over conventional (manually insufflating) endoscopy in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

METHODS

This was a multicenter preclinical trial using acute porcine models (n = 20). In Experiment 1 (feasibility/safety study), SPACE was attempted in the esophagus with continuous monitoring of cardiopulmonary parameters and intraluminal pressures in the downstream bowel. Different insufflation pressures were tested to optimize the insufflation condition. Each session was video-recorded and scored by blinded reviewers. In Experiment 2 (randomized trial), esophageal ESD was attempted using either SPACE or conventional endoscopy, and results were compared.

RESULTS

In Experiment 1, SPACE was performed safely without intraluminal pressure elevation in the downstream bowel. According to video review, SPACE provided more stable, reproducible, and rapid visualization than conventional endoscopy. The insufflation pressure was optimized at 14 mmHg for esophageal SPACE. In Experiment 2, ESD was completed in all animals. The ESD time was significantly shorter with SPACE compared with conventional endoscopy (1326 vs. 1616 seconds; P = 0.009). Responses to questionnaires showed that 94 % - 100 % of participants considered SPACE to provide improved exposure and more uniform tissue tension than conventional endoscopy. Other data were comparable.

CONCLUSIONS

SPACE is feasible, safe, and potentially effective for complicated endoscopic procedures, such as ESD. SPACE improves and standardizes endoscopic exposure and tissue tension. A clinical study is required to further confirm its safety and clinical effectiveness.

Induction of apoptosis in ovarian carcinoma cell line by glucocorticoids, and sex steroid hormones

We investigated the interactions in the KOC-2s human ovarian cancer cells on the effect of glucocorticoids, and sex steroid hormones in ovarian carcinomas. At 10(-8) M to 10(-5) M, dexamethasone (Dex) decreased the number of cells by 75-80% (p<0.001). At 10(-8) M and 10(-7) M, hydrocortisone (HC) decreased the number by 50% (p<0.01); at 10(-6) M and 10(-5) M, the decrease in number of cells was 65%. The E-2 decrease in number was not statistically significant. Progesterone (PG) showed at 10(-8) to 10(-6) M an increase in number of cells, however, at 10(-5) M it was decreased by 70% with a significant difference (p<0.001). Dex (10(-8)-10(-5) M), HC (10(-8)-10(-5) M) and PG (10(-5) M) produced internucleosomal cleavage of DNA into fragments with multiples of 180 to 200 bp. The TNF-alpha with addition of Dex (10(-8)-10(-5) M) and HC (10(-8)-10(-5) M) was increased after 24 h, 48 h (p<0.001); however, gradually decrease after 72 h. When PG (10(-8)-10(-5) M) was added, PG (10(-5) M) increased the secretion of TNF-alpha after 72 h. Our findings demonstrate that glucocorticoids, and PG directly induce apoptotic DNA fragmentation of KOC-2s cells. However, the secretion of TNF-alpha and expression of Fas antigen were totally different in these substances. These data provide a basis for future studies on the mechanisms of apoptotic effect of glucocorticoids, and PG and the therapeutic effects of these substances.

Extraction of negative hydrogen ions from a compact 14 GHz microwave ion source

A pair of permanent magnets has formed enough intensity to realize electron cyclotron resonance condition for a 14 GHz microwave in a 2 cm diameter 9 cm long alumina discharge chamber. A three-electrode extraction system assembled in a magnetic shielding has formed a stable beam of negative hydrogen ions (H(-)) in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic field. The measured H(-) current density was about 1 mA∕cm(2) with only 50 W of discharge power, but the beam intensity had shown saturation against further increase in microwave power. The beam current decreased monotonically against increasing pressure.

Quantification of cerebral artery motion during the cardiac cycle

This is the first report of success in numerically quantifying and visualizing cardiac cycle-related intracranial vessel motion and pulse waves in human subjects by using 320-detector CTA and a newly developed motion-detection algorithm to better understand the physiologies of intracranial arteries. This new technique promises to provide significant novel information for analyzing the elasticity of cerebral vessels and should be incorporated in the analysis of vessel fluid dynamics.