Neuronal metabolic changes in the cortical region after subcortical infarction: a proton MR spectroscopy study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) can detect neuronal metabolic changes in the cortical region in patients with cortical dysfunction after subcortical infarction.

METHODS

Fifteen patients with subcortical large (diameter>/=20 mm) infarcts were studied; nine patients with cortical dysfunction (group A), and six without (group B). Seven patients with lacunar infarction served as controls. Infarct volume was measured on T2 weighted images with an image analyser. (1)H MRS data were obtained in three regions; high signal intensity area on T2 weighted image, overlying cortex with a normal T2 MRI appearance, and contralateral homologous cortical region.

RESULTS

Infarct volume was not different between groups A and B. N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine+phosphocreatine (Cr) ratios in the cortical region overlying subcortical infarcts in group A were significantly lower than those in group B and the control group (p=0.002). The NAA/Cr ratios in the overlying cortex were significantly lower than those in the contralateral normal cortex in group A on the initial (p=0. 015) and follow up (p=0.028) (1)H MRS, but these differences were not found in group B and the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support the idea that the cerebral cortex is a responsible location for cortical dysfunction after subcortical infarctions. (1)H MRS can be used as a sensitive method for the detection of a neuronal metabolic damage, which is not demonstrated by conventional MRI.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation for inoperable carcinoma of the maxillary antrum: a matched-control study

A matched-control study comparing standard radiotherapy versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation was undertaken to clarify the effects of neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary antrum. Thirty-four patients with inoperable maxillary cancer were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (Group II). Before starting radiotherapy, all patients in Group II received two or three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and a 5-day continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil with or without intravenous injection of vinblastine. Radiation doses ranged from 66 Gy to 75 Gy (median, 70 Gy). The response rate, patterns of failure, toxicity, and survival for Group II were compared with those for 34 stage-matched patients treated with radiation alone (Group I). Despite a higher response rate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the recurrence rate and patterns of treatment failure were not influenced by the addition of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In most cases, neoadjuvant chemotherapy did not interfere with subsequent radiotherapy, and radiation-induced late complications occurred equally in both treatment groups. After a median follow-up of 48 months, there was no significant difference in 5-year actuarial survival or disease-free survival between the two treatment groups. Radiation alone for inoperable maxillary cancer was clearly suboptimal for improving local control and survival rate, but neoadjuvant chemotherapy in addition to standard radiotherapy failed to demonstrate any therapeutic advantage over radiation alone.

Correlation of tissue and blood plasminogen activation system in breast cancer

The plasminogen activation system plays a crucial role during cancer invasion and metastasis. In the solid tumor, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) and uPA receptor (uPAR) are considered as prognostic factors. In this study, we have investigated whether secretion of the uPA, PAI-1 and uPAR from the primary breast cancer tissue can be detected in the blood of the patients using the ELISA assay. We have found that the plasminogen activation system (uPA, PAI-1, uPAR) of tumor tissue is activated from the early stage of breast cancer. However, only a number of metastatic lymph nodes was a prognostic factor in multivariate analysis for relapse. The blood level of the plasminogen activation system correlated with that of tissue in an order of uPAR (r(2)=0.61; P=0.001), uPA (r(2)=0.35; P=0.001) and PAI-1 (r(2)=0.11; P=0.001). We conclude that the total uPAR level of cancer tissue can be substituted by that which is detected in the blood for further clinical applications.

Significance of acute multiple brain infarction on diffusion-weighted imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is superior to conventional MRI in identification of small new ischemic lesions and discrimination of recent infarcts from old ones. Thus, this technique is useful in the detection of acute multiple brain infarcts (AMBI). We sought to determine the frequency and the topographical and etiologic patterns of AMBI detected on DWI.

METHODS

We studied 329 consecutive ischemic stroke patients who underwent DWI and MRI/MR angiography within 4 days of stroke onset. AMBI was defined as noncontiguous high signal intensities on DWI in >1 vascular territory. Stroke mechanism was determined according to the criteria of the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST).

RESULTS

We detected AMBI in 95 patients (28.9%). AMBI in anterior circulation was found in 62 cases: in 1 hemisphere in 42 (group A) and in bilateral hemispheres in 20 (group B). Twenty-two patients had AMBI in the posterior circulation (group C) and 11 in both anterior and posterior circulations (group D). The most frequent cause of stroke was large-artery atherosclerosis in groups A (33/42), B (9/20), and C (15/22) (P=0.02) and cardioembolism in group D (6/11) (P=0.02). Elevated fibrinogen or hematocrit was significantly associated with group B (P=0.01). In 9 patients in groups B and D, anatomic variations of anterior or posterior cerebral arteries or patent posterior communicating artery contributed to AMBI.

CONCLUSIONS

Different topographical patterns of AMBI are associated with different vascular pathologies and stroke mechanisms. Hemorheologic abnormality or vascular anatomic variations may be contributing factors in the pathogenesis of AMBI in bilateral cerebral hemispheres or in both anterior and posterior circulations.

Angiocentric lymphoma of the head and neck: patterns of systemic failure after radiation treatment

PURPOSE

To investigate the patterns of systemic failure and the clinical outcome in patients with angiocentric lymphoma of the head and neck who were treated with radiation alone, and to discuss the optimal mode of treatment for these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We reviewed the records of 92 patients with stage I or II angiocentric lymphoma who were treated at Yonsei Cancer Center between 1976 and 1994. All patients were treated with involved-field irradiation. Radiation doses ranged from 40 to 60 Gy (median dose, 50.4 Gy). Treatment response, patterns of treatment failure including systemic failure, and clinical outcome after radiation treatment were analyzed.

RESULTS

The most frequently involved site was the nasal cavity, either alone or in conjunction with other sites. In 16 patients (17.4%), angiocentric lymphoma was accompanied by cervical lymphadenopathy. Disease was classified as stage I in 62 patients (67.4%) and stage II in 30 patients (32.6%). After completion of radiation treatment, 61 patients (66.3%) achieved a complete response and 16 (17.4%) a partial response. Half of the patients (50.0%) ultimately experienced local recurrence with or without other components of failure, whereas regional failure was relatively uncommon (10.9%). Systemic failure occurred in 25.0% of patients during follow-up. Six patients had histologic findings identical to those at the time of the original disease (group I), whereas four patients exhibited morphologic features of frank lymphomas (group II). The majority of patients with systemic relapse had the predilection sites for widespread extranodal involvement, such as the skin, brain, lung, gastrointestinal tract, or testes. In addition, seven patients died from various medical illnesses or immunologic disorders, including hemophagocytic syndrome and second primary cancers (group III). After a median follow-up of 56 months, the overall survival and disease-free survival rates for all patients were 40.1% and 37.8%, respectively. All patients except one with systemic failure died within 1 year.

CONCLUSION

Treatment with radiation alone had suboptimal results, partly because of the occurrence of a variety of systemic failure with diverse clinicopathologic features. Given the frequent occurrence of systemic failure after radiation treatment, we believe that the multimodality treatment approach containing more effective chemotherapeutic agents should be incorporated in the treatment of angiocentric lymphoma confined to the head and neck.

Enhancement of gene transfer efficiency into human cancer cells by modification of retroviral vectors and addition of chemicals

Retroviral vectors have recently experienced limited use in cancer gene therapy mainly due to poor transduction efficiency. To overcome this drawback, we attempted to enhance the transduction efficiency by employing different retroviral packaging cell lines and chemical additives. The retrovirus from the PG13 packaging cell line gave mostly higher or similar transduction efficiencies in a variety of human cancer cell lines compared to the retrovirus from the PA317, Bing, or FLYRD18 packaging cell line. A cationic liposome, especially Lipofectamine, significantly enhanced the transduction efficiency of a retrovirus. However, the retrovirus derived from the PG13 cell line could not infect the murine cell line efficiently even after Lipofectamine treatment. Furthermore, chloroquine did not improve the transduction efficiency regardless of the presence of chemical additives. These results, therefore, suggested that the transduction efficiency of a retrovirus in human cancer cells can certainly be improved when a proper packaging cell line is chosen. In addition, this study implied that Lipofectamine is a superb additive to enhance the transduction efficiency of a retrovirus via a specific virus envelope protein-receptor interaction for virus entry, and that receptor-mediated endocytosis does not seem to be the leading route of virus delivery to liberate a virus genome.

Changes of telomerase and telomere lengths in paired normal and cancer tissues of breast

To attain the immortal phenotype, cancer cells must overcome the mitotic clock. Telomerase activity has been identified to be activated in malignant tumors including breast cancer. Telomerase activity was evaluated in 71 breast cancer tissues and paired normal tissues with the TRAP (telomerase repeat amplification protocol) assay. Telomerase activity was calculated and translated into arbitrary units by computer-assisted densitometry with the control of telomerase activity in the 293 control cell line. In 59 paired breast tissues with telomerase activity, terminal restriction fragment (TRF) lengths were measured using Southern blotting. Relative inhibition (RI), the ratio of inhibited telomerase activity in each tumor tissue compared to that of the 293 control cell line after pre-treatment with 150 microg/ml of RNAse A, was measured. Sixty-three of 71 cancer tissues showed telomerase activity (88.7%) with 75.3+/-17.9 units in densitometry, while no telomerase activity was detected in their paired normal tissues. Telomerase activity was correlated to node metastasis (p=0.02) and stage (p=0.005), but not to tumor size or the hormonal receptor status. TRF lengths were 11. 0+/-4.7 kb in 59 tumor tissues and 11.7+/-2.2 kb in paired normal tissues. TRF lengths did not correlate to any of the clinical parameters. However changes of TRF lengths in tumor tissues compared to those of normal tissues correlated to telomerase activity. RI in the tumor tissues was proportional to telomerase activity without RNAse A pre-treatment. In breast cancer, telomerase activity was specific to tumor tissues and increased with tumor progression. Telomerase activity and changes in TRF lengths can be used as guidelines in detecting candidates for the telomerase inhibitor.

Role of definitive radiation therapy for larynx preservation in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer

OBJECTIVE

Recently, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT) and radiation therapy (RT) have been advocated as a standard treatment for laryngeal preservation in patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer. However, it is still being debated whether adding neoadjuvant CT to conventional RT makes an effective contribution to laryngeal preservation. The current study was designed to resolve this controversy.

DESIGN

Retrospective clinical study.

SETTING

The Severance Hospital, Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.

METHOD

Eighty patients (stages III, IV) with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx were divided into two groups according to treatment modalities, which consisted of RT alone (N = 40, Group 1) and neoadjuvant CT plus RT (N = 40, Group 2). Comparative analysis was undertaken to investigate the differences in the organ preservation rate and treatment results between the two groups.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in the response rate and patterns of treatment failure between the two groups. The 5-year survival rate was similar between Group 1 (24%) and Group 2 (31%) (p = .1556). In addition, the larynx was almost equally preserved in Group 1 (62%) versus Group 2 (63%).

CONCLUSIONS

Radiation therapy without neoadjuvant CT seems to be a valid alternative treatment for the purpose of laryngeal preservation in locally advanced laryngeal cancer.

Modulation of biological phenotypes for tumor growth and metastasis by target-specific biological inhibitors in gastric cancer

For tumor progression, a cascade of linked sequential biological events is essential. We tried to test whether biological therapy can modulate specific biological phenotypes and increase the anti-tumor effect when combined with chemotherapy. Five human gastric cancer cell lines (YCC-1, YCC-2, YCC-3, YCC-7, AGS) were used in these studies. Pentosan polysulfate (PPS) as a heparin-binding growth factor inhibitor, Tranexamic acid as a plasmin inhibitor, Lovastatin as an adhesion inhibitor and Adriamycin as a chemotherapeutic agent were selected. The effects of each drug on colony formation and tumor cell proliferation were evaluated by soft agar assay and cell proliferation assay, respectively to test direct anti-tumor effect. The expression of uPA, PAI-1 was determined by ELISA, while MMPs activity was evaluated by zymography. PPS suppressed the colony-forming activity as much as Adriamycin did, but it showed only cytostatic effects in cell proliferation assay. Migration capacity using Boyden chamber assay was more closely correlated with adhesive capacity than uPA or MMP-2 expression. The motility inhibitory effect of Tranexamic acid was observed in the YCC-7 cell line, which expressed all the required biological phenotypes for migration. In AGS, with high cell motility and adhesiveness, the adhesion was inhibited by Lovastatin and most of the inhibitory effect was recovered by Mevalonate. When PPS was combined with Adriamycin on the Adriamycin-resistant, midkine (MK) gene expressing YCC-7 cell line, the growth inhibition rate increased up to 84%, while that for a single treatment of PPS or Adriamycin was 40% and 22%, respectively (p=0.001). When we combined Tranexamic acid and Adriamycin, we observed the synergistic effect in YCC-3 and YCC-7, while no combined effect was found in YCC-1. The combination of Lovastatin and Adriamycin did not show any combined effects in any of the cell lines. In conclusion, a synergistic anti-proliferative effect (chemo-sensitization) with combined chemo-biotherapy was found in cancer cells with specific biological target, MK. The anti-motility effect was the greatest when the gastric cancer cells expressed all the specific biological phenotypes.

Effects of 2-bromopropane on spermatogenesis in the Sprague-Dawley rat

In 1995, 2-bromopropane (2-BP) was associated with occupational reproductive and hematopoietic toxicity in Korea. The effect of 2-BP on spermatogenesis, or Leydig cells, has not been determined in adult rats. In the present study, 40 ten-week-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were treated orally with 3.5 g/kg/d of 2-BP for 3 consecutive days. At 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 28, 42, and 70 d after treatment, testes were perfused with Karnovsky's solution or immersed in Bouin's solution, embedded in plastic or Epon and evaluated with light and electron microscopy. DNA ploidy distributions of testicular suspensions were determined by flow cytometry, which allowed comparison of quantitative spermatogenesis with histopathologic observations. Degeneration of spermatogonia was observed during Stages I-IV in seminiferous tubules on Day 1 after treatment. Spermatocytes, spermatids, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells appeared normal in the early stage of the study. Whereas spermatid retention in Stages IX-XI was observed on Day 7 after treatment, depletion of spermatocytes and spermatids continued over time, followed by a marked increase of germ cells on Day 42 after treatment. However, the seminiferous tubules did not completely recover by study termination. Leydig cell cellularity increased mildly without any significant morphologic modification at the end of the study. Immunohistochemistry using an antibody against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), showed an increased number of immunoreactive Leydig cells in the interstitium. In the flow cytometry analysis, proportions of diploid and tetraploid cells gradually decreased time-dependently until Day 28 after treatment, but showed an increase on Day 42, followed by a decrease on Day 70 after treatment. These data are strengthened by qualitative descriptions of lesions observed by histopathology. These results suggest that a high dose of 2-BP can decrease spermatogenesis by adversely affecting spermatogonia followed by depletion of spermatocytes, spermatids, and spermatozoa, with subsequent testicular atrophy. The atrophied testes may not regenerate completely. The number of Leydig cells may increase mildly with 10 weeks of recovery.

Combined pre-operative chemotherapy with intra-arterial cisplatin and continuous intravenous adriamycin for high grade osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is one of the most common juvenile malignant tumors in Korea. Combined modality treatment (pre-operative chemotherapy + limb salvage surgery + adjuvant therapy) improved the patients' overall survival and quality of life. We evaluated the efficacy and feasibility of pre-operative chemotherapy with intra-arterial (IA) cisplatin plus continuous intravenous infusion (CI) of adriamycin. We assessed the rate of limb salvage, recurrence pattern and the survival impact based on the histologic response of pre-operative chemotherapy. Fourty-one patients with histologically-proven high grade osteosarcoma of the extremities were enrolled from January 1990 to June 1995. Pre-operative chemotherapy, cisplatin 120 mg/m2 IA and adriamycin 75 mg/m2/72 h CI was administered every 3 weeks for 3 cycles, followed by limb salvage surgery if possible or by amputation. According to the histologic tumor response, if the tumor necrosis was >90%, the same regimen was administered for 3 cycles as an adjuvant therapy. A salvage regimen (Ifosfamide 7.5 gm/m2/5 d IV + high dose MTX 10 gm/m2 IV+VP-16 360 mg/m2/3 d IV) was administered every 3 weeks for 6 cycles if the tumor necrosis was <90%. Of 41 patients, 37 patients were evaluable for efficacy and toxicities, because 4 patients refused chemotherapy after 1 or 2 cycles. Twenty-one patients were male and 16 were female with median age of 16 years (range 8-41). The tumor locations were: distal femur 20, proximal tibia 8, humerus 6, distal tibia 2 and 1 in proximal femur. All but one patient, who died of neutropenic sepsis, completed the planned pre-operative therapy. Of the 36 patients who received surgery, limb salvage surgery was possible in 30 patients (83.3%) and 27 patients (75%) showed a good response (grade III 10; 27.8%, grade IV 17; 47.2%). With a median follow-up of 23 months, 3-year disease-free survival rate was 54.7% and overall survival rate was 78.3%. Of the 15 patients who recurred, the major metastatic site was the lung. No operation-related mortality was observed. Most patients experienced grade III-IV nausea, vomiting and hematologic toxicities, which were reversible with supportive cares. Pre-operative chemotherapy with IA DDP+CI ADR followed by surgery showed 75% histologic tumor response rate, 83% limb salvage rate and 54.7% 3-year disease-free survival rate with tolerable side effects. To improve the survival rate, the possible role of good salvage chemotherapy with a non-cross resistance regimen in poor responders should be evaluated.

Neuroprotective effects of lamotrigine enhanced by flunarizine in gerbil global ischemia

We examined whether the anti-ischemic effect of lamotrigine (LTG), which inhibits the presynapic sodium channel, could be enhanced by the calcium channel blocker-flunarizine (FNR) in cerebral ischemia. Global ischemia was induced in Mongolian gerbils for 5 min under the monitoring of scalp temperature. LTG and FNR were administered intraperitoneally 1 h before ischemia. After 7 days, animals were killed and viable neurons in CA1 area were counted. LTG treated group showed significant protective effects compared to control group (P < 0.01). These effects were more prominent in group treated with LTG and FNR (P = 0.01). Combination of two drugs did not increase the mortality rate compared to single-treated group. These results show that a synergistic reduction of neuronal death can be achieved by combination of LTG and FNR without serious adverse reaction.

Effects of interleukin-2 transduction on the human hepatoma cell lines using retroviral vector

Gene therapy, using cytokine gene transduction, aims to increase the antigenicity of tumor cells, and to activate the immune effector cells, and thereby inducing tumor regression. With regards to in vitro sensitivity to peripheral blood monocytes and in vivo tumorigenic activity we compared the differences between parent hepatoma cell lines and interleukin-2 (IL-2) transduced hepatoma cell lines using N2A/IL-2 and LNC/IL-2 retrovirus. IL-2 secretion was 186 pg/10(6) cells/24 h in SK-Hep1 cell line and 147 pg/106 cells/24 h in Hep-3B cell line with N2A/IL-2 retroviral vector and was 55,000 pg/10(6) cells/24 h in Hep-3B cell line with LNC/IL-2 retroviral vector. in vitro sensitivity to peripheral blood monocytes was increased by 163.8-254% in IL-2 transduced hepatoma cell lines (Hep-3B/LNC/IL-2, Hep-G2/LNC/IL-2) compared to those of the parent cell lines. The tumor was formed in 1 of 3 BALB/c mice and all 3 nude mice with the injection of 1x107 cells. Simultaneous injection of 1x10(7) cells of the parent cell line (Hep-3B) into the right flank and IL-2 transduced cell line (Hep-3B/LNC/IL-2) into the left flank of the three BALB/c mice and of 5x10(5) cells for the three nude mice resulted in a complete regression of the IL-2 modified tumor cell line (Hep-3B/LNC/IL-2) in 3 weeks and the parent cell line (Hep-3B) in 5 weeks. After injection of 1x10(7) cells into five other nude mice, the tumor of the IL-2 transduced hepatoma cells (Hep-3B/LNC/IL-2) gradually disappeared, however, the tumor of the parent hepatoma cell line initially decreased and then gradually regrew 20 days later. In conclusion, IL-2 transduced hepatoma cell lines secreting IL-2 became more sensitive to peripheral blood monocytes. IL-2 secretion by LNC/IL-2 retrovirus from the hepatoma cell lines was more prominent compared with that by N2A/IL-2 retrovirus. IL-2 transduction into the hepatoma cells resulted in increased antigenicity to the tumors formed by IL-2 transduced hepatoma cell line and parent cell line, which leads the regression of the tumors. However, the higher the tumor burden, the less efficient tumor regression by IL-2 transduction into the hepatoma cell line in nude mice was observed.

Pretreatment of male BALB/c mice with beta-ionone potentiates thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity

A possible role of metabolic activation by cytochrome P450 (P450) in thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity was investigated in male BALB/c mice. The mice were pretreated with the P450 inducer, beta-ionone, subcutaneously at 600 mg/kg, 72 and 48 h prior to an intraperitoneal administration of either 100 or 200 mg/kg of thioacetamide. The elevated activities of serum alanine aminotransferase and serum aspartate aminotransferase by thioacetamide were greatly potentiated by the pretreatment with beta-ionone. Moreover, the potentiation of thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity was also observed in the histopathological examination of livers. The hepatic necrosis by thioacetamide was potentiated when mice were pretreated with beta-ionone. In liver microsomes, the activities of P450 2B-specific pentoxyresorufin O-depentylase and benzyloxyresorufin O-debenzylase were significantly induced by the treatment with beta-ionone. Beta-ionone also induced other P450-associated monooxygenases. Because the pretreatment with beta-ionone was not hepatotoxic at the dose inducing P450s. our present results suggest that beta-ionone may be a useful model inducer of P450 enzyme(s) in studying toxic mechanism of certain chemicals which require metabolic activation by P450s in mice.

Subregions within the supplementary motor area activated at different stages of movement preparation and execution

Previous studies have provided evidence that the primary motor area (M1) is involved in actual execution of a motor program, while the premotor area (PreMA) and the supplementary motor area (SMA) play a role in its preparation. We have used the high temporospatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the relationship between stages of a motor program and activation of these motor-related cortical areas. Seven normal volunteers performed a delayed-motor task in which the preparation of finger movements was dissociated in time from movement execution, while event-related fMRI was obtained. The M1 and PreMA showed expected activation associated with execution and preparation stages, respectively. Within SMA, subregions with different temporal profiles of activation were identified: The anterior part became activated early in the preparation period, whereas the posterior part only with movement execution. This supports the notion that the classic SMA consists of the pre-SMA and SMA proper each with different functions.

Effects of interleukin-2 transduction on the human hepatoma cell lines using retroviral vector

Gene therapy, using cytokine gene transduction, aims to increase the antigenicity of tumor cells, and to activate the immune effector cells, and thereby inducing tumor regression. With regards to in vitro sensitivity to peripheral blood monocytes and in vivo tumorigenic activity we compared the differences between parent hepatoma cell lines and interleukin-2 (IL-2) transduced hepatoma cell lines using N2A/IL-2 and LNC/IL-2 retrovirus. IL-2 secretion was 186 pg/10(6) cells/24 h in SK-Hep1 cell line and 147 pg/106 cells/24 h in Hep-3B cell line with N2A/IL-2 retroviral vector and was 55,000 pg/10(6) cells/24 h in Hep-3B cell line with LNC/IL-2 retroviral vector. in vitro sensitivity to peripheral blood monocytes was increased by 163.8-254% in IL-2 transduced hepatoma cell lines (Hep-3B/LNC/IL-2, Hep-G2/LNC/IL-2) compared to those of the parent cell lines. The tumor was formed in 1 of 3 BALB/c mice and all 3 nude mice with the injection of 1x107 cells. Simultaneous injection of 1x10(7) cells of the parent cell line (Hep-3B) into the right flank and IL-2 transduced cell line (Hep-3B/LNC/IL-2) into the left flank of the three BALB/c mice and of 5x10(5) cells for the three nude mice resulted in a complete regression of the IL-2 modified tumor cell line (Hep-3B/LNC/IL-2) in 3 weeks and the parent cell line (Hep-3B) in 5 weeks. After injection of 1x10(7) cells into five other nude mice, the tumor of the IL-2 transduced hepatoma cells (Hep-3B/LNC/IL-2) gradually disappeared, however, the tumor of the parent hepatoma cell line initially decreased and then gradually regrew 20 days later. In conclusion, IL-2 transduced hepatoma cell lines secreting IL-2 became more sensitive to peripheral blood monocytes. IL-2 secretion by LNC/IL-2 retrovirus from the hepatoma cell lines was more prominent compared with that by N2A/IL-2 retrovirus. IL-2 transduction into the hepatoma cells resulted in increased antigenicity to the tumors formed by IL-2 transduced hepatoma cell line and parent cell line, which leads the regression of the tumors. However, the higher the tumor burden, the less efficient tumor regression by IL-2 transduction into the hepatoma cell line in nude mice was observed.

Simultaneous determination of flupyrazofos and its metabolite 1-phenyl-3-trifluoromethyl-5-hydroxypyrazole and flupyrazofos oxon in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet absorbance detection

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system with UV detection was developed for simultaneous determination of flupyrazofos and its metabolites, 1-phenyl-3-trifluoromethyl-5-hydroxypyrazole and flupyrazofos oxon, in rat plasma. Optimal analytical conditions involved an analytical cartridge column consisting of a phenyl bonded phase, a mobile phase of 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH3.0)-acetonitrile (40:60, v/v) and a UV detection wavelength of 232 nm. Under these conditions the peaks of flupyrazofos and its metabolites were all well separated and the total time for complete separation was less than 12 min. The limit of quantitation was 40 ng/ml for flupyrazofos and 20 ng/ml for PTMHP. Recoveries from rat plasma were higher than 90%. Following intravenous administration of flupyrazofos, the method has been successfully applied in a toxicokinetic study in rats involving plasma samples. Therefore, the current method is a valuable analytical tool for investigating the metabolism and toxicokinetics of flupyrazofos.

An unusual case of gastric carcinoma with synchronous non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

We report a case of synchronous gastric adenocarcinoma and abdominal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a 56-year-old man. An explo-laparotomy was performed for the purpose of palliative resection of the stomach and to evaluate the nature of splenic and peri-pancreatic mass lesions. The pathologic stage of the gastric carcinoma was stage IB (T2N0M0) and the clinical stage of the diffuse large cell type lymphoma was IIA2S. Following surgery and chemotherapy, the patient is now in a disease-free state.

Menstrual state should be considered in determining sero-positivity of soluble angiogenic factors in breast cancer

We investigated whether blood angiogenic factor (vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF; angiogenin; basic fibroblast growth factor, bFGF; platelet-derived growth factor-AB, PDGF-AB) levels change during menstrual cycle of healthy premenopausal females or after menopause. We also measured the serum angiogenic factor levels in 34 operable breast cancer patients and compared them to those of healthy volunteer controls. No differences in the four angiogenic factor levels were found between the follicular and luteal phases of normal menstruation. However, angiogenin and bFGF levels were higher in pre-menopausal females than post-menopausal female and young male healthy volunteers. In cancer patients, the sero-positivity rate of the bFGF was 8.8% with menstrual-state-unmatched cut-off points, which increased to 36.4% with menstrual-state-matched cut-off points. This discrepancy was especially high in post-menopausal cancer patients. In conclusion, physiological elevation of the bFGF during normal menstruation can influence the precise interpretation of the pathological elevation of the bFGF in pre-menopausal breast cancer patients.

Telomerase activity and telomere lengths in various cell lines: changes of telomerase activity can be another method for chemosensitivity evaluation

For the cancer cells which have overcome the second mitotic clock (M2), activated telomerase is essential and used as another marker of immortality. Many trials had been initiated to target telomerase, which is known to be specific to tumors. To determine the best in vitro cell system for testing the efficacy of telomerase inhibitors, we evaluated the telomerase activity of various cancer cell lines and measured their telomere lengths. We also treated some cancer cell lines with adriamycin and measured the changes of telomerase activity. Telomerase activity was evaluated in various cell lines with the TRAP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay. Telomerase activity was calculated and translated into arbitrary units by computer-assisted densitometry with the control of telomerase activity in the 293 control cell line. Also, terminal restriction fragment lengths were measured using Southern blotting. We also measured telomerase activity and telomere lengths in 11 benign breast tumor tissues and 19 paired stomach cancer and normal tissues. Cancer cell lines treated with adriamycin we evaluated for changes of telomerase activity and the cell proliferation by MTT assay and dye exclusion test. Telomerase activity of cell lines was 95.3 24.1 unit with a range of 27.6-129.6 unit, while the telomere lengths of those cell lines were variable from 5.0 to 10.4 kbp with a median of 6 kbp. In 11 cancer cell lines which were not yet firmly established, we could not detect any telomerase activity. Low telomerase activity was detected in only 2 benign tumor tissues of breast with a median telomere length of 8.8 (7-10.5) kbp. Among paired 19 gastric cancer and normal tissues, only 7 cancer tissues showed weak telomerase activity. After adriamycin treatment, telomerase activity in YCC-S-1, YCC-S-3, MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR was decreased in accordance with the changes of the cell numbers. Telomerase is specific to cancer tissues and is expressed differently from organ to organ. Telomerase activity by TRAP assay could be used as a chemosensitivity assay.

Alpha-fetoprotein-producing gastric cancer

We measured the sero-positivity rate of serum alpha-fetoprotein (alphaFP) of gastric cancer patients by ELISA assay; forty-two curatively resected patients, 14 palliatively resected patients, 8 who received explo-laparotomy or bypass surgery and 18 patients with systemic metastasis. The sero-positive rate was 9.8% (8/82) and the positivity increased with cancer progression. Sex, age and pathological type were similar between alphaFP-positive and -negative patients. The overall synchronous hepatic metastasis rates in alphaFP-positive and alphaFP-negative groups were 37.5% (3/8) and 12.2% (9/74), respectively (p=0.08). The predictability of synchronous liver metastasis in eight alphaFP-positive patients were as follows: 37. 5% of total patients (3/8), 50.0% (3/6) of unresectable patients, and 60.0% (3/5) of patients with systemic metastasis. In three alphaFP-positive patient with liver metastasis, all the hepatic lesions were intrahepatic and multiple, while in alphaFP-negative patients, 67% (6/9) of the hepatic lesions was single intrahepatic lesion or surface nodule. The predictability of both synchronous and metachronous liver metastasis in alphaFP-positive gastric cancer patients was 75%. These findings suggested that, in advanced stomach cancer patients, especially in stage IV, alphaFP can be used in predicting liver metastasis during follow-up.

Effects of beta-ionone on the expression of cytochrome P450s and NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase in Sprague Dawley rats

We have recently reported that beta-ionone induces cytochrome P450 (P450) 2B1 in rats. Effects of beta-ionone on the expression of other P450 isozymes and NADPH-P450 reductase were further investigated in Sprague Dawley rats. Administration of beta-ionone subcutaneously 72 and 48 h before sacrificing the animals not only significantly induced the liver microsomal activities of P450-associated enzymes and NADPH-P450 reductase, but also clearly increased in the level of P450 1A1/2, P450 2C, and NADPH-P450 reductase proteins. The induction of P450 1A1/2 and 2C by beta-ionone was much greater in male than in female as measured by western immunoblotting. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions showed that, in addition to P450 2B1 and 2B2 mRNAs, P450 1A2, 2C6 and NADPH-P450 reductase mRNAs were increased when beta-ionone was administered. Our previous and present results indicated that beta-ionone may induce several P450s and NADPH-P450 reductase by the accumulation of their corresponding mRNAs.

Different expression patterns of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in breast cancer

Among the many biological characteristics of cancer, the matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) is essential for tumor invasion and metastasis. The relationship between MMP-2 and MMP-9 according to tumor progression has not been studied yet. We evaluated the synchronous expression and activation rate of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in breast cancer tissues and compared them to the clinical parameters in order to determine the clinical significance of MMPs and the possibilities of using them as a therapeutic target. The activity of MMPs was evaluated in 121 breast cancer tissues using zymography and the area of activation was calculated by computer-assisted densitometry in comparison to the activity of a positive control (HT-1080). In 121 tumor tissues, 32 (26.4%) did not express any form of MMPs and 19 (15.7%) showed both expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9. We observed that only one tissue expressed MMP-9 alone, while MMP-2 alone was expressed in 69 tissues. In 88 patients with MMP-2 and/or MMP-9 expression, we were unable to observe any correlation between the activity of MMPs expression or activation rate and the clinical parameters. But MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity increased according to T factor. Rapid production of MMP-9 occurred from T2 (p=0.046), while that of MMP-2 occurred from T3 (p=0.004). In conclusion, MMPs activity was organ specific. The major MMPs in breast cancer was MMP-2 and MMPs activity was different with tumor progression. When MMPs are a specific therapeutic target, we should use different inhibitors according to tumor size, in patients at the same stage.