Organ accumulation and carcinogenicity of highly dispersed multi-walled carbon nanotubes administered intravenously in transgenic rasH2 mice

Purpose

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been known to enter the circulatory system via the lungs from inhalation exposure; however, its carcinogenicity and subsequent accumulation in other organs have not been adequately reported in the literature. Moreover, the safety of MWCNTs as a biomaterial has remained a matter of debate, particularly when the material enters the circulatory system. To address these problems, we used carcinogenic rasH2 transgenic mice to intravenously administer highly dispersed MWCNTs and to evaluate their carcinogenicity and accumulation in the organs.

Methods

Two types of MWCNTs (thin- and thick-MWCNTs) were intravenously administered at a high dose (approximately 0.7 mg per kg body weight) and low dose (approximately 0.07 mg per kg body weight).

Results

MWCNTs showed pancreatic accumulation in 3.2% of mice administered with MWCNTs, but there was no accumulation in other organs. In addition, there was no significant difference in the incidence of tumor among the four MWCNTs-administered groups compared to the vehicle group without MWCNTs administration. Blood tests revealed elevated levels in mean red blood cell volume and mean red blood cell hemoglobin level for the MWCNTs-administered group, in addition to an increase in eotaxin.

Conclusion

The present study demonstrated that the use of current technology to sufficiently disperse MWCNTs resulted in minimal organ accumulation with no evidence of carcinogenicity.

Genetic manipulation of abscisic acid receptors enables modulation of water use efficiency

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is a key signal molecule for controlling stomatal movement and stress responses such as drought. Genetic manipulation of ABA receptors has recently been reported to improve plant water use efficiency (WUE). We therefore compared details of WUE traits between the ABA receptor quintuple mutant and wheat ABA receptor-overexpressing Arabidopsis lines. Biomass and seed productivities per liter of water were both reduced in the receptor mutant but improved in the transgenic Arabidopsis lines. This result suggests that appropriate modulation of ABA receptors can extend crop potential productivity.

Risk factor for wound complications following wide resection of soft tissue sarcoma in the adductor compartment of the thigh

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate deep-seated soft tissue sarcoma (STS) occurring in the adductor compartment of the thigh that underwent wide resection and to clarify the high-risk group for wound complications.

Patients and methods

From 2000 to 2017, we reviewed 104 cases of deep-seated STS occurring in the adductor compartment of the thigh that were treated at four specialized facilities with expertise in sarcoma treatment.

Results

Wound complications occurred in 40 cases (38.5%), of which 23 cases (22.1%) were cases with major wound complications (MWC). In univariate analysis, BMI (P < 0.01), maximum tumor diameter (P < 0.01), operation time (P < 0.01), amount of intraoperative bleeding (P < 0.01), and intraoperative intervention to the femoral artery and vein (P < 0.01) were significantly associated with wound complications. In multivariate analysis, the associated parameters were BMI (P < 0.01), maximum tumor diameter (P = 0.02), and intraoperative intervention to the femoral artery and vein (P = 0.01). When limited to cases with MWC, univariate analysis showed that maximum tumor diameter (P < 0.01), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.03), operation time (P < 0.01), amount of intraoperative bleeding (P < 0.01), and intraoperative intervention to the femoral artery and vein (P = 0.02) were significantly associated parameters. In multivariate analysis, maximum tumor diameter (P = 0.02) and amount of intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.04) were associated parameters.

Conclusions

For patients with risk factors for wound complications, control of bleeding are crucial when resecting deep-seated STS in the adductor compartment of the thigh. In cases with large tumors, surgeons should be especially cautious of cases requiring interventions that surround the femoral artery and vein in order to attain an appropriate surgical margin.

Combined treatment using Mohs' paste and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for giant gluteal soft tissue sarcoma with malignant fungating wound: a case report

A malignant fungating wound is a cutaneous infiltration of malignant tumor or metastatic lesion that develop into ulceration. Local control is often difficult to obtain, because the Quality of Life of patients can decrease considerably due to bleeding, exudation, odor and pain from the wound. There are few studies in the literature that report the use of Mohs’ paste for soft tissue sarcoma with malignant fungating wound. We report a case resulting in good local control for a patient with dedifferentiated liposarcoma with gluteal ulceration by the combined use of Mohs’ paste and chemotherapy as a pre-operative adjuvant therapy. Mohs’ paste controlled the infection, odor and exudation in approximately 2 weeks, and good visualization of the surgical field was obtained due to tumor volume reduction. We found that Mohs’ paste is effective as a neoadjuvant therapy for disintegrated soft tissue sarcoma.

Clinical outcome of osteosarcoma and its correlation with programmed death-ligand 1 and T cell activation markers

Purpose

Although both anti-PD-1 antibody and treatments using anti-PD-L1 antibody are currently in clinical use, their therapeutic effects vary according to cancer type. One of the factors accounting for this variability is the expression level of the immune checkpoint molecule that differs between cancer types; thus, it is important to clarify the relationship between clinical outcomes and immune checkpoint molecules for all types of human cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical outcome of osteosarcoma in relation to PD-L1, PRF, GZMB, and IFNγ expression.

Methods

Using 19 clinical specimens of osteosarcoma, we examined the expression of PD-L1, PRF, GZMB, and IFNγ in relation to their clinical outcomes.

Results

PD-L1 expression correlated with early metastatic formation in clinical specimens of osteosarcoma, and the group with highly expressed functional markers for T cells such as PRF and GZMB resulted in a long overall survival time.

Conclusion

This is the first study to elucidate the clinical outcomes of osteosarcoma in relation to PD-L1, PRF, GZMB, and IFNγ expression. This study provides valuable information regarding the clinical indication and prediction of effect for anti-PD-1 antibody in osteosarcoma.

Using the Barthel Index to Assess Activities of Daily Living after Musculoskeletal Tumour Surgery: A Single-centre Observational Study

Objective

The objective of the current study was to find the factors affecting the activities of daily living, as evaluated by the Barthel Index, at the end of rehabilitation after musculoskeletal tumour surgery. Further, we evaluated whether the Barthel Index correlates with functional scores that are specific to musculoskeletal tumours at final follow-up.

Methods

The activities of daily living of 190 patients who underwent postoperative rehabilitation after surgery to treat musculoskeletal tumours were evaluated at the end of the program using the Barthel Index. Functional evaluation at the time of final follow-up observation was evaluated using the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society Score and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score.

Results

The post-rehabilitation Barthel Index was significantly lower in elderly patients aged more than 60 years and in those with malignant tumours and tumours larger than 10 cm. Malignancy and large tumour size were risk factors for a low Barthel Index. There was significant correlation between the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society Score/Toronto Extremity Salvage Score at final functional evaluation and the Barthel Index at the end of rehabilitation.

Conclusion

The Barthel Index is a simple method to assess the activities of daily living and can potentially predict disease-specific health-related quality of life at final functional evaluation after musculoskeletal tumour surgery.

Effect of tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease 1 on human pulp cells in vitro and rat pulp tissue in vivo

AIM

To evaluate the dentinogenetic effects of tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease (TIMP1) on human pulp cells in vitro and rat pulp tissue in vivo.

METHODOLOGY

The effect of TIMP1 on pulp cell functions related to hard tissue formation as part of the wound healing process (i.e. biocompatibility, proliferation, differentiation and mineralized nodule formation) was evaluated in vitro and using a direct pulp capping experimental animal model in vivo. The effects of different-sized cavity preparations on hard tissue formation induced by ProRoot MTA at 2 weeks were evaluated using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Tertiary dentine formation quality and quantity after pulp capping using TIMP1, ProRoot MTA and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was also evaluated after 4 weeks using micro-CT in term of dentine volume (DV), dentine mineral density (DVD) and histological analysis. The data were evaluated by Student's t-test, one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test, the Kruskal-Wallis test or the Steel-Dwass test. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

TIMP1 significantly stimulated dental pulp stem cell proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization and was more biocompatible compared with the PBS control (P < 0.05). In the pulp capping model, the amount of tertiary dentine that formed was directly proportional to the size of the pulp exposure; greater amounts of tertiary dentine were observed in pulps with larger exposures after 2 weeks. 4-week samples of TIMP1 and ProRoot MTA had similar characteristics, but both sample significantly induced tertiary dentine formation beneath the cavity compared with PBS (P <  0.05) under standardized cavity preparations.

CONCLUSIONS

TIMP1 has an important role in pulpal wound healing, which makes it a potential biological pulp capping material and candidate molecule for regenerative endodontic therapy.

Aberrant protein phosphatase 2C leads to abscisic acid insensitivity and high transpiration in parasitic Striga

Striga parasitizes major crops in arid regions, depriving the host crop of nutrients through the transpiration stream and causing vast agricultural damage. Here, we report on the mechanism underlying how Striga maintains high transpiration under drought conditions. We found that Striga did not respond to abscisic acid, the phytohormone responsible for controlling stomatal closure. Protein phosphatase 2C of Striga (ShPP2C1) is not regulated by abscisic acid receptors, and this feature is attributable to specific mutations in its amino acid sequence. Moreover, Arabidopsis transformed with ShPP2C1 showed an abscisic acid-insensitive phenotype, indicating that ShPP2C1 functions as a dominant negative regulator of abscisic acid signal transduction. These findings suggest that ShPP2C1 interrupts abscisic acid signalling in Striga, resulting in high transpiration and subsequent efficient absorption of host nutrients under drought conditions.

Abstract P4-08-24: Prognostic significance of preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in postmenopausal breast cancer patients

Background: Several studies have shown the association between high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and poor prognosis in various cancer types, including breast cancer. On the other hand, menopausal status, which is an important consideration in breast cancer treatment, has been shown to be associated with changes in NLR levels. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the prognostic significance of preoperative NLR, especially in postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Patients and methods: Between October 2003 and December 2014, 1868 women underwent surgery without neoadjuvant systemic therapy for primary breast cancer in our department. The optimal cutoff value of preoperative NLR was determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The patients were divided into two groups based on the NLR cutoff value of 3.34: High NLR (NLR value ≥ 3.34) and Low NLR (NLR value &lt; 3.34). Correlations between clinicopathological characteristics and preoperative NLR were analyzed, and relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated.

Results: Among the 1868 patients, 286 (15.3%) and 1582 (84.7%) patients were classified into High NLR and Low NLR, respectively. Although the patients in High NLR was younger (p=0.0023), there were no significant correlations between NLR and all other prognostic factors, such as tumor size, lymph node status, and histological grade. High NLR was associated with tendency to shorter RFS (p=0.0583) and shorter OS (p=0.0303). In postmenopausal patients (n=1177), significant correlations were observed between High NLR and shorter RFS and OS (p=0.0002 and p=0.0011). However, NLR was not correlated with RFS and OS in premenopausal patients (n=691). Although the postmenopausal patients with relapsed cancer had higher NLR levels than those without relapse (p=0.0252), NLR levels were not correlated with relapse occurrence in premenopausal patients. Both univariate (p=0.0009) and multivariate (p=0.0015) analyses revealed that High NLR as well as larger tumor size, lymph node metastases, and higher histological grade was significantly associated with relapse in postmenopausal patients. Moreover, in postmenopausal patients, subgroup analysis according to cancer subtype revealed that High NLR was correlated with shorter RFS only in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer (p=0.0009), in those without adjuvant chemotherapy (p=0.0034) but not in those with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Conclusion: Elevated preoperative NLR is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in postmenopausal but not premenopausal patients with breast cancer. In postmenopausal patients, adjuvant chemotherapy may improve prognosis in patients with HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, especially in those with elevated preoperative NLR.

Citation Format: Ijichi H, Tajiri W, Masuda T, Koga C, Tanaka J, Nakamura Y, Okamoto M, Tokunaga E. Prognostic significance of preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in postmenopausal breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-08-24.

Complete renal response at 12 months after induction therapy is associated with renal relapse-free rate in lupus nephritis: a single-center, retrospective cohort study

Background

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a major risk factor for overall morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed cases of proliferative and membranous LN patients who underwent a renal biopsy at our hospital in 1993–2016. We analyzed the association between complete renal response (CR) rates at 12 months after induction therapy and predictive factors for CR and their association with renal flares.

Results

Of the 95 cases analyzed, we were able to track the therapeutic responses of 81 patients at 12 months after their induction therapy. The median follow-up duration after renal biopsy was 51 months (interquartile range: 16.5–154.5 months). The Cox proportional hazards model showed that, compared to not attaining CR at 12 months, the attainment of CR at 12 months was correlated with being free from renal flares. The multivariate logistic analysis revealed that the predictive factors for CR at 12 months were the anti-La/SSB antibodies (U/ml) (odds ratio (OR) 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.63, p = 0.0220), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.44–0.90, p = 0.00048) and serum β2 microglobulin (MG) (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.06–0.74, p = 0.00098) levels.

Conclusions

Among LN patients, being free from renal flares was associated with attaining CR at 12 months after induction therapy. Anti-La/SSB antibodies were a positive predictive factor, and BUN and serum β2MG levels were negative predictive factors of CR at 12 months.

Tuning water-use efficiency and drought tolerance in wheat using abscisic acid receptors

Water availability is a key determinant of terrestrial plant productivity. Many climate models predict that water stress will increasingly challenge agricultural yields and exacerbate projected food deficits. To ensure food security and increase agricultural efficiency, crop water productivity must be increased. Research over past decades has established that the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is a central regulator of water use and directly regulates stomatal opening and transpiration. In this study, we investigated whether the water productivity of wheat could be improved by increasing its ABA sensitivity. We show that overexpression of a wheat ABA receptor increases wheat ABA sensitivity, which significantly lowers a plant's lifetime water consumption. Physiological analyses demonstrated that this water-saving trait is a consequence of reduced transpiration and a concomitant increase in photosynthetic activity, which together boost grain production per litre of water and protect productivity during water deficit. Our findings provide a general strategy for increasing water productivity that should be applicable to other crops because of the high conservation of the ABA signalling pathway.

How does Striga hermonthica Bewitch its hosts?

The common name witchweed synonymous with the Latin name Striga befits the bewitching effects, viz wilting and chlorosis, the parasite inflicts on its hosts long before it emerges and becomes visible above the ground. However, interactions in the rhizosphere between host roots and Striga seedlings are concealed and inscrutable. In vitro experiments revealed that abscisic acid was produced by S. hermonthica seedlings and a considerable portion of the phytohormone was exuded. The phytohormone in the rhizosphere could, at least in part, contribute to the bewitching effects, disrupt host immunity and promote commencement of parasitism.

Different aggregation and shape characteristics of carbon materials affect biological responses in RAW264 cells

Introduction

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have various shapes, including needle-like shapes and curled shapes, and the cytotoxicity and carcinogenicity of CNTs differ depending on their shapes and surface modifications. However, the biological responses induced by CNTs and related mechanisms according to the dispersion state of CNTs have not been extensively studied.

Materials and methods

We prepared multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs) showing different dispersions and evaluated these MWCNTs in RAW264 cells to determine cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and immune responses. Furthermore, RAW264 cells were also used to compare the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of fibrous MWCNTs and spherical carbon nanohorns (CNHs) exhibiting the same degree of dispersion.

Results

Our analysis showed that the cellular uptake, localization, and inflammatory responses of MWCNTs differed depending on the dispersion state. Moreover, there were differences in uptake between MWCNTs and CNHs, even showing the same degree of dispersion. These findings suggested that receptors related to cytotoxicity and immune responses differed depending on the aggregated state of MWCNTs and surface modification with a dispersant. Furthermore, our results suggested that the receptors recognized by the cells differed depending on the particle shape.

Conclusion

Therefore, to apply MWCNTs as a biomaterial, it is important to determine the carcinogenicity and toxicity of the CNTs and to examine different biological responses induced by varying shapes, dispersion states, and surface modifications of particles.

Enhanced coupling of broadband light into amorphous silicon via periodic nanoplasmonic arrays

Achieving enhanced coupling of solar radiation over the full range of the silicon absorption spectrum up to the bandgap is essential for increased efficiency of solar cells, especially thin film versions. While many designs for enhancing trapping of radiation have been explored, detailed measurements of light scattering inside silicon cells is still lacking. Here, we demonstrate experimentally and computationally that plasmonic-assisted localized and traveling modes can efficiently couple red and infrared radiation into ultrathin amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers. Utilizing patterned periodic arrays of aluminum nanostructures on thin a-Si, we perform specular and diffuse reflectivity and transmission measurements over a broad spectrum. Based on these results, we are able to separate parasitic absorption in aluminum plasmonic arrays from enhanced light absorption in the 200 nm thick amorphous silicon layer, as compared to a blank silicon layer. We discover a very efficient near-infrared a-Si absorption mechanism that occurs at the transition from the radiative to evanescent diffractive coupling, analogous to earlier surface-enhanced infrared studies. These results represent a direct demonstration of enhanced radiation coupling into silicon due to large angle scattering and show a path forward to improved ultrathin solar cell efficiency.