[Surgical resection of a pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma involving the azygos vein]

We report a case of surgical treatment of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma invading the azygos vein. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a mass of 6 cm in size, in the upper lobe of the right lung. He underwent the right upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection with combined resection of the involved azygos vein. Histological examination revealed pleomorphic carcinoma (pT3N0M0, stage IIB). The postoperative course was uneventful, and he was alive without recurrence 26 months after the operation. Six cases of pleomorphic carcinoma have been surgically treated between June 2008 and August 2009 in our institute. Early diagnose with complete resection is suggested to be essential in the improvement of survival for this disease based on review of our experience.

DISC1 regulates cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix adhesion and neurite outgrowth

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a promising susceptibility gene for major mental illness. Recent studies have implicated DISC1 in key neurodevelopmental processes, including neurite outgrowth, neuronal migration and proliferation. Here, we report that DISC1 regulates cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion and neurite outgrowth. DISC1 overexpression increased expression of the adherence junction protein N-cadherin and enhanced cell-cell adhesion. The increased N-cadherin accumulated in the areas of cell-cell contact. DISC1 overexpression also enhanced cell-matrix adhesion by inducing expression of beta1-integrin protein. In the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF), DISC1 overexpression increased beta1-integrin expression at the cell membrane and growth cone. NGF-induced neurite extension was enhanced by DISC1, and anti-beta1-integrin antibody reduced the neurite outgrowth of DISC1-overexpressing cells to the control level. Furthermore, DISC1 also regulated N-cadherin and beta1-integrin expression at the cell membrane in primary neurons. We conclude that DISC1 regulates cell-cell adhesion and cell-matrix adhesion by regulating the expression of adhesion molecules.

Reciprocal regulation of ATPgammaS-induced monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 production by ERK and p38 MAP kinases in rat corticostriatal slice cultures

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1, CCL2) is a well-defined chemokine implicated in the pathology of various neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries, such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic injury. We investigated the effect of the activation of P2 purinoceptors on MCP-1 production in rat corticostriatal slice cultures. Treatment with adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATPgammaS), a hydrolysis-resistant adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analog, induced MCP-1 production in astrocytes. The induction was in a concentration-dependent manner and was antagonized by a P2 purinoceptor antagonist pyridoxal phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid. The inhibition of an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway by PD98059 and U0126 significantly suppressed ATPgammaS-induced MCP-1 mRNA expression and protein production, while inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase by SP600125 resulted in the partial suppression. Conversely, SB203580, a p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase inhibitor, significantly enhanced ATPgammaS-induced MCP-1 production. Similar effects of ERK and p38 MAP kinase inhibitors on MCP-1 production were observed in the slices stimulated by ATP and BzATP. These results demonstrate that astrocytic MCP-1 production induced by P2 purinoceptor stimulation is reciprocally regulated by ERK and p38 MAP kinases in the organotypic slice cultures.

Chemical constituents from Swietenia macrophylla bark and their antioxidant activity

Chemical constituents of the bark of Swietenia macrophylla King (Meliaceae) was investigated not only to develop further bark utilization but also to understand the biochemical function of the bark in the forest environment. A new phenylpropanoid-substituted catechin, namely, swietemacrophyllanin [(2R*,3S*,7"R*)-catechin-8,7"-7,2"-epoxy-(methyl 4",5"-dihydroxyphenylpropanoate)] (1) was isolated from the bark of S. macrophylla together with two known compounds, catechin (2) and epicatechin (3). The structure of 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic data and by comparison of the NMR data with those of catiguanins A and B, phenylpropanoid-substituted epicatechins. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity of the isolated compounds indicated that all of the three compounds have strong activity compared with trolox as a reference. Swietemacrophyllanin (1) had the strongest activity with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 56 microg mL(-1).

Neuronal injury induces cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1) production in astrocytes

Accumulating evidence indicates a pivotal role for neuroinflammation in ischemic and excitotoxic brain injury. Cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1) is a CXC chemokine implicated in the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the brain parenchyma. In this study, we investigated the effect of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neuronal injury on CINC-1 production in the organotypic cortico-striatal slice cultures. Treatment with 50 microM NMDA for 3 - 4 h caused devastating neuronal damage and increased CINC-1 production. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the CINC-1 immunoreactivity was predominantly detected in astrocytes. NMDA failed to induce CINC-1 production in enriched astrocyte cultures or neuron-depleted slice cultures, suggesting that NMDA acted on neuronal cells to induce astrocytic CINC-1 production. NMDA-induced CINC-1 mRNA expression was significantly inhibited by U0126, a mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK) inhibitor. These results suggest that NMDA-evoked neuronal injury induced astrocytic CINC-1 production via a MEK/ERK signaling pathway. Manipulation of this signaling pathway may serve as a target for suppressing neuroinflammation and, thereby, treating ischemic brain injury.

Activation of the beta-adrenoceptor-protein kinase A signaling pathway within the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis mediates the negative affective component of pain in rats

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. The neural systems underlying the sensory component of pain have been studied extensively, but we are only beginning to understand those underlying its affective component. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been implicated in stress responses and negative affective states, such as anxiety, fear, and aversion. Recently, we demonstrated the crucial role of the BNST in the negative affective component of pain using the conditioned place aversion (CPA) test. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of the beta-adrenoceptor-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway within the BNST, in particular, within the ventral part of the BNST (vBNST), in pain-induced aversion in male Sprague Dawley rats. In vivo microdialysis showed that extracellular noradrenaline levels within the vBNST were significantly increased by intraplantar formalin injection. Using the CPA test, we found that intra-vBNST injection of timolol, a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, dose-dependently attenuated the intraplantar-formalin-induced CPA (F-CPA) without reducing nociceptive behaviors. Experiments with subtype-selective antagonists demonstrated the essential role of beta(2)-adrenoceptors in F-CPA. Intra-vBNST injection of isoproterenol, a beta-adrenoceptor agonist, dose-dependently produced CPA even in the absence of noxious stimulation. This isoproterenol-induced CPA was reversed by the coinjection of Rp-cyclic adenosine monophosphorothioate (Rp-cAMPS), a selective PKA inhibitor. Furthermore, intra-vBNST injection of Rp-cAMPS dose-dependently attenuated the F-CPA. Together, these results suggest that PKA activation within the vBNST via the enhancement of beta-adrenergic transmission is important for the negative affective component of pain.

Developmental and Spatial Expression of sir2 Genes in the Cellular Slime Mold Dictyostelium discoideum

The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum grows as unicellular free-living amoebae in the presence of nutrients. Upon starvation, the amoebae aggregate and form multicellular structures that each consist of a stalk and spores. D. discoideum encodes at least four proteins (Sir2A, Sir2B, Sir2C, and Sir2D) homologous to human SIRT. RT-PCR and WISH analyses showed that the genes for Sir2A, Sir2C, and Sir2D were expressed at high levels in growing cells but at decreased levels in developing cells, whereas the gene encoding Sir2B was expressed in the prestalk-cell region in the developmental phase.