Phenotypic characterization of Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans grown under simulated microgravity using a three-dimensional clinostat

The living and working environments of spacecraft become progressively contaminated by a number of microorganisms. A large number of microorganisms, including pathogenic microorganisms, some of which are fungi, have been found in the cabins of space stations. However, it is not known how the characteristics of microorganisms change in the space environment. To predict how a microgravity environment might affect fungi, and thus how their characteristics could change on board spacecraft, strains of the pathogenic fungi Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans were subjected to on-ground tests in a simulated microgravity environment produced by a three-dimensional (3D) clinostat. These fungi were incubated and cultured in a 3D clinostat in a simulated microgravity environment. No positive or negative differences in morphology, asexual reproductive capability, or susceptibility to antifungal agents were observed in cultures grown under simulated microgravity compared to those grown in normal earth gravity (1 G). These results strongly suggest that a microgravity environment, such as that on board spacecraft, allows growth of potentially pathogenic fungi that can contaminate the living environment for astronauts in spacecraft in the same way as they contaminate residential areas on earth. They also suggest that these organisms pose a similar risk of opportunistic infections or allergies in astronauts as they do in people with compromised immunity on the ground and that treatment of fungal infections in space could be the same as on earth.

Cerebral blood flow and metabolism measurement using positron emission tomography before and during internal carotid artery test occlusions: feasibility of rapid quantitative measurement of CBF and OEF/CMRO(2)

Balloon test occlusion (BTO) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) combined with cerebral blood flow (CBF) study is a sensitive test for predicting the outcome of permanent ICA occlusion. However, false negative results sometimes occur using single photon emission tomography (SPECT). We have recently developed a rapid positron emission tomography (PET) protocol that measures not only the CBF but also the cerebral oxygen metabolism before and during BTO in succession. We measured acute changes in regional CBF and OEF/CMRO(2) before and during BTO in three cases with large or giant cerebral aneurysms using the rapid PET protocol. Although no patients showed ischemic symptoms during BTO, PET studies exhibited mildly to moderately decreased CBF (9∼34%) compared to the values obtained before BTO in all cases. The average OEF during BTO was significantly increased (21% and 43%) than that of before BTO in two cases. The two cases were considered to be non-tolerant for permanent ICA occlusion and treated without ICA sacrifice. Measurement of the CBF and OEF/CMRO(2) using a rapid PET protocol before and during BTO is feasible and can be used for accurate assessment of tolerance prediction in ICA occlusion.

Preventive and curative effects of radon inhalation on chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain in mice

BACKGROUND

Radon therapy is clinically useful for the treatment of pain-related diseases. However, there have been no studies regarding the effects of radon inhalation on neuropathic pain. In this study, we aimed to determine whether radon inhalation actually induced a remission of neuropathic pain and improved the quality of life.

METHODS

First, we investigated the antinociceptive effects of radon inhalation in the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain. We evaluated pain behaviour in mice before and after CCI surgery, using von Frey test. Pretreated mice received CCI surgery immediately after 24-h inhalation of radon at background (BG) concentration (c. 19 Bq/m(3) ), or at a concentration of 1000 or 2000 Bq/m(3) , and post-treated mice inhaled similar levels of radon 2 days after CCI surgery.

RESULTS

CCI surgery induced mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia on a plantar surface of mice, as assessed using von Frey test, and 2000 Bq/m(3) radon inhalation alleviated hyperalgesic conditions 22-37% compared to BG level concentration. Concurrently, CCI surgery increased norepinephrine (NE), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations in plasma, and leukocyte migration in paws. Furthermore, CCI-induced neuropathy reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Treatment with radon inhalation, specifically at a concentration of 2000 Bq/m(3) , produced antinociceptive effects, i.e., lowered plasma TNF-α, NE and NO levels and restored SOD activity, as well as pain-related behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that inhalation of 2000 Bq/m(3) radon prevented and alleviated CCI-induced neuropathic pain in mice.

Symptomatic middle cerebral artery stenosis treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty: improvement of cerebrovascular reserves

This study evaluated the recoveries of cerebrovascular reserves (CVR) after applying percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) to patients with symptomatic middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis of varying severity. The patients were submitted to single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to obtain their regional cerebral blood flows at resting stage (rCBF(rest)) and acetazolamide-challenged CBF in five regions of interest (ROIs), including the MCA, on the ipsilateral and contralateral sides of the hemisphere. rCVR values were then calculated from these CBF data to evaluate the CVR recoveries after PTA treatment. When the PTA effects were statistically analyzed of the patients dichotomized into more severe (n=9) and less severe (n=5) groups, distinctly significant ROI-specific PTA effectiveness was observed for CVR rather than CBF values in the patients of the severer group.

Impact of novel oncolytic virus HF10 on cellular components of the tumor microenviroment in patients with recurrent breast cancer

Oncolytic viruses are a promising method of cancer therapy, even for advanced malignancies. HF10, a spontaneously mutated herpes simplex type 1, is a potent oncolytic agent. The interaction of oncolytic herpes viruses with the tumor microenvironment has not been well characterized. We injected HF10 into tumors of patients with recurrent breast carcinoma, and sought to determine its effects on the tumor microenvironment. Six patients with recurrent breast cancer were recruited to the study. Tumors were divided into two groups: saline-injected (control) and HF10-injected (treatment). We investigated several parameters including neovascularization (CD31) and tumor lymphocyte infiltration (CD8, CD4), determined by immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis, determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. Median apoptotic cell count was lower in the treatment group (P=0.016). Angiogenesis was significantly higher in treatment group (P=0.032). Count of CD8-positive lymphocytes infiltrating the tumors was higher in the treatment group (P=0.008). We were unable to determine CD4-positive lymphocyte infiltration. An effective oncolytic viral agent must replicate efficiently in tumor cells, leading to higher viral counts, in order to aid viral penetration. HF10 seems to meet this criterion; furthermore, it induces potent antitumor immunity. The increase in angiogenesis may be due to either viral replication or the inflammatory response.

Cryptococcus yokohamensis sp. nov., a basidiomycetous yeast isolated from trees and a Queensland koala kept in a Japanese zoological park

Three strains were isolated from the nostrils of a koala and the surrounding environment in a Japanese zoological park. Sequence analysis of the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the large subunit rDNA D1/D2 domains in addition to physiological and morphological studies indicated that the isolates represent a single novel species belonging to the basidiomycetous genus Cryptococcus (Tremellales, Tremellomycetes, Agaricomycotina). Phylogenetic analysis based on D1/D2 and ITS regions revealed that the novel species belongs to the Fuciformis clade. The name Cryptococcus yokohamensis sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these isolates with strain JCM 16989T ( = TIMM 10001T = CBS 11776T = DSM 23671T) as the type strain.

Hepatocyte growth factor incorporated into herpes simplex virus vector accelerates facial nerve regeneration after crush injury

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) promotes regeneration of the central nervous system, but its effects on the peripheral nervous system remain unclear. This study was conducted to elucidate the effect of HGF on regeneration of the murine facial nerve after crush injury. To do so, a replication-defective herpes simplex virus vector that incorporated HGF was prepared (HSV-HGF). The main trunk of the facial nerve was compressed by mosquito hemostats, and HSV-HGF, control vector or medium was then applied to the compressed nerve. We found that mice in the HGF group required significantly fewer days for complete recovery from nerve compression. Furthermore, the amplitude of the evoked buccinator muscle compound action potential increased following HSV-HGF application. HGF expression in and around the compressed nerve was demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunoassay and immunohistochemistry. In addition, HSV-HGF introduction around the damaged nerve significantly accelerated recovery of function of the facial nerve. These data suggest a possible role of HGF in promoting facial nerve regeneration after nerve damage. Furthermore, this viral delivery method may be applied clinically for many types of severe facial palsy during facial nerve decompression surgery.

Radiation pneumonitis in patients with lung and mediastinal tumours: a retrospective study of risk factors focused on pulmonary emphysema

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the impact of pulmonary emphysema (PE) on the incidence and severity of radiation pneumonitis (RP) in patients with lung and mediastinal tumours.

METHODS

92 patients were enrolled. Involved-field radiation therapy (non-small cell carcinoma or mediastinal tumours in 69 patients; median 70 Gy) and accelerated hyperfractionation (limited disease small cell carcinoma in 23 patients; median 45 Gy) were performed. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.3.0 was used to evaluate RP and the relationship with the percentage of pulmonary volume irradiated to >20 Gy (V20) and PE. PE was diagnosed by the presence of low-attenuation areas (LAAs) on CT scans and was classified into Grades 0-4 according to the extent of the LAAs.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time was 16 months. The 6-month cumulative incidence of RP at Grade 3 or greater was 7.7% and 34.1% in patients with a V20 of <25% and ≥25%, respectively (p=0.017). In patients with PE Grades 0, 1, 2 and 3 or greater, the incidence of RP was 16.5%, 9.1%, 8.6% and 54.0%, respectively. As the PE Grade increased, the incidence of RP also increased significantly.

CONCLUSION

The incidence and severity of RP are significantly higher in patients with a high V20 value as well as in those with severe PE.

Recovery of cerebrovascular reserves after stenting for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis

Although a decrease in cerebrovascular reserves (CVR) is known to enhance the risk of stroke, changes in this parameter after carotid artery stenting (CAS) have rarely been investigated. The present study is the first to compare CVR recoveries after applying CAS to patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease. CAS was performed for 31 consecutive patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease. They underwent acetazolamide-challenged single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after CAS to obtain data on resting stage cerebral blood flow (CBF(rest) values) in various regions of interest (ROIs) defined by a three-dimensional stereotactic ROI template. CVR values on ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheric sides were then calculated based on the CBF(rest) data. The 31 patients were dichotomized into unilateral (n=22) and bilateral (n=9) lesion groups, and no significant between-group differences were observed in CBF(rest) before and after CAS. In the unilateral group, there were no differences in CVR values before and after CAS. In the bilateral group, however, the CVR values significantly increased in nearly all the investigated ROIs on the contralateral side. Also, the hemispheric CVR values on both sides significantly increased after CAS in the bilateral group, while no such increase was observed in the unilateral group. CAS in patients with symptomatic bilateral carotid artery disease has the potential utility for their haemodynamic improvement even on the contralateral hemispheric side.

Abstract P2-03-01: An Investigation of Factors Influencing Real-Time Tissue Elastography Score

[Purpose]

At 32nd SABCS, we reported that Real-time Tissue Elastography (EG) score was useful in the examinations of mass-forming breast lesions. The results suggested that a possibility of being invasive carcinoma may practically be ruled out when a mass-forming breast lesion scored 1 or 2 on EG. Because the stiffness is relatively visualized in EG, it is possible that the score is influenced by the state of the patient's breast. We examined the factors influencing EG scores in mass-forming breast lesions. [Subject and Method]

EG scores of 502 patients with breast lesions (150 malignant, 352 benign) whose tissues were diagnosed histopathologically from October 2007 to December 2009 were studied. The hardness was scored on a scale 1 to 5 on Tsukuba elasticity scoring system. [Results]

In the 502 cases of mass-forming breast lesions there was a significantly higher score for non-invasive carcinoma and invasive carcinoma than for benign lesions (&lt; 0.0001). No difference in score was observed in a comparison of the location (lateral quadrants, medial quadrants) of the mass-forming lesion. There were significantly lower scores (&lt; 0.0001) in 10 mm in diameter or smaller when comparing three groups of tumor mass diameters: 10 mm in diameter or smaller, 11-20 mm, and 21-30 mm. When the breast density of two groups were examined, “almost entirely fat or scattered fibroglandular tissue” group and “heterogeneously dense or extremely dense” group, there were significantly low scores in the “heterogeneously dense or extremely dense” group (&lt; 0.0001). When the two groups divided by median area of the mammography were examined, there were significantly low scores in the larger breast group (&lt; 0.0001). Although in the total cases examined, all cases were benign in score 1, 6% were malignant in score 2 (5 cases non-invasive carcinoma, 4 cases invasive carcinoma). When 3 cases in which pathology results of the surgical specimen were obtained were examined among the 4 cases of invasive carcinoma, widespread intraductal spread was observed in the surrounding invasive carcinoma. [Conclusion]

Through this investigation we ascertained that EG scores are influenced by lesion size and the state of the patient's breast. In addition, care must be taken given the possibility of low scores in invasive carcinoma with widespread intraductal spread.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-03-01.

Biomatrices and biomaterials for future developments of bioprinting and biofabrication

The next step beyond conventional scaffold-based tissue engineering is cell-based direct biofabrication techniques. In industrial processes, various three-dimensional (3D) prototype models have been fabricated using several different rapid prototyping methods, such as stereo-lithography, 3D printing and laser sintering, as well as others, in which a variety of chemical materials are utilized. However, with direct cell-based biofabrication, only biocompatible materials can be used, and the manufacturing process must be performed under biocompatible and physiological conditions. We have developed a direct 3D cell printing system using inkjet and gelation techniques with inkjet droplets, and found that it had good potential to construct 3D structures with multiple types of cells. With this system, we have used alginate and fibrin hydrogel materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Herein, we discuss the roles of hydrogel for biofabrication and show that further developments in biofabrication technology with biomatrices will play a major part, as will developments in manufacturing technology. It is important to explore suitable biomatrices as the next key step in biofabrication techniques.

[A study for testing the antifungal susceptibility of yeast by the Japanese Society for Medical Mycology (JSMM) method. The proposal of the modified JSMM method 2009]

The Japanese Society for Medical Mycology (JSMM) method used for testing the antifungal susceptibility of yeast, the MIC end point for azole antifungal agents, is currently set at IC(80). It was recently shown, however that there is an inconsistency in the MIC value between the JSMM method and the CLSI M27-A2 (CLSI) method, in which the end- point was to read as IC(50). To resolve this discrepancy and reassess the JSMM method, the MIC for three azoles, fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole were compared to 5 strains of each of the following Candida species: C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C. krusei, for a total of 25 comparisons, using the JSMM method, a modified JSMM method, and the CLSI method. The results showed that when the MIC end- point criterion of the JSMM method was changed from IC(80) to IC(50) (the modified JSMM method) , the MIC value was consistent and compatible with the CLSI method. Finally, it should be emphasized that the JSMM method, using a spectrophotometer for MIC measurement, was superior in both stability and reproducibility, as compared to the CLSI method in which growth was assessed by visual observation.

62 RECOVERY OF CELL NUCLEI FROM 15 000-YEAR-OLD MAMMOTH TISSUES AND INJECTION INTO MOUSE ENUCLEATED MATURED OOCYTES

Since the report of “Dolly” (Wilmut et al. 1997 Nature 385, 810-813), cloned animals have been successfully produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In those reports, cultured or fresh cells were mainly used as nuclear donor cells in SCNT. Meanwhile, there was a report of the birth of offspring by SCNT with the nuclear donor cell derived from frozen whole body kept at -20°C for 16 years without cryoprotectant (Wakayama et al. 2008 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105, 17 318-17 322). This report suggests that if tissues or cells are cryopreserved postmortem without cryoprotectant, resurrection of the postmortem animal individual might be possible by SCNT. Furthermore, in cases of extinct or endangered species, it is difficult to use oocytes derived from same species as the recipient cytoplasm. However, there was a report of the birth of offspring by SCNT with oocytes derived from closely related species (Lanza et al. 2000 Cloning 2, 79-90). This result suggests that if oocytes from closely related species are available as the recipient cytoplasm, it would be possible to resurrect extinct or endangered species by SCNT. Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) is a famous animal that existed during the ice ages and became extinct at the end of the last ice age. Its relics have been excavated from permafrost. Recently, the prospect of the resurrection of woolly mammoth by SCNT has heightened. However, even if the soft tissue of the woolly mammoth is excavated, it is not clear whether its cell nuclei retain their biological characteristics for more than several thousand years. In this study, we recovered cell nuclei from 15 000-year-old mammoth tissues and injected them into mouse enucleated matured oocytes as the nuclear donor in SCNT. Frozen mammoth legs were excavated from Northeast Siberian permafrost at the point of 71°34′56.9″ N and 141°37′37.6″ E. The conventional radiocarbon age of the sample after 13C correction was 13 100 to 12800 BC or 12400 to 11 800 BC. Cell nucleus-like structures were successfully recovered from skin and muscle tissues. Those nuclei were then injected into enucleated BDF1 mouse oocytes, and more than half of the injected oocytes were able to survive (67%; 12/18 for oocytes injected with skin-derived nucleus, 55%; 72/131 for oocytes injected with muscle-derived nucleus and 33%; 26/80 for oocytes injected with frozen-thawed mouse bone marrow-derived nucleus as the control group). Injected nuclei were not taken apart and retained their nuclear structure. Those oocytes did not show disappearance of nuclear membrane or premature chromosome condensation at 1 h after injection and did not form pronuclear-like structures at 7 h after injection. Because one-half of the oocytes injected with nuclei derived from frozen-thawed mouse bone marrow cells were able to form pronuclear-like structures (46%; 12/26), it might be possible to promote the cell cycle of nuclei from ancient animal tissues by suitable pretreatment in SCNT. This is the first report of SCNT with nuclei derived from mammoth tissues. This study was funded in part by Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

70 FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR 4 PROMOTES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER EMBRYOS IN MICE

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos can develop during the preimplantation period; however, most of these die after implantation period. A transcription factor, Cdx2, promotes differentiation of extraembryonic tissues and appears to be involved in the segregation of inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) in preimplantation embryos. So far, we have demonstrated that the expression of Cdx2 in mouse SCNT embryos is delayed and its expression level is significantly lower than that in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) embryos. Moreover, the ectopic expression of Oct-3/4 was observed in the TE tissues of SCNT blastocysts, but not in ICSI blastocysts. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor 2 (FGFR2) is specifically expressed in 8-cell to morula-stage embryos and trophectoderm (TE) and is essential for implantation; however, FGFR2 expression in SCNT embryos significantly decreases compared with IVF embryos. Therefore, it is likely that abnormality of differentiation that is controlled in development of pre-implantation in SCNT embryos leads to a rapid decrease of subsequent developmental ability. Then, we investigated the effects of FGF4 on development of SCNT embryos. Mouse SCNT embryos were produced according to the method reported previously (Wakayama et al. 1998). B6D2F1 and B6C3F1 female mice were used for the collection of recipient oocytes and donor cells, respectively. Data were analyzed by Student’s t-test. First, the timing to start adding FGF4 was decided by FGFR2 expression time about 54 h after cell injection and treated for 3, 6, 12, 24, and 42 h thereafter. In the case of FGF4 concentration at 25 ng mL-1 with treating time of 6 h from the 4- to 8-cell stages, SCNT embryos significantly promoted the development to morula and blastocyst stages (91 and 45%, respectively) compared with IVF embryos (80 and 30%, respectively; P < 0.05). However, longer treatment of 42 h with FGF4 made their morphology considerably worse. Then, concentrations of FGF4 at 5, 25, 50, 250, and 500 ng mL-1 with treating time of 6 h was examined. In case of FGF4 concentration at 25 and 50 ng mL-1, SCNT embryos significantly promoted the development to morula and blastocyst stages (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical analysis showed segregation of the expression of Oct-3/4 and Cdx2 in ICM and TE, respectively, in FGF4-treated SCNT embryos, unlike in the case of nontreated SCNT embryos, which showed an ectopic expression of Oct-3/4 in TE tissues. Furthermore, after the transplantation of SCNT embryos treated with FGF4 at 50 ng mL-1 and the treating time of 6 h to recipient mice, most of the transferred embryos implanted and cloned mice were successfully produced as well as nontreated SCNT embryos. Therefore, FGF4 facilitates the development of SCNT embryos especially to the morula and blastocyst stages. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Correlation between Histopathological Diagnosis and Real-Time Tissue Elastography Scores

Background“Hardness” is important characteristics of carcinoma. Recent invention of Real-time Tissue Elastography (EG) has made scaling the hardness possible. At 31st SABCS, we reported that B-mode ultrasound(US)+mammography(MMG)+EG demonstrated high sensitivity even for the malignancy of the mass-forming lesions of 1.1 cm or smaller in diameter. This results suggested that possibility of a mass-forming lesion being malignant is ignorable low when it is judged as “not malignant” by this combined method. In this study, we verified correlation between EG score and histopathological diagnosis.Method416 patients with mass-forming and non-mass-forming breast lesions (118 malignant, 298 benign) whose tissues were diagnosed by histopathologically from October 2007 to March 2009 were studied. The hardness was scored on a scale 1 to 5 on Tsukuba elasticity scoring system.ResultsIn mass-forming breast lesions, the mean overall score of malignant diseases was 4.1 (invasive carcinoma 4.3, noninvasive carcinoma 3.5), and the mean overall score of benign diseases was 2.4, and thus scores of malignant diseases were significantly high (&lt; 0.0001). On the other hand, in non-mass-forming breast lesions, the mean overall score of malignant diseases was 2.3 (invasive carcinoma 2.5, noninvasive carcinoma 2.4), and the mean overall score of benign diseases was 2.0, and thus no differences were seen between them. Furthermore, for examination by mass-forming lesions combined with non-mass-forming lesions the mean score of noninvasive carcinomas was 2.5.ConclusionIt was found that in mass-forming lesions, high scores suggest invasive carcinoma and low scores suggest benign diseases. However, as in non-mass-forming lesions, both invasive and noninvasive carcinomas almost show no high EG scores, it appeared necessary to look into invasive examinations such as biopsy for the diagnosis of non-mass-forming lesions.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 5026.

Candida auris sp. nov., a novel ascomycetous yeast isolated from the external ear canal of an inpatient in a Japanese hospital

A single strain of a novel ascomycetous yeast species belonging to the genus Candida was isolated from the external ear canal of an inpatient in a Japanese hospital. Analyses of the 26S rDNA D1/D2 domain, nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS region sequences, and chemotaxonomic studies indicated that this strain represents a new species with a close phylogenetic relationship to Candida ruelliae and Candida haemulonii in the Metschnikowiaceae clade. This strain grew well at 40 degrees C, but showed slow and weak growth at 42 degrees C. The taxonomic description of Candida auris sp. nov. is proposed (type strain JCM15448T= CBS10913T= DSM21092T).

Conversion from mycophenolate mofetil to mizoribine for patients with positive polyomavirus type BK in urine

It is known that administration of mycophenolate mofetile (MMF) is associated with BK virus (BKV) nephropathy in renal transplant recipients. To determine any inhibitory effect of mizoribine for BKV, seven patients with positive BKV in their urine who took MMF as immunosuppressive therapy were evaluated after MMF was changed to mizoribine. Baseline BKV DNA in urine, which ranged from 2.2 x 10(2) to 5.5 x 10(6) copies per milliliter, decreased in all cases (mean = 1.9 x 10(-1) times; median 2.8 x 10(-3) times). Four cases turned negative within 6 months and one within 12 months. No acute rejection or deterioration of graft function occurred during the administration of mizoribine. An inhibitory effect of mizoribine on BKV was suggested.