A new human leukocyte antigen class I allele: HLA-A*11:125

HLA-A*11:125 allele differs from A*11:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution at nt 140 from T to C.

[Phenolic compounds in branches of Tamarix rasissima]

To study the chemical constituents of the branches of Tamarix rasissima, repeated silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and recrystallization were applied for chemical constituents isolation and purification. Ten phenolic compounds were isolated from the n-BuOH fraction and their structures were elucidated by physical properties and spectra analysis such as UV, ESI-MS and NMR as monodecarboxyellagic acid (1), ellagic acid (2), 3, 3'-di-O-methylellagic acid (3), 3, 3'-di-O-methylellagic acid-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), 3, 3'-di-O-methylellagic acid-4'-O-alpha-D-arabinfuranoside (5), ferulic acid (6), isoferulic acid (7), caffeic acid (8), 4-O-acetyl-caffeic acid (9), and 4-methyl-1, 2-benzenediol (10). All compounds except for isoferulic acid were isolated firstly from this plant except for isoferulic acid, and compounds 5, 9 and 10 were obtained from Tamarix genus for the first time.

[Environmental geochemical baseline of heavy metals in soils of the Ili river basin and pollution evaluation]

Environmental geochemical baseline models of Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Hg were established by standardized method in the ehernozem, chestnut soil, sierozem and saline soil from the Ili river valley region. The theoretical baseline values were calculated. Baseline factor pollution index evaluation method, environmental background value evaluation method and heavy metal cleanliness evaluation method were used to compare soil pollution degrees. The baseline factor pollution index evaluation showed that As pollution was the most prominent among the four typical types of soils within the river basin, with 7.14%, 9.76%, 7.50% of sampling points in chernozem, chestnut soil and sierozem reached the heavy pollution, respectively. 7.32% of sampling points of chestnut soil reached the permitted heavy metal Pb pollution index in the chestnut soil. The variation extent of As and Pb was the largest, indicating large human disturbance. Environmental background value evaluation showed that As was the main pollution element, followed by Cu, Zn and Pb. Heavy metal cleanliness evaluation showed that Cu, Zn and Pb were better than cleanliness level 2 and Hg was the of cleanliness level 1 in all four types of soils. As showed moderate pollution in sierozem, and it was of cleanliness level 2 or better in chernozem, chestnut soil and saline-alkali soil. Comparing the three evaluation systems, the baseline factor pollution index evaluation more comprehensively reflected the geochemical migration characteristics of elements and the soil formation processes, and the pollution assessment could be specific to the sampling points. The environmental background value evaluation neglected the natural migration of heavy metals and the deposition process in the soil since it was established on the regional background values. The main purpose of the heavy metal cleanliness evaluation was to evaluate the safety degree of soil environment.

Expression of TRPV6 and CaBP-D28k in the egg shell gland (uterus) during the oviposition cycle of the laying hen

1. The aim of this study was to investigate the localisation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid channel type 6 (TRPV6) in egg shell gland (ESG) and examine the dynamic expression of TRPV6 and Calbindin-d28k (CaBP-D28k), as well as the changes in concentration of total calcium (Ca), total inorganic phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) in plasma during the oviposition cycle. 2. The plasma ALP activity was notably increased at 8 h. In addition, plasma CT was highest at 0 h and significantly lower at 8 h. The change of plasma PTH concentration increased slightly post-oviposition and reached a maximum at 16 h. 3. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that TRPV6 was strongly localised to the apical luminal epithelium of the mucosa. The mRNA levels of TRPV6 and CaBP-D28k in the ESG remained very low from 0 to 4.5 h, but were significantly increased at 16 h. Furthermore, Western blotting analysis showed that the expression of TRPV6 and CaBP-D28k also reached a maximum at 16 h and was different from the concentration of CaBP-D28k. 4. In conclusion, the epithelial Ca(2+) channel TRPV6 is strongly expressed in the epithelial cells of the eggshell gland, and the increase of TRPV6 and CaBP-D28k mRNA and protein expression during eggshell formation suggests that active Ca(2+) transcellular transport exerts significant effects in delivering active calcium in the ESG.

Alteration of the intestinal barrier and GLP2 secretion in Berberine-treated type 2 diabetic rats

For centuries, Berberine has been used in the treatment of enteritis in China, and it is also known to have anti-hyperglycemic effects in type 2 diabetic patients. However, as Berberine is insoluble and rarely absorbed in gastrointestinal tract, the mechanism by which it works is unclear. We hypothesized that it may act locally by ameliorating intestinal barrier abnormalities and endotoxemia. A high-fat diet combined with low-dose streptozotocin was used to induce type 2 diabetes in male Sprague Dawley rats. Berberine (100 mg/kg) was administered by lavage to diabetic rats for 2 weeks and saline was given to controls. Hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance improved in the Berberine group, although there was no significant decrease in blood glucose. Berberine treatment also led to a notable restoration of intestinal villi/mucosa structure and less infiltration of inflammatory cells, along with a decrease in plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) level. Tight junction protein zonula occludens 1 (ZO1) was also decreased in diabetic rats but was restored by Berberine treatment. Glutamine-induced glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP2) secretion from ileal tissue decreased dramatically in the diabetic group but was restored by Berberine treatment. Fasting insulin, insulin resistance index, plasma LPS level, and ZO1 expression were significantly correlated with GLP2 level. In type 2 diabetic rats, Berberine treatment not only augments GLP2 secretion and improves diabetes but is also effective in repairing the damaged intestinal mucosa, restoring intestinal permeability, and improving endotoxemia. Whether these effects are mechanistically related will require further studies, but they certainly support the hypothesis that Berberine acts via modulation of intestinal function.

Development of high-speed and wide-angle visible observation diagnostics on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak using catadioptric optics

A new wide-angle endoscope for visible light observation on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has been recently developed. The head section of the optical system is based on a mirror reflection design that is similar to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor-like wide-angle observation diagnostic on the Joint European Torus. However, the optical system design has been simplified and improved. As a result, the global transmittance of the system is as high as 79.6% in the wavelength range from 380 to 780 nm, and the spatial resolution is <5 mm for the full depth of field (4000 mm). The optical system also has a large relative aperture (1:2.4) and can be applied in high-speed camera diagnostics. As an important diagnostic tool, the optical system has been installed on the HT-7 (Hefei Tokamak-7) for its final experimental campaign, and the experiments confirmed that it can be applied to the investigation of transient processes in plasma, such as ELMy eruptions in H-mode, on EAST.

Bioactive abietane and ent-kaurane diterpenoids from Isodon tenuifolius

Three new abietane diterpenoids, isoabietenins A-C (1-3), and 13 new ent-kauranoids, tenuifolins A-M (4-16), along with four known compounds (17-20), were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon tenuifolius. The structures of the new metabolites were established on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configurations of 1, 15, and 16 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Selected compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against a small panel of human tumor cell lines, and some compounds showed inhibitory effects. Furthermore, several isolates exhibited inhibitory activity against nitric oxide production in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophages.

Abstract P2-05-20: Validation and comparison of CS-IHC4 score with a nomogram based on Ki67 index, Adjuvant! Online, and St. Gallen risk stratification to predict recurrence in early Hormone Receptor (HR)-positive breast cancers

Background: Recently, the information in the IHC score was reported to be similar to that in the 21-gene Genomic Health recurrence score (GHI-RS). The aim of this study is to develop a nomogram based on Ki67 index to predict recurrence and to validate the nomogram by comparison with CS-IHC4 as well as Adjuvant! Online and St. Galen risk stratification. In addition, we validated our nomogram with external cohort.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of 1,070 postoperative HR-positive breast cancer patients between 2004 and 2007 at the Samsung Medical Center to determine recurrence-free survival (RFS). We constructed nomogram using Cox proportional hazard model and validated externally in a cohort of 1,028 at Seoul National University Hospital. A prognostic model that used classical variables, Adjuvant! Online, St. Gallen risk stratification, and the four IHC markers (IHC4 score) were created and assessed in our cohort by LR-χ2 test using the bootstrapping method.

Results: Nomogram showed an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.70 (95% CI, 0.62–0.75) in the training set. The validation set showed a good discrimination with an AUC of 0.65 (95% CI, 0.58–0.72). In LR-χ2 test, the nomogram score was found to be more informative than the IHC4 with CS (LR-χ2 4.0539 [df1], 95% CI; 0.1038–8.004 for CS-IHC4 + nomogram score vs. CS-IHC4).

Strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and origin of ferroelectricity in Cu2OSeO3

By performing density functional calculations, we investigate the origin of the Skyrmion state and ferroelectricity in Cu2OSeO3. We find that the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions between the two different kinds of Cu ions are extremely strong and induce the helical ground state and the Skyrmion state in the absence and presence of a magnetic field, respectively. On the basis of the general model for the spin-order induced polarization, we propose that the ferroelectric polarization of Cu2OSeO3 in the collinear ferrimagnetic state arises from an unusual mechanism, i.e., the single-spin-site contribution due to the spin-orbit coupling.

Hypoxia inducible factor-1α gene polymorphisms in Korean patients with pre-eclampsia

BACKGROUND

Placental hypoxia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is activated by low oxygen tension and is a key regulator of genes involved in the cellular responses to hypoxia.

AIM

We determined whether maternal blood c.1722C>T (Pro582Ser) and c.1790G>A (Ala588Thr) polymorphisms in exon 12 of the HIF-1α gene are associated with pre-eclampsia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Subjects included 163 pre-eclamptic patients (48 mild and 115 severe preeclampsia) and 194 healthy pregnant women. Polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR and direct DNA sequencing.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies of the c.1772C>T and c.1790G>A polymorphisms of the HIF-1α gene among the study groups. Moreover, subgroup analysis according to pre-eclampsia severity revealed no significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies of the HIF-1α c.1772C>T and c.1790G>A polymorphism in mild pre-eclamptic compared to severe pre-eclamptic group. In addition, there were no significant differences in the frequencies of 3 haplotypes (C-G,-G, T-G, and C-A) between the control and pre-eclamptic groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the HIF-1α gene polymorphisms are not associated with the development of pre-eclampsia in the studied Korean women population.

Lanostane triterpenoids from the stems of Schisandra glaucescens

Ten new triterpenoids, schiglausins A-J (1-10), as well as four known compounds, were isolated from the stems of Schisandra glaucescens. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods, including extensive NMR spectra and CD experiment. Compound 8 was determined to be a norlanostane triterpenoid. The crystal structure of compound 1 has been determined using single-crystal X-ray analysis while its absolute configuration was assigned on the basis of the CD spectrum. All isolates were tested for their FXR agonistic and antagonistic effects.

Vibrational resonance in Duffing systems with fractional-order damping

The phenomenon of vibrational resonance (VR) is investigated in over- and under-damped Duffing systems with fractional-order damping. It is found that the factional-order damping can induce change in the number of the steady stable states and then lead to single- or double-resonance behavior. Compared with vibrational resonance in the ordinary systems, the following new results are found in the fractional-order systems. (1) In the overdamped system with double-well potential and ordinary damping, there is only one kind of single-resonance, whereas there are double-resonance and two kinds of single-resonance for the case of fractional-order damping. The necessary condition for these new resonance behaviors is the value of the fractional-order satisfies α > 1. (2) In the overdamped system with single-well potential and ordinary damping, there is no resonance, whereas there is a single-resonance for the case of fractional-order damping. The necessary condition for the new result is α > 1. (3) In the underdamped system with double-well potential and ordinary damping, there are double-resonance and one kind of single-resonance, whereas there are double-resonance and two kinds of single-resonance for the case of fractional-order damping. The necessary condition for the new single-resonance is α < 1. (4) In the underdamped system with single-well potential, there is at most a single-resonance existing for both the cases of ordinary and fractional-order damping. In the underdamped systems, varying the value of the fractional-order is equivalent to change the damping parameter for some cases.

Dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans from Kadsura polysperma and their antineurodegenerative activities

Eleven new dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, polysperlignans A-K (1-11), and eight known analogues (12-19) were isolated from the stems of Kadsura polysperma. Their structures and absolute configurations were established using a combination of MS, NMR, CD, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. Selected compounds were evaluated for activity against β-amyloid- or hydrogen peroxide-induced neurotoxicity on PC12 cells, and 1, 2, 4, 5, 13, and 16 showed statistically significant neuroprotective effects in these in vitro assays.

Localisation and expression of TRPV6 in all intestinal segments and kidney of laying hens

1. The aim of this study was to investigate the localisation and expression of the epithelial Ca2+ channel TRPV6 (transient receptor potential vanilloid channel type 6) in different intestinal segments and kidney of laying hens during peak lay. 2. Immunohistochemical analysis of the intestine indicated that TRPV6 was localised to the brush-border membranes of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, and rectum. Expression was weaker in the rectum, and little or no expression was found in crypt and goblet cells. In addition, TRPV6 mRNA was quantified amongst different intestinal segments, and expression was highest in the duodenum and jejunum. Furthermore, Western blotting indicated that the duodenum expressed the greatest amount of TRPV6 and the rectum the least with the other segments expressing intermediate levels. 3. In the kidney, distinct immunopositive staining for TRPV6 was detected at the apical domain of the distal convoluted tubules (DCT) and medullary connecting tubules (CNT). Interestingly, distribution of TRPV6 extended to the proximal convoluted tubules (PCT). Furthermore, the kidney expressed lower TRPV6 mRNA and protein levels compared with that in the duodenum. 4. In conclusion, the epithelial Ca2+ channel TRPV6 is strongly expressed in the apical cells of the entire intestine and the renal tubules, suggesting that active Ca2+ transcellular transport plays a crucial role in dietary calcium (re)absorption in laying hens.

P5-01-11: Small Node-Negative (T1b-cN0) Invasive Hormone Receptor (HR)-Positive Breast Cancers: Is There a Population Which Might Have Benefit from Adjuvant Chemotherapy?

Background

It has been widely accepted that small and node-negative breast cancers have an excellent prognosis and do not generally have clinical benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Recently, the role of adjuvant chemotherapy for small node negative breast cancers has been justified in some high-risk patients, which include HER2−positive and triple negative breast cancers. However, the question has been raised as to whether there are some patients who might have benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in small node-negative HR-positive breast cancers. According to the current 2011 NCCN guideline, 21-gene RT-PCR assay can be considered for tumor size of more than 0.5 cm in HR-positive, HER2−negative cancers. In cases of high recurrence score (≥ 31), adjuvant chemotherapy in addition to endocrine therapy is recommended as category 2B. Because gene array cannot routinely be used in clinical practice and has not been validated in prospective randomized trials and the usefulness of it still needs to be defined, it would be better if there were valuable markers to determine risk for relapse in this setting. We hypothesized that there could be a population who might have clinical benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in this small node-negative HR-positive tumors.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of 538 postoperative HR-positive (ER-positive and/or PgR-positive) T1b-cN0 breast cancer patients between 2004 and 2007 at the Samsung Medical Center. We performed Cox regression multivariate analysis for relapse using variables from univariate analysis by log-rank test for relapse.

Results: The median age at diagnosis was 46 years (range, 22–79). During the median 60.5 months of follow-up, the 5-year recurrence rate was 5.2%. Anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 44.8% of the patients. Adjuvant endocrine and radiation treatment were administered to 94.6% and 63.7% of the patients. There were significant differences according to histologic grade (HG), Ki67 index, and age of less than 35 years in univariate analyses regarding RFS (p=0.003, p&lt;0.0001, and p=0.003, respectively by log-rank test). There was no significant difference according to tumor size of subcentimeter (&lt; 1cm) (p=0.826). In Cox regression multivariate analysis, high Ki67 index and young age of less than 35 years were identified as independent risk factors for relapse (p&lt;0.0001 for Ki67 index and 0.015 for young age). The high risk patients (n=24, 4.5%) who have high Ki67 index (more than 75%, 4+) or young age of less than 35 and more than 50% of Ki67 index showed better RFS with statistical significance for anthracycline-containing adjuvant chemotherapy (p=0.029).

Conclusion: A patients’ population may exist who have clinical benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in T1b-cN0 HR-positive breast cancer patients. Ki67 index and age are useful as valuable surrogate markers to predict recurrence and to have benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in this population.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-01-11.

P1-12-15: Adjuvant Trastuzumab Effect on HER2−Positive Breast Cancers According to Hormonal Receptor (HR) Status: Crosstalk between ER and EGFR/HER2 Pathway May Prevent Trastuzumab from Improving Outcomes in HER2−Positive and HR-Positive Breast Cancers

Background: Crosstalk between growth factor receptor, especially the EGFR/HER2 pathway, and ER pathways has been associated with endocrine resistance. Thus, combination therapy targeting both ER and EGFR/HER2 signaling to block the crosstalk between these pathways and eliminate escape routes have been proven effective in both preclinical and clinical models. Anti-HER2 directed therapy has been reported to restore hormone sensitivity in HER2−positive breast cancers. Adding trastuzumab to conventional treatment has been a standard treatment of choice in HER2−positive breast cancer irrespective of hormonal receptor (HR) status. The purpose of the study is to evaluate adding effect of 1 year of trastuzumab to conventional adjuvant treatment in patients with HER2−positive breast cancer who received surgery according to HR status.

Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of 618 postoperative HER2−positive breast cancer patients between 2001 and 2008 at the Samsung Medical Center. Most of HER2−positive patients in our institute were treated with 1 year of trastuzumab as a part of adjuvant therapy since 2007 (post-trastuzumab era) compared with 2000–2006 (pre-trastuzumab era). Clinical outcomes including recurrence-free survival (RFS) were analyzed between pre-trastuzumab and post-trastuzumab era according to HR status. We performed Cox regression multivariate analysis for relapse using variables from univariate analysis by log-rank test for relapse. Clinical presentations and clinicopathologic characteristics were evaluated at the time of recurrence between both eras.

Results: The median age at diagnosis was 46 years (range, 22–79). During the median 60.0 months of follow-up, the 5-year recurrence rate was 20.2%. The 618 patients were divided into two groups (patients who received (n=175) and did not receive (n=443) adjuvant trastuzumab). Recurrence rate was much lower in post-trastuzumab era than in pre-trastuzumab era (13.6% vs. 32.3%, p&lt;0.0001). Improving outcomes due to adding trastuzumab in patients with HER2+ve/HR-ve patients showed significant benefit from trastuzumab throughout the follow-up period (p=0.004). However, this improving effect appeared not to be consistent with statistical significance in HER2+ve/HR+ve patients (p=0.135). The analyses were performed according to quantitative ER Allred scores in HER2+ve/ER+ve patients, the effect of adding trastuzumab appeared to be mitigated as time over without any statistical significance (p=0.975). Young age (≤35) (hazard ratio (HR) 2.4, p&lt;0.0001), trastuzumab use (HR 0.4, p=0.001), and node positivity (HR 2.8, p&lt;0.0001) were identified as independent prognostic factors for recurrence in Cox-regression multivariate analysis. Limiting to HER2+ve/ER+ve patients, the statistical significances of trastuzumab use as independent factors were not maintained in Cox-regression models (p=0.074 for trastuzumab use).

Conclusion: Cross-talk between ER and EGFR/HER2 pathways may mitigate trastuzumab effect in HER2+ve/ER+ve breast cancers. Further study is warranted.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-12-15.

P2-12-19: Nomogram To Predict Recurrence and To Avoid Unnecessary Adjuvant Chemotherapy Based on Ki67 Index and ER Status in Hormone Receptor (HR)-Positive Breast Cancers with Low Number of Nodal Metastases (≤3) (NCT01273415)

Background

Hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancers characterized with ER-associated genes are differentiated luminal B from luminal A tumors mainly by proliferation genes. According to NCCN guideline 2011, node positivity has been a main determinant to decide adjuvant chemotherapy with category 1. However, the experts’ panel at the St. Gallen Consensus in 2009 do not provides definite indications to give or withhold chemotherapy in patient group with intermediate criteria including low numbers (1-3, N1) of involved lymph nodes. Thus, in cases of limited number of nodal metastases, the role of biologic factors including Ki67 index needs to be defined. The aims of this study are to evaluate of Ki67 index as a useful surrogate marker to predict recurrence and to avoid unnecessary adjuvant chemotherapy and to develop nomogram based on Ki67 index to determine adjuvant therapeutic options in HR-positive in N0 and N1 breast cancers.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of 953 postoperative HR-positive N0 and N1 breast cancer patients between 2004 and 2007 at the Samsung Medical Center. We constructed nomogram based on Cox regression model using independent factors demonstrated in multivariate analysis and validated externally in a cohort of 895 patients treated at Seoul National University Hospital.

Results: In Cox regression multivariate analysis, ER-ve/PgR+ve and Ki67 index were identified as independent factors.

Isorosthornins A-C, new ent-kaurane diterpenoids from Isodon rosthornii

Three new ent-kauranoids, isorosthornins A-C (1–3), and a new natural product, dihydroponicidin (4), together with five known ones were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon rosthornii. The structures were determined by means of extensive spectroscopic analysis. All diterpenoids isolated were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7, and SW480 cell lines, and compounds 5 and 7 showed significant inhibitory effects on all cell lines.