Phasic synaptic incorporation of GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors at gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons is involved in the generation of the luteinizing hormone surge in female rats

Reproductive success depends on a robust and appropriately timed preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, which is induced by the activation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in response to positive feedback from increasing estrogen levels. Here we document an increase in postsynaptic GluR2-lacking Ca2+ -permeable AMPA-type glutamate receptors (CP-AMPARs) at synapses on GnRH neurons on the day of proestrus in rats, coincident with the increase in estrogen levels. Functional blockade of CP-AMPARs depressed the synaptic responses only on the day of proestrus and concomitantly attenuated the LH surge. Thus, the phasic synaptic incorporation of postsynaptic CP-AMPARs on GnRH neurons is involved in the generation of the LH surge.

Magnetic phase diagram of clathrate compound Ce3Pd20Si6 with quadrupolar ordering

We present results of specific heat measurements on a Ce3Pd20Si6 single crystal and construct the magnetic phase diagram for the three cubic principal directions [100], [110] and [111]. The highly anisotropic phase diagram is discussed and can be qualitatively explained by the Zeeman splitting at the 8c-site. For B ‖ [100], the present study found two different quadrupolar ordered phases, which meet the paramagnetic phase at a tri-critical point and establish the new phase boundaries.

UGT1A1 genotype-specific phase I and pharmacokinetic study for combination chemotherapy with irinotecan and cisplatin: a Saitama Tumor Board study

INTRODUCTION

Genotyping of UGTI1Al could be useful for prediction of severe toxicities for patients treated with irinotecan; however, genotype-based recommended dose (RD) has not been established. The aim of the present study was to determine the RD of irinotecan in combination with cisplatin (CPT-P) for individuals with or without UGT1A1 polymorphisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

According to polymorphisms of UGTIAl*28, *6, and *27, RDs were determined by three-case cohort methods for patients with wild-type and heterotype, and by inter-patient dose escalation for homotype patients. Pharmacokinetic studies were also evaluated. During May 2009 and July 2011, 18 Japanese patients were enrolled; 16 patients with ovarian carcinoma, and two cases with cervical cancer. The RD of irinotecan was determined as 50 mg/m2 for the patients with wild-type, 40 mg/m2 for those with heterotype, and 30 mg/m2 for homotype UGT IAl genotype.

RESULTS

Patients with homotype UGTIAl1 alleles had a significantly lower glucuronidation ratio in comparison with UGTIAI wild-type and heterotype cases.

CONCLUSION

UGT1A1 genotype-based RDs of irinotecan in CPT-P therapy were determined. Further studies to investigate efficacy of the RD including response evaluation are needed to confirm the present results.

Effect of biochanin-a or testosterone on liver-tumors induced by a combined treatment of den and fission neutron in bcf1 mice

To determine the biological effect of biochanin A, miso or NaCl and sexual influence of testosterone on liver tumor induction, male and female BCF1 mice were i.p. injected once with DEN at a dose of 5 mug/g body weight at 15 days of age. In order to shorten the latency of liver tumor occurrence, the whole body of mice were exposed to 2 Gy of Cf-252 fission neutrons at four weeks of age. Three days later, female mice were surgically ovariectomized and given the various doses of testosterone melted into a cholesterol pellet. Male mice were fed on 10 ppm, 20 ppm biochanin A, 10% miso or 2% NaCl supplemented diet for 8 weeks (from 21 to 28 weeks of age) and 4 weeks (from 32 to 36 weeks of age). All mice were sacrificed at 40 weeks of age. Multiplicity of liver tumors was expressed in four different size ranges by <2, 3-5, 6-10 and >10 mm2. Incidence of liver tumors in all experimental groups except in group 1 at 20 weeks were observed at 100%. Average tumor size and multiplicity were smaller at 20 weeks compared to those of 40-week groups. Male groups fed 20 ppm biochanin A and 2% NaCl had an increase in body weight with significant difference from control by p<0.01. Liver weights were more-or-less the same in all groups except an increase was seen in the group of 20 ppm biochanin A (p<0.01). In female groups, both 0.2 mg and 1 mg of testosterone administration resulted in an increase of tumor multiplicities and a decrease of liver weight compared to that of control group with significant differences. In both male and female groups, majority of liver tumor sizes were in the range of 3-5 mm2. Tumor multiplicities and size in less than 2 mm2 in biochanin A groups, 10% miso and 2% NaCl decreased significantly from control group. These findings suggest that 15-20 weeks is the time in which 1-2 mm2 size of liver tumors start to appear. Among others, biochanin A is a component of miso. The potent anti-tumorigenic effect of dietary miso for mouse liver tumorigenesis may be strenghtened by a combination of factors such as the presence of Biochanin A, protease inhibitors and various fermented enzymes.

Chronic atherosclerotic mesenteric ischemia that started to develop symptoms just after anaphylaxis

An 83-year-old woman was referred to our emergency department with acute urticaria and sudden shortness of breath approximately 30 min after taking rectal diclofenac potassium for lumbago. After treatment with adrenaline and corticosteroids, the patient became hemodynamically stable and left the hospital on the next day. She attended our hospital 1 week after the onset of anaphylaxis because of repeated postprandial epigastric pain. No abnormal lesions were found in endoscopy. Radiographic selective catheter angiography revealed chronic mesenteric ischemia caused by atherosclerosis and abundant collateral arteries between the celiac trunk, the superior mesenteric artery and the inferior mesenteric artery. Patients with chronic mesenteric ischemia usually present with a clinical syndrome characterized by painful abdominal cramps and colic occurring typically during the postprandial phase. Fear of eating resulted in malnutrition. She was prescribed proton pump inhibitor, digestants, anticholinergic agents, serine protease inhibitors, prokinetics, antiplatelet agents and transdermal nitroglycerin intermittently, but these had no beneficial effects. It was most probable that this patient with chronic atherosclerotic mesenteric ischemia was suffering from functional abdominal pain syndrome induced by anaphylaxis. Since psychiatric disorders were associated with alterations in the processing of visceral sensation, we facilitated the patient's understanding of functional abdominal pain syndrome with the psychologist. Postprandial abdominal pain gradually faded after administration of these drugs and the patient left the hospital. Developing a satisfactory patient-physician relationship was considered more effective for the management of persistent abdominal pain caused by complicated mechanisms.

Prognosis of high-grade endometrial cancer: a comparison of serous-type and clear cell type to grade 3 endometrioid-type

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate prognosis of high-grade endometrial cancers, comparing serous (SC) and clear cell (CCC) types to grade 3 endometrioid carcinoma (ECG3).

METHODS

Among patients with endometrial cancer treated in two decades, medical records of patients with high-grade endometrial cancer were retrospectively investigated.

RESULTS

Of 447 endometrial cancers, 107 (24%) high-grade endometrial cancers were identified, with the increasing incidence in the last decade (28% vs 19%; p = 0.026). There were 24 SC, 14 CCC and 69 ECG3. Median age was 62, 68, and 61 years, respectively, with the CCC type showing an elder age than the ECG3 type (p = 0.012). The rates of patients with Stage IIIc-IV, lymph node assessment or complete resection at primary surgery, and post-operative chemotherapy were not significantly different; however, response rate to first-line chemotherapy in patients with measurable disease was lower in SC than ECG3 (3 / 11, 27% vs 14 / 19, 74%; p = 0.037), regardless of regimens. Five-year overall survival (OS) was 40%, 71%, and 71% respectively, and five-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 25%, 71%, and 61%, respectively, showing SC with worse prognosis than ECG3 on both OS (p = 0.026) and PFS (p = 0.0028). According to the multivariate analysis, age > or = 70, Stage IIIc-IV and incomplete resection were independent prognostic factors on poor OS, whereas SC, Stage IIIc-IV and incomplete resection were on poor PFS.

CONCLUSIONS

The increasing trend of high-grade endometrial cancer and different outcomes according to histological subtypes, especially poor PFS and chemotherapeutic response in SC, were suggested.

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma arising in mature cystic teratoma: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Malignant transformation of ovarian mature cystic teratoma is rare, and occurs in approximately 1% of all cases. The most common histology arising in mature cystic teratoma is squamous cell carcinoma. Less frequently, malignant transformation is represented by an endocrine tumor. To date, only five cases of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNC) arising in a mature cystic teratoma of the ovary have been reported.

CLINICAL CASE

A 69-year-old woman presented with a 15-cm left ovarian mass, and was diagnosed with Stage IV large cell carcinoma neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNC) arising in mature cystic teratoma (MCT) of the left ovary. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin, however, residual tumors increased in size. Six months after the debulking surgery she succumbed to the disease. A literature review revealed LCNC of the ovary showed excessively aggressive phenotype in malignant transformation from ovarian mature cystic teratoma.

CONCLUSION

The present case of LCNC arising in MCT had an exceedingly poor prognosis, which was suggested in the previous five cases reported.

Normal serum CA125 half-life and normal serum nadir CA125 level in patients with ovarian cancers

The normal serum CA125 half-life and distribution of the normal serum nadir CA125 value in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) have not been determined yet. Among patients with EOC, 41 patients met the inclusion criteria of the present study: the patients that underwent complete cytoreductive surgery and six cycles of platinum-containing chemotherapy, and who had no recurrent disease more than five years. Serum CA125 half-life (T1/2) during primary surgery and primary chemotherapy was calculated and serum nadir CA125 level was evaluated by logarithmic-transformed serum CA125. Median value of nadir CA125 was 7 U/ml (range 3-20 U/ml), and the mean ln (serum nadir CA125) was 1.96 +/- 0.45. Mean T1/2 was 10.4 days in all patients, and T1/2 value was associated with the preoperative serum levels of CA125. Predicted slope of CA125 regression curve was also influenced by the preoperative CA125 value. The present study provides fundamental information with regard to normal half-life time and normal nadir of CA125 in EOC patients.

Mapping quantitative trait loci for egg production traits in an F2 intercross of Oh-Shamo and White Leghorn chickens

We performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses for egg production traits, including age at first egg (AFE) and egg production rates (EPR) measured every 4 weeks from 22 to 62 weeks of hen age, in a population of 421 F(2) hens derived from an intercross between the Oh-Shamo (Japanese Large Game) and White Leghorn breeds of chickens. Simple interval mapping revealed a main-effect QTL for AFE on chromosome 1 and four main-effect QTL for EPR on chromosomes 1 and 11 (three on chromosome 1 and one on chromosome 11) at the genome-wide 5% levels. Among the three EPR QTL on chromosome 1, two were identified at the early stage of egg laying (26-34 weeks of hen age) and the remaining one was discovered at the late stage (54-58 weeks). The alleles at the two EPR QTL derived from the Oh-Shamo breed unexpectedly increased the trait values, irrespective of the Oh-Shamo being inferior to the White Leghorn in the trait. This suggests that the Oh-Shamo, one of the indigenous Japanese breeds, is an untapped resource that is important for further improvement of current elite commercial laying chickens. In addition, six epistatic QTL were identified on chromosomes 2, 4, 7, 8, 17 and 19, where none of the above main-effect QTL were located. This is the first example of detection of epistatic QTL affecting egg production traits. The main and epistatic QTL identified accounted for 4-8% of the phenotypic variance. The total contribution of all QTL detected for each trait to the phenotypic and genetic variances ranged from 4.1% to 16.9% and from 11.5% to 58.5%, respectively.

Apatite-coated Hyaluronan for Bone Regeneration

The materials for the repair of bone defects require bone-inductive and bioabsorbable properties. We developed an apatite-coated hyaluronan (ACH) as a bone-regeneration material. To examine the initial behavior of osteoblast-like cells on ACH and its bone-inductive activity, we evaluated the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast-like cells grown on ACH in vitro, and examined the effect of ACH on bone regeneration in vivo, comparing these with the effects of an atelocollagen sponge (AS). Hyaluronic acid, cross-linked by divinylsulfone, was freeze-dried and formed apatite in simulated body fluid. MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells were cultured on ACH and AS. Alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin mRNA expression increased more in cells grown on ACH than in those grown on AS. In vivo, round defects were created in rat crania and either filled with ACH or AS or left unfilled (sham group). After surgery, the ACH-treated group showed higher levels of bone formation than the other groups. These findings demonstrate that ACH is more effective than AS in promoting in vitro osteoblast-like cell differentiation and bone formation during the repair of bone defects in vivo, indicating that it may be of use in the treatment of various bone defects.

Role of Surface and Growth-Zone Reactions in the Formation Process of µc-Si:H

The role of the surface reaction is discussed in the formation process of µc-Si:H in comparison to that of a-Si:H. It is suggested that the responsible radicals for the formation of µc-Si:H are SiH3 as same in the case of a-Si:H depositions. On the top film-growing surface, a lot of H atoms reach the surface during the course of the μc-Si:H growth giving rise to the change in the surface condition, i. e. the loss probability of SiH3 radicals is increased. At the same time, a full H-coverage of the surface is expected which enhances the surface diffusion of SiH3 radicals, leading to the appearance of a gc nucleus. Moreover, it is speculated that the reaction in the growth zone is not necessary for the nucleation process in µc-Si:H.

PbI2 Confined In The Spaces Of LTA Zeolites

PbI2 clusters confined in spaces of LTA zeolite are successfully prepared through vapour phase. An HREM image showed that the crystallinity of the zeolite was preserved after preparation and showed directly that the clusters were incorporated into the α-cages. Absorption spectra were measured by diffuse reflection method as a function of loading density of PbI2 molecules. Several absorption bands from different cluster sizes were observed and showed remarkable blue shift. At the maximum loading, extra reflections, which are forbidden for Fm3A of LTA, were observed in electron and X-ray diffraction patterns. The appearence of the extra reflections and the dependence of absorption curve on the loading density suggest that superlattice of clusters was produced. The characteristic feature of zeolites as containers to make an artificial superlattice of clusters is pointed out.

Evaluation of the Pentax-AWS(®) and the Macintosh laryngoscope in difficult intubation: a manikin study

BACKGROUND

The Pentax-AWS (AWS(®)), a new video laryngoscope, has been shown to be useful in cases of difficult intubation. We hypothesized that the AWS(®) would be more useful in the settings of a narrow upper airway than the Macintosh laryngoscope. We compared each device in simulated scenarios of representative difficulty of tracheal intubation using a manikin. The primary endpoint was the rate of successful intubation.

METHODS

With each device, 23 anesthesiologists performed tracheal intubation in a SimMan(®) manikin in the following scenarios: (1) normal airway, (2) tongue edema, (3) cervical spine rigidity, (4) pharyngeal obstruction, (5) jaw trismus, (6) tongue edema with pharyngeal obstruction. The intubation time and success rate were measured. Each participant was asked to rate the difficulty of intubation (1=very easy; 5=very difficult).

RESULTS

In the scenarios of tongue edema and tongue edema with pharyngeal obstruction, the AWS(®) yielded a higher success rate (100% vs. 34.8%; P<0.001, 65.2% vs. 21.7%; P=0.006), a shorter intubation time [14.6 (7.0) vs. 33.4 (13.0) s; P<0.001, 24.5 (12.0) vs. 37.6 (11.9); P=0.047; mean (standard deviation)], and a lower difficulty score [2 (1-4) vs. 5 (1-5); P<0.001, 4 (2-5) vs. 5 (3-5); P<0.001; median (range)], compared with the Macintosh laryngoscope.

CONCLUSION

The AWS(®) has an advantage over the Macintosh laryngoscope in simulated tongue edema and tongue edema with pharyngeal obstruction. Further studies in a clinical setting are necessary to confirm these findings.