140 THE EFFECTS OF INTERVALS OF MECHANICAL VIBRATION DURING IN VITRO CULTURE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOVINE EMBRYO DERIVED FROM LOW-QUALITY OOCYTES

Mechanical vibration enhances the cytoplyasmic maturation of in vitro-matured (IVM) pig oocytes (Mizobe et al. 2010 J. Reprod. Dev. 56, 285–290), as well as the development of in vitro-cultured (IVC) bovine embryos (Fujita et al. 2010 Rakuno Gakuen University Graduation thesis,1–36). In this study, the effects of intervals of mechanical vibration during in vitro culture, after IVF, on the development of embryos derived from low-quality oocytes were examined. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were collected by aspiration of ovarian follicles (diameter = 2 to 6 mm) obtained from a local abattoir. In this experiment, only grade 3 oocytes (i.e. those with one layer or partially remaining cumulus cells and normal cytoplasm) were used. Groups of 20 COC were matured in 100-μL droplets of in vitro TCM-199 supplemented with 5% calf serum and 0.02 AU mL–1 of FSH at 38.5°C under an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air for 20 h. Matured COC were inseminated with 5 × 106 sperms mL–1 for 18 h. After 18 h of gamete co-culture, the presumptive zygotes were cultured in CR1aa medium supplemented with 5% calf serum at 38.5°C under an atmosphere of 5% O2, 5% CO2, and 90% N2 for 9 days (fertilization = Day 0). Presumptive zygotes were cultured in vitro without mechanical vibration (control; n = 467) and with mechanical vibration for 5 s at 5 min (n = 180), 10 min (n = 180), 15 min (n = 180), and 60 min (n = 200) for 9 days. Embryo development was evaluated for cleavage and blastocyst rates, on Days 3 and 7 to 9 after IVF, respectively. The cleavage and blastocyst formation rates were analysed by the chi-squared test. Vibration at 15-min intervals increased (P < 0.05) cleavage rate compared to 5 min, 60 min, and control (control: 66.2 ± 22.1%; 5 min: 49.4 ± 10.2%; 10 min: 70.0 ± 7.7%; 15 min: 86.2 ± 6.6%; and 60 min: 64.0 ± 8.5%).The highest (P < 0.05) blastocyst rate among the experimental groups was found with 15-min intervals for vibration (control: 21.6 ± 9.2%; 5 min: 15.0 ± 5.3%; 10 min: 22.8 ± 1.8%; 60 min: 21.5 ± 5.0%). These results indicated that the cleavage and blastocyst formation rates of IVM-IVF-IVC bovine embryos derived from low-quality oocytes can be improved by physical stimulus during IVC. In addition, it was shown that 15-min intervals of mechanical vibration elicited the highest benefit for the development of embryos.

Interleukin-1 beta in unstimulated whole saliva is a potential biomarker for oral squamous cell carcinoma

The objective of this study was to evaluate cytokines in unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients as compared to those with pre- and post-operation for evaluation as markers of OSCC. Sixteen OSCC patients were included in this study. Cytokine concentrations in resting saliva were measured using a Bio-Plex suspension array system. Only interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta showed significantly different cytokine concentration in saliva between pre- and post-operation. IL-1 beta was released from cultured OSCC cells confirmed by ELISA and immunohistochemistry. From this study, IL-1 beta in UWS may be useful for detection of early stage OSCC. More studies are needed to accept the utility of IL-1 beta in UWS for predicting, diagnosis and evaluation of OSCC.

Ultrasound-guided surgery of particulate cancellous bone and marrow from the iliac crest for cleft palate

Minimally invasive procedures for treatment of disease have become increasingly popular and require specialized instruments and precise imaging guidance. We here propose a technique of minimally invasive surgery with ultrasound echo-guided procedures as a less traumatic and invasive procedure to get particulate cancellous bone and marrow from the iliac crest for cleft palate. This technique has been used successfully at our institutions. Our experience suggests that it can provide reliable ultrasound echo imaging-guided surgery.

Bcl-2 gene prevents induction of apoptosis in l1210 murine leukemia-cells by sn-38, a metabolite of the camptothecin derivative cpt-11

New camptothecin (CPT) derivatives have recently been synthesized following the finding that CPT has strong antitumor activity due to its inhibition of topoisomerase I through the formation of stable topoisomerase I-DNA cleavable complexes, but has not been clinically used due to its pronounced toxicity. 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-CPT (SN-38), a metabolite of the CPT derivative 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino] carbonyloxy-CPT(CPT-11), plays an essential role in mediating the antitumor effect of CPT-11. However, the reasons for the cytotoxicity of SN-38 remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated using results of DNA fragmentation assay and cell cycle analysis that SN-38 and CPT both induce apoptosis in L1210 murine leukemia cells. We demonstrated in addition that enforced expression of the bcl-2 gene in L1210 cells by MPZenNeo (bcl-2) retroviral gene transfer increased resistance to the apoptosis induced by SN-38 and CPT. These findings suggest the possibility that the bcl-2 gene impedes the activity of a common pathway for apoptosis induced by SN-38 and CPT.

Comparison of chemotherapeutic treatment outcomes of advanced extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas and advanced small-cell lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The chemotherapy for small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) has been adopted for advanced extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas (EP-NECs). The aim of this study was to clarify the efficacy of standard SCLC regimens when used to treat EP-NECs and to compare the outcome with that for SCLC.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical records of 136 patients (41 with EP-NEC and 95 with SCLC) who were treated using a platinum-containing regimen for advanced disease between January 2000 and October 2008 at our hospital.

RESULTS

The primary site of the EP-NEC was the gastrointestinal tract in 18 patients (GI tract group); the liver, biliary tract or pancreas in 16 patients (HBP group), and other sites in 7 patients ('others' group). The response rate in the SCLC patients was 77.8%, and the response rate in the EP-NEC patients was 30.8% (37.5% in the GI tract group, 12.5% in the HBP group, and 57.1% in the 'others' group). The median survival time for the SCLC patients was 13.6 months, while that for the EP-NEC patients was 9.2 months (14.9 months in the GI tract group, 7.8 months in the HBP group, and 8.9 months in the 'others' group). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that a poor performance status, liver involvement, and the treatment regimen were independent unfavorable prognostic factors.

CONCLUSION

The response rate and prognosis of the patients with advanced EP-NECs were worse than those of the patients with SCLC in this study. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, liver involvement, and treatment regimen had a larger impact on the prognosis than the primary tumor site, as demonstrated by multivariate analysis.

Role of endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in diagnosing metastasis to the pancreas: a tertiary center experience

BACKGROUND

Metastasis to the pancreas (MP) is a rare entity that is difficult to identify by imaging alone. Few reports have described endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) findings. Herein, we try to describe the EUS and EUS-FNA characteristics of MP.

METHODS

This retrospective study compared 28 patients with MP (13 males; mean age: 60.1 ± 12.6 years) and 60 control patients (30 males; 62.7 ± 11.5 years) with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). All lesions were characterized by EUS, and MP was diagnosed by EUS-FNA (n = 16), surgery (n = 6) or both (n = 6).

RESULTS

Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the presence of regular borders (p = 0.004; OR: 8.81, 95% CI: 1.97-39.4), the absence of retention cysts (p = 0.045; OR: 12.5, 95% CI: 1.06-147.0), and the absence of main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilation (p = 0.003; OR: 8.18, 95% CI: 2.04-32.8) were predictors of MP rather than PDAC. The EUS-FNA sampling adequacy was 95.4% (21/22), and the correct diagnosis was obtained in 95.2% (20/21) of cases when K-ras mutation analysis and/or immunostaining were added.

CONCLUSION

The presence of regular borders, the absence of retention cysts and the presence of nondilated MPD on EUS indicate MP rather than PDAC. This diagnosis can be accurately confirmed by EUS-FNA with immunostaining and/or K-ras analysis.