Label-free photoacoustic imaging of human palmar vessels: a structural morphological analysis

We analysed the vascular morphology of the palm using a photoacoustic tomography (PAT) instrument with a hemispherical detector array. The three-dimensional (3D) morphology of blood vessels was determined noninvasively. Overall, 12 females and 11 males were recruited as healthy volunteers. Their ages were distributed almost evenly from 22 to 59 years. In all cases, many vascular networks were observed just beneath the skin and were determined to be veins anatomically. To analyse the major arteries, the layer containing the subcutaneous venous network was removed from the image. The analysis focused on the common and proper palmar digital arteries. We used the curvature of these arteries as a parameter to analyse their morphologies. There was no significant difference in the curvature between genders when comparing the subjects as a whole. The blood vessel curvature increased with age. Good agreement was found between the 3D numerical analysis results and the subjective evaluation of the two-dimensional (2D) projection image. The PAT system enabled visualization of the 3D features of blood vessels in the palm and noninvasive analysis of arterial tortuousness.

[A case of hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 1E with frontal lobe dysfunction as an initial symptom]

A 49-year-old man had developed gradually personality change, gait disturbance, and hearing loss for five years. On admission, he presented with frontal release signs, stuttering, vertical gaze palsy, sensorineural deafness, muscle rigidity, ataxia, and sensory disturbance with areflexia in the lower extremities. Brain MRI demonstrated atrophy in the cerebellum and midbrain tegmentum as well as cerebral atrophy, predominantly in the frontal lobe. He was tentatively diagnosed as progressive supranuclear palsy on the basis of clinical features and imagings. On nerve conduction study, no sensory nerve action potentials were elicited in the upper and lower extremities. Details of family history revealed a hereditary sensory neuropathy with autosomal dominant inheritance in his relatives. Because genetic analysis showed a rare missense mutation (c.1483T>C, p.Y495H) in DNA methyltransferase 1 gene, we diagnosed him as having hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 1E (HSAN1E). In addition, p.M232R mutation in prion protein gene was detected. It should be kept in mind that there are some patients with HSAN1E presenting with frontal lobe dysfunction as an initial symptom and with clinical features mimicking progressive supranuclear palsy.

Fibroblast growth factor 13 regulates glioma cell invasion and is important for bevacizumab-induced glioma invasion

Glioblastoma has the poorest prognosis, and is characterized by excessive invasion and angiogenesis. To determine the invasive mechanisms, we previously used two glioma cell lines (J3T-1 and J3T-2) with different invasive phenotypes. The J3T-1 showed abundant angiogenesis and tumor cell invasion around neovasculature, while J3T-2 showed diffuse cell infiltration into surrounding healthy parenchyma. Microarray analyses were used to identify invasion-related genes in J3T-2 cells, and the expressed genes and their intracellular and intratumoral distribution patterns were evaluated in J3T-2 cell lines, human glioma cell lines, human glioblastoma stem cells and human glioblastoma specimens. To determine the role of the invasion-related genes, invasive activities were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Fibroblast growth factor 13 (FGF13) was overexpressed in J3T-2 cells compared to J3T-1 cells, and in human glioma cell lines, human glioblastoma stem cells and human glioblastoma specimens, when compared to that of normal human astrocytes. Immunohistochemical staining and the RNA-seq (sequencing) data from the IVY Glioblastoma Atlas Project showed FGF13 expression in glioma cells in the invasive edges of tumor specimens. Also, the intracellular distribution was mainly in the cytoplasm of tumor cells and colocalized with tubulin. Overexpression of FGF13 stabilized tubulin dynamics in vitro and knockdown of FGF13 decreased glioma invasion both in vitro and in vivo and prolonged overall survival of several xenograft models. FGF13 was negatively regulated by hypoxic condition. Silencing of FGF13 also decreased in vivo bevacizumab-induced glioma invasion. In conclusion, FGF13 regulated glioma cell invasion and bevacizumab-induced glioma invasion, and could be a novel target for glioma treatment.

Glycaemic control boosts glucosylated nanocarrier crossing the BBB into the brain

Recently, nanocarriers that transport bioactive substances to a target site in the body have attracted considerable attention and undergone rapid progression in terms of the state of the art. However, few nanocarriers can enter the brain via a systemic route through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to efficiently reach neurons. Here we prepare a self-assembled supramolecular nanocarrier with a surface featuring properly configured glucose. The BBB crossing and brain accumulation of this nanocarrier are boosted by the rapid glycaemic increase after fasting and by the putative phenomenon of the highly expressed glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) in brain capillary endothelial cells migrating from the luminal to the abluminal plasma membrane. The precisely controlled glucose density on the surface of the nanocarrier enables the regulation of its distribution within the brain, and thus is successfully optimized to increase the number of nanocarriers accumulating in neurons.There are only a few examples of nanocarriers that can transport bioactive substances across the blood-brain barrier. Here the authors show that by rapid glycaemic increase the accumulation of a glucosylated nanocarrier in the brain can be controlled.

Low-dose hyperthermia enhances the antitumor effects of chemotherapy in squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is a highly aggressive neoplasm and the sixth leading cause of global cancer-related death; the 5-year survival rate for esophageal cancer is only about 20%-25% for all stages. Therefore, improving the therapeutic effect is important. This study assessed whether low-dose hyperthermia (LDH) enhances the antitumor effects of chemotherapy. The antitumor effect of chemotherapy with/without LDH in the squamous cell carcinoma cell line SCCVII was evaluated. A comprehensive analysis was performed with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to study the hyperthermia-induced changes in the gene expression of SCCVII cell lines. In addition, the cytotoxic and apoptotic changes in the cells treated with LDH combined with/without 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were measured. LDH combined with 5-FU (10 nM) strongly inhibited the cell growth of SCCVII, with flow cytometry showing an increased population of apoptotic cells. PCR showed that LDH promoted a 25.22-fold increase of p53 mRNA and 18.08-fold increase of Bax mRNA in vitro. MDR1 expression was decreased to 28.7% after LDH. This treatment can result in much higher efficacy of antitumor drugs. After LDH, the expressions of TS decreased to 12.06%, OPRT increased by 4.17-fold, and DPD did not change (1.03-fold). This transformations will induce susceptibility to 5-FU. LDH may be a useful enhancer of chemotherapy drugs for squamous cell carcinoma.