The influence of intraoperative tumor rupture on recurrence risk in Stage Ic epithelial ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the outcomes of patients with Stage Ic epithelial ovarian carcinoma, taking into consideration the criteria that were used to assign staging. We hypothesized that tumor rupture is a less ominous prognosticator in early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer than malignant washings or ovarian surface invasion.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with Stage I epithelial ovarian carcinoma at the University of Minnesota between 1990 and 2005 was carried out. Information was collected about demographics, diagnosis date, stage, grade, adjuvant treatment, last contact date and status at last contact. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportion hazard model.

RESULTS

One hundred and seventeen patients with Stage I epithelial ovarian cancer were identified and included in this review. Three distinct groups of patients were considered: 1) patients with Stage Ic cancers, so-assigned because of intraoperative tumor rupture only, 2) patients with Stage Ic cancers, so-assigned for any other reason(s) than rupture alone, and 3) patients with Stages Ia and Ib cancers. The recurrence risk of patients in group 1 was not significantly different from that of patients in groups 2 or 3 (p values 0.13 and 0.69, respectively), although a trend toward decreased risk of recurrence was seen in patients from group 1 compared to both other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

In our cohort of patients, the risk of tumor recurrence in patients with Stage Ic epithelial ovarian cancer, so-assigned because of intraoperative rupture alone, is not significantly different from the two other groups of patients with Stage I disease.

42 ASSISTED ENUCLEATION IN GOLDEN HAMSTER OOCYTES TREATED WITH COLCHICINE AND DEMECOLCINE

The golden hamster is an excellent experimental animal in many research fields. In an effort to establish experimental protocols necessary for cloning golden hamsters, optimized conditions for induced cytoplasmic protrusion and assisted enucleation of golden hamster oocytes with different concentrations of colchicine and demecolcine were examined in this study. The Golden hamsters (female, six weeks of age) were superovulated with eCG (30 IU, ip) followed by hCG (30 IU, ip) at intervals of 72 h. Hamsters were sacrificed at 13.5 h, 15 h and 18 h after hCG injection. The different ages of cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected from oviducts and cumulus cells were removed with 0.1% hyaluronidase. (1) denuded oocytes of different ages were treated with 2.5 μg mL–1, 5 μg mL–1, and 10 μg mL–1 of colchicine for 4 h in M199TE, and they were examined each hour; (2) denuded oocytes of different ages were treated with 0.02 μg mL–1, 0.04 μg mL–1, 0.06 μg mL–1, 0.1 μg mL–1, 0.2 μg mL, 0.4 μg mL–1, and 0.6 μg mL–1 of demecolcine for 1 h in M199TE, and they were examined every 15 min; 3) according to the results of processes (1) and (2), cytoplasmic protrusions of oocytes treated with 10 μg mL–1 of colchicine (60 oocytes) or 0.4 μg mL–1 demecolcine (88 oocytes) for 1 h were removed with a micromanipulation pipette. Then the oocytes were examined by being stained with Hoechst 33342, and the percentage of assisted enucleation was compared with that of blind enucleation in which position of the chromosomes was indirectly determined by the location of the first polar body. The results showed that: (1) about 90% of oocytes at 13.5 h and 15 h post hCG injection were induced to form protrusions under the treatment of 10 μg mL–1 of colchicine for 1 h; (2) oocytes of 13.5 h post hCG were very sensive to demecolcine, even the treatment of 0.02 μg mL–1 for 1 h could also induce cytoplasmic protrusions (45.38% of 31 oocytes); (3) when treated with 0.4 μg mL–1 of demecolcine for 1 h, the cytoplasmic protrusion rate of oocytes of 13.5 h–18 h post-hCG could reach to 99–100%; (4) when the cytoplasmic protrusions induced by 10 μg mL–1 of colchicine or 0.4 μg mL–1 of demecolcine for 1 h were removed, assisted enucleation rates were over 80%, significantly higher (P < 0.05) than blind enucleation (31.53% of 60 oocytes). In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that both colchicine and demecolcine can induce the hamster oocytes to form cytoplasmic protrusions. The treatments of 10 μg mL–1 of colchicine or 0.4 μg mL–1 of demecolcine for 1 h were the best conditions to induce oocytes (13.5 h–18 h post hCG) to form protrusion. Also, the assisted enucleation rate with colchicine and demecolcine is much higher than that of blind enucleation. These results define conditions for chemical assisted enucleation and should facilitate the development of cloned golden hamsters as an animal model for human diseases.

Origin of the spin density wave instability in AFe2As2 (A=Ba,Sr) as revealed by optical spectroscopy

We performed optical spectroscopy measurement on single crystals of BaFe2As2 and SrFe2As2, the parent compounds of FeAs-based superconductors. Both are found to be quite metallic with fairly large plasma frequencies at high temperature. Upon entering the spin-density-wave state, the formation of partial energy gaps was clearly observed with the surprising presence of two different energy scales. A large part of the Drude component was removed by the gapping of Fermi surfaces. Meanwhile, the carrier scattering rate was even more dramatically reduced. We elaborate that the spin-density-wave instability is more likely to be driven by the Fermi surface nesting of itinerant electrons than a local-exchange mechanism.

Nanoparticle delivery of anti-metastatic NM23-H1 gene improves chemotherapy in a mouse tumor model

Gene therapy provides a promising approach for cancer treatment. Earlier studies suggested that poly-L-lysine-modified iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP-PLL) might be a promising gene delivery system that can transfect DNA efficiently in vitro and in vivo. In this study we used IONP-PLL as gene carriers to deliver the NM23-H1 gene, the first suppressor gene of cancer metastasis, to tumor cells in vivo. The intravenous injection of IONP-PLL carrying NM23-H1-GFP plasmid DNA significantly extended the survival time of an experimental pulmonary metastasis mouse model. In the IONP-PLL/NM23-H1-GFP-treated group, metastasis was clearly suppressed compared with the group treated with free NM23-H1-GFP plasmid. Furthermore, this gene therapy combined with cyclophosphamide treatment resulted in longer survival times and greater suppression of metastasis growth. In conclusion, treatment with IONP-PLL nanoparticles incorporating the NM23-H1gene is an efficient gene therapy method, and it is even more effective in combination with chemotherapy. This approach appears to be a promising strategy for treatment of metastatic tumors.

Origin of the spin density wave instability in AFe2As2 (A=Ba,Sr) as revealed by optical spectroscopy

We performed optical spectroscopy measurement on single crystals of BaFe2As2 and SrFe2As2, the parent compounds of FeAs-based superconductors. Both are found to be quite metallic with fairly large plasma frequencies at high temperature. Upon entering the spin-density-wave state, the formation of partial energy gaps was clearly observed with the surprising presence of two different energy scales. A large part of the Drude component was removed by the gapping of Fermi surfaces. Meanwhile, the carrier scattering rate was even more dramatically reduced. We elaborate that the spin-density-wave instability is more likely to be driven by the Fermi surface nesting of itinerant electrons than a local-exchange mechanism.

Training-induced vascular adaptations to ischemic muscle

Peripheral arterial insufficiency is a progressive degenerative disease associated with an increased morbidity and mortality. It decreases exercise tolerance and often presents with symptoms of intermittent claudication. Enhanced physical activity is one of the most effective means of improving the life of affected patients. While this occurs for a variety of reasons, vascular remodeling can be an important means for improved oxygen exchange and blood flow delivery. Relevant exercise-induced signals stimulate angiogenesis, within the active muscle (e.g. hypoxia), and arteriogenesis (enlargement of pre-existing vessels via increased shear stress) to increase oxygen exchange and blood flow capacity, respectively. Evidence from pre-clinical studies shows that the increase in collateral blood flow observed with exercise progresses over time of training, is accompanied by significant enlargement of isolated collateral vessels, and enhances the responses observed with angiogenic growth factors (e.g. VEGF, FGF-2). Thus, enhanced physical activity can be an effective means of enlarging the structure and function of the collateral circuit. Interestingly, disrupting normal NO production (via L-NAME) eliminates this increase in collateral blood flow induced by training, but does not disturb the increase in muscle capillarity within the active muscle. Similarly, inhibiting VEGF receptor kinase activity eliminates the increase in collateral-dependent blood flow, and lessens, but does not eliminate, angiogenesis within the calf muscle. These findings illustrate distinctions between the processes influencing angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. Further, sympathetic modulation of the collateral circuit does not eliminate the increase in collateral circuit conductance induced by exercise training. These findings indicate that structural enlargement of the collateral vessels is essential to realize the increase in collateral-dependent blood flow capacity caused by exercise training. This raises the potential that meaningful vascular remodeling can occur in patients with intermittent claudication who actively participate in exercise training.

CD8+ T-Cell depletion and rapamycin synergize with combined coreceptor/stimulation blockade to induce robust limb allograft tolerance in mice

The growing development of composite tissue allografts (CTA) highlights the need for tolerance induction protocols. Herein, we developed a mouse model of heterotopic limb allograft in a stringent strain combination in which potentially tolerogenic strategies were tested taking advantage of donor stem cells in the grafted limb. BALB/c allografts were transplanted into C57BL/6 mice treated with anti-CD154 mAb, nondepleting anti-CD4 combined to either depleting or nondepleting anti-CD8 mAbs. Some groups received additional rapamycin. Both depleting and nondepleting mAb combinations without rapamycin only delayed limb allograft rejection, whereas the addition of rapamycin induced long-term allograft survival in both combinations. Nevertheless, robust donor-specific tolerance, defined by the acceptance of a fresh donor-type skin allograft and simultaneous rejection of third-party grafts, required initial CD8(+) T-cell depletion. Mixed donor-recipient chimerism was observed in lymphoid organs and recipient bone marrow of tolerant but not rejecting animals. Tolerance specificity was confirmed by the inability to produce IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in MLC with donor antigen while significant alloreactivity persisted against third- party alloantigens. Collectively, these results show that robust CTA tolerance and mixed donor-recipient chimerism can be achieved in response to the synergizing combination of rapamycin, transient CD8(+) T-cell depletion and costimulation/coreceptor blockade.

Structural and magnetic phase diagram of CeFeAsO(1- x)F(x) and its relation to high-temperature superconductivity

Recently, high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity was discovered in the iron pnictide RFeAsO(1-x)F(x) (R, rare-earth metal) family of materials. We use neutron scattering to study the structural and magnetic phase transitions in CeFeAsO(1-x)F(x) as the system is tuned from a semimetal to a high-Tc superconductor through fluorine (F) doping, x. In the undoped state, CeFeAsO develops a structural lattice distortion followed by a collinear antiferromagnetic order with decreasing temperature. With increasing fluorine doping, the structural phase transition decreases gradually and vanishes within the superconductivity dome near x=0.10, whereas the antiferromagnetic order is suppressed before the appearance of superconductivity for x>0.06, resulting in an electronic phase diagram remarkably similar to that of the high-Tc copper oxides. Comparison of the structural evolution of CeFeAsO(1-x)F(x) with other Fe-based superconductors suggests that the structural perfection of the Fe-As tetrahedron is important for the high-Tc superconductivity in these Fe pnictides.

Molecular cloning and expression characterization of ApoC-I in the orange-spotted grouper

Endogenous yolk nutrients are crucial for embryo and larval development in fish, but developmental behavior of the genes that control yolk utilization remains unknown. Apolipoproteins have been shown to play important roles in lipid transport and uptake through the circulation system. In this study, EcApoC-I, the first cloned ApoC-I in teleosts, has been screened from pituitary cDNA library of female orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides), and the deduced amino acid sequence shows 43.5% identity to one zebrafish (Danio rerio) hypothetical protein similar to ApoC-I, and 21.2%, 21.7%, 22.5%, 20%, and 22.5% identities to Apo C-I of human (Homo sapiens), house mouse (Mus musculus), common tree shrew (Tupaia glis), dog (Canis lupus familiaris) and hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas), respectively. Although the sequence identity is low, amphipathic alpha-helices with the potential to bind to lipid were predicted to exist in the EcApoC-I. RT-PCR analysis revealed that it was first transcribed in gastrula embryos and maintained a relatively stable expression level during the following embryogenesis. During embryonic and early larval development, a very high level of EcApoC-I expression was in the yolk syncytial layer, indicating that it plays a significant role in yolk degradation and transfers nutrition to the embryo and early larva. By the day 7 after hatching, EcApoC-I transcripts were observed in brain. In adult, EcApoC-I mRNA was detected abundantly in brain and gonad. In transitional gonads, the EcApoC-I expression is restricted to the germ cells. The data suggested that EcApoC-I might play an important role in brain and gonad morphogenesis and growth.

Absence of donor-derived zona pellucida protein C homolog in the inner perivitelline layer of Peking duck (Anas platyrhynchos)-Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) chimeras (Duails)

Avian blastodermal cells at stage X are used to produce interspecies chimeras for heterogenous poultry reproduction. However, recipient-derived inner perivitelline layer (IPVL)-enclosed donor-derived ova may affect the efficiency of germline transmission via chimera. Among the proteins in the IPVL, zona pellucida protein C (ZPC) plays an important role in sperm-egg binding and inducing the acrosome reaction. In the present study, Peking duck blastodermal cells at stage X were transferred into subgerminal cavities of Japanese quail embryos at the same stage. Fourteen female duck-quail chimeras (duails) were hatched and raised to sexual maturity. After being screened by PCR, 3 duails were selected for examination of donor-derived ZPC. A total of 152 IPVL protein samples from the individual eggs laid by the 3 duails then underwent a preliminary examination for the presence of donor-derived ZPC by means of SDS-PAGE, periodic acid-Schiff staining, and Western blotting. A novel 35-kDa ZPC, not observed in quail but in duck, was found in the IPVL of the duails. Further analysis of peptide mass fingerprinting of Peking duck ZPC, Japanese quail ZPC, and the 35-kDa duail ZPC by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry revealed that the novel ZPC was an isoform of quail ZPC. Moreover, comparison of N-terminal amino acid sequences of these 3 ZPC confirmed that the 35-kDa quail ZPC had more amino acids at the N terminus than did native quail ZPC, and none of the donor-derived ZPC was found in the duails. These findings suggest that it would be difficult to obtain donor-derived offspring by natural mating of interspecies chimeras.

Brain death affects the hepatic immunogenicity of pigs

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to observe how the brain-death state affects the hepatic immunogenicity of pigs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twelve healthy ChangBai pigs were allocated randomly to 2 groups: control group (n = 6) with Foley catheter balloon placed intracalvarium for 24 hours only versus brain-death group (n = 6) with brain death for 24 hours. The serum and hepatic tissues were obtained at 6, 12, and 24 hours after the initial confirmation of brain death. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) was determined by immunohistochemistry, and the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) mRNA and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTS

The serum TNF-alpha and IL-6, MHC-II, ICAM-1 mRNA, and MCP-1 mRNA in hepatic tissues in the brain-death group were higher than in the control group; they all increased with time.

CONCLUSION

Brain death increased liver immunogenicity, which may increase the immune lesion and rejection after transplantation.

Cellular distribution of tumour suppressor protein p53 and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)-18 E6 fusion protein in wild-type p53 cell lines

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are very important pathogens that can be classified as high- and low-risk types based on the lesions they cause. Mucosal high-risk HPV E6 can target and degrade the tumour suppressor p53, hence it is recognized as the major cause of cervical cancer, however, due to a lack of reliable anti-E6 antibodies, the distribution of high-risk HPV E6 protein remains elusive. The present study, therefore, used a mammalian green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression system to express GFP-18 E6 fusion proteins in wild-type p53 cells, SMMC-7721 and HCT116, in order to trace the location and expression of HPV E6 and p53 protein. Following transfection, expression of GFP-18 E6 was found to be located in the nucleus, and endogenous wild-type p53 was also located there with GFP-18 E6.

HLA-A*3318, a novel allele, identified by sequence-based typing in a Chinese individual

We report a novel human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-A allele, officially named as A*3318, which was found during high-resolution sequence-based typing in a Chinese potential hematopoietic stem cell transplantation donor. Compared with the HLA-A*330301 sequence, the A*3318 has one nucleotide substitution in exon 3: at nt 413 where A-->G resulting in an amino acid substitution from Q (CAG) to R (CGG) at codon 114.

Using multidimensional patterns of amino acid attributes for QSAR analysis of peptides

On the basis of exploratory factor analysis, six multidimensional patterns of 516 amino acid attributes, namely, factor analysis scales of generalized amino acid information (FASGAI) involving hydrophobicity, alpha and turn propensities, bulky properties, compositional characteristics, local flexibility and electronic properties, are proposed to represent structures of 48 bitter-tasting dipeptides and 58 angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Characteristic parameters related to bioactivities of the peptides studied are selected by genetic algorithm, and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models are constructed by partial least square (PLS). Our results by a leave-one-out cross validation are compared with the previously known structure representation method and are shown to give slightly superior or comparative performance. Further, two data sets are divided into training sets and test sets to validate the characterization repertoire of FASGAI. Performance of the PLS models developed by training samples by a leave-one-out cross validation and external validation for test samples are satisfying. These results demonstrate that FASGAI is an effective representation technique of peptide structures, and that FASGAI vectors have many preponderant characteristics such as straightforward physicochemical information, high characterization competence and easy manipulation. They can be further applied to investigate the relationship between structures and functions of various peptides, even proteins.

Electrochemical gate-controlled electron transport of redox-active single perylene bisimide molecular junctions

We report a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiment in an electrochemical environment which studies a prototype molecular switch. The target molecules were perylene tetracarboxylic acid bisimides modified with pyridine (P-PBI) and methylthiol (T-PBI) linker groups and with bulky tert-butyl-phenoxy substituents in the bay area. At a fixed bias voltage, we can control the transport current through a symmetric molecular wire Au|P-PBI(T-PBI)|Au by variation of the electrochemical 'gate' potential. The current increases by up to two orders of magnitude. The conductances of the P-PBI junctions are typically a factor 3 larger than those of T-PBI. A theoretical analysis explains this effect as a consequence of shifting the lowest unoccupied perylene level (LUMO) in or out of the bias window when tuning the electrochemical gate potential VG. The difference in on/off ratios reflects the variation of hybridization of the LUMO with the electrode states with the anchor groups. I(T)-E(S(T)) curves of asymmetric molecular junctions formed between a bare Au STM tip and a T-PBI (P-PBI) modified Au(111) electrode in an aqueous electrolyte exhibit a pronounced maximum in the tunneling current at -0.740, which is close to the formal potential of the surface-confined molecules. The experimental data were explained by a sequential two-step electron transfer process.

Chromatin configurations in the ferret germinal vesicle that reflect developmental competence for in vitro maturation

In several mammalian species, the configuration of germinal vesicle (GV) chromatin correlates with the developmental competence of oocytes. Yet, no study has been published on the configuration of GV chromatin in ferret, nor is it known whether a specific configuration predicts meiotic competence in this species, in spite of the potential importance of ferret cloning to the study of human disease and to species conservation efforts. Here, we report on an analysis of the chromatin configuration in ferret GV oocytes and on how they correlate with meiotic development. Three distinct configurations were identified based on the degree of chromatin condensation: (1) fibrillar chromatin (FC), featuring strands of intertwined chromatin occupying most of the visible GV region; (2) intermediate condensed chromatin (ICC), characterized by dense, irregular chromatin masses throughout the GV; and (3) condensed chromatin (CC), which is highly compact and centered around the nucleolus. We also found that chromatin configuration was related to the extent of association with cumulus cells in cumulus-oocyte complexes; CC-configured oocytes were most often surrounded by a compact cumulus layer and also a compact corona but FC-configured oocytes were associated with neither. In addition, increasing chromatin condensation corresponded to an increase in oocyte diameter. Finally, following in vitro culture, significantly more CC-configured oocytes underwent maturation to meiotic metaphase II than did FC- or ICC-configured oocytes. We conclude that, in ferret, chromatin condensation is related to the sequential achievement of meiotic competencies during oocyte growth and differentiation, and thus can be used as a predictor of competence.

Use of soft hydrothermal processing to improve and recycle bedding for laboratory animals

Cage bedding for laboratory rodents can influence animal wellbeing and thus the experimental data. In addition, a large amount of used bedding containing excrement is discharged as medical waste from life science institutes and breeding companies. We developed a ground-breaking system to improve fresh bedding and recycle used bedding by applying a soft hydrothermal process with high-temperature and high-pressure dry steam. The system removes both harmful organic components and aromatic hydrocarbons that can affect animals' metabolism. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the chemical and physical properties of the improved fresh bedding and the recycled used bedding treated by the system. The results showed that 68-99% of the predominant aromatic hydrocarbons were removed from fresh bedding treated at 0.35 MPa and 140 degrees C for 120 min ('improved bedding'). In addition, 59.4-99.0% of predominant harmful organic compounds derived from excrement were removed from used bedding treated at 0.45 MPa and 150 degrees C for 60 min ('recycled bedding'). The soft hydrothermal treatment increased the number of acidic functional groups on the bedding surface and gave it the high adsorptive efficiency of ammonia gas. Harmful substances such as microorganisms, heavy metals and pesticides decreased below the detection limit. The results clearly showed that the improved and recycled bedding is safer for laboratory rodents and has the potential to ameliorate conditions in primary and secondary enclosures (e.g. cages and animal rooms) used for maintaining laboratory animals. This process may be one of the most advanced techniques in providing an alternative to softwood and other bedding, economizing through the recycling of used bedding and reducing bedding waste from animal facilities.

Callus distraction for humeral nonunion with bone loss and limb shortening caused by chronic osteomyelitis

Nonunion of the humerus with bone loss and shortening due to osteomyelitis is rare but difficult to treat. We describe our experience with a callus distraction technique using a monolateral external fixator for the treatment of this condition. Between October 1994 and January 2004, 11 patients were treated. There were seven males and four females, with a mean age of 14 years (10 to 17). The mean bone loss was 1.9 cm (1 to 2.7) and the mean length discrepancy in the upper limb was 5.6 cm (3.5 to 8.0). The mean follow-up was for 106 months (54 to 166). The mean external fixation index was 34.8 days/cm (29.8 to 40.5). The mean lengthening was 9.5 cm (5.5 to 13.4). There were seven excellent results, three good and one poor. There were nine excellent functional results and two good. The treatment of humeral nonunion with bone loss and shortening due to osteomyelitis by callus distraction is a safe and effective means of improving function and cosmesis.