Determination of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma on raw tissue using Raman spectroscopy

BACKGROUND

Cancer detection is a global research focus, and novel, rapid, and label-free techniques are being developed for routine clinical practice. This has led to the development of new tools and techniques from the bench side to routine clinical practice. In this study, we present a method that uses Raman spectroscopy (RS) to detect cancer in unstained formalin-fixed, resected specimens of the esophagus and stomach. Our method can record a clear Raman-scattered light spectrum in these specimens, confirming that the Raman-scattered light spectrum changes because of the histological differences in the mucosal tissue.

AIM

To evaluate the use of Raman-scattered light spectrum for detecting endoscop-ically resected specimens of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and gastric adenocarcinoma (AC).

METHODS

We created a Raman device that is suitable for observing living tissues, and attempted to acquire Raman-scattered light spectra in endoscopically resected specimens of six esophageal tissues and 12 gastric tissues. We evaluated formalin-fixed tissues using this technique and captured shifts at multiple locations based on feasibility, ranging from six to 19 locations 200 microns apart in the vertical and horizontal directions. Furthermore, a correlation between the obtained Raman scattered light spectra and histopathological diagnosis was performed.

RESULTS

We successfully obtained Raman scattered light spectra from all six esophageal and 12 gastric specimens. After data capture, the tissue specimens were sent for histopathological analysis for further processing because RS is a label-free methodology that does not cause tissue destruction or alterations. Based on data analysis of molecular-level substrates, we established cut-off values for the diagnosis of esophageal SCC and gastric AC. By analyzing specific Raman shifts, we developed an algorithm to identify the range of esophageal SCC and gastric AC with an accuracy close to that of histopathological diagnoses.

CONCLUSION

Our technique provides qualitative information for real-time morphological diagnosis. However, further in vivo evaluations require an excitation light source with low human toxicity and large amounts of data for validation.

Simple blood test for diagnosis of gastrointestinal and pancreas cancer using surface-enhanced Raman scattering

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Background: Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) has been widely applicated in industrial microanalysis, and researched to apply for various fields, for example biological research. We tried to detect the SERS spectra from blood samples obtained from patients with cancers or benign diseases by using a low intensity laser beam, and compared the SERS spectra pattern among the samples from the patient group. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from patients with gastric cancer (n=30), colorectal cancer (n=20), pancreas cancer (n=5) and benign diseases (n=20). All blood samples were centrifuged at 1600g for 7 minutes, and serum samples were extracted. The serum samples were placed on the phosphor bronze chip with silver nanoscale hexagonal columns (NHCs), and SERS spectra was detected by using low intensity helium-neon red laser beam with 633 nm as wavelength. Results: SERS spectra were detected in all samples within 4 minutes from irradiation. Limiting dilution of detecting SERS was 1/1000 of serum. SERS spectra patterns were different between cancer and benign disease patients, and maximum peak level of the SERS in the samples from cancer patients were significantly higher than those from benign disease patients. There was a difference on the wavelength of Raman shifting at the peak intensity and the pattern of the SERS spectra between the samples from the patients with cancers and benign diseases. And furthermore, there was a difference on the SERS spectra pattern among the samples from the patients with gastric, colon and pancreas cancer. Additionally, it was suggested that the elements combined with the silver NHCs were histone-and-DNA complex. Conclusions: Our data suggest that our simple blood test using SERS is useful for diagnosis of gastrointestinal and pancreas cancer. We have been trying molecular analysis of the element combined with the silver NHCs by next-generation sequencer. Clinical trial information: UMIN000009818.

A multivariate analysis for the survival of nodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL)

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Background: Nodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is uncommon lymphoma with various subtypes and poor prognosis. There is no definitive therapeutic improvement by conventional chemotherapy (CT) for decades. However, the superiority of high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has remained inconclusive. The infrequency of PTCL is an obstacle to perform a large prospective study. We conducted a retrospective study of fifty six patients with three major nodal PTCL, histologically classified as PTCL-not specified (NOS, n=29), angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL, n=19), and ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL, n=8) who underwent ASCT (n=14) or not (n=42) after CT in Tokai University Hospital, Ebina General Hospital, and Hadano Red Cross Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan between 1997 and 2008. We determined whether international prognostic index (IPI), serum soluble IL-2 receptor level (sIL-2R) and ASCT were correlated with the survival. Methods: Retrospective, multicenter cohort study by time-dependent or non-time-dependent multivariate survival analysis with Cox proportional hazard regression. Results: Median age was 61 (18–81). The percentage of IPI more than 3 was 50. Median sIL-2R was 4120 ng/ml. (311–96,800). In non-time-dependent analysis, both ASCT and sIL-R were significant prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). Hazard ratio (HR) of ASCT, IPI, and sIL-2R were 0.24 (95%CI: 0.08–0.76, p=0.02), 0.77 (95%CI: 0.34–1.77, p=0.54), and 1.45 (95%CI: 1.129–1.857, p=0.035), respectively. But in time-dependent manner, the significant effect of ASCT was offset for OS. HR of ASCT was 0.82 (95%CI: 0.25–2.71, p=0.75). Only sIL-2R was still statistically significant, which HR was 1.31 (95%CI: 1.04–1.66, p=0.03). On the other hand, ASCT was only important effect on progression-free survival (PFS) by non-time-dependent analysis, which HR was 0.20 (95%CI: 0.07–0.55, p=0.02). After time-dependent analysis, no variates influenced PFS. Conclusions: The OS advantage of high-dose chemotherapy followed by ASCT is offset by time-dependent Cox proportional hazard analysis. The level of sIL-2R has impact on OS. Prospective multicenter randomized trial will be needed to show or not to show an advantage for ASCT.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Retinol binding protein in plasma to evaluate the hepatotoxicity of rats treated with CCl4

Retinol binding protein (RBP) in plasma of rats treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was monitored to clarify if RBP is available for the evaluation of the drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Blood was withdrawn by heart puncture at 0 hr and 12 hr after i.p. administration of CCl4 (0.2 ml/kg) to rats. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in plasma significantly increased at 12 hr after CCl4 administration, compared with the control, while RBP in plasma significantly decreased. On the other hand, albumin in plasma was unaffected at 12 hr after CCl4 administration. Thus RBP seems to monitor the different aspects in the drug-induced hepatotoxicity from LDH and ALT, and from the viewpoint of protein synthesis in the liver, to be more sensitively affected by the drug-induced hepatotoxicity than albumin.

Preferential binding of polyethylene glycol-coated liposomes containing a novel cationic lipid, TRX-20, to human subendthelial cells via chondroitin sulfate

PURPOSE

To design novel cationic liposomes, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated cationic liposomes containing a newly synthesized cationic lipid, 3,5-dipentadecyloxybenzamidine hydrochloride (TRX-20) were formulated and their cellular binding and uptake investigated in vitro in the following cells: human subendothelial cells (aortic smooth muscle cells and mesangial cells) and human endothelial cells.

METHODS

Three different PEG-coated cationic liposomes were prepared by the extrusion method, and their mean particle size and zeta potential were determined. Rhodamine-labeled PEG-coated cationic liposomes were incubated with smooth muscle cells, mesangial cells, and endothelial cells at 37 degrees C for 24 h. The amounts of cellular binding and uptake of liposomes were estimated by measuring the cell-associated fluorescence intensity of rhodamine. To investigate the binding property of the liposomes, the changes of the binding to the cells pretreated by various kinds of glycosaminoglycan lyases were examined. Fluorescence microscopy-is used to seek localization of liposomes in the cells.

RESULTS

The cellular binding and uptake of PEG-coated cationic liposomes to smooth muscle cells was depended strongly on the chemical species of cationic lipids in these liposomes. Smooth muscle cells bound higher amount of PEG-coated TRX-20 liposomes than other cationic liposomes containing N-(1-(2.3-dioleoyloxy) propyl)-N, N, N-trimethylammonium salts or N-(alpha-(trimethylammonio)acetyl)-D-glutamate chloride. Despite of the higher affinity of PEG-coated TRX-20 liposomes for subendothelial cells, their binding to endothelial cells was very small. The binding to subendothelial cells was inhibited when cells were pretreated by certain kinds of chondroitinase, but not by heparitinase. These results suggest that PEG-coated TRX-20 liposomes have strong and selective binding property to subendothelial cells by interacting with certain kinds of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (not with heparan sulfate proteoglycans) on the cell surface and in the extracellular matrix of the cells. This binding feature was different from that reported for other cationic liposomes.

CONCLUSIONS

PEG-coated TRX-20 liposomes can strongly and selectively bind to subendothelial cells via certain kinds of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and would have an advantage to use as a specific drug delivery system.

Separation of apple procyanidins into different degrees of polymerization by high-speed counter-current chromatography

Apple procyanidins were fractionated by high-speed counter-current chromatography in a one-step operation from apple condensed tannins using a type-J multilayer coil planet centrifuge. The separation of procyanidins was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of methyl acetate-water (1:1) by eluting the upper phase at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min. Each fraction was examined by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Procyanidins were separated according to their degrees of polymerization.

[Persistence of polarization in self-generated attitude change]

The present study examined the persistence of polarization in self-generated attitude change, and explored the possibility of an additional polarization. In Experiment 1, a judgment about a traffic accident case was made, in which the defendant tended to appear guilty. Subjects in Thought condition then made a second judgment after thinking about the case for six minutes. In Experiment 2, two months later, the Thought subjects made judgments of the case again. The results were as follows: Judgments tended to polarize after the six-minute interval, and the effect persisted to the second experiment. However, a second polarization did not occur when another interval of six minutes to think about the case was provided. Some relationship between harshness of judgment and the number of reasons given for harsh judgment was found. The results were discussed in terms of both informational influence and social comparison.

[Developmental change of self-evaluation maintenance process and childhood depression]

The purpose of this study was to elucidate developmental changes in self-evaluation maintenance processes, and examine their relationship to childhood depression. Two questionnaires were administered to two hundred and one (201) elementary school children and three hundred and one (301) junior high school students. They were asked to rate their own performance on school subjects and school-related activities and those of close and distant classmates, as well as the degree of relevance to their selves of each school subject and school-related activity. Their actual school performance indicated that not only fifth and sixth graders and junior high school students, but also third and fourth grade children showed self-evaluation maintenance. In addition, it was found that self-evaluation maintenance was related to some indices, separately measured, of childhood depression, especially cognitive measures.

[Self-evaluation maintenance processes in time sequential changes of relations between friend choice and school performance]

The purpose is to elucidate the sequential change in relations between students' friend choice and their school performance in terms of self-evaluation maintenance model. One hundred and thirty-five elementary school children and one hundred and twenty junior high school students were used as subjects of this survey. On the two questionnaires, each student was asked how he rated his own school performance, that of his friend, and that of his distant classmate, on both the high and low relevant subjects. According to the result of the survey, most students changed the combinations of each factor (relevance, closeness, school performance) in order to maintain their desirable self-evaluation. A time sequential analysis showed that students' self-evaluation maintenance processes were not so much based on their own ratings of school performance as on actual grades. It also showed that self-evaluation maintenance and personality traits were related to each other: As for elementary school children, their personality traits were related to the ratings of their own school performance and of their friends' school performance.

A case report of intestinal myiasis

A case of mixed infection of Salmonella (type C2) and Parasarcophaga crassipalpis (an intestinal myiasis) in a two-year-old girl is reported. A girl after dining in a restaurant developed typical Salmonella food-poisoning symptoms. Stool culture showed both Salmonella and fly larvae. This paper is to report a first case of this fly larvae infection and to review the recent trends of food-poisoning in Japan.

Effects and side effects of a new trivalent combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine

Effects and side effects of a new measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine were described. After MMR vaccination, 98% (59/60) of children showed seroconversion by the measles HI test, 98% (65/66) showed seroconversion by the rubella HI test and 57% (34/60) showed seroconversion by mumps NT. Side effects of MMR vaccine were fever (5/82) and skin rash (3/82).