Abstract P1-08-13: The clinical importance of nuclear wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1(Wip1) expression in breast cancer patients

Backgrounds; The wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1(Wip1) is a member of the serine/threonine protein phosphatases, and plays an important role in the nucleus as one of the key components in the DNA damage response network. Wip1 is encoded by the protein phosphatase magnesium dependent 1 delta (PPM1D), sited on locus 17q23. PPM1D gene amplification and/or Wip1 expression have been observed in numerous tumors, including breast cancer. PPM1D is referred to as oncogene, as Wip1 inhibits phosphorylation of p53 and work as a negative regulator in cell death. Inhibition of Wip1 may have an important therapeutic role in suppressing tumor growth and evolution.

Aims; We evaluated the expression of Wip1 mRNA, Wip1 protein and PPM1D DNA copy number to clarify the relationship between Wip1 expression and the clinicopathological features and prognosis to determine the biological significance of Wip1.

Materials and Methods; Breast cancer cell lines (MCF7, T47D, MDA-MB231, HCC1937, HS578T, BT20 and SKBr3) were used for Wip1 expression analysis and copy number analysis. The specimens were obtained from Japanese breast cancer patients who underwent surgery without neoadjuvant chemotherapy or endocrine therapy in our department. Wip1 mRNA expression was evaluated in 140 cases by quantitative RT-PCR and Wip1 protein expression was evaluated in 192 cases by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The PPM1D DNA copy number was analyzed by genomic PCR in 33 breast cancer cases and by SNP-CGH array (Illumina, Human Omni 2.5-8) in 12 cases. The effects on the cell growth of the Wip1 inhibitor (GSK2830371) were analyzed by the viability assay in MCF7.

Results; Wip1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in MCF7, luminal type cell line. There was no significant correlation between Wip1 mRNA expression and prognosis. In IHC, positive nuclear Wip1 protein expression was detected in 21 cases (10.9%). There was no significant correlation between Wip1 mRNA expression and Wip1 protein expression. There was no significant association between the Wip1 protein expression levels and the clinicopathological factors and the prognosis. PPM1D DNA copy number significantly correlated with Wip1 protein expression (p=0.0035). Copy number gain at 17q23 was detected in 6 cases by SNP-CGH array, and all of these six cases showed positive nuclear Wip1 expression. PPM1D copy number gain was not observed in Wip1 negative cases. In the cell viability assay, the MCF7 cell growth was suppressed by Wip1 inhibitor administration.

Conclusions;Wip1 protein expression in nucleus is important as oncogene, and its expression may be regulated by PPM1D copy number gain. Wip1 is considered to be the new therapeutic target for breast cancer patients.

Citation Format: Inoue Y, Yamashita N, Tokunaga E, Kitao H, Tanaka K, Saeki H, Oki E, Maehara Y. The clinical importance of nuclear wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1(Wip1) expression in breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-08-13.

Abstract P5-13-05: The relationship between the expression of FOXA1 and GATA3 and the efficacy of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy

Background.

The estrogen receptor (ER)/ GATA3/ Forkhead box A1 (FOXA1) network is necessary for the ERα functional signature specific to luminal type breast cancers. High expression of FOXA1 indicates a good prognosis in ER-positive breast cancer. However, little is known about the association between the expression of FOXA1 and GATA3, and the efficacy of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NAE). This study investigated their predictive potential for NAE and the changes of their expression after NAE.

Methods.

The expression of ER, progesterone receptor (PgR), Ki67, FOXA1, and GATA3 were analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 66 patients with hormone receptor-positive/ human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer who had been treated with NAE between March 2003 and December 2012 at Kyushu University Hospital, National Kyushu Cancer Center, and Sagara Hospital. The association between the expression of biological marker and the efficacy of NAE, and their expression changes after NAE were evaluated.

Results.

The median age of the patients was 60 years (range, 30–84 years). Pre- and post-menopausal patients were 24 (36.4%) and 42 (63.6%). Endocrine agents that were administered are as follows: aromatase inhibitors (AIs) for 42 patients (63.6%), luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist plus AI for 10 patients (15.2%), LHRH agonist plus tamoxifen for 13 patients (19.7%). NAE yielded a partial response (PR) in 21 patients (31.8%) and stable disease (SD) in 45 patients (68.2%). Breast conserving surgery was performed in 56 patients (84.8%) and mastectomy was performed in 10 patients (15.2%). Preoperative Endocrine Prognostic Index (PEPI) score was 0 in 10 patients (15.2%) and 1 or greater (score 1 ≤) in 56 patients (84.8%).

Pre-treatment FOXA1 expression was positively correlated with GATA3 (P = 0.0003) and PgR (P = 0.0138). Post-treatment Ki67 expression was significantly lower in tumors, which achieved PR compared with those with SD (P = 0.0007). The expression of PgR, Ki67, and FOXA1 was significantly lower in post-treatment tumors compared with those in pre-treatment samples (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). The expression of PgR, Ki67, and FOXA1 was significantly reduced in both tumors with PR and those with SD (PR: P = 0.0004, P < 0.0001, and P = 0.0417, respectively; SD: P < 0.0001, P = 0.0001, and P < 0.0001, respectively). The expression of PgR, Ki67, and FOXA1 was significantly decreased in post-treatment tumors in both patients with the PEPI score 0 and those with score 1 ≤ (score 0: P = 0.0078, P = 0.0059, and P = 0.0098, respectively; score 1 ≤: P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, and P = 0.0002, respectively). In tumors with PgR > 20%, the expression of Ki67 and FOXA1 were significantly lower in post-treatment tumors (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively).

Conclusions.

FOXA1 expression correlated with PgR expression, and was reduced significantly after NAE. These results suggest that blocking the effect of estrogen might reduce FOXA1 expression.

Citation Format: Tanaka K, Tokunaga E, Inoue Y, Ueo H, Yamashita N, Sagara Y, Ohi Y, Taguchi K, Ohno S, Okano S, Kitao H, Oki E, Oda Y, Maehara Y. The relationship between the expression of FOXA1 and GATA3 and the efficacy of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-13-05.

Oxidative DNA damage in human esophageal cancer: clinicopathological analysis of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and its repair enzyme

Both internal and external oxidative stresses act on DNA and can induce carcinogenesis. 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is an indicator of oxidative stress and it leads to transversion mutations and carcinogenesis. 8-OHdG is excision-repaired by 8-OHdG DNA glycosylase (OGG1). The purpose of this study is to clarify the effect of oxidative DNA damage and repair enzymes on esophageal carcinogenesis. The levels of 8-OHdG and OGG1 were immunohistochemically evaluated in resected specimens, including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in 97 patients with esophageal cancer. Higher levels of 8-OHdG in normal esophageal epithelium were associated with a higher smoking index (P = 0.0464). The 8-OHdG level was higher in cancerous areas than in normal epithelia (P = 0.0061), whereas OGG1 expression was weaker in cancerous areas than in normal epithelia (P < 0.0001). An increase of OGG1 expression in normal epithelium was observed as 8-OHdG levels increased (P = 0.0011). However, this correlation was not observed in cancerous areas. High OGG1 expression in the cytoplasm was related to deeper tumors (P = 0.0023), node metastasis (P = 0.0065) and stage (P = 0.0019). Oxidative DNA damage, which is attributable to smoking as well as disturbances in DNA repair systems, appears to be closely related to esophageal carcinogenesis and its progression.

Abstract P2-08-04: Subtype specific chromosomal aberrations in breast cancer

Background: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and divided into five distinct groups (Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-enriched, Basal-like, and Claudin-low subtypes). DNA copy number studies have suggested that chromosomal aberrations are different among subtypes. Basal-like, and Claudin-low subtypes are mainly ER-, PR- and HER2- (triple negative: TN). Recent study reported that the basal-like subtype was the most distinct with common losses of the regions containing tumor suppressor genes such as RB1, BRCA1, INPP4B, and the greatest overall genomic instability. On the other hand, Claudin-low tumors showed few copy number changes. Luminal A tumors show fewer chromosomal copy number changes than Luminal B and HER2-enriched subtypes.

Aims: To investigate the extent of the chromosomal aberrations and to evaluate the relationships between chromosomal aberrations and breast cancer subtypes and other clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis.

Methods: Specimens were obtained from 363 invasive breast cancer patients who underwent surgery in our department between 1994 and 2011. Four breast cancer subtypes were determined by the immunohistochemical analysis of ER, PR and HER2; hormone receptor (HR; ER and/or PR)+/HER2-, HR+/HER2+, HR-/HER2+(HER2) and TN. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the tumor suppressor gene (TSGs), BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53, RB1, PTEN and INPP4B, was investigated with microsatellite markers using our microsatellite analysis system. Copy number aberrations (CNAs) were analyzed by SNP-CGH array (Illumina, HumanOmni2.5-8).% Defects, which represents the percent of genome region containing chromosomal aberration, was determined by Karyostudio Software v1.4 (Illumina).

Results: The incidence of LOH at BRCA, BRCA2, TP53, RB1, PTEN and INPP4B locus was 37.4, 34.0, 57.1, 41.9, 25.8 and 18.0%, respectively. The incidence of LOH was lowest in hormone receptor (HR)+/HER2- subtype, and higher in HER2 and triple negative (TN) subtypes. LOH at INPP4B locus was significantly associated with TN subtype. The LOH at BRCA1 and TP53 loci was highest in HER2 subtype. The LOH at BRCA1, TP53 and INPP4B loci was significantly associated with poor prognosis in all cases; however, the impact of LOH at these TSGs on the prognosis was different among subtypes. Coexistence of LOH at both BRCA1 and TP53 loci was significantly associated with aggressive phenotype and chromosomal aberrations.%Defect was highest in the tumors with LOH at both BRCA1 and TP53 loci. Coexistence of LOH at both BRCA1 and TP53 loci was significantly associated with poor prognosis, especially in HR+/HER2- subtype. Many cases with TN subtype reveal gross chromosomal aberrations, and these tumors were considered to be basal-like. However, there are some cases with few chromosomal alterations in TN, whose prognosis was very poor. These tumors were considered to be Claudin-low subtype.

Conclusions: The incidence and biological significance of LOH at TSGs are different among breast cancer subtypes. Coexistence of LOH at both BRCA1 and TP53 loci was associated with gross chromosomal aberrations and poor prognosis.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P2-08-04.

Abstract P2-06-03: The BRCA1 promoter methylation is one of the mechanisms of th BRCA1 dysfunction of triple-negative breast cancer

Background: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is typically associated with aggressive tumor phenotype and poor prognosis. TNBC is also considered highly heterogeneous disease. A better understanding of molecular and histopathological features of TNBC is of great importance, in order to develop a new therapeutic strategy and to improve the prognosis of TNBC. TNBC has many similarities with basal-like breast cancer, and is also associated with BRCAness. The major role of BRCA1 is to respond to DNA damage by participating in cellular pathways for DNA repair, mRNA transcription, cell cycle regulation, and protein ubiquitination. BRCA1 function loss leads to impaired homologous recombination mediated DNA repair. A loss of BRCA1 may thus be a biomarker of responsiveness to DNA damaging agents such as PARP inhibitor and cis/carboplatin. Germline mutations in BRCA1, however, account for approximately 5% of breast cancer cases, somatic mutations in BRCA1 rarely occur. Instead, lower than normal expression of BRCA1 is reported to be an important contributing factor in sporadic tumors. The BRCA1 promoter methylation may thus play an important role in the BRCA1 function loss in sporadic breast cancer.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical importance of BRCA1 promoter methylation in breast cancer.

Materials and Methods: Specimens were obtained from 71 TNBC and 163 non-TNBC patients who underwent surgery without neoadjuvant therapy in our department between 1990 and 2011. BRCA1 promoter methylation was investigated by using combined bisulfate and restriction analysis (COBRA). The BRCA1 mRNA expression was evaluated by quantitive RT-PCR. The BRCA1 protein level was assessed by immnohistochemistry. Loss of heterozygosity(LOH) at the BRCA1 locus was analyzed with microsatellite markers (D17S855 and D17S579) using our microsatellite analysis system. Copy number variations(CNVs) were analysed by SNP-CGH array (Illumina, HumanOmni2.5-8).

Results: We found 12 patients with BRCA1 promoter methylation and all of them were TNBC (p&lt;0.0001). BRCA1 promoter methylation was associated with lymphovessel invasion (p = 0.009), high nuclear grade (p = 0.03), low BRCA1 mRNA expression (p = 0.002) and low BRCA1 protein expression (p&lt;0.0001). CNVs were observed more frequently in TNBC(p = 0.012). High CNVs significantly correlated with BRCA1 LOH (p = 0.0025), but not with BRCA1 promoter methylation among TNBC patients.

Conclusions: The BRCA1 promoter methylation is considered to be a specific feature of aggressive phenotype of TNBC and to be one of the mechanisms of BRCA1 dysfunction in breast cancer.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P2-06-03.

P1-02-10: Vimentin Expression; as a Prognostic Factor and a Possible Molecular Target of Triple Negative Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), characterized by absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), is typically associated with aggressive tumor phenotype and poor prognosis. TNBC is also considered highly heterogeneous disease. Since TNBC lacks efficient therapeutic target, it is generally treated with nonspecific cytotoxic agents. A better understanding of molecular and histopathological features of TNBC is of great importance, in order to develop a new therapeutic strategy and to improve the prognosis of TNBC. TNBC has many similarities with basal-like breast cancer (BLBC), and is also associated with stemness and BRCAness. In addition, recent studies suggest links between TNBC and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). To identify prognostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets, we investigated the expression of the factors associated with EMT in TNBC.

MATERIALS and METHODS: Sporadic invasive breast cancer specimens were obtained from 659 Japanese patients who underwent surgery in our department between 1994 and 2010, and 90(14%) cases were diagnosed as TNBC. The E-cadherin and vimentin mRNA expression was evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. The E-cadherin, vimentin, CK5/6 and epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. In this study, we defined TNBC with positive expression of CK5/6 and/or EGFR as BLBC, and TNBC with low expression of E-cadherin and positive expression of vimentin as EMT-type.

RESULTS: Compared with non-TNBC cases, E-cadherin mRNA expression was significantly lower in TNBC cases (p=0.0012). Immunohistochemically, E-cadherin expression was significantly lower (p=0.0001) and vimentin expression was significantly higher (p=0.0049) in TNBC cases. Vimentin expression was associated with younger age (&lt;50 years old, p=0.021), high nuclear grade (p=0.017) and high Ki67 expression (p&lt;.001) in TNBC. Among the patients with TNBC, vimentin expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis, in terms of disease free survival (p=0.0059) and overall survival (p=0.013). Multivariate analysis showed that vimentin expression was an independent prognostic factor for both disease free survival (p=0.017) and overall survival (p=0.012). Among TNBC cases, 52(63%) cases were BLBCs and 15(18%) cases were EMT-type. Among BLBC patients, vimentin expression was also associated with significantly shorter disease free survival (p=0.0085) and overall survival (p=0.0057). The patients with both BLBC and EMT-type features showed especially poor prognosis(P=0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that elevated expression of vimentin attributes to the aggressive phenotype in TNBC patients. Vimentin expression might be useful as a molecular marker for prognosis of TNBC, and vimentin may represent a novel therapeutic target of TNBC.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-02-10.

The prognostic impact of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and VEGF, IGF-2, p21, p53 expression in gastric adenocarcinoma

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Background: Hypoxia caused by either radiation or chemotherapy induces various intracellular adaptive responses, which contribute to tumor progression. The clinicopathological characteristics of human gastric cancer and the clinical outcomes were analyzed to investigate the effects of the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor1α (HIF-1α) and some related proteins, such as, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-2), p21, and p53 on the prognosis of human gastric cancer. Methods: The expressions of HIF-1α, VEGF, IGF-2, p21, and p53 proteins were determined by immunohistochemistry in 216 specimens of primary gastric cancer. Results: Of all 216 patients, 85 (39.4%) showed a positive expression of HIF-1α. In addition, the HIF-1α expression positively correlated with the tumor size and depth of invasion, while it was also more frequent in tumors with lymphatic invasion and undifferentiated adenocarcinomas. Though the VEGF expression significantly correlated with the HIF-1α expression, the expressions of IGF-2, p21 and p53 did not show any correlation. HIF-1α-positive/p21-negative tumors had a lower apoptotic index, and the patients with such tumors also had a significantly poorer prognosis. Similarly, HIF-1α-positive/p53-positive tumors had a significantly poorer prognosis. A multivariate Cox regression analysis showed the depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and HIF-1α positivity to all be independent prognostic factors in patients with gastric cancer. Conclusions: Based on the above findings, HIF-1α is therefore considered to be a useful independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer, and the combination of a HIF-1α protein overexpression with the loss of p21 expression or nonfunctional p53 thus tends to indicate a dismal prognosis. Controlling hypoxia, especially in the HIF-1α pathways, may therefore hold the key to a greater individualization of therapy and also lead to the development of new treatments for patients with gastric cancer.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Fanconi anemia: genetic analysis of a human disease using chicken system

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare hereditary disorder characterized by skeletal abnormalities, bone marrow failure, and an increased incidence of cancer. The basic cellular abnormality in FA has been postulated to lie in the DNA repair mechanisms because cells from FA patients display chromosomal breakage, which is particularly remarkable following induction of DNA crosslinks. However, experimental evidence for this hypothesis has been lacking. To test whether DNA repair is really defective in FA cells, we disrupted several FA genes in chicken B cell line DT40. By measuring efficiency of gene conversion and hypermutation at the Immunoglobulin locus, we have shown that DT40 FA mutant cell lines exhibited defects in homologous DNA recombination, and possibly, translesion synthesis. However, levels of sister chromatid exchange, another important cellular event mediated by HR, were not reduced, possibly indicating the role of FA genes only in a subpathway of HR. Our results indicate that chicken DT40 cells could be highly useful in molecular dissection of basic biochemical processes, which are deficient in a human genetic disorder.

Genetic changes induced in human cells in Space Shuttle experiment (STS-95)

BACKGROUND

Results of past space experiments suggest that the biological effect of space radiation could be enhanced under microgravity. To assess the radiation risk for humans during long-term spaceflight, it is very important to clarify whether human cells exhibit a synergistic effect of radiation and microgravity.

HYPOTHESIS

If significant synergism occurs in human cells, genetic changes induced during spaceflight may be detected by using human tumor HCT-116 cells which are hypermutable due to a defect in the DNA mismatch repair system.

METHODS

Cultured HCT-116 cells were loaded on the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-95) and grown during the 9-d mission. After landing, many single-cell clones were isolated, microsatellite repetitive sequences in each clone were amplified by PCR, and mutations in the microsatellite loci were detected as changes in the length of PCR fragments. Mutation frequencies of ouabain-resistant phenotype were also analyzed.

RESULTS

The frequencies of microsatellite mutations as well as ouabain-resistant mutations in the flight sample were similar to those of the ground control samples. Some cells were treated in space with bleomycin which mimics the action of radiation, but the frequencies of microsatellite mutations were not significantly different between the flight and the ground control samples.

CONCLUSION

Under the present flight conditions, neither space radiation (about 20 mSv during this mission) nor microgravity caused excess mutations in human cells.

Class switch recombination of the chicken IgH chain genes: implications for the primordial switch region repeats

In mammals and the amphibian, Xenopus, isotypes of antibodies have been shown to be changed through class switch recombination within the IgH chain gene locus. Here, we identified switch (S) repetitive sequences in the 5' introns of the Ig C(mu) and C(gamma) genes of the chicken. The S(mu) region is composed of two homologous regions, S(mu)1 and S(mu)2. The S(mu)1 region is an upstream 3.7 kb sequence composed of 37 repeats of a consensus sequence containing tandem repeats of the decamer ACCAGTATGG. The S(mu)2 region is a downstream 1.4 kb sequence consisting of simple tandem repeats of a decamer CCCAGTACAG. The S(gamma) region contains repeats of the decamer TATGGGGCAG. Analysis of chicken IgG-producing hybridomas revealed that the C(mu) gene was deleted from the chromosome by the recombination occurring between the S(mu) and S(gamma) regions. Recombination breakpoints at the C(mu) gene of splenocytes from an immunized chicken were scattered around the S(mu) region and two such breakpoints, the precise position of which were determined, were located within possible hairpin loop structures at the palindromic sequence of S(mu)1. A primordial palindromic sequence from which the prevalent switch repeat motifs of mammals, chickens and amphibians may have diverged is presented.

Chicken immunoglobulin mu-chain gene: germline organization and tandem repeats characteristic of class switch recombination

We have isolated the phage clones covering the region spanning from the heavy (H)-chain joining (J) region to the end of the mu-chain gene of the chicken immunoglobulin (Ig). The distance from JH to the first exon of the mu-chain constant (C) region is approximately 13 kb, and introns between the C region exons measure more than 3 kb. These distances are significantly larger than those of known mu-chain genes. We found a region cross-hybridizing to the switch regions of the mouse C mu and C alpha genes just in front of the first exon of C mu. Partial nucleotide sequencing of this region revealed that this region consists of tandem repeats of pentamers (C/T)(C/A)CAG complementary to the mammalian switch repetitive region. These findings suggest that this region is a good candidate for a class switch region of the mu-chain gene of chicken Ig.

Signal joint of immunoglobulin V lambda 1-J lambda and novel joints of chimeric V pseudogenes on extrachromosomal circular DNA from chicken bursa

We isolated extrachromosomal circular DNA from the bursa of 18-day chick embryos and cloned their BamHI fragments into a phage vector. We found examples of the signal joint fused by V lambda 1-J lambda rearrangement and the sequences homologous to V lambda 1 segments that showed: (1) clustered V pseudogene (psi V) germ-line segments containing new psi V26, (2) a head-to-tail duplication of psi V13-psi V12 region and (3) chimeric structures composed of 5'-V lambda 1 and 3'-psi V segments. Both intrachromosomal tandem duplications and extrachromosomal circles may be generated by unscheduled DNA synthesis and recombination. The chimeric structure of V lambda 1 joined with upstream psi V segments suggests the involvement of V gene replacement for somatic diversification of the immunoglobulin genes in addition to a mechanism of segmental gene conversion.

[Urinary trypsin inhibitor as an acute phase reactant]

Early in this century, trypsin inhibiting activity has already been recognized in patients with acute infection or renal disease. In addition to these, conditions such as coronary thrombosis, surgical operation, artificial fever by heat-killed bacilli, malignancy, leukemia, later stage of normal pregnancy, etc. have been known to cause the elevated excretion of UTI in urine. Typically, maximal excretion of UTI has been observed within one or two days after the onset. It appears that recent studies have overcome the complexity of UTI molecule. Automated measurement of urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) in urine sample was carried out by either enzymic or immunologic method. UTI as well as erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein enables us to monitor acute phase response, being confirmed in cases of abdominal surgery.

Physiologic status at 1-year follow-up of obese women engaged in a supervised conditioning program

A follow-up study was conducted to re-evaluate a group of obese middle-aged women (n = 13), eight of whom had completed an 18-wk supervised (3 d/wk) plus unsupervised (2 d/wk) conditioning intervention program (at least 90 min per day) as the exercise plus diet group; while five of the remainder served as the control group. Each session had included a 25- to 45-min jog/run at intensities between the heart rate (HR) corresponding to lactate threshold (LT) and that slightly above the HR @ LT. During 1 year following the program, the women participated in self-controlled training such as running, aerobic dancing, or jazz dancing 2.6 +/- 1.1 d/wk. Dietary intake averaged approximately 1736 +/- 152 kcal/d at the pre-treatment, 1404 +/- 124 kcal/d at the post-treatment, and 1645 +/- 147 kcal/d 1 year after the post-treatment. Interestingly however, oxygen uptake corresponding to LT (VO2 @ LT), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), weight, systolic blood pressure, and the ratio of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to total cholesterol (HDLC/TC) observed 1 year after the post-treatment were significantly different from the original pre-treatment and/or mid-treatment values. For instance, the significant 42% increase (14.7 +/- 2.4----21.3 +/- 4.2 ml/kg/min) in VO2 @ LT and 18% increase (0.284 +/- 0.106----0.335 +/- 0.093) in HDLC/TC from the pre-test to post-test were maintained throughout the 1-year follow-up period, suggesting no detrimental effect either on a cardiorespiratory fitness factor or on an anti-atherogenic factor. These findings indicate that physiologic status of obese middle-aged women engaged in a conditioning intervention program may not regress to pre-treatment status for at least one year after completion; provided they continue to participate in a 2.6-d/wk self-controlled training program with dietary intake of 1600-1700 kcal/d. Another interesting finding was that significant relationships existed between individual changes (delta) in training frequency and individual changes (delta) in physiologic variables (i.e., delta VO2max, delta VO2 @ LT, delta WT, delta fat, and delta HDLC/TC) during the follow-up study. It is concluded that, although the improved physiologic status of obese women can be maintained fairly well during 1 year following the conditioning program; continuation of training (3 d/wk or more) should be critical, either supervised or self-controlled, for successful maintenance of lost weight (8.2 +/- 2.9 kg) and improved fitness.

[Discriminant function analysis for evaluating the status of coronary heart disease risk]

We investigated to discriminate those individuals categorized by 1. obesity, 2. hypercholesterolemia, 3. hypertension, 4. low maximal oxygen uptake, 5. an abnormal electrocardiogram reflecting ischemic patterns, and/or 6. real sedentary life, from relatively healthier individuals without coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. One hundred and six Japanese women, aged 30 to 72 years, all of whom were in the postabsorptive state, were recruited in a series of tests for anthropometric and physiologic profiles both during the resting state and during the submaximal-maximal cycling exercise. Subjects were categorized into two groups--those who possessed four or more of the above 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (high-CHD-risk group, n = 15) and apparently healthy individuals with a minimum number of risk factors (low-CHD-risk group, n = 83). Analyses of the data revealed that a combination of 8 variables extracted from among original 25 variables accurately classified 13/15 (87%) of high-CHD-risk group and 77/83 (93%) of low-CHD-risk group (mean = 90/98 or 92%) into their respective groups. The 8 variables were double product, Katsura index, waist girth, chest girth, TG, TC, and skinfold thicknesses at the subscapular and abdominal sites. Subsequent t-test identified significant differences between groups not only for VO2max, SBP and TC but also for DBP, LDLC, TG, Hb, HR, and HRmax. Most of these differences were of a much greater magnitude compared to the existing difference in chronological age. These findings suggest the usefulness and importance of anthropometric and blood lipid variables in the explanation of differences in the health status between high-CHD-risk women and their counterparts.

Exercise-induced lipid peroxidation and leakage of enzymes before and after vitamin E supplementation

1. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin E on serum levels of malondialdehyde following the acute exhaustive exercise in human, and to determine whether the magnitude of leakage of enzyme would be affected by vitamin E supplementation. 2. Increase of malondialdehyde after exercise before vitamin E supplementation was slight (but statistically significant), however after supplementation with vitamin E, malondialdehyde level after exercise was significantly decreased. 3. Leakage of enzyme was significantly increased after exercise before vitamin E supplementation, but it was lower following exercise after vitamin E supplementation. 4. Lipid peroxidation following a bout of acute heavy exercise can be inhibited by vitamin E supplementation.

Weight Reduction in Athletes May Adversely Affect the Phagocytic Function of Monocytes

In brief: Monocyte phagocytic function was studied in nine competitive athletes before and after a two-week weight-reduction program of calorie restriction. The phagocytic activity of monocytes before the program was higher in the athletes than in the sedentary controls, but decreased significantly after the weight-reduction program. Furthermore, plasma fibronectin concentrations and the response of lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin decreased after the calorie restriction. These findings suggest that weight reduction by calorie restriction may adversely affect the integrity of defense mechanisms, even in healthy athletes. Thus, calorie restriction in athletes must be conducted with caution to protect them from adverse effects on their physiologic defense mechanisms.