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Abstract: The usefulness of electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) as a highly accurate method for determining the soil thickness distribution on hillslopes was validated by combining intensive measurements using invasive methods, i.e., cone penetration testing and boreholes, with ERI in three granitic watersheds. Areas of high electrical resistivity (ρ) contrast reflecting soil–bedrock interfaces were found in all three study watersheds. However, ρ values of soil and weathered granite just below the soil mantle varied over a relatively wide range at each site, as well as considerably from site to site. The patterns of low–high contrast in ρ profiles, reflecting the soil–bedrock interface, also differed from site to site despite similarly dry conditions. Differences in the water retention characteristics of soil and weathered granitic bedrock, as found by a previous study of bedrock hydrological properties, may have been a major factor in the observed subsurface ρ variations. The ERI method, with electrode spacing of 0.5 to 2.0m, was successful in determining soil thickness distributions ranging from about 0.5 to 3m depth based on its ability to detect high contrast in ρ in the subsurface zone. Closer electrode spacings are expected to more sensitively reveal the distribution of ground material properties and thus more accurately replicate the soil–bedrock interface. ERI failed to clearly identify the soil–bedrock interface at some points along our measurement lines because of local intermediate materials with different properties such as unconsolidated soil and clayey intermediation just below the soil–bedrock interface. Two types of seismic survey (SS) techniques were also used, combining seismic refraction (SR) and the surface wave method (SWM) with the ERI method in a granitic watershed to compare ERI with other geophysical methods. The profile of S-wave velocity (V s) by SWM also reasonably duplicated the soil–bedrock interface; the V s profile showed larger variation in lateral direction and corresponded to the soil thickness distribution better than the P-wave velocity (V p) profile by SR. The combined use of ERI and SWM may be more effective in detecting the soil–bedrock interface because each method compensates for the deficiencies of the other method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background. Invasion to the visceral pleura is an important component of lung cancer staging and an independent prognostic factor. However, the accuracy of pathologic examination depends on how the sections are made, and the pathologist may miss the most invaded part of the pleura. Therefore, we have designed “touch” cytology in an effort to more accurately diagnose the pleural invasion by lung cancer.Methods. Immediately after thoracotomy, the surface of the visceral pleura just above the tumor was gently touched by a glass slide without scrubbing in 100 patients who simultaneously underwent pleural lavage cytology or cytology of the subclinical pleural effusion.Results. Seventeen percent of the tumors were diagnosed as invading the visceral pleura by touch cytology. Lavage cytology was found to be positive in 7%. In reference to the pathologic examination of the tumor specimen, touch cytology was found to be positive in all of p3, 5 out of 6 of p2, 5 out of 30 of p1, and 5 out of 62 of p0 cases. Touch cytology correctly diagnosed all the positive cases detected by lavage or effusion cytology.Conclusions. This study suggests that our method is useful in detecting the visceral pleural invasion and raises a possibility that pathologic p0 and p1 lung cancers include a subset of patients with tumor cells exposed on the pleural surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background. Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a serious complication of lung resection. The management of persistent BPF is one of the most complex challenges encountered by thoracic surgeons.Methods. We used neodymium:yttrium-aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser in 8 patients with BPF who were treated at our hospital, between January 1991 and December 1997. Through the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope, Nd:YAG laser beam was directed to the bronchial mucosa surrounding the BPF. One-half–second energy pulses of 8 to 20 W were used. Close follow-up of successful patients showed complete closure of the BPF without further treatment.Results. The procedure was successful in 4 of 5 patients who had no infection or tumor at the bronchial stump. However, the procedure failed in 3 other patients, who had residual tumor or infection by aspergillus at the stump.Conclusions. Closure of small BPF by laser seems to be due to edema and to an inflammatory reaction of the bronchial mucosa surrounding the BPF. If the diagnosis of small proximal BPF is made in the absence of tumor or infection, Nd:YAG laser offers an option for endobronchial treatment of small (<2 mm) BPF. If this technique is successful, it avoids the morbidity associated with more invasive surgical procedures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present a case of a large pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma with metastases to multiple lymph nodal stations and suspected contralateral pulmonary metastasis. Four cases (including the present) have been reported to have lymph node metastasis, and all had large tumors exceeding 3.5 cm in diameter. Accordingly, resection of sclerosing hemangioma is advisable while the tumor is small. Even in cases with a large sclerosing hemangioma, lymph node metastasis may be uncommon. However lymph node dissection may be necessary to detect lymph node metastasis in selected cases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report the case of a 59-year-old man who presented with major dyspnea due to saber-sheath malacic trachea associated with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. The placement of a temporary tracheal stent alleviated his dyspnea very well; hence the stent was replaced with a Gianturco wire stent (Cook Cardiology, Bloomington, IN). However, this required removal due to wire-stent-related complications 2 years after the replacement. Surprisingly the trachea had been remodeled to a normal shape resulting in comfortable, functional respiratory status. A review of the literature reveals our case to be the first report of curing saber-sheath malacic trachea without leaving any prostheses or other foreign materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a crucial role in tumorigenesis, however, the expression status of HDACs in lung cancer tissues has not been reported. We have investigated that HIDAC 1 mRNA levels and other clinico-pathological data, including MTA 1 mRNA expression in lung cancer. The study included 102 lung cancer cases. The HDAC1 mRNA levels were quantified by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using LightCycler (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany). The HDAC1/GAPDH mRNA levels were not significantly different in tumor tissues from lung cancer (30.654±33.047) and adjacent non-malignant lung tissues (18.953±56.176, P=0.1827). No significant difference in HDAC1/GAPDH mRNA levels was found among age, gender, and lymph node metastasis. The HDAC1/GAPDH mRNA levels were significantly higher in stage III or IV lung cancer (50.929±120.433) than in stage I lung cancer (11.430±25.611, P=0.0472). HDAC1/GAPDH mRNA levels were significantly higher in T3 or T4 lung carcinoma (54.326±127.018) than in T1 or T2 lung cancers (14.790±48.670, P=0.0161). HDAC1/GAPDH mRNA levels were correlated with MTA1/GAPDH mRNA levels (y=0.0106x+2.5827, P=0.0352). HDAC1/GAPDH mRNA levels were also correlated with HDAC1 protein (P=0.0484) expression by immunohistochemistry. Using the LightCycler RT-PCR assay, the HDAC1 gene expression might correlate with progression of lung cancers. However, further studies are needed to confirm the impact of HDAC1 for the molecular target of the lung cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cten is a recently isolated gene, which has homology with tensin suggesting that it is a focal adhesion molecule. Tensin family proteins play an important role in cell motility. We attempted to determine the influence of cten expression on clinicopathological features in patients with lung cancer who had undergone surgery. Expression of cten messenger RNA was evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 89 lung carcinomas and adjacent histological normal lung samples using LightCycler. Cten/glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA expression was not significantly different between lung cancer tissue (1.479±2.060) and normal lung tissue (1.528±1.592, P=0.8267). There was no relationship between cten/GAPDH expression and age, gender or N-status. However, tumor/normal ratio (T/N ratio) of cten/GAPDH expression was significantly higher in stage II–IV lung cancer (3.113±6.493) when compared with stage I lung cancer (1.237±1.820, P=0.0316). T/N ratio of cten/GAPDH expression was significantly higher in T4 lung cancer (4.612±9.726) when compared with T1 lung cancer (0.896±0.860, P=0.0252), and T2 lung cancer (1.636±2.066, P=0.0470), respectively. Thus cten/GAPDH mRNA expression has been correlated with evidence of tumor progression in terms of T and overall stage of lung cancer. Alternatively, cell motility or migration might play a role in progression of lung cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, we investigated activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) of lung cancer by newly developed film in situ zymography (FIZ) stamp method, which allows visual localization of gelatinolytic activity within the cut surface of a tumor. We performed FIZ stamp method and conventional gelatin zymography in 39 resected specimen of lung cancer. The degree of gelatinolytic activity was scored (FIZ score) and correlated with the clinicopathological factors of the tumor. FIZ score of normal lung was very low. Lung cancer tissue had consistently higher FIZ score than the matched normal lung tissue. There were statistically significant differences in the FIZ score according to the pathological stage (P=0.0015), nodal status (P=0.0007) and lymphatic invasion (P=0.0004). Direct correlation was observed between the FIZ score and MMP-2 activity (ρ=0.568, P=0.0030) as quantitated using conventional gelatin zymography. MMP-2 may play an important role in the lymphatic invasion of lung cancer. FIZ stamp method may be a simple and useful diagnostic aid for the presence of cancer cells in the resected specimen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bcl-2 family proteins regulate programmed cell death, and may play an important role in the selection of lymphocytes. We investigated the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-x, Bax, Bak and Bim in human lymphocytes using flow-cytometry. Bcl-2 was down-regulated in CD4+8+ (DP) thymocytes and CD19+38+ tonsillar lymphocytes (GC B cells). Among DP thymocytes, cells co-expressing CD69 up-regulated Bcl-2, suggesting that the role of Bcl-2 is promoting survival of positively selected DP cells. Unexpectedly, the expression level of Bcl-x was higher in DP cells than in Single Positive (SP) cells and in CD69+ DP thymocytes it was lower than in CD69+ DP thymocytes. Expression of Bim was low in DP thymocytes but high in a subset of GC B cells. Bim and Bax were expressed more highly in SP than in DP thymocytes. Among peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), CD8+ T cells expressed a ∼ten-fold higher level of Bcl-x than CD4+ T cells while both subsets expressed similar levels of Bcl-2. Bak expression was low and Bim expression was absent in PBL. These results suggest that not only Bcl-2 but other members of the Bcl-2 family are involved in T cell development in the thymus and affinity maturation of B cells in the germinal center. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Activation of the nuclear hormone receptor perioxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in several human cancers. We have hypothesized that PPARγ mRNA levels could be predictors of the differentiation and survival of lung cancer. The study included 77 lung cancer cases. The mRNA levels were quantified by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using LightCycler. The PPARγ mRNA levels were decreased in tumor tissues from lung cancer (0.579±1.255) compared to the normal adjacent lung tissues (4.191±2.868) (P=0.0001). No significant difference in PPARγ mRNA levels was found among gender, age, and pathological subtype. The PPARγ mRNA levels were higher in tumor tissues from higher differentiated lung cancer. The NSCLC patients with low PPARγ mRNA expression (<0.5) had significantly worse survival than the patients without low PPARγ mRNA levels (P=0.0438, Breslow–Gehan–Wilcoxon test; P=0.0168, Cox''s proportional–Hazards regression model). Thus, PPARγ mRNA levels may serve as a prognostic marker in lung cancer. Using the LightCycler RT-PCR assay, the determination of PPARγ mRNA levels might provide a potential marker for treatment of lung cancer by PPARγ agonist. However, further studies and a longer follow up are needed to confirm the impact of PPARγ in the biological behavior of the tumor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Survivin is a member of the inhibitor-of-apoptosis (IAP) family. It has been reported to be expressed during development, but not in differentiated normal tissue. However, its expression has been reported to be high in the thymus. To assess the role of survivin in human thymocyte development, we investigated the expression of survivin using reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry in freshly isolated human thymocytes. Survivin was expressed in all thymocyte subsets but its expression level was developmentally regulated. Its expression was low in the double negative (DN) thymocytes, upregulated in double positive (DP) thymocytes, and was highest in the T-cell receptorhigh, late DP thymocytes; it was then downregulated in the single positive thymocytes and negative in the peripheral blood T cells. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the expression of survivin and that of CD69 and Bcl-2 in DP thymocytes. These results suggest that survivin may play an important role in the T-cell development in the human thymus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The MTA1 gene is a recently identified metastasis-associated gene which has been implicated in the signal transduction or regulation of gene expression. We examined the mRNA expression levels of the MTA1, the human homologue of the rat mta1 gene in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Expression of MTA1 messenger RNA was evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 74 non-small cell lung carcinoma samples using LightCycler. The data was analyzed in reference to clinicopathological data. There was no relationship between MTA1 gene expression and age and gender. MTA1/GAPDH mRNA level in stage II–IV NSCLC (3.465±3.675) was significantly higher than the level in stage I NSCLC (1.614±2.434, P=0.0153). MTA1/GAPDH mRNA levels in T4 NSCLC (4.377±4.169) was significantly higher than the level in T1 NSCLC (1.966±2.148, P=0.0351) and in T2 NSCLC (2.048±1.899, P=0.0269), respectively. MTA1/GAPDH mRNA level in NSCLC with lymph node metastasis (4.242±3.758) was significantly higher in NSCLC without lymph node metastasis (P=0.0169). Our results show that the expression of the MTA1 gene is closely related to invasiveness and metastasis in NSCLC. The gene MTA1 could thus potentially provide information on the mechanism of cancer invasion and metastasis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]