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The article reports on the study that evaluates the impact of lung radiofrequency (RF) ablation on survival in patients with lung metastases from musculoskeletal sarcomas. It indicates that ablation of all lung tumors was significantly better prognostic factors in both the univariate analysis and the multivariate analyses. It reveals that lung RF ablation is a safe and useful therapeutic option for selected patients.

Purpose To investigate the utility of palmar bowing of the flexor retinaculum (PBFR) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an adjunct to presurgical evaluation of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Materials and Methods The CTS group comprised 48 women with CTS diagnosed from clinical history, physical examination, and electrophysiological findings. Another 21 healthy women with no symptoms of CTS served as controls. The CTS group was divided into four subgroups based on symptom duration. CTS patients were preoperatively assessed for symptom severity using a Likert scale. In both groups, palmar bowing of the flexor retinaculum (PBFR) was measured on MRI. Furthermore, relationships with disease duration, subjective symptom severity, and electrophysiological findings were assessed in the CTS group. Results Although PBFR increased significantly in all CTS groups when compared to the control group, PBFR in patients who complained of severe pain tended to exceed that in patients with mild to moderate pain. Statistical analysis showed a positive correlation between PBFR and pain severity. In contrast, PBFR did not reflect median nerve function. Conclusion PBFR as seen on MRI seems to correlate significantly with patients' subjective reports of pain severity. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;29:1102-1105. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tendon rupture is a common sports injury in adults. However, the mechanical properties of repair tissue are inferior to those of normal tissue. To accelerate tendon healing, an in vivo approach using growth factors has been applied and has shown evidence for the efficacy of biological stimulation of the repair process. Recombinant human osteogenic protein-1 (rhOP-1) has been shown to be effective in stimulating matrix production by various connective tissues. To test the effect of rhOP-1 on the matrix metabolism of tendon cells in vitro, bovine tendon cells were cultured in monolayer with various doses of rhOP-1 for 7 days. The addition of rhOP-1 to cell culture media resulted in significant increases in cell proliferation, DNA content, and the synthesis of proteoglycans (PGs) and collagen, compared to control cultures. The relative percentage of large PGs in the OP-1 culture was higher than that in the control culture. In conclusion, we show for the first time that rhOP-1 stimulates the proliferation of tendon cells and their ability to synthesize and accumulate PGs and collagen in their extracellular matrix. These biological properties may be used in the tissue-engineering of tendon tissues. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:42-48, 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To compare the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) of myxoid and nonmyxoid soft-tissue tumors using line-scan diffusion-weighted imaging (LSDWI), and to investigate the myxoid matrix influence on ADCs of soft-tissue tumors. Materials and Methods This study enrolled 44 patients with soft tissue tumors. They were divided into two groups: one with myxoid-containing soft-tissue tumors ( N = 23) and the other with nonmyxoid soft-tissue tumors ( N = 21). The 44 patients were also classified histologically into 26 with malignant soft-tissue tumors and 18 with benign soft-tissue tumors. LSDWI was performed using b values of 5 and 1000 second/mm2. The ADCs of the tumors were calculated and compared for myxoid and nonmyxoid tumors and for benign and malignant tumors. Results The ADC (mean ± SD) was 1.92 ± 0.41 × 10-3 mm2/second in myxoid containing tumors, whereas the ADC was 0.97 ± 0.33 × 10-3 mm2/second in nonmyxoid tumors. The ADCs of the myxoid and nonmyxoid tumors were significantly different ( P < 0.01). The ADCs were 1.45 ± 0.59 × 10-3 mm2/second in malignant tumors and 1.50 ± 0.64 × 10-3 mm2/second in benign tumors. The ADCs of benign and malignant soft-tissue tumors were not significantly different. Conclusion The ADCs of myxoid-containing soft-tissue tumors were significantly higher than those of nonmyxoid soft-tissue tumors. The myxoid matrix influences ADCs of both benign and malignant soft-tissue tumors. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007;25:1199-1204. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tenascin-C (TN-C) is a hexameric glycoprotein component of extracellular matrix, and alternative RNA splicing creates two major TN-C size variants (the small and large variants). The large TN-C variants play key roles in many pathologic conditions in adults, including tumorigenesis, regeneration, and inflammation. This cross-sectional study compared levels of large TN-C variants in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). Synovial fluid samples were obtained from knees of 26 patients with advanced RA and 79 with advanced OA. Expression of TN-C splice variants was examined using Western blotting. The levels of large TN-C variants in synovial fluid were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Synovium were analyzed for TN-C by immunohistochemistry. Immunoblotting showed the presence of large TN-C variants in synovial fluid from patients with RA and OA. However, levels of large TN-C variants were fourfold higher in RA samples compared with OA samples ( p < 0.01). Synovial fluid levels of TN-C in RA did not correlate with C-reactive protein levels. Immunohistochemistry of the synovium showed stronger reactivity in RA samples than in OA samples. These results indicate that local synthesis of TN-C is increased during rheumatic disease. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25:563-568, 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is one of the most common soft tissue sarcomas. MFH has been proposed to be a lesion accompanied with inflammatory responses. During chronic inflammation, reactive nitrogen and oxygen species generated from inflammatory cells are considered to participate in carcinogenesis by causing DNA damage. 8-nitroguanine is a mutagenic nitrative DNA lesion formed during chronic inflammation. We examined whether nitrative DNA damage is related to the prognosis of MFH patients. We performed immunohistochemical analyses to examine the distribution of DNA damage and the expression of inflammation-related molecules including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in clinical specimens from 25 patients with MFH. We also analyzed the correlation of DNA damage or the expression of these genes with the prognosis of MFH patients. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the formation of 8-nitroguanine and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), an oxidative DNA lesion, occurred to a much greater extent in MFH tissue specimens from deceased patients than in live patients. iNOS, NF-κB and COX-2 were colocalized with 8-nitroguanine in MFH tissues. It is noteworthy that the statistical analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method demonstrated strong 8-nitroguanine staining to be associated with a poor prognosis. In conclusion, 8-nitroguanine appears to participate in not only the initiation and promotion of MFH, but also in the progression of MFH, and could therefore be used as a promising biomarker to evaluate the prognosis of cancer patients. ( Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 163–168) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: When human blood monocytes were cocultured with stromal cells derived from human giant cell tumor of bone (GCTSC) and a Millipore filter (0.4μm) was interposed between monocytes and GCTSC, multinucleated giant cell formation of monocytes was induced. The multinucleated giant cells have characters as osteoclast-like cells, indicating that a soluble osteoclast-inducing factor(s) is secreted from GCTSC expressing RANK, RANKL/ODF/OPGL and TACE mRNA. Furthermore, OCIF/OPG inhibited GCTSC-induced osteoclastogenesis, showing that the RANK–RANKL system is involved in GCTSC-induced osteoclastogenesis and that soluble form of ODF/RANKL induces osteoclasts from monocytes. GCTSC expressed the cytokine mRNAs such as M-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-3, IL-4, IL-6, and IFN-γ mRNAs. None of IL-1rα, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-18, TNF-α, G-CSF and IFN-γ could be detected in all culture media. A significant amount of IL-6 could be detected in the culture media of all GCTSC. IL-8 was found in the culture media of two GCTSC and two osteosarcoma-derived cells. M-CSF was detected in all culture media. GCTSC express CaSR, and stimulation of GCTSC with either extracellular Ca2+ or neomycin, agonist of CaSR, augumented the expression of RANKL. Some lines of GCTSC expressed alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and Cbfa1, suggesting that GCTSC are intimately related to osteoblastic lineage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Acrodysostosis is a rare congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by peculiar facial appearance with a small nose and an open mouth, short stature, short metacarpotarsal, and phalangeal bones with cone-shaped epiphyses, advanced bone-age, and variable degrees of mental retardation. It is most likely that the disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant mode, its pathogenesis has remained unknown. We report a 4-year-old Japanese girl who suffered from acrodysostosis with unusual iridal color. The color of patient's irides was gray-bluish in her infancy but became light-brownish by age 4 years. Of eight Japanese patients reported, four had abnormal eye color: a 7-month-old boy with blue irides and his 2-year-old elder sister with light-blue eyes a 6-year-old girl with gray-brownish irides, and a 4-year-old girl (present case) with blue-brownish irides. The degree of iris pigmentation in acrodysostosis patients may change with age. It is likely that the putative gene for acrodysostosis might play a role not only in remodeling of bones but also in iris pigmentation., (Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

We present a large dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans on a 52 years-old woman's back that was successfully treated with transcatheter arterial embolization and radiofrequency ablation. The tumor developed on her back at the age of 14. Surgical treatment was not complete, and it relapsed at age 17 and again at age 24. The tumor enlarged to over 20x20x10 cm and flooded intermittently. The tumor cells with atypical nuclei were CD34 positive and proliferated in a storiform pattern. These findings were compatible with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. She was treated with blood transfusion for severe anemia. Two large feeding arteries were embolized, and the bottom of the tumor was treated with radiofrequency ablation. The tumor reduced in volume by more than 50%. It was then surgically removed and reconstructed with a free mesh skin graft. The combination pretreatment enabled radical resections of a large DFSP without severe complications.