Search

We herein report a case of spontaneous isolated dissection of the celiac artery. A Japanese man in his 50s visited an emergency unit, complaining of sudden epigastralgia. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography indicated dissection of the celiac artery with patent false and true lumina, extending to the splenic and common hepatic arteries. On day 3 of hospitalization, the dissection progressed to the proper and right hepatic arteries. Progression of the dissection to the right hepatic artery provoked acalculous ischemic cholecystitis, and cholecystectomy followed. The resected gallbladder revealed extensive aseptic necrosis with little inflammatory reaction, and the gallbladder neck was spared from ischemia.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) is a transcription factor that regulates angiogenesis under hypoxic conditions. To investigate the posttranscriptional regulatory mechanism of HIF1α, we performed a cell-based screening to reveal potential cis-elements and the regulatory RNA-binding proteins that act as trans-factors. We found that LIN28A promoted HIF1α protein expression independently of the downregulation of microRNA let-7, which is also directly mediated by LIN28A. Transcriptome analysis and evaluation of RNA stability using RNA-seq and SLAM-seq analyses, respectively, revealed that LIN28A upregulates HIF1A expression via mRNA stabilization. To investigate the physical association of LIN28A with HIF1A mRNA, we performed enhanced crosslinking immunoprecipitation in 293FT cells and integrally analyzed the transcriptome. We observed that LIN28A associates with HIF1A mRNA via its cis-element motif "UGAU". The "UGAU" motifs are recognized by the cold shock domain of LIN28A, and the introduction of a loss-of-function mutation to the cold shock domain diminished the upregulatory activities performed by LIN28A. Finally, the microvessel density assay showed that the expression of LIN28A promoted angiogenesis in vivo. In conclusion, our study elucidated the role of LIN28A in enhancing the HIF1α axis at the posttranscription layer.

In this paper, the scheme that combines LDM (Layered Division Multiplexing) with the FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing) scheme based on BST-OFDM (Band Segmented Transmission - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is proposed for the next-generation DTTB (Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting). The proposed LDM-BST-OFDM scheme provides a more effective frequency utilization of the stream for fixed reception. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated by computer simulations where the effectiveness of proposed scheme for fixed reception is shown. Although LDM-BST-OFDM improves the performance, dedicated receivers that can demodulate symbols multiplexed by LDM are required. In this paper, LDM-BST-OFDM using punctured LDPC code is proposed, which can decode the stream for fixed reception even if symbols multiplexed by LDM are not demodulated. The reception characteristics of the proposed scheme are evaluated by computer simulations.

Purpose The Activator F (ActF) test on the TEG6s Platelet Mapping assay system is a means of quantifying blood viscoelasticity caused by fibrin network formation, triggered by reptilase and factor XIII, while platelets are inhibited. This unique methodology enables the measurement of blood viscoelasticity, even in highly heparinized blood. Here, we investigated whether fibrinogen concentration could be estimated using the ActF test in blood samples obtained during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and after CPB in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Methods We performed a single-center prospective observational study at a university hospital. Forty patients aged ≥ 18 years who underwent elective cardiovascular surgery with CPB were enrolled. Blood samples were drawn after the induction of anesthesia, after declamping of the aorta during CPB, and after the reversal of heparinization using protamine (after CPB). Coagulation profiles were evaluated using the Platelet Mapping assay and standard laboratory tests. Results There were strong correlations between the maximal amplitude of clot strength (MA) in the ActF test and fibrinogen concentration in samples drawn during CPB (R = 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72–0.91; P R = 0.83, 95% CI 0.70–0.91; P Conclusion TEG6s Platelet Mapping ActF MA values strongly correlated with plasma fibrinogen concentration in highly heparinized blood during CPB and yielded highly accurate measurements of low fibrinogen concentrations.

Recently, the next-generation DTTB(Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting) for UHDTV (Ultra-High Definition Television) broadcasting is being researched and developed in the world. For the Japanese next-generation DTTB for UHDTV broadcasting, LDM-BST-OFDM(Layered Division Multiplexing - Band Segmented Transmission - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) transmission scheme is proposed. Although LDM-BST-OFDM transmission scheme can be achieved good band utilization, dedicated receivers that can demodulate LDM-multiplexed symbols are required. Therefore, frequency diversity using lower layer of LDM-BST-OFDM transmission scheme is proposed in this paper. In the proposed scheme, coded bits for fixed reception which are transmitted in 26 segments excluding the central 9 segments are duplicated. After that, duplicated bits are modulated and LDM-multiplexed in the partial reception band. In the conventional fixed receivers which cannot demodulate LDM-multiplexed symbols, the stream for fixed reception can be decoded without LDM-multiplexed symbols. On the other hand, the performance is improved by maximum ratio combining using LDM-multiplexed symbols in the proposed receivers which can demodulate LDM-multiplexed symbols. In this paper, the reception characteristics of the proposed scheme is evaluated by computer simulations. As the results of the simulations, the required CNR(Carrier to Noise Ratio) of fixed reception can be improved by the proposed scheme.

SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 9 (SOX9) is a transcription factor regulating both chondrogenesis and sex determination. Among vertebrates, SOX9’s functions in chondrogenesis are well conserved, while they vary in sex determination. To investigate the conservation of SOX9’s regulatory functions in chondrogenesis and gonad development among species, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) using developing limb buds and male gonads from embryos of two vertebrates, mouse and chicken. In both mouse and chicken, SOX9 bound to intronic and distal regions of genes more frequently in limb buds than in male gonads, while SOX9 bound to the proximal upstream regions of genes more frequently in male gonads than in limb buds. In both species, SOX palindromic repeats were identified more frequently in SOX9 binding regions in limb bud genes compared with those in male gonad genes. The conservation of SOX9 binding regions was significantly higher in limb bud genes. In addition, we combined RNA expression analysis (RNA sequencing) with the ChIP-seq results at the same stage in developing chondrocytes and Sertoli cells and determined SOX9 target genes in these cells of the two species and disclosed that SOX9 targets showed high similarity of targets in chondrocytes, but not in Sertoli cells.

In this paper, the scheme that combines LDM(Layered Division Multiplexing) to the BST-OFDM(Band Segmented Transmission – OFDM) is proposed for the next-generation DTTB(Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting). In the proposed scheme for fixed reception, the parity-check matrix of the conventional LDPC code whose length is 69120 is extended. After that, the extended parity bits are generated by the parity-check matrix and modulated. These modulated symbols are multiplexed by LDM to symbols for mobile reception. The performances of the proposed scheme are evaluated by computer simulations under AWGN(Additive White Gaussian Noise), and the required CNR(Carrier to Noise Ratio) of fixed reception can be improved by the proposed scheme. Furthermore, it is possible to decode received symbols even with existing receivers that don’t support LDM demodulation by using the proposed extended LDPC code for fixed reception.

Ezrin is an actin binding protein which cross-links membrane proteins with cytoskeleton directly or indirectly via PDZ domain-containing scaffold proteins. It is mainly expressed at the brush border membrane (BBM) of gastrointestinal tracts, and is involved in the construction of microvilli structure and the functional expression of membrane protein complexes at the cell surface. To precisely study the roles of ezrin on the expression of membrane proteins at the cell surface, here we prepared the BBM fractions of ileums from the wild-type and ezrin-knockdown (Vil2(kd/kd)) mice, analyzed them by mass spectrometry, and compared their proteomic patterns. Totally 313 proteins were identified in the BBM fractions. Several transport proteins, cytoskeleton-associated proteins, and trafficking proteins were up- or down-regulated in the BBM fraction of the ileum in the Vil2(kd/kd) mice. Among them, the expressions of i) Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor 1 (a PDZ domain-containing scaffold protein), ii) sodium monocarboxylate transporter 1, which contains a PDZ domain-binding motif at their carboxy-terminal, and iii) chloride intracellular channel protein 5 were down-regulated at the BBM fraction of the ileum in the Vil2(kd/kd) mice, suggesting that ezrin is involved in their expression in the BBM.

Patient: Female, 30-year-old Final Diagnosis: Severe COVID-19 pneumonia Symptoms: Dyspena Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation Specialty: Critical Care Medicine • Infectious Diseases Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: There are few reports of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pregnant women. Although coagulation dys-function was reported to affect the severity of COVID-19, the association between pregnancy, which is usually accompanied by changes in coagulation function, and the worsening of COVID-19 is unknown. We present a case of a 30-year-old woman in the 36th week of pregnancy who was diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and required postpartum extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. Case Report: A 30-year-old, 36-weeks pregnant woman presented to our hospital and was diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia soon after she had undergone a cesarean section. Her respiratory failure could not be managed by conventional therapeutic approaches. Therefore, ECMO was administered on day 7. Controlling coagulation function to maintain ECMO therapy was challenging. Nafamostat mesylate and cryoprecipitate were administered to treat the hypercoagulative status and severe hypofibrinogenemia, respectively. Since coagulopathy and her respiratory state improved, the ECMO therapy was terminated on day 15. Conclusions: We report a case of severe COVID-19 pneumonia in a pregnant woman urgently treated with ECMO in the post-partum period. Thus, this case highlights the importance of close monitoring and appropriate medical care for pregnant women with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

Recently in-band full-duplex (IBFD) communications, which simultaneously transmit and receive signals on the same frequency band, has been aggressively studied for enhancing the spectral efficiency of wireless networks. The IBFD communications need to properly manage self-interference, which does not appear in traditional half-duplex (HD) communications, and this issue is one of the critical challenges for achieving the efficient IBFD communication systems. The increase in transmission power at user terminals (UEs) improves the quality of the received signal at base stations (BSs), whereas it also increases the self-interference at UEs and then largely impacts the throughput in the bidirectional IBFD (BIBFD) communications. This paper investigates the effect of the UE transmission power to the throughput for the BIBFD communications in cellular networks and then proposes UE transmission power control to improve the system throughput for the BIBFD cellular networks.

The scheme that combines LDM(Layered Division Multiplexing) to the FDM(Frequency Division Multiplexing) scheme based BST-OFDM(Band Segmented Transmission - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) in Japan is proposed for the next DTTB(Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting). In this paper, the transmission symbols for the stationary reception are generated by puncturing the symbols after BICM(Bit-Interleaved Coded Modulation) and removed symbols by puncturing are multiplexed to the transmitted symbols for mobile reception by LDM. The performances of the proposed scheme are evaluated by computer simulations under the multipath environment, and the improvement of the required CNR(Carrier to Noise Ratio) in stationary reception was confirmed.

BACKGROUND: It is believed that local anesthetic injected to obtain circumferential spread around nerves produces a more rapid onset and successful blockade after some ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks. However, evidence demonstrating this point is limited only to the popliteal sciatic nerve block, which is relatively easy to perform by via a high-frequency linear transducer. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that multiple injections of local anesthetic to make circumferential spread would improve the rate of sensory and motor blocks compared with a single-injection technique for ultrasound-guided subgluteal sciatic nerve block, which is considered a relatively difficult block conducted with a low-frequency, curved-array transducer. METHODS: Ninety patients undergoing knee surgery were divided randomly into 2 groups to receive the ultrasound-guided subgluteal approach to sciatic nerve block with 20 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine with epinephrine. For group M (the multiple-injection technique), the local anesthetic was injected to create circumferential spread around the sciatic nerve without limitation on the number of needle passes. For group S (the single-injection technique), the number of needle passes was limited to 1, and the local anesthetic was injected to create spread along the dorsal surface of the sciatic nerve, during which no adjustment of the needle tip was made. Sensory and motor blockade were assessed in double-blind fashion for 30 minutes after completion of the block. The primary outcome was sensory blockade of all sciatic components tested, including tibial, superficial peroneal, and sural nerves at 30 minutes after injection. RESULTS: Data from 86 patients (43 in each group) were analyzed. Block execution took more time for group M than group S. The proportion of patients with complete sensory blockade of all sciatic components at 30 minutes after injection was significantly larger for group M than group S (41.9% vs 16.3%, P = 0.018). Complete motor blockade of foot and toes extension also was observed more frequently in group M than in group S (67.4% vs 34.9%, P = 0.005 and 51.2% vs 25.6%, P = 0.027, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: When ultrasound-guided subgluteal sciatic nerve block is conducted, multiple injections of local anesthetic to make a circumferential spread around the sciatic nerve improve the rate of sensory and motor blocks compared with a single injection.

Angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 are important factors in regulating endothelial vascular permeability. This study evaluated perioperative changes in serum levels of angiopoietin-1 and -2 in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.Measurement of serum levels of angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 in samples collected during a previously conducted prospective, multicenter, observational study.Three university hospitals.Eighty-four adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery.Serum levels of angiopoietins were measured at baseline, immediately after surgery, and the day after surgery (POD-1).Serum levels of angiopoietin-2 were elevated by POD-1 (median 3.3 ng/mL, interquartile range [IQR] 2.5-4.6 ng/mL) compared with baseline (median 1.6 ng/mL, IQR 1.3-2.1 ng/mL, p0.0001), and angiopoietin-1 levels were decreased immediately after surgery (baseline median 23.2 ng/mL, IQR 10.2-32.8 ng/mL; postoperative median 8.0 ng/mL, IQR 1.5-13.2 ng/mL, p0.0001). Angiopoietin-2 levels on POD-1 in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting were significantly lower than those in patients undergoing aortic surgery (p = 0.0009) and valve surgery (p = 0.008). Angiopoietin-2 levels on POD-1 had a predictive performance of the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.74 for mechanical ventilation3 days. Angiopoietin-1 levels and the angiopoietin-2/angiopoietin-1 ratio showed lower predictive performance (AUC values 0.58 and 0.68, respectively).Angiopoietin-2 serum levels were elevated after cardiac surgery. Elevated angiopoietin-2 had a good predictive performance for respiratory failure after cardiac surgery, perhaps reflecting the severity of lung dysfunction related to postoperative increases in vascular permeability.

Ezrin is an actin binding protein which cross-links membrane proteins with cytoskeleton directly or indirectly via PDZ domain-containing scaffold proteins. It is mainly expressed at the brush border membrane (BBM) of gastrointestinal tracts, and is involved in the construction of microvilli structure and the functional expression of membrane protein complexes at the cell surface. To precisely study the roles of ezrin on the expression of membrane proteins at the cell surface, here we prepared the BBM fractions of ileums from the wild-type and ezrin-knockdown (Vil2(kd/kd)) mice, analyzed them by mass spectrometry, and compared their proteomic patterns. Totally 313 proteins were identified in the BBM fractions. Several transport proteins, cytoskeleton-associated proteins, and trafficking proteins were up- or down-regulated in the BBM fraction of the ileum in the Vil2(kd/kd) mice. Among them, the expressions of i) Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor 1 (a PDZ domain-containing scaffold protein), ii) sodium monocarboxylate transporter 1, which contains a PDZ domain-binding motif at their carboxy-terminal, and iii) chloride intracellular channel protein 5 were down-regulated at the BBM fraction of the ileum in the Vil2(kd/kd) mice, suggesting that ezrin is involved in their expression in the BBM.

FXYD3, a regulator of Na, K-ATPase, was identified as an mRNA overexpressed in murine breast cancers induced by neu oncogene, which had inactivated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling due to the defect of TGF-β receptor I (TβRI) expression. To elucidate whether the expression of FXYD3 mRNA was regulated by TGF-β signaling, we used a normal human mammary epithelial cell line, MCF-10A which responds to TGF-β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, followed by induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Here, we showed that FXYD3 at plasma membrane in epithelial state of MCF-10A cells was decreased by treatment of TGF-β and TNF-α. The repression of FXYD3 mRNA induced by TGF-β and TNF-α in MCF-10A cells was abolished by TβRI inhibitor or Smad3 inhibitor, but not by small interfering RNA (siRNA) for Smad2. In addition, expression level of FXYD3 mRNA was up-regulated by the silencing of ZEB1/δEF1 transcriptional repressor which was a down-stream target gene of TGF-β and an inducer of EMT. On the other hand, expression level and cellular localization of E-cadherin and N-cadherin were not changed by siRNA for FXYD3 in MCF-10A and human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. These results suggest that FXYD3 is a target gene of TGF-β signaling through ZEB1/δEF1, but is not directly involved in EMT.

Gastroesophageal reflux has recently been implicated as a causative factor in upper aerodigestive tract carcinogenesis. Esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) have developed in duodenal-content reflux animals without any known carcinogen present. We established a cell line, designated ESCC-DR, from a thoracic metastatic tumor in a reflux animal. To gain insight into the genomic alterations associated with duodenal content reflux-induced carcinogenesis, we first performed comparative genomic hybridization using an Agilent rat 244K array in ESCC-DR and identified many chromosomal gains and losses. Of the many genes identified, we detected an interesting ezrin amplicon that has been recently reported in human ESCC. Ezrin, which cross-links the cytoskeleton and plasma membrane, is involved in the growth and metastatic potential of cancer cells. Overexpression of ezrin protein in ESCC-DR was confirmed by Western blotting. We also compared ezrin protein expression levels and patterns in hyperplastic, dysplastic, ESCC, and metastatic sites developed in two distinct reflux models using immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemical staining of ezrin revealed overexpression in the nucleus, and the cytoplasm as well as plasma membrane of ESCC cells. Phosphorylated ERM (ezrin, radixin, moesin) was expressed at the leading edge, or invasive front, of larger metastatic sites. Taken together, duodenal reflux has a great potential for initiating malignancy, and thus likely plays a role in development of ESCC. Ezrin probably influences the growth and invasiveness of ESCC cells, and phosphorylation is only required in metastatic behavior of tumor cells at the leading edge and invasive front.

Ezrin, an adaptor protein that cross-links plasma membrane-associated proteins with the actin cytoskeleton, is concentrated on apical surfaces of epithelial cells, especially in microvilli of the small intestine and stomach. In the stomach, ezrin is predominantly expressed on the apical canalicular membrane of parietal cells. Transgenic ezrin knockdown mice in which the expression level of ezrin was reduced to

In order to investigate substrate spcificity of Bacillus stearothermophilus farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPS), we examined the reactivity of 4-alkyl group homologs of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP). The enzymatic reactions of the 4-methyl homologs, (E)-3-methylpent-3-enyl diphophates (1a) and (Z)-3-methylpent-3-enyl diphophates (1b) with geranyl diphosphate (GPP) gave 4-methylfarnesyl diphosphates (2a and 2b), respectively. The stereochemistry of each aldehyde derived from 2a or 2b was determined by CD spectrometry to be (S)-4-methylfarnesal or (R)-4-methylfarnesal, respectively. Similarly, 1a reacted with dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) to give a mixture of (4S)-4-methylgeranyl diphosphates (3a) and (4S,8S)-4,8-dimethylfarnesyl diphosphates (4a). The (Z)-isomer 1b also reacted with DMAPP to give the corresponding enantiomers with (4R)- and (4R,8R)-configurations. On the other hand, reactions of the 4-ethyl homologs, (E)-3-methylhex-3-enyl diphosphates (1c) and (Z)-3-methylhex-3-enyl diphosphates (1d) with GPP gave two types of 4-ethylfarnesyl diphosphates. Reactions of 1c or 1d with DMAPP also gave two types of 4-ethylgeranyl- and 4,8-diethylfarnesyl diphosphates. Meanwhile, reaction of the 4-propyl homologs, (E)-3-methylhept-3-enyl diphosphates (1e) and (Z)-3-methylhept-3-enyl diphosphates (1f) with GPP gave two types of 4-propylfarnesyl diphosphates. Reactions of 1e or 1f with DMAPP gave only two types of the 4-propyl GPPs. However, neither (E)-3-methyloct-3-enyl diphosphates (1g) or (Z)-3-methyloct-3-enyl diphosphates (1h), nor (E)-4-bromo-3-methylbut-3-enyl diphosphate (1i) or (Z)-4-bromo-3-methylbut-3-enyl diphosphate (1j) was acceptable as a substrate for the thermophilic FPS at all.

Review on FXYD3 (FXYD domain containing ion transport regulator 3), with data on DNA, on the protein encoded, and where the gene is implicated.

A train-of-four ratio (TOF ratio) of0.9 should be the clinical cut-off to avoid residual paralysis. However, it is not rare to extubate patients without measurement of the TOF ratio, although the safe interval from the last administration of rocuronium assuring a TOF ratio of0.9 has not been established in the daily clinical setting. In this study, to estimate the safe interval to avoid residual paralysis, we retrospectively selected patients in whom the TOF ratio was measured during remifentanil administration before extubation, and we studied the characteristics of recovery from the neuromuscular blockade produced by the empirical use of rocuronium.Patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia with sevoflurane and remifentanil were studied (n = 134). Rocuronium was administered at 0.7-1.0 mg/kg for tracheal intubation, and repeated bolus administration (10 mg) or continuous infusion (15-25 mg/h) was performed by the anesthesiologists in charge of the patient to maintain intraoperative paralysis. At the end of the surgery, the TOF ratio was measured, during remifentanil infusion and the contribution of clinical parameters to spontaneous recovery from the rocuronium-induced paralysis was studied by multivariate logistic regression analyses.Spontaneous recovery from rocuronium-induced paralysis within 2 h after the last administration of rocuronium varied among the patients. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that age (P = 0.002) and time elapsed from the last administration of rocuronium (P0.0001) significantly contributed to TOF recovery, and elderly patients demonstrated significantly slower recovery.Because of the large variation in the recovery from rocuronium-induced paralysis, TOF-based evaluation of residual paralysis is essential to determine the appropriate indication for reversal, especially for elderly patients.

FXYD3, also known as Mat-8 (Mammary tumor 8 kDa), is one of mRNAs highly expressed in mouse and human breast cancers. Here, we newly found that FXYD3 protein was also overexpressed in human breast cancer specimens; invasive ductal carcinomas and intra-ductal carcinomas, whereas its expression was low in benign lesion specimens; mastopathy, fibroadenoma and phyllodes tumors. Although human FXYD3 has two isoforms (shorter FXYD3a and longer FXYD3b), there have been no reports in which these two mRNAs were separately quantified. Here, we found that FXYD3a mRNA is a major transcript product expressed in human normal tissues as well as in breast, colon, stomach and pancreas cancer cell lines. In addition, expression level of FXYD3b was much lower than that of FXYD3a in these cancer cell lines. Cell proliferation rate of MCF-7 breast cancer cell line was drastically decreased when FXYD3a and 3b mRNAs were suppressed by the small interfering RNA. These results suggest that FXYD3a protein is highly expressed in breast cancers, and responsible for cancer cell proliferation.

It is known that testosterone deficiency induces apoptosis in the prostate and that p53 protein is involved in this apoptosis. Therefore, p53 protein may also be involved in apoptosis induction in a testosterone-deficient state in the penis. In this study, we investigated whether castration and chemical castration induce apoptosis at penile tissue in rats, and whether p53 protein is involved in this apoptosis. Male SD rats aged 8 weeks were divided into four groups: 1) the Control group; 2) the Castration group; 3) the Estrogen group, in which rats received betaestradiol 17-(beta-D-glucuronide) injection of 500 microg/body/day; and 4) the LH-RH group, in which rats received LH-RH analogue (leuprorelin acetate) injection of 2 mg/kg. The rats were sacrificed after treatment on days 1, 3, 5, 14, and 28 by cervical dislocation. Apoptotic cells and p53 protein-positive cells were observed on the 5th day after treatment and thereafter in all castration, estrogen, and LH-RH groups. These findings showed that both castration and chemical castration induced p53 protein in vascular endothelial cells in the corpus cavernosus during the process of losing testosterone. It was also suggested that in such states, apoptosis is induced in vascular endotherial cells in the corpus cavernosus.

BACKGROUND: Ezrin is a member of the ezrin, radixin, and moesin family that provides a functional link between the plasma membrane and the cortical actin cytoskeleton. A correlation between ezrin overexpression and aggressive cancer behavior has been recently reported in various tumor types. However, its roles in the mechanisms underlying progression of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are unclear. METHOD: We used human tongue SCC and noncancerous tissue microarrays to immunohistochemically analyze the ezrin expression level and its relationship with proliferative activity. The human tongue SCC cell line HSC-3 was used to determine the effects of ezrin RNA interference (RNAi) on cancer cells during MTT; wound healing and invasion assays; immunofluorescence of the actin cytoskeleton; and western blotting of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, β-catenin, and the active and total RhoA/Rac1/cdc42. RESULTS: Ezrin was overexpressed in 46.4% of the tumors examined in human tongue SCC tissue microarrays. Ezrin expression was correlated with the Ki-67 index. Ezrin depletion by RNAi in the HSC-3 cells significantly reduced cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness and disturbed actin reorganization during podia formation. Its effects on RhoA/Rac1/cdc42 expression were not significant, whereas it enhanced E-cadherin and β-catenin expression and decreased N-cadherin expression. CONCLUSIONS: Ezrin is often overexpressed in primary tongue SCCs and may have an important role in their growth, migration, and invasiveness possibly via its relationship with the E-cadherin/β-catenin complex and the cadherin switch. Thus, ezrin could be a therapeutic target in tongue SCC.

Background Early detection and treatment of non-invasive neoplasms can effectively reduce the incidence of advanced gastric carcinoma (GC), but only when the lineage is continuous between non-invasive and advanced tumours. Although a fraction of non-invasive neoplasms progress to invasive GC, it is difficult to identify individual progression-prone non-invasive neoplasms. To classify non-invasive gland-forming gastric neoplasms into clusters of different levels of progression risk, we applied mucin phenotyping and genomic DNA microarray analyses to intramucosal gland-forming gastric neoplasms. Methods Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from 19 non-invasive and 24 invasive gland-forming neoplasms were obtained via endoscopic submucosal dissection or surgical excision. According to the Vienna classification, intramucosal neoplasms were classified as low-grade or high-grade non-invasive neoplasms (LGNs [category 3] and HGNs [category 4], respectively) or invasive carcinomas (intramucosal GCs and mucosal parts of submucosal or deeper GCs [category 5]). Neoplastic lesions were characterized by mucin phenotypes determined using monoclonal antibodies against MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6, and CD10. Genomic DNA samples from mucosal neoplasms were subjected to array-based comparative genomic hybridization and subsequent unsupervised, hierarchical clustering with selected large-sized genes. Results There was no significant difference in mucin phenotype between HGNs/LGNs and invasive carcinomas. The clustering classified samples into stable, unstable, and intermediate. The histological tumour grade or mucin phenotype of non-invasive neoplasms did not correlate with the clustering results. Each cluster may represent an independent lineage of different outcome because the size distribution of non-invasive tumours among the 3 clusters almost overlapped. In contrast, the unstable cluster alone included invasive carcinomas. Conclusions These findings suggest that the outcome of individual tumours is not stochastically determined but can be predicted from the genomic copy-number profile even at the non-invasive stage. Non-invasive neoplasms of the unstable clusters, which accounted for 21% of non-invasive neoplasms, may progress to invasive carcinomas, whereas those of stable cluster may not. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12920-015-0080-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.