Clinical course and vascular endothelial growth factor signaling system expression in maxillary angiosarcoma: A case report.

Maxillary angiosarcoma, an aggressive tumor derived from vascular endothelial cells, is very rare. Recently, antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies have attracted considerable attention. We describe the clinical course of a patient with maxillary angiosarcoma and discuss the expression of VEGF signaling molecules assessed via immunohistological analysis. An 81-year-old man presented with an aggressive tumor in the left maxillary sinus. Biopsy revealed atypical nuclear cell proliferation, and the tumor was suspected to be a sarcoma. The maxillary malignancy was treated using a multidisciplinary approach with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and regional chemotherapy. Examination of the specimen obtained in the first surgery revealed maxillary angiosarcoma, found to be positive for CD31, while negative for CD34, D2-40, and factor Ⅷ. Although no pathological residual tumor was observed after the planned wide surgery, cervical lymph node and distant metastases occurred. The patient died 24 months after the first surgery. Staining revealed VEGF receptor (VEGFR) 1, VEGFR2, phosphorylated Ak strain transforming, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 positivity. Although our findings do not indicate that anti-VEGF therapy is beneficial for treating maxillary angiosarcomas, we found that VEGFR signaling pathways were activated in maxillary angiosarcomas similar to angiosarcomas originating at other sites. Herein, we report a case of maxillary angiosarcoma, focused on VEGFR and signaling pathway activation. To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe VEGFR system immunostaining findings in maxillary angiosarcoma.

Photooxidation Reactions of Cyclometalated Palladium(II) and Platinum(II) Complexes.

New C,N,S-cyclometalated palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes have been synthesized and their structural, electrochemical, and photochemical properties examined. The blue color of these complexes in solution changed to yellow under visible-light irradiation. By measurement of the absorption spectra for quantifying changes in color, isosbestic points for each complex clearly indicated the presence of only two species responsible for the change of color. X-ray analysis revealed that the visible-light-induced yellow species were S-oxygenated sulfinato complexes. Photosensitized generation of singlet oxygen (1O2) was confirmed by the direct detection of singlet oxygen luminescence at 1275 nm. The present cyclometalated palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes are efficient photosensitizers of singlet oxygen, which rapidly reacts with coordinating sulfur atoms.

Taurine's health influence on Japanese high school girls.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in children and adolescents has been increasing at an alarming rate. MS risks during childhood and adolescence adversely affect health conditions in later life. Thus, the characterization of their MS risks is a critical research field. The aims of this study are to survey the health status of Japanese adolescent females, a poorly characterized population, and to investigate the potential relationship between their MS risks and dietary factors like potassium (K) and taurine. METHODS: Anthropometric characteristics of 243 healthy school girls aged 13 to 18 years were measured. Serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and plasma levels of glucose and insulin were analyzed in fasting blood samples. We assessed overweight, disturbed lipid prolife, higher blood pressure (hBP) and higher plasma glucose (hGlc) levels as indicators of MS risks. The relationships between MS risks and urinary K or taurine excretion were investigated by dividing into higher and lower groups at medians of their urinary excretions. RESULTS: Half of junior high school (JHS) and one-quarter of senior high school (SHS) girls had at least one MS risk. The quite common risk was hGlc, the rates being 21% in JHS girls and 14% in SHS. The prevalence of being overweight and obesity were only small portions, the rate being 0% and 0% in JHS girls, and 10% and 1% in SHS, respectively. Substantial differences in the prevalence of hBP were observed between JHS (22%) and SHS (4%) girls. Furthermore, higher urinary K excretion group showed a significant decrease in triglyceride level (P = 0.03) and increase in HDL level (P = 0.003) compared with the lower. Also, the higher urinary taurine excretion group exhibited a significant reduction in triglyceride level (P = 0.04) compared with the lower. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that control of plasma glucose level rather than body weight is a crucial task in Japanese pubertal girls, and that a dietary habit rich in K and taurine could improve their lipid profile. Nutritional education based on these findings would help to prevent the future development of MS in Japanese female adolescents.

S Phase-preferential Cre-recombination in mammalian cells revealed by HIV-TAT-PTD-mediated protein transduction.

The Cre recombinase of bacteriophage P1 is a powerful tool for artificial modification of genomic function in mammalian cells. To date, many researchers have studied the enzymatic biochemistry of Cre recombinase in loxP site-specific cleavage and rearrangement, as well as its use in gene technology. However, the intricate mechanisms of Cre-mediated recombination are still poorly understood. For example, more knowledge is needed in order to understand Cre recombinase's dependency on cell cycle, the necessity of other factors for recombination, and the exact nuclear environment that's required at the target locus, in order for recombination to take place in eukaryotic cells. In this study, we showed that P1 Cre-mediated recombination occurred frequently during S-phase of the cell cycle. HeLa cells were synchronized in cell cycle with the thymidine-hydroxyurea block method, and recombinant Cre proteins were fused with HIV-1 TAT protein transduction domains (PTD) in every phase of the cell cycle. Results showed that the transduction of PTD-Cre gave rise to genomic recombination preferentially during the S-phase of cell cycle. These findings will contribute significantly to the development of the Cre/loxP recombination system in vivo.

Nonsurgical and nonextraction treatment of a skeletal class III adult patient with severe prognathic mandible.

AIM: A patient with a skeletal Class III malocclusion, prognathic mandible, anterior open bite, large tongue, and temporomandibular disorders is presented. Treatment objectives included establishing a stable occlusion with normal respiration, eliminating temporomandibular disorder symptoms, and improving facial esthetics through nonextraction and nonsurgical treatment by creating a favorable perioral environment, restoring the harmony to the tongue and perioral environment, improving masticatory muscle function, and creating adequate tongue space for establishment of normal respiration. SUBJECT AND METHODS: The patient was a Japanese adult male, who had previously been advised to have orthognathic surgery, with tongue-size reduction. An expansion plate was used to expand the maxillary dentoalveolar arch. Distalization of the mandibular arch was achieved by reduced excessive posterior vertical dimension, through uprighting and intruding the mandibular posterior teeth and rotating the mandible slightly counter-clockwise. The height of the maxillary alveolar process and the vertical height of symphysis were increased slightly. The functional occlusal plane was reconstructed by uprighting and intruding the posterior teeth with a full-bracket appliance, combined with a maxillary expansion plate, with short Class III and vertical elastics in the anterior area. Myofunctional therapy involved sugarless chewing gum exercises. RESULTS: The excessive posterior vertical occlusal dimension was reduced slightly, creating a small clearance between the posterior maxilla and mandible. At the same time, the interferences in the posterior area were eliminated by the expansion of the maxillary dentoalveolar arch. As a result, the laterally displaced mandible moved to a more favorable jaw relationship, with distalization of the mandibular arch. The functional occlusal plane was reconstructed and an almost-normal overjet and overbite were created. Adequate tongue space for normal respiration was established during the early stage of treatment, by 7 months. A stable occlusion, with adequate posterior support and anterior guidance, was established and maintained at more than 4 years posttreatment.