Diagnostic and prognostic implications of serum miR-101 in osteosarcoma.

Blood-circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be used as potential biomarkers in various cancers. MiR-101 has been found to act as a tumor suppressor in many tumor types, but little is known for osteosarcoma. The purpose of this study was to investigate miR-101 expression in osteosarcoma patients and assess its correlation with clinical features and prognosis. Serum samples from 152 osteosarcoma patients and 70 healthy controls were detected using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The data showed that miR-101 expression levels were remarkably underexpressed in serum samples from osteosarcoma patients compared to controls, and the post-treatment serum miR-101 expression was significantly higher than that in the pre-treatment expression. Low serum miR-101 expression was positively associated with advanced clinical stage and distant metastasis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that serum miR-101 could serve as a useful marker for osteosarcoma diagnosis, with a high sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, patients with high miR-101 expression had longer overall survival and recurrence free survival than those with low miR-101 expression. In addition, both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that serum miR-101 downregulation was associated with shorter overall survival and recurrence free survival. Our present results implicated serum miR-101 might be a useful biomarker for the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of osteosarcoma.

Trachoma: can trichiasis be treated with a sticking-plaster? A randomized clinical trial in China.

Trachoma is the most frequent cause of preventable blindness in the world. At the trichiasis/entropion stage, lid surgery is recommended, but many patients only use epilation, which does not prevent loss of vision. We developed a new treatment that should be more accessible than lid surgery and more effective than epilation: a sticking plaster that forces eyelashes back to their correct position. The first randomized controlled trial was conducted in Shanghai with 57 patients to compare the plaster method with epilation. After 3 months of follow-up, with no attrition, 67% of those treated by the new method presented a good clinical status, vs none of those treated by epilation (P < 0.001). The new treatment was well tolerated and lid function remained normal. Although our results show overwhelming benefit of this new, simple treatment for trachoma at the trichiasis stage, more research is needed at the primary health care level and in other settings to determine the potential use of the new method on a large scale and by nonspecialists.

Inflammation-seeking scintigraphy with radiolabeled biotinylated polyclonal IgG followed by the injection of avidin chase.

We tried to apply the avidin chasing system to the inflammation-seeking scintigraphy using radiolabeled nonspecific polyclonal IgG. We studied the pharmacokinetics of technetium-99m and iodine-125-labeled biotinylated murine polyclonal IgG followed by an avidin chase injection in model mice with inflammatory foci. Avidin chase decreased the circulating radioactivity of 99mTc and 125I, which was a major problem for inflammation-seeking scintigraphy using radiolabeled nonspecific polyclonal IgG, to 9.3% and 19.3% of that without an avidin chase injection, respectively. Inflammation-seeking scintigraphy with the aforementioned method would be better than that with conventional method.

Radioimmunodetection of human leukemia with anti-interleukin-2 receptor antibody in severe combined immunodeficiency mice.

Anti-Tac monoclonal antibody recognizes human interleukin-2 receptor, which is overexpressed in leukemic cells of most adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) patients. To examine the potency of anti-Tac for targeting of ATL, biodistributions of intravenously administered 125I- and 111In-labeled anti-Tac were examined in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice inoculated with ATL cells. Significant amounts of radiolabeled anti-Tac were found in the spleen and thymus. The trafficking of ATL cells in SCID mice was detected using 111In-oxine-labeled ATL cells. These results were coincident with the histologically confirmed infiltration of ATL cells. The radiolabeled anti-Tac seemed potent for targeting of ATL.

Repeating the avidin "chase" markedly improved the biodistribution of radiolabelled biotinylated antibodies and promoted the excretion of additional background radioactivity.

Immunoscintigraphy using radiolabelled biotinylated monoclonal antibodies followed by infusion of avidin as a "chase" has been recently reported to improve the biodistribution for both immunoscintigraphy and radioimmunotherapy. In this study the circulating protein-bound and avidin-binding fractions of radiolabelled biotinylated antibodies were determined serially after injection of an avidin "chase", and the effect of repeating the avidin chase was also studied. Nude mice bearing KT005 human osteogenic sarcoma were injected with radiolabelled biotinylated antitumour monoclonal antibody (OST7). After injection of an avidin chase, the protein-bound and avidin-binding fractions in plasma were determined serially using the trichloroacetate method and avidin-Sepharose gel. The biodistribution of radiolabelled biotinylated OST7 was compared after single and double avidin chases with no chase. At 6 h after the first avidin chase in mice injected with radioiodinated and technetium-labelled biotinylated OST7, 67.7% and 67.8%, respectively, of the plasma radioactivity was available for binding to avidin and was cleared from the circulation. Reinjection of avidin decreased the plasma radioactivity and improved the biodistribution of the radiolabelled biotinylated antibodies. Repeating the avidin chase markedly improved the biodistribution of the radioiodine-labelled biotinylated antibody when compared with the use of a single avidin chase. This new method for radioimmunotherapy is sure to protect the critical organs from radiation injury without decreasing the therapeutic effect.

Oxygen bubbling can improve the labelling of pentavalent technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid.

It has previously been reported that almost all of the trivalent technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc (III) DMSA) present in the labelling product of pentavalent technetium-99m DMSA (99mTc (V) DMSA) can be changed into 99mTc (V) DMSA by bubbling with pure oxygen. We therefore performed studies in animals (mice) and humans to investigate the effect of such oxygen bubbling on the labelling efficiency of and on the renal uptake of 99mTc. The method of labelling of 99mTc (V) DMSA was that of Hirano. It was found that oxygen bubbling oxidized the contaminated 99mTc (III) DMSA into 99mTc (V) DMSA in vitro and decreased the uptake of radioactivity in the kidney in both animals and humans.

Diagnostic value of Tc-99m (V) DMSA for chondrogenic tumors with positive Tc-99m HMDP uptake on bone scintigraphy.

Technetium-99m (V) DMSA scintigraphy was performed in 17 patients with 37 chondrogenic tumors (13 osteochondromas, 14 enchondromas, and 10 chondrosarcomas) that had previously shown uptake of Tc-99m HMDP. Technetium-99m (V) DMSA showed high uptake by all chrondrosarcomas, but low or no uptake always indicated benign chondrogenic tumors. Technetium-99m (V) DMSA scintigraphy may be superior to Tc-99m HMDP scintigraphy for distinguishing benign and malignant chondrogenic tumors, and could also be useful for diagnosing the malignant transformation of chondrogenic tumors.

Comparison of the chase effects of avidin, streptavidin, neutravidin, and avidin-ferritin on a radiolabeled biotinylated anti-tumor monoclonal antibody.

Injection of avidin can decrease the background radioactivity due to a radiolabeled biotinylated monoclonal antibody. We compared the chase effects of avidin, streptavidin, neutravidin, and avidin-conjugated ferritin on a radiolabeled antitumor monoclonal antibody in tumor-bearing nude mice. A radioiodine-labeled biotinylated monoclonal antibody (OST7) was administered to athymic mice bearing osteogenic sarcomas. After 24 h, an avidin, streptavidin, neutravidin or avidin-conjugated ferritin chaser was intravenously injected into the mice. At 2 h after the chase, the biodistribution of the radiolabeled monoclonal antibody was determined. Clearance from the blood was dose-dependently accelerated by avidin and its effect was 10-fold stronger than that of neutravidin or avidin-ferritin. Streptavidin did not promote clearance of the biotinylated antibody. Avidin was the most effective chasing agent for improving the biodistribution of the radiolabeled biotinylated monoclonal antibody among the four avidin derivatives tested.

Detection of homing, proliferation, and infiltration sites of adult T cell leukemia cells in severe combined immunodeficiency mice using radiometric techniques.

To clarify the mechanism of in vivo proliferation of adult T cell leukemia (ATL) cells, we examined the organ distribution of ATL-43T cell line cells derived from original leukemic cells in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice using radiometric techniques. First, we injected 111In-oxine-labeled ATL-43T cells into SCID and CB17 mice. On day 6, significant accumulation of radioactivity was found in the spleen and thymus of SCID mice (33.3 +/- 9.4 and 10.0 +/- 3.6% injected dose/g of tissue [%ID/g], respectively) in comparison with that in CB17 mice (19.1 +/- 2.5 and 3.7 +/- 0.9%ID/g, respectively). Next, we injected radiolabeled anti-Tac monoclonal antibody (MoAb) recognizing human interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) alpha chain or isotype-matched control MoAb RPC5 in SCID mice bearing ATL-43T cells 4 weeks after cell inoculation. The amounts of radioactivity found in the spleen and thymus of SCID mice injected with 125I-labeled anti-Tac MoAb (22.5 +/- 6.9 and 22.8 +/- 9.6 %ID/g, respectively) were significantly higher than those in the corresponding organs of SCID mice injected with 125I-labeled RPC5 MoAb (12.0 +/- 5.1 and 7.5 +/- 4.6 %ID/g, respectively). Similar results were obtained with 111In-labeled anti-Tac MoAb. These results were consistent with the histological findings of SCID mice bearing ATL-43T cells, indicating that ATL-43T cells infiltrated preferentially into the lymphoid organs, such as the spleen and thymus, and proliferated there. Thus, the radiometric techniques employed in this study were very useful to evaluate the proliferation sites of ATL-43T cells in SCID mice. Furthermore, this murine model could give us an opportunity to test the feasibility of therapeutic application of radiolabeled anti-Tac MoAb.

Improved clearance of radiolabeled biotinylated monoclonal antibody following the infusion of avidin as a "chase" without decreased accumulation in the target tumor.

UNLABELLED: The techniques of radioimmunoimaging and radioimmunotherapy suffer from prolonged high background radioactivity because intravenously injected antibodies remain in the circulation and in the organs far longer than necessary for effective binding to the target. To decrease background and increase radionuclide excretion without decreasing the dose of radioactivity delivered to the target tumor, we used radiolabeled biotinylated antibodies followed by a "chase" avidin injection. METHODS: A mouse monoclonal antibody, OST7 (IgG1), which reacts with human osteosarcoma, was biotinylated and labeled with 125I, 131I or 99mTc. Radiolabeled biotinylated OST7 (10 micrograms) was administered intravenously into nude mice bearing human osteosarcomas and 30 micrograms of avidin was injected intravenously 6 or 24 hr later. RESULTS: Following avidin injection in mice pretreated with radiolabeled biotinylated antibodies, radioactivity was promptly cleared from the blood and deposited in the liver and spleen, after which radioiodine was rapidly detached from the antibody and excreted in the urine. The tumor-to-blood ratios at 6 and 24 hr after the injection of 125I-labeled biotinylated OST7 increased compared with the values before the avidin chase without any loss of tumor radioactivity. Furthermore, the tumor-to-background radioactivity ratio was improved and better images were obtained more rapidly after the injection of radiolabeled biotinylated antibodies than with conventional immunoscintigraphy. CONCLUSIONS: This method may find application in clinical radioimmunoimaging, especially using short half-life radionuclides such as 99mTc and 123I.

Intraosseous hemangiomatosis: technetium-99m(V)dimercaptosuccinic acid and technetium-99m-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate imaging.

We report a case of histologically proven intraosseous hemangiomatosis in which marked accumulation of pentavalent technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc(V)DMSA) and technetium-99m-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (99mTc-HMDP) was observed in the osteolytic hemangiomatous lesions.

Influence of cocktails of labeled monoclonal antibodies on the localization of antibodies in human tumor xenografts.

In order to evaluate the usefulness of cocktails of labeled monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) recognizing different antigen molecules to localize human cancer xenografts, we have compared the potential of three MoAbs recognizing representative cancer-associated CA 19-9, 17-1A and CEA antigens when administered alone or in combination. Specific binding of radioiodinated F(ab')2 fragments of these three MoAbs was observed to human colorectal cancer cell lines SW1116, LS180 and Co-3. The percentage of in vitro cell binding of a cocktail of any two MoAbs to cancer cells was equal to the average of those obtained with the two MoAbs alone. The three MoAbs were preferentially localized in tumor tissues xenografted in nude mice. When cocktails of any two MoAbs were used, the obtained tumor-to-normal tissue ratios and percent of injected dose per gram of tumor were between the levels obtained for each MoAb when administered alone, in all three tumors transplanted in nude mice. These data suggest that, although cocktails of labeled MoAbs recognizing different antigens may extend the spectrum of tumor specificities, their use does not improve the tumor localization ability of MoAb-conjugates.