A huge retroperitoneal liposarcoma: case report.

BACKGROUND: Soft tissue sarcomas are rare and account for less than 1% of all newly diagnosed malignancies. One-third of malignant tumors arising in the retroperitoneum are sarcomas. Liposarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma and retroperitoneal sarcoma. Liposarcoma accounts for at least 20% of all sarcomas in adults and up to 41% of all retroperitoneal sarcomas. Here we present the case of a huge retroperitoneal liposarcoma and a brief literature review. CASE REPORT: A 34-year-old woman was referred to our hospital from a local clinic, because of abdominal distention, pain, and palpable mass. On admission we found that her abdomen was markedly distended. Computed tomography showed a the huge left ovarian mass that occupied almost the entire abdominal cavity. The mass consisted mainly of fat, and calcified material. She was operated under the diagnosis of a huge teratoma. The tumor was located in the retroperitoneal cavity and it abutted the left adnexa. The retroperitoneal tumor, including the left adnexa was removed. The tumor measured 22 x 15 x 11 cm, and showed many histological and pathological findings. On the basis of the histopathological finding, the tumor was diagnosed as a dedifferentiated liposarcoma of the retroperitoneum. The patient is presently undergoing radiation therapy. CONCLUSION: In retroperitoneal liposarcoma, histological subtype, incomplete resection, contiguous organ resection, and older age are strongly associated with tumor-related mortality. For liposarcoma, it is necessary to customize the treatment strategy on a case-by-case basis.

Growth inhibition and apoptosis due to restoration of E2A activity in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.

Two models have been proposed for the molecular mechanism by which the Tal1 oncogene causes T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). The activation model suggests that Tal1 as heterodimers with the E2A transcription factor activates the expression of oncogenes. The inhibition model postulates that Tal1 interferes with the tumor-suppressing function of E2A. In the Jurkat T cell line, originally derived from a patient with T-ALL, Tal1 is complexed with E2A proteins and the transcriptional activity of E2A is very low. When E2A activity was restored by expressing an E2A-Tal1 fusion protein, E-T/2, the Jurkat cells underwent growth arrest and subsequently apoptosis, thus supporting the inhibition model and suggesting that E2A loss may contribute to leukemic progression.

Electrostatic subframing and compressive-sensing video in transmission electron microscopy.

We present kilohertz-scale video capture rates in a transmission electron microscope, using a camera normally limited to hertz-scale acquisition. An electrostatic deflector rasters a discrete array of images over a large camera, decoupling the acquisition time per subframe from the camera readout time. Total-variation regularization allows features in overlapping subframes to be correctly placed in each frame. Moreover, the system can be operated in a compressive-sensing video mode, whereby the deflections are performed in a known pseudorandom sequence. Compressive sensing in effect performs data compression before the readout, such that the video resulting from the reconstruction can have substantially more total pixels than that were read from the camera. This allows, for example, 100 frames of video to be encoded and reconstructed using only 15 captured subframes in a single camera exposure. We demonstrate experimental tests including laser-driven melting/dewetting, sintering, and grain coarsening of nanostructured gold, with reconstructed video rates up to 10 kHz. The results exemplify the power of the technique by showing that it can be used to study the fundamentally different temporal behavior for the three different physical processes. Both sintering and coarsening exhibited self-limiting behavior, whereby the process essentially stopped even while the heating laser continued to strike the material. We attribute this to changes in laser absorption and to processes inherent to thin-film coarsening. In contrast, the dewetting proceeded at a relatively uniform rate after an initial incubation time consistent with the establishment of a steady-state temperature profile.

Regulation of the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 by E2A and Id proteins.

The helix-loop-helix transcription factor E2A plays important roles not only in promoting cellular differentiation but also in suppressing cell growth. Id proteins, the inhibitors of E2A, have opposite effects on cell differentiation and growth. To understand the mechanisms by which E2A suppresses cell growth, we examined the role of E2A in regulating the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21CIP1/WAF1/SD11, which prevents cell cycle progression upon overexpression. By using transient-cotransfection assays of luciferase reporter constructs in HeLa cells, we have found that overexpression of E2A can transcriptionally activate the p21 gene. To identify the sequences that mediate this activation in the promoter of the p21 gene, we carried out mutational analyses. Out of the eight putative E2A-binding sequences (E1 to E8) in the promoter, the E1 to E3 sequences located close to the transcription start site are found to be essential. In addition, loss of the E boxes in the promoter also reduces p21 expression without cotransfection with E2A in HIT pancreatic cells, where the endogenous E2A-like activity is high. Furthermore, we have also shown that overexpression of E2A in 293T cells activates expression of the endogenous p21 gene at both the levels of mRNA and protein. In correlation with the finding that E47 overexpression leads to growth arrest in NIH 3T3 cells, we have shown that Id1 overexpression in NIH 3T3 cells accelerates cell growth and inhibits p21 expression. Taken together, these results provide insight into the mechanisms by which E2A and Id proteins control cell growth.

Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy with intracorporeal Billroth I stapled anastomosis using a hand access device for patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Billroth I gastroduodenostomy is an anastomotic procedure used widely after gastric resection for distal gastric cancer. As laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) gains increasing popularity, various techniques of laparoscopic gastroduodenal anastomosis are being introduced. METHODS: To investigate the feasibility and benefit of their novel surgical technique of intracorporeal Billroth I stapled anastomosis using a hand access device (IBISA-HAD), the authors performed LADG using IBISA-HAD for 23 patients with distal gastric cancer and LADG using minilaparotomy Billroth I stapled anastomosis (MLBISA) for 10 patients. RESULTS: The time required for the anastomosis procedure of IBISA-HAD was 45.5 +/- 12.0 min, and the operative time, perioperative transfusion, and hospital stay were not significantly different between IBISA-HAD and MLBISA. The IBISA-HAD procedure provided a markedly enhanced vision of the stapling process, leading to less wound retraction and extension than MLBISA. CONCLUSION: The IBISA-HAD technique can provide a markedly enhanced view of the stapling procedure with the help of a current state-of-art laparoscopy system. The authors believe that this novel technique can guide an accurate laparoscopic anastomosis for the surgeon dealing with obese patients who have distal gastric cancer.

Electron beam dynamics in an ultrafast transmission electron microscope with Wehnelt electrode.

High temporal resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques have shown significant progress in recent years. Using photoelectron pulses induced by ultrashort laser pulses on the cathode, these methods can probe ultrafast materials processes and have revealed numerous dynamic phenomena at the nanoscale. Most recently, the technique has been implemented in standard thermionic electron microscopes that provide a flexible platform for studying material's dynamics over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. In this study, the electron pulses in such an ultrafast transmission electron microscope are characterized in detail. The microscope is based on a thermionic gun with a Wehnelt electrode and is operated in a stroboscopic photoelectron mode. It is shown that the Wehnelt bias has a decisive influence on the temporal and energy spread of the picosecond electron pulses. Depending on the shape of the cathode and the cathode-Wehnelt distance, different emission patterns with different pulse parameters are obtained. The energy spread of the pulses is determined by space charge and Boersch effects, given by the number of electrons in a pulse. However, filtering effects due to the chromatic aberrations of the Wehnelt electrode allow the extraction of pulses with narrow energy spreads. The temporal spread is governed by electron trajectories of different length and in different electrostatic potentials. High temporal resolution is obtained by excluding shank emission from the cathode and aberration-induced halos in the emission pattern. By varying the cathode-Wehnelt gap, the Wehnelt bias, and the number of photoelectrons in a pulse, tradeoffs between energy and temporal resolution as well as beam intensity can be made as needed for experiments. Based on the characterization of the electron pulses, the optimal conditions for the operation of ultrafast TEMs with thermionic gun assembly are elaborated.

Association of a novel GTP binding protein, DRG, with TAL oncogenic proteins.

TAL1 is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein involved in hematopoietic development. In T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemic cells, TAL1 is aberrantly overexpressed and is thought to contribute to oncogenesis. To identify proteins that interact with TAL1 in mediating leukemogenesis, we used TAL1 as a bait in a two-hybrid interaction screen, and isolated a cDNA clone that encodes a unique GTP binding protein, DRG. The interaction between DRG and TAL1 was confirmed both in vitro and in vivo. DRG was also shown to bind in vitro to two TAL1-related proteins, TAL2 and Lyl1. Mutational analyses showed that the HLH domain of TAL1 was necessary and sufficient for its interaction with the C-terminus of DRG. Furthermore, while DRG and E47 compete to interact with TAL1, TAL1 binds to DRG and E47 in a mutually exclusive manner. In rat embryonic fibroblast transformation assays, DRG stimulated the cotransforming activity of c-myc and ras. Based on these results, DRG appears to be a potential target for TAL-like oncoproteins.

Inhibition of heat shock-induced apoptosis by peppermint oil in astrocytes.

Exposure to environmental stresses and toxins is linked to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. Astrocytes, the most abundant glial-cell type in the brain, are considered to have physiological and pathological roles in neuronal activities. We have investigated whether peppermint oil inhibits heat shock-induced apoptosis of astrocytes. We found that peppermint oil inhibits the heat shock-induced apoptosis in both human astrocyte CCF-STTG1 cells and rat astrocytes. Pretreatment of the cells with peppermint oil inhibited the heat shock-induced DNA fragmentation and condensation of nuclear chromatin. Peppermint oil also inhibited the caspase-3 activation and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase fragmentation in CCF-STTG1 cells. These results suggest that peppermint oil may modulate the apoptosis of astrocytes via the activation of the caspase-3.

Polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene in patients with cerebral infarction in Koreans.

The relationship between cerebrovascular disease and an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is still being debated. The frequency of the DD genotype of the ACE gene was significantly higher in subjects with than those without cerebral infarction in Japan. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between ACE gene polymorphism and the development of cerebral infarction in a population from Korea. We examined its possible role as a risk factor in patients with cerebral infarction. The association between ACE gene polymorphism and cerebral infarction was examined in 106 patients with cerebral infarction and 498 controls without cerebral infarction. Frequencies of the genotypes and alleles of the ACE gene were investigated. The ACE genotype was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The frequency of D allele was 37.7% in patients and 39.1% in controls (chi2 = 0.128, p = 0.720). The frequencies of the genotypes of the ACE gene were II: 39.6%, ID: 45.3%, and DD: 15.1% in patients, and II: 37.1%, ID: 47.6%, and DD: 15.3% in controls (chi2 = 0.127, p = 0.721). There was no significant difference in the frequency of the DD genotype of the ACE gene, and we did not find any association between ACE polymorphism and cerebral infarction. These results indicate that ACE polymorphism is not a risk factor for the development of cerebral infarction in a Korean population.

Methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity in cerebral neuron culture is blocked by antioxidants and NMDA receptor antagonists.

The neurotoxic effects of methylmercury on cerebral neuron cultures derived from neonatal mouse were studied. Exposure of cerebral neurons to methylmercury chloride resulted in significant cell damage and death in a time-dependent manner in cerebral neuron cultures. The methylmercury neurotoxicity was blocked by oxygen radical scavengers such as glutathione, catalase, selenium, and cysteine. Antagonists of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, including MK-801 (a non-competitive NMDA antagonist), D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) (a competitive NMDA antagonist), and 7-chlorokynurenic acid (an antagonist at the glycine site associated with the NMDA receptor), similarly blocked methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity in cerebral neuron cultures. These results indicate that both oxygen radicals and excitotixic amino acids are involved in the methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity of cerebral neuron cultures.

Expression of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid/dehydrogenase/delta5-delta4/isomerase in the tracheal cartilage of the rat.

The enzyme complex 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase isomerase/delta5-delta4 (3beta-HSD) is involved in the biosynthesis of all classes of active steroids. In this study, the presence of 3beta-HSD was defined in rat tracheal cartilage. The expression of the 3beta-HSD gene was examined by Northern blot analysis from 30-day-old rats. Western blot and immunohistochemical localization were also performed with antibodies raised against purified human placental 3beta-HSD to obtain further information on the expression of 3beta-HSD protein during fetal and postnatal periods of development in rat cartilage. Northern blot analysis using an oligonucleotide common to the 4 known 3beta-HSD isoforms showed 3beta-HSD mRNA corresponding to a transcript of 1.7 kb. Furthermore, a 42 KDa protein band was detected in the tracheal cartilage extracts by Western blot analysis. Immunostaining for 3beta-SD was observed in chondrocytes. The first expression was detected on the 17th day of fetal life by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Immunoreactivity of 3beta-HSD showed a significant increase at 7 and 15 days after birth, and then remained unchanged through adulthood, in agreement with the data of the Western blot. Our results demonstrated the expression for 3beta-HSD in the tracheal cartilage at both the mRNA and protein levels during fetal life and postnatal development of the rat. These results suggest that 3beta-HSD may synthesize certain steroids which play major roles in differentiation and maintenance of function during development of rat cartilage.

Inhibition of immunoglobulin E production by Poncirus trifoliata fruit extract.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the principal immunoglobulin involved in immediate hypersensitivities and chronic allergic diseases. The effect of an aqueous extract of Poncirus trifoliata (L) Raf. (Rutaceae) fruits (PTFE) on in vivo and in vitro IgE production was investigated. PTFE dose-dependently inhibited the active systemic anaphylaxis and serum IgE production induced by immunization with ovalbumin, Bordetella pertussis toxin and aluminum hydroxide gel. PTFE strongly inhibited interleukin 4 (IL-4)-dependent IgE production by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated murine whole spleen cells. In the case of U266 human IgE-bearing B cells, PTFE also showed an inhibitory effect on the IgE production. These results suggest that PTFE has an anti-allergic activity by inhibition of IgE production from B cells.

Effect of Korean folk medicine 'Chung-Dae-San' on mast cell-dependent anaphylactic reaction.

We investigated the effect of the herbal formulation 'Chung-Dae-San' (CDS) on anaphylactic reactions. CDS inhibited compound 48/80-induced anaphylactic shock 100% with the dose of 10(0) g/kg body weight (BW). When CDS was given as pretreatment at concentrations ranging from 10(-4) to 10(0) g/kg BW, the serum histamine levels induced by compound 48/80 were reduced in a dose-dependent manner. We also investigated the effect of CDS on mast cell-dependent passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) activated by anti-dinitrophenyl (DNP) IgE antibody. CDS potently inhibited PCA when administered orally, topically, intraperitoneally or intradermally. However, it did not show inhibitory activity when administered intravenously. CDS dose-dependently inhibited the histamine release from the rat peritoneal mast cells (RPMC) by compound 48/80 and anti-DNP IgE. Moreover, the level of cAMP in RPMC, when CDS was added, significantly increased about 4-fold at 4 min compared with that of basal cells. These results indicate that CDS may possess strong antianaphylactic activity and also suggest the differential activity following administration routes may be caused by difference in bioavailability.

Inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced apoptosis by Asparagus cochinchinensis in Hep G2 cells.

A human hepatoma cell line, Hep G2 cells, is a reliable system for the study of alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the effect of an aqueous extract of Asparagus cochinchinensis(MERRIL) (Liliaceae) roots (ACAE) on ethanol (EtOH)-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells. ACAE (1-100 microg/ml) dose-dependently inhibited the EtOH-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) secretion. ACAE (1-100 microg/ml) also inhibited the EtOH and TNF-alpha-induced cytotoxicity. Furthermore, we found that ACAE inhibited the TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis of Hep G2 cells. These results suggest that ACAE may prevent the EtOH-induced cytotoxicity through inhibition of the apoptosis of Hep G2 cells.

Inhibitory action of water soluble fraction of Terminalia chebula on systemic and local anaphylaxis.

We investigated the effects of the water soluble fraction of Terminalia chebula (Combretaceae) (WFTC) on systemic and local anaphylaxis. WFTC administered 1h before compound 48/80 injection inhibited compound 48/80-induced anaphylactic shock 100% with doses of 0.01-1.0 g/kg. When WFTC was administered 5 or 10 min after compound 48/80 injection, the mortality also decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Passive cutaneous anaphylaxis was inhibited by 63.5+/-7.8% by oral administration of WFTC (1.0 g/kg). When WFTC was pretreated at concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 1.0 g/kg, the serum histamine levels were reduced in a dose-dependent manner. WFTC (0.01-1.0 mg/ml) also significantly inhibited histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells (RPMC) by compound 48/80. However, WFTC (1.0 mg/ml) had a significant increasing effect on anti-dinitrophenyl IgE-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha production from RPMC. These results indicate that WFTC may possess a strong antianaphylactic action.

Parathyroid carcinoma: report of three cases and review of the literature.

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare endocrine malignancy characterized by the exaggerated metabolic effects of the parathyroid glands. The preoperative differential diagnosis between parathyroid carcinoma and primary hyperparathyroidism is often difficult because many of the signs and symptoms are very similar. Intraoperative differentiation is obscured by the strict anatomic and histologic criteria required for diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma. We have encountered three patients with parathyroid carcinoma during the last 10 years and managed them successfully. Two of them presented with recurrence of hypercalcemia, one 11 years after and the other 3 years after the primary operation for hyperparathyroidism; both patients were eventually diagnosed with parathyroid carcinoma. The third case was suspected as primary hyperparathyroidism preoperatively but confirmed as carcinoma subsequent to histologic examination.

Atherosclerotic carotid stenoses of apical versus body lesions in high-risk carotid stenting patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Different lesion locations in the atherosclerotic carotid bulb stenosis have not been clearly defined. We sought to evaluate 2 locations of carotid bulb stenosis in high-risk patients and to determine the relationship of each location to atherosclerotic risk factors and clinical features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Atherosclerotic carotid plaques of apical versus body lesions, defined according to the area and extent of plaque involvement, were retrospectively analyzed in 200 consecutive high-risk patients who underwent carotid stent placement because of > or =50% symptomatic stenosis. We evaluated interobserver concordance and assessed each type of lesion relative to 13 atherosclerotic risk factors, mode of symptom presentation, infarct pattern, procedure-related factors, and clinical outcomes, by univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Interobserver concordance showed good agreement for differentiating apical and body lesions (kappa = 0.745). Univariate analysis revealed that apical lesions (n = 108, 54%) were associated with pseudo-occlusion (P = .027), older age (P = .073), and alcohol intake (P = .080), whereas body lesions (n = 92, 46%) were associated with hyperlipidemia (P = .001), a wedge-shaped cortical infarct pattern (P = .057), and hyperperfusion syndrome (P = .083). Multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted by age revealed that hyperlipidemia (P = .002; OR, 3.462; 95% CI, 1.595-7.515) and hyperperfusion (P = .026; OR, 6.727; 95% CI, 1.261-35.894) were independent predictors of body-type lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Atherosclerotic carotid bulb stenosis was found to have 2 distinct locations, body and apical. Hyperlipidemia and cortical wedge-shaped infarcts were more frequently associated with body than with apical stenosis at the time of presentation.

The Tal1 oncoprotein inhibits E47-mediated transcription. Mechanism of inhibition.

The Tal1 oncogene is a class II basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, overexpressed in as much as 60% of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases. Like other class II bHLH proteins, Tal1 can heterodimerize with the class I bHLH proteins, such as E47, and bind to a DNA recognition sequence termed E box. Therefore, it is believed that the oncogenic capacity of Tal1 lies in its ability, as a heterodimer with E47, to activate aberrantly a set of "leukemogenic" genes in T cells. However, compared with E47 homodimers, Tal1/E47 heterodimers are very poor transactivators. Thus the effect of Tal1 is actually to inhibit E47 homodimer activity. Here we propose that the transforming properties of Tal1 are the result of its ability to inhibit E47 activity. We address the mechanism of Tal1 inhibition and demonstrate that Tal1/E47 heterodimers cannot activate transcription because their respective activation domains are incompatible. Furthermore, we present data showing that Tal1 can inhibit E47-mediated activation of the CIP1 gene. Finally, we demonstrate that Tal1 inhibits E47 activity in leukemic T cells.

Stereotactic breast biopsy as an alternative to excisional biopsy.

The current widespread use of modern mammography has increased the detection of suspicious mammographic lesions, which has led to a greater number of diagnostic surgical biopsies. Most of these lesions referred for surgical biopsy have been benign. The reduction in the number of benign surgical biopsies can reduce medical costs and unnecessary invasive breast surgery. Stereotactic large-core needle biopsies in patients with suspicious mammographic lesions can preselect the breast lesions that need further evaluation with surgical excisional biopsy. Our results with stereotactic large-core needle biopsies support this alternative approach to the workup of suspicious mammographic lesions.