Optimal timing of endoscopic sinus surgery for the retention cyst of maxillary sinus.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal timing of functional endoscopic sinus surgery for odontogenic infections precipitated by retention cysts of the maxillary sinus was investigated. METHODS: Five adults who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery were examined. RESULTS: The root apexes of all teeth that had odontogenic infection protruded into the maxillary sinus. All teeth with odontogenic infections precipitated by the retention cysts had percussion pain, indicating they had periodontitis and pulpitis around the root apex. They were vital teeth, indicating they did not have pulp necrosis. The small area of cyst wall attached to the floor of the maxillary sinus and root apex were left intact. The teeth that had odontogenic infections precipitated by retention cysts continued to be vital with no symptoms. CONCLUSION: Functional endoscopic sinus surgery should be performed before periodontitis and pulpitis of the root apex progress to ascending pulpitis and pulp necrosis. In other words, functional endoscopic sinus surgery should be performed while the affected tooth is still vital.

Accuracy of mandible-independent maxillary repositioning using pre-bent locking plates: a pilot study.

The double splint method is considered the gold standard for maxillary repositioning, but the procedure is lengthy and prone to error. Recent splintless methods have shown high repositioning accuracy; however, high costs and technical demands make them inaccessible to many patients. Therefore, a new cost-effective method of mandible-independent maxillary repositioning using pre-bent locking plates is proposed. Plates are bent on maxillary models in the planned position prior to surgery. The locations of the plate holes are replicated during surgery using osteotomy guides made from thermoplastic resin sheets. Pre-bent plates are subsequently fitted onto the maxilla, and plate holes are properly set to reposition the maxilla. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of this method for maxillary repositioning and the reproducibility of the plate holes. Fifteen orthognathic surgery patients were evaluated retrospectively by superimposing preoperative simulations over their postoperative computed tomography models. The median deviations in maxillary repositioning and plate hole positioning between the preoperative plan and postoperative results were 0.43mm (range 0-1.55mm) and 0.33mm (range 0-1.86mm), respectively. There was no significant correlation between these deviations, suggesting that the method presented here allows highly accurate and reliable mandible-independent maxillary repositioning.

Postoperative stability of conventional bimaxillary surgery compared with maxillary impaction surgery with mandibular autorotation for patients with skeletal class II retrognathia.

We aimed to compare the postoperative stability of conventional bimaxillary surgery (with bilateral sagittal split osteotomy) with that of maxillary impaction surgery (with mandibular autorotation without bilateral sagittal split osteotomy) in patients with skeletal class II retrognathia. Patients were assigned to have conventional bimaxillary surgery (conventional group, n=6) or mandibular autorotation (experimental group, n=7). Measurements were made using serial lateral cephalometric radiographs taken immediately preoperatively (T0), immediately postoperatively (T1), and one year later (T2) to assess the variation in operative change (T1-T0) and relapse (T2-T1). There was no significant difference in median (range) surgical change in the anterior movement at point B (conventional group, 4.5 (3.0-11.0) mm; experimental group 4.1 (2.1-6.4) mm). However, there was a significant difference in median (range) surgical posterior movement relapse at point B (conventional group -1.7 (-2.3 to -0.5) mm; experimental group -0.6 (-1.0 to 1.0) mm; p=0.032). Mandibular advancement with mandibular autorotation is therefore a more stable procedure than mandibular advancement with bilateral sagittal split osteotomy in patients with skeletal class II retrognathia.

Salvage surgery for a locally persistent or recurrent tumour in maxillary cancer patients who have undergone radiotherapy and concomitant intra-arterial cisplatin: implications for surgical margin assessment.

Limited information about salvage surgery is available for locally persistent and recurrent maxillary sinus cancers after the completion of chemoradiation therapy. Seventy-six maxillary sinus cancer patients who had undergone chemoradioselection using initial radiotherapy and concomitant intra-arterial cisplatin were screened retrospectively. Twenty-four of these patients who had a locally persistent or recurrent tumour were investigated. The 2-year overall survival rate of patients with maxillary sinus cancer of all types was 39.0% for those who underwent salvage surgery and 10.0% for those who did not. The 2-year overall survival rate of patients with maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinoma was 45.8% for those who underwent salvage surgery and 11.1% for those who did not. Furthermore, the 2-year local control and overall survival rates of patients with positive and negative surgical margins were 14.3% and 83.3% and 14.3% and 66.7%, respectively. There were significant differences in local control (P=0.004) and overall survival (P=0.005) regarding surgical margin status. Although salvage surgery for a locally persistent or recurrent maxillary sinus cancer is a feasible treatment, patients with positive surgical margins are more prone to local relapse. Therefore, surgical safety margins should be assessed thoroughly.

Pre-treatment CD8+ tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte density predicts distant metastasis after definitive treatment in patients with stage III/IV hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Although inflammatory markers, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and local immune markers have been shown to have prognostic utility, limited information is available regarding inflammatory and pre-existing tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte density and their association with prognosis in patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. We investigated the prognostic ability of inflammatory markers and tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte density in stage III and stage IV hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving definitive treatment. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Kurume University Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-six stage III or stage IV hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients treated at the Kurume University Hospital between 2000 and 2014. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Inflammatory markers and pre-treatment tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte density were examined from recorded haematologic data and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses showed that the CD8+ tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte density was an independent predictive factor for distant metastasis and overall survival, whereas inflammatory markers, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, were not correlated with distant metastasis or overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Higher pre-treatment CD8+ tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte density is a useful predictive biomarker for reduced distant metastasis and better prognosis.

Effects of water viscosity and tongue ingestion site on tongue pressure during food bolus propulsion.

The purpose of this study was to help provide data to help to implement effective rehabilitation following surgery for oral cancer by comparing tongue pressure production for water and thickened water from the anterior and posterior parts of the tongue during swallowing. Ten healthy volunteers (7 men, 3 women; age 27.6 ± 1.5 years) participated in the experiments. Tongue pressure during 3 mL water and 3 mL thickened water at the anterior and posterior tongue during swallowing was measured using a sensor sheet system with five measuring points on the hard palate. The sequential order of the points, maximal magnitude and duration of tongue pressure at each point were compared based on water viscosity and tongue ingestion site. There was a common pattern in the sequential order of tongue pressure generation among the two swallowing conditions. The maximal magnitude of tongue pressure was significantly higher when swallowing thickened water than when swallowing water at all points except for the anterior-median and mid-median part. Moreover, the pressure at all sites during posterior ingestions was significantly lower than that during anterior ingestion. The present results provide mean values of tongue pressure during voluntarily triggered swallowing in anterior ingestion and posterior ingestion in young, healthy dentate individuals; these values can be clinically referenced for tongue pressure measurement in the evaluation of patients with dysphagia. The use of reference values may help streamline the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of dysphagia.

Relationships between dysphagia and tongue pressure during swallowing in Parkinson's disease patients.

Although dysphagia is a life-threatening problem in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the pathophysiology of oropharyngeal dysphagia is yet to be understood. This study investigated the tongue motor function during swallowing in relation to dysphagia and the severity of PD. Thirty patients with PD (14 males and 16 females; average age, 69.4 years), Hoehn and Yahr stage II-IV, in Osaka University Hospital are participated in this study. During swallowing 5 ml of water, tongue pressure on the hard palate was measured using a sensor sheet with 5 measuring points. The maximal tongue pressure at each measuring point during swallowing was compared between patients with PD and healthy controls. Subjective assessment of oropharyngeal dysphagia was performed using Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire-Japanese. The maximal tongue pressure at each measuring point was significantly lower in patients with PD than in healthy controls (8 males and 12 females; average age, 71.6 years). Furthermore, the maximal tongue pressure was significantly lower in dysphagic PD patients than non-dysphagic PD patients. Loss of tongue pressure production at the anterior part of the hard palate was strongly related to dysphagia in the oral phase as well as in the pharyngeal phase. An abnormal pattern of tongue pressure production was more frequently observed in dysphagic PD patients than in non-dysphagic PD patients. The results suggest that tongue pressure measurement might be useful for early and quantitative detection of tongue motor disability during swallowing in patients with PD.

Administration of platelet concentrates suspended in bicarbonated Ringer's solution in children who had platelet transfusion reactions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Adverse reactions to platelet transfusions are a problem. Children with primary haematological and malignant diseases may experience allergic transfusion reactions (ATRs) to platelet concentrates (PCs), which can be prevented by giving washed PCs. A new platelet additive solution, using bicarbonated Ringer's solution and acid-citrate-dextrose formula A (BRS-A), may be better for platelet washing and storage, but clinical data are scarce. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study for consecutive cases was performed between 2013 and 2017. For 24 months, we transfused washed PCs containing BRS-A to children with primary haematological and malignant diseases and previous adverse reactions. Patients transfused with conventional PCs (containing residual plasma) were assigned as controls, and results were compared in terms of frequency of ATRs, corrected count increment (CCI) and occurrence of bleeding. We also studied children transfused with PCs washed by a different system as historical controls. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients received 377 conventional PC transfusions. ATRs occurred in 12 (37·5%) patients from transfused with 18 (4·8%) bags. Thirteen patients, who experienced reactions to regular PCs in plasma, then received 119 transfusion bags of washed PCs containing BRS-A, and none had ATRs to washed PCs containing BRS-A. Before study period, six patients transfused 137 classical washed PCs with different platelet additive solution, under same indication, ATRs occurred in one (16·7%) patient from transfused with one (0·7%) bags. CCIs (24 h) in were lower with classical washed PCs (1·26 ± 0·54) compared to regular PCs in plasma (2·07 ± 0·76) (P < 0·001), but there was no difference between washed PCs containing BRS-A (2·14 ± 0·77) and regular PCs (2·21 ± 0·79) (P = 0·769), and we saw no post-transfusion bleeding. CONCLUSION: Washed PCs containing BRS-A appear to prevent ATRs without loss of transfusion efficacy in children with primary haematological and malignant diseases. Their efficacy should be further evaluated through larger prospective clinical trials.

Tongue pressure production during swallowing in patients with mandibular prognathism.

UNLABELLED: Abnormalities of swallowing in patients with mandibular prognathism have not been evaluated quantitatively. The aim of this study was to compare tongue pressure production for bolus transfer between volunteers with normal occlusion and patients with mandibular prognathism. The control group had 10 female volunteers with normal occlusion, and the patient group had 10 women with mandibular prognathism. Tongue pressure was measured by a palatal sensor sheet at five sites on swallowing 4 mL of a tasteless and odourless jelly. RESULTS: The tongue pressure waveform differed between the control and patient groups. The incidence of a double-peak tongue pressure waveform was more frequent in the patient group. In both groups, the exertion of tongue pressure began at the anterior point of the sensor sheet, followed by the peripheral parts. Although the order of expression of tongue pressure was the same for the two groups, maximum tongue pressure at all parts of the sensor sheet was lower in the patient group than in the control group. Furthermore, swallowing time was longer in the patient group than in the control group at the peripheral parts of the palate. These results clearly show the difference in tongue pressure production during swallowing between patients with mandibular prognathism and volunteers with normal occlusion. The current findings suggest that maxillofacial morphology may affect tongue movement during swallowing.

Preliminary results of proton-beam therapy for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a preliminary retrospective evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of proton-beam therapy (pbt) for stage iii non-small-cell lung cancer. METHODS: Between January 2009 and August 2013, 27 patients (26 men, 1 woman) with stage iii non-small-cell lung cancer underwent pbt. The relative biologic effectiveness value of the proton beam was defined as 1.1. The beam energy and spread-out Bragg peak were fine-tuned such that the 90% isodose volume of the prescribed dose encompassed the planning target volume. Of the 27 patients, 11 underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cumulative survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Treatment toxicities were evaluated using version 4 of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. RESULTS: Median age of the patients was 72 years (range: 57-91 years), and median follow-up was 15.4 months (range: 7.8-36.9 months). Clinical stage was iiia in 14 patients (52%) and iiib in 13 (48%). The median dose of pbt was 77 GyE (range: 66-86.4 GyE). The overall survival rate in the cohort was 92.3% at 1 year and 51.1% at 2 years. Locoregional failure occurred in 7 patients, and distant metastasis, in 10. In 2 patients, initial failure was both locoregional and distant. The 1-year and 2-year rates of local control were 68.1% and 36.4% respectively. The 1-year and 2-year rates of progression-free survival were 39.9% and 21.4% respectively. Two patients experienced grade 3 pneumonitis. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with stage iii non-small-cell lung cancer, pbt can be an effective and safe treatment option.

Plumbagin suppresses tumor cell growth in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.

OBJECTIVES: Plumbagin (PL), a naturally occurring quinoid, exerts antitumoral effects in diverse types of cancer cells. However, the effect of PL on tumor cell proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains poorly understood. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of PL, in human OSCC cells. METHODS: The effect of PL on the cell growth and apoptosis of OSCC cell lines was evaluated using MTT and Annexin V assays, respectively. The effect of PL on mitochondrial membrane potential loss and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was evaluated using flow cytometry analysis. RESULTS: MTT assay showed that PL dose-dependently suppressed OSCC cell growth, with IC50 values ranging from 3.87 to 14.6 µM. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that PL treatment resulted in a significant decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and an increase in the number of apoptotic cells. Notably, ROS generation was significantly elevated after PL treatment. Furthermore, a ROS scavenger, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), clearly suppressed the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, increase of caspase-3/7 activity, and apoptosis after PL treatment. CONCLUSION: This study provides the considerable evidence of the tumor-suppressive effect of PL, thereby highlighting its therapeutic potential for OSCC treatment.

Toxoplasma lymphadenitis diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology: a rare finding.

BACKGROUND: There are only very few reports of cervical toxoplasma lymphadenitis being diagnosed exclusively via fine-needle aspiration cytology (with serology). CASE REPORT: We describe a case of toxoplasma lymphadenitis that was successfully diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology. The case involved a male patient who was immunocompromised as a result of recurrent acute myelogenous leukaemia with cervical lymphadenopathy. The biopsy showed typical features of a well-defined pseudocyst containing Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites. CONCLUSION: Toxoplasma lymphadenitis is a common cause of lymph node enlargement. Fine-needle aspiration cytology is a useful method for diagnosing and differentiating toxoplasma lymphadenitis from more serious causes of lymphadenopathy, such as metastatic lymphadenopathy or lymphoma.

Low serum bilirubin concentration in haemodialysis patients with Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: Previous studies have implicated reduced serum bilirubin concentrations in the development of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to examine whether bilirubin may explain the high incidence of vascular complications in haemodialysis patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We compared serum bilirubin concentrations, as well as other known aetiological risk factors for cardiovascular disease, in 206 Type 2 diabetes patients on haemodialysis with those in 741 Type 2 diabetes patients not receiving haemodialysis, and evaluated the association between serum bilirubin concentration and cardiovascular disease incidence. RESULTS: Incidences of cardiovascular disease and systolic blood pressure were higher; however, BMI and serum total cholesterol were lower in haemodialysis patients compared with those in patients without haemodialysis. Serum total (0.30 ± 0.10 vs. 0.74 ± 0.26 mg/dl, 0.005 ± 0.002 vs. 0.013 ± 0.004 mmol/l, P < 0.0001) and indirect (0.17 ± 0.08 vs. 0.70 ± 0.23 mg/dl, 0.003 ± 0.001 vs. 0.012 ± 0.004 mmol/l, P < 0.0001) bilirubin were lower in haemodialysis patients compared with those in patients without haemodialysis. Stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that age (ß = 0.109, F = 5.959, P < 0.05), duration of diabetes (ß = -0.112, F = 6.048, P < 0.05), sex (ß = -0.123, F = 8.623, P < 0.05), cardiovascular disease events (ß = -0.099, F = 5.131, P < 0.05) and presence of haemodialysis (ß = -0.626, F = 201.727, P < 0.01) were independent factors for serum total bilirubin. Logistic regression demonstrated that age (OR 1.089, 95% CI 1.044-1.136; P < 0.0001), duration of diabetes (OR 1.029, 95% CI 1.001-1.059; P = 0.0423), body mass index (OR 1.115, 95% CI 1.001-1.242; P = 0.0487), habit of smoking (OR 2.445, 95% CI 1.046-5.716; P = 0.0391) and serum total bilirubin (OR 0.192, 95% CI 0.037-0.989; P = 0.0484) were independent factors for cardiovascular disease events. CONCLUSIONS: Low serum bilirubin concentration could be one of the important factors for the high incidence of cardiovascular disease in Type 2 diabetes patients receiving haemodialysis.

A novel mutation in the C-terminal region of RUNX2/CBFA1 distal to the DNA-binding runt domain in a Japanese patient with cleidocranial dysplasia.

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is an autosomal dominant inherited skeletal disease with high penetrance and variable expressivity. Although many mutations in RUNX2/CBFA1, an osteoblast-specific transcription factor, have been identified as causes of CCD, it is unclear whether these mutation genotypes relate to various symptoms. Heterogeneous mutations of RUNX2/CBFA1 result in disease characterized by abnormal skeletal genesis and dental disorders. There are few reports describing the relation between detailed orofacial pathology and the RUNX2/CBFA1 genotype. The case of a Japanese patient with severe orofacial dysplasia who was clinically thought to have CCD is described here. The authors performed mutation analysis on the RUNX2/CBFA1 gene and identified a novel frameshift mutation (722delT), which produces a mutant RUNX2/CBFA1 with a truncating C-terminus distal to the runt domain.

Immunological responses against human papilloma virus and human papilloma virus induced laryngeal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to clarify the local immune status in the larynx in the presence of infection or carcinogenesis associated with human papilloma virus. METHODS: Cytological samples (for human papilloma virus detection) and laryngeal secretions (for immunoglobulin assessment) were obtained from 31 patients with laryngeal disease, during microscopic laryngeal surgery. On histological examination, 12 patients had squamous cell carcinoma, four had laryngeal papilloma and 15 had other benign laryngeal disease. Cytological samples were tested for human papilloma virus DNA using the Hybrid Capture 2 assay. RESULTS: High risk human papilloma virus DNA was detected in 25 per cent of patients (three of 12) with laryngeal cancer. Low risk human papilloma virus DNA was detected only in three laryngeal papilloma patients. The mean laryngeal secretion concentrations of immunoglobulins M, G and A and secretory immunoglobulin A in human papilloma virus DNA positive patients were more than twice those in human papilloma virus DNA negative patients. A statistically significant difference was observed between the secretory immunoglobulin A concentrations in the two groups. Patients with laryngeal cancer had higher laryngeal secretion concentrations of each immunoglobulin type, compared with patients with benign laryngeal disease. The study assessed the mean laryngeal secretion concentrations of each immunoglobulin type in the 12 laryngeal cancer patients, comparing human papilloma virus DNA positive patients (n = 3) and human papilloma virus DNA negative patients (n = 9); the mean concentrations of immunoglobulins M, G and A and secretory immunoglobulin A tended to be greater in human papilloma virus DNA positive cancer patients, compared with human papilloma virus DNA negative cancer patients. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the local laryngeal immune response is activated by infection or carcinogenesis due to human papilloma virus. The findings strongly suggest that secretory IgA has inhibitory activity against infection or carcinogenesis associated with human papilloma virus in the larynx.

Selective (intra-arterial), rapid infusion chemo-radiotherapy to preserve the larynx in advanced laryngeal carcinoma: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVES: We had previously treated patients with advanced stage laryngeal cancer by laryngectomy with or without post-operative radiotherapy. In order to improve such patients' quality of life, we sought to preserve the larynx by selective (intra-arterial), rapid infusion chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy. METHODS: Chemotherapy was administered intra-arterially in the angiography suite via transfemoral catheterisation of the superior thyroid artery. Patients received up to four once-weekly infusions of cisplatin (75 mg/patient) with simultaneous intravenous administration of sodium thiosulphate, a neutralising agent. Patients also received external radiation simultaneously at a dose of 1.8 or 2.0 Gy per fraction, once daily for five days a week for 7 weeks. RESULTS: Intra-arterial infusion chemo-radiotherapy was performed in eight patients with advanced laryngeal carcinoma (four glottic, three supraglottic and one subglottic type carcinoma). A complete response was achieved at the primary site and at lymph node metastases in all eight patients. Overall toxic side effects were modest. No catheter-related thrombo-embolic complications were observed during any of the chemotherapy sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Selective (intra-arterial), rapid infusion chemo-radiotherapy may enable laryngeal preservation in patients with advanced laryngeal carcinoma.

Expression of cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein in benign and malignant parotid gland tumours.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to clarify the significance of cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein gene expression in human parotid gland tumours. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed immunohistochemical staining for cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein in parotid gland tumours. RESULTS: Cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein was consistently detected in the normal parotid gland. Regarding benign parotid gland tumours, cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein was present in 13 of 18 pleomorphic adenomas, in all Warthin tumours tested (21/21) and in all cases of basal cell adenoma tested (four of four). In contrast, positive staining for cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein was less often observed in malignant parotid tumours. Cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein was present in 11 of 14 mucoepidermoid carcinomas, in two of five acinic cell carcinomas and in two of five adenoid cystic carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: There was a statistically significantly reduced expression of cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein in malignant parotid gland tumours, compared with benign parotid gland tumours (p < 0.05). These results suggest that a low level of cluster of differentiation 9 glycoprotein expression in parotid gland tumours may be associated with malignancy.

CMC-544 (inotuzumab ozogamicin), an anti-CD22 immuno-conjugate of calicheamicin, alters the levels of target molecules of malignant B-cells.

We studied the effect of CMC-544, the calicheamicin-conjugated anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody, used alone and in combination with rituximab, analyzing the quantitative alteration of target molecules, that is, CD20, CD22, CD55 and CD59, in Daudi and Raji cells as well as in cells obtained from patients with B-cell malignancies (BCM). Antibody inducing direct antiproliferative and apoptotic effect, complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) were tested separately. In Daudi and Raji cells, the CDC effect of rituximab significantly increased within 12 h following incubation with CMC-544. The levels of CD22 and CD55 were significantly reduced (P<0.001 in both cells) after incubation with CMC-544, but CD20 level remained constant or increased for 12 h. Similar results were obtained in cells from 12 patients with BCM. The antiproliferative and apoptotic effect of CMC-544 were greater than that of rituximab. The ADCC of rituximab was not enhanced by CMC-544. Thus, the combination of CMC-544 and rituximab increased the in vitro cytotoxic effect in BCM cells, and sequential administration for 12 h proceeded by CMC-544 was more effective. The reduction of CD55 and the preservation of CD20 after incubation with CMC-544 support the rationale for the combined use of CMC-544 and rituximab.

Hippocampal place cell activity during chasing of a moving object associated with reward in rats.

Hippocampal place cells encode location of animals in the environment. However, it remains unknown whether the hippocampal place cells encode a continuously moving object in the environment. To investigate this topic, we analyzed the place cell activity of freely moving rats when a toy car was introduced into an arena. First, in a freely moving task without the car, the rats freely navigated inside the arena to earn an intracranial stimulation (ICS) reward for each 150 cm traveled. Second, they were divided into two groups and tested using two different tasks. In the car-dependent navigation (CDN) task, the car was placed inside the arena, and the rat received ICS if it chased and came within 20 cm of the car. In the car-independent navigation (CIN) task, the rat acquired ICS rewards if it traveled 150 cm regardless of its relation to the car. Place fields remapped more frequently in the CDN than the CIN tasks. In both the CDN and CIN tasks, the place cell activity inside the place fields displayed moderate tuning to the movement parameters of the rats and car, and the distance between the car and rats. However, tuning of the place cells to movement variables of the car was more selective in the CDN than the CIN tasks, while information regarding movement variables of the car represented by the place cell activity was larger in the CDN than the CIN task. These results indicated that place cell activity within the place fields represents not only an animal's own location but also the movement variables of another moving object if that object is associated with rewards. The present results provide new evidence that place cell activity conveys relevant information in a task even if this information is derived from other moving objects.