Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of Glycyrrhiza uralensis root extracts produced using artificial hydroponic and artificial hydroponic-field hybrid cultivation systems.

Glycyrrhiza uralensis roots used in this study were produced using novel cultivation systems, including artificial hydroponics and artificial hydroponic-field hybrid cultivation. The equivalency between G. uralensis root extracts produced by hydroponics and/or hybrid cultivation and a commercial Glycyrrhiza crude drug were evaluated for both safety and efficacy, and there were no significant differences in terms of mutagenicity on the Ames tests. The levels of cadmium and mercury in both hydroponic roots and crude drugs were less than the limit of quantitation. Arsenic levels were lower in all hydroponic roots than in the crude drug, whereas mean lead levels in the crude drug were not significantly different from those in the hydroponically cultivated G. uralensis roots. Both hydroponic and hybrid-cultivated root extracts showed antiallergic activities against contact hypersensitivity that were similar to those of the crude drug extracts. These study results suggest that hydroponic and hybrid-cultivated roots are equivalent in safety and efficacy to those of commercial crude drugs. Further studies are necessary before the roots are applicable as replacements for the currently available commercial crude drugs produced from wild plant resources.

Phosphorylation of the MAPK pathway has an essential role in the acrosome reaction in miniature pig sperm.

In almost all animal species, sperm acrosome reaction (AR) is a crucial step for fertilization. The step is a Ca(2+)-dependent secretory event that must be completed before fertilization. Many researchers have reported that several chemicals (such as ionomycin, thapsigargin and caffeine) artificially induce this step by increasing [Ca(2+)](i). However, little information has been known on events that occur following Ca(2+) induced initiation of the sperm AR. We show here for the first time that phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is required for the AR in miniature pig sperm. Following caffeine treatment artificially inducing the AR in miniature pig sperm, Raf was phosphorylated and then MAP kinase kinase (MEK) and extracellular-signal regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) were also phosphorylated in a time-dependent manner. However, the total ERK1 level did not change during the culture. Pre-treatment of sperm with U0126, a MEK inhibitor, significantly suppressed both the AR and phosphorylation of MEK/ERK1 in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, pre-incubation of the sperm with seminal vesicle (SV) fluid, which is known to contain a decapacitation factor, suppressed both the AR and MEK/ERK1 phosphorylation. These results suggest that phosphorylation of MAPK pathway plays an important role in the AR in miniature pig sperm. Moreover, the SV fluid may have an inhibitory effect on the AR via the suppression of the MAPK pathway.

Lunar global shape and polar topography derived from Kaguya-LALT laser altimetry.

A global lunar topographic map with a spatial resolution of finer than 0.5 degree has been derived using data from the laser altimeter (LALT) on board the Japanese lunar explorer Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE or Kaguya). In comparison with the previous Unified Lunar Control Network (ULCN 2005) model, the new map reveals unbiased lunar topography for scales finer than a few hundred kilometers. Spherical harmonic analysis of global topographic data for the Moon, Earth, Mars, and Venus suggests that isostatic compensation is the prevailing lithospheric support mechanism at large scales. However, simple rigid support is suggested to dominate for the Moon, Venus, and Mars for smaller scales, which may indicate a drier lithosphere than on Earth, especially for the Moon and Venus.

Control of sperm motility and fertility: diverse factors and common mechanisms.

Spermatozoa generated in the testis are immature and incompetent for fertilization. During their journey toward the egg, the sperm acquire fertility and achieving fertilization. These sperm modifications to ensure fertilization are induced by many female or male extra-sperm factors: for example, sperm motility-activating factors from the egg jelly, sperm attractants from the eggs, and decapacitation factors from the seminal plasma. The factors controlling sperm fertility are myriad and species specific; they may be peptides, sugar chains, or small organic compounds. Nevertheless, the fundamental mechanisms underlying fertilization must be common among all animals; increase in [Ca(2+)](i) triggers all the steps in the process of fertilization, and cAMP plays important roles in many steps. Elucidating the dynamic functional and morphological changes in sperm cells is important for understanding the regulation of fertilization. Here, we introduce the diversity and generality of the control of sperm fertility.

Efficient engraftment of primary adult T-cell leukemia cells in newborn NOD/SCID/beta2-microglobulin(null) mice.

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) develops via multiple oncogenic steps in human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) carriers. To better understand pathogenesis of ATL, we developed a novel xenogeneic engraftment model in which primary ATL cells are intravenously transplanted into neonatal nonobese diabetic (NOD)/severe-combined immunodeficiency (SCID)/beta2-microglobulin(null) (NOD/SCID/beta2m(null)) mice. Acute-type ATL cells engrafted in the peripheral blood and in the lymph nodes of recipients at a high efficiency. Engrafted ATL cells were dually positive for human CD4 and CD25, and displayed patterns of HTLV-I integration identical to those of donors by Southern blot analysis. These cells infiltrated into recipients' liver, and formed nodular lesions, recapitulating the clinical feature of each patient. In contrast, in smoldering-type ATL cases, multiple clones of ATL cells engrafted efficiently in NOD/SCID/beta2m(null) mice. When smoldering-type ATL cells were retransplanted into secondary NOD/SCID/beta2m(null) recipients, single HTLV-I-infected clones became predominant, suggesting that clones with dominant proliferative activity can be competitively selected in this xenogeneic system. Taken together, the NOD/SCID/beta2m(null) newborn system is useful to understand kinetics, metastasis, and disease progression of ATL in vivo.

Invasive meningioma is associated with a low expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin.

Invasive meningioma shows benign histological features (WHO grade 1) and the brain expansion at the tumor-brain interface, and recurs more frequently than common meningiomas. To determine the mechanism of brain expansion, we studied the relationship between invasive meningioma and cell adhesion molecules. Immunostaining for E-cadherin (E-CH), N-cadherin (N-CH), beta-catenin, and Ki-67 was performed in 103 meningiomas that consisted of 61 meningothelial meningiomas, 25 fibrous meningiomas, 12 invasive meningiomas and 5 anaplastic meningiomas. All tumors were negative for N-CH. All the 61 meningothelial meningiomas, 10 of 12 invasive meningiomas, and 3 of 5 anaplastic meningiomas were positive for both E-CH and beta-catenin, while these were both negative in all of the fibrous meningiomas. In invasive meningiomas, the expansive part of the tumor showed a lower rate (4/12 tumors) of E-CH and beta-catenin positivity, while the central part showed a higher rate (10/12 tumors). The Ki-67 labeling index was higher in invasive and anaplastic meningiomas than in meningothelial meningiomas. These results suggest that a reduction in cell adhesion molecules and increased proliferative activity may be related, which may lead to a better understanding of the mechanism of meningioma expansion in the future.

Motility and penetration competence of frozen-thawed miniature pig spermatozoa are substantially altered by exposure to seminal plasma before freezing.

The objective was to determine if exposure of spermatozoa to seminal plasma before freezing decreases its freezability, assessed by percentage motile cells (using computer-assisted semen analysis) and in vitro penetration ability (using in vitro fertilization and chlortetracycline fluorescence assessment). Ejaculated spermatozoa from miniature pigs were washed by centrifugation within 20 min after collection, then incubated in seminal plasma or modified Hulsenberg VIII diluents (mHM). When the spermatozoa were cryopreserved, spermatozoa incubated in seminal plasma before freezing had significantly lower post-thaw motility than spermatozoa incubated in mHM. The incubation of spermatozoa in seminal plasma also significantly prevented frozen-thawed spermatozoa from penetrating the oocytes. The second experiment, using unfrozen spermatozoa, was to determine if the incubation of spermatozoa with seminal plasma reduced penetration ability before freezing, resulting in a significantly lower penetration rate after freezing (compared with spermatozoa incubated without seminal plasma). The penetration competence of unfrozen spermatozoa was significantly decreased by incubation in seminal plasma, but no difference in motility was observed between spermatozoa exposed to seminal plasma versus mHM. We concluded that ejaculated seminal plasma contained some factor(s) that modified the sperm before freezing and reduced the freezability and post-thaw penetration competence of spermatozoa.

Influence of transplanted dose of CD56+ cells on development of graft-versus-host disease in patients receiving G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood progenitor cells from HLA-identical sibling donors.

We investigated effects of variations in the cellular composition of G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood progenitor cell (G-PBPC) allografts on clinical outcomes of allogeneic PBPC transplantation. We retrospectively analyzed transplanted doses of various immunocompetent cells from 27 HLA-identical sibling donors in relation to engraftment, incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and survival. Significant variability was documented in both absolute numbers and relative proportions of CD34+, CD2+, CD3+, CD4(high)+, CD4+25+, CD8(high)+, CD19+, CD56+, and CD56+16+ cells contained in these allografts. Stepwise Cox regression analysis revealed that the CD56+ cell dose was significantly inversely correlated with the incidence of GVHD. Thus, there was a significantly higher incidence of grade II acute GVHD in patients receiving a lower CD56+16+ cell dose (hazard ratio (HR) 0.0090; 95% confidence interval (CI), <0.00001-3.38; P=0.031), a higher incidence of chronic GVHD in those receiving allografts with a lower CD56+16+ to CD34+ ratio (HR <0.00001; 95% CI <0.00001-0.0007; P=0.0035), and a higher incidence of extensive chronic GVHD in those receiving allografts with a lower CD56+ to CD34+ ratio (HR <0.00001; 95% CI <0.00001-0.053; P=0.0083). These results suggest that CD56+ cells in G-PBPC allografts from HLA-identical sibling donors may play an important role in preventing the development of GVHD.

[Intra-abdominal desmoplastic small-cell tumor of the peritoneum]. / Intraabdominální dezmoplastický malobunecný nádor peritonea.

The authors described three cases of intraabdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumour of the peritoneum (IDSRT). In one case the patient was a woman, and in the other two men. The age ranged from 20-29 years. Common of all the cases was a rapid onset of clinical symptoms during the period of twelve to eighteen months. In one case, a 22-year-old woman presented with a symptomless course of disease documented by medical examination one month ago. Intensive chemotherapy was applied but two patients died of generalisation. The 22-year-old woman is alive but with clinical evidence of generalisation in the abdominal cavity. The "classical" type of IDSRT was found in all the cases. Sharply demarcated groups of tumour cells of different size were surrounded by dense fibrous stroma. In some regions desmoplastic areas prevailed. In one case the tumour consisted of round and oval cells resembling a lymphoma. In the other two cases, the slightly elongated cells were present. Immunohistologically, the small round cells were positive for cytokeratins with antibody AE1-AE3. Membrane and dot-like paranuclear positivity were found. In 2 cases the reaction to desmin was seen in a dot-like paranuclear distribution, whereas the reaction to smooth muscle actin (MSA) was negative. In all the cases positivity to vimentin and neuron specific enolase (NSE) were apparent. Negative reactions were found for WT-1 antibody in all three cases. In one of the cases the RT PCR reaction for chimeric gene EWS/WT1 was performed, and found to be negative. Many different tumour types, such as lymphoma, Ewing sarcoma/PNET, neuroblastoma, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant mesothelioma must be excluded. Cytogenetic examination should be performed on tumours with a "non-typical" histological pattern and uncommon immunohistological examinations.

Delay of nuclear maturation and reduction in developmental competence of pig oocytes after mineral oil overlay of in vitro maturation media.

Steroid hormones, such as progesterone, oestrogen, androgen and meiosis activating sterols, are secreted from cumulus cells that are stimulated by gonadotrophins during maturation of oocytes in vitro. These steroid hormones may be absorbed by mineral oil or paraffin oil; however, in vitro maturation of pig oocytes is commonly performed using medium covered by oil. In this study, high concentrations of progesterone, oestradiol and testosterone were detected in the culture medium after pig cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured with FSH and LH for 44 h in medium without an oil overlay. However, high concentrations of these steroid hormones were not detected in medium when COCs were cultured with the mineral oil overlay. When high concentrations of these steroid hormones were secreted by COCs, germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and the activation of p34(cdc2) kinase and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in oocytes occurred earlier in comparison with oocytes cultured in medium covered with mineral oil. Moreover, a decrease in p34(cdc2) kinase activity during meiotic progression beyond metaphase I was observed in oocytes cultured in conditions under which high concentrations of steroid hormones were secreted by COCs. In addition, the rate of development to the blastocyst stage after IVF was higher in oocytes matured in medium without an oil overlay. These adverse effects of oil may be explained by absorption by the oil of cumulus-secreted steroids or by the release of toxic compounds into the medium.

Fungal auxin antagonist hypaphorine competitively inhibits indole-3-acetic acid-dependent superoxide generation by horseradish peroxidase.

Plant peroxidases (EC 1.11.1.7) including horseradish peroxidase (HRP-C), but not the nonplant peroxidases, are known to be highly specific indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) oxygenases which oxidize IAA in the absence of H2O2, and superoxide anion radicals (O2*-) are produced as by-products. Hypaphorine, a putative auxin antagonist isolated from ectomycorrhizal fungi, inhibited the IAA-dependent generation of O2*- by HRP-C, which occurs in the absence of H2O2. Hypaphorine has no effect on the nonspecific heme-catalyzed O2*- generation induced by high concentration of ethanol. It is probable that the inhibitory effect of hypaphorine on O2*- generation is highly specific to the IAA-dependent reaction. The mode of inhibition of the IAA-dependent O2*--generating reaction by hypaphorine was analyzed with a double-reciprocal plot and determined to be competitive inhibition, indicating that hypaphorine competes with IAA by binding to the putative IAA binding site on HRP-C. This implies the importance of structural similarity between hypaphorine and IAA. This work presented the first evidence for antagonism between IAA and a structurally related fungal alkaloid on binding to a purified protein which shares some structural similarity with auxin-binding proteins.

Crush and imprint cytology of subependymoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: There are few descriptions of the cytologic features of subependymoma because this neoplasm is rare and most commonly encountered incidentally at autopsy. Here we report a surgical case of subependymoma occurring in the lateral ventricle and provide the first documentation of the crush cytologic features of this tumor. CASE: A 34-year-old woman was found to have a tumorous lesion in the right lateral ventricle. At surgery, a 2-cm-diameter tumor was detected in the anterior horn. Histologic examination during surgery revealed that the mass was composed of loose,fibrillary networks and clusters of nuclei showing mild pleomorphism. A number of microcystic formations were evident. Histologically, the neoplasm was considered benign--specifically, a subependymoma. Papanicolaou- or Giemsa-stained crush specimens and imprint smears were also prepared. The cytologic morphology was fundamentally the same as the histologic. In the crush specimens, microcystic formations were readily visible. Moreover, details of the cellular morphology were more easily recognized in the cytologic slides than in the frozen sections. CONCLUSION: Cytologic examination, particularly crush cytology, appears to be useful for the rapid diagnosis of subependymoma during surgery in combination with the examination of frozen histologic sections.

Primary intracerebral malignant melanoma with leptomeningeal spread, extradural extension and lung metastasis.

A rare primary intracerebral solitary malignant melanoma with extracranial metastasis is reported. The patient was a 66-year-old man who was revealed to have a tumor in the right temporal lobe by MRI. The tumor was totally resected and the histopathological diagnosis was malignant melanoma. Despite postoperative treatment with chemo-radiotherapy, tumor recurred with multiple subarachnoid dissemination. Complete autopsy showed marked leptomeningeal dissemination of tumor in the cerebro-spinal compartment. In the outside of the central nervous system, a microscopic metastatic nodule was found in the right lung. Metastatic tumor in the spinal cord showed the extradural extension which might have led to hematogenous metastasis to the lung.

Spinal tanycytic ependymomas.

Three cases of spinal tanycytic ependymoma are reported, a man aged 45 years and two women aged 36 and 55 years. Each patient developed gradual paraparesis over a few months prior to admission. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an enhancing, well-circumscribed tumor in the spinal cord in each case. Histologically, the tumors consisted of monotonous proliferation of long spindle cells with markedly eosinophilic cell processes; focally forming perivascular pseudorosettes. The tumor cells were strongly immunopositive for glial fibrillary acidic protein, S-100 protein and vimentin. Ultrastructurally, in addition to massive intermediate filaments, many tumor cells showed abundant microtubules. Well-developed desmosomes and microvilli/cilia-lined microlumina were occasionally observed. The tumors were grossly totally removed and the patients remain recurrence free at 9, 9, and 2 years postoperatively. Reviewing reported cases including our three cases, tanycytic ependymoma may occur frequently in spinal cord, especially in the cervical region of the spinal cord. Since histologically it resembles pilocytic astrocytoma and schwannoma, tanycytic ependymoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of benign spindle cell tumors of the central nervous system.

Prognostic value of Ki-67 (MIB-1) and p53 in ependymomas.

To determine whether Ki-67 (MIB-1) and p53 have prognostic value in ependymomas, clinicopathologic study was undertaken in 29 patients with this tumor. The clinical course correlated well with the histological grade according to the World Health Organization (WHO) grading system, and it was the worst in patients with anaplastic ependymoma. The percent expression of MIB-1 and p53 correlated with the histological grade of malignancy. With regard to the subtypes of benign ependymoma, the clinical course was the worst in clear-cell ependymoma, which had a significantly higher expression of MIB-1 and p53 than the other subtypes. Tanycytic ependymoma showed the most benign clinical course and the lowest expression of MIB-1 and p53. Although the WHO grading generally tended to correlate with the clinical course of ependymomas, these two subtypes--clear-cell ependymoma and tanycytic ependymoma--exhibited biological properties different from those of other grade II ependymomas.

Intraoperative and conformal external-beam radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma; results from a feasibility phase II study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Chemoradiation therapy is widely indicated to patients with locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma, though the capability of radiotherapy alone is not assessed enough. The purpose of this study is to clarify the efficacy and safety of a more intensive radiotherapy for those patients. METHODOLOGY: Fifteen patients were enrolled in a feasible phase II study of treatment with intraoperative radiation therapy (25 Gy), followed by conformal external-beam radiation therapy (40 Gy in 20 fractions, 5 times/week). The antitumor effect was evaluated on the early phase of dynamic computed tomography image. RESULTS: The full irradiation dose was feasible in 12 of 15 patients. The overall response rate was 40% (1 complete and 5 partial responses). Grade 3 toxicity was observed in 2 patients (13%) with nausea/vomiting or anorexia. One patient developed gastric ulcer and died of gastrointestinal bleeding 12 months after intraoperative radiation therapy. The median survival time was 11.1 months, and the 2-year survival rates were 13%. Survival for more than 2 years was observed in 2 of the 6 responders. CONCLUSIONS: The above radiotherapy is considered to be active for the locally advanced pancreatic cancer with acceptable toxicity, when the gastrointestinal tract is excluded from the radiation field. This should be further assessed in late phase II studies involving a large number of patients.

Interstitial pneumonia in Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome: significance of florid foamy swelling/degeneration (giant lamellar body degeneration) of type-2 pneumocytes.

Although usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)-like IP has been known as the most serious complication of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS), its pathologic features and pathogenesis are poorly understood. We investigated biopsied and autopsied lung tissues from five patients who died of UIP-like IP associated with HPS (HPSIP). The salient histopathologic features of HPSIP observed were: (1) alveolar septa displaying florid proliferation of type-2 pneumocytes (2PCs) with characteristic foamy swelling/degeneration; (2) patchy fibrosis with lymphocytic and histiocytic infiltration centered around respiratory bronchioles, occasionally showing constrictive bronchiolitis; and (3) honeycomb change without predilection for the lower lobes or subpleural area. Those peculiar 2PCs were histochemically characterized by the over accumulation of phospholipid, immunohistochemically by a weak positivity for surfactant protein, and ultrastructurally by the presence of numerous giant lamellar bodies that compressed the nucleus with occasional cytoplasmic disruption, together suggesting a form of cellular degeneration with an over accumulation of surfactant (giant lamellar body degeneration). The present study strongly indicates that there is a basic defect in the formation/secretion process of surfactant by the 2PCs in HPS, which may well be the triggering factor for the HPSIP development. Other factors, such as macrophage dysfunction, may be working synergistically for further acceleration of the inflammatory process.

Clinical cure of glioblastoma--two case reports.

We report two cases of "decade survivor" of glioblastoma. Case 1 is a 34-year-old female who developed a tumor in the left frontal pole, and Case 2 is a 46-year-old male with a left frontal tumor. Both tumors were surgically excised and the patients received postoperative chemo-radiotherapy. Histological re-evaluation of the resected tumor tissue confirmed the most malignant type of glioma-glioblastoma. We speculate that the entire extent of tumors had been extirpated by surgery in both cases.