Indocyanine green conjugated phototheranostic nanoparticle for photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy.

BACKGROUND: Phototheranostics represents a highly promising paradigm for cancer therapy, although selecting an appropriate optical imager and sensitizer for clinical use remains challenging. METHODS: Liposomally formulated phospholipid-conjugated indocyanine green, denoted as LP-iDOPE, was developed as phototheranostic nanoparticle and its cancer imaging-mediated photodynamic reaction, defined as the immune response induced by photodynamic and photothermal effects, was evaluated with a near-infrared (NIR)-light emitting diode (LED) light irradiator. RESULTS: Using in vivo NIR fluorescence imaging, we demonstrated that LP-iDOPE was selectively delivered to tumor sites with high accumulation and a long half-life. Following low-intensity NIR-LED light irradiation on the tumor region of LP-iDOPE accumulated, effector CD8+ T cells were activated at the secondary lymphoid organs, migrated, and subsequently released cytokines including interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α, resulting in effective tumor regression. CONCLUSIONS: Our anti-cancer strategy based on tumor-specific LP-iDOPE accumulation and low-intensity NIR-LED light irradiation to the tumor regions, i.e., photodynamic reaction, represents a promising approach to noninvasive cancer therapy.

Nutritional Therapy in Older Patients With Hip Fractures Undergoing Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Older people with hip fractures are often undernourished, which adversely affects their functional prognosis. A previous review reported that oral multinutritional supplements may prevent complications after hip fracture surgery. However, it is unclear whether interventions that combine rehabilitation and nutritional therapy have prognostic benefits. The objective of this study was to determine whether nutritional therapy is effective for patients with hip fractures undergoing rehabilitation. DESIGN: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Randomized controlled trials involving patients at least 65 years of age with hip fracture undergoing rehabilitation with or without nutritional therapy. Older patients with hip fractures undergoing rehabilitation were included. METHODS: A systematic literature search using 5 databases (PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, WHO ICTRP, and Ichu-shi Web) was conducted in December 2018 and identified all randomized controlled trials. Outcome variables include mortality, complications, activities of daily living, quality of life, and muscle strength. RESULTS: Of the 1431 studies found, 10 met the inclusion criteria, involving a total of 1119 patients. Four studies reported mortality, 5 studies reported complications, and 4 studies reported grip strength. Nutritional therapy showed a significant reduction in mortality [relative risk (RR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39, 0.93; I2 = 0%] and complications (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.44, 1.03; I2 = 79%), and improved grip strength (mean difference = 2.01, 95% CI 0.81, 3.22; I2 = 0%). The effects of nutritional therapy on activities of daily living, quality of life, and knee extension strength are unknown. The majority of studies were assessed as low quality. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our study showed that the combination of rehabilitation and nutritional therapy for older patients with hip fractures reduced mortality and postoperative complications and enhanced grip strength, although the quality of the evidence was low. A well-designed controlled study is needed for further investigation.

[A case of transcatheter coil embolization for pulmonary arteriovenous malformation complicated with hepatic arteriovenous malformation].

A 57-year-old woman in whom pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) associated with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) had been diagnosed after a chest X-ray film showed an abnormal shadow at the age of 39. After diagnosis, she suffered two ischemic brain attacks, presumably caused by PAVM. She was admitted to our hospital for evaluation and treatment of PAVM on February 9, 2008. We confirmed two PAVMs in right S(3)a and left S(9)a by chest CT scan and angiography. In addition, abdominal CT revealed hepatic arteriovenous malformation (HAVM). HAVM were thought to increase venous return to the right heart, (which might cause pulmonary hypertension after the embolization of PAVMs), leading to right heart failure. In order to prevent neurological events in future, we performed an embolization of PAVM with individual coils at monthly intervals. Six months after the last embolization treatment, she showed no symptoms of right heart failure and the size of PAVMs decreased. It is considered important for a patient with PAVM associated with HHT to undergo a thorough examination for arteriovenous malformation in other organs, before coil embolization.

Intrinsic function of the aryl hydrocarbon (dioxin) receptor as a key factor in female reproduction.

Dioxins exert a variety of adverse effects on organisms, including teratogenesis, immunosuppression, tumor promotion, and estrogenic action. Studies using aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-deficient mice suggest that the majority of these toxic effects are mediated by the AhR. In spite of the adverse effects mediated by this receptor, the AhR gene is conserved among a number of animal species, ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates. This high degree of conservation strongly suggests that AhR possesses an important physiologic function, and a critical function is also supported by the reduced fertility observed with AhR-null female mice. We demonstrate that AhR plays a crucial role in female reproduction by regulating the expression of ovarian P450 aromatase (Cyp19), a key enzyme in estrogen synthesis. As revealed by in vitro reporter gene assay and in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, AhR cooperates with an orphan nuclear receptor, Ad4BP/SF-1, to activate Cyp19 gene transcription in ovarian granulosa cells. Administration to female mice of an AhR ligand, DMBA (9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene), induced ovarian Cyp19 gene expression, irrespective of the intrinsic phase of the estrus cycle. In addition to elucidating a physiological function for AhR, our studies also suggest a possible mechanism for the toxic effects of exogenous AhR ligands as endocrine disruptors.

Ovarian choriocarcinoma arising from partial mole as evidenced by deoxyribonucleic acid microsatellite analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recent developments in genetic analysis allow determination of the origin of choriocarcinoma (ie, gestational or nongestational), which helps determine the strategy for clinical treatment of the disease. CASE: We present a case of ovarian choriocarcinoma forming a huge ovarian mass 40 days after the patient's last menstrual period. Deoxyribonucleic acid microsatellite analysis of the tumor revealed that it contained a single maternal and two paternal alleles at several independent loci, consistent with the tumor resulting from ovarian pregnancy of a partial hydatidiform mole. CONCLUSION: This is the first description of an ovarian pregnancy of a partial hydatidiform mole-derived ovarian choriocarcinoma.

Successful treatment of hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by Grifola frondosa (Maitake) mushroom using a HFA-BDP extra-fine aerosol.

We successfully treated a patient with occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) caused by Grifola frondosa (Maitake) mushroom spore with an extra-fine aerosol corticosteroid; beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) dissolved in hydrofluoroalkane-134a (HFA). A 49-year-old woman developed respiratory symptoms 3 months after beginning work on a mushroom farm. She was diagnosed as HP based on radiological and serological findings. Oral prednisolone therapy improved her HP and she returned to the same farm. Her HP relapsed after 5 months, and daily 400 microg of HFA-BDP was administered with gradual improvement. An extra-fine particle inhaled corticosteroid might reach appropriate alveoli to be effective therapy for mild HP.

Gender difference in serum bisphenol A levels may be caused by liver UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity in rats.

Gender difference in human bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations was revealed by determining serum BPA. We studied the serum concentrations and the metabolism of BPA in rats by an HPLC system. Rat serum BPA concentrations were significantly higher in males (24.9+/-7.38 ng/ml, P=0.026, n=10) than in females (8.27+/-3.11 ng/ml, n=10), as in humans. The resultant enzyme reaction products of BPA glucuronidation in the rat liver microsomes fraction were analyzed by an HPLC system. The ratio of BPA glucuronidation in the microsome reaction was significantly higher (P=0.015) in female than in male rats. The mRNA expression of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B1 (UGT2B1), an isoform of UGT related to BPA glucuronidation, in the rat liver was analyzed by a real-time quantitative RT-PCR. The relative expression level of UGT2B1 mRNA was significantly higher (P<0.001) in female than in male rat livers. The gender difference in serum BPA concentrations may be explained by the difference in clearance based on the UGT activities.