Generation of self-clusters of galectin-1 in the farnesyl-bound form.

Ras protein is involved in a signal transduction cascade in cell growth, and cluster formation of H-Ras and human galectin-1 (Gal-1) complex is considered to be crucial to achieve its physiological roles. It is considered that the complex is formed through interactions between Gal-1 and the farnesyl group (farnesyl-dependent model), post-translationally modified to the C-terminal Cys, of H-Ras. We investigated the role of farnesyl-bound Gal-1 in the cluster formation by analyzing the structure and properties of Gal-1 bound to farnesyl thiosalicylic acid (FTS), a competitive inhibitor of the binding of H-Ras to Gal-1. Gal-1 exhibited self-cluster formation upon interaction with FTS, and small- and large-size clusters were formed depending on FTS concentration. The galactoside-binding pocket of Gal-1 in the FTS-bound form was found to play an important role in small-size cluster formation. Large-size clusters were likely formed by the interaction among the hydrophobic sites of Gal-1 in the FTS-bound form. The present results indicate that Gal-1 in the FTS-bound form has the ability to form self-clusters as well as intrinsic lectin activity. Relevance of the self-clustering of FTS-bound Gal-1 to the cluster formation of the H-Ras-Gal-1complex was discussed by taking account of the farnesyl-dependent model and another (Raf-dependent) model.

Spermatic cord lymphoma: a case report and literature review.

Spermatic cord lymphoma is a rare lethal disease. It has a poor prognosis even in stage I or II disease when treated locally, therefore, multidisciplinary treatment for early stage is recommended. On the other hand, the treatment of choice for stage III or IV spermatic cord lymphoma remains to be determined. It is said that spermatic cord lymphoma is clinicopathologically similar to primary testicular lymphoma, therefore the treatment of spermatic cord lymphoma has often been determined by reference to the recommended treatment for primary testicular lymphoma. Here we report a new case of spermatic cord lymphoma, which was found in stage IV disease. We also review thirty-three cases which have been reported as spermatic cord lymphoma to date, and discuss treatment options.

[Leydig cell tumor of the testis : a case report].

An 85-year-old male visited our hospital with a complaint of painless swelling of the right testis. Right high orchiectomy was performed under the diagnosis of the right testicular tumor. Histopathological diagnosis was Leydig cell tumor. We reviewed 86 cases of this tumor previously reported in Japan. To our knowledge, our patient is the oldest one treated in Japan.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma with a predominant basaloid squamous carcinoma component: the first report of an unusual biphasic tumor of the ureter.

Malignant tumors of the ureter that display biphasic patterns are very rare; they include carcinosarcomas, sarcomatoid carcinomas and carcinomas with pseudosarcomatous stroma. Although the distinction between carcinosarcomas and sarcomatoid carcinomas has been extensively discussed in the past, the recent World Health Organization classification of urinary tract tumors (2004) does not distinguish the two lesions and use the term sarcomatoid carcinoma to represent these biphasic tumors. The epithelial components of previously reported ureteral biphasic tumors comprise transitional cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, carcinoma in situ, small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. In this paper, we report the first case of sarcomatoid carcinoma of the ureter with a predominant basaloid squamous carcinoma component. A 63-year-old man who had developed asymptomatic gross hematuria was diagnosed with a right ureteral tumor and underwent a right nephroureterectomy. Macroscopic examination of the excised tumor revealed a polypoid mass. Histopathologic examination exposed a tumor with malignant epithelial and sarcomatous components. The malignant epithelial component was predominantly composed of basaloid squamous carcinoma, and the sarcomatous component was mostly composed of undifferentiated spindle cells. A small focus of a chondrosarcomatous component was present. There were also transitional zones between the two components. In addition, the spindle cells of the sarcomatous component were partially positive for cytokeratin 7. We believe that the findings of this case study will increase the morphological diversity used for diagnosing malignant tumors of the ureter.

Cavernous hemangioma of the testis: a case report and review of the literature.

A 73-year-old man consulted our hospital with a painless intra-scrotal mass in the left testis. Serum levels of human beta-chorionic gonadotropin and alpha-fetoprotein were normal. Scrotal ultrasonography demonstrated left testis with a heterogeneous texture. A diagnosis of probable testicular malignancy was made, and a left radical orchiectomy was performed. The histopathological diagnosis was testicular cavernous hemangioma. To our knowledge, only 19 cases of cavernous hemangioma of the testis have been reported in the literature so far. Although this is a rare tumor, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of testicular tumor.

[Age specific reference ranges and clinical trial for complexed prostate specific antigen (cPSA)].

We compared the complexed PSA (cPSA) reference range of values by age against that for total PSA. The subjects were 1,210 men who underwent a complete medical checkup at our center between September and November 2003. We found an upward trend of the measured values associated with age and defined a set of expected result range by age groups. The cPSA 95th percentile upper limit value increased across all age groups: for men under 40 years, 1.38ng/ml: for men 40 to 49 years, 1.60ng/ml; for men 50 to 59 years, 2.25 ng/ml; for men 60 to 69 years, 2.50 ng/ml; and for men 70 years older, 4.31 ng/ml (The number of subjects in each group was 153, 323, 429, 220 and 77). The total PSA also increased with age: 1.85 ng/ml, 2.11 ng/ml, 2.80 ng/ml, 4.20 ng/ml, and 5.69 ng/ml, respectively. We also compared other prostatic tumor markers in urology patients.

Involvement of TIRAP/MAL in signaling for the activation of interferon regulatory factor 3 by lipopolysaccharide.

Infections of bacteria and viruses induce host defense reactions known as innate responses that include the production of cytokines and chemokines. The production of type I interferon (IFN) is known to be induced by viral double-stranded (ds) RNA or bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Although important functions for the transcription factors NF-kappaB and interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3) are indicated, the molecular signals leading to the activation of IFN genes have yet to be elucidated. We provide several lines of evidence that LPS and dsRNA trigger distinct intracellular signals upstream. Notably, our investigation revealed a critical function for TIRAP/MAL, a signaling adapter for Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4, in LPS-induced but not dsRNA-induced activation of IRF-3. These results highlight cross-talk between TLR-mediated and virus/dsRNA-induced signals resulting in activation of the IFN system.