Clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors in a large Japanese national cohort.

OBJECTIVES: Optimal management of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors (T1-GNETs) remains unknown, with few reports on their long-term prognosis. This study investigated the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of T1-GNETs. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with T1-GNET during 1991-2019 at 40 institutions in Japan. RESULTS: Among 172 patients, endoscopic resection (ER), endoscopic surveillance, and surgery were performed in 84, 61, and 27, respectively, including 27, 77, and 2 patients with pT1a-M, pT1b-SM, and pT2 tumors, respectively. The median tumor diameter was 5 (range 0.8-55) mm. Four (2.9%) patients had lymph node metastasis (LNM); none had liver metastasis. LNM rates were significantly higher in tumors with lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (15.8%; 3/19) than in those without (1.1%; 1/92) (P = 0.016). For tumors <10 mm, LVI and LNM rates were 18.4% (14/76) and 2.2% (2/90), respectively, which were not significantly different from those of tumors 10-20 mm (LVI 13.3%; 2/15, P = 0.211; and LNM 0%; 0/17, P = 1.0). However, these rates were significantly lower than those of tumors >20 mm (LVI 60%; 3/5, P = 0.021; and LNM 40%; 2/5, P = 0.039). No tumor recurrence or cause-specific death occurred during the median follow-up of 10.1 (1-25) years. The 10-year overall survival rate was 97%. CONCLUSIONS: Type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors showed indolent nature and favorable long-term prognoses. LVI could be useful in indicating the need for additional treatments. ER for risk prediction of LNM should be considered for tumors <10 mm and may be feasible for tumors 10-20 mm. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study protocol was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) under the identifier UMIN000029927.

Development and characterization of a plant-derived rotavirus-like particle vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Virus-like particles (VLPs) are unable to replicate in the recipient but stimulate the immune system through recognition of repetitive subunits. Parenterally delivered rotavirus-VLP (Ro-VLP) vaccine could have the potential to overcome the weaknesses of licensed oral live-attenuated rotavirus vaccines, namely, low efficacy in low-income and high mortality settings and a potential risk of intussusception. METHODS: A monovalent Ro-VLP composed of viral protein (VP) 7, VP6 and VP2 of G1 genotype specificity was produced in Nicotiana benthamiana using Agrobacterium tumefaciens infiltration-based transient recombinant expression system. Plants expressing recombinant G1 Ro-VLP were harvested, then the resultant biomass was processed through a series of clarification and purification steps including standard extraction, filtration, ultrafiltration and chromatography. The purified G1 Ro-VLP was subsequently examined for its immunogenicity and toxicological profile using animal models. RESULTS: G1 Ro-VLP had a purity of ≥90% and was structurally similar to triple-layered rotavirus particles as determined by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Two doses of aluminum hydroxide-adjuvanted G1 Ro-VLP (1 µg, 5 µg or 30 µg), administered intramuscularly, elicited a robust homotypic neutralizing antibody response in rats. Also, rabbits administered G1 Ro-VLP (10 µg or 30 µg) four times intramuscularly with aluminum hydroxide adjuvant did not show any significant toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Plant-derived Ro-VLP composed of VP7, VP6 and VP2 structural proteins would be a plausible alternative to live-attenuated oral rotavirus vaccines currently distributed worldwide.

A novel delivery system for amphotericin B with lipid nano-sphere (LNS).

A low-dose therapeutic system with a lipid emulsion for amphotericin B (AmB), a potent antifungal drug, was studied. Lipid nano-sphere (LNS), a small-particle lipid emulsion, was taken up by the liver to a lesser extent than was a conventional lipid emulsion. As a result, LNS yielded higher plasma concentrations of a radiochemical tracer than did the conventional lipid emulsion. LNS was therefore judged to be a suitable carrier for a low-dose therapeutic system for AmB, and LNS incorporating AmB (LNS-AmB) was prepared. LNS-AmB was found to be a homogeneous emulsion with mean particle diameters ranging from 25 to 50 nm. LNS-AmB yielded higher plasma concentrations of AmB than did Fungizone, a conventional intravenous dosage form of AmB, after intravenous administration to mice, rats, dogs, and monkeys. This difference between LNS-AmB and Fungizone was also observed for constant intravenous infusion. In contrast to Fungizone, LNS-AmB showed a linear relationship between dose and AUC. These pharmacokinetic characteristics of LNS-AmB make it a suitable candidate for an effective low-dose therapeutic system for AmB.

Comparison of LNS-AmB, a novel low-dose formulation of amphotericin B with lipid nano-sphere (LNS), with commercial lipid-based formulations.

Three lipid-based delivery systems (AmBisome, Amphocil, and Abelcet) for amphotericin B (AmB) have been marketed to overcome the disadvantages associated with the clinical use of AmB. However, to show their efficacy, they need to be administered at higher doses than the conventional dosage form, Fungizone. In this study, we compared LNS-AmB, our new low-dose therapeutic system for AmB using lipid nano-sphere (LNS), with these commercial formulations in terms of their pharmacokinetics and efficacy. The plasma AmB levels yielded by LNS-AmB after intravenous administration to rats were much higher than those yielded by Amphocil or Abelcet, and similar to those yielded by AmBisome, but in dogs LNS-AmB yielded plasma AmB concentrations about three times higher than did AmBisome. In a carrageenin-induced pleurisy model in rats, LNS-AmB yielded AmB levels in the pleural exudate over 20 times those yielded by Amphocil or Abelcet, and similar to those yielded by AmBisome. From these pharmacokinetic results, it is clear that Amphocil and Abelcet are based on a quite distinct drug-delivery concept from LNS-AmB. In a rat model of localized candidiasis, LNS-AmB significantly inhibited the growth of Candida albicans in the pouch, whereas AmBisome did not, even though the AmB concentrations in the pouch were similar. This difference in antifungal activity between LNS-AmB and AmBisome was also found in vitro. That is, the antifungal activity of LNS-AmB against C. albicans was similar to that of Fungizone and dimethyl sulfoxide-solubilized AmB, while AmBisome showed weaker antifungal activity than did other formulations. Based on these results, the release of AmB from AmBisome was judged to be slow and slight. In a mouse model of systemic candidiasis, LNS-AmB (1.0mg/kg) was much more effective than AmBisome (8.0mg/kg) or Fungizone (1.0mg/kg). These results suggest that LNS-AmB maintained the potent activity of AmB against fungal cells even though the AmB was incorporated into LNS particles. We conclude that LNS-AmB may offer an improved therapeutic profile at lower doses than Fungizone and commercial lipid-based formulations.

Evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of amphotericin B incorporated in lipid nano-sphere (LNS).

To develop a low-dose therapeutic system for amphotericin B (AmB), the efficacy and toxicity of lipid nano-sphere (LNS) incorporating AmB (LNS-AmB) were evaluated and compared with those of Fungizone, the conventional dosage form of AmB with sodium deoxycholate. LNS-AmB and Fungizone showed nearly equal activity against fungal cells both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to Fungizone, however, LNS-AmB did not cause significant hemolysis. In addition, the vomiting toxicity of Fungizone was largely avoided by the use of LNS-AmB in dogs, in spite of the higher plasma AmB concentrations achieved by LNS-AmB. Therefore, LNS-AmB may be selective for fungal cells over mammalian cells. In a study of its toxicity and toxicokinetics in a regimen of daily 2-h intravenous infusions for 14 consecutive days, LNS-AmB showed less toxicity to the kidney than did Fungizone in spite of the higher plasma AmB concentrations achieved. LNS-AmB, therefore, allows the treatment of systemic fungal infections at low doses without the severe nephrotoxicity of Fungizone. Size-exclusion chromatography provided evidence that, when LNS-AmB was administered to rats, AmB was retained in the LNS particles in the blood circulation, but that when Fungizone was administered, AmB was transferred to high-density lipoproteins (HDL). AmB retained in LNS particles seemed to be less toxic to the kidney than was AmB associated with HDL. Consequently, LNS-AmB has the potential to become a low-dose therapeutic system for AmB, minimizing most of the severe side effects of AmB by decreasing the total dose required.

Lipid transfer protein transports compounds from lipid nanoparticles to plasma lipoproteins.

Nanometer-sized lipid emulsion particles with a diameter of 25-50 nm, called Lipid Nano-Sphere (LNS), are expected as a promising drug carrier to show prolonged plasma half-life of an incorporating drug. In terms of successful drug delivery using LNS, a drug should be incorporated into the lipid particles and remain within the particle, not only in the formulation in vitro but also after administration into the systemic blood circulation. In this study, we showed that phospholipids and some water-insoluble molecules also moved from lipid particles to plasma lipoproteins or albumin in serum and plasma half-lives of these compounds did not reflect that of the drug carriers. It was suggested that phospholipid or its derivative were transferred from LNS particles to plasma lipoproteins by lipid transfer proteins (LTP) in the circulation. These phenomena leaded to unsuccessful delivery of the drug with lipid-particulate drug carriers. On the other hand, lipophilic derivatives with cholesterol pro-moiety tested in this study were not released from LNS particles and showed prolonged plasma half-lives. Lipophilicity is known to be an important parameter for incorporating drugs into lipid particles but substrate specificity for LTP seems to be another key to success promising drug design using lipid emulsion particulate delivery system.

Mapping human genetic diversity in Asia.

Asia harbors substantial cultural and linguistic diversity, but the geographic structure of genetic variation across the continent remains enigmatic. Here we report a large-scale survey of autosomal variation from a broad geographic sample of Asian human populations. Our results show that genetic ancestry is strongly correlated with linguistic affiliations as well as geography. Most populations show relatedness within ethnic/linguistic groups, despite prevalent gene flow among populations. More than 90% of East Asian (EA) haplotypes could be found in either Southeast Asian (SEA) or Central-South Asian (CSA) populations and show clinal structure with haplotype diversity decreasing from south to north. Furthermore, 50% of EA haplotypes were found in SEA only and 5% were found in CSA only, indicating that SEA was a major geographic source of EA populations.

GeneWays: a system for extracting, analyzing, visualizing, and integrating molecular pathway data.

The immense growth in the volume of research literature and experimental data in the field of molecular biology calls for efficient automatic methods to capture and store information. In recent years, several groups have worked on specific problems in this area, such as automated selection of articles pertinent to molecular biology, or automated extraction of information using natural-language processing, information visualization, and generation of specialized knowledge bases for molecular biology. GeneWays is an integrated system that combines several such subtasks. It analyzes interactions between molecular substances, drawing on multiple sources of information to infer a consensus view of molecular networks. GeneWays is designed as an open platform, allowing researchers to query, review, and critique stored information.