Retrospective analysis of the survival benefit of chemotherapy for recurrent or advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma in patients previously treated with paclitaxel plus platinum-based chemotherapy.

AIM: The outcomes of treatment for women with recurrent or advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma previously treated with pacli- taxel plus platinum-based chemotherapy were analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed in a total of 65 series of treatments provided for 35 patients with a history of paclitaxel plus platinum-based chemotherapy. The chemotherapy regimens used were classified into the following four types for analysis: conventional paclitaxel plus carboplatin therapy (TC arm), pegylated liposomal doxorubicin-containing regimens (PLD arm), CPT-11-containing regimens (CPT-11 arm), and others. Disease-control rates (DCRs) were compared and subjected to univariate analysis. Progression-free survival (PFS) was determined from the date of the first cycle of each chemotherapy with the Kaplan-Meier method, and comparisons were performed using the log-rank test. RESULTS: DCR was 80%, 71%, and 26% for the TC, PLD, and CPT-l arms, respectively. The median PFS was 286, 372, and 76 days for the TC, PLD, and CPT-11 arms, respectively. There was no discernible difference in PFS between the TC and the PLD arm. In contrast, PFS of the CPT- 11 arm was significantly shorter than that of the TC and PLD arms. In addition, three of seven (42.9%) treatments in the PLD arm maintained a progression-free period for longer than one year, while only one of 25 (4%) treatments in the TC arm maintained a progression-free period for more than one year. CONCLUSIONS: The PFS of PLD is similar to that of TC. PLD-containing regimens might have a potential benefit with a higher PFS over one year than the TC regimen.

Genetic correlation between the pre-adult developmental period and locomotor activity rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster.

Biological clocks regulate various behavioural and physiological traits; slower circadian clocks are expected to slow down the development, suggesting a potential genetic correlation between the developmental period and circadian rhythm. However, a correlation between natural genetic variations in the developmental period and circadian rhythm has only been found in Bactrocera cucurbitae. The number of genetic factors that contribute to this genetic correlation is largely unclear. In this study, to examine whether natural genetic variations in the developmental period and circadian rhythm are correlated in Drosophila melanogaster, we performed an artificial disruptive selection on the developmental periods using wild-type strains and evaluated the circadian rhythms of the selected lines. To investigate whether multiple genetic factors mediate the genetic correlation, we reanalyzed previously published genome-wide deficiency screening data based on DrosDel isogenic deficiency strains and evaluated the effect of 438 genomic deficiencies on the developmental periods. We then randomly selected 32 genomic deficiencies with significant effects on the developmental periods and tested their effects on circadian rhythms. As a result, we found a significant response to selection for longer developmental periods and their correlated effects on circadian rhythms of the selected lines. We also found that 18 genomic regions had significant effects on the developmental periods and circadian rhythms, indicating their potential for mediating the genetic correlation between the developmental period and circadian rhythm. The novel findings of our study might lead to a better understanding of how this correlation is regulated genetically in broader taxonomic groups.

Immature performance linked with exaggeration of a sexually selected trait in an armed beetle.

Exaggerated traits can be costly and are often trade-off against other characters, such as life-history traits. Thus, the evolution of an exaggerated trait is predicted to affect male life-history strategies. However, there has been very little experimental evidence of the impact of the evolution of sexually selected traits on life-history traits. This study investigated whether increased investment in exaggerated traits can generate evolutionary changes in the life-history strategy for armed males. Male flour beetles, Gnatocerus cornutus, have enlarged mandibles that are used in male-male competition, but females lack this character exaggeration completely. We subjected these weapons to 11 generations of bidirectional selection and found a correlated response in pupal survival but not in larval survival or adult longevity in the male. That is, selecting for male mandibles negatively impacted survival during the production of mandibles. There is no correlated response in the life-history traits of the female.

Accommodation of vascularized xenografts: expression of "protective genes" by donor endothelial cells in a host Th2 cytokine environment.

Organ xenografts under certain circumstances survive in the presence of anti-graft antibodies and complement, a situation referred to as "accommodation." We find that the endothelial cells (ECs) in hamster hearts that accommodate themselves in rats express genes, such as A20 and bcl-2, that in vitro protect ECs from apoptosis and prevent upregulation in those cells of proinflammatory genes such as cytokines, procoagulant and adhesion molecules. Hearts that are rejected do not express these genes. In addition, vessels of rejected hearts show florid transplant arteriosclerosis whereas those of accommodated hearts do not. Accommodated xenografts have an ongoing T helper cell type 2 (Th2) cytokine immune response, whereas the rejected grafts have a Th1 response. We propose a model for factors that contribute to the survival of xenografts and the avoidance of transplant arteriosclerosis.

A bacterium lipopolysaccharide that elicits Guillain-Barré syndrome has a GM1 ganglioside-like structure.

There is a strong association between Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and Penner's serotype 19 (PEN 19) of Campylobacter jejuni. Sera from patients with GBS after C. jejuni infection have autoantibodies to GM1 ganglioside in the acute phase of the illness. Our previous work has suggested that GBS results from an immune response to cross-reactive antigen between lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of the Gram-negative bacterium and membrane components of peripheral nerves. To clarify the pathogenesis of GBS, we have investigated whether GM1-oligosaccharide structure is present in the LPS of C. jejuni (PEN 19) that was isolated from a GBS patient. After extraction of the LPS, the LPS showing the binding activity of cholera toxin, that specifically recognizes the GM1-oligosaccharide was purified by a silica bead column chromatography. Gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis has shown that the purified LPS contained Gal, GalNAc, and NeuAc, which are sugar components of GM1 ganglioside. 1H NMR methods [Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG), total correlation spectroscopy (TOCSY), and nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY)] have revealed that the oligosaccharide structure [Gal beta 1-3 GalNAc beta 1-4(NeuAc alpha 2-3)Gal beta] protrude from the LPS core. This terminal structure [Gal beta 1-3GalNAc beta 1-4(NeuAc alpha 2-3)Gal beta] is identical to the terminal tetrasaccharide of the GM1 ganglioside. This is the first study to demonstrate the existence of molecular mimicry between nerve tissue and the infectious agent that elicits GBS.

Genetic basis of incidence and period length of circadian rhythm for locomotor activity in populations of a seed beetle.

Circadian rhythms are ubiquitous in a wide variety of organisms, although their genetic variation has been analyzed in only a few species. We found genetic differences in the circadian rhythm of adult locomotor activity among strains of the adzuki bean beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis, which differed in origin and have been maintained in isolation. All beetles in some strains clearly had free-running rhythms in constant darkness whereas most beetles in other strains were arrhythmic. The period of free-running rhythm varied from approximately 19 to 23 h between the strains. F(1) males from reciprocal crosses among strains with different periods of circadian rhythms had circadian periods that were intermediate between their parental strains. Segregation of the circadian rhythm appeared in the F(2) generation. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that variation in the period length of circadian rhythm is explained by a major autosomal gene with additive effects and no dominance. This hypothesis was supported by the joint scaling test for the free-running period in the F(1) and F(2) generations. We discuss possible causes for genetic variation in circadian rhythm in the C. chinensis strains in terms of random factors and selection.

The clock gene cryptochrome of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in strains with different mating times.

Differences in mating time between populations can give rise to premating reproductive isolation. Tephritid fruit flies exhibit large variation in mating time among intra- or inter-specific populations. We previously cloned the clock gene period from two strains of melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae; in one the individuals mate early during the day, whereas in the other the individuals mate later. These strains were originally established by divergent artificial selection for developmental time, 'short' and 'long', with early and late mating times, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of PERIOD proteins for these two strains were reported to be identical. Here we cloned another clock gene cryptochrome (cry) from the two strains, and found two stable amino acid substitutions in the strains. In addition, the allele frequency at the two polymorphic sites of cry gene correlated with the circadian locomotor period (tau) across strains, whereas the expression pattern of cry mRNA in the heads of flies taken from the short strain significantly differed from that from the long strain. These findings suggest that variation in the cry gene is related to differences in the circadian behaviour in the two strains, thus implying that the cry gene may have an important role in reproductive isolation.

Ion species discrimination method by linear energy transfer measurement in Fujifilm BAS-SR imaging plate.

We have developed a novel discrimination methodology to identify ions in multispecies beams with similar charge-to-mass ratios, but different atomic numbers. After an initial separation by charge-to-mass ratios using co-linear electric and magnetic fields, individual ions can be discriminated by considering the linear energy transfer of ions irradiating a stimulable phosphor plate (Fujifilm imaging plate) by comparison with the Monte Carlo calculation. We apply the method to energetic multispecies laser-driven ion beams and use it to identify silver ions produced by the interaction between a high contrast, high intensity laser pulse; and a sub-micrometer silver foil target. We also show that this method can be used to calibrate the imaging plate for arbitrary ion species in the range of Z ≥ 6 with dE/dx > 0.1 MeV/µm without requiring individual calibration.

Complementation of mutant and wild-type human mitochondrial DNAs coexisting since the mutation event and lack of complementation of DNAs introduced separately into a cell within distinct organelles.

The rules that govern complementation of mutant and wild-type mitochondrial genomes in human cells were investigated under different experimental conditions. Among mitochondrial transformants derived from an individual affected by the MERRF (myoclonus epilepsy associated with ragged red fibers) encephalomyopathy and carrying in heteroplasmic form the mitochondrial tRNA(Lys) mutation associated with that syndrome, normal protein synthesis and respiration was observed when the wild-type mitochondrial DNA exceeded 10% of the total complement. In these transformants, the protective effect of wild-type mitochondrial DNA was shown to involve interactions of the mutant and wild-type gene products. Very different results were obtained in experiments in which two mitochondrial DNAs carrying nonallelic disease-causing mutations were sequentially introduced within distinct organelles into the same human mitochondrial DNA-less (rho 0) cell. In transformants exhibiting different ratios of the two genomes, no evidence of cooperation between their products was observed, even 3 months after the introduction of the second mutation. These results pointed to the phenotypic independence of the two genomes. A similar conclusion was reached in experiments in which mitochondria carrying a chloramphenicol resistance-inducing mitochondrial DNA mutation were introduced into chloramphenicol-sensitive cells. A plausible interpretation of the different results obtained in the latter two sets of experiments, compared with the complementation behavior observed in the heteroplasmic MERRF transformants, is that in the latter, the mutant and wild-type genomes coexisted in the same organelles from the time of the mutation. This would imply that the way in which mitochondrial DNA is sorted among different organelles plays a fundamental role in determining the oxidative-phosphorylation phenotype in mammalian cells. These results have significant implications for mitochondrial genetics and for studies on the transmission and therapy of mitochondrial DNA-linked diseases.

[Surgical treatment for acute type A aortic dissection].

The purpose of this study was to assess the factors for clinical outcome of the surgical treatment of acute type A aortic dissection. From April 1996 to March 2006, 44 patients underwent emergency operation for acute type A dissection within 2 weeks from the onset. Resection of the intimal tear was performad with open distal anastomosis. The mean age was 63.4 (range 29-83) years, and 28 were female. As for their preoperative condition, 5 patients were in severe hemodynamic instability including cardiac arrest in 2, apnea in 1, and rupture in 4. Distal resection extended to ascending aorta in 24 patients (54.5%), hemiarch in 7 (15.9%), and total arch in 13 (29.5%). 30-day mortality was 4.5% and the incidence of stroke was 13.6%. Several methods were used including axillary artery cannulation and central repair with adventitial inversion technique. Patients with malperfusions caused by acute type A dissection should undergo immediate aortic reconstruction by adequate circulatory assisting methods.

Gangliosides and neutral glycolipids of human adrenal medulla.

Glycolipids were isolated from human adrenal medulla by DEAE-Sephadex A-25 and Iatrobeads column chromatography. The lipid-bound sialic acid was about 234 microgram/g fresh tissue. The glanglioside fraction contained two major gangliosides which accounted for 93% of the total lipid-bound sialic acid. They were identified as GM3, N-acetylneuraminylgalactosylglucosylceramide and GD3, N-acetylneuraminyl N-acetylneuraminylgalactosylglucosylceramide on the basis of cochromatography with authentic standards, sugar composition analysis, and neuraminidase digestion. GM3, N-acetylneuraminylgalactosylglucosylceramide and GD3, N-acetylneuraminyl N-acetylneuraminylgalactosylglucosylceramide occurred in a ratio of approximately 3 : 2, and the ratio seemed to be rather constant irrelevant of age and sex differences. The neutral glycolipid fraction consisted of GL1a, glucosylceramide (18%), GL1b, galactosylceramide (23%), GL2a, lactosylceramide (27%), GL3, digalactosylglucosylceramide (20%), and GL4, globoside (12%). The major fatty acids of all these glycolipids were 16 : 0, 18 : 0, 22 : 0, 24 : 0 and 24 :1.

Partial characterization and studies of fibroblast and leucocyte neuraminidase activities towards sialyloligosaccharides in adult sialidosis and mucolipidosis II and III.

We describe the partial characterization and some properties of fibroblast and leucocyte neuraminidase towards 2 leads to 3 and 2 leads to 6 sialyllacose, and 2 leads to 3 and 2 leads to 6 sialylhexasaccharide which were isolated from the urine of a patient with adult sialidosis with partial beta-galactosidase deficiency. Neuraminidase activities were assayed using the radioactive-labeled derivatives of these saccharide substrates. These neuraminidases (acylneuraminyl hydrolase, EC 3.2.1.18) were partially inactivated by homogenization, sonication and freeze-thawing treatment. The leucocyte neuraminidase was more labile than that of fibroblasts. Fibroblast neuraminidase had about a 10-fold higher activity than leucocyte neuraminidase towards the respective substrates. The neuraminidase from fibroblasts and leucocytes were each able to hydrolyze 2 leads to 3 isomers 2-3 times faster than 2 leads to 6 isomers and the sialyllactoses 1.5-3.0-times faster than sialylhexasaccharides. Neuraminidase activities towards all four substrates were deficient in fibroblasts and leucocytes from the patients with adult sialidosis. Loss of activity was especially prominent in fibroblasts, while considerable residual activities (about 20-30%) remaining in leucocytes. In mucolipidosis II and III patients, these neuraminidase activities showed normal levels in leucocytes, although they were decreased in fibroblasts. The discrepancy between neuraminidase activities towards 2 leads to 3 and 2 leads to 6 isomers was not found in all the cases.

Lysosomal sialidase deficiency in sialidosis with partial beta-galactosidase deficiency.

We analyzed the subcellular localization of sialidases in human lymphocytes from a patient with adult type sialidosis with partial beta-galactosidase deficiency and normal controls. Sialidase activities were measured with alpha,2 leads to 3 NeuAc-lactitol, 4-methylumbelliferyl-NeuAc and GM3 ganglioside as substrates. Sialidases in the lysosomes were sonication-labile and hydrolyzed mainly hydrophilic substrates such as NeuAc-lactitol and 4-methylumbelliferyl-NeuAc, but hydrolyzed subsidiarily GM3 ganglioside. On the other hand, sialidases in the plasma membrane were sonication-stable and hydrolyzed both hydrophilic substrates and GM3 ganglioside. In sialidosis with partial beta-galactosidase deficiency, the sialidases of the lysosomes showed 3-5% activity toward hydrophilic substrates and 25% activity toward GM3 ganglioside as compared with sialidase activities of the controls. However, there are no differences in the activities of the sialidases in the plasma membrane. These results demonstrate that the essential defect in this disease is the deficiency of a lysosomal sialidase.

Gangliosides of hog skeletal muscle.

The ganglioside content of hog skeletal muscle was 27 nmol/g wet weight when calculated as lipid-bound sialic acid. The elution profile on DEAE-Sephadex A-25 column chromatography showed that the monosialoganglioside fraction (61% of total lipid-bound sialic acid) contained at least seven major gangliosides and that the disialoganglioside fraction (25%) contained four major ones. These gangliosides were purified by latrobeads column chromatography, and from the results of sugar analysis, specific enzymatic hydrolysis, a permethylation study and CrO3 oxidation, the structures of these gangliosides were determined to be as follows: A, GM3(NeuAc); B, GM3(NeuGc); C, sialosylparagloboside(NeuAc); D sialosylparagloboside (NeuGc); E, GM1(NeuAc); F, GM1(NeuGc); G, sialosyllactosaminylparagloboside(NeuAc) (monosialogangliosides) and H, GD1a(NeuAc, NeuAc); I, GD1a(NeuAc, NeuGc); J, GD1a(NeuGc, NeuGc); K, GD1b(NeuAc, NeuAc) (disialogangliosides), where NeuAc is N-acetylneuraminic acid and NeuGc is N-glycolylneuraminic acid as sialyl groups. The major fatty acids of gangliosides A, D and G were mainly C16:0, but those of the others, E, F, H, J and K, were C16:0, C18:0, C22:0 and C24:0. The long-chain bases were predominantly C18:1 sphingosine in all gangliosides.

Biochemical analysis of decreased ornithine transport activity in the liver mitochondria from patients with hyperornithinemia, hyperammonemia and homocitrullinuria.

Hyperornithinemia, hyperammonemia and homocitrullinuria (HHH disorder) is an inherited metabolic disorder which shows peculiar amino acid changes in the serum and urine. The primary defect is considered to be the transport of ornithine across the mitochondrial membrane, but there is no direct evidence for this so far. We have analyzed ornithine transport activities in the liver mitochondria from three patients with HHH disorder. In coupled liver mitochondria we demonstrated low activities of citrulline synthesis and low rates of ornithine uptake. However, there were no abnormalities in carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase activity, ornithine carbamoyltransferase activity, N-acetylglutamate levels or O2 uptake with succinate. We also performed a kinetic study of citrulline synthesis as a function of ornithine concentration. We found increased Km values for ornithine and varied Vmax values of citrulline synthesis, which suggested the presence of a mutant transport protein. From these results we conclude that the defect of hyperornithinemia, hyperammonemia and homocitrullinuria lies in the transport of ornithine across the mitochondrial membrane.

[Overlapping ventriculoplasty for ischemic cardiomyopathy].

We have previously reported overlapping cardiac volume reduction operation (OLCVR) for dilated cardiomyopathy. Because of the acceptable clinical outcome and especially the excellent ellipsoidal shape of the left ventricle (LV) after surgery, we extended this indication for ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) with dilated LV. In such cases we combined OLCVR with mitral annuloplasty and papillary muscles approximation (PMA), called integrated overlapping ventriculoplasty (IOLVP). From March 2003 to July 2004, we performed IOLVP with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for 8 patients who were diagnosed ICM. There is no operative mortality. Pre- and postoperative hemodynamics data are follows: LV ejection fraction (LVEF) improved from 22.4 +/- 11.9 to 33.4 +/- 10.5%, LV end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI) decreased from 155.5 +/- 26.5 to 93.7 +/- 13.5 ml/m2 and LV end-diastolic diameter (LVDd) diminished from 66.0 +/- 8.9 to 60.5 +/- 8.4mm. Mitral regurgitation changed from 2.6 +/- 0.8 to 0.1 +/- 0.2 degree. New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class improved from 3.3 +/- 0.5 to 1.3 +/- 0.5. LV shape became ellipsoidal without akinesis lesion. IOLVP is considered as a good option for ICM with dilated left ventricle.

Structures of the human and mouse growth inhibitory factor-encoding genes.

Growth inhibitory factor (GIF) is down-regulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. To analyze the mechanism of this down-regulation, we isolated the human and mouse GIF genes. These genes consist of three exons, are approx. 1-kb long and show strikingly high homology to metallothionein-encoding genes. A comparison of the human and mouse GIF showed several conserved sequences, including the putative AP-2, SP-1, TATA-binding protein and metal-responsive elements (MRE). A sequence similar to the human gfa common sequence (hgcs), recently identified as the sequence for an astrocyte-specific transcriptional factor, is present in the promoter of these GIF. Characterization of factors associated with the putative regulatory elements in the promoter of GIF should help in determining the mechanism of the down-regulation of GIF in AD brains.

Developmentally regulated alternative splicing of brain myelin-associated glycoprotein mRNA is lacking in the quaking mouse.

Evidence is presented that expression of the two myelin-associated glycoprotein mRNAs is developmentally regulated in mouse brain. In quaking mouse, the mRNA without a 45-nucleotide exon portion was scarcely expressed throughout development. We conclude that the mechanism of splicing out the 45-nucleotide exon portion is lacking in quaking mouse.

HLA-B35 and acute axonal polyneuropathy following Campylobacter infection.

We performed HLA typing for class I antigens on five Japanese patients with acute polyneuropathy following Campylobacter infection, all of whom showed axonopathy causing pure motor dysfunction associated with IgG anti-GM1 antibodies. We demonstrated a statistically significant association between the disease and the HLA-B35 antigen.

Myopathy and primary aldosteronism: electronmicroscopic study.

We studied two patients with myopathy and primary aldosteronism. Necrosis and vacuolation of muscle fibers were found on light microscopy. Ultrastructurally, the necrotic areas were characterized by dissolution of myofilaments with degenerative vacuoles. In muscle fibers that did not show necrosis, there were membrane-bound vacuoles, dilation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, widening of the T-system, and a "honeycomb" appearance of T-tubules. These ultrastructural features suggest that the necrosis of muscle fibers may originate from membrane vulnerability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the T-system.