Expression of mitotic-arrest deficiency 2 predicts the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced uterine cervical cancer.

We previously reported satisfactory therapeutic results when using cisplatin-based cyclic balloon-occluded arterial infusion chemotherapy as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), which enabled hysterectomy to be performed for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. Mitotic arrest deficiency 2 (MAD2) is a key component of the mitotic spindle checkpoint pathway. The expression of MAD2 is associated with tumor progression and resistance to chemotherapy.

Extragastrointestinal stromal tumor originating from the vulva.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. They have gain-of-function mutations of the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase gene and have been suggested to originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal. A small percentage of GISTs form extragastrointestinal masses.

Mitotic arrest deficiency 2 induces carcinogenesis in mucinous ovarian tumors.

Mitotic arrest deficiency 2 (MAD2) is a key component of the mitotic spindle checkpoint pathway. A compromised mitotic spindle checkpoint results in an abnormal number of chromosomes. This is referred to as chromosomal instability, and has been reported in most types of human cancer.

Reference ranges for time-related analysis of ductus venosus flow velocity waveforms in singleton pregnancies.

Objectives: To investigate time intervals of ductus venosus (DV) flow velocity waveforms (FVW) in correlation to fetal heart rate and gestational age and to construct reference ranges for the second and third trimester. Furthermore, we investigate time intervals of FVW through the tricuspid valve.

Methods: Flow velocity waveforms of the DV and through the tricuspid valve were recorded in 135 normal singleton fetuses between 17 and 38 weeks' gestation.

An upstream estrogen response element linked to exogenous p53 tumor suppressor gene expression differentiates effects of the codon 72 polymorphism.

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of an upstream estrogen response element (ERE) on exogenous p53 tumor suppressor gene with a codon 72 polymorphism about which there have been controversial reports in relation to cancer risk. The p53 gene (bases 166-1143 from start codon) with the codon 72 polymorphism, inserted into the pIRES-hrGFP II plasmid with or without upstream ERE, were transfected into HHUA endometrial cancer cells expressing the estrogen receptor. The ERE-linked p53 gene with the proline variant at codon 72 showed lower transfection rates than the gene without ERE or with the arginine variant at codon 72.

Uterine artery flow velocity waveforms during uterine contractions: differences between oxytocin-induced contractions and spontaneous labor contractions.

Aim: To clarify the effects on uterine arterial flow velocity waveforms of uterine contractions following oxytocin infusion and during spontaneous labor.

Methods: Uterine arterial flow velocity waveforms were obtained by pulsed Doppler methods from 22 women during an oxytocin challenge test (OCT), 26 women during oxytocin-induced labor, and 40 women during spontaneous labor. Mean resistance index (RI) for bilateral arteries was used for analyses.

Acceleration time of fetal arterial blood flow velocity waveforms: a preliminary study.

Background: Doppler ultrasonography has been widely used for fetal estimation, but most of them were estimated by the resistance and pulsatility indices. Acceleration time is one of parameters of flow velocity waveforms, but only few reports had discussed acceleration time of fetal circulation.

Methods: We analyzed Doppler flow velocity waveforms of fetal middle cerebral artery, descending aorta and abdominal umbilical artery obtained from 70 normal pregnant women between 18 and 40 weeks.

Multiple organ failure of tumor-bearing rabbits in cancer cachexia is caused by apoptosis of normal organ cells.

In cancer-bearing animals, we previously demonstrated that skeletal muscle apoptosis may be involved in muscle wasting and that Bax may play a role in skeletal muscle cell apoptosis at an early stage. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of apoptosis in the liver, kidney, spleen, lung and heart during cancer cachexia as well as the associations between apoptosis and the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bax proteins. We also examined the relationship between normal organ apoptosis in cancer cachexia and multiple organ failure.

Protein S deposition at placenta: a possible role of protein S other than anticoagulation.

Protein S is an antithrombotic cofactor for protein C that also has multifunctional anti-inflammatory, cellular protective, apoptotic and mitogenic properties. Protein S levels are thought to decrease during pregnancy, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We compared protein S concentrations throughout normal pregnancy with those of nonpregnant women and measured plasma C4b-binding protein levels in nonpregnant women and in pregnant women at the 40th gestational week.

Estradiol-17beta regulates vascular endothelial growth factor and Bcl-2 expression in HHUA cells.

HHUA, a rare endometrial cancer cell line expressing the estrogen receptor (ER), was adopted to investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), erythropoietin (Epo), Bcl-2 and p53 under the administration of estradiol-17beta (E2). Based on quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays, both VEGF and Bcl-2 mRNA levels decreased in a dose-dependent manner, although VEGF levels were increased in a time-dependent manner; no significant change was found for Epo and p53. An immunocytochemical study also showed the suppressed expression of VEGF and Bcl-2 under E2 induction.

Vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metalloproteinases, and cyclooxygenase-2 influence prognosis of uterine cervical cancer in young women.

Recent changes in the lifestyle of young women have led to an increase in the rate of uterine cervical cancer. We investigated the clinicopathological characteristics of uterine cervical cancer in young women, and examined the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Tumor samples from 439 patients with uterine cervical cancer, who were initially treated at Osaka City University Medical School Hospital, Japan between 1995 and 2004, were stained immunohistochemically.

Expression of glucose transporters in epithelial ovarian carcinoma: correlation with clinical characteristics and tumor angiogenesis.

We immunohistochemically examined the expression of the glucose transporters (GLUT)1, GLUT3 and GLUT4, in 154 tumor samples of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. In addition, we investigated the correlations between the expression of GLUTs and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and microvessel count and clinical parameters. The rates of expression of GLUT1, GLUT3 and GLUT4 were 98.

Expression of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase in uterine endometrial carcinoma and a correlation between expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 and prognosis.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are associated with invasion and metastasis of several human malignant tumors, in particular MMP-7, which is mainly produced by the cancer cell itself. We examined the expression of MMP-2, 7 and 9, and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and 2 in uterine endometrial carcinoma, and compared the expression with clinicopathological characteristics in uterine endometrial carcinoma (UEC). A group of 256 patients with UEC received surgery at the Osaka City University Medical School Hospital, and 196 tumor samples were immunohistochemically stained to examine the expression of MMP-2, 7 and 9, and TIMP-1 and 2.

Multiple roles of Rbx1 in the VBC-Cul2 ubiquitin ligase complex.

The importance of the ubiquitin system largely depends on ubiquitin ligases, E3s, as they determine the specificity of the system. Rbx1/ROC1/Hrt1, a RING finger protein, functions as an important component of the cullin-containing SCF and VBC-Cul2 ligases. Modification of cullins by NEDD8 (NEDDylation), has been shown to be essential for the E3 activity of both SCF and VBC-Cul2, and it was suggested that Rbx1 acts as the E3 for cullin NEDDylation.

Expression of apoptosis-related proteins in advanced uterine cervical cancer after balloon-occluded arterial infusion chemotherapy as an indicator of the efficiency of this therapy.

We previously reported satisfactory therapeutic results of cisplatin-based cyclic balloon-occluded arterial infusion chemotherapy (BOAI) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which enabled treatment by hysterectomy in patients with advanced cervical cancer. We also reported expression of apoptosis among these patients and determined that the bax gene is related to this apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between the effectiveness of BOAI therapy and expression of apoptosis regulatory genes and proteins in these cases.

Association of HPV infection with prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced uterine cervical cancer.

Whether the human papillomavirus (HPV) status of the tumor affects the sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and the prognosis in advanced uterine cervical cancer (FIGO stage III or higher) remains unknown. We examined the HPV status of 43 patients who had received CDDP therapy by balloon-occluded arterial infusion (BOAI), as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced uterine cervical cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) stage III or higher. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples obtained by punch biopsy before the neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

VEGF mRNA in adipocytes increase with rebound weight-gain after diet-restriction.

The mechanism of rebound body weight-gain after a restricted-diet state is unclear. We investigated the expression of angiogenic factors in human adipocytes with a changing nutritional state in culture medium, and attempted to ascertain the mechanisms involved in rebound weight-gain. Adipocytes were divided into three groups; the first group (control group) was cultured in medium with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), the second (DR3% group) was cultured in medium with 3% FCS, and the third (DR6% group) was cultured in medium with 6% FCS.