In vivo cytological observation of liver and spleen by using high-resolution microendoscopy system under endoscopic ultrasound guidance: A preliminary study using a swine model.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is useful to obtain specimens from lesions underlying deep parts of the liver and spleen. However, the development of novel ancillary techniques must be explored to reduce the number of needle passes and potential adverse effects during this procedure. We conducted an animal study using a swine to demonstrate technical feasibility of in vivo cytological observation of liver and spleen using the high-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) system under EUS guidance.

Triplex-forming oligonucleotides targeting c-MYC potentiate the anti-tumor activity of gemcitabine in a mouse model of human cancer.

Antimetabolite chemotherapy remains an essential cancer treatment modality, but often produces only marginal benefit due to the lack of tumor specificity, the development of drug resistance, and the refractoriness of slowly proliferating cells in solid tumors. Here, we report a novel strategy to circumvent the proliferation-dependence of traditional antimetabolite-based therapies. Triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) were used to target site-specific DNA damage to the human c-MYC oncogene, thereby inducing replication-independent, unscheduled DNA repair synthesis (UDS) preferentially in the TFO-targeted region.

Feasibility and preliminary accuracy of high-resolution imaging of the liver and pancreas using FNA compatible microendoscopy (with video).

Background: EUS-guided FNA is one of the few techniques that can obtain cells and tissue from the liver and pancreas. However, the technique remains vulnerable to poor specimen quality and sampling error.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of a high-resolution microendoscope (HRME) to visualize the cellular and architectural features of normal and malignant liver and pancreatic tissue ex vivo, to assess the ability of endosonographers to identify normal and neoplastic tissue by using HRME images, and to demonstrate preliminary technical feasibility of in vivo HRME imaging via EUS fine-needle puncture (FNP).

Dual-mode reflectance and fluorescence near-video-rate confocal microscope for architectural, morphological and molecular imaging of tissue.

We have developed a near-video-rate dual-mode reflectance and fluorescence confocal microscope for the purpose of imaging ex vivo human specimens and in vivo animal models. The dual-mode confocal microscope (DCM) has light sources at 488, 664 and 784 nm, a frame rate of 15 frames per second, a maximum field of view of 300 x 250 mum and a resolution limit of 0.31 mum laterally and 1.

Plasmon resonance coupling of metal nanoparticles for molecular imaging of carcinogenesis in vivo.

An effective cancer control strategy requires improved early detection methods, patient-specific drug selection, and the ability to assess response to targeted therapeutics. Recently, plasmon resonance coupling between closely spaced metal nanoparticles has been used to develop ultrasensitive bioanalytical assays in vitro. We demonstrate the first in vivo application of plasmon coupling for molecular imaging of carcinogenesis.

Thymus medulla formation and central tolerance are restored in IKKalpha-/- mice that express an IKKalpha transgene in keratin 5+ thymic epithelial cells.

Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play an essential role in establishing central tolerance due to their unique capacity to present a diverse array of tissue restricted Ags that induce clonal deletion of self-reactive thymocytes. One mTEC subset expresses keratin 5 (K5) and K14, but fails to bind Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1 (UEA-1) lectin. A distinct mTEC subset binds UEA-1 and expresses K8, but not K5 or K14.

Multispectral digital microscopy for in vivo monitoring of oral neoplasia in the hamster cheek pouch model of carcinogenesis.

In this study we use a multi-spectral digital microscope (MDM) to measure multi-spectral auto-fluorescence and reflectance images of the hamster cheek pouch model of DMBA (dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene)- induced oral carcinogenesis. The multi-spectral images are analyzed both in the RGB (red, green, blue) color space as well as in the YCbCr (luminance, chromatic minus blue, chromatic minus red) color space. Mean image intensity, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis are selected as features to design a classification algorithm to discriminate normal mucosa from neoplastic tissue.

Demodex musculi in the Skin of Transgenic Mice.

Although infestations by a number of Demodex mite species have been described in mice, the occurrence of Demodex musculi infestation was last reported by Hirst in 1917. This communication describes the occurrence of D. musculi infestation in two lines of transgenic mice and their F1-hybrid offspring.

Perineal swellings in two strains of mice.

Seven adult male mice of two different strains and from two different animal housing facilities were submitted for necropsy to evaluate unilateral or bilateral swellings in the ventral perineal area. On dissection, the swellings were oval to spherical cystic structures located near the base of the penis. Striated muscle and a delicate stroma encapsulated all cystic structures.