Canonical and Non-Canonical Functions of Erythropoietin and Its Receptor in Mature Nucleated Erythrocytes of Western Clawed Frog, .

Enucleated erythrocytes are characteristic of adult mammals. In contrast, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and fetal mammals possess nucleated erythrocytes in their circulation. Erythroid maturation is regulated by erythropoietin (EPO) and its receptor (EPOR), which are conserved among vertebrates.

The Selective Serotonin 2A Receptor Antagonist Sarpogrelate Prevents Cardiac Hypertrophy and Systolic Dysfunction via Inhibition of the ERK1/2-GATA4 Signaling Pathway.

Drug repositioning has recently emerged as a strategy for developing new treatments at low cost. In this study, we used a library of approved drugs to screen for compounds that suppress cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. We identified the antiplatelet drug sarpogrelate, a selective serotonin-2A (5-HT) receptor antagonist, and investigated the drug's anti-hypertrophic effect in cultured cardiomyocytes and its effect on heart failure in vivo.

Novel biallelic splice-site BBS1 variants in Bardet-Biedle syndrome: a case report of the first Japanese patient.

Purpose: To report the clinical and genetic features of a 9-year-old female Japanese patient with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS).

Methods: Genetic analysis using whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed for the patient and her parents to identify disease-causing variants. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to investigate the impact of splice-site variants.

Polyamine flux suppresses histone lysine demethylases and enhances expression in cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) exhibit tumorigenic potential and can generate resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A labeled ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, a rate-limiting enzyme involved in polyamine [PA] biosynthesis) degradation motif (degron) system allows visualization of a fraction of CSC-like cells in heterogeneous tumor populations. A labeled ODC degradation motif system allowed visualization of a fraction of CSC-like cells in heterogeneous tumor populations.

Compound heterozygous splice site variants in the SCLT1 gene highlight an additional candidate locus for Senior-Løken syndrome.

Senior Løken syndrome (SLS) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by severe retinal degenerations and juvenile-onset nephronophthisis. Genetic variants in ten different genes have been reported as the causes of SLS. Clinical evaluation of a patient with SLS and her unaffected parents revealed that the patient had infantile-onset retinal dystrophy and juvenile-onset nephronophthisis.

Novel ubiquitin-independent nucleolar c-Myc degradation pathway mediated by antizyme 2.

The proto-oncogene c-Myc encodes a short-lived protein c-Myc that regulates various cellular processes including cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Degradation of c-Myc is catalyzed by the proteasome and requires phosphorylation of Thr-58 for ubiquitination by E3 ubiquitin ligase, Fbxw7/ FBW7. Here we show that a polyamine regulatory protein, antizyme 2 (AZ2), interacts with c-Myc in the nucleus and nucleolus, to accelerate proteasome-mediated c-Myc degradation without ubiquitination or Thr-58 phosphorylation.

Polyamine regulating protein antizyme binds to ATP citrate lyase to accelerate acetyl-CoA production in cancer cells.

Antizyme (AZ) regulates cellular polyamines (i.e., putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) through binding to ornithine decarboxylase and subsequent ubiquitin-independent degradation of the enzyme protein by the 26S proteasome.

Combined conservative treatment and lymphatic venous anastomosis for severe lower limb lymphedema with recurrent cellulitis.

Background: Lymphedema may be treated either conservatively or surgically. Although conservative therapy is the first-line treatment, some patients are refractory to it and repeat severe cellulitis. We usually perform lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) for lymphedema patients, and LVA can reduce the frequency of cellulitis.

MicroRNA-21 is a candidate driver gene for 17q23-25 amplification in ovarian clear cell carcinoma.

Background: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common cause of gynecological malignancy-related mortality. Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) has unique clinical characteristics and behaviors that differ from other histological types of EOC, including a frequent association with endometriosis and a highly chemoresistant nature, resulting in poor prognosis. However, factors underlying its malignant behavior are still poorly understood.

Rho-kinase regulation of TNF-α-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB RelA/p65 and M-CSF expression via p38 MAPK in mesangial cells.

The small GTPase Rho and its downstream effector, Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase (Rho-kinase), regulate a number of cellular processes, including organization of the actin cytoskeleton, cell adhesion, and migration. While pharmacological inhibitors of Rho-kinase signaling are known to block renal inflammation, the molecular basis for this effect is unclear. Here, we provide evidence that proinflammatory TNF-α promotes mesangial expression of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), a key regulator for the growth and differentiation of mononuclear phagocytes, in a Rho-kinase-dependent manner.

[A case of early gastric cancer responding to adjuvant chemotherapy for treatment of colon cancer].

A 63-year-old man underwent colonoscopy owing to a positive fecal occult blood test, and he was diagnosed as having advanced sigmoid colon cancer. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy( EGD), performed as a preoperative examination, revealed an 8 mm early gastric cancer in the lower body of his stomach. We performed laparoscopic sigmoid colon resection and D3 lymphadenectomy first because the patient had advanced sigmoid colon cancer.

Multiple forms of mouse antizyme inhibitor 1 mRNA differentially regulated by polyamines.

Antizyme inhibitor 1 (Azin1), a positive regulator of cellular polyamines, is induced by various proliferative stimuli and repressed by polyamines. It has been reported that the translational repression of Azin1 by polyamines involves an upstream open reading frame on the mRNA, but little has been known about polyamine effect on its transcription or splicing. We found multiple forms of Azin1 transcripts formed by alternative splicing and initiation of transcription from putative alternative start sites.

The effect of lymphatico-venous anastomosis for an intractable ulcer at the lower leg in a marked obese patient.

Secondary lymphedema occurs after trauma, cancer surgery, or obesity, and wounds in lymphedema can easily become intractable. We report positive results using lymphatico-venous anastomosis (LVA) to treat a post-traumatic lymph fistula and an intractable ulcer in a severely obese patient. A 41-year-old male (BMI 51.

Indocyanine green lymphography is superior to lymphoscintigraphy in imaging diagnosis of secondary lymphedema of the lower limbs.

Objective: Lymphedema is commonly viewed as difficult to treat, but lymphaticovenous anastomosis applied early after onset can be curative in some cases. Therefore, early diagnosis of cancer-related lymphedema is important. Lymphoscintigraphy is currently the most common method used for imaging diagnosis of lymphedema, but indocyanine green fluorescence lymphangiography (ICG lymphography) is also increasingly used for this purpose.

Predictive lymphatic mapping: a method for mapping lymphatic channels in patients with advanced unilateral lymphedema using indocyanine green lymphography.

In severe lymphedema, indocyanine green lymphography cannot be used to map lymphatic channels before lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) because linear lymphatics cannot be detected in a severely affected leg. Here, we describe a new method, which we refer to as predictive lymphatic mapping, to predict the location of lymphatics for anastomosis in unilateral lymphedema, thereby improving surgical accuracy and efficiency. The approach consists of marking anatomical landmarks and joining selected landmarks with fixed lines.

High-accuracy diagnosis and regional classification of lymphedema using indocyanine green fluorescent lymphography after gynecologic cancer treatment.

Background: Secondary lymphedema is defined as swelling of the limbs caused by retention of lymph after cancer therapy. We diagnosed lymphedema using indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent lymphography and developed a classification based on 12 regional types of edema in the lower bodies, with the goal of improved understanding of the pathology.

Methods: The subjects were 72 consecutive female patients aged 25 to 88 years (mean, 54.

Low-invasive lymphatic surgery and lymphatic imaging for completely healed intractable pudendal lymphorrhea after gynecologic cancer treatment.

Lower limb lymphedema and an accompanying lymphatic fistula (lymphorrhea) occur as complications after gynecologic surgery to treat cancer. Herein, we report the case of a 68-year-old woman who underwent resection and radiotherapy because of uterine cervical cancer (stage 2a) 20 years previously. Left lower limb and pudendal lymphedema and continuous lymphorrhea developed soon after surgery.

Pathological steps of cancer-related lymphedema: histological changes in the collecting lymphatic vessels after lymphadenectomy.

Introduction: To date, an electron microscopy study of the collecting lymphatic vessels has not been conducted to examine the early stages of lymphedema. However, such histological studies could be useful for elucidating the mechanism of lymphedema onset. The aim of this study was to clarify the changes occurring in collecting lymphatic vessels after lymphadenectomy.

Antegrade and retrograde lymphatico-venous anastomosis for cancer-related lymphedema with lymphatic valve dysfuction and lymphatic varix.

In healthy people, no retrograde lymph flow occurs because of valves in collecting lymph vessels. However, in secondary lymphedema after lymph node dissection, lymph retention and lymphatic hypertension occurs and valvular dysfunction induces retrograde lymph flow. In this case reported, we focused on retrograde lymph flow and performed retrograde lymphatico-venous anastomosis (LVA) simultaneously with antegrade LVA.

Scarless lymphatic venous anastomosis for latent and early-stage lymphoedema using indocyanine green lymphography and non-invasive instruments for visualising subcutaneous vein.

Background: Lymphoedema can be treated conservatively or surgically. Early treatment is important, but the surgical indication and the effect of surgery on pain in lymphoedema-affected limbs have not been described. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of low-invasive scarless lymphatic venous anastomosis (LVA) for early or latent lymphoedema.

Indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography is superior to lymphoscintigraphy for diagnostic imaging of early lymphedema of the upper limbs.

Background: Secondary lymphedema causes swelling in limbs due to lymph retention following lymph node dissection in cancer therapy. Initiation of treatment soon after appearance of edema is very important, but there is no method for early diagnosis of lymphedema. In this study, we compared the utility of four diagnostic imaging methods: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), lymphoscintigraphy, and Indocyanine Green (ICG) lymphography.

Upper-limb lymphedema treated aesthetically with lymphaticovenous anastomosis using indocyanine green lymphography and noncontact vein visualization.

We have described a procedure to minimize surgical wounds, in which lymph vessels and skin venules are identified by indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography and the AV300 noncontact visualization system (AccuVein, Cold Spring Harbor, NY), respectively. This approach allows accurate decisions regarding sites of incision for lymphatic venous anastomosis (LVA). This method was applied in a patient with right upper-limb lymphedema after breast cancer therapy.