Cdk5-mediated phosphorylation of c-Myc on Ser-62 is essential in transcriptional activation of cyclin B1 by cyclin G1.

It has been reported previously that cyclin G1 enables cells to overcome radiation-induced G(2) arrest and increased cell death and that these effects are mediated by transcriptional activation of cyclin B1. In this study, we further investigated the mechanism by which cyclin G1 transcriptionally activates cyclin B1. Deletion or point mutations within the cyclin B1 promoter region revealed that the c-Myc binding site (E-box) is necessary for cyclin G1-mediated transcriptional activation of cyclin B1 to occur.

Esthetic evaluation of Asian-Chinese profiles from a white perspective.

Introduction: Immigration from Asian countries to North America and Australia has resulted in more Asian patients treated by white orthodontists. Planning treatment for patients of different ethnicities can be a challenge. The aim of this study was to establish baseline data for the assessment of Asian-Chinese profiles from a white perspective.

Frequent p16 inactivation by homozygous deletion or methylation is associated with a poor prognosis in Japanese patients with pleural mesothelioma.

This study examined the p16 expression status and the P16 gene deletion and methylation status in specimens from Japanese patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Immunohistochemical staining for p16 protein and fluorescence in situ hybridization for the P16 gene were performed using specimens from 30 Japanese patients with primary MPM. The methylation status of the P16 gene was examined in 13 patients whose frozen tumor specimens were available using a methylation-specific PCR assay.

Sequential molecular changes during multistage pathogenesis of small peripheral adenocarcinomas of the lung.

Introduction: We investigated EGFR and KRAS alterations among atypical adenomatous hyperplasia and small lung adenocarcinomas with bronchioloalveolar features to understand their role during multistage pathogenesis.

Methods: Sixty lesions measuring 2 cm or less were studied, including 38 noninvasive lesions (4 atypical adenomatous hyperplasias, 19 Noguchi type A and 15 type B) and 22 invasive lesions (type C) based on the World Health Organization classification and Noguchi's criteria. EGFR and KRAS mutations were examined using PCR-based assays.

A comparison of cooling methods for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

Objectives: To evaluate appropriate cooling methods in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

Methods: Under general anesthesia, 21 porcine kidneys were exposed retroperitoneoscopically. Ice slush (500 g) was put into the retroperitoneal cavity after renal vascular clamping.

Amino-acid sequence motifs for PKC-mediated membrane trafficking of the inhibitory killer Ig-like receptor.

Activation-induced upregulation of inhibitory killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) is regulated by protein kinase Cs (PKCs). Conventional PKCs increase KIR expression on the post-transcriptional level by increasing the recycling of surface molecules and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi processing. PKCdelta plays a role in the secretion of cytoplasmic KIR through lytic granules.

Epidermal growth factor receptor mutation, but not sex and smoking, is independently associated with favorable prognosis of gefitinib-treated patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations have been reported as a predictive factor for favorable prognosis of gefitinib-treated patients with lung adenocarcinoma. However, its confounding with sex and smoking makes it unclear whether the EGFR mutation is independently associated with prolonged patient survival. In this study, we analyzed a large-scale database to discriminate the survival impact of EGFR mutations against those of sex and smoking after gefitinib therapy.

Bioinformatic prediction and analysis of eukaryotic protein kinases in the rat genome.

Eukaryotic protein kinases, containing a conserved catalytic domain, represent one of the largest superfamilies of the eukaryotic proteins and play distinct roles in cell signaling and diseases. Near completion of rat genome sequencing project enables the evaluation of a near complete set of rat protein kinases. Publicly accessible genetic sequence databases were searched for rat protein kinases, and 515 eukaryotic protein kinases, 40 atypical protein kinases and 45 kinase pseudogenes were identified.

Visual comparison of multiple gene expression datasets in a genomic context.

The need for novel methods of visualizing microarray data is growing. New perspectives are beneficial to finding patterns in expression data. The Bluejay genome browser provides an integrative way of visualizing gene expression datasets in a genomic context.

Celecoxib-induced growth inhibition in SW480 colon cancer cells is associated with activation of protein kinase G.

Although it is often assumed that the antitumor effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are due to inhibition of cyclooxgenase (COX) activity, specifically COX-2, there is accumulating evidence that COX-2 independent mechanisms can also play an important role. Studies with sulindac sulfone (Aptosyn) and related derivatives have revealed a novel pathway of tumor growth inhibition and apoptosis mediated by activation of the guanosine 3',5' monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent enzyme protein kinase G (PKG). The present study indicates that concentrations of the NSAIDs celecoxib, indomethacin, and meclofenamic acid that inhibit growth of SW480 human colon cancer cells inhibit subcellular cGMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymatic activity and in intact cells induce a two- to threefold increase in intracellular levels of cGMP.

Localization of increased insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 in diabetic rat penis: implications for erectile dysfunction.

Objectives: Diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction (ED) is assumed to result from neurovascular abnormalities. However, the entire picture of the molecular mechanisms underlying ED has not yet been clarified. To elucidate the possible elements involved in ED in diabetes mellitus, we performed broad-scale gene expression profiling using cDNA array in the penis of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Low serum testosterone concentration in middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes.

Low concentrations of endogenous androgens have been linked with insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Men with diabetes have been reported to have lower serum testosterone concentration than non-diabetic men; however, there has never been a large study. The aim of this study was to investigate if endogenous androgen concentration is certainly lower in a relatively large number of Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes compared with healthy men, and to identify what factors may be associated with low serum testosterone concentrations in men with type 2 diabetes.

Isoform-specific translocation of PKC isoforms in NIH3T3 cells by TPA.

Protein kinase C (PKC), a multi-gene family of enzymes, plays key roles in the pathways of signal transduction, growth control and tumorigenesis. Variations in the intracellular localization of the individual isoforms are thought to be an important mechanism for the isoform-specific regulation of enzyme activity and substrate specificity. To provide a dynamic method of analyzing the localization of the specific isoforms of PKC in living cells, we generated fluorescent fusion proteins of the various PKC isoforms by using the green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a fluorescent marker at the carboxyl termini of these enzymes.

[A case of urethral stricture diagnosed by transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) at voiding].

Subcapsral prostatectomy was performed in a 75-year-old male, with the diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Total prostate volume was 105 ml by transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and the excised prostate weighed in 90 g. After the surgery, he recovered from urinary disturbance once, but, he again complained of severe dysuria 12 days after the surgery.

Dietary restriction in Drosophila is dependent on mitochondrial efficiency and constrained by pre-existing extended longevity.

We tested the effects of dietary restriction (DR) on the standard w(1118) strain as well as on our previously described Ra and La strains and their reciprocal isogenic 'cybrid' lines containing heterologous nuclear-mitochondrial combinations. The w(1118) and Ra strains, but neither the La strains nor their 'cybrid' derivatives, are DR-inducible. The Ra and La animals are more robust than the w(1118) animals, and the Ra strain shows an upward shift in its DR threshold.

Thyroid function status and plasma lipids among cardiology patients in Georgia.

Unlabelled: Thyroid dysfunction as an important cardiovascular risk factor, is not well characterized among cardiology patients of Georgia. Further, a consensus has not been reached about the relationships between thyroid function markers and plasma lipids. We investigated these risk factors among 250 cardiology patients admitted to the Emergency Cardiology Center.

The impact of sex and smoking status on the mutational spectrum of epidermal growth factor receptor gene in non small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Mutation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene has been reported to be present in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and significantly associated with female sex and never-smoking status. In this study, we extensively investigated the impact of sex and smoking on the EGFR mutation.

Experimental Design: We examined EGFR exons 18 to 21 status in 1,467 NSCLC patients by direct sequencing to study the impact of sex and smoking status on the EGFR mutational spectrum.

ERCC1 protein expression predicts the response of cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer.

The excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and BRCA1 have been identified as predictors of clinical outcomes among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. In this study, we immunohistochemically examined the ERCC1 and BRCA1 protein expression levels in 35 patients with metastatic mediastinal lymph nodes obtained prior to treatment as retrospective study. These patients had been enrolled in our studies on neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin and irinotecan (15 patients) or chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin and docetaxel plus concurrent thoracic radiation (20 patients).

Risk factors for recurrence and unfavorable prognosis in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer and a tumor diameter of 20 mm or less.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for disease recurrence and unfavorable prognosis after surgical resection for stage I non-small cell lung cancer in patients with tumor diameters of < or =20 mm.

Methods: One hundred sixty-three patients who had pathologic stage I non-small cell lung cancer with tumor diameters < or =20 mm and who had undergone a lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection were retrospectively reviewed. The relationships between clinicopathologic factors and clinical outcomes, including recurrence and survival, were then examined.

Elevated serum level of sialylated glycoprotein KL-6 predicts a poor prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with gefitinib.

Purpose: The factors affecting survival after gefitinib treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain to be fully elucidated, although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is a substantial prognostic factor. KL-6 has been studied as a useful indicator for interstitial lung diseases; however, it was first discovered as a lung cancer-related antigen. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the serum KL-6 levels in advanced NSCLC patients treated with gefitinib and thus determine its association with the EGFR mutation status.

Epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status and adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur for adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Purpose: Adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur has been demonstrated to prolong survival among patients with resected lung adenocarcinomas. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations have been reported to be present in lung adenocarcinomas. The present study evaluated whether the EGFR status could be used as a biologic predictor of the outcome of adjuvant chemotherapy with uracil-tegafur.

Outcome of orthognathic surgery in Chinese patients. A subjective and objective evaluation.

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of orthognathic surgery by objective cephalometric measurement of posttreatment soft-tissue profile and by subjective evaluation of profile esthetics by laypersons and clinicians.

Materials And Methods: The sample consisted of 30 Chinese patients who had completed combined orthodontic and orthognathic surgical treatment. The posttreatment cephalograms of these patients were analyzed with respect to profile convexity, facial height, and lip contours and these were compared to the previously established esthetic norms.

Inhibition of heat shock protein 27-mediated resistance to DNA damaging agents by a novel PKC delta-V5 heptapeptide.

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), which is highly expressed in human lung and breast cancer tissues, induced resistance to cell death against various stimuli. Treatment of NCI-H1299 cells, which express a high level of HSP27, with small interference RNA specifically targeting HSP27 resulted in inhibition of their resistance to radiation or cisplatin, suggesting that HSP27 contributed to cellular resistance in these lung cancer cells. Furthermore, because HSP27 interacts directly with the COOH terminus of the protein kinase C delta (PKC delta)-V5 region with ensuing inhibition of PKC delta activity and PKC delta-mediated cell death, we wished to determine amino acid residues in the V5 region that mediate its interaction with HSP27.