Hydronephrosis due to ureteral endometriosis treated by transperitoneal laparoscopic ureterolysis.

Ureteral obstruction secondary to endometriosis is relatively uncommon. We present a 43-year-old multiparous woman who suffered from periodic left loin pain in the terminal period of her menstruation. Excretory urogram demonstrated left hydronephrosis and hydroureter and obstruction of the lower left ureter just inferior to the left sacroiliac joint without urolithiasis.

Involvement of the cerebellum in classical fear conditioning in goldfish.

To investigate the emotional role of the cerebellum of fish, we conducted experiments examining effects of cerebellar manipulations on fear-related classical heart rate conditioning in goldfish. We performed total ablation of the corpus cerebelli to examine the effect of irreversible effects. We also performed localized cooling of the corpus cerebelli, in place of the ablation, for reversible inactivation of the cerebellar function.

Inhibition of Wnt-2-mediated signaling induces programmed cell death in non-small-cell lung cancer cells.

In this report, we have demonstrated that Wnt-2 protein is overexpressed in freshly resected human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues. We have also developed a monoclonal antibody against the N-terminus of human Wnt-2 protein. This monoclonal antibody induces apoptosis in human NSCLC cell lines that overexpress Wnt-2 protein.

Which cartilage is regenerated, hyaline cartilage or fibrocartilage? Non-invasive ultrasonic evaluation of tissue-engineered cartilage.

Objective: To investigate ultrasonic evaluation methods for detecting whether the repair tissue is hyaline cartilage or fibrocartilage in new cartilage regeneration therapy.

Methods: We examined four experimental rabbit models: a spontaneous repair model (group S), a large cartilage defect model (group L), a periosteal graft model (group P) and a tissue-engineered cartilage regeneration model (group T). From the resulting ultrasonic evaluation, we used %MM (the maximum magnitude of the measurement area divided by that of the intact cartilage) as a quantitative index of cartilage regeneration.

Autopsy case of congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis.

Congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis (CPL) is a rare anomaly. We report a female infant born at 39 weeks of gestation who was found to have CPL. Cyanosis and tachypnea were noted immediately after birth, and, at room air, PaO2 was 30.

Inhibition of Wnt-1 signaling induces apoptosis in beta-catenin-deficient mesothelioma cells.

It is known that Wnt-1 signaling inhibits apoptosis by activating beta-catenin/tcf-mediated transcription. Here, we show that blocking Wnt-1 signaling in beta-catenin-deficient mesothelioma cell lines H28 and MS-1 induces apoptotic cell death. Both Wnt-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and Dishevelled siRNA induced significant apoptosis in these cell lines.

Clinical features of the posterior horn tear in the medial meniscus.

Introduction: A lower threshold of suspicion is necessary for the appropriate diagnosis of a posterior horn tear in the medial meniscus. In these cases, radial tears or meniscus detachment from its insertion follow minor trauma and precipitate severe knee pain in middle-aged and elderly patients. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the key points for diagnosis through examination of the clinical features of this tear.

A monoclonal antibody against Wnt-1 induces apoptosis in human cancer cells.

Aberrant activation of the Wingless-type (Wnt)/beta-catenin signaling pathway is associated with a variety of human cancers. Little is known regarding the role that Wnt ligands play in human carcinogenesis. To test whether a Wnt-1 signal is a survival factor in human cancer cells and thus may serve as a potential cancer therapeutic target, we investigated the effect of inhibition of Wnt-1 signaling in a variety of human cancer cell lines, including non small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, and sarcoma.

Quantitative arthroscopic ultrasound evaluation of living human cartilage.

Objective: To investigate whether living human articular cartilage can be evaluated quantitatively by means of a new diagnostic technique that introduces an ultrasonic probe into the knee joint under arthroscopy and then analyzes the A-mode echogram by means of wavelet transformation.

Design: Intact and injured sites of living human articular cartilage were evaluated under arthroscopy. The maximum magnitude and the echo duration (defined as the length of time that included 95% of echo signal) were selected as the quantitative indices on the wavelet map.

[Testicular microlithiasis: report of 14 cases].

Testicular microlithiasis (TM) is a comparatively rare condition in which calcified congelations fill the lumina of the seminiferous tubules. Using high-frequency linear transducers (10 MHz), TM is easily demonstrated as tiny punctate echogenic foci, which typically do not give an acoustic shadow, and is classified into classic type (CTM) and limited type (LTM) on the basis of the presence of five or more microliths at least on one image of the testes. Fourteen patients were found to have TM, 6 of which were LTM and 8 were CTM.

SOCS-3 is frequently silenced by hypermethylation and suppresses cell growth in human lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world, but the molecular mechanisms for its development have not been well characterized. The suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) are inhibitors of cytokine signaling that function via the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway. Eight SOCS proteins with similar structures have been identified so far.

Can ultrasound predict histological findings in regenerated cartilage?

Objective: To evaluate regenerated articular cartilage quantitatively by introducing an ultrasonic probe into the knee joint under arthroscopy and analysing the A-mode echogram by means of wavelet transformation.

Methods: Three experimental rabbit models (spontaneous repair model, large cartilage defect model, treatment model) were examined using our ultrasonic evaluation system and a histological grading scale. From resulting wavelet map, the percentage of maximum magnitude was selected as the quantitative index of the ultrasonic evaluation system.

Activation of the Wnt pathway in non small cell lung cancer: evidence of dishevelled overexpression.

Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and worldwide. Unfortunately, standard therapies remain inadequate. An increased understanding of the molecular biology of lung cancer biology is required to develop more effective new therapies.

Localized pleural malignant mesothelioma.

The occurrence of pleural malignant mesothelioma (MM) is unusual and the cases that appear as a localized tumor are extremely rare. A case of localized pleural MM including immunohistochemical findings is presented. A 70-year-old man had an abnormal shadow found during a routine roentgenogram at an annual health checkup and was admitted to Toneyama National Hospital (Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) for detailed examinations.

Desmoplastic malignant mesothelioma: two cases and a literature review.

We present two cases of desmoplastic malignant mesothelioma (DMM) with pathological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural features. Each patient showed rapid progress and died within 1 year from appearance of the initial symptoms. Macroscopically, both showed a thickened pleura replaced by a tumor that encased the lung.

Wnt pathway activation in mesothelioma: evidence of Dishevelled overexpression and transcriptional activity of beta-catenin.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a relatively uncommon and yet incurable tumor. The pathogenesis of mesothelioma remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the role of Wnt signaling in mesothelioma.

Genomic alterations in human mesothelioma including high resolution mapping of common regions of DNA loss in chromosome arm 6q.

Background: Molecular genetic analysis of 14 freshly resected human mesotheliomas was used to identify regions in the tumor genomes that display DNA copy number alterations, especially the regions that may harbor tumor suppressor genes.

Materials And Methods: Three methods for molecular analysis were used, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and a new method, quantitative microsatellite analysis (QuMA).

Results: The most frequent alteration detected by CGH and LOH was deletion in chromosome 6q, for which QuMA was performed at 30 different loci so as to define the region(s) of common deletion(s).

Increased expression of the LGALS3 (galectin 3) gene in human non-small-cell lung cancer.

Patients with lung cancer have a poor prognosis because of the high metastatic potential of the neoplasm. Therefore, identifying new molecular targets for anti-metastatic therapy is very important. To identify novel key factors of tumor metastasis in lung cancer, we established the gene expression profiles of two adenocarcinoma cell line variants, PC9/f9 and PC9/f14, by use of genome-wide human cDNA microarray analysis and comparing these profiles with that of the parental cell line, PC9.

Purification and characterization of three isoforms of chrysophsin, a novel antimicrobial peptide in the gills of the red sea bream, Chrysophrys major.

We report here the isolation of three isoforms of a novel C-terminally amidated peptide from the gills of red sea bream, Chrysophrys (Pagrus) major. Peptide sequences were determined by a combination of Edman degradation, MS and HPLC analysis of native and synthetic peptides. Three peptides, named chrysophsin-1, chrysophsin-2, and chrysophsin-3, consist of 25, 25, and 20 amino acids, respectively, and are highly cationic, containing an unusual C-terminal RRRH sequence.

Cloning and characterization of a functional promoter of the human SOCS-3 gene.

SOCS-3 is a member of a newly discovered protein family that inhibits LIF-activated Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) signaling in a negative auto-regulatory manner. In this study, we have cloned and characterized the promoter region of the human SOCS-3 gene. This region is approximately 1.

Induction of apoptosis in mesothelioma cells by antisurvivin oligonucleotides.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive tumor characterized by rapid progression, late metastases, and poor prognosis. In this study, we investigated the expression of survivin, a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis protein gene family, in mesothelioma and an antisense oligonucleotide-based gene therapy for mesothelioma using survivin as a target. Initially, we documented the expression of survivin in human mesothelioma cell lines and fresh tissues using reverse transcription-PCR and Western blot analysis.

The presynaptic modulation of glutamate release and the membrane dysfunction induced by in vitro ischemia in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons.

Superfusion with an oxygen and glucose deprived medium (in vitro ischemia) of rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in tissue slices produced a rapid depolarization within 5 min and thereafter showed no functional recovery (irreversible membrane dysfunction), even if oxygen and glucose were reintroduced. We previously suggested that such a rapid depolarization is triggered by the accumulation of extracellular glutamate (Glu). As a result, we examined the effects of either the activation or inhibition of presynaptic receptors, which modulate Glu release from the nerve terminal, on the potential change produced by in vitro ischemia.

The promoter region of the human BUBR1 gene and its expression analysis in lung cancer.

Mitotic checkpoint impairment is present in human lung cancers with chromosomal instability (CIN). Spindle-checkpoint genes have been reported to be mutated in several human cancers, but these mutations are infrequent. Recent reports suggest that the hBUBR1 gene may play an important role in mitotic checkpoint control and in mitotic checkpoint impairment in human cancers.