Isoflurane, a commonly used inhaled anesthetic, induces apoptosis in rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) in a concentration-and time-dependent manner with unknown mechanism. We hypothesized that isoflurane induced apoptosis by causing abnormal calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors. Alzheimer’s presenilin-1 (PS1) mutation increased activity of IP3 receptors and therefore rendered cells vulnerable to isoflurane-induced cytotoxicity. Sevoflurane and desflurane had less ability to disrupt intracellular calcium homeostasis and thus being less potent to cause cytotoxicity. This study examined and compared the cytotoxic effects of various inhaled anesthetics on PC12 cells transfected with the Alzheimer’s mutated PS1 (L286V) and the disruption of intracellular calcium homeostasis. PC12 cells transfected with wild type (WT) and mutated PS1 (L286V) were treated with equivalent of 1 MAC of isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane for 12 h. MTT reduction and LDH release assays were performed to evaluate cell viability. Changes of calcium concentration in cytosolic space ([Ca2+]c) were determined after exposing different types of cells to various inhalational anesthetics. The effects of IP3 receptor antagonist xestospongin C on isoflurane-induced cytotoxicity and calcium release from the ER in L286V PC12 cells were also determined. The results showed that isoflurane at 1 MAC for 12 h induced cytoxicity in L286V but not WT PC12 cells, which was also associated with greater and faster elevation of peak [Ca2+]c in L286V than in the WT cells. Xestospongin C significantly ameliorated isoflurane cytotoxicity in L286V cells, as well as inhibited the calcium release from the ER in L286V cells. Sevoflurane and desflurane at equivalent exposure to isoflurane did not induce similar cytotoxicity or elevation of peak [Ca2+]c in L286V PC12 cells. These results suggested that isoflurane induced cytoxicity by partially causing abnormal calcium release from the ER via activation of IP3 receptors in L286V PC12 cells. Sevoflurane and desflurane at equivalent exposure to isoflurane did not induce similar elevation of [Ca2+]c or neurotoxicity in PC12 cells transfected with the Alzheimer’s PS1 mutation.
Human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) is one of the molecules implicated in immunotolerance. To investigate the role of HLA-G in primary cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), a series of 47 skin melanocytic lesions were immunohistochemically evaluated. The correlation between HLA-G expression and CMM clinicohistopathological data and Bcl-2 expression was also analyzed. HLA-G expression was detected in a variety of cell types. No significant difference in HLA-G expression was observed between malignant and non-malignant melanocytic lesions. HLA-G expression was significantly correlated with the inflammatory infiltration and Bcl-2 expression, whereas no significant correlation with ulceration, tumor thickness, clinical stage, histopathological subtypes were observed. HLA-G expression may be the result of host immune reaction in tumor microenvironment rather than a malignant feature of CMM.
The purpose of this study was to determine the total Bolton index (TBI) and anterior Bolton index (ABI), evaluate the clinical significance of tooth size discrepancies and the influence of gender variation of mesiodistal tooth width on Bolton Index and estimate which tooth has the greatest influence on Bolton Index. A total of 110 pairs of pretreatment dental study casts (41 male and 69 female) were selected from patients treated in Department of Orthodontics of Union Hospital in Wuhan, China. A sliding dental Vernier caliper was used for the measurement of the mesiodistal tooth width. Descriptive statistical mean values, standard deviation, standard error of the mean values, coefficient of variance and the t-test were used for the statistical analysis of the data. The study found that TBI, ABI and the total sum of teeth width had no significant difference between male and female. Male group indicated that Bolton Index (BI) was mostly influenced by the width of lower right second premolar, whereas female group showed that BI was mostly influenced by the width of both the right and left maxillary lateral incisor.
In order to investigate the clinical significance of 99mTc-Tetrofosmin (TF) scintigraphy in the evaluation of lung cancer and mediastinal lymphoid node involvement, 33 patients with pulmonary neoplasmas were subjected to both 99mTc-TF scintigraphies and CT scans in one week before their operations or puncturations. All the images were judged visually and the emission images were analyzed with semi-quantitative methods in addition. The results of each group were compared. There was marked difference in target/non-target (T/N) ratio between the lung cancer group and the benign lesion group (P<0.001). Moreover, in the lung cancer group, T/N ratio in tomographies was significantly higher than that in planar images (P<0.01). The sensitivity and accuracy of semi-quantitative analysis in 99mTc-TF SPECT were significantly higher than those of CT in the diagnosis of pulmonary neoplasmas (P<0.05 and P<0.01 respectively), so was the sensitivity of 99mTc-TF SPECT vs CT in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphoid node metastasis (P<0.05). It was also found that epidermoid squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas had a higher T/N ratio than in small cell carcinomas (P<0.05), and 2 h washout rate (WR) of adenocarcinomas was higher than that of epidermoid squamous cell carcinomas (P<0.05). In conclusion, 99mTc-TF scintigraphy showed a favorable diagnostic accuracy in appraising lung cancers and mediastinal lymph node metastases. Furthermore semi-quantitative technology can improve the accuracy, and is potential to offer some information about histological type of the cancer tissue. Therefore, 99mTc-TF scintigraphy will be a useful tool in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.
Transthoracic echocardiographic characteristics of 17 cases of cardiac amyloidosis (CA), a rare disease in China, were analyzed in order to improve the understanding of the disease. Seventeen cases of biopsy-proven CA, admitted to Wuhan Union Hospital from June 1994 to September 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty normal volunteers served as control group. Left atrial and ventricular functions and mitral inflow velocity were measured by two-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiography, and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI)-derived peak systolic wall motion velocities (Sv), peak early diastolic wall motion velocities (Ev), and peak late diastolic wall motion (Av) were measured at the septum, lateral, inferior and anterior corners of mitral annulus from the apical 4- and 2 chamber views. Compared with the control group, the interventricular septal thickness (IVSd), the left ventricular posterior wall (LVPWd), right ventricular transverse diameter (RVTDd) near the end of diastole and the interauricular septum thickness (IASs), left atrial anteroposterior diameter (LAADs), right atrial transverse diameter (RATDs) near the end of systole were increased significantly (all P<0.05) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreased (P<0.05) in the CA group. Compared with the control group, Sv, Ev at each wall and Av at almost all walls were significantly decreased in the CA group. In the CA group, Myocardial echoes of interventricular septum and free wall of left ventricle were enhanced evidently and distributed unevenly. The echoes presented as ground glass-like images, with some spotty hyper echoes. Both atria were enlarged, and LVEF decreased, with diastolic function impaired, and mild-moderate hydropericardium found in the CA group. It was concluded that echocardiography was a relatively sensitive and highly specific non-invasive method for the diagnosis of CA.