Abstract
Background
Although dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) at the early stage of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is useful for the prediction of functional and clinical prognosis, the ...interpretation requires expertise. In this study, we sought to investigate if global longitudinal strain (GLS) during DSE after AMI can predict left ventricular remodeling (LVR).
Methods
Consecutive 30 patients with anterior wall AMI (18 male, age = 58 ± 13 years) were performed DSE 3 days after AMI. GLS was calculated as an averaged value of peak longitudinal strain in the apical 4- and 2-chamber views at baseline echocardiography, low-dose DSE (10 μg/kg/min) using available software (QLAB, Philips Medical Systems). Left ventricular remodeling (LVR) was defined as an echocardiographically determined increase in both EDVI and ESVI of 20% or more from baseline to the 6 month follow-up echocardiography.
Results
12 patients (40%) evolved with LVR. The change in GLS during low-dose DSE was significantly different between the remodeling and non-remodeling group (8 ± 5% v.s. 27 ± 20%, p < 0.05). Interestingly, it predicted LVR with sensitivity of 88%, specificity of 92% at the cut-off value of 12% (Area under the curve = 0.94, p < 0.0001).
Conclusion
The change in GLS during low-dose DSE can be used as a predictor for the LVR after AMI. This observation has promise for clinical applications.
Abstract 1677 Figure.
Spinal atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is extremely rare. We report this rare case and review the literature of spinal AT/RT. A 10-month-old girl presented with rapidly progressive ...paraplegia. Magnetic resonance images revealed an intramedullary tumor occupying the entire spinal canal below Th10. An urgent operation, consisting of decompression by laminectomy and biopsy, was performed. Histologically, the tumor specimen had many rhabdoid cells with prominent nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion. It showed mitosis and necrosis. The tumor cells were immunoreactive for vimentin, desmin, smooth muscle actin, neuron-specific enolase, neurofilament, epithelial membrane antigen, and CAM5.2. Despite chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she died 3 months after admission. The present case is only the third detailed report of spinal AT/RT. Spinal AT/RT carries a poor prognosis, and therefore should be distinguished from other embryonal tumor.
Silicon single crystals are used as density standards and to determine the Avogadro constant. Density comparisons by the flotation method can check the homogeneity of the silicon crystals and ...determine the absolute density of silicon samples by comparison to primary density standards. Results of the two flotation apparatuses at NMIJ (Japan) and PTB (Germany) were compared with each other and with density determinations from other methods. For this purpose, three small silicon samples from the crystals WASO 04 and NRLM4 were measured in both institutes. These measurements show that the flotation method is able to detect and measure density differences with uncertainties of 0.02/spl middot/10/sup -6//spl rho/. Additionally, the density of the 1-kg silicon sphere AVO#1 was determined by flotation comparisons to primary standards of the institutes and compared with density values obtained by different methods. With one exception, all results are consistent within the combined uncertainties, the largest relative density difference being only 0.18/spl middot/10/sup -6/.
Callosobruchus maculatus has both contest and scramble competition strategies. The currently existing theoretical models using game theory suggest that the contest strategy should be selected for. ...However, most geographic strains of C. maculatus show scramble competition. We experimentally crossed the representative strains of contest and scramble. We expressed the degree of contest competition by a continuous value named the C‐value, which ranges from zero (pure scramble) to unity (pure contest). The competition types expressed in the C‐value were genetically additive. Their larval developmental rates were negatively correlated with C‐values. Multiple‐generation experiments of the mixed strains confirmed that there were no overwhelming advantages of contest over scramble type. Most of the mixed strains remained in the intermediate states. We discuss the results in terms of the resource size necessary for developmental success and developmental speed.
Abstract
Background: EMT is thought to contribute to metastasis in patients with breast cancer, leading to their poor prognosis. Pivotal phase III trials have demonstrated that eribulin improved ...overall survival in patients with triple negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Preclinical studies have shown that eribulin suppressed EMT and this phenomenon could be one of reason for an improved prognosis of MBC patients treated with eribulin. However, there is no direct clinical data on the effect of eribulin treatment on EMT in tumors of MBC patients. We designed a prospective study to clarify if eribulin treatment suppresses EMT in tumors of MBC patients.
Patients and methods: Patients with recurrent or MBC were treated with eribulin (1.4 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle). Dose reductions were allowed according to eribulin's prescribing information. Treatment continued until disease progress, unacceptable toxic effects, or discontinuation requests from patients or physicians. Breast cancer tissue samples were obtained from all patients before and on day 15±4 of 1st cycle of eribulin treatment. The quantitative analysis of mRNA levels of EMT markers (E-cadherin, cytokelatin18, cytokelatin19, N-cadherin, vimentin, ZEB1, Slug, Snail, and Twist) were carried out by qPCR. Primary outcome measure was to assess the change from baseline to day 15±4 in mRNA levels of EMT related markers in tumor tissue. This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Fujita Health University.
Results: Eleven patients were enrolled. Median age of the patients was 63 years old (44-72). Of the 11 tumors, 6 were luminal B and 5 were triple negative (TN). Median number of prior chemotherapy regimen for recurrent or metastatic disease was 0 (0-3). Four patients were treated with dose reduced eribulin (1.1 mg/m2) and administration of eribulin on day 8 during 1st cycle of the treatment were skipped in 2 patients. To identify meaningful EMT markers, differences in expression levels of each EMT marker were investigated between TN and luminal B tumors. At baseline mRNA levels of N-cadherin and vimentin were higher in TN tumors than in luminal B tumors, 8.12±10.78 vs 1.02±0.68, 5.13±4.50 vs 0.88±0.47, respectively. After the treatment, a decrease of expression of N-cadherin and vimentin was more frequent in TN tumors (100% and 80%, respectively) than in luminal B tumors (33.3% and 16.7%, respectively). Frequency of a decrease of expression of ZEB1, Slug, Snail, and Twist in TN tumors and luminal B tumors were 80% (TN) vs 83.3% (luminal B), 80% vs 16.7%, 40% vs 66.7%, and 100% vs 50%, respectively.
Conclusions: This is the first prospective study to investigate the effect of eribulin treatment on expression of EMT markers in tumors of MBC patients. We demonstrated that eribulin treatment suppressed EMT in tumors. Our results suggested that eribulin showed antitumor effect by improving the tumor microenvironment. In our study, eribulin seems to have different effects on EMT pathway in individual cases. Our findings may provide a light to a scientific basis for solving underlying mechanisms for improvement of overall survival of patients with MBC treated with eribulin.
Citation Format: Utsumi T, Hayashi T, Kobayashi N, Hikichi M, Ushimado K, Ri Y, Nakano S, Fujii K, Ando T. Eribulin mesylate (eribulin) showed inhibitory effects on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tumors of metastatic breast cancer patients. -First preliminary report of a prospective study- abstract. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-15-10.
summary This study evaluates the light‐attenuating effects of enamel on the properties of light‐cured restorative resins using simple experimental filters. Three filters were designed to replicate ...the light transmittance characteristics of 0·5, 1·0 and 1·5 mm thick human enamel. The bending strength, depth of cure, and levels of residual monomer for 12 shades of three commercial light‐cured composite resins were examined. These resins were cured either using direct irradiation from a light source or irradiation through one of the filters. For all materials, the bending strength and depth of cure of specimens irradiated through a filter were lower and the levels of residual monomer were higher than those found in specimens irradiated directly. The results indicate that the light‐attenuating effect of enamel reduces the polymerization efficiency, resulting in poorer mechanical properties of light‐cured composite resins.
In this report, we examined plasma stromal cell-derived factor-1 levels in normal healthy donors for allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) and in patients for autologous PBSCT ...using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The average level of plasma stromal cell-derived factor-1 was 2197 pg/ml before granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration and 1899 pg/ml on day 4, demonstrating a significant decrease in the peripheral blood of healthy donors (P=0.0003). In patients for autologous PBSCT, a significant decrease of plasma stromal cell-derived factor-1 in the peripheral blood was also observed (P=0.0464). However, the physiologic gradient of stromal cell-derived factor-1 between peripheral blood and bone marrow was never inverted in normal healthy donors or in autologous PBSCT patients. Our results suggest that stromal cell-derived factor-1 may not be involved in the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-induced release of CD34(+) cells to the peripheral blood. Further studies of a possible additive effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and stromal cell-derived factor-1 are warranted.
ABSTRACT—Ghrelin is an orexigenic peptide originally isolated from the stomach. Intravenous administration of ghrelin has been shown to elicit a decrease in arterial pressure without a significant ...change in heart rate (HR), suggesting that ghrelin may act on the central nervous system to modulate sympathetic activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the central effects of ghrelin on cardiovascular and sympathetic responses in conscious rabbits. Intravenous injection of ghrelin elicited dose-related decreases in arterial pressure and HR, without a significant change in renal sympathetic nerve activity. On the other hand, intracerebroventricular injection of 1 nmol of ghrelin decreased arterial pressure, HR, and renal sympathetic nerve activity. Peak depressor or sympathoinhibitory responses of mean arterial pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity (−19.0±1.5 mm Hg and −43.3±5.4%) were observed at 50 and 40 minutes, respectively, after intracerebroventricular injection of 1 nmol of ghrelin. Furthermore, a subdepressor dose of intracerebroventricular infusion of ghrelin (0.3 nmol/150 μL per hour) significantly augmented the baroreflex sensitivities assessed by renal sympathetic nerve activity and HR compared with those of vehicle infusion (Gmax; −17.8±3.1 versus −9.4±1.6%/mm Hg, P <0.05; −12.5±1.8 versus −6.6±1.2 bpm/mm Hg, P <0.05; respectively). These results suggest that intravenous injection of ghrelin acts, at least in part, on the central nervous system to decrease arterial pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity, and that central ghrelin participates in the regulations of the sympathetic nerve activity to the kidney and the baroreceptor reflex in conscious rabbits.
Abstract
Funding Acknowledgements
Type of funding sources: None.
Background
Quantification of left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony is of great interest for resynchronization therapy (CRT). Recently, ...cardiac computed tomography (CCT) is feasible for evaluation of dyssynchrony. Our aim was to assess a novel simplified approach using CCT to quantify LV dyssynchrony.
Methods
We studied 346 consecutive patients with a wide range of QRS width and ejection fractions (EF). Electrocardiogram-gated contrast-enhanced 256-slice multidetector CT (Brilliance 256 iCT, Philips Medical Systems) was performed before CRT. After CCT scan, the LV endocardial boundaries from short-axis images reconstructed at 5% increments of cardiac cycle were automatically detected, and a time from R-wave to maximal wall motion was calculated for each of the 16 standardized segments for all slices using software "Myocardial Contraction Map" (Argus, Inc Ehime, Japan). The standard deviation of all segments modified by mean heart rate (%SD) was respectively calculated as the global parameter of dyssynchrony. LVEF was also measured using MDCT.
Results
%SD was feasible in all patients, respectably. %SD was significantly different between the different QRS duration groups; narrow QRS (<120ms): 9 ± 5%, relatively wide QRS (120-150 ms): 11 ± 6%, and significantly wide QRS (>150 ms): 14 ± 7% (p <0.001). Moreover, there was significantly difference in %SD between the different morphology groups; normal: 9 ± 7%, Non-left bundle branch block (Non-LBBB): 10 ± 6%, LBBB: 17 ± 7% (p <0.001).
Conclusion
This novel simplified approach by CCT can quantify dyssynchrony in different QRS duration and morphology groups. This method has promise for clinical applications to the evaluation of patients for CRT.
Abstract Figure.
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