Venous thromboembolism (VTE) often occurs after surgery and can even occur before surgery in patients with gynaecological malignancies. We investigated the incidence of VTE before treatment of ...endometrial cancer and associated risk factors. Plasma D-dimer (DD) levels before initial treatment were examined in 171 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer. Venous ultrasound imaging (VUI) of the lower extremities was performed in patients with DD >or=1.5 microg ml(-1), as the negative predictive value of DD for VTE is extremely high. For patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary scintigraphy was performed to ascertain the presence of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). Risk factors for VTE were analysed using univariate and multivariate analyses for 171 patients. Of these, 37 patients (21.6%) showed DD >or=1.5 microg ml(-1), 17 (9.9%) displayed DVT by VUI and 8 (4.7%) showed PTE on pulmonary scintigraphy. All patients with VTE were asymptomatic. Univariate analysis for various risk factors revealed older age, non-endometrioid histology and several variables of advanced disease as significantly associated with VTE before treatment. Obesity, smoking and diabetes mellitus were not risk factors. Multivariate analysis confirmed extrauterine spread and non-endometrioid histology as independently and significantly associated with risk of VTE. These data suggest that silent or subclinical VTE occurs before treatment in at least around 10% of patients with endometrial cancer. Risk factors for VTE before treatment might not be identical to those after starting treatment.
To cite this article: Kamide Y, Utsugi M, Dobashi K, Ono A, Ishizuka T, Hisada T, Koga Y, Uno K, Hamuro J, Mori M. Intracellular glutathione redox status in human dendritic cells regulates IL‐27 ...production and T‐cell polarization. Allergy 2011; 66: 1183–1192.
Background: Glutathione redox status, changes in intracellular reduced (GSH) or oxidized (GSSG) glutathione, plays a significant role in various aspects of cellular function. In this study, we examined whether intracellular glutathione redox status in human dendritic cells (DCs) regulates the polarization of Th1/Th2 balance.
Methods: Human monocyte‐derived DCs (MD‐DCs) treated with glutathione reduced form ethyl ester (GSH‐OEt) or L‐buthionine‐(S,R)‐sulfoximine (BSO) were stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the levels of polarization cytokines were measured. Next, DCs matured by LPS or thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) were cocultured with allogeneic CD4+ naive T cells and Th1/Th2 balance was evaluated by cytokine production from the primed T cells.
Results: Monocyte‐derived DCs exposed to GSH‐OEt and BSO had increased and decreased intracellular GSH contents, respectively. Lipopolysaccharide‐induced interleukin (IL)‐27 production was enhanced by GSH‐OEt and suppressed by BSO, but neither GSH‐OEt nor BSO affected the expression of HLA‐DR, CD80, CD83, or CD86. Mature GSH‐OEt‐treated MD‐DCs enhanced interferon (IFN)‐γ production from CD4+ T cells compared with nontreated MD‐DCs, and small interfering RNA (siRNA) against IL‐27 suppressed the effect of GSH‐OEt on IFN‐γ production. Additionally, although human myeloid DCs activated by TSLP (TSLP‐DCs) prime naïve CD4+ T cells to differentiate into Th2 cells, treatment of TSLP‐DCs with GSH‐OEt reduced IL‐13 production and enhanced IFN‐γ production by CD4+ T cells. Interleukin‐27 siRNA attenuated the inhibitory effect of GSH‐OEt on Th2 polarization.
Conclusion: Our results reveal that Th1 and Th2 responses are controlled by intracellular glutathione redox status in DCs through IL‐27 production.
We demonstrate memory effect of pentacene-based field-effect transistors (FETs) in which CdSe/ZnS colloidal nano-dots (NDs) are embedded. The colloidal NDs were dispersed in chloroform, and spread ...over a water surface to form monolayer of NDs. Then, they were transferred onto a 30-nm-thick poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) surface by horizontal lifting method, and a 30-nm-thick pentacene film was deposited as an active layer to fabricate FETs. The threshold voltage (
V
th) was shifted by ∼10
V after a writing voltage of 70–100
V was applied to the gate electrode of the memory-FETs. On the other hand, such a large shift of
V
th was not observed for reference pentacene-FETs without NDs. We consider that the large shift of
V
th is due to electrons trapped in the NDs at the interface of pentacene and PMMA layers.
The current experiments were designed to study the effect of beta-estradiol on type IIb sodium-coupled phosphate (NaPi-IIb) cotransporter gene expression. Uptake studies with intestinal brush-border ...membrane vesicles (BBMV) showed that estrogen treatment increased sodium-dependent phosphate absorption by approximately 45% in rat intestine. Northern blot analysis indicated that NaPi-IIb mRNA expression was increased by approximately 50% after estrogen treatment. Western blot analysis also detected an increase in BBMV NaPi-IIb protein expression in estrogen-treated rats. In human intestinal Caco-2 cells, NaPi-IIb mRNA abundance was increased approximately 60% after estrogen treatment, and this increase could be abolished by inhibition of gene transcription. Transfection studies with human NaPi-IIb promoter reporter constructs showed that the promoter was responsive to estrogen treatment. These studies demonstrate for the first time that estrogen stimulates intestinal sodium-dependent phosphate absorption in female rats. This stimulation is associated with increased NaPi-IIb mRNA and protein expression. Thus the effect of estrogen on intestinal Pi absorption may be partially due to activation of NaPi-IIb gene transcription.
The detection of early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in patients following radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) has increased with the development of ...endoscopic technologies. The aim of the current case - control study was to elucidate the risk factors of serious laryngeal edema, a lethal complication that occurs during endoscopic resection for ESCC. Among 184 consecutive patients who were treated by endoscopic resection for ESCC between January 2009 and May 2012, five of 22 patients with a history of radiotherapy for HNSCC suffered from serious laryngeal edema, which was not observed in patients who had not undergone radiotherapy. The susceptibility to serious laryngeal edema in patients with a history of radiotherapy followed by neck dissection for HNSCC was significantly greater than those without such histories. Despite the limited number of cases, we suggest that previous radiotherapy followed by neck dissection for HNSCC might be a predictive factor for serious laryngeal edema during endoscopic resection.
Symmetrical liquid crystalline dimers have been synthesised, composed of rod-like mesogenic units with polar groups and a siloxane core of varying length in the central region. All the dimers ...containing siloxane units have been shown to exhibit a smectic A phase, confirmed by polarising optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Rheological properties under an applied electric field were investigated by rotational rheometer. The influence of the siloxane core length on rheological properties has been investigated, and in addition the behaviour of the liquid crystalline dimers in the smectic A phase under an applied electric field has been observed by POM.
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