Dong-Sheng Cui

Nup88 Expression in Normal Mucosa, Adenoma, Primary Adenocarcinoma and Lymph Node Metastasis in the Colorectum

Objectives: It was the aim of this study to investigate Nup88 expression in normal colorectal mucosa, adenoma, adenocarcinoma and lymph node metastasis, as well as the relationship between Nup88 expression and clinicopathological features. Methods: Nup88 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in 84 normal mucosa samples, 32 adenomas, 181 primary adenocarcinomas, and 18 lymph node metastases from colorectal tumour patients. Results: Nup88 expression was observed in normal epithelial and tumour cells. The frequency of strong Nup88 expression was increased from normal mucosa or adenoma to primary tumour and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the expression between normal mucosa and adenoma (p = 0.41). The frequency of strong Nup88 expression was higher in ulcerated tumours (40%) than in polypoid/large fungating tumours (23%; p = 0.048). The frequency of strong Nup88 expression was significantly different among tumours with good (21%), moderate (42%) and poor differentiation (48%; p = 0.01). Nup88 expression was not related to the patients’ gender, age, tumour location, size, histological type, invasive depth, lymph node status and Dukes stage (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that Nup88 may play a role during the development, aggressiveness and differentiation of colorectal tumours.

Overexpression of MAC30 in the Cytoplasm of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Predicts Nodal Metastasis and Poor Differentiation

Background: Expression of the meningioma-associated protein (MAC30) was increased in several types of tumors, including esophageal, gastric and colon tumors, compared to normal tissue. MAC30 expression levels gradually increased from normal colorectal mucosa to primary colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer spreading to the lymph nodes. MAC30 expression was related to survival in patients with colorectal cancer. However, there is no study on MAC30 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: Therefore, MAC30 expression in OSCC was investigated and possible associations of MAC30 expression with clinicopathological variables in OSCC have been analyzed. MAC30 expression was immunohistochemically examined in 20 normal oral mucosa and 43 OSCC specimens. Results: Expression levels of MAC30 in the cytoplasm markedly increased from normal oral epithelial cells to primary OSCC. Strong cytoplasmic staining was significantly higher in primary OSCC compared to normal oral mucosa samples (51 vs. 20%, p = 0.019). Furthermore, MAC30 expression levels in primary tumors of patients with lymph node metastasis exceeded levels in those without metastasis (65 vs. 35%, p = 0.048), and MAC30 expression in poorly differentiated tumors was higher than in well-differentiated ones (90 vs. 39%, p = 0.005). Conclusion: Overexpression of MAC30 in the cytoplasm of OSCC may predict nodal metastasis and poor differentiation.

PINCH expression and its significance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine rich protein (PINCH), as a newly discovered protein of LIM family members, may play a role in signal transduction of integrin and growth factor, and involved in the incidence and development of tumors. PINCH protein is overexpressed in tumor-associated stroma of several types of tumors. However, there is no study of the PINCH in esophageal cancer, therefore we investigated PINCH expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas and its clinicopathological significance in the patients. PINCH expression was immunohistochemically examined in 20 normal esophageal samples and 64 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. The results showed that PINCH expression in the stroma of cancers was heterogeneous, and its positive rate (56%) was higher than that of normal esophageal mucosa (5%, p < 0.0001). The stronger staining was observed at the invasive edge of tumor when compared to the inner area of tumor. The rate of positive PINCH (90%) in the cases with lymph node metastasis was higher than that (41%) in the cases without metastasis (p < 0.0001). PINCH expression was not correlated with patients’ gender, age, tumor location, size and differentiation (p > 0.05). The results suggest that PINCH protein may be a marker of tumor associated-stroma involving tumor development, and predicting the ability of invasion and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Expression and significance of FXYD-3 protein in gastric adenocarcinoma.

Objective: FXYD-3, also known as Mat-8, is a member of the FXYD protein family. It was reported that this protein can associate with and modify the transport properties of Na, K-ATPase, and may play an important role in a variety of physiological and pathological states. This protein is up-regulated in certain types of cancers (such as breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer), but down-regulated in other types of cancers (such as colon and kidney cancer). No study has been performed in gastric cancer; therefore, the aim of this project was to investigate FXYD-3 expression and its clinicopathological significance in gastric adenocarcinoma. Patients and methods: FXYD-3 protein was examined by immunohistochemistry in normal gastric mucous (n = 29) and gastric adenocarcinoma (n = 51), obtained from surgical resection of gastric cancer patients. Results: FXYD-3 protein was present in the cytoplasm of normal gastric epithelial cells or gastric cancer cells. The rate of FXYD-3 strong expression was significantly higher in cancer (51% of 51) than in normal mucosa (10% of 29, X2=13.210, p < 0.0001). FXYD-3 expressed strongly in ulcerative/infiltrating types of cancers compared to polypoid/fungating ones (X2 = 5.765, p = 0.016). However, FXYD-3 expression was not correlated with patient’s gender, age, tumor size, lymph node status and histological grade (p > 0.05). Conclosion: Up-regulated expression of FXYD-3 protein may be involved in tumourgenesis and invasion of gastric adenocarcinoma.

An enriched environment improves cognitive performance in mice from the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain Role of upregulated neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus

In this study, we examined 3-month-old female mice from the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain and age-matched homologous normal aging female mice from the senescence accelerated- resistant mouse 1 strain. Mice from each strain were housed in an enriched environment (including a platform, running wheels, tunnel, and some toys) or a standard environment for 3 months. The mice housed in the enriched environment exhibited shorter escape latencies and a greater percentage of time in the target quadrant in the Morris water maze test, and they exhibited reduced errors and longer latencies in step-down avoidance experiments compared with mice housed in the standard environment. Correspondently, brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus was significantly higher in mice housed in the enriched environment compared with those housed in the standard environment, and the level of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein was positively correlated with the learning and memory abilities of mice from the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain. These results suggest that an enriched environment improved cognitive performance in mice form the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus.

PINCH Protein Expression in Normal Endometrium, Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia and Endometrioid Endometrial Carcinoma

Background: Particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine rich protein (PINCH), as an adapter protein of the LIM family for signal transduction in the integrin and growth factor pathway, is upregulated in the stroma of several common types of cancers and involved in promoting tumor progression. In the present study, we examined PINCH expression in normal endometrium, atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrioid carcinoma, and further studied the relationships of PINCH expression with clinicopathological variables in cancer patients. Methods: PINCH expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in 23 normal endometrial samples, 18 atypical endometrial hyperplasias and 48 endometrioid endometrial carcinomas. Results: The PINCH expression in the stroma of cancer (71%) was significantly increased compared to either normal endometrium (17%, p < 0.0001) or atypical hyperplasia (39%, p = 0.017), along with 9 cancers that had stronger PINCH expressions at the invasive margin of the cancers compared to the inner cancers. PINCH expression in cancer was higher in the patients with hypertension (p = 0.041) and estrogen exposure time >30 years (p = 0.021). On the other hand, PINCH expression was not related to menopausal status, gravid status, blood sugar/lipid, family background of cancer, histological grade, myometrial invasion, cervical involvement, lymph nodal metastases, growth pattern, estrogen and progestogen receptors (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The results suggest that PINCH seems to play a role, presently unknown, in the tumorigenesis and development of endometrial cancer that merits further study.

Intracerebroventricular transplanted bone marrow stem cells survive and migrate into the brain of rats with Parkinson's disease

In this study, 6-hydroxydopamine was stereotaxically injected into the right substantia nigra compact and ventral tegmental area of rats to establish Parkinsons disease models. The rats then received a transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells that were previously isolated, cultured and labeled with 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine in vitro. Transplantation of the bone marrow stromal cells significantly decreased apomorphine-induced rotation time and the escape latency in the Morris water maze test as compared with rats with untreated Parkinsons disease. Immunohistochemical staining showed that, 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine-immunoreactive cells were present in the lateral ventricular wall and the choroid plexus 1 day after transplantation. These immunoreactive cells migrated to the surrounding areas of the lateral cerebral ventricle along the corpus callosum. The results indicated that bone marrow stromal cells could migrate to tissues surround the cerebral ventricle via the cerebrospinal fluid circulation and fuse with cells in the brain, thus altering the phenotype of cells or forming neuron-like cells or astrocytes capable of expressing neuron-specific proteins. Taken together, the present findings indicate that bone marrow stromal cells transplanted intracerebroventricularly could survive, migrate and significantly improve the rotational behavior and cognitive function of rats with experimentally induced Parkinsons disease.