Yasutsugu Yamanaka

Intravenous anesthetic, propofol inhibits invasion of cancer cells.

Intravenous anesthetic, propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol), is extensively used for general anesthesia without knowing the effects on cancer. We found here that clinically relevant concentrations of propofol (1-5 microg/ml) decreased the invasion ability of human cancer cells (HeLa, HT1080, HOS and RPMI-7951). In the HeLa cells treated with propofol, formation of actin stress fibers as well as focal adhesion were inhibited, and propofol had little effect on the invasion ability of the HeLa cells with active Rho A (Val(14)-Rho A). In addition, continuous infusion of propofol inhibited pulmonary metastasis of murine osteosarcoma (LM 8) cells in mice. These results suggest that propofol inhibits the invasion ability of cancer cells by modulating Rho A and this agent might be an ideal anesthetic for cancer surgery.

Epinephrine inhibits invasion of oral squamous carcinoma cells by modulating intracellular cAMP.

In oral and maxillofacial surgery, epinephrine is routinely used for cancer resection and it is important to clarify the effects of this agent on cancer. We found here that the clinically relevant concentrations of epinephrine (10, 50 and 100 microg/ml) decreased the invasion ability of oral squamous carcinoma (Sa3) cells. In the Sa3 cells treated with epinephrine (10, 50 and 100 microg/ml), migration, morphological changes and formation of actin stress fibers were inhibited and intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) increased significantly. These findings suggest that epinephrine inhibits the invasion of cancer cells by modulating intracellular cAMP and that clinicians could use epinephrine effectively for the surgical resection of the cancer.

A study of 13 patients with gastric tube in place after esophageal resection: use of omeprazole to decrease gastric acidity and volume.

STUDY OBJECTIVEnTo investigate whether oral omeprazole 20 mg decreases the risk of aspiration pneumonia in patients with gastric tube reconstruction.nnnDESIGNnConsecutive study.nnnSETTINGnOperation room of cancer center.nnnPATIENTSnThirteen patients with gastric tube reconstruction for esophageal cancer.nnnINTERVENTIONSnOral omeprazole 20 mg was given the night before surgery. A rapid-sequence induction with cricoid pressure was employed for induction of anesthesia. After tracheal intubation, a nasogastric catheter was inserted into the gastric tube and the contents were aspirated.nnnMEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTSnThe pH and volume of the gastric contents were measured. The pH and volume of the gastric tube contents were 4.5 +/- 1.6 (range from 2.5 to 7.0) and 9.5 +/- 10.2 mL (range from 0 to 30 mL), respectively. Food residue was recognized in nine patients. There was no patient with a pH below 2.5 and a volume of 25 mL or greater.nnnCONCLUSIONSnOmeprazole 20 mg decreased the acidity and volume of the gastric tube contents and reduced the risk of aspiration pneumonia in patients with a gastric tube in place.

[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography for the assessment of histopathological response after preoperative chemoradiotherapy in advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is widely used to evaluate tumor metabolic activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of FDG-PET in assessing the histopathological response to preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).MethodsForty-five patients with resectable advanced OSCC who had received preoperative CRT followed by tumor ablative surgery between January 2004 and December 2011 were included in the study. All patients underwent FDG-PET before and after preoperative CRT. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) before (pre-SUV) and after preoperative CRT (post-SUV) and the SUVmax reduction rate (ΔSUVxa0%) were used to evaluate the response to preoperative CRT. Correlations among SUVmax, histopathological response, and expression of cancer antigen Ki-67 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) were analyzed.ResultsPreoperative CRT significantly reduced intratumoral FDG uptake (Pxa0<xa00.001). The pre-SUV and post-SUV were significantly lower in patients with a pathological complete response (pCR) than in those with a non-pCR (pre-SUV Pxa0=xa00.037; post-SUV Pxa0=xa00.001). ΔSUVxa0% was higher in patients with pCR than in those with non-pCR (Pxa0=xa00.029). The pre-SUV was significantly correlated with Ki-67 and HIF-1α expression in pretreatment biopsy specimens (Ki-67 Pxa0=xa00.046, Rxa0=xa00.292; HIF-1α Pxa0=xa00.007, Rxa0=xa00.385). The expression of both Ki-67 and HIF-1α was significantly lower in patients with pCR than in those with non-pCR (Ki-67 Pxa0<xa00.001; HIF-1α Pxa0<xa00.001).ConclusionsLow pre-SUV and post-SUV and high ΔSUVxa0% may predict a good histopathological response to preoperative CRT. Ki-67 and HIF-1α expression in pretreatment biopsy specimens were predictors of histopathological response to preoperative CRT.

MICA gene polymorphism not associated with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in the Japanese population

UNLABELLEDnNonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCLP) is one of the most common birth defects. Despite its frequency, the etiology remains largely unknown. Most likely, both genetic and environmental factors contribute to this malformation. A polymorphic gene family, the major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related gene A (MICA), is located about 40 kb centromeric to the HLA-B gene. In this study, we analyzed the association between MICA gene polymorphisms and NSCLP in Japanese patients.nnnMETHODSnThe (GCT)n polymorphism of the MICA gene was investigated in 94 patients with NSCLP and 180 normal controls using polymerase chain reaction amplification and denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.nnnRESULTSnOur results demonstrate that there are no differences in microsatellite allele frequency between NSCLP patients and controls. However, the microsatellite allele frequency of the MICA-A6 (p = 0.045) allele was increased in male patients, as compared with controls. Further, the MICA-A5 (p = 0.359) allele was also increased in female NSCLP patients.nnnCONCLUSIONnThese results suggest that the microsatellite allele frequencies of the MICA-A6 allele increased in male NSCLP patients. Although the MICA-A5 allele increased in female NSCLP patients, the increase was not statistically significant. These results suggest that the MICA gene could be one of the candidate genes for NSCLP.