Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F Kotsuji.
Nuchal cord position in breech presentation has been previously reported and classified into two types. We report a case of breech presentation with nuchal cord. Prenatal ultrasound showed a single nuchal cord inserted into the placenta located on the mid-posterior uterine wall at the level of the fetal neck. Elective cesarean section was performed at 37 weeks. We discuss the clinical significance of nuchat cord.
In each estrous cycle, only one follicle, the dominant follicle, reaches full maturation while the other recruited follicles become atretic in a process characteristic of programmed cell death. Moreover, the old corpus luteum formed in a previous cycle undergoes luteolysis by a mechanism also characteristic of programmed cell death. Granulosa cells comprise the largest cell population of the ovarian follicle and are the main source of estradiol and progesterone in the ovary. Their cyclic nature of differentiation and death determines the cyclic secretion of female sex hormones and therefore serve as an excellent model for steroid regulation during apoptosis. The characteristics of granulosa cell apoptosis, as in other cell types, are cell membrane blebbing, DNA degradation and protease activation. In addition, there are specific characteristics of steroidogenic granulosa cell apoptosis, as follows: 1) The trigger for apoptosis may be exerted by different effectors and signal transduction mechanisms during follicle development. For example, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) may trigger granulosa cell apoptosis at early stage of follicular development, while cAMP/p53 signals may trigger this process only in mature preovulatory granulosa cells. 2) cross-talk between paracrine and endocrine signals, and between death genes and tumor suppressor genes, may determine the fate of the granulosa cell. 3) in the mature follicle the follicular basement membrane plays an important role in transmitting survival signals and in prevention of apoptosis. 4) during the initial steps of apoptosis, steroidogenesis may be increased due to clustering of the steroidogenic organelles in the perinuclear region and their exclusion from the apoptotic blebs. 5) Actin cytoskeleton reorganization plays an important role in this compartmentalization as well as in transmitting survival signals exerted by basement membrane, laminin and growth factors which activate tyrosine kinase receptors.
Cisplatin-induced apoptosis in epithelial ovarian cancer cells is in part a consequence of suppressed Xiap expression and upregulation of the Fas/FasL system. Changes in the expression of these 'cell death' and 'cell survival' genes lead to activation of caspase-3, and cleavage of MDM2 and FAK. Failure of cancer cells to maintain a balance in the expression of these genes in favor of apoptotic cell death may be an important factor of chemoresistance. Xiap may be a novel target for gene therapy of human ovarian epithelial cancer and, dependent on P53 status, expression of Xiap antisense alone or in combination with wild-type P53 sense may offer a new approach for the treatment of the chemoresistant cancer.
Well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma (WDPM) of the peritoneum is a rare form of epithelial mesothelioma. It usually shows an indolent course and no standard treatment is available. Only a few cases of WDPM in the pleural cavity have been reported. We report on a 56-year-old post-menopausal woman who presented with ascites and right pleural effusion. Laparotomy followed by biopsy established the presence of WDPM in the peritoneum and pleural cavity. The patient was successfully treated with local and systemic administration of carboplatin.
Development of hypersensitivity reactions to carboplatin (CP) during cancer treatment makes optimal chemotherapy difficult to achieve. Many approaches have previously been used following the development of reactions to CP. We report on a patient with ovarian cancer who developed a hypersensitivity reaction to CP. The patient was successfully treated following replacement of carboplatin with cisplatin.
We have established an in vivo experimental model in which human ovarian cancer grows in the ovary of nude mice and metastasizes to parenchymatous organs. An ovarian cancer cell line was orthotopically injected into the nude mouse ovary together with Matrigel by microsurgical techniques. The cells grew locally in the ovary and metastasized to the peritoneum, colon, omentum, liver, and spleen. When the cells were injected into the intraperitoneal cavity with Matrigel, they formed carcinomatous peritonitis but neither ovarian tumor formation nor the metastasis to parenchymatous organs was detected. Taken together, these findings indicate that the microenvironment of the ovary seems to be essential for metastasis of implanted human ovarian cancer cells. This in vivo experimental model allows us to investigate the mechanism of the metastasis of ovarian cancer, it will be also useful for the establishing a new therapeutic approach to preventing metastasis of human ovarian cancer to parenchymatous organs.
A new cell line (YKK) was established from a primary tumor of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium. Cultured YKK cells are polygonal in shape. The modal chromosome number is 46 XX. The doubling time of the cells, after the 19th passage, is 38 hours and this cell line has been propagated continuously by serial passage over 50 passages for the past 2 years. YKK displays characteristics resembling the original tumor cell from the donor patient: it contains the neuron-specific enolase and chromogranin antibody, produces neuron-specific enolase, and is sensitive to cisplatin, carboplatin, and etoposide. When YKK cells are transplanted subcutaneously together with Matrigel into nude mice they form a very large tumor invading the subcutaneous muscular tissue. This experimental model is useful for studying the mechanism(s) regulating the invasion of this tumor into muscular tissue, and for the establishment of new anti-cancer treatments for neuroendocrine carcinoma.