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Kenji Kakudo

Publications and source records attributed to Kenji Kakudo.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Calcification at the interface between titanium implants and bone: observation with confocal laser scanning microscopy.

It has not been previously possible to observe bone formation in undecalcified sections with titanium implants at high magnification because of the difficulty in sectioning bone together with implants. A method for examining the bone-implant interface in undecalcified sections is described in which implants are left in situ and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is used to examine both the implant surface and adjacent bone. Pulsing of animals at different times with the fluorescent dyes calcein and alizarin red permitted assessment of temporal patterns of bone formation by CLSM. Reflectivity of the polished implant surface permitted accurate assessment of the position of the implant relative to labeled bone. The analysis showed that bone first formed as thin processes towards and across the implant surface, followed by further bone formation behind these processes. The interface between calcified bone tissue and the implant surface was characterized by a 10-microm space. The CLSM technique enabled detailed observations of new bone formation at the titanium implant interface.

Animals↗

Changing expression of E- and P-cadherin during rat tongue carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide.

BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) develops from pre-malignant lesions, but the role of cell adhesion molecules such as E-cadherin (E-CD) and P-cadherin (P-CD) in the pre-malignant stage has not been elucidated. METHODS: The expression of E-CD and P-CD was examined immunohistochemically and biochemically in a 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO)-induced rat model of carcinogenesis. RESULTS: The expression of E-CD in the pre-malignant stage was the same as that in the normal epithelium. The expression of P-CD was even throughout the prickle cell layer in the dysplasia stage. E-CD and P-CD were expressed in essentially the same locations in SCC and in the pre-malignant stage. P-CD expression was very strong in the pre-malignant stage, compared to that in normal epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: Aberrant P-CD expression in E-CD-positive cells may play a crucial role in the progression of the pre-malignant stage of 4NQO-induced carcinogenesis, and may activate mechanisms responsible for cell proliferation.

4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide↗

Association of Epstein-Barr virus with oral cancers.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) persists in the epithelial cells of oral mucosa and often replicates on them. EBV is known to be a causative agent of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We suspect that EBV may be associated with oral cancers, and thus examined EBV expression on 28 tongues and 9 other oral cancers. We also examined 6 metastatic lesions in the lymph nodes. All cancers were squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We used mRNA in situ hybridization, immunofluorescence staining, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The mRNA in situ hybridization using a probe comprising the transcripts of the BamHIW fragment of the EBV genome demonstrated EBV mRNA in the majority of tumor cells in all cases of oral cancer, but in none of the normal tissues. RNA in situ hybridization using an EBER1 probe detected RNAs in 16 out of 24 cancers. Also, mRNA in situ hybridization using a probe of the EBV-determined nuclear antigen-2 (EBNA2) region detected positive signals in 9 out of 12 cancers. Furthermore, EBNA2, latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1) and BZLF1 were detected in these cancers by immunofluorescence staining, but were not detected in any of the epithelial cells of the normal tissues. Four out of 6 metastatic tissues showed stronger fluorescence than that in the primary tissues. RT-PCR analysis also showed EBER1 expression in 1 of the 3 tongue cancers. PCR detected the BamHIW sequence of EBV DNA in all cases, including the normal tissues tested. These findings indicate that EBV may be involved in neoplastic transformation in oral cancers, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Adult↗