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Agenesis of the permanent teeth is a congenital anomaly that is frequently seen in humans. Oligodontia is a severe type of tooth agenesis involving 6 or more congenitally missing teeth, excluding the third molars. Previous studies have indicated that mutations in the homeobox gene MSX1, paired domain transcription factor PAX9, and EDA are associated with non-syndromic oligodontia. This study reports a Japanese family (eight of 14 family members affected) with non-syndromic oligodontia who preferentially lacked molar teeth. In this family, a novel frameshift mutation (321_322insG) was identified in the paired domain of PAX9. The frameshift mutation caused altered amino acids in the paired domain and premature termination of translation by 26 amino acids. When transfected into COS-7 cells, the mRNA expression of 321_322insG PAX9 was comparable with that of wild-type PAX9. However, the mRNA of 321_322insG PAX9 was more unstable than that of wild-type PAX9. This mRNA instability caused a marked decrease in protein production, as evaluated by Western blot analysis and immunostaining. These findings suggest that the 321_322insG mutation causes insufficient function of PAX9 protein and haploinsufficiency as a genetic model of familial non-syndromic oligodontia with a PAX9 mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the present study, we studied changes in organellar DNA in the sperm cells of maturing pollen of Pelargonium zonale, a plant typical to exhibit biparental inheritance, by fluorescence microscopy after staining with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and by immunogold electron microscopy using anti-DNA antibody. Fluorescence intensities of DAPI-stained plastid nuclei in generative and sperm cells at various developmental stages were quantified with a video-intensified microscope photon counting system (VIMPCS). Results indicated that the amount of DNA per plastid in generative cells increased gradually during pollen development and reached a maximum value (about 70 T per plastid; 1 T represents the amount of DNA in a particle of T4 phage) in young sperm cells at 5 days before flowering. However, the DNA content of plastids was subsequently reduced to about 20% of the maximum value on the day of flowering. Moreover, the DNA content of the plastid further decreased to 4% of the maximum value when pollen grains were cultured for 6 h in germination medium. In contrast, the amount of DNA per mitochondrion did not decrease significantly around the flowering day. Similar results were also obtained by immunogold electron microscopy using anti-DNA antibody. The density of gold particles on plastids decreased during pollen maturation whereas labelling density on mitochondria remained relatively constant. The number of plastids and mitochondria per generative cell or per pair of sperm cells did not change significantly, indicating that the segregation of DNA by plastid division was not responsible for the decrease in the amount of DNA per plastid. These results indicate that the plastid DNA is preferentially degraded, but the mitochondrial DNA is preserved, in the sperm cells of P. zonale. While the plastid DNA of the sperm cells decreased before fertilization, it was also suggested that the low DNA contents that remain in the plastids of the sperm cells are enough to account for the biparental inheritance of plastids in P. zonale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 25 patients with mite nasal allergy and 13 healthy control subjects, levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and histamine in nasal secretions were examined before and after challenge with mite extract. The ECP level was found to be significantly higher in the washings taken 30 minutes after challenge compared with the washings taken before challenge (P < .05). ECP levels measured both before and after mite extract challenge were found to be significantly higher in the patients than in the controls (P < .01). These facts suggest that the ECP affects the nasal mucosa by causing injury to ciliated cells and by acceleration of the processes of modification and inhibition of the allergic reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to synthetic oligopeptides of Der p IL one of the major allergen molecules of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were compared between allergic and nonallergic subjects. Healthy subjects showed positive responses to crude extracts of D. pteronyssinus but only allergic subjects showed elevated cellular responses to Der p II. We synthesized three oligopeptides of Der pII in which motifs of a possible T-cell epitope were included. Of 14 subjects with positive response to Der p II three responded to all three peptides, while five did not respond to any peptide tested. In 11 allergic patients who showed positive response to Der p II responsiveness to the peptide K33-T47 was significantly higher than that to other peptides (P < 0.05)1 All the responding patients were also positive for scratch test to Der p IL suggesting that those epitopes induced IgE-promoting helper T-cell response in allergic persons On the other hand the in vitro cellular responses were not necessarily correlated to IgE production against Der pII in healthy subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case of angiolipoma occurring in the buccal mucosa of a 69-year-old male is described. The patient had noticed a painless mass in his buccal mucosa for 2 years. The surgically removed tumor, measuring 9 mm in diameter, was mainly located in the submucosal layer with focal expansion into the muscle layer. Histologically, the tumor was well-demarcated and composed of proliferations of mature fat cells and fibrous connective tissue containing many small blood vessels, which were evenly distributed. There was diffuse infiltration of a large number of mast cells, which were immunopositive for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) especially around blood vessels, suggesting that VEGF produced by mast cells in angiolipomas plays an important role in the vascular proliferation in this particular tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 39-year-old unmarried woman with increased level of CA 125 and CA 19-9 antigens. The tests conducted on her included colonoscopy, gastric endoscopy and abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The article discusses the reasons that leads to increase in the level of glycoproteins, including correlation between CA 125 levels and epithelial ovarium cancer and methods involved in its detection.

Abstract Background Plant circadian clocks regulate many photoperiodic and diurnal responses that are conserved among plant species. The plant circadian clock system has been uncovered in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, using genetics and systems biology approaches. However, it is still not clear how the clock system had been organized in the evolutionary history of plants. We recently revealed the molecular phylogeny of LHY/CCA1 genes, one of the essential components of the clock system. The aims of this study are to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of angiosperm clock-associated PRR genes, the partner of the LHY/CCA1 genes, and to clarify the evolutionary history of the plant clock system in angiosperm lineages. Results In the present study, to investigate the molecular phylogeny of PRR genes, we performed two approaches: reconstruction of phylogenetic trees and examination of syntenic relationships. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that PRR genes had diverged into three clades prior to the speciation of monocots and eudicots. Furthermore, copy numbers of PRR genes have been independently increased in monocots and eudicots as a result of ancient chromosomal duplication events. Conclusions Based on the molecular phylogenies of both PRR genes and LHY/CCA1 genes, we inferred the evolutionary process of the plant clock system in angiosperms. This scenario provides evolutionary information that a common ancestor of monocots and eudicots had retained the basic components required for reconstructing a clock system and that the plant circadian clock may have become a more elaborate mechanism after the speciation of monocots and eudicots because of the gene expansion that resulted from polyploidy events.

Abstract Background Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) is known to be involved in the initial and progressive stages of cancer development, and in the aggressive phenotypes of cancer. This study examines the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in promoter regions of MMP-1 and MMP-3 with susceptibility to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods We compared 170 Japanese OSCC cases and 164 healthy controls for genotypes of MMP-1 and MMP-3. Results The frequency of the MMP-1 2G allele was higher and that of the 1G homozygote was lower in the OSCC cases (p = 0.034). A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that subjects who were 45 years old or older had a significantly increased (2.47-fold) risk of OSCC (95%CI 1.47–4.14, p = 0.0006), and those carrying the MMP-1 2G allele had a 2.30-fold risk (95%CI 1.15–4.58, p = 0.018), indicating independent involvement of these factors in OSCC. One of the key discoveries of this research is the apparent reduction of the MMP-1 1G/1G and 1G/2G genotype distributions among the early onset OSCC cases under the ages of 45 years. It should be noted that the tongue was the primary site in 86.2% of these early onset cases. This could suggest the specific carcinogenic mechanisms, i.e. specific carcinogenic stimulations and/or genetic factors in the tongue. Conclusion Since the 2G allele is a majority of the MMP-1 genotype in the general population, it seems to act as a genetic pre-condition in OSCC development. However this report suggests a crucial impact of the MMP-1 2G allele in the early onset OSCC.

Transient visual evoked cortical potentials (VECP) were recorded from the scalp of healthy normal trichromats ( n = 12). VECPs were elicited by onset/offset presentation of patterned stimuli of two kinds: isochromatic luminance-modulated, and equiluminant red-green modulated, sine wave gratings. The amplitude and latency of the major onset components of the onset/offset VECP were measured and plotted as a function of the logarithm of pooled cone contrast. The early onset components, achromatic C1 and chromatic N1, increase linearly with log contrast, but N1 has a higher contrast gain than C1. The late onset components, achromatic C2 and chromatic N2, have similar contrast gain, and similar response as a function of contrast level: both increase in the low-to-medium range of contrasts and saturate at high contrast levels. In the range of pooled cone contrast tested, C1 and N1 show similar latencies, whilst C2 shows shorter latencies than N2. We suggest that C1 and N1 are generated by the same visual mechanism with high red-green contrast gain and low luminance contrast gain, whilst C2 and N2 are generated by different visual mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate modulation of the CO[sub 2] system in the mixed layer of the northwestern North Pacific by a spring phytoplankton bloom, we conducted extensive oceanographic observations for two periods (May 13-15 and 24-28, 1999) during the M R99-K02 cruise by the R/V Mirai. During the first survey period, we found a patch of typical bloom conditions around lat 44.7°N, long 155.8°E (Stn 1), where the surface seawater partial pressure of CO[sub 2] (pCO[sub 2]) dropped to a level lower than 200 µatm, accompanied by high fluorescence reaching 10mgm[sup -3] (arbitrary unit). By comparing the vertical profiles of salinity-normalized total CO[sub 2] (nTCO[sub 2]) and nitrate + nitrite (nNO[sub x]) between Stn 1 and Stn 2 (a pre-bloom station), we found that drawdown of nTCO[sub 2] (approx. 109 µmolkg[sup -1]) and uNO[sub x] (approx. 20 µmol kg[sup -1]) occurred in the mixed layer. During the second survey period, spatial variations in the chemical properties at the sea surface in the survey area were not as conspicuous as found in the first survey period, but the drawdown of nTCO[sub 2] and nNO[sub x] extended to deeper layers at the selected stations (Stns 3-5) than at Stn 1, in association with deepening of the mixed layers. The air-sea CO[sub 2] fluxes calculated from the formula of Liss and Merlivat (In: Buat-Menard, P. (Ed.), The Role of Air Sea Exchange in Geochemical Cycling. NATO ASI Series C: Mathematical and Physical Science, Vol. 185, 1986, pp. 113-127) were approximately -12 to -16mmol m[sup -2]d[sup -1] (i.e. into the ocean) around Stns 1, 3, and 4, while the CO[sub 2] flux was approximately 3 mmol m[sup -2] d[sup -1] around Stn 2. For the nTCO[sub 2] drawdown, the influence of CaCO[sub 3] production/ dissolution was estimated to be negligible, because salinity-normalized total alkalinity+nNO[sub x] was almost constant against changes in nTCO[sub 2]. ΔC/ΔN (mol/mol) ratios were approximately 5.6 at Stns 1, 3, and 4,... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: T-cell infiltration in tumors has been used as a prognostic tool in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the influence of smoking habit and histological type on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in NSCLC remains unclear. Patients and methods: We evaluated the prognostic significance of TILs (CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, and FOXP3+) according to histological type and smoking habit using automatic immunohistochemical staining and cell counting in 218 patients with NSCLC. Results: In multivariate survival analyses of clinical, pathological, and immunological factors, a high ratio of FOXP3+ to CD4+ T cells (FOXP3/CD4) [hazard ratio (HR): 4.46, P < 0.01 for overall survival (OS); HR: 1.96, P < 0.05 for recurrencefree survival (RFS)] and a low accumulation of CD20+ B cells (HR: 2.45, P = 0.09 for OS; HR: 2.86, P < 0.01 for RFS) were identified as worse prognostic factors in patients with adenocarcinoma (AD). In non-AD, a low number of CD8+ T cells were correlated with an unfavorable outcome (HR: 7.69, P < 0.01 for OS; HR: 3.57, P < 0.02 for RFS). Regarding smoking habit in AD, a high FOXP3/CD4 ratio was poorly prognostic with a smoking history (HR: 5.21, P < 0.01 for OS; HR: 2.38, P < 0.03 for RFS), whereas a low accumulation of CD20+ B cells (HR: 4.54, P = 0.03 for OS; HR: 2.94, P < 0.01 for RFS) was confirmed as an unfavorable factor in non-smokers with AD. Conclusions: A low number of CD8+ T cells in non-AD, a high FOXP3/CD4 ratio in smokers with AD, and a low number of CD20+ B cells in non-smokers with AD were identified as independent unfavorable prognostic factors in resected NSCLC. Evaluating the influence of histological type and smoking habit on the immunological environment may lead to the establishment of immunological diagnosis and appropriate individualized immunotherapy for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study is to characterize immunohistochemical profiles of lining epithelia of nasopalatine duct cyst ( NPC) as well as to correlate those findings with their clinicopathological features to understand the histopathogenesis of NPC. Materials and methods Forty-one surgical specimens from NPC were examined for clinical profiles and expression of keratin-7, 13, MUC-1, and P63 by immunohistochemistry, compared to radicular cyst ( RC) and maxillary sinusitis. Results Nasopalatine duct cyst was clinically characterized by male predominant occurrence: 44% of the cases involved tooth roots, and 70% with inflammatory backgrounds. Lining epithelia of NPCs without daughter cysts were immunohistochemically distinguished into three layers: a keratin 7-positive (+) ciliated cell layer in the surface, a keratin-13+ middle layer, and a MUC-1+/P63+ lower half, indicating that they were not respiratory epithelia, and the same layering pattern was observed in RC. However, those immunolocalization patterns of the main cyst lining with daughter cyst were exactly the same as those of daughter cyst linings as well as duct epithelia of mucous glands. Conclusions Two possible histopathogeneses of NPC were clarified: one was inflammatory cyst like RC and the other was salivary duct cyst-like mucocele. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]