Effects of mandibular advancement on supine airway size in normal subjects during sleep

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine changes in the upper-airway dimension and its surrounding structures induced by mandibular advancement during sleep. DESIGN: Eleven nonapneic adult males participated in the study. A set of supine lateral cephalograms was taken for each subject at the end of expiration during stage 1 and 2 non-rapid-eye-movement sleep with and without a Klearway appliance (Great Lakes Orthodontics, NY, USA), which was adjusted to 67% of the maximum protrusion position. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare changes in the anteroposterior width of the upper airway and the positions of the hyoid bone and third cervical vertebra with and without the appliance. SETTING: N/A. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: N/A. INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The amount of jaw opening was significantly increased by wearing the titratable oral appliance, and the mandibular symphysis moved backward. The sagittal dimension of the superior pharyngeal airway was significantly increased; however, no significant changes were found in the middle and inferior pharyngeal airway. Significant posterior displacement of the hyoid bone and third cervical vertebra was seen. Moreover, significant inferior displacement of the hyoid bone was also seen. The relationship among the mandibular symphysis, the hyoid bone, and the third cervical vertebra remained constant. CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular advancement significantly increases the size of the upper airway in the velopharynx and results in posteroinferior displacement of the hyoid bone and posterior displacement of the third cervical vertebra during sleep.     

The effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ligand on urological cancer cells

Peroxisome proliferator activator-receptor (PPAR)-gamma ligand induces growth arrest of cancer cells through apoptosis. In this study, we examined the effects of PPAR-gamma inhibitors on cell proliferation in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), bladder tumor (BT), and prostatic carcinoma (PC) cell lines. We investigated the inhibitory effect of PPAR-gamma ligands, troglitazone and 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15dPGJ2) on RCC, BT and PC-derived cell lines using MTT assay and Hoechst staining. PPAR-gamma ligands (troglitazone and 15dPGJ2) induced the reduction of cell viability with the half-maximal concentration of growth inhibition of RCC, BT, and PC cell lines. Furthermore, counting cells at days 1, 2 and 3, clearly showed marked inhibition of cell proliferation using troglitazone and 15dPGJ2. All PPAR-gamma inhibitors stopped the growth of all RCC, BT and PC cells. Cells treated with PPAR-gamma inhibitors showed chromatin condensation, cellular shrinkage, small membrane-bound bodies (apoptotic bodies), and cytoplasmic condensation. These cellular changes were typically redundant characteristics of apoptosis. PPAR-gamma ligands may mediate potent antiproliferative effects against RCC, BT and PC cells through differentiation. Thus, PPAR-gamma may become a new target in treatment of urological tumors.     

Analysis of the immune response induced by a single xenoantigen in vivo

Transgenic mice expressing human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules would provide a valuable model system for studying murine anti-human MHC immune response. We have previously shown that skin from HLA-DR1 transgenic mice was rejected by control littermates and spleen cells from rejecting mice were able to proliferate to donor cells. The aim of this paper is to analyze the mechanism of recognition of this xenoantigen and the possible involvement of antibody response in anti-HLA-DR1 immune response. Control littermates were immunized with spleen cells from HLA-DR1 transgenic (TG) mice; at indicated times, xenoantigen-specific proliferation and IFNgamma production was assessed using APC obtained from HLA-DR1 TG mice. Mixed direct-indirect pathway of xenoantigen recognition was suggested by the following findings: i)T cell response to HLA-DR1 was inhibited adding in culture monoclonal antibodies directed either to donor (HLA-DR) or to recipient MHC (I-A); ii) APC from control mice pulsed with purified DR1 molecules were able to induce proliferation by FVB/N mice immunized with transgenic spleen cells. HLA-DR1 recognition permits DR peptide-specific T cell response by lymphocytes of control littermates immunized with the xenoantigen. In addition, we detected xenoreactive IgM and IgG2 antibodies. Our data suggest that HLA-DR1 xenoantigen may be recognized through direct or indirect pathway and provide additional information on mouse anti-human HLA immune response.     

Relationship between lipoxygenase and human testicular cancer

The metabolism of arachidonic acid by either the cyclooxygenase (COX) or lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway generates eicosanoids, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of human diseases, including cancer. They are now believed to play important roles in tumor promotion, progression, and metastasis, and the involvement of LOX expression and function in tumor growth and metastasis has been reported in human tumor cell lines. Expressions of 5-LOX and 12-LOX in human testicular cancer (TC), and normal testis (NT) tissues were examined, as well as effects of their inhibitors on cell proliferation in TC cell line. Expressions of 5-LOX and 12-LOX were detected by immunohistochemistry. Effects of LOX inhibitors on TC cell growth were examined by MTT assay. While 5-LOX and 12-LOX expressions were slightly detected in NT tissues, expressions of 5-LOX and 12-LOX were significant detected in TC tissues by immunohistochemistry. The LOX inhibitors inhibited the growth of TC cells. LOX is induced in TC, and results may suggest that LOXs are essential for cell growth of TC cells.     

Hypersegmentation of inflammatory cells in Langerhans cell granulomatosis

Langerhans cell granulomatosis (LCG) is characterized by a mixture of Langerhans cells and eosinophils in varying proportions. The characteristic morphology of Langerhans cells have already been described in many articles, but little attention has been paid to inflammatory cells. We examined six cases of Langerhans cell granulomatosis, which had originally been diagnosed as eosinophilic granuloma. Inflammatory cells present in LCG showed hypersegmentation. Twenty percent to 70% of eosinophils had three or more segmented nuclei, and 10-25% of neutrophils had five or more segmented nuclei. Such findings have never been described, and we believe hypersegmentation to be a feature of LCG. Furthermore, we emphasize that eosinophils in LCG mimic neutrophils in ethanol-fixed preparations, and thus may be a pitfall in making a diagnosis in cytology and intraoperative consultation.     

Glomerulonephritis with fibrillary deposition in a transgenic mouse carrying the human prototype c-Ha-ras gene (rasH2 mouse)

Glomerulonephritis was observed in a 34-week-old transgenic CB6F1 mouse carrying the human prototype c-Ha-ras gene (rasH2 mouse) from a medium-term carcinogenicity study of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU). Lesions were characterized by severe diffuse enlargement and prominent hyalinization of glomeruli. The hyaline material was positive for periodic acid-Schiff but negative for amyloid by the Congo red method. Immunohistochemically, affected glomeruli were positive for polyclonal anti-mouse IgG. Ultrastructurally, there were characteristic subendothelial and mesangial deposits composed of fibrils showing a fingerprint pattern. Lamellae were 7.5-14.3 nm in diameter and formed multilayered structures. In addition to the renal lesions, a lymphoma was observed in the thymus, with metastasis to the spleen and some lymph nodes. However, there was no glomerulonephritis in 32 other mice bearing thymic lymphomas and in more than 40 males and females given MNU in the same study. Thus, the lesions in this mouse may have been spontaneous. Glomerulonephritis was not found in more than 120 other male and female rasH2 mice in our facility. This is the first report of glomerulonephritis in a rasH2 mouse, a promising candidate for medium-term carcinogenicity risk assessment.     

Glycogen storage disease type III with muscle involvement: reappraisal of phenotypic variability and prognosis.

A review of the case histories of 19 Japanese patients with enzymatically proven glycogen storage disease (GSD) III who developed muscular symptoms at various ages illustrates the phenotypic variability of this disease. There seem to be 4 subgroups of GSD III with muscle involvement according to the clinical symptoms. The first group of patients is characterized by the childhood onset of muscle weakness and hepatic disorders. The second group of patients develops muscular symptoms in adult years while the liver symptoms start in childhood. The third group includes the patients whose muscle weakness started in adult years long after liver symptoms in childhood had disappeared. The fourth group shows only muscular symptoms as adults without any sign or history of liver dysfunction since childhood. The prognosis for each subgroup seems to be different; however, none of them appears to be better than that for GSD I, as has been suggested previously.     

Immunohistochemical evaluation of the neurotoxic effects of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons of young adult mice using dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase antibodies

The recovery of dopamine (DA) neurons in young adult mice from 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) damage was analyzed at various times after MPTP treatment with DA and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry and also by chemical DA assay. A remarkable discrepancy in the recovery rate of DA and TH reactivities of the nigral neurons was observed: the TH immunoreactivities of both cell bodies in the substantia nigra and terminals in the neostriatum were markedly reduced 4 days after MPTP. However, these reactivities progressively improved and almost fully recovered after 25 days, while the DA immunoreactivities were maximally depleted 10 days after, and the depletion continued even through the 25th day. The alteration of DA levels was correlated with that of DA immunoreactivity. These findings suggest that a major effect of MPTP on the DA neurons of young adult mice is a transient neurotoxicity, and that the TH content improves more promptly than that of DA.