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ABSTRACT: Zygomycosis is a life-threatening fungal infection, and its successful treatment requires early diagnosis. To establish radiologic and clinical criteria for early diagnosis, we reviewed 3 post-mortem cases with zygomycosis secondary to hematological diseases. In all cases, an irregular dilatation of pulmonary veins on computed tomography suggested venous invasion by fungal hyphae, which was confirmed at autopsy. In addition, serum samples tested negative for the Aspergillus galactomannan antigen in all cases. These distinguishing radiologic and clinical features may contribute to an earlier diagnosis; more radical treatments, such as amphotericin-B or pulmonary resection; and a more successful outcome for patients with zygomycosis.
Journal of thoracic imaging 09/2011; 27(4):W97-9. · 1.42 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Since the discovery of RNA interference, short interfering RNA (siRNA) has become a standard research tool. However, expression of siRNA in lung alveolar epithelial cells has remained a problem. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are known to have low toxicity, and AAV type 5 vectors transduce these cells efficiently. In this study, LacZ expression was higher using AAV2/5-LacZ and LA-4 cells compared with transfection of plasmid or transduction to 3T12-3 cells. The authors designed 10 different siRNAs against mouse transforming growth factor β1 (Tgfβ1), selected one with the highest knockdown efficiency, and transduced the AAV vectors carrying the short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to target cells. The AAV vectors transduced LA-4 cells 50 times more efficiently than 3T12-3 cells, and suppression of Tgfβ1 protein expression was similar, at approximately 50%. Knockdown of mRNA was only seen in LA-4 cells. Inhibition of Tgfβ1 resulted in higher number of LA-4 cells, lower number of 3T12-3 cells, and decreased procollagen expression in LA-4 cells. Higher transduction was seen in H23 cells than in H1975 cells, and low transduction was seen MH-S cells. This study shows that AAV2/5 can be used to carry shRNA and suppress gene function in lung alveolar epithelium-derived cells.
Experimental Lung Research 01/2011; 37(3):175-85. · 1.22 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To elucidate the clinical and radiological features of tuberculous pneumonia in patients with pulmonary emphysema.
Three emphysematous cases diagnosed with tuberculous pneumonia are clinically and radiologically reviewed.
Case 1 was a 62-year-old male with an infiltrate in the right upper lobe. A CT scan showed diffuse emphysema and a nonsegmental infiltrate without typical signs of bronchogenic spread. Sputum was negative for acid-fast bacilli. The infiltrate showed a nonsegmental spread unresponsive to antibiotics. Mycobacterium tuberculosis grew from a needle biopsy specimen five weeks after admission. The infiltrate disappeared with antituberculous treatment. Case 2 was an 82-year-old male, who presented with seven weeks of low-grade fever followed by high fever and lobar pneumonia in the right upper lobe. Sputum was positive for acid-fast bacilli on smear and tuberculosis PCR, leading to a diagnosis of tuberculous pneumonia. Case 3 was a 57-year-old male who had a history of dry cough lasting for one month. CT findings included a diffuse emphysematous change and a left upper lobe infiltrate, indistinguishable from bacterial pneumonia. His bronchoalveolar lavage was positive for tuberculosis PCR, which led to a diagnosis of tuberculous pneumonia.
Tuberculous pneumonia in emphysematous patients can be nonsegmental, lacks bronchogenic spread, is indistinguishable from bacterial pneumonia, and clinically shows a poor inflammatory reaction, which is distinct from classical "caseous pneumonia.
Kekkaku: [Tuberculosis] 05/2010; 85(5):453-60.
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Masashi Kusakabe,
Tomoko Kutomi,
Kousuke Watanabe,
Noriko Emoto,
Naomi Aki,
Hidenori Kage,
Emi Hamano, Hiroshi Kitagawa,
Takahide Nagase,
Atsushi Sano,
Yukihiro Yoshida,
Takeshi Fukami,
Tomohiro Murakawa,
Jun Nakajima,
Shinichi Takamoto,
Satoshi Ota,
Masashi Fukayama,
Yutaka Yatomi,
Nobuya Ohishi,
Daiya Takai
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ABSTRACT: Epigenetic changes can lead to abnormal expression of genes in cancer, and several genes have been reported to have aberrant promoter DNA methylation in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We identified aberrantly methylated genes in NSCLC by combination of in silico and experimental approaches. We first applied bioinformatics, and from microarray datasets, we selected genes with low expression and having functions related to cancer. Next, combined bisulfite restriction analysis was carried out in 10 pooled resected lung cancer tissues to screen for genes that were aberrantly methylated, and the methylation ratio (the fraction of methylated DNA in extracted DNA from a cancer tissue sample) was quantified using quantitative analysis of methylated alleles. We identified 8 methylated genes (ARPC1B, DNAH9, FLRT2, G0S2, IRS2, PKP1, SPOCK1 and UCHL1) previously unreported in NSCLC. Analyses of methylation profiles of 101 resected lung cancer tissue samples revealed quantitatively low methylation in whole, methylation ratios were almost less than 30% even in the methylated samples, and no significant correlation to prognosis after 2 years of follow-up using hierarchical clustering. DNA methylation of G0S2 gene was significantly more frequent in squamous lung cancer (n = 18, mean of methylation ratios: 15%) compared with nonsquamous lung cancer (n = 83, mean of methylation ratios: 2.6%) (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.001). DNA methylation of G0S2 can be an important biomarker for squamous lung cancer.
International Journal of Cancer 10/2009; 126(8):1895-902. · 5.44 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Pulmonary complications occur in up to 60% of patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), causing significant morbidity and mortality. Among them, non-infectious bronchiolitis is considered a late complication in the form of bronchiolitis obliterans. We report a patient who developed non-infectious bronchiolitis within four weeks after undergoing HSCT for biphenotypic leukemia. Chest CT revealed centrilobular nodules that were reminiscent of diffuse panbronchiolitis, and lymphocytic bronchiolitis was confirmed by biopsy. Infection and bronchiolitis obliterans were ruled out, and the bronchiolitis resolved when leukemia relapsed. This case suggests that bronchiolitis may be another early, non-infectious pulmonary complication of HSCT.
Internal Medicine 02/2008; 47(1):61-4. · 0.94 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The field of epigenetics has made progress by the identification of the small RNA-mediated epigenetic modification. However, little is known about the key proteins. Here, we report that the human PIWI-like family is a candidate protein that is involved in the pathway responsible for chromatin remodeling. The PIWI-like family proteins, expressed as the Flag-fusion proteins, formed a bulky body and localized to the nuclear periphery. Transient transfection of PIWI-like 4 (PIWIL4), only member of the PIWI-like family that was ubiquitously expressed in human tissues, induced histone H3 lysine 9 methylation at the p16(Ink4a) (CDKN2A) locus. The elevated level of histone methylation resulted in the downregulation of the p16(Ink4a) gene. These results suggest PIWIL4 plays important roles in the chromatin-modifying pathway in human somatic cells.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 09/2007; 359(3):497-502. · 2.48 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) of the lung has been proposed as a possible precursor lesion of adenocarcinoma of the lung. In the present study, we sought to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of lung adenocarcinoma cases associated with AAH, with special reference to tobacco smoking and the presence of multiple primary carcinomas of pulmonary and extrapulmonary organs. We examined 123 surgically resected lung adenocarcinomas and conducted histopathological diagnoses for AAH and multiple primary pulmonary carcinomas. Clinicopathological characteristics such as age, sex, smoking index, survival, and the presence of extrapulmonary primary carcinomas were obtained from clinical records, and the associations among these factors were examined statistically. Sixteen lung adenocarcinoma patients had accompanying AAH (the AAH group) and 107 cases did not (the NAAH group). The incidence of primary carcinomas in extrapulmonary organs was higher in the AAH group (37.5%; 6/16) than in the NAAH group (12.5%; 13/107) (P = 0.01). Multiple primary lung cancers tended to be more frequent in the AAH group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.07). Although there was no difference in tobacco smoking between the two groups, all eight cases with multiple primary lung carcinomas were smokers. Furthermore, multiple primary lung carcinomas were found more frequently in smokers of the AAH group (37.5%; 3/8) than in the smokers of the NAAH group (7.2%; 5/69) (P = 0.04). The results suggested that constitutional or genetic factors might predispose patients to the development of AAH together with extrapulmonary primary carcinomas, and that smoking might contribute to the development of multiple primary lung adenocarcinomas, especially in patients with pre-existing AAH.
Pathology International 01/2004; 53(12):823-7. · 1.62 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A case of cystic sclerosing hemangioma of the lung is reported. A chest X-ray of a 55-year-old woman who had been suffering from a cough with sputum for several months revealed an abnormal nodular shadow. A chest CT scan revealed a solitary tumor with cystic appearance occupying S7 of the right lung and the inferior pulmonary ligament. Radiological differential diagnosis for the lesion included bronchogenic cyst, cystic Schwannoma, pulmonary necrotic carcinoid, and lung carcinoma. Right lower lobectomy was carried out and the lesion was pathologically diagnosed as sclerosing hemangioma of the lung with cystic features, expanding into the pulmonary ligament. Differential diagnosis of the cystic lesion of the lung should include cystic sclerosing hemangioma as observed in this case.
Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology 08/2003; 33(7):360-3. · 1.78 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Acute mediastinal hemorrhage is rarely caused by a rupture of mediastinal neoplasms. We herein report a 70-year-old man who presented with mediastinal parathyroid adenoma manifested by the sudden onset of mediastinal bleeding. Preoperatively, he showed no symptoms or complications associated with hypercalcemia. No particular findings were found in the thorax except for a small nodule in the upper mediastinum. The nodule was resected through a collar incision, and pathohistology showed a parathyroid adenoma, with an intracapsular hemorrhage.
Surgery Today 02/2002; 32(9):809-11. · 1.22 Impact Factor
