Motonori Okabe

Cervical cancer ranks the second female malignancy after breast cancer. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are hard to be eradicated, so can recur. We aim to isolate and characterize CSCs from HeLa cells.The...

Background: This paper reports on the efficacy of a tissue adhesive, 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate, in the treatment of corneal perforation and glaucoma filtering bleb leak. Methods: Two eyes from two patients with corneal perforation or laceration and two eyes from two patients with bleb leak were included. The patients underwent application of 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate onto the perforated or leaking site, and a hydrogel contact lens was applied as a bandage. We also evaluated the in vitro cell toxicity of 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate in HeLa cells. Results: The two cases of corneal perforation were repaired within 22 days with one application of the tissue adhesive. The two cases of bleb leak were repaired with 2–4 applications of the tissue adhesive over 134 (range 17–134) days). There were no recurrences or adverse effects during a mean follow-up period of 12.7 months. In vitro testing revealed that 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate was markedly toxic to HeLa cells. Conclusion: Four patients with corneal perforation or bleb leak were successfully managed using 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive. This simple and easy surgical technique may become an alternative therapeutic option for corneal perforation or bleb leak, although several applications of this tissue adhesive may be required. Although 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate was toxic to HeLa cells, no adverse clinical effects were noted using this adhesive.

Objectives: To overcome the lack of the autografts in revision ear surgery, the usefulness of human amniotic membrane (AM) patches as a dressing substitute for fascia grafts of the temporal muscle (temporalis fascia graft) was investigated in canal wall down tympanoplasty. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: In 11 ears of 11 patients, the AM was attached over the bony surface of the mastoid cavity (AM group). In 11 ears of nine patients, the temporalis fascia graft was attached over the bony surface of the mastoid cavity (fascia group). The times for graft epithelization were compared in both groups. Results: In both groups, complete epithelization of the mastoid cavity took place in all patients. The time of epithelization in the AM group was 32 days, whereas in the fascia group it was 45 days. Complete epithelization of the AM graft was significantly faster than the fascia graft (P < .05). Conclusions: Hyperdry AM might be a new useful dressing substitute for temporalis fascia graft due to the reduction in the epithlializing time offered by the AM in revision ear surgery.

The inhibitory effect of 3-butylidene-4,5-dihydroxyphthalide (BP-42) on platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced DNA synthesis was investigated in synchronized smooth muscle cells (SMC) in primary culture of rat aorta. BP-42 (0.3-3 micrograms/ml) inhibited the PDGF-BB (30 ng/ml)-stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation of the SMC in a concentration-dependent manner. BP-42 inhibited both the competence and progression phases of [3H]thymidine incorporation induced by PDGF-BB. Using the competence assay, BP-42 (0.3-10 micrograms/ml) delayed PDGF-BB (30 ng/ml)-accelerated starting time of [3H]thymidine incorporation in a concentration-dependent manner, confirming that BP-42 inhibited PDGF-BB-induced competence phase of DNA synthesis of SMC. BP-42 (1-10 micrograms/ml) also delayed basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF: 30 ng/ml)-accelerated starting time of [3H]thymidine incorporation. The inhibitory potency of BP-42 for the competence action of PDGF-BB was similar to that for the action of bFGF. BP-421 (3-heptylidene-4,5-dihydroxyphthalide) and BP-422 (3-benzylidene-4,5-dihydroxyphthalide) had 3-fold greater inhibitory potencies than BP-42 for the PDGF-BB-induced competence activity. These results demonstrated that BP-42 inhibited PDGF-BB-induced competence activity of DNA synthesis in primary cultured SMC of rat aorta via a common signal transduction mechanism with bFGF. BP-421 and BP-422 were more potent inhibitors for the competence activity, suggesting that they may become a prototype of new anti-atherosclerotic drugs.

The time-dependent effect of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) on cell proliferation was investigated to clarify whether PDGF accelerates the rate of proliferation or its start in primary cultured smooth muscle cells (SMC) of rat aorta. In synchronized SMC at the G₀ phase, 1, 10 and 100 ng/ml PDGF started DNA synthesis at 24, 15-18 and 12 hr, respectively, after stimulation by 3% fetal bovine serum (FBS) or hypophysectomized rat plasma (deficient in insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I)). Heparin (1, 10 or 100 μg/ml) decreased only the rate of DNA synthesis stimulated by PDGF in synchronized SMC. DNA synthesis in non-synchronized cells stimulated by PDGF with FBS was determined up to 10 days in culture. The stimulation with 1% FBS plus 30 ng/ml PDGF potentiated the DNA synthesis which was saturated with stimulation by 10% FBS alone, suggesting that prolonged treatment of PDGF transforms SMC. These results demonstrated that PDGF concentration-dependently accelerated the induction of competence independently of IGF-I, and heparin did not inhibit PDGF-induced competence but inhibited progression in primary cultured SMC of rat aorta.