Current Status on Stem Cells and Cancers of the Gastric Epithelium

Gastric cancer is still a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide in spite of declining incidence. Gastric cancers are, essentially, adenocarcinomas and one of the strongest risk factors is still infection with Helicobacter pylori. Within the last years, it became clear that gastric self-renewal and carcinogenesis are intimately linked, particularly during chronic inflammatory conditions. Generally, gastric cancer is now regarded as a disease resulting from dysregulated differentiation of stem and progenitor cells, mainly due to an inflammatory environment. However, the situation in the stomach is rather complex, consisting of two types of gastric units which show bidirectional self-renewal from an unexpectedly large variety of progenitor/stem cell populations. As in many other tumors, cancer stem cells have also been characterized for gastric cancer. This review focuses on the various gastric epithelial stem cells, how they contribute to self-renewal and which routes are known to gastric adenocarcinomas, including their stem cells.     

Lignin from Annual Plants as Raw Material Source for Flavors and Basic Chemicals

The enzymatic conversion of lignins, possibly in combination with electrochemical oxidation, makes aromatics such as syringol, guaiacol, vanillin and catechol available in the qualities required by the fragrance industry. The lignins were obtained by soda digestion from wheat straw and Miscanthus, characterized and then converted with laccases. The overall yield amounted up to 9 wt % with a product spectrum confined to four substances. Catechol was the major product, with a fraction of ≈75 %. It can easily be isolated by extraction with acetone.     

Theory of Seepage into an Auger Hole in a Confined Aquifer Overlying a Gravel Substratum

An analytical solution is presented to the problem of steady groundwater flow seeping into a pumped cylindrical hole partially penetrating a homogeneous and anisotropic confined aquifer overlying a gravel substratum. Solutions are obtained for two general cases of the problem: (1) when the level of the pumped hole is below the confining layer; (2) when it is above it. The validity of the proposed theory is tested by comparing analytical predictions obtained for a few flow situations with corresponding results obtained by numerical means. The theory presented here can be utilized to convert the rate of rise of water in a pumped auger hole into directional conductivities of soil, in areas where water is found to be in a confined state overlying a gravel substratum. The study shows that the conductivity values calculated by neglecting the confining pressure of an artesian aquifer with a gravel base [i.e., by applying the existing (Boast and Kirkham in 1971), auger hole seepage theory for a phreatic aquifer with a gravel base to confined situations] may result in serious error; hence, the artesian head of an aquifer must be accounted for while computing the conductivity values. Further, it is observed that the area contributing flow to a pumped auger hole/well with a gravel base is mostly restricted to a short radial distance from the center of the hole, particularly for situations where the gravel substratum is located close to the bottom of the hole. This is in contrast to auger hole flow situations overlying an impervious substratum, where the domain contributing flow is mostly spread out to a considerable distance from the center of the hole.     

Expandable metal mesh stents for treatment of tracheal stenoses and tracheomalacia

The treatment of tracheo-bronchial stenosis or tracheomalacia is mainly carried out by means of resection or tracheoplastic operative strategies. Since the introduction of metal-mesh stents, a definitive endoluminal therapy has to be considered under new aspects. Six patients with malignant stenosis or tracheomalacia due to compression were treated by implantation of Palmaz- or Wallstents. Immediately after the implantation, patients were relieved from dyspnoea, the forced inspiratory volume-1 (FIV1) was normalized. All implanted stents were well tolerated, even in the long-time follow-up (19 months). Bronchoscopic control showed overgrowth of the metal meshes by respiratory epithelium. The implantation of metal-mesh stents is an adequate alternative in the treatment of malignant stenosis and tracheomalacia.     

Decreased levels of a soluble form of the human adhesion receptor CD58 (LFA-3) in sera and synovial fluids of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

The mode of interaction between muramyl dipeptide (MDP), a compound with immunopharmacological activities, and 5-hydroxtryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) was studied in isolated nerve-smooth muscle preparations of the carp stomach. Application of exogenous 5-HT evoked direct smooth muscle contractions; electric neurogenic stimulation evoked twitches due to release of 5-HT from nerve endings. Contractions evoked by a high concentration of 5-HT (3-30 microM) were resistant to atropine and potentiated in the presence of MDP. Isamoltan (5-HTID antagonist) decreased the amplitude of contractions, whereas ketanserin (5-HT2 antagonist) and MDL 72,222 (5-HT3 antagonist) had no effect. The addition of low concentrations (0.1-1.5 microM) of 5-HT did not contract the preparation but caused a decrease in the amplitude of neurogenic twitches, which might be due to the presynaptic inhibition of serotonin release. This effect of 5-HT was not changed by isamoltan or ketanserin, but it was largely reduced in the presence of 5-HT3 antagonists tropisetron and MDL 72,222. This inhibitory effect of 5-HT on twitch amplitude was potentiated by MDP. The interaction of MDP with the serotonergic system thus involved not only potentiation of the postsynaptic effect of higher 5-HT concentrations, which might have been mediated via the 5-HT1 subsystem, but also presynaptic inhibition. MDP enhancement of 5-HT's inhibitory effect, mediated via 5-HT3 receptors, might represent a new feature in mutual 5-HT-MDP interactions.     

Computer quantification of delta activity in sleep EEG

The current project assessed the accuracy of a period-analytic computer program in the quantification of delta EEG activity during sleep for the purpose of the assignment of sleep stage. Ninety-four 25-sec epochs of data from two subjects were analyzed both using the computer and by two visual scorers in order to generate percent measures of the amount of delta in the EEG. This information was then used to assign stage score. A comparison of the inter-scorer and scorer/computer agreements showed good correspondence between them, with the human/computer contrasts being equivalent to the human/human contrasts. Data are presented for both the percent of delta in the records and for the agreement of stage score assignments. It was concluded that the computer program provided an acceptable alternative to human visual scoring. Suggestions as to how to implement digital computers in sleep research were presented.