Area Of Nests Research Articles

Dutcher bodies as a diagnostic key to POEMS syndrome.

A 55-year-old Japanese man was presented to our hospital for examination of edema in the lower legs, followed by numbness in the lower legs and penis, and erectile dysfunction for the past 4 months. Physical examination showed hypoesthesia of the bilateral feet, indicating peripheral polyneuropathy. Imaging studies showed pleural and pericardial effusions. Blood tests revealed high levels in leukocyte (108.2 × 102 /µl) and platelet (63.7 × 104 /µl) counts, C-reactive protein (1.27 mg/dl), potassium (7.2 mmol/L), blood urea nitrogen (82 mg/dl), and creatinine (2.22 mg/dl). Acute kidney injury was suggested. Computerized tomography of the sagittal section of the body showed multiple osteosclerotic lesions in the vertebrae (Figure 1A, arrowheads). A metastatic bone tumor was suspected, although tumor markers and history presented no evidence of the primary tumor. A biopsy of the osteosclerotic lesions was performed. Hematoxylin-eosin image of the bone biopsy showed a few areas of tiny cellular nests among sclerotic bones at low magnification (Figure 1B, circles; bar: 200 µm). A careful examination of the cells in the nests at high power revealed the presence of nuclear pseudoinclusion called Dutcher bodies (Figure 1C, circles; bar: 20.0 µm), suggesting their plasma cell origin. Immunohistochemistry showed that the lesion was positive for CD138 and negative for cytokeratin AE1/AE3. In situ hybridization for immunoglobulin (Ig) κ and Ig λ confirmed that the tumor was an Ig λ-positive plasma cell neoplasm. Taken together, the diagnosis was established as POEMS syndrome, characterized by polyneuropathy (“P”), organomegaly (“O”), endocrine abnormality (“E”), monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells (“M”), and skin lesion (“S”). [1] The present case meets its one major criteria (osteosclerotic bone lesions) and two minor criteria (extravascular volume overload and thrombocytosis) in addition to “P” and “M”. The patient underwent Rd (lenalidomide and dexamethasone) therapy, followed by high-dose melphalan administration and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Four and a half years later, a bone marrow aspiration sample was negative for minimal residual disease by 8-color flow cytometry. In the present case, a plethora of clinical findings hampered a unified interpretation, and hence, an early diagnosis. A pathologist's eye integrated a histological clue (Dutcher bodies) and all clinical findings, leading to a definite diagnosis. We have no funding resources to declare for this work. The authors declare no conflict of interest. This work was approved by the Ethics Review Board of Hyogo Medical University (No.0231). Informed consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of this article. The data that support the findings of this study are available at reasonable request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Diversity and spatial distribution of native bees in Mt. Banahaw de Lucban, Philippines

Abstract Native bees are pollinators and bioindicators of ecosystem health but only little is known about its abundance, species distribution, and habitat range, especially in the Philippines. This study assessed the diversity and spatial distribution of native bees in Mt. Banahaw de Lucban (MBDL). Belt transect coupled with opportunistic sampling were used in the inventory of bees and their nests. Nests occurrence and 7 environmental predictor variables including; 1) annual mean temperature; 2) precipitation of warmest quarter; 3) elevation; 4) slope; 5) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI); 6) distance to agricultural areas (m); and 7) distance to forested areas (m) were used for modeling species distribution by MaxEnt. A total of 16 species of native bees including representatives from genus Apis, Tetragonula, Lasioglossum, Halictus, Hylaeus and Megachile were identified. A total of 96 bee nests from 5 species were also recorded yielding a nests density of 234 nests per km2. Results showed medium diversity of solitary native bees with H’ of 2.488. Most bee nests were found in lower elevations while the distance from agricultural areas and the distance from forest areas had the highest contributions to the nesting of Apis breviligula, A. cerana, and Tetragonula biroi. The mean distance from forest areas of all bee nests was 649.930 m and the mean extent of suitable area for these species was 5.340 km2. Hence, a landscape approach may be more appropriate to conserve native bees and sustain the ecosystem services they provide in MBDL.

Remote detection and measurement of leaf-cutting ant nests using deep learning and an unmanned aerial vehicle

Leaf-cutting ants are the main group of insect pests in Brazilian forest plantations, and their nests can be visually identified in remotely sensed images. This study compares two distinct pattern recognition methodologies, each with different computational costs, for detecting and measuring leaf-cutting ant (LCA) nests in RGB images acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aiming to develop an efficient detection system for day-to-day Eucalyptus plantation management. The first methodology (MLP) is based on traditional Multilayer Perceptron Neural Networks combined with the sliding window technique. The second methodology uses the new Convolutional Neural Networks YOLOv5 architecture, which is a deep learning approach applied to RGB imagery and requires more time and memory. For each input image, existing LCA nests were detected and measured based on their bounding box areas. Images were classified to detect the presence and measure the area of LCA nests. The quality of both methodologies were evaluated using accuracy, Kappa, sensitivity, specificity, and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) metrics, considering training and test data sets. Performances of the YOLOv5 methodology were highly superior to those of the MLP methodology, with 98.45% accuracy using the YOLOv5 large architecture net and 0.49% MAPE in measuring the nests with YOLOv5s nets, whose performance was superior to the MLP results (65.45%), demonstrating high complexity in identifying the targets in the field. The YOLOv5 approach, applied to RGB images acquired by UAVs, shows great promise for precision monitoring of LCA nests, and thus can reduce and optimize insecticide use in forest plantation areas.

Diagnóstico da relação de degradação de solo e planta em área de cultivo de Eucalyptus urophylla com a presença de térmitas e formigas

Térmitas e formigas são agentes bióticos com alto nível de diversificação, indicando degradação do solo e deficiência nutricional do mesmo. Com os danos causados por eles, no solo e em plantas de eucalipto, faz-se necessário o controle dessas pragas, de maneira que, para o sucesso da aplicação do manejo integrado de pragas, a avaliação populacional desses indivíduos é fundamental, sendo imprescindível saber como eles se distribuem no campo. Dessa forma, objetivou-se investigar a dinâmica de distribuição espacial de ninhos de formigas e termitas em uma área de floresta plantada de eucalipto, bem como estudar o impacto causado por essas pragas no solo e na planta. Na avaliação dos atributos no plantio de Eucalyptus urophylla foram cinco: (1) o número de árvores mortas, (2) número de formigueiro e (3) número de ninhos de térmitas, (4) área dos formigueiros e (5) área dos ninhos de térmitas. Para os atributos de área de ninhos de formiga e térmitas foi coletado de 3 a 5 amostras das áreas, em seguida realizou a média, a fim de corresponder a cada ponto georreferenciado. Houve uma distribuição irregular dos ninhos de formigas e de térmitas pela área de estudo, atenuando a invasão do capim, principalmente em locais com maior número de ninhos de formigas, recomendando a manutenção deste povoamento em função destes agentes bióticos na área.

Участие жировой ткани в заживлении сквозной операционной раны стенки матки крысы

Introduction. Data about the role of components of adipose tissue in the repair of damaged uterine walls are limited, although a number of authors claim that cell-based drugs from adipose tissue have a positive effect on the repair of damaged uterine walls in laboratory rodents. Meanwhile, stem cells derived from adipose tissue are considered to be the most promising type of cells in regenerative medicine. The aim of the studywas to evaluate the adipocyte components in the uterine wall of rats in healing after a full-thickness surgi-cal incision. Materials and methods. We conducted the study on 40 female Sprague Dawley rats. The animals were sub-jected to a full-thickness longitudinal incision in the wall of the right uterine horn, with the left one serving as an intact control. We carried out morphological examinations of the uterine walls daily in 5 animals from day 1 to 7 and on day 15. The sections from paraffin blocks were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Mallory’s trichrome staining. Immunohistochemistry detected FABP4+ adipocytes and CD68+ macrophages. The morphometric study was carried out using the Leica system (Leica, Germany). The results underwent processing in the Statistica 12 software (StatSoft). Results. We noticed the period of the most active interaction of adipose tissue with the damaged horn to last from day 3 to 15 and coincide with the macrophage activation in the healing zone. The intact left uterine horn was not involved in the interaction processes with the mesenteric adipose tissue. Starting from day 3 FABP4+ cells in the uterine wall of the operated horn formed groups, creating rounded nest-like structures. Clusters of FABP4+ cells were localized in the healing zone, near the suture material, and in the perime-trium near the mesentery attachment sites. The changes over time of the indicators of the area of cell nests depended on the localization and duration of healing. There were no FABP4+ cells in the left intact horn. Conclusion. We characterized the morphological interaction of adipose tissue with the damaged uterine wall during the first two weeks after a full-thickness surgical incision of the rat uterine horn. The results of the study indicate that adipocytes take an active part in the healing after a surgical incision of the rat uterine wall at the earliest stages. Keywords: rat uterus, hysterotomy, healing, adipocytes, macrophages

Which is the best field method for assessing volume and surface area of arboreal termite nests?

Arboreal nests of eusocial insects are typically roughly egg- or pear shaped with superficial irregularities, which makes the correct determination of their volume or surface area in the field difficult. Here, we evaluated the accuracy (benefit) of different geometric proxies with varying number of underlying measurements (cost) when assessing the volume and surface area of arboreal termite nests of Microcerotermes indistinctus and Constrictotermes cyphergaster. We compared size measures based on the 3D models with the most common shape models in literature: spheres (1–3 parameters), ellipsoids (3 parameters), cylinders (3 parameters), and a combination of superimposed cylinders with spherical caps (at least 9 parameters). The most complex model returned the most accurate results (low estimation error and low error variability). However, estimation errors did not differ from simpler shape models, based on only three (ellipsoids, spheres using half of the arithmetic mean of height, width and depth as radius) or even a single parameter (spheres using half of depth as radius). Cylindric proxies and spheres based on nest height or width, on the other hand, returned far less accurate results with estimation errors of up to almost 300%. Although nests of M. indistinctus showed a higher variation in shape and more surface irregularities than those of C. cyphergaster, each geometric proxy tested in the present study determined the nest size of both termite species with equal precision. This suggests that each shape model may generate similarly accurate estimates of volume and surface area over a wider range of termite species that build egg-shaped arboreal nests.

Nest characteristics of the Eastern Rock Nuthatch (Sitta tephronota) in southwestern Iran

In the springs of 2015–2017, the population size and nest characteristics of the Eastern Rock Nuthatch (Sitta tephronota) were investigated. The study was conducted in a 400 hectare area of the mountainous region of southwestern Iran. In 2016, the population of the Eastern Rock Nuthatch was estimated at 33 pairs and its density was 8.25 breeding pairs per 100 ha of the study area. During the study, 45 nuthatch nests were investigated, of which 15 (33%) were found in cliffs and 28 (62%) were located in tree holes; 2% were built in house and bridge walls. The height of the nest was 214.3±112.3 cm above ground level. The mean of the horizontal and vertical depths of the nest chambers in trees was 17.8±3.7 and 12.6±3.2 cm respectively, and statistically differed from those in rocky nests (respectively 23.9±5.5 and 10.8±4.6 cm). However, chamber volumes did not statistically differ between these two nest type categories. The inner entrance areas of rocky nests were significantly smaller than those located in tree holes (respectively 11.1±2.3 and 15.3±5.5 cm2). Our findings suggest that differences in nest characteristics may be an adaptation of the Eastern Rock Nuthatch to predation.

Diagnostic performance of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in assessing lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer compared with PET

BackgroundAlthough diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) for detecting lymph node (LN) metastasis is reported to be a successful modality for primary malignant tumors, there are few studies relating to esophageal cancer. This study aimed to clarify the diagnostic performance of DWI for assessing LN metastasis compared with positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (eSCC).MethodsSeventy-six patients with histologically proven eSCC who underwent curative esophagectomy without neoadjuvant treatment were reviewed retrospectively. Harvested LNs were divided into 1229 node stations with 94 metastases. Diagnostic abilities and prognostic significance were compared.ResultsIn a station-by-station evaluation, the sensitivity was higher in DWI than PET (67% vs. 32%, P < 0.001). DWI showed more than 80% sensitivity for middle- and large-sized cancer nests and large area of cancer nests. The DWI-N0 group had a better 5-year relapse-free survival rate than the DWI-N+ group (78.5% vs. 34.2%, P < 0.001), as did the PET-N0 group. DWI-N status was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio [HR], 2.642; P = 0.048), as was PET-N status (HR 2.481; P = 0.033).ConclusionsDWI, which depends on cancer cell volume followed by elevated intranodal density, is a non-invasive modality and showed higher sensitivity than PET. It has clinical impact in predicting postoperative survival for patients with eSCC alongside its diagnostic ability and has significant performance in clinical practice.

Modifying effect of ant colonization on soil heterogeneity along a chronosequence of tropical forest restoration on slash-burn lands

Ants act as ecosystem engineers in regulating soil heterogeneities. Little is known about the degree and direction of these modifications on soils across a restoration chronosequence of tropical forests. Our objectives aimed to explore the effect of belowground-nesting ants on soil characteristics across four forest restoration stages (i.e., 12-, 28-, 42- and 53-yr olds) on slash-burn lands in the tropical Xishuangbanna, southwestern China. We confirmed the hypotheses about a positive effect of ant colonization on soil physical characteristics, and on the enrichment of microbial carbon and mineral nutrients in nest soils across the four restoration stages. Ant nests had the highest enrichment of soil organic matter (103%), readily oxidizable carbon (78%), total nitrogen (114%), available nitrogen (126%), NH4+ (133%) and NO3– (140%) at the 12-yr old stage compared with the surrounding soils. In contrast, the highest enrichment of microbial carbon (110%) in nest soils was showed at the 53-yr old stage. The enrichment of microbial carbon in nest soils increased with restoration age, but that of soil mineral nutrients would not follow the forest restorations. A higher enrichment of mineral nutrients in nest soils at the early restoration stage can improve soil fertility, which might promote the spontaneous forest restorations. A higher abundance and area of ant nests at the older restoration stage may create a higher bare space for plant development. Therefore, our results suggest that ant colonization can regulate forest restorations, possibly through creating and maintaining higher soil nutrient heterogeneity at earlier stage, and greatly stirring microbial growth and opening up space for plant development at older stage on slash-burn tropical lands.

Abstract 2648: Hypoxia-induced NADPH oxidase 5 (NOX5) promotes tumor growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma through HIF-2á signaling

Abstract Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has an increased content of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, clinical trials of antioxidant resulted in no benefit towards HNSCC anti-cancer treatment. NADPH oxidase (NOX) family is found to be the major generator of ROS which might contribute to the failure of antioxidant therapy. For the past 10 years, NOX family have been found with a range of functions in different cancers. Of which, NOX5 is the least well-understood one with limited details of signaling roles. Purpose of the study: To investigate the role of NOX5 in HNSCC. Experimental procedures: Online databases were used to analyze the expression of NOX5 in HNSCC patients. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the NOX5 expression level and its co-expression with hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) in paraffin-embedded tumor tissues surgically resected from HNSCC patients in Hong Kong. Subcutaneous xenograft model was established using NOX5-silenced HNSCC cells to evaluate the tumor growth potential in vivo. Sulforhodamine B assay and colony formation assay were used to measure the proliferation potential of NOX5-silenced HNSCC cells in vitro. Hypoxia chamber was applied to mimic the hypoxic condition of tumor tissue in vitro. Flow cytometry with Dihydroethidium staining was performed to measure the production of superoxide when silencing or overexpressing NOX5. Superoxide scavenger TEMPOL was applied to test the signaling role of superoxide generated by NOX5. Quantitative PCR and western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression level of NOX5 and HIFs in HNSCC cell lines. Results: Relative mRNA expression of NOX5 was found significantly increased in HNSCC tumor tissues comparing to normal tissues both in Oncomine and TCGA datasets. Interestingly, NOX5 expression was found higher in central areas of tumor nests with the co-expression of HIF-1α and HIF-2α in our HNSCC patients’ samples. Further, NOX5 was upregulated in HNSCC cell lines under hypoxic condition (1% oxygen). Knocking-down of NOX5 impaired HNSCC cell growth both in vivo and in vitro, and this reduction was more significant under hypoxic condition in vitro. Loss of NOX5 resulted in superoxide reduction and HIF-2α impairment but not HIF-1α. Overexpressed NOX5 induced superoxide production and HIF-2α expression, and this induction was attenuated by TEMPOL. Conclusions: Hypoxia-induced NOX5 promotes HNSCC tumor growth by regulating HIF-2α via generating superoxide. NOX5 might serve as a novel therapeutic target for treatment of HNSCC. Citation Format: Siqi Chen, Wei Gao, Jimmy Yu-Wai Chan, Thian-Sze Wong. Hypoxia-induced NADPH oxidase 5 (NOX5) promotes tumor growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma through HIF-2á signaling [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2648.

The cell-cell interaction between tumor-associated macrophages and small cell lung cancer cells is involved in tumor progression via STAT3 activation

ObjectivesSmall cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis. It is well known that various stromal cells, including macrophages, play a role in tumor progression in several types of malignant tumors; however, the significance of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in SCLC has not been fully elucidated. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a molecule well-known to be related to tumor progression. In the present study, we investigated the relationship of TAMs and SCLC cells to test the hypothesis that TAMs induce tumor progression in SCLC via STAT3 activation. Materials and methodsWe performed immunohistochemical analysis using surgically resected tumor specimens and in vitro co-culture experiments using human SCLC cell lines and human monocyte-derived macrophages. ResultsWe first demonstrated via immunostaining that STAT3 activation in tumor cells was predominantly observed in the peripheral areas of tumor nests existing near TAMs in stroma. The indirect co-culture of SCLC cells and macrophages induced STAT3 activation in both cell types, and macrophage-derived culture supernatant (CS) significantly activated STAT3 in SCLC cells. Macrophage-derived CS induced tumor cell proliferation and invasion via STAT3 activation. In addition, chemo-resistance and sphere formation were also increased by macrophage-derived CS. Macrophage-derived interleukin-6 and CC chemokine ligand 4 (CCL4/MIP-1β) were suggested to be associated with STAT3 activation in SCLC cells. CS-induced STAT3 activation in SCLC cells was suppressed by anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, but not by anti-CCL4/MIP-1β antibody. ConclusionThese results suggest that TAMs are likely involved in SCLC progression via STAT3 activation and TAM-derived IL-6 is indicated to be one of molecules related to STAT3 activation in SCLC cells. Thus, the cell-cell interaction between TAMs and SCLC cells might be a target for therapy.

Pure yolk sac tumor of testis in a 50 years old : A rare case report

Yolk sac tumor (YST) is most common in infants and children in age range of 3-8 years in pure form; however in adults, YST rarely occurs in pure form, but commonly occurs in association with other germ cell tumors as mixed forms. Less than 10 adult testicular pure YSTs have been reported in literature. We report a 50-year-old male with testicular neoplasm involving the left testis, with pain following trauma. Alpha-fetoprotein was markedly raised 5726 IU/ml, and on histopathology, characteristic features of YST with abundant Schiller–Duval bodies associated with reticular and microcystic pattern, and focal solid areas of nests and trabeculae of cuboidal cells, with prominent nucleoli and mitotic figures, were noted, and extensive histopathological search did not reveal presence of any other type of tumor.

Intraoperative photodynamic diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer patients using 5-aminolevulinic acid.

Lymph node metastasis is the strongest prognostic factor in esophageal cancer patients who have undergone esophagectomy. The accurate diagnosis of lymph node metastasis is important, but the pre-operative diagnostic accuracy is poor. The intraoperative diagnosis based on histopathological examination of frozen tissue specimens is complicated and time-consuming. Therefore, the establishment of a simple and rapid intraoperative diagnostic method is essential. Exogenous application of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) causes a selective accumulation of protoporphyrin IX, which is a fluorescent substrate, in cancer cells. The present study evaluated the feasibility of photodynamic diagnosis using ALA (ALA-PDD) for lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer. A total of 292 lymph nodes were analyzed from 8 esophageal squamous cell cancer patients treated with esophagectomy. The patients were administered ALA orally prior to surgery. Excised lymph nodes were cut in half and examined by spectrometer. The diagnostic results of ALA-PDD were compared to those of the histopathological examination. Among the 292 lymph nodes, 19 nodes (6.5%) were histologically metastatic and 21 nodes (7.2%) were PDD-positive. The sensitivity and specificity of ALA-PDD were 84.2% (16/19) and 98.2% (268/273), respectively. The area of cancer nests of the PDD-negative lymph nodes was <2 mm2. Metastatic lymph nodes, including cancer nests >4 mm2, were correctly diagnosed by ALA-PDD. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that ALA-PDD of lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer is feasible. Further investigation would make this method a simple and rapid intraoperative diagnostic tool.

The influence of mitigation on sage-grouse habitat selection within an energy development field.

Growing global energy demands ensure the continued growth of energy development. Energy development in wildlife areas can significantly impact wildlife populations. Efforts to mitigate development impacts to wildlife are on-going, but the effectiveness of such efforts is seldom monitored or assessed. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are sensitive to energy development and likely serve as an effective umbrella species for other sagebrush-steppe obligate wildlife. We assessed the response of birds within an energy development area before and after the implementation of mitigation action. Additionally, we quantified changes in habitat distribution and abundance in pre- and post-mitigation landscapes. Sage-grouse avoidance of energy development at large spatial scales is well documented. We limited our research to directly within an energy development field in order to assess the influence of mitigation in close proximity to energy infrastructure. We used nest-location data (n = 488) within an energy development field to develop habitat selection models using logistic regression on data from 4 years of research prior to mitigation and for 4 years following the implementation of extensive mitigation efforts (e.g., decreased activity, buried powerlines). The post-mitigation habitat selection models indicated less avoidance of wells (well density β = 0.18 ± 0.08) than the pre-mitigation models (well density β = -0.09 ± 0.11). However, birds still avoided areas of high well density and nests were not found in areas with greater than 4 wells per km2 and the majority of nests (63%) were located in areas with ≤ 1 well per km2. Several other model coefficients differed between the two time periods and indicated stronger selection for sagebrush (pre-mitigation β = 0.30 ± 0.09; post-mitigation β = 0.82 ± 0.08) and less avoidance of rugged terrain (pre-mitigation β = -0.35 ± 0.12; post-mitigation β = -0.05 ± 0.09). Mitigation efforts implemented may be responsible for the measurable improvement in sage-grouse nesting habitats within the development area. However, we cannot reject alternative hypotheses concerning the influence of population density and intraspecific competition. Additionally, we were unable to assess the actual fitness consequences of mitigation or the source-sink dynamics of the habitats. We compared the pre-mitigation and post-mitigation models predicted as maps with habitats ranked from low to high relative probability of use (equal-area bins: 1 – 5). We found more improvement in habitat rank between the two time periods around mitigated wells compared to non-mitigated wells. Informed mitigation within energy development fields could help improve habitats within the field. We recommend that any mitigation effort include well-informed plans to monitor the effectiveness of the implemented mitigation actions that assess both habitat use and relevant fitness parameters.

First Record of the Leaf Chafer Beetle Leucothyreus suturalis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) Inhabiting Termite Nests, With Notes on Its Life History

ABSTRACT We provide the first record of the leaf chafer beetle Leucothyreus suturalis Castelnau (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) associated with nests of Cornitermes cumulans (Kollar) and Silvestritermes holmgreni (Snyder) (Termitidae: Syntermitinae), including notes on the life cycle of the guest. We found 13 third-instar larvae in eight nests of C. cumulans and eight third-instar larvae in a single nest of S. holmgreni located in pasturelands or in forest edges of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. In nests of both termite species, L. suturalis larvae were found imbedded in peripheral areas of nests. Larval development was similar regardless of the termite host nest. We supplement the knowledge of scarab—termite associations, report the first leaf chafer (Rutelinae) association with termite hosts, and provide life history comparisons of termitophile versus nontermitophile in the genus Leucothyreus MacLeay.

Diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT for lymph node metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of hybrid positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for lymph node (LN) metastasis of esophageal cancer. We also investigated the correlation between the size of metastatic nests and the detection by PET/CT. Two hundred and fifty-eight patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent esophagectomy with two- or three-field radical lymphadenectomy were analyzed retrospectively. We compared the diagnosis of preoperative PET/CT to the postoperative histopathological examination by each anatomical field (n = 1,231) in all 258 patients. The metastatic LNs resected from PET/CT positive fields were classified as belonging to the PET/CT-N-positive group (n = 229) and those from negative fields as belonging to the PET/CT-N-negative group (n = 352). The cross-sectional areas of metastatic nests were measured in each metastatic LN. Of the 1,231 fields, 275 (22 %) were positive for metastasis, including 581 LNs from 408 regional LN stations. The sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT examined by each anatomical field were 25.8 and 97.8 %, respectively. The median area of metastatic nests was 17.7 mm2 in the PET/CT-N-positive group, and 7.7 mm2 in the PET/CT-N-negative group (p < 0.001). A significant correlation was suggested between the nest size and detection by PET/CT. Because of its low sensitivity, PET/CT alone is insufficient to determine the surgical procedures, especially when considering reduction surgery.

Cancer‐initiating cell marker‐positive cells generate metastatic tumors that recapitulate the histology of the primary tumors

Cancer-initiating cell (CIC) hypothesis suggests that CICs may be responsible for the generation of tumors that recapitulate the histology of the primary tumor at distant sites. We investigated the distribution of CIC markers (podoplanin (PDPN), CD44, and p63) positive cells of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) within primary and matched lymph node (LN) metastatic tumors to confirm this hypothesis (n = 113). In 61 cases, the PDPN-positive cells were localized in more peripheral areas of the tumor nests than the CD44- and p63-positive cells. This distribution pattern corresponded to a 'hierarchical distribution (HD)' reported previously. Among the cases with HD-(+) primary tumors (n = 61), the number showing HD-(+) LN metastatic tumors was 31 (51%), while among the cases with HD-(-) primary tumors (n = 52), the number showing HD-(+) LN metastatic tumors was 7 (13%) (p < 0.01). Primary and matched pulmonary metastatic (PM) tumors were also analyzed (n = 31), and a significant relationship of the HD pattern between them was also detected (p = 0.01). These results indicate that PDPN-positive cells might reflect the most immature cells in the differentiation process of metastatic SqCC and might generate metastatic tumors that recapitulate the histologic heterogeneity of the primary tumor.

Trichohyalin-like 1 protein, a member of fused S100 proteins, is expressed in normal and pathologic human skin

Trichohyalin-like 1 (TCHHL1) protein is a novel member of the fused-type S100 protein gene family. The deduced amino acid sequence of TCHHL1 contains an EF-hand domain in the N-terminus, one trans-membrane domain and a nuclear localization signal. We generated specific antibodies against the C-terminus of the TCHHL1 protein and examined the expression of TCHHL1 proteins in normal and pathological human skin. An immunohistochemical study showed that TCHHL1 proteins were expressed in the basal layer of the normal epidermis. In addition, signals of TCHHL1 proteins were observed around the nuclei of cultured growing keratinocytes. Accordingly, TCHHL1 mRNA has been detected in normal skin and cultured growing keratinocytes. Furthermore, TCHHL1 proteins were strongly expressed in the peripheral areas of tumor nests in basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. A dramatic increase in the number of Ki67 positive cells was observed in TCHHL1-expressing areas. The expression of TCHHL1 proteins also increased in non-cancerous hyperproliferative epidermal tissues such as those of psoriasis vulgaris and lichen planus. These findings highlight the possibility that TCHHL1 proteins are expressed in growing keratinocytes of the epidermis and might be associated with the proliferation of keratinocytes.

Well differentiated fetal adenocarcinoma of the lung in a 38-year-old woman: dynamic computed tomography findings

We report a case of well-differentiated fetal adenocarcinoma (WDFA) of the lung, with emphasis on dynamic CT (computed tomography) findings. The patient was a 38-year-old woman who was found to have a mass in the left upper lung field in chest radiograph screening. Chest radiograph showed a 5.5 cm well-defined mass in the left upper lung field. CT revealed a well-circumscribed mass measuring 5.5 × 5.5 × 5.0 cm with a lobulated margin in the left upper lobe. Intratumoral enhancing vasculature was noted in the early phase of dynamic CT. In the delayed phase, persistent and plateau enhancement was seen. The tumor also had consistently unenhanced areas, suggesting the presence of necrosis. Left upper lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed. The pathology specimen contained tubular glands consisting of non-ciliated columnar cells with areas of solid nests of epithelial cells with weakly eosinophilic cytoplasm (morule) mimicking fetal lung tissue. The tumor was moderately vascularized with areas of comedo necrosis; the stroma was relatively scanty. Final pathological diagnosis was WDFA with left hilar lymph node metastasis (stage T2bN1M0). This is the first report of dynamic CT findings of WDFA, a rare lung tumor. Although these findings are non-specific, they well reflected the pathological characteristics of this tumor.

Nanostructural materials increase mineralization in bone cells and affect gene expression through miRNA regulation

We report that several nanomaterials induced enhanced mineralization (increased numbers and larger areas of mineral nests) in MC3T3-E1 bone cells, with the highest response being induced by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). We demonstrate that AgNPs altered microRNA expression resulting in specific gene expression associated with bone formation. We suggest that the identified essential transcriptional factors and bone morphogenetic proteins play an important role in activation of the process of mineralization in bone cells exposed to AgNPs.