Pancreatic cancers with aberrant expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) are particularly aggressive. To identify key signaling pathways that drive disease aggressiveness in tumors with high MIF expression, we analyzed the expression of coding and non-coding genes in high and low MIF-expressing tumors in multiple cohorts of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. The key genes and pathways identified were linked to patient survival and were mechanistically, functionally and clinically characterized using cell lines, a genetically engineered mouse model and PDAC patient cohorts. Here we report evidence of a novel MIF-driven signaling pathway that inhibits the orphan nuclear receptor NR3C2, a previously undescribed tumor suppressor that impacts aggressiveness and survival in PDAC. Mechanistically, MIF upregulated miR-301b which targeted NR3C2 and suppressed its expression. PDAC tumors expressing high levels of MIF displayed elevated levels of miR-301b and reduced levels of NR3C2. Additionally, reduced levels of NR3C2 expression correlated with poorer survival in multiple independent cohorts of PDAC patients. Functional analysis showed that NR3C2 inhibited epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and enhanced sensitivity to the gemcitabine, a chemotherapeutic drug used in PDAC standard of care. Furthermore, genetic deletion of MIF disrupted a MIF-mir-301b-NR3C2 signaling axis, reducing metastasis and prolonging survival in a genetically engineered mouse model of PDAC. Taken together, our results offer a preclinical proof-of-principle for candidate therapies to target a newly described MIF-miR-301b-NR3C2 signaling axis for PDAC management.

The survival probability in patients with resected bile duct cancer was not significantly different between the gemcitabine adjuvant chemotherapy group and the observation group. Registration number: UMIN 000000820 (http://www.umin.ac.jp/).

IREE combined with ICG injection may efficiently detect SLNs that contain metastases in patients with gastric cancer.

Purpose and Experimental Design: To identify cancer-related genes, the expression profiles of colorectal cancer cells and normal epithelial cells were examined and compared using laser microdissection and cDNA microarray analysis. From these combined techniques, several cancer-related genes, including TROP2 , were identified. TROP2 is known as a calcium signal transducer and is highly expressed in several types of tumors. However, no studies have investigated the significance of TROP2 expression in colorectal cancer. Thus, the expression status of TROP2 was investigated in 74 colorectal cancer samples by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR and immunohistochemical studies. Results: Laser microdissection and cDNA microarray analysis showed that there were 84 overexpressed genes in cancer cells. One of the highly overexpressed genes wasTROP2. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR showed that TROP2 expression in cancer samples was significantly higher than in normal samples (P < 0.001). The samples were divided into high (n = 26) and low (n = 48) TROP2 expression groups. The cases with high TROP2 expression showed a higher frequency of liver metastasis (P = 0.005) and more cancer-related death (P = 0.046). Those cases also had an inclination of deeper depth of invasion (P = 0.064) and more lymph node metastasis (P = 0.125). Interestingly, the patients with high TROP2 expression tumors had poorer prognosis (P = 0.0036). Multivariate analysis showed that TROP2 expression status was an independent prognostic factor (relative risk, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-4.74; P < 0.01).Conclusion: TROP2 is one of the cancer-related genes that correlates with biological aggressiveness and poor prognosis of colorectal cancer. Thus,TROP2 is a possible candidate gene for diagnosis and molecular target therapy of colorectal cancer.Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world. In Japan, the disease rate of colorectal cancer patients has doubled over the past 20 years, with f75 of 100,000 people suffering from the disease today. Additionally, colorectal cancer has been the second cause of death in neoplastic disease (1). Recently, molecular target therapy and cancer immunotherapy for solid cancers have been introduced to the clinic (2 -5). However, indications for these therapies are limited due to the low frequency of target gene expression, unstable effectiveness, and/or severe side effects (5, 6). Thus, there is a pressing need to explore novel cancer-specific genes to serve as molecular targets for therapy and cancer specific immunotherapy.In this study, the gene expression profiles were compared between cancer cells and normal epithelial cells using the combined techniques of laser microdissection and cDNA microarray analysis to explore cancer-related or cancer-specific genes. From this analysis, several cancer-related genes were identified. Among them, TROP2 showed markedly different expression between cancer cells and normal epithelial cells.Fornaro et al. cloned the ...

Using liver allografts with warm or cold ischemia, we evaluated functional and morphological alterations in hepatocytes, sinusoidal endothelial cells and Kupffer cells in a rat transplantation model. All recipients of allografts with either 4 hr of cold or 30 min of warm ischemia lived more than 22 days and were judged viable. On the other hand, all recipients of grafts with 6 hr of cold or 60 min of warm ischemia died within 2 days and were therefore judged to be nonviable. With these viable and nonviable allograft models, hepatocyte function was evaluated by the bile output and serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase and serum lactate dehydrogenase levels; endothelial cell function was judged by the serum hyaluronic acid level, and Kupffer cell function was measured by an intravenous colloidal carbon clearance test. Hepatocyte injury was the prominent feature in warm ischemic grafts, especially in the nonviable ones. On the other hand, serum hyaluronic acid values were significantly higher in the nonviable cold ischemic group, compared with the viable counterpart, suggesting that the functional depression of endothelial cells was predominant in cold, nonviable livers. Histological examinations coincided with the above findings. The phagocytic activity of Kupffer cells was depressed by warm or cold ischemia, whereas the number of Kupffer cells was reduced in the warm ischemia group. We conclude that in liver allografts the main site of injury in warm ischemia is the hepatocytes and suggest that cold ischemia is associated with endothelial cell damage.

The only prognostic factor identified in patients with recurrent HCC after repeat hepatectomy was portal vein invasion in the first hepatectomy. Most second tumors after the first hepatectomy are considered to be caused by metastatic recurrence, not by multicentric occurrence.

This study suggests that laparoscopic D2 gastrectomy provides reasonable oncologic outcomes with acceptable morbidity and low mortality rates. Although operation time is currently long, this approach is associated with several advantages of laparoscopic surgery, including quick recovery of bowel function and short hospital stay. Laparoscopic D2 gastrectomy may offer a favorable alternative to open D2 gastrectomy for patients with advanced gastric cancer.

The accumulated experience indicates a reduction in the incidence of donor complications, especially for right lobe resection. One donor death and two cases of severe after effects related to liver donation have been reported during 18 years of living donor liver transplantation experience in Japan.