boron ͉ plant reproduction ͉ NpGUT1 S patially and temporally controlled intercellular attachment is indispensable for the organized development of higher organisms. In higher plants, intercellular attachment is mediated by cell wall pectin, which consists of homogalacturonan and the rhamnogalacturonan (RG)-I and RG-II domains (1-3). Pectin is a highly complex polysaccharide. Because pectin-defective mutants show lethal embryonic phenotypes, few genes for pectin biosynthesis have been identified (4). Recently, we established a system for mutant production by T-DNA transformation called nolac (for nonorganogenic callus with loosely attached cells), which involves the in vitro culture of leaf disks of haploid Nicotiana plumbaginifolia (4, 5). The mutant callus line nolac-H18 is defective in intercellular attachment, which results in the formation of crumbled callus that does not form buds. The T-DNA-tagged gene in this line, NpGUT1, contains a putative glycosyltransferase catalytic domain of the group pfam03016 in glycosyltransferase family 47 (GT47), which has similarities to sequences in animal exostosins (6). The insertion in NpGUT1 causes defects in the glucuronic acid of pectin RG-II, which drastically reduces the formation of borate cross-linked RG-II (dRG-II-B) (4). The substitution of 2-O-Me galactose for 2-O-Me fucose in the RG-II of the Arabidopsis mur1 mutant also reduces the rate of formation and the stability of the RG-II dimer (7). The mutant phenotypes of nolac-H18 and mur1-1 indicate that the entire structure of the side chain of RG-II is essential for the borate cross-linking of the RG-II dimer. The functions of MUR1 and NpGUT1 likely differ because the addition of excess borate could not rescue the nolac phenotype (4), although it did rescue the mur1-1 phenotype (7).RG-II is present in the primary cell walls of angiosperms, gymnosperms, and pteridophytes, and its glycosyl sequence is highly conserved in all vascular plants examined to date (8). This conservation is remarkable because the other pectin domains, homogalacturonan and RG-I, are rare in monocots and pteridophytes. In addition, RG-II has a complex composition of at least 12 different glycosyl residues linked together by Ͼ20 different glycosidic linkages. Pectin RG-II is known to be the main binding site in higher plants for boron, an essential microelement for various plant species (8). These facts suggest that the structure and organization of RG-II-B are essential for the development of land plants.Previously, we showed that NpGUT1 is predominantly expressed in meristematic tissues and is indispensable for the formation of shoot meristems (4). We recently found that NpGUT1 expression in plants is higher during the reproductive stage than in the vegetative stage, and that the suppression of NpGUT1 expression in flower buds results in flowers that are completely sterile, despite containing flower organs with nearly normal morphogenesis.Boron deficiency causes problems in the growth and development of higher plants (9-11), especially in ...

The incidence ratio of hematolymphoid malignancies was 15.1%. The male:female ratio was 2.3:1. Ages ranged from 17 to 89 years (median, 66). Of the 122 cases, 121 were lymphoid neoplasms (4 cases of Hodgkin lymphoma and 117 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and the remaining 1 was myeloid. The most common histopathology was DLBCL (54.9%), followed by follicular lymphoma (8.2%), and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (8.2%). Most commonly, the oropharynx (36.1%) and the cervical lymph node (34.4%) were affected.

Introduction Although the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in Japan has been decreasing yearly, Japan remains ranked as an intermediate-burden country for TB. Objective This study aims to investigate the current situation of head and neck extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) diagnosed in our department. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 47 patients diagnosed with EPTB in the head and neck in our department between January 2005 and December 2014. The extracted data included sex and age distribution, development site, chief complaint, presence or absence of concomitant active pulmonary TB (PTB) or history of TB, tuberculin skin test (TST) results, interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) results, and duration from the first visit to the final diagnosis of EPTB. Results The subjects consisted of 20 men and 27 women, and age ranged from 6 to 84 years. The most common site was the cervical lymph nodes (30 patients), with the supraclavicular nodes being the most commonly affected (60%). Histopathological examination was performed on 28 patients. TST was positive in 9 out of 9 patients and the IGRA was positive in 18 out of 19 patients. We observed concomitant PTB in 15 out of the 47 patients. Mean duration from the first visit to the final diagnosis of EPTB was 56 days. Conclusion The clinical symptoms of TB, especially those in the head and neck region, are varied. Otolaryngologists should be especially aware of the extrapulmonary manifestations of TB to ensure early diagnosis and treatment from the public health viewpoint.

4Results. All nine patients had complete or substantial resolution of their formerly intractable headache after TSS. Headaches consisted of ocular pain ipsilateral to the adenoma localization within the sella in four cases and bifrontal headache in five.Magnetic resonance imaging of these patients revealed small diaphragmatic foramen, which were so narrow that only the pituitary stalk could pass. Computed tomography scans showed ossification beneath the sellar floor in the sphenoid sinus, presellar type in six cases, and choncal type in three. The adenomas included cysts in seven cases.There was no cavernous sinus invasion. Intrasellar pressure measurements averaged 41.5 ± 8.5 mmHg, range 34-59, significantly higher than in control patients without headache (n = 12), namely 22.2 ± 10.6 mmHg (16-30).Conclusion. In this study, the authors demonstrated the validity of TSS in the treatment of intractable headache associated with pituitary adenoma. The presence of ocular pain, especially ipsilateral to the adenoma, integrity of the diaphragm sella, and ossification in the sphenoid sinus, cyst or hemorrhage and the absence of cavernous sinus invasion were the indications for TSS for patients complaining of intractable headache and having pituitary adenomas. 5

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is expressed on human brain endothelial cells (HBEC) and is implicated in neuronal cell death after ischemia. We report that endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE) is a splicing variant form of RAGE that functions as a decoy against ischemia-induced neuronal cell damage. This study demonstrated that esRAGE was associated with heparan sulphate proteoglycans on HBEC. The parabiotic experiments between human esRAGE overexpressing transgenic (Tg), RAGE knockout (KO), and wild-type (WT) mice revealed a significant neuronal cell damage in the CA1 region of the WT side of parabiotic WT→WT mice, but not of Tg→WT mice, 7 days after bilateral common carotid artery occlusion. Human esRAGE was detected around the CA1 neurons in the WT side of the parabiotic Tg→WT pair, but not in the KO side of the Tg→KO pair. To elucidate the dynamic transfer of esRAGE into the brain, we used the blood-brain barrier (BBB) system (PharmaCo-Cell) with or without RAGE knockdown in endothelial cells. A RAGE-dependent transfer of esRAGE was demonstrated from the vascular to the brain side. These findings suggested that esRAGE is associated with heparan sulphate proteoglycans and is transferred into the brain via BBB to exert its neuroprotective effects in ischemia.

A total of 153 cases (95 males; 58 females) were included in this analysis (male-to-female ratio = 1.64:1). The patient age at the time of diagnosis ranged from 30-92 years (median = 68 years). The oropharynx was the most commonly affected site (40.5%), followed by the cervical lymph nodes (33.3%). The most common histopathologic sub-type was DLBCL (71.9%), followed by follicular lymphoma (11.1%), and extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (9.2%).

Background Lymph node metastasis (LNM) has been established as a critical risk factor for prognosis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). The clinical implications of lymph node dissection (LND) have been debated. This study aimed to clarify the prognostic impact of LND by multicenter retrospective analysis. Methods A total of 310 ICC patients who had undergone curative resection between 2000 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The prognostic impact of LND was estimated under an inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) approach using propensity scores. Results LND was performed for 224 patients (72%), with LNM pathologically confirmed in 90 patients (40%). Prognosis was poorer for patients with LNM (median survival, 16.9 months) than for those without (57.2 months; P < .0001). One‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival rates (OS) were comparable among LND+ (81.6%, 48.0%, and 37.5%, respectively) and LND– groups (81.6%, 55.4%, and 44.6%, respectively). However, advanced tumor, as characterized by larger tumor, multinodular lesions, and serosal invasion, was significantly more frequent in the LND+ group than in the LND– group. After IPTW adjusting for imbalances, 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year OS were better in the LND+ group (83.5%, 52.2%, and 42.8%, respectively) than in the LND– group (71.9%, 32.4%, and 23.4%, respectively; P = .046). LND thus showed significant prognostic impact (hazard ratio = 0.58, 95%CI = |0.39|–|0.84|, P = .005), especially in hilar ICC. However, peripheral ICC displayed no therapeutic benefit from LND. Conclusions LND could have a significant role to play in improving oncologic outcomes. Therapeutic LND should be implemented on the basis of tumor location and tumor advancement.

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