Key Points
Question
Is the COVID-19 pandemic associated with the stage at which gastrointestinal cancer is diagnosed in Japan?
Findings
In this cohort study of 5167 patients, significant decreases were observed for the diagnosis of stage I gastric cancer and stage 0 to II colorectal cancer, whereas a significant increase was observed for the diagnosis of stage III colorectal cancer.
Meaning
These findings suggest that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been fewer cases of screening-detected gastrointestinal cancer, and colorectal cancer may have been diagnosed at more advanced stages.
After analysing gene-expression profiles of colon cancers on a cDNA microarray containing cDNAs corresponding to 23 040 human genes, we focused on a gene annotated as C10orf3 (chromosome 10 open reading frame 3), whose expression was elevated in colorectal cancers (CRC) as well as in tumors arising in the stomach, lung, pancreas, and breast. The gene encodes a putative 464-amino-acid protein containing a domain known as AAA (ATPases associated with a variety of cellular activities). Western blot analysis using an antibody to the gene product confirmed that the protein was overexpressed in nine of the 15 clinical cancer tissues examined, compared to corresponding noncancerous epithelial cells. A subsequent proteomics analysis revealed that C10orf3 product associated with the product of tumor susceptibility gene 101 (TSG101), and that C10orf3 downregulated TSG101 in a post-transcriptional manner. Expression of short interfering RNA in cells derived from CRC caused significant decreases in C10orf3 expression and inhibited growth of the transfected cells, which was associated with increased apoptotic cells. These data suggest that elevated C10orf3 expression might play an essential role in the growth of cancer cells, and that suppression of C10orf3-mediated signal transduction may be a novel therapeutic strategy to a wide range of human tumors.
Circadian morphological variations of pinealocytes in the superficial pineal of the Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) were studied using quantitative electron-microscopic techniques. The volume of the nucleus and cytoplasm of pinealocytes exhibited similar circadian variations, with the maximum around the middle of the light period and the minimum during the first half of the dark period. Synaptic ribbons in pinealocytes were classified into three groups, type-1, -2 and -3 synaptic ribbons, which appeared as rods, round or irregular bodies and ring-shaped structures, respectively; a synaptic ribbon index was determined for the respective types. The synaptic ribbon index was expressed as the number of synaptic ribbons in the pinealocyte profile representing the cell size. The type-1 synaptic ribbon index, which was smallest during the second half of the light period, was increased during the dark period. The length of straight or slightly curved rods showed a 24-h change similar to that of the type-1 synaptic ribbon index; the length of the rods was maximal during the first half of the dark period and minimal at the end of the light period. There was no apparent circadian variation in the type-2 synaptic ribbon index. The type-3 synaptic ribbon index was higher during the light period than during the dark period; the index attained zero 3 h after the onset of darkness and, thereafter, increased gradually.
ELSEVIER, Harumi, T; Matsushima, S, JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY. B, BIOMEDICAL AND APPLICATIONS, 747(1-2), 95-110, 2000.
authorMelatonin is an indoleamine hormone that is synthesized from tryptophan via 5-hydroxytryptophan, serotonin and N-acetylserotonin in the vertebrate pineal gland. Many chromatographic and non-chromatographic techniques have been developed and improved for the determination and measurement of melatonin and its related indoleamines. At present, gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence or electrochemical detection are widely used for indoleamine determinations in the pineal gland. This review will deal with methods for the separation and determination of the melatonin and its related indoleamines
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