No abstract

THORACIC IMAGINGC hest radiography is the most common radiologic examination, despite its inferiority to low-dose CT, for lung cancer screening (1). Some authors showed that up to 90% of "missed" lung cancer nodules can be found when the baseline chest radiograph is re-reviewed with the benefit of the follow-up examination showing the mass that has grown in size (2). Misdiagnoses of lung cancer can occur for many reasons. This oversight can be due to a lack of perception of the nodule, the decision to ignore a subtle density, and the satisfaction of search when another abnormality is identified (3-5). Lesion characteristics including size, density, and location make the detection of lung nodules more challenging on chest radiographs (6-8).To improve the efficacy of chest radiography for nodule detection, computer-aided detection (CAD) software has been developed and evaluated. In 2004, Kakeda et al (9) tested their CAD and reported that it was beneficial in analyzing radiographs with nodules but had an average falsepositive rate of 3.15 per image. de Hoop et al (10) showed Purpose: To compare the performance of radiologists in detecting malignant pulmonary nodules on chest radiographs when assisted by deep learning-based DCNN software with that of radiologists or DCNN software alone in a multicenter setting. Materials and Methods: Investigators at four medical centers retrospectively identified 600 lung cancer-containing chest radiographs and 200 normal chest radiographs. Each radiograph with a lung cancer had at least one malignant nodule confirmed by CT and pathologic examination. Twelve radiologists from the four centers independently analyzed the chest radiographs and marked regions of interest. Commercially available deep learning-based computer-aided detection software separately trained, tested, and validated with 19 330 radiographs was used to find suspicious nodules. The radiologists then reviewed the images with the assistance of DCNN software. The sensitivity and number of false-positive findings per image of DCNN software, radiologists alone, and radiologists with the use of DCNN software were analyzed by using logistic regression and Poisson regression.

The Ni(II) complex of the tripeptide NH2-Gly-Gly-His-COOH is shown to mediate efficient protein-protein cross-linking in the presence of oxidants such as oxone and monoperoxyphthalic acid. Only proteins that associate specifically in solution are cross-linked under these conditions. Preliminary probes of the mechanism of the reaction suggest that the active intermediate may be a high-valent metal complex that attacks aromatic amino acids.

PurposeThe microbial environment is an important factor that contributes to the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). Recently, it was revealed that not only bacteria itself but also extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from bacteria affect the allergic inflammation process. However, almost all research carried out so far was related to local microorganisms, not the systemic microbial distribution. We aimed to compare the bacterial EV composition between AD patients and healthy subjects and to experimentally find out the beneficial effect of some bacterial EV compositionMethodsTwenty-seven AD patients and 6 healthy control subjects were enrolled. After urine and serum were obtained, EVs were prepared from samples. Metagenomic analysis of 16s ribosomal DNA extracted from the EVs was performed, and bacteria showing the greatest difference between controls and patients were identified. In vitro and in vivo therapeutic effects of significant bacterial EV were evaluated with keratinocytes and with Staphylococcus aureus-induced mouse AD models, respectively.ResultsThe proportions of Lactococcus, Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus EVs were significantly higher and those of Alicyclobacillus and Propionibacterium were lower in the control group than in the AD patient group. Therefore, lactic acid bacteria were considered to be important ones that contribute to the difference between the patient and control groups. In vitro, interleukin (IL)-6 from keratinocytes and macrophages decreased and cell viability was restored with Lactobacillus plantarum-derived EV treatment prior to S. aureus EV treatment. In S. aureus-induced mouse AD models, L. plantarum-derived EV administration reduced epidermal thickening and the IL-4 level.ConclusionsWe suggested the protective role of lactic acid bacteria in AD based on metagenomic analysis. Experimental findings further suggest that L. plantarum-derived EV could help prevent skin inflammation.

Although elevated syndecan-2 expression is known to be crucial for the tumorigenic activity in colon carcinoma cells, how syndecan-2 regulates colon cancer is unclear. In human colon adenocarcinoma tissue samples, we found that both mRNA and protein expression of syndecan-2 were increased, compared with the neighboring normal epithelium, suggesting that syndecan-2 plays functional roles in human colon cancer cells. Consistent with this notion, syndecan-2-overexpressing HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells showed enhanced migration/invasion, anchorage-independent growth, and primary tumor formation in nude mice, paralleling their morphological changes into highly tumorigenic cells. In addition, our experiments revealed that syndecan-2 enhanced both expression and secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), directly interacted with pro-MMP-7, and potentiated the enzymatic activity of pro-MMP-7 by activating its processing into the active MMP-7. Collectively, these data strongly suggest that syndecan-2 functions as a docking receptor for pro-MMP-7 in colon cancer cells.The characteristics and functions of cancer cells are critically influenced by the actions of cell adhesion receptors, which mediate interactions of cancer cells with the extracellular matrix (ECM) 3 and the cytoskeleton (1). At different points during carcinogenesis, the cell adhesion receptors regulate various cancer cell functions, including cell growth, differentiation, cell survival, angiogenesis, and inflammation (2, 3). Thus, the cancer-specific characteristics and functions of cancer cells are due to the expression and utilization of a distinct set of adhesion receptors that show different expression patterns in normal cells. One group of cancer-related cell adhesion receptors are the syndecans, which are cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans known to play diverse roles in cell adhesion and cell communication by serving as co-receptors for both cell signaling and ECM molecules (4). At the plasma membrane, syndecans are capable of transmitting signals from the extracellular environment to the intracellular compartment, thereby regulating adhesion-dependent signal transduction during cell growth (5, 6), cell adhesion and migration (6, 7), cytoskeleton organization (7, 8), and cell differentiation (9). Numerous studies have examined the function of syndecans in various human tumors. Syndecan-1 expression is down-regulated in a great number of squamous cell carcinomas, including uterine cervix, lung, and colorectal cancer (2, 10 -12). However, in other studies, syndecan-1 expression is reportedly up-regulated in prostate, lung, and breast cancers (13-15). In the case of syndecan-2, it has been reported that, in normal tissues, syndecan-2 is expressed in mesenchymal cells but not in normal epithelial cells. However, we found that syndecan-2 expression is increased in several epithelial-driven colon carcinoma cells, and this up-regulation is necessary for the tumorigenic activity of colon carcinoma cells (16). Therefore, it is likely that a...