Tumor cell expansion relies on nutrient supply, and oxygen limitation is central in controlling neovascularization and tumor spread. Monocytes infiltrate into tumors from the circulation along defined chemotactic gradients, differentiate into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and then accumulate in the hypoxic areas. Elevated TAM density in some regions or overall TAM numbers are correlated with increased tumor angiogenesis and a reduced host survival in the case of various types of tumors. To evaluate the role of TAMs in tumor growth, we here specifically eliminated TAMs by in vivo application of dichloromethylene diphosphonate (DMDP)-containing liposomes to mice bearing various types of tumors (e.g., B16 melanoma, KLN205 squamous cell carcinoma, and 3LL Lewis lung cancer), all of which grew in the dermis of syngeneic mouse skin. When DMDP-liposomes were injected into four spots to surround the tumor on day 0 or 5 after tumor injection and every third day thereafter, both the induction of TAMs and the tumor growth were suppressed in a dose-dependent and injection number-dependent manner; and unexpectedly, the tumor cells were rejected by 12 injections of three times-diluted DMDP-liposomes. The absence of TAMs in turn induced the invasion of inflammatory cells into or around the tumors; and the major population of effector cells cytotoxic against the target tumor cells were CD11b(+) monocytic macrophages, but not CCR3(+) eosinophils or Gr-1(+) neutrophils. These results indicate that both the absence of TAMs and invasion of CD11b(+) monocytic macrophages resulted in the tumor rejection.

When a gridded energy analyzer is used for energy analysis of plasma particles, it is experimentally found that the characteristics of the analyzer can be heavily affected by the space charge of particles accumulating behind its entrance grid. In this experiment, using a large model analyzer, the current profiles of accumulating ions in the analyzer and the effects of the space charges on ion energy distributions are directly measured in detail. Finally, problems related to the ion accumulation and the space charge effects in a gridded energy analyzer are generally discussed on the basis of the above experimental results.

The dental pulp is the part in the center of a tooth made up of a loose connective tissue and cells called odontoblasts. Each pulp organ is composed of a coronal pulp located centrally in the crown of teeth and the root or radicular pulp. The radicular root portion of the pulp are continuous with the periapical connective tissue through the apical foramen where blood vessels and nerve fi bers are penetrated. 1 Macrophages form heterogeneous populations with regard to their morphological, functional, phenotypic and metabolic properties. Because of the heterogeneity, different organs contain specifically differentiated organ-specific macrophages called resident macrophages. 2 One of the specific function of macrophages is the antigen presentation to T cells by the binding of antigen on major histocompatibility complex MHC class II molecules on the their cell surface to the T cell receptors. 3 5 MHC class II positive cells have been reported in the dental pulp in human, 6,7 mice 8,9 and rats. 10 13 Immunohistochemical studies indicated the accumulation of these cells along the dentin-pulp border by the cavity

It is widely accepted that the prevalence of metal hypersensitivity is increasing. Furthermore, the incidence of unerupted mandibular second molars is 2.3%, of which 0.2% is judged to be a result of impaction. While it is becoming more common to treat impacted mandibular second molars in daily clinical practice, metal hypersensitive patients presenting with unerupted molars are less frequently encountered. There have been no previous reports of patients who required mandibular molar traction and who also suffered from metal hypersensitivity. Therefore, this is the first case report to describe the long-term stability of mandibular second molar dis-impaction, leading to high level of patient satisfaction.