A considerable amount of evidence indicates that Ras signaling contributes to the development of endometrial cancer. We previously demonstrated that endometrial cancer cells carrying oncogenic [12 Val]K-ras were susceptible to apoptosis. The present study examined the role of K-and H-Ras in the induction of apoptosis using rat endometrial cells (RENT4 cells). We found that constitutively activated K-Ras promoted apoptotic cell death, whereas the H-Ras mutant rescued rat endometrial cells from apoptosis. Expression of a constitutively active form of Raf-1 (Raf-CAAX) promoted apoptosis, whereas expression of a constitutively active catalytic subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, p110K227E, allowed cells to escape from apoptosis. Moreover, inhibition of the MEK-MAPK pathway by the specific inhibitor, UO126, rescued the cells from apoptosis, whereas the inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase by its specific inhibitor, LY294002, promoted apoptosis in RENT4 cells expressing activated K-Ras. However, both inhibitors promoted apoptosis in RENT4 cells expressing activated H-Ras. This difference in the regulation of apoptosis by the MEK inhibitor between K-Ras-and H-Ras-expressing cells depended on the interaction of effector proteins downstream of each Ras isoform. Finally, to elucidate the role of downstream K-Ras signal pathways, we generated K-Ras effector domain mutants (K12V35S, K12V40C). We examined the incidence of apoptotic cell death induced by the K-Ras effector domain mutants (K12V35S, K12V40C). The relative ratio of phospho-MAPK to phospho-Akt compared with that of mock cells was higher in K12V35S cells

Disruption of endothelial cell homeostasis may be associated with the pathogenesis of coronary artery abnormalities (CAA) in Kawasaki disease (KD). We sought to clarify the poorly understood pathogenic role of endothelial cell survival and death in KD vasculitis. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) stimulated with sera from KD patients, compared with sera from patients with bacterial infections, exhibited significant increases in cytotoxicity, high mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB-1), and caspase-3/7 and a decrease in phosphorylated Akt/Akt (pAkt/Akt) ratios. HUVECs stimulated with sera from KD patients treated with immunoglobulin (IG) showed significantly decreased cytotoxicity, HMGB-1, and caspase-3/7 levels and increased pAkt/Akt ratios, as compared with results for untreated HUVECs (P < 0.001, P = 0.008, P = 0.040, and P < 0.001, respectively). In HUVECs stimulated with sera from KD patients, the increased cytotoxicity levels and the suppression of increased pAkt/Akt ratios after subsequent IG treatment were closely related to the development of CAA (P = 0.002 and P = 0.035). Our data reveal that shifting the balance toward cell death rather than survival appears to perturb endothelial cell homeostasis and is closely related to the development of CAA. The cytoprotective effects of IG treatment appear to ameliorate endothelial cell homeostasis.

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This study aimed to evaluate adverse cardiac events using dexmedetomidine in infants with trisomy 21 and those without (controls) and examined potential risk factors in infants after cardiovascular surgery. We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study. The medical records of 124 consecutive infants who had undergone cardiovascular surgery between April 1, 2013, and October 31, 2015, were enrolled. Clinical characteristics, usage of dexmedetomidine, and perioperative medications were analyzed. Adverse cardiac events were assessed with the Naranjo score and World Health Organization-The Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) criteria. In total, 124 consecutive infants (30 patients and 94 controls) met the inclusion criteria. Eight of 30 (26.7 %) patients with trisomy 21 and 12 of 94 (12.8 %) controls experienced adverse cardiac events (i.e., hypotension, transient hypertension, and bradycardia) during dexmedetomidine with median Naranjo score of 6, and causality categories of WHO-UMC criteria were "certain" or "probable." Of those, the incidence of bradycardia occurred at a higher rate in patients with trisomy 21 than in controls (P = 0.011). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of trisomy 21 was an independent risk factor for adverse cardiac events of dexmedetomidine after cardiovascular surgery (odds ratio 4.10, 95 % CI 1.17-11.19, P = 0.006). Dexmedetomidine is associated with an increased incidence of bradycardia in patients with trisomy 21 after surgery for congenital heart disease. Physicians using dexmedetomidine should know a great deal about the characteristics of patients with trisomy 21, and hemodynamic monitoring should be closely observed.

Original ArticleBackground-A school-based electrocardiographic screening program has been developed in Japan. However, few data are available on the genetic characteristics of pediatric patients with long-QT syndrome who were diagnosed by this program. Methods and Results-A total of 117 unrelated probands aged ≤18 years were the subjects who were referred to our centers for genetic testing. Of these, 69 subjects diagnosed by the program formed the screened group. A total of 48 subjects were included in the clinical group and were diagnosed with long-QT syndrome-related symptoms, familial study, or by chance. Mutations were classified as radical, of high probability of pathogenicity, or of uncertain significance. Two subjects in the clinical group died. Genotypes were identified in 50 (72%) and 23 (48%) of subjects in the screened and clinical groups, respectively. Of the KCNQ1 or KCNH2 mutations, 31 of 33 (94%) in the screened group and 14 of 15 (93%) in the clinical group were radical and of high probability of pathogenicity. Prevalence of symptoms before (9/69 versus 31/48; P<0.0001) and after (12/69 versus 17/48; P=0.03) diagnosis was significantly lower in the screened group when compared with that in the clinical group although the QTc values, family history of long-QT syndrome, sudden death, and follow-up periods were not different between the groups. Conclusions-These data suggest that the screening program may be effective for early diagnosis of long-QT syndrome that may allow intervention before symptoms. In addition, screened patients should have follow-up equivalent to clinically identified patients. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the genetic characteristics of pediatric patients with LQTS who were diagnosed by a school-based screening program and whose genetic testing was performed and to compare results with subjects who visited hospitals because of the presence of LQTS-related symptoms, familial history, or who were diagnosed by chance. Methods Study PopulationThe study population included 117 unrelated probands ≤18 years of age who were referred to the Department of Pediatrics, Kagoshima University Hospital, Japan, between November 1993 and March 2005 or to the National Hospital Organization Kagoshima Medical Center from April 2005 to December 2012 for genetic evaluation. The population included 69 subjects who were screened by a school-based ECG screening program (Table 1). In the present study, LQTS-related symptoms were defined as syncope, aborted cardiac arrest, or sudden cardiac death at <30 years old. Subjects were divided into 2 groups on the basis of index events: subjects who were diagnosed by the schoolbased ECG screening program (screened group) and those who visited hospitals because of the presence of symptoms and family history or who were diagnosed by chance (clinical group; Table 1). Diagnosis of LQTS and Screening of QT Intervals in the School-based ECG Screening ProgramThe present study was a retrospective study, and diagnosis of LQTS and screening for prolo...