Rapid regrowth of a capillary hemangioma of the thoracic spinal cord.

A 48-year-old man presented with a 2-week history of progressive gait disturbance. Neurological examinations showed mild weakness in his lower extremities and depreciation of deep sensation. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed an intradural extramedullary enhanced lesion at the levels of the T10 and T11 vertebrae. Laminectomy of the T10 and T11 vertebrae was performed, and the vascular tumor on the spinal cord surface was completely resected. Histological analysis indicated that the lesion was a capillary hemangioma with an elevated proliferative index. Postoperatively, the patient showed rapid motor and sensory improvement. However, 6 months after the operation, MR imaging showed regrowth of the tumor although the clinical symptoms of the patient had not deteriorated. The patient has shown no tumor regrowth 9 years after the second operation. Capillary hemangiomas in the skin and soft tissues are often associated with high proliferative activity, and recurrence/regrowth is not infrequent. On the other hand, recurrence/regrowth of capillary hemangioma in the neuraxis after tumor resection has rarely been observed, even in cases of incomplete resection. The present case illustrates the treatment of recurrent capillary hemangioma of the spinal cord.

[A case of intraosseous lipoma in the frontal bone].

A case of intraosseous lipoma in the frontal bone was reported. A 62-year-old woman had a hard tumor affecting the right frontal bone. The slowly growing tumor was first noticed when she was in her late teens. The completely excised right frontal lesion was composed of mature adipose tissue with abundant fibrous stroma. Intraosseous lipoma affecting the skull is extremely rare, with only 17 cases having been reported previously. Presurgical diagnosis of intraosseous lipoma of the skull is difficult because of its non-specific radiological features. Pathological study is indispensable for a correct diagnosis.

A genome-wide analysis of genes and gene families involved in innate immunity of Bombyx mori.

A genome-wide analysis of innate immunity-related genes and gene families was conducted using the silkworm, Bombyx mori. We identified orthologs for a large number of genes involved in insect immunity that have been reported from Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera), Anopheles gambiae (Diptera), Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera) and Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera). B. mori has a unique recognition gene and antimicrobial peptide genes that are not present in the Drosophila, Anopheles, Apis and Tribolium genomes, suggesting a lineage-specific gene evolution for lepidopteran insects. The comparative analysis of the insect immune repertoires indicated a dynamic and flexible gene expansion in recognition, modulation and effector mechanisms due to different selection pressures. Differential gene regulation by different bacterial species was found in PGRP and Serpin genes, suggesting that Bombyx has a highly selective gene regulation system depending on bacterial species.

Gene expression of a novel defensin antimicrobial peptide in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

cDNA encoding a novel defensin (BmDefensinB) was cloned from the fat body of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and gene expression was analyzed. BmDefensinB showed typical structural characteristics of invertebrate defensins. Phylogenetic and bootstrap analyses indicated that it has no orthologs, whereas previously reported BmDefensinA is the ortholog of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf)Spodoptericin. The BmDefensinB gene was expressed tissue-specifically in the fat body and was strongly activated by bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, and by an entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. In contrast, the BmDefensinA gene was expressed to a much lesser extent. Expression of the BmDefensinB gene was strongly stimulated by B. mori Rel proteins RelB and Relish, supporting the observation that this gene is activated by E. coli, B. subtilis, and B. bassiana. These results suggest that BmDefensinB gene expression is controlled through both the Toll and the Imd pathway, and that this gene plays an important role in B. mori immune reactions against infection by bacteria and fungi.

Expression of antimicrobial peptide genes encoding Enbocin and Gloverin isoforms in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Antimicrobial peptides, Enbocin and Gloverin isoforms from the silkworm Bombyx mori, were analyzed for expression of these peptide genes. Tissue-specific expression of Enbocin and Bmgloverin isoform genes was observed mainly in the fat body upon injection of Escherichia coli. Peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide triggered expression of these genes in vivo. On the other hand, lipid A activated Bmgloverin isoform genes but not Enbocin isoform genes. These results illustrate the fact that expression of Enbocin and Bmgloverin isoform genes is inducible by bacteria and that the effects of bacterial cell wall components on the activation of these peptide genes are not necessarily the same. In addition, selective activation of the Enbocin2, Bmgloverin2, and Bmgloverin4 genes by BmRelB rather than BmRelA was observed, providing additional evidence for the occurrence of selective activation of antimicrobial peptide genes by a Rel protein. These results suggest complex regulatory mechanisms in insect antimicrobial peptide genes by bacterial cell wall components.