Alpha1,2fucosylation is a superior predictor of postoperative prognosis for colorectal cancer compared with blood group A, B, or sialyl Lewis X antigen generated within colorectal tumor tissues.

BACKGROUND: We have previously demonstrated tumor-specific alpha1,2fucosylation, which is associated with resistance of tumor cells to anticancer treatment in human colorectal tumor tissues. By using the YB-2 monoclonal antibody, the resulting products have been identified as Y, Le(b), and H type 2 antigens in colorectal tumor tissues. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analyses of colorectal cancer tissues (74 specimens) were performed with a newly established mouse monoclonal antibody, YB-3 specifically recognizing H disaccharide (Fucalpha1,2Galbeta) structures, and anti-A, anti-B, YB-2, and anti-sialyl Lewis X (SLX) antibodies, together with the analyses of glycosyltransferases involved in the synthesis of ABH antigens in the same tissues. RESULTS: The YB-3 antibody enabled us to detect colorectal tumors, particularly tumors in the distal large intestine and the rectum, with high sensitivity (74.3%) and specificity (100%). From immunohistochemical and enzymatic analyses of colorectal tissues, we found that once alpha1,2fucosylation had proceeded in tumor tissues, blood group A or B antigen was also synthesized in approximately half of the tissues of A or B blood type, but not in their normal tissues. A correlation of survival rate with immunostaining of tissues was found only by YB-3 antibody and not by anti-A, anti-B, or anti-SLX antibody. CONCLUSIONS: As a predictor of postoperative prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer, immunodetection of alpha1,2fucosylated antigens with the YB-3 antibody seemed to be superior to blood groups A, B, or SLX antigen in colorectal tumor tissues.

DNA typing of bone specimens--the potential use of the profiler test as a tool for bone identification.

Twenty-six bone DNA identification cases are described. The postmortem periods of the studied remains ranged from three days to over 30 years, and the locations where the remains were found varied resulting in a variety of postmortem conditions. Nuclear DNA typing using an AmpFLSTR Profiler kit and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) typing of hypervariable regions 1 and 2 (HV1 and HV2) in a control region were performed both with decalcified and non-treated bone powder samples. Decalcification was shown to improve the success of DNA typing. The nucleotide sequences of the HV1 and HV2 regions were successfully determined in all cases examined. Nuclear DNA typing was very successful, more than half of the loci were typed during multiple amplifications (10 loci in one reaction) in 23 cases. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibition was observed in five cases including three samples that were found buried in soil. This inhibitory effect was identified as the result of unbalanced multiple PCR during the profiler test. These results revealed that DNA typing targeting nuclear DNA is a potentially powerful tool for bone identification.

Individual identification of disguised faces by morphometrical matching.

The reliability of a morphometrical matching method for identifying disguised faces was examined experimentally using a computer-assisted facial image identification system. The 2D right oblique facial images of three target persons disguised with sunglasses, cap and gauze mask were each compared with each of the 3D facial images of 100 subjects, yielding 900 face-to-face superimpositions. The average perpendicular distance between the facial outlines and the average point-to-point distance of the corresponding landmarks in the 2D image of the disguised face and the 3D facial image, were calculated. As a matching criterion, the sum of the values of the average perpendicular difference of the facial outlines and the average point-to-point difference between the corresponding landmarks was used (abbreviation: average difference). The range of the average difference was 2.3-2.8mm for the same person (a match) and 4.0-14.6mm for different (non-matching) people, respectively. The ranges for matching and non-matching faces did not overlap. Even the 3D facial images of the non-matching person showing the closest value of average difference to the average difference for the matching person could be excluded easily. It was concluded that the morphometrical matching method can reliably identify disguised faces and the results produced by this method could be easily understandable by a court of law.