Preliminary study of standardized semiquantitative method for ultrasonographic breast composition assessment.

PURPOSE: To develop a classification tree via semiquantitative analysis for ultrasonographic breast composition assessment using routine breast ultrasonography examination images. METHODS: This study retrospectively enrolled 100 consecutive normal women who underwent screening mammography and supplemental ultrasonography. Based on sonographic breast composition, the patients' breasts were classified as nondense or dense, which were correlated with mammographic breast composition. Ultrasonographic breast composition was classified based on the fibroglandular tissue (FGT) thickness-to-subcutaneous fat and retromammary fat (FAT) thickness ratio. In addition, the presence of a high glandular tissue component (GTC) in FGT or the presence of evident fat lobules in FGT was investigated. The cutoff point between the nondense and dense breasts was calculated from the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: All cases with a high GTC were dense breasts, and all cases with evident fat lobules in the FGT were nondense breasts. The AUC of the FGT thickness-to-FAT ratio of all cases, the group without a high GTC, the group without evident fat lobules in the FGT, and the group without a high GTC or evident fat lobules in the FGT were 0.93, 0.94, 0.99, and 1, respectively. CONCLUSION: The presence of a high GTC indicated dense breasts, and the presence of evident fat lobules in the FGT represented nondense breasts. For the remaining cases, the cutoff point of the FGT thickness-to-FAT thickness ratio was 0.93 for ultrasonographic two-grade scale breast composition assessment with 100% accuracy.

SV40 miR-S1 and Cellular miR-1266 Sequester Each Other from Their Targets, Enhancing Telomerase Activity and Viral Replication.

Virus-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) target viral and host mRNAs to repress protein production from viral and host genes, and regulate viral persistence, cell transformation, and evasion of the immune system. The present study demonstrated that simian virus 40 (SV40)-encoded miRNA miR-S1 targets a cellular miRNA miR-1266 to derepress their respective target proteins, namely, T antigens (Tags) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). An in silico search for cellular miRNAs to interact with viral miR-S1 yielded nine potential miRNAs, five of which, including miR-1266, were found to interact with miR-S1 in dual-luciferase tests employing reporter plasmids containing the miRNA sequences with miR-S1. Intracellular bindings of miR-1266 to miR-S1 were also verified by the pull-down assay. These miRNAs were recruited into the Ago2-associated RNA-induced silencing complex. Intracellular coexpression of miR-S1 with miR-1266 abrogated the downregulation of TERT and decrease in telomerase activity induced by miR-1266. These effects of miR-S1 were also observed in miR-1266-expressing A549 cells infected with SV40. Moreover, the infected cells contained more Tag, replicated more viral DNA, and released more viral particles than control A549 cells infected with SV40, indicating that miR-S1-induced Tag downregulation was antagonized by miR-1266. Collectively, the present results revealed an interplay of viral and cellular miRNAs to sequester each other from their respective targets. This is a novel mechanism for viruses to manipulate the expression of viral and cellular proteins, contributing to not only viral lytic and latent replication but also cell transformation observed in viral infectious diseases including oncogenesis.

Comparative study of the hydrophobic interaction effect of pH and ionic strength on aggregation/emulsification of Congo red and amyloid fibrillation of insulin.

Amyloid fibrillation is provoked by the conformational rearrangement of its source. In our previous study, we claimed that the conformational rearrangement of hen egg white lysozyme requires intermolecular aggregation/packing induced. Our proposed causality of the aggregation and amyloid formation was demonstrated by the quantitative dependence of amyloid fibrillation on pH difference from its isoelectric point (pI) and on the square root of ionic strength in order to reduce the intermolecular repulsion due to the shielding effect of electrolytes (DLVO effect). When Congo red has dianionic form at the pH higher than its pKa, it forms ribbon-like micelle colloids under lower ionic strength, while it loses electrostatic repulsion and aggregates to be emulsified in the octanolic phase under the higher ionic strength. These behaviors of Congo red were resembling to molecular assembly of surfactants. In contrast, the amyloid formation of insulin was proportional to the square root of ionic strength at the pH lower than its isoelectric point. Therefore, the trigger for conformational rearrangement of amyloid fibrillation is predominantly gripped by hydrophobic hydration and an electrostatic shielding effect. We concluded that the both behaviors of Congo red and insulin were derived from a driving force related to the hydrophobic hydration.

Incidence and location of perioperative deep vein thrombosis in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and location of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. METHODS: We performed radical cystectomy in 137 patients with bladder cancer between August 2014 and February 2020. Since 2014, we have had a policy to screen for deep vein thrombosis using lower extremity ultrasonography both before and after radical cystectomy. We determined the incidence and location of deep vein thrombosis and classified it as either proximal or distal type. Furthermore, we explored the incidence of pulmonary embolism within 3 months after radical cystectomy. RESULTS: After excluding six patients with a lack of ultrasonographic data, we evaluated 131 patients. Preoperative deep vein thrombosis (one proximal and 17 distal) was diagnosed in 18 patients (14%) with no symptoms. Postoperative deep vein thrombosis was diagnosed in 41 patients (31%; three proximal and 38 distal), of whom 26 (63%) had new-onset deep vein thrombosis after cystectomy. Three patients, two with proximal and one with distal type deep vein thrombosis, developed nonfatal pulmonary embolism postoperatively. Multivariate analysis showed that preoperative D-dimer levels (odds ratio 5.35, 95% confidence interval 1.74-16.50; P < 0.003), type of urinary diversion (ileal neobladder; odds ratio 11.15, 95% confidence interval 2.16-57.55; P = 0.004), and preoperative deep vein thrombosis (odds ratio 15.93, 95% confidence interval 3.82-66.30; P < 0.001) were significant risk factors for postoperative deep vein thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: Pre- and post-radical cystectomy whole-leg ultrasonography can lead to an early perioperative diagnosis and immediate treatment of proximal deep vein thrombosis, thereby potentially preventing fatal pulmonary embolism.