1.Tumor Growth, Local Invasion, Micrometastasis, and Lymph Node Metastasis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Visualized in Live Tissue by Green Fluorescent Protein Expression
Akifumi Itoh ; Kazuhiko Okumura ; Yoshihiro Abiko ; Toshiya Arakawa ; Taishin Takuma ; Yoichiro Hosokawa ; Toshihiko Yajima ; Takanori Shibata
Oral Science International 2005;2(1):45-53
We report the in vitro establishment of a highly stable green fluorescent protein (GFP) -expressing transfectant of a highly-invasive human tongue squamous cell carcinoma (HTSCC) cell line, SAS-H1. The fluorescent cells permitted the visualization of tumor growth, local invasion, micrometastasis and cervical lymph node metastasis after submucosal injection into the tongues of nude mice. SAS-H1 cells were transfected with the pEGFP-N1 expression vector containing the GFP and neomycin resistance genes. Stable SAS-H1 clones expressing high levels of GFP were selected stepwise in vitro in levels of geneticin (G418) of up to 3,500 μg/ml. Subsequent early stages of local invasion and micrometastasis were visualized by GFP fluorescence in a primary tumor of the tongue. Furthermore, lymph node metastasis was confirmed for all of the orthotopic transplants in mice. However, no distant metastases, including those of lung and liver, were observed. Thus, this model should be useful for studying the metastatic process and for evaluating anti-metastasis agents in pre-clinical trials.
2.Standalone Percutaneous Vertebroplasty for Hyperextension Injuries of the Ankylosed Thoracolumbar Spinal Kyphosis
Ryunosuke FUKUSHI ; Satoshi KAWAGUCHI ; Keiko HORIGOME ; Hideki YAJIMA ; Toshihiko YAMASHITA
Asian Spine Journal 2023;17(6):1132-1138
Hyperextension injuries of the ankylosed thoracolumbar spine, particularly those with preexisting kyphotic deformity, present significant therapeutic challenges. The authors viewed that such injuries without displacement or fractures of the posterior elements are reasonable candidates for standalone percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). In such cases, the posterior tension band is spared; thus, fractures are unstable not in the lateral direction, which would lead to the translation of the fracture, but in the vertical direction. Such vertical instability of the fracture can be stabilized if the open mouth-type vertebral cleft is adequately filled with a sufficiently large amount of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement. Our three patients receiving standalone PVP received injections of 12 mL, 16.5 mL, and 18 mL of PMMA cement. This minimally invasive surgical procedure achieved both short-term (immediate pain relief and mobilization) and long-term (fracture healing) goals.