Primary haematological neoplasms of the larynx are uncommon; therefore, information regarding their epidemiology is limited and the diagnosis of histological types requires careful consideration. The Show more
Primary haematological neoplasms of the larynx are uncommon; therefore, information regarding their epidemiology is limited and the diagnosis of histological types requires careful consideration. The current study describes the case of a 72-year-old male patient with primary laryngeal lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) that was difficult to distinguish from plasmacytoma. Imaging examinations of the neck revealed a mass in the right laryngeal folds, 25Γ12Γ25 mm in size, which was surgically resected by direct laryngoscopy. Histopathologically, the mass showed diffuse proliferation of plasma cells with CD138 (+) and IgG (+) in the submucosal stroma. Flow cytometry revealed the tumour was positive for CD19 and negative for CD56. Based on these findings, the final diagnosis was confirmed as LPL, albeit similar to plasmacytoma regarding phenotypic features. There was no evidence of local or systemic recurrence following surgery, and the patient has been followed up without additional treatment. This case highlights the unique presentation of laryngeal lymphoma mimicking solitary plasmacytoma. The key factor in the diagnosis was the expression pattern of surface antigen markers. Show less
Engineered cardiac tissue (ECT) using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes is a promising tool for modeling heart disease. However, tissue immaturity makes robust disease modelin Show more
Engineered cardiac tissue (ECT) using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes is a promising tool for modeling heart disease. However, tissue immaturity makes robust disease modeling difficult. Here, we established a method for modeling hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) malignant (MYH7 R719Q) and nonmalignant (MYBPC3 G115 Show less
A loss of balance between cell membrane-associated proteases and their inhibitors may underlie cancer invasion and metastasis. We analysed the roles of a membrane- associated serine protease inhibitor Show more
A loss of balance between cell membrane-associated proteases and their inhibitors may underlie cancer invasion and metastasis. We analysed the roles of a membrane- associated serine protease inhibitor, HAI-1, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). While membranous HAI-1 was widely observed in cancer cells of human OSCC tissues, this was significantly reduced at the infiltrative invasion front. In vitro, HAI-1 was detected in all eight OSCC cell lines examined, in which its cognate membrane protease, matriptase was also expressed. HAI-1 expression knock-down (KD) in OSCC lines, SAS and HSC-3, reduced the growth of both lines in vitro but significantly enhanced SAS tumourigenicity in vivo, which was accompanied by histological changes suggestive of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Both HAI-1-KD lines also exhibited significantly enhanced migratory capability, and membrane-associated but not truncated HAI-1 was required to rescue this phenotype. Other OSCC lines (HSC-2, Sa3, Ca9-22) also showed enhanced migration in response to HAI-1 KD. The enhanced migration is partly attributed to dysregulation of matriptase, as simultaneous matriptase KD alleviated the migration of HAI-1-KD cells. HAI-1 deficiency also altered the expression of CD24, S100A4, CCND2 and DUSP6, all of which are involved in tumour progression. While matriptase was involved in the increased CD24 expression associated with HAI-1 deficiency, the protease appeared to be not responsible for the altered expression of other genes. Therefore, a matriptase-independent mechanism for the invasiveness associated with HAI-1 KD is also present. Together, these observations suggest that HAI-1 has a crucial suppressive role in OSCC cell invasiveness. Show less