ANP as a remote metastasis suppressor

Cancer has the brutal capacity of remote metastasis which usually kills the patient. Without remote metastasis, it won't fatally harm the patient in most cases. Surgery could be curative to them.

Any medication or therapy to suppress or eradicate remote metastasis has been desired. This news might be a breakthrough for metastasis suppression. Atrial natriuretic peptide;ANP, an antihypertensive hormone produced at heart, seems to be a hopeful medication for this purpose. There are a few reports that  ANP has anti tumor activity in animal model.

I have a friend who suffers from breast cancer and is waiting for curative surgery after chemo protocol. There must be millions of people in the same situation. I really hope this will promise them as a powerful medication for complete remission. 

Quote;

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Mar 31;112(13):4086-91. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1417273112. Epub 2015 Mar 16.

Atrial natriuretic peptide prevents cancer metastasis through vascular endothelial cells.

Nojiri T1, Hosoda H2, Tokudome T3, Miura K2, Ishikane S3, Otani K2, Kishimoto I4, Shintani Y5, Inoue M5, Kimura T1, Sawabata N5, Minami M5, Nakagiri T5, Funaki S5, Takeuchi Y6, Maeda H6, Kidoya H7, Kiyonari H8, Shioi G8, Arai Y9, Hasegawa T10, Takakura N7, Hori M11, Ohno Y11, Miyazato M3, Mochizuki N12, Okumura M5, Kangawa K13.

Author information

Abstract

Most patients suffering from cancer die of metastatic disease. Surgical removal of solid tumors is performed as an initial attempt to cure patients; however, surgery is often accompanied with trauma, which can promote early recurrence by provoking detachment of tumor cells into the blood stream or inducing systemic inflammation or both. We have previously reported that administration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) during the perioperative period reduces inflammatory response and has a prophylactic effect on postoperative cardiopulmonary complications in lung cancer surgery. Here we demonstrate that cancer recurrence after curative surgery was significantly lower in ANP-treated patients than in control patients (surgery alone). ANP is known to bind specifically to NPR1 [also called guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A) receptor]. In mouse models, we found that metastasis of GC-A-nonexpressing tumor cells (i.e., B16 mouse melanoma cells) to the lung was increased in vascular endothelium-specific GC-A knockout mice and decreased in vascular endothelium-specific GC-A transgenic mice compared with control mice. We examined the effect of ANP on tumor metastasis in mice treated with lipopolysaccharide, which mimics systemic inflammation induced by surgical stress. ANP inhibited the adhesion of cancer cells to pulmonary arterial and micro-vascular endothelial cells by suppressing the E-selectin expression that is promoted by inflammation. These results suggest that ANP prevents cancer metastasis by inhibiting the adhesion of tumor cells to inflamed endothelial cells.

A time to recall those who have passed away

I realized breeze was shaking leaves of a tree in the garden when I was working there. It is the time now when a friend of mine left a comment in my blog around this time last year. For my post that the leaves were whistling to breeze around this time and it reminded me of the people around myself since it sounded like something eternal in my mind, having given approval to my post, he commented that he would pass away peacefully. In a month, actually, he has suddenly died from a circulatory problem. Nowadays, there are more and more friends and folks gone away whom I remember of frequently. 

The forest over a field south of my home.

Roses in full bloom in the garden.

It is one of the best seasons here in a year. It is a time when I recall of those having passed away as well. 

Conspiracy and censorship

Tomorrow, exactly today in the daytime, the government would steamroller the bill of conspiracy bill at the House of Representatives here. No wonder, the bill may pass the House of Councilors as well since the government parties occupy the majority at both of the Houses.

The law is supposed to go against the terrorism as the government insists. At the same time, they explain it was to join Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Our country may join it without new legislation for that. The content of this law is just to let the security police investigate anyone with suspicion of conspiracy utilizing the communication interception and so forth they are allowed to do without any limitation. The government is, administering this law, going to censor every one or every party who behaves against them.

Since this Abe administration is highly ultranationalistic, the enactment of this law is quite hazardous to our society, I am afraid. It seems there are movements toward ultranationalism based on populism in various parts of the world. Paralleling with that political movements, there seems to be tendency for censorship by the authority going on. It is a problem what world we would leave to the next generation. Even feeling tired with such a political problem, I would go against such a movement for the next generation.

Gardening and farming

It has been almost a couple of weeks since I last updated this blog. I am doing just fine. In the daytime, the garden and the small farm are keeping me busy as in usual spring. Having pulled or cut the weeds in the garden, I am pleased to have it very neat and beautiful so far. When the mid summer sun starts to shine, it will be another story.

This is newly planted tree, a kind of azalea, with tiny lovely flowers. I have planted a lot of seeds of Marygold, which I harvested from its flowers last fall. Some are already sprouting at various places in the garden. The flowers might go on pleasing us throughout the summer.

A lot of kinds of vegetables are also budding as well as growing. Tomatoes could be damaged by long lasting rain from June to July. Hopefully, we may get some fruits by that time.

While I do with the vegetables, my wife cares for the flowers. The flowers in the bed may feast our eyes for a long time.

There have been a number of problems around myself. This circumstance is, however, a real blessing to me. I would treasure every moment being with my family in this beautiful home.

Hananuki Valley in Northern Ibaraki

Looking for the fresh green leaves in forests in the mountains, I have driven to Northern Ibaraki yesterday. I went through the mountainous villages north east of here. Winding and hilly roads. Opening the window of the driving seat, I have had comfortable wind in. In spite of the vacation season, there were only few cars on the way.

On the way, deep in countryside in the mountains, I have found "carp streamer", so called Koinobori in Japanese. From explanation of Koinobori in Wikipedia, it is carp shaped wind socks traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Tango no sekku, that is, Children's day at present. You may know how parents are thinking of their children with this kind of flags. They want their children to grow like these vivid carps flowing in the sky. It is becoming less popular tradition in this countryside. Maybe, due partly to less number of children.

Hananuki Valley. Softly green leaves were covering the mountains. Peaceful spring time.

I have taken late lunch at a casual restaurant managed by the local facility. Pretty good Soba. 

I have been to this area several times with family when the children were small. It was, however, the 1st visit for me to this valley. Some 10 miles east of here, there is the Pacific Ocean. They say it is pretty mild throughout a year there. I have been dreaming of moving to this area. I wonder if it is possible or not. 

 

A university orchestra concert

I went for a concert to a hall nearby with my wife yesterday afternoon. The orchestra of Jichi Medical University has played the 9th symphony of Dvorak et al there. My wife has been invited to this event by her flute teacher, whose husband has been playing flute at this orchestra.

Both of us have served residency at this university hospital. In my case, from 1979 to 1981. I could not forget enjoyment to play in an orchestra and decided to join the university orchestra there when the things in residency had settled down. It was still a small ensemble. Only about 10 members. Mostly boys. I have never played in any concert the orchestra held then but have had fun having good company, mostly, young med students. Once a week, we gathered at a class room of the school and practiced some Baroque tune. I have known a guy who played pretty good piano. We have played some piano trio with a junior high school student girl, who was a daughter of a professor. It has not lasted too long. It is still a fond memory for me.

This photo might be uploaded here before. However, it was the days of our residency at that university hospital. At the campus. More vacant space there than now. We lived at a dorm there. We have spent a lot of time for training as doctor, studied a bit, played instruments, cello with me and piano with my wife at that time and enjoyed driving a lot.

Who knew hectic and hard days were waiting for us after this peaceful days? I have been away from cello performance for years since then.

The orchestra sounded great. Of course, there were inequality of playing technique among players, especially, wind instrument players. Whenever I listen to such an amateur orchestra, however, I could not help feeling the players' enthusiasm at every moment. It might be different from genuinely deep impression but is still a fun to listen to such an orchestra. The company at the orchestra almost 40 years ago might be working hard as doctors all around the country. The graduates from this school are supposed to work for the hospitals at the area they came from. Listening to their performance, I just wondered how they were doing now.  They must be over sixties of age by now.

After finishing the program, the conductor has come to a contrabass player who would graduate the school next year and has shaken hands with him.

A phone call from Lee HL2DC

I have just received a phone call from Lee HL2DC. It seemed a reply to my e mail I had sent to him a few days ago asking how he and his family were doing. He and his family are doing fine. Not so much like panic there. They used to have an announcement by the president some more than ten years ago in a threat , which told the people to prepare for food and water in case of war. It is not so serious as that time so far, as Lee told me. He is not sure what will happen tomorrow. Mainly because Trump is not a person whom we could hardly predict how he will behave. If war should happen there, he told me he won't take refuge anywhere. The roads would be jammed with cars all around and it won't be possible for them to go anywhere. He lives only 20km away from the DMZ.

I felt we must apologize to Korean people because the present mess going on is originated from the history that Japan colonized Korea before WWII. We should feel that debt to them as a kind of basso continuo. I am really angry as well at the politicians who behave like playing with fire in this region. The on going threat of war is due to OPLAN 5029 or 5055. Of course, needless to say the Kim administration is an inhumane dictatorship and should be overthrown by non military way. North Korea has not started invading the other coutries nor attacking them with weapons at present. The US president is insisting that North Korea should not be allowed to own nuclear weapon and ICBM. There seem to be some domestic problem that Trump won't get good approving rate in the US and would resort to military action which was partially successful in Syria. Our prime minister is slaving after Trump possibly thinking it would be a good chance to change our constitution to that in old era, under which the basic human right and freedom is deprived of us. Our government has recommended the school teachers to teach on the Imperial Rescript of Education. They have recently admitted "Mein Kampf" by Hitler as a teaching material. Both Trump and Abe, and of course Kim Jeon Un are playing with fire in this area. 

It seems China is trying to calm down North Korea with the card of prohibiting export of gas to North Korea. I don't know if it will work long. This situation of serious threat could be accidentally turned to war any time. In such a case, it means a suicidal war for North Korea and will give us tremendous damages and casualties in this area.