Altered serotonin synthesis, turnover and dynamic regulation in multiple brain regions of mice lacking the serotonin transporter

To evaluate the consequences of inactivation of the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene on 5-HT homeostasis and function, 5-HT synthesis and turnover rates were measured using the decarboxylase inhibition method in multiple brain regions (frontal cortex, striatum, brainstem, hippocampus and hypothalamus) from mice with a genetic disruption of SERT. 5-HT synthesis rates were increased 30-60% in the different brain regions of SERT -/- mice compared to littermate +/+ control mice despite 55-70% reductions in tissue 5-HT concentrations. Brain regions that possessed a greater capacity to increase synthesis and turnover (frontal cortex, striatum) demonstrated lesser reductions in tissue 5-HT. Female SERT -/- mice had greater increases (79%) in brain 5-HT synthesis than male -/- mice did (25%), a finding associated with higher brain tryptophan concentrations in females. Despite increased 5-HT synthesis, there was no change in either TPH2 or TPH1 mRNA levels or in maximal in vitro TPH activity in the brainstem of SERT -/- mice. Catecholamine homeostasis as reflected in brain tissue concentrations and in synthesis and turnover of dopamine and norepinephrine was unchanged in SERT -/- mice. Taken together, the results demonstrate a markedly altered homeostatic situation in SERT -/- mice that lack 5-HT reuptake, resulting in markedly depleted tissue stores that are inadequately compensated for by increased 5-HT synthesis, with brain region and gender specificity observed.

Birth month and sensitization to house dust mites in asthmatic children

BACKGROUND

Early exposure to high quantities of allergen has an important role in the incidence of atopic sensitization. In fact, subjects sensitized to house dust mites (HDMs) have a significantly higher proportion of births in the season when HDMs are most abundant.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate whether birth month patterns differ for asthmatic patients sensitized only to HDMs and for those sensitized to HDMs and other allergen(s).

METHODS

Among 2225 patients with asthma, aged 10-16 years, 1642 sensitized to HDMs were identified by skin prick testing. This group was composed of patients sensitized only to HDMs (n = 715) and patients sensitized to HDMs and other allergen(s) (n = 927). The birth month distributions of the group of HDM-sensitive asthmatics or its subgroups were compared with that of a reference population (total live births in the same years as the studied subjects). The risk ratio of a given birth month in relation to all the other months was calculated as an odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

A significant difference in birth month distribution was observed for HDM-sensitive asthmatics (chi(2) = 23.6, P = 0.015), with higher rates of birth in August (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04-1.46) and September (1.24, 1.04-1.46). When the two subgroups were analyzed separately, significantly more births were noted in August (1.34, 1.06-1.71) and September (1.34, 1.05-1.70) for those sensitized only to HDMs, whereas no such birth month preference was observed for those sensitized to HDMs and other allergen(s).

CONCLUSIONS

The HDM-positive asthmatics showed a greater proportion of births in August and September, which correspond to high HDM exposure. However, this birth month pattern was evident in asthmatic-sensitive only to HDMs, but was not observed in those sensitive to HDMs and other allergen(s).

Selective induction of apoptosis with proton pump inhibitor in gastric cancer cells

PURPOSE

To survive in an ischemic microenvironment with a lower extracellular pH, ability to up-regulate proton extrusion is critical for cancer cell survival. Gastric H+/K(+)-ATPase exchanges luminal K+ for cytoplasmic H+ and is the enzyme primarily responsible for gastric acidification. On the basis of the fact that blocking the clearance of acidic metabolites are known to induce the cell death, we hypothesized that pantoprazole (PPZ), one of gastric H+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitors used frequently to treat acid-related diseases, could inhibit growth of tumor cells.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Genomic DNA fragmentation, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (Tdt)-mediated nick end labeling assay, and annexin V staining were performed to detect PPZ-induced apoptosis. Mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and heat shock proteins expression were determined by immunoblot with specific antibodies. The antitumor effect of PPZ was evaluated in vivo by a xenograft model of nude mice.

RESULTS

After PPZ treatment, apoptotic cell death was seen selectively in cancer cells and was accompanied with extracellular signal-regulated kinase deactivation. By contrast, normal gastric mucosal cells showed the resistance to PPZ-induced apoptosis through the overexpression of antiapoptotic regulators including HSP70 and HSP27. In a xenograft model of nude mice, administration of PPZ significantly inhibited tumorigenesis and induced large-scale apoptosis of tumor cells.

CONCLUSIONS

PPZ selectively induced in vivo and in vitro apoptotic cell death in gastric cancer, suggesting that proton pump inhibitors could be used for selective anticancer effects.

A set of testis-specific novel genes collected from a collection of Korean Native Chicken ESTs

We report a set of testis-specific novel genes by comparing the The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) chicken gene index with the 13,132 expressed sequence tag (EST) collection from Korean Native Chicken (KNC). A total of 553 novel transcripts have resulted after comparison of our EST contigs and singlets against the chicken gene index and chicken genome sequences. Interestingly, 76% of the new genes were from testis-specific EST contigs or singlet and analysis of exon/intron structure showed that a significant number of the contigs have intronless coding regions. A large portion of the testis-specific transcripts have intronless coding region indicating that the testis-specific expression pattern is related to a group of single exon genes in the chicken. The chicken EST data that are described in this paper have been submitted to the NCBI dbEST under accession numbers CO759017-CO764274, CO765331-CO768903 and CO769672-CO773972.

Coincidence of atopy profile in terms of monosensitization and polysensitization in children and their parents

BACKGROUND

Results from epidemiologic studies have shown that childhood atopy is probably a hereditary disorder, because the offspring of affected parents have a higher risk of developing atopy. Among the atopic population, some subjects are sensitized to only one class of allergens (monosensitized), while other subjects are sensitized to more than one class of allergens (polysensitized). The aim of this study was to investigate whether atopy profile (monosensitization/polysensitization) in children is linked to the same conditions in their parents.

METHODS

We evaluated sensitization to five classes of aeroallergens (house dust mites, animal danders, pollens, molds, and cockroach) by skin prick testing in a group of 494 children with suspicious allergic symptoms and in their parents.

RESULTS

The frequency of parental atopy was highest (51.6%) in polysensitized children (n = 189), intermediate (37.1%) in monosensitized children (n = 178), and was lowest (22.4%) in nonsensitized children (n = 127). The proportion of polysensitized subjects among atopic parents was significantly higher for polysensitized children (45.6%) than for monosensitized children (31.1%). Polysensitized children were found to more frequently have one or both parents polysensitized (32.3%, 7.4%) than monosensitized children (18.5%, 2.2%) with odds ratios of 2.09 (95% CI: 1.29-3.40) and 3.48 (1.12-10.78), respectively, whereas the likelihood of having one or two monosensitized parents was not increased for polysensitized children.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest a familial coincidence of atopy profile in terms of monosensitization and polysensitization, although the relative importance of genetic or environmental influence should be studied further.

Case report: pericardial rupture and cardiac herniation after blunt trauma: a case diagnosed using cardiac MRI

Pericardial rupture following blunt chest trauma is rare, and is not usually diagnosed pre-operatively. If pericardial rupture is not recognized and treated promptly, it may be fatal owing to cardiac herniation. We report a case of traumatic herniation of the heart for which a CT scan and MRI made a major contribution to the diagnosis.

Serotonergic-like progenitor cells propagated from neural stem cells in vitro: survival with SERT protein expression following implantation into brains of mice lacking SERT

Neural stem cells (NSCs) obtained from the midbrain region of embryonic (E14) mice were initially cultured with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), Sonic hedgehog, and FGF-8 in a serum-free N-2 culture medium to foster differentiation into a serotonergic-like phenotype. During the initial differentiating phase, these progenitor cells expressed En1, Pax3, and Pax5 mRNA. Subsequently, a single serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] and tryptophan hydroxylase-positive clone was isolated, which gave rise to cells that developed serotonergic properties. Sixty percent of these progenitor cells expressed the serotonin transporter (SERT), as indicated by specific ligand binding of [125I]-RTI-55. To further evaluate SERT functionality, we showed that these progenitor cells possessed specific [3H]-5-HT uptake activity. Implantation of the serotonergic-like progenitors into the hippocampus of adult mice genetically lacking SERT was followed by migration of these cells into adjacent brain regions, and survival of the cells at 8 weeks was accompanied by a gradual increase in density of SERT protein expression, which was not found in vehicle-injected, control mice. These findings suggest that this serotonergic-like NSC model will be a useful contribution to the development of cell biotechnology in regard to the expression of missing genes such as SERT in the adult brain.

Analysis of testis-specific transcripts in the chicken

Sequences of candidate chicken testis-specific genes were analysed in order to develop a resource for functional genomic studies of the testis and male germ cells. Tentative consensus sequences (TC) containing expressed sequence tags expressed in testis libraries were selected from the TIGR Gallus gallus Gene Index, resulting in 292 TC. The transcriptional expression of these genes were evaluated in several chicken tissues, including testis and ovary. One hundred ten of the 292 TC were expressed in a testis-specific manner. Annotation of the TC using the Gene Ontology database terms showed that the proportion of testis-specific TC that were classified as having catalytic activity (within the molecular function branch) was higher than the proportion of total chicken TC classified in the same way. Our results may facilitate the investigation of testis-specific genes and their functional analysis in the chicken, as well as in other avian species.

Restoration of heat shock protein70 suppresses gastric mucosal inducible nitric oxide synthase expression induced by Helicobacter pylori

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are crucial for the maintenance of cell integrity during normal cellular growth as well as during pathophysiological conditions. While functioning mainly as molecular chaperones, HSPs also appear to be involved in diverse biological activities, such as apoptosis, carcinogenesis, and cytoprotection from cytotoxic damage. Infection with Helicobacter pylori causes inflammation in the gastric mucosa, leading to gastritis, gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcer disease, and even gastric cancer, but the role of HSPs in H. pylori-associated gastropathy is not known. Using two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis, we have observed significant shifts in HSP profiles after H. pylori infection in RGM-1 cells. We therefore evaluated the effect of treatments that induce HSPs on H. pylori-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. We found that H. pylori infection significantly attenuated the expression of HSP70, whereas exposure of cells to noncytotoxic heat shock or geranylgeranylacetone restored HSP70 expression, as well as suppressing the expression of iNOS, a major cause of H. pylori-induced gastric tissue damage. Our results suggest that induction of HSP70 confers cytoprotection against H. pylori infection by inhibiting the expression of iNOS. In conclusion, these results provide important insights into the flux in HSPs profiles in response to H. pylori infection and highlight the cytoprotective role of HSP70 in H. pylori infection.

Synchronous delivery systems composed of Au nanoparticles and stimuli-sensitive diblock terpolymer

A method to construct synchronous delivery systems via direct self-assembly of Au nanoparticles on the poly[(N-isopropylacrylamide-r-acrylamide)-b-L-lactic acid] (PNAL) nanospheres has been presented in this paper. To achieve amphiphilic diblock terpolymer, hydrophobic poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) block was added to poly(N-isopropylacrylamide- r-acrylamide) (PNA) block via Michel-type addition reaction. Lower critical solubility temperature (LCST) was modulated at 35.6 degrees C which is close to the body temperature, but higher than poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) homopolymer by controlling the ratio between isopropylacrylamide (IPAAm) monomers and acrylamide (AAm) monomers. Using this amphiphilic diblock terpolymer, PNAL nanospheres were fabricated by emulsion/evaporation technique followed by direct self-assembly of Au nanoparticles on the PNAL nanospheres due to the high affinity of amino groups donated from PNA block. The 'core' site of Au@PNAL nanospheres can load various lyphophilic drugs. Moreover, Au nanoparticles in the 'shell' domain of PNAL nanospheres give optimal environment to conjugate various biomolecules. Therefore, it is expected that Au@PNAL hybrid nanospheres can be utilized in synchronous delivery of both biomolecules in the 'shell' domain and various therapeutic drugs in the 'core' domain.

Transverse myelitis after measles and rubella vaccination

The incidence of severe neurological complications associated with measles or rubella vaccination is low. A 9-year-old girl developed urinary retention and lower limb paralysis 16 days after measles and rubella vaccination. Her illness was diagnosed as transverse myelitis. Clinical, laboratory and magnetic resonance image findings were consistent with her diagnosis. She was treated with steroids and discharged with only mild lower limb weakness.

Morphological and photoelectrochemical characterization of core-shell nanoparticle films for dye-sensitized solar cells: Zn-O type shell on SnO2 and TiO2 cores

Core-shell type nanoparticles with SnO2 and TiO2 cores and zinc oxide shells were prepared and characterized by surface sensitive techniques. The influence of the structure of the ZnO shell and the morphology ofnanoparticle films on the performance was evaluated. X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies show the presence of thin ZnO-like shells around the nanoparticles at low Zn levels. In the case of SnO2 cores, ZnO nanocrystals are formed at high Zn/Sn ratios (ca. 0.5). Scanning electron microscopy studies show that Zn modification of SnO2 nanoparticles changes the film morphology from a compact mesoporous structure to a less dense macroporous structure. In contrast, Zn modification of TiO2 nanoparticles has no apparent influence on film morphology. For SnO2 cores, adding ZnO improves the solar cell efficiency by increasing light scattering and dye uptake and decreasing recombination. In contrast, adding a ZnO shell to the TiO2 core decreases the cell efficiency, largely owing to a loss of photocurrent resulting from slow electron transport associated with the buildup of the ZnO surface layer.

Preferential expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 in ameloblasts during rat tooth development

Certain amino acid transport systems play an important role in supplying organic nutrients to each cell and for cell proliferation during tooth development. However, the mechanisms responsible for such actions are unclear. This study demonstrated for the first time that LAT1 and 4F2hc are expressed during tooth development in prenatal and postnatal rats, and that the transporters show cell-specific expression in ameloblasts, which are the epithelium-derived dental cells. LAT1 and 4F2hc expression was not observed in other dental cells of the developing teeth such as odontoblasts and cementoblasts. Overall, these results suggest that LAT1 and 4F2hc might play an important role in enamel formation.

Acetylcholine release from the carotid body by hypoxia: evidence for the involvement of autoinhibitory receptors

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether hypoxia influences acetylcholine (ACh) release from the rabbit carotid body and, if so, to determine the mechanism(s) associated with this response. ACh is expressed in the rabbit carotid body (5.6 +/- 1.3 pmol/carotid body) as evidenced by electrochemical analysis. Immunocytochemical analysis of the primary cultures of the carotid body with antibody specific to ACh further showed that ACh-like immunoreactivity is localized to many glomus cells. The effect of hypoxia on ACh release was examined in ex vivo carotid bodies harvested from anesthetized rabbits. The basal release of ACh during normoxia ( approximately 150 Torr) averaged 5.9 +/- 0.5 fmol.min-1.carotid body-1. Lowering the Po2 to 90 and 20 Torr progressively decreased ACh release by approximately 15 and approximately 68%, respectively. ACh release returned to the basal value on reoxygenation. Simultaneous monitoring of dopamine showed a sixfold increase in dopamine release during hypoxia. Hypercapnia (21% O2 + 10% CO2) as well as high K+ (100 mM) facilitated ACh release from the carotid body, suggesting that hypoxia-induced inhibition of ACh release is not due to deterioration of the carotid body. Hypoxia had no significant effect on acetylcholinesterase activity in the medium, implying that increased hydrolysis of ACh does not account for hypoxia-induced inhibition of ACh release. In the presence of either atropine (10 microM) or domperidone (10 microM), hypoxia stimulated ACh release. These results demonstrate that glomus cells of the rabbit carotid body express ACh and that hypoxia overall inhibits ACh release via activation of muscarinic and dopaminergic autoinhibitory receptors in the carotid body.

Facilitation of dopamine and acetylcholine release by intermittent hypoxia in PC12 cells: involvement of calcium and reactive oxygen species

We have investigated the effects of preconditioning pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells with intermittent hypoxia (IH) on transmitter release during acute hypoxia. Cell cultures were exposed to either alternating cycles of hypoxia (1% O(2) + 5% CO(2); 30 s/cycle) and normoxia (21% O(2) + 5% CO(2); 3 min/cycle) for 15 or 60 cycles or normoxia alone (control) for similar durations. Control and IH cells were challenged with either hyperoxia (basal release) or acute hypoxia (Po(2) of approximately 35 Torr) for 5 min, and the amounts of dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (ACh) released in the medium were determined by HPLC combined with electrochemical detection. Hypoxia augmented DA (approximately 80%) but not ACh release in naive cells, whereas, in IH-conditioned cells, it further enhanced DA release (ranging from 120 to approximately 145%) and facilitated ACh release (approximately 30%). Hypoxia-evoked augmentation of transmitter release was not seen in cells conditioned with sustained hypoxia. IH-induced increase in DA but not IH-induced ACh release during hypoxia was partially inhibited by cadmium chloride (100 microM), a voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel blocker. By contrast, 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate (75 microM), a blocker of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) receptors, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (300 microM), a potent scavenger of reactive oxygen species, either attenuated or abolished IH-evoked augmentation of transmitter release during hypoxia. Together, the above results demonstrate that IH conditioning increases hypoxia-evoked neurotransmitter release from PC12 cells via mechanisms involving mobilization of Ca(2+) from intracellular stores through activation of IP(3) receptors. Our findings also suggest that oxidative stress plays a central role in IH-induced augmentation of transmitter release from PC12 cells during acute hypoxia.

Activation of tyrosine hydroxylase by intermittent hypoxia: involvement of serine phosphorylation

Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) by intermittent hypoxia (IH) was investigated in rat pheochromocytoma 12 (PC-12) cells by exposing them to alternating cycles of hypoxia (1% O2, 15 s) and normoxia (21% O2, 3 min) for up to 60 cycles; controls were exposed to normoxia for a similar duration. IH exposure increased dopamine content and TH activity by approximately 42 and approximately 56%, respectively. Immunoblot analysis revealed that comparable levels of TH protein were expressed in normoxic and IH cells. Removal of TH-bound catecholamines and in vitro phosphorylation of TH in cell-free extracts by the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKA) increased TH activity in normoxic but not in IH cells, suggesting possible induction of TH phosphorylation and removal of endogenous inhibition of TH by IH. To assess the role of serine phosphorylation in IH-induced TH activation, TH immunoprecipitates and extracts derived from normoxic and IH cells were probed with anti-phosphoserine and anti-phospho-TH (Ser-40) antibody, respectively. Compared with normoxic cells, total serine and Ser-40-specific phosphorylation of TH were increased in IH cells. IH-induced activation of TH and the increase in total serine and Ser-40-specific phosphorylation of TH were inhibited by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) and PKA-specific inhibitors but not by inhibitors of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase pathway, suggesting that IH activates TH in PC-12 cells via phosphorylation of serine residues including Ser-40, in part, by CaMK and PKA. Our results also suggest that IH-induced phosphorylation of TH facilitates the removal of endogenous inhibition of TH, leading to increased synthesis of dopamine.

A double-blind, randomised- placebo, controlled, parallel group, multicentre, flexible-dose escalation study to assess the efficacy and safety of sildenafil administered as required to male outpatients with erectile dysfunction in Korea

The efficacy and safety of sildenafil was evaluated in a randomiSed, double-blind, placebo-controlled, flexible-dose study in Korean men aged 28-78 y with erectile dysfunction (ED) of broad-spectrum aetiology and more than 6 months duration. A total of 133 patients were randomised at six centres in Korea to receive either sildenafil (50 mg initially, increased if necessary to l00 mg or decreased to 25 mg depending on efficacy and tolerance) (n=66) or matching placebo (n=67) taken on an 'as needed' basis l h prior to anticipated sexual activity for a period of 8 weeks. At the end of this time, the primary efficacy variables relating to the achievement and maintenance of erections sufficient for sexual intercourse, and the secondary efficacy variables, which included: (1) the five separate domains of sexual functioning of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scale, (2) the percentage of successful intercourse attempts, and (3) a global assessment of erections, were all statistically significantly improved by sildenafil in comparison with placebo (P&<0.0001). Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 56.1% of patients receiving sildenafil and 20.9% receiving placebo. The most common adverse events with sildenafil were vasodilatation (flushing), headache and abnormalities in colour vision (31.8, 22.7 and 6.1% of patients, respectively), and most were mild in nature. The efficacy and safety of sildenafil in this population of Korean men appears similar to that reported in other studies in western populations.

The comparison of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte effects of dendritic cells stimulated by the folate binding protein peptide cultured with IL-15 and IL-2 in solid tumor

The current modalities for treating cancer employ not only single but multiple approaches involving surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the survival outcome is not promising even with these approaches. Alternative approaches for cancer therapy are now emerging. Immunotherapy is aiming at both increasing the power, and in redirecting the specificity of the patients' immune system to attack the tumor cells. Recently, many studies using tumor associated lymphocytes (TAL) isolated from malignant ascites cultured in a media containing interleukin-2 exhibit antitumor responses. IL-2 is a lymphokine produced by T-cells. It facilitates activation, sustained growth and rescue from apoptosis. Lately, newly developed IL-15 has also exhibited antitumor activity similar to IL-2. IL-15 is a newly described cytokine produced from monocytes-marcrophages and T-cells. It has a different molecular structure but it functions like IL-2 by binding to the IL-2R beta and gammac chain. These antitumor responses are mediated by the cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) that recognize the antigen in the context of the MHC molecules using the T cell receptors. CD8+-CTL recognize the peptide epitopes that are processed from the cellular proteins in the context of the MHC class I molecules. These peptides have a restricted length of 8-11 amino acids. The folate binding protein (FBP) is overexpressed in over 90% of ovarian and 20-50% in breast cancers. The FBP is the source of the antigenic peptides that are recognized by a number of these CTL-TAL, and is antigenic to both ovarian and breast cancer in vivo. To define the antitumor response of IL-15 and its' FBP immunogenicity, a peptide defining epitope E39 and E75 were presented by the PMBC derived dendritic cells (DC) from healthy donors isolated by the CD14 method to ovarian and breast CTL-TAL. Stimulating both ovarian and breast CTL- TAL by E39 or E75 pulsed DC (DC-E39, DC-E75), in the presence of IL-15 and IL-2 can rapidly enhance or induce the E39 or E75 specific CTL activity. The antitumor activities were measured by a chromium release assay for the tumor specific lysis activity using the ovarian and breast cancer cell lines. The tumor specific lysis activity for the ovarian TALs for IL-15 vs IL-2 were 28.6 +/- 3.9% and 30.3 +/- 3.2%, respectively and in the breast TALs, they were 14.8 +/- 3.1% vs 13.5 +/- 2.9%, respectively. Using autologous tumor cells, a slightly higher tumor specific lysis activity was obtained for the ovarian TALs cultured in IL-15 compared to IL-2 (72.0 +/- 8.2% vs 68.5 +/- 3.6%). However, for the breast TALs, they were 39.5 +/- 4.2% vs 41.5 +/- 3.3%, respectively. IL-15 is a newly developed cytokine that shows promising antitumor activity similar to IL-2. However, it requires lower dosage and is less toxic. Therefore, IL-15 might be a potential anticancer immunotherapeutic agent.

Development of the Korean versions of WHO Quality of Life scale and WHOQOL-BREF

The purpose of this study was to develop the Korean version of World Health Organization Quality of Life study assessment instrument (WHOQOL) and WHOQOL-BREF, an abbreviated version of WHOQOL and to identify contributing factors in the quality of life of Koreans. The WHOQOL and WHOQOL-BREF were translated into colloquial Korean according to instructions of the WHOQOL study group. Then the Korean questionnaire was applied to 538 subjects, composed of 171 medical patients and 367 healthy subjects who volunteered to rate the scale. Finally, 486 subjects completed the rating. Collected data were analyzed statistically. The Korean version of WHOQOL and WHOQOL-BREF domain scores demonstrated good test-retest reliability, internal consistency, criterion validity, content validity and discriminant validity. The physical, psychological, social and environmental domains made a significant contribution to explaining the variance in the quality of life while the independence and spiritual domains made a lesser contribution. The domain scores produced by the WHOQOL-BREF correlated highly with the WHOQOL. The physical health domain contributed most in overall quality of life, while the social domain made the least contribution. These results suggest that the Korean version of WHOQOL and WHOQOL-BREF are valid and reliable in the assessment of quality of life and that physical domain is contributing most and social and spiritual factors are contributing least to the quality of life in Koreans.

Fenofibrate lowers abdominal and skeletal adiposity and improves insulin sensitivity in OLETF rats

The effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha activators on the liver is well established, but the other effects on muscle and adipose tissue about lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity are not clear. We investigated whether PPAR-alpha activation affects adiposity of skeletal muscle as well as adipose tissue and improves insulin sensitivity in spontaneous type 2 diabetes model, Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. Thirty-three weeks of aged, 20 male OLETF rats were divided into two groups. Control group (n=10) was fed with chow and treatment group (n=10) with chow contained fenofibrate for 7 weeks. At the age of 40 weeks, all rats were examined with MRI, intravenous glucose tolerance test, and then sacrificed for measurement of fat mass and RNA analyses. The total fat (the sum of subcutaneous, mesenteric, epididymal, and retroperitoneal fat pads) measured by dissection was significantly reduced in treatment group. The signal intensity of muscular adiposity was significantly decreased in treatment group. The mRNA levels of FAT/CD36 and mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (M-CPT I) in liver were remarkably increased. Fasting plasma insulin and leptin levels, insulin response after intravenous glucose loading and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)) index were lowered in treatment group. Fenofibrate increase mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation in liver but not in skeletal muscle and lower the plasma levels of triglyceride and free fatty acid. It might result in reduction of adiposity of truncal adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. We suggest that reduction of adiposity in trunk and skeletal muscle might improve insulin sensitivity.

Effect of SKI 306X, a new herbal anti-arthritic agent, in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a double-blind placebo controlled study

SKI 306X is a purified extract from a mixture of three oriental herbal medicines (Clematis mandshurica, Trichosanthes kirilowii and Prunella vulgaris) that have been widely used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as lymphadenitis and arthritis in far East Asia. A double-blind, controlled study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SKI 306X with placebo in 96 patients with classical osteoarthritis of the knee. Patients were randomized to four treatment groups: placebo, 200 mg, 400 mg and 600 mg of SKI 306X t.i.d.. Clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated for 4 weeks continuous treatment. SKI 306X demonstrated its clinical efficacy, as assessed by 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS), Lequesne index and patients' and investigators opinion of the therapeutic effect compared with placebo (p<0.01). No significant adverse events were observed in patients treated with SKI 306X. This study demonstrated that SKI 306X, a new herbal anti-arthritic agent provided clinical efficacy in patients with osteoarthritis.

Identification and characterization of a novel member of the heterodimeric amino acid transporter family presumed to be associated with an unknown heavy chain

We identified a novel amino acid transporter designated Asc-2 (for asc-type amino acid transporter 2). Asc-2 exhibited relatively low but significant sequence similarity to the members of the heterodimeric amino acid transporters. The cysteine residue responsible for the disulfide bond formation between transporters (light chains) and heavy chain subunits in the heterodimeric amino acid transporters is conserved for Asc-2. Asc-2 is, however, not colocalized with the already known heavy chains such as 4F2 heavy chain (4F2hc) or related to b(0,+) amino acid transporter (rBAT) in mouse kidney. Because Asc-2 solely expressed or coexpressed with 4F2hc or rBAT did not induce functional activity, we generated fusion proteins in which Asc-2 is connected with 4F2hc or rBAT. The fusion proteins were sorted to the plasma membrane and expressed the function corresponding to the Na(+)-independent small neutral amino acid transport system asc. Distinct from the already identified system asc transporter Asc-1 which is associated with 4F2hc, Asc-2-mediated transport is less stereoselective and did not accept some of the high affinity substrates of Asc-1 such as alpha-aminoisobutyric acid and beta-alanine. Asc-2 message was detected in kidney, placenta, spleen, lung, and skeletal muscle. In kidney, Asc-2 protein was present in the epithelial cells lining collecting ducts. In the Western blot analysis on mouse erythrocytes and kidney, Asc-2 was detected as multiple bands in the nonreducing condition, whereas the bands shifted to a single band at lower molecular weight, suggesting the association of Asc-2 with other protein(s) via a disulfide bond. The finding of Asc-2 would lead to the establishment of a new subgroup of heterodimeric amino acid transporter family which includes transporters associated not with 4F2hc or rBAT but with other unknown heavy chains.

A transmembrane trap method for efficient cloning of genes encoding proteins possessing transmembrane domain

To facilitate searching for genes encoding cell membrane proteins, we developed a method for isolating cDNAs that contain sequences for hydrophobic transmembrane runs. This cloning strategy, termed the "transmembrane (TM) trap method," utilizes a vector that directs the cell surface expression of mouse CD4 fusion protein when an insert encoding hydrophobic transmembrane sequences is cloned in-frame with correct orientation. We applied this novel method to isolation of cytokine receptor cDNAs. Our strategy enabled efficient isolation of relatively rare species encoding receptors such as IL-2Rgamma, IL-3Rbeta, IL-4Ralpha, IL-5Ralpha, and IL-6Ralpha. This method also could be used to isolate cDNAs for intracellular molecules with a transmembrane region, e.g., bcl-2. These results indicate that the TM trap method provides an efficient cloning strategy for identification of various families of genes encoding proteins with one or more transmembrane regions.