Severity of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is related to airway eosinophilic inflammation in patients with asthma

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is widely prevalent in asthmatic patients. Eosinophilic airway inflammation is considered to be a major factor in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the effects of eosinophilic airway inflammation on EIB have been elucidated insufficiently. To examine the relationship between the severity of EIB and eosinophilic inflammation, sputum induction and exercise challenge were performed in 21 asthmatic patients. Significantly higher percentages of eosinophils and levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) were found in induced sputum in EIB-positive asthmatics (median (range), eosinophils: 23.5 (11.0-61.0)%; ECP: 1,475 (74.8-17,701) ng x mL(-1)) than in EIB-negative asthmatics (eosinophils: 6.0 (1.0-41.5)% (p=0.006); ECP: 270.6 (10.8-7,700) ng x mL(-1) (p=0.049)). There was a significant correlation between the severity of EIB and the sputum eosinophil percentage (r=0.59, p=0.009) and the level of ECP (r=0.47, p=0.037). The area under the curve of the forced expiratory volume in one second for 30 min after exercise correlated with the percentage of eosinophils (r=0.60, p=0.008) and the level of ECP (r=0.45, p=0.04). There was no correlation between airway responsiveness to methacholine on the one hand and EIB, sputum eosinophils or ECP on the other. In conclusion, these results provide evidence that the severity of bronchoconstriction evoked by exercise is more closely related to eosinophilic airway inflammation than airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine in asthmatic patients.

Tumorigenesis in F1 offspring mice following paternal 12.5 cGy 252Cf fission neutron irradiation

Experiments were conducted to determine whether following genetic damage at germ cell stages induced by paternal exposure to 252Cf fission neutron could lead to tumorigenesis in the offspring. Seven-week-old C3H/HeNCrj male mice were irradiated with 252Cf fission neutrons, at doses of 0 and 12.5 cGy and were mated with nine-week-old C57BL/6NCrj females two weeks after the exposure. Three weeks later, it was found that the proportion of abnormal sperm in the 12.5 cGy-irradiated males was higher than that of 0 cGy-irradiated group. Embryo lethality among the F1 offspring was also found to be higher in the 12.5 cGy group than in the 0 cGy group, while the incidence of liver tumors among the F1 offspring increased in males only. These results suggest that the paternal 12. 5 cGy radiation exposure may have caused genetic transmission of liver tumor-associated traits, which is in line with findings that show steep increase in incidence of tumorigenesis in B6C3F1.

Eosinophil degranulation in the presence of lung fibroblasts

BACKGROUND

Although eosinophils (Eos) and fibroblasts (Fb) are closely approximated in the bronchial submucosae of asthmatics, and are believed to play important roles in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma, the interaction between Eos and Fb has not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we have examined eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) release from human Eos cultured in the presence of human lung Fb.

METHODS

Eos from healthy donors were cultured with or without C5a for 16 h in the presence of human fetal lung Fb which had previously been incubated with or without some cytokines for 4 h. ECP in supernatants was measured by RIA.

RESULTS

ECP release was potentiated only when both Eos and Fb were activated by C5a and TNF, respectively, while it was not significantly potentiated when either Eos or Fb were activated. ECP release from Eos activated by C5a was also potentiated when Fb were stimulated by IL-1beta. The enhancement of ECP release in cocultured Eos and Fb with stimulation was partly inhibited by monoclonal antibodies against GM-CSF and was accompanied by the enhancement of adhesion of Eos to Fb.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that the stimulation of both Eos and Fb increases ECP release. It is suggested that Fb may influence Eos degranulation and play a role in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma.

Comparative in vitro activity of vancomycin and other antimicrobial agents against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and enterococcus faecium in the Tohoku district of Japan

Susceptibility patterns of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Enterococcus faecium obtained from various hospitals of the Tohoku district were documented. MICs of 6 antimicrobial agents against a total of 480 strains (380 strains were MRSA and 100 were E. faecium) were estimated. All MRSAs were susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin and quinupristin/dalfopristin, but all of them were resistant to ampicillin and benzylpenicillin. None of the E. faecium strains were found to be resistant to vancomycin, teicoplanin and quinupristin/dalfopristin. Excluding these, almost all strains of E. faecium were resistant to the remaining drugs. These data suggest that despite the emergence of vancomycin resistance to E. faecium in Europe and in the United States, vancomycin, teicoplanin and quinupristin/dalfopristin will nevertheless provide effective bactericidal activity in the Tohoku area of Japan.

An allosteric drug, o,o'-bismyristoyl thiamine disulfide, suppresses HIV-1 replication through prevention of nuclear translocation of both HIV-1 Tat and NF-kappa B

The efficacy of o,o'-bismyristoyl thiamine disulfide (BMT) was examined in detail against HIV-1 laboratory isolates (HTLV-IIIB, JRFL, and MN), primary isolates (KMT and KMO), and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmac251) in vitro. BMT inhibited the replication of HIV-1 in both laboratory and primary isolates in vitro. In addition, BMT exhibited antiviral activity against SIVmac251. Minimizing energy studies of BMT structure reveal that a trans-disulfide of thiamine (holo drug) disulfide (TDS, protodrug) is allosterically transited to the reactive twisted disulfide of BMT (allo drug) by o,o'-bismyristoyl esterification of TDS. BMT inhibits nuclear translocation of both HIV-1 transactivator (TAT) and the cellular transcriptional nuclear factor-KB (NF-kappa B), resulting in the suppression of HIV-1 replication.

Dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary system in mitochondrial encephalomyopathies

We investigated endocrine function in patients with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), myoclonus epilepsy associated with ragged-red fibers (MERRF), and chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO). Hypothalamic-pituitary function was impaired in all three patients with MELAS or MERRF, but none of four with CPEO. A MELAS patient with dwarfism and impaired adolescent development had decreased growth hormone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). A MERRF patient had emaciation and low adrenocorticotropin. A patient with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy transitional between MELAS and MERRF showed delayed, blunted LH and FSH response to LH-releasing hormone stimulation. We concluded that patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, especially MELAS or MERRF, are likely to have hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction.

Clinical implication of protein levels of IL-5 in induced sputum in asthmatic patients

To determine whether protein levels of interleukin-5 (IL-5) in induced sputum reflect the degree of eosinophilic inflammation, we evaluated the role of IL-5 on clinical characteristics in stable asthmatic patients. IL-5 level, differential eosinophil count, and level of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in induced sputum were all significantly higher for asthmatics than for normal controls. Both eosinophil counts and ECP levels in induced sputum were inversely correlated with the degree of airflow limitation (FEV1/FVC). In addition, patients with measurable IL-5 in sputum had significantly more eosinophils, higher levels of ECP in sputum, and lower FEV1 (percent predicted) than did patients with levels of IL-5 beneath the limit of detection. However, we found no significant difference in IL-5 levels between atopic and nonatopic asthmatics. IL-5 level in induced sputum is a good indicator of eosinophilic inflammation in atopic and nonatopic asthmatic patients.

Polymyalgia rheumatica in a patient with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis due to Sjögren's syndrome

A 68-year-old Japanese woman with polymyalgia rheumatica associated with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis and subclinical Sjögren's syndrome is described. Gallium scintigraphy showed marked accumulation in both kidneys and the salivary glands. Renal biopsy revealed lymphocytic infiltration in the tubulointerstitium. She was treated with intravenous high-dose methylprednisolone followed by oral prednisolone. Her clinical symptoms improved. This is the first report of this particular association.

Cocaine administered in vitro to brain slices from rats treated with cocaine chronically in vivo results in a gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-mediated hyperpolarization recorded from the dorsolateral septum

Previous reports of membrane hyperpolarizations, associated with acute application of cocaine, have been recorded from brain slice preparations containing aminergic nuclei and have always been attributed to cocaine's ability to elevate levels of local biogenic amines followed by activation of their receptors. The majority of these studies were conducted with brain slices obtained from rats that had not received prior chronic in vivo treatment with cocaine. We observed that cocaine alone, at 3 microM, could induce a membrane hyperpolarization (COC-HYP) in 100% of rat dorsolateral septal nucleus (DLSN) neurons from brain slices of rats treated chronically with cocaine for either 14 or 28 days in vivo. The DLSN is a nucleus absent of biogenic amine cell bodies, but does contain biogenic amine terminals with GABAergic cell bodies and terminals. Cocaine applied to brain slices from rats not previously administered cocaine or administered cocaine for up to seven days in vivo yielded a maximum incidence of COC-HYPs at only 50%. COC-HYPs recorded from DLSN neurons were not blocked by previous treatment with amine receptor antagonists or by a TTX and zero calcium medium. Based on these results, the ability of DLSN neurons to respond to a cocaine challenge with a COC-HYP did not involve inhibition of amine reuptake/uptake or action potential release of neuroactive substances. Rather, the COC-HYP, with an apparent reversal potential of -80 mV, was reduced by the GABA receptor antagonists-bicuculline and CGP-55845A. Lowering extracellular Na+ or Cl-, lowering of temperature, or previous superfusion with the GABA uptake blocker NO-711 could block the COC-HYP. In summary, our data suggest that COC-HYPs, after application of a cocaine challenge to brain slices from rats treated chronically (14-28 days, but not acutely, 7 days) with cocaine are due to cocaine-induced changes in GABA release and/or transporter function. The latter changes in transporter function may involve the reversal of the GABA transporter with release of GABA and subsequent activation of postsynaptic GABAA and GABAB receptors.

[A case report of steroid-responsive progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity showing muscle stiffness limited to the upper body]

A 37-year-old female presented with progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity for a period of about three months. Spasms began with several minutes of paroxysmal painful muscle stiffness in the left upper limb, followed by pain and muscle spasms in the upper limbs, shoulders, neck and back. The paroxysmal painful spasms were easily evoked by light touches and startling. The patient had contracture in the upper limbs and difficulty in relaxing the muscles. She also developed brain stem signs such as left sixth nerve palsy. The serum antinuclear antibody was positive (1 : 160). The cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed mild pleocytosis and protein elevation. Brainstem MRI, cervical MRI, and electroencephalography were normal. Surface electromyography in the arm and neck muscles showed continuous motor unit discharge elicited by passive movement of the right arm. Diazepam and baclofen were minimally beneficial. After treatment with intravenous injection of high-dose methylprednisolone and sequential oral prednisolone administration, the patient showed substantial improvement. This disorder may be part of a clinical spectrum that has an underlying autoimmune basis.

Effects of azoxymethane on X-ray induced intestinal metaplasia in Donryu rats

The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of azoxymethane (AOM) administration on intestinal metaplasia induced by X-irradiation in male Donryu rats. Five-week-old animals were X-irradiated with two doses of 10 Gy each at a 3-day interval or three X-ray doses of 10 Gy at a 2-day interval and then received AOM injections i.m. at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight once weekly for 3 weeks, 6 months after irradiation. Alkaline phosphatase positive foci were decreased after AOM treatments, but aberrant crypt like-foci appeared within areas of intestinal metaplasia. In contrast no induction was observed in normal-appearing gastric mucosa.

[A case of hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis associated with intramedullary lesion developed seizure marching from right lower extremity]

A case of hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis associated with intramedullary lesion was reported. A 57-year-old male presented with the symptoms of Jacksonian seizure and weakness of right lower extremity. Neurological examination showed weakness and muscular atrophy of right lower extremity (MMT 1-2) and hyperreflexia. Superficial sensation and position sense were normal, however cortical sensory disturbance was recognized in his right lower extremity. MRI revealed diffuse dural thickening with gadolinium enhancement in the left convexity and hyperintense lesion in the bilateral (left dominant) frontal to parietal lobe on T2 weighted image. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) showed occlusion of the superior sagittal sinus. Histological examination revealed extensive fibrous tissue with lymphocytes infiltration around the vessels. The cause of the intramedullary lesion in this patient may have been related to the occlusion of superior sagittal sinus, due to thickening dura mater and influence of inflammation.

Emergence of immunoreactivities for phosphorylated tau and amyloid-beta protein in chronic stage of fluid percussion injury in rat brain

Head injury is one of the potential environmental factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD). To study the chronic stage of concussive brain injury, histological analyses were performed 2-6 months after right lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury (3.6-4.8 atm) in rats. Six months after injury, numerous normal-looking neurons in the telencephalon and brain stem were immunoreactive with either antibody to phosphorylated tau or with four antibodies to beta-amyloid protein. Neuronal counts in the cortices were gradually decreased after injury, up to 42% loss at 6 months after injury. These neuropathological changes suggest that this animal model could serve as a good animal model of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.

Developmental malformations and intrauterine deaths in gamma-ray-irradiated scid mouse embryos

PURPOSE

To examine the induction by radiation of developmental malformations and intrauterine deaths in severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The scid embryos, as well as those of C.B-17 control mice, were irradiated with graded doses of 60Co gamma-rays on gestation day 8.

RESULTS

Intrauterine deaths in scid mice increased with radiation dose, and their frequency was substantially higher than in C.B-17 mice. The LD50 for intrauterine death in scid mice was 0.58 Gy and 1.25 Gy in C.B-17 mice. In addition, after irradiation scid mice showed several types of developmental malformations, including meningoencephalocele, spina bifida, eye defects, tail defects and oedema. Malformation incidences were higher in scid than in C.B-17 mice: 33.3% in scid mice irradiated with 0.75 Gy and 13.0% in C.B-17 mice irradiated with 1.0 Gy. However, when malformation incidences were plotted against intrauterine deaths, all the data, irrespective of the type of mouse, essentially fell along a single straight line.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that some mechanism common to both scid and normal mice induces developmental malformations. This mechanism involves cell killing. Residual DNA damage, such as double-strand breaks, could be associated with radiation-induced teratogenesis.

Comparison of tumorigenesis between accelerated heavy ion and X-ray in B6C3F1 mice

The effects of heavy ion and X-ray irradiation on tumorigenesis in B6C3F1 mice were compared. Six-week-old animals were divided into 6 groups and exposed to 0.426 Gy heavy ion irradiation of 290 MeV/u carbon-ion beam (LET 60-210 KeV/micron) at the dose rate of 0.4 +/- 0.2 Gy/min; 0.5 Gy of X-ray irradiation at 0.1 Gy/min or 5 Gy of X-ray irradiation at 1 Gy/min. The mice were killed and an autopsy performed 13.5 months after the whole body irradiation. Body weights were heaviest for both sexes in the 0.5 Gy group and lightest in the 5 Gy one. Total tumor incidences in the males were 30, 56 and 13% respectively in the heavy ion, 5 Gy and 0.5 Gy X-irradiated groups, stomach tumors, lymphomas and adrenal tumors being the most common outcome of the high dose X-rays. Liver tumor induction did not differ significantly among the groups. In the females tumorigenicity was significantly lower for heavy ion than for 0.5 Gy and 5 Gy X-ray irradiation (P < 0.05), the respective incidences, mainly ovary one, being 73%, 17% and 41%. Non-cancerous lesions, such as graying of the hair, glomerular sclerosis and amyloidosis appeared in the 5 Gy group. These findings indicate that 0.426 Gy of heavy ion irradiation induced lower carcinogenicity than 5 Gy of X-irradiation and higher carcinogenicity than that of 0.5 Gy X-irradiation in male mice.

Codon 972 polymorphism of the insulin receptor substrate-1 gene in impaired glucose tolerance and late-onset NIDDM

OBJECTIVE

To assess the relevance of a Gly-->Arg substitution in codon 972 of the insulin receptor substrate-1 gene in impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and NIDDM.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The genotype of 1,106 Japanese subjects consisting of 310 subjects with NIDDM, 305 subjects with IGT, and 491 normal control subjects was analyzed by an allele-specific assay using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism.

RESULTS

The frequency of the variant allele was not different between subjects with NIDDM (0.021) and normal control subjects (0.020). However, subjects with IGT showed a significantly higher prevalence of the variant allele (0.041, P = 0.027). We found two homozygous individuals for the variant; both had IGT with mild insulin resistance. The allelic frequency tended to be lower in normal control subjects aged > 50 years than in younger control subjects. Conversely, in the subjects with IGT or NIDDM, the Gly972Arg substitution was more frequently found in subjects aged > 50 years. Furthermore, NIDDM patients with the variant allele had older ages of diagnosis than patients without the variant.

CONCLUSIONS

The codon 972 variant may be associated with IGT and a subset of late-onset NIDDM in the elderly Japanese population.

Amyloid-beta-protein isoforms in brain of subjects with PS1-linked, beta APP-linked and sporadic Alzheimer disease

To determine whether similar abnormalities of various soluble full-length and N-terminal truncated Abeta peptides occur in postmortem cerebral cortex of affected PS1 mutation carriers, we examined the amounts of two amyloid species ending at residue 40 or at residues 42(43) using sandwich ELISA systems. Our results indicate that PS1 mutations effect a dramatic accumulation in brain of the highly insoluble potentially neurotoxic long-tailed isoforms of the Abeta peptide such as Abeta1-42(43) and Abetax-42(43). This enhancing effect of PS1 mutation on Abetax-42(43) deposition was highly similar to that of a betaAPP mutation (Val717Ile) but the effects on Abetax-40 production were significantly different between these two causal genes. In contrast to previous studies of soluble Abeta in plasma and in supernatants from cultured fibroblasts of subjects with PS1 mutations, our studies also show that there is an increase in insoluble Abetax-40 peptides in brain of subjects with PS1 mutations.

The early phase of colon tumorigenesis induced by dimethylhydrazine in ICR mice

In order to study the influence of fiber supplements on dimethylhydrazine induction of colon tumorigenesis six-week-old CD1 (ICR): Crj mice were injected i.m. at a dimethylhydrazine (DMH) dose 10 mg/kg body weight once weekly for 10 weeks with or without dietary supplementation with 3% polydextrose, lactosucrose or cellulose, or 3% polydextrose and 3% cellulose in combination. There were no significant differences in colon tumor induction among the groups. However, microadenomas were observed 10 weeks after the first treatment of DMH so that this protocol may be useful for studies of the early phase of colon carcinogenesis in mice.

Identification of a single nucleotide insertion polymorphism in the upstream region of the insulin promoter factor-1 gene: an association study with diabetes mellitus

Insulin promoter factor 1 (IPF1) is a key factor both for the regulation of insulin gene expression and for the development of the pancreas. In this study 88 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) who were diagnosed as diabetic at less than 40 years of age, 55 patients with insulin-dependent-diabetes (IDDM), and 67 normal control subjects were analysed for variants in the upstream region of the IPF1 gene by direct sequencing. A novel single nucleotide insertion polymorphism was found in a guanine triplet at 108 bp upstream of the translation start site. The G insertion allele (G4 allele) was found to be common in the Japanese population, at a frequency of 0.50. The prevalence of G3 homozygotes was higher in IDDM patients (35%) and lower in NIDDM patients (17%) than in normal control subjects (28%, p=0.049). In the NIDDM group, the ratio of insulin treatment tended to be higher in subjects homozygous for the G3 allele, although the genotype was not significantly associated with basal C-peptide levels. The polymorphism is unlikely to be a major contributor to the insulin deficiency of diabetes. However, the polymorphic locus, or an unknown mutation which is in linkage disequilibrium with the polymorphism, could be involved in the pathophysiology of diabetes. The high heterozygosity may be useful for genetic linkage studies of other mutations within and near the IPF1 gene.

CYFRA 21-1, a cytokeratin subunit 19 fragment, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with interstitial lung disease

1. It has been suggested that CYFRA21-1, a cytokeratin subunit 19 fragment, is potentially useful for diagnosis and monitoring of lung carcinoma. However, serum levels of CYFRA21-1 are also increased in a high proportion of patients with interstitial lung disease. In this study we measured CYFRA21-1 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from 10 normal subjects, 18 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and 14 patients with sarcoidosis, and determined whether any relationship exists between CYFRA21-1 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and clinical parameters. 2. CYFRA21-1 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were significantly higher in patients with sarcoidosis (mean value 8.3 ng/ml, P < 0.01) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (42.5 ng/ml, P < 0.005) than in normal controls (1.0 ng/ml). Moreover, higher CYFRA21-1 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were found in sarcoidosis patients in radiological stage 2 or 3 than in those in stage 1. In patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, there was a significant correlation between CYFRA21-1 levels, and percentage of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (r = 0.56, P < 0.05) and the magnitude of the alveolar--arterial oxygen pressure difference [P(A-a)O2] gradient (r = 0.66, P < 0.01). 3. Serial bronchoalveolar lavage samples were obtained from six patients with clinically active pneumonitis after they had undergone systemic corticosteroid therapy. CYFRA21-1 levels were significantly lower after these patients exhibited clinical improvement (P < 0.05). 4. These findings suggest that the level of CYFRA21-1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is a useful marker for the clinical diagnosis of pneumonitis, and is also adequate for the evaluation of disease activity, especially over the course of treatment.

Caenorhabditis elegans anti-apoptotic gene ced-9 prevents ced-3-induced cell death in Drosophila cells

ced-9, a member of the bcl-2 gene family in Caenorhabditis elegans plays a central roles in preventing cell death in worms. Overexpression of human bcl-2 can partially prevent cell death in C. elegans. However, it remains to be elucidated whether ced-9 can regulate cell death when expressed in other organisms. We demonstrated that the CED-9 protein is co-localized with BCL-2 in COS cells and Drosophila Schneider's L2 (SL2) cells, suggesting that the site of CED-9 action is located to specific cytoplasmic compartments. Overexpression of ced-9 only poorly protected cells from the death induced by ced-3 in HeLa cells, but ced-9 significantly reduced the cell death induced by ced-3 in Drosophila SL2 cells. Furthermore, apoptosis of SL2 cells that was induced by a Drosophila cell-death gene, reaper, was shown to be partially prevented by ced-9, bcl-2 and bcl-xL. These results suggest that the signaling pathway that is required for the anti-apoptotic function of bcl-2 family members, including ced-9, is conserved in Drosophila cells. In addition, SL2 cells provide a unique systems for dissecting the main machinery of cell death.

[A case of livedo vasculitis associated with mononeuritis multiplex]

Livedo vasculitis is characterized by recurrent livedo reticularis of lower extremities and the histopathological findings of segmental hyalinizing vasculitis in the skin. We report a case of a 26-year-old female who manifested mononeuritis multiplex 7 years after the onset of livedo vasculitis. She showed sensori-motor disturbances in the right median and ulnar nerves and sensory deficits of the bilateral peroneal nerves. Sural nerve biopsy revealed a remarkable loss of large and small myelinated fibers and a few vasculitic changes. Steroids therapy was effective for these neurological symptoms. But paroxysmal numbness appeared later recurrently in the regions of affected nerves with painful ulcerations in the right leg. Laboratory tests indicated increased levels of serum thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), and antithrombotic drugs (argatroban) remarkably ameliorated the recurrent symptoms and skin lesions. These findings suggest that the pathogenesis of livedo vasculitis might be related to alterations of the blood coagulation system.