Clinical assessment of the significance of platelet-derived growth factor in patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy

To examine the role of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), we investigated the expression of PDGF and the PDGF receptor in glomeruli with immunohistochemistry, the plasma levels of PDGF with ELISA, and the expression of PDGF in peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs) with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also assessed the effect of corticosteroid therapy on the plasma levels of the PDGF B-chain. At the time of kidney biopsy, the expression of the PDGF B-chain and the PDGF beta receptor in the glomeruli was upregulated in patients with IgAN. In addition, the plasma concentration of the PDGF B-chain was significantly higher in patients with IgAN than in normal subjects. Moreover, mRNA expression of PDGF beta-chain in PBMCs was up-regulated in patients with IgAN when compared with other patients with glomerulonephritis. We divided the patients into two groups according to the grade of urinary protein excretion (U[p]) after corticosteroid therapy. In patients in group 1 in whom U(p) was decreased by more than 50% or 1 gm/day after corticosteroid therapy, the expression of the PDGF B-chain and the PDGF beta receptor in the glomeruli was up-regulated. Finally, corticosteroid therapy decreased the plasma levels of PDGF B-chain in patients in group 1. Up-regulation of the PDGF B-chain and beta receptor in the glomeruli, elevated plasma levels of PDGF B-chain, and increased expression of PDGF mRNA in PBMCs could be associated with the pathogenesis of IgAN. The plasma concentration of PDGF B-chain may be a useful marker for patients with IgAN who would be responsive to corticosteroid therapy.

[An autopsy case of multiple myeloma with pineal body and spinal cord dura mater infiltration]

An autopsy case of multiple myeloma (IgD lambda type) with pineal body and spinal cord dura mater infiltration is reported. The 63-year-old man was diagnosed as multiple myeloma (IgD lambda type). He was treated with melphalan and prednisolone. Extra bone marrow masses developed 1 year after the onset. He died with renal failure. At autopsy there were many extra bone marrow masses including pineal body and dura mater of the thoracic cord. Microscopic examination revealed that those mass lesions consisted of neoplastic plasma cells. Myeloma cells also infiltrated perivascular space near the pineal body, subdural space of the cerebrum and brain stem. The cells were labeled VS 38 c immunohistochemically. We discussed routes of the metastasis to the central nervous system of the multiple myeloma. This case suggests that the way of myeloma cells infiltration to the pineal body is hematogenous metastasis, because pineal body have no blood brain barrier.

Reversible intracranial changes in eclampsia demonstrated by MRI and MRA

CT and MRI allow visualization of eclampsia changes in the brain. Once case with reversible changes is reported.

Sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure parasite-specific antibodies of Indian soft-furred rats, Millardia meltada

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) of Indian soft-furred rat, Millardia meltada, was purified by an immunoaffinity chromatography and antibodies against it was raised in rabbit. Using this rabbit anti-M. meltada IgG antibody, sensitivity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure parasite-specific antibodies in the sera of M. meltada was markedly enhanced than the previous method using rabbit anti-mouse IgG and rabbit anti-rat IgG antibodies, which could cross-react to M. meltada IgG. Since M. meltada could effectively produce circulating antibodies against two intestinal helminths, Strongyloides venezuelensis and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, the high susceptibility of this animal to an array of parasites seems to be not due to general immunological deficiency.

Fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery MR of intracranial infections

PURPOSE

To assess the usefulness of fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) MR sequences in the diagnosis of intracranial infectious diseases.

METHODS

We compared fast FLAIR images with conventional spin-echo images (T1- and T2-weighted) obtained in 20 patients with infectious diseases (six with encephalitis, five with brain abscesses, three with meningitis, two with meningoencephalitis, two with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, one with epidural empyema, and one with cysticercosis). Two neuroradiologists independently reviewed the FLAIR images and compared them with the conventional spin-echo images, obtaining agreement in all patients.

RESULTS

FLAIR images of diagnostic quality were obtained in 18 patients. In two patients, FLAIR images were degraded by motion. Lesions in the patients with encephalitis and meningoencephalitis were better delineated on FLAIR images than on spin-echo images. FLAIR images clearly depicted lesions in the basal ganglia in both patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In patients with brain abscess, meningitis, cysticercosis, and epidural empyema, FLAIR images provided no more information than conventional spin-echo images, and the lesions were seen better on postcontrast T1-weighted spin-echo images.

CONCLUSION

Fast FLAIR images showed pathologic changes in intracranial infectious diseases better than or as well as conventional T2- and proton density-weighted spin-echo sequences. However, postcontrast T1-weighted spin-echo sequences resulted in better visibility of abscess, meningitis, cysticercosis, and epidural empyema than did FLAIR images.

Pick's disease with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): report of two autopsy cases and literature review

We report the findings in two autopsy cases of Pick's disease with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Both presented severe cortical degeneration and subcortical gliosis of temporal lobes, as well as the neuropathological characteristics of ALS. As such cases are rare, we present the clinical and pathological findings in detail and a review the relevant literature.

[Effects of topical application of adrenergic agents on refraction and accommodation]

In an attempt to clarify the functional role of adrenergic receptors on accommodation, effects of various adrenergic agents on the state of accommodation were studied. Fifty-two emmetropic normal subjects (age: 19-28 y) participated in this study. We examined the effect of the alpha agonist phenylephrine hydrochloride (5%), the alpha 1 antagonist adrenergic bunazosin hydrochloride (0.1%), the beta antagonist timolol maleate (0.5%), the beta 2 antagonist betaxolal hydrochloride (0.5%), and the beta agonist isoproterenol hydrochloride (3%). Using an infrared optometer, the refraction, far point and near point of accommodation, resting point of accommodation (empty-field accommodation and dark focus of accommodation), and accommodative adaptation were measured before and after topical application of various adrenergic agents. Application of bunazosin slightly but significantly decreased the near point of accommodation. Isoproterenol evoked a hyperopic shift on the far point of accommodation. None of the agents had any effect on the resting point of accommodation. Accommodative adaptation was increased by timolol and betaxolol, and decreased by isoproterenol. We surmised that beta adrenergic agents exerted an indirect influence on the parasympathetic nervous system. The activation of beta receptors produced a hyperopic shift on the far point of accommodation and decreased accommodative adaptation, which suggests that activation of adrenergic receptors may reduce parasympathetic activity, hence affecting the state of accommodation.

A role for Na/K adenosine triphosphatase in the pathogenesis of cyst formation in experimental polycystic kidney disease

Multiple cyst formation with fluid retention is a characteristic structural abnormality in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Na/K adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) is a major transporting membrane protein that is ubiquitous in the epithelial cell, which has been thought to be involved in cystogenesis. We have investigated the molecular and histologic basis of Na/K ATPase activity in experimental PKD in vivo. Rats were treated with diphenylthiazole (100 mg/100 gm body weight), and cyst formation was examined histologically. Na/K ATPase activity was measured enzymatically by using a fluorometric method, and reverse transcription-competitive polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was used to quantitate mRNA levels in the isolated single nephron segment. Kidneys were immunostained with subunit-specific antibodies to determine the localization of Na/K ATPase in the epithelial cell. The enzyme activity increased in the cortical collecting duct from 25.9 +/- 3.5 mmol/Lpmol/mm/min to 72.9 +/- 6.8 pmol/mm/min and in the outer medullary collecting duct from 13.0 +/- 3.9 mmol/Lpmol/mm/min to 58.5 +/- 9.8 pmol/mm/min (n = 6, p < 0.01); however, all other segments showed no significant changes. No significant alternation in alpha 1- and beta 1-subunits of Na/K ATPase mRNA levels was observed by competitive PCR assay in either segment. The enzyme was stained at the basolateral membrane even in the cystic tubules. Na/K ATPase activity was up-regulated in the cyst-formed kidney, but this was not accompanied with transcriptional up-regulation. Increased Na/K ATPase activity at normal locations may play a role in abnormal net fluid transport in the development and progression of experimental PKD.

[Reliability of Amplicor Mycobacteria test for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. M. avium and M. intracellulare: a cooperative study among 9 laboratories]

The Amplicor Mycobacteria, a PCR-based assay, is a rapid test for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare in clinical samples. To estimate the reliability and reproducibility of the method, a cooperative blind study was conducted among 9 laboratories. Materials used for testing consisted of 105 sputum and 30 water samples containing known numbers of M. bovis BCG, M. avium, M. intracellulare, and samples without bacteria. Only 2 out of the 9 laboratories correctly identified the presence or absence of mycobacterial DNA in all 135 samples. In sputum samples, 6 out of the 9 laboratories detected mycobacterial DNA in all positive samples, and 4 out of the 9 laboratories correctly reported the absence of DNA in the negative samples, indicating the need for good laboratory practice and development of reference reagents to monitor the performance of the whole study, including pretreatment of clinical samples. The main problem was lack of specificity rather than lack of sensitivity. From about half of the laboratories, false-positive results were reported, however, the ratio was below 6%; 1% (1/106 sputum samples) in 3 laboratories, 1.9% (2/105) in 2 laboratories, and 5.7% (6/105) in one laboratory, respectively. These results indicate that the Amplicor Mycobacteria is quite useful for a rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis.

[An autopsy case of corticobasal degeneration mimicking frontal Pick's disease]

A pathologically proven case of corticobasal degeneration (CBD) with marked psychiatric symptoms was reported. A 59-year-old female was admitted to our hospital in October 1989 because of her "forgetfulness". Her abnormal behavior began in August 1989, and she had no psychiatric signs before that time. On this admission she was diagnosed to have panhypopituitarism due to Sheehan syndrome. Cortisone and levothyroxine were administered, but her mental symptoms deteriorated. Strange behaviors such as buying same materials every day and wandering around all day long fully dressed with all of her jewels were observed. She could not perform her housework after March 1991. She was in a bed ridden state after 1992 and died in March 1993, at the age of 62. The total duration of her illness was 3 years and 7 months. Her clinical course resembled frontal Pick's disease. At autopsy advanced gastric cancer without metastasis and infarct of the pituitary gland were found. The weight of the brain was 987g and atrophy of the bilateral frontal lobes was evident on macroscopical examination. Neuronal loss, proliferation of the glia, and spongy state were observed in the superficial layer of the frontal cerebral cortex. Widespread appearance of ballooned neurones was also observed in the deep layers of the frontal cerebral cortex. Neuronal loss and gliosis were found in the striatum, pallidum, thalamus, and substantia nigra. There was neither senile plaques nor Pick bodies. Numerous argyrophilic threads were found by Gallyas-Braak method and all these pathological findings were compatible with the previously reported cases of CBD. Although CBD is considered as predominantly a motor disorder, there are a few reports of pathologically proven cases of CBD mimicking Pick's disease. These cases suggest clinical diversity of CBD and further investigations are essential to establish the disease entity of CBD and Pick's disease.

Operation of an X-ray undulator in the Tristan main ring as a prototype of future super light sources

A 5.4 m-long 239-pole undulator comprising three rigid and precise standardized-unit undulators was completed and installed in the Tristan main ring, which was operated as a light source at a beam energy from 8 to 10 GeV. This undulator was successfully tested, characterized and used as a brilliant hard X-ray source for several synchrotron radiation experiments during the last 3.5 months of 1995.

Phylogenetic position and geographic differentiation of the Japanese dormouse, Glirulus japonicus, revealed by variations among rDNA, mtDNA and the Sry gene

The Japanese dormouse, Glirulus Japonicus, is the only extant lineage that represents this genus and it has been classified as a single species distributed on the three main islands of Japan, namely Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. However, individuals collected from Fukui, Wakayama and Kochi Prefectures (southwestern part of Japan) yielded distinctly different profiles of restriction fragments of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacer from those collected from Yamanashi and Nagano Prefectures (central Japan). The estimated sequence divergence between the two groups was 2.8% on average, which corresponds to a putative divergence some two million years ago. Representing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, 402 bases of cytochrome b gene were determined by direct sequencing and the estimated extent of the sequence divergence between the two groups was 6.5-7%. Differences between the two geographic groups were also substantial in the sequences of about 300 base-fragments from the Y-linked, sex-determining locus, Sry. To assess the phylogenetic relationships between the Japanese dormouse and members of the family Myoxidae, we compared sequences of mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene of Japanese dormice with those of the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) and the common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarins), two continental genera thought to be closely related to the genus Glirulus. The results showed that the sequences from Japanese dormice were distinct from any sequences of the two continental species and the extent of the differences were somewhat similar to that between the rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the hamster (mesocricetus auratus).

Cloning and expression of an intracellular alkaline protease gene from alkalophilic Thermoactinomyces sp. HS682

An intracellular alkaline serine protease gene of alkalophilic Thermoactinomyces sp. HS682 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Sequence analysis showed a putative promoter region, a putative transcriptional termination signal, and an open reading frame of 963 bases, coding for a polypeptide of 321 amino acids. The protease expressed in E. coli was purified by DEAE-Toyopearl 650M and Sephadex G-75 chromatography. The N-terminal sequence (30 amino acids) of the purified protein was coincident with Asp16-Val45 of the deduced amino acid sequence of the ORF. Fifteen amino acids in the N-terminal region were removed during the purification procedures. The deduced amino acid sequence showed high similarity with microbial intracellular serine proteases. The molecular mass of this enzyme was estimated to be 38 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The enzyme was stable at pH 6.0-12.0 and below 60 degrees C in the presence of Ca2+. The temperature and pH optima of the enzyme were 65 degrees C and pH 11.0, respectively. The enzyme was inhibited by DFP and PMSF, but not by MIA and EDTA.

Angiotensin II inhibits protein kinase A-dependent chloride conductance in heart via pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins

BACKGROUND

Angiotensin II receptors are reported to be abundant in the guinea pig ventricle; their coupling to adenylate cyclase in the heart, however, remains controversial. Therefore, we investigated the effect of angiotensin II on Cl- conductance activated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

METHODS AND RESULTS

After minimizing the contribution of other ionic currents, exposure of single guinea pig ventricular cells to isoproterenol (40 to 50 nmol/L; 36 degrees C) elicited a typical protein kinase A-dependent Cl- conductance. Subsequent application of angiotensin II reduced the isoproterenol-induced conductance with an IC50 of 0.24 +/- 0.08 nmol/L. Angiotensin II also inhibited the Cl- currents, which were activated through stimulation of adenylate cyclase by forskolin and histamine receptors. CV-11974 (1 mumol/L), an antagonist selective for the angiotensin type 1 receptor, prevented the effect of angiotensin II. Angiotensin II did not inhibit the current that had been persistently activated by intracellular GTP gamma S (100 mumol/L), a nonhydrolyzable guanine nucleotide, plus isoproterenol. In addition, prior incubation of myocytes with pertussis toxin prevented the angiotensin II inhibitory action. Cl- conductance, when activated directly by intracellular dialysis with cAMP (1 mmol/L), was not affected by angiotensin II. Radioimmunologic measurement of cellular cAMP in the dissociated myocytes showed that angiotensin II inhibited the isoproterenol-induced increase of cAMP.

CONCLUSIONS

Angiotensin II receptors negatively couple to adenylate cyclase via pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins, thereby inhibiting cardiac protein kinase A-dependent Cl- conductance.

Endothelin-1 inhibition of cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ channels via pertussis-toxin-sensitive G-proteins

OBJECTIVE

Secretion of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and activation of cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels are facilitated under myocardial metabolic stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ET-1 on KATP channels and to assess underlying mechanisms in ventricular myocytes.

METHODS

Single channel currents were measured with the voltage-clamp technique in cell-attached patches from enzymatically-isolated single guinea pig ventricular myocytes. In some experiments, the open-cell-attached mode was employed by permeating the membrane with streptolysin-O.

RESULTS

ET-1 concentration-dependently inhibited single KATP channel currents, which had been activated by metabolic poisoning, with an IC50 of 3.8 +/- 0.7 pM. BQ-123, an ETA receptor-selective antagonist, reduced the effects of ET-1. ET-1 effects were largely abolished in the myocytes pre-incubated with pertussis toxin. In the open-cell-attached mode, where the intracellular ATP concentration ([ATP]) could be virtually controlled, the effects of ET-1 were abolished. Muscarinic receptor stimulation inhibited the channels in a similar manner to ET-1, whereas beta-adrenoceptor stimulation accelerated channel activation. By analogy, ouabain also inhibited KATP channel activity under metabolic stress presumably because inhibition of the Na+/K+ pump spares subsarcolemmal ATP. ET-1 inhibited the KATP channels that had been reactivated in the continuous presence of ouabain.

CONCLUSIONS

ET-1 reversibly inhibited KATP channels. This effect appears to be mediated by an increase in subsarcolemmal [ATP] which results from inhibition of adenylate cyclase activities through PTX-sensitive G-proteins coupled to ETA receptors.

Osteoarthritis: differential expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 mRNA in nonfibrillated and fibrillated cartilage

Expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 mRNA in osteoarthritic and normal cartilage was analyzed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. Fifty-four osteoarthritic cartilage samples were obtained from 24 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Sixteen normal cartilage samples were obtained from non-osteoarthritic knees of four autopsy cases. With normal cartilage, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis for matrix metalloproteinase-9 mRNA showed that chondrocytes exhibited only a trace signal. In analysis of osteoarthritic cartilage, chondrocytes of moderately and severely fibrillated cartilage exhibited a 73-fold and 110-fold increase in matrix metalloproteinase-9 mRNA signal, respectively, relative to normal cartilage. Chondrocytes of nonfibrillated osteoarthritic cartilage exhibited a 6-fold increase (p < 0.02) in matrix metalloproteinase-9 mRNA signal relative to normal cartilage. Analysis of matrix metalloproteinase-9 mRNA expression in fresh-frozen sections of normal and osteoarthritic cartilage by in situ hybridization confirmed these results. This study showed that reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction provides a sensitive index of mRNA levels in normal and osteoarthritic cartilage samples and suggests that increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 precedes fibrillation of cartilage in the development of osteoarthritis.

Analysis of sweat evaporation from clothing materials by the ventilated sweat capsule method

The local influence of three clothing materials i.e. silk, cotton and nylon, in (1) full or (2) partial skin contact or (3) at 3 mm from the skin, on sweat evaporation from the chest skin surface of human subjects was studied. The hygrometer-ventilated capsule method was used and sweating was induced at ambient thermoneutrality by a central heat load following lower-leg immersion in water at 43 degrees C. The presence of clothing delayed the rise in capsule relative humidity (CRH) induced by heat loading. During the first 6 min of heating, CRH rose more steeply with clothing that was in full skin contact than with clothing that had partial or no contact. The rate of decrease in CRH from 1 min to 6 min after heating was not influenced by the presence of clothing or by the different degrees of skin contact. The subsequent return of CRH to the pre-heating level was delayed most by cotton, less by silk and least by nylon. For silk and nylon, partial contact with the skin prolonged the return to control conditions, as compared with full skin contact.