(10Z)- and (10E)-19-fluoro-1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3: an improved synthesis via 19-nor-10-oxo-vitamin D

An efficient synthetic route to (10Z)- and (10E)-19-fluoro-1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 was developed. The key feature of this pathway is the introduction of a 19-fluoromethylene group to a (5E)-19-nor-10-oxo-vitamin D derivative. The 10-oxo-compound was obtained via a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of (5E)-1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D with in situ generated nitrile oxide followed by ring cleavage of the formed isoxazoline moiety with molybdenum hexacarbonyl. Conversion of the keto group of (5E)-19-nor-10-oxo-vitamin D to the E and Z fluoromethylene group was achieved through a two-step sequence involving a reaction of lithiofluoromethyl phenyl sulfone followed by the reductive desulfonylation of the alpha-fluoro-beta-hydroxy sulfone. The dye-sensitized photoisomerization of the (5E)-19-fluorovitamin D afforded the desired (5Z)-19-fluorovitamin D derivatives, (10Z)- and (10E)-19-fluoro-1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

Association of essential hypertension in elderly Japanese with I/D polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene

Recent evidence suggests that an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the gene encoding angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is associated with myocardial infarction and related cardiovascular diseases. We investigated a possible association of the ACE polymorphism with essential hypertension in a total of 263 cases/controls from among the elderly (age, over 70 years) and middle-aged (age between 30 and 60 years) Japanese population. The frequency of the I/I homozygote was significantly higher in hypertensive subjects than in controls in the elderly age group (33/57 vs 16/46; P = 0.02), but no association was observed in the middle-aged group (25/75 vs 26/85; P = 0.71). Similarly, having at least one insertion allele was associated with essential hypertension in the elderly age group (83/114 vs 46/92 in controls; P = 0.001), but not in the middle-aged group (78/150 vs 94/170; P = 0.524). These data suggest that genetic variation at the ACE locus may be associated with some determinants for blood pressure in elderly persons, and imply the involvement of the ACE insertion/deletion polymorphism in the etiology of age-related essential hypertension in the Japanese population.

Asymmetric autocatalysis of a pyrimidyl alkanol induced by chiral monosubstituted [2.2]paracyclophanes

[figure: see text] Monosubstituted[2.2]paracyclophanes 3a-c with planar chirality were found to act as chiral initiators in an enantioselective addition of diisopropylzinc to 2-alkynylpyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde 1 to afford 2-alkynylpyrimidyl alkanol 2 with up to 97% ee.

In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of L-084, a novel oral carbapenem, against causative organisms of respiratory tract infections

L-084 (a prodrug of LJC 11,036 [L-036]) is a new oral carbapenem. Here we compared the in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of L-036 with those of imipenem, faropenem, ceditoren-pivoxil, cefdinir, amoxicillin, and levofloxacin. The MICs at which 90% of the isolates were inhibited of L-036 against methicillin-susceptible staphylococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae including penicillin-resistant organisms, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae including ampicillin-resistant organisms, Legionella pneumophila, and Moraxella catarrhalis were equal to or less than 1 microg/ml. In pharmacokinetics studies of L-084 in lungs of mice, the maximum concentration in serum, half-life, and area under the concentration-time curve of this drug were 9.09 microg/g of tissue, 6.18 h, and 31.0 microg. h/ml, respectively. In murine respiratory infection models of penicillin-susceptible and -resistant S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae, the efficacies of L-084 were better than those of reference drugs. Our results indicate that the in vitro high potency and good distribution in the lungs might be the underlying mechanisms of its efficacy in the murine model of pneumonia.

[Effects of bofu-tsusho-san, a traditional Chinese medicine, on body fat accumulation in fructose-loaded rats]

The effects of Bofu-tsusho-san (BOF), a traditional Chinese medicine, on fructose-induced hypertriglyceridemia and body fat accumulation were investigated in female SD rats. Rats were allowed to drink ad libitum 25% (w/w) fructose solution for 6 weeks. BOF was administered to the rats as an experimental diet containing 1.5% or 4.5% (w/w) of BOF during the fructose-loading period. BOF suppressed body weight gain and prevented the elevation of serum triglyceride levels and body fat accumulation in fructose-loaded rats without affecting food and fructose intake. Furthermore, BOF prevented the increase of triglyceride content in the liver and the reduction of mitochondrial cytochome c oxidase activity in the brown adipose tissue induced by fructose. From these results, it has been suggested that BOF has a preventive effect against the body fat accumulation caused by excess intake of sugar or other fructose-containing foods. The inhibition of triglyceride synthesis in the liver, and the enhancement of lipolysis in adipocytes and of thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue have been presumed as the mechanisms of action of BOF.

NAD(P)+-NAD(P)H models. 90. Stereoselection controlled by electronic effect of a carbonyl group in oxidation of NAD(P)H analog

4-Monodeuterated NAD(P)H model compounds (1,4,6,7-tetrahydro-1,6,11-trimethyl-5-oxo-5H-benzo[c]pyrido[2,3-e]az epin; 11Me-MMPAH) have been oxidized with a series of p-benzoquinone and its derivatives in the presence of Mg2+. The models have an axial chirality with respect to the orientation of carbonyl dipole, the dihedral angle of which is larger than 55 degrees out of the plane of dihydropyridine ring. Without Mg2+, the anti- (with respect to the carbonyl dipole) hydrogen is 3 to 32 times more reactive than the corresponding syn-hydrogen, whereas, when Mg2+ is present in the system, the selectivity is shifted toward the syn-preferency. Mg2+ plays the role of a Lewis acid catalyst to control the stereochemistry at the same time as it catalyzes the reaction.

Synthesis of (10Z)- and (10E)-19-fluoro-1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3: compounds to probe vitamin D conformation in receptor complex by 19F-NMR

To study the interaction of vitamin D with its receptor by 19F-NMR, (5Z,10Z)- and (5Z,10E)-19-fluoro-1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 were synthesized starting from vitamin D2 via electrophilic fluorination of vitamin D-SO2 adducts as the key step. Regio- and stereoselective electrophilic fluorination at C(19) of vitamin D-SO2 adducts was achieved under the conditions using (PhSO2)2NF and bulky bases. The stereochemistry of the addition and elimination of SO2 of various vitamin D derivatives was studied in detail. SO2 causes Z-E isomerization of the 5,6-double bond of vitamin D and adds to the resulting (5E)-isomer from the sterically less hindered side opposite to the substituent at C(1). Elimination of SO2 from 19-substituted vitamin D-SO2 adducts proceeded exclusively in a suprafacial manner with respect to the diene part under either thermal or reductive conditions. Dye-sensitized photochemical isomerization of 19-fluorovitamin D derivatives was studied in detail. The rapid isomerization at the 5,6-double bond was followed by the slow isomerization at the 10,19-double bond to yield the (5E,10Z)-isomer (by nomenclature of the 1-OH derivatives) as the major product. (10Z)- and (10E)-19-Fluorovitamin Ds were also interconverted thermally probably via the corresponding previtamin D by 1,7-sigmatropic isomerization.

Prognostic significance of telomeric repeat length alterations in pathological stage I-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer

This study was performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of alteration in telomere length in pathological stage (p-stage) I-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Paired cancer and normal lung tissues were obtained from 72 patients with histologically confirmed p-stage I-IIIA NSCLC. Terminal restriction fragment (TRF) length, which indicates telomere length, was measured by Southern blot analysis. Tumor telomerase activity was also assayed by non-radioactive PCR-ELISA in 55 patients. TRF length (mean +/- SD) in normal tissue was 6.2 +/- 1.1 Kb. Therefore, upper and lower limits of normal range in TRF length was set at 8.4 (mean + 2SD) Kb and 4.0 (mean-2SD) Kb, respectively. A tumor showing TRF length over normal range was defined as positive for the alteration. In 72 patients, 25 (34.7%) with alteration in TRF length had significantly shorter survival durations than those of the others. Telomerase activity did not correlate with survival duration. In multivariate analysis, alteration in TRF length (P = 0.0033) was second to p-stage (P = 0.0004) in importance among the various parameters.

Problems related to determination of MICs of oximino-type expanded-spectrum cephems for Proteus vulgaris

During in vitro susceptibility testing of clinical isolates of Proteus vulgaris, we noted that the MICs of several expanded-spectrum cephems were much higher in the broth microdilution method than in the agar dilution method (termed the MIC gap phenomenon). Here we investigated the mechanism of the MIC gap phenomenon. Cephems with the MIC gap phenomenon were of the oximino type, such as cefotaxime, cefteram, and cefpodoxime, which serve as good substrates for inducible class A beta-lactamase (CumA) enzymes produced by P. vulgaris; this finding suggests a relationship between the MIC gap phenomenon and CumA. Since peptidoglycan recycling shares a system common to that inducing CumA, we analyzed the mechanism of the MIC gap phenomenon using P. vulgaris B317 and isogenic mutants with mutations in the peptidoglycan recycling and beta-lactamase induction systems. The MIC gap phenomenon was observed in the parent strain B317 but not in B317G (cumG-defective mutant; defective peptidoglycan recycling) and B317R (cumR-defective mutant; defective CumA transcriptional regulator). No beta-lactamase activity was detected in B317G and B317R. beta-Lactamase activity and the MIC gap phenomenon were restored in B317G/pMD301 (strain transcomplemented by a cloned cumG gene) and B317R/pMD501 (strain transcomplemented by a cloned cumR gene). MICs determined by the agar dilution method increased when lower agar concentrations were used. Our results indicated that the mechanism of the MIC gap phenomenon is related to peptidoglycan recycling and CumA induction systems. However, it remains unclear how beta-lactamase induction of P. vulgaris is suppressed on agar plates.

Differential effects of amino acid and ketoacid on protein metabolism in humans

We examined the effects of insulin, amino acid (AA), and branched-chain ketoacid (KA) availability on leucine kinetics in eight healthy volunteers (age = 22 +/- 2 y, body mass index = 24 +/- 1 kg) by using the euglycemic insulin clamp and [1-14C] leucine turnover techniques. Four experimental conditions were studied: study I, hyperinsulinemia; study II, hyperinsulinemia with maintenance of basal plasma AA and branched-chain KA concentrations; study III, hyperinsulinemia with hyperaminoacidemia and basal plasma branched-chain KA concentrations; and study IV, hyperinsulinemia plus basal plasma AA concentrations and elevated branched-chain KA levels. Basal endogenous leucine flux (ELF) averaged 1.20 +/- 0.05 (mumol.kg-1.min-1, mean +/- SE); basal leucine oxidation (LOX) was 0.25 +/- 0.01; and basal non-oxidative leucine disposal (NOLD) was 0.95 +/- 0.04. ELF significantly decreased in study I (0.77 +/- 0.06 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P < 0.01 versus basal). When plasma AA and branched-chain KA were either maintained at their basal levels (study II) or increased above baseline values (studies III and IV), ELF declined further (0.64 +/- 0.05, 0.66 +/- 0.02, and 0.66 +/- 0.03 mumol.kg-1.min-1, respectively; all Ps < 0.01 versus basal and P < 0.01 versus study I). LOX declined in study I (0.12 +/- 0.02 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P < 0.01 versus basal) but increased significantly in studies II, III, and IV (0.31 +/- 0.04, 0.37 +/- 0.03, and 0.40 +/- 0.03 mumol.kg-1.min-1, respectively, all Ps < 0.01 versus basal, P < 0.05 study IV versus study II, and P < 0.05 study III versus study II). NOLD declined in study I (0.65 +/- 0.05 mumol/kg.min, P < 0.01 versus basal), whereas neither the maintenance of basal plasma AA/branched-chain KA levels (study II; 0.89 +/- 0.2 mumol.kg-1.min-1) nor the elevation of plasma branched-chain KA concentration (study IV; 0.96 +/- 0.1 mumol.kg-1.min-1) increased NOLD above baseline level. A stimulation of NOLD was observed only when plasma AA levels were increased (study III; 1.23 +/- 0.03 mumol/kg.min, P < 0.01 versus basal). In conclusion, the present data do not support the concept of a direct anabolic action of ketoanalogs but do provide additional evidence for the pivotal role of AA availability in the stimulation of whole-body protein synthesis.

GPI-anchored molecule-like protein (GML) expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

BACKGROUND

GPI-anchored molecule-like protein (GML) has been identified as a new target molecule of p53. In esophageal cancer cell lines, expression of GML mRNA, which was found to be significantly correlated with in vitro anti-cancer drug sensitivity, was observed only in the presence of wild-type p53.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The relationship between expression of GML mRNA and p53 gene status in 24 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines was examined using RT-PCR and PCR-SSCP followed by direct DNA sequencing.

RESULTS

Expression of GML mRNA was observed in only 3 of 24 cell lines. In contrast to previous studies showing p53-dependent GML expression, of the 3 cell lines expressing GML mRNA, one had a p53 gene mutation (codon 245: Gly to Cys).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the expression of GML mRNA is infrequent and regulated in a p53-independent manner in NSCLC.

Effect of antiflagellar human monoclonal antibody on gut-derived Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis in mice

We evaluated the effect of antiflagellar human monoclonal antibody on gut-derived Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis. Mice were given a suspension of P. aeruginosa SP10052 in their drinking water and were simultaneously treated with ampicillin (200 mg/kg of body weight) to disrupt the normal bacterial flora. Cyclophosphamide was then administered to induce leukopenia and translocation of the P. aeruginosa that had colonized the gastrointestinal tract, thereby producing gut-derived generalized sepsis. In this model, intraperitoneal injection of 100 microg of antiflagellar human monoclonal antibody (SC-1225) per mouse for 5 consecutive days significantly (P < 0.01) increased the survival rate compared with that for mice treated with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Treatment with SC-1225 significantly reduced the average number of viable bacteria in portal blood, liver, and heart blood compared with the average number after treatment with BSA. Furthermore, the presence in serum of the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 6 were evaluated as markers of severity of infection, and the results showed that the levels of these cytokines in mice treated with SC-1225 were significantly decreased in comparison with those in BSA-treated control mice. Although there was no significant difference in the number of bacteria that colonized the intestine, SC-1225 treatment significantly increased bacterial opsonophagocytosis by cultured peritoneal macrophages from mice with or without cyclophosphamide pretreatment. Our results indicate that antiflagellar human monoclonal antibody SC-1225 protects mice against gut-derived sepsis caused by P. aeruginosa and suggest that such an effect is due to its opsonophagocytic activity and the reduced motility of the translocated bacteria once the bacteria move from the intestine into the bloodstream.

Primary smooth muscle tumor of the liver encasing hepatobiliary cystadenoma without mesenchymal stroma

We describe a 59-year-old Japanese woman with a large mass of her liver encasing cystic components. Radiologic imaging showed the mass to be hypervascular, and surgical resection disclosed a white tumor. The solid portion was immunohistochemically characterized as a smooth muscle tumor. The cystic components were multilocular and lined with columnar epithelium, consistent with a hepatobiliary cystadenoma. The epithelium strongly stained for CA19-9. The subepithelial space was occupied by collagenous connective tissue interspersed with a small number of spindle-shaped cells. The cystic lesions lacked the mesenchymal stroma between the epithelium and connective tissue layer. There have been no previous reports of a hepatic smooth muscle tumor encasing a hepatobiliary cystadenoma. Because of the pathogenesis of the cystadenoma, it is possible to assume that the smooth muscle tumor also arose from the cells composing the biliary duct in association with the development of the cystadenoma.

Inhibition of hepatic stellate cell contraction during activation in vitro by vascular endothelial growth factor in association with upregulation of FLT tyrosine kinase receptor family, FLT-1

Activated hepatic stellate cells produce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF has been shown to act on mesenchymal cells as well. If hepatic stellate cells can express FLT tyrosine receptor family, flt-1 and KDR/flk-1, their function might be regulated by VEGF in an autocrine manner. This hypothesis was tested using hepatic stellate cells isolated from normal rats. Northern blot analysis and immunocytochemical study revealed that hepatic stellate cells cultured for 3 days on plastic dishes expressed both flt-1 and KDR/flk-1. When the culture was prolonged to 10 days, the flt-1 mRNA expression was increased, whereas both KDR/flk-1 mRNA and protein expressions diminished. DNA and collagen syntheses were minimal in the cells cultured for 3 days, but marked in those cultured for 10 days. Addition of recombinant human VEGF to the culture medium did not change both syntheses but attenuated an increase of smooth muscle alpha-actin expression in the cells during culture on plastic dishes and also contraction of collagen gels on which the cells were cultured. We conclude that VEGF may inhibit contraction of hepatic stellate cells appearing during activation by culture, probably through attenuation of smooth muscle alpha-actin expression via upregulated VEGF receptor, flt-1.

Deranged blood coagulation equilibrium as a factor of massive liver necrosis following endotoxin administration in partially hepatectomized rats

Activated Kupffer cells provoke massive liver necrosis after endotoxin stimulation through microcirculatory disturbance caused by sinusoidal fibrin deposition in rats undergoing 70% hepatectomy. In these rats, serum activities of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) and alanine transaminase (ALT) were increased at 1 and 5 hours, respectively, following endotoxin administration. When 70% resected liver was perfused with Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM) containing heat-inactivated fetal calf serum, the increase in both enzyme activities was not affected by addition of endotoxin during perfusion, suggesting that activated Kupffer cells injured neither sinusoidal endothelial cells nor hepatocytes. The activity of tissue factor, an initiator of blood coagulation cascade, was much higher in Kupffer cells isolated from partially hepatectomized rats than in those from normal rats. In contrast, mRNA expressions of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) as well as thrombomodulin were almost undetectable in normal and partially resected livers. When recombinant human TFPI was injected intravenously in 70% hepatectomized rats, TFPI was markedly stained on the surfaces of sinusoidal endothelial cells and microvilli of hepatocytes on immunohistochemistry. In these rats, endotoxin-induced liver injury was significantly attenuated compared with rats given no TFPI. Similar attenuation was also found in rats receiving recombinant human thrombomodulin. These results suggest that fibrin deposition developing in 70% hepatectomized rats after endotoxin administration may be caused by deranged blood coagulation in the hepatic sinusoids through increasing tissue factor activity in Kupffer cells and minimal TFPI and thrombomodulin in endothelial cells. The destruction of sinusoidal endothelial cells as well as hepatocytes may occur as a result of microcirculatory disturbance caused by such sinusoidal fibrin deposition.

Paradoxical synergistic effects of tumour necrosis factor and interleukin 1 in murine gut-derived sepsis with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The authors evaluated the synergistic effect of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 1 (IL-1) in gut-derived sepsis in mice. After colonization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain D4 in the gastrointestinal tract, cyclophosphamide was administered to induce bacterial translocation of the P. aeruginosa and thereby to cause gut-derived sepsis. In this model, treatment either with 8 microg/kg of recombinant human TNF-alpha (rhTNF-alpha) or 2 microg/kg of recombinant human interleukin 1alpha (rhIL-1alpha) solely did not affect the mortality, whereas combined administration of the same doses of rhTNF-alpha and rhIL-1alpha significantly increased the mortality rate in comparison with saline-treated mice. Bacterial counts in liver and blood were significantly higher in rhTNF-alpha and rhIL-1alpha treated mice than in saline-treated mice. Endogenous TNF-alpha and IL-1beta productions were stimulated after combined treatment with rhTNF-alpha and rhIL-1alpha. On the contrary to these adverse effects, combined treatment with 500 microg/kg of rhTNF-alpha and 50 microg/kg of rhIL-1alpha on the day before the administration of cyclophosphamide significantly reduced the mortality from septic infection. We conclude that TNF and IL-1 synergistically affect the mortality of mice after gut-derived sepsis due to P. aeruginosa in mice and the timing of treatment with these cytokines causes both extremes in their effects.

Expression of osteopontin in Kupffer cells and hepatic macrophages and Stellate cells in rat liver after carbon tetrachloride intoxication: a possible factor for macrophage migration into hepatic necrotic areas

Activated Kupffer cells and macrophages accumulate in necrotic areas in the liver. Osteopontin, an extracellular matrix with RGD sequence, has been shown to act as a chemokine that can induce monocyte migration. The possibility that osteopontin can play a role in infiltration of both cells into hepatic necrotic areas was investigated in rats. Northern blot analysis revealed that osteopontin mRNA expression was minimal in Kupffer cells and hepatocytes immediately after isolation from normal rats, but slight in hepatic stellate cells assumed nearly quiescent in function after 3 days of culture on plastic dishes. When rat received carbon tetrachloride, liver necrosis developed between 1 and 3 days following the intoxication. In these rats, osteopontin mRNA expression assessed by quantitative competitive RT-PCR was increased in the liver later than 1 day with its peak at 2 days following the intoxication. Kupffer cells and hepatic macrophages and hepatic stellate cells isolated from such liver showed marked expression of osteopontin mRNA on Northern blotting. Immunohistochemical examination disclosed that osteopontin was stained in macrophages including Kupffer cells and stellate cells in the necrotic areas. On electron microscopy, osteopontin stains were present in the Golgi apparatus in these cells. Recombinant human osteopontin promoted migration of Kupffer cells isolated from normal rats and cultured in a Transwell cell culture chamber in a dose-related manner. We conclude that activated Kupffer cells and hepatic macrophages and stellate cells express osteopontin. These cells might contribute to the infiltration of Kupffer cells and macrophages into hepatic necrotic areas by expressing osteopontin.

Fosfomycin alters lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory cytokine production in mice

To determine the mechanisms of immunomodulating action of fosfomycin (FOF), we examined its effect on the production of inflammatory cytokines in mice injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Treatment with FOF significantly lowered the peak serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1 beta, indicating that FOF alters inflammatory cytokine production after LPS stimulation.

[In vitro activities of 23 antimicrobial agents against 4,993 gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains isolated from multicenter of Japan during 1994--in vitro susceptibility surveillance.Levofloxacin-Surveillance Group]

In a surveillance study conducted during 1994 at 24 medical institutes from different geographical areas of Japan, the susceptibility of clinical isolates to twenty three comparative agents, such as ofloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tosufloxacin, ampicillin, clavulanic acid/amoxicillin, oxacillin, piperacillin, cefaclor, cefotiam, cefdinir, cefclidin, ceftazidime, cefpirome, imipenem, aztreonam, vancomycin, minocycline, chloramphenicol, clarithromycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, amikacin, and gentamicin, were tested by the standard broth micro-dilution method. A total of 4,993 isolates tested in this study included Streptococcus pneumoniae, methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), coagllase negative streptococci (CNS), Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterobactericeae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa from patients with urinary tract infections or respiratory tract infections, and Haemophilus influenzae. For MSSA, S. pneumoniae, Enterobacteriaceae, and H. influenzae, more than 70% of the isolates was susceptible to fluoloquinolones. However, resistance occurred in more than 50% of MRSA and P. aeruginosa isolated from UTI. Fluoroquinolones were found to be effective against high level penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae, the third generation cephem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae.

Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor in nonparenchymal as well as parenchymal cells in rat liver after necrosis

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can induce proliferation of sinusoidal endothelial cells. Its mRNA expression was increased in proliferating rat hepatocytes in primary culture. To clarify a role of VEGF in liver after necrosis, expressions of VEGF and its receptors were measured in the liver or liver cells isolated from rats after carbon tetrachloride intoxication. Hepatic VEGF mRNA expression increased later than 24 h after the intoxication and became prominent at 168 h when liver necrosis disappeared, while hepatic mRNA expressions of its receptors increased between 24 and 72 h. VEGF mRNA expression was increased in Kupffer cells, hepatic macrophages and stellate cells isolated from rats between 24 and 72 h after the intoxication and in hepatocytes at 168 h compared to those cells from normal rats. Immunohistochemical VEGF stains were comparable to such results. Vascular endothelial cells existed abundantly in the necrotic areas, and sinusoidal endothelial cells appeared following disappearance of the necrotic areas. VEGF mRNA expression in hepatocytes isolated from 70% resected liver was increased at 12 h after the operation and became marked between 72 and 168 h. Similar increase of hepatic VEGF expression was immunohistochemically seen. In conclusion, VEGF derives from nonparenchymal as well as parenchymal cells in rat liver after necrosis. The former might contribute to vascular endothelial cell proliferation and the latter to sinusoidal endothelial cell regeneration.

Role of inhibition of penicillin binding proteins and cell wall cross-linking by beta-lactam antibiotics in low- and high-level methicillin resistance of Staphylococcus aureus

We have investigated the relationships between the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of eight beta-lactams and their binding affinities of penicillin binding proteins in low- and high-level methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). For high-level MRSA (H-MRSA), a significant correlation was found between IC50 for PBP2A and MIC, whilst no clear relationship was apparent for low-level MRSA (L-MRSA). However, the product of the IC50s for PBP2A and PBP4 significantly correlated with the MIC in L-MRSA. Since PBP4 is thought to mediate secondary cross-linking of the staphylococcal cell wall, we analyzed the effect on cell wall cross-linking of L- and H-MRSA of two representative drugs (cefoselis and flomoxef). Interestingly, the decrease in cell wall cross-linking, which was clearly observed in L-MRSA, was diminished with H-MRSA. It is concluded that for L-MRSA, a reduction in cell wall cross-linking caused by inhibiton of PBP4 may contribute to the antimicrobial activity of beta-lactam antibiotics, while for H-MRSA, inhibition of PBP2A mainly determines the antimicrobial activity. Since neither alteration of expression nor binding affinity of PBP4 were observed in these studies, unknown factors must operate to diminish the effect of PBP4 inhibition and contribute to the mechanism of high level resistance of MRSA.

Histomorphometric study of iliac bones in cervical myelopathy with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament

To investigate whether there was any abnormal systemic bone metabolism in patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), we measured various histomorphometric indices of the iliac trabecular bones in 19 patients with OPLL (14 men, 5 women). For each index, the Z-score for each patient was calculated, using the SD and mean value for non-OPLL control group (n = 159) who underwent orthopaedic surgeries and had no systemic disease, age-matched for each decade. A Z-score of 1.0 meant that the observed data deviated 1 SD from the normal average, and a distribution from -2 to +2 was considered normal. All the averaged Z-scores were within +/-1.0 and there were no significant differences between the OPLL and the control groups. There was also no difference in Z-score among three types of OPLL (segmental, continuous, and mixed). From these results, we concluded that there was no common abnormal bone metabolism affecting the bone histomorphometry of the iliac bone in OPLL patients. However, in two patients, the Z-score for bone volume (BV/TV) was more than 2.0, with increased osteoid volume (OV/TV) and increased trabecular thickness, suggesting that there was some abnormal bone metabolism in these two patients with OPLL.

Effect of interleukin-10 on gut-derived sepsis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice

We evaluated the protective effect of interleukin-10 (IL-10) against murine gut-derived sepsis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gut-derived sepsis was induced by administering cyclophosphamide and ampicillin while feeding P. aeruginosa to specific-pathogen-free mice. Treating mice with recombinant human IL-10 (rhIL-10) at 1.0 or 5.0 microg/mouse twice a day following the second cyclophosphamide administration significantly increased the survival rate compared to that of control mice treated with saline; however, treatment with rhIL-10 at 0.1 microg/mouse did not result in significant protection. Bacterial counts in the liver, spleen, and blood were all significantly lower in mice treated with rhIL-10 than in saline-treated control mice. Treatment with rhIL-10 significantly suppressed tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-6, and gamma interferon levels in the serum of mice following induction of gut-derived sepsis. We also studied the effect of IL-10 on leukocyte recovery after cyclophosphamide treatment of mice. Administration of rhIL-10 intraperitoneally at 1. 0 microg/mouse significantly accelerated the recovery of leukocytes in comparison with that of the group of saline-treated controls. These results indicate that IL-10 shows a protective effect against gut-derived P. aeruginosa sepsis. We suspect that the mechanism of this effect is that IL-10 regulates in vivo production of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, acceleration of leukocyte recovery by IL-10 after cyclophosphamide-induced depression may also play an important role in this protection.