Growth hormone therapy in achondroplasia

The status of growth hormone (GH) secretion together with the effect of GH therapy was studied in six children with achondroplasia. One patient had impaired GH secretion, which may, in part, be due to obesity. The pre-GH-treatment height velocity was 3.8 +/- 0.7 cm/year, but this increased to 6.0 +/- 1.0 cm/year in the first year of treatment and to 4.4 +/- 0.6 cm/year in the second year. One patient who underwent GH therapy for 4 years showed good response in height velocity. A considerable variation was observed in response to GH therapy within the treated cases.

Immunosuppressive activity of macrophages in mice undergoing graft-versus-host reaction due to major histocompatibility complex class I plus II difference

In a previous report, we showed that the injection of parental CD4+ T cells into major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II disparate F1 hybrid mice induces autoimmune-like graft versus-host reaction (GVHR) resembling systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the hepatic lesion of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). In the present study, we examined whether or not simultaneous or subsequent injection of CD8+ T cells changes the GVHR form. When parental CD8+ T cells together with CD4+ T cells were injected into MHC class I plus class II-disparate F1 mice, autoimmune phenomena did not develop and alternatively a profound immunosuppressive state was induced. Furthermore, ongoing autoimmune-like GVHR induced by CD4+ T cells was also suppressed by later injection of CD8+ T cells. In these mice, an increase of donor type CD8+ T cells and a marked decrease of host B and T cells in the spleen were observed. The spleen cells from these mice strongly inhibited the mitogenic response of normal spleen cells against lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In vitro studies demonstrated that this immunosuppression was not induced by CD8+ T cells themselves but by macrophages which produced suppressive factor(s) by LPS stimulation. These findings were discussed with reference to suppressive mechanisms of GVHR.

Effects of cholesterol loading on autoimmune MRL-lpr/lpr mice: susceptibility to hypercholesterolemia and aortic cholesterol deposition

Autoimmune MRL-lpr/lpr (MRL/l) mice, with a systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease, were shown to spontaneously develop hyperlipidemia and yet be susceptible to diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and aortic cholesterol deposition. Control animals on a basal diet showed significant increases in the serum total cholesterol, phospholipids, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and lipid peroxide levels, but a significant decline in the serum lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity compared to those of 5-week-old mice. Animals on the high-cholesterol diet showed a rapid rise in serum total cholesterol to a plateau level (800 mg/100 ml) that was approximately 2.5 times higher than that in the control animals on a basal diet. However, the levels of serum triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and lipid peroxides significantly decreased (by 61%, 23% and 53%, respectively) compared to those of the control animals, whereas LCAT activity and phospholipid level were not affected. The aortic contents of total cholesterol, free cholesterol and cholesteryl ester were significantly higher (by 35%, 36% and 31%, respectively) in animals fed the high-cholesterol diet than the control animals. These findings suggest that MRL/l mice are susceptible to diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and aortic cholesterol deposition.

Altered vasoconstrictor responsiveness in vitamin D-induced arteriosclerotic rat aortas

This investigation was undertaken to characterize the vasoconstrictor responsiveness in aortas isolated from a rat model of arteriosclerosis induced by vitamin D2 (VD) administration followed by feeding with a high-cholesterol diet. Cumulative contractile responses to KCl, noradrenaline and serotonin in thoracic aortic strips isolated from arteriosclerotic rats were slightly augmented in concentrations lower than the EC50 value of each agent and rather attenuated in their higher concentrations as compared with those from normal rats. Maximum contractions to the agonists were markedly attenuated in arteriosclerotic aortas; the degree of attenuation was greater in rats treated with a combination of VD and cholesterol than in those treated with VD alone. There was a significant negative correlation between the maximum contraction to KCl, noradrenaline or serotonin and the content of calcium or cholesterol ester in aortas. Removal of endothelium markedly enhanced sensitivity and contractility to the agonists in aortic strips from normal rats, whereas the same procedure only slightly enhanced them in aortic strips from arteriosclerotic rats. These results indicate that in arteriosclerotic rat aortas, contractile responsiveness to agonists of vascular smooth muscle cells is impaired with deposition of calcium and cholesterol, and they suggest that augmentation of contractile responses to the agonists in lower concentrations is due to impairment of endothelial function.

Effects of exercise and pacing loads on myocardial amino acid balance in patients with normal and stenotic coronary arteries, with special reference to branched chain amino acids

Arterial and coronary sinus differences (A-S) of alanine, glutamate, isoleucine, leucine, valine and phenylalanine were measured in 7 control subjects and 12 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) at rest and during exercise, and in 8 controls and 21 CAD patients at rest and during pacing. Lactate, great cardiac vein flow and oxygen were also measured. However, none of these parameters distinguished CAD from controls. Changes in alanine and glutamate during each load were, for the most part, consistent with previous studies, i.e., a greater release of alanine and uptake of glutamate was observed in the ischemic group. A-S of isoleucine, leucine and valine showed significant positive correlation to that of alanine (r = 0.59, r = 0.89, r = 0.77, respectively, during exercise, and r = 0.57, r = 0.65, r = 0.72, respectively, during pacing). A-S of isoleucine, leucine and valine showed significant positive correlations to each arterial concentration during exercise (r = 0.54, r = 0.62, r = 0.63, respectively), but not during pacing. Although none of the uptakes of the branched chain amino acids (BCAA) were significant, the mean A-S of each BCAA was positive at rest in both controls and CAD, and declined during each load. A-S of leucine was significantly smaller in CAD than in controls during exercise (0.7 +/- 7.0 vs 6.8 +/- 4.1 mumol/l, p < 0.05) and those of leucine and valine were significantly smaller in CAD patients with ischemic electrocardiographic change than in those without electrocardiographic change during pacing (0.1 +/- 5.9 vs 6.1 +/- 5.5, p < 0.05; -3.1 +/- 10.1 vs 9.9 +/- 6.8 mumol/l, p < 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that BCAA, especially leucine and valine, tend to be taken up by human myocardium physiologically and show characteristic changes under myocardial stress similar to those seen with alanine and glutamate.

Relative efficiencies of the maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and neighbor-joining methods for estimating protein phylogeny

The relative efficiencies of the maximum likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP), and neighbor-joining (NJ) methods for protein phylogeny in obtaining the correct tree topology were studied by using computer simulation. Furthermore, the robustness of the methods against departures from the assumed underlying model was studied. The following conclusions were suggested: (1) While the MP method is sensitive to the violation of constant evolutionary rate among lineages, the ML and NJ methods are robust. (2) The NJ method is efficient even if the evolutionary rate differs among lineages, but it is prerequisite to estimate the distance matrix correctly in this case. (3) The ML method is generally (with some exceptions) robust with respect to violations of the assumed model for amino acid substitution. (4) The ML and MP methods are robust to heterogeneity of evolutionary rate among sites, while the NJ method is sometimes not efficient in the heterogeneous case, unless the heterogeneity is taken into account in estimating the multiple-hit effect.

Immunohistochemical detection of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and major histocompatibility complex class I antigens in seminoma

Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens, and characterization of tumor-infiltrating mononuclear cells (TIM) were examined immunohistologically in 10 specimens of seminoma. ICAM-1 and MHC antigens were not detected on normal spermatogenic cells. ICAM-1 and MHC class I antigens were variably expressed in 7 and 9 seminomas, respectively, whereas class II antigens were not detected. Although the degree of expression of ICAM-1 and MHC antigens was not correlated with any clinical or histopathological factors, neither of the antigens was detected on an anaplastic seminoma. Various numbers of TIM were detected in all of the seminoma, and comprised mainly T cells bearing the lymphocyte function-associated antigen (LFA)-1. No significant correlation was noticed between the degree of lymphocyte infiltration and ICAM-1 or MHC antigen expression. Although ICAM-1 and MHC class I antigens were expressed in seminoma, possibly facilitating an anti-tumor reaction of host, their expression remained low in several cases, despite marked lymphocyte infiltration within the tumor.

Effects of topical instillation of minocycline hydrochloride on cyst size and renal function in polycystic kidney disease

To reduce renal cyst size in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), minocycline hydrochloride solution was instilled into the enlarged cysts in three ADPKD patients. In one patient with reduced renal function, such sclerotherapy apparently diminished cyst size, but without apparent improving effect on renal function at 7 months of follow-up. The second patient, who needed the replacement therapy on admission, had been free from hemodialysis over 4 months after the therapy. Persistent flank pain disappeared in both patients. In the third patient with normal renal function, sclerotherapy was done to get a better control of hypertension. Initially blood pressure decreased, but it returned up to the pre-therapy level irrespective of definite reduction of the enlarged cysts at 8 months of follow-up. The therapy with minocycline hydrochloride did not appear harmful, and may be helpful in the management of ADPKD.

Toxoplasma gondii: induction of toxoplasmic encephalitis in mice with chronic infection by inoculation of a murine leukemia virus inducing immunodeficiency

Infection with the avirulent Fukaya strain of Toxoplasma gondii induced few inflammatory responses in the brain of C57BL/6 mice. When mice with chronic infection with the Fukaya strain were challenged with murine leukemia virus (MuLV) LP-BM5, which is known to induce a remarkable immunodeficiency in mice, those mice suffered from a severe encephalitis. Infiltration of mononuclear cells was remarkable in both meninges and parenchyma in those mice. Numerous sites of acute focal inflammation were noted in the brain and the presence of tachyzoites and Toxoplasma antigens was demonstrable in those areas by immunoperoxidase staining using rabbit anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies. All mice infected with both T. gondii and LP-BM5 MuLV died from 9 to 14 weeks after the virus infection, whereas no mice died in the infection with either T. gondii or the virus alone. Spleen cells from the mice with coinfection failed to respond to both T cell (Con A) and B cell mitogens (LPS) in vitro in contrast to the cells from mice infected with T. gondii alone that responded to those mitogens just as cells from normal mice did. Mice chronically infected with T. gondii and challenged with LP-BM5 MuLV appears to provide a good animal model of toxoplasmic encephalitis which is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients.

Distribution of calcium binding proteins in sensory organs of the ear, nose and throat

Distributions of spot-35 protein (S-35), calbindin (CaB), and parvalbumin (PaV), three types of calcium-binding protein, were examined immunohistochemically in sensory organs of the ear, nose and throat in guinea pigs and rats. Immunoreactivity of S-35 and CaB was found in the outer hair cells and in vestibular sensory cells situated at the top of the ampulla, and in some cells in the macula. Microvillar cells in the olfactory epithelium, periglomerular cells, and small numbers of cells in the mitral cell layer in the olfactory bulb reacted to anti-S-35 and anti-CaB antisera. In taste buds, most gustatory receptor cells reacted to anti-CaB, although a few reacted to anti-S-35 antiserum. Neuron-like cells in the upper respiratory tract reacted similarly to these antisera. No PaV-immunoreactivity was found in any region. These results indicate that S-35 and CaB play important roles in the special kinds of mechanoreceptor and chemoreceptor cells found in the otolaryngeal area.

Long-term effects of enalapril in rat with experimental chronic tubulo-interstitial nephropathy

The aim of this study was to determine whether or not angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, enalapril, could ameliorate the chronic tubulo-interstitial nephropathy (TIN) in uninephrectomized (UNx) rats. Chronic TIN(M) was induced by 2-bromoethylamine hydrobromide. Rats were assigned to five groups; control, UNx-control (UNxC), UNx treated with enalapril (UNxE), UNxMC and UNxME. Enalapril was given for 12 months as drinking water (50 mg/l). At 6 months, albuminuria in UNxE decreased significantly compared with UNxC, but without change in UNxM rats. By 12 months, although all rats in control, UNxC and UNxE remained alive, 1 and 4 rats died in UNxME and UNxMC, respectively. Albuminuria in UNxC was reduced significantly by enalapril but not in UNxM rats. Both urine volume and urine osmolality became equal to control by enalapril in UNx rats, but not in UNxM rats. Serum cholesterol levels were normalized by enalapril in UNx rats, but not in UNxM rats. Levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were invariably higher in UNxM than in UNx rats, irrespective of enalapril. Glomerular sclerosis was statistically decreased by enalapril in both UNx and UNxM rats. Enalapril reduced the overall tubulo-interstitial lesions in UNx rats, but not in UNxM group. However, in UNxM rats tubular changes in medullary portion were significantly ameliorated by enalapril. These data suggest that enalapril has a beneficial effect on chronic TIN in this model.

Endothelium-dependent contraction produced by acetylcholine and relaxation produced by histamine in monkey basilar arteries

The present experiments were carried out to investigate endothelium-dependence of the responses to ACh, arachidonic acid and histamine in monkey basilar arteries. As we reported previously (1), ACh (10(-7) M) and arachidonic acid (5 x 10(-7) M) caused endothelium-dependent contraction (EDC) in both monkey and canine basilar arteries. The endothelium-derived contracting factor (EDCF) is probably TXA2, since the EDC was attenuated by a cyclooxygenase inhibitor (aspirin, 5 x 10(-5) M), thromboxane A2 (TXA2) synthetase inhibitors (OKY-046, 10(-5) M; RS-5186, 10(-6) M) and TXA2 antagonists (ONO-3708, 10(-8) M; S-145, 5 x 10(-9) M). Histamine caused endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) in monkey basilar arteries and EDC in canine basilar arteries. The EDR in monkey basilar arteries was attenuated by nitric oxide synthetase inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) in a concentration-dependent manner and the EDC in canine basilar arteries was attenuated by aspirin, TAX2 synthetase inhibitors and TXA2 antagonists. The EDR and EDC were antagonized by tripelennamine (10(-6) M) but not by cimetidine (10(-5) M), indicating that they are mediated by H1-receptors. From these results, we suggest that in the monkey basilar artery, either there are two types of endothelium, an EDCF type for ACh and arachidonic acid and an EDRF type for histamine, or there is single type of endothelium with two types of signalling processes, one for EDC and one for EDR.

Anomalous origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva associated with effort angina pectoris

A 54-year-old man suffering from effort angina pectoris had an anomalous origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) from the right sinus of Valsalva (RSV). The anomalous LAD with a small ostium and without other significant narrowing initially ran into the interventricular septum and subsequently the anterior interventricular groove. Coronary angiography during the anginal attack induced by ergometer exercise testing revealed neither an enhanced narrowing of the LAD ostium, nor myocardial squeezing of the LAD at the interventricular septum level, nor coronary vasospasm. Myocardial ischaemia associated with an anomalous aortic origin of the LAD from the RSV is extremely rare, especially when the vessel runs a septal course. In the present case, the ostial stenosis of the anomalous LAD, probably due to developed atherosclerosis, seemed to be the most likely cause of the exertional angina.

bcl-2 gene rearrangement analysis of Japanese follicular lymphomas by polymerase chain reaction in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens

The prevalence of chromosomal translocation t(14;18) was examined in 41 cases of follicular lymphoma covering all histopathological subtypes, using the polymerase chain reaction and hybridization method with non-radioactive oligonucleotide probes. DNAs were extracted from unfixed fresh-frozen and/or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens. The t(14;18) chromosomal translocation, resulting in bcl-2-JH (immunoglobulin heavy chain gene joining segment) fusion gene, was detected in 7 (36.8%) of 19 follicular small cleaved cell lymphomas and 6 (54.5%) of 11 follicular mixed, small cleaved cell and large cell lymphomas. Meanwhile, 11 cases of follicular large cell lymphoma revealed no bcl-2-JH fusion gene. There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of bcl-2-JH rearrangement between follicular, small cleaved cell and large cell lymphoma (two-sided Fisher exact test, P = 0.049). The difference of bcl-2 rearrangement frequency between follicular, mixed and large cell lymphoma was also statistically significant (P = 0.012).

Suppression of spontaneous murine lupus by inducing graft-versus-host reaction with CD8+ cells

Splenic CD8+ (Lyt-2+) cells of C57BL/6 mice were injected into semiallogeneic (NZB x BXSB)F1 mice, which spontaneously develop lupus nephritis, in order to examine whether the disease was somehow modified by the occurrence of graft-versus-host reaction. The development of lupus nephritis in the F1 recipients was strongly inhibited and immunopathological parameters such as anti-DNA antibodies, circulating immune complexes (CIC) and splenic immunoglobulin-producing cells (IgPC) were markedly reduced. The injection of CD4+ (L3T4+) T cells into F1 recipients did not result in similar effects. These findings suggest that the development of autoimmune disease could be ameliorated by CD8+ cells responding to MHC class I antigens. The significance of the data is discussed in terms of the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Effect of frequency sweep direction on motion of excited ions in fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance cells

Ion motion during frequency sweep excitation was computer simulated to study the effect of the direction of frequency swee on the z motion of ions in a cylindrical Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (T-ICR) cell. It is shown that the z motion is more forcefully excited by upsweep than by downsweep; thus at large amplitudes ions are more easily ejected to the trapping electrodes by upsweep and larger cyclotron orbits can be achieved by downsweep. This effect was confirmed by experiment and the results are favorably compared with the calculations. From these results it is concluded that downward sweeping is advantageous for ion detection and upward sweeping is preferable for ion ejection. The simulations clearly explain the effect of the direction of frequency sweep by visualizing the directions of the forces that ions experience immediately after the excitation of their cyclotron motion. It was demonstrated by experiment that the z ejection can be reduced by applying a phase-adjusted ac potential to the trapping electrodes.(847-852).

Evaluation of the effect of PTCR/PTCA by 99mTc-MIBI myocardial imaging in acute and old myocardial infarction

This study is to clarify the ability of technetium-99m-Hexakis-2-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile(MIBI) myocardial scintigraphy for assessment of the effect of PTCR/PTCA as compared with conventional thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy (201Tl). 99mTc-MIBI (740-888MBq) was injected before emergency PTCR/PTCA, and the initial imaging was performed immediately after PTCR/PTCA in 4 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). On the other hand, in 2 patients with old myocardial infarction (OMI), 201Tl and MIBI myocardial imagings were performed before and one week after rescue PTCA. The defect area on the follow-up MIBI imaging was smaller than that on the initial MIBI imaging in 2 patients with successful emergency PTCR/PTCA. But in the other 2 AMI patients with unsuccessful reperfusion, the defect area did not significantly decrease after PTCR/PTCA. Reperfusion was successful in one of the two patients with OMI. In both the two patients with OMI, the MIBI defect area did not significantly decrease after rescue PTCA. MIBI myocardial scintigraphy is a useful noninvasive method for evaluating the effect of emergency PTCR/PTCA for myocardial salvage in patients with AMI, because MIBI is a kit type agent, and it does not redistribute.

A mosaic case of isodicentric chromosome 18

A case of mosaicism of isodicentric chromosome 18 is reported. Dicentric chromosome 18 occurs rarely and only five cases of isodicentric chromosome 18 have been documented. A high resolution banding method revealed that the karyotype of the patient was mos 46,XX/46,XX idic(18)(pter-->q21.3::q21.3-->pter), and the ratio of normal and abnormal clones was 1:1. The clinical manifestations, resembling those of trisomy 18 syndrome, were affected by both partial trisomy 18pter-->q21.3 and partial monosomy 18q21.3-->qter.

[A case of painless myocardial injury probably caused by coronary artery spasm]

A 53-year-old male was admitted to the hospital due to electrocardiographic ST-segment elevation in V1-4 with ST-segment depression in the inferior leads, which suggested acute myocardial infarction. He had a cough and a slight fever without chest pain. Serum creatine kinase and its myocardial band were slightly elevated but creatine kinase value did not exceed twice the normal upper limit. Emergent coronary arteriography (CAG) revealed intact coronary arteries. The CAG in a chronic stage again revealed intact coronary arteries. Intracoronary administration of acetylcholine of 100 micrograms to the left coronary artery and 50 micrograms to the right coronary artery provoked diffuse spasm in the right and left coronary arteries. The electrocardiogram (ECG) during the right coronary artery spasm revealed ST-segment depression in the inferior leads with ST-segment elevation in V2 and V3, which resembled the ECG finding at the time of the patient's admission. With intracoronary isosorbide dinitrate, the spasm and ST-segment elevation were resolved. These findings strongly suggest that coronary spasm can cause myocardial injury indicated by a slight elevation of serum creatine kinase value.

Mechanism of the rejection of major histocompatibility complex class I-disparate murine skin grafts: rejection can be mediated by CD4+ cells activated by allo-class I + II antigen in CD8+ cell-depleted hosts

In the preceding article, we analyzed the immunohistochemical rejection mechanism of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I (H-2K)- disparate murine skin grafts, and showed that only CD8+ cells infiltrated at the site of the epithelial tissue of MHC class I- disparate graft. We also showed that perfect survival of MHC class I- disparate grafts were attained in thymectomized recipients treated with anti-Lyt-2 monoclonal antibody. In this report, we showed that these long-surviving allo-class I grafts were rejected in the absence of CD8+ cells by stimulation with allo-MHC class I + II-disparate graft as the second stimulation. Furthermore, it was immunohistochemically revealed that under that condition, a large number of CD4+ cells infiltrated into the epithelial tissue of these long-surviving class I grafts, which were going to be rejected 2-5 d after the transplantation of a second graft with MHC class I + II difference. This result directly shows that CD4+ cells are able to became effectors for the rejection of allo-MHC class I (H-2K) skin graft.

Syntheses and anti-inflammatory activity of novel oximes and O-acyloximes

Novel oximes were prepared from the corresponding aldehyde or ketone in the usual way, and a number of oxime esters, O-lauroyl, O-2-pyridinecarbonyl, O-nicotinoyl, and O-isonicotinoyl oximes were synthesized by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDCI)-4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) method or a mixed anhydride method, in our search for potent anti-inflammatory compounds. The anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds was assessed by the carrageenan-induced paw edema assay in rats. The oximes (4, 5, and 13), O-lauroyloxime 1L, O-nicotinoyloximes (1N, 2N, 3N, and 4N), O-isonicotinoyloxime 1I, and O-2-pyridinecarbonyloxime 7P showed higher anti-inflammatory potency than aspirin, a prostaglandin cyclooxygenase inhibitor.