Effect of physical activity on autonomic nervous system function in lean and obese children

OBJECTIVE

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a key factor in the regulation of energy balance and body fat storage;however, to what extent the physical activity during the childhood years contributes to variations in ANS function is still unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the ANS activity in lean and obese children, focusing on the differences in physical activity levels.

SUBJECTS

This study was performed on 1080 school children initially recruited to the present study. In all, 24 physically active and 24 inactive obese children (> or =120% of the standard body weight) were chosen as samples. Then, 24 lean-active and 24 lean-inactive children, who were matched individually in age, gender, height, and the amount of sports activity, were carefully selected from the remaining children.

MEASUREMENTS

Physical activity was classified as the frequency of participation in after-school sports activities (active; > or =3 times per week, inactive; nothing). The ANS activities were measured during the resting condition by means of heart rate (HR) variability power spectral analysis, which enables us to identify separate frequency components, that is, low frequency (LF; 0.03-0.15 Hz), reflecting mixed sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity, high frequency (HF; 0.15-0.5 Hz), mainly associated with PNS activity, and total power (TP; 0.03-0.5 Hz), evaluating the overall ANS activity. The spectral powers were log transformed for statistical testing.

RESULTS

The lean-active group demonstrated lower resting HR as well as significantly higher TP, LF, and HF powers compared to the remaining groups. In contrast, the obese-inactive group showed significantly lower TP (P<0.05 vs the remaining groups), LF (P<0.05 vs the lean groups), and HF power (P<0.05 vs the lean groups), respectively. The obese-active and lean-inactive groups were nearly identical in all spectral parameters. The correlation analysis revealed that TP among 48 inactive children was significantly and negatively associated with the percentage of body fat (r=-0.53, P<0.001); however, such correlation among 48 active children was modest (r=-0.33, P=0.02).

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that obese children possess reduced sympathetic as well as parasympathetic nervous activities as compared to lean children who have similar physical activity levels. Such autonomic reduction, associated with the amount of body fat in inactive state, might be an etiological factor of onset or development of childhood obesity. On the other hand, regular physical activities could contribute to enhance the overall ANS activity in both lean and obese children. These findings further imply that regular physical activity might be effective in preventing and treating obesity beginning in the childhood.

Overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 protein and its relationship to apoptosis in cervical carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy

The aims of this study were to examine the overexpression of COX-2 protein and its relationship to apoptosis in cervical carcinoma patients treated with neoadjuvant chemo-therapy (NAC), and to assess the potential role of COX-2 as a predictor of the response to NAC in a series of patients with cervical carcinoma. For immunohistochemical analysis, cervical cancer tissue samples were collected before NAC and 3 weeks after NAC using transcatheter arterial infusion of cisplatin from 40 patients who underwent surgery for advanced cervical carcinoma in stages IB, IIA and IIB and from 5 normal cervical tissues between 1991 and 2000 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, under informed consent. Patients were randomly assigned to receive one or two arterial infusions of cisplatin. COX-2 protein expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining and was classified as no expression for tumors with negative or <10%, while > or =10% positive staining was defined as overexpression. Detection of apoptosis was done by the TUNEL method. The percentage of cells with DNA fragmentation (apoptotic index, AI) was calculated before NAC and 3 weeks after NAC. The AI ratio (AI after NAC/AI before NAC) was also calculated. COX-2 expression was not detected in the normal cervix. Overexpression of COX-2 protein was detected in 18 out of 40 (45.0%) cervical cancers. A higher incidence of COX-2 protein overexpression was observed in patients with adenocarcinoma than in those with squamous cell carcinoma (p=0.1797, Fisher's exact text). The average AI value before and after NAC was 8.85 versus 11.82 respectively. In COX-2 protein-negative patients with squamous cell carcinoma, the AI ratio was 0.96+/-0.46 following one arterial infusion of cisplatin and 3.19+/-2.72 following two infusions of cisplatin. There was a significant positive correlation between apoptosis and the number of infusions of cisplatin (p=0.0098, Mann-Whitney, U-test). Our findings suggest that COX-2 protein expression could be used as a predictor of chemoresistance and that assessment of the COX-2 status could be useful to identify cervical cancer patients who may benefit from NAC.

Gene expression of type I collagen in neoplastic chondrocytes

In the present examination, we detected type I collagen mRNA in neoplastic chondrocytes in osteochondromas, typical benign bone neoplasms. We believe that the cells involved in >chondroid bone< appearing in osteochondromas temporally express cartilage phenotypes and then change directly into bone-forming cells that survive in the >chondroid bone< until the tissue is resorbed and remodelled into true bone tissue.

Comparison of forearm endothelial function between premenopausal and postmenopausal women with or without hypercholesterolemia

We sought to determine whether menopausal status or postmenopausal hypercholesterolemia affects forearm resistance artery endothelial function. We studied the forearm resistance artery endothelial function in 75 Japanese women: 25 premenopausal volunteers, 25 postmenopausal women with normal serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations, and 25 hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women. Excluded from the study were patients with hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, or diabetes, cigarette smokers. The forearm blood flow (FBF) during reactive hyperemia and after sublingual nitroglycerin (NTG) administration was measured by strain-gauge plethysmography. The serum concentrations of lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] were significantly higher in the hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal group than in the other two groups (P<0.01). These lipid parameters were similar between the premenopausal and postmenopausal women with normal cholesterol. The FBF responses to reactive hyperemia were significantly lower in the postmenopausal hypercholesterolemic women than in the other two groups (P<0.01). The reactive hyperemia also was impaired in the postmenopausal group with normal cholesterol as compared with the premenopausal group (P<0.01). Increases in FBF after NTG were similar between the three groups. By stepwise multivariate analysis, menopausal status and serum LDL cholesterol was the significant predictor of forearm endothelial function. These findings suggest that reactive hyperemia is impaired in forearm resistance arteries after menopause, especially in postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia.

Validation of a simple gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for the determination of gamma-butyrolactone in human plasma

A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method is described for the determination of human plasma levels of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) is described. The method is sensitive and simple. The plasma sample spiked with the internal standard was extracted by dichloromethane (CH(2)Cl(2)) in acidic conditions, and the concentrated organic layer was injected into GC-MS. Because of endogenous GBL in human plasma, the method used a standard calibration curve. The calibration curve was linear from 10 to 1000 ng/ml. The method has been validated for accuracy and precision with the relative error and C.V. for intra- and inter-day within 10%. GBL-spiked plasma samples stored at -80 degrees C were stable for a 3-month period. The stability of plasma samples after three cycles of freezing and thawing and of prepared samples on an autosampler for 48 h were demonstrated. Plasma concentrations of GBL before and after administration of UFT were 24.3+/-14.2 and 84.9+/-22.4 ng/ml, respectively.

Recombinant human microplasmin: production and potential therapeutic properties

The effect of recombinant human microplasmin was studied in ischemic stroke models in mice and in an extracorporeal loop thrombosis model in rabbits. Human microplasminogen ( micro Plg), which lacks the five 'kringle' domains of plasminogen was expressed with high yield in Pichia pastoris. It was purified, converted to microplasmin ( micro Pli) and equilibrated with 5 mmol L(-1) citrate, pH 3.1, yielding a stable preparation. In mice with middle cerebral artery (MCA) ligation, an intravenous (i.v.) bolus of 5.0 mg kg(-1) micro Pli reduced infarct size at 24 h from 27 (26-30) to 25 (21-28) mm3 (median and range, n= 16 each, P= 0.0001), whereas 4.0 mg kg(-1) rt-PA and 40 mg kg(-1) micro Plg had no effect. Infarct reduction was observed with administration at 4 h after occlusion. In mice with MCA, infarct size at 24 h was reduced from 20 (14-30) to 9.1 (3.1-25) mm3 with 5.0 mg kg(-1) micro Pli (n = 15 each, P < 0.002) and to 11 (5.2-27) mm3 with 4.0 mg kg(-1) rt-PA (n = 6; P= 0.02). Infarct reduction was still observed at 10 h after occlusion with micro Pli but not with t-PA. In rabbits with radiolabeled clots in an extracorporeal arteriovenous loop, local infusion of 2.5 mg kg(-1) micro Pli over 2 h, induced 51 +/- 15% lysis (mean +/- SD, n= 11) vs. a control value of 23 +/- 5.5%. micro Pli did not prolong template bleeding times, whereas equipotent doses of rt-PA were associated with extensive rebleeding. The potency of micro Pli in both models was similar to that of intact plasmin. These findings indicate that recombinant micro Pli may be useful for treatment of ischemic stroke and arterial thrombosis.

Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and its relationship to p53 accumulation in ovarian adenocarcinomas

To investigate cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and its relationship to p53 accumulation in ovarian adenocarcinomas, COX-2 and p53 protein expressions were examined by immunohistochemistry in 86 ovarian adenocarcinomas and six normal ovaries. In addition, COX-2 mRNA expression level was examined by semi-quantitative PCR in 36 ovarian adenocarcinomas. Neither COX-2 expression nor p53 accumulation were detected in normal ovarian surface epithelium or germinal inclusion cyst epithelial cells. In contrast, COX-2 protein expression was detected in 31.4% of adenocarcinomas, and p53 protein accumulation was found in 30.2% of adenocarcinomas. A significantly higher COX-2 expression rate was observed in endometrioid adenocarcinomas than in either mucinous (p=0.019) or clear cell (p=0.021) adenocarcinomas, and a significantly higher p53 accumulation rate was observed in serous adenocarcinomas compared to clear cell adenocarcinomas (p=0.015). p53 accumulation correlated with advanced clinical stage (stage I vs. stage II/III/IV: p=0.007), whereas no correlation was found between COX-2 expression and clinical stage. There was a significant positive correlation between COX-2 expression and p53 accumulation status (p=0.003). Log-rank testing showed that p53 accumulation was significantly correlated with poor patient survival (p=0.004), whereas no correlation was found between COX-2 expression and survival. COX-2 mRNA expression was detected in 72.2% of ovarian adenocarcinomas, and a significant correlation between COX-2 mRNA expression status and immunoreactivity (p=0.023) was observed. These results suggest that COX-2 expression might play an important role in ovarian cancer development and that COX-2 expression in ovarian adenocarcinomas is frequently associated with p53 protein accumulation. COX-2 overexpression in ovarian cancer cells might partly be caused by dysfunctional p53.

Rapid, specific and active site-catalyzed effect of tissue-plasminogen activator on hippocampus-dependent learning in mice

In the present study we trained tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA)-knockout (tPA -/-) and wild-type (tPA +/+) male mice in step-down inhibitory avoidance learning, a hippocampus-dependent task. tPA -/- displayed significantly shorter latencies to step down at 90 min, one, two and seven days after training indicating the learning deficit in these animals (P < 0.05 vs tPA +/+). The locomotor activity, the level of anxiety in an elevated-plus maze, as well as the pain threshold did not differ between the two strains of mice. The learning disability of tPA -/- was overcome by more intense training. The learning deficit was also partially restored by limited intrahippocampal delivery of tPA (infused for 2 h before training; P < 0.05 vs control), but not by the delivery of urokinase plasminogen activator, indicating the acute need for tPA in learning. The beneficial effect of tPA was abolished by co-infusion of its inhibitor tPA-STOP, indicating that the facilitatory effect of tPA on learning requires a proteolytic step. However, tPA activity in the hippocampus was not indispensable for effective memory retrieval in tPA-infused tPA -/- mice. Thus, rapid, specific and proteolytic action of tPA facilitates hippocampus-dependent learning, but not retrieval of previously acquired information.

GnRH agonist inhibits human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA expression in endometrial cancer cells

We investigated the relationship between the antiproliferative effect of GnRH agonist and telomerase activity using the endometrial cancer cell line HEC-1A. The subjects were 38 endometrial cancer, and 2 atypical endometrial hyperplasia patients. GnRH-R expression was detected using RT-PCR. HEC-1A cells were incubated with 10(-7)-10(-4) M GnRH agonist (leuprolide acetate), and cell proliferation was determined using MTT assay. The telomerase activity was detected by the TRAP assay and expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) was assessed by RT-PCR. GnRH-R mRNA was detected at 94.7% (36/38) in endometrial cancer and in both of the atypical endometrial hyperplasia and in HEC-1A cells. Cell proliferation of HEC-1A showed significant inhibition at leuprolide acetate concentrations of 10(-6) M or higher compared with untreated control culture (p<0.05). The telomerase activity showed no marked difference compared with untreated culture. However, hTERT mRNA expression showed a decrease in the leuprolide-treated cells. It is suggested that the mechanism of the antitumor effect of GnRH agonist involved the inhibition of hTERT mRNA expression in the endometrial cancer cells.

p27, cyclin E, and CDK2 expression in normal and cancerous endometrium

The objective was to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of p27, cyclin E, and CDK2 in normal and cancerous endometrium. Expression of p27 in premenopausal normal endometrium was significantly higher than that in postmenopausal normal endometrium (p=0.019). A significantly lower amount of p27 staining was observed in endometrial cancer tissues from premenopausal women than in normal premenopausal endometrium (p=0.015). Cyclin E expression in premenopausal normal endometrium was significantly higher than that in postmenopausal normal endometrium (p=0.003). A significantly higher amount of cyclin E staining was observed in endometrial cancer tissues from postmenopausal women than in normal postmenopausal endometrium (p=0.017). Regarding menopausal status, no significant difference in CDK2 staining was observed between cancerous and normal endometrium. There was a positive significant correlation between cyclin E and CDK2 expression levels in endometrial cancers (p<0.05). Western blot analysis confirmed elevated p27 protein levels in samples with positive p27 immunostaining. Considerable levels of p27 mRNA were detected in all normal and cancerous samples examined by semi-quantitative PCR. No significant relationship was found between telomerase activity and its association with p27 and cyclin E expression in endometrial cancers. These findings suggested that the decreased expression of p27 caused by post-translational mechanism might play an important role in endometrial cancer development in premenopausal women. In addition, increased cyclin E expression may play an important role in endometrial cancer development in postmenopausal women.

Combination therapy of low-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate and oral estrogen does not affect endothelial function in the forearms of postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE

We investigated whether low-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) combined with oral estrogen had adverse effects on endothelial function compared with oral estrogen alone in postmenopausal women with mild hypercholesterolemia.

DESIGN

Subjects were divided into two groups. One group received conjugated equine estrogen (CEE, 0.625 mg daily) orally for the first 3 months, followed by estrogen combined with MPA (2.5 mg daily) orally for an additional 3 months ( = 26). The other group received no treatment (control group, = 12). Forearm blood flow (FBF) during reactive hyperemia and after sublingual nitroglycerin administration was measured by strain-gauge plethysmography. Nitrite/nitrate, angiotensin-converting enzyme, and lipid concentrations were measured in the serum.

RESULTS

Both CEE and CEE combined with MPA significantly increased the FBF during reactive hyperemia. This increase was similar in both active treatment phases. No changes were seen in controls. FBF after sublingual nitroglycerin did not change over 6 months in either group. Significant and similar increases in serum concentration of nitrite/nitrate and plasma renin activity as well as decreases in angiotensin-converting enzyme activity were found in both treatment phases. No such changes occurred in the control group. There was no significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol between the treatment phases. Likewise, no such changes were observed in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our 6-month study suggests that the addition of low-dose MPA with CEE had no adverse effects on forearm resistance artery endothelial function compared with CEE alone.

Tumor dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in advanced cervical carcinoma

Patients with advanced cervical carcinoma were treated with oral fluoropyrimidine (UFT) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy and its antitumor effect was examined. The relationship between thymidylate synthase (TS) or dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity in tumor tissue and apoptosis was also investigated. The subjects were 56 patients with advanced cervical carcinoma. The patients received two courses of therapy consisting of UFT at a dose of 600 mg/day for 5 days and 2 days off treatment. The TS and DPD activity in tumor tissue was measured before and after UFT administration by the FdUMP binding assay and a catalytic assay in 38 patients, respectively. Apoptosis was detected by the TUNEL method, and the apoptotic index (AI) was calculated. Tumor tissue activity of TS or DPD was unrelated to clinicopathologic factors or to the activity of the other enzyme. The mean tumor TS and DPD activity before UFT administration was 5.42+/-3.92 pmol/g tissue and 206.54+/-128.58 pmol/mg/min, respectively, and the levels of these enzymes in two patients showing an antitumor effect were below the mean values. The AI increased from 1.10+/-0.57% before UFT to 1.27+/-0.81% afterwards, and the DPD activity before UFT showed an inverse relationship with the AI after UFT (r=-0.6938). In patients with DPD activity below the median value (186.92 pmol/mg/min), UFT administration significantly caused an increase of the AI (p=0.0002). These results indicate that the DPD activity of advanced cervical carcinoma is a determinant of sensitivity to UFT, suggesting an association between UFT therapy and the induction of apoptosis.

Expression of matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 by cells isolated from the peritoneal fluid of women with ovarian carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the level of expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9 by cells isolated from the peritoneal fluid of women with ovarian carcinoma.

STUDY DESIGN

Tumor tissue specimens and cells isolated from peritoneal fluid from 20 patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma were examined for MMP-2 and -9 expression using immunostaining. Six benign peritoneal effusions containing mesothelial cells were also included in the study.

RESULTS

Expression of both MMP-2 and -9 was noted in cancer cells in peritoneal fluid of all cases studied. Peritoneal fluid cancer cells showed increased expression of both MMP-2 and -9 relative to mesothelial cell expression of these MMPs. Positive immunoreactivity of these MMPs in primary tumor tissues was confirmed by immunohistochemistry.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that both MMP-2 and -9 are frequently overexpressed in ovarian cancer cells disseminated in the peritoneal cavity and that determination of cellular MMP-2 and -9 expression could be useful in distinguishing cancer cells from mesothelial cells in peritoneal fluid cytologic specimens from women with ovarian epithelial carcinoma.

The expression of dentin sialophosphoprotein gene in bone

Dentin sialoprotein (DSP) and dentin phosphoprotein (DPP) are expressed as a single mRNA transcript coding for a large precursor protein termed dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP). DSP, DPP, and DSPP have been considered to be tooth-specific. To test for the expression of the dspp gene in bone, we performed Western immunoblots and reverse-transcription polymerase chain-reaction (RT-PCR). With Western immunoblots, we detected DSP in the Gdm/EDTA extracts of rat long bone, at a level of about 1/400 of that in dentin. Using RT-PCR, we detected DSPP mRNA in mouse calvaria. Similar to Western immunoblots, the results of RT-PCR indicated that the dspp gene is expressed at a lower level in bone than in dentin and odontoblasts. Analysis of the data shows that DSPP is not a tooth-specific protein, and that dramatically different regulatory mechanisms governing DSPP expression are involved in the bone and dentin.

Endometrial cytodiagnosis using a new softcyte versus a conventional endocyte

A new endometrial cytologic sampling device, softcyte, was used in cytological screening for endometrial cancer, and was compared with the endocyte with regard to manipulability, adverse effects (including pain and hemorrhage), and cellular findings (including the quantity of cells collected, the success rate, cell freshness, and cellular clumping). A total of 315 women (premenopause 251, postmenopause 64) were randomly assigned to two groups who underwent the endometrial cytological screening with either the softcyte or the endocyte. To assess the value of the softcyte we compared it with the endocyte. Endometrial cytology using a softcyte or an endocyte achieved high correct diagnosis rate for cancer, and both instruments are valuable as endometrial cytologic sample devices. The softcyte causes only mild pain on introduction and during collection, and a large quantity of cells could be harvested. These results suggest that the softcyte is a useful cytologic sampling device in screening for endometrial cancer.

Increased MCL-1 expression is associated with poor prognosis in ovarian carcinomas

To investigate the potential role of the BCL-2 gene family (BAX, BCL-2, MCL-1, and BCL-XL) in ovarian cancer development and progression, mRNA expression levels of these genes were measured using semi-quantitative PCR in epithelial ovarian tumor tissues and normal ovaries. The immunohistochemical expression of MCL-1 in ovarian tumors was also examined. The expression levels of BAX and MCL-1 mRNA were significantly higher in ovarian cancers and in adenomas than in normal ovaries (P < 0.05). In contrast, the BCL-2 mRNA expression level in ovarian cancers was significantly lower than in ovarian adenomas and in normal ovaries (P < 0.05). Expression of BCL-XL mRNA was no different between normal ovaries and ovarian tumors. Log-rank testing showed that low BAX mRNA expression and high MCL-1 mRNA expression significantly correlate with poor survival for patients with stage III ovarian carcinomas (BAX, P = 0.05; MCL-1, P = 0.02). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that diffuse-positive expression of MCL-1 protein in mucinous carcinomas was significantly higher than in mucinous low malignant potential (LMP) tumors (P = 0.03). In ovarian cancer cases, diffuse-positive expression of MCL-1 protein significantly correlates with advanced clinical stage, high histologic grade, and poor survival (stage, P < 0.01; grade, P = 0.01; survival, P = 0.01). These results suggest that increased MCL-1 expression may play an important role in replacing the functions of increased BAX and decreased BCL-2 in ovarian carcinoma cells, thereby promoting cell survival, and resulting in a poor prognosis for patients with ovarian cancer.

Evaluation of mitogen-induced responses in marine mammal and human lymphocytes by in-vitro exposure of butyltins and non-ortho coplanar PCBs

The effects of exposure to butyltin compounds (BTs: tributyltin; TBT, dibutyltin; DBT and monobutyltin; MBT) and non-ortho coplanar PCBs (IUPAC 77, 126 and 169) on marine mammals and human lymphocyte were evaluated. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), a California sealion (Zalophus californianus), a larga seal (Phocoa largha) and humans (Homo sapiens) were exposed at varying concentrations of BTs and coplanar PCBs. Concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated mitogenesis found significantly suppressed (P<0.01) when the cells were exposed at 300 nM (89 ng/ml) of TBT and 330 nM of DBT (77 ng/ml), while MBT showed little cytotoxicity at treatment levels of up to 3,600 nM (620 ng/ml). BTs concentrations in the liver of Dall's porpoises from Japanese coastal waters ranged between 81-450 ng/g for TBT and 200-1,100 ng/g (wet wt.) for DBTs, which is greater than the cytotoxic levels registered in this study. In contrast, non-ortho coplanar PCBs did not suppress cell proliferation at concentrations of up to 30 nM (10 ng/ml). The residue levels of coplanar PCBs in the blubber of Dall's porpoises were 0.12-1.3 ng/g, which were one order of lower than those levels that do cell proliferation. When cells were exposed to a mixture of TBT/DBTand coplanar PCBs, the proliferation was significantly reduced to 33 nM DBT plus 34 nM CB-77 and 33 nM DBT plus 28 nM CB-169 mixtures, respectively. The investigations relating the contaminant-induced immunosuppression in marine mammals have been focused on persistent organochlorines such as PCBs. pesticides and dioxin compounds. However, this study suggested the possibility of BTs could also pose a serious threat to the immune functions in free-ranging marine mammals and humans.

Characteristics of bone morphogenetic protein-induced chondroid bone: histochemical, immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization examinations

The third ossification mode, known as transchondroid bone formation, is displayed chiefly in the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-induced heterotopic bone formation model. This paper describes the results of histopathological, histochemical, immunohistochemical, and in situ hybridization examinations of BMP-induced heterotopic bone in mice. The research focuses on the localization of typical matrix proteins (peptide and its mRNA) of cartilage and bone--type-I and type-II collagen, osteocalcin and osteopontin--in the chondroid bone matrix.