Cyclooxygenase-1 inhibition delays recovery of the cutaneous barrier disruption caused by mechanical scratching in mice

BACKGROUND

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by severe pruritus, and cutaneous barrier disruption by scratching contributes to further aggravation of the condition. We have previously shown that indomethacin delayed recovery from the effects of cutaneous barrier disruption caused by mechanical scratching in mice.

OBJECTIVES

This study was designed to assess the role of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 inhibitors on recovery from the effects of cutaneous barrier disruption induced by mechanical scratching in mice.

METHODS

We examined the effects of SC-560 (a COX-1-selective inhibitor) or NS-398 (a COX-2-selective inhibitor) on recovery from the effects of cutaneous barrier disruption in mice induced by a wire brush, in terms of the skin prostaglandin (PG) levels.

RESULTS

While SC-560 significantly delayed recovery from the effects of cutaneous barrier disruption, NS-398 had no such effect. SC-560 was significantly more effective than NS-398 in reducing skin PG levels at 6 and 24 h after cutaneous barrier disruption. SC-560 strongly inhibited biosynthesis of cutaneous PGD(2) to a greater extent than that of other PGs.

CONCLUSIONS

COX-1-coupled PGD(2) biosynthesis may be an important factor in the recovery of cutaneous barrier disruption.

Role of COX-1 and COX-2 on skin PGs biosynthesis by mechanical scratching in mice

We examined the involvement of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 on mechanical scratching-induced prostaglandins (PGs) production in the skin of mice. The dorsal regions of mice were scratched using a stainless brush. COXs expressions in the skin were analyzed using real-time PCR and Western blotting. The effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on the ability of PGs production were determined based on skin PGs level induced by arachidonic acid (AA) application. Mechanical scratching increased PGD2, PGE2, PGI2 and PGF(2 alpha). COX-1 was constitutively expressed and COX-2 expression was enhanced by scratching. Intravenous administration of ASA inhibited PGs biosynthesis in the normal skin. PGs levels of the skin 6h after ASA administration (ASA 6 h) were almost equal to those of the skin 10 min after ASA administration (ASA 10 min). In the scratched skin, AA-induced PGE2 and PGI2 of ASA 6 h were significantly higher than those of ASA 10 min. The skin PGD2 and PGF(2 alpha) of ASA 10 min were almost same to those of ASA 6 h. In the normal skin of COX-1-deficient mice, skin PGD2 level was lower than that of wild-type mice, although PGE2, PGI2 and PGF(2 alpha) levels were almost equal to those of wild type. In the scratched skin of COX-1-deficient mice, PGD2, PGE2, PGI2 and PGF(2 alpha) levels were lower than those of wild-type mice. These results suggested that cutaneous PGD2 could be mainly produced by COX-1, and PGE2 and PGI2 could be produced by COX-1 and COX-2, respectively, in mice.

Involvement of IL-31 on scratching behavior in NC/Nga mice with atopic-like dermatitis

Pruritus is an important symptom in atopic dermatitis (AD), but the major pruritogen has not been identified. NC/Nga mice, spontaneously develop an eczematous AD-like skin lesion when kept under conventional conditions, but not under specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions, have been thought to be an animal model for AD. In this study, to determine whether newly identified cytokine, IL-31, may be involved in pruritus of AD, we examined the IL-31 expression in spontaneous dermatitis model which showed itch-associated long-lasting (over 1.5 s duration) scratching behavior and compared with that of hapten-induced contact dermatitis model without itch-associated long-lasting scratching behavior, using NC/Nga mice. In NC/Nga mice cohabited with NC/Nga mice which developed severe dermatitis for 2 weeks (conventional NC/Nga mice), the numbers of long-lasting scratching counts were significantly increased. Yet in 2,4,6-trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB)-sensitized and challenged mice (TNCB-applied NC/Nga mice), no significant increase in long-lasting scratching counts was observed. In conventional NC/Nga mice with long-lasting scratching behavior, expression of IL-31 mRNA was increased, while in TNCB-applied NC/Nga mice without long-lasting scratching behavior, the expression of IL-31 mRNA were unchanged. There was a good correlation between the scratching counts and expression of IL-31 mRNA in conventional NC/Nga mice, but not so in TNCB-applied NC/Nga mice. These results suggest that IL-31 causes the itch-associated scratching behavior in conventional NC/Nga mice, an experimental animal model for AD.

Developmental outcome of very low birth weight twins conceived by assisted reproduction techniques

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the differences in developmental outcomes between very low birth weight twins conceived by assisted reproduction techniques and those conceived spontaneously.

STUDY DESIGN

Twenty-two sets of very low birth weight twins were evaluated by the Kyoto Scale for Psychological Development at 36 months of corrected age. Total developmental quotient and developmental quotient (DQ) for three subscales, posture-motor, cognition-adaptation and language-social, were evaluated.

RESULTS

Twins conceived with medical assistance demonstrated a higher incidence of total DQ below 85 with lower DQ for cognition-adaptation and language-social skills than spontaneously conceived twins, whereas the quotient for posture-motor skills in medically assisted twins was comparable to that of spontaneously conceived twins.

CONCLUSION

At 3 years of age very low birth weight twins conceived by assisted reproduction techniques demonstrated lower cognitive and language skills than twins conceived naturally.

Increased scratching counts depend on a decrease in ability of cutaneous prostaglandin D2 biosynthesis in NC/Nga mice with atopic dermatitis

Spontaneous and 2,4,6-trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB)-induced dermatitis models using NC/Nga mice have been recognized as animal models of atopic dermatitis. We reported that scratching behavior leads to dermatitis in a spontaneous dermatitis but not in a TNCB-induced dermatitis. Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) suppressed the scratching behavior of NC/Nga mice, suggesting that PGD2 plays a physiological role on inhibiting pruritus. We studied whether there was a difference in skin PG contents between spontaneous and TNCB-induced dermatitis. Spontaneous dermatitis was induced by cohabitation with NC/Nga mice having severe skin lesions. TNCB-induced dermatitis was caused by applications of TNCB. PGD2, PGE2, 6keto-PGF1alpha, and PGF2alpha contents in the skin were examined using enzyme-immunoassay kits. For studying ability to produce skin PGs, PG contents were evaluated after topical treatment of arachidonic acid (AA) or mechanical scratching. In spontaneous dermatitis, PGE2, 6keto-PGF1alpha, and PGF2alpha contents increased with dermatitis, but only PGD2 did not do so. In TNCB-induced dermatitis, PGD2, PGE2, 6keto-PGF1alpha, and PGF2alpha increased. Determination of skin PG contents after AA treatment or mechanical scratching revealed that skin PGD2 production of conventional group of spontaneous dermatitis was lower than the specific pathogen-free group. It seemed that ability of skin PGD2 production was attenuated in spontaneous dermatitis. These results suggest that enhancement of scratching behavior in spontaneous dermatitis was caused by the defect of ability to produce PGD2, which plays a physiological role in inhibiting pruritus, resulting in development of dermatitis.

Scratching behavior in spontaneous- or allergic contact-induced dermatitis in NC/Nga mice

NC/Nga mice have pathological and behavioral features similar to those seen in human atopic dermatitis. There are two known dermatitis models in NC/Nga mice, one being spontaneous-induced dermatitis under conventional conditions and the other 2,4,6-trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB)-induced allergic contact dermatitis. However, there are significant differences in time course on development of dermatitis. We studied the role of scratching behavior (sign of itch) on the development of dermatitis on spontaneous- and TNCB-induced dermatitis. We measured scratching counts, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and skin inflammation score, under conventional conditions or by applying 5% TNCB once a week for 6 weeks in NC/Nga mice. In spontaneous-induced dermatitis, scratching counts increased with the passage of time. The scratching counts were significantly increased only 1 week after housing the mice under conventional conditions, but no changes were observed in cases of TNCB-induced dermatitis. In spontaneous-induced dermatitis, TEWL and skin-inflammation score were gradually increased, time-dependently. On the other hand, in TNCB-induced dermatitis, these dependent values rapidly increased and reached a maximum only after 24 h TNCB application. These data suggest that pathogenesis of spontaneous- and allergic contact-induced dermatitis was clearly different. It will be of major interest to identify the pruritic mediators causing profound scratching behavior and scratching-induced aggravation of inflammation in the spontaneous-induced dermatitis, as opposed to the inflammatory mediators that cause contact allergic dermatitis without major scratching.

Induction of differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells by jasmonates, plant hormones

Some regulators of plant growth and differentiation have been shown to induce the differentiation of several human myeloid leukemia cells, and might be effective as differentiation inducers to control acute myelogenous leukemia cells. In this study, the growth-inhibiting and differentiation-inducing effects of jasmonates on human myeloid leukemia cells were examined. Several myeloid leukemia cells were cultured with methyl jasmonate (MJ) and its derivatives. Cell differentiation was determined by nitroblue tetrazolium-reducing activity, morphological changes, alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase activity and expression of differentiation-associated surface antigens. MJ induced both monocytic and granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells. MJ activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the cells before causing myelomonocytic differentiation. MAPK activation was necessary for MJ-induced differentiation, since PD98059, an inhibitor of MAPK kinase, suppressed the differentiation induced by MJ. MJ also induced the differentiation of other human leukemia cell lines. Introduction of a double bond at the 4,5-position greatly enhanced the differentiation-inducing activity of MJ. MJ and its derivatives potently induce the differentiation of some myelomonocytic leukemia cells. One novel derivative is a particularly promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of leukemia.

Clinical significance of nm23-H1 proteins expressed on cell surface in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The nm23 gene was isolated as a metastasis suppressor gene that exhibits low expression in high-level metastatic cancer cells. Its gene is related to the prognosis of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). In this study, we examined the expression of nm23-H1 protein on the lymphoma cell surface of NHL. In 28 of 108 cases (25.9%), we observed > or = 20% of cell surface nm23-H1 protein expression and expression was especially high in peripheral T cell lymphomas and extranodal NK/T cell lymphomas. We also observed a significant correlation between serum nm23-H1 level and cell surface nm23-H1 expression levels. In patients with high levels of cell surface nm23-H1 expression, overall and progression-free survival rates were significantly lower than those in patients with low surface nm23-H1 expression levels. When surface nm23-H1 and serum nm23-H1 were combined, patients with high levels of both exhibited a poorer prognosis than patients with a high level of one or the other. These results indicate that in addition to serum nm23-H1, cell surface nm23-H1 may be used as a prognostic factor in planning a treatment strategy. The nm23-H1 protein appears to be intimately related to biological aggressiveness of lymphoma and, therefore, might be a molecular target of NHL treatment.

[Anomalous systemic arterial supply to normal basal segment of the left lower lobe; report of a case]

A 28-year-old male was referred to our hospital because of hemoptysis. A chest X-ray revealed an increase of vascular marking in the left lower field and a partial defect in the lateral line of the descending thoracic aorta. An aortogram and pulmonary arteriogram showed a large artery arising from the descending thoracic aorta and supplying the left basal segment, which had no normal pulmonary arteries. A bronchoscopy showed no abnormal findings in the bronchial tree. A clinical diagnosis of systemic arterial supply to the basal segment of the left lower lung was made, and a left lower lobectomy and closure of the anomalous systemic artery by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) were successfully performed. Vascular marking of the visceral pleura of left lower basal segment was observed and the anomalous arterial pressure was 84 mmHg, as high as systemic arterial pressure, during the procedure. The histopathological examination revealed normal alveolar structure, and sclerosis and hypertrophy of pulmonary arteries of the lesion (Heath-Edwards V, which means irreversible vascular changes due to pulmonary hypertension). The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged on postoperative day 8. The VATS procedure is a more useful and less invasive method for cases of systemic arterial supply to the basal segment of the left lower lung than an open thoracotomy.

Elevated plasma level of differentiation inhibitory factor nm23-H1 protein correlates with risk factors for myelodysplastic syndrome

We measured plasma nm23-H1 level (nm23-H1), a differentiation inhibitory factor, by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The nm23-H1 in AA was not significantly elevated when compared to normal subjects (6.66 +/- 1.20 ng/ml vs 5.13 +/- 0.81 ng/ml; P = 0.274). In contrast, MDS patients had significantly high levels of nm23-H1 compared not only to normal subjects (11.16 +/- 1.42 vs 5.13 +/- 0.81 ng/ml; P = 0.0004) but also to those of the AA group (11.16 +/- 1.42 ng/ml vs 6.66 +/- 1.20 ng/ml; P = 0.018). In the MDS group of patients, no significant difference was observed in the nm23-H1 levels between patients with refractory anemia (RA) and RA with excess blasts (RAEB)/RAEB in transformation (10.71 +/- 1.61 ng/ml vs 9.24 +/- 2.66 ng/ml; P = 0.672). Of the patients with RA, patients with low risk according to the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) had significantly low levels of nm23-H1 compared to those of IPSS INT-1 level cases (6.40 +/- 1.36 ng/ml vs 13.05 +/- 2.50 ng/ml; P = 0.0028), suggesting that nm23-H1 may be useful as a prognostic marker for MDS, especially in low risk patients.

Enhanced anti-Shigella activity of erythromycin supplemented with sulfadiazine

Sulfadiazine enhanced the anti-Shigella activity of erythromycin. Erythromycin passes through the type III secretion apparatus and suppresses the growth of invasive Shigella organisms. Sulfadiazine enhanced this effect at the concentration under minimum inhibitory concentration and it came from not only the folate-inhibiting activity but also from a new function. It has proved that sulfadiazine stimulated type III secretion in Shigella as determined from the secretion of the pathogenic protein IpaB. As Congo red induced secretion of Ipa proteins and uptake of erythromycin through the type III secretion gate, sulfadiazine which is similar to Congo red in chemical structure may induce the uptake in the same way.

[Telangiectatic focal nodular hyperplasia: a case report]

Focal nodular hyperplasia(FNH) is a benign tumor-like lesion of the liver. The telangiectatic type is an atypical histologic variant of FNH, and descriptions of its radiologic findings are rare. We report a case of telangiectatic FNH. A 26-20 mm round lesion was found in the lateral segment of the liver. Although this lesion appeared similar to cavernous hemangioma with rapid intratumoral contrast material enhancement on cross-sectional images, its signal intensity decreased on T2-weighted imaging after the administration of superparamagnetic iron oxide(SPIO), and its appearance differed from that of cavernous hemangioma.

Differentiation of human acute myeloid leukaemia cells in primary culture in response to cotylenin A, a plant growth regulator

Cotylenin A, which has a diterpenoid tricarbocyclic skeleton, has been isolated as a plant growth regulator, has been shown to affect several physiological processes of higher plants and have differentiation-inducing activity in several myeloid leukaemia cell lines. We examined the effect of cotylenin A on the differentiation of leukaemic cells that were freshly isolated from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients in primary culture. Cotylenin A significantly stimulated both functional and morphological differentiation of leukaemia cells in 9 out of 12 cases. This differentiation-inducing activity was more potent than those of all-trans retinoic acid and 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3). Treatment with a combination of cotylenin A and VD3 was more effective than cotylenin A or VD3 alone at inducing the monocytic differentiation of AML cells.

[Effective use of electrolized soft acid aqueous solution for treatment of mediastinitis following cardiac surgery]

Mediastinitis following cardiac surgery occurs infrequently, but features both high mortality and morbidity, especially in patients with an artificial graft. A 24-year-old man was admitted with a diagnosis of Williams'syndrome with supraaortic stenosis. After ascending aorta and hemiarch reconstruction, mediastinitis developed, which was treated successfully with mediastinal irrigation using electrolized soft acid aqueous solution at one liter per day for 3 days. This procedure appears to be an effective method for treatment of mediastinitis following cardiac surgery.

A novel therapeutic strategy against monocytic leukemia with deoxyadenosine analogs and adenosine deaminase inhibitors

The adenosine deaminase inhibitor 2'-deoxycoformycin (dCF) significantly inhibits the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cells in the presence of either 2'-deoxyadenosine (dAdo) or its analog adenine arabinoside (araA). The concentration of dCF required to induce apoptosis of monocytoid leukemia cells is much lower than that required for myeloid, erythroid, or lymphoma cells. dATP effectively induces caspase-3 activation in cytosol from monocytoid cells, but not in that from non-monocytoid cells, suggesting that dATP-dependent caspase-3 activation is involved in the preferential induction of apoptosis in monocytoid leukemia cells. Athymic nude mice inoculated with human monocytoid leukemia U937 cells show significantly prolonged survival following combined treatment with dCF and araA. The clinical usefulness of the combination of adenosine deaminase inhibitor and dAdo analog is discussed.

Pyridinyl imidazole inhibitor SB203580 activates p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and induces the differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells

Various inhibitors of protein kinases regulate the growth and differentiation of human leukemic cell lines. The pyridinyl imidazole inhibitor SB203580 has been widely used to elucidate the role of p38 kinase in a wide array of biological systems. In the present investigation, we found that SB203580 effectively induced the granulocytic differentiation of human promyelocytic HL-60 cells. In addition to morphological differentiation, it also induced NBT-reduction, lysozyme activity and growth-inhibition. It also induced the differentiation of human myeloid leukemia HT93 and ML-1 cells, but not of other cell lines, such as NB4, U937, THP-1, K562 and HEL. This differentiation was not associated with the inhibition of p38 kinase activity, but was closely associated with the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase. These results demonstrate a new activity for this drug.

Serum nm23-H1 protein as a prognostic factor for indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Standard chemotherapy has been ineffective for improving the poor 10-year survival rate of patients with indolent lymphoma. However, a wider choice of therapeutic modalities has become recently available, including immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies and allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Accordingly, a sensitive prognostic indicator is required to identify high-risk patients and to help design new therapeutic approaches for them. We previously reported that the serum nm23-H1 protein level was an independent prognostic factor for aggressive lymphoma. The present study was performed to assess the clinical implications of this protein on indolent lymphoma and whether it can be used to classify the aggressiveness of the disease in order to assist in the individualization of therapy. A total of 130 patients with indolent lymphoma were enrolled in this multicenter study. The serum nm23-H1 protein level was significantly higher in patients with indolent lymphoma than in a normal control group. In addition, indolent lymphoma patients with higher nm23-H1 levels had worse overall and progression-free survival rate than those with lower nm23-H1 levels. Therefore, nm23-H1 in serum may be useful for identifying a distinct group of patients at high risk.

Induction of differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells by immunosuppressant macrolides (rapamycin and FK506) and calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase inhibitors

OBJECTIVE

Potent immunosuppressants, such as rapamycin, FK506, and ascomycin, are known to regulate the phosphorylation of proteins. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of these immunosuppressants on differentiation of several human myeloid leukemic cell lines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Human myeloid leukemic cell lines were cultured with each immunosuppressant, and several differentiation markers were assayed.

RESULTS

Rapamycin effectively induced granulocytic differentiation of human myeloid leukemic HL-60 and ML-1 cells. In addition to morphologic differentiation, it also induced nitroblue tetrazolium reduction, lysozyme activity, and expression of CD11b in HL-60 cells. The commitment to differentiation was observed after treatment with rapamycin for 1 day, indicating that the effect of rapamycin was irreversible. FK506 and ascomycin induced differentiation of HL-60 cells, but at higher concentrations than rapamycin. A calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase (CaMK) was copurified with FKBP52 immunophilin, a binding protein of immunosuppressants. We also found that the CaMK inhibitors KN62 and KN93 induced differentiation of HL-60 cells. Rapamycin and CaMK inhibitors induced differentiation of human myeloid leukemia ML-1 and K562, but not of other cell lines such as NB4, U937, or HEL.

CONCLUSION

Immunosuppressants and CaMK inhibitors induced differentiation of HL-60, ML-1, and K562 cells.

Long-term persistence of cellular immunity to Oka vaccine virus induced by pernasal co-administration with Escherichia coli enterotoxin in mice

A mutant of Escherichia coli enterotoxin induced cellular immunity to a live varicella vaccine (the Oka strain) as a mucosal adjuvant in mice. The persistence of this cellular immunity was investigated. A commercially available live Oka vaccine virus and toxin were administered once simultaneously via the nasal route, in mice. Ten or 12 months later, a delayed-type hypersensitivity to the vaccine virus was detected by footpad test, but an antibody neutralizing the varicella-zoster virus was not. When spleen cells from mice immunized with the vaccine and toxin were re-stimulated by live vaccine in vitro, their thymidine uptake and IL-2 production were higher than those from mice immunized with the vaccine alone, but lower than those of spleen cells prepared from mice 2 months after nasal administration. Production of IL-4 in these cells, however, was not induced by re-stimulation in vitro. These results suggest that although humoral immunity for Oka vaccine virus is only weakly induced by one co-administration of the vaccine and toxin, cellular immunity is induced and maintained over 1 year, though it declines with age. The nasal administration of the vaccine and toxin might be effective for maintaining cellular immunity to the varicella-zoster virus long term.

In vitro cytotoxic effects of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 in combination with commonly used antileukemic agents

The BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph(+)) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). STI571 is a novel anticancer agent that selectively inhibits the BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase. The cytotoxic effects of STI571 were studied in combination with antileukemic agents against Ph(+) leukemia cell lines, KU812, K-562, TCC-S, and TCC-Y. The cells were exposed to STI571 and to other agents simultaneously for 5 or 7 days. Cell growth inhibition was determined by MTT assay. The cytotoxic effects in combinations at the inhibitory concentration of 80% level were evaluated by the isobologram. STI571 produced synergistic effects with recombinant and natural alpha-interferons in 2 of 3 and 3 of 3 cell lines, respectively. STI571 produced additive effects with hydroxyurea, cytarabine, homoharringtonine, doxorubicin, and etoposide in all 4 cell lines. STI571 with 4-hydroperoxy-cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, or vincristine produced additive, antagonistic, and synergistic effects in 3 of 4 cell lines, respectively. These findings suggest that the simultaneous administration of STI571 with other agents except methotrexate would be advantageous for cytotoxic effects against Ph(+) leukemias. Among them, the simultaneous administration of STI571 and alpha-interferons or vincristine would be highly effective against Ph(+) leukemias and these combinations would be worthy of clinical trials. In contrast, the simultaneous administration of STI571 with methotrexate would have little therapeutic efficacy. Although there are gaps between in vitro studies and clinical trials, the present findings provide useful information for the establishment of clinical protocols involving STI571. (Blood. 2001;97:1999-2007)

Redox properties and coordination structure of the heme in the co-sensing transcriptional activator CooA

The CO-sensing transcriptional activator CooA contains a six-coordinate protoheme as a CO sensor. Cys(75) and His(77) are assigned to the fifth ligand of the ferric and ferrous hemes, respectively. In this study, we carried out alanine-scanning mutagenesis and EXAFS analyses to determine the coordination structure of the heme in CooA. Pro(2) is thought to be the sixth ligand of the ferric and ferrous hemes in CooA, which is consistent with the crystal structure of ferrous CooA (Lanzilotta, W. N., Schuller, D. J., Thorsteinsson, M. V., Kerby, R. L., Roberts, G. P., and Poulos, T. L. (2000) Nat. Struct. Biol. 7, 876-880). CooA exhibited anomalous redox chemistry, i.e. hysteresis was observed in electrochemical redox titrations in which the observed reduction and oxidation midpoint potentials were -320 mV and -260 mV, respectively. The redox-controlled ligand exchange of the heme between Cys(75) and His(77) is thought to cause the difference between the reduction and oxidation midpoint potentials.

Serum nm23-H1 protein as a prognostic factor in aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Advances in chemotherapy have led to a favorable long-term prognosis in approximately 50% of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). However, the remaining patients do not enjoy such prolonged survival after standard treatment. New prognostic factors are needed to define this poor-prognosis group and to plan an appropriate treatment strategy. It has been reported that serum nm23-H1 protein may be a new prognostic factor for aggressive NHL. In the present study involving multiple institutions and a large number of patients, the level of nm23-H1 protein was compared among different types of lymphoma; it was lowest for indolent lymphoma, followed by aggressive lymphoma and then highly aggressive lymphoma. In addition, patients with aggressive NHL and higher nm23-H1 levels had worse overall and progression-free survival rates than those with lower nm23-H1 levels. The nm23-H1 level was also compared between patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma. The results suggest that the level of nm23-H1 could serve as a prognostic factor in both groups. Moreover, the prognosis of lymphoma patients could be ascertained even more precisely by combining soluble interleukin-2 receptor or soluble CD44 and nm23-H1 levels. A multivariate analysis confirmed that the nm23-H1 level is an independent and important prognostic factor in aggressive NHL. Therefore, it may provide useful information for clinicians to determine the appropriate therapy for each type of lymphoma.