Age-related changes in bindings of second messengers in the rat brain

Age-related alterations in bindings of major second messengers in the brain were studied in 3-week- and 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month-old Fisher 344 rats using receptor autoradiography. [3H]Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) and [3H]forskolin were used to label protein kinase C (PKC) and adenylate cyclase, respectively. In immature rats (3-week-old), [3H]PDBu binding showed a significant decrease only in the cerebellum as compared to adult rats (6-month-old), whereas [3H]forskolin binding exhibited a significant reduction in the neocortex, nucleus accumbens, thalamus and substantia nigra. In aged rats, [3H]PDBu binding showed no significant change in all brain areas. In contrast, [3H]forskolin binding showed a conspicuous reduction in various brain areas in 18-month-old rats as compared to adult animals. The age-related reduction was especially observed in the cerebral cortex, hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cell layer, dentate gyrus, thalamus and molecular layer of cerebellum of 24-month-old rats. The results indicate that adenylate cyclase system in the rat brain is more susceptible to aging processes than phosphoinositide cycle system. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that the change in the adenylate cyclase system is more pronounced than that in the phosphoinositide cycle system in immature rat brain. These findings suggest that the adenylate cyclase system is primarily affected in aging processes and this may lead to age-related neurological deficits.

Fine structure and distribution of lymphatics in the synovial membrane of monkey and human knee joints. A study using an enzyme-histochemical method

The fine structure and distribution of lymphatics in the synovial membrane of monkey knee joints, and human knees with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, were studied by light and electron microscopy using an enzyme-histochemical method. Whole mount preparations and tissue sections were doubly stained for 5'-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphatase. The 5'-nucleotidase positive lymphatics could be distinguished from the alkaline phosphatase positive blood vessels. In monkey specimens the 5'-nucleotidase lymphatics were densely distributed in the medial and lateral parts of the suprapatellar pouch and infrapatellar fat pad, in both the superficial and deep of the sublining cell layers. Collecting lymphatics were well developed in the deep fibrous layer and in the merging epimysium. In the knees with both types of arthritis, the patterns of distribution were the same as in the monkey. No lymphatics were found in well developed villi in rheumatoid arthritis, but many blood vessels were present.

[Hemostatic mechanism associated with aprotinin during and after the extracorporeal circulation for cardiac and great vessel surgery]

It has been reported that aprotinin (apr) is effective for hemostasis during and after the extracorporeal circulation (ECC) for cardiac or great vessel surgery. However its mechanism remains still obscure. In this study, we observed relationships between changes in interleukin-8 (IL-8), endothelial factors, or D-dimer and aprotinin administered before and after the ECC. Fourteen patients in whom cardiac or great vessel surgery was done using ECC were divided randomly into two groups. Seven subjects in Group I (G-I) were infused 10(6) KIU of apr immediately after anesthesia, immediately before and after the ECC, respectively, and 10(6) KIU of apr were also added during the ECC. Seven other subjects (G-II) were infused 10(6) KIU of apr immediately before and at three hours after the ECC, and also 2 x 10(6) KIU of apr immediately after the ECC. No marked hemorrhagic tendency was noted in all subjects and increase in plasma D-dimer was not marked. Immediately after the ECC, granulocyte elastase in plasma increased markedly in both groups but subsequently decreased in the G-II alone while it remained unchanged in the G-I. Similar changes were observed in plasma IL-8 values. During the ECC, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in plasma decreased in both groups but von Willebrand factor activity decreased in the G-I alone. From the above data, the hemostatic effect of apr may contribute to protect the dysfunction of endothelial cells or to enhance recovering from the dysfunction during the ECC.

Seasonal differences in diurnal blood pressure of hypertensive patients living in a stable environmental temperature

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether there is a seasonal variation in blood pressure in hypertensive patients whose daily lifestyle is similar in summer and in winter, and who live almost entirely indoors in a stable environmental temperature.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

During summer and winter, blood pressure was measured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in outpatients with essential hypertension, and environmental temperature was measured by electrothermometer while the patients were awake. The 24-h blood pressure data were analysed after being divided into four groups: morning, afternoon, night-time and sleeping periods.

RESULTS

We studied 25 outpatients (mean +/- SD age 57 +/- 12 years) who spend virtually the entire day indoors in both summer and winter. Measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the morning and night-time periods were significantly higher in winter than in summer (differences of 7.5 +/- 14.7 and 4.1 +/- 8.8 mmHg and 8.2 +/- 14.8 and 4.5 +/- 8.1 mmHg, respectively). Blood pressure measured in the afternoon and during sleeping periods did not differ significantly. No correlation was observed between the seasonal change in blood pressure in the morning and that at night. Environmental temperatures were significantly higher in the morning, afternoon and night-time periods during summer than those during winter. The differences among these periods were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a seasonal variation in blood pressure in the morning and night-time periods during winter in hypertensive patients who live essentially indoors in a relatively stable environmental temperature. Pressor factor(s) may differ between morning and night-time periods during winter.

Detection of human papillomavirus type 57 in a case of inverted nasal papillomatosis in Japan

Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 57 DNA was detected in recurrent nasal inverted papillomatosis, in a 60-year-old Japanese male, using Southern blot hybridization. HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 were not detectable in the papilloma. Previous studies have shown that HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 were mainly found in nasal papillomatosis in other laboratories but the actual detection rate of virus was low. We speculate that this low detection rate may be due to the lack of a method for detecting HPV type 57.

Noradrenergic hyperinnervation in the heart of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats

1. Noradrenergic (NA) nerve fibre distribution was investigated in the epicardium and myocardium of the heart in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and was compared to that in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Fluorescent NA nerve fibres in the left and right epicardium of both strains aged 10, 30, 60, 90 and 180 days, and in the myocardium of left and right ventricles and the ventricular septum of both strains aged 30, 90 and 180 days were examined by the glyoxylic acid method. The distribution densities of NA nerve fibres were measured by quantitative image analysis. 2. The distribution pattern of NA nerve fibres in the epicardium of both strains showed a constant meshwork pattern throughout the entire examination period. 3. In the myocardium, NA nerve fibres were distributed irregularly between myocytes of both strains in all ages examined. 4. The densities of NA nerve fibres in the epicardium of SHRSP were significantly higher (P < 0.01 and 0.05; Student's t-test, 6 d.f.) than those of WKY at all ages examined except left epicardium at 90 days of age. 5. The densities in the right myocardium in 30 and 90 day old SHRSP were significantly higher (P < 0.05; Student's t-test, 6 d.f.) than those of WKY. 6. NA hyperinnervation in the epicardium and the myocardium of SHRSP may be assumed to be caused by the hyperfunction of the stellate ganglia which innervate the heart and may give rise to hypertrophy of the heart in SHRSP by a trophic effect of NA nerve fibre.

Targeting of chrolamphenicol acetyltransferase to human immunodeficiency virus particles via Vpr and Vpx

Vpr and Vpx are the auxiliary proteins of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIVs) selectively incorporated into mature viral particles. We showed that the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) fused to the N-terminus of HIV-1 Vpr, HIV-2 Vpr, or HIV-2 Vpx was incorporated into mature virions in a type-selective manner. By using chimeric proteins between HIV-1 Vpr and HIV-2 Vpx, we found that the N-terminal side of these proteins was mainly important for type-selective virion incorporation. The C-terminal arginine-rich region of HIV-1 Vpr was also found to transport CAT fusion proteins into virions but without any type selectivity. Furthermore, the corresponding regions of HIV-2 Vpr and HIV-2 Vpx had no such activity. This region of HIV-1 Vpr may interact nonspecifically with viral genomic RNA. Collectively, Vpr and Vpx may provide a means to introduce foreign proteins and other molecules into HIV virions for therapeutic purposes.

A downstream target of RHO1 small GTP-binding protein is PKC1, a homolog of protein kinase C, which leads to activation of the MAP kinase cascade in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The RHO1 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a homolog of the mammalian RhoA small GTP-binding protein, which is implicated in various actin cytoskeleton-dependent cell functions. In yeast, Rho1p is involved in bud formation. A yeast strain in which RHO1 is replaced with RhoA shows a recessive temperature-sensitive growth phenotype. A dominant suppressor mutant was isolated from this strain. Molecular cloning of the suppressor gene revealed that the mutation occurred at the pseuodosubstrate site of PKC1, a yeast homolog of mammalian protein kinase C. Two-hybrid analysis demonstrated that GTP-Rho1p, but not GDP-Rho1p, interacted with the region of Pkc1p containing the pseudosubstrate site and the C1 domain. MKK1 and MPK1 encode MAP kinase kinase and MAP kinase homologs, respectively, and function downstream of PKC1. A dominant active MKK1-6 mutation or overexpression of MPK1 suppressed the temperature sensitivity of the RhoA mutant. The dominant activating mutation of PKC1 suppressed the temperature sensitivity of the RhoA mutant. The dominant activating mutation of PKC1 suppressed the temperature sensitivity of two effector mutants of RHO1, rho1(F44Y) and rho1(E451), but not that of rho1(V43T). These results indicate that there are at least two signaling pathways regulated by Rho1p and that one of the downstream targets is Pkc1p, leading to the activation of the MAP kinase cascade.

Venticular expression of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides in patients with myocarditis

We analyzed the ventricular expression of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) in patients with myocarditis. Immunohistochemical analysis of endomyocardial biopsy specimens showed ANP and BNP immunoreactivity in the early myocarditis group (ANP in 4/10 and BNP in 3/10) and the late myocarditis group (ANP and BNP in 4/10), but not in the controls (0/8). Hemodynamic parameters, such as left ventricular volume indexes, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, were higher and the cardiac index and ejection fraction were lower in the patients positive for ANP and/or BNP. Histological changes, including myocyte size, cellular necrosis, inflammatory infiltrates and fibrosis, were more severe in the immunohistochemically positive biopsy specimens. In the autopsy hearts, ANP- or BNP-positive myocytes were noted in the chronic myocarditis or postmyocarditis group, but not in acute fulminant myocarditis or in normal controls. Both ANP and BNP were predominantly localized in the residual myocytes edging the myocardial lesions, and also in the myocytes just beneath the left ventricular endocardium. This study demonstrated augmented ventricular ANP and BNP expressions in patients with myocarditis, and suggested that regional stress is important in the augmentation of these peptides as well as hemodynamic stress.

[Electron microscopic studies of retinal pigment epithelial cells incubated with L-dopa in 10% and 20% oxygen]

In order to make clear how the ultrastructure of the bovine second-passage retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) was affected by exposure to L-dopa and oxygen, we compared the toxic effects of melanotic and amelanotic RPE. The oxygen levels in the incubators and the L-dopa concentrations in the media were adjusted to 10% or 20% oxygen by adding nitrogen gas and 100 microM or 250 microM L-dopa, respectively. After 24 hours, melanotic and amelanotic RPE were fixed and embedded in epon. Ultrathin sections were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Rough endoplasmic reticula were found to be dilated and ribosomes were extinguished in both melanotic and amelanotic RPE. The damage by L-dopa in melanotic RPE was less than that in amelanotic RPE and less in 10% oxygen than in 20% oxygen.

Validation of noninvasive quantification of rCBF compared with dynamic/integral method by using positron emission tomography and oxygen-15 labeled water

This study proposes a new solution for the quantification of rCBF pixel-by-pixel using PET and 15O-H2O. The method represents an application of weighted integration that used PET image only, requiring no input function of arterial blood. It generates the rCBF image quickly and automatically. Simulation studies revealed that the calculation of rCBF was fairly stable as long as a relatively shorter scan frame time and longer scan time were selected. Calculated images of actual PET study by this method correlated significantly with those identified by the dynamic/integral method. Because this procedure could detect whole brain CBF change between different studies as accurately as by the dynamic/integral method, this procedure may be the most suitable for brain activation studies.

[Usefulness of endotoxin-specific limulus test for the measurement of endotoxin in cerebrospinal fluid in diagnosis of bacterial meningitis]

Using a new endotoxin-specific chromogneic limulus assay (Endoscopy test), endotoxin concentrations were measured in 93 specimens of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 66 pediatric patients. Eighteen patients were diagnosed as having menigitios. Of these, 6 cases (group A) with gram-negative meningitis proven by culture had high CSF endotoxin concentrations of 115.3, (82-133) (median, range) pg/ml. Ten cases (group B) with gram-positive or aseptic meningitis had endotoxin concentrations of 2.15 (0.1-3.6) pg ml. Other 2 cases with bacterial meningitis (group C), in whom no pathogen was detected, had CSF endotoxin concentrations of more than 100 pg/ml. Four cases with encephalitis (group D) and 45 cases with non-meningitis or non- encephalitis (group E), had CSF endotoxin concentrations of less than 5 pg/ml. Despite a negative culture after antibiotic treatment in group A patients, endotoxin was cleared slowly from the CSF. A clearing of endotoxin from CSF was followed by alleviation of fever with a more gradual decline in CRP values. In 2 cases of group C, the negative bacterial culture appeared to be attributable to the previous treatment with antibiotics. However, these patients had high CSF endotoxin levels, indicating gram negative bacterial meningitis. In 17 CSF specimens from 5 patients of group A, in whom Haemophilus influenzae was detected on admission, an additional a latex agglutination test for the detection of H. influenzae polysaccharide antigen was performed. Only 3 specimens from 3 patients with CSF endotoxin concentrations of more than 80 pg/ml had a positive agglutination test. These results suggest that quantitation of endotoxin concentrations is useful for the diagnosis of gram-negative meningitis. And also, the clearance of endotoxin from CSF during treatment appears to be useful in determining the timing of when antibiotic should be stopped.

Anterior extension of acute pancreatitis: CT findings

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is threefold: (a) to specify the pathway of the extension of pancreatitis to the anterior abdominal wall, which is clinically famous as the Cullen sign; (b) to assess if this pattern of involvement affects a patient's prognosis; and (c) to seek its association with the inflammatory processes that take place in the vicinity of the pancreatic head.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The CT findings of 277 patients with acute pancreatitis were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

Inflammatory changes involved the anterior abdominal wall in 5 of 277 cases (1.8%) with acute pancreatitis. Inflammatory processes seemed to have been delivered to the anterior abdominal wall from the pancreatic head and the hepatoduodenal ligament and along the falciform ligament. The probable triggers of acute pancreatitis in such cases were endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in two cases, alcohol intake in one case, and one case unknown. Three of five cases had proven or suspected choledocholithiasis or cholelithiasis. All five patients got well after proper treatments for acute pancreatitis.

CONCLUSION

The results of our review suggest that the anterior extension of acute pancreatitis does not directly mean extensive retroperitoneal involvement of the phlegmon or pseudocysts nor fatal prognosis either and that this style of extension might be associated with inflammatory processes that occur around the pancreatic head.

[A case of thymic squamous cell carcinoma successfully treated with curative resection]

A case of rare thymic squamous cell carcinoma was reported. A 46-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. Chest CT showed anterior mediastinal tumor and histological diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma was made by needle biopsy under CT guide. Esophagus and lung were no abnormal findings, we thought the primary region was thymus. On mid-sternotomy, anterior mediastinal tumor was resected with thymus, right phrenic nerve and pericardium, however it was not direct invasion to heart, great vessels, lung and chest wall. Resection of peripheral fatty tissue and dissection of mediastinal lymph nodes as much as possible, it was not capsular invasion and mediastinal lymph nodes metastasis and complete curative resection was able to perform. Additional radiation therapy was done, post-operative course was uneventful.

Rat HPC-1/syntaxin 1A and syntaxin 1B interrupt intracellular membrane transport and inhibit secretion of the extracellular matrix in embryonic cells of an amphibian

HPC-1/syntaxin 1A and syntaxin 1B are proteins that have been implicated in the docking and/or fusion of synaptic vesicles to the presynaptic plasma membrane in neural cells. Capped RNAs (cRNAs) for rat HPC-1 and syntaxin 1B were injected into embryonic cells of an amphibian, the Japanese newt. The effects of the proteins translated from the injected cRNAs on intracellular membrane transport and secretion of the extracellular matrix (ECM) were then investigated. Immunoblotting and immunoelectron microscopy showed that the HPC-1 synthesized in the embryonic cells was localized on the membranes of Golgi complexes and vacuoles and on the plasma membrane. Electron microscopy revealed the morphological deformation of Golgi complexes, an appearance of large number of vacuoles, and the disappearance of the ECM from the cell surface in the cRNA-injected embryos. The results showed that HPC-1 and syntaxin 1B interrupt the pathways of intracellular membrane transport and inhibit the secretion of ECM by amphibian embryonic cells. Similar mechanisms may be involved in regulation of the secretory process of synaptic vesicles in mammalian neural cells and in regulation of intracellular membrane transport and constitutive secretion of ECM in amphibian embryonic cells.

Wavelength specificity of photoparoxysmal responses in idiopathic generalized epilepsy

Using optic filters, we analyzed the wave-length specificity of photoparoxysmal responses (PPR) in photosensitive patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). We specified the wavelength spectrum approximately 700 nm (660-720 nm) as the only visible spectrum essential for eliciting PPR in some normal trichromat IGE patients and showed that any flashing lights containing this essential wavelength spectrum could elicit PPR independent of the number of stimulated cones. Absorption of the wavelength spectrum approximately 700 nm by optic filters eliminated PPR in normal trichromat IGE patients. In an IGE patient with deuteranomaly, intermittent flashing lights containing a part of the wavelength spectrum from 580 to 700 nm elicited PPR. These data suggest a new interpretation of wavelength specificity of PPR: Flashing lights containing the wavelength spectrum that does not produce antagonistic cone interactions at the level of retinal ganglion cells can elicit PPR in some photosensitive IGE patients.

Molecular cloning of a novel human cDNA, RT14, containing a putative ORF highly conserved between human, fruit fly, and nematode

From a human fetal-brain cDNA library we isolated a novel gene, designated RT14, whose cDNA contained an open reading frame of 375 nucleotides encoding 125 amino acids. A 71-amino-acids region of the predicted peptide sequence showed 62% identity with a putative peptide encoded in the region close to Drosophila Tra-2. It also showed significant homology with the putative peptide of T20G5.10 of C. elegans. Northern-blot analysis revealed expression of 0.7-kb and 1.1-kb transcripts in all human tissues examined.

Nitrite reductase from the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum. A novel cytochrome cd1 with Fe(II):nitrite oxidoreductase activity

Cytochrome cd1 nitrite reductase was isolated from magnetite-containing cells of the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum (formerly Aquaspirillum) magnetotacticum, which was microaerobically cultivated under denitrifying conditions. The enzyme showed absorption maxima at 643 nm and 409 nm in the oxidized form, and at 663, 551, 522, and 418 nm in the reduced form. A distinctive split absorption band did not occur at about 550 nm. The pyridine ferrohemochrome spectra suggested the presence of heme c and heme d1 in the molecule. The enzyme was composed of two identical subunits each with a molecular mass of 54 kDa; each subunit contained one c-type and one d-type heme. The isoelectric point was 9.2. The redox potentials of heme c and heme d1 were estimated to be +191 mV and +180 mV, respectively. Although the enzyme showed cyanide-sensitive N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine-O2 oxidoreductase activity and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine-nitrite oxidoreductase activity, the enzyme did not oxidize M. magnetotacticum ferrocytochrome c-550 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ferrocytochrome c-551 in the presence of nitrite. Furthermore, sodium succinate did not cause the reduction of cytochrome cd1 in the crude cell-free extract prepared from the magnetite-containing bacterial cells. However, M. magnetotacticum cytochrome cd1 showed a novel Fe(II):nitrite oxidoreductase activity whereas P. aeruginosa cytochromes cd1 had no Fe(II):nitrite oxidoreductase activity. These results suggest that M. magnetotacticum cytochrome cd1 may function as a Fe(II)-oxidizing enzyme under microaerobic conditions using nitrite as electron acceptor.

[Clinical implications of mismatched uptakes of beta-methyl fatty acid analogue and thallium in infarcted myocardium: correlations with coronary stenosis and regional wall motion abnormality]

Myocardial perfusion and fatty acid metabolism were assessed by using myocardial single-photon emission computed tomography with thallium and beta-methyl-p-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) during acute and/or late stages of myocardial infarction in 157 infarcted segments of 100 patients. The incidence of reduced thallium perfusion relative to BMIPP uptake ("T-type" mismatch) was significantly (p < 0.05) lower (9%) compared to that of reduced BMIPP uptake relative to thallium perfusion ("B-type" mismatch) (59%) or non-mismatched segment (32%). In an anteroseptal region, B-type dissociation had a significantly higher incidence compared to no or T-type mismatch; 68% vs. 27% vs. 5%, respectively, whereas the incidence of T-type uptake was relatively high in inferior and posterolateral regions; 13%, 11%, respectively. Severe coronary stenosis was observed in 76% of B-type segments and 72% of non-mismatched segments but in only 43% of T-type segments. The incidence of regional wall motion abnormality was significantly lower (46%) in the T-type mismatch segments when compared to the B-type (91%) or non-mismatched segments (96%). In conclusion, myocardial fatty acid metabolism was more markedly impaired compared to an involved coronary perfusion, resulting in the mismatch of perfusion and fatty acid metabolism. Coronary stenosis and regional wall motion abnormality are more closely related to "B-type" mismatch but not necessarily to "T-type" dissociation, probably because of attenuation artifacts in inferior and posterolateral regions in thallium scan.

Application of a new perchloric acid treatment method to measure endotoxin by an endotoxin-specific chromogenic Limulus test in neonatal septicemia

The endotoxin in blood was measured to establish both the cut-off value and to detect Gram-negative septicemia. We employed a new perchloric acid treatment method using an endotoxin-specific chromogenic Limulus test (Endospecy test). The cut-off value of endotoxin in blood was 11.2 pg/mL. All cases of septicemia (n = 7) showed high values of endotoxin. Three cases were Group B streptococci, and two cases were Escherichia coli. The others were showed to be negative in blood cultures. The paired values of endotoxin titers during a 48 h interval were useful to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotics.

Types of collagen synthesised by the lens epithelial cells of human cataracts

AIMS/BACKGROUND

Residual lens epithelial cells (LECs) undergo fibrous proliferation after cataract surgery, resulting in capsular fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the types of collagen produced in cultured LECs derived from human cataract LECs.

METHODS

A circular section of the anterior capsule, about 5 mm in diameter, with LECs attached was obtained by anterior capsulotomy during cataract surgery and cultured directly without dispersion of the cells in a well, on the bottom of which a disc-shaped, thin plate of poly(methyl methacrylate) had been placed. At 5 to 6 weeks of culture, the proliferated cells of the culture were stained immunohistochemically with antibodies against human collagens I-VI by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method.

RESULTS

Collagens I, IV, V, and VI were positive in the cultured cells. Types IV and V were strongly present in almost all the cells whereas types I and VI were only observed in a few cells. Collagens II and III were negative.

CONCLUSIONS

Since the lens capsule is known to be comprised of collagen IV, collagens I, V, and VI seem to be produced newly in culture. The capsular fibrosis seen after cataract surgery in vivo as a wound healing process of the lens capsule, may contain these types of collagens. The present culture model is useful for studying secondary cataract formation.

Effects of sulfate concentrations on the expression of a soybean seed storage protein gene and its reversibility in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Transgenic expression of genes encoding the alpha' and beta subunits of beta-conglycinin, one of the major seed storage proteins of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), was analyzed in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. under conditions of sulfate deficiency. Temporal patterns of expression of both the intact beta subunit gene and the beta subunit gene promoter fused to the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene are similar in soil-less cultures using rockwool, suggesting that the response to sulfate deficiency is regulated mainly at the level of transcription. In hydroponic cultures with various concentrations of sulfate, expression of both the intact beta subunit gene and the beta subunit gene promoter-GUS fusion gene were negatively correlated to increased sulfate concentrations in the culture medium. Transfer of transgenic A. thaliana plants carrying the beta subunit gene promoter-GUS fusion from sulfate-deficient to sulfate-sufficient control medium caused GUS activity in developing siliques to be repressed within two days. A reverse shift, where the plants were transferred from the control to sulfate-deficient medium, caused GUS activity to become higher than that in seeds of the control plants within two days. These results indicate that the expression of the beta subunit gene promoter responds rapidly to changes of sulfate availability.

Growth, hemorrhage, and regression of multiple intracerebral vasoformative tumors: report of an unusual case

A rare case of multiple hemorrhagic vascular tumors of the cerebrum and cerebellum is reported. Computed tomographic scans in a 16-year-old girl revealed multifocal brain lesions with "jewel ring"-like areas of contrast enhancement. An old hematoma cavity was found inside the surgical specimen. Histologically, it was a vascular tumor composed of anastomosing vascular channels with proliferating endothelial cells and hemorrhages at different stages. Upon further histopathological study, this lesion could not be classified as any known vascular tumor entity, although it resembled some vascular tumors, such as cavernous hemangioma and hemangioendothelioma. The patient received steroid and alpha interferon treatment. The lesions initially increased in number once, then resolved 10 months after onset. The neuroradiological and histopathological features in the present case were characteristic, and the clinical course was unusual.