Renal biopsy in pregnancies complicated by undetermined renal disease

BACKGROUND

The aim of this retrospective study was to verify the role of renal biopsy in pregnancies complicated by renal dysfunction.

METHODS

A series of 15 percutaneous renal biopsies performed in 15 pregnant women with renal disease presenting during pregnancy over the past 10 years (1990-1999) were reviewed.

RESULTS

All the patients underwent renal biopsy before 30 weeks of gestation. The indications for renal biopsy were renal dysfunction of unknown cause or symptomatic nephrotic syndrome (NS). Patients with toxemia were excluded. Eight women had lupus nephritis, including five with diffuse crescenteric changes and three with a mesangial proliferative pattern. Three had chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN), two had mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and one each had diabetic nephrosclerosis and endocapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis. There were no significant complications except in one patient who experienced gross hematuria. Early induction of labor was recommended for the four patients with diabetic nephrosclerosis or CGM. The other 11 patients received intravenous pulse methylprednisolone or high dose oral prednisolone therapy. The responses to steroid therapy in these 11 patients were as follows: five achieved complete remission of NS, three achieved incomplete remission, and three achieved partial remission. After 2 years' follow-up, seven mothers achieved complete remission, three had died, three developed chronic renal failure (CRF), and two progressed to end stage renal failure (ESRF) requiring chronic hemodialysis. Fourteen of the 15 pregnancies resulted in live births and the other child was stillborn.

CONCLUSIONS

Renal biopsy performed during pregnancy is not contraindicated. The results of histopathological studies are extremely useful in counseling regarding continuation or termination of pregnancy, potential maternal and fetal outcome, and recommending specific therapeutic modalities.

Binding of cyclin-dependent kinases to ORC and Cdc6p regulates the chromosome replication cycle

Cdc6p and the origin recognition complex (ORC) are essential for assembly of a pre-replicative complex (preRC) at origins of replication, before the initiation of DNA synthesis. In the absence of Cdc6p, cells fail to initiate DNA replication and undergo a "reductional" mitosis, in which the unreplicated chromosomes are randomly segregated to the spindle poles. We show here that the cells harboring a mutation in the essential Cdc6p Walker A-box arrest in late mitosis, probably at anaphase. This cell cycle block requires either the three Cdc28p phosphorylation sites within the N terminus of Cdc6p or a short region (aa 8-17) that contains a Cy (Cyclin) interaction sequence. These same two Cdc6p mutants that allow a reductional mitosis are defective in binding Cdc28p kinase. In addition to Cdc6p, ORC also binds to cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Interestingly, Sic1p, a CDK inhibitor protein, blocked the S phase-specific Cdc28p-Clb5p kinase from interacting with ORC, but did not prevent the G(1)-specific Cdc28p-Cln2p kinase-ORC interaction. We suggest that ORC, Cdc6p, and Sic1p bind to different CDKs in a cell cycle-dependent manner to temporally regulate events that (i) allow preRC formation after mitosis, (ii) prevent mitosis before DNA replication can occur, and (iii) promote initiation of DNA replication.

Low cholesterol in erythrocyte membranes and high lipoperoxides in erythrocytes are the potential risk factors for cerebral hemorrhagic stroke in human

OBJECTIVE

To explore the association of risk for human cerebral hemorrhage with blood cholesterol, free radicals, oxidation and lipoperoxidation.

METHODS

351 cerebral hemorrhage patients (CHP) in the acute phase and 100 healthy adult volunteers (HAV) were investigated by testing the contents of cholesterol (CH), lipoperoxides (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), vitamin C (VC) and vitamin E (VE) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in plasma and erythrocytes (RBC), and by assessing the contents of CH and LPO in RBC with spectrophotometric assays.

RESULTS

Compared with the average values (AV) of the above biochemical parameters (BP) in the HAV group, the AV of CH in plasma and RBC, VC and VE in plasma as well as SOD in plasma and RBC in the CHP group were significantly decreased (P = 0.0000), while the AV of the LPO in plasma and RBC as well as NO in plasma in the CHP group were significantly increased (P = 0.0000). The findings of linear correlation analysis for the CHP group showed that the above biochemical parameters were significantly correlated with both intracranial hemorrhagic sizes (IHS) and neurotic functional defective scales (NDS). The findings of stepwise correlation analysis for the CHA group suggested that HIS was closely correlated with the values of CH and LPO in RBC as well as NO and VE in plasma, and that NDS was closely correlated with the values of CH and LPO in RBC as well as NO and VC in plasma.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the present study suggest that marked low RBC cholesterol and marked high RBC lipoperoxides may constitute the potential main risk factors for human cerebral hemorrhage, and that the oxidative and lipoperoxidative stress in the CHP bodies is pathologically aggravated, leading to the oxidative and lipoperoxidative damages in the CHP.

Measurement of the rate of nu(e) + d --> p + p + e(-) interactions produced by (8)B solar neutrinos at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Solar neutrinos from (8)B decay have been detected at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory via the charged current (CC) reaction on deuterium and the elastic scattering (ES) of electrons. The flux of nu(e)'s is measured by the CC reaction rate to be straight phi(CC)(nu(e)) = 1.75 +/- 0.07(stat)(+0.12)(-0.11)(syst) +/- 0.05(theor) x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1). Comparison of straight phi(CC)(nu(e)) to the Super-Kamiokande Collaboration's precision value of the flux inferred from the ES reaction yields a 3.3 sigma difference, assuming the systematic uncertainties are normally distributed, providing evidence of an active non- nu(e) component in the solar flux. The total flux of active 8B neutrinos is determined to be 5.44+/-0.99 x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1).

Risk factors for surgical site infection after elective resection of the colon and rectum: a single-center prospective study of 2,809 consecutive patients

OBJECTIVE

To identify the risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) in patients undergoing elective resection of the colon and rectum.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

SSI causes a substantial number of deaths and complications. Determining risk factors for SSI may provide information on reducing complications and improving outcome.

METHODS

The authors performed a prospective study of 2,809 consecutive patients undergoing elective colorectal resection via laparotomy between February 1995 and December 1998 at a single institution. The outcome of interest was SSI, which was classified as being incisional or organ/space with or without clinical leakage. A likelihood ratio forward regression model was used to assess the independent association of variables with SSIs.

RESULTS

The overall SSI, incisional SSI, and organ/space SSI with and without clinical anastomotic leakage rates were 4.7%, 3%, 2%, and 0.8%, respectively. Risk factors for overall SSI were American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score 2 or 3 (odd ratio [OR] = 1.7), male gender (OR = 1.5), surgeons (OR = 1.3-3.3), types of operation (OR = 0.3-2.1), creation of ostomy (OR = 2.1), contaminated wound (OR = 2.9), use of drainage (OR = 1.6), and intra- or postoperative blood transfusion (1-3 units, OR = 5.3; >/=4 units, OR = 6.2). However, SSIs at specific sites differed from each other with respect to the risk factors. Among a variety of risk factors, only blood transfusion was consistently associated with a risk of SSI at any specific site.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to ASA score and surgical wound class, blood transfusion, creation of ostomy, types of operation, use of drainage, sex, and surgeons were important in predicting SSIs after elective colorectal resection.

Endogenous natriuretic peptides participate in renal and humoral actions of acute vasopeptidase inhibition in experimental mild heart failure

Mild heart failure is characterized by increases in atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in the absence of activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Vasopeptidase (VP) inhibitors are novel molecules that coinhibit neutral endopeptidase 24.11, which degrades the natriuretic peptides (NPs) and ACE. In a well-characterized canine model of mild heart failure produced by ventricular pacing at 180 bpm for 10 days, we defined the renal and humoral actions of acute VP inhibition with omapatrilat (OMA, n=6) and acute ACE inhibition (n=5) alone with fosinoprilat. We also sought to determine whether the NPs participate in the renal actions of acute VP inhibition by the administration of OMA together with an intrarenal administration of the NP receptor antagonist HS-142-1 (n=5). OMA resulted in a greater natriuretic response than did ACE inhibition in association with increases in plasma cGMP, ANP, BNP, urinary cGMP, urinary ANP excretion, and glomerular filtration rate (P<0.05 for OMA versus ACE inhibition). Plasma renin activity was increased only in the group subjected to ACE inhibition. Administration of intrarenal HS-142-1 attenuated the renal properties of OMA in association with a decrease in urinary cGMP excretion despite similar increases in plasma ANP and BNP. This study provides new insight into a unique new pharmacological agent that has beneficial renal actions in experimental mild heart failure beyond the actions that are observed with ACE inhibition alone and that are linked to the NP system.

In silico mining of EST databases for novel pre-implantation embryo-specific zinc finger protein genes

Progress in the understanding of early mammalian embryo development has been severely hampered by scarcity of study materials. To circumvent such a constraint, we have developed a strategy that involves a combination of in silico mining of new genes from expressed sequence tags (EST) databases and rapid determination of expression profiles of the dbEST-derived genes using a PCR-based assay and a panel of cDNA libraries derived from different developmental stages and somatic tissues. We demonstrate that in a random sample of 49 independent dbEST-derived zinc finger protein genes mined from a mouse embryonic 2-cell cDNA library, more than three-quarters of these genes are novel. Examination of characteristics of the human orthologues derived from these mouse genes reveals that many of them are associated with human malignancies. Expression studies have further led to the identification of three novel genes that are exclusively expressed in mouse embryos before or up to the 8-cell stage. Two of the genes, designated 2czf45 and 2czf48 (2czf for 2-cell zinc finger), are zinc finger protein genes coding for a RBCC protein with a RFP domain and a protein with three C2H2 fingers, respectively. The third gene, designated 2cpoz56, codes for a protein with a POZ domain that is often associated with zinc finger proteins. These three genes are candidate genes for regulatory or other functions in early embryogenesis. The strategy described in this report should generally be applicable to rapid and large-scale mining of other classes of rare genes involved in other biological and pathological processes. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 59:249-255, 2001.

Prospective study comparing wounds closed with tape with sutured wounds in colorectal surgery

HYPOTHESIS

To test the efficacy of adhesive paper tape in the closure of clean-contaminated wounds following elective colorectal resection.

DESIGN

A prospective, nonrandomized controlled study.

SETTING

A medical center that offers a mixture of primary, secondary, and tertiary care services.

PATIENTS

The group undergoing skin closure with paper tape (PT group) consisted of 150 patients. The group undergoing skin closure with interrupted suture (IS group) also comprised 150 patients. All 300 patients underwent elective colorectal resection in 1997.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The duration of skin closure, wound complication rate, and cosmetic appearance of the scar at 6 months after operation were compared using the chi(2)test or t test.

RESULTS

The mean +/- SD average duration of skin closure was 116 +/- 23 seconds for the PT group and 457 +/- 64 seconds for the IS group (P<.01). The wound complication rate was 3.3% (3 cases with wound infection; 2 with wound separation) for the PT group and 3.3% (5 cases with wound infection) for the IS group (P = 1.0). No significant differences were found between the narrowest width (mean +/- SD, 2.2 +/- 0.9 mm vs 2.3 +/- 1.0 mm) and widest width (mean +/- SD, 4.7 +/- 2.0 mm vs 4.3 +/- 1.8 mm) of scar formation between the 2 groups at 6 months after the operation. Ninety-eight percent of patients in the PT group reported satisfaction with their scar, compared with 92% in the IS group (P =.03).

CONCLUSION

Compared with the traditional suture method, paper tape closure in the treatment of clean-contaminated wounds was less time consuming and produced greater patient satisfaction with no increased rate of wound complications.

Vitamin D(3) attenuates 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurotoxicity in rats

Previous reports have demonstrated that exogeneous administration of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) reduces ventral mesencephalic (VM) dopaminergic (DA) neuron damage induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioning in rats. Recent studies have shown that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (D3) enhances endogenous GDNF expression in vitro and in vivo. The purpose of present study was to investigate if administration of D3 in vivo and in vitro would protect against 6-OHDA-induced DA neuron injury. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected daily with D3 or with saline for 8 days and then lesioned unilaterally with 6-OHDA into the medial forebrain bundle. Locomotor activity was measured using automated activity chambers. We found that unilateral 6-OHDA lesioning reduced locomotor activity in saline-pretreated animals. Pretreatment with D3 for 8 days significantly restored locomotor activity in the lesioned animals. All animals were sacrificed for neurochemical analysis 6 weeks after lesioning. We found that 6-OHDA administration significantly reduced dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanilic acid (HVA) levels in the substantia nigra (SN) on the lesioned side in the saline-treated rats. D3 pretreatment protected against 6-OHDA-mediated depletion of DA and its metabolites in SN. Using primary cultures obtained from the VM of rat embryos, we found that 6-OHDA or H(2)O(2) alone caused significant cell death. Pretreatment with D3 (10(-10) M) protected VM neurons against 6-OHDA- or H(2)O(2)-induced cell death in vitro. Taken together, our data indicate that D3 pretreatment attenuates the hypokinesia and DA neuronal toxicity induced by 6-OHDA. Since both H(2)O(2) and 6-OHDA may injure cells via free radical and reactive oxygen species, the neuroprotection seen here may operate via a reversal of such a toxic mechanism.

Effect of shock wave therapy on acute fractures of the tibia: a study in a dog model

The effect of shock wave therapy on acute fractures of the tibia was studied in eight adult dogs. A fracture with a 3-mm gap was created in both tibias and the fractures were fixed internally with a small metallic plate and screws. Each of the right limbs received 2,000 impulses of shock waves at 14 kV whereas the left limbs were used as controls. The evaluations included the callus formations based on serial radiographic examinations at 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks and histologic examinations at 12 weeks for tissue distribution including bone tissues. Based on radiographic findings, there was no statistically significant difference in the amount of callus formation between the treated and the control groups at 8 weeks or less. However, the radiographic findings at 12 weeks statistically showed more callus formations in the treated group. In histologic examinations, there was significantly more cortical bone formation in the treated group at 12 weeks and the bone tissues were thicker, denser, and heavier. Shock wave therapy enhanced callus formation and induced cortical bone formation in acute fractures in dogs at 12 weeks. The effect of shock wave therapy seemed to be time-dependent at 3 months.

[The influence of hyaluronic acid and basic fibroblast growth factor on the proliferation of ligamentous cells]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the proliferation of the cells from medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) cells.

METHODS

The MCL cells and ACL cells of mature New Zealand white rabbit were cultured, while HA, bFGF or HA and bFGF were added to the cell culture media, the cellular proliferation was assayed by MTT method.

RESULTS

HA only had no effect on the preoliferation of ACL cells, but had a small stimulatory effect on the proliferation of MCL cells. The addition of 1 ng/ml bFGF enhanced the proliferation of both MCL and ACL cells significantly, and this enhancement was maximal in the concentration of 50 ng/ml. However, the enhancement of proliferation of MCL and ACL cells could be achieved when the combination of HA in concentration of 100 micrograms/ml and bFGF in concentration of 100 ng/ml.

CONCLUSION

It is evident that bFGF can enhance the proliferation of the ligament cells. HA can maintain the normal growth of ACL cells with no effect on the proliferation of the cells, while HA has a small stimulatory effect on the proliferation of MCL cells. However, when bFGF is coordinated with HA, more improvement of cellular proliferation can be achieved. HA can be used as a potential carrier for bFGF to enhance the healing of ligamentous tissue injuries.

Beyond randomized controlled trials: organized mammographic screening substantially reduces breast carcinoma mortality

BACKGROUND

The efficacy of mammographic screening in the reduction of breast carcinoma mortality has been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials. However, the evaluation of organized screening outside of research settings (so-called "service screening") faces unique methodologic and conceptual challenges. The current study describes the evaluation of organized mammography screening in a clinical setting and demonstrates the benefit obtained from service screening in two Swedish counties.

METHODS

In the group of subjects ages 20--69 years, there were 6807 women diagnosed with breast carcinoma over a 29-year period in 2 counties in Sweden and 1863 breast carcinoma deaths. All patients were classified from patient charts based on their screening status (i.e., whether they had been invited to undergo screening and whether they actually had undergone screening). The number of women who lived in the 2 counties during the 29-year study period was provided by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Breast carcinoma-specific mortality was compared across three time periods: 1) 1968--1977, when no screening was taking place because mammography had not been introduced; 2) 1978--1987, the approximate period of the Two-County randomized controlled trial of screening in women ages 40--74 years; and 3) 1988--1996, when all women in the 2 counties ages 40--69 years were invited to undergo screening (service screening). When comparing breast carcinoma mortality in screened women with that in women diagnosed before screening was introduced, a correction for self-selection bias was incorporated to prevent overestimation of the benefit of screening.

RESULTS

The mortality from incident breast carcinoma diagnosed in women ages 40-69 years who actually were screened during the service screening period (1988--1996) declined significantly by 63% (relative risk [RR] = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.30--0.46) compared with breast carcinoma mortality during the time period when no screening was available (1968--1977). The mortality decline was 50% (RR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.41--0.60) when breast carcinoma mortality among all women who were invited to undergo screening (nonattendees included) was compared with breast cancer mortality during the time period when no screening was available (1968--1977). The reduction in mortality observed during the service screening period, adjusted for selection bias, was 48% (RR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.43--0.63). No significant change in breast carcinoma mortality was observed over the three time periods in women who did not undergo screening. This group included women ages 20--39 years because these individuals were never invited to undergo screening, and women ages 40--69 years who did not undergo screening (not invited during the randomized trial or invited during the second and third time periods but declined).

CONCLUSIONS

Regular mammographic screening resulted in a 63% reduction in breast carcinoma death among women who actually underwent screening. The policy of invitation to organized screening with mammography appears to have reduced breast carcinoma mortality by 50% in these 2 counties.

Acute exposure to trichloroethylene differentially alters the susceptibility to chemoconvulsants in mice

The effects of a common industrial solvent, trichloroethylene (TCE), which was once used as an anesthetic agent but its in vivo mechanism is still unknown, on convulsant-induced seizures in mice were examined. Pretreatment with TCE (250-2000 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly increased pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-, picrotoxin (PIC)-, bicuculline (BIC)-, strychnine (STY)-, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)- and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced convulsion thresholds and lethal doses. However, the increase in convulsion thresholds and lethal doses was much greater for GABAergic antagonists (PIC, BIC, and PTZ) than non-GABAergic convulsants (STY, 4AP, and NMDA) following 2000 mg/kg TCE administration. Pre-treatment of mice with disulfiram (an inhibitor of CYP 4502E1) but not 4-methyl pyrazole (an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase) significantly prolonged the time required for TCE (5000 mg/kg, i.p.) to induce the loss of righting reflex. These results suggest that acute exposure to TCE differentially alters the susceptibility to chemically induced convulsions in mice. The anticonvulsive effect of TCE may be predominantly mediated by GABA(A) receptors. In addition, TCE appears to exert a direct anesthetic effect.

Terminal transferase-dependent PCR (TDPCR) for in vivo UV photofootprinting of vertebrate cells

Terminal transferase-dependent PCR (TDPCR) is a versatile, sensitive method for detecting DNA lesions such as those generated by the footprinting agents commonly used to detect in vivo protein-DNA interactions. Data similar to those obtained by ligation-mediated PCR (LMPCR) are obtained, but one advantage of TDPCR is that no special enzymes are needed other than terminal deoxynucleotide transferase, T4 DNA ligase, and thermostable DNA polymerases. A detailed TDPCR protocol is given for using UV photofootprinting to detect in vivo footprints and chromatin fine structure in vertebrate cells. One version of the protocol makes use of nonradioactive labeling by near-infrared fluorochromes and detection by a LI-COR DNA sequencing instrument. Sensitivity similar to that of (32)P-labeling is obtained, but with superior band resolution and quantitation.

C-type natriuretic peptide: the endothelial component of the natriuretic peptide system

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a 22-amino-acid peptide, structurally related to but genetically distinct from atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Whereas ANP and BNP are ligands for a guanylyl cyclase-coupled receptor, the NPR-A receptor, CNP is a specific ligand for the NPR-B receptor. In addition to clearance by the NPR-C receptor, CNP is subject to degradation by the ectoenzyme neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP), which is widely distributed in the kidney, lung, heart, and endothelial cells. Although initially identified in porcine brain, CNP immunoreactivity has been found in human vascular endothelial cells, plasma, and kidney. CNP has potent systemic cardiovascular actions, which include reductions in cardiac filling pressures and output, secondary to vasorelaxation and decreases in venous return, but has minimal renal actions. Unlike ANP, CNP is a selective endothelium-independent venodilator. However, it is also a potent coronary vasodilator. Expression of the CNP gene by the endothelial cells, the presence of CNP receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and the antimitogenic effect of CNP on VSMCs suggest that CNP is produced by the endothelium and acts on adjacent VSMCs serving as an autocrine/paracrine endothelium-derived vasoregulatory system.

Acute paraplegia in a patient with spinal tophi: a case report

A 28-year-old man with a 5-year history of gouty arthritis suffered from an acute episode of lower back pain. He visited a rehabilitative clinic and received physical therapy following his examination. Weakness and numbness of both lower legs developed rapidly after physical therapy. He was sent to our hospital with complete paralysis of both lower limbs and complete sensory loss below the umbilicus 3 hours after the physical therapy. No peripheral tophi were found. Myelography showed an extrinsic compression of the dura sac at T10. Emergency decompressive laminectomy of T9 to T11 was performed. During the surgery, caseous material was found deposited in the ligamentum flavum and the left T9 to T10 facet joint, with indentation of the dura sac. The pathologic diagnosis was spinal tophi. After surgery, the patient's neurologic function recovered rapidly. It was suspected that inappropriate physical therapy might have aggravated acute inflammation of spinal gout and resulted in a rapid deterioration of neurologic function. Though gout is a chronic medical disease, an acute attack of spinal gout may be disastrous and requires emergency neurosurgical intervention.

Therapeutic effect of gypenoside on chronic liver injury and fibrosis induced by CCl4 in rats

Gypenoside is a saponins extract derived from the Gynostemma pentaphyllum. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective and antifibrotic potential of Gypenoside on chronic liver injury induced by CCl4 for 8 wks. The results indicated that the increase of SGOT, SGPT activities in CCl4 liver injury were significantly reduced by treatment with Gypenoside. It also elevated the A/G ratio. For the study of anti-fibrotic potential, Gypenoside reduced the collagen content by 33%. These phenomena were confirmed by pathologic observation; thinner bands of liver collagen were found. The results suggest that Gypenoside has hepatoprotective and anti-fibrotic activities.

Regulation of phospholipase D activity and ceramide production in daunorubicin-induced apoptosis in A-431 cells

We demonstrated here that daunorubicin induced apoptosis in A-431 cells, a human epidermoid carcinoma cell line. Treatment of cells with daunorubicin induced chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, internucleosomal DNA degradation, and the proteolytic cleavage of PKC-delta and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in A-431 cells. Daunorubicin, as well as sphingomyelinase (SMase) and the exogenous cell-permeable ceramide analogue C(2)-ceramide, inhibited phospholipase D activity stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or epidermal growth factor (EGF). Like ceramide, daunorubicin also decreased EGF-induced diacylglycerol generation. However, no increase in ceramide level was observed in daunorubicin-induced apoptosis in A-431 cells. Moreover, treatment of A-431 cells with exogenous cell-permeable C(2)-ceramide or SMase did not induce apoptosis. These results indicate that daunorubicin induces apoptosis in A-431 cells via a mechanism that does not involve increased ceramide formation.

Subcutaneous administration of brain natriuretic peptide in experimental heart failure

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this investigation was to define for the first time the cardiorenal and humoral actions of repeated short-term administration of subcutaneous (SQ) brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) administration during the evolution of experimental heart failure.

BACKGROUND

The rationale of this study was based on BNP as a vasodilating, natriuretic, renin-inhibiting and lusitropic peptide of cardiac origin.

METHODS

First, we defined the cardiorenal and humoral responses to acute low and high dose (5 microg/kg or 25 microg/kg) of SQBNP in experimental heart failure to establish the acute efficacy of an SQ delivery. Second, we characterized the response to 10 days of repeated short-term administration of BNP during the evolution of experimental heart failure produced by rapid ventricular pacing.

RESULTS

Plasma BNP and 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate rapidly increased and peaked at 30 min after acute SQBNP administration with increases in urinary sodium excretion, urine flow and renal blood flow in association with reductions in cardiac filling pressures. After 10 days of repeated short-term administration of SQBNP, cardiac output was increased and systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure were decreased, as compared with untreated dogs with heart failure.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated for the first time that repeated short-term administration of SQ BNP administration for 10 days during the evolution of left ventricular dysfunction in a canine model results in an improvement in cardiovascular hemodynamics. This investigation supports a potential novel strategy for the chronic administration of BNP in the therapeutics of heart failure.

Mechanism for fetal hemoglobin induction by hydroxyurea in sickle cell erythroid progenitors

Hydroxyurea (HU) is a widely used cytotoxic agent that is known to induce fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production and is presently used to ameliorate the severity of pain episodes in patients with sickle cell anemia (HbSS). Previously we have shown that HU inhibits growth of burst forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) colonies in a dose-dependent manner, while fetal hemoglobin levels were increased. In the present report, we extended our analysis demonstrating the number of S phase cells is significantly higher for HbSS patients that respond to HU therapy. Studies were completed in vitro using erythroid progenitors derived from umbilical cord samples or peripheral blood from patients with HbS-hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HbS-HPFH) or HbSS disease. The effect of HU on (a) S phase erythroid progenitors, (b) BFU-E colony growth, (c) HbF levels in BFU-E colonies, and (d) total cellular RNA synthesis was analyzed in vitro for the three groups. The level of S phase erythroid progenitors was similar for all three groups and BFU-E colony growth was inhibited 92-94% for all samples in a dose-dependent manner. The HbF levels were increased in BFU-E colonies from HbSS patients (control, 4.0% +/- 1.15% vs. +HU, 22.67% +/- 2.03%) whereas HbF levels were decreased in BFU-E colonies derived from umbilical cord samples (control, 80% +/- 9.07% vs. +HU, 35.7% +/- 4.81%) or HbS-HPFH patients (control, 49.67% +/- 3.84% vs. +HU, 23.3% +/- 0.88%). Total RNA synthesis measured by 3H-uridine incorporation increased with increasing concentrations of HU; however, actinomycin D inhibited HU-induced RNA synthesis. These results suggest that HU can inhibit an active globin gene without preference and that newly synthesized RNA is under transcriptional control mechanisms.

Surgical outcome after curative resection of rectal leiomyosarcoma

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to present the prognosis and possible associated prognostic factors after curative resection of rectal leiomyosarcoma.

METHODS

From 1979 to 1996 our hospital saw 40 patients with rectal leiomyosarcoma, including 19 females, who did not have metastasis initially and received curative resection and regular postoperative follow-up.

RESULTS

The mean age of the 40 patients was 58.7 years. Anal bleeding and perianal pain were the two most common symptoms at initial diagnosis. Twenty-nine patients received a radical surgical resection, such as abdominoperineal resection or low anterior resection; the other 11 patients received a wide local excision, such as transrectal excision or Kraske's operation. Sixteen tumors were classified as high-grade leiomyosarcoma, and 23 as low grade. Nineteen patients (48 percent) developed recurrence or metastasis postoperatively (median follow-up, 35 months). The overall and disease-free (1-year, 3-year, and 5-year) survival rates were 97, 90, and 75 percent and 90, 59, and 46 percent, respectively. In univariate analysis, younger group (<50 years, n = 9, P = 0.033) and high-grade leiomyosarcoma (P = 0.043) showed poorer prognosis in the disease-free survival curve. In the multivariate Cox model, gender, tumor size, tumor location, and operation type did not significantly affect disease-free survival, whereas histologic grade (P = 0.037) and age divided by a level of 50 years (P = 0.009) were shown to be independent factors. There was a strong trend toward higher local recurrence rate for the wide local excision group than for the radical resection group (55 vs. 24 percent, P = 0.067) despite the wide local excision group being composed of smaller tumors (5.1 vs. 7.5 cm, P = 0.069). There was no difference in the incidence of distant metastasis between the two groups with different operation types. The metastasis rates of the wide local excision and radical resection groups were 27 and 38 percent, respectively.

CONCLUSION

A younger age (<50 years) and a high histologic grade of tumor were the two most significant poor prognostic factors for rectal leiomyosarcoma. Radical resection may be superior to wide local excision in the prevention of local recurrence but not distant metastasis.

Segment inertial properties of Chinese adults determined from magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVE

To improve the simulation of the task of manual materials handling for Chinese laborers, this study estimated the inertial properties of Chinese adults by using magnetic resonance imaging.

DESIGN

Magnetic resonance imaging was used as a means of estimating inertial property. Following the estimation of inertial properties for the Chinese subjects, comparison between estimates for Chinese and Caucasian populations was made.

BACKGROUND

Estimates of segment inertial properties are frequently based on data and procedures developed from human cadaver studies in which inertial properties have been measured directly. The errors might be derived from the utilization of the Caucasian data were questioned in our previous study on the spinal force prediction of the Chinese subjects during manual lifting.

METHODS

Magnetic resonance images were scanned at a 20 mm interval from eight males aged 26 (S.D., 4) years. Tissues were differentiated and verified using adequate intensity thresholds on each slice, and the segmental volume and mass were integrated by slices. The moments of inertia for each segment were then determined about the anatomical axes using the parallel axis theorem.Results. Results showed that our estimates were close to the data derived by Dempster with a slight deviation. Larger percentages of mass were found in the upper arm (4.0%) and thigh (13.6%) than in previous studies. On the other hand, smaller moments of inertia about three axes were noted in the shank.

CONCLUSION

Biomechanical modeling of the human body requires accurate prediction of body segment parameters that include measures of volume, mass, center of mass, and moments of inertia. This study suggests the need to estimate the inertial properties of segments from the Chinese population. Application of the data may improve the simulation of the task of manual materials handling for Chinese laborers in the future studies.

RELEVANCE

Biomechanical modeling of the human body requires accurate prediction of body segment parameters that include measures of volume, mass, center of mass, and moments of inertia. To obtain the basic data of segment parameters for the Chinese adults, this study was proceeded with the magnetic resonance imaging technique.

Ligation-mediated PCR for quantitative in vivo footprinting

Ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LM-PCR) is a genomic analysis technique for determination of (1) primary DNA nucleotide sequences (2) cytosine methylation patterns (3) DNA lesion formation and repair, and (4) in vivo protein-DNA footprints. However, LM-PCR can be limited by the multiple steps required and the relatively short stretch of sequence (usually <200 bp) that can be analyzed per reaction. We report here a simplified, one-day LM-PCR protocol in which all pipetting steps can be performed by a robotic workstation and which, moreover, provides longer reads (>350 bp) and enhanced signal quality by use of nonradioactive detection and a LI-COR DNA sequencing instrument. Sensitivity comparable to radiolabeling is achieved using oligonucleotide primers that are 5'-end labeled with infrared fluorochromes. We showed that the technique could be used for sensitive and reproducible in vivo photofootprinting of the human phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) promoter, as well as providing good Maxam-Gilbert sequence information. The methods described here should allow high-throughput, high-resolution analysis of transcription factor binding and chromatin structure, and also may be useful for sequencing gaps that are refractory to cloning.