Aspirin-induced asthma as a risk factor for asthma mortality

We have recently reported severe airway obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in fatal asthma compared with patients without a history of near-fatal asthma. Based on these findings, we evaluated whether aspirin-induced asthma (AIA) is a risk factor for asthma mortality by analyzing pulmonary function and BHR. FEV1.0% and methacholine inhalation threshold were significantly lower in the fatal asthma group compared with the AIA and non-AIA groups. However, there were no significant differences between the AIA and non-AIA groups. Our results suggested that AIA is not a risk factor for asthma mortality if avoidance of aspirin and aspirin-like drugs is assured.

Advanced gastric carcinoma in a de Brazza's guenon (Cercopithecus neglectus)

A necropsy case of advanced gastric carcinoma in a 20-year-old female de Brazza's guenon (Cercopithecus neglectus) was studied, Grossly, an excavated carcinoma mass, 60 x 55 x 35 mm in size, was located in the cardiac region of the stomach. Multiple disseminated nodules had implanted on the diaphragm and omentum. The tumor consisted of intestinal-type adenocarcinoma cells and showed infiltrative growth beyond the serosa. The morphologic features of this tumor closely resembled those of advanced gastric carcinomas in human patients.

Clinical trial of external beam-radiotherapy combined with daily administration of low-dose cisplatin for supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme--a pilot study

This trial tested the assumed efficacy and safety of external beam-radiotherapy combined with daily administration of low dose cisplatin (CDDP) (ERCLC therapy) for patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Thirty adult patients with supratentorial GBM received daily postoperative treatment with low dose intravenous CDDP (4-6 mg/m2) administered 30 minutes before external irradiation. In 10 patients, intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) following surgery was given prior to ERCLC therapy. Tumor response on MRI, interval to tumor progression, survival, and toxicities were analyzed. None of the patients showed a tumor response to ERCIC therapy. Overall, the median time to tumor progression was 6 months with a 1-year tumor progression-free rate of 26.7% and a 2-year rate of 0%. The median survival time was 15 months with a 1-year survival rate of 69.9% and a 2-year rate of 31.5%. The survival rate of patients with IORT was better than that of those without IORT, however, there was no significant difference. Anorexia associated with nausea occurred in 70% and general fatigue in 10.0%. Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 26.7% and 33.3%, respectively. However, none of the patients had to be withdrawn from therapy due to these toxicities. Other toxicities were not observed. This clinical study showed that daily administration of low dose CDDP did not enhance tumor response to irradiation for GBM on MRI. Regarding toxicity, however, ERCLC therapy was well tolerated. Although this trial did not provide sufficient data to determine whether ERCLC therapy was effective for GBM due to the small number of patients, additional clinical trials of this therapy may be warranted because that the survival rate in this study was equal to the better results recently reported for newly diagnosed GBM.

Treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma by transarterial chemotherapy using reservoirs or one-shot arterial chemotherapy

A prospective trial was performed in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma to assess the therapeutic efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemotherapy using implanted reservoirs (12 patients) or conventional transcatheter arterial chemotherapy (8 patients). Epirubicin at a dose of 40 mg/m2 was given every month in the former, while epirubicin at a dose of 60 mg/m2 was administered every 3 months in the latter. During the 6 months from the introduction of these therapies, hospitalized periods were shorter and total hospital costs were less in the reservoir group than in the conventional chemotherapy group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Transcatheter arterial chemotherapy using implanted reservoirs can be carried out on a day-care basis and may be beneficial for the treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Effect of Irsogladine on gap junctions in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in rats

The capacity for intercellular communication (IC) via gap junctions is found in normal pancreatic acinar cells. The major role of IC is considered to be the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and the regulation of signal transmissions. Up to now, the participation of IC via gap junctions in acute pancreatitis has not been reported. We investigated the role of IC in cerulein (Cn)-induced acute pancreatitis in rats using irsogladine, an enhancer of IC via gap junction. Acute edematous pancreatitis was induced in rats by two intraperitoneal injections of 40 micrograms/kg Cn. Rats received various doses (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg body weight) of irsogladine orally, 15 and 2 h before the first Cn injection. The normal control group received only vehicle. The severity of pancreatitis was evaluated enzymatically and histologically 5 h after the first Cn injection. In Cn-induced acute pancreatitis, irsogladine significantly lowered the serum amylase level, the pancreatic wet weight, and the pancreatic amylase and DNA contents, in a dose-dependent manner. Particularly, the amylase content improved to the level of the normal controls. Histologically, the severity of pancreatitis was reduced significantly by treatment with irsogladine and no discernible vacuolization was seen in the group with 100 mg/kg irsogladine treatment. By immunofluorostaining pancreata with anti-connexin 32 (Cx32; a gap junction protein) antibody, we found that pancreatic acini were diffusely positive for Cx32 in the control group, but the number of Cx32-positive grains decreased markedly, to 19%, in the pancreatitis group. With 100 mg/kg irsogladine treatment, the number of Cx32 grains recovered to 70% of the normal control value. These findings indicate that IC via gap junction is disturbed in Cn-induced pancreatitis, which may result in the breakdown of tissue homeostasis and the progression of acute pancreatitis.

An Aspergillus awamori acetylesterase: purification of the enzyme, and cloning and sequencing of the gene

An inducible acetylesterase was purified from the culture medium of Aspergillus awamori strain IFO4033 growing on wheat-bran culture by ion-exchange, gel-filtration and hydrophobic-interaction chromatographies. The purified enzyme had an Mr of 31000 and contained Asn-linked oligosaccharides. The enzyme liberated acetic acid from wheat bran, hydrolysed only alpha-naphthyl acetate and propionate when aromatic esters were used for the substrate, and was tentatively classified as a carboxylic esterase (EC 3.1.1.1). The gene encoding acetylesterase was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence showed that acetylesterase was produced as a 304-amino-acid-residue precursor, which was converted post-translationally into a 275-amino-acid-residue mature protein. Part of the sequence of acetylesterase was similar to the region near the active-site serine of lipases of Geotrichum candidum and Candida cylindracea. A unique site of putative Asn-linked oligosaccharides was presented.

Phenotypic characterization of cytokine expression in patients with IgA nephropathy

To identify the cytokines that play a relevant role in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy, we analyzed and compared the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines, immuno-regulatory cytokines, and growth factors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Expression of IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-gamma, TGF-beta, TNF-alpha, and PDGF was examined in 28 patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), 20 patients with non-IgA mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (mesPGN), and 19 healthy controls. Compared with healthy controls, a significant number of IgAN and mesPGN patients showed increased expression of IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, and IFN-gamma. The cytokine profile of renal tissue of 10 IgAN and 5 mesPGN biopsies was simultaneously analyzed and compared with that of PBMC. The proinflammatory IL-1 alpha and growth factor PDGF-B were expressed more in renal tissues than in PBMC. Furthermore, the renal profile of IL-alpha, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha expression was associated with the expression of IFN-gamma in PBMC. The serum level of IFN-gamma of IgAN correlated significantly (P = 0.0003) with that of IL-12, suggesting a potential role for cross-stimulation. More importantly, expression of IFN-gamma in PBMC and the elevated serum level correlated with the decline in glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.0012) and severity of renal histopathologic grade. To elucidate the role of leukocytes in renal cytokine expression, surface markers of T cells (CD3), monocytes (CD14), natural killer cells (CD16), and B cells (CD19) were also examined in renal tissues. The prominent renal expression of CD3, CD14, and CD16 implicates the leukocytes as the major source of proinflammatory cytokines in IgAN. Collectively, these findings indicate that IFN-gamma plays a prominent role in an interactive network of cytokines that contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of IgA nephropathy.

Transient expression of goat growth hormone gene in poplar (Populus alba L.) protoplasts: a quick method for detection of foreign gene expression in mRNA level

We developed a sensitive, accurate, and fast method to detect foreign gene expression using reverse transcriptase-mediated polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in poplar tree (Populus alba L.) protoplasts. Template total RNA was purified by removing the transfected foreign gene vector completely with DNase I treatment before the RT reaction. Expression of cDNA that encodes goat growth hormone was confirmed at the mRNA level 24 h after electroporation mediated DNA transfer.

Functional features of an ssi signal of plasmid pGKV21 in Escherichia coli

A single-strand initiation (ssi) signal was detected on the Lactococcus lactis plasmid pGKV21 containing the replicon of pWV01 by its ability to complement the poor growth of an M13 phage derivative (M13 delta lac182) lacking the complementary-strand origin in Escherichia coli. This ssi signal was situated at the 229-nucleotide (nt) DdeI-DraI fragment and located within the 109 nt upstream of the nick site of the putative plus origin. SSI activity is orientation specific with respect to the direction of replication. We constructed an ssi signal-deleted plasmid and then examined the effects of the ssi signal on the conversion of the single-stranded replication intermediate to double-stranded plasmid DNA in E. coli. The plasmid lacking an ssi signal accumulated much more plasmid single-stranded DNA than the wild-type plasmid did. Moreover, deletion of this region caused a great reduction in plasmid copy number or plasmid maintenance. These results suggest that in E. coli, this ssi signal directs its lagging-strand synthesis as a minus origin of plasmid pGKV21. Primer RNA synthesis in vitro suggests that E. coli RNA polymerase directly recognizes the 229-nt ssi signal and synthesizes primer RNA dependent on the presence of E. coli single-stranded DNA binding (SSB) protein. This region contains two stem-loop structures, stem-loop I and stem-loop II. Deletion of stem-loop I portion results in loss of priming activity by E. coli RNA polymerase, suggesting that stem-loop I portion is essential for priming by E. coli RNA polymerase on the SSB-coated single-stranded DNA template.

Glomerular Fc alphaR expression and disease activity in IgA nephropathy

In this study, we examined the receptors for the Fc portion of immunoglobulin A (IgA) (Fc alphaR) in the glomeruli as well as circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes at the mRNA level by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay and at the protein level by an immunohistochemistry/flow cytometry technique using a specific anti-Fc alphaR monoclonal antibody (My 43). Glomeruli were isolated from biopsy specimens of renal tissues from IgA nephropathy (IgAN; 20 cases) and non-IgA mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (PGN; 13 cases) patients, and from normal renal tissue specimens obtained from kidneys removed because of malignancies (five cases) applying the microdissection method. There was a relative increase in Fc alphaR in the circulating phagocytes from IgAN patients compared with those from PGN and healthy controls. Fc alphaR expression was present in approximately 40% of glomeruli samples from IgAN patients at the message levels. Fc alphaR-positive specimens were also strongly positive for expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1, and interleukin-6 mRNA. Specimens from PGN patients and healthy controls did not show any detectable Fc alphaR message. Serum IgA levels and severity of hematuria were significantly higher in patients with positive Fc alphaR expression. A message for Fc alphaR was detected in the tissues that were more damaged histologically. Our data suggest that there is some in vivo induction of glomerular Fc alphaR expression, possibly mediated by a synergistic stimulus from IgA and inflammatory cytokines, and the expressed receptor is likely to be involved in the disease process of IgAN.

A case of successfully treated giardiasis in pancreas

We report a case of giardiasis in the pancreas in a patient with diabetes mellitus. The patient is interesting in the following: 1) Giardia lamblia was found only in the pancreas and not in the gall bladder by cytology on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) and by cerulein-secretin test (CST). 2) ERCP revealed multiple small cysts scattered throughout the pancreas. 3) Decreased pancreatic exocrine function was recovered by treatment with metronidazole.

A verrucous lesion on skin grafted after necrotizing fasciitis in a diabetic patient successfully treated with combined topical 5-FU and tacalcitol

Many complications of diabetes mellitus involve the feet. These include infections, neuropathy, vasculopathy, and poor wound healing. Neuropathy causes chronic pressure or friction on an area of sensory loss and occasionally causes verrucous skin lesions. We describe a diabetic patient, complicated by necrotizing fasciitis, who developed a verrucous skin lesion on a skin graft site. The verrucous skin lesion was treated successfully with combined topical 5-fluorouracil and vitamin D3 application.

4-alpha-glucanotransferase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus litoralis--enzyme purification and characterization, and gene cloning, sequencing and expression in Escherichia coli

4-Alpha-Glucanotransferase was purified from cells of Thermococcus litoralis, a hyperthermophilic archaeon. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be approximately 87 kDa by gel filtration. The optimal temperature for its activity was 90 degrees C. The enzyme catalyzed the transglycosylation of maltooligosaccharides, yielding maltooligosaccharides of various lengths and glucose. When maltoheptaose was used as the substrate, glucoamylase-resistant and glucoamylase-sensitive saccharides were produced. On incubation of amylose with the T. litoralis enzyme, glucoamylase-resistant but alpha-amylase-sensitive molecules were produced, but the amount of reducing sugar showed only slight increases. These results indicate that the T. litoralis enzyme catalyzes not only intermolecular transglycosylation to produce linear alpha-1,4-glucan, but also intramolecular transglycosylation to produce cyclic alpha-1,4-glucan (cycloamylose), similarly to potato 4-alpha-glucanotransferase (called disproportionating enzyme). The gene encoding the T. litoralis 4-alpha-glucanotransferase was cloned, sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the gene encoded a 659-amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 77,883 Da. The amino acid sequence of the T. litoralis enzyme showed high similarity with those of alpha-amylases of Pyrococcus furiosus, a hyperthermophilic archaeon, and Dictyoglomus thermophilum, an extremely thermophilic bacterium, but little similarity with those of other known 4-alpha-glucanotransferases.

Changes in the activity and mRNA levels of phospholipase D during ceramide-induced apoptosis in rat C6 glial cells

N-Acetylsphingosine (C2-ceramide), a membrane-permeable analogue, induced apoptosis in C6 glial cells. Phase-contrast micrographs showed that the round cells appeared 3 h after exposure to 25 microM C2-ceramide and the number of floating cells increased time-dependently. Staining with Hoechst 33258 dye showed condensed or fragmented nuclei in round cells at 12 h. DNA fragmentation was also observed by agarose gel electrophoresis at 12 h. To understand the mechanism underlying glial cell death induced by C2-ceramide treatment, changes in phospholipase D (PLD) activity in response to guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPgammaS) and expression of mRNA levels of PLD isozymes were examined. In cell lysate, GTPgammaS-dependent PLD activity was down-regulated after ceramide treatment in a time-dependent manner. In the in vitro PLD assay, membrane-associated PLD activation in response to recombinant ADP-ribosylation factor 1 was greatly suppressed. Furthermore, levels of rPLD1a and rPLD1b mRNAs were found to be down-regulated, whereas the level of rPLD2 mRNA increased gradually, peaking at 3 h, followed by a slow decrease, as inferred by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Decreases in GTPgammaS-dependent PLD activity were well correlated with those in rPLD1a and rPLD1b mRNAs levels. Taken together, these data suggest that levels of PLD enzymes might be decreased by ceramide treatment.

Lingual cyst in infancy: importance of palpation for diagnosis

Two infants, 5 and 12 weeks of age, with lingual cysts were presented. Histological findings were compatible with a salivary retention cyst in one and a thyroglossal duct cyst in the other. Both infants were admitted to our hospital because of severe stridor that had developed from one to two weeks of age. Their lingual cysts were easily recognizable by simple palpation and were confirmed by non-invasive imaging techniques, such as ultrasound sonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Lingual cyst in infancy may be large enough to cause stridor and dyspnea, and occasionally result in sudden infant death, although once diagnosis is made a radical operation can be easily performed. Therefore, it is important that palpation in the oral cavity should be performed with all infants with persistent stridor as a part of a physical examination.

Effect of ultraviolet radiation on the infectivity of Taenia taeniaeformis eggs

The effect of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the infectivity of Taenia taeniaeformis eggs was observed. The eggs were exposed to various UV doses and orally inoculated to rats. The number of cysts and lesions decreased dose-dependently, and neither cyst nor lesion was observed from rats infected with eggs exposed to a total dose of 2,880 mJ/cm2 or more. For evaluation of protective role of embryophore against UV radiation, the onchospheres with/without embryophore were exposed to UV radiation. Remarkably lower numbers of cyst and lesions were observed in rats inoculated with eggs which were exposed to a total dose of 30 mJ/cm2 or more after removal of embryophore. These results suggested an importance of the protective function of the embryophore in the protection against UV radiation.

The significant role of telomerase activity in human brain tumors

BACKGROUND

In this study, telomerase activity in human brain tumors was analyzed.

METHODS

Telomerase activity was examined in 41 brain tumor cases (20 of glioblastoma multiformes [GBMs] [14 primary tumors and 6 recurrent tumors], 3 anaplastic astrocytomas [AAs], 4 low grade astrocytomas [LGAs] [World Health Organization Grade 2], 2 oligodendrogliomas [OGs], 9 meningiomas [MNs], and 3 metastatic brain tumors [MBTs]) by means of telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay. The activity of telomerase was compared with histologic diagnosis, the MIB-1 proliferative cell index (PCI), and the patient's prognosis.

RESULTS

Twelve of 20 GBMs, 2 of 2 OGs, and 3 of 3 MBTs demonstrated telomerase activity. AAs, LGAs, and MNs exhibited no activity. No clear correlations were confirmed in GBMs between telomerase activity and the MIB-1 PCI data. However, the telomerase activity tended to correlate with the patient's prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that telomerase activity may be an important marker of brain tumor malignancy. Furthermore, the change from negative activity to positive activity in the recurrent tumors appeared to be a useful prognosticator for malignant astrocytic tumor.

Two classes of human papillomavirus type 16 E1 mutants suggest pleiotropic conformational constraints affecting E1 multimerization, E2 interaction, and interaction with cellular proteins

Random mutagenesis of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E1 was used to generate E1 missense mutants defective for interaction with either hUBC9 or 16E1-BP, two cDNAs encoding proteins that have been identified by their ability to interact with HPV16 E1 in two-hybrid assays. hUBC9, the human counterpart of Saccharomyces cerevisiae UBC9, is a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme known to be involved in cell cycle progression. 16E1-BP encodes a protein of no known function but does contain an ATPase signature motif. Eight hUBC9 or 16E1-BP interaction-defective HPV16 E1 missense mutants were identified and characterized for origin-dependent transient DNA replication, ATPase activity, and various protein-protein interaction phenotypes. Six of these mutant E1 proteins were significantly impaired for replication. Among these, two classes of replication-defective HPV16 E1 missense mutants were observed. One class, represented by the S330R replication-defective mutant (containing an S-to-R change at position 330), remained competent for all protein-protein interactions tested, with the exception of hUBC9 association. Furthermore, this mutant, unlike the other replication-defective HPV16 E1 missense mutants, had a strong dominant negative replication phenotype in transient-replication assays. The other class, represented by five of the missense mutants, was defective for multiple protein-protein interactions, usually including, but not limited to, the interaction defect for which each mutant was originally selected. In many cases, a single missense mutation in one region of HPV16 E1 had pleiotropic effects, even upon activities thought to be associated with other domains of HPV16 E1. This suggests that E1 proteins are not modular but may instead be composed of multiple structurally and/or functionally interdependent domains.

Hepatocytic phenotypes induced in sarcomatous cholangiocarcinoma cells treated with 5-azacytidine

The sarcomatoid cells found in cholangiocarcinoma (CC) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not well characterized. In this study, a human sarcomatoid CC cell line, ETK-1, was established from a patient, and then morphological and phenotypical characteristics of the ETK-1 cells were evaluated before and after treatment with differentiation-inducing 5-azacytidine (5-azaCR). Phenotypically, the ETK-1 cells appeared immature. Exposure to 5-azaCR induced morphological transformation; a converted cell line, MEK, was successfully established. The MEK cells expressed such hepatocyte-specific proteins as alpha-fetoprotein, albumin, integrin alpha1, and thrombopoietin, but lost such bile duct-specific proteins as integrin alpha3 and integrin beta4. The histopathology of MEK xenografts resembled that of HCC. The ETK-1 cells appeared to be converted into hepatocytes by exposure to 5-azaCR. On the other hand, ETK-1 xenografts were diagnosed as tubular adenocarcinoma, and the tumor cells had a ductal phenotype. This suggests the possibility that ETK-1 cells can differentiate along a biliary epithelial cell lineage. ETK-1 and MEK will be useful in studying hepatocytic differentiation and the transformation from a biliary epithelial cell to a hepatocytic lineage.