Treatment of advanced hormone-refractory prostate carcinoma with a combination of etoposide, pirarubicin and cisplatin

A total of 20 patients with hormone-refractory prostate carcinoma entered a pilot study of combination chemotherapy based on the EAP (etoposide, Adriamycin and cisplatin) regimen, in which Adriamycin was replaced by pirarubicin, a less cardiotoxic derivative of Adriamycin. The response was assessed by criteria modified from those of the National Prostatic Cancer Project: prostate-specific antigen was employed instead of acid phosphatase. Of 18 evaluable patients, 6 achieved a partial response, 5 had stable disease, and in 7 the disease had progressed during therapy; thus, the overall response rate was 33.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 11.5-55.1%]. Significant pain alleviation and performance status improvement were obtained in 5 of 12 patients (41.7%; CI 13.8-69.6%) and 3 of 13 patients (23.1%; CI 0.2-46.0%), respectively. Although myelosuppression was moderate to severe, no chemotherapy-related deaths or bacteriologically documented sepsis occurred; nor was there any clinical cardiotoxicity. All the responding patients received maintenance chemotherapy with etoposide thereafter. At present, the median duration of response is 33 weeks (range: 23-91 weeks) and the median survival period for all patients is 42 weeks (range: 27(+)-136 weeks), with 12 deaths. In spite of the small number of patients treated, these results suggest that this chemotherapy regimen is active in advanced hormone-refractory prostate carcinoma.

Heparin effects on superoxide production by neutrophils

Heparin is widely used in the treatment of various diseases, but the mechanisms of its biologic actions remain largely obscure. Recently, oxygen radicals, which are produced in a variety of conditions and cause tissue damage, have been implicated in the pathophysiology of various diseases. To investigate the relationship between heparin and oxygen radical production by neutrophils, we compared the effects of standard heparin (heparin sodium), which has been widely used, and a recently developed low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) which has potent anti-Xa activity, on neutrophil oxygen radical production in vitro. Standard heparin increased neutrophil oxygen radical production slightly at the low concentrations used clinically but reduced it at high concentrations, so that the effect of heparin on neutrophil oxygen radical production was biphasic. The effects of LMWH on neutrophil oxygen radical production were slight at both low and high concentrations. In disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) locally activated neutrophils produce oxygen radicals and have toxic effects in vivo. Thus we concluded that LMWH should be indicated for the treatment of DIC.

Developmental and Hormonal Regulation of Rice [alpha]-Amylase(RAmy1A)-gusA Fusion Genes in Transgenic Rice Seeds

Transgenic seeds of rice (Oryza sativa L.) were used to investigate temporal, spatial, and hormonal regulation of a rice [alpha]-amylase gene, RAmy1A. Two overlapping segments of the RAmy1A promoter were fused to the coding region of the bacterial reporter gene, gusA. The resulting promoter-gusA fusions, pE4/GUS (-232 to +31) and pH4/GUS (-748 to +31), were used separately to transform rice protoplasts. [beta]-Glucuronidase (GUS) activity was detected in germinated transgenic seeds, although the two constructs showed no significant difference in timing or location of GUS expression. Both constructs first expressed GUS in the scutellar epithelium and then in the aleurone layer. Aleurone expression of GUS activity was strongly induced when embryoless half-seeds were treated with gibberellic acid. GUS expression in the aleurone layer was also suppressed by abscisic acid. These results indicate that the 5[prime] regulatory region from -232 to +31 is sufficient for temporal, spatial, and hormonal regulation of RAmy1A gene expression.

Polyclonal use of T-cell receptor alpha for human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1-infected T cells

PURPOSE

To understand better the immunopathology of HTLV-I uveitis by investigating the clonality of HTLV-I-infected T-cell clones.

METHODS

Eleven T-cell clones were established from the aqueous humor (six clones) and the peripheral blood (five clones) of a patient with HTLV-I uveitis, and the clonality of the HTLV-I-infected T cells was investigated by sequencing the T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha gene after the amplification of TCR alpha cDNA using an adaptor-ligation method and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTS

TCR alpha use was different for each of 11 T-cell clones, encompassing eight different HTLV-I-infected T-cell clones (four from the aqueous humor and four from peripheral blood) and three HTLV-I-negative T-cell clones.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated polyclonal use of TCR alpha for HTLV-I-infected T cells in the ocular lesion and the peripheral blood. Results suggested that these T cells are not precursors of the leukemic cells associated with malignant transformation. Instead, they might be randomly infected with HTLV-I in the process of HTLV-I uveitis.

Phosphomonoesters in the guinea-pig taenia caeci: pH-dependency of the phosphomonoester peaks in 31P-NMR

In the smooth muscle of guinea-pig taenia caeci, unlike cardiac and skeletal muscles, two prominent peaks are constantly observed in the phosphomonoester (PME) region (at 6.8 and 6.3 ppm) of 31P-NMR spectra. Tissue extracts, whose pH were adjusted to the intracellular pH of 7.1, also showed such peaks. According to the pH-dependency of the chemical shifts of known PMEs, these peaks were identified as phosphorylethanolamine (PEt) and phosphorylcholine (PCh), the intermediary metabolites of membrane phospholipid turnover. In normal solution, the intracellular pH (pH(i)) which was estimated from the chemical shifts of PMEs (PEt 7.07; PCh 7.17) agreed with that from P(i) (7.10). When preparations were exposed to hypoxia and high-Mg2+ conditions, a reasonable correlation was found between estimations of pH(i) from the PME and P(i) peaks. The chemical shifts of these PME peaks may be used for estimation of pH(i), at least, when there is a need to know relative changes of pH(i), as a complementary purpose, and also whenever the P(i) peak is not clearly observed.

Rapid superoxide production by endothelial cells and their injury upon reperfusion

Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC) were exposed to hypoxia for various time periods followed by reoxygenation, and production of both O2- and H2O2 by EC was measured using the cytochrome c and scopoletin methods, respectively. Production of significant amounts of O2- was observed as early as 1 min after reoxygenation, reached maximum at 3 min and seemed to decline thereafter. Production of H2O2 was observed slightly later than that of O2-. Endothelial cell injury during hypoxia/reoxygenation was determined by both the trypan blue dye exclusion and chromium release methods. Significant increase of EC injury was detected after reoxygenation by both methods. This injury was significantly inhibited by allopurinol but not by superoxide dismutase or catalase. These results indicate that the production of reactive oxygen metabolites by EC and EC injury occur very rapidly after reoxygenation, which has not been reported, and these should be taken in consideration for the understanding and treatment of the clinical reperfusion injury.

Circulating activated T lymphocyte subsets in patients with silent thyroiditis

In order to investigate the immunological aspects of silent thyroiditis, T lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by two-color flow cytometry in 10 patients with silent thyroiditis in the thyrotoxic phase, 12 patients with silent thyroiditis in the recovery phase, and 11 healthy volunteers as a control. The percentages of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells were similar in all three groups. In contrast, activated matured T (HLA-DR+CD3+), activated helper/inducer T (HLA-DR+CD4+) and activated suppressor/cytotoxic T (HLA-DR+CD8+) cells were more numerous in both the thyrotoxic and the recovery phases of patients with silent thyroiditis when compared with healthy controls. In a serial study of 6 patients with silent thyroiditis, the percentage of activated helper/inducer T (HLA-DR+CD4+) cells was higher in the thyrotoxic phase than in the recovery phase. These data indicate that the activation of T cells, especially of helper/inducer T cells, might be important for the induction of silent thyroiditis.

[Intra-ocular pressure changes during laparoscopic cholecystectomy]

Intra-ocular pressure (IOP) was measured during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n = 20) under continuous epidural block and nitrous oxide-oxygen anesthesia. There was a slight but significant increase in IOP and peak airway pressure when the abdominal CO2 insuffration was started, and the IOP recovered to the preoperative level after the postural change to the head-up position. It was not associated with any significant change in mean arterial pressure and end-tidal CO2. In one ocular hypertension case undergoing laparoscopic chorecystectomy and appendectomy, however, there was profound increase in IOP during abdominal CO2 insuffration with head down position. We speculate that it was due to the effect of increased CVP with abdominal CO2 insuffration and postural change on the IOP. Thus the laparoscopic operation with head-down position should be avoided in patients with ocular hypertension.

Synthesis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 protease inhibitory activity of tripeptide analogues containing a dioxoethylene moiety

Tripeptide analogues 2 and 3 containing a dioxoethylene moiety were designed based on the characteristic structure of the naturally occurring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 protease inhibitors RPI-856 A, B, C and D (1). The compounds (2, 3) prepared showed high inhibitory activity, comparable to that of RPI-856 A, against HIV-1 protease in vitro.

Effect of filler content on bonding efficacy of 4-META MMA/TBB bonding agent

The effect of adding micro filler to 4-META MMA/TBB dentin bonding agent was examined by measuring the wall-to-wall polymerization contraction gap of a commercial light-cured resin composite in a cylindrical dentin cavity and the tensile bond strength of the flat dentin surface. Gap formation was not completely prevented by using a filled dentin bonding agent although the tensile bond strength was significantly greater than that obtained using the unfilled dentin bonding agent. These results indicate that the addition of micro filler to the dentin bonding agent does not produce complete adaptation of the resin composite to the dentin cavity wall.

Antiarrhythmic effects of eicosapentaenoic acid during myocardial infarction--enhanced cardiac microsomal (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase activity

The effects of dietary supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on ventricular arrhythmias during myocardial infarction were examined in a canine model. EPA was incorporated into cellular membranes after ingestion of EPA-ester (100 mg/kg body weight/day) for 8 weeks. The ratio of EPA to arachidonic acid (AA) in platelet cell membranes and myocardial microsomes was significantly increased (7% to 37% in platelet cell membranes; p < 0.01, 3% to 12% in non-infarcted cardiac microsomes; p < 0.01, and from 2% to 8% in infarcted cardiac microsomes; p < 0.01). Dietary supplementation with EPA significantly reduced the incidence and severity of arrhythmias during coronary artery occlusion. Immediately after coronary artery occlusion, all of the animals in the control group that were given a toxic dose of digitalis developed ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (Vf), whereas none of the animals in the EPA-supplement group developed VT or Vf within 15 min after administration of digitalis. Regardless of the presence of an infarcted area, the specific activity of the Ca(2+)-pump enzyme ((Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase) within the myocardial microsomal fraction of the EPA-supplemented group was significantly higher than in that of the control group (Vmax: 140.5 +/- 19.1 vs 94.8 +/- 28.9 nmol/mg/min in non-infarcted cardiac microsomes, p < 0.01, 130.9 +/- 18.4 vs 90.2 +/- 26.4 nmol/mg/min in infarcted cardiac microsomes, p < 0.01, EPA vs control group, respectively). The specific activities of the Na(+)-pump enzyme ((Na(+)-K+)-ATPase) and NADPH-dependent cytochrome C reductase in infarcted and non-infarcted cardiac microsomes did not differ between these groups. These results indicate that EPA supplementation increases the (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase activity within myocardial membranes that is involved in Ca2+ metabolism in myocardial cells by increasing the ratio of EPA to AA within cellular membranes. These cellular alterations are likely to reduce the severity of ventricular arrhythmias by inhibiting the rapid accumulation of intracellular Ca2+ following ischemia.

Urinary prolactin excretion in children with renal disease

The contribution of the kidney to the metabolism of prolactin has not yet been established. In the present study, urinary prolactin concentrations in 30 children with renal disease were measured by a newly devised, highly sensitive, time-resolved immunofluorometric assay. Median prolactin concentrations in the urine of children with renal disease, were 1.86 pmol/L-1 of urine (range: 0.17-546.31 pmol/L-1. By stepwise regression analysis, change in urinary prolactin levels as a function of the urinary beta 2-microglobulin concentrations was detected. These results indicate that prolactin urinary excretion in children with renal disease is dependent on the renal proximal tubular function.

Distribution of lysosomal protective protein in human tissues

We raised two polyclonal antibodies against synthetic oligopeptides comprising amino acid sequences in the human lysosomal protective protein. The first antibody recognized the 54-kDa precursor and the N-terminal sequence of the 32-kDa mature protein subunit, and the second one recognized the precursor and the C-terminal sequence of the 20-kDa subunit. In normal fibroblasts, mature protective protein was detected on immunoblotting with these antibodies. Considerable amounts of mature protective protein also were detected in kidney, lung, liver, and spleen, but not in brain from a patient with Gaucher disease. Neither the precursor nor the mature protective protein was detected in cultured fibroblasts, liver or cerebrum from a galactosialidosis patient with protective protein deficiency.

Hypocomplementemia associated with hepatitis C viremia in sera from voluntary blood donors

OBJECTIVES

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection induces extra-hepatic manifestations, most of which are considered to be mediated by circulating immune complexes. For evaluating this association in a wider perspective, complement activity was determined in sera from apparently healthy individuals, and hypocomplementemia was tested for correlation with HCV viremia.

METHODS

Sera from 10,532 voluntary blood donors were stored at 4 degrees C overnight, serially diluted 2-fold, and tested for hemolytic activity by a microtitration method and antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) by passive hemagglutination with recombinant HCV antigens of the second generation. HCV RNA was determined in sera with anti-HCV or hypocomplementemia, or both, by polymerase chain reaction with nested primers deduced from the 5'-noncoding region of the HCV genome.

RESULTS

Hypocomplementemia was detected in 53 (0.5%) of 10,532 donations and anti-HCV in 94 (0.9%). Anti-HCV was detected in 48 (91%) of the 53 sera with hypocomplementemia, more frequently than in 46 (0.44%) of 10,479 sera without (p < 0.001). Among 94 sera positive for anti-HCV, HCV RNA was detected in 45 (94%) of 48 sera with hypocomplementemia, more often than in 10 (22%) of 46 sera without (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A close association of hypocomplementemia with HCV viremia among apparently healthy blood donors would reflect circulating immune complexes which may cause extrahepatic diseases, such as cryoglobulinemia and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, in some HCV carriers. The storage of sera from HCV carriers at 4 degrees C before the test would have contributed to a decreased hemolytic activity due to the cold activation of complement by cryoglobulins involving HCV.

The ACE inhibitor alacepril suppresses atherogenesis independent of serum lipids in cholesterol-fed rabbits--critical analysis with new ultrasound technique

The effects of alacepril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, on atherogenesis were examined in rabbits fed a hypercholesterol diet. The process of atherogenesis was evaluated in vitro by high-resolution transesophageal ultrasonography (TEE phi 4 mm, 7.5 MHz), by direct histological examination and by serum lipid examination. Of the 38 subjects, 18 were designated as the control hypercholesterol group (CH) and 20 received oral alacepril at 90 mg/day (ACE) for 13-22 weeks. Three rabbits in each group died due to pneumonia. TEE enabled a clear diagnosis as either normal, early stage or late stage of atherosclerosis. The intimal-medial thickness was significantly less in the ACE group than in the CH group, but only over the middle portion of the aorta. The ACE group had a smaller area of atheromatous plaque than the CH group (atheromatous index: 37 +/- 20* and 60 +/- 30% respectively, *p < 0.02). Serum cholesterol and triglycerides were similar in the CH group (1590 +/- 653, 258 +/- 224) and the ACE group (1574 +/- 824, 303 +/- 360 respectively). In conclusion, alacepril reduced both the area of atheromatous atheroma plaque and wall hypertrophy independent of serum lipids in cholesterol-fed rabbits. In vitro miniature TEE is a dependable method for evaluating atherosclerosis in rabbits with hypercholesterolemia.

High resolution miniature trans-esophageal echocardiography is useful to evaluate atherosclerosis and the effects of alacepril in hyper-cholesterol rabbits

This study tested the efficacy of high resolution miniature transesophageal echocardiography (m-TEE; 3.5 mm-diameter probe, 7.5 MHz, axial resolution of 0.25 mm) in the evaluation of atherosclerotic lesions of the thoracic aorta rabbits exposed to a high cholesterol diet. The effects of the ACE inhibitor Alacepril (90 mg/kg) on atherosclerosis were also assessed in normotensive, high cholesterol-diet rabbits by m-TEE, both in situ and in vitro. Oral treatment with Alacepril was begun on confirmation of atherosclerosis after a three month high cholesterol diet (group AL). Ultrasound examination reliably distinguished the lesions of atherosclerosis in situ. A three month course of Alacepril treatment decreased the systolic and diastolic blood pressures by approximately 20 and 5 mmHg, produced a regression of atherosclerosis and significantly decreased the intimal plus medial thickness compared with hyperlipidemic-controls (group HC) (1.0 + 0.3 vs 1.6 + 0.4 mm, p < 0.02). The intimal surface involvement area in group AL was marginally smaller than in group HC (57 + 23 vs 76 + 23%, p = 0.06). The high dose of Alacepril in this study did not affect the serum levels of t-cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides, or apoproteins A-I and B. These results suggest that Alacepril can produce regression of atherosclerosis, without changing circulating lipoprotein or apoprotein levels. Further miniature TEE offers high repeatability and is useful both in situ and in vitro for determining changes in arterial wall thickness and the severity of atherosclerosis.

Efficacy of various commercial dentin bonding systems

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to test the bonding efficacy of fifteen commercial dentin bonding systems and also to determine the effect of various commercial dentin cleaners on bonding and dentin hardness.

METHODS

Each commercial bonding system was examined by two methods: 1) measuring the maximum contraction gap of a light-cured composite in a cylindrical dentin cavity; and 2) determine the tensile bond strength to a flat dentin surface. In addition, various commercial dentin cleansers were investigated to determine if dentin hardness was reduced after cleaning. As a control, the dentin surface was cleaned with neutralized EDTA prior to the combined application of an experimental dentin primer, a commercial bonding agent, and a commercial light-cured composite.

RESULTS

The study demonstrated that complete marginal adaptation was obtained by the experimental dentin bonding system used as the control. However, it was not possible to completely prevent gap formation with the commercial dentin bonding systems tested. A high correlation (R = 0.88) was observed between maximum contraction gap width and reduction of hardness only in the group in which the dentin was rinsed after cleaning.

SIGNIFICANCE

It is very important to combine optimal dentin cleansers, primers, and bonding agents to compensate for the polymerization contraction stress of the composite. Therefore, it was speculated that the commercial dentin bonding systems tested in this study consisted of unsuitable materials.

Statistically corrected ocean thermography

A corrected thermal imaging method for a wind-roughened water surface is proposed. This method can be applied even if the imaging system is placed at low altitudes, say on a ship or on land, as well as on an airborne platform. Such a technique is desirable from the following points of view: the surveillance of bioresources (fish), environmental assessments of a seaside industrial zone (hot waste water), and temporal complement and spatial interpolation of satellite observations of thermal images. The method is based on the analysis of optical characteristics of a model of a wind-roughened water surface, namely, the Gaussian-Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) model, where the surface displacement obeys Gaussian distribution while its spectrum is specified by the JONSWAP wave spectral model. We present the basic temperature-correction formula and the algorithm for correction. The correction takes into account thermal emission of the water's surface, radiation of the sky reflected on the water's surface, and both absorption and emission by the atmosphere along the light path. This formula can be used for temperature correction of an infrared image of sky and random water surface. The experimental results that we obtained are encouraging.

A neurosynaptic model of state-dependent EEG wave generation in the subcortico-cortical system

A neurosynaptic model of the subcortico-cortical system is presented in order to analyze the mechanism for the generation of EEG rhythms with specific state-dependent spectral patterns. The model is based on the interaction among the infraslow, as well as basic, rhythms of the PSP's (postsynaptic potentials) trains from which CSD's (current source densities) or cortical surface potentials emerge. The model system was simulated by two trains of positive and negative cortical surface potentials within the same period, according to the thalamic clock as modulated by the infraslow rhythms of the midbrain reticular system. The simulated EEG's showed rhythmic waxing and waning sawtooth-like waves with no frequency fluctuation, but with some spectral broadband peaks at the basic repetitive frequency, as well as its harmonics.

Influence of reapportionment of daily salt intake on circadian blood pressure pattern in normotensive subjects

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is variation in blood pressure when we reapportion the percentage of total daily salt intake consumed at each of three regular meals. The study was conducted on seven clinically healthy normotensive female subjects who, in Stages LH and DH, consumed two-thirds of the normal daily salt intake (12 g/day) at lunchtime or at dinnertime, respectively. The total daily amounts of nutrients and dietary salt were similar in Stage-R (regulated salt intake), Stage-LH (a high-salt intake at lunchtime), and Stage-DH (a high-salt intake at dinnertime). The blood pressure response to the variation of sodium content in the meals was examined by means of noninvasive automated blood pressure monitoring (ABPM-630; readings every 15 or 30 min over 48 h) and chronobiologic analysis. A significant shift of blood pressure circadian rhythm was observed in Stage-LH. Additionally, the 24-h mean level of blood pressure significantly increased when the prevailing salt intake was at lunch, and significantly decreased when the prevailing intake was at dinner. These opposite responses corroborate the view that the blood pressure susceptibility of human beings to salt intake varies during the day, showing its maximal expression at midday. Such a time-dependent sensitivity may be exploited for better nutritional prevention and treatment of arterial hypertension by reapportioning the salt intake so that two-thirds is consumed at dinner.