Studies on a chemically defined medium for in vitro culture of in vitro matured and fertilized porcine oocytes

The present study evaluated the effects of various components in a chemically defined medium on the development of IVM/IVF porcine embryos. The investigated components included energy substrates (lactate, pyruvate or glucose, alone or in various combinations), amino acids (glutamine, glycine or alanine), PVP and HEPES buffer. The effects of each energy substrate were the same as the control. However, a mixture of lactate with either of the other energy substrates increased the development rate. Glutamine tended to decrease rate of the development more than other amino acids, and this inhibition was dose dependent. Both PVP and HEPES buffer did not affect development rate. However, more than 35 mM HEPES buffer induced fragmentation From the above results, a new culture medium was designed (supplemented with 0.276 mM glycine, 0.176 mM alanine, 15 mM HEPES buffer and 1% (wt/vol) PVP in BSA-free Whitten's medium with or without glucose). The new medium resulted in a higher embryo development rate (20.4 and 16.3%) than that obtained with the control medium (10.0%).

The use of whole blood absorbed on filter paper to detect Wuchereria bancrofti circulating antigen

The Og4C3 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect circulating Wuchereria bancrofti antigen uses 50 microL of serum. In this study, a whole blood sample absorbed on filter paper was tested as a substitute for serum. Serum samples were obtained from 60 Sri Lankan subjects by venepuncture and finger-prick blood samples from the same individuals were directly absorbed on filter paper. Og4C3 ELISAs using serum and filter paper blood were compared. Despite the fact that the estimated amount of serum available for the ELISA with filter paper blood was only one-fifth of that available when serum was used, the 2 ELISAs gave almost identical results. Of the 39 positive serum samples, 38 were detected using filter paper blood. Employing the ELISA using filter paper blood, 619 people in Matara, Sri Lanka, were examined for antigenaemia. The positivity rate was 22.5%, 3.1 times higher than the rate of microfilaraemia detected by examination of 60 microL blood films.

Efficacy of a single dose treatment of Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaria carriers with diethylcarbamazine in Matara, Sri Lanka

OBJECTIVE

To test the efficacy of diethylcarbamazine DEC single dose regimen of 6 mg/kg body weight (bw) on a sample of Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaria (mf) carriers in Matara.

DESIGN

6 mg/kg bw DEC dose in 50 mg tablets given under direct observation to the subjects at 23.00 hours after pre-treatment blood collection for mf counts. Post-treatment mf counts were at 1, 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6, 12 months.

SUBJECTS

31 asymptomatic mf carriers, 14 males, age range 6 to 62 years.

RESULTS

Treatment resulted in 89 to 97% success rate, 19 to 28% cure rates and 74 to 80% reduction in mf density. There was no difference statistically in the success rate and cure rate at 6 and 12 months. The effect of DEC treatment at 6 and 12 months compared by sex, age group and pre-treatment mf level showed no difference. 64.5% of the carriers treated had at least one mild adverse reaction. Rates of the common reactions were 41.9% fever, 22.6% headache and 16.1% joint pains.

CONCLUSION

A new mass treatment program has been initiated by the national Antifilariasis Campaign using the single dose DEC 6 mg/kg bw regimen. The satisfactory reduction in mf density at 6 and 12 months following DEC single dose treatment we observed provides support for this program.

Microfilarial periodicity of Wuchereria bancrofti and man landing periodicity of the vector Culex quinquefasciatus say in Matara, Sri Lanka

OBJECTIVE

To compare the microfilarial periodicity of Wuchereria bancrofti, with the man landing periodicity of the vector Culex quinquefasciatus in Matara, Sri Lanka.

DESIGN

Periodicity was estimated using a statistical method. 60 microliters finger prick (FP) blood was smeared from a single subject every 2 hours for 24 hours of the day to make 12 samples. Smears were stained with Giemsa and the microfilariae (mff) counted. Man landing catches of mosquitoes were made inside a bedroom of a house in the same area on a sleeping volunteer during the night, between 18.00 and 06.00 hours. Each hourly catch was placed in separate paper cups. Hourly C. quinquefasciatus taken were counted.

SUBJECTS

10 asymptomatic microfilaria (mf) carriers.

RESULTS

The individual mf peaks in the 10 carriers varied from 22.00 to 04.00 hours. Using the statistical method the parameter k showing the mf peak hour was 1.19 estimating the peak mf density at 01.11 hours. The influence of different times of blood collection on false negatives among the very low density carriers was estimated by the periodicity curve. It would be desirable to collect blood during the estimated time interval when the mf count was 80% of the peak count, between 21.55 and 04.27 hours in Matara. The results of 25 all-night mosquito landing catches gave a peak activity hours of k as 7.78, corresponding to 01.47 hours.

CONCLUSION

The close agreement in the peak hours of mf density and vector activity suggests a perfect adaptation between parasite and vector for optimum transmission.

Efficacy of five annual single doses of diethylcarbamazine for treatment of lymphatic filariasis in Fiji

Annual single-dose treatments with diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) at a dose of 6 mg/kg have been reported effective in reducing microfilariae (mf) rate and density and applicable to large-scale filariasis control campaigns. However, the efficacy of such treatments has not been studied quantitatively in relation to different pretreatment levels of endemicity. This study of 32 villages in Fiji revealed that five treatments repeated annually steadily reduced village mf rate, and that the degree of reduction was not influenced by pretreatment levels of mf density or rate. This indicates that an annual dosage scheme is applicable to high-endemicity areas. The results also suggest that such treatment affected juvenile forms of Wuchereria bancrofti and may prevent them from reproducing.

[Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) using monoclonal antibodies]

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a widely used marker for screening and monitoring prostate cancer. However, different commercial immunoassays, often give different PSA values for the same patient sample. We produced 59 monoclonal antibodies against human PSA. Two monoclonal antibodies (No. 54 and No. 47) against PSA were used to develop one-step ELISA for serum PSA. In the combination of these two antibodies, incubation for more than 30 minutes gave an equimolar response to both free-PSA and PSA complexed to alpha 1-antichymotrypsin. The procedure is simple, and the method is specific and reproducible. The average recovery for serum sample was 90-107%.

Cercarial density in the river of an endemic area of schistosomiasis haematobia in Kenya

The cercarial density in natural water and number of infected Bulinus globosus were monitored over a one-year period to identify the transmission foci in an endemic area of schistosomiasis haematobia in Kenya. Overall prevalence and intensity of infection of the study community were 59.2% and 10.9 eggs/10 ml of urine. Cercariometry was carried out on 456 occasions at 20 study sites while snail sampling was done on 465 occasions at the same sites over a one-year period. Cercariometry was exclusively done at flowing water habitats. The results showed the focality and seasonality of transmission. Cercariae were detected on 44 occasions at 11 sites. The detections were made on seven occasions at two study sites, six occasions at one site, four occasions at four sites, three occasions at one site, two occasions at two sites, and one occasion at one site. Densities of 1-4 cercariae/100 liters of water were found on 31 occasions. Five to nine cercariae/100 liters of water were found on seven occasions, 10-19 cercariae/100 liters of water were found on two occasions, and high cercarial densities greater than 20 cercariae/100 liters of water were found on four occasions. The highest count was 52 cercariae/100 liters of water. The presence of cercariae in natural water was shown to depend on the water temperature, but the intensity and duration of sunlight did not affect the presence of cercariae in water. The monthly variability of cercarial density was proportional to the number of infected snails. Cercarial density was highest in March and April, in the middle of the rainy season, whereas no cercariae were detected in cool dry season. The snail population peaked late in March, the beginning of the long rainy season, remained high for two months, and decreased rapidly late in May when heavy rain occurred. The overall infection rate of snails was 7.3% and the majority of infected snails were collected from March to May. There was no definite correlation between the presence or absence of cercariae and infected snails. Cercariae were frequently found where infected snails were absent and cercariae were sometimes absent where infected snails were present. Cercariometry and snail sampling remain quite complementary in identifying the transmission foci of schistosomiasis.

A dtsR gene-disrupted mutant of Brevibacterium lactofermentum requires fatty acids for growth and efficiently produces L-glutamate in the presence of an excess of biotin

A dtsR gene encoding a homolog of the beta subunit of some biotin-containing enzymes suppresses a detergent-sensitive mutation of Brevibacterium lactofermentum (E. Kimura et al., 1996, Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. 60, 1565-1570), which has been used for the fermentative production of L-glutamate. When the dtsR gene was disrupted, the organism exhibited strict fatty acid auxotrophy; oleate or oleate ester, but not palmitate ester or stearate ester, supported the growth of the delta dtsR mutant. Immunoblotting with an anti-DtsR antibody revealed that no intact DtsR was present in the cytosol of the delta dtsR mutant. In the presence of an excess of biotin, the wild type strain did not produce L-glutamate whereas the delta dtsR mutant efficiently produced it. The mechanism underlying the efficient production of L-glutamate by the delta dtsR mutant is discussed as to the possible role of dtsR in fatty acid metabolism.

[Clinical effect of two azasetron treatment methods against nausea and vomiting induced by anticancer drugs including CDDP]

Azasetron, a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, has been previously shown to be highly effective in the prophylaxis of nausea and vomiting induced by anticancer drugs, and is widely used in the clinical setting in Japan. In order to improve the antiemetic effect of azasetron, we designed two treatment methods using this drug and compared the antiemetic effect of this method with that of standard bolus intravenous injection on nausea and vomiting associated with anticancer drug including 75 mg/m cisplatin (CDDP). The two-treatment group received an intravenous bolus injection of 5 mg azasetron before and 8 hours after the start of chemotherapy, and a standard group was given an intravenous bolus injection of 10 mg azasetron only once a day. The inhibitory effect on vomiting in the two-treatment group was significantly greater than those of the standard group on day 1 and 2 (p = 0.0458, p = 0.0273), and the inhibitory effect on nausea of the two-treatment group tended to be superior those of the bolus group on day 2 (p = 0.0533). No adverse effects were observed in either group of this study. From these data, the two-treatment approach was considered to be highly effective in prophylaxis of nausea and vomiting induced by anticancer drug.

Pharmacokinetic profile of piroxicam beta-cyclodextrin, in rat plasma and lymph

1. The absorption of piroxicam into the blood of rats is significantly slower after oral administration of piroxicam beta-cyclodextrin than of free piroxicam. 2. The pharmacokinetic profiles of piroxicam in rat lymph were very similar in both groups. 3. Bioavailability of piroxicam in plasma is higher after treatment with the inclusion product than with free piroxicam. On the other hand, bioavailability in lymph is higher when free piroxicam is administered.

[A case of right ventricular myxoma]

A 43-year-old male presented with a history of occasional syncopal episodes and general fatigue for 4 months. On admission, a grade 4/6 systolic murmur was noted, and the electrocardiogram demonstrated frequent premature supraventricular beats. An echocardiogram revealed the presence of a multi-lobular mass in the right ventricle which prolapsed into the pulmonary artery during systole. Ultrafast computed tomography demonstrated a pedunculated mass arising from the right ventricular free well. At operation, the soft mass was excised through the tricuspid valve under cardiac arrest. Histopathologically, the tumor was diagnosed as a myxoma. Myxoma of the right ventricle occurs very rare. We review the literature relevant to cardiac myxoma.

Molecular cloning of the Corynebacterium glutamicum ('Brevibacterium lactofermentum' AJ12036) odhA gene encoding a novel type of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase

The Corynebacterium glutamicum ('Brevibacterium lactofermentum' AJ12036) odhA gene, encoding 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (E1o subunit of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex), has been isolated and identified as an homologous counterpart of the Escherichia coll sucA and Bacillus subtilis odhA genes. The nucleotide sequence of a 4394 bp chromosomal fragment containing the C. glutamicum odhA gene was determined. The odhA gene comprised 3771 bp (1257 codons, including the initiation codon) and a molecular mass of 138656 Da was predicted for the OdhA polypeptide. Northern blot analysis revealed a 3.9 kb transcript. The size of the transcript, together with the presence of a rho-independent terminator-like structure, suggests that C. glutamicum odhA is monocistronic. Cells harbouring plasmids carrying C. glutamicum odhA showed a threefold increase in specific 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex activity and expression of a protein with an apparent molecular mass of 136 kDa, in good agreement with the predicted size of the OdhA polypeptide. The C-terminal region of the C. glutamicum OdhA protein shows strong sequence similarity to E1os from other organisms. C. glutamicum OdhA has an N-terminal extension not found in previously reported E1os. The amino acid sequence of this extension shows similarity to that of the C-terminal region of dihydrolipoamide S-succinyltransferase (E2o) subunits of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes and dihydrolipoamide S-acetyltransferase (E2p) subunits of pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes. It suggests that the C. glutamicum odhA gene might encode a novel bifunctional protein with E1o and E2o activities.

Association between Helicobacter pylori infection and serum pepsinogen concentrations in gastroduodenal disease

AIM

To investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and serum pepsinogen (PG) 1 and 2 concentrations in various gastroduodenal diseases.

METHODS

Serum PG1 and 2 concentrations and antibodies to H pylori were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); gastric mucosal pH was assessed and urease activity in biopsy tissue was determined. A comparison of the ELISA and urease test results permitted division of the cases into positive, false positive, false negative and negative categories for control, gastritis, and ulcer groups.

RESULTS

The gastric mucosal pH and serum PG2 in cases positive for H pylori were significantly increased in ulcer and gastritis cases compared with H pylori negative cases. Similar tendencies were observed for the false positive and false negative categories.

CONCLUSIONS

A positive ELISA reaction for antibodies and an increased serum PG2 concentration are reliable indicators of H pylori infection.

Molecular cloning of a novel gene, dtsR, which rescues the detergent sensitivity of a mutant derived from Brevibacterium lactofermentum

Several strains of Corynebacterium and Brevibacterium are known for their ability to secrete large amounts of amino acids, especially L-glutamate. We focused on the mechanism of L-glutamate secretion triggered by a detergent, namely polyoxyethylenesorbitan monopalmitate (PESP). A mutant strain, AJ11060, derived from Brevibacterium lactofermentum ATCC 13869 indicates the sensitivity to PESP. A multicopy suppresser gene that compliments the sensitivity of AJ11060 to the detergent was derived from a gene library of B. lactofermentum AJ12036. A 2855-bp DNA fragment was cloned and sequenced. An open reading frame was found that coded for the rescuer gene of the sensitivity to PESP of AJ11060 and was designated dtsR. The expression of the dtsR gene in B. lactofermentum was confirmed by using anti-DtsR antibody. The deduced DtsR protein indicated significant homology with some biotin enzymes such as the beta chain of propionyl-CoA carboxylase from rat (48.3%) and human (48.7%), or a 12S chain of methylmalonyl-CoA carboxyltransferase from Propionibacterium freudenreichii (43.1%).

[A surgical case report of ossified left atrial myxoma]

A 68-year-old female has developed dyspnea on effort for 5 years. On admission, a grade 2/6 apical systolic regurgitant murmur was noted. Chest X-ray examination showed moderate cardiac enlargement. Echocardiogram showed a highly echoic mass with acoustic shadow in the left atrium which was attached to the interatrial septum. A partial herniation of the tumor through the mitral annulus in diastolic phase and moderate mitral regurgitation was noted. Ultra fast computed tomography of the chest revealed a left atrial mass with high density area. At operation the mass was excised with atrial septum through the right atriotomy. Microscopic findings showed the myxoma with bone and bone marrow formation.

[Creation of new supramolecular science with macrocyclic polyamines]

Exploitation of saturated macrocyclic polyamines has led to a discovery of numerous novel functions and new molecules such as (1) unique proton sponge properties; (2) uptake of biological polyanions; (3) peptide-like metal uptake properties; (4) stabilization of unusual oxidation states of metal ions (e.g. CuIII, NiIII); (5) novel uptake and activation of O2 by a new NiII-macrocyclic complex; (6) a new synthetic pathway to functionalize polyamines; (7) the first gold (III) complex that is a new candidate for gold-plating agents; (8) intrinsic zinc (II) properties pertinent to zinc enzymes; and (9) selective recognition of thymine by ZnII complexes. These newly discovered properties have created a way to a new type of supramolecular science.