Urinary excretion of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol accompanying glucose excretion in diabetic patients

The urinary excretion of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol, a pyranoid polyol, in humans was studied. The plasma of nondiabetic human subjects contained high concentrations of this polyol (greater than 110 mumol/l), and there was a tendency for the 24-h excretion of it to become more variable in direct proportion to its plasma concentration. In contrast, diabetic patients showed lower plasma concentrations of this polyol, and the variation in the 24-h excretion of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol was especially notable among the patients with an extremely low plasma concentration of the polyol. This diabetic group showed a statistically significant correlation (p less than 0.01), between the urinary 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol and urinary glucose. This correlation was more markedly demonstrated during a 100-g oral glucose tolerance test: parallel changes were observed in the concentrations of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol and glucose in the urine collected every hour after the glucose load. These observations led to the proposal that low plasma concentration of this polyol, which is observed in diabetes mellitus, may be the result of a frequent and/or prolonged high blood glucose concentration beyond the renal threshold for glucose excretion.

Reduction of plasma 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1-deoxyglucose) concentration in diabetic patients

The plasma concentration of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol(AG)(1-deoxyglucose) is known to decrease in diabetic patients. In order to evaluate the usefulness of this polyol as a diabetic marker, we examined the specificity of the plasma AG reduction in various diseases: the plasma AG level was determined in 108 newly diagnosed diabetic patients, 229 normal subjects and 200 patients with various other disorders. The mean plasma AG concentration in diabetes mellitus was 1.9 +/- 1.8 micrograms/ml (mean +/- SD), which was definitely lower than that in healthy subjects and patients with other diseases including some metabolic and hormonal diseases (mean value range: 13.4-28.3 micrograms/ml). Only the "malignancies" group showed statistically different mean values from that in normal subjects; however, these values were much higher than those of diabetic patients. The AG concentration seemed to be relatively low in some severe by uraemic patients, but is likely to be little influenced by the glomerular filtration rate. Upon adjustment for sex and age, AG concentration was not found to be correlated with the degree of obesity in both healthy subjects and diabetic patients. The plasma AG concentration showed a tendency to be higher in healthy males than in healthy females in all age-matched groups; however, statistically significant differences were not seen. Also, no significant influence of age was observed.

Reduced renal reabsorption of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol in diabetic rats and mice

A stable amount, approximately 60 micrograms, of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol (AG) was detected in the 24-h-urine of normal young rats fed ad libitum. Upon administration of streptozotocin (STZ), this amount was temporarily elevated to as much as 1.1 mg and AG was concomitantly removed from the circulation. The plasma AG level stayed almost null thereafter while the acutely elevated urinary AG excretion declined within 24 h to another stable excretion level that was three times as high as that of the untreated rats. In contrast, glucosuria developed much more slowly in the drug-treated rats. Normal rats and mice retained exogenous [14C]AG to a considerable extent and the radioactivity was distributed all over the body. Only a marginal fraction of the radioactivity was excreted as expired CO2. The radio-activities retained in the body and excreted into the urine were mostly attributed to unmetabolized AG. The observations of AG's metabolic stability and its relatively low level of leakage into urine suggested the concept of effective renal AG reabsorption. On the other hand, the rats with STZ-induced diabetes and NOD-mice with spontaneously developed diabetes retained little of the radioactive AG in their bodies; most of the injected radioactivity was recovered in the urine within 24 h. This observation was interpreted as due to reduced renal AG reabsorption in these animals. The concept of reduction in renal AG reabsorption in diabetes could account for the reduced plasma AG level generally observed in human diabetic cases.

Control of laboratory acquired hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Japan

By the end of 1985, 126 human cases of laboratory acquired hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) were recorded in Japan. Seroepidemiological studies revealed that laboratory rats exhibited high IFA titers against Hantaan or related viruses at locations where HFRS patients occurred. Laboratory researchers contracted HFRS more frequently than laboratory animal technicians or caretakers, although a laboratory animal caretaker died of the disease. Inhalation of HFRS-virus contaminated air in an animal facility is the likely cause of infection with this virus. Wound infection during animal experiments may be another important route of infection. Infection of laboratory rats can occur by transferring animals from contaminated to other animal facilities. Tissue fragments or cells of transplantable animal tumors are a potential source of spreading the HFRS virus. Eradication of HFRS virus from a contaminated animal facility can be achieved best by elimination of all animals in the room, especially when human HFRS is associated with an infected colony. In some cases, when IFA titers of the sera of the rats tested were low, infection apparently disappeared without instituting any particular control measures other than ordinary procedures for care and management of laboratory animals. HFRS viruses have not yet been eradicated from all animal facilities in Japan. Therefore, serological monitoring of laboratory rats continues.

Reduction and recovery of plasma 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol level in diabetes mellitus

The plasma concentration of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol (AG) was measured in 135 newly diagnosed patients who were referred for oral glucose tolerance tests. AG concentrations in the nondiabetic patients indicated that the mean value of normal AG concentration was 21.8 micrograms/ml (SD = 5.9 micrograms/ml, range 9.6-38.8 micrograms/ml). This distribution of AG concentration was significantly different from that in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (13.3 +/- 5.4 micrograms/ml) and definitely different from that in diabetic patients (2.1 +/- 1.8 micrograms/ml). In a standard glucagon test, it was suggested that the decrease of plasma AG was affected not only by glycemic control of the patients but also by pancreatic cell secretory activity. The reduction of AG concentration was more marked in IDDM patients than in NIDDM patients. In longitudinal studies, AG concentration was shown to be sensitive to glycemic control. However, its recovery showed a tendency toward much delay after the improvement of fasting blood glucose or HbA1 concentrations. On the other hand, AG concentration showed negligible diurnal change and no immediate change as a result of diet, oral glucose load, or acute shift of the insulin level in both normal and diabetic subjects.

Persistent infection of rats with haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome virus and their antibody responses

Newborn (within 24 h after birth), 1-week-old and 6-week-old (adult) rats were inoculated with a Hantaan-related virus (B-1) and attempts were made to isolate the virus from various organs. Virus-specific antigens were detected in various organs of newborn rats. Moreover virus could be isolated from almost all their organs even 25 weeks after infection. In contrast, in rats infected at 6 weeks of age the virus could be isolated from various organs but its concentration decreased progressively with time. The levels of haemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) and neutralizing antibodies to B-1 virus in the sera were measured. In adult rats, HI antibodies were first detected 2 weeks after infection and their titre rose to a maximum after 5 weeks. On the other hand, in newborn rats the levels of antibodies remained low until 5 or 6 weeks after infection and started to increase to a high level more than 9 weeks after infection. Furthermore, in rats infected soon after birth IgM antibodies predominated for a long time and these antibodies also neutralized infectivity at a high level. These data suggest that the induction of a high titre of neutralizing antibodies mainly of the IgM type does not result in virus clearance in newborn rats and that cellular immunity may be important for virus clearance in vivo.

Comparison of immunofluorescence and hemagglutination inhibition tests and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of serum antibody in rats infected with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome virus

Serum antibodies against the B-1 strain of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) virus in wild and experimental rats were investigated by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody (IF) test, the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the newly developed ELISA, monoclonal antibodies to the B-1 strain were applied as coating antibody. In sera from wild rats, the results obtained by the ELISA agreed quite well with those obtained by the HI test, but some serum samples that gave a negative reaction in the HI test gave a positive reaction in the IF test, although their IF titers were very low. In serum samples from experimental rats that had been kept in an animal house infected with HFRS virus, a group with high titers and a group with low or negative titers were clearly differentiated by all the tests.

[Autocrine growth factor produced by a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line]

Recently, a number of novel growth factors have been identified in culture medium conditioned by tumor cell lines. It is tempting to speculate that these growth factors produced by tumor cells could act as very good tumor markers. We have found that the conditioned medium of human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) stimulated [3H] glucose incorporation into lipids in rat adipocytes. When the conditioned medium was subjected to gel filtration on a Sephadex G-100 column, this activity was eluted in the fraction corresponding to a molecular weight of 10-12 K daltons. The production of this factor was maximal in the early log phase of cell growth and declined with increasing cell density. Differentiation of HL-60 cells to macrophages was also associated with a decrease in the production of this factor. This factor also stimulated [3H] thymidine uptake into DNA and cell proliferation in HL-60 cells themselves. These data suggest the possibility of autocrine growth of HL-60 as a result of this factor. We have subsequently tried to purify this factor. Two liters of serum-free conditioned HL-60 medium were used as a starting material. The material was purified by gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. Finally, 1.1 microgram of purified sample was obtained. The degree of purification was 115,613-fold. Growth factors can be very good tumor markers because this is the only tumor marker which has now been clarified to have an important role in tumor growth.

Marked depletion of plasma 1,5-anhydroglucitol, a major polyol, in streptozocin-induced diabetes in rats and the effect of insulin treatment

Plasma levels of 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5AG), a major polyol resembling glucose in structure, fell rapidly and dramatically in streptozocin (STZ)-treated rats. 1,5AG fell immediately after STZ injection, reaching a plasma level 6 h after administration of the drug that was one-third that in the plasma of control rats. Reduction of 1,5AG was independent of the profile of blood glucose induced by STZ. After intravenous injection of [14C]-1,5AG, its plasma half-life was determined to be between 120 and 180 min. After a phase of acute decrease, the reduction of 1,5AG became gradual, stopping within 6 days after treatment. However, in some cases, the drop in 1,5AG was partially reversible by insulin treatment. The extent to which 1,5AG fell did not strictly correspond to the dose of STZ. The particular organ(s) consuming or accumulating 1,5AG was not identified. However, aside from the large amount of 1,5AG in plasma and the small amount of 1,5AG in the urine, the liver appears to be a significant organ for metabolism of 1,5AG.

Isolation of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome virus from leukocytes of rats and virus replication in cultures of rat and human macrophages

Newborn rats were inoculated intraperitoneally with haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS)-related virus (B-1 strain), and virus isolation from their various organs was attempted between 1 and 25 weeks after inoculation. Virus could be isolated repeatedly from lung, brain, spleen and kidney and also from peripheral blood. When virus isolation was carried out on fractionated peripheral blood cells, virus was associated mainly with the macrophage fraction and to a lesser extent with granulocytes. Virus replicated well in peritoneal exudate cells of normal rats and it grew in the adherent mononuclear cells from normal human peripheral blood. These data suggest that macrophages, permissive for HFRS-related virus replication, might contribute to the spread of viral infection in vivo.

Alteration of ribosomes and RNA polymerase in drug-resistant clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The biochemical mechanism of resistance to kanamycin, viomycin, and rifampin in five clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was studied. Resistance to viomycin and kanamycin was attributed to altered ribosomes, whereas resistance to rifampin was attributed to an alteration of RNA polymerase. Ribosomal resistance was, however, not the only way of expressing resistance to viomycin and kanamycin.

Variables that regulate production of insulin-like peptide(s) in human leukemia cell line (HL-60)

A human myeloid leukemia cell line (HL-60) produces a peptide or peptides with insulin-like activity which is distinct from insulin or insulin-like growth factors (somatomedins). Factors regulating the production of this peptide (HL-ILP) were explored in the present study. The production of HL-ILP was maximal in the early log phase of cell growth and declined with increasing cell density. Differentiation of HL-60 cells to macrophages, induced by dihydroxyvitamin D3 or phorbol esters, was also associated with a decrease in HL-ILP production. Glucose consumption by the cells in the early log phase was closely related with HL-ILP production, and HL-ILP was found to stimulate glucose consumption by HL-60 cells. Production of HL-ILP was dependent on glucose concentrations in the culture medium and glucose concentrations higher than 1mg/d1 suppressed the release of HL-ILP. These observations are not inconsistent with a hypothesis that HL-ILP is involved in the glucose metabolism of the HL-60 cells that produce this peptide.

Characteristics of insulin receptors and insulin action in human myelogenous leukemia cell line K-562

Specific binding sites for insulin have been identified and characterized for the human erythroleukemia cell line K-562. The binding of [125I]-insulin to the cells increased as a function of time, reaching a maximum at 20 min when incubation was performed at 37 degrees C. The binding of [125I]-insulin was dose-dependently inhibited by insulin or proinsulin. Scatchard plot of the binding data was curvilinear, and the number of insulin receptors was approximately 39,000. Insulin at concentrations of 0.05-10.0 ng/ml stimulated CO2 production and DNA and protein synthesis in K-562 cells in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that the insulin binding sites are functionally important in mediating these biochemical events induced by insulin. Maximal insulin responses were elicited at concentrations of less than 5 ng/ml, when (at most) 10% of the insulin receptors were occupied. After binding to the cells, [125I]-insulin was degraded in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. As reported for other types of cells, unlabeled insulin also downregulated insulin receptors in K-562 cells. When the cells were incubated with 1 X 10(-7) M unlabeled insulin for 24 h, the number of insulin receptors decreased by 50% without a change of affinity. K-562 cells may be useful in studying the role of insulin receptors in cell functions induced by insulin.

Sorbitol determination by liquid chromatography: application to red blood cells of diabetic rats

This report describes an application of liquid chromatography to the determination of sorbitol in red blood cells. The chromatograph employed in the present study was made up of sub- and main-separation systems and a detector portion. The sub-separation system was for concentration of polyols and involved two small columns, each containing the same anion exchange resin. The first was a tiny column which, in borate form, served as the concentrator of polyols and sugars charged in a large volume, while the second, in acetate form, separated the carbohydrates from the borate. The main system was for the fine separation of each carbohydrate and employed cation exchange columns. The detector part utilized a flow fluorometric method comprising two successive reactions: periodate oxidation followed by the Hantzsch reaction. The resulting whole chromatographic system was applied to the determination of sorbitol in red blood cells obtained from normal rats and rats made diabetic by the administration of streptozotocin; a part of the latter group had also received an aldose reductase inhibitor. Our results supported the concepts that a prolonged duration of high blood glucose level induces an elevated level of sorbitol inside red blood cells and that aldose reductase inhibitors are effective in reducing this level.

Experimental infection in newborn mice and rats by hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) virus

Newborn mice and rats were inoculated intracerebrally (ic) or intraperitoneally (ip) with Hantaan virus (76-118 strain) or HFRS-related virus (B-1 strain). The mortality and the influence on the increase of body weight in newborn mice were higher in the groups infected with the 76-118 strain than in the groups infected with the B-1 strain, while the B-1 strain was more virulent in rats than the 76-118 strain. Virus isolation from rats inoculated with either strain was attempted 7 and 11 weeks after inoculation. Virus could be isolated from various organs of rats infected with the B-1 strain, while it was recovered from only the brain and lungs of rats infected with the 76-118 strain. Viral antigen was readily detected in various organs of rats infected with the B-1 strain, but the amount and distribution of antigens were less in rats infected with the 76-118 strain. Our results suggest that the virulence of HFRS-related virus is variable, depending on the species of infected animals as well as on the virus strains. The virus also persists in the injected animals with high titers of antibodies for at least 11 weeks.

Antigenic differences between two viruses, isolated in Japan and Korea, that cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome

Hantaan virus (HV) 76-118, isolated from Apodemus agrarius coreae in Korea, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) virus B-1, isolated from a rat in Japan, were examined for polypeptide compositions and for differences in immune responses in rats. In immunoprecipitation experiments, a major polypeptide of ca. 50 kilodaltons (K) was detected with antisera against HV 76-118 in cell extracts from Vero E6 cells infected with HFRS virus B-1, whereas three major polypeptides of 74 K (glycosylated), 57 K (glycosylated), and 50 K were detected with antisera against HFRS virus B-1. On the other hand, two polypeptides with molecular weights of 55,000 (glycosylated) and 50,000 were detected with either antiserum in cell extracts infected with HV 76-118. In neutralizing antibody tests with antisera prepared in rats, a remarkable difference in antibody titer (5 to 30 times higher to the homologous virus than to the heterologous virus) was observed between the two viruses. However, this difference was not so marked (1 to 4 times higher to the homologous virus) in the immunofluorescent antibody test. Twenty hybrid cell lines producing mouse monoclonal antibodies against HV 76-118 were isolated by fusion of spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized against HV (strain 76-118) with mouse myeloma cells. The specificity of these monoclonal antibodies was established by immunofluorescent antibody, neutralizing antibody, and fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen tests and by analysis with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These hybrid cell lines were classified into three groups based principally on the IF staining pattern of the HV-infected cells: (i) antibodies which showed a discrete patch pattern in the cytoplasm by the immunofluorescent antibody test, reacting with the membrane antigen of infected cells and immunoprecipitating a 55-K glycoprotein from HV 76-118-infected cell lysates and a 57-K glycoprotein from the heterologous (strain B-1) HFRS virus-infected cell lysates. Among these, depending on the neutralizing antibody activity and the reaction with the heterologous antigen, three subgroups designated I-A, I-B, and I-C were established; (ii) antibodies which showed large granular dots in the cytoplasm, neither having neutralizing antibody activity nor immunoprecipitating any antigen; (iii) antibodies which showed defined granular dots throughout the cytoplasm, reacting with a 50-K polypeptide of both virus strains. These antibodies also classified into two subgroups based on the reactivity with the B-1 strain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

New powerful insulin-like protein from human promyelocytic leukemia cells

Potent insulin-like activity was found in the conditioned medium of human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells. The conditioned medium of HL-60 cells at high density stimulated [3H]glucose incorporation into lipids in rat adipocytes in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The dose-response curve for this factor was not parallel to that for insulin, and the maximal effect achieved was much greater than reached by insulin or multiplication-stimulating activity. Moreover, the maximal effect reached by either insulin or the conditioned medium was additive. The insulin-like activity was not suppressed in the presence of antiinsulin antibody. Insulin-like activity was not detectable by radioreceptor assay for insulin, suggesting that the factor does not act through the insulin receptor. The factor in the conditioned medium of HL-60 cells was heat stable and sensitive to trypsin. When the conditioned medium was subjected to gel filtration on a Sephadex G-100 column, the major part of insulin-like activity eluted in the position corresponding to an apparent molecular weight between RNAase and insulin markers. The remaining activity, approximately 10% of the total, appeared with a larger molecular weight species. On isoelectric focusing of the smaller molecular species, insulin-like activity was largely focused in the position corresponding to pI 7.8-8.2.

Isolation of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) virus from a tumor specimen in a rat

A strain of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) virus was isolated in a cell culture from a tumor specimen in a rat kept in a medical institution in which there was a case of HFRS. Positive immunofluorescent reaction with sera from HFRS patients was recognized at the second passage and the number of cells containing antigen increased in the third passage. This virus, named B-1 strain, was identified as the HFRS virus by immunofluorescent tests with sera from patients.

Antibacterial activity of palmitoyltuberactinamine N and di-beta-lysylcapreomycin IIA

Palmitoyltuberactinamine N (Pal-Tua N) and di-beta-lysylcapreomycin IIA (di-beta-Lys-Cpm IIA), which are synthetic derivatives of the antituberculous agent tuberactinomycin (Tum) and capreomycin (Cpm) respectively, were tested for anti-bacterial activity. Pal-Tua N inhibited not only tuberactinomycin-resistant Mycobacterium smegmatis but also Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, although it has lost activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Di-beta-Lys-Cpm IIA inhibited the growth of laboratory-derived Tum-resistant M. smegmatis and M. tuberculosis as well as Tum-resistant M. tuberculosis from patients with one exceptional case.

An algebraic description of painted digital pictures

An algebraic system for binary digital pictures has already been described, along with the definition of the four arithmetic rules. In this paper, an extension of the binary algebraic system to a 2n-valued one is first proposed. It then becomes evident that this extended algebraic system satisfies several properties including those of a ring. An example of a 2n-valued model, an eight-valued algebraic system, is introduced and applied to painted digital pictures. Pictorial operations such as multiple arrangement, enlargement, differentiation, integration, and color changes are then dealt with by the combinations of the four arithmetic rules.