IL-5 mRNA expression in blood lymphocytes from patients with Kimura's disease and parasite infection

Blood lymphocytes from patients with eosinophilia are known to produce interleukin-5 (IL-5) with appropriate stimulation in vitro. To determine whether blood lymphocytes from these patients produce IL-5 in vivo, we tested the IL-5 mRNA expression in blood lymphocytes immediately after separation by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. We found that lymphocytes from eosinophilic patients expressed IL-5 mRNA, but lymphocytes from normal volunteers did not express the lymphokine. These findings suggest that in patients with eosinophilia, peripheral blood lymphocytes produce IL-5 in vivo.

[The clinical manifestations of Sjögren's syndrome in children]

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is thought to be uncommon in children. We studied the clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of 12 pediatric patients with SS, all of children did not have sicca symptoms but have lymphocytic infiltration of salivary glands, abnormal sialograms or abnormal results of scintigraphy compatible with typical SS. Seven cases had primary SS and five were secondary SS and had other autoimmune disorders (three cases with systemic lupus erythematosus, one case with dermatomyositis, and the other with mixed connective tissue disease). All patients were female. The mean age at onset of symptoms, including other autoimmune manifestations, was 12.2 years (range 9-15 years). The initial symptoms were some systemic manifestations (fever, exanthema, arthralgia, etc.) and various autoimmune phenomena (butterfly rash, Raynaud's phenomenon, proteinuria, weakness of muscles, etc.). On the other hand, no patients complained sicca symptoms. Laboratory studies in our patients revealed elevated levels of IgG (92%), antinuclear antibody (92%), rheumatoid factor (58%), anti-SS-A antibody (75%). These findings were similar to those found in adult patients with sicca symptoms previously reported in literature. From these studies, we suggest that lip biopsy, sialography and/or salivary gland's scintigraphy should be carried out in patients who had abnormal laboratory findings as mentioned above, irrespective of absence of sicca symptoms, in order to diagnose SS at early period.

Effects of the acetylene compound from Atractylodes rhizome on experimental gastric ulcers induced by active oxygen species

This study was conducted to determine the beneficial effects of treating digestive disorders of (6E,12E)-tetradecadiene-8,10-diyne-1,3-diol diacetate (TDEYA) detected in the plasma in hydrolyzed form: (6E,12E)-tetradecadiene-8,10-diyne-1,3-diol (TDEY), following the oral administration of a decoction of Atractylodes rhizome to rats. Assessment was also made of the efficacy of TDEYA in experimental gastric disorder models. Oral administration of TDEYA at doses of 300 to 500 mg/kg suppressed the formation of gastric lesions induced by indometacin in a dose-dependent manner. TDEYA at a dose of 200 mg/kg suppressed gastric lesions induced by an ischemia-reperfusion injury model. TDEYA at doses of 100 to 300 mg/kg did not show suppressive effects on water immersion stress-induced gastric lesions. TDEYA showed no active oxygen species scavenging action, nor did it have any effect on superoxide dismutase activity in the stomach tissue. TDEYA at doses of 200 to 500 mg/kg significantly suppressed xanthine oxidase (XO) activity in the stomach tissue following its oral administration. The suppressive effects of TDEYA on lesion formation induced by indometacin and ischemia-reperfusion injury models would thus appear to be due in part to the inhibition of XO activity in the stomach tissue.

Quinolinic acid immunoreactive cells in the choroid plexus, leptomeninges and brain vasculature of the immune-stimulated gerbil

Antibodies to quinolinic acid were utilized to study the cellular localization of this endogenous neurotoxin in the gerbil brain subsequent to systemic immune stimulation with pokeweed mitogen. Immunohistochemistry of carbodiimide fixed spleen revealed a dramatic increase in the number of quinolinic acid-positive cells in the red pulp in the immune-stimulated animals. Quinolinic acid immunoreactivity in the brain was observed in cells within the choroid plexus, vasculature and leptomeninges of the stimulated group only. No immunoreactivity was observed in brain parenchyma. These results are supportive of an immune system origin for the increases in quinolinic acid in CSF and brain during immune stimulation in a rodent model system.

Thermostable farnesyl diphosphate synthase of Bacillus stearothermophilus: crystallization and site-directed mutagenesis

The gene for thermostable farnesyl diphosphate synthase from Bacillus stearothermophilus was cloned, sequenced, and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The synthase was purified to homogeneity and crystallized. The enzyme carried only two cysteine residues in contrast to its counterparts from other sources, which have four to six cysteine residues. Either or both of the cysteine residues can be replaced with serine without causing a loss of the catalytic activity. The conserved arginine residue that occupies the third position from the C-terminus was also replaced with valine without significant loss of activity, but the valine mutant showed a weakened affinity for isopentenyl diphosphate.

6-Chloro-D,L-tryptophan, 4-chloro-3-hydroxyanthranilate and dexamethasone attenuate quinolinic acid accumulation in brain and blood following systemic immune activation

Accumulations of the neurotoxin quinolinic acid (QUIN) occur in the brain and blood following immune activation and are attributed to increased metabolism of L-tryptophan through the kynurenine pathway. Systemic administration of 4-chloro-3-hydroxyanthranilate (an inhibitor of 3-hydroxyanthranilate-3,4-dioxygenase), 6-chloro-D,L-tryptophan (a substrate of the kynurenine pathway) and dexamethasone (an anti-inflammatory agent) attenuated the accumulation of QUIN in the brain and blood following systemic pokeweed mitogen administration to mice. 6-Chloro-D,L-tryptophan and dexamethasone also attenuated the increases in brain and lung indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase activity and elevations in plasma L-kynurenine levels. We conclude that QUIN formation can be modified by drugs which act at different levels of the cascade of events that link immune stimulation to increased kynurenine pathway metabolism.

Involvement of muscarinic M1 receptor in the central pathway of the serotonin-induced Bezold-Jarisch reflex in rats

The involvement of central muscarinic receptors in mediating the Bezold-Jarisch reflex elicited by injection of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was studied in urethane/chloralose-anesthetized rats. Intravenous bolus injection of 5-HT (3.1 to 50 micrograms/kg) evoked a short-lasting dose-related bradycardia and hypotension, the Bezold-Jarisch reflex, accompanied with bursts of the efferent cervical vagus nerve. Systemic administration of atropine (0.1 and 1 mg/kg) blocked not only the cardiac responses but also the efferent cervical vagus nerve activity changes. Although the afferent cervical vagus nerve was also activated by an intravenous bolus injection of 5-HT, these responses were not altered by the systemic administration of even a high dose of atropine (1 mg/kg). Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of pirenzepine (1 and 10 micrograms/10 microliters), a selective M1 receptor antagonist, caused a rightward shift of the 5-HT dose-response curve for efferent vagus nerve activity. In contrast, i.c.v. administration of muscarinic type 2 receptor antagonist, gallamine, and type 3 receptor antagonist, p-fluorohexahydrosiladifenidol, failed to alter the response in nerve activity to 5-HT. These results suggest that the activation of central nervous muscarinic receptors might be involved in mediating the Bezold-Jarisch reflex and that the subtype might belong to type 1.

Responses to a self-administered depression scale among younger adolescents in Japan

Response patterns on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) items among Japanese adolescents were compared with those of their U.S. counterparts. The data were obtained from approximately 1,500 junior high school students, aged 12-15 years. Japanese responses to positively worded items markedly differed from those of American adolescents, whereas responses to negatively worded items were comparable in the two groups. This resulted in poor psychometric properties for the CES-D and spurious higher positive subscale and whole scale scores among the Japanese sample. It is possible that Japanese respondents tend to suppress positive affect expression and, thus, the positively worded questioning is presumably inappropriate for Japanese samples.

[Changes of cytokine levels in ascitic fluid after intraperitoneal administration of OK-432 or CDDP]

In order to evaluate the biological response after intraperitoneal administration of OK-432 and CDDP, we studied the changes of cytokine levels in ascitic fluid. A total of 53 gastric cancer patients were included in this study. OK-432 20KE was administered in 7 patients and CDDP was administered in 4 patients intraperitoneally during operation. The IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and sTNF RI levels in ascitic fluid were measured from 0 to 5 postoperative day. These results were compared with those obtained from the control groups (42 patients). The ascitic level of IL-6 increased immediately after operation, then gradually decreased. The elevations of IL-6 from 0 to 5 postoperative day were remarkably higher in the OK-432 treated group, and those on 0 and 1 postoperative days were remarkably lower in CDDP treated group than in the control group. Similarly, the ascitic level of IL-8 elevated soon after operation and then decreased gradually. In the OK-432 treated group, the ascitic level of IL-8 was significantly higher than in the control group from 0 to 2 postoperative day. Ascitic TNF-alpha was detectable only in the ascites soon after operation in the OK-432 treated group. The ascitic level of sTNF RI peaked on 2 postoperative day in the control and the OK-432 treated group and 1 postoperative day in the CDDP treated group. There were no significant differences between these groups.

Cerebrospinal fluid nitrite/nitrate levels in neurologic diseases

Nitric oxide has been proposed to mediate cytotoxic effects in inflammatory diseases. To investigate the possibility that overproduction of nitric oxide might play a role in the neuropathology of inflammatory and noninflammatory neurological diseases, we compared levels of the markers of nitric oxide, nitrite plus nitrate, in the CSF of controls with those in patients with various neurologic diseases, including Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and HIV infection. We found that there were no significant increases in the CSF levels of these nitric oxide metabolites, even in patients infected with HIV or in monkeys infected with poliovirus, both of which have significantly elevated levels of the neurotoxin quinolinic acid and the marker of macrophage activation, neopterin. However, CSF quinolinic acid, neopterin, and nitrite/nitrate levels were significantly increased in a small group of patients with bacterial and viral meningitis.

Involvement of enzymatic degradation in the inactivation of tachykinin neurotransmitters in neonatal rat spinal cord

1. The possible involvement of enzymatic degradation in the inactivation of tachykinin neurotransmitters was examined in the spinal cord of the neonatal rat. 2. The magnitude of substance P (SP)- or neurokinin A (NKA)-evoked depolarization of a lumbar ventral root in the isolated spinal cord preparation was increased by a mixture of peptidase inhibitors, consisting of actinonin (6 microM), arphamenine B (6 microM), bestatin (10 microM), captopril (10 microM) and thiorphan (0.3 microM). The mixture augmented the response to NKA more markedly than that to SP. 3. In the isolated spinal cord-cutaneous nerve preparation, the saphenous nerve-evoked slow depolarization of the L3 ventral root was augmented by the mixture of peptidase inhibitors in the presence of naloxone (0.5 microM) but not in the presence of both naloxone and a tachykinin receptor antagonist, GR71251 (5 microM). 4. Application of capsaicin (0.5 microM) for 6 min to the spinal cord evoked an increase in the release of SP from the spinal cord. The amount of SP released was significantly augmented by the mixture of peptidase inhibitors. 5. Synaptic membrane fractions were prepared from neonatal rat spinal cords. These fractions showed degrading activities for SP and NKA and the activities were inhibited by the mixture of peptidase inhibitors. The degrading activity for NKA was higher than that for SP and the inhibitory effect of the mixture for NKA was more marked than that for SP. Although some other fractions obtained from homogenates of spinal cords showed higher degrading activities for SP, these activities were insensitive to the mixture of peptidase inhibitors. 6. Effects of individual peptidase inhibitors on the enzymatic degradation of SP and NKA by synaptic membrane fractions were examined. Thiorphan, actinonin and captopril inhibited SP degradation, while thiorphan and actinonin, but not captopril, inhibited NKA degradation. The potency of the inhibition of each peptidase inhibitor was lower than that of the mixture.7. The present results suggest that enzymatic degradation is involved in the inactivation of tachykinin neurotransmitters in the spinal cord of the neonatal rat.

Molecular cloning of two new heat shock genes related to the hsp70 genes in Staphylococcus aureus

We have identified two new heat shock protein genes, orf37 and orf35, in Staphylococcus aureus, located upstream and downstream of grpE(hsp20), dnaK(hsp70), and dnaJ(hsp40) homologous genes in the order orf37-hsp20-hsp70-hsp40-orf35. The transcripts of both orf37 and orf35 were increased by thermal upshift of the culture from 37 to 46 degrees C. The heat shock promoters were located upstream of orf37 and upstream of hsp40. The deduced peptide of orf37 showed similarity with those of orfA in Clostridium acetobutylicum and orf39 in Bacillus subtilis. orf35 was unique in S. aureus and has not yet been described in other bacteria.

Photodynamic effect using a diode laser with mono-l-aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6) for implanted mouse tumor

A new red diode laser has been developed that is suited for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT). The new laser can be used with NPe6, a photosensitizer that does not prolong normal skin sensitiveness. This study examined the effectiveness of PDT using the diode laser and compound for treatment of fibrosarcoma implanted in BALB/c mice.

Lack of induction of epithelial cell proliferation by sodium saccharin and sodium L-ascorbate in the urinary bladder of NCI-black-Reiter (NBR) male rats

The susceptibility to induction of epithelial cell proliferation by three urinary bladder cancer promoters was investigated in NCI-Black-Reiter (NBR) rats, which lack alpha 2u-globulin-synthesizing ability. Six-week-old male NBR and F344 rats were given 5% sodium saccharin (Na-Sac), 5% sodium L-ascorbate (Na-AsA), or 3% uracil in the basal diet for 8 weeks. Administration of uracil evoked a marked cell proliferation response and papillomatosis associated with calculus formation in NBR as well as F344 rats. This result indicates that NBR rats are also susceptible to direct mechanical stimulation. In contrast, both strains of rats given Na-Sac or Na-AsA demonstrated an alkalization of urinary pH and an increase in urinary Na ion concentration, but increase in cell proliferation in the urinary bladder transitional epithelium was only observed in F344 rats. Since previous studies revealed that elevation of urinary pH and Na ion concentration are essential factors for exertion of promotion activity by Na-Sac and Na-AsA, the results of the present investigation suggest that alpha 2u-globulin might also be a necessary component of the mechanisms of their promotion of male rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis.

[Effect of dietary therapy in a school health program for obese children]

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a health education program based on nutritional treatment for control of obesity. The study site was the public elementary school system which was selected because of easier implementation and effectiveness of the program. The subjects were chosen from public elementary schools in Morioka (5 out of 33) who were either 4th or 5th graders with an obesity level of 30% or above. Fifty students agreed to participate (35 boys and 15 girls) and all had parental consent. They were placed on a restricted diet of low carbohydrate and high protein for three months. Before and after the three month dietary program, level of obesity were measured. This study produced the following results: 1. After education the caloric level as well as the three main elements of nutrition were clearly decreased in both boys and girls. Nutrient intakes were in the appropriate range of recommended allowances for boys but both energy level and iron were less than the appropriate amount for girls. A decrease in carbohydrates energy and an increase in protein was observed for both boys and girls. 2. The intake of selected foods such as rice, wheat, snacks, fats and oils, decreased dramatically for both boys and girls. 3. This diet and exercise treatment program was very effective because obesity level dropped to 10.4% for boys and 7.5% for girls.

Detection of human immunodeficiency virus-1 nucleic acid on inactivated filter paper disks by polymerase chain reaction and microtiter plate assay

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in cultured cells, peripheral blood samples and sera were adsorbed on filter paper disks and inactivated by heat or ethanol. Two procedures, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microtiter plate assay (HMPA) were used to detect the nucleic acid. The sensitivity after different heat treatments with nested PCR for HIV-1 DNA (or nested reverse transcription-PCR for HIV-1 RNA) was identical regardless of whether the samples were examined immediately or one month later. Inactivation by ethanol treatment resulted in a slight loss of sensitivity. The HMPA proved to be as reliable and specific as the conventional PCR technique. We conclude that the heat-treated filter paper disk assay is suitable for identifying HIV nucleic acid in clinical samples sent to the laboratory from a distance, e.g. in an envelope.

Molecular cloning of a cysteine synthase cDNA from Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) by genetic complementation in an Escherichia coli Cys- auxotroph

We have isolated cDNA clones encoding cysteine synthase (CSase, EC 4.2.99.8), which catalyzes the terminal step in cysteine biosynthesis, by direct genetic complementation of a Cys- mutation in Escherichia coli with an expression library of Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) cDNA. The library was constructed from 8-day-old etiolated seedlings of C. vulgaris in the lambda ZAPII vector, converted to a plasmid library by in vivo excision, and then used for transformation of cysteine auxotroph E. coli NK3, which lacks the cysK and cysM loci. The complementing cDNA containing a 560 bp 5'-untranslated region encodes a polypeptide of 325 amino acids of M(r) 34342. The translational product reacted with an antibody raised against CSase A of Spinacia oleracea. CSase and beta-pyrazolealanine synthase activities were demonstrated in vitro in extracts from E. coli cells expressing the cDNA. Genomic DNA blot analysis indicated the presence of a single copy of the gene, designated cysA, in the C. vulgaris genome. RNA blot hybridization indicated constitutive expression of cysA in cotyledons, hypocotyls and radicles of green and etiolated seedlings. These data suggested that this cDNA clone encodes CSase A the homolog of which in spinach is localized in the cytoplasm. The molecular phylogenetic tree of the amino acid sequences of CSases from plants and bacteria suggested that there are three families in the CSase superfamily; the plant CSase A family, the plant CSase B family and the bacterial CSase family. The proteins in the plant CSase A family are the most conserved relative to the ancestral CSase protein.

A clinical and pathologic study of a large Japanese family with Machado-Joseph disease tightly linked to the DNA markers on chromosome 14q

The gene locus for Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) has been mapped to chromosome 14q by linkage analysis, mainly using a single large Japanese family. We studied the clinical and neuropathologic findings of this family with MJD, comparing them with those of spinocerebellar ataxia 1 (SCA1) and spinocerebellar ataxia 2 (SCA2) families. The pedigree included 30 affected persons in 125 members of five generations. Neurologic examination of 21 patients revealed that dystonia, difficulty in eyelid opening, slowness of movements, bulging eyes, and facial-lingual fasciculation-like movements or myokymia are characteristic of this MJD family, although these three autosomal dominant spinocerebellar degenerations have several neurologic signs and symptoms in common. In contrast with SCA1 and SCA2, degeneration of the subthalamopallidal system and relative sparing of the olivocerebellar system were the main neuropathologic features of MJD.

Analysis of cytokine mRNAs induced by the administration of a highly branched (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan, OL-2

OL-2, a highly branched (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan, is an antitumor glucan showing strong hematopoietic activity with weaker adjuvant activity than schizophyllan (SPG), another antitumor glucan and one which is used clinically. This paper deals with the gene expression of cytokines in mice by OL-2 and SPG in order to characterize their immunopharmacological activity. Gene expression was examined by a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction method after intraperitoneal administration of OL-2 or SPG (250 micrograms/mouse). The OL-2 administered mice strongly expressed the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) gene but SPG administered mice did not. The difference would be strongly related to the antigen-specific response between OL-2 and SPG. In the genes related to haematopoiesis, OL-2 induced G-CSF and GM-CSF, but SPG induced IL-3. These differences would relate to the pattern of haematopoietic response. Comparing the cytokine gene expression in ICR and AKR mice by OL-2 administration, the changes in cytokine gene expression were less in AKR mice administered OL-2. These findings suggest that the immunopharmacological characteristics of OL-2 are closely related, at least in part, to the activation of the complement system. The data shown in this paper also suggest that cytokine gene expression by beta-glucan would be significantly affected by the structure of these glucans.