Use of human renal proximal tubule cell cultures for studying foscarnet-induced nephrotoxicity in vitro

Foscarnet is an antiviral agent used for the treatment of cytomegalovirus retinitis and acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus infections in AIDS patients. Renal impairment has been reported for many patients treated with foscarnet. We have studied the effects of foscarnet on the viability (estimated by neutral red inclusion) and ultrastructure of cultures of human renal proximal tubule cells (HRPTC) isolated from the kidneys of five cadavers and cultured. The degree of foscarnet-induced toxicity was dose dependent and varied among the HRPTC cultures. The data obtained by using the in vitro system of HRPTC mimic the data of the clinical trials in that there is a dose-dependent individual variation among human cases in response to foscarnet treatment. Thus, these cultures are extremely well-suited to investigations of the mechanism of toxicity at the subcellular level.

[The role of hemorheologic disturbance in experimental acute pancreatitis]

The role of hemorheologic disturbance in experimental acute pancreatitis was studied in Wistar male rats. It was found that pancreatic duct obstruction with secretin stimulation could induce acute interstitial pancreatitis (AIP), but when high molecular dextran intravenous injection being added, acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) was induced. The authors suggest that the high molecular dextran can increase blood viscosity, aggregation of erythrocytes and decrease erythrocyte deformability, which results in pancreatic microcirculatory disturbances and promotes progressive pancreatic necrosis. Hemorheologic disturbance is one of the key factors in the pathogenesis of ANP.

Differential behaviour in pancreas and heart of two coxsackievirus B3 variants

In order to characterize viral kinetics and pathogenic properties of two intratypic variants of coxsackievirus B type 3, Balb/c mice were intraperitoneally inoculated and serial samples harvested from days 2 to 28. Although both CB3o (amyocarditic) and CB3m (myocarditic) variants induced similar early infectivity titres in pancreas, only the latter led to severe acinar necrosis, followed in turn by patent viraemia and subsequent focal myocarditis. Nevertheless, when both variants were inoculated in cultured cardiac cells, neither infectivity nor cell death rate differed noticeable. Therefore, our findings indicate that overt myocarditis is not attributable to contrasting cardiomyocyte susceptibility to the tested variants but rather to prior viral events in pancreatic tissues.

Schizophrenic delusions among Koreans, Korean-Chinese and Chinese: a transcultural study

In this transcultural study of schizophrenic delusions among Koreans, Korean-Chinese and Chinese, many delusions were shown to be different among the three groups in their frequency and content and the differences could be explained by sociocultural and political factors. Delusional themes sensitive to influence by sociocultural or political situations and changes seem to be 'family', 'love affairs', 'religious matters', 'economic matters', 'specific physical damage' and 'political themes.' Delusions about 'family', 'love affair', 'being raped', 'religious matters' and 'economic and business matters' were most frequent in Koreans. Delusions of 'blood-relatedness', 'longevity' and 'political themes' were most frequent in Korean-Chinese. Delusions of 'bloodsucking and brain or viscera extracted' and 'poison or being pricked by poisoned needle' were most prominent in Chinese.

ming is expressed in neuroblast sublineages and regulates gene expression in the Drosophila central nervous system

Cell diversity in the Drosophila central nervous system (CNS) is primarily generated by the invariant lineage of neural precursors called neuroblasts. We used an enhancer trap screen to identify the ming gene, which is transiently expressed in a subset of neuroblasts at reproducible points in their cell lineage (i.e. in neuroblast ‘sublineages’), suggesting that neuroblast identity can be altered during its cell lineage. ming encodes a predicted zinc finger protein and loss of ming function results in precise alterations in CNS gene expression, defects in axonogenesis and embryonic lethality. We propose that ming controls cell fate within neuroblast cell lineages.

The bacteriocidal effects of transition metal complexes containing the NO+ group on the food-spoilage bacterium Clostridium sporogenes

The chemical and molecular mechanism of toxicity of nitrite towards food-spoilage bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum or Clostridium sporogenes is not well understood. In order to discover the active species and explore its chemistry, a number of compounds related to nitrite were synthesized. Their bacteriocidal effects on C. sporogenes were investigated in Oxoid nutrient broth No. 2 growth medium at pH 7.0. Inhibition of cell growth, expressed as the concentration which causes 50% cell inhibition, was observed with nitrite at 10 mM, whereas [Fe4S3(NO)7]-(the anion of Roussin's black salt) and (Fe2(SCH2CH2OH)2(NO)4] (a water-soluble Roussin's red salt ester) were found to be effective at 0.001 mM and 0.005 mM, respectively, confirming previous reports that iron-sulphur-nitrosyl complexes are much more toxic to these organisms than nitrite itself. The nitroprusside anion, [Fe(CN)5NO]2- was found to be toxic at 0.030 mM and the corresponding chromium species, [Cr(CN)5NO]3-, at 0.1 mM. Therefore, on the basis of the number of NO groups present, the nitrosylcyano complexes are comparable in activity with the iron-sulphur-nitrosyl compounds. These results show that neither iron nor sulphur are essential for the bacteriostatic effect of the Roussin's type compounds. The property that all these compounds have in common is that they contain NO+. It is proposed that this is the active species responsible for the preservative effect of nitrite, and that a relationship may exist between the N-O stretching frequency, a measure of the NO+ character, and the toxicity of these NO(+)-containing complexes.

[Studies on film-covered soil setting seedling of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chengfu]

Film-covered soil setting seedling can markedly raise the yield of seedling and seedling establishment of Panax notoginseng, thus providing higher economic benefit. The increase of yield in trial plots was about 8.82%-24% higher than the control.

Whole genome amplification from a single cell: implications for genetic analysis

We have developed an in vitro method for amplifying a large fraction of the DNA sequences present in a single haploid cell by repeated primer extensions using a mixture of 15-base random oligonucleotides. We studied 12 genetic loci and estimate that the probability of amplifying any sequence in the genome to a minimum of 30 copies is not less than 0.78 (95% confidence). Whole genome amplification beginning with a single cell, or other samples with very small amounts of DNA, has significant implications for multipoint mapping by sperm or oocyte typing and possibly for genetic disease diagnosis, forensics, and the analysis of ancient DNA samples.

Gene-centromere linkage mapping by PCR analysis of individual oocytes

We describe a general method of determining the recombination fraction between a polymorphic locus and the centromere in any species where single oocytes can be obtained. After removal of the first polar body, each oocyte is analyzed by PCR. The frequency of oocytes heterozygous at the polymorphic locus is used to estimate the recombination fraction. We estimate a recombination fraction of 0.15 between the mouse major histocompatibility complex (H-2) and the centromere of chromosome 17.

[The effect of Cu, Zn, Mn, on selenium content in the liver, brain, blood and kidney of mice]

The influence of dietary copper, zinc and manganese on the contents of selenium in liver, brain, and kidney of 150 mice was studied. The mice were divided into 5 groups with different trace elements in their forage (I. 40ppm Cu+4ppm Se, II. 100ppm Zn+4PPm Se, III. 4ppm Mn+4ppm Se, IV. control group). Every 10 mice were killed at one month intervals in each group and the contents of selenium in liver, brain, kidney and blood were determined. The selenium contents of blood, kidney in I, II groups were significantly lower than in IV group. The selenium content of liver was also significantly lower than IV group in two months, but no difference in the third month. No change of selenium content in brain had been observed.

[Various methods of processing pyritum]

Five methods of processing pyritum and the effect of temperature fluctuations on processed products were studied using Fe2+ in the decoction, sulphur in processed products and sulphur separated out of processed products after adding hydrochloric acid as indexes. The results may serve as a reference for further study on pyritum.

[Stimulated chemiluminescence and degranulation of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes: possible involvement in the mechanisms of tissue damage during inflammation]

A significant increase of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) chemiluminescence (CL) was observed when PMN was treated with rat C5ades Arg (r-C5ai), FMLP, opsozined zymosan (STZ) or a calcium ionophore A23487 separately. These stimuli, as well as aggregated IgG (A-IgG), could also cause the release of beta-glucuronidase (beta-g) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) from PMN, on the other hand, elastase (NE) release was not noticed when PMN was treated with r-C5ai and FMLP, which generally stimulated PMN in a cytochalasin B-dependent manner. These results suggest that the kinetics of PMN CL and degranulation vary depending upon the stimulus.

Direct electrophoretic detection of the allelic state of single DNA molecules in human sperm by using the polymerase chain reaction

We have developed a procedure that allows the detection of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products derived from a single target DNA molecule in a human sperm without using radioactive probes. With this method, three genetic loci present in a single sperm can be amplified simultaneously. The amplification procedure is specific as well as efficient and permits detection of the PCR product by ethidium bromide staining after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. When allele-specific PCR primers that differ in length are used, the size of the PCR products of different alleles also vary in length, allowing the allelic state at each locus to be determined electrophoretically. Studies on individual sperm by using this procedure should facilitate the measurement of genetic recombination in humans over small physical distances. The ability to directly analyze the allelic state of PCR products from one cell rapidly and simply will also be useful for the prenatal diagnosis of genetic disease, especially in the analysis of single blastomeres taken from in vitro fertilized eggs prior to implantation.

The Escherichia coli Ras-like protein (Era) has GTPase activity and is essential for cell growth

The era gene of Escherichia coli encodes a protein (Era) which is similar to the eucaryotic RAS family of proteins. We report here that purified Era possesses both GTP-binding and GTPase activities. Era is also shown to be loosely associated with the inner membrane of E. coli. Overproduction of Era to 5% of the total cellular protein does not apparently alter either cell growth or cAMP levels. Disruption of the era gene by insertional inactivation is shown to be lethal by construction of a conditional lethal era mutant strain.