Acceleration of natural killer (NK) cell recovery by a glucan, sizofiran, in anti-asialoGM1 antibody-treated mice

The proportion of asialoGM1 positive cells and NK activity of murine splenic cells was reduced to almost zero one day after intravenous injection of rabbit anti-asialoGM1 antibody. The cells and the activity started to increase at the latest 3 days after the injection, although the proportion was far below that of the normal control. The proportion of asialoGM1 positive cells and NK activity increased more remarkably when 1,3-beta glucan, sizofiran, was administered intramuscularly one day after the antibody injection. The increases were dose related (50-1000 micrograms/mouse). The fact that sizofiran hastened the recoveries of splenic NK activity and asialoGM1 positive cells suggests sizofiran may have the activity to accelerate the differentiation of asialoGM1 positive NK cells.

Pharmacokinetics of (Me)Arg-Lys-Pro-Trp-tert-Leu-Leu-OEt and (Me)Arg-Lys-Pro-Trp-tert-Leu-Leu administered intravenously to beagle dogs

The pharmacokinetics of two analogues (NT-1 and NT-2) of the smallest active fragment of neurotensin were investigated in beagle dogs after intravenous (iv) administration at the doses of 0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg for NT-1 and of 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg for NT-2. After iv administration of these two drugs, the plasma levels decreased with time with a biexponential pattern, and linear kinetic behavior was observed. The pharmacokinetic parameters (mean +/- standard error of mean) after iv administration of NT-1 at 0.1 mg/kg were as follows: the half-life of the distribution phase (t1/2 alpha) was 0.29 +/- 0.11 h, the half-life of the terminal phase (t1/2 beta) was 1.99 +/- 0.41 h, total plasma clearance (CL) was 33.2 +/- 6.3 mL/h/kg, steady-state volume of distribution (Vdss) was 57.1 +/- 2.8 mL/kg, and mean residence time (MRT) was 2.20 +/- 0.55 h. The t1/2 alpha, t1/2 beta, CL, Vdss, and MRT values after iv administration of NT-2 at 0.25 mg/kg were 0.11 +/- 0.02 h, 0.58 +/- 0.04 h, 257.3 +/- 17.2 mL/h/kg, 180.3 +/- 4.6 mL/kg, and 0.71 +/- 0.04 h, respectively. After iv administration of NT-1, NT-2 was detected in the plasma. It was confirmed from this result that NT-1 was metabolically hydrolyzed to NT-2 in the body of beagle dog.

Effect of chicken lysozyme signal peptide alterations on secretion of human lysozyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

To investigate the structural requirements and functions of the N-terminal and the C-terminal regions of the chicken lysozyme signal peptide, the amino acids of each region were altered. The replacement of Gly(-1) and Leu(-2) with Pro(-1) and Ala(-2) or Val(-2), respectively, resulted in the complete shift of the cleavage site from position -1 to -2 in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). This shows that the introduction of a turn-promoting residue like Pro makes it possible to control the cleavage site of the signal peptide. Deletion of the positive charge and introduction of a negative charge in the N-terminal region decreased the lytic activity of secreted human lysozyme (HLY) and processing efficiency of preHLY, but the length and additional positive charge in this region had little influence. This suggests that the length of the N-terminal region scarcely influences the function of the signal peptide and that this region possibly interacts with the endoplasmic reticulum membrane to initiate the translocation of preprotein, similar to prokaryotic signal peptide. However, it needs only minimum positive charge for its function.

[A case of systemic primary amyloidosis with BHL and M-protein in pleural effusion]

A 76-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of productive cough and dyspnea. Chest X-ray revealed cardiomegaly, bilateral pleural effusion, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and marked bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy (BHL). His symptoms improved after therapy including diuretic for heart failure, but BHL was unchanged. M-protein in both serum and pleural effusion, and B-J protein in urine were detected. Protein immunoelectrophoresis demonstrated a heterogeneous increase in IgA with lambda light chain predominance. Bronchoscopy disclosed some prominent mucosal lesions of the bilateral bronchi, of which biopsies demonstrated amyloid deposition. Gastric mucosal biopsy also demonstrated amyloid deposition. Therefore this case was diagnosed as systemic primary amyloidosis due to AL-protein. In systemic amyloidosis, there are only a few reports of lymph node enlargement due to amyloid deposition, and it is particularly rare with BHL. From the presence of M-protein in pleural effusion, it is suggested that not only congestive heart failure due to cardiac amyloidosis but also amyloid deposition in the pleura would be related to the fluid production.

Inhibitory effects of sizofiran on anticancer agent- or X-ray-induced sister chromatid exchanges and mitotic block in murine bone marrow cells

The inhibitory effects of a biological response modifier (BRM), sizofiran, on sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in the bone marrow cells of mice treated with various anticancer agents or irradiation were investigated. Sizofiran (10 mg/kg i.m.) inhibited SCEs induced by mitomycin C (2 mg/kg i.v.), adriamycin (20 mg/kg i.v.) and cyclophosphamide (20 mg/kg i.v.) by about 20%, respectively. Analysis of the SCEs in vivo after irradiation plus sizofiran indicated that SCE levels were significantly lower than those observed in mice exposed to irradiation without sizofiran. Moreover, the effects of sizofiran were dependent on the timing of administration. Our results indicated that sizofiran should be administered simultaneously or soon after irradiation in order to minimize damage. Sizofiran also markedly restored the bone marrow cell mitosis which had been suppressed by anticancer agents, and this action was closely correlated with the prevention of increase in SCEs. These results indicate that in addition to immunopotentiating activity, sizofiran may play a role in preventing chromosomal damage induced by cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Unmasking of latent hypoparathyroidism in a child with partial DiGeorge syndrome by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid infusion

DiGeorge syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly with a wide range of clinical manifestations. This syndrome is usually associated with hypocalcaemia resulting from primary hypoparathyroidism. We report here a case of an 8-year-old boy with partial DiGeorge syndrome who presented initially with neonatal hypocalcaemia, but was subsequently normocalcaemic. Latent hypoparathyroidism was unmasked by a diagnostic EDTA infusion resulting in hypocalcaemia without a parathyroid hormone response. We propose that EDTA infusions can be useful in the diagnosis of latent hypoparathyroidism in children.

Comparison between insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) measurement in the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency

To analyze the utility of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) radioimmunoassay in the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) we measured IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in sera from normal children (n = 309), short children (n = 99) and patients with GHD (n = 73). In 80% and 93% of classical GHD (cGHD), IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels, respectively, were below the age-related cutoff levels (lower limit). In 81% and 88% of normal short children (NS), IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels, respectively, were above the age-related cutoff levels. Thus, both IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were good parameters for screening GHD. In contrast, in more than half of partial GHD (pGHD), either IGF-I or IGFBP-3 was above the age-related cutoff levels. The poor discrimination between patients with pGHD and NS by using these two parameters may be the result of their relatively similar GH levels, as compared to cGHD, or due to the limitations of GH stimulation tests. In about 80-90% of NS, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were above the age-related cutoff levels at all ages. A hundred percent of cGHD under 10 years old had IGFBP-3 below the age-related cutoff levels, whereas 79% of cGHD under 10 years old had IGF-I below the age-related cutoff levels. Thus in the younger age groups, IGFBP-3 may be more sensitive than IGF-I. It may be because IGFBP-3 levels are relatively higher than those of IGF-I in younger subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Enzymatic properties of squalene epoxidase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Squalene epoxidase is a microsomal membrane-associated enzyme that acts as an important regulator in the sterol biosynthetic pathway. In this study, the enzymatic properties of squalene epoxidase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were examined. Unlike Candida squalene epoxidase, S. cerevisiae squalene epoxidase required NADPH for enzyme reaction. However, S. cerevisiae enzyme reaction did not require FAD or autologous S105 fraction. Unlike rat squalene epoxidase, the activity of S. cerevisiae was reduced by Triton X-100, a nonionic detergent. Terbinafine, an inhibitor of fungal squalene epoxidase, inhibited the enzyme in a non-competitive manner, while NB-598, an inhibitor of mammalian squalene epoxidase, barely inhibited it in a partially non-competitive manner. Thus, the properties of squalene epoxidase from S. cerevisiae were different from those of squalene epoxidase from rats and Candida, which were previously known. We propose that a species difference of squalene epoxidase exists not only between animals and fungi but between Candida and Saccharomyces.

Reverse interference method for measurement of hog cholera virus (HCV) and anti-HCV antibody

A new procedure was developed for the assay of the hog cholera virus (HCV) and anti-HCV antibody. Initially, the suppression effect of HCV on interferon (IFN) by HCV production was confirmed. Swine kidney cell cultures preinfected with HCV produced no IFN, even following the addition of IFN inducers. However the sensitivity of the cell to IFN was not influenced by the infection with this virus. Based on these results, a new method, named reverse interference method, was established. In this method, infective titer of HCV was determined by the appearance of cell pathogenic effects (CPE) induced by vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), which is caused by the suppression effect on the heterologous interference of GPE- strain of HCV against VSV infection in swine kidney cell cultures. This method showed nearly the same sensitivity as the END method. There was no difference in the infective titer of HCV and antibody titer against HCV as estimated by this method and the END method. The reverse interference method had advantages in rapidity and objectivity compared with the END method.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 is a negative regulator of the metastatic ability of a human gastric cancer cell line, KKLS, in the chick embryo

Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are the negative regulators of matrix metalloproteinases that degrade extracellular matrix. We examined the regulatory role of TIMP-1 in the metastatic activity of human gastric cancer cell lines in chick embryos because unregulated matrix metalloproteinase activities are believed to be essential during metastatic processes. One of the nine cell lines examined, KKLS cells, formed metastatic colonies in the chick livers. These cells expressed undetectable levels of TIMP-1, and this was not inducible by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate. Derivatives of KKLS cells with different levels of TIMP-1 expression were prepared by transfection of the human TIMP-1 complementary DNA controlled by a simian virus 40 early promoter. Metastatic abilities were suppressed by almost 70% in the transfectants expressing high levels of TIMP-1. In contrast, no suppression was observed in the control transfectants or in cells expressing the transfected TIMP-1 gene at low levels. These data indicate that a reduced expression of TIMP-1 in KKLS cells is responsible for their consequent metastatic potential. Moreover, it suggests that matrix metalloproteinase enzymatic activities are a prerequisite for metastatic activity in this experimental model system.

[Appearance of hallucinations and one-and-a-half syndrome after resection of a cavernous angioma located in the fourth ventricle floor]

A patient is described who simultaneously suffered from hallucinations and one-and-a-half syndrome following surgical resection of a cavernous angioma located on the fourth ventricle floor. A 30-year-old male was admitted having a 10 year history of progressive weakness and hypesthesia of the right extremities. Neurological examination revealed right hemiparesis and hemihypesthesia. A computerized tomography (CT) scan showed a well circumscribed mixed-density area at the left portion of the pontine tegmentum. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated a mixed intensity core surrounded by hypointense regions on T2-weighted images. A red mulberry-like tumor was found, during surgical procedures, on the mid-and left-portion of the fourth ventricle floor. The tumor was totally resected and the histological diagnosis was cavernous angioma. Visual hallucinations occurred several times following surgery, being subsequently described as images of moving worms, a dump truck next to the bed, and a bed falling from the ceiling. The patient soon understood these objects were not real. He simultaneously exhibited left lateral gaze palsy associated with left internuclear ophthalmoplegia i.e., one-and-a-half syndrome. Three months after surgery the visual hallucinations disappeared but the one-and-a-half syndrome was incompletely resolved. According to the neurological signs and the MRI results, the lesion site was considered to extend from the left lower pons to the midbrain. Previously reported operations of cavernous angioma of the fourth ventricle floor are also described.

Pharmacokinetics of novel hexapeptides with neurotensin activity in rats

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method to determine (Me)Arg-Lys-Pro-Trp-tert-Leu-Leu (NT-2) with neurotensin (NT) activity in rat plasma was developed and a pharmacokinetic study was performed in rats. Quantitative analysis with high reproducibility was achieved for NT-2 over the concentration range of 1.14-500 ng/ml. (Me)Arg-Lys-Pro-Trp-tert-Leu-Leu-OEt (NT-1) was rapidly hydrolyzed to NT-2 in rat plasma at 37 degrees C. This degradation of NT-1 was observed as a pseudo first-order reaction, and the pseudo first-order rate constant was calculated to be 7.26 min-1 (t1/2 = 0.095 min). The pharmacokinetic profiles of NT-2 after intravenous administration of NT-1 at doses of 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg were compatible with that of NT-2 after intravenous administration of NT-2 at 0.5 mg/kg. Range of the half-life of the terminal phase (t1/2 beta) of NT-2 was 0.36-0.53 h. The absolute bioavailabilities after oral administrations of NT-1 and NT-2 at a dose of 20 mg/kg were 0.61 +/- 0.17 (mean +/- S.E.) and 0.19 +/- 0.08%, respectively. It was found that NT-1 was more suitable for oral administration than NT-2.

Nonspecific crossreacting antigen (NCA) is a major member of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-related gene family expressed in lung cancer

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is one of the most important tumour markers in the management of human carcinoma, including lung cancer. So far, however, because of the nonspecificity of anti-CEA antibodies, it remains unclear whether the experimental measurements of CEA expression really reflect genuine CEA. In normal lung, nonspecific cross reacting antigen (NCA) has been described as a major component of CEA-related antigens. Recently isolated CEA and NCA cDNA clones enabled us to analyse CEA and NCA expression of in vivo tumour specimens and tumour cell lines at mRNA levels. NCA-specific mRNA (but not CEA-specific mRNA) was detected in all normal lung tissues examined. Of 21 lung cancer tissue specimens, nine expressed both NCA and CEA and five expressed only NCA. Of 16 tumour cell lines, two expressed only NCA and one expressed both NCA and CEA, although its level of CEA mRNA was weaker than that of NCA mRNA. Therefore, CEA-related mRNA expression was always accompanied by NCA mRNA expression; there were no cases of CEA mRNA expression alone. These findings suggest that NCA is a major member of the CEA-related gene family expressed in lung cancer.

Symmetrical thalamic lesions on CT in influenza A virus infection presenting with or without Reye syndrome

In Reye encephalopathy, diffuse brain swelling is a well known CT finding, but focal CT lesions have not been documented. We report 2 children with Reye encephalopathy and 2 children with non-Reye encephalopathy both associated with influenza A virus infection in whom symmetrical low density lesions of the thalamus and brainstem were detected on CT. These symmetrical low density lesions were present in the acute phase and decreased in size within a few weeks in all, and are still seen 2 years later as clearly defined small round areas in 3 surviving patients. Paired influenza A virus titers in blood showed 4-fold or more increase in all. Myelin basic protein (MBP) in CSF was increased in 2 of the 3 subjects studied. Liver biopsy showed diffuse lipid droplet infiltration in 2, focal infiltration in 1, and normal morphology in 1. The above data suggest that the symmetrical low density lesions were associated with influenza A virus infection, most likely consisting of edema, demyelination, and necrosis. We suspect that there is a continuum of Reye syndrome and virus-associated encephalopathy with significant overlap.

Usefulness and limitation of measurement of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) for diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency

To analyze the utility of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) radioimmunoassay for diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) we measured IGFBP-3 in sera from normal children, short children and patients with GHD. The sensitivity (true positive ratio) of IGFBP-3 for complete GHD (cGHD) was 93%, while the specificity (true negative ratio) for normal short children (NS) was 88%. In contrast, the sensitivity of IGFBP-3 for partial GHD (pGHD) was only 43%. The poor discrimination between patients with pGHD and NS may be the result of their relatively similar GH level, as compared to cGHD, or due to the limitations of GH stimulation tests. The specificity of IGFBP-3 for NS was excellent in children of all ages: less than 10 years old (87%) and older than 10 (88%). However, sensitivity for GHD was good for children less than 10 years old (84%) but poor for children older than 10 (64%). IGFBP-3 may be less sensitive for diagnosing GHD in older children because IGFBP-3 levels may also increase during puberty due to mechanisms independent of the GH-IGF-I axis.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: 1-benzyl-4-(2-phthalimidoethyl)piperidine and related derivatives

Following the discovery of a new series of 1-benzyl-4-[2-(N-benzoyl-N-methylamino)ethyl]piperidine (2) derivatives with a potent anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE) activity, we extended the structure-activity relationships (SAR) to rigid analogues (4) and 1-benzyl-4-[2-(N-benzoyl-N-phenylamino)ethyl]piperidine derivatives (3). Introduction of a phenyl group on the nitrogen atom of the amide moieties resulted in enhanced activity. The rigid analogue containing isoindolone (9) was found to exhibit potent anti-AChE activity comparable to that of 2. Furthermore, replacement of the isoindolone with other heterobicyclic ring systems was examined. Among the compounds prepared in these series, 1-benzyl-4-[2-[4-(benzoylamino)phthalimido]ethyl]piperidine hydrochloride (19) (IC50 = 1.2 nM) is one of the most potent inhibitors of AChE. Compound 19 showed a definite selectivity to AChE over the BuChE (about 34700-fold) and, at dosages of 10-50 mg/kg, exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on AChE in rat brain.

Relationship between gallium 67 citrate scanning and transferrin receptor expression in lung diseases

The uptake of gallium 67 (67Ga) into cells is postulated to be through transferrin receptors (TFR) of 67Ga combined with transferrin. We studied the relationship between gallium 67 citrate scanning (67Ga scan) and immunohistochemical TFR expression in lungs of nine patients with lung cancer and eight patients with diffuse interstitial lung diseases. We found that lung cancer tissues of positive 67Ga scan expressed TFR, but those of a negative scan did not. In all of the five patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), TFR were expressed on the membrane of alveolar macrophages that formed clusters. However, TFR were not expressed in lymphocytes, neutrophils, type 2 alveolar epithelial cells, and endothelial cells. In two patients with sarcoidosis and a patient with pneumoconiosis, TFR were expressed positively only on the membrane of foamy alveolar macrophages and epithelioid cells of granuloma. These findings suggest that 67Ga-citrate initially combines with transferrin in the blood and then the complex is incorporated into cells through TFR. Therefore, 67Ga scan could be positive when cells have TFR and one should be able to observe cancer cells, clusters of alveolar macrophages, and epithelioid cells through the imaging of 67Ga scan in lung cancer and diffuse interstitial lung diseases.

Gradual progress of ACTH deficiency in a child with panhypopituitarism associated with pituitary stalk transection

We present here a 13-year-old male with hypopituitarism which accompanied an insidious and gradual progress of ACTH deficiency. ACTH deficiency finally led to an overt crisis of adrenal insufficiency at the age of 12 years and 7 months. This patient is unique because the insidious and gradual progress has been proved by not only the laboratory results but also the clinical course for over 13 years. The cause of panhypopituitarism including ACTH deficiency is thought to have existed before or at the delivery because of the stalk transection seen on the magnetic resonance image (MRI). At the crisis, his laboratory results suggested that he had secondary adrenal insufficiency, whereas he showed normal adrenal function proved by the insulin tolerance test (ITT) at the age of 4 years. Abrupt crisis of secondary adrenal insufficiency developed at the age of 12 years, although he had been well until the crisis.

Occurrence of a novel 350-kDa serine proteinase in the fluid of porcine ovarian follicles and its increase during their maturation

Porcine ovary was found to contain enzyme activities hydrolyzing peptide 4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide (MCA) substrates with a preference for Arg-MCA bond. The activities were shown to be present almost exclusively in the follicular fluid and to increase several times during follicular maturation. The enzyme responsible for these activities is thought to be a serine proteinase as judged from its strong inhibition by diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), leupeptin and antipain. The molecular weight of the native enzyme was electrophoretically estimated to be approximately 350,000, the result indicating that the enzyme is clearly distinct from plasmin (M(r) = 80,000) and collagenase (M(r) = 30,000-65,000), both of which are thought to be involved in ovulatory process. The substrate specificity of the partially purified enzyme was qualitatively different from that of plasmin. These results suggest that the enzyme is a novel type of serine proteinase.

An unusual variant of chromosome 16 in three generations

An unusual variant of chromosome 16, 16p+, in three generations is described. This is the first clinical report of 16p+ in Japan.

Western ligand blot assay for human growth hormone-dependent insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-3): the serum levels in patients with classical growth hormone deficiency

The insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGFs), important growth factors both in vivo and in vitro, are known to have at least six binding proteins (IGFBP-1-6). In human serum, IGFBP-3 is a major binding protein and is considered to be GH-IGF-I-dependent. We have established a Western Ligand Blot (WLB) assay for IGFBP-3. The method is a densitometric analysis of IGFBP-3 bands on a film of WLB. The IGFBP-3 levels of patients with classical growth hormone deficiency (GHD, 5 isolated and 10 multiple hormone deficiencies with appropriate therapy) were studied. Before puberty there is no overlap between control (n = 31) and the patients with GHD (n = 10). However, IGFBP-3 levels of two of five pubertal patients with GHD were within the normal range (n = 16). We think that measurement of serum IGFBP-3 is a useful diagnostic marker for GHD, especially before puberty.