Regulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) products in fresh and cultured human fetal pancreata aged 9-16 gestational weeks by gamma-interferon

Transplant therapy: recovery of function after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) result in devastating loss of function and altered sensation. Presently, victims of SCI have few remedies for the loss of motor function and the altered sensation often experienced subsequent to the injury. A goal in SCI research is to improve function in both acute and chronic injuries. Among the most successful interventions is the utilization of transplanted tissues toward improved recovery. The theory is that the transplanted tissue could (1) bridge the spinal lesion and provide chemical and/or mechanical guidance for host neurons to grow across the lesion, (2) bridge the spinal lesion and provide additional cellular elements to repair the damaged circuitry, (3) provide factors that would rescue neurons that would otherwise die and/or modulate neural circuits to improve function. A variety of tissues and cells have been added to the adult mammalian spinal cord to encourage restoration of function. These include Schwann cells, motor neurons, dorsal root ganglia, adrenal tissue, hybridomas, peripheral nerves, and fetal spinal cord (FSC) tissue en bloc or as disassociated cells. It is postulated that these tissues would rescue or replace injured adult neurons, which would then integrate or promote the regeneration of the spinal cord circuitry and restore function. In some instances, host-appropriate circuitry is supplied by the transplant and functional improvement is demonstrated. In this presentation, specific examples of recent work with transplanted tissue and cells that demonstrate improved behavioral outcome are presented. New recent work describing the in vitro propagation and characterization of human fetal spinal cord multipotential progenitor cells are also described in the context of a potential resource for transplantable cells. Additionally, data from transplantation experiments of human FSC cells into nonimmunosuppressed rat spinal cord are described, and the resultant improvements in behavioral outcome reported. Lastly, directions for future SCI research are proposed.

Recent increase in the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among young men and women in Denmark

Time-related trends in the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in Denmark were analysed for the period 1943-89. A total of 13 822 patients (7565 men and 6257 women) were included in the study. In men, world-standardised incidence rates per 100 000 population increased from 2.5 in 1943-47 to 9.3 in 1988-89. In women, a similar increase was seen, i.e. from 1.9 in 1943-47 to 6.5 per 100 000 population in 1988-89. For all birth cohorts, the male-to-female incidence ratio was highest among young subjects and fell significantly after the age of 29 years. Trends in age-specific incidence were analysed separately for two periods, i.e. 1943-77 and 1978-89, reflecting an early, pre-AIDS period and a later period possibly influenced by AIDS. In both periods, the incidence of NHL increased in all age groups. However, in recent years a noticeable increase in incidence averaging 8% annually was observed in men and women aged 40-49 years. A number of factors including changes in the perception of NHL and in the diagnostic methods available are considered insufficient to explain the observed increase. The remarkable and parallel time trends observed in young men and women in recent years indicate that factors other than AIDS must be considered.

Cytotoxic effect of RB 6145 in human tumour cell lines: dependence on hypoxia, extra- and intracellular pH and drug uptake

Low pH and hypoxia are a common feature of many solid tumours. This study examined the effect of these two conditions on the cytotoxic properties of the bifunctional agent RB 6145, the prodrug of RSU 1069. The effect of acidic pH on RB 6145 toxicity was examined in six human tumour cell lines under hypoxic conditions and was found to have little effect in HT 29, A549, U373 and HT 144 cells. Treatment was for 1 h at 37 degrees C, pH 6.4 or 7.4. Significant potentiation of RB 6145 toxicity was observed in SiHa cells (enhancement ratio; ERpH approximately 1.6) and in U1 cells (ERpH approximately 1.4). In these two cell lines the potentiation of RB 6145 toxicity arising from hypoxia was large, with ERHyp approximately 11 and 15 in SiHa and U1 cells respectively. SiHa cells, which show a pH effect and HT 29 cells, which do not, were chosen for further comparative studies of drug uptake )nd regulation of intracellular pH. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determinations of the uptake of RB 6145 and its dervatives showed that in SiHa cells, intracellular to extracellular drug concentration ratio (Ci/Ce) at 1 h was approximately 40% higher at pH 6.4 than at pH 7.4, whereas in HT 29 cells Ci/Ce was approximately 25% lower. Under conditions of acidic extracellular pH, regulation of pH was somewhat less effective in SiHa cells, where pHi dropped to within 0.2 pH units of the extracellular pH over a 2.5 h treatment at pH 6.4. It seems likely that increased drug uptake was at least part of the basis for the observed potentiation of RB 6145 toxicity in SiHa cells. A model which would better explain the results for both cell lines might also include the possibility that low pH per se potentiates cytotoxic damage to a modest extent and that it is offset or augmented by altered uptake in HT 29 and SiHa cells respectively.