Lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis with cholangitis: a variant of primary sclerosing cholangitis extensively involving pancreas

Pancreatic involvement in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an extremely rare condition, and its pathologic features are poorly documented. We report two cases of an unusual lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing inflammatory disease involving the total pancreas, common bile duct, gallbladder, and, in one patient, the lip. Two elderly men presented with waxing and waning obstructive jaundice, and exhibited radiologic and ultrasonographic findings highly suggestive of pancreatic carcinoma. Gross appearance of the pancreas showed firm and mass-like enlargement with regional lymph node swelling. Histologic findings were characterized by diffuse lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with marked interstitial fibrosis and acinar atrophy, obliterated phlebitis of the pancreatic veins, and involvement of the portal vein. Similar inflammatory processes involved the bile duct and the gallbladder. Lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis with cholangitis is thought to be a more appropriate term for this condition, of which a similar lesion has been previously noted in a single case of "PSC involving pancreas". Differences in age, radiologic appearance, and the negative history of ulcerative colitis exist, but the two cases in this study could be considered as a variant of PSC extensively involving pancreas, which can readily be mistaken for pancreatic carcinoma.

Mutations and altered expression of p16INK4 in human cancer

Cell cycle arrest at the G1 checkpoint allows completion of critical macromolecular events prior to S phase. Regulators of the G1 checkpoint include an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase, p16INK4; two tumor-suppressor proteins, p53 and RB (the product of the retinoblastoma-susceptibility gene); and cyclin D1. Neither p16INK4 nor the RB protein was detected in 28 of 29 tumor cell lines from human lung, esophagus, liver, colon, and pancreas. The presence of p16INK4 protein is inversely correlated with detectable RB or cyclin D1 proteins and is not correlated with p53 mutations. Homozygous deletions of p16INK4 were detected in several cell lines, but intragenic mutations of this gene were unusual in either cell lines or primary tumors. Transfection of the p16INK4 cDNA expression vector into carcinoma cells inhibits their colony-forming efficiency and the p16INK4 expressing cells are selected against with continued passage in vitro. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that p16INK4 is a tumor-suppressor protein and that genetic and epigenetic abnormalities in genes controlling the G1 checkpoint can lead to both escape from senescence and cancer formation.

Close relationship between autoimmune pancreatitis and multifocal fibrosclerosis

BACKGROUND

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a unique clinical entity proposed recently, and is sometimes associated with inflammation of other organs.

AIMS

To examine the pathophysiology of the pancreas and other organs in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We evaluated clinicopathological findings in six resected and one autopsied patient with autoimmune pancreatitis. The pancreas, peripancreatic tissue, bile duct, and gall bladder were examined histologically and immunohistochemically. Biopsied salivary gland and cervical lymph node of one patient were also examined. We also performed similar immunohistochemical examinations in pancreatectomy specimens from 10 patients with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis and biopsied salivary glands from five patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

RESULTS

Stenosis of the extrahepatic bile duct was detected in all patients. Histological findings were characterised by diffuse lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with marked interstitial fibrosis and acinar atrophy, obliterated phlebitis of the pancreatic veins, and involvement of the portal vein. Immunohistochemically, diffusely infiltrating cells consisted predominantly of CD4 or CD8 positive T lymphocytes and IgG4 positive plasma cells. Similar inflammatory processes also involved the peripancreatic tissue, extrahepatic bile duct, gall bladder, and salivary gland. Lymph nodes were swollen with infiltration of IgG4 positive plasma cells. None of these findings was seen in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis or Sjögren's syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

The development of the specific inflammations in extensive organs as well as the pancreas in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis strongly suggests a close relationship between autoimmune pancreatitis and multifocal fibrosclerosis.

Intestinal Dysbiosis and Lowered Serum Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein in Parkinson's Disease

Background

The intestine is one of the first affected organs in Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD subjects show abnormal staining for Escherichia coli and α-synuclein in the colon.

Methods

We recruited 52 PD patients and 36 healthy cohabitants. We measured serum markers and quantified the numbers of 19 fecal bacterial groups/genera/species by quantitative RT-PCR of 16S or 23S rRNA. Although the six most predominant bacterial groups/genera/species covered on average 71.3% of total intestinal bacteria, our analysis was not comprehensive compared to metagenome analysis or 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Results

In PD, the number of Lactobacillus was higher, while the sum of analyzed bacteria, Clostridium coccoides group, and Bacteroides fragilis group were lower than controls. Additionally, the sum of putative hydrogen-producing bacteria was lower in PD. A linear regression model to predict disease durations demonstrated that C. coccoides group and Lactobacillus gasseri subgroup had the largest negative and positive coefficients, respectively. As a linear regression model to predict stool frequencies showed that these bacteria were not associated with constipation, changes in these bacteria were unlikely to represent worsening of constipation in the course of progression of PD. In PD, the serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein levels were lower than controls, while the levels of serum diamine oxidase, a marker for intestinal mucosal integrity, remained unchanged in PD.

Conclusions

The permeability to LPS is likely to be increased without compromising the integrity of intestinal mucosa in PD. The increased intestinal permeability in PD may make the patients susceptible to intestinal dysbiosis. Conversely, intestinal dysbiosis may lead to the increased intestinal permeability. One or both of the two mechanisms may be operational in development and progression of PD.

CD14+,CD16+ blood monocytes and joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

CD14+,CD16+ monocytes, identified as a minor population of monocytes in human peripheral blood (PB), have been implicated in several inflammatory diseases. We undertook this study to investigate the relevance of this phenotype to joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS

The expression of CD14, CD16, CC chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1), CCR5, and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) on monocytes was measured by flow cytometric analysis. Concentrations of the cytokines known to induce CD16 (including transforming growth factor beta1 [TGFbeta1], macrophage colony-stimulating factor [M-CSF], and interleukin-10 [IL-10]) and concentrations of the soluble form of CD14 (sCD14) in plasma and synovial fluid (SF) samples were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The induction of CD16 on RA blood monocytes cultured for 18 hours with 1 or with all 3 cytokines was determined.

RESULTS

The mean +/- SD frequency of CD14+,CD16+ blood monocytes was significantly increased in RA patients (11.7 +/- 5.6%; n = 105) compared with healthy controls (9.5 +/- 2.2%; n = 15) (P < 0.01), and the patient group with an increased frequency of CD16+ monocytes (> or =13.9%) had active disease, as defined by increased counts of tender and swollen joints, levels of acute-phase reactants, and titers of rheumatoid factor. The response to drug therapy correlated with changes in the frequency of this phenotype. The expression of CD16 on SF monocytes from RA patients was markedly elevated compared with the expression on PB monocytes. CD16 expression on RA blood monocytes was augmented in vitro by IL-10, M-CSF, and TGFbeta1. Plasma concentrations of these cytokines and of sCD14 were significantly higher in RA patients with high CD16+ monocyte frequencies than in those with low CD16+ monocyte frequencies or in healthy controls. CD14+,CD16+ monocytes expressed higher levels of CCR1, CCR5, and ICAM-1 than did regular CD14++,CD16- monocytes, particularly in active RA.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that the maturation of blood monocytes into tissue-infiltrative CD16+ cells before entry into the joint, induced by cytokine spillover from the inflamed joint, may contribute to the persistent joint inflammation of RA.

Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup: recurrent disease

This manuscript reports the consensus statements regarding recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC), reached at the fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference (OCCC), which was held in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2015. Three important questions were identified: (i) What are the subgroups for clinical trials in ROC? The historical definition of using platinum-free interval (PFI) to categorise patients as having platinum-sensitive/resistant disease was replaced by therapy-free interval (TFI). TFI can be broken down into TFIp (PFI), TFInp (non-PFI) and TFIb (biological agent-free interval). Additional criteria to consider include histology, BRCA mutation status, number/type of previous therapies, outcome of prior surgery and patient reported symptoms. (ii) What are the control arms for clinical trials in ROC? When platinum is considered the best option, the control arm should be a platinum-based therapy with or without an anti-angiogenic agent or a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor. If platinum is not considered the best option, the control arm could include a non-platinum drug, either as single agent or in combination. (iii) What are the endpoints for clinical trials in ROC? Overall survival (OS) is the preferred endpoint for patient cohorts with an expected median OS < or = 12 months. Progression-free survival (PFS) is an alternative, and it is the preferred endpoint when the expected median OS is > 12 months. However, PFS alone should not be the only endpoint and must be supported by additional endpoints including pre-defined patient reported outcomes (PROs), time to second subsequent therapy (TSST), or time until definitive deterioration of quality of life (TUDD).

Expression of Toll-like receptor 2 on CD16+ blood monocytes and synovial tissue macrophages in rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

CD16 (IgG Fcgamma receptor type IIIA [FcgammaRIIIA])-expressing CD14+ monocytes express high levels of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) and are able to efficiently produce proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). To understand the role of CD16 and TLR-2 in monocyte and macrophage activation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we investigated the expression of TLR-2 on CD16+ blood monocytes and synovial tissue macrophages and the effect of CD16 and TLR-2 activation on cytokine production.

METHODS

The expression of CD14, CD16, TLR-2, and TLR-4 on blood monocytes was measured by flow cytometric analysis. CD16 and TLR-2 expression in RA synovial tissue was detected by 2-color immunofluorescence labeling. CD16+ mature monocytes were prepared by incubating blood monocytes in plastic plates for 24 hours. These adhered monocytes were stimulated with lipoteichoic acid (LTA), anti-FcgammaRIII antibody, and Hsp60 for 5 hours, and culture supernatants were measured for various cytokines by immunoassay. The activation of NF-kappaB was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay.

RESULTS

The frequency of CD16+ cells in all blood monocytes was significantly increased in patients with RA compared with healthy controls. TLR-2 was expressed at higher levels on CD16+ monocytes than on CD16- monocytes, while TLR-4 was expressed similarly on both monocytes. In RA synovial tissue, CD16+/TLR-2+ cells were distributed mainly in the lining layer. TLR-2 expression on monocytes was enhanced by macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), but was reduced by transforming growth factor beta1, while CD16 expression was inducible by these cytokines. Adhered monocytes ( approximately 50% CD16+) produced TNFalpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 p40, IL-1 receptor antagonist, and IL-10 after LTA stimulation. This cytokine response was inhibited significantly by anti-TLR-2 antibody and partly by anti-TLR-4 antibody. Anti-FcgammaRIII antibody stimulation markedly enhanced the LTA-induced TNFalpha response. Hsp60 could stimulate TNFalpha production by adhered monocytes, which was inhibited similarly by anti-TLR-2 antibody and anti-TLR-4 antibody. NF-kappaB activation in adhered monocytes was induced by LTA, but this NF-kappaB activity was not augmented by anti-FcgammaRIII antibody stimulation.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that CD16+ monocytes and synovial tissue macrophages with high TLR-2 expression may be induced by M-CSF and IL-10, and their production of TNFalpha could be simulated by endogenous TLR ligands such as Hsp60 and FcgammaRIIIA ligation by small immune complexes in RA joints.

IgG4-related sclerosing disease incorporating sclerosing pancreatitis, cholangitis, sialadenitis and retroperitoneal fibrosis with lymphadenopathy

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Autoimmune pancreatitis is usually associated with elevated serum IgG4 concentrations, and sometimes with sclerosing cholangitis and Sjögren's syndrome. This study aimed to elucidate the proposed entity of IgG4-related sclerosing disease.

METHODS

Subjects were patients with autoimmune pancreatitis (n = 26), sclerosing sialadenitis (n = 5), chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (n = 20), sialolithiasis (n = 34), Sjögren's syndrome (n = 50), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (n = 3). Sections of various organs and tissues of these patients were examined immunohistochemically using antibodies to CD4-T, CD8-T, and CD20-B cell subsets and IgG4, and serum IgG4 concentrations were measured.

RESULTS

Patients with autoimmune pancreatitis were associated with sclerosing cholangitis (n = 23), sclerosing sialadenitis (n = 2), retroperitoneal fibrosis (n = 2), and abdominal (n = 5) and cervical (n = 4) lymphadenopathy. They demonstrated infiltrations of more abundant IgG4-positive plasma cells in the pancreas, peripancreatic retroperitoneal tissues, extrahepatic bile duct, gallbladder, stomach, minor salivary gland, and abdominal lymph nodes compared with those of other diseases (p < 0.01). Such infiltrations were also observed in the minor salivary gland and submandibular gland of patients with sclerosing sialadenitis (p < 0.01). Serum IgG4 concentrations were significantly elevated in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis and sclerosing sialadenitis (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

We propose a new clinicopathological entity of IgG4-related sclerosing disease incorporating sclerosing pancreatitis, cholangitis, sialadenitis and retroperitoneal fibrosis with lymphadenopathy.

Prolonged circulation time in vivo of large unilamellar liposomes composed of distearoyl phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol containing amphipathic poly(ethylene glycol)

The effect of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) on the circulation time of liposomes in mice was examined by employing amphipathic PEGs (phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) derivatives of PEG) with average molecular weights of 1000, 2000, 5000 and 12,000. The activity of dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine-PEG (DOPE-PEG) in prolonging the circulation time of egg phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol large unilamellar liposomes (ePC/CH LUVs) (200 nm) was proportional to the molecular weight of PEG, i.e., 12000 = 5000 greater than 2000 greater than 1000. On the other hand, inclusion of distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine-PEG (DSPE-PEG) or dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine-PEG (DPPE-PEG) of low molecular weight such as 1000 and 2000 in distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC)/CH LUVs or dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/CH LUVs effectively increased their blood circulation time. At least 3 mol% of amphipathic PEG in liposomes was required for activity. Addition of CH, which has a bilayer-tightening effect, to DSPC/CH/DSPE-PEG2000 LUVs further increased the blood residence time. A size of less than 300 nm was essential for prolonging the residence time of amphipathic PEG-containing liposomes in blood. DSPC/CH/DSPE-PEG2000 LUVs (1:1:0.13, m/m) containing 6 mol% of PEG and 200 nm in diameter remained in the circulation for over 24 h after injection and may be clinically useful for sustained release of an entrapped drug in the bloodstream and for drug accumulation in solid tumors.

Redesigning the substrate specificity of an enzyme by cumulative effects of the mutations of non-active site residues

Directed evolution was used to change the substrate specificity of aspartate aminotransferase. A mutant enzyme with 17 amino acid substitutions was generated that shows a 2.1 x 10(6)-fold increase in the catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) for a non-native substrate, valine. The absorption spectrum of the bound coenzyme, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, is also changed significantly by the mutations. Interestingly, only one of the 17 residues appears to be able to contact the substrate, and none of them interact with the coenzyme. The three-dimensional structure of the mutant enzyme complexed with a valine analog, isovalerate (determined to 2.4-A resolution by x-ray crystallography), provides insights into how the mutations affect substrate binding. The active site is remodeled; the subunit interface is altered, and the enzyme domain that encloses the substrate is shifted by the mutations. The present results demonstrate clearly the importance of the cumulative effects of residues remote from the active site and represent a new line of approach to the redesign of enzyme activity.

Adult female twins' recall of childhood social class and father's education: a validation study for public health research

To assess recall of childhood socioeconomic position for public health research, the authors conducted a cross-sectional study of 352 adult women twin pairs enrolled in Examination II of the Kaiser Permanente Women Twins Study carried out in 1989-1990 in Oakland, California. Among twin pairs, 91% (95% confidence interval (CI) 89-94%) agreed on their father's educational level and 81% (95% CI 77-85%) on their childhood social class. Recall did not differ by adult socioeconomic position, zygosity, race/ethnicity, or age. Thus, epidemiologic studies can validly use retrospective data on childhood socioeconomic position to study its relation to adult health status.

X-ray crystallographic study of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-type aspartate aminotransferases from Escherichia coli in open and closed form

We determined the three-dimensional structures of aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT) from Escherichia coli and its complex with inhibitor (2-methyl-L-aspartate) at 1.8A resolution. This enzyme reversibly catalyzes the transamination reaction and is a dimer of two identical subunits. Each subunit has 396 amino acid residues and one pyridoxal 5'-phosphate as a cofactor, and is divided into two domains, one large and the other small. Upon binding of the inhibitor, the small domain rotates by 5 degrees toward the large domain to close the active site. This domain movement is caused mainly by small but important main-chain conformational changes in the residues located over the domain interface of the small domain. In chicken mitochondrial AspAT, the domain movement was larger, with a rotational angle of 13 degrees. By comparison of these two structures, the difference in the rotational angles was found to be caused by the larger opening of the domain in the open form of chicken mitochondrial AspAT. Although the overall structures of these two enzymes were almost identical, the surface area of the domain interface in the E. coli enzyme was larger than that in mitochondrial AspAT, suggesting that the structure of the domain interface is responsible for the degree of movement of the small domain.

Viscoelasticity of hyaluronic acid with different molecular weights

Storage and loss moduli of hyaluronic acid solutions with different molecular weights were observed as a function of frequency in the presence of sugars and salts. The hyaluronic acid solutions of higher molecular weight (Mw > 17 x 10(6)) fractions showed entanglement, whereas lower molecular weight fractions did not. For inducing the entanglement of molecular chains of hyaluronic acid, increasing the molecular weight of hyaluronic acid was more effective than increasing the concentration of the lower molecular weight fractions (Mw = 7. 8 x 10(5). Glucose, fructose, galactose, and sucrose increased both storage and loss moduli, while NaCl, KCl and CaCl2 decreased both moduli. It is suggested that sugars create hydrogen bonds and strengthen the transient network. Cations shield the electrostatic repulsion of hyaluronic acid molecules, and the polymer chains are shrunk into compact coils from expanded stiffened coils.

A novel gene, CRR9, which was up-regulated in CDDP-resistant ovarian tumor cell line, was associated with apoptosis

In the screening for cisplatin (CDDP)-resistance related genes by a mRNA differential display method, we detected some increased bands in CDDP resistant ovarian tumor cell line 2008/C13*5.25. One of them, named DD9, was a positive fragment on Northern blot analysis. We cloned it as a full length cDNA by 5'RACE and found a novel gene, CRR9 (Cisplatin Resistance Related gene 9). The CRR9 gene was transcribed into a 2.0 kb mRNA, encoding 512 amino acids. The putative protein had transmembrane-like domains and well conserved on C terminus with human CLPTM1 and the homologs found in Drosophila and C. elegans. Transfection assay showed that the CDDP-sensitive strain 2008 with CRR9 was more sensitive to CDDP, indicating that CRR9 was not associated with the CDDP-resistance, but the CDDP-induced apoptosis.

Low incidence of persistent tardive dyskinesia in elderly patients with dementia treated with risperidone

OBJECTIVE

The authors studied the incidence of tardive dyskinesia in elderly institutionalized patients with dementia being treated with risperidone.

METHOD

After participating in a 12-week multicenter double-blind study during which they received placebo or one of three doses of risperidone, 330 patients (mean age=82.5 years) with Alzheimer's, vascular, or mixed dementia were enrolled in a 1-year open-label study during which they received flexible doses of risperidone. Persistent emergent tardive dyskinesia was defined according to scores on the dyskinesia subscale of the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale.

RESULTS

The mean modal risperidone dose was 0.96 mg/day (SD=0.53), and the median length of risperidone use was 273 days. The 1-year cumulative incidence of persistent emergent tardive dyskinesia among the 255 patients without dyskinesia at baseline was 2.6%. Patients with dyskinetic symptoms at baseline experienced significant reductions in the severity of dyskinesia. Patients who received 0.75-1.5 mg/day of risperidone showed a significant improvement in psychopathologic symptoms over the 1-year period.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there was no control group, the observed incidence of persistent tardive dyskinesia with risperidone seemed to be much lower than that seen in elderly patients treated with conventional neuroleptics. The average optimal dose of risperidone in elderly dementia patients was found to be 0.75-1.5 mg/day.

Hematogenous metastases of pancreatic ductal carcinoma

To investigate the heterogeneity of hematogenous metastases of pancreatic ductal carcinoma, we investigated carcinomatous spread in 130 autopsy cases. Hepatic metastases occurred most frequently, in 81 cases (62%), which may be explained by the fact that all veins draining the pancreas flow into the portal system. We closely examined the 49 cases without hepatic metastases. Sixteen patients had pulmonary metastases without hepatic metastases, whereas seven had peculiar hematogenous metastases without hepatic or pulmonary metastases. Fifteen of these 23 patients had pancreatic body carcinomas. The unusual patterns of spread might be due to (a) hepatofugal portosystemic shunting induced by splenic vein obstruction, (b) retrograde lymphatic infiltration from metastatic tracheobronchial lymph nodes, or (c) aggressive characteristics of the tumors indicated by peculiar histologic features such as pleomorphic or mucoepidermoid carcinoma, etc. Sixteen patients showed only lymph node metastases and 10 had no distant metastases. Seventeen of these 26 cases had pancreatic head carcinoma. Histologically, two patients had mucinous cystadenocarcinomas, and six had adenocarcinomas producing rich mucin. The average age of the group with no distant metastases was higher.

Transcriptional regulation of the ATP citrate-lyase gene by sterol regulatory element-binding proteins

In an attempt to identify unknown target genes for SREBP-1, total RNA from a stable Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO-487) expressing a mature form of human SREBP-1a (amino acids 1-487) with a LacSwitch Inducible Mammalian Expression System was subjected to a polymerase chain reaction subtraction method. One of the fragments was found to have 90 and 86% homology with rat and human ATP citrate-lyase (ACL) cDNA, respectively. When Hep G2 cells are cultured under either sterol-loaded or -depleted conditions, expression of the gene is induced approximately 2-3-fold by sterol depletion. To investigate the direct effect of SREBP-1a on transcription, luciferase assays using the promoter of the human ACL gene were performed. These deletion studies indicated that a minimum 160-base pair segment contains the information required for the transcriptional regulation brought about by enforced expression of SREBP-1a. Luciferase assays using mutant reporter genes revealed that SREBP-dependent transcriptional regulation is mediated by two nearby motifs, the SREBP-binding site (a TCAGGCTAG sequence) and the NF-Y-binding site (a CCAAT box). It was confirmed by gel mobility shift assays that recombinant SREBP-1a binds to the sequence. Data from studies with transgenic mice and reporter assays show that the ACL gene promoter is activated by SREBP-1a more strongly than SREBP-2 in contrast to the HMG CoA synthase and LDL receptor gene promoters, which exhibit the same preference for the two factors. Therefore, SREBPs transcriptionally regulates ACL enzyme activity, which generates the cytosolic acetyl CoA required for both cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis.

Effect of molecular weight in amphipathic polyethyleneglycol on prolonging the circulation time of large unilamellar liposomes

The effect in mice of the molecular weight of polyethyleneglycol on prolonging the circulation time of large unilamellar liposomes (LUVs) was examined using four different distearoyl N-(monomethoxy polyethyleneglycol succinyl) phosphatidylethanolamines (DSPE-PEGs). The molecular weights tested were 1000, 2000, 5000 and 12000. Incorporation of 6 mol% of DSPE-PEG in LUV composed of distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) / cholesterol (CH) (1:1 in molar ratio) increased the blood circulation half-life significantly more than those without DSPE-PEG derivatives. DSPE-PEGs with molecular weights of 1000 and 2000 prolonged the circulation time of liposomes more than other DSPE-PEGs with higher molecular weights, such as 5000 and 12000. Their effects are also higher than ganglioside GM1, a well described glycolipid with this effect. DSPC/CH LUV-incorporated DSPE-PEG with a molecular weight of 2000 displayed a high concentration in the blood, approximately 40% of the dose, 6 h after the injection.

Deletion of Gtl2, imprinted non-coding RNA, with its differentially methylated region induces lethal parent-origin-dependent defects in mice

The cluster of imprinted genes located in the Dlk1-Dio3 domain spanning 1 Mb plays an essential role in controlling pre- and postnatal growth and differentiation in mice and humans. The failure of parent-of-origin-dependent gene expression in this domain results in grave disorders, leading to death in some cases. However, little is known about the role of maternally expressed non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including many miRNAs and snoRNAs in this domain. In order to further understand the role of these ncRNAs, we created Gtl2-mutant mice harboring a 10 kb deletion in exons 1-5. The mutant mice exhibited a very unique inheritance mode: when the deletion was inherited from the mother (Mat-KO), the pups were born with normal phenotypes; however, all of them died within 4 weeks after birth, probably due to severely hypoplastic pulmonary alveoli and hepatocellular necrosis. Mice carrying the paternal deletion (Pat-KO) showed severe growth retardation and perinatal lethality. Interestingly, the homozygous mutants (Homo-KO) survived and developed into fertile adults. Our results show that these phenotypes occur due to altered expression of the Dlk1-Dio3 cluster genes including miRNAs and snoRNAs via the cis and trans effects.

Polyamine content of ordinary foodstuffs and various fermented foods

Soybeans, tea leaves, and mushrooms were conspicuously rich in spermidine, while oranges contained a large amount of putrescine. Among the fermented foods, soy sauces were rich in putrescine and histamine, while Japanese sake contained plenty of agmatine. These polyamines are thought to be produced from amino acids during fermentation with amino acid decarboxylases formed by the micro-organisms.

Genotoxicity of beryllium, gallium and antimony in short-term assays

The genotoxicity of beryllium, gallium and antimony compounds was studied with the rec, Salmonella mutagenicity and SCE assays. In the rec assay, all the salts of the metals, BeCl2, Be(NO3)2, GaCl3, Ga(NO3)3, SbCl3, SbCl5, and an oxide, Sb2O3, had DNA-damaging activity. None of the compounds was mutagenic to Salmonella. In the SCE assays using V79 cells, 2 antimony(III) compounds, SbCl3 and Sb2O3, and 2 beryllium compounds, BeCl2 and Be(NO3)2, induced SCEs significantly. Sb2O3, slightly soluble in water, was positive in both the rec assay and the SCE assay at very low doses.

Anti-hypertensive substances in fermented soybean, natto

Natto is a traditional Japanese fermented food made by fermenting boiled soy beans with Bacillus natto. Its contents of inhibitors against the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE, EC3.4.15.1) were investigated. Relatively strong inhibitory activity (IC50: 0.4 mg/ml, 11.8 inhibition units/g natto) was detected in natto extracts and the inhibitory activity observed in the viscous fraction was more potent than in the bean extract. Two groups of inhibitors in the viscous material, high and low molecular weight inhibitors, were resolved by dialysis test. The inhibitor of high molecular weight was a protein with low IC50 value (0.12 mg/ml). The two types of low molecular weight inhibitors were detected in ethanol extracts (IC50: 0.53 mg/ml and 0.95 mg/ml) and they were found to be stable over a wide range of pH and temperature up to 100 degrees C. They were different in the mode of ACE inhibition. One is competitive, and the other noncompetitive against the hydrolysis of Bz-Gly-His-Leu by ACE.