Exercise-induced expression of angiogenic growth factors in skeletal muscle and in capillaries of healthy and diabetic mice

Background

Diabetes has negative, and exercise training positive, effects on the skeletal muscle vasculature, but the mechanisms are not yet fully understood. In the present experiment the effects of running exercise on the mRNA expression of pro- and antiangiogenic factors were studied in healthy and diabetic skeletal muscle. The responses in capillaries and muscle fibers, collected from the muscle with laser capture microdissection, were also studied separately.

Methods

Healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were divided into sedentary and exercise groups. Exercise was a single bout of 1 h running on a treadmill. Gastrocnemius muscles were harvested 3 h and 6 h post exercise, and angiogenesis-related gene expressions were analyzed with real-time PCR. In addition to muscle homogenates, capillaries and muscle fibers were collected from the muscle with laser capture microdissection method and analyzed for vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) mRNA expression.

Results

Of the proangiogenic factors, VEGF-A and VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) mRNA expression increased significantly (P < 0.05) in healthy skeletal muscle 6 h post exercise. VEGF-B also showed a similar trend (P = 0.08). No significant change was observed post exercise in diabetic muscles in the expression of VEGF-A, VEGFR-2 or VEGF-B. The expression of angiogenesis inhibitor TSP-1 and angiogenic extracellular matrix protein Cyr61 were significantly increased in diabetic muscles (P < 0.05–0.01). Capillary mRNA expression resembled that in the muscle homogenates, however, the responses were greater in capillaries compared to muscle homogenates and pure muscle fibers.

Conclusion

The present study is the first to report the effects of a single bout of exercise on the expression of pro- and antiangiogenic factors in diabetic skeletal muscle, and it provides novel data about the separate responses in capillaries and muscle fibers to exercise and diabetes. Diabetic mice seem to have lower angiogenic responses to exercise compared to healthy mice, and they show markedly increased expression of angiogenesis inhibitor TSP-1. Furthermore, exercise-induced VEGF-A expression was shown to be greater in capillaries than in muscle fibers.

Association of different HLA antigens with various toxic effects of gold salts in rheumatoid arthritis

An association of gold induced proteinuria with HLA-D(R)3 has been reported. To investigate other possible relationships between gold toxicity and HLA antigens we studied 85 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) divided into four subgroups: patients with gold induced interstitial pneumonitis, mucocutaneous lesions, proteinuria, and patients without gold toxicity. The HLA frequencies in patient groups and 283 healthy controls were compared in different pairwise combinations. Gold induced pneumonitis was associated with HLA-B40 and Dw1. An association between gold induced proteinuria and HLA-Dw3 was also seen. The increased prevalence of Dw4 in RA was observed only in the control patient group without gold induced side effects. The frequencies of HLA-B7 and Dw2 were decreased in all patient groups compared with the control population. These results further support the view of the heterogeneity of RA as manifested by the unique HLA associations with resistance and susceptibility to gold induced side effects characterising different subgroups.

Comparison of chemical, radiation and surgical synovectomy for knee joint synovitis

In 66 patients with rheumatoid knee joint synovitis and hydrops and with only slight radiological destruction, local treatment of the knee was randomly performed either with osmic acid, radioactive yttrium or surgical synovectomy. After a one-year follow-up the clinical and radiological results were slightly better in patients who underwent surgical synovectomy than in other treatment groups. However, radiological osteoarthrosis had progressed more in synovectomized patients than in others. In 2 patients with radioactive yttrium a relapse requiring surgical synovectomy was seen. Because osmic acid is almost as effective as surgical synovectomy, is very cheap and easy to perform, it can be recommended as the first choice for local therapy in patients with corticosteroid-restant knee joint synovitis, in the early stage of the disease.

Naproxen concentrations in serum, synovial fluid, and synovium

Naproxen levels in serum, synovial fluid and synovium of eighteen patients with "classical" or "definite" rheumatoid arthritis and chronic knee effusion were studied. After oral administration of 250 mg naproxen twice daily, naproxen levels in synovial fluid were found to be more than half as high as in serum. Even in synovium itself naproxen levels were appreciable.

Healing of erosions in rheumatoid arthritis

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) such early radiographic changes as soft tissue swelling and osteoporosis may well be reversible. Narrowing of the joint space and bone erosion are late changes generally considered to be non-reversible. Our observation suggest, however, that healing of bone erosions, especially in joints in which inflammation had disappeared, is more common than is generally believed. We describe three patients with classical RA in whom serial radiographs showed that the bone erosion in one or more of the joints of their hands or feet had healed.

Rheumatoid arthritis with pleural effusion includes a subgroup with autoimmune features and HLA-B8, Dw3 association

Twenty-eight patients with rheumatoid pleural effusion were investigated to examine the frequency of HLA antigens as compared with 56 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients without this intrathoracic manifestation of RA and with 283 healthy controls. HLA-B8 was strongly associated with the presence of pleural effusion (PE) in RA patients. A high prevalence (71%) of B8/Dw3 was found among male RA patients of the PE group in whom the joint disease had begun at an age over 50 years and who also had besides pleuritis other intrathoracic manifestations of RA associated with high rheumatoid factor titres and low complement (C4) levels in sera. Actually, the HLA-B8 association was not seen in the rest of the PE group. The finding may be related to the heterogeneity of RA, a male subgroup of the disease being characterized by multiple intrathoracic manifestations and genetically associated with the large group of autoimmune disorders, such as SLE, characterized by high prevalences of HLA-B8 and D(R)3.

Cephalexin levels in serum, synovial fluid and joint tissues after oral administration

Cephalexin (1 g) was administered orally every 6 hours to 13 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic knee effusions without bacterial arthritis. Samples were taken from blood, synovial fluid, synovium, cartilage and bone. The concentrations found in these samples after one oral dose were high enough to have a possible therapeutic effect in bacterial arthritis sensitive to cephalexin.

Some characteristics of RA patients with and without side effects due to gold treatment

Gold treatment was initiated in 98 patients suffering from early-stage rheumatoid arthritis. In 30 patients side effects due to gold therapy were seen during the first follow-up year: proteinuria in 6, allergic symptoms in 23, and thrombocytopaenia in one patient. The serum IgM level was higher in patients with side effects. None of the 33 other parameters studied showed any significant differences between patients with or without side effects.

Treatment of finger joints with local steroids. A double-blind study

The study was performed in 24 patients all having rheumatoid arthritis affecting the finger joints. Randomly, and in a double-blind fashion, the inflamed interphalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints of one hand were injected with either triamcinolone hexacetoide (TH) or methylprednisolone (MP) and those of the other hand vice versa. A total of 120 affected swollen finger joints were injected--59 joints with TH and 61 with MP. The duration of effect and the possible side effects were followed up for a period of 6 months. All injections produced clinically significant effects. There were no significant differences between the two treatment groups at the start of the treatment, but after 6 months the results in the TH group were significantly better. However, there were also more joints with skin and soft tissue atrophy in this group than in the MP group.

Goserelin and bicalutamide treatments alter the expression of microRNAs in the prostate

BACKGROUND

Although endocrine therapy has been used for decades, its influence on the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in clinical tissue specimens has not been analyzed. Moreover, the effects of the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion on the expression of miRNAs in hormone naïve and endocrine-treated prostate cancers are poorly understood.

METHODS

We used clinical material from a neoadjuvant trial consisting of 28 men treated with goserelin (n = 8), bicalutamide (n = 9), or no treatment (n = 11) for 3 months prior to radical prostatectomy. Freshly frozen specimens were used for microarray analysis of 723 human miRNAs. Specific miRNA expression in cancer, benign epithelium and stromal tissue compartments was predicted with an in silico Bayesian modeling tool.

RESULTS

The expression of 52, 44, and 34 miRNAs was affected >1.4-fold by the endocrine treatment in the cancer, non-malignant epithelium, and stromal compartments, respectively. Of the 52 miRNAs, only 10 were equally affected by the two treatment modalities in the cancer compartment. Twenty-six of the 52 genes (50%) showed AR binding sites in their proximity in either VCaP or LNCaP cell lines. Forty-seven miRNAs were differentially expressed in TMPRSS2:ERG fusion positive compared with fusion negative cases. Endocrine treatment reduced the differences between fusion positive and negative cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Goserelin treatment and bicalutamide treatment mostly affected the expression of different miRNAs. The effect clearly varied in different tissue compartments. TMPRSS2:ERG fusion positive and negative cases showed differential expression of miRNAs, and the difference was diminished by androgen ablation.

Pulmonary infiltrates associated with gold therapy. Report of a case

A case report is presented concerning diffuse pulmonary infiltrates due to sodium aurothiomalate therapy in a 67-year-old woman suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. After the gold treatment was stopped, prednisolone therapy produced complete remission of the pulmonary reaction.

Reversible renal side effects of intra-articular osmic acid injection

In 101 patients treated for knee joint hydrops with intra-articular osmic acid injection, an increased incidence of proteinuria and microscopic haematuria was noted on the first day after injection. This increase subsided rapidly and had disappeared 3 days after the injection. Three patients showed transient glycosuria. No signs of permanent renal damage appeared in any patient.

Triamcinolone hexacetonide in the treatment of therapy-refractory gonitis

Thirty-seven patients suffering from sustained gonitis with recurrent hydrops, not satisfactorily controlled by systemic treatment, participated in the study. Twenty-three patients had bilateral and fourteen patients had unilateral gonitis. controls were obtained through the use of the contra-lateral knee joint in the twenty-three patients with bilateral gonitis. A total of 60 knees were randomized into three groups of 20 knees and received either 30 mg triamcinolone hexacetonide (TH), 60 mg methylprednisolone (MP) or 9 mg betamethasone (BM). The clinical parameters evaluated were: recurrence of hydrops, pain, local tenderness, range of joint movement and joint circumference. The period of time elapsing between the injection and the need for a new injection or other treatment was used as the criterion for the duration of effect. Relief lasting for an average of 176 days was obtained in the 20 knees treated with local injections of TH, compared to 125 days for MP and 79 days for BM. No general or local adverse effects were noted in the patients studied. The observed long duration of effect and the absence of adverse effects justify the use of TH in cases of therapy-refractory gonitis.

The effect of rheumatoid synovial fluid macrophages on DNA, glycosaminoglycan and collagen synthesis by synovial fibroblasts

The effects of soluble factors secreted by peripheral blood monocytes and rheumatoid synovial fluid macrophages were tested on human synovial fibroblast cultures. Both monocytes and macrophages liberated factors which reduced DNA synthesis (3H-thymidine incorporation) by synovial fibroblasts. Monocyte and macrophage factors stimulated hyaluronic acid synthesis. The activation obtained with rheumatoid synovial macrophages was considerably greater than that with monocytes. Foetal bovine serum was found to have a clear stimulatory effect on the synthesis of collagen and other proteins by fibroblasts. The effects of monocyte and macrophage factors on protein synthesis in synovial fibroblasts were small: collagen synthesis was slightly increased relative to other extracellular proteins.

Synovial fluid lipids in rheumatoid arthritis

Synovial fluid from the inflamed knee joints of 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) contained 2.75 +/- 0.81 mmol/l cholesterol (51% of the corresponding mean serum level) and 0.32 +/- 0.13 mmol/l triglycerides (35% of the corresponding mean serum level). The ratio of synovial fluid triglycerides to cholesterol indicates that in RA the concentration of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) is lower in synovial fluid than in serum. In a few patients, however, the "relative triglyceride concentration" in synovial fluid (i.e. synovial fluid tg/chol:serum tg/chol) was greater than 1. This concentration did not correlate, moreover, with the clinical activity of the disease.

Thermographic evaluation of intra-articular treatment with radioactive yttrium (90Y) in 62 rheumatoid knee joints

A total of 62 rheumatoid knee joints were treated with intra-articular 90Y. Results were assessed by clinical, roentgenologic and thermographic examination after a six-month follow-up. The majority of the joints had moderate roentgenologic manifestations of RA before treatment. The roentgenologic stage of the disease did not change during the follow-up period. The thermographic heat emission pattern was pathologic in all cases prior to treatment. The clinical cure and improvement in the thermographic pattern were in agreement in 44 of 50 completely examined cases (88%). The thermographic pattern was unchanged or worse in six knees with a clinically satisfactory anti-inflammatory response. This is probably due to remaining deeper inflammatory activity or to the relatively short observation period of six months, during which time only the clinical symptoms disappeared, while hyperthermy based on increased vascularity remained. The thermographic pattern remained pathologic in all knees without a clinical response to 90Y. Thermography is a safe and reliable complementary method for recording the anti-inflammatory effect of irradiation synovectomy on rheumatoid knees.

A double blind crossover study of carprofen and indomethacin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Twenty-eight patients with definite or classic rheumatoid arthritis were studied in a four-month double blind crossover trial. Patients were randomly divided into two groups, and received either carprofen, 300 mg/day, or indomethacin, 75 mg/day, for a period of two months, and then the other medication for a further two months. The classic procedures and measurements for evaluation of activity of rheumatoid arthritis were used. Laboratory tests were also carried out to assess toxicity. Both drugs were effective for the long term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and there were no statistically significant differences between the carprofen and indomethacin periods, or between groups. Although the incidence of adverse reactions was similar for both drugs, cutaneous symptoms were more frequent with carprofen than with indomethacin, whereas gastrointestinal and central nervous system reactions were found more often with indomethacin.

Concentration of carprofen in the serum and the synovial fluid in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Concentrations of carprofen in the serum and the synovial fluid were determined in 13 patients with classical or confirmed rheumatoid arthritis. Four hours after the oral administration of 100 mg of carprofen, as one capsule, concentrations in the synovial fluid were found to be between 3.5 micrograms/ml and 9.7 micrograms/ml, with a mean value (+/- SD) of 6.2 +/- 1.4 micrograms/ml, and concentrations in the serum were between 4.7 micrograms/ml and 14.8 micrograms/ml, with a mean value of 9.8 +/- 2.9 micrograms/ml. The carprofen concentrations in synovial fluid varied from 36.3 to 103.0% of those in serum, with a mean value of 65.0 +/- 14.4%. There is a highly significant correlation between carprofen concentrations in the serum and the synovial fluid.

Keratodermia blenorrhagica, arthritis, and polymyositis with cardiopulmonary complications

A patient is described who had polymyositis with arthritis, keratodermia blenorrhagica, pulmonary fibrosis, and cardiac failure with a right bundle branch block. The cutaneous lesions on his palms and soles, considered to be specific for Reiter's syndrome, pointed to an overlapping of polymyositis with features of this syndrome. Findings typical of myositis were present. In addition a muscle biopsy showed sarcolemmal and endomysial deposits of IgG and IgM, and the serum level of IgM was elevated. Because skin lesions appeared at the height of symptoms in other organs, the possibility is raised that both might stem from a common immune process.

Effect of intra-articular 90Y resin treatment on the chemical properties of synovial fluid in rheumatoid arthritis

Lyaluronic acid and total protein concentrations in synovial fluid of the knee joint obtained from 48 patients with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis were determined before, and 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after intra-articular injection of 90Y resin colloid. The concentration ratio of total protein to hyaluronic acid, which is a sensitive index of the abnormality of the synovial fluid, was worse a week after the injection in each group as regards the clinical effect of the 90Y resin injection, but was better 1 month and 6 months after the injection only in the remission group.