Validity of heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion as indices of exercise intensity in a group of children while swimming

Summary The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of heart rate (f _c) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) as indices of exercise intensity in a group of children while swimming. Six healthy male swimmers, aged 10–12, swam tethered using the breast-stroke in a flume. The resistance started at 1.0 kg and increased in 1.0 kg steps up to the point of their exhaustion. The subjects swam for 5 min during each period, with a rest of 10–20 min until they had returned to their resting f _c level. The last exercise intensity was with the maximal mass the subjects could support for 2 min. The last min of oxygen consumption (VO₂) and 30 s of f _c were measured during each exercise period. The subjects gave their RPE assessment at the end of exercise.The individual relationships between f _c and VO₂, and percentage maximal oxygen consumption (% VO_2max, were linear with a high correlation r=0.962–0.996 and r=0.962–0.996, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that f _c was valid as an index of the exercise intensity of children while swimming. Compared to the results found in adults using a similar protocol, the children's f _c were 8.3–26.9 beats·min^–1 higher than those of the adults at the given % VO_2max. The present study showed two different patterns in the relationship between VO₂ and RPE in individuals. In two subjects the RPE increased linearly with VO₂ while in the other four subjects the increase was discontinuous. If f _c and RPE were to be applied to the setting and evaluation of exercise intensity during swimming, it would seem that f _c would be a more useful guide than RPE for some children.     

A "floral" variant of nodal marginal zone lymphoma

We describe 6 cases of a specific variant of nodal marginal zone lymphoma with "floral" lymph follicles in patients ranging in age from 18 to 66 years. All 6 patients had lymphadenopathy, either local (n = 5) or systemic (n = 1), and good performance status (0), and none had fever, weight loss, or night sweating. They all underwent excisional biopsy. Histologically, all lesions had a distinctive morphology, with proliferation of medium-sized atypical lymphoid cells in the marginal zone, hyperplastic lymph follicles with enlarged germinal centers, and a thickened mantle zone. In places, folliculolysis was observed. On immunohistochemical staining, the atypical lymphoid cells showed a B-cell phenotype (CD20 +), IgM positivity in 2 of 5 cases, and negativity for CD5, CD10, CD23, CD43, bcl-6, and IgD. Polymerase chain reaction examination for immunoglobulin heavy chain in 5 cases showed monoclonality in all. Five patients did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy and had no recurrences. The patient with systemic lymphadenopathy received chemotherapy and had a complete response without relapse. This variant should be differentiated from the usual nodal marginal zone lymphoma because of its specific clinical and pathological features.     

Immunohistochemical analysis of MCT1, MCT2 and MCT4 expression in rat plantaris muscle

All three forms of recombinant low voltage-activated T-type Ca²⁺ channels (Ca_v3.1, Ca_v3.2 and Ca_v3.3) exhibit a small, though clearly evident, window T-type Ca²⁺ current ( I _Twindow) which is also present in native channels from different neuronal types. In thalamocortical (TC) and nucleus reticularis thalami (NRT) neurones, and possibly in neocortical cells, an I _Twindow-mediated bistability is the key cellular mechanism underlying the expression of the slow (< 1 Hz) sleep oscillation, one of the fundamental EEG rhythms of non-REM sleep. As the I _Twindow-mediated bistability may also represent one of the cellular mechanisms underlying the expression of high frequency burst firing in awake conditions, I _Twindow is of critical importance in neuronal population dynamics associated with different behavioural states.     

Lipoteichoic acids from Lactobacillus strains elicit strong tumor necrosis factor alpha-inducing activities in macrophages through Toll-like receptor 2

Lactobacilli are nonpathogenic gram-positive inhabitants of microflora. At least some Lactobacillus strains have been postulated to have health beneficial effects, such as the stimulation of the immune system. Here we examined the stimulatory effects of lactobacilli on mouse immune cells. All six heat-killed Lactobacillus strains examined induced the secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) from mouse splenic mononuclear cells, albeit to various degrees. When fractionated subcellular fractions of Lactobacillus casei were tested for NF-kappaB activation and TNF-alpha production in RAW264.7, a mouse macrophage cell line, the activity was found to be as follows: protoplast > cell wall > polysaccharide-peptidoglycan complex. Both crude extracts and purified lipoteichoic acids (LTAs) from two Lactobacillus strains, L. casei and L. fermentum, significantly induced TNF-alpha secretion from RAW264.7 cells and splenocytes of C57BL/6, C3H/HeN, and C3H/HeJ mice but not from splenocytes of C57BL/6 TLR2(-/-) mice. Lactobacillus LTA induced activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation in RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, in HEK293T cells transected with a combination of CD14 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), NF-kappaB was activated in response to Lactobacillus LTA. Taken together, these data suggest that LTAs from lactobacilli elicit proinflammatory activities through TLR2.     

The PPARgamma ligand, 15-Deoxy-Delta12,14-PGJ2, regulates apoptosis-related protein expression in cholangio cell carcinoma cells

PPARgamma is known to induce apoptosis in malignant tumor cells, but the mechanism of this induction is not well understood. We investigated induction of apoptosis with 15-Deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), a PPARgamma ligand, in cholangio cell carcinoma (CCC) cells (RBE, ETK-1 or HuCCT-1). Apoptosis was induced in RBE and ETK-1 cells with 15d-PGJ2, but not in HuCCT-1 cells, although PPARgamma was expressed in all CCC cells. Apoptosis-related proteins were also expressed, including FLIP, bclx, Apaf-1 and XIAP, but expression levels differed among the three cell lines. RBE cells treated with 15d-PGJ2 showed caspase activation, and it appeared that PPARgamma-induced apoptosis was dependent on caspase activation. However, neither ETK-1 nor HuCCT-1 cells showed significant activation of caspase-8 or -3 with 15d-PGJ2 treatment, raising the possibility of a caspase-independent apoptosis induction pathway. XIAP was down-regulated by 15d-PGJ2 in all three CCC cell lines. Therefore, 15d-PGJ2 induces apoptosis in CCC cells via caspase-dependent or independent pathways. 15d-PGJ2 may also induce down-regulation of XIAP and may promote caspase cascade activation through TNF-family receptor signaling pathways.     

Heat-shock induced nuclear retention and recycling inhibition of importin alpha

Heat-shock induces a strong stress response and modifies all aspects of cellular physiology, which involves dynamic changes in the nucleocytoplasmic distributions of a variety of proteins. Many distinct nucleocytoplasmic transport pathways exist in eukaryotic cells, but how a particular transport pathway is regulated under different cellular conditions remains elusive. The finding of this study indicate that conventional nuclear import, which is mediated by importin alpha/beta, is down-regulated, while the nuclear import of 70 kD heat-shock cognate protein is up-regulated in heat-shock cells. Among the factors involved in the mediation of the conventional nuclear import, significant levels of importin alpha accumulate in the nucleus in response to heat-shock. An analysis of the behaviour of importin alpha with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and fluorescence loss in photobleaching studies show that nuclear importin alpha becomes less mobile and its nucleocytoplasmic recycling is impaired in heat-shock cells. These data coincided well with biochemical and cytological studies. Our present data show that heat-shock induces the nuclear accumulation, nuclear retention, and recycling inhibition of importin alpha, resulting in the suppression of conventional nuclear import. This suggests a new regulatory mechanism for the adaptation of cells to environmental changes, such as heat-shock.     

An improved host-vector system for Candida maltosa using a gene isolated from its genome that complements the hiss mutation of Saccharomvces cerevisiae

Summary The host-vector system of an n-lkaneassimilating-yeast, Candida maltosa, which we previously constructed using an autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) region isolated from the genome of this yeast, utilizes C. maltosa J288 (leu2 ^–) as a host. As this host had a serious growth defect on n-alkane, we developed an improved host-vector system using C. maltosa CHI (his) as host. The vectors were constructed with the Candida ARS region and a DNA fragment isolated from the genome of C. maltosa. Since this DNA fragment could complement histidine auxotrophy of both C. maltosa CH1 and S. cerevisiae (hiss ^–), we termed the gene contained in this DNA fragment C-HIS5. The vectors were characterized in terms of transformation frequency and stability, and the nucleotide sequence of C-HISS was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence (389 residues) shared 51% homology with that of HISS of S. cerevisiae (384 residues; Nishiwaki et al. 1987).     

Three Kinds of Foamy Cells in the Spleen: Comparative Histochemical and Ultrastructural Studies

By light and electron microscopy, we observed foamy cells in the spleens from a patient with hemolytic anemia due to red cell adenosine deaminase (ADA) overproduction, a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with gold, and patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)

The foamy cells associated with red cell ADA overproduction were essentially similar to Gaucher-like cells described in patients with thalassemia, and it was suggested that the accelerated destruction of red cells was one of the factors responsible for the development of foamy cells. Foamy cells in ITP and RA were closely associated with an increased destruction of platelets in the spleen. Morphologic transitions between phagocytosed platelets and myelinlike materials were traced in these disorders. In RA, however, foamy cells were heterogeneous from an ultrastructural standpoint, with different cytoplasmic inclusions. In addition to myelinlike materials, dense bodies, vacuoles with flocculent materials, and gold were noted in most of foamy cells. As gold compounds are known to inhibit lysosomal enzymes, we surmise that an acquired disturbance in lysosomal digestion is partially responsible for the accumulation of intermediate metabolites.

In the pathogenesis of foamy cells associated with blood cell dyscrasia, the accelerated destruction of blood cells and/or acquired disorders in catabolic pathways within the macrophages are suggested to be the underlying mechanism of an intralysosomal accumulation of incompletely degraded cellular debris.     

A CASE OF MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES

The clinical history and pathological findings of a 68-year-old female with mycosis fungoides were described.
Clinically she developed cutaneous eruptions, and plaques to nodules appearlng within the next 4 months. Histopathological examination at biopsy revealed mycosis fungoides. At autopsy, extensive visceral involvement was disclosed (lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, esophagus, left adrenal gland, lumbar vertebral bone marrow, and lymph nodes). Acute exacerbation of pulmonary tuberculosis was thought to be a terminal event.