Vitamin E affects cell death in adult rat dentate gyrus

We have previously reported the presence of dying cells in the granule cell layer (GCL) of adult rat dentate gyrus (DG), where neurogenesis occurs. In particular, we found that cell death in the GCL increased in vitamin E deficiency and decreased in vitamin E supplementation. These findings were regarded as related to changes in neurogenesis rate, which in turn was influenced by vitamin E availability; a neuroprotective effect of vitamin E on cell death was also proposed. In order to verify this latter hypothesis, we have studied cell death in all layers of DG in vitamin E-deficient and vitamin E-supplemented rats and in control rats at different ages, using TUNEL and nick translation techniques. The phenotype of TUNEL-positive cells was characterized and the existence of dying BrdU-positive cells was investigated. Dying cells with neuronal phenotype were observed throughout the DG in all experimental groups. The number of TUNEL-positive cells decreased from juvenile to adult age. A higher number of TUNEL-positive cells in vitamin E-deficient rats and a lower number in vitamin E-supplemented rats, with respect to age-matched controls, were found; moreover, in these groups, TUNEL-positive cells had a different percentage distribution in the different layers of the DG. Our results confirm the occurrence of cell death in DG, demonstrate that cell death affects neuronal cells and support the hypothesis that the effect of vitamin E on cell death is not related to neurogenesis.     

Enhanced Phagocytosis and Bactericidal Activity of Hepatic Reticuloendothelial System During Endotoxin Tolerance

The effects of tolerance to Escherichia coli endotoxin on the phagocytic and bactericidal activity of the hepatic reticuloendothelial system against viable E. coli were examined using ex vivo perfused rat livers. Livers were isolated from control and endotoxin-tolerant rats and perfused with a medium containing 5% homologous serum from either control or tolerant rats. After the addition of the E. coli (2 × 10⁷ cells per ml) to the perfusate, the hepatic clearance of the bacteria was followed for 30 min. The highest activation of the hepatic reticuloendothelial system was observed when serum from tolerant animals was added to the perfusate. Under these conditions phagocytosis was 47% (12% in controls), and 37 to 38% of the bacteria were killed (5% in controls). This activation was less when livers obtained from tolerant rats were perfused with serum from controls or with saline only. The data suggests that, during endotoxin tolerance, humoral factors play an important role in the activation of the hepatic reticulendothelial system, although a direct stimulation of Kupffer cells also occurs. The enhancement of phagocytosis by tolerant serum did not require the presence of homologous antibodies and involved the activation of the alternative complement pathway, since it was lost after removal of factor B activity. On the other hand, stimulation of intracellular killing required both complement and specific antibodies. The data suggest a role of endotoxin in the activation of humoral and cellular mechanisms involved in the host resistance to gram-negative bacterial infection.     

Prostate cancer is part of the hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) tumor spectrum

The recognized urologic tumor spectrum in hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer includes ureteral and renal pelvis malignancies. Here, we report a family in which the proband, who had three metachronous adenocarcinomas of the colon and rectum (at ages 54, 57, and 60), presented with an adenocarcinoma of the prostate at age 61. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of colonic, rectal, and prostatic tumor tissues demonstrated lack of expression of both MSH2 and MSH6. Accordingly, microsatellite instability (MSI) was found in the rectal, colonic, and prostatic tumors. The kindred complies with the Amsterdam criteria for HNPCC, as five members over three generations had colorectal cancer. Molecular investigations were initiated when the proband's son presented with an adenocarcinoma of the colon at age 35. Southern blotting analysis of genomic DNA led to identification of a novel genomic deletion encompassing exon 5 of the MSH2 gene. Although prostate cancer has occasionally been described in HNPCC families, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report where the MSI and IHC analysis of the prostatic adenomcarcinoma clearly link its aetiology to the germline mismatch repair mutation. Hence, prostate cancer should be included in the HNPCC tumor spectrum.     

Giant ragweed specific immunotherapy is not effective in a proportion of patients sensitized to short ragweed: analysis of the allergenic differences between short and giant ragweed

BACKGROUND: Short ragweed and giant ragweed pollen allergens are considered largely cross-reactive, and it is generally believed that 1 species is sufficient for skin testing and immunotherapy. However, in the area north of Milan (a zone widely invaded only by short ragweed), about 50% of patients submitted to injection specific immunotherapy with giant ragweed showed little or no clinical response, but showed an excellent outcome if they were shifted to short ragweed specific immunotherapy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate allergenic differences between short and giant ragweed. METHODS: IgE reactivity to short ragweed of sera from 16 patients allergic to ragweed was assessed by immunoblot before and after absorption with short and giant ragweed. Moreover, 41 ragweed-monosensitive patients underwent skin prick test with both ragweed species. RESULTS: In several cases, preabsorption of sera with giant ragweed extract was unable to inhibit IgE reactivity fully against both a 43-kd allergen and other allergens at different molecular weights in short ragweed. On skin prick test, short ragweed induced larger wheals than giant ragweed in the majority of patients, and 6 of 41 (15%) patients were strongly short ragweed-positive but giant ragweed-negative. The immunoblot with the serum from 1 of these subjects showed a strong IgE reactivity to short ragweed at about 43 kd in the absence of any reactivity to giant ragweed. CONCLUSION: Short and giant ragweed are not allergenically equivalent. Allergenic differences involve both the major allergens Amb a 1-2/Amb t 1-2 and some minor allergens. In patients allergic to ragweed, both diagnosis in vivo and immunotherapy should always be performed by using the ragweed species present in that specific geographic area.     

Quantitative Correlation between Steric Defects and Thermal Behavior in Highly Syndiotactic Polystyrene: A Study Based on DSC and 13C NMR Spectroscopy

Several syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) samples have been synthesized by using different catalytic systems. Their stereochemistry has been determined by ¹³C NMR spectra in both the aliphatic CH₂ and aromatic C₁ resonance regions. The observed peaks have been unambiguously assigned to specific hexads and heptads, respectively, and their intensities have been used to draw the percent of defects (meso dyads) in the polymer chains. On the hypothesis that chain defects are at the origin of chain folding and thus determine the thickness of crystalline lamellae, we performed differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis on the same samples, and their thermal parameters were measured. A model was developed to determine the amount of steric defects from the DSC melting‐peak profiles, and the results obtained were compared with the NMR results. A satisfactory agreement was found (correlation factor 0.96) in the explored range of defect concentrations (up to 2.5% of meso dyads). The possible influence of the extraction procedure of the amorphous fraction was found to be negligible. Thus, information on stereochemistry can be obtained from DSC experiments starting from as‐prepared (not extracted) samples.

     

Neural precursor proliferation and newborn cell survival in the adult rat dentate gyrus are affected by vitamin E deficiency

The adult hippocampal neurogenesis is affected by vitamin E deficiency. In the present investigation we examined if neural precursor proliferation, newborn cell survival or both are altered by vitamin E deficiency. 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was employed as a marker of proliferating cells. BrdU-labelled cells were revealed 1 and 30 days after BrdU administration in order to evaluate proliferation and newborn cell survival, respectively. Cell proliferation decreased in controls from juvenile to adult age, and the decrease was lesser in vitamin E deficiency. Thus we found a higher number of proliferating cells in vitamin E-deficient rats than in age-matched controls at 5 months of age. Comparing the number of BrdU-positive cells between 1 and 30 days after the last BrdU injection revealed a remarkable decrease in all groups; this is the greatest in vitamin E-deficient rats and the lowest in control rats. Consistently cell death in the dentate gyrus, assessed by TUNEL technique, was found to decrease from 1 to 5 months of age, but at 5 months it was significantly higher in vitamin E-deficient rats than in age-matched controls. These data show that vitamin E deficiency enhances neural precursor proliferation and cell death during adult neurogenesis.     

A 10-Mb paracentric inversion of chromosome arm 2p inactivates MSH2 and is responsible for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer in a North-American kindred

Genomic deletions of the MSH2 gene are a frequent cause of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), a common hereditary predisposition to the development of tumors in several organs including the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts and endometrium. The mutation spectrum at the MSH2 gene is extremely heterogeneous because it includes nonsense and missense point mutations, small insertions and deletions leading to frameshifts, and larger genomic deletions, the latter representing approximately 25% of the total mutation burden. Here, we report the identification and molecular characterization of the first paracentric inversion of the MSH2 locus known to cause HNPCC. Southern blot analysis and inverse PCR showed that the centromeric and telomeric breakpoints of the paracentric inversion map within intron 7 and to a contig 10 Mb 3' of MSH2, respectively. Pathogenicity of the paracentric inversion was demonstrated by conversion analysis. The patient's lymphocytes were employed to generate somatic cell hybrids to analyze the expression of the inverted MSH2 allele in an Msh2-deficient rodent cellular background. The inversion was shown to abolish MSH2 expression by both northern and western analysis. This study confirms that Southern blot analysis still represents a useful and informative tool to screen for and identify complex genomic rearrangements in HNPCC. Moreover, monoallelic expression analysis represents an attractive approach to demonstrate pathogenicity of unusual mutations in autosomal dominant hereditary conditions.     

Composite germ cell tumor and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arising in the sella turcica

We report the case of a composite malignant neoplasm consisting of germ cell tumor and B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma occurring in the sella turcica of a young girl who presented with hypopituitarism. Routine hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of a resected suprasellar tumor demonstrated a neoplasm composed of 2 distinct morphologies. A panel of immunohistochemical markers was used to confirm the morphologic impression of germinoma (cytokeratin AE1/AE3-CAM 5.2, cytokeratin 7, neuron-specific enolase, and focally placental alkaline phosphatase positive) and mature B-cell lymphoma (CD20 positive; pancytokeratin, placental alkaline phosphatase, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase negative). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of such a composite tumor in the central nervous system.