Generation of functionally active suppressor cells by haemorrhage and haemorrhagic serum.

Mitogen (PHA)-induced proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was reduced by more than 70% 2 h after the haemorrhage of 30% of blood volume. Experiments using isolated macrophages and lymphocytes showed that post-haemorrhage macrophages were functionally normal and that lymphocytes were responsible for the observed haemorrhage-induced depression of proliferative response. Surface marker determinations showed that at least some, if not all, of the haemorrhage-induced suppressor cells are of the OX8+ phenotype. Exposure of PBMCs to serum from bled animals also brought about activation of OX8+ suppressor T cells. These results suggest that the depressed proliferative response of PBMCs induced by haemorrhage or by exposing the cells to haemorrhagic serum (serum from bled animals) is due to the activation of OX8+ suppressor T cells.     

Epitope definition by proteomic similarity analysis: identification of the linear determinant of the anti-Dsg3 MAb 5H10

Cell-based bioassays have been suggested for screening of hormones and drug bioactivities. They are a plausible alternative to animal based methods. The technique used is called receptor/reporter system. Receptor/reporter system was initially developed as a research technique to understand gene function. Often reporter constructs containing viral promoters were used because they could be expressed with very 'high' magnitude in a variety of cell types in the laboratory. On the other hand mammalian genes are expressed in a cell/tissue specific manner, which makes them (i.e. cells/tissues) specialized for specific function in vivo. Therefore, if the receptor/reporter system is to be used as a cell-based screen for testing of hormones and drugs for human therapy then the choice of cell line as well as the promoter in the reporter module is of prime importance so as to get a realistic measure of the bioactivities of 'test' compounds. We evaluated two conventionally used viral promoters and a natural mammalian promoter, regulated by steroid hormone progesterone, in a cell-based receptor/reporter system. The promoters were spliced into vectors expressing enzyme CAT (chloramphenicol acetyl transferase), which served as a reporter of their magnitudes and consistencies in controlling gene expressions. They were introduced into breast cell lines T47D and MCF-7, which served as a cell-based source of progesterone receptors. The yardstick of their reliability was highest magnitude as well as consistency in CAT expression on induction by sequential doses of progesterone. All the promoters responded to induction by progesterone doses ranging from 10^-12 to 10^-6 molar by expressing CAT enzyme, albeit with varying magnitudes and consistencies. The natural mammalian promoter showed the most coherence in magnitude as well as dose dependent expression profile in both the cell lines. Our study casts doubts on use of viral promoters in a cell-based bioassay for measuring bioactivities of drugs and hormones for human therapy and suggests caution regardingtranslation in toto, of a research technique as a cell-based bioassay for drug screening.     

Group I mGluRs increase excitability of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons by a PLC-independent mechanism

Previous studies have implicated phospholipase C (PLC)-linked Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in regulating the excitability of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. We used intracellular recordings from rat hippocampal slices and specific antagonists to examine in more detail the mGluR receptor subtypes and signal transduction mechanisms underlying this effect. Application of the Group I mGluR agonist (RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) suppressed slow- and medium-duration afterhyperpolarizations (s- and mAHP) and caused a consequent increase in cell excitability as well as a depolarization of the membrane and an increase in input resistance. Interestingly, with the exception of the suppression of the mAHP, these effects were persistent, and in the case of the sAHP lasting for more than 1 h of drug washout. Preincubation with the specific mGluR5 antagonist, 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP), reduced but did not completely prevent the effects of DHPG. However, preincubation with both MPEP and the mGluR1 antagonist LY367385 completely prevented the DHPG-induced changes. These results demonstrate that the DHPG-induced changes are mediated partly by mGluR5 and partly by mGluR1. Because Group I mGluRs are linked to PLC via G-protein activation, we also investigated pathways downstream of PLC activation, using chelerythrine and cyclopiazonic acid to block protein kinase C (PKC) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-(IP(3))-activated Ca(2+) stores, respectively. Neither inhibitor affected the DHPG-induced suppression of the sAHP or the increase in excitability nor did an inhibitor of PLC itself, U-73122. Taken together, these results argue that in CA1 pyramidal cells in the adult rat, DHPG activates mGluRs of both the mGluR5 and mGluR1 subtypes, causing a long-lasting suppression of the sAHP and a consequent persistent increase in excitability via a PLC-, PKC-, and IP(3)-independent transduction pathway.     

Adherence of streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to fibronectin-coated and uncoated epithelial cells.

The relationship between the variability in the fibronectin (Fn) content on human buccal epithelial cells and the capacity of the cells to bind gram-positive (Streptococcus pyogenes) or gram-negative (Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria was investigated. Adhesion experiments performed with mixtures of epithelial cells and mixed suspensions of either S. pyogenes and E. coli or S. pyogenes and P. aeruginosa exhibited three major populations of buccal cells: one of these was able to bind S. pyogenes (gram positive) but neither of the gram-negative bacteria; a second population was able to bind the gram-negative but not the gram-positive bacteria; and a third was able to bind various numbers of both types of organisms. Further adhesion experiments performed with a mixture of epithelial cells and a mixed suspension of S. pyrogens, E. coli, and fluoresceinconjugated methacrylate beads coated with immune immunoglobulin G directed against Fn revealed that the epithelial cells recognizing the gram-positive bacteria were rich in Fn, whereas those recognizing the gram-negative organisms were poor in Fn. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed that cells of S. pyogenes bound to epithelial cells coated with Fn, whereas cells of E. coli bound to epithelial cells lacking Fn. These results suggest that Fn on the surfaces of epithelial cells may modulate the ecology of the human oropharyngeal cavity, especially with respect to the colonization of these surfaces by pathogenic gram-negative or gram-positive bacteria.     

Solubility properties in polymers and biological media. 2. The correlation and prediction of the solubilities of nonelectrolytes in biological tissues and fluids

Solubilities of a range of nonelectrolyte solutes in biological systems, such as blood, plasma, brain, lung, liver, kidney, muscle tissue, and human fat, are correlated and predicted through an equation that takes the form log Ltissue = c + w log Lwater + o log Loil, where L is the Ostwald solubility coefficient (or gas/liquid partition coefficient). The ratio of the constants o and w gives a measure of the "oiliness" of a given biological tissue or fluid. The strong possibility exists that, for many types of nonelectrolyte solutes, simple measurements of solubilities in water and oil (gas/liquid partition coefficients) will allow accurate predictions of solubilities in the above biological solvents, as well as tissue/blood partition coefficients. The solubility of rare gases and the inorganic gases H2, N2, CO, and O2 may be correlated through the simpler equation log Ltissue = l'RG + d', where l' and d' are constants that characterize the phase, and RG is a known parameter, obtained by normalizing and averaging solubilities over a range of solvent systems, that characterizes the solute. Both of the above equations allow prediction of L in biological solvents to within about 20%, which compares well with the precision of the experimental measurements.     

Design, synthesis, and testing of potential antisickling agents. 10. (2,2-Dimethylchroman-6-yl)alkanoic acids

Five (2,2-dimethylchroman-6-yl)alkanoic acids were synthesized and tested for antigelling activities. It was envisioned that these agents might bind via hydrophobic bonding to nonpolar sites of the "donor-acceptor" regions of hemoglobin S. Several (2,2-dimethylchroman-6-yl)alkanoic acids containing 1-4 carbon atoms on the side-chain residue were designed to interact at the acceptor site, were synthesized, and were found to be moderately potent antigelling agents. The weak activity observed for two of the acids at low concentrations is rationalized in terms of weak binding affinities or multiple binding to active and nonactive sites. The effect of these compounds on shifting the allosteric equilibrium was small or negligible. The low toxicity of one of the (2,2-dimethylchroman-6-yl)alkanoic acids demonstrates the potential use of yet another class of compounds that can be modified in the development of antisickling agents.     

Vegan Diet and Bone Health—Results from the Cross-Sectional RBVD Study

Scientific evidence suggests that a vegan diet might be associated with impaired bone health. Therefore, a cross-sectional study (n = 36 vegans, n = 36 omnivores) was used to investigate the associations of veganism with calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurements, along with the investigation of differences in the concentrations of nutrition- and bone-related biomarkers between vegans and omnivores. This study revealed lower levels in the QUS parameters in vegans compared to omnivores, e.g., broadband ultrasound attenuation (vegans: 111.8 ± 10.7 dB/MHz, omnivores: 118.0 ± 10.8 dB/MHz, p = 0.02). Vegans had lower levels of vitamin A, B2, lysine, zinc, selenoprotein P, n-3 fatty acids, urinary iodine, and calcium levels, while the concentrations of vitamin K1, folate, and glutamine were higher in vegans compared to omnivores. Applying a reduced rank regression, 12 out of the 28 biomarkers were identified to contribute most to bone health, i.e., lysine, urinary iodine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, selenoprotein P, vitamin A, leucine, α-klotho, n-3 fatty acids, urinary calcium/magnesium, vitamin B6, and FGF23. All QUS parameters increased across the tertiles of the pattern score. The study provides evidence of lower bone health in vegans compared to omnivores, additionally revealing a combination of nutrition-related biomarkers, which may contribute to bone health. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.     

A simple scoring system to estimate perioperative mortality following liver resection for primary liver malignancy—the Hepatectomy Risk Score (HeRS)

BackgroundSelection of the optimal treatment modality for primary liver cancers remains complex, balancing patient condition, liver function, and extent of disease. In individuals with preserved liver function, liver resection remains the primary approach for treatment with curative intent but may be associated with significant mortality. The purpose of this study was to establish a simple scoring system based on Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) and extent of resection to guide risk assessment for liver resections.MethodsThe 2005–2015 NSQIP database was queried for patients undergoing liver resection for primary liver malignancy. We first developed a model that incorporated the extent of resection (1 point for major hepatectomy) and a MELD-Na score category of low (MELD-Na =6, 1 point), medium (MELD-Na =7–10, 2 points) or high (MELD-Na >10, 3 points) with a score range of 1–4, called the Hepatic Resection Risk Score (HeRS). We tested the predictive value of this model on the dataset using logistic regression. We next developed an optimal multivariable model using backwards sequential selection of variables under logistic regression. We performed K-fold cross validation on both models. Receiver operating characteristics were plotted and the optimal sensitivity and specificity for each model were calculated to obtain positive and negative predictive values.ResultsA total of 4,510 patients were included. HeRS was associated with increased odds of 30-day mortality [HeRS =2: OR =3.23 (1.16–8.99), P=0.025; HeRS =3: OR =6.54 (2.39–17.90), P<0.001; HeRS =4: OR =13.69 (4.90–38.22), P<0.001]. The AUC for this model was 0.66. The AUC for the optimal multivariable model was higher at 0.76. Under K-fold cross validation, the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of these two models were similar at PPV =6.4% and NPV =97.7% for the HeRS only model and PPV =8.4% and NPV =98.1% for the optimal multivariable model.ConclusionsThe HeRS offers a simple heuristic for estimating 30-day mortality after resection of primary liver malignancy. More complicated models offer better performance but at the expense of being more difficult to integrate into clinical practice.