Influence of intercellular junctions on endothelin secretion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro

The endothelium plays a pivotal role in the theological regulation of blood flow by the secretion of vasoactive factors. The interaction between shear forces and the endothelium is determined by the mechanical properties of the endothelial cell layer which are associated with intercellular junctions. Cell-cell contacts could therefore modulate the secretion of vasocative factors in response to theological stimuli. We investigated the relationship between intercellular junctions and the secretion of the vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin and the coagulation co-factor von Willebrand factor (vWF). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used as in vitro endothelial model system. Intercellular junctions were reversibly disrupted by calcium chelation or hypertonic stress; alternatively, the formation of intercellular junctions was inhibited by culturing the cells in suspension or by plating them in the presence of an inhibitory anti-VE-cadherin antibody. The opening of intercellular junctions was verified by assessing transmonolayer electrical resistance (TMR) and immunofluorescence morphology. The concentration of endothelin and vWF was measured in the cell culture supernatants using specific ELISAs. The secretion of endothelin was inhibited by EGTA (5 mM) and stimulated by incubation with tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα, 40 ng/ml). Treatment with hypertonic medium (glycerol, 1200 mosmol/l) for 10 minutes opened intercellular junctions and markedly reduced the secretion of endothelin. HUVECs in suspension culture did not secrete endothelin and failed to respond to TNFα, but readily resumed these functions upon forming a new monolayer on plastic. The reconstitution of intercellular junctions after suspension culture could be inhibited using a specific anti-VE-cadherin antibody. This antibody, but not a non-specific anti-humanIgG antibody reduced endothelin secretion. The secretion of von Willebrand Factor was less dependent on intercellular junctions. The opening of intercellular junctions did not induce cell death, since the cells continued to exclude trypan blue. The results of this study suggest a novel and potentially pathophysiologically/clinically relevant correlation between intercellular junctions and the secretion of endothelin in endothelial cells. Received: 17 December 1999, Returned for revision: 20 January 2000, Revision received: 14 February 2000, Accepted: 2 March 2000     

Activation of c-K-ras mutations in human gastrointestinal tumors

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Ras genes are the most frequently detected oncogenes in human malignancies. Data regarding the frequency of c-K-ras mutations in esophageal, gastric, and small bowel tumors are limited and controversial. METHODS: DNA was extracted from 262 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of gastrointestinal samples and tumors, including Barrett's esophagus, esophageal squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas, and small and large bowel adenomas and adenocarcinomas. The presence of c-K-ras codon 12 mutations was determined using a nonradioactive polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. RESULTS: c-K-ras mutations were detected in 1 of 39 (2%) patients with Barrett's esophagus, 1 of 21 (5%) adenocarcinomas, 0 of 27 squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus, and 1 of 32 (3%) gastric adenocarcinomas. It was also present in 8 of 20 (40%) and 10 of 28 (36%) small bowel adenomas and adenocarcinomas, respectively. Similar numbers were observed in 10 of 25 (40%) large bowel adenomas and 11 of 30 adenocarcinomas (37%). Mutations were not associated with age, gender, histology, grade, stage, location, or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of codon 12 c-K-ras mutations in small and large bowel tumors is approximately 10-fold higher than that of tumors in the upper gastrointestinal tract.     

Sex steroid metabolism in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells changes with aging

CONTEXT: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) mainly exerts indirect action via downstream conversion toward sex steroids within peripheral target cells including immune cells. In vitro DHEA has been shown to enhance IL-2 release from T lymphocytes, whereas it inhibits IL-6 secretion. Conversely, aging is associated with a decline in both DHEA and IL-2, whereas IL-6 increases. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate age-related differences in expression and functional activity of steroidogenic enzymes involved in downstream conversion of DHEA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). DESIGN: This study was cross-sectional. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Healthy young men (n = 8; age range, 23-29 yr) and healthy middle-aged men (n = 8; age range, 52-66 yr) were studied in an academic setting. MEASURES: mRNA expression of steroidogenic enzymes in PBMCs was measured by qualitative and quantitative RT-PCR analysis and enzyme activity assays after incubation of PBMCs with radiolabeled DHEA, 4-androstene-3,17-dione (androstenedione), and testosterone. RESULTS: RT-PCR analysis showed expression of all enzymes required for DHEA conversion toward active androgens and to the immune-stimulatory metabolite androstenediol. Steroid conversion patterns indicated a particularly increased activity of 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 5 (17beta-HSD5) in the older men, demonstrated by significantly higher conversion rates of DHEA to androstenediol and of androstenedione to testosterone (all P < 0.05). By contrast, conversion of DHEA to androstenedione via 3beta-HSD occurred at a similar rate. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed increased expression of 17beta-HSD 5 mRNA in PBMCs from the older men. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence for significant changes in sex steroid metabolism by human PBMCs with aging, which may represent an endocrine link to immune senescence.     

Local injection of stem cell factor (SCF) improves myocardial homing of systemically delivered c-kit + bone marrow-derived stem cells

AIMS: Recent studies have shown that stem cell therapy may alleviate the detrimental effects of myocardial infarction. Yet, most of these reports observed only modest effects on cardiac function, suggesting that there still is need for improvement before widespread clinical use. One potential approach would be to increase migration of stem cells to the heart. We therefore tested whether local administration of stem cell factor (SCF) improves myocardial homing of intravenously infused lin-/c-kit+ stem cells after myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Myocardial infarction was induced in mice via ligation of the left anterior descending artery and 2.5 microg of SCF were injected into the peri-infarct zone. Sham-operated mice and animals with intramyocardial injection of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) served as controls. Twenty-four hours after myocardial infarction, lin-/c-kit+ stem cells were separated from murine bone marrow by magnetic cell sorting, labelled with the green fluorescent cell tracker CFDA or 111 Indium, and subsequently 750 000 labelled cells were systemically infused via the tail vein. Another 24 or 72 h later, respectively (i.e. 48 and 96 h after myocardial infarction), hearts were removed and analysed for myocardial homing of stem cells. Green fluorescent stem cells were exclusively detected in the peri-infarct zone of animals having prior SCF treatment. Radioactive measurements revealed that an intramyocardial SCF injection significantly amplified myocardial homing of lin-/c-kit+ stem cells compared to animals with PBS injections (3.58 +/- 0.53 vs. 2.28 +/- 0.23 cpm/mg/10(6)cpm, +60%, P < 0.05) and sham-operated mice without myocardial infarction (3.58 +/- 0.53 vs. 1.95 +/- 0.22 cpm/mg/10(6)cpm, +85%, P < 0.01). Similar results were obtained 72 h after stem cell injection. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that intramyocardial administration of SCF sustainably directs more lin-/c-kit+ stem cells to the heart. Future studies will have to show whether higher levels of myocardial SCF (i.e. by virus-mediated gene transfer) can further improve homing of systemically delivered c-kit+ stem cells and thus favourably influence cardiac remodelling following myocardial infarction.     

Inter-reader agreement of interpretation of radiological course of bile duct changes between serial follow-up magnetic resonance imaging/3D magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis

Abstract

Objectives: Interpretation of MRI/MRCP in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) at a single time point has low inter-reader agreement. Agreement of interpretation of the dynamic course of duct changes in follow-up MRI/MRCP is of clinical importance but remains unknown. Our aims are therefore to assess the inter-reader agreement of interpretation of the course of duct changes in PSC and investigate if elimination of 3?D MRCP affects inter-reader agreement.

Materials and Methods: We studied 40 consecutive PSC-patients who underwent two liver MRI/MRCPs at two time points. Two readers independently evaluated the course of duct changes between the two time points in two imaging sets, one with and one without 3?D MRCP. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated for evaluation of inter-reader and intra-reader agreement between the two time points and two imaging sets accordingly.

Results: Inter-reader agreement of the interpretation of the course of duct changes between the two time points was poor (ICC up to 0.224). Elimination of 3?D MRCP neither improved inter-reader agreement which was again poor (ICC up to 0.26) nor did it change considerably the way readers interpret the course of ducts changes (ICC for intra-reader agreement between 0.809 and 0.978).

Conclusions: Inter-reader agreement of the interpretation of radiological course of duct changes is poor in serial follow-up MRI/MRCP of PSC-patients. Elimination of 3?D MRCP does not increase inter-reader agreement but maintains an excellent intra-reader agreement for the interpretation of the dynamic course of bile duct changes.

• Key points

• Inter-reader agreement of interpretation of radiological course of bile duct changes between serial follow-up MRI/MRCP examinations of patients with PSC is poor.

• Absence of 3D MRCP does not affect considerably the way readers interpret the radiological course of bile ducts changes.

• When MRCP is absent or of low quality, utilization of other sequences seems to be helpful as an alternative for bile duct evaluation.

     

Report on a novel emerging class of highly potent benzimidazole NPS opioids: Chemical and in vitro functional characterization of isotonitazene

This paper reports on the identification and full chemical characterization of isotonitazene (N,N‐diethyl‐2‐[5‐nitro‐2‐({4‐[(propan‐2‐yl)oxy]phenyl}methyl)‐1H‐benzimidazol‐1‐yl]ethan‐1‐amine), a potent NPS opioid and the first member of the benzimidazole class of compounds to be available on online markets. Interestingly, this compound was sold under the name etonitazene, a structural analog. Identification of isotonitazene was performed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (LC‐QTOF‐MS), the latter identifying an exact‐mass m/z value of 411.2398. All chromatographic data indicated the presence of a single, highly pure compound. Confirmation of the specific benzimidazole regio‐isomer was performed using ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, after which the chemical characterization was finalized by recording Fourier‐transform (FT‐IR) spectra. A live cell‐based reporter assay to assess the in vitro biological activity at the μ‐opioid receptor (MOR) revealed that isotonitazene has a high potency (EC₅₀ of 11.1 nM) and efficacy (E_max 180% of that of hydromorphone), thus confirming that this substance is a strong opioid. Isotonitazene has not been previously detected, either in powder form, or in biological fluids. The high potency and efficacy of isotonitazene, combined with the fact that this compound was being sold undiluted, represents an imminent danger to anyone aiming to use this powder.     

Verbal episodic memory deficits in remitted bipolar patients: A combined behavioural and fMRI study

Background

Episodic memory deficits affect the majority of patients with bipolar disorder (BD).

Aims

The study investigates episodic memory performance through different approaches, including behavioural measures, physiological parameters, and the underlying functional activation patterns with functional neuroimaging (fMRI).

Methods

26 Remitted BD patients and a matched group of healthy controls underwent a verbal episodic memory test together with monitored autonomic response, psychopathological ratings and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the verbal episodic memory test.

Results

Compared to healthy controls, BD patients performed significantly worse during the episodic memory task. The results further indicate that verbal episodic memory deficits in BD are associated with abnormal functional activity patterns in frontal, occipital and limbic regions, and an increase in stress parameters.

Limitations

We aimed to minimise sample heterogeneity by setting clear criteria for remission, based on the scores of a depression (BDI II) and mania scale (BRMAS) and on the DSM IV criteria. However, our patients were not symptom-free and scored higher on BDI II scores than the control group.

Conclusions

The results are of interest for the treatment of cognitive symptoms in BD patients, as persistent cognitive impairment may hamper full rehabilitation.