Role of plasma, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, and CD14 in response of mouse peritoneal exudate macrophages to endotoxin

Plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) and membrane CD14 function to enhance the responses of monocytes to low concentrations of endotoxin. Surprisingly, recent reports have suggested that LBP or CD14 may be dispensable for macrophage responses to low concentrations of LPS or may even exert an inhibitory effect in the case of LBP. We therefore investigated whether LBP and CD14 participated in the response of mouse peritoneal exudate macrophages (PEM) to LPS stimulation. In the presence of a low amount of plasma (<1%) or of recombinant mouse or human LBP, PEM were found to respond to low concentrations of LPS (<5 to 10 ng/ml) in an LBP- and CD14-dependent manner. However, tumor necrosis factor production (not interleukin-6 production) by LPS-stimulated PEM was reduced when cells were stimulated in the presence of higher concentrations of plasma or serum (5 or 10%). Yet, the inhibitory effect of plasma or serum was not mediated by LBP. Taken together with previous results obtained with LBP and CD14 knockout mice in models of experimental endotoxemia, the present data confirm a critical part for LBP and CD14 in innate immune responses of both blood monocytes and tissue macrophages to endotoxins.     

Effect of short physical exercise on the levels of zinc and carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme activities in human erythrocytes

Summary Studies of the influences of physical exercise of short duration (bicycle ergometer, 200 W for 30 min) on the activities of carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes (CA-B and CA-C types) and zinc concentration in erythrocytes were made on 5 untrained healthy male volunteers. The subjects were rested for 30 min after the exercise. There were significant decreases in the levels of zinc, CA-B, total carbonic anhydrase activity and CA-B-dependent activity immediately after exercise, but after 30 min of rest they all returned to their pre-exercise levels. No significant change in CA-C level or CA-C-dependent activity was found after exercise. Immediately after exercise, total carbonic anhydrase activity and CA-B-dependent activity following the addition of Zn²⁺ showed significant increases, compared with their respective activities without Zn²⁺ addition. However, no such effects were observed just before exercise or after rest; the addition of Zn²⁺ had no effect on CA-C-dependent activity at any time. A significant correlation was found between the changes in concentration of zinc and CA-B-dependent activity after exercise (r=0.711). The findings of the present study suggest that active CA-B enzymes are converted in part to inactive enzymes during acute physical exercise, possibly by decreased zinc binding. Moreover, the change in CA-B-dependent activity correlated well with the changes in pH and HCO₃ concentrations in venous blood (r=0.853 and r=0.718, respectively). One may speculate that an adaptive decrease in CA-B-dependent activity in erythrocytes occurs with increased acidification in blood during heavy physical exercise of short duration.The present study was presented to the Fifth International Symposium on the Biochemistry of Exercise, Boston, June 1–5, 1982     

Malignant mesenchymoma of the esophagus

This is a case report of a malignant mesenchymoma of the esophagus in a 50?year-old Japanese man. The tumor was a sessile polypoid mass showing a downward invasion limited to the submucosa of the esophagus. Histologically, the lesion contained rhabdomyosarcomatous and osteosarcomatous areas, in addition to an ill-defined fibrosarcomatous element. In contrast with reports of carcinosarcoma up to the present, this tumor lacked any invasive lesion of an epithelial malignancy. The morphogenesis of these tumor groups was discussed from a hamartoblastomatous standpoint. Acta pathol. jpn. 34: 925～933, 1984.     

Diversity of antisperm antibodies bound to sperm surface in male immunological infertility

PROBLEM: The presence of antisperm antibodies (ASA) in males can reduce fecundity, however, relationship between the two is disputed. This study was performed to investigate if there is diversity of ASA bound to sperm surface using immunobead test (IBT) combined with complement dependent sperm immobilization test (SIT). METHODS: The ASA bound to sperm surface were detected using the direct IBT (D-IBT) in 275 semen samples. In some cases with ASA detected by D-IBT, sperm immobilizing antibodies bound to sperm surface were also evaluated using direct SIT (D-SIT). RESULTS: The incidence of the immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM classes of ASA detected by D-IBT were 2.5, 1.8, and 0.4%, respectively. Totally, nine (3.3%) infertile men had ASA on the sperm surface. D-SIT was tested positive in four (66.7%) of six cases with ASA assessed by D-IBT. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the sperm-bound antibodies are associated with complement dependent sperm immobilizing antibodies, indicating that there exists a heterogeneity of sperm-bound antibodies. This result might be one of the reasons for the controversy about the relationship between ASA and immunological infertility in men.     

Evaluation of the drug lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST) with shosaikoto]

BACKGROUND: Our aim is to evaluate the significance of DLST by Shosaikoto. METHODS: We clinically evaluated 3 cases of drug-induced pneumonia assumed to be caused by Shosaikoto, and we performed DLST of Shosaikoto for healthy controls, and compared the data with drug-induced pneumonia cases of Shosaikoto. RESULTS: As clinical characteristics of 3 cases, 2 cases were positive for hepatitis C virus antibody, and 1 case was positive for DLST of Shosaikoto. The observed chest high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings showed hypersensitivity pneumonia (HP) pattern in all 3 cases. Prognosis was good in all 3 cases. DLST of Shosaikoto was positive in 27.5% of healthy controls. Stimulation index (S.I.) of DLST in drug-induced pneumonia cases increased depending on drug dilution density, compared to that of healthy controls. CONCLUSION: DLST of Shosaikoto showed high false-positive rate. However, we may be able to distinguish the true-positive cases with the false-positive cases by comparing the S.I. of DLST according to drug dilution density.     

Physical training and fasting erythrocyte activities of free radical scavenging enzyme systems in sedentary men

Summary Effects of 10 weeks of physical training on free radical scavenging enzyme systems in erythrocytes were investigated in 7 sedentary healthy male students. The training consisted of running over 5 km, 6 times/week. Their maximum oxygen uptake and 12 min walk-run performance increased significantly after training. Of the antioxidant enzyme systems examined in the erythrocytes, both catalase activity and concentration and total glutathione reductase (GR) activity also showed significant increases following the training. The erythrocyte GR activity coefficient also increased significantly. These results suggest that chronic aerobic exercise increases riboflavin requirements and has some positive effects on antioxidative processes.     

Heat shock proteins HSP25, HSP60, HSP72, HSP73 in isoosmotic cortex and hyperosmotic medulla of rat kidney

The distribution of heat shock proteins (HSP) HSP60, HSP73, HSP72 and HSP25 in the isoosmotic cortex and the hyperosmotic medulla of the rat kidney was investigated using Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. HSP73 was homogeneously distributed throughout the whole kidney. The level of HSP60 was high in the renal cortex and low in the medulla. HSP25 and HSP72 were present in large amounts in the medulla. Only low levels of HSP25 and almost undetectable amounts of HSP72 were found in the cortex. HSP25 exists in one nonphosphorylated and several phosphorylated isoforms. Western blot analysis preceded by isoelectric focussing showed that HSP25 predominates in its nonphosphorylated form in the outer medulla but in its phosphorylated form in cortex and inner medulla. Although this intrarenal distribution pattern was not changed during prolonged anaesthesia (thiobutabarbital sodium), a shift from the nonphosphorylated to the phosphorylated isoforms of HSP25 occurred in the medulla. The characteristic intrarenal distribution of the constitutively expressed HSPs (HSP73, HSP60, HSP25) may reflect different states of metabolic activity in the isoosmotic (cortex) and hyperosmotic (medulla) zones of the kidney. The high content of inducible HSP72 in the medulla most likely is a consequence of the osmotic stress imposed upon the cells by the high urea and salt concentrations in the hyperosmotic medullary environment.     

Simple method for the identification of oxidative fibers in skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle is composed of several different types of myofiber: slow oxidative (SO), fast glycolytic oxidative and fast glycolytic. However, the classification is usually determined by myosin heavy chain typing rather than by metabolic index. In this study, the oxidative metabolic index was investigated as a possible method of myofiber typing. Myoglobin, which is involved in oxygen transport and storage in myofibers, and mitochondria, which are the central organelles for oxidative metabolism, were studied. High levels of myoglobin and mitochondria are believed to exist in SO fibers, but the current study showed that they are considerably richer in some fast type fibers. As myofiber typing using the oxidative metabolic index is important physiologically, an attempt was made to find a simple method for this purpose. Some mitochondrial proteins have been observed to auto-fluoresce but until now this effect was too faint to detect easily. Owing to the recent advances in cooling charge-coupled device technology, such auto-fluorescence can now be used for myofiber typing, and the simple and rapid method for doing so is reported here.