Two cases of chronic pancreatitis with pseudocyst complicated by obstructive jaundice

We recently treated two cases of chronic pancreatitis with obstructive jaundice due to compression of the common bile duct by pancreatic pseudocyst. The two cases were males admitted with the complaint of icteric skin color. The first, a 46-year-old male, admitted with the complaint of icteric skin color. He was treated by operative cystojejunostomy after percutaneous drainage of the pseudocyst and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. The other case was a 58 year-old male who admitted with the complaint of icteric skin color. He had an infected pseudocyst in the pancreas and was endoscopically treated. Both of them were discharged with favorable clinical course and normal laboratory findings after the treatment. The former patient remained well 11 months after treatment, but the latter patient died from necrotizing pancreatitis and septic shock 6 months after treatment. Most cases of obstructive jaundice associated with pseudocysts appear to be due to fibrotic stricture of the intrapancreatic portion of the common bile duct rather than due to compression of the bile duct by the pseudocyst. In a patient with secondary pancreatic infection or obstructive jaundice following pancreatic disease, differentiating between these two conditions is an important aspect of accurate diagnosis and therapy. Herein we report two unusual cases of chronic pancreatitis with pseudocyst complicated by obstructive jaundice.     

Malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney--a case report.

Malignant rhabdoid tumor is a distinct renal tumor in children. It had been regarded as a rhabdomyosarcomatoid variant of Wilms' tumor, but it is now thought as a separate entity. We report a case of malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney in a 26-month-old girl who presented with a left abdominal mass. Grossly, a large mass in the lower pole of the left kidney was well encapsulated and measured 4 x 4 x 3.5cm. On cross section, it was soft and yellowish white and showed multifocal necroses. The mass was mainly located in the medial medullary portion and compressed the renal pelvis laterally. Microscopically, the tumor masses were hypercellular and anaplastic without definite blastematous elements. In larger portion, the tumor cells had abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and hyaline globules. In addition to the classic "rhabdoid" feature, alveolar, sclerosing, and lymphomatous patterns were seen. Ultrastructurally, tumor cells with abundant cytoplasm contained tangles of intermediate filament corresponding to vimentin in immunostaining.     

Inhibition of interleukin-8 expression by dexamethasone in human cultured airway epithelial cells.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a neutrophil chemotactic factor expressed in many cell types, including human airway epithelial cells (HAEC). Inhaled corticosteroids are now used increasingly early in the treatment of airway inflammation such as in asthma, and directly interact with HAEC at relatively high concentrations. We have investigated the effect of dexamethasone on IL-8 expression in primary cultured HAEC obtained from transplantation donors. Northern blot analysis was used to measure IL-8 mRNA levels in HAEC, and radioimmunoassay was used to measure IL-8 protein in culture supernatant fluids. We demonstrated that IL-8 was expressed by primary cultured HAEC and that this was enhanced by IL-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha stimulation, but not by IL-6 or lipopolysaccharide. Dexamethasone suppressed IL-8 mRNA expression and protein synthesis dose-dependently in both resting and stimulated HAEC. The half-life of IL-8 mRNA determined in the presence of actinomycin D was less than 1 hr, and dexamethasone preincubation had no effect on mRNA stability. These results support the view that HAEC may play an important role in the pathogenesis of airway inflammatory diseases, and that glucocorticosteroids may exert their anti-inflammatory effects by blocking IL-8 gene expression and generation in these cells.     

Clonorchis sinensis: molecular cloning and localization of myosin regulatory light chain

One cDNA clone was purified from an adult Clonorchis sinensis cDNA library, and its deduced polypeptide sequence was found to be homologous with myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) of invertebrates and vertebrates. Two amino-acid residues, Thr and Ser, were conserved at the phosphorylation sites that regulate the function of MRLCs. Recombinant C. sinensis MRLC (rCsMRLC) protein was produced and purified from Escherichia coli, and mouse anti-CsMRLC immune sera recognized a protein of molecular weight 24 kDa from a soluble protein preparation of C. sinensis. The CsMRLC protein was immunohistochemically localized to the muscle fibers of the subtegumental muscle layer and to the muscles of oral and ventral suckers. However, the rCsMRLC protein proved to be less useful antigen for the serodiagnosis of human clonorchiasis.The nucleotide sequence reported herein was submitted to GenBank and assigned accession number AY519356.     

Development of hatching blastocysts from immature human oocytes following in-vitro maturation and fertilization using a co-culture system

Recently, in-vitro maturation (IVM) of immature human oocytes recovered from non-stimulated follicles has been applied in the treatment of infertility. However, in previous reports, very few embryos cultured in conventional medium have reached the expanded blastocyst stage following in-vitro maturation and fertilization (IVM/IVF). The objective of this study was to investigate whether the developmental competence of human embryos following IVM/IVF could be enhanced by the use of a human ampullary cell co-culture system. Immature human oocytes were aspirated from small follicles at Caesarean section and then cultured in medium containing human menopausal gonadotrophin for 36 to 48 h, followed by insemination. Zygotes were randomly cultured either in conventional culture medium alone or in the co-culture system. Of 48 embryos cultured in conventional medium alone, all arrested at the 2-16- cell stage on day 3 after insemination. Of 46 embryos cultured in the co-culture system, 26 embryos (56.5%) arrested at the 2-16-cell stage. Six embryos (13%) developed to the morula stage. Fourteen embryos (30.4%) developed to expanded blastocysts and two blastocysts were hatching on day 7 after insemination. We conclude that co-culture significantly enhances the development of blastocysts in embryos resulting from IVM/IVF.      

Differential involvement of GABA system in mediating behavioral and neurochemical effect of acupuncture in ethanol-withdrawn rats

In our previous study we demonstrated that acupuncture at Shenmen (HT7) points suppressed a decrease of accumbal dopamine (DA) release in ethanol-withdrawn rats. Furthermore, here we found that it inhibited behavioral withdrawal signs of ethanol. In an effort to better understand the mechanisms underlying this inhibition, the potential role of GABA receptor system in acupuncture was investigated. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with 3 g/kg/day of ethanol (20%, w/v) or saline by intraperitoneal injection for 21 days. Following 48 or 72 h of ethanol withdrawal, acupuncture was applied at bilateral HT7 for 1 min. The selective GABA_A antagonist bicuculline and the selective GABA_B antagonist SCH 50911 were injected intraperitoneally 20 min before acupuncture, respectively. Importantly, suppressive effects of acupuncture on DA deficiency were completely abolished by SCH 50911, but not by bicuculline, whereas ameliorating effects of acupuncture on ethanol withdrawal syndrome were completely blocked either by SCH 50911 or bicuculline. These results suggest that acupuncture at specific acupoint HT7 may normalize the DA release in the mesolimbic system and attenuate withdrawal syndrome through the GABA_B receptor system in ethanol-withdrawn rats.     

Non-secretion of mutant proteins of the glaucoma gene myocilin in cultured trabecular meshwork cells and in aqueous humor

Until recently, very little was known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Mutations in the glaucoma gene myocilin (MYOC, GLC1A) are associated with elevated intraocular pressure and the development of autosomal dominant juvenile glaucoma and a subset of adult-onset glaucoma. MYOC is expressed in the trabecular meshwork (TM), a tissue responsible for drainage of aqueous humor from the eye, and the tissue involved in elevated intraocular pressure associated with glaucoma. To better understand the role of MYOC in glaucoma pathogenesis, we examined the expression of normal and mutant myocilin in cultured ocular (TM) and non-ocular cells as well as in the aqueous humor of patients with and without MYOC glaucoma. Normal myocilin was secreted from cultured cells, but very little to no myocilin was secreted from cells expressing five different mutant forms of MYOC. In addition, no mutant myocilin was detected in the aqueous humor of patients harboring a nonsense MYOC mutation (Q368X). Co-transfection of cultured cells with normal and mutant myocilin led to suppression of normal myocilin secretion. These studies suggest that MYOC glaucoma is due either to insufficient levels of secreted myocilin or to compromised TM cell function caused by congestion of the TM secretory pathway.     

Novel HLA-A*11 allele, A*1120, identified by sequence-based typing

In this report, we describe the identification of a human leucocyte antigen-A*11 (HLA-A*11) nucleotide sequence variant, a new HLA-A*1120 by using sequence-based typing (SBT). The new allele was detected during routine HLA typing by high-resolution SBT. Allele A*1120 showed one nucleotide difference with A*110101 at codon 152 (GCG-->GAG) resulting in an amino acid change from alanine to glutamate. Residue 152 is located on alpha(2)-helix of HLA class I molecule and involved in peptide binding by constructing E pocket of peptide-binding groove, implying that the change of the residue 152 would affect the binding affinity of peptides to A*1120 allele.     

Altered GABAB receptor immunoreactivity in the gerbil hippocampus induced by baclofen and phaclofen, not seizure activity

The present study was performed to determine whether the effects induced by GABA(B) receptor-acting drugs would be related with the alteration in GABA(B) receptor expression in the hippocampus using Mongolian gerbil, a genetic epilepsy model. The distribution patterns of both GABA(B) receptor 1A/B and GABA(B)receptor 2 immunoreactivities were similarly detected in the hippocampi of normal and seizure-prone gerbils. Following baclofen (GABA(B) receptor agonist) or phaclofen (GABA(B) receptor antagonist) treatment, GABA(B) receptor immunoreactivities were decreased or increased by dose-dependent manners, respectively. Vigabatrin (GABA transaminase inhibitor) or 3-mercaptopropionic acid (GAD inhibitor) treatment did not affect GABA(B) receptor expressions. These findings suggest that GABA(B) receptor expression in the gerbil hippocampus may be altered by baclofen or phaclofen treatment.     

Protective effect of retinoic acid on interleukin-1 beta-induced cytotoxicity of pancreatic beta-cells

Cytokines produced by immune cells in pancreatic islets infiltrating are important mediators of beta-cell destruction in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In this study, the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on cytokine-induced beta-cell dysfunction were examined. RA significantly protected interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-mediated cytotoxicity of rat insulinoma cell (RINm5F), and also reduced in IL-1 and IFN-gamma-induced nitric oxide (NO) production, which correlated well with reduced levels of the inducible form of NO synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein. The molecular mechanism, by which RA inhibited iNOS gene expression, appeared to involve the inhibition of NF-kappa B activation. Our results suggest possible therapeutic value of RA for the prevention of diabetes mellitus progression.