Binding of interleukin-8 to heparan sulphate enhances cervical maturation in rabbits.

Cervical ripening is a cytokine-triggered process with substantial remodelling of the cervical extracellular matrix. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is an important cytokine in cervical maturation. Glycosaminoglycans are also included in this process, but their role in not clearly understood. The effects of heparan sulphate (HS), hyaluronic acid (HA), IL-8, HS + IL-8 and HA + IL-8 on biochemical properties of the cervix were examined in non-pregnant rabbits. The changes in vascular pattern with collagen structure of the cervices and immunohistochemical studies, together with the relative collagen concentrations, were determined. A reduction in relative collagen concentration was significant after HS + IL-8, IL-8 and HA + IL-8 treatment (all P < 0.0001). Gel electrophoresis analysis showed that IL-8 bound preferentially to HS than to HA. Neutrophils were significantly increased in number (P < 0.0001) and located predominantly beneath the glandular epithelium and around the blood vessels after HS + IL-8 treatment. HS + IL-8 treatment caused cervices to increase their water content and become oedematous. The collagen fibres were considerably dissociated, the interfibrillar spaces markedly dilated, and the blood vessels notably increased and dilated. We conclude that binding to HS enhances the activity of IL-8 in inducing cervical maturation.     

A comparison of some simplified lactobionate preservation solutions with standard UW solution and Eurocollins solution for pancreas preservation.

Fifty-two rat pancreas transplants were performed to investigate which components of the UW solution were essential for successful pancreas preservation. LEW rats were used and the pancreata stored at 4 degrees C for 48 hr after flushing with commercial UW solution (ViaSpan, DuPont Pharmaceuticals) or a number of simplified solutions. Following storage the pancreata were transplanted into syngeneic recipient animals with streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus. Graft function was assessed by regular postoperative blood sugar measurements and a glucose tolerance test on the 14th postoperative day. With commercial UW solution, 4 of 9 recipients (44%) showed satisfactory graft function, while only one of 5 pancreata preserved using Eurocollins solution demonstrated satisfactory function. With solution A, in which hydroxyethyl starch and insulin were omitted from the standard UW solution, 3 of 7 recipients (43%) showed satisfactory function. Omission of glutathione, allopurinol, and adenosine from this solution (solution B) gave satisfactory function in 4 of 8 cases (50%). Substitution of raffinose in solution B with an equimolar concentration of glucose (solution C) resulted in acceptable function in 5 of 8 cases (62%). Increasing the raffinose concentration in solution B to 100 mM/L resulted in only 2 of 8 grafts (25%) with adequate function. By contrast, reversing the Na/K concentrations in solution A resulted in 100% (7/7) satisfactory graft function. We conclude that the rat pancreas can be successfully transplanted following 48-hr cold preservation using UW solution and some simplified versions, and that a substantially simplified lactobionate-based solution with a reversed sodium/potassium ratio improved survival.     

Effects of procaine on pharmaco-mechanical coupling mechanisms activated by acetylcholine in smooth muscle cells of porcine coronary artery

The action of procaine on pharmaco-mechanical coupling activated by application of acetylcholine (ACh) was investigated using collagenase-treated dispersed intact and skinned smooth muscle cells and intact muscle tissues of the porcine coronary artery. ACh reduced stored 45Ca2+, and this action was prevented by procaine in intact dispersed cells. The maximum reduction in the level of stored 45Ca induced by caffeine (25 mM) or inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3; 3 microM) was also prevented by procaine in the skinned muscle cells in the presence or absence of ATP. However, inhibitions of the latter required higher concentrations of procaine than the former. Release by 10 microM ACh of Ca2+ from its store site in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca2+ was also inhibited by procaine and was detected using the quin2 fluorescence method. In these smooth muscle tissues, ACh (above 10 nM) reduced the amount of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI-P2) and dose dependently increased the amount of phosphatidic acid. Procaine inhibited the hydrolysis of PI-P2 activated by ACh, thus reducing the amount of InsP3 and the release of Ca2+ from the store site. It is concluded that procaine has multiple actions on the porcine coronary artery, and one of the actions related with pharmacomechanical coupling appears through inhibition of hydrolysis of PI-P2 induced by ACh.     

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with a short double-balloon enteroscope

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) using a double-balloon enteroscope (DBE) in patients with bowel reconstruction due to a previous abdominal surgery is now widely accepted. In particular, a short DBE, which has a 2.8-mm working channel and 152-cm working length, is useful for ERCP because of its good rotational and straightening ability and the availability of various conventional ERCP accessories through the working channel. Herein we report a case of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma via ERCP with a short DBE. This is the first report in which the pre-cutting and the brush cytological examination were performed successfully under a DBE to diagnose intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma pathologically. The short DBE allowed us to perform all diagnostic and therapeutic procedures accepted in conventional ERCP in patients with surgically altered anatomies.     

Influence of age and severity of hypertension on blood pressure response to isometric handgrip exercise.

The influence of age and severity of hypertension on the blood pressure response to isometric handgrip exercise (IHG) was studied in essential hypertensive patients (n = 122). The change in blood pressure during IHG in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) (n = 12) was also studied. Left ventricular hypertrophy due to hypertension was used as an index of the severity of hypertension. The change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) during IHG was markedly greater in essential hypertensives than in normotensive subjects (n = 36). Among hypertensive patients, the change in SBP increased with increasing severity of hypertension. This change in SBP was not influenced by age. The change in SBP during IHG in patients with ISH was significantly smaller than that in essential hypertensive patients and was similar to that in normotensive subjects in the elderly. These results demonstrate that age does not affect the increased blood pressure response to IHG in essential hypertensive patients but the greater the severity of hypertension, the greater the increase in SBP during IHG. Elderly patients with ISH do not have an enhanced blood pressure response to IHG.     

Serodiagnostic tests by factor analysis and stepwise discriminating analysis with tumor markers for the detection of ovarian cancer

We measured five tumor markers simultaneously for serodiagnostic testing as a method for the early detection of ovarian cancer. To decrease both false negativity and false positivity in the results of combination assay, statistical analysis including factor analysis and stepwise discriminating function was applied in this study. At least one of these tumor markers was detected as positive in 75.2% (76 of 101 patients) of sera from patients with ovarian cancer before treatment. Six hundred and ninety-three of 7,097 normal sera (9.8%) gave spuriously positive combination assay results. Falsely positive combination assay results were observed in 1,107 of 3,139 patients with benign disease, which could largely be attributed to the high CA125 values in patients with endometriosis. On the basis of factor analysis in order to decrease false positivity, CA125, TPA, and CA125/TPA were selected as the best parameters for distinguishing between ovarian cancer and benign conditions including those pelvic endometriosis showing positive results in combination assays. Subsequently, the function derived by factor analysis made possible the correct classification of 58 of 71 patients with ovarian cancer detected by combination assay, and 84.8% of pelvic endometriosis and benign ovarian tumor subjects were correctly classified into the non-cancer group. Next, in order to decrease false negativity, statistical analysis was also applied. Malignancy could be correctly diagnosed by this procedure in 14 of 25 patients whose tumor was undetectable by combination assay, whereas of subjects without cancer 14.5% were errorenously classified into the ovarian cancer group. In the search for the best method for accurately detecting ovarian cancer, we used image diagnosis (ultrasonography) in combination with serological diagnosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)