Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty against arteriosclerosis obliterans in dialysis patients

The incidence of peripheral arteriosclerosis is on the increase in chronic hemodialysis patients. Recently, the intervention (IV) treatment is conducted to deal with this problem. IV was performed in 4 dialysis patients against the complication of arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) but the result was unsuccessful in 3 of them. These 3 failure cases were investigated to find the problems associated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). Cases 1, 2 and 3 had intermittent claudication while case 4 had gangrenous toes as the major complaint. The symptoms in these cases were attributable to 90-100% stenosis and occlusion of superficial femoral artery, bilateral iliac arteries, bilateral superficial femoral-popliteal artery, branch of right iliac artery and left iliac artery region, respectively. IV was successful in case 1 but failed in cases 2 and 4 because the catheter itself did not go through due to the severe stenosis of vessel or the procedure of forcefully dilating the vessel caused dispersion of minute thrombi. In case 3, acute myocardial infarction occurred at 10 h after successful IV, resulting in sudden death. In view of the extent of invasion, IV is a treatment method selected against ASO in dialysis patients. However, the method has a high risk of causing thrombus formation, vessel rupture and organ failure. In this regard, it is advisable to evaluate the systemic condition and conduct IV if the extent of stenosis is mild.     

Anti-beta(2)-glycoprotein I antibodies in children with atopic dermatitis

beta(2)-Glycoprotein I (beta(2)GPI) appears to be the major antigen for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). In early infancy, virtually all children initiate transient immune response to non-pathogenic nutritional antigens, which fails to terminate in children with atopic diseases. To examine the possibility that a prolonged immune response to beta(2)GPI could also spread to the human protein, antibodies against human beta(2)GPI (anti-beta(2)GPI) were determined in 93 randomly selected children with different allergic diseases. A high frequency (42%) of IgG anti-beta(2)GPI was found in children with atopic dermatitis (AD), but not in those with other allergic diseases. Anti-beta(2)GPI in children with AD were exclusively of the IgG1 subclass and bound to bovine beta(2)GPI as well, but not to either beta(2)GPI combined with the phospholipid cardiolipin. The epitopes were identified in domain V of beta(2)GPI and the antibody binding was abolished upon the specific proteolytic cleavage of the phospholipid-binding C-terminal loop in domain V of beta(2)GPI. These results indicated that the epitopes for anti-beta(2)GPI in children with AD most likely resided in close vicinity of the phospholipid-binding site of beta(2)GPI. The epitopic difference from anti-beta(2)GPI in APS may explain presumed non-thrombogenicity of anti-beta(2)GPI in children with AD.     

Aberrant chromatin at genes encoding stem cell regulators in human mixed-lineage leukemia

Mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) fusion proteins are potent inducers of leukemia, but how these proteins generate aberrant gene expression programs is poorly understood. Here we show that the MLL-AF4 fusion protein occupies developmental regulatory genes important for hematopoietic stem cell identity and self-renewal in human leukemia cells. These MLL-AF4-bound regions have grossly altered chromatin structure, with histone modifications catalyzed by trithorax group proteins and DOT1 extending across large domains. Our results define direct targets of the MLL fusion protein, reveal the global role of epigenetic misregulation in leukemia, and identify new targets for therapeutic intervention in cancer.     

Compartmentalized transgene expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in mouse lung enhances allergic airways inflammation

To investigate the role of GM-CSF in asthmatic airways inflammation, we have targeted GM-CSF transgene to the airway cells in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic airways inflammation, a model in which there is marked induction of endogenous IL-5 and IL-4 but not GM-CSF. Following intranasal delivery of a replication-deficient adenoviral gene transfer vector (Ad), transgene expression was found localized primarily to the respiratory epithelial cells. Intranasal delivery of 0.03 × 10⁹ plaque-forming units (PFU) of AdGM-CSF into naive BALB/c mice resulted in prolonged and compartmentalized release of GM-CSF transgene protein with a peak concentration of ≈ 80 pg/ml detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) at day 7, but little in serum. These levels of local GM-CSF expression per se resulted in no eosinophilia and only a minimum of tissue inflammatory responses in the lung of naive mice, similar to those induced by the control vector. However, such GM-CSF expression in the airways of OVA-sensitized mice resulted in a much greater and sustained accumulation of various inflammatory cell types, most noticeably eosinophils, both in BALF and airway tissues for 15–21 days post-OVA aerosol challenge, at which times airways inflammation had largely resolved in control mice. While the levels of IL-5 and IL-4 in BALF and the rate of eosinophil apoptosis were found similar between different treatments, there was an increased number of proliferative leucocytes in the lung receiving GM-CSF gene transfer. Our results thus provide direct experimental evidence that GM-CSF can significantly contribute to the development of allergic airways inflammation through potentiating and prolonging inflammatory infiltration induced by cytokines such as IL-5 and IL-4.     

Potential-dependent action ofAnemonia sulcata toxins III and IV on sodium channels in crayfish giant axons

Effects of toxins III and IV (ATX III and IV) from the sea anemoneAnemonia sulcata on the Na current of crayfish giant axons were studied. Both toxins slowed the inactivation of Na channels, producing a maintained Na current during a depolarizing voltage pulse. Using the intensity of the toxin-induced maintained current as an index for the fraction of Na channels to which toxin is bound, the toxin association and dissociation kinetics were analyzed. The dissociation rate of ATX III was increased by two orders of magnitudes by depolarizing the membrane from –70 to –40mV. This increase of the dissociation rate caused a marked decrease in the binding rate of ATX III to Na channels in the same potential range. ATX IV exhibited association and dissociation kinetics that had a potential dependency quite similar to that of ATX III in spite of different ionic charge distribution in these two toxins. The results support the view that the potential-dependent kinetics of these toxins are not due to an electrostatic interaction between the ionic charges of toxins and the membrane potential but result from a modulation of the binding energy depending on the gate configuration of the Na channel.     

Inhibition of chlamydia trachomatis growth by human interferon-alpha: mechanisms and synergistic effect with interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha

We have evaluated the effect of natural human interferon (IFN)-alpha on the growth of chlamydia trachomatis in human epithelial cells in vitro and revealed that IFN-alpha has reduced both growth and infectivity of C. trachomatis. The effect of IFN-alpha was reversed by the addition of exogenous L-tryptophan and iron to the culture medium, suggesting that antichlamydial effect of IFN-alpha was caused by depletion of intracellular tryptophan and iron, both of which are essential for chlamydial growth. When IFN-alpha was combined with another antichlamydial cytokines, IFN-gamma and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, the effect was synergistically enhanced. Therefore, IFN-alpha would act coordinately with other cytokines such as IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, and play an important role in host defense against infection and in the establishment of persistent chlamydial infection of host, in which the organism remains viable, but in a culture-negative state.     

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.     

Pseudotype hepatitis C virus enters immature myeloid dendritic cells through the interaction with lectin

Dendritic cells (DC) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells that regulate immune responses. One of the mechanisms for hepatitis C virus (HCV) persistence is the ability of HCV to suppress DC function. Direct HCV infection to blood DC has been implicated for DC dysfunction. To clarify the susceptibility of each DC subset to HCV, we used pseudotype vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) coated with chimeric HCV envelope glycoproteins (E1 and E2). We demonstrate that pseudotype VSV enters myeloid DC (MDC) but not plasmacytoid DC (PDC). The highest efficiency of pseudotype VSV entry to MDC was observed when MDC were cultured with GM-CSF. Such efficiency decreased when MDC are matured with the treatment of IL-4, CpG oligodeoxynucleotide, or CD40 ligand. Mannan inhibited pseudotype VSV entry to MDC, but Ca(2+) chelators failed to do so. These results show that pseudotype VSV possessing HCV-E1 and E2 enters immature MDC through the interaction with lectins in a Ca(2+)-independent manner.     

The effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ligand on urological cancer cells

Peroxisome proliferator activator-receptor (PPAR)-gamma ligand induces growth arrest of cancer cells through apoptosis. In this study, we examined the effects of PPAR-gamma inhibitors on cell proliferation in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), bladder tumor (BT), and prostatic carcinoma (PC) cell lines. We investigated the inhibitory effect of PPAR-gamma ligands, troglitazone and 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15dPGJ2) on RCC, BT and PC-derived cell lines using MTT assay and Hoechst staining. PPAR-gamma ligands (troglitazone and 15dPGJ2) induced the reduction of cell viability with the half-maximal concentration of growth inhibition of RCC, BT, and PC cell lines. Furthermore, counting cells at days 1, 2 and 3, clearly showed marked inhibition of cell proliferation using troglitazone and 15dPGJ2. All PPAR-gamma inhibitors stopped the growth of all RCC, BT and PC cells. Cells treated with PPAR-gamma inhibitors showed chromatin condensation, cellular shrinkage, small membrane-bound bodies (apoptotic bodies), and cytoplasmic condensation. These cellular changes were typically redundant characteristics of apoptosis. PPAR-gamma ligands may mediate potent antiproliferative effects against RCC, BT and PC cells through differentiation. Thus, PPAR-gamma may become a new target in treatment of urological tumors.     

Relationship between lipoxygenase and human testicular cancer

The metabolism of arachidonic acid by either the cyclooxygenase (COX) or lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway generates eicosanoids, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of human diseases, including cancer. They are now believed to play important roles in tumor promotion, progression, and metastasis, and the involvement of LOX expression and function in tumor growth and metastasis has been reported in human tumor cell lines. Expressions of 5-LOX and 12-LOX in human testicular cancer (TC), and normal testis (NT) tissues were examined, as well as effects of their inhibitors on cell proliferation in TC cell line. Expressions of 5-LOX and 12-LOX were detected by immunohistochemistry. Effects of LOX inhibitors on TC cell growth were examined by MTT assay. While 5-LOX and 12-LOX expressions were slightly detected in NT tissues, expressions of 5-LOX and 12-LOX were significant detected in TC tissues by immunohistochemistry. The LOX inhibitors inhibited the growth of TC cells. LOX is induced in TC, and results may suggest that LOXs are essential for cell growth of TC cells.