Expression of heat shock protein 47 is increased in remnant kidney and correlates with disease progression

Glomerulosclerosis is characterized by accumulation of the mesangial extracellular matrix, including type I and IV collagen. The processing for the collagens in the glomeruli may play a critical role for development of glomerulosclerosis. We examined the expression of heat shock protein 47 (HSP47), a collagen-binding molecular chaperone in the progresive glomerulosclerosis model. Subtotally nephrectomized rats, unlike sham-operated rats, developed focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis. Immunological staining demonstrated an increased expression of HSP47 which paralleled the expression of type I and IV collagen in the glomeruli of the nephrectomized rats as the glomerulosclerosis developed. The mRNA levels encoding type I and type IV collagen and HSP47 were increased 3.4 fold, 3.6 fold and 2.8 fold, respectively, at week 7 after nephrectomy. By in situ hybridization, the expression of HSP47 mRNA was determined to be localized to the glomeruli with segmental sclerosis. These results suggest that HSP47 may play a central role in the process of extracellular matrix accumulation during the development of glomerulosclerosis.     

Trophoblast Antigens in Human Seminal Plasma

ABSTRACT: Secondary recurrent spontaneous (2°) aborters manifest persistent IgG, which show differential cytotoxicity patterns with lymphocytes from many donors. These are non-HLA-directed antibodies, which react allotypically with both trophoblast and lymphocytes. The antigens they recognize are designated trophoblast-lymphocyte crossreactive (TLX) antigens. Xenogeneic anti-TLX sera were studied with the use of enzyme-linked-immunosorbent (ELISA) and immunochemical assays to determine the TLX status of seminal plasma. The results showed 1) allotypic TLX antigens are present in seminal plasma; 2) seminal plasma TLX antigens may be membrane associated; 3) by immuno-blotting, the molecular weights of antigens reactive with TLX antisera are 15, 22, 28, 33 kD and a smear between 180 and 340 kd; 4) by isoelectric focusing, TLX antigens show pI 4.0, 5.35, 5.9, 6.5, 6.8, and 7.2. Allotypic seminal plasma TLX antigens may provide the antigenic stimuli for persistent maternal humoral immunity.     

RNA干扰技术失活Rad51基因增加肿瘤细胞放射敏感性的研究

目的 研究RNA干扰技术（RNAi）能否失活Rad51基因，从而使肿瘤细胞的放射敏感性增加。方法 应用Psilencer U6-1．0质粒为载体在人纤维肉瘤HTl080细胞内表达短链干扰RNA（siRNA）。RNAi效应在蛋白水平用Westernblot方法评价；在细胞水平用成克隆分析及放射诱导的凋亡来评价。结果 所选3个靶序列均起到失活Rad51的作用，放射诱导的Rad51高表达也能被RNAi抑制。成克隆分析表明实验组存活分数在照射2、4、6、8Gy后，分别是对照组的80．5％、78．6％、69．0％、57．7％（P=0．020）；实验组放射诱导的凋亡在放射后0、6、18、24、48h分别是对照组的1．03、1．43、1．19、1．29、1．33倍（P=0．017）。结论 RNAi技术能够使内源性Rad51基因及放射诱导的Rad51高表达失活，从而使人纤维肉瘤HT1080细胞放射敏感性增加；RNAi技术是一种新的研究基因功能和放射增敏的方法。     

The Determination of Ammonia in Arterial and Venous Blood by Immediate Fixation

A method for determination of blood ammonia was devised by fixing the blood with a trichloroacetic acid solution within 1 sec after shedding. The ammonia value using this technique was much lower than using whole blood in the assay of the same sample, while the recovery of the nitrogen added to the whole blood was 100%. The minimum ammonia value was obtained immediately after shedding by our method, and in 30 normal subjects the values for venous blood ammonia were 0.62 ± 0.22 μig ammonia nitrogen per ml and in 12 normal subjects the values for arterial blood ammonia were 0.52 ± 0.28 μg ammonia nitrogen per ml. According to our method, the blood specimens mixed with trichloroacetic acid and standing at 0° did not change its ammonia content after 1 hour, and the value for supernatant of blood extracted with trichloroacetic acid was also unchanged at –20° after more than 24 hours. Ammonia values of arterial and venous blood were determined in patients with various diseases or liver diseases. The values of patients without liver dysfunction were almost within normal range while those with liver disease showed little higher than normal. Ammonia determination of blood and cerebrospinal fluid was performed in patients with Inose type of the hepatocerebral disease and their values almost always exceeded the normal levels.     

A Case of Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung Producing ADH, ACTH, MSH and Calcitonin: Successful Treatment of Severe Hyponatremia with Furosemide and Hypertonic Saline

A 48-year-old man with a small cell carcinoma of the lung presentedhyponatremia and was diagnosed as having the syndrome of inappropriateADH secretion. A plasma ADH bioassay confirmed this syndrome.During the clinical course, the patient developed a hyponatremiccrisis with a serum sodium of 108mEq/l. His hyponatremia wasrapidly corrected by infusing furosemide in conjunction withhypertonic saline. The postmortem studies demonstrated ADH bioactivityin the tumor tissues, as well as immunoreactive ACTH, ß-MSHand calcitonin. Tumor hypersecretion of ACTH appeared to bethe cause of the patient's hyperresponsiveness to exogenousACTH and of the bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia observedat the time of autopsy. Therefore, this was a case of a multiple hormone-producing smallcell carcinoma of the lung, in which the severe clinical manifestationsof SIADH were successfully treated with furosemide and hypertonicsaline.     

Antiemetic Efficacy of High-Dose Intravenous Metoclopramide and Dexamethasone in Patients Receiving Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

High-dose intravenous (IV) metoclopramide has shown efficacywith few side effects for the treatment of nausea and vomitingon the day of cisplatin administration. From November 1984 toJanuary 1986, two randomized trials in an antiemetic study wereconducted. In trial I, the antiemetic effect of a short courseof high-dose dexamethasone was compared with that of high-dosemetoclopramide in 29 patients with lung cancer receiving chemotherapycon taining cisplatin (80 mg/m² IV) in a randomized controlledtrial. Dexamethasone was given IV at a dose of 16 mg 1/2 hrbefore and 8 mg, 1 1/2, 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 hr after cisplatin.Metoclopramide was given IV at a dose of 2 mg/kg, 1/2 hr beforeand 1 1/2, 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 hr after cisplatin. Major emeticcontrol (0–2 episodes of vomiting) during the 24 hr aftercisplatin administration was achieved in 55% (6/11) and 67%(12/18) of the patients receiving dexa methasone and metoclopramide,respectively, without serious toxicity. The dura tion of nauseaor anorexia was similar for the two treatment groups. In trial11, the combination of metoclopramide and dexamethasone wascompared with metoclopramide alone to assess the additive antiemeticeffect of the two drugs in 23 patients with lung cancer receivingcisplatin at a dose of 120 mg/m IV in a randomized cross-overstudy. A major antiemetic response was observed in 27% (3/11)and 92% (11/12) of the patients receiving metoclopramide aloneand metoclopramide plus dexamethasone, respectively (p <0.005). The duration of nausea and anorexia was similar forthe two treatment groups. Pa tients tended to prefer the combinationof metoclopramide and dexamethasone; however, the differencewas not statistically significant (p = 0.14) in the small numberof patients entered in this study. Despite excellent controlof acute chemotherapy-induced emesis, 45% of 52 patients experienceddelayed nausea and vomiting more than 24 hr after cisplatinadministration even among those who had had an excellent short-termresponse to the antiemetic agents.     

Test—retest reliability of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire: Revised

Abstract  We describe the test-retest reliability of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire: Revised (PDQ-R), which was developed to assess DSM-III-R personality disorders (PD). Thirty patients, diagnosed clinically with PD, filled out the PDQ-R twice at 1 month intervals after having undergone 8 weeks of treatment leading to moderate resolution of their acute axis-I symptomatology. The chance-corrected agreement was almost perfect for all DSM-III-R PD (K coefficients: 0.76–1.00). Dimensional scores for individual PD and the total PDQ-Q score were highly correlated (Pearson's correlation coefficients: 0.62–0.99) and the mean of scores did not significantly differ between test and retest. Based on these results, we propose that highly reliable PD diagnoses are possible, even using a self-report questionnaire, if the axis-I symptoniatology of depression and anxiety have moderately subsided. These results clarify controversy over how and when reliable PD diagnoses may be obtained via a self-report questionnaire in a clinical sample.     

Smoking behaviour and personality: a population-based study in Japan

Abstract Aims . The aim of our study was to determine whether the previously reported findings also apply to a general population in Japan and whether, among current smokers, such personality characteristics can be correlated with the age they started to smoke and their present daily consumption of cigarettes . Design . Cross-sectional survey . Setting . Miyagi prefecture, in northern Japan . Participants . 20 538 residents in Miyagi, aged 40-64 years . Measurement . A self-administered questionnaire involving smoking status (current, ex- and non-smokers) and patterns and the Japanese version of the short-form Eysenck Personality QuestionnaireRevised (EPQ-R) . Findings . (1) Current and ex-smokers were higher on Extraversion and Psychoticism than non-smokers for both genders. (2) Heavy smokers were higher on Psychoticism than light smokers and those who started to smoke prior to the legally permitted age were higher on Psychoticism than those who did not . Conclusions . (1) Our study confirmed that the findings which had been previously reported in selected samples in western countries also apply to a general population in Japan; (2) current smokers were found to be heterogeneous in terms of Psychoticism when the age they started to smoke and their present daily consumption of cigarettes were taken into account.