Rationale and design for a study using intravascular ultrasound to evaluate effects of rosuvastatin on coronary artery atheroma in Japanese subjects: COSMOS study (Coronary Atherosclerosis Study Measuring Effects of Rosuvastatin Using Intravascular Ultrasound in Japanese Subjects).

BACKGROUND: There have been few multicenter studies using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to assess the process of atherosclerosis in a Japanese population with hypercholesterolemia that is being treated with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors for control of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. METHODS AND RESULTS: An open-label multicenter study is planned to evaluate with IVUS whether treatment with rosuvastatin for 76 weeks results in regression of coronary artery atheroma volume in patients who have coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypercholesterolemia. Sample size is 200 subjects with CHD who are to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention. The planned duration is between October 2005 and October 2008. CONCLUSIONS: The COSMOS study will be the first multicenter cardiovascular study in a Japanese population and may provide new evidence on the effects of rosuvastatin on the progression of coronary atherosclerotic lesions.     

Idiopathic calcinosis cutis in fingertip treated with occlusive dressing using aluminum foil: a case report.

Calcium deposition in the skin, known as calcinosis cutis, is an uncommon disorder caused by an abnormal deposit of calcium phosphate in the skin. We report a case of idiopathic calcinosis cutis in fingertip treated with surgical excision followed by the occlusive dressing using aluminum foil, and obtained significant pain relief and round-shaped fingertip which looked normal.     

CD14 is not involved in Rhodobacter sphaeroides diphosphoryl lipid A inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha and nitric oxide induction by taxol in murine macrophages.

Taxol, a microtubule stabilizer with anticancer activity, mimics the actions of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on murine macrophages in vitro. Recently, it was shown that taxol-induced macrophage activation was inhibited by the LPS antagonist Rhodobacter sphaeroides diphosphoryl lipid A (RsDPLA). To investigate the mechanisms of taxol-induced macrophage activation, the present study focused on the interaction of LPS, RsDPLA, and taxol in the activation of and binding to macrophages. Taxol alone induced murine C3H/He macrophages to secrete tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) and to produce nitric oxide (NO) with kinetics similar to that of LPS. Macrophages from LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mice, in contrast, did not yield any detectable TNF and NO production in response to LPS or taxol. RsDPLA inhibited taxol-induced TNF and NO production from C3H/He macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition by RsDPLA was specific for LPS and taxol in that RsDPLA did not inhibit heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes- or zymosan-induced TNF production. Polymyxin B blocked the inhibitory effect of RsDPLA on taxol-induced TNF production. The inhibitory activity of RsDPLA appeared to be reversible since macrophages still responded to taxol in inducing TNF production after the RsDPLA was washed out with phosphate-buffered saline prior to the addition of taxol. Taxol-induced TNF production was not inhibited by colchicine, vinblastine, or 10-deacetylbaccatine III. A mutant cell line, J7.DEF3, defective in expression of a CD14 antigen, responded equally well to taxol by producing TNF as did the parent J774.1 cells. This suggested that the activation of macrophages by taxol does not require CD14. Taxol-induced TNF production by the mutant cells was also inhibited by RsDPLA. 125I-labeled LPS and 3H-labeled taxol was reported to bind to J774.1 cells predominantly via CD14 and microtubules, respectively. The binding of 125I-labeled LPS to J7.DEF3 cells was about 30 to 40% of that to J774.1 cells. The binding of 125I-LPS to J774.1 cells was inhibited by unlabeled LPS and RsDPLA but not by taxol. On the other hand, 3H-labeled taxol bound to both J774.1 cells and J7.DEF3 cells in similar time- and dose-dependent manners. The binding of [3H]taxol to these cells was inhibited by taxol but not by LPS or RsDPLA. Although the binding studies failed to examine cross competition for binding to macrophages, a possible explanation of these results is that LPS, RsDPLA, and taxol share the same molecule(s) on murine macrophages for their functional receptor(s), which is neither CD14 nor tubulin.     

Molecular basis for treating endometriosis with aromatase inhibitors

Although treatment of one unusually aggressive case of postmenopausal endometriosis with an aromatase inhibitor has been strikingly successful, large clinical trials are required to establish whether aromatase inhibitors will have a significant role in the medical management of endometriosis. Introduction of aromatase inhibitors into the treatment of endometriosis underscores the importance of basic research leading to the development of novel strategies in reproductive disorders. It was shown earlier that aromatase activity was not detectable in normal endometrium. Aromatase, however, is expressed inappropriately in endometriosis and stimulated by prostaglandin E2. Aromatase activity gives rise to local biosynthesis of oestrogen, which, in turn, stimulates prostaglandin E2 production, thus establishing a positive feedback cycle. This favours accumulation of oestrogen and prostaglandins in endometriosis, which is an inflammatory disorder dependent on oestrogen for growth.     

Whole genome association study of rheumatoid arthritis using 27 039 microsatellites

A major goal of current human genome-wide studies is to identify the genetic basis of complex disorders. However, the availability of an unbiased, reliable, cost efficient and comprehensive methodology to analyze the entire genome for complex disease association is still largely lacking or problematic. Therefore, we have developed a practical and efficient strategy for whole genome association studies of complex diseases by charting the human genome at 100 kb intervals using a collection of 27,039 microsatellites and the DNA pooling method in three successive genomic screens of independent case-control populations. The final step in our methodology consists of fine mapping of the candidate susceptible DNA regions by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis. This approach was validated upon application to rheumatoid arthritis, a destructive joint disease affecting up to 1% of the population. A total of 47 candidate regions were identified. The top seven loci, withstanding the most stringent statistical tests, were dissected down to individual genes and/or SNPs on four chromosomes, including the previously known 6p21.3-encoded Major Histocompatibility Complex gene, HLA-DRB1. Hence, microsatellite-based genome-wide association analysis complemented by end stage SNP typing provides a new tool for genetic dissection of multifactorial pathologies including common diseases.     

Use of Air-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in Hydrophobic Microfluidic Channels for Disposable Flow Cytometers

This paper describes a disposable flow cytometer that uses an air-liquid two-phase microfluidic system to produce a focused high-speed liquid sample stream of particles and cells. The susceptibility of thin liquid columns to instabilities may suggest that focusing of sample liquids with streams of air would be difficult. The design of channel geometry, control of flow rates, and use of appropriate surface chemistries on the channel walls, however, enabled the generation of thin (15–100 m) and partially bounded sample streams that were stable and suitable for rapid cell analysis. Using an inverted epi-fluorescence microscope with a photo-multiplier tube, we demonstrated that the system is capable of counting the number of beads and C₂C₁₂ myoblast cells. The effects of different flow rates and surface chemistries of the channel walls on the air-liquid two-phase flows were characterized using optical and confocal microscopy. Use of air instead of liquids as a sheath fluid eliminates the need for large sheath liquid reservoirs, and reduces the volume and weight requirements. The low manufacturing cost and high volumetric efficiency make the air-sheath flow cytometer attractive for use as a stand-alone device or as an integrated component of bio-artificial hybrid microsystems.     

Immunohistochemical study of synphilin-1 in brains of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies - synphilin-1 is non-specifically implicated in the formation of different neuronal cytoskeletal inclusions

The caudal part of the fastigial nucleus, or the fastigial oculomotor region (FOR), plays an important role in executing accurate saccades. Inactivation of a monkey FOR leads to dysmetric saccades. Currently available data suggest that the dysmetria could be described as a parametric, uniform change in saccadic gain or, alternatively, as a constant error in the specification of the saccadic goal. To discriminate between these two possibilities, we examined the effect of FOR inactivation in the monkey. After a unilateral injection of muscimol into the FOR, ipsiversive saccades overshot a target. Gains were similar for movements of different sizes. The overshoot increased proportionately with the target distance and had a very small constant component. The present study indicates that the hypermetria of ipsiversive saccades after inactivation of the monkey FOR is primarily due to a uniform gain increase for all sizes of saccades.     

HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY ON PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY—REPORT OF A CASE WITH AUTOPSY FINDINGS—

A typical case of the D uchenne type of progressive muscular dystrophy with autopsy findings was presented. Changes in the myocardial and smooth muscle of many organs were found, and the skeletal muscles also revealed florid changes.
Histopathological examination of the skeletal muscle was made in detail through light and electron microscopic observation.     

Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides lipid A derivatives block in vitro induction of tumor necrosis factor and endotoxin tolerance by smooth lipopolysaccharide and monophosphoryl lipid A.

Rhodopseudomonas (Rhodobacter) sphaeroides diphosphoryl lipid A is a relatively inert species of lipid A but has been shown to antagonize the effects of toxic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) both in vivo and in vitro. The antagonist and its monophosphoryl derivative were examined for the ability to block tumor necrosis factor synthesis and reverse tolerance induction in vitro in macrophage cultures stimulated with bioactive preparations of smooth LPS, rough LPS, diphosphoryl lipid A, and monophosphoryl lipid A. Inhibition of agonist activity and reversal of tolerance by these novel penta-acylated lipid A antagonists provides new insight into macrophage-LPS interactions.