Purification of tenascin from conditioned tissue culture media

Summary We describe a purification procedure of human tenascin from conditioned medium of SK-MEL-28 melanoma cell line which involves the use of a hydroxyapatite chromatography column followed by polyethyleneglycol precipitation of crude tenascin eluted from the hydroxyapatite column. This procedure does not involve the use of specific antibodies and can thus be applied to culture media of cells of different species.     

Brain changes associated with thromboxane receptor antagonist SQ 29,548 treatment in a mouse model

The purpose of this study was to characterize behavioral and physiological effects of a selective thromboxane (TP) receptor antagonist, SQ 29,548, in the C57Bl/6 mouse model. At 6 months of age, male mice were given either sham or drug i.p. injections for 3 days at a dose of 2 mg/kg each day. On the day after the final injection, mice were subjected to behavioral testing before brain collection. Left hemisphere hippocampi were collected from all mice for protein analysis via Western blot. Right brain hemispheres were fixed and embedded in gelatin and then serially sectioned. The sections were immunostained with anti‐c‐Fos antibodies. Prostaglandin analysis was performed from remaining homogenized brain samples, minus the hippocampi. Injection of SQ 29,548 decreased selective brain prostaglandin levels compared with sham controls. This correlated with robust increases in limbic‐region c‐Fos immunoreactivity in the SQ 29,548‐injected mice. However, drug‐treated mice demonstrated no significant changes in relevant hippocampal protein levels compared with sham treatments, as determined from Western blots. Surprisingly, injection of SQ 29,548 caused mixed changes in parameters of depression and anxiety‐like behavior in the mice. In conclusion, the results indicate that administration of peripheral TP receptor antagonists alters brain levels of prostanoids and influences neuronal activity, with only minimal alterations of behavior. Whether the drug affects neurons directly or through a secondary pathway involving endothelium or other tissues remains unclear. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Systematic review of natural agents for the management of oral mucositis in cancer patients

Purpose

The aim of this study was to review the available literature and define clinical practice guidelines for the use of natural agents for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted by the Mucositis Study Group of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society for Oral Oncology. The body of evidence for each intervention, in each cancer treatment setting, was assigned an evidence level. Based on the evidence level, one of the following three guideline determinations was possible: recommendation, suggestion, and no guideline possible.

Results

A total of 49 papers across 15 interventions were examined. A new suggestion was developed in favor of systemic zinc supplements administered orally in the prevention of oral mucositis in oral cancer patients receiving radiation therapy or chemoradiation (Level III evidence). A recommendation was made against the use of intravenous glutamine for the prevention of oral mucositis in patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplant (Level II evidence). No guideline was possible for any other agent, due to inadequate and/or conflicting evidence.

Conclusions

Of the various natural agents reviewed here, the available evidence supported a guideline only for two agents: a suggestion in favor of zinc and a recommendation against glutamine, in the treatment settings listed above. Well-designed studies of other natural agents are warranted.     

Diazepam Compared to Thiopentone as Induction Agent for Caesarean Sections

89 nicht ausgewählte Frauen, bei denen eine Sectio caesarea vorgesehen war, wurden i.v. entweder mit 20 mg Diazepam (45 Patientinnen) oder mit 200 mg Thiopental (44 Patientinnen) eingelehet. Suxamethonium wurde eine Minute nach der Anaesthesieeinleitung zur Erleichterung der Intubation und anschlieRend als Dauertropfinfusion wahrend der Operation gegeben. Die Patientinnen wurden mit N₂O/O₂ (3:2) beatmet. Unmittelbar nach der Geburt erhielten alle Mutter 50 mg Pethidin und 100 mg Thiopental i.v. Unangenehme Erinnerungen und Traume traten bei 23% der Thiopentalserie und nur bei 2% der Diazepam-Patientinnen auf. Bezuglich des Zustandes der Neugeborenen konnte kein Unterschied zwischen den beiden Gruppen festgestellt werden. Eine Frau bekam kun vor der Geburt 120 mg Diazepam i.v. als Epilepsieprophylaxe, ohne daR sich ein offensichtlicher nachteiliger Effekt fur das Kind ergab.
In der Diazepamserie sahen wir bei 33%, in der Thiopentalserie jedoch nur bei 14% der Patientinnen mittelstarke bis schwere. Suxamethoniumschmerzen. Bei den elektiven Kaiserschnittpatientinnen mit normalen Vonverten der Serum-CPK ergab sich unter den Diazepam-Muttern ein signifikant hoherer postoperativer Anstieg der Serumaktivitiit dieses Enzyms verglichen mit denen, die Thiopental erhalten hatten. Thiopental scheint also bis zu einem gewissen Grad Schutz gegen Suxamethonium-bedingte Muskelschmerzen ebenso wie gegen die CPK-Freisetzung aus der Muskulatur zu bieten. Wir glauben, daß dies der tieferen Narkose eine Minute nach 200 mg Thiopental zuzuschreiben ist, gegenuber dem Zustand einer HalbbewuRtlosigkeit nach 20 mg Diazepam.     

Tenascin distribution in human brain tumours

Summary Using a monoclonal antibody specific for human tenascin (TN), 180 intracranial growths were immunohistochemically studied.In 69 cases of meningioma, neoplastic cells were negative, with some positivity being observed only in the perivascular and the supporting stroma, especially in anaplastic meningiomas. In 57 cases of glioma different degrees of reactivity occurred in both the cellular conglomerates and the stromal components of the tumours. A higher variability in reactivity was observed in anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastomas.The most constant finding of the study was the staining of the stroma, which was observed in all types of growths, including metastasis, abscess and tuberculoma.The results are consistent with the hypothesis that tenascin is a stromal marker rather than a true marker of malignant tumours.The heterogeneous distribution of TN in anaplastic gliomas may be a factor in the variable response to treatment with radiolabelled anti-TN monoclonal antibodies.