Antitumor activity of thaliblastine (NSC-68075) in experimental ovarian tumor cell lines sensitive and resistant to cisplatin.

Cytotoxicity of thaliblastine (thalicarpine, TBL; NSC-68075) and/or cisplatin (DDP) in DDP-sensitive (O-342) and-resistant (O-342/DDP) rat ovarian tumor cell lines was comparatively determined using the MTT assay. The 50% inhibitory dose (ID50) of DDP was found to be 6.2 microM in O-342 cells and 23.4 microM in O-342/DDP cells, while, vice versa, the ID50 of TBL was 39.3 micrograms/ml in the sensitive line and 27.3 micrograms/ml in the resistant line. Furthermore, simultaneous exposure of cells to DDP and TBL showed a significant superiority over DDP alone in O-342 cells, as evaluated with variance analysis (P less than 0.001). This enhancing effect of TBL on DDP cytotoxicity, however, was not observed in the resistant cells.     

Testing causal hypotheses in multivariate linkage analysis of quantitative traits: General formulation and application to sibpair data

We provide a general framework for the development of model-free methods for the linkage analysis of multivariate phenotypic data. It is possible within this framework to test both for linkage of a set of phenotypes to one or more markers and for the presence of structural relations among the phenotypes themselves. This report presents the general model, paying special attention to the assumptions that enter its formulation, and outlines the estimation procedures that may be used. Genet. Epidemiol. 15:263–278, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Genome screening using extremely discordant and extremely concordant sib pairs

We applied extreme sib-pair methods in two ways to the GAW10 Problem 2A data sets to detect susceptible quantitative trait loci using extremely discordant sib pairs only, and combining them with the available extremely concordant sib pairs as suggested by the authors elsewhere. Ten successive original replicates were combined into one sampling pool so as to get the necessary number of extreme sib pairs. A total of 100 replicates were used to produce 10 such data sets for both initial detection and confirmations. Strong signals were found with markers D5G15 for Q1, D8G27-28 for Q4, and D9G7-9 for Q5. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The role of smoothing techniques in the interpretation of results from genomic scans using sib-pair data

We compare the results of genomic scans conducted with the Haseman-Elston sib- pair method using either (1) the average marker information from several adjacent loci or (2) each marker individually. Under smoothing, the squared sib-pair trait difference is regressed on the average number of alleles shared identical by descent averaged at several adjacent loci. This results in a significant decrease in the number of false-positives when compared to the individual marker approach. Linkage of Q4 to MG4 was found only with smoothing but not the individual marker approach. Overall, smoothing resulted in the loss of two true linkages. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Ligand-based design, synthesis and primary in vivo screening of pyrrole derivatives as potential tricyclic anti-inflammatory agents

Twelve new compounds were designed as 5-aryl-1H-pyrrole analogs of celecoxib (CAS 169590-42-5) and were synthesized by Paal-Knorr cyclization in three series according to 1H-substitution: derivatives with salicylic acid, pyrazolone or isonicotinamide residues. The average physico-chemical and steric similarity between the prototype and the new analogs (completed with two previously synthesized related products) was assessed to be 82 % and therefore considered as a reliable prerequisite for spatial compatibility and effective binding to the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. The anti-inflammatory effects were determined in acute inflammation model using the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema assay on male Wistar rats (180-200 g) at doses of 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, i.p. Six of the new products showed higher percent of inhibition (up to 100 %) compared to the highly selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib and the nonselective indometacin (CAS 53-86-1) used as reference compounds. Ethyl 1-(1,5-di-methyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-4-pyrazolyl)-2-methyl-5-phenyl-1H-3-pyrrolecarboxylate (2b), ethyl 5-(4-chlor-ophenyl)-2-methyl-1-[(4-pyridylcarbonyl) amino]-1H-3-pyrrolecarboxylate (3c) and 5-[3-acetyl-2-methyl-5-(4-methylphenyl)-1H-1-pyrrolyl] -2-hydroxybenzoic acid (4b) were pointed out as the most active representatives of each of the three tested sub-series.     

The character of the antagonism by polyphloretin phosphate of contractions to prostaglandins E1 and F 2alpha in guinea-pig ileum.

Polyphloretin phosphate (PPP) produced a dose-dependent decrease in the tone and reduction of the spontaneous phasic contactions of the longitudinal muscle of guinea-pig isolated ileum. PPP (100 microgram ml-1) after a 2 min contact with the ileum decreased the contractile effects of PGE1 0.1 micron by 40.6 +/- 7.4%, of PGE1 0.01 micron by 86.7 +/- 3.3% and of PGE2alpha 0.1 micron by 62.2 +/- 8.6%. After 10 min contact of PPP the contractile effect of PGE1 0.1 micron was decreased by 47.7 +/- 4.7% and that of PGE2alpha 0.1 micron by 89.6 +/- 1.7%. When the contact was longer, PPP showed a pronounced after-effect in respect to the effects of PGE1 and particularly of PGF2alpha. PPP signicantly reduced contractions to 5-HT and BaCL2, but not to acetylcholine, histamine or substance P. The type of antagonism of PGE1 by PPP was examined using cumulative concentration-effect curves for PGE1 in the presence of increasing concentrations of PPP. We conclude that on guinea-pig ileum PPP acts as a non-competitive antagonist of PGE1 and PGF2alpha.     

DNA aneuploidy and cell proliferation in breast tumors

The cellular DNA content of 30 benign and 180 malignant breast tumors was analyzed by means of flow cytometry (FCM). All benign tumors exhibited a normal DNA content (diploid), whereas 65% of the malignant tumors showed an abnormal DNA content (aneuploid). The ploidy distribution of malignant tumors was bimodal with an increasing frequency near diploid DNA index (DI), and a second group had a DI ranging from triploid to tetraploid. In estimating the degree of malignancy eight independent histomorphologic and cytologic criteria were introduced. A good correlation was observed between DNA content abnormalities and the grade of differentiation of breast carcinomas. The percentage of S-phase cells of DNA aneuploid cell lines was significantly higher than in the diploid ones. The highly differentiated breast carcinomas (Grade 1) indicated lower S-phase values as compared to the undifferentiated (Grade 3) ones. S-phase values estimated by FCM were about two times higher than the 3H-thymidine labeling index (LI) obtained by an in vitro procedure. The data estimated in this study showed that DNA determinations as an adjunct to conventional histopathologic assessment may provide objective clinically relevant information with respect to the degree of malignancy and prognosis of patients with breast carcinoma.     

Neuropeptides of the cholecystokinin group: effects and mechanisms of action on the gastro-intestinal and gall bladder motility

The neuropeptides of the cholecystokinin (CCK) group belong to the substances usually referred to as "brain-gut" neuropeptides. They are synthesized in neurons of the central nervous system, in the peripheral and in the autonomous nervous systems, in endocrine cells (types "I", "K" and "A"), as well as in the enteric nervous system of the gastro-intestinal tract and of the pancreas. The CCK-group peptides realize their effects via several different mechanisms (Fig. 1): endocrine or neuroendocrine (classic hormonal mechanism)--the peptide, released by the endocrine cell or by the nerve terminal, is carried by the circulation to the remote target organs; paracrine or neuroparacrine--the peptide, released in the intercellular space, reaches the target effector cells via diffusion. Similarly to the classic neurotransmitters, CCK and its analogues could play a neurotransmitter role, also modulating the release of acetylcholine (ACh) and of other neurotransmitters in enteric and CNS neurons. In the present review article some smooth-muscle and neuromodulatory effects of CCK are described and compared to the results of the authors' studies on the problem.     

G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor GPR30 and tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer

Recently, we have shown that the new G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor GPR30 plays an important role in the development of tamoxifen resistance in vitro. This study was undertaken to evaluate the correlation between GPR30 and tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer patients. GPR30 protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis in 323 patients with primary operable breast cancer. The association between GPR30 expression and tamoxifen resistance was confirmed in a second cohort of 103 patients treated only with tamoxifen. Additionally, we evaluated GPR30 expression in 33 primary tumors and in recurrent tumors from the same patients. GPR30 expression was detected in 56.7% of the breast cancer specimens investigated and it correlated with overexpression of HER-2 (P = 0.021), EGFR (P = 0.024) and lymph node status (P = 0.047). In a first cohort, survival analysis showed that GPR30 was negatively correlated with relapse-free survival (RFS) only in patients treated with tamoxifen (tamoxifen with or without chemotherapy). GPR30 expression was associated with shorter RFS (HR = 1.768; 95% CI, 1.156–2.703; P = 0.009). In a subset of patients treated only with tamoxifen, multivariate analysis revealed that GPR30 expression is an independent unfavorable factor for RFS (HR = 4.440; 95% CI, 1.408–13.997; P = 0.011). In contrast, GPR30 tended to be a favorable factor regarding RFS in patients who did not receive tamoxifen. In 33 paired biopsies obtained before and after adjuvant therapy, GPR30 expression significantly increased only under tamoxifen treatment (P = 0.001). GPR30 expression in breast cancer independently predicts a poor RFS in patients treated with tamoxifen.