神经生长因子对小鼠突触体内Ca^2＋水平的调节作用

观察了多次海马内微注射ＮＧＦ对小鼠突触体内游离钙水平的影响，并在离体情况下观察ＮＧＦ对ＥＧＴＡ和ＣａＣｌ２分别造成突触体内低钙和高钙状态的调节作用。结果如下：（１）在体实验表明，一定剂量的ＮＧＦ可显著降低老年小鼠海马突触体内游离钙水平（Ｐ＜００５）；（２）离体实验表明，当突触体游离钙水平降低时，适当剂量的ＮＧＦ具有升高游离钙水平的作用；而突触体内游离钙水平升高时，则ＮＧＦ有降低游离钙水平的作用。提示ＮＧＦ对游离钙水平的双向调节作用可能是ＮＧＦ改善老年性记忆衰退的作用机制。     

The effect of celecoxib, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, in familial adenomatous polyposis

BACKGROUND: Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis have a nearly 100 percent risk of colorectal cancer. In this disease, the chemopreventive effects of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs may be related to their inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2. METHODS: We studied the effect of celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, on colorectal polyps in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we randomly assigned 77 patients to treatment with celecoxib (100 or 400 mg twice daily) or placebo for six months. Patients underwent endoscopy at the beginning and end of the study. We determined the number and size of polyps from photographs and videotapes; the response to treatment was expressed as the mean percent change from base line. RESULTS: At base line, the mean (+/-SD) number of polyps in focal areas where polyps were counted was 15.5+/-13.4 in the 15 patients assigned to placebo, 11.5+/-8.5 in the 32 patients assigned to 100 mg of celecoxib twice a day, and 12.3+/-8.2 in the 30 patients assigned to 400 mg of celecoxib twice a day (P=0.66 for the comparison among groups). After six months, the patients receiving 400 mg of celecoxib twice a day had a 28.0 percent reduction in the mean number of colorectal polyps (P=0.003 for the comparison with placebo) and a 30.7 percent reduction in the polyp burden (the sum of polyp diameters) (P=0.001), as compared with reductions of 4.5 and 4.9 percent, respectively, in the placebo group. The improvement in the extent of colorectal polyposis in the group receiving 400 mg twice a day was confirmed by a panel of endoscopists who reviewed the videotapes. The reductions in the group receiving 100 mg of celecoxib twice a day were 11.9 percent (P=0.33 for the comparison with placebo) and 14.6 percent (P=0.09), respectively. The incidence of adverse events was similar among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, six months of twice-daily treatment with 400 mg of celecoxib, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, leads to a significant reduction in the number of colorectal polyps.     

Stimulation of myelopoiesis in a patient with congenital neutropenia: biology and nature of response to recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor

To stimulate granulopoiesis, we gave recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF; 120 microgram/m2/d) to a patient with congenital neutropenia. The treatment resulted in marked increases in white blood cell counts (maximum, 17,400/microL), consisting mainly of eosinophils (maximum, 13,050/microL) and monocytes (maximum, 1305/microL), rather than neutrophils (maximum, 798/microL). Circulating phagocytes (97% eosinophils) derived after GM-CSF treatment were less effective in chemotaxis, slower but equally effective in phagocytosis, and more effective in H2O2 production compared with normal control neutrophils, but comparable in chemotaxis and H2O2 production to control eosinophils. Before GM-CSF treatment, the bone marrow showed a maturation defect in the neutrophilic series that persisted after treatment despite marked increases in mature cells of other lineages. In vitro agar culture of bone marrow cells before GM-CSF treatment showed a normal number of granulocyte colonies; however, maturation was limited to the metamyelocyte stage. Although the absolute number and cycling rates of myeloid colony forming cells (predominantly eosinophils) increased after treatment, the maturation defect in the neutrophilic series persisted. The finding that GM-CSF induced stimulation of proliferation, which was coupled with maturation in the eosinophilic and monocytic but not the neutrophilic components, suggests that this patient had an intrinsic cellular or humoral defect in neutrophil maturation.     

Expression of a gene encoding a tRNA synthetase-like protein is enhanced in tumorigenic human myeloid leukemia cells and is cell cycle stage- and differentiation-dependent

We cloned a tumorigenic phenotype-associated cDNA encoding a tRNA synthetase-like protein from an acute-phase human myeloid leukemia cell line. The cDNA was isolated by reiterative subtraction of cDNAs synthesized from tumor-generating parental leukemia cells versus those from a nontumorigenic variant of the same cells. The selected cDNA encodes a protein that is a close homolog of one subunit of prokaryote and yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (PheRS). The expressed protein reacts specificially with polyclonal antibodies raised against mammalian phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase. Expression of the gene (designated CML33) was directly confirmed by Northern blot hybridization to be substantially enhanced in the tumorigenic cells compared with the nontumorigenic variant. In addition, expression of CML33 in myeloid leukemia cells was sensitive to the stage of the cell cycle and to induction of differentiation. Although the relationship between these observations and the tumorigenic state of the human myeloid leukemia cell line used in these studies is unknown, to our knowledge, this is the first demonstration in mammalian cells of tumor-selective and cell cycle stage- and differentiation-dependent expression of a member of the tRNA synthetase gene family.     

Differential expression of DNA topoisomerases I and II during the eukaryotic cell cycle.

We have utilized antibody probes to examine the expression of DNA topoisomerases I and II and chromosome scaffold protein Sc-2 in normal and transformed cells. Neither topoisomerase I nor Sc-2 shows significant fluctuations in content or stability across the cell cycle. In contrast, topoisomerase II undergoes significant cell cycle-dependent alterations in both amount and stability. As cells progress from mitosis into G1, much of the topoisomerase II is degraded. During the first 2 hr of G1, the half life of topoisomerase II is decreased from that measured in asynchronous cell populations by a factor of 7. This suggests that the chromosome condensation/decondensation cycle is coupled to a parallel cycle of synthesis and degradation of topoisomerase II. In control experiments, we also found that the half-life of topoisomerase II is shorter in normal cells than in transformed cells by a factor of 4. Since the number of copies of topoisomerase II per cell is also lower in normal cells, this suggests that control of topoisomerase II stability is altered upon transformation. The stability of topoisomerase I and Sc-2 does not differ significantly between normal and transformed cells.     

An oncogenic role for the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 gene in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in US men, largely because of metastasis, which is ultimately fatal. A better understanding of metastasis biology will lead to improved prognostication and therapeutics. We previously reported 11q13.1 gain was independently predictive of recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Multiple endocrine neoplasia I (MEN1) maps to this region of copy number gain in aggressive prostate tumors and was shown to be the only gene at this locus at increased expression in prostate cancer. Here, we demonstrate an oncogenic role for MEN1 in prostate cancer using a variety of independent assays.     

Relevance of density, size and DNA content of tumour cells to the lung colony assay

Mouse fibrosarcoma tumours were dissociated and divided into subpopulations of viable cells by centrifugation in linear density gradients of Renografin. Two of these subpopulations, designated Band 2 and Band 4, differed in their clonogenic ability in lung colony assay. The less dense Band 2 cells were significantly more clonogenic than the Band 4 cells (2.9 percent vs 1.4 percent respectively). Each band was further separated on the basis of cell size by centrifugal elutriation. Each size class of cells comprising Band 2 showed higher clonogenic ability than the corresponding size class in Band 4. Thus cell size differences were not responsible for the clonogenic differences between these bands. To determine whether cell-cycle distribution of the tumour cells was responsible for differences in cloning efficiency, flow microfluorometric and premature chromosome condensation methods were utilized. The unseparated and Band 4 populations showed a higher percentage of cells in S and G2 than did the Band 2 populations, but many of the S and G2 tumour cells showed extensive chromosome damage. From this study we conclude that the increased clonogenic ability of the lighter tumour cells is not due to differences in cell size or cell-cycle parameters.     

A missense mutation in KIT kinase domain 1 correlates with imatinib resistance in gastrointestinal stromal tumors

KIT gain of function mutations play an important role in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Imatinib is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor of ABL, platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), and KIT and represents a new paradigm of targeted therapy against GISTs. Here we report for the first time that, after imatinib treatment, an additional specific and novel KIT mutation occurs in GISTs as they develop resistance to the drug. We studied 12 GIST patients with initial near-complete response to imatinib. Seven harbored mutations in KIT exon 11, and 5 harbored mutations in exon 9. Within 31 months, six imatinib-resistant rapidly progressive peritoneal implants (metastatic foci) developed in five patients. Quiescent residual GISTs persisted in seven patients. All six rapidly progressive imatinib-resistant implants from five patients show an identical novel KIT missense mutation, 1982T-->C, that resulted in Val654Ala in KIT tyrosine kinase domain 1. This novel mutation has never been reported before, is not present in pre-imatinib or post-imatinib residual quiescent GISTs, and is strongly correlated with imatinib resistance. Allelic-specific sequencing data show that this new mutation occurs in the allele that harbors original activation mutation of KIT.     

The repeatability of an intraoral dental colorimeter

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Characterizing and reproducing color remain one of the most challenging aspects of dentistry. A relatively new intraoral colorimeter measures the color of natural teeth and metal-ceramic restorations and prints out a color recipe for the Vintage Halo Porcelain System. The reliability of the colorimeter is unknown. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a contact dental colorimeter and to correlate the shade registered by the colorimeter with the shade selected by experienced clinicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In part I of the study, 2 examiners (A and B) took 2 colorimeter measurements from the maxillary right central incisors of 11 subjects. The examiners were blinded to their own data and those of other investigators. The readings were repeated 3 weeks later with the same protocol. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient was used to analyze the collected data. In part II of the study, 2 experienced clinicians (examiners D and E) selected a shade from the classic Vita Lumin Vacuum shade guide for the maxillary right central incisors of the same 11 subjects. The clinicians were blinded to each other's selections and the colorimeter readings. It should be noted that the manufacturer of the colorimeter uses the terms shade, value, and hue to represent chroma, value, and hue, respectively, as defined in the Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms (J Prosthet Dent 1999;81:39-110). RESULTS: The reliability analysis results for each of the combined trials for shade, value, and hue were all >.94. The interexaminer reliability alpha values were >.9 for shade and value and.64 to.74 for hue. The interexaminer alpha represented the value range of each of 4 measurements. The intraexaminer reliability alpha values for shade, value, and hue were.99,.95, and.96 for examiner A and.99,.93, and.97 for examiner B, respectively. In part II of the study, the colorimeter agreed with itself 82% of the time, whereas clinicians agreed with each other on the selected shade 73% of the time. Selections made by the colorimeter and the clinicians matched 55% to 64% of the time. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, the colorimeter reliably measured the color of natural teeth.