Cyclic analogues of Thr6-bradykinin,N8-Lys-bradykinin and endo-Lys8a-vespulakinin 1

Syntheses are described of the endo-Lys^8a-vespulakinin 1 and of cyclo-Thr⁶- and cyclo-N^ε-Lys-bradykinin. The linear peptides covering the entire sequences of endo-Lys^8a-VSK-1 and Thr⁶-BK, and the decapeptide containing all residues constituting Lys-BK, with a Arg-Lys peptide bond involving the ε-amino function of lysine, were prepared by the solid-phase procedure based on Fmoc chemistry. Cyclization was carried out by the diphenylphosphorazide method. The amino-terminal octapeptide sequence of vespulakinin 1, Fmoc-Thr(tBu)-Ala-Thr(tBu)-Thr(tBu)-Arg(Pmc)-Arg(Pmc)-Arg(Pmc)-Gly-OH, and its N^α-Boc-[(Gal β)Thr³, (Gal β)Thr⁴]-analogue, were used to prepare N^α-(1–8 VSK 1)-cyclo-N^ε-kallidin and N^α-[(Gal β)Thr³, (Gal β)Thr⁴, 1–8 VSK 1]-cyclo-N^ε-kallidin. Peptides and glycopeptides were characterized by amino-acid analysis, optical rotation, analytical HPLC and FAB-MS. Consistent with previous findings, preliminary pharmacological experiments on smooth muscle preparations showed that the cyclic, or partially cyclic, analogues were significatively less potent than the linear ones. © Munksgaard 1995.     

Postnatal classes on prevention of sleeplessness in young children

Parents of young babies attended evening classes on prevention of sleeping problems in pre-school children. The aim was to test the consumer-appeal of this preventative approach. Content focused on individual behavioural differences in babies as well as adaptation of parenting strategies to avoid some of the common pitfalls in the management of sleep-related behaviours. Parents' views were obtained and were favourable. Results are discussed in terms of the timing and format of similar prevention programmes.     

Inhibition of Leukocyte Adherence by Potassium Chloride Extract of Allogeneic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Human Uterine Cervix

ABSTRACT: Leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) assay was used to evaluate cell-mediated immunity in patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. The reactivity of the peripheral blood leukocytes of these patients was evaluated after incubation with pooled extracts of allogeneic squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. One hundred sixty-seven sets of LAI assays were performed on 54 individuals, including 23 patients with Stage I squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, 9 patients with other stages of this tumor, 9 patients with unrelated tumors and 13 normal healthy volunteers. A protein concentration of one milligram per milliliter in the tumor extract and 10% fetal bovine serum in the feeding media gave the best results. Eighty-seven percent (28/32) of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix showed marked specific reactivity. No difference was found in the LAI indices of different stages of the disease.     

Acceptability and potential effectiveness of a foot drop stimulator in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

Aim Ankle–foot orthoses are the standard of care for foot drop in cerebral palsy (CP), but may overly constrain ankle movement and limit function in those with mild CP. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) may be a less restrictive and more effective alternative, but has rarely been used in CP. The primary objective of this study was to conduct the first trial in CP examining the acceptability and clinical effectiveness of a novel, commercially available device that delivers FES to stimulate ankle dorsiflexion. Method Twenty‐one individuals were enrolled (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] levels I and II, mean age 13y 2mo). Gait analyses in FES and non‐FES conditions were performed at two walking speeds over a 4 month period of device use. Measures included ankle kinematics and spatiotemporal variables. Differences between conditions were revealed using repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance. Results Nineteen individuals (nine females, 10 males; mean age 12y 11mo, range 7y 5mo to 19y 11mo; 11 at GMFCS level I, eight at level II) completed the FES intervention, with all but one choosing to continue using FES beyond that phase. Average daily use was 5.6 hours (SD 2.3). Improved dorsiflexion was observed during swing (mean and peak) and at foot–floor contact, with partial preservation of ankle plantarflexion at toe‐off when using the FES at self‐selected and fast walking speeds. Gait speed was unchanged. Interpretation This FES device was well accepted and effective for foot drop in those with mild gait impairments from CP.     

TARDBP mutations are not a frequent cause of ALS in Finnish patients

In previous studies 1-3 % of ALS patients have TARDBP mutations as the cause of the disease. TARDBP mutations have been reported in ALS patients in different populations but so far there are no studies on the frequency of TARDBP mutations in Finnish ALS patients. A cohort of 50 Finnish patients, 44 SALS and 6 FALS patients, were included in the study. Genomic DNA was extracted from venous blood or muscle tissue and a mutation analysis of TARDBP was performed. No definitely pathogenic mutations could be identified in TARDBP in our patient cohort. However, two previously unknown variations were found: one silent mutation in exon 2 and one relatively deep intronic single nucleotide insertion in intron 5. In addition, two previously known non-pathogenic polymorphisms in intron 5 were detected. The size of our cohort is obviously not large enough to conclusively exclude TARDBP mutations as a very rare cause of ALS in Finland. However, based on our results TARDBP mutations do not appear to be a frequent cause of familial or sporadic ALS in Finland.Key words: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mutation screening, TARDBP     

Unexpected Immunoresponse to Gal and APA Antigens in Diabetic Type 1 Patients Receiving Neonatal Pig Islets After 6 Years

Cotransplantation of porcine islets and Sertoli cells into preimplanted subcutaneous devices improve metabolic control in type 1 diabetic patients, and survive grafted for more than 4 years. We report here, further assessment of the endocrine and porcine nature of the surviving cells and the immune responses elicited toward Gal α(1,3)-Gal β(1,4)-GlcNAc (Gal) antigen in patients who received a second and third transplants. No immunosuppressive drugs were administered. We were able to immunostain insulin- and glucagon-positive cells in all biopsies of patients and Sertoli cell markers in 60.9% of biopsies. Additionally, all biopsies tested, amplified the porcine COII gene. Patients demonstrated an increase in antipig antibodies in response to the first transplant with a decreasing response toward the second and third transplants. In all transplants, the IgG levels promptly returned to basal values after 3–4 months. The long-term survival of porcine cells and the reduced humoral immune response to multiple transplants indicate a form of tolerance. We have not been able to find CD25-positive cells, indicating that it is probably an immune accommodation of the graft.     

Hematopoiesis: The Role of Stromal Integrin Interactions in Pro-B Cell Proliferation

Recent studies using long term bone marrow cultures have concluded that adherence of lymphoid precursors to the underlying stromal cells is required for normal B cell development. However, the function of specific integrin interactions in B cell development remains unresolved. In our laboratory, we observed that maximal proliferation of pro-B cells required the presence of stromal cells and that stromal cytokines alone could not replace the requirement for stromal cell contact. For that reason, we questioned whether integrin interactions play a role in regulating pro-B cell proliferation in the bone marrow. Murine pro-B cell line Cl.92 expressed VLA-4, CD44, and fibronectin-receptor. Abrogation of binding of these molecules to stromal cell ligands using blocking antibodies resulted in failure of pro-B cell adherence and significant decreases in pro-B cell proliferation. Disruption of single integrin interactions did not compromise either adhesion of pro-B cells to stromal cells or IL-7 stimulated proliferation. Taken together, these data suggest that normal pro-B cells interact with stromal cells through multiple integrin interactions and that integrin mediated potentiation of pro-B cell proliferation is functionally redundant and not affected by failure of single ligand interactions.