Outcomes After Aortic Valve Replacement for Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Regurgitation and Normal Ejection Fraction

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Effect of anti-PcrV antibody in a murine chronic airway Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection model.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important pathogens in patients with chronic airway conditions, such as cystic fibrosis and diffuse panbronchiolitis. Type III secretion system-mediated virulence factors contribute to the lung damage in chronic P. aeruginosa infection. The effects of the anti-PcrV immunoglobulin (Ig)G, which blocks the type III secretion system, were evaluated in a mouse model of chronic P. aeruginosa infection. On bacteriological examination, anti-PcrV IgG showed no bactericidal effects. On bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis, total cell number and neutrophil ratios in the anti-PcrV IgG-treated groups were lower than those in the control group. In addition, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-beta concentrations in BALF were lower in the anti-PcrV IgG-treated groups when compared with controls. Plasma anti-PcrV IgG titre was elevated after administration of anti-PcrV IgG. Although plasma titre decreased gradually, a significant concentration was maintained during the experimental period. These data suggest that anti-PcrV immunoglobulin G reduces the inflammatory reaction caused by chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infection and may be useful in treating respiratory diseases.     

Clinical application of laser flare-cell meter

Clinical application of the laser flare-cell meter was described. The instrument was developed for concurrent quantitative determinations of the flare and number of cells in the aqueous humor. Diurnal variations were demonstrated in the aqueous flare, and also an increase in the flare with increasing age. The effects of drugs on aqueous humor dynamics were also studied. Orally administered 500 mg of carbonic anhydrase inhibitor reduced the aqueous humor formation by one-third. Concurrent study with the laser flare-cell meter and slit-lamp microscopy in uveitis cases has revealed that the former instrument is superior to the latter in making a quantitative evaluation of inflammation in the anterior segment of the eye. A follow-up study of postoperative inflammation was performed in patients undergoing extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation. Cases with uneventful postoperative course showed intense flare on the first postoperative day followed by a rapid decrease. Cases with inflammation and fibrin had high aqueous flare which showed an increase even before detection of fibrin in the aqueous by slit-lamp microscopy. Topical 0.5% indomethacin treatment was shown to be effective in suppressing the postoperative increase in aqueous flare but had little effect on cell count. In cases undergoing Argon laser trabeculoplasty, the aqueous flare in the treated eyes was determined to be significantly higher than that in the fellow eyes for four weeks postoperatively (P less than 0.05). The laser flare-cell meter has made it possible to determine the flare and number of cells in the aqueous humor quantitatively. This capability differentiates the instrument from the slit-lamp microscope as well as the instruments previously developed for similar purposes. The laser flare-cell meter is a newly developed useful tool to investigate the pathophysiology of the eye.     

A review of Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1): neurodevelopment, cognition, and mental conditions.

Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) is a promising candidate gene for schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP), but its basic biology remains to be elucidated. Accumulating genetic evidence supports that DISC1 is associated with some aspects of cognitive functions relevant to SZ and BP. Here, we provide a summary of the current updates in biological studies of DISC1. Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia-1, preferentially expressed in the forebrain, has multiple isoforms with potential posttranslational modifications. Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia-1 protein occurs in multiple subcellular compartments, which include the centrosome, microtubule fractions, postsynaptic densities, actin cytoskeletal fractions, the mitochondria, and the nucleus. Recent studies have clarified that DISC1 mediates at least centrosome-dynein cascade and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling. Furthermore, both cytogenetic and cell biological studies consistently suggest that an overall loss of DISC1 function (either haploinsufficiency or dominant-negative, or both) may be associated with SZ and BP. On the basis of these findings, production of DISC1 genetically engineered mice is proposed as a promising animal model for SZ and BP. Several groups are currently generating DISC1 mice and starting to characterize them. In this review, the advantages and disadvantages of each animal model are discussed.     

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: Nuclear translocation participates in neuronal and nonneuronal cell death

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) protein levels increase in particulate fractions in association with cell death in HEK293 cells, S49 cells, primary thymocytes, PC12 cells, and primary cerebral cortical neuronal cultures. Subcellular fractionation and immunocytochemistry reveal that this increase primarily reflects nuclear translocation. Nuclear GAPDH is tightly bound, resisting extraction by DNase or salt treatment. Treating primary thymocytes, PC12 cells, and primary cortical neurons with antisense but not sense oligonucleotides to GAPDH prevents cell death. Because cell-death-associated nuclear translocation of GAPDH and antisense protection occur in multiple neuronal and nonneuronal systems, we propose that GAPDH is a general mediator of cell death and uses nuclear translocation as a signaling mechanism.