Temporomandibular joint: morphology and signal intensity characteristics of the disk at MR imaging

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been used in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) primarily to define the disk position. This report examines altered morphology and signal intensity characteristics of the TMJ disk as they relate to the severity of internal derangement. Two hundred sixteen joints in 133 patients with a history of such derangement. were imaged with MR. Disk position, signal intensity, morphology, and the presence of osteoarthritis were determined for each joint. The normal disk was not anteriorly displaced and had a normal "bow-tie" shape. A grade 1 disk was anteriorly displaced and had a normal shape; a grade 2 disk was anteriorly displaced and had an abnormal shape. Forty (19%) joints were considered normal; none of these exhibited osteoarthritis. One hundred thirty-nine (64%) joints were grade 1; osteoarthritis was found in 17%. Thirty-seven (17%) were grade 2; osteoarthritis was found in 95%. All forty normal joints had high or intermediate signal intensity in the disk. Osteoarthritic joints had a higher percentage of disks with diminished intensity (P less than .0001). Severe or untreated osteoarthritis is known to be a complication of TMJ internal derangements; hence this grading system seems to correlate with the severity of internal derangement.     

Mobilization of early hematopoietic progenitor cells with BB-10010: a genetically engineered variant of human macrophage inflammatory protein- 1 alpha

BB-10010 is a genetically engineered variant of human macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha with improved solution properties. We show here that it mobilizes stem cells into the peripheral blood. We investigated the mobilizing effects of BB-10010 on the numbers of circulating 8-day spleen colony-forming units (CFU-S8), CFU-S12, and progenitors with marrow repopulating ability (MRA). A single subcutaneous dose of BB-10010 caused a twofold increase in circulating numbers of CFU-S8, CFU-S12, and MRA 30 minutes after dosing. We also investigated the effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G- CSF) and the combination of G-CSF with BB-10010 on progenitor mobilization. Two days of G-CSF treatment increased circulating CFU-S8, CFU-S12, and MRA progenitors by 25.7-, 19.8-, and 27.7-fold. A single administration of BB-10010 after 2 days of G-CSF treatment increased circulating CFU-S8, CFU-S12, and MRA even further to 38-, 33-, and 100- fold. Splenectomy resulted in increased circulating progenitor numbers but did not change the pattern of mobilization. Two days of treatment with G-CSF then increased circulating CFU-S8, CFU-S12, and MRA by 64-, 69-, and 32-fold. A single BB-10010 administration after G-CSF treatment further increased them to 85-, 117-, and 140-fold, respectively, compared with control. We conclude that BB-10010 causes a rapid increase in the number of circulating hematopoietic progenitors and further enhances the numbers induced by pretreatment with G-CSF. BB- 10010 preferentially mobilized the more primitive progenitors with marrow repopulating activity, releasing four times the number achieved with G-CSF alone. Translated into a clinical setting, this improvement in progenitor cell mobilization may enhance the efficiency of harvest and the quality of grafts for peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.     

TCCA-mediated oxidative rearrangement of tetrahydro-β-carbolines: facile access to spirooxindoles and the total synthesis of (±)-coerulescine and (±)-horsfiline

Multi-reactive centered reagents are beneficial in chemical synthesis due to their advantage of minimal material utilization and formation of less by-products. Trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA), a reagent with three reactive centers, was employed in the synthesis of spirooxindoles through the oxidative rearrangement of various N-protected tetrahydro-β-carbolines. In this protocol, low equivalents of TCCA were required to access spirooxindoles (up to 99% yield) with a wide substrate scope. Furthermore, the applicability and robustness of this protocol were proven for the gram-scale total synthesis of natural alkaloids such as (±)-coerulescine (1) and (±)-horsfiline (2) in excellent yields.

Three-reactive centered reagent (TCCA) mediated construction of spirooxindoles through an oxidative rearrangement of various N-protected tetrahydro-β-carbolines and total synthesis of natural alkaloids (±)-coerulescine and (±)-horsfiline.