7-Ketocholesterol enhances 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death in PC12 cells

The present study investigated the promoting effect of oxysterol 7-ketocholesterol against the cytotoxicity of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)) in differentiated PC12 cells. 7-Ketocholesterol significantly enhanced the MPP(+)-induced nuclear damage, decrease in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, cytosolic accumulation of cytochrome c, activation of caspase-3, increase in the formation of reactive oxygen species and depletion of GSH. N-Acetylcysteine, ascorbate, trolox, carboxy-PTIO and Mn-TBAP reduced the cytotoxic effect of MPP(+) in the presence of 7-ketocholesterol. The results indicate that 7-ketocholesterol shows a synergistic effect against the cytotoxic effect of MPP(+). 7-Ketocholesterol may enhance the MPP(+)-induced viability loss in PC12 cells by promoting the mitochondrial membrane permeability change, release of cytochrome c and subsequent activation of caspase-3, which is associated with the increased formation of reactive oxygen species and depletion of GSH. The findings suggest that 7-ketocholesterol as a promoting agent for the formation of mitochondrial permeability transition may enhance the toxic neuronal cell injury.

Iron status and its association with pregnancy outcome in Korean pregnant women

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among Korean pregnant women and to assess the association between maternal hemoglobin (Hb) level and pregnancy outcome.

DESIGN

A longitudinal study.

SETTING

Ewha Womans University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

SUBJECTS

A total of 248 normal pregnant women of 24-28 weeks gestation and 190 babies born to the pregnant subjects.

METHODS

Maternal anthropometry, blood parameters and pregnancy outcomes were measured.

RESULTS

Mean Hb, serum iron concentration, transferrin saturation and total iron binding capacity of the subjects were 11.4 g/dl, 89.4 microg/dl, 18.7% and 484.6 microg/dl, respectively, and 30.2% of the subjects were anemic judged by Hb concentration of <10.5 g/dl. When subjects were classified into tertile groups based on Hb levels, the lowest tertile (HbT1) group had significantly lower concentrations of cord serum iron and albumin than those in the highest tertile (HbT3) group. Newborn infants from the HbT1 group had significantly higher rates of preterm delivery, low birth weight and low Apgar scores than those in other groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that maternal serum albumin and Hb level were the most important predictive variables for low birth weight.

CONCLUSIONS

A substantial proportion of Korean pregnant women were at risk of anemia. Infants born to women with a low Hb level showed a lower birth weight, height and Apgar scores.

Automated nuclear segmentation in the determination of the Ki-67 labeling index in meningiomas

OBJECTIVE

Assessing the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) is laborious and time consuming. Therefore, an automated computer-based method was developed, which is able to identify and analyze immunolabeled and hematoxylin-stained nuclei in digital images of routine immunohistochemical slides.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The method is based on a plugin for the public domain image analysis software ImageJ, which runs on every operating system (free download at http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/). Percentage of Ki-67 immunostained nuclei were determined in 5 high power fields (x40) of immunostained slides (DAB detection technique, hematoxylin counterstain) of 20 Grade I, 20 Grade II, and 10 Grade III meningiomas conventionally by two independent investigators and automatically, respectively. The time effort was measured for each counting procedure.

RESULTS

Enumerating conventionally or automatically did not reveal any significant differences in the mean labeling indices. Ki-67 LIs discriminated sufficiently between meningiomas of Grade I (median 1.7% Investigator 1 and 1.5% Investigator 2 vs. 1.5% automatically), Grade II (7.6%, 8% vs. 7.3%), and Grade III meningiomas (22%, 21% vs. 22%). The computer-based results correlated very closely with those obtained by manual counting (correlation coefficient = 0.98). The mean time effort for counting procedure per image was 374 s (130 s-435 s) for the conventional and 11 s (7 s-12 s) for the automated method.

CONCLUSIONS

The described method can reliably assess the Ki-67 LI much faster than conventional enumerating. The computerized method has the advantages of objectivity, accuracy, repeatability, and ease of use. There is no request for special stains nor special image acquiring systems. The plugin can be downloaded at the "Morphometrie" section of http://www.uniklinikum-saarland.de/neuropathologie.

Patterns of C-reactive protein release following allogeneic stem cell transplantation are correlated with leukemic relapse

The C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein produced by hepatocytes, and is a reliable marker of systemic inflammation, which is relevant to the release of the proinflammatory cytokines. The value of monitoring the CRP levels after stem cell transplantation (SCT) can identify patients at risk of treatment-related complications and mortality. Inflammatory cytokines facilitate donor T-cell activation via antigen presenting cells immediately after SCT. This study examined the relationship between the post-SCT CRP levels and a leukemic relapse. Fifty-four consecutively transplanted patients who relapsed after the allogeneic SCT were compared with nonrelapsing patients. The serum CRP levels were measured on day 0 and every 7 days thereafter until 4 weeks after the SCT. The mean CRP levels throughout the early post-SCT episode were significantly lower in the relapsing patients than in those who did not experience relapse (mean+/-s.e.: 26.8 +/- 6.3 vs 65.3 +/- 9.4 for first week, P = 0.001; 23.9 +/- 3.8 vs 44.6 +/- 6.6 for second week, P = 0.008). Univariate analysis showed that the CRP level on the first and second week, and graft-versus-host disease were significantly associated with a relapse. Multivariate analysis showed that the CRP level on the first week was the strongest independent variable predicting the risk of a relapse after SCT (P = 0.04). These results indicate that the serum CRP levels early after allogeneic SCT might display the graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect. CRP is a surrogate of the proinflammatory cytokine release that was not measured in this study. The GvL effect appears to be efficiently strengthened by the high CRP levels that may be reflecting T-cell activation.

The ionic compositions of fine and coarse particle fractions in the two urban areas of Korea

The ionic composition of PM2.5 and PM10 was investigated using PM samples collected from Seoul and Busan during the winter of 2002. Based on the measurement data, we attempted to investigate the relative roles of different source processes in the composition of airborne particles at the two distinct urban areas. According to our measurements, the major components of both PM fractions were clearly distinguished from each other at the two different sites. It was found that the ionic concentrations in coarse fractions were generally compatible with each other at the two sites (NH(4)(+), NO(3)(-), NSSS, etc.). However, differences in their concentration levels were significant in the fine fractions and their mass concentration levels in Seoul exhibit threefold enhancement relative to Busan. The results further indicated that anthropogenic signatures were generally more evident in the fine rather than coarse fractions at both sites. However, a comparison of the coarse fraction data indicated the dominance of natural (oceanic) processes at the Busan site and conservative relationships among the different ionic components. The results of the back trajectory analysis confirmed that air mass movement patterns influence the ionic compositions of PM across different particle fractions and between different study sites.

Monitoring of pH inhibition on microbial activity in a continuous flow reactor by pseudo toxic concentration (C(PT)) concept and time delay model

The pseudo toxic concentration (C(PT)) concept was introduced as a quantification method to describe pH as an inhibitor concentration. In this research, the applicability of the C(PT) concept model for the detection of pH inhibitions was expanded for a continuous flow activated sludge reactor. A pilot equipped with an inhibition detection system was installed. Inhibitory wastewater was injected for 1 h and the relative activity was calculated by the maximum respiration rate. At the same time, the coefficients for the C(PT) concept model were estimated. At the dynamic conditions, the estimated relative activity by the C(PT) concept model showed time lag compared to the measured one. However, the time lag problem was successfully resolved by introducing a transfer function into the C(PT) concept model. The C(PT) concept model combined with a transfer function (C(PT) + TF model) successfully tracked the variation of the relative activity under dynamic conditions. The C(PT) + TF model could detect 50% inhibition faster than the respirometry based method by approximately 10 min. Moreover, it had additional advantages such as being inexpensive, easy to install and simple to operate. In conclusion, the C(PT) + TF model was an effective and convenient detection method of pH inhibition.

Rule-based fuzzy inference system for estimating the influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load to a sequencing batch reactor

A fuzzy inference system using sensor measurements was developed to estimate the influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load. The sensors measured ORP, DO and pH. The sensor profiles had a close relationship with the influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load. To confirm this operational knowledge for constructing a rule set, a correlation analysis was conducted. The results showed that a rule generation method based only on operational knowledge did not generate a sufficiently accurate relationship between sensor measurements and target variables. To compensate for this defect, a decision tree algorithm was used as a standardized method for rule generation. Given a set of inputs, this algorithm was used to determine the output variables. However, the generated rules could not estimate the continuous influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load. Fuzzified rules and the fuzzy inference system were developed to overcome this problem. The fuzzy inference system estimated the influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load quite well. When these results were compared to the results from a predictive polynomial neural network model, the fuzzy inference system was more stable.

Identification of the adverse effect of nitrate on the phosphate release rate and improvement of EBPR process models

The adverse effect of nitrate on the phosphate release rate in the anaerobic phase was observed and was hardly explainable with conventional EBPR process models. Four possible mechanisms were proposed including substrate competition, reduced fermentation, parallel reaction and sequential reaction. Batch experiments were designed and conducted to identify the dominant mechanism. Results showed that the sequential reaction was the only possible mechanism where only denitrification occurred if any nitrate existed in the anaerobic phase. Then the phosphate release following after the nitrate was completely removed. Nitrate inhibition effect was added into the PHA storage rate to incorporate the sequential reaction in the conventional ASM3 plus EAWAG bio-P module (ASM3 + P). Nitrate inhibition coefficient, K(I,NO,PAO) was found to be as low as 0.05 mg/L. This correlated well with experimental observation where no also meant that the anaerobic compartment of a continuous flow reactor could be seriously affected by the residual nitrate contained in the sludge recycle flow. This phenomenon caused overestimation of the phosphate uptake rate and consequently underestimation of PO4(3-) -P concentration. This problem was resolved by incorporation of a nitrate inhibition term in the ASM3 + P for more accurate simulation of the EBPR process.

Decision algorithm based on data mining for coagulant type and dosage in water treatment systems

Water shortages are gradually accelerating because higher standards of living are required and water resources are more heavily utilised. Therefore, effective water treatment is necessary in order to retain the required quality and amount of water. General treatment includes coagulation, flocculation, filtering and disinfection. Coagulation, flocculation and disinfection are major components of water treatment processes. In this paper, a new automatic decision algorithm is proposed for coagulation. The proposed method shows how to determine the coagulant type and amount using data mining techniques.

Temperature-based rapid toxicity test using Ceriodaphnia dubia

Toxicants, which may cause the inhibition to the biological process in sewage/wastewater treatment plant, need to be monitored within short time to prevent from serious damage. A new method, Temperature-based rapid toxicity test (TempTox test) using Ceriodaphnia dubia, was developed and compared with the standard 48 hr acute bioassay (Std. 48-hr test). Inorganic toxicants of cadmium, zinc, copper, cyanide, chromium (III), chromium (VI) and organic toxicants of phenol, PCP and pesticides of BPMC, Diazinon, Fenitrothion were tested for TempTox test and Std. 48-hr test. Because the TempTox test is based on just temperature control, C. dubia neonates were exposed to toxicants under high temperature (35.5 degrees C) condition without any complicated pretreatment. After given exposure time of 1, 1.25, 1.5 hours, the number of the live (no toxic effect) or the dead (toxic effect) was counted with eye without the aid of any microscope and median effective concentrations (EC50 values) were determined. From the results for all toxicants, the TempTox test was proved to be as sensitive as the Std. 48-hr test with shorter-time of just 1.25-1.5 hours. Moreover, the TempTox test was further much more sensitive than alternative bioassays such as the 1-hour l.Q. test and 30-minute Microtox. The TempTox test showed a high applicability of toxicity bioassay for real sewage/wastewater treatment plant by its easiness, rapidity and sensitivity. Finally, the prototype for short-term TempTox test was introduced.

Equipment fault diagnosis system of sequencing batch reactors using rule-based fuzzy inference and on-line sensing data

The importance of a detection technique to prevent process deterioration is increasing. For the fast detection of this disturbance, a diagnostic algorithm was developed to determine types of equipment faults by using on-line ORP and DO profile in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). To develop the rule base for fault diagnosis, the sensor profiles were obtained from a pilot-scale SBR when blower, influent pump and mixer were broken. The rules were generated based on the calculated error between an abnormal profile and a normal profile, e(ORP)(t) and e(DO)(t). To provide intermediate diagnostic results between "normal" and "fault", a fuzzy inference algorithm was incorporated to the rules. Fuzzified rules could present the diagnosis result "need to be checked". The diagnosis showed good performance in detecting and diagnosing various faults. The developed algorithm showed its applicability to detect faults and make possible fast action to correct them.

Common promoter polymorphism in monocyte differentiation antigen CD14 is associated with serum triglyceride levels and body mass index in non-diabetic individuals

AIMS

Growing evidence supports the hypothesis that chronic low-grade inflammation related to innate immunity may play an important role in the pathophysiology of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The monocyte differentiation antigen CD14 gene (CD14) acts as the receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and augments monocyte/macrophage inflammatory responses.

METHODS

We have sequenced the gene, including all exons, exon/intron boundaries, and the -1.5 kb of the 5' flanking region. Two common loci (minor allele frequency > 0.05) were genotyped in 775 T2DM patients and 316 control subjects recruited in the Korean T2DM Study.

RESULTS

Eight polymorphisms, including four non-synonymous forms, were identified in CD14. No polymorphisms were found in association with T2DM. However, one common promoter SNP (-260T>C) was significantly associated with both the serum triglyceride level (TG) and body mass index (BMI) in non-diabetic control subjects. Individuals who carried the minor allele (C) had higher TG levels (1.65 +/- 0.81 vs. 1.46 +/- 0.80 mmol/l; P = 0.0007) and BMI (23.96 +/- 3.00 vs. 23.28 +/- 3.22 kg/m(2); P = 0.04) as compared with subjects carrying T/T genotypes.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that lipid metabolism and obesity, important pathophysiological elements of T2DM and the metabolic syndrome, are regulated by complex mechanisms that include the CD14 gene polymorphism-mediated genetic propensity to non-specific inflammatory responses.

Charge-transfer excitations in the model superconductor HgBa(2)CuO(4+delta)

We report a Cu -edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) study of charge-transfer excitations in the 2-8 eV range in the structurally simple compound HgBa(2)CuO(4+delta) at optimal doping (T(c)=96.5 K). The spectra exhibit a significant dependence on the incident photon energy which we carefully utilize to resolve a multiplet of weakly dispersive (<0.5 eV) electron-hole excitations, including a mode at 2 eV. The observation of this 2 eV excitation suggests the existence of a remnant charge-transfer gap deep in the superconducting phase. Quite generally, our results, which include additional data for the Mott insulator La(2)CuO(4), demonstrate the importance of exploring the incident photon-energy dependence of the RIXS cross section.

Temporary hidden aneurysms during pregnancy. A case report

SUMMARY

There are a number of reports on cerebral aneurysmal ruptures during pregnancy. Although the cerebral aneurysmal rupture is quite rare during pregnancy, it leads to a high maternal mortality; which gives rise to a clinical significance. We have encountered a number of multiple cerebral aneurysms during pregnancy, and the ruptured cases were successfully treated with the coiling procedures. The coiling is found to be a good treatment method for ruptured aneurysms during pregnancy. The cerebral angiogram is the gold standard diagnostic method for detecting cerebral aneurysms. However, 1.8-20% of the cases are reported to be false negative in initial angiography, and only up to 20% can be diagnosed even with the additional angiographies.A special attention for a hidden aneurysm should also be required while managing the patients.

Comparative characterization study of microporous carbons by HRTEM image analysis and gas adsorption

The present work presents a useful comparison of micropore size distributions (MPSDs) obtained from gas adsorption and image analysis of high-resolution transmission electron micrographs. It is shown that the MPSD obtained for a chemical activated carbon is concordant with that obtained from CO2 adsorption. In addition, this technique has allowed us to obtain the MPSD of a carbon molecular sieve (CMS) prepared in our laboratory by a copyrolysis process, which could only be characterized by CO2 adsorption at 273 K (not by N2 adsorption at 77 K due to diffusional problems). The MPSD obtained by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) for the CMS is wider than that obtained by CO2 adsorption, suggesting that HRTEM is detecting the closed porosity existing in this sample, which is not accessible to gas adsorption. The existence of closed porosity in the CMS is explained considering the preparation method used. Thus, HRTEM combined with image analysis seems to be useful for structural analysis of narrow micropores including closed porosity.

Seasonal variation of chemical composition in fine particles at Gosan, Korea

PM2.5 aerosol samples were collected at Gosan in Jeju Island during six intensive measurement periods between November 2001 and August 2003. In order to investigate the chemical composition of fine particles, major ion components, trace elements, and elemental and organic carbon were analyzed. Quite different seasonal characteristic in the chemical composition of fine particles was observed. The concentration of most secondary aerosol components showed a summer minimum and a winter maximum with higher correlation between them at Gosan. This fact clearly reveals the possibility of long-range transport of such pollutants in winter. On the other hand, OC and EC had the highest concentration and good correlation with ion components, such as K+, Ca2+ in fall. It means that biomass burning could significantly influence the ambient fine carbonaceous particulate in fall, which was primarily long-range transported.

Coptis japonica root extract induces apoptosis through caspase3 activation in SNU-668 human gastric cancer cells

Apoptosis-modulating approaches offer an attractive opportunity for therapeutic use for many tumors. We investigated the effects of the roots of Coptis japonica var. dissecta (Ranunculaceae) on human gastric cancer cells, SNU-668. The cytotoxicity of Coptis japonica at 100 microg/ml (methanol extract) by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was 13.89 +/- 1.91% of control value. Considering the features by 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, it was confirmed that the death of SNU-668 cells was due to apoptosis. In the apoptosis-regulating genes, BCL2 expression was diminished out, whereas BAX and CASP3 expressions were increased, compared with control. Furthermore, the activity of caspase3 was significantly increased by Coptis japonica treatment. These results suggest that Coptis japonica could induce apoptotic anticancer effect through caspase3 activation on SNU-668 human gastric cancer cells.

Comparative Characterization Study of Microporous Carbons by HRTEM Image Analysis and Gas Adsorption

The present work presents a useful comparison of micropore size distributions (MPSDs) obtained from gas adsorption and image analysis of high-resolution transmission electron micrographs. It is shown that the MPSD obtained for a chemical activated carbon is concordant with that obtained from CO2 adsorption. In addition, this technique has allowed us to obtain the MPSD of a carbon molecular sieve (CMS) prepared in our laboratory by a copyrolysis process, which could only be characterized by CO2 adsorption at 273 K (not by N2 adsorption at 77 K due to diffusional problems). The MPSD obtained by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) for the CMS is wider than that obtained by CO2 adsorption, suggesting that HRTEM is detecting the closed porosity existing in this sample, which is not accessible to gas adsorption. The existence of closed porosity in the CMS is explained considering the preparation method used. Thus, HRTEM combined with image analysis seems to be useful for structural analysis of narrow micropores including closed porosity.

Reduced L-arginine level and decreased placental eNOS activity in preeclampsia

Nitric oxide is produced enzymatically by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which converts L-arginine in the presence of oxygen to L-citrulline and NO. Moreover, it has been reported that asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) acts as is an endogenous inhibitor of endothelial NOS (eNOS) by competing with the enzyme for L-arginine. In this study, we measured L-arginine and ADMA in normal and preeclamptic women, and also investigated the association between the Glu298Asp eNOS gene polymorphism and preeclampsia. Finally, we assessed eNOS expression levels in the placentas of both normal and preeclamptic patients, using Western blot and immunohistochemistry. L-arginine levels were found to be significantly lower in the preeclamptic women than in the normal pregnant women (p=0.02) but there were no significant differences in ADMA levels between the normal and preeclamptic women. We also determined there to be no association between the Glu298Asp eNOS gene and preeclampsia. With regard to placental eNOS expression, we detected a lower degree of eNOS expression in the preeclamptic syncytiotrophoblasts than in the normal syncytiotrophoblasts. We suggest that reduced L-arginine levels, rather than increased ADMA levels, contribute to the development of preeclampsia, and also that decreased placental eNOS expression constitutes a characteristic finding in preeclamptic placentas.

Expression of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) in human preeclamptic placenta: possible implications in the process of trophoblast apoptosis

Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) was originally identified as a receptor for oxidatively modified low-density lipoprotein. It has been reported that oxidative stress and hyperlipidemia play important roles in the etiology of preeclampsia, and that placental oxidative stress may stimulate syncytiotrophoblast apoptosis in preeclampsia. In this study, we examined the expression of LOX-1 in the human placentas of normal pregnancies and in preeclampsia using immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis, and proposed that LOX-1 has a role in trophoblast apoptosis. To analyze apoptotic activity, the expression of the specific caspase cleavage site within cytokeratin 18 was assessed immunohistochemically using the monoclonal antibody M30 CytoDeath. Both LOX-1 and M30 immunoreactivity occurred predominantly in syncytiotrophoblasts. A significantly higher number of LOX-1 and M30-positive cells were found in preeclamptic placentas than in normal placentas. The number of M30-positive cells correlated with the apoptotic index of trophoblasts determined by TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). Syncytiotrophoblasts showing apoptotic activity were immunopositive to LOX-1 by double immunohistochemical fluorescence. We suggest that the functional role of syncytiotrophoblasts in placental dysfunction results from the localization and upregulation of LOX-1 in the preeclamptic placenta, possible implications in upregulation of syncytiotrophoblast apoptotic activity in preeclampsia.

Cowden disease: CT findings in three patients

Cowden disease, also known as multiple hamartoma syndromes, is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by numerous benign mucocutaneous tumors, hamartomas of multiple organs, and malignancies of the breast and thyroid. In this report, we present the computed tomographic findings in three patients with Cowden disease. In addition to the classic findings, the patients were diagnosed with spinal neurinoma (n=1), meningioma (n=1), and hepatic hemangioma (n=3). We also review current clinical and genetic concepts that unify Cowden disease.

Mullerian adenosarcoma with sarcomatous overgrowth of the cervix presenting as cervical polyp: a case report and review of the literature

An aggressive variant of adenosarcoma, mullerian adenosarcoma with sarcomatous overgrowth (MASO) in the cervix is extremely rare. This variant contains obvious, high-grade sarcoma in addition to a low-grade form. In this report, we describe a case of MASO of the uterine cervix and review the clinical and pathological features of these tumors. The patient was a 37-year-old woman with a cervical polypoid mass, which was morphologically considered as a benign endocervical polyp. Microscopically, polypoid cervical mass showed diffuse and dense malignant spindle cell proliferation around the benign endocervical glands and also an area of markedly anaplastic and pleomorphic spindle cell proliferation, so called, sarcomatous overgrowth. Total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection were performed. The patient has been followed-up and neither chemotherapy nor other adjuvant therapies have been administered. At present, she has been clinically free of disease for 9 months since she received surgery. It is extremely rare that MASO of the uterine cervix is presented in premenopausal woman. Gynecologists and pathologists should be aware of the difficulties associated with a delay in the diagnosis of MASO when the tumor is present as a benign looking cervical polyp.

Calcified Klatskin tumor mimicking intrahepatic stone: case report

Calcification is a relatively uncommon manifestation of malignant liver neoplasm. Calcifications in peripheral cholangiocarcinomas but not in Klatskin tumor have been reported. We present a rare case of Klatskin tumor that had dystrophic calcification mimicking a intrahepatic stone in a 65-year-old man.