Lysophosphatidic acid increases intracellular H2O2 by phospholipase D and RhoA in rat-2 fibroblasts

We have investigated the possible roles of phospholipase D (PLD) and RhoA in the production of intracellular H2O2 and actin polymerization in response to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in Rat-2 fibroblasts. LPA increased intracellular H2O2, with a maximal increase at 30 min, which was blocked by the catalase from Aspergillus niger. The LPA-stimulated production of H2O2 was inhibited by 1-butanol or PKC-downregulation, but not by 2-butanol. Purified phosphatidic acid (PA) also increased intracellular H2O2 and the increase was inhibited by the catalase. The role of RhoA was studied by the scrape-loading of C3 transferase into the cells. The C3 toxin, which inhibited stress fiber formation stimulated by LPA, blocked the H2O2 production in response to LPA or PA, but had no inhibitory effect on the activation of PLD by LPA. Exogenous H2O2 increased F-actin content by stress fiber formation. In addition, catalase inhibited actin polymerization activated by LPA, PA, or H2O2, indicated the role of H2O2 in actin polymerization. These results suggest that LPA increased intracellular H2O2 by the activation of PLD and RhoA, and that intracellular H2O2 was required for the LPA-stimulated stress fiber formation.

Sleep and chronotype for children in Japan

To investigate the change in sleep-wake habits, Morningness-Eveningness preference, and sleep status by grade, 512 students aged from 6 to 18 years, were tested using the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and Sleep Questionnaire. The habitual waking time showed no difference by grade, but the students above Grade 7 reported a significantly later habitual bedtime and had a shorter length of sleep on weekdays than the students below Grade 6. The students above Grade 7 reported a significant difference between habitual and preferred waking times but did not show a difference between habitual and preferred bedtimes. Although the sleep length during weekends became shorter from Grade 1, the sleep length of students above Grade 8 showed a significant difference between the weekdays and weekends; they had more than nine hours of sleep on the weekends. The percentage of students taking a nap during a school lesson significantly increased across Grades 8 to 12. The mean score on the questionnaire decreased across grades and the decrease was significant at Grade 7. Both the habitual and preferred bedtimes and waking times were later from the Morning, Intermediate, to the Evening types across grades. The difference by chronotype in preferred waking time increased for groups from the primary, junior high, to the high school. Also, the sleep lengths both weekdays and weekends decreased from the Morning, Intermediate, to the Evening type for all grades. We suggested that the delay of sleep phase, reduction of sleep length, increased daytime napping, and transition to Evening type were remarkably represented around Grade 7.

Adenovirus-mediated p53 tumor suppressor gene therapy against subcutaneous HuH7 hepatoma cell line nodule of nude mice

Mutations of the tumor-suppressor gene p53 have been found in 30-50% cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, E1-negative adenoviral vector encoding wild-type p53 under the control of the human cytomegalovirus promoter (AdCMV-p53w) was constructed to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy against tumor nodules developing after injection of HuH7 cell lines in ten nude mice. When each nodule had reached 10 mm in perpendicular diameter, 1.5 x 10(8) pfu of AdCMV-p53w per session was injected intratumorally as follows: In group I (n=3), five sessions were injected every other day. In group II (n=3), only one session. Group III (n=4) as negative controls. The mice were sacrificed at 28 days post AdCMV-p53w injection. Tumor growth was significantly suppressed and delayed in group I and II compared to group III as compared by tumor volume at the end of observation. These results suggest that AdCMV-p53w may not only be effective in treating HCCs expressing mutant p53, but also useful as a local injectable gene therapy.

Head and neck dermatitis: the role of Malassezia furfur, topical steroid use and environmental factors in its causation

The aetiology of head and neck dermatitis (HND), one subgroup of postpubertal atopic dermatitis (AD), is still unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence on HND of common environmental factors, long-term topical steroid use, and the role of Malassezia furfur infection. Relevant information was obtained from 100 patients with HND attending our dermatology clinic by means of both physical examinations and questionnaires. Corticosteroid-induced vasoconstriction was estimated by visual scoring of laser-Doppler flowmetry. and the following immunological studies were performed: skin prick test, measurement of total IgE, eosinophil cationic protein, and specific IgE antibodies to several fungal antigens including those of M. furfur. The questionnaire revealed that sweating (81%), heat (71%), dryness (70%), psychic stress (67%), and sun exposure (50%) were responsible for aggravation of skin lesions. The vascular response to topical steroid was reduced in HND patients as compared with that of normal healthy controls (P < 0.05). Fifty-four of 80 patients with HND (68%) had anti M. furfur-specific IgE antibodies and 36 of 80 patients (45%) showed positive skin prick tests for M. furfur. The clinical severity and serum total IgE of HND patients were higher in patients with positive response to anti-M. furfur-specific IgE antibodies than in patients with negative response (P < 0.05). These results suggest that HND can be aggravated not only by M. furfur but also by environmental factors such as sweating, heat, dryness, psychic stress and sun exposure. Furthermore, long-term use of topical steroid might be associated with the development of diffuse erythematous lesions with telangiectasia on the head and neck areas.

Monitoring antibody titers to recombinant Core-NS3 fusion polypeptide is useful for evaluating hepatitis C virus infection and responses to interferon-alpha therapy

To evaluate the clinical feasibility of the antibody titer against a chimeric polypeptide (named Core 518), in which a domain of Core and NS3 of hepatitis C virus (HCV) was fused, ELISA was performed in a total of 76 serum samples. Each serum was serially diluted using two-fold dilution method with distilled water into 10 concentrations. They were all positive for second generation anti-HCV assay (HCV EIA II; Abbott Laboratories). Genotyping RT-PCR, quantitative competitive RT-PCR, and RIBA (Lucky Confirm; LG Biotech) were also assayed. Anti-Core 518 antibody was detected in x 12800 or higher dilutions of sera from 35 of 43 chronic hepatitis C (81.4%) and nine of 16 hepatocellular carcinoma sera (56.3%), one of four cirrhosis (25%), 0 of four acute hepatitis C, and one of nine healthy isolated anti-HCV-positive subjects (p=0.0000). The anti-Core 518 antibody titers were well correlated with the presence of HCV RNA in serum (p=0.002). The anti-Core 518 antibody titers decreased significantly in nine of ten responders to IFN-alpha treatment. Monitoring anti-Core 518 titers may be helpful not only for differentiating the status of HCV infection among patients with various type C viral liver diseases, but also for predicting responses to IFN-alpha treatment.

Changes in sleep-wake cycle during the period from late pregnancy to puerperium identified through the wrist actigraph and sleep logs

The purpose of this study was to understand the sleep-wake cycle during the period from late pregnancy to about 3 months of postpartum by evaluating the number of actigraphic activities in four women (one multipara and three primi gravidae), and to compare the results with the findings from sleep logs. An irregularity of the sleep-wake cycle with increased number of wakings at night was notable during about 1 month after delivery, compared to the late pregnancy period, and subsequently this number tended to decrease. These results were indicative of the association between the lactation cycle to neonates and the sleep-wake cycle.

Improved cycle sequencing of GC-rich DNA template

Even when DNA sequencing of purified DNA template failed under the optimal condition, it can be generally contributed to high GC content. GC-rich region of template causes a secondary structure to produce shorter readable sequence. To solve this problem, the sequencing reaction was modified by using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). It was found that 5% (v/v) of DMSO in the reaction mixture recovers sequencing signal intensity with reduced frequency of ambiguous bases. When DMSO was added to sequencing reaction of DNA template with normal GC content, it did not show any adverse effect. Sequencing accuracy and unambiguous base frequency were significantly improved at concentration of 2% to 5% (v/v) DMSO in GC-rich DNA template. DMSO has been empirically introduced to enhance the efficiency of PCR in GC-rich templates. However, the underlying mechanism of improved cycle sequencing by DMSO is unknown. Thus, cycle sequencing reaction was remodified with other additives such as N-methyl imidazole, N-methyl2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyridone and glycerol, possessing the similar chemical properties as DMSO. Most of methyl nitrogen ring-containing chemicals did not improve sequencing accuracy, whereas only glycerol mimicked the positive effect of DMSO by the same extent. In the present study, we suggest that the treatment of DMSO improve cycle sequencing by the alteration of structural conformation of GC-rich DNA template.

TT virus infection among blood donors and patients with non-B, non-C liver diseases in Korea

BACKGROUND/AIMS

A novel virus, designated the TT virus (TTV), was isolated from the serum of a patient with posttransfusion hepatitis of unknown etiology, in Japan. Subsequently, TTV was suggested to be a causative agent in a proportion of cases with cryptogenic hepatitis in Japan. This study aimed to elucidate the significance of TTV infection in cases with cryptogenic liver disease in Korea, a neighbor of Japan.

METHODS

The prevalence of TTV infection was studied in 120 patients with liver diseases, including 85 patients diagnosed as having non-B, non-C liver diseases. As controls, 220 blood donors were also examined. TTV DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction, and the sequence was analyzed by phylogenetic analysis.

RESULTS

Fourteen (14.0%) of 100 accepted blood donors, 23 (19.2%) of 120 rejected blood donors, and 15 (17.6%) of 85 patients with non-B, non-C liver diseases were positive for TTV DNA. The prevalences of TTV infection among these groups were not significantly different. Phylogenetic analysis suggested the existence of four major genotypes of TTV The proportions of each genotype among patients with non-B, non-C liver diseases were not different from those among accepted blood donors.

CONCLUSIONS

TTV exists in Korea, but the prevalence among patients with non-B, non-C liver diseases was almost the same as that among blood donors. TTV may not be the main causative agent of cryptogenic liver disease in Korea. The relationship between non-B, non-C liver diseases and TTV genotype remains unclear, although TTV can be classified into four genotypes.

Structural identification of glycerolipid molecular species isolated from cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 using fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry

Our previous works have demonstrated that fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry can be a valuable tool in determining the complete structure of glycoglycerolipids and glycerophospholipids. Collision-induced dissociation of sodium-adducted molecular ions ([M + Na]+ or [M - H + 2Na]+) generates diverse product ions informative on the double-bond position in fatty acyl groups as well as the polar head group and fatty acid composition. Here we report that this direct and rapid method can be applied to the structural determination of individual molecular species of each glycerolipid class purified from the total lipid extract of cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Especially, based on the preference for the loss of the fatty acyl group positioned at the sn-2, it was proved that all of the molecular species of diacylglycerolipids contained a palmitoyl group exclusively at the sn-2 position. Additionally, lysoglycerolipids, monoacyl forms of four major membrane diacylglycerolipids, were first isolated together from a fresh extract. Using fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry, it was found that each lysoglycerolipid had a molecular species with only palmitic acid as a fatty acyl group. Thus, these compounds could be synthesized by specific enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of the sn-1 fatty acyl group of the corresponding diacylglycerolipids.

Two cases of common bile duct stone after liver transplantation

Biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplants are a continuing cause of morbidity and mortality. Biliary stones and sludge are less well known complications of hepatic transplantation, although they have long been recognized. Recently we experienced two cases of biliary stones developed after liver transplantation. One 32-year-old male, who frequently admitted due to recurrent cholangitis, was treated with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and choledochojejunostomy with cholecystectomy. The other 58-year-old male, who had stones in commone bile duct, was treated by endoscopic manipulation. They are in good condition without recurrent bile duct stones or its accompanying complications. Although stones and sludge are relatively infrequent after liver transplantation, surgical or interventional radiologic treatments are usually performed for treatment.

Expression of heat shock protein 70 blocks thymic differentiation of T cells in transgenic mice

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is involved not only in protein folding, but also in processes of differentiation and cell-cycle progression. Recently, HSP70 has been implicated in mediation of functions of some immunosuppressive agents. To study the role of HSP70 in differentiation of haematopoietic cells, we generated transgenic mice using the human inducible hsp70 gene fused to the mouse H-2K promoter. These mice develop a T-cell deficiency that is characterized by thymic hypoplasia and a significant reduction in peripheral T cells. The total number of thymocytes is about 100-fold less than that in normal mice. The majority of the thymocytes are immature T cells that express neither CD4 nor CD8 molecules, indicating that T cells are affected at an early stage of thymic differentiation. Expression of the transgenic HSP70 was detected both in bone marrow cells and in thymocytes. Furthermore, injection of normal bone marrow cells into the T-cell deficient mice led to the generation of mature T cells indicating that the T-cell deficiency was caused by the action of HSP70 in T cells. The blockage of differentiation occurred only in T cells, both alphabeta- and gammadelta-T-cell receptor (TCR)-bearing cells, but not in B cells, granulocytes, and monocytes. The observations suggest that HSP70 may inhibit a cellular process that is essential for the differentiation of early stage T cells. Further experiments using this model system will widen our understanding of HSP70 and its function on a molecular level.

Psoriasiform eruption triggered by recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (rGM-CSF) and exacerbated by granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rG-CSF) in a patient with breast cancer

Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are commonly used for the treatment of neutropenia following chemotherapy and for the mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). We recently experienced a rare case of a new onset of psoriasiform eruption by GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) which was exacerbated by G-CSF (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) in a patient with breast cancer. A 36-year-old woman had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and 5-fluorouracil), modified radical mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and mitoxantrone followed by GM-CSF administration for the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer. She had developed a psoriatic skin lesion on face and both upper arms during leukocyte recovery in spite of no previous history of psoriasis. Next, the chemotherapy course was complicated by a flare of mild psoriatic skin lesion, although CSF was changed into G-CSF due to GM-CSF-associated psoriasis. Subsequently, she had had high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for consolidation therapy. GM-CSF was administered for the mobilization of PBSC and post-transplant period, but psoriatic skin lesion did not appear. During 6 months after PBSCT, psoriasiform eruption did not appear.

New genotypes of TT virus (TTV) and a genotyping assay based on restriction fragment length polymorphism

A phylogenetic analysis, using the open reading frame I sequence of 93 TT viruses (TTV) obtained from various geographical areas, indicated that the virus could be classified into six different genotypes including three hitherto unreported genotypes. The high reliability of the six clusters was confirmed by bootstrap analysis. On the basis of these sequence data, a new simple genotyping assay based on a restriction fragment length polymorphism of TTV was developed. Using the enzymes NdeI and PstI, followed by cleavage with NlaIII or MseI, it was possible to distinguish between the six TTV genotypes. This system will provide the framework for future detailed epidemiological and clinical investigations.

Sleep in relation to age, sex, and chronotype in Japanese workers

The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and Life Habits Inventory were administered to 622 Japanese workers matched for sex and age. We investigated the distributions of the scores on the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and sleep-wake habits by age and sex. Subjects were classified into five age groups and three chronotypes. The distributions and mean scores on the questionnaire advanced slightly toward the Morning type from the young to the aged group. The habitual bedtimes and waking times were significantly earlier in all the chronotypes from the young to the aged group, and the preferred bedtimes and waking times were also clearly earlier from the young to the aged group. The length of sleep was shorter for the Evening than the Morning types, especially in the group below 24 yr. The differences in habitual and preferred sleep length were greater than 1 hour for all age groups, especially the two groups under 34 yr. The number of awakenings during night sleep increased from the young to the aged group for all chronotypes. The older Evening type tended more toward frequent napping and longer naptime. The variabilities of bedtime and sleep length were larger for the young and Evening type than for the old group and Morning types. Further, the mood upon waking and satisfaction with sleep length were better in the aged Evening type than the young Morning type. The women under 44 yr. woke up earlier than the men of the same age, and the women of the 35-54 yr. groups had a shorter length of sleep than others. These may be related to childcare and housework. These results indicated that the phase of circadian rhythms had moved forward from the young to the aged group, and the individual's rhythm, of those that were aged Morning types, showed better agreement with sleep-wake rhythms than did others.

Detection of antibodies against DNA polymerase of hepatitis B virus in HBsAg-positive sera using ELISA

OBJECTIVES

DNA polymerase (pol) of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) includes 3 different domains such as terminal protein (TP), reverse transcriptase (RT) and RNase H. Humoral immune responses to each of these proteins have not been well documented previously, although antibody to pol was detected in serum of patients with chronic hepatitis B. We have constructed TP (amino acids 1-182), RT (amino acids 346-685) and RNase H (amino acids 690-832).

METHODS

By ELISA using each protein expressed in E. coli as antigens, the corresponding antibodies were tested in serum from 40 patients with type B viral chronic liver diseases. (20 HBeAg-positive and 20 HBeAg-negative). As negative controls, sera from 3 healthy young men were used. With the mean values of the OD, which were tested 4 times per each test sample and 3 times per each control sample, we considered to be positive if the mean OD of each test sample is 2-fold or higher than that of controls.

RESULTS

Five of 40 sera (12.5%) contained one or two different antibodies detectable by this method: 4 of 20 HbeAg-positive sera (20%) and 1 of 20 HbeAg-negative sera (5%). Anti-TP, anti-RT and anti-RNase H antibodies were detected in 2.5% (1/40), 10% (4/40) and 7.5% (3/40), respectively. Among 4/20 HbeAg-positive ELISA-positive sera, anti-TP, anti-RT and anti-RNase H were positive in 5% (1/20), 20% (4/20) and 10% (2/20), respectively, while 1 HBeAg-negative ELISA-positive sera were positive only for anti-RNase H.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the corresponding antibody responses to individual recombinant peptides derived from 3 domains of DNA polymerase may tend to be detected more frequently in HBeAg-positive sera than in HBeAg-negative sera from various patients with type B viral chronic liver diseases.

Human interleukin 6 gene is activated by hepatitis B virus-X protein in human hepatoma cells

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that induces many biological activities, including some aspects of the immune reaction and inflammatory responses. In the liver, IL-6 regulates the synthesis of a broad spectrum of acute-phase proteins. IL-6 is also known to be a factor involved in the immunoregulatory perturbations in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLDs). Here, we report that IL-6 can be induced by hepatitis B virus (HBV)-X protein, as evidenced by high levels of serum IL-6 in patients with CLD with HBV infection, IL-6 productions observed in HBV-X-transfected cells, and transcriptional transactivations of the IL-6 gene by HBV-X. We determined serum levels of IL-6 in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CH-B), chronic hepatitis C (CH-C), liver cirrhosis (LC) caused by hepatitis B, and LC with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by hepatitis B (LC+HCC). Mean serum levels of IL-6 in all CLD patients were higher than those in normal controls, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Mean IL-6 levels of LC and LC+HCC patients were significantly higher than those of CH-B patients (P < 0.05). Because the etiological factor in all cases except CH-C (CH-B, LC, and LC+HCC) was HBV, we checked the possibility of HBV-transactivator-X activation of IL-6 promoter. Using deletion constructs of 5'-flanking regulatory regions of the IL-6 gene linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene as a reporter, we found that the binding of nuclear factor-kappaB to a cis element is essential and sufficient for the induction of the IL-6 gene by HBV-X. We also found that HBV-X enhances the binding of two subunits of nuclear factor-kappaB (p65 and p52) to their target DNA binding sequences. These observations are relevant, in that HBV-X might play an important role in hepatic inflammation and diseases by up-regulating IL-6 production, which can eventually lead to LC and HCC.

Oxidative damage in tissues of rats exposed to cigarette smoke

Cigarette smoke is known to contain high concentrations of free radicals and oxidants. To examine the oxidative effect of cigarette smoking, we subjected rats to inhalation of cigarette smoke, and measured cellular free glutathione, the degree of protein S-thiolation, and 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (oxo8dG) in DNA. Inhalation of the cigarette smoke for 30 days, three times a day, resulted in a significant decrease of the total free glutathione contents in tissues, especially in the lung. Elevated levels of oxidized glutathione and protein S-thiolation were observed in the lung but not in other tissues. Increased contents of oxo8dG in DNA were found in all tissues analyzed. When rats were treated with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO, 80 mg/kg/day) to deplete glutathione, the oxidative effect of cigarette smoking was greatly potentiated. The effect of glutathione depletion was most evident in the lung. Cigarette smoking for only 7 days resulted in extreme depletion of the glutathione both in the lungs and in the liver of BSO-treated rats. Furthermore, oxo8dG in DNA increased markedly, especially in lung. The results verified that the lung is a primary target of cigarette smoke-induced oxidative damage, and cigarette smoke exerts its oxidative effects on the rest of the entire organs eventually. Our results indicate that glutathione plays crucial roles in protecting proteins and DNA from oxidation caused by cigarette smoking.

Lack of anti-GOR antibody among subjects with GB virus C/hepatitis G virus RNA

Homologies were sought between the putative amino acid sequences of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) and the GOR epitope or the liver/kidney microsome-1 (LKM-1) epitope, which share partial sequence identity with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) polyprotein. Anti-GOR antibody (anti-GOR) was assayed among 100 subjects with GBV-C/HGV RNA. Twenty-one and 25 subjects were coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or HCV, respectively. Homologies were found between the NS5 or E2 polyproteins of GBV-C/HGV and the GOR epitope or the LKM-1 epitope, respectively. These segments of GBV-C/HGV polyproteins sharing identity with the GOR or the LKM-1 epitope were well conserved among three genotypes of GBV-C/HGV. However, only 1 of 55 subjects (1.8%) with GBV-C/HGV RNA, but not with HBV or HCV, was positive for anti-GOR. The positivity for anti-GOR among the group with GBV-C/HGV RNA alone was significantly lower than that among the groups with HCV RNA (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). Only 2 of 55 subjects (3.6%) with GBV-C/HGV RNA alone exhibited elevation of alanine aminotransferase. The incidence of liver dysfunction among the group with GBV-C/HGV RNA alone was significantly lower than the incidence among the groups with GBV-C/HGV RNA and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or HCV RNA (P< 0.01 and P< 0.01, respectively). These data indicate that 1) there is no association between GBV-C/HGV infection and the presence of anti-GOR, and 2) GBV-C/HGV infection is not related to chronic liver dysfunction.

Experience of orthotopic liver transplantation in 11 patients with liver cirrhosis from Korea: medical factors affecting outcome

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) has evolved to become a standard treatment of choice for end-stage liver diseases. The present study was performed to evaluate the peri-operative medical factors affecting transplantation outcome and to determine if patients with type B viral cirrhosis were acceptable for OLT. A total of 11 patients with end-stage cirrhosis, who have received OLT in Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital since May 1993, included 8 HBV-related cases, 1 Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)-related case, and 2 non-B, non-C cases. One-year cumulative survival rate by Kaplan-Meier method was 43.7%. Factors significantly associated with 1-year survival of the recipients during pre-OLT period were performance status and modified Pugh-Child score (p=0.015 and p=0.015, respectively). Among those 4 patients who lived longer than 1 year, 3 of 4 patients with HBsAg-positive had no HBV re-infection with our protocol. These results suggest that, to improve the outcome of OLT in cirrhosis patients, transplantation should be performed in the stage when patients maintain better performance and hepatic functional reserve during the end-stage of liver cirrhosis. In addition, patients with cirrhosis caused by HBV infection may be indicated for OLT, because HBV re-infection is preventable effectively with a high-dose hepatitis B immunoglobulin protocol.

Solitary giant molluscum contagiosum of the sole

Molluscum contagiosum of the sole is extremely rare and only three cases have been reported in the literature. We report a solitary giant molluscum contagiosum on the left sole of a 5-year-old boy, which should be clinically differentiated from plantar wart, eccrine poroma, epidermal cyst, foreign body granuloma, cryptococcal infection, and pyogenic granuloma.

Concomitant lichen scrofulosorum and erythema induratum

We describe a patient in whom two tuberculids, lichen scrofulosorum, and erythema induratum occurred simultaneously. The clinical and histopathologic features were characteristic and a Mantoux test showed a positive reaction. There was no extracutaneous focus of tuberculosis. Polymerase chain reaction for mycobacteria in the skin lesions was negative, but her lesions responded rapidly to antituberculous chemotherapy.

Changes in sleep patterns during He-O2 saturation dives

During simulated hyperbaric saturation diving experiments of He-O2 mixture at the depths of 150, 180 and 230 m the standard polysomnography of four divers, as well as their subjective feelings of fatigue, were recorded for 268 nights. In all three diving conditions, during the bottom period and the decompression period, wakes after sleep onset and Stage 1 sleep increased while Stage 4 sleep decreased. In deeper diving conditions stage 4 sleep tended to decrease and subjective feelings of fatigue increased. When the results are considered it can be assumed that the deeper the diving depths, the increased sleep disturbances and fatigue. However, it is believed that a fundamental sleep pattern will be maintained.

Evaluation of human activities and sleep-wake identification using wrist actigraphy

The purpose of this study is to investigate the count-characteristics of wrist actigraphy in basic human activities and to discuss the agreement of sleep-wake identification between polysomnography (PSG) and wrist actigraphy during nocturnal sleep. There was a distinct distribution of actigraphy counts over the studied activities. The evaluation of sleep-wake scoring using the wrist actigraphy agreed 96.9% with the polysomnographic scoring during nocturnal sleep.

Effects of aging on morningness-eveningness and sleep habits in Korean and Japanese workers

The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and Life Habits Inventory were given to Korean and Japanese workers. The distributions of scores on the questionnaire for these two groups were normal and its mean slightly moved to the Morning type with aging. It is noteworthy, however, that the mean scores of Korean workers was lower than those of the Japanese workers. The self-reported waking times and bedtimes for the two groups gradually became earlier with aging. From these results it could be said that aging was an factor that led to the difference of circadian phase.

Telomerase is strongly activated in hepatocellular carcinoma but not in chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis

Telomerase is highly activated in human immortal cell lines and tumor tissues, whereas it is not activated in primary cell strains and many tumor-adjacent tissues. It is suggested that telomerase activation is one of the critical steps in malignant transformation. In the present study, the telomerase activity was investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and non-tumor liver tissues from Korean patients with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Eighty two liver tissues (24 chronic hepatitis specimens, 34 cirrhosis specimens, and 24 hepatocellular carcinomas) were obtained from 23 chronic viral hepatitis patients, 19 cirrhosis patients (including 7 liver transplants), and 24 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, of which the surrounding non-tumor liver tissues were available in 16 patients (1 chronic hepatitis and 15 cirrhosis). As negative controls, 3 normal liver tissues were included. Protein from liver specimens was purified by a detergent lysis method as described elsewhere, and telomerase activity was measured in 2 diluents of each sample (1:1 and 1:100) by a telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP). Telomerase was strongly activated in 79% (19/24) of the hepatocellular carcinomas, while weakly in 8% (2/24) of the chronic hepatitis tissues and in 24% (8/34) of the cirrhosis tissues. All of 3 normal control livers showed no telomerase activation. No relationship could be observed between the enhancement of telomerase activity and tumor nature. None of the chronic heaptitis or cirrhosis patients with mild telomerase activation in the liver have developed hepatocellular carcinoma for at least 2 years of follow-up period. These results suggest that the strong enhancement of telomerase activity may be a critical part of hepatocarcinogenesis, although the exact mechanism of such high activation in hepatocellular carcinoma is not clear. In addition, further study will be necessary to clarify the reason why no telomerase activity detectable by a conventional TRAP can be seen in some hepatocellular carcinoma.

Overexpression of HSP25 reduces the level of TNF alpha-induced oxidative DNA damage biomarker, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, in L929 cells

Previously we and others have demonstrated that oxidative stress involving generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is responsible for the cytotoxic action of TNF alpha. Protective effect of small heat shock proteins (HSP) against diverse oxidative stress conditions has been suggested. Although overexpression of small HSP was shown to provide an enhanced survival of TNF alpha-sensitive cells when challenged with TNF alpha, neither the nature of TNF alpha-induced cytotoxicity nor the protective mechanism of small HSP has been completely understood. In this study, we have attempted to determine whether TNF alpha induces oxidative DNA damage in TNF alpha-sensitive L929 cells. We chose to measure the level of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8 ohdG), which has been increasingly recognized as one of the most sensitive markers of oxidative DNA damage. Our results clearly demonstrated that the level of 8 ohdG increased in L929 cells in a TNF alpha dose-dependent manner. Subsequently, we asked whether small HSP has a protective effect on TNF alpha-induced oxidative DNA damage. To accomplish this goal, we have stably transfected into L929 cells, which are devoid of endogenous small HSP, with the mouse small hsp cDNA (hsp25). We found that TNF alpha-induced 8 ohdG was decreased in cells overexpressing exogenous small HSP25. We also found that the cell-killing activity of TNF alpha was decreased in these cells as measured by clonogenic survival. Taken together, results from the current study show that a cytotoxic mechanism of TNF alpha involves oxidative damage of DNA, and that overexpression of the small HSP25 reduces this oxidative damage. We suggest that the reduction of oxidative DNA damage is an important protective mechanisms of small HSP against TNF alpha.

Scores on morningness-eveningness and sleep habits of Korean students, Japanese students, and Japanese workers

The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and Life Habits Inventory were given to three groups of the same mean age: 533 Korean students, 468 Japanese students, and 311 Japanese workers. The distributions of scores on the questionnaire for these three groups are normal; however the Japanese students' distribution was slightly skewed towards the Evening type. The self-reported waking times and bedtimes for the three groups were late in the order of Morning, Intermediate, and Evening types. It is noteworthy, however, that the Korean students woke earlier than the Japanese students, and the workers always went to bed and woke earlier than the students. For the groups the variations in bedtime, waking time, and length of sleep were large, the sleep latency was long, and mood of the participants upon waking was bad in the order of the Morning. Intermediate, and Evening types. The scores of the Korean students were distributed more highly in the Morning type than were the Japanese students', but the students' sleep habits in both countries were quite similar. The subjects categorized as Evening types had more irregular sleep habits than those of the Morning type. In comparison with the student groups, Japanese workers of the same mean age had higher scores and slightly different sleep habits. The change in sleep habits could be seen as a result of the demands of employment, and the probable basis for difference in scores.

Cloning and characterization of two catA genes in Acinetobacter lwoffii K24

Two novel type I catechol 1,2-dioxygenases inducible on aniline media were isolated from Acinetobacter lwoffii K24. Although the two purified enzymes, CD I1 and CD I2, had similar intradiol cleavage activities, they showed different substrate specificities for catechol analogs, physicochemical properties, and amino acid sequences. Two catA genes, catA1 and catA2, encoding by CD I1 and CD I2, respectively, were isolated from the A. lwoffii K24 genomic library by using colony hybridization and PCR. Two DNA fragments containing the catA1 and catA2 genes were located on separate regions of the chromosome. They contained open reading frames encoding 33.4- and 30.4-kDa proteins. The amino acid sequences of the two proteins matched well with previously determined sequences. Interestingly, further analysis of the two DNA fragments revealed the locations of the catB and catC genes as well. Moreover, the DNA fragment containing catA1 had a cluster of genes in the order catB1-catC1-catA1 while the catB2-catA2-catC2 arrangement was found in the catA2 DNA fragment. These results may provide an explanation of the different substrate specificities and physicochemical properties of CD I1 and CD I2.

Colchicine activates actin polymerization by microtubule depolymerization

Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts were treated with the microtubule-disrupting agent colchicine to study any interaction between microtubule dynamics and actin polymerization. Colchicine increased the amount of filamentous actin (F-actin), in a dose- and time-dependent manner with a significant increase at 1 h by about 130% over control level. Confocal microscopic observation showed that colchicine increased F-actin contents by stress fiber formation without inducing membrane ruffling. Colchicine did not activate phospholipase C and phospholipase D, whereas lysophosphatidic acid did, indicating that colchicine may have a different mechanism of actin polymerization regulation from LPA. A variety of microtubule-disrupting agents stimulated actin polymerization in Swiss 3T3 and Rat-2 fibroblasts as did colchicine, but the microtubule-stabilizing agent taxol inhibited actin polymerization induced by the above microtubule-disrupting agents. In addition, colchicine-induced actin polymerization was blocked by two protein phosphatase inhibitors, okadaic acid and calyculin A. These results suggest that microtubule depolymerization activates stress fiber formation by serine/threonine dephosphorylation in fibroblasts.

Effects on sleep patterns during simulated oxygen-helium saturation diving at 180 and 230 m

The standard polysomnography of four divers was recorded respectively through 188 nights in two simulated experiments under a hyperbaric saturation environment of He-O2 mixture at the depths of 180 and 230 m. In the two diving conditions on the bottom nights and decompression nights, the following was shown: A reduction of total sleep time, a decrease of sleep efficiency; an increase of sleep latency, frequency of wake after sleep, number of sleep stage shifts, and a lengthening of stage 1 sleep; and a reduction of stage 4 sleep. In the 230 m-diving condition on the bottom nights and the decompression nights, only stage 4 sleep showed a significant decrease when compared with the 180 m-diving condition. It is assumed that both were conditions in which awakening was likely to happen and there would be no disorders of fundamental sleep patterns.

Precore codon 28 stop mutation in hepatitis B virus from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) with a stop mutation at precore codon 28 (TGG-->TAG, tryptophan-->stop) was investigated to clarify if such a mutant virus might play a role in hepatocarcinogenesis.

METHODS

A total of 73 patients with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma were included in this study. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in DNA samples extracted from 73 sera to amplify a HBV-DNA segment involving the precore and proximal core regions, and sequences of PCR products were analyzed to see the presence of the mutations at precore codon 28 by a direct sequencing method.

RESULTS

HBV-DNA was detectable in 64 (88%) patients by PCR. The stop mutation at precore codon 28 was identified in 50 of 58 PCR products (86%), in which direct sequencing was performed. Among patients with this mutant HBV, 21/50 (42%) patients were co-infected with wild-type HBV. The mutant virus was found in 23/28 (82%) patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and 27/30 (90%) patients without HBeAg. The mutant HBV alone was found in 10/28 (36%) patients with HBeAg and 19/30 (63%) without HBeAg. Among those patients on whom laparoscopy was performed, 22/24 (92%) with the precore codon 28 stop mutant alone had cirrhosis, compared to 12/19 (63%) co-infected by both the mutant and the wild-type (p < 0.05). The association of this mutant virus with both the presence and absence of HBeAg, and its association with cirrhosis when there is no co-infection with wild-type HBV, suggests an evolving pattern of liver pathology.

CONCLUSION

The high prevalence of a stop mutation at precore codon 28 in these patients with hepatocellular carcinoma suggests that HBV with this mutation may contribute to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dynamin II associates with Grb2 SH3 domain in Ras transformed NIH3T3 cells

Grb2, a linker protein containing two SH3 domains and one SH2 domain, is known as an essential element of the Ras pathway in multiple systems. One of the functions of Grb2 is to link tyrosine-phosphorylated receptors to downstream effector proteins via the SH2 and SH3 domain bindings. To identify Grb2-associated proteins in Ras transformed NIH3T3 cells, we performed coprecipitation experiments using recombinant GST-Grb2 fusion proteins and found a remarkably strong band of 100 kDa. With N-terminal amino acid sequencing, we identified the protein of 100 kDa as dynamin II. Dynamin II was also observed in the coprecipitates with the GST fusion protein of N-SH3 or C-SH3 domain of Grb2 but not in that of Grb2 SH2 domain. The SH3-mediated association of Grb2 with dynamin II was confirmed by competitive binding experiments with oligopeptides whose sequence corresponded to that of SH2 or SH3 binding motif. The dynamin II coprecipitation was completely abrogated by the addition of the oligopeptide of SH3 binding motif, but addition of SH2 binding motif had no effect. In conclusion, these results suggest that dynamin II may be largely expressed and closely associated with Grb2-mediated signaling in Ras transformed cells.

Anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody prevents antibiotics-induced active fatal anaphylaxis

We previously reported that anti-IL-4 mAb (11B11) failed to prevent protein-induced fatal murine anaphylaxis. To investigate the effect of anti-IL-4 on hapten-induced anaphylaxis, a model of murine anaphylaxis induced by antibiotics, penicillin V (Pen V) and cephalothin (CET), was developed, and the effect of anti-IL-4 on the anaphylaxis was observed. Pen V and CET induced 100 and 70 to 90% fatal reactions, respectively, when C57BL/6 mice were sensitized i.p. with 500 microg of antibiotic-OVA conjugate with 2 x 10(9) Bordetella pertussis and 1.0 mg of alum and challenged i.v. with 100 microg of antibiotic-BSA conjugate 14 days later. Serum taken from mice sensitized to Pen V passively sensitized normal mice to develop systemic anaphylaxis, and this ability of the serum was abrogated by heating at 56 degrees C for 2 h or depletion of IgE, but not IgG, Abs. Thus, the antibiotic-induced fatal reaction was an IgE-dependent anaphylactic reaction. Administration of anti-IL-4 at the beginning of sensitization completely prevented the fatal anaphylactic reactions to both Pen V and CET. This effect of anti-IL-4 was associated with its suppressive activity on antibiotic-specific serum IgE, but not IgG, levels. More importantly, anti-IL-4 therapy in previously sensitized mice was also effective in preventing the fatal reactions and rapidly reduced the established IgE levels. This study provides a new animal model of hapten-induced anaphylaxis and indicates that blocking of IL-4 activity may be beneficial in allergic diseases caused by a variety of haptens in which IgE Abs play a major role.

Anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody prevents antibiotics-induced active fatal anaphylaxis

We previously reported that anti-IL-4 mAb (11B11) failed to prevent protein-induced fatal murine anaphylaxis. To investigate the effect of anti-IL-4 on hapten-induced anaphylaxis, a model of murine anaphylaxis induced by antibiotics, penicillin V (Pen V) and cephalothin (CET), was developed, and the effect of anti-IL-4 on the anaphylaxis was observed. Pen V and CET induced 100 and 70 to 90% fatal reactions, respectively, when C57BL/6 mice were sensitized i.p. with 500 microg of antibiotic-OVA conjugate with 2 x 10(9) Bordetella pertussis and 1.0 mg of alum and challenged i.v. with 100 microg of antibiotic-BSA conjugate 14 days later. Serum taken from mice sensitized to Pen V passively sensitized normal mice to develop systemic anaphylaxis, and this ability of the serum was abrogated by heating at 56 degrees C for 2 h or depletion of IgE, but not IgG, Abs. Thus, the antibiotic-induced fatal reaction was an IgE-dependent anaphylactic reaction. Administration of anti-IL-4 at the beginning of sensitization completely prevented the fatal anaphylactic reactions to both Pen V and CET. This effect of anti-IL-4 was associated with its suppressive activity on antibiotic-specific serum IgE, but not IgG, levels. More importantly, anti-IL-4 therapy in previously sensitized mice was also effective in preventing the fatal reactions and rapidly reduced the established IgE levels. This study provides a new animal model of hapten-induced anaphylaxis and indicates that blocking of IL-4 activity may be beneficial in allergic diseases caused by a variety of haptens in which IgE Abs play a major role.

GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection among Korean patients with liver diseases and general population

GB virus C and hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) have been identified from the patients with acute or chronic liver diseases as possible agents of non-B, non-C hepatitis by two different groups, independently. To investigate whether GBV-C/HGV plays a role among Korean patients with liver diseases, GBV-C/HGV RNA were evaluated in 337 sera by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using specific primers derived from 5'-noncoding region of GBV-C/HGV genome. GBV-C/HGV RNA was identified in 11/337 (3.3%). They consisted of 1/160 (0.6%) and 10/177 (3.3%) among the general population and patients with liver diseases, respectively (P < 0.01). Nucleotide sequences of all PCR amplicons were determined by the dideoxy chain termination method and analyzed by molecular evolutionary methods. The phylogenetic tree showed all sequences could be divided into three genotypes. These results indicate that: (1) GBV-C/HGV already exist in Korea; (2) GBV-C/HGV may play some role as an etiologic factor among the Korean patients with liver diseases; (3) GBV-C/HGV infection is rare among Korean general population; and (4) there are at least three different types of GBV-C/HGV in Korea.

Three different GB virus C/hepatitis G virus genotypes. Phylogenetic analysis and a genotyping assay based on restriction fragment length polymorphism

The 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) sequences of 33 GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) obtained from different geographic areas were determined through reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and dideoxy chain termination sequencing, the alignment of sequences, the estimation of the number of nucleotide substitution per site, and construction of phylogenetic trees. The 5'-UTR of GBV-HGV was found to be heterogeneous, with 70.9-99.5% homology. Three distinct phylogenetic branches were observed consistently in all phylogenetic trees. GBV-C is the prototype for one, HGV for another, and there is a new branch which consisted of GBV-C/HGV isolates from Asia. Genotype-specific restriction sites for the restriction enzymes, ScrFI and BsmFI, were identified, and a simple restriction fragment polymorphism analysis was developed for genotyping. These data provide evidence that GBV-C/HGV consists of three different genotypes. Our simple genotyping assay will also provide a tool for epidemiological studies of GBV-C/HGV infection.

Fc epsilon RI-ligation induces association of tyrosine phosphorylated proteins with Src homology 2 domains of phospholipase C gamma 1 in RBL-2H3 rat basophilic leukemia cells

Stimulation of the IgE receptors on mast cells and basophils activates protein tyrosine kinases and phospholipases leading to histamine release. However, the mechanism by which protein tyrosine kinases regulate the phospholipases is not clearly defined yet. In this study, we examined the possibility that phospholipase C gamma 1 associates with protein tyrosine kinases and tyrosine phosphorylated molecules as a result of activation of RBL-2H3 cells, and that this association involves the Src homology 2 domains of phospholipase C gamma 1. An increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ level and tyrosine phosphorylations of proteins, including 72 and 40 kDa proteins, were observed after the cross-linking of the IgE receptors on RBL-2H3 rat basophilic cells by dinitrophenyl-specific IgE and dinitrophenyl-conjugated human serum albumin. Immunoprecipitation and coprecipitation experiments were performed to determine if the activation of protein tyrosine kinases is linked to the activation of phospholipase C gamma 1 via its SH2 domains. Tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C gamma 1 was observed in 1 min following IgE receptor stimulation. several proteins (72, 50, 40, and 33 kDa) were identified to be tyrosine phosphorylated and specifically associated with phospholipase C gamma 1 by its Src homology 2 domains. In addition, the coprecipitated complex contains the tyrosine kinase activity which phosphorylates 72, 40, and 33 kDa proteins in the complex. In conclusion, these studies establish that tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins of 72, 40, and 33 kDa associate with phospholipase C gamma 1 via its SH2 domains following IgE receptor stimulation of RBL-2H3 basophilic cells, implying that protein tyrosine kinases may tyrosine-phosphorylate and recruit signaling proteins around the phospholipase C gamma 1 and that phospholipase C gamma 1 activation induces calcium mobilization, PKC activation and degranulation in mast cells or basophils.

A new algorithm for Kohonen layer learning with application to power system stability analysis

In certain classification problems, input patterns are not distributed in a clustering manner but distributed uniformly in an input space and there exist certain critical hyperplanes called decision boundaries. Since learning vector quantization (LVQ) classifies an input vector based on the nearest neighbor, the codebook vectors away from the decision boundaries are redundant. This paper presents an alternative algorithm called boundary search algorithm (BSA) for the purpose of solving this redundancy problem. The BSA finds a fixed number of codebook vectors near decision boundaries by selecting appropriate training vectors. It is found to be more efficient compared with LVQ and its validity is demonstrated with satisfaction in the transient stability analysis of a power system.

Lipocortin 1 binding sites on human T-cells: the population of cells with the binding sites is larger in CD8+ T-lymphocytes than in CD4+ T-lymphocytes

Lipocortin 1 (LC1) is believed to be a mediator of glucocorticoids in displaying anti-inflammatory and immune suppressive responses. The existence of specific LC1 binding sites (putative receptor) on monocytes and neutrophils has been reported. We have studied the distribution of LC1 binding sites in human peripheral blood leukocytes by flow cytometry. The population of cells with LC1 binding sites was much larger in monocytes than in lymphocytes in both rheumatoid arthritis patients (93.1 +/- 2.3% vs 8.8 +/- 1.0%) and healthy volunteers (97.0 +/- 0.9% vs 9.9 +/- 1.5%). The LC1 binding cell population was larger in CD8+ T-lymphocytes than in CD4+ T-lymphocytes in both healthy volunteers (26.4 +/- 4.5% vs 10.6 +/- 2.0%) and rheumatoid arthritis patients (28.8 +/- 4.7% vs 8.7 +/- 2.1%). No difference in LC1 binding cell populations was found between rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy controls.

Anti-IL-4 antibody inhibits antigen specific IgE response but fails to prevent chicken gamma globulin-induced active systemic anaphylaxis: evidence for the involvement of IgG antibodies

It has recently been reported that interleukin-4 (IL-4) is required for the production of IgE, and anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody (mAb) inhibits in vivo IgE responses. These suggest that blocking of IL-4 activity may be useful for the prevention or treatment of immediate hypersensitivity disorders. In this study we investigated whether anti-IL-4 has a regulatory role in chicken-gamma globulin (CGG)-induced active systemic anaphylaxis. Multiple injections of anti-IL-4 (up to 40 mg/mouse) failed to protect the mice from fatal anaphylaxis. Anti-IL-4 strongly suppressed CGG-specific IgE response (> 90%) without any suppressive effect on CGG-specific IgG (IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG3) responses. Because these data suggest the possibility that fatal anaphylaxis could be induced by IgG antibodies, we examined the possibility using anti-CGG polyclonal and the subclasses of IgG monoclonal antibodies. Passive sensitization of mice with polyclonal antibodies elicited severe and fatal anaphylactic shock; about 50% of the mice died. The activity of antibodies was not diminished by heat treatment (56 degrees C, 2h), suggesting that the anaphylaxis was not mediated by IgE. Shock was also elicited by each subclass of IgG mAb; of these, IgG1 was the most effective. Combination of the IgG subclasses elicited more exaggerated shock; about 30% of mice died. These data indicate that IgG antibodies are themselves sufficient to induce systemic anaphylaxis. Therefore, the failure of anti-IL-4 to prevent active anaphylaxis is probably due to the inability of anti-IL-4 to suppress the production of IgG antibodies.

T cell lymphoma in transgenic mice expressing the human Hsp70 gene

In the course of studying the role of hsp70 in the differentiation of pancreatic beta cells, transgenic founder mice were generated with the human hsp70 gene fused to the human insulin gene promoter. One resulted in a transgenic line that consistently developed diabetes mellitus, but unexpectedly three other independent transgenic founders developed generalized malignant lymphoma within 10 months after birth. Immunochemical and RT-PCR analyses revealed that the transgene was expressed in the lymphoma cells. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that the tumor was originated from T lymphocytes. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that hsp70 is involved in the tumorigenesis of T cells most likely through the blockage of apoptotic signals.

Recovery of Pseudoterranova decipiens (Anisakidae) larvae from codfish of the Antarctic Ocean

Anisakid larvae were found from the liver and stomach of the codfish (Notothenia neglecta) caught from the Antarctic Ocean, South Pole, where the Polar Research Center of The Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute is operating. Through observations by scanning electron (SEM) and light microscopy (LM), they were identified as the third stage larvae of Pseudoterranova decipiens, a potential agent of human codworm anisakiasis. They measured 25.0-28.5 mm in length, and 0.6-0.8 mm in width. The SEM revealed a prominent boring tooth, three lips, and excretory pore at the anterior end, and a small but prominent mucron at the posterior end. From whole mounts and cross sections of the larvae the ventriculus, intestinal cecum and a Renette cell were found characteristically at the same plane. Raw eating of the codfish caught from the Antarctic Ocean near the South Pole should be avoided so as to prevent human codworm anisakiasis in this area.

Genotype distribution and comparison of the putative envelope region of hepatitis C virus from Korean patients

Comparative nucleotide sequence studies of the genomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) revealed that there are at least 6 different genotypes of HCV. The prevalence of HCV genotypes among the patients with liver diseases in Korea was investigated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the NS5 region. In the 75 HCV RNA positive samples, two genotypes, type 1b and type 2a, were the major causative agents which accounted for 60% and 33% of infections respectively, while 7% could not be assigned a genotype by the methods used. The nucleotide sequences of cDNAs encoding the putative envelope proteins from 10 type 1b and 5 type 2a genotype samples were analyzed. Approximately 31-42% of the nucleotide sequences of type 1b samples examined differed from those of different genotypes. In the case of type 2a samples, 36-42% of the nucleotide sequences differed from those of different genotypes. The diversities of the amino acid sequences were the same or greater than those of the nucleotide sequences. Two hypervariable regions (HVR1 and HVR2) were recognized in both HCV genomes of genotypes 1b and 2a. However, the sequence divergence within the HVR2 region of genotype 2a was less than that of genotype 1b.

Predictive factors for beneficial response to interferon-alfa therapy in chronic hepatitis C

OBJECTIVES

Interferon is the only established treatment for chronic hepatitis C but the host-dependent or virus-related factors affecting the response rate to interferon therapy are not yet clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors predictive of response to interferon-alfa therapy in chronic hepatitis C.

METHODS

Twenty-five consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C were randomized to three regimens of interferon-alfa: group A (n = 7, 3 MU every day for 3 months), group B (n = 8, 3 MU every other day for 3 months) and group C (n = 10, 3 MU every other day for 6 months). We quantified serum HC RNA levels by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and performed HCV genotyping using type-specific primers deduced form the NS5 region of the HCV genome. We also attempted to identify which demographic, biochemical and histologic factors in addition to virus-related factors would significantly predict beneficial response to interferon by multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

Sustained responders were 8 (36.4%), nonsustained responders were 2 (9.1%) and nonresponders were 12 (54.5%) of 22 patients who had received complete therapy. The initial HCV RNA level (logarithmic transformed copy numbers per ml of serum) in sustained responders (5.75 +/- 0.39) was significantly lower than that of nonsustained responders (6.80 +/- 0.71) and nonresponders (6.70 +/- 0.52) (p < 0.05). In multivariate multiple logistic regression analysis, the serum HCV RNA level before therapy was only the independent predictor of a sustained response to interferon-alfa therapy (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum HCV RNA level before therapy was the most useful predictor of a sustained response to interferon-alfa therapy for chronic hepatitis C.

Occurrence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in active systemic anaphylaxis: role of platelet-activating factor

The possible occurrence of DIC in active systemic anaphylaxis was investigated in mice. Induction of active systemic anaphylaxis resulted in the development of DIC symptoms such as thrombocytopenia, prolongation of prothrombin time, hypofibrinogaemia, and elevated level of fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products. In addition, in histological examinations, massive congestion and cellular infiltration in pulmonary interstitia, and considerable haemorrhage in renal medullae were observed. All these changes were nearly completely prevented by pretreatment with platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonist (BN 50739). Moreover, the same haematological and morphological changes were produced by a bolus injection of PAF. These data strongly suggest that DIC occurs in active systemic anaphylaxis and PAF plays a pivotal role in the development of DIC in anaphylaxis.