Heparin-protamine complexes cause pulmonary hypertension in goats

BACKGROUND

Protamine reversal of heparin-induced anticoagulation causes thromboxane release followed by pulmonary vasoconstriction in sheep and pigs. The aim of this study was to determine whether heparin-protamine (H-P) complexes are causative agents of thromboxane release followed by pulmonary hypertension associated with protamine reversal of heparin.

METHODS

We separated H-P complexes and non-heparin-protamine (non-H-P) complexes from heparinized defibrinated human plasma neutralized with protamine by chromatography and studied the changes in hemodynamics, airway pressure, and thromboxane B2 concentration after injection of H-P complexes or non-H-P complexes into seven goats. In addition, we studied whether these pulmonary responses were blocked in goats pretreated with cyclooxgenase inhibitor (Indomethacin, n = 5) or thromboxane synthetase inhibitor (OKY-046, n = 5).

RESULTS

A very small dose of H-P complexes increased pulmonary arterial and peak airway pressures and was followed by thromboxane B2 release (from 12 [5.5-23] to 28 [16-44] mmHg, from 9.0 [7.5-15] to 12 [8-19] cmH2O, and from 0.85 [0.34-3.2] to 16.4 [1.4-39.3] ng.ml-1, respectively). On the other hand, animals that received non-H-P complexes showed no significant changes. Indomethacin totally blocked and OKY-046 partially blocked the increases in pulmonary arterial pressure and thromboxane B2 concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

H-P complexes play a major role in pulmonary hypertension after protamine reversal of heparin, and thromboxane A2 is a main mediator of the pulmonary hypertensive response to H-P complexes in goats.

[A case of localized fibrous mesothelioma arising from visceral pleura of the right lower lobe]

A 56-year-old male who had been followed for chronic hepatitis had cough and hemosputum. Chest X-ray and CT films showed an abnormal mass shadow in the right thorax. On suspicion of intrathoracic tumor, resection was performed. The tumor, which was on the diaphragm without invasion, was pedunculated and arose from the bottom surface of visceral pleura of the right lower lobe. From the microscopic findings and immunohistochemical staining, the tumor was diagnosed as localized fibrous mesothelioma. Some localized fibrous mesothelioma exhibit as malignant tumor. Therefore, complete resection and intensive follow-up should be done.

[Efficacy of video thoracoscopic lung biopsy in diffuse lung diseases: comparison with open lung biopsy]

The efficacy and safety of video thoracoscopic lung biopsy (VTLB) and of open lung biopsy (OLB) were compared in patients with diffuse lung diseases. Thirty-three patients who had undergone VTLB were retrospectively studied and compared with 67 patients who had undergone OLB. There were no significant differences in age (52.8 +/- 10.9 vs 53.4 +/- 10.3), in the number of biopsies per patient (2.6 +/- 0.6 vs 2.7 +/- 0.6), or in the rate of diagnosis (94% vs 93%) between the two groups. However, the rate of diagnosis was low when the number of VTLB or OLB performed per patient was low. The patients undergoing VTLB had significantly shorter operative times (VTLB, 100.2 +/- 27.2 min. vs OLB, 119.8 +/- 42.6 min; p < 0.01) and less blood loss (VTLB, 4.7 +/- 14.6 ml vs OLB, 65.7 +/- 77.0 ml; p < 0.001). Complications occurred in 3 of the 33 who underwent VTLB, and in 18 of the 67 who underwent OLB. These results indicate that VTLB is an effective and safe alternative in the diagnosis of diffuse lung diseases.

TAN-1511 A, B and C, microbial lipopeptides with G-CSF and GM-CSF inducing activity

The microbial lipopeptides, TAN-1511 A, B and C, were isolated from the culture broth of Streptosporangium amethystogenes subsp. fukuiense AL-23456. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of their reactions and spectroscopic analyses. These lipopeptides were mixtures of molecules having different lengths of fatty acids. The metabolites stimulated the proliferation of bone marrow cells from BALB/c female mice at very low concentrations (concentration giving 30% increase: A and B, 0.313 ng/ml; C, 1.25 ng/ml). We confirmed that chemically synthesized TAN-1511 A analogue [(2R,6R)-2-tetradecanoylamino-6,7- bis(hexadecanoyloxy)-4-thiaheptanoyl-Gly-Gly-Gly-Glu-Thr-Thr -OH] stimulated the proliferation of bone marrow cells in a manner similar to that of natural TAN-1511 A. This analogue induced the secretion of both granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and potentiated the generation of Gr-1 positive cells in the bone marrow cell culture. Moreover, it effected the G-CSF mediated restoration of granulocytopoiesis in a murine leukopenia model.

Rescue of Schizosaccharomyces pombe from camptothecin-mediated death by a DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor, TAN-1518 A

TAN-1518 A is a cytotoxic agent with suppressive activity against Meth A fibrosarcoma in vivo. This compound inhibits calf thymus DNA topoisomerase I (Topo I) but does not stimulate cleavable complex formation in the nuclei of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells, suggesting that it inhibits Topo I in a manner different from that of camptothecin (CPT). To clarify the mode of action of TAN-1518 A, we examined its effects on the eukaryotic microorganism Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S. pombe), which does not require Topo I as an essential factor for growth. TAN-1518 A inhibited purified S. pombe Topo I as potently as did CPT. TAN-1518 A, unlike CPT, did not stimulate Topo I-induced DNA cleavage; instead, it inhibited CPT-induced cleavable complex formation. We constructed a S. pombe strain, IR9, that produced excess Topo I. IR9 was hypersensitive to CPT, but its growth was not affected by TAN-1518 A. The CPT-mediated death of IR9 cells was reduced dramatically in the presence of TAN-1518 A. These findings clearly demonstrate that TAN-1518 A is a specific inhibitor of Topo I in eukaryotic cells and also suggest that this agent inhibits some earlier step(s) that occurs before the formation of cleavable complex on DNA strands in the catalytic cycle of this enzyme.

Effect of vitamin E on keratinocyte-modulation induced by lauroylsarcosine

The effect of vitamin E on the modulation of keratinocytes was studied in rats. A 1% lauroylsarcosine (LS) ointment caused skin erythema with keratinocyte-damage. A 30% vitamin E ointment markedly alleviated this erythema and protected keratinocytes from cell damage. Vitamin E (100 micrograms/ml) was also effective on LS (7.5 micrograms/ml)-induced proliferative reduction of cultured keratinocytes. On the other hand, ointment containing superoxide dismutase (SOD) (99,000 U/g) decreased the LS-induced erythema, suggesting that superoxide anion (O2-) produced from keratinocytes play an important role in the skin irritation. Indeed, LS induced O2- production from cultured keratinocytes. The O2- was significantly reduced by vitamin E and SOD, although vitamin E had no effects on O2- production in a xanthine-xanthine oxidase system, unlike the effect observed with SOD. These results indicate that vitamin E is an inhibitor of keratinocyte-modulation.

Measurement of distributed strain and temperature in a branched optical fiber network by use of Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry

A new scheme is proposed for sensing distributed strain and temperature in optical fibers. This scheme uses Brillouin scattering as the sensing mechanism and a branched optical fiber network as the sensing fibers. Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry makes it possible to distinguish Brillouin-scattered light waves from different optical fiber branches in the network when the different Brillouin frequency shifts are assigned to each branch. The technical feasibility of this scheme is confirmed experimentally for a branched optical network composed of two branches connected to a trunk optical fiber.

Dnacin A1 and dnacin B1 are antitumor antibiotics that inhibit cdc25B phosphatase activity

The p80cdc25 protein is a protein phosphatase directly involved in p34cdc2 protein kinase activation by dephosphorylation. The cdc25B gene is one of three human cdc25 homologs which can complement the temperature-sensitive cdc25 mutation of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and is expressed a high levels in human cell lines, particularly in some cancer cells. A fusion protein of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and the catalytic domain of cdc25B protein was constructed and found to retain phosphatase activity in the manner of a p80cdc25 phosphatase by using a chromogenic substrate, p-nitrophenylphosphate. Two benzoquinoid antitumor compounds, dnacin A1 and dnacin B1, inhibited phosphatase activity in a non-competitive manner.

TAN-1496 A, C and E, diketopiperazine antibiotics with inhibitory activity against mammalian DNA topoisomerase I

Fungal metabolites with an epi-oligothiadiketopiperazine structure, TAN-1496 A, C and E, were isolated from the culture broth of Microsphaeropsis sp. FL-16144. Their molecular formulas were determined to be C22H28N2O9S2, C22H28N2O9S3 and C22H28N2O9S4, respectively. Structures were determined by comparing the NMR data with those of known diketopiperazine antibiotics, sirodesmins. These metabolites inhibited the relaxation of supercoiled pBR322 DNA by calf thymus topoisomerase I but did not affect the decatenation of kinetoplast DNA by calf thymus topoisomerase II at concentration up to 500 microM. They strongly suppressed the growth of various murine and human tumor cells and induced apoptosis. Moreover, various derivatives were synthesized to investigate the relationship of their functional groups and biological activities.

[A case of sarcoidosis associated with severe cardiac conduction disturbances and unilateral pleural effusion]

A 23-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of non-productive cough. Chest X-ray demonstrated bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy, bilateral infiltration shadows and right pleural effusion. ECG showed complete A-V block and sinus arrest. Transbronchial lung biopsy and pleural biopsy specimens showed non-necrotizing epithelioid cell granulomas. The patient was diagnosed as having sarcoidosis, and was treated with steroid and pacemaker. After steroid therapy, myocardial imaging with thallium-201 showed increase of uptake and the pleural effusion disappeared.

[A case of respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease]

We report the first case of respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease in Japan. A 48-year-old man with a 36-pack-year smoking history was referred because of 6 months of dry cough. Chest X-ray showed bilateral reticulonodular shadows. HRCT scan showed bilateral reticulonodular and ground glass shadows with centrilobular distribution. BAL yielded 85 x 10(6) cells with 99.5% macrophages. Histologic examination of the biopsy specimen obtained under thoracoscopy showed evidence of respiratory bronchiolitis, with accumulation of pigmented macrophages within respiratory bronchioles and adjacent air spaces associated with mild thickening of the peribronchiolar interstitium.

Complete nucleotide sequence of the Streptomyces nigrifaciens plasmid, pSN22: genetic organization and correlation with genetic properties

The complete nucleotide sequence of the multicopy, self-transmissible, broad-host-range Streptomyces plasmid pSN22, originating from Streptomyces nigrifaciens, was determined. pSN22 is a circular DNA molecule, 10,922 bp with 71.76% G + C. Computer-assisted analysis identified 10 open reading frames (ORFs); 8 of them--traA (155 amino acids [aa], traB (651 aa), traR (246 aa), spdB1 (107 aa), spdB2 (251 aa), spdB3 (70 aa), spdB4 (128 aa) and spdA (154 aa)--are involved in plasmid transfer and pock-formation. One ORF, rep (451 aa), probably encodes a replication protein similar to known replication proteins of rolling circle replicons. The four spdB genes have hydrophobic amino termini that might attach to the cytoplasmic membrane. The deduced rep proteins of pSN22 and pIJ101 are very similar, suggesting that both are derived from a recent common ancestor. The transfer regions of the two plasmids are, however, very different. The only detectable similarities between presumably analogous proteins are DNA- and NTP-binding motifs and hydrophobic regions. This suggests that two transfer regions are of separate origins.

Frequency translation of light waves by propagation around an optical ring circuit containing a frequency shifter: II. Theoretical analysis

Theoretical aspects of the frequency-translation ring circuit are considered through numerical simulations. We analyze the signal and noise propagation around an optical ring circuit that contains a frequency shifter, an erbium-doped fiber amplifier and a bandpass filter (BPF). The relations between the frequency-translation limit and some important parameters such as the BPF bandwidth and the polarization state are clarified. Numerical results for the frequency-translation limit are compared with reported experiments and a frequency translation of more than 100 GHz is predicted.

New naphthacenecarboxamide antibiotics, TAN-1518 A and B, have inhibitory activity against mammalian DNA topoisomerase I

New naphthacenecarboxamide antibiotics, TAN-1518 A and B, were isolated from a culture broth of Streptomyces sp. AL-16012. Their structures were elucidated from their reactions and from spectroscopic analyses. The relaxation of supercoiled pBR322 DNA by calf thymus DNA topoisomerase I was inhibited by these metabolites as potently as by camptothecin. However, the decatenation of kinetoplast DNA by calf thymus DNA topoisomerase II was little affected by these agents. The major metabolite, TAN-1518 A, strongly suppressed the growth of various murine and human tumor cells, inducing apoptosis. Unlike camptothecin, TAN-1518 A did not stimulate cleavable complex formation in the nuclei of CHO-K1 cells and had weak activity in intercalating into DNA strands. This metabolite arrested the growth of human tumor cell lines in G1 phase of the cell cycle. These results suggest that TAN-1518 A and B are novel antitumor agents targeting topoisomerase I.

Replication of the Streptomyces plasmid pSN22 through single-stranded intermediates

The replication of the 11 kb conjugative multicopy Streptomyces plasmid pSN22 was analyzed. Mutation and complementation analyses indicated that the minimal region essential for plasmid replication was located on a 1.9 kb fragment of pSN22, containing a transacting element encoding a replication protein and a cis-acting sequence acting as a replication origin. Southern hybridization showed that minimal replicon plasmids accumulated much more single-stranded plasmid molecules than did wild-type pSN22. Only one strand was accumulated. A 500 bp fragment from the pSN22 transfer region was identified which reduced the relative amount of single-stranded DNA, when added in the native orientation to minimal replicon plasmids. This 500 bp DNA sequence may be an origin for second-strand synthesis. It had no effect on the efficiency of co-transformation, plasmid incompatibility, or stability. The results indicate that pSN22 replicates via single-stranded intermediates by a rolling circle mechanism.

Frequency translation of light waves by propagation around an optical ring circuit containing a frequency shifter: I. Experiment

A technique for the external frequency translation of light waves is reported. The technique permits the stepwise sweeping of an optical frequency over a wide range with high linearity with respect to time. The frequency translator is composed of an optical pulse modulator and an optical ring circuit containing an acousto-optic frequency shifter and an optical amplifier. The pulse launched into the ring circuit undergoes a constant frequency shift for each circulation around the circuit and the frequency can be translated to a considerable degree from that of the original input pulse. We report a stepwise frequency translation over approximately 68 GHz for a 1.5-µm light wave with a strictly constant frequency-sweep rate and an approximately constant intensity.

Frequency-difference stabilization of distributed-feedback laser diodes by use of an optical frequency translation circuit

Frequency-difference stabilization over a 100-GHz range is demonstrated for two distributed-feedback laser diodes (LD's) by utilizing a loss-compensated optical loop with a frequency shifter. A light wave emitted from a master distributed-feedback LD is modulated into a pulse. The pulse is then circulated around the optical loop to shift its frequency to the difference required between the master and slave distributed-feedback LD's. A continuous-wave pulse from the slave LD is mixed with the frequency-shifted pulse, and their beat frequency is measured with a conventional low-speed heterodyne receiver. The frequency of the slave laser is adjusted by controlling the injection current so that the heterodyne beat frequency is kept constant. The error in the center frequency difference was estimated to be within the submegahertz range for a short period of 10 min.