Impaired induction of heat shock protein implicated in decreased thermotolerance in a temperature-sensitive multinucleated cell line

Cells of a temperature-sensitive mutant line (tsFT101) derived from a mouse mammary carcinoma cell line (FM3A) become multinucleated at a non-permissive temperature of 39 degrees C because of disturbed cytokinesis. To explore how this relates to thermotolerance, we examined the proliferative activity of, and heat shock protein (HSP) expression in, FM3A and tsFT101 cells cultured at 37 degrees C and 39 degrees C after heat shock pretreatment (15 min exposure at 45 degrees C). FM3A cells developed thermotolerance when cultured at both 37 degrees C and 39 degrees C, but whereas tsFT101 cells developed thermotolerance at 37 degrees C, this was markedly reduced at 39 degrees C. Western blot analysis showed similar degrees of expression of constitutive HSP70 (HSP73) in FM3A and tsFT101 cells after heat shock pretreatment at both 37 degrees C and 39 degrees C. However, expression of inducible HSP70 (HSP72) was reduced in tsFT101 cells at 39 degrees C compared to 37 degrees C and to FM3A cells at both 37 degrees C and 39 degrees C. Heat shock pretreatment activated DNA binding of heat shock transcription factor (HSF) in FM3A cells at 37 degrees C and 39 degrees C, but only at 37 degrees C in tsFT101 cells. These results indicate that (1) multinucleation caused by disturbed cytokinesis increases temperature sensitivity, (2) HSP70 is critical for the development of thermotolerance in both FM3A and tsFT101 cells, and (3) decreased expression of inducible HSP70 parallels deficient development of thermotolerance in tsFT101 cells cultured at a non-permissive temperature.

Effect of chronic haloperidol treatment on synaptic protein mRNAs in the rat brain

Chronic haloperidol treatment caused significant decreases in the levels of synaptotagmin I and IV, synaptobrevin II, syntaxin 1A and Rab 3A mRNAs in the nucleus accumbens but not in the prefrontal cortex medial field, striatum, substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area. No significant changes in SNAP 25 and synaptophysin mRNA levels were observed in any brain region examined. The reduced expression of synaptic proteins may be related to haloperidol-induced depolarization block of mesolimbic dopamine neurons.

Increased proliferative activity of osteoblasts in congenital hemifacial hypertrophy

Congenital hemifacial hypertrophy is expressed in facial asymmetry resulting from unilateral overgrowth. We examined proliferative activity of primary cultured osteoblasts taken from the hemifacial hypertrophic side of an 18-year-old woman compared with the normal side. Both fetal calf serum and basic fibroblast growth factor stimulated osteoblast DNA synthesis, and cultured osteoblast proliferation was markedly increased in the hypertrophic side. Neutralizing antibody against basic fibroblast growth factor was effective to partially block fetal calf serum-induced DNA synthesis. These results suggest that fibroblast growth factor and its receptor signal transduction axis may be selectively involved in affected osteoblasts, leading to progression of congenital hemifacial hypertrophy.

[Mechanical properties of titanium casting obtained using short-time cast procedure]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties of titanium casting obtained using short-time cast procedure. A commercial phosphate-bonded investment for titanium casting were used. And dumbbell-shaped specimens with phi 2 mm x 14 mm parallel portion were cast according to manufacture instruction and by way of three different short-time cast procedures. Then, micro vickers hardness test and tensile test were performed with these specimens. In the hardness test, the micro vickers hardness of 50 approximately 250 microns deep location from specimen surface was ranged from 192.8 to 259.0 Hv; there were significant difference among both the location factor and the casting procedure factor by the two-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). In the tensile test, tensile strength, yield strength, elastic modulus and elongation were obtained: these tensile properties of short-time cast procedures were not significantly different from those of manufacture instruction. These results indicated that the short-time cast procedure for titanium casting was available in the point of mechanical properties. It was, however, not obvious that how the short-time cast procedures effected the dimensional accuracy of titanium casting. Therefore, further investigation was needed for the practical usage of this method.

The possible prognostic significance of p53 immunostaining status of the primary tumor in patients developing local recurrence after breast-conserving surgery

Prognostic factors for distant metastases in patients with local recurrence after breast-conserving treatment (BCT) were studied. Fifty-six patients who developed local recurrence after BCT were recruited from 18 key hospitals/institutes in Japan. All 10 patients whose primary tumors were DCIS fared well without evidence of distant failure for a median follow-up period of 57 months (range 41-72) after the local recurrence. Inflammatory local recurrence was observed in 5 patients whose prognosis was grave: 3 with concomitant distant metastases and 1 developing them 7 months later. In the remaining 41 patients with noninflammatory local recurrence, various clinicopathological factors including age, disease-free interval, histology of the primary and recurrent tumors, axillary lymph node status, estrogen and progesterone receptor, immunohistochemical staining of erbB2 and p53 protein were evaluated as prognostic factors. Only the p53 immunostaining status of the primary tumor was found to be a significant prognostic indicator for distant metastases; distant disease-free survival at 5 years after the local recurrence was 92% for patients with p53-negative cancers and 51% for those with p53-positive cancers (p < 0.05).

Structure Effect on Miscibility of Butanol and Dodecyltrimethylammonium Chloride in Adsorbed Film

Miscibility of components in the adsorbed film for the n-butanol (NBA)-dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA)-DTAC mixtures were investigated by measuring surface tension of the aqueous solutions. The experimental results were analyzed thermodynamically. Diagrams of the excess Gibbs energy in the adsorbed film gH,E vs the composition in the adsorbed film XH<INF POS="STACK">2 were obtained from the phase diagrams of adsorption. The gH,E values of the NBA-DTAC system are more negative than those of the TBA-DTAC system. It is concluded that the molecular interaction between NBA and DTAC is stronger than that between TBA and DTAC. With respect to the mean molar area in the adsorbed film A vs XH<INF POS="STACK">2 curve at a fixed surface tension gamma, the criterion of ideal mixing is demonstrated to be a straight line connecting the pure values. The A vs XH<INF POS="STACK">2 curves are convex downward in both systems and the deviation from the straight line is attributed to the dependence of gH,E on gamma. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Mechanisms of thyroid hormone action. Implications for the clinical manifestation of thyrotoxicosis

Serum thyroid hormone concentrations alone do not explain the variability and severity of the range of symptoms observed in thyrotoxic patients. Despite gaps in our understanding of the links between the clinical manifestations of thyrotoxicosis and the underlying mechanisms, much has been learned. A limited number of markers directly reflect T3 action. The future elucidation of T3 targets that mediate these effects should ultimately lead to additional clinical markers of tissue-specific T3 action. The availability of such tests should allow for more specific treatment of individual patients.

Dental students' understanding of titanium

The understanding of titanium by students in the dental faculty of Tokyo Medical and Dental University was surveyed from 1990 to 1996. A seven-item questionnaire was used in the survey conducted during the first lecture of the dental materials and science course. The students' basic understanding of titanium was not very good and did not improve with time. However, their understanding improved significantly after the lecture and laboratory instructions.

All-trans retinoic acid suppresses liver injury induced by Propionibacterium acnes and lipopolysaccharide in rats

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been reported to exert major effects on the immune system, including monocytes/macrophages. The present study was designed to determine whether ATRA would modulate macrophage-associated liver injury induced by Propionibacterium acnes and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats. All-trans retinoic acid administration alleviated the liver injury and reduced the incidence of death following hepatic failure. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels 5 h after, and survival rates within 12 h after the administration of LPS were significantly lower in the ATRA-treated group (134+/-119 IU/L and 72.7%) compared with the control group (713+/-411 IU/L and 18.2%; P< 0.05). Histological findings supported these results. These effects may be due to suppression of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and superoxide anions produced by activated macrophages. Serum levels of TNF-alpha 1 h after LPS administration were significantly lower in the ATRA-treated group (60.5+/-7.0 ng/mL) as compared with the control group (105.2+/-39.3 ng/mL; P< 0.05). Formazan deposition that was generated by the perfusion of the liver with nitroblue tetrazolium, also suggested suppression of the release of superoxide anions from hepatic macrophages. These results suggest that ATRA acts as an immunomodulator in liver injury by suppressing the activation of liver macrophages.

A case-control study on risk factors for local recurrences or distant metastases in breast cancer patients treated with breast-conserving surgery

A case-control study was conducted on 143 case-control sets recruited from the 18 key hospitals/ institutes in Japan to identify risk factors for local recurrences and distant metastases after breast-conserving surgery in breast cancer patients: (1) positive surgical margin was a risk factor for local recurrences (relative risk (RR) = 16.70, p < 0.001) but not for distant metastases, (2) positive p53 immunostaining was a risk factor for both local recurrences (RR = 5.62, p = 0.003) and distant metastases (RR = 3.11, p = 0.034), (3) lymph node metastasis was a risk factor for distant metastases (RR = 9.28, p = 0.001) but not for local recurrences, (4) radiation therapy reduced local recurrences (RR = 0.13, p = 0.004) and (5) adjuvant chemotherapy (RR = 0.27, p = 0.120), endocrine therapy (RR = 0.21, p = 0.037), and chemoendocrine therapy (RR = 0.05, p = 0.013) reduced local recurrences.

Nonideal Mixing in Adsorbed Film and Micelle of Ionic-Nonionic Surfactant Mixtures

The surface tension of aqueous solutions of dodecylammonium chloride-octyl methyl sulfoxide (OMS) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide-OMS mixtures was measured as a function of the total molality of surfactants and the composition of OMS. The results were analyzed according to our thermodynamic procedure; the phase diagrams of adsorption and micelle formation and the diagram illustrating the composition relation between the micelle and the adsorbed film at the critical micelle concentration were drawn. The activity coefficient and excess Gibbs energy in the adsorbed film and the micelle were defined and then evaluated from the phase diagrams. They were found to give useful information on the deviation from ideal mixing and intermolecular interaction in the adsorbed film and micelle. Copyright 1997 Academic Press. Copyright 1997Academic Press

Effect of tamoxifen on pS2 expression in human breast cancers

pS2 protein expression is induced by estrogen through estrogen receptors (ER), and is known to be inhibited by antiestrogen in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. The present study was undertaken to determine whether pS2 expression may be inhibited by the antiestrogen tamoxifen (TAM) human breast cancer. pS2 expression was immunohistochemically investigated in 22 patients treated preoperatively with TAM and in 45 without TAM treatment (control group). Immunostaining was considered positive when 10% of tumor cells showed cytoplasmic staining. We found that 94% of the pS2-positive tumors were ER-positive (ER+), and there was a significant association between the two proteins (p < 0.0001). In ER+ tumors, pS2 expression was seen in only 21% (3 of 14) of the TAM+ group, compared to 70% (16 of 23) of the control group. Statistical analysis of these data indicated a high likelihood (p = 0.006) of TAM treatment being associated with inhibition of pS2 expression in human breast cancers.

Profilin gene expression and regulation in a temperature-sensitive breast cancer cell line: tsFT101

The temperature-sensitive mutant cells (tsFT101) derived from a mouse mammary carcinoma cell line, FM3A, become multinucleated at a non-permissive temperature of 39 degrees C. To further understand the molecular mechanism of such cytokinetic disturbance, we examined the expression of profilin, the main regulator of the transition of globular actin (G-actin) to filamentous actin (F-actin). RT-PCR analysis of mouse profilin cDNA from tsFT101 showed a point mutation (177 A two head right arrow G) which was a wobble mutation causing no change in the encoded amino acid. The expression level of profilin mRNA was, however, diminished in cultured tsFT101 cells under non-permissive temperatures compared with wild-type FM3A cells in association with multinucleation. A stable transfection of profilin cDNA expression vector to tsFT101 cells prevented multinuclear cell formation when cultured at 39 degrees C. In contrast, antisense profilin cDNA expression vector did not alter multinuclear cell formation. The primary cause of the cytokinetic disturbance of tsFT101 cells may be due to the diminished level of profilin gene expression.

[Benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer]

The main therapy for primary breast cancer is not surgery, but a systemic therapy involving administration of cytotoxic chemotherapy or the use of ablative or additive endocrine therapy to control disseminated micrometastasis. The results of randomized trials and meta-analysis show that CMF, the standard adjuvant chemotherapy, is effective regardless of axillar lymph node involvement or menopausal status. Effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy with an anthracyclin-based regimen remains controversial. The trial by CUBC and NSAS-BC comparing UFT, widely used in the management of patients with breast cancer in Japan, with CMF is on-going.

Extremely Strong Interaction of Sodium Decyl Sulfate and Decyltrimethylammonium Bromide in Molecular Aggregates

The thermodynamic behavior of a mixture of sodium decyl sulfate (SDeS) and decyltrimethylammonium bromide (DeTAB) in aqueous solution and in molecular aggregates such as surface adsorbed films and micelles was investigated by measuring the electric conductivity and surface tension of the aqueous solutions. The thermodynamic quantities in solution and those in the molecular aggregates were evaluated from the experimental conductivity and surface tension data. The results for molar conductivity showed that dimerization or ion-pair formation of the SDeS and DeTAB molecules does not occur in aqueous solution and the mixture behaves as uni-univalent strong electrolyte below the critical micelle concentration (CMC). Contrary to the results in the aqueous solution, we found significant nonideal behavior in the phase diagrams of surface adsorption; that is, equimolar mixture of SDeS and DeTAB exists in the adsorbed film at almost all compositions irrespective of the bulk composition in the solution. The same result was also observed in the phase diagram of micelle formation. There was no difference in phase diagrams between surface adsorption and micelle formation at the CMC. The great nonideal mixing of SDeS and DeTAB in the molecular aggregates is undoubtedly attributable to the extreme attractive interaction between oppositely charged polar head groups of surfactants as well as to cohesion between hydrophobic groups. Further, in a low concentration region, it turned out that equimolar composition is preserved in the film during phase transition of the mixed adsorbed film of SDeS and DeTAB from a gaseous state to an expanded state.

Thermodynamic Study on the Surface Formation of the Mixture of Water and Ethanol

The formation of the water + ethanol mixture/air surface was studied by measuring the surface tension as a function of temperature and the mole fraction of ethanol in the mixture. The surface composition, the entropy Deltas , and energy Deltau of surface formation were evaluated by adopting the thermodynamic equations. It was shown that the surface was enriched in ethanol molecules compared with the bulk solution. The values of Deltas and Deltau were examined closely by estimating the contribution from the nonideal mixing in the bulk solution and that at the surface to Deltas and Deltau . It was concluded that the surface formation is driven by entropy at lower x 2 and by energy at higher x 2 , respectively, and that the surface formation becomes more energetically favorable with rising temperature.

Differential effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and -beta on rat ventromedial hypothalamic neurons in vitro

The effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and -beta on the spontaneous firing rate of ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) neurons were examined in rat brain slice preparations. Of 89 neurons, 36 (40%) showed a decrease in the firing rate to -78.2 +/- 4.0% (n = 36, mean +/- SE) of the preapplication level after a bath application of 20 ng/ml (approximately 1.2 nM) of TNF-alpha. This response to TNF-alpha still persisted in a low-Ca2+, high-Mg2+ medium. Six (7%) of the 89 neurons were excited and 47 (53%) were unaffected by TNF-alpha. The inhibitory responses induced by TNF-alpha were abolished in a solution that contained sodium salicylate (1.9 x 10(-8)M). In contrast, TNF-beta at a dose of 20 ng/ml (approximately 1.1 nM) increased the firing rate to +39.2 +/- 6.5% (n = 11) of the preapplication level in 11 (24.5%) of 45 VMH neurons. Two of the 45 neurons (4.5%) were inhibited and 32 (71%) were unaffected by TNF-beta. The threshold concentration of TNF-alpha to alter the VMH neuron activity was lower than that of TNF-beta. Heat-inactivated TNFs were without effect. These findings suggest that TNF-alpha and -beta act as neuromodulators in the VMH, at least partly through prostaglandin synthesis, and differentially modulate the VMH neuron activity.

Effects of retinoids on the production of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and nitric oxide by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated rat Kupffer cells in vitro: evidence for participation of retinoid X receptor signalling pathway

Kupffer cells play important roles in the development of liver injury by producing cytokines and free radicals. In consequence inhibition of these inflammatory mediators will be one of the targets for treating liver diseases. Retinoids modulate a wide variety of functions of monocytes/macrophages. Cellular effects of retinoids are mediated by two families of nuclear receptors, retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs). We examined the effects of several kinds of natural and synthetic retinoids on the production of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide (NO) by LPS-stimulated rat Kupffer cells in vitro. Of the various retinoids tested, 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA) and Ro 13-6307 which are agonists of both RARs and RXRs, suppressed the production of TNF-alpha and NO in a concentration-dependent fashion, whereas three types of RAR-selective agonists, Ro 13-7410, Ro 40-6055 and Ro 19-0645 did not show any effect. Furthermore, the RAR alpha antagonist, Ro 41-5253, did not prevent the effects induced by 9-cis-RA. The results suggest that these effects of 9-cis RA and Ro 13-6307 were induced by the RXRs-dependent signalling pathway.

Sudden death in chronic dialysis patients

METHODS

Causes of sudden death were investigated in 113 chronic dialysis patients who died during the 10-year period from July 1979 to January 1989; postmortem examination was performed on 93 of the cases (autopsy rate; 82.3%). Sudden death was regarded as death 24 h after the onset of acute illness in patients without any restriction in their daily activities. There were 35 sudden death cases out of the 93 autopsied chronic dialysis patients. We analysed the causes of sudden death for all chronic dialysis patients and for those who died suddenly.

RESULTS

The mean age of the 93 cases was 61.4 +/- 10.5 years (+/-SD). Stroke was the most frequent cause of death (24 cases, 25.8%) in the 93 autopsied cases. This was followed by cardiac disease in 18 (19.4%), infectious disease in 16 (17.2%), malignancy in 14 (15.1%), and dissecting aortic aneurysm in 5 (5.4%). The mean age of the 35 sudden death cases was 60.9 +/- 10.9 years. Of the 35 sudden death cases in chronic dialysis patients, dissecting aortic aneurysm was the most common cause of sudden death (5 cases, 14.3%), followed by cerebral haemorrhage in three (8.6%), acute subdural haematoma in three (8.6%), acute myocardial infarction in two (5.7%), cerebral infarction in two (5.7%), and subarachnoidal haemorrhage in one (2.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

Dissecting aortic aneurysm, leading frequently to stroke as a cause of sudden death in chronic dialysis patients, at least in Japan, should be carefully differentiated from other cardiac diseases in chronic dialysis patients, such as severe atherosclerosis.

Case Report: haemothorax due to hepatocellular carcinoma rupture successfully controlled by transcatheter arterial embolization

A 64-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with multiple hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions in the liver and lung. On the seventh hospital day, a chest radiograph showed a marked increase in right pleural effusion. A thoracentesis revealed a haemothorax. Despite repeated pleural taps and blood transfusions, the patient's clinical status worsened and he developed severe dyspnoea. An inferior phrenic arteriography on the 19th hospital day showed a tumour growing over the diaphragm into the right thoracic cavity, suggesting a tumour rupture. A transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) of the inferior phrenic artery successfully controlled the bleeding and improved the haemothorax. There was no rebleeding; however, the patient died of advanced HCC 3 months later. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a haemothorax secondary to a ruptured HCC that was treated successfully with TAE.

DAX-1 gene mutations and deletions in Japanese patients with adrenal hypoplasia congenita and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

Abnormality of the DAX-1 gene accounts for many instances of congenital adrenal hypoplasia. In the present study, we performed molecular genetic analysis of DAX-1 in 4 unrelated Japanese patients with adrenal hypoplasia congenita and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. A double-point mutation for V126M and W171X was identified in 1 family and a complex de novo insertion-deletion mutation was identified in a second. The DAX-1 gene was entirely deleted in a 3rd patient as well as in a 4th with the additional feature of glycerol kinase deficiency.

A 460-kb DNA sequence of the Escherichia coli K-12 genome corresponding to the 40.1-50.0 min region on the linkage map

The 465,813 base pair sequence corresponding to the 40.1-50.0 min region on the genetic map of Escherichia coli K-12 (W3110) was determined. Analysis of the sequence revealed that this region contained at least 466 potential open reading frames, of which 187 (40%) were previously reported, 105 (23%) were homologous to other known genes, 103 (22%) were identical or similar to hypothetical genes registered in databases, and the remaining 71 (15%) did not show a significant similarity to any other gene. At the 45.2-46.0 min region, we found a very large cluster of about 30 genes, whose functions are involved in the biosynthesis of polysaccharides as the components of outer membranes. In addition, we identified a new asn-tRNA gene, designated asnW, between the asnT and asnU genes and a new lysogenic phage attachment site as the cis-element.