Hypoxic 3D Tumor Model for Evaluating of CAR-T Cell Therapy In Vitro

Solid tumors contain abnormal physical and biochemical barriers that hinder chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies. However, there is a lack of understanding on how the solid tumor microenvironment (e.g. hypoxia) modulates CAR-T cell function. Hypoxia is a common feature of many advanced solid tumors that contributes to reprogramming of cancer and T cell metabolism as well as their phenotypes and interactions. To gain insights into the activities of CAR-T cells in solid tumors and to assess the effectiveness of new combination treatments involving CAR-T cells, in vitro models that faithfully reflect CAR-T cell-solid tumor interactions under physiologically relevant tumor microenvironment is needed. Here we demonstrate how to establish a hypoxic 3-dimensional (3-D) tumor model using a cleanroom-free, micromilling-based microdevice and assess the efficacy of the combination treatment with CAR-T cells and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition.

Cleanroom-Free Microfluidic Device for Natural Induction of Hypoxia in 2D and 3D Tumor Models

Hypoxia is a common and critical feature of solid tumors that contributes to the plasticity and heterogeneity of the cancer cells. Cancer cell populations take on a region-specific adaptation induced by hypoxia, and each cancer cell population will show different levels of sensitivity and resistance to cancer therapeutics. Therefore, a faithful recapitulation of tumor hypoxia that allows for accurate assessments of hypoxia-induced adaptations, heterogeneity, and response to therapy is needed to develop new therapeutic approaches. The existing hypoxic tumor models rely on complex fabrication methods and external gas sources that make them unfavorable for the early-stage screening of new therapeutics. Here, we demonstrate how to establish a cleanroom-free microfluidic device that supports both 2D and 3D hypoxic tumor modeling through natural cancer cell metabolism and confirm the induction of the hypoxic gradient.

Recapitulating Tumor Hypoxia in a Cleanroom-Free, Liquid-Pinning-Based Microfluidic Tumor Model

In tumors, the metabolic demand of cancer cells often outpaces oxygen supply, resulting in a gradient of tumor hypoxia accompanied with heterogeneous resistance to cancer therapeutics. Models recapitulating tumor hypoxia are therefore essential for developing more effective cancer therapeutics. Existing in vitro models often fail to capture the spatial heterogeneity of tumor hypoxia or involve high-cost, complex fabrication/handling techniques. Here, we designed a highly tunable microfluidic device that induces hypoxia through natural cell metabolism and oxygen diffusion barriers. We adopted a cleanroom-free, micromilling-replica-molding strategy and a microfluidic liquid-pinning approach to streamline the fabrication and tumor model establishment. We also implemented a thin-film oxygen diffusion barrier design, which was optimized through COMSOL simulation, to support both two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) hypoxic models. We demonstrated that liquid-pinning enables an easy, injection-based micropatterning of cancer cells of a wide range of parameters, showing the high tunability of our design. Human breast cancer and prostate cancer cells were seeded and stained after 24 h of 2-D and 3-D culture to validate the natural induction of hypoxia. We further demonstrated the feasibility of the parallel microfluidic channel design to evaluate dual therapeutic conditions in the same device. Overall, our new microfluidic tumor model serves as a user-friendly, cost-effective, and highly scalable platform that provides spatiotemporal analysis of the hypoxic tumor microenvironments suitable for high-content biological studies and therapeutic discoveries.

A Pillar-Free Diffusion Device for Studying Chemotaxis on Supported Lipid Bilayers

Chemotactic cell migration plays a crucial role in physiological and pathophysiological processes. In tissues, cells can migrate not only through extracellular matrix (ECM), but also along stromal cell surfaces via membrane-bound receptor–ligand interactions to fulfill critical functions. However, there remains a lack of models recapitulating chemotactic migration mediated through membrane-bound interactions. Here, using micro-milling, we engineered a multichannel diffusion device that incorporates a chemoattractant gradient and a supported lipid bilayer (SLB) tethered with membrane-bound factors that mimics stromal cell membranes. The chemoattractant channels are separated by hydrogel barriers from SLB in the cell loading channel, which enable precise control of timing and profile of the chemokine gradients applied on cells interacting with SLB. The hydrogel barriers are formed in pillar-free channels through a liquid pinning process, which eliminates complex cleanroom-based fabrications and distortion of chemoattractant gradient by pillars in typical microfluidic hydrogel barrier designs. As a proof-of-concept, we formed an SLB tethered with ICAM-1, and demonstrated its lateral mobility and different migratory behavior of Jurkat T cells on it from those on immobilized ICAM-1, under a gradient of chemokine CXCL12. Our platform can thus be widely used to investigate membrane-bound chemotaxis such as in cancer, immune, and stem cells.

Factors influencing posttraumatic growth in ovarian cancer survivors

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine posttraumatic growth (PTG), cancer coping, posttraumatic stress, and genetics knowledge among ovarian cancer survivors and to identify factors affecting PTG.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 148 outpatient ovarian cancer survivors at a cancer center. Data were collected between February 25 and April 11, 2019, and were analyzed using t tests, ANOVA, Pearson-correlations, and multiple regression.

RESULTS

On average, the ovarian cancer survivors scored 68.09 ± 20.17 in PTG, 59.75 ± 13.37 in cancer coping, 29.30 ± 17.25 in posttraumatic stress, and 9.42 ± 3.33 in genetics knowledge. There were significant differences in PTG according to religion (t = - 2.92, p = .004), marital status (F = 3.06, p = .050), and family history of cancer (t = 2.00, p = .047). In the final analysis, the statistically significant factors influencing PTG were religion (β = .170, p = .004) and cancer coping (β = .691, p < .001), and posttraumatic stress had borderline statistical significance (β = - .107, p < .068). These factors explained 52.2% of the variance in PTG.

CONCLUSIONS

Ovarian cancer survivors showed a moderate level of genetics knowledge while having a high risk for posttraumatic stress. Overall, this study showed that cancer coping was a powerful factor that influenced PTG in ovarian cancer survivors. Religion was found to positively affect PTG, and posttraumatic stress had a small negative effect. Spiritual nursing interventions and improving cancer coping while reducing posttraumatic stress are necessary to increase the PTG of ovarian cancer survivors.

Automated Detection of TMJ Osteoarthritis Based on Artificial Intelligence

The purpose of this study was to develop a diagnostic tool to automatically detect temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images with artificial intelligence. CBCT images of patients diagnosed with temporomandibular disorder were included for image preparation. Single-shot detection, an object detection model, was trained with 3,514 sagittal CBCT images of the temporomandibular joint that showed signs of osseous changes in the mandibular condyle. The region of interest (condylar head) was defined and classified into 2 categories-indeterminate for TMJOA and TMJOA-according to image analysis criteria for the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorder. The model was tested with 2 sets of 300 images in total. The average accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score over the 2 test sets were 0.86, 0.85, 0.84, and 0.84, respectively. Automated detection of TMJOA from sagittal CBCT images is possible by using a deep neural networks model. It may be used to support clinicians with diagnosis and decision making for treatments of TMJOA.

Microphysiological Engineering of Self-Assembled and Perfusable Microvascular Beds for the Production of Vascularized Three-Dimensional Human Microtissues

The vasculature is an essential component of the circulatory system that plays a vital role in the development, homeostasis, and disease of various organs in the human body. The ability to emulate the architecture and transport function of blood vessels in the integrated context of their associated organs represents an important requirement for studying a wide range of physiological processes. Traditional in vitro models of the vasculature, however, largely fail to offer such capabilities. Here we combine microfluidic three-dimensional (3D) cell culture with the principle of vasculogenic self-assembly to engineer perfusable 3D microvascular beds in vitro. Our system is created in a micropatterned hydrogel construct housed in an elastomeric microdevice that enables coculture of primary human vascular endothelial cells and fibroblasts to achieve de novo formation, anastomosis, and controlled perfusion of 3D vascular networks. An open-top chamber design adopted in this hybrid platform also makes it possible to integrate the microengineered 3D vasculature with other cell types to recapitulate organ-specific cellular heterogeneity and structural organization of vascularized human tissues. Using these capabilities, we developed stem cell-derived microphysiological models of vascularized human adipose tissue and the blood-retinal barrier. Our approach was also leveraged to construct a 3D organotypic model of vascularized human lung adenocarcinoma as a high-content drug screening platform to simulate intravascular delivery, tumor-killing effects, and vascular toxicity of a clinical chemotherapeutic agent. Furthermore, we demonstrated the potential of our platform for applications in nanomedicine by creating microengineered models of vascular inflammation to evaluate a nanoengineered drug delivery system based on active targeting liposomal nanocarriers. These results represent a significant improvement in our ability to model the complexity of native human tissues and may provide a basis for developing predictive preclinical models for biopharmaceutical applications.

Polydopamine-Based Interfacial Engineering of Extracellular Matrix Hydrogels for the Construction and Long-Term Maintenance of Living Three-Dimensional Tissues

Diverse biological processes in the body rely on the ability of cells to exert contractile forces on their extracellular matrix (ECM). In three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, however, this intrinsic cellular property can cause unregulated contraction of ECM hydrogel scaffolds, leading to a loss of surface anchorage and the resultant structural failure of in vitro tissue constructs. Despite advances in the 3D culture technology, this issue remains a significant challenge in the development and long-term maintenance of physiological 3D in vitro models. Here, we present a simple yet highly effective and accessible solution to this problem. We leveraged a single-step surface functionalization technique based on polydopamine to drastically increase the strength of adhesion between hydrogel scaffolds and cell culture substrates. Our method is compatible with different types of ECM and polymeric surfaces and also permits prolonged shelf storage of functionalized culture substrates. The proof-of-principle of this technique was demonstrated by the stable long-term (1 month) 3D culture of human lung fibroblasts. Furthermore, we showed the robustness and advanced application of the method by constructing a dynamic cell stretching system and performing over 100 000 cycles of mechanical loading on 3D multicellular constructs for visualization and quantitative analysis of stretch-induced tissue alignment. Finally, we demonstrated the potential of our technique for the development of microphysiological in vitro models by establishing microfluidic 3D co-culture of vascular endothelial cells and fibroblasts to engineer self-assembled, perfusable 3D microvascular beds.

Development and clinical application of an evidence-based pharmaceutical care service algorithm in acute coronary syndrome

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

Drug therapies are critical for preventing secondary complications in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a pharmaceutical care service (PCS) algorithm for ACS and confirm that it is applicable through a prospective clinical trial.

METHODS

The ACS-PCS algorithm was developed according to extant evidence-based treatment and pharmaceutical care guidelines. Quality assurance was conducted through two methods: literature comparison and expert panel evaluation. The literature comparison was used to compare the content of the algorithm with the referenced guidelines. Expert evaluations were conducted by nine experts for 75 questionnaire items. A trial was conducted to confirm its effectiveness. Seventy-nine patients were assigned to either the pharmacist-included multidisciplinary team care (MTC) group or the usual care (UC) group. The endpoints of the trial were the prescription rate of two important drugs, readmission, emergency room (ER) visit and mortality.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The main frame of the algorithm was structured with three tasks: medication reconciliation, medication optimization and transition of care. The contents and context of the algorithm were compliant with class I recommendations and the main service items from the evidence-based guidelines. Opinions from the expert panel were mostly positive. There were significant differences in beta-blocker prescription rates in the overall period (P = .013) and ER visits (four cases, 9.76%, P = .016) in the MTC group compared to the UC group, respectively.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

We developed a PCS algorithm for ACS based on the contents of evidence-based drug therapy and the core concept of pharmacist services.

Dietary total, animal, vegetable calcium and type 2 diabetes incidence among Korean adults: The Korean Multi-Rural Communities Cohort (MRCohort)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Although a possible mechanism for developing type 2 diabetes in relation to calcium intake has been suggested, there is currently little epidemiological evidence on the association between dietary calcium and type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to evaluate the prospective association between dietary calcium and T2D incidence among adults 40 years of age or over, from the Multi-rural Communities Cohort (MRCohort), South Korea.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In total, 8313 participants (3033 men and 5280 women) who did not have diabetes at baseline were recruited between 2005 and 2013. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) was estimated using a modified Poisson regression model with a robust error estimator. During follow-up (31,570 person-years), 322 T2D cases were newly diagnosed. Dietary calcium (total and vegetable calcium) were inversely associated with the risk of T2D incidence among women (IRR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.43-0.86, P for trend = 0.007 in third tertile of baseline total calcium intake comparing to the first tertile; IRR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.39-0.84, P for trend = 0.006 for baseline vegetable calcium intake), not for men. The tendency of those inverse associations remained in both the normal fasting blood glucose group and the impaired fasting blood glucose group and were independent of obesity, smoking, and magnesium intake.

CONCLUSIONS

Total and vegetable calcium may be inversely associated with T2D incidence among women, regardless of impaired fasting blood glucose group or normal group. The associations may be potentially dose-responsive. Moderate dietary calcium may be related to lower risk of T2D incidence comparing to low intake group among women.

Ion size effects on the osmotic pressure and electrocapillarity in a nanoslit: Symmetric and asymmetric ion sizes

We analyze the effect of asymmetric finite ion size in nanoconfinement in the view of osmotic pressure and electrocapillarity. When the confinement width becomes comparable with the Debye length, the overlapped electric double layer is significantly deformed by the steric effects. We derive the osmotic pressure from the modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation in a nanoslit to examine the deviation from the ideal osmotic pressure and the repulsive force on the wall considering the asymmetry of ion sizes. Then the electrocapillarity due to the steric effect is investigated under constant potential condition with the flat interface assumption. Later, the deformation by the electrocapillarity is also considered in the first order approximation.

Electrowetting driven optical switch and tunable aperture

We demonstrate an electrowetting based optical switch with tunable aperture. Under the influence of an electric field a non-transparent oil film can be replaced locally by a transparent water drop creating an aperture through which light can pass. Its diameter can be tuned between 0.2 and 1.2 mm by varying the driving voltage or frequency. The on and off response time of the switch is in the order of 2 and 120 ms respectively. Finally we demonstrate an array of switchable apertures that can be tuned independently or simultaneously.

Wetting of a drop on a sphere

In this work, the equilibrium morphology of a drop on a sphere is analyzed as a function of the contact angle and drop volume experimentally and with analytical effective interfacial energy calculations. Experimentally, a drop on a sphere geometry is realized in an oil bath by placing a water drop on a sphere coated with a dielectric, of which the radii of curvature are comparable with that of the drop. Electrowetting (EW) is used to change the contact angle of the water drop on the sphere. To validate the applicability of EW and the Lippman-Young equation on nonflat surfaces, we systematically investigate the response of the contact angle to the applied voltage (EW response) for various drop volumes and compared the results with the case of a planar surface. The effective interfacial energy of two competing morphologies, namely, the spherically symmetric "completely engulfing" and "partially engulfing" morphologies are calculated analytically. The analytical calculations are then compared to the experimental results to confirm which morphology is energetically more favored for a given contact angle and drop volume. Our findings indicate that the "partially engulfing" morphology is always the energetically more favorable morphology.

Electrical switching of wetting states on superhydrophobic surfaces: a route towards reversible Cassie-to-Wenzel transitions

We demonstrate that the equilibrium shape of the composite interface between superhydrophobic surfaces and drops in the superhydrophobic Cassie state under electrowetting is determined by the balance of the Maxwell stress and the Laplace pressure. Energy barriers due to pinning of contact lines at the edges of the hydrophobic pillars control the transition from the Cassie to the Wenzel state. Barriers due to the narrow gap between adjacent pillars control the lateral propagation of the Wenzel state. We demonstrate how reversible switching between the two wetting states can be achieved locally using suitable surface and electrode geometries.

Anisotropic and hindered diffusion of colloidal particles in a closed cylinder

Video microscopy and particle tracking were used to measure the spatial dependence of the diffusion coefficient (D(α)) of colloidal particles in a closed cylindrical cavity. Both the height and radius of the cylinder were equal to 9.0 particle diameters. The number of trapped particles was varied between 1 and 16, which produced similar results. In the center of the cavity, D(α) turned out to be 0.75D(0) measured in bulk liquid. On approaching the cylindrical wall, a transition region of about 3 particle diameters wide was found in which the radial and azimuthal components of D(α) decrease to respective values of 0.1D(0) and 0.4D(0), indicating asymmetrical diffusion. Hydrodynamic simulations of local drag coefficients for hard spheres produced very good agreement with experimental results. These findings indicate that the hydrodynamic particle-wall interactions are dominant and that the complete 3D geometry of the confinement needs to be taken into account to predict the spatial dependence of diffusion accurately.

Strong tunable slow and fast lights using a gain-clamped semiconductor optical amplifier

Previously demonstrated slow light is still far from applications, particularly due to the limited bandwidth and control speed. Although semiconductor-based slow light has the high bandwidth and sub-nanosecond control speed, slow light was observed only in the absorption regime with attenuation, while fast light observed in the gain regime with amplification. The large power difference in two regimes makes the use of the optical delay impractical. We report novel slow light in the gain regime, with a high power comparable to that of fast light, utilizing the anomalous gain characteristic in a gain-clamped semiconductor optical amplifier. The slow light is tunable to fast light with the current as the only variable. Additional high speed operation, fast delay control, and wide range of operation wavelength make the present approach practical.

Interferometric optical signal-to-noise ratio measurements of telecom signals with degraded extinction ratio

We measure full interferograms of telecom signals impaired by noise and investigate their applicability to in-band optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) monitoring in practical systems. We experimentally establish that the dependence of overall shape of the interferogram on a signal's extinction ratio (ER) is strong but not unique. As the ER is being degraded the interferogram evolves in two distinct ways depending on the modulation conditions. The resulting ambiguity in the interferogram shape prevents OSNR measurements on completely unknown signals and necessitates a calibration for each modulator condition. With appropriate calibration, we experimentally demonstrate reliable OSNR measurements in the 5 to 25 dB range for 42.8 Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero, return-to-zero, and carrier-suppressed return-to-zero on-off-keyed signals.

Electrically tunable slow and fast lights in a quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifier near 1.55 microm

We have demonstrated both slow light in the absorption regime and fast light in the gain regime of a 1.55 microm quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifier at room temperature. The theory with coherent population oscillations and four-wave mixing effects agrees well with the experimental results. We have observed a larger phase delay at the excited state than that at the ground state transition, likely due to the higher gain and smaller saturation power of the excited state.

Efficacy and safety of abciximab in combination with cilostazol in patients undergoing stenting

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy and safety of abciximab and cilostazol in patients with acute MI and unstable angina undergoing intracoronary stenting.

METHODS

Acute-phase (7 and 30 days), 6-month and long-term composite outcomes involving death, myocardial infarction or urgent target vessel revascularization (TVR) together with other outcomes (composite outcomes involving death, MI and elective TVR with restenosis and stroke) were evaluated retrospectively in a total of 175 patients. Safety outcomes were assessed using data on the incidence of bleeding and thrombocytopenia at Day 7 and Day 30.

RESULTS

Of 175 patients, 83 (47.4%) patients received abciximab. At 7 and 30 days, the composite outcome for the group treated with cilostazol alone and that treated with abciximab in combination with cilostazol did not differ significantly. The composite outcomes at 6 months and 1 year were significantly lower in the abciximab plus cilostazol group (relative risk 0.35, 95% Cl 0.13 - 0.90, relative risk 0.28, 95% CI 0.10 -0.78, respectively). The incidence of major bleeding at the access-site and in the gastrointestinal tract and minor bleeding were significantly higher in the group receiving abciximab plus cilostazol group at 7 days (relative risk 3.33, 95% CI 1.66 - 6.65, relative risk 9.98, 95% CI 1.29 - 77.07, relative risk 1.96, 95% CI 1.06 - 3.62, respectively) and at 30 days (relative risk 3.33, 95% CI 1.66 - 6.65, relative risk 5.54, 95% CI 1.25 - 24.56, relative risk 1.96, 95% CI 1.06 - 3.62, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The combination of abciximab and cilostazol showed an improvement in major cardiac incidents at 6 months and 1 year of the treatment when compared to the group receiving cilostazol alone. However, abciximab did not improve the incidence of death but increased the risk of bleeding complications.

Effectiveness of raloxifene on bone mineral density and serum lipid levels in post-menopausal women with low BMD after discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of raloxifene on bone mineral density (BMD) and serum lipid levels in post-menopausal women who had discontinued hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

METHODS

Thirty-four post-menopausal women with low BMD who had taken 60 mg of raloxifene daily for 12 months after discontinuing HRT were evaluated retrospectively. Information about their demographics, fracture history, BMD, lipid profiles and adverse events were collected from medical records and intranet database. The outcome measures were changes in the spine (L2-L4) and femur BMD, serum lipid concentrations, fracture rate and tolerability.

RESULTS

The post-menopausal women had a significant increase in their spine (L2-L4) and femur BMD from their baseline BMD [spine, 2.9 +/- 4.6% (P < 0.001); femur, 3.0 +/- 6.6% (P = 0.01)]. Serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was significantly reduced by 22.6% below baseline after 12 months (P = 0.007). No fractures were observed during therapy. Raloxifene was well tolerated. The most common adverse event was hot flash, which was generally mild.

CONCLUSIONS

Raloxifene increases BMD at important skeletal sites, and lowers LDL cholesterol with tolerable adverse events.

Classification of lake sediments using a hydrocyclone

The present work is a preliminary experiment for hydrocyclones as a primary process in lake sediment thickening. A few cyclones based on the Rietema standard geometry were prepared, and sample particles were sediments from a local lake and waste coal fly ash for a reference test. As a result of the chemical analysis, more organic contaminants were found in smaller particles. The experimental tests showed that physical characteristics of particles, configuration of the cyclone and operation conditions could affect the separation efficiency.

Incorporation of a fiber Bragg grating to improve the efficiency of a 1580-nm-band tunable fiber ring laser

An efficient and tunable 1580-nm-band erbium-doped fiber ring laser is achieved by injection of amplified spontaneous emission in a conventional band by a fiber Bragg grating into the gain medium. The insertion of the fiber Bragg grating reduces the lasing threshold to 25%. The tuning range is 1560-1610 nm; the side-mode suppression ratio is better than 65 dB.

Promoted expression of mast cell-specific proteases in IgE-dependent passive cutaneous anaphylaxis responses

BACKGROUND

Various factors can influence the protease expression phenotype of mast cells.

METHODS

In an effort to understand the potential role of the mast cell proteases in the IgE-dependent passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) responses of murine tissues, we studied the changes of proteases expression. The expressions of proteases were examined by Northern blotting and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Promoted expression phenotypes of mouse mast cell protease (mMCP)-4, and rat mast cell protease I were accompanied by initiation of anti-dinitrophenyl (DNP) IgE-induced PCA responses, suggesting that the induction of these proteases expression are associated with IgE-mediated anaphylaxis responses. Elevated level of the L-histidine decarboxylase (HDC) mRNA expression was also observed in the PCA tissues and the activated mast cells, compared with that of the corresponding control tissue and cells, due to the activation of mast cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Promoted protease expression phenotype appears to be linked with the induction of HDC expression.

A database of protein expression in lung cancer

We have developed a comprehensive approach to identifying molecular changes in lung cancer that includes both genomic and proteomic analyses. The related effort has produced a large amount of data pertaining to gene expression at the RNA and protein levels. As a result, we have constructed a database that contains protein expression data on lung cancer as well as other relevant data including DNA microarray derived data. A large number of proteins that are expressed in different types of lung cancer have been identified and have been correlated with the expression measures for their corresponding genes at the RNA level. The database is intended to facilitate our effort at developing novel classification schemes for lung cancer and the identification of novel markers for early diagnosis.

Comparison of azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil for the prevention of acute rejection in recipients of pancreas transplantation

The study was performed to compare the efficacy and side effects of azathioprine (AZA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in conjunction with cyclosporine or tacrolimus and steroids for the prevention of acute pancreas rejection during the first 6 months of pancreas transplantation. In this case-controlled study, MMF is compared with historical controls of AZA in the prevention of acute pancreas rejection. The primary measures of treatment efficacy were patient and pancreas survival rate at 6 months after transplantation. Secondary efficacy measures were the occurrence of biopsy-proven pancreas rejections and the use of antilymphocyte preparations for rejection treatment. A total of 111 pancreas transplant patients (57 in the AZA group and 54 in the MMF group) were evaluated. The 6-month patient survival rate was 96% in the AZA group versus 97% in the MMF group (p = 0.57). The 6-month pancreas graft survival rate was 88% in the AZA group versus 91% in the MMF group (p = 0.29). However, biopsy-proven rejection episodes during the first 6 months of transplantation were significantly lower with MMF (46%) than with AZA (69%) (p = 0.01). In addition, patients in the AZA group received a greater number of full courses of antilymphocyte therapy as a rejection treatment (p = 0.004). Overall, the frequency of adverse events was similar, although the MMF group experienced higher incidences of gastrointestinal adverse events. In conclusion, compared with AZA, MMF significantly reduces the rate of biopsy-proven pancreas rejection during the first 6 months of transplantation and is well tolerated, except for gastrointestinal adverse events.

Sodium nitroprusside induces apoptosis of H9C2 cardiac muscle cells in a c-Jun N-terminal kinase-dependent manner

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) induces apoptosis in H9C2 cardiac muscle cells. Treatment with an exogenous NO donor SNP (2 mM) to H9C2 cells resulted in apoptotic morphological changes; a bright blue-fluorescent condensed nuclei and chromatin fragmentation by fluorescence microscope of Hoechst 33258-staining. The activity of caspase-3 like protease was increased during SNP-induced cell death. However, the activity of caspase-1 like protease was not affected by SNP. Pretreatment with Z-VAD-FMK (a pan-caspase inhibitor) or Ac-DEVD-CHO (a specific caspase-3 inhibitor) abrogated the SNP-induced cell death. SNP markedly activated three MAP kinases (JNK/SAPK, ERK and p38 MAP kinase) in the cardiac muscle cells. In this study, selective inhibition of the ERK or p38 MAPK pathway (by PD98059 or SB203580, respectively) had no effect on the extent of SNP-induced apoptosis in cardiac muscle cells. In contrast, inhibition of the JNK pathway by transfection of a dominant negative mutant of JNK markedly reduced the extent of SNP-induced cell death. Taken together, we suggest that JNK/SAPK will be related to SNP-induced apoptosis of H9C2 cardiac muscle cells.

Thermal inactivation kinetics and application of phospho- and galactolipid-degrading enzymes for evaluation of quality changes in frozen vegetables

Lipid-acyl hydrolases (LAHases) play significant roles in lipid degradation during the storage of vegetables. In particular, spinach contains a large portion of galactolipids (59.5%) and phospholipids (22.4%) among its fat-soluble components, which are used as substrates for LAHases. Thermal inactivation of various LAHases, including phospholipases A, C, and D, phosphatase, and galactolipase, from spinach and carrot was investigated to optimize the blanching process prior to the frozen storage of vegetables. Thermostability of phospholipase C or galactolipase was greatest among the LAHases from both spinach and carrot. Galactolipase from spinach exhibited a D value of 3.39 x 10(2) s at 80 degrees C and a z value of 8.21 degrees C, whereas phospholipase C from spinach showed D(80) of 1.72 x 10(2) s with a z value of 9.26 degrees C. In the case of LAHases from carrot, the D(65) and z values of galactolipase were 6.66 x 10(2) s and 8.69 degrees C, respectively, whereas phospholipase C displayed D(85) of 3.12 x 10(2) s and a z value of 15.8 degrees C. Highly active and thermostable galactolipase and phospholipase C in spinach and carrot made it possible for them to be used as indicator enzymes for the determination of quality deterioration of the stored vegetables.

Human chorionic gonadotropin induces nitric oxide synthesis by murine microglia

This study investigated the effects of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) in murine neonatal microglial cells. When hCG was used in combination with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), there was a marked cooperative induction of NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. This increase in NO synthesis was reflected as an increased amount of iNOS protein. The increase of NO synthesis by IFN-gamma-plus-hCG was associated with the increase of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) secretion and hCG-induced NO production was decreased by the treatment with anti-murine TNF-alpha neutralizing antibody. This study provides evidence that hCG activates expression of iNOS protein in murine microglial cells accompanied by NO accumulation via pathway dependent on L-arginine in the culture medium, and further offers that TNF-alpha acts on the NO synthesis from IFN-gamma-primed murine microglial cells.

Mouse monoclonal antibodies to hepatitis B virus preS1 produced after immunization with recombinant preS1 peptide

We have efficiently generated mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), which bind specifically to amino acids 21-47 of the preS1 domain of hepatitis B virus (HBV) by immunizing mice with the preS1 peptide (amino acids, aa 1-56) conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Hybridomas were screened by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the purified preS1 peptide as a coated antigen. Eighteen positive hybridomas were selected and subjected to isotyping. Of these, 5 clones secreted immunoglobulin G (IgG) and 13 clones secreted IgM. Four (KR1, KR2, KR3, and KR4) of the 5 IgG MAbs bound to preS1 peptide (aa 21-47). Epitope mapping using bacterially expressed GST fusion proteins revealed that three clones (KR2, KR3, KR4) (IgG1, K) recognize aa 21-35, while KR1 (IgG2a, K) recognizes aa 35-47 of the preS1. These MAbs immunoprecipitated HBV particles, demonstrating that they bind to native HBV particles.

Mining protein data from two-dimensional gels: tools for systematic post-planned analyses

There is a considerable need to develop comprehensive, systematic mechanisms to analyze the vast number of proteins that orchestrate various cellular functions and to identify proteins associated with disease or that are affected by pharmacological agents. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) continues to be relied upon to analyze protein constituents of cells and tissues. We have developed a Laboratory Information Processing System (LIPS) as a computer-based tool for capturing quantitative and qualitative changes in thousands of proteins detected in 2-D gels of various types. Protein databases have been developed to serve as a repository for data processing of the basic and derived data and of findings derived from different studies. There have been remarkable advances both in database technology as well as in the computer hardware that have benefited our effort at mining protein data from 2-D gels. We here review our current efforts aimed at improving the performance and features of our 2-D related protein databases, with particular emphasis on the tools we utilize for database mining via a systematic analysis of information known as post-planned analysis.

Immunohistochemical study of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/delta5-delta4 isomerase in the rat cardiovascular system

The enzyme complex 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD) is involved in the biosynthesis of all classes of active steroids. It is known that the enzymatic activity of 3beta-HSD is present not only in classical steroidogenic tissues, but also in many peripheral tissues including cardiac tissue. To determine whether 3beta-HSD is present in rat non-steroidogenic tissues, we examined cardiovascular tissues including the ventricle, atrium, aortic arch, abdominal aorta, and inferior vena cava by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting using polyclonal antibody raised against a synthetic peptide of human placental 3beta-HSD. By Western blotting, protein bands immunoreactive for anti-3beta-HSD were detected at molecular weights of 42 and 37 kDa in both the ventricle and atrium, whereas only a 37 kDa band was recognized in both the aortic arch and abdominal aorta. By immunohistochemistry, immunoreactivity for 3beta,-HSD was detected in both the ventricular and atrial cardiocytes, while immunostaining was also found, though faintly, in the smooth muscles of the aortic arch, abdominal aorta, and inferior vena cava. These results suggest that cardiocytes may synthesize the steroidogenic 3beta,-HSD enzyme.

Genetic structure of the bphG gene encoding 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase of Achromobacter xylosoxidans KF701

2-Hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase catalyzes the conversion of 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde (HMS) to an enol form of 4-oxalocrotonate which is a step in the catechol meta-cleavage pathway. A bphG gene encoding HMS dehydrogenase of A. xylosoxidans KF701, a soil bacterium degrading biphenyl, was identified at between catechol 2,3-dioxygenase gene and HMS hydrolase gene, and its sequence was analyzed. An open reading frame (ORF) corresponding to bphG gene was consisted of 1461 nucleotides with ATG initiation codon and TGA termination codon. The ORF exhibited 66% of G + C content, and a putative ribosome-binding sequence, AGAGA, was identified at about 10 nucleotides upstream initiation codon of the bphG gene. The bphG gene can encode a polypeptide of molecular weight 52 kDa containing 486 amino acid residues. A deduced amino acid sequence of HMS dehydrogenase encoded in bphG gene from A. xylosoxidans KF701 exhibited the highest 94% homology with that of corresponding enzyme encoded in xylG from P. putida mt-2, 63% to 90% homology with those of other reported HMS dehydrogenases, and 29% to 42% homology with those of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase, 5-carboxy-HMS dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, indole-3-acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, and succinylglutamate 5-semialdehyde dehydrogenase. From an alignment of amino acid sequence of HMS dehydrogenase from A xylosoxidans KF701 with other reported dehydrogenases, putative cofactor NAD(+)-binding regions and catalytic residues were identified.

Structure of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase gene encoded in TOM plasmid of Pseudomonas cepacia G4

The catechol 2,3-dioxygenase is an extradiol-type dioxygenase which cleaves the C-C bond at the meta position of catechol to form 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde. A catechol 2,3-dioxygenase gene (tomB) in the TOM plasmid of P. cepacia G4 has been cloned and its nucleotide sequence was analyzed. The enzyme gene consisted of 945 base pairs with an ATG initiation codon and a TGA termination codon which can encode a polypeptide of molecular weight 35 kDa containing 314 amino acid residues, and a putative ribosome-binding sequence was identified at approximately 10 nucleotides upstream of the initiation codon. The deduced amino acid sequence of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase from P. cepacia G4 exhibited 79-82% homologies with those of 3-methylcatechol 2,3-dioxygenase of P. putida UCC2 and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase of P. pickettii PKO1.