Detection of abnormal behaviors in prenatal Poly(I:C) exposed mice in a group-rearing environment

During pregnancy, the maternal environment is critical for normal ontogeny and central nervous system development. Occasionally, prenatal exposure to environmental factors affects tissue architecture and functional development of the brain, which causes developmental disorders, including disorders of the autism spectrum. One of these environmental factors is the exposure to infectious diseases during pregnancy. In this study, we generated mice with infectious disease-induced inflammation by prenatal exposure to 200 μg/kg polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid sodium salt [Poly(I:C)] at embryonic day 12.5 and analyzed their phenotypes on 30-weeks-old. We attempted to detect abnormalities in spontaneous activity and social interaction, which may be indicators of developmental disorder-like behavioral abnormalities, in free-ranging behaviors in multiple rearing environments using multiple animal positioning systems and UMATracker in mice with fetal inflammation. Increased spontaneous activity and abnormal social interactions were observed in mice in the Poly(I:C)-treated group compared with those in the control group. Prenatal exposure to Poly(I:C) increased motor activity and decreased social interaction, and social behavior in prenatally treated mice in a multiple-individual rearing environment. Poly(I:C) exposure during the fetal period resulted in developmental disorder-like behavioral abnormalities, such as increased activity and abnormal social interactions, even after maturation in a multiple-individual rearing environment. This experimental method may provide a new way to analyze the behavior of mouse models of developmental disorders in a multiple-individual rearing environment, in which free-ranging behavior is possible.

The diagnostic accuracy of high-resolution endoscopy, autofluorescence imaging and narrow-band imaging for differentially diagnosing colon adenoma

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Conventional colonoscopy can result in unnecessary biopsy or endoscopic resection due to its inability to distinguish adenomas from hyperplastic polyps. This study therefore evaluated the efficacy of high-resolution endoscopy (HRE), autofluorescence imaging (AFI), and narrow-band imaging (NBI) in discriminating colon adenoma from hyperplastic polyps.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a prospective multicenter study in patients undergoing AFI and NBI examinations. HRE, AFI, and NBI images were classified into two groups based on morphological characteristics, the predominant color intensities, and the visibility of meshed capillary vessels, respectively. Each of the endoscopic photographs were independently evaluated by a single endoscopist. The images were then assessed by three specialists and three residents, the latter having performed < 500 colonoscopies and < 30 NBI and AFI examinations. Diagnostic test statistics were calculated to compare the accuracy in differentiating colon adenoma from hyperplastic polyps for each method.

RESULTS

A total of 183 patients were enrolled in the study and 339 adenomas and 85 hyperplastic polyps were identified. AFI and NBI could distinguish adenoma from hyperplastic polyps with an accuracy of 84.9 % and 88.4 %, respectively, whereas HRE exhibited an accuracy of 75.9 %. In the 358 lesions in which the AFI diagnosis was consistent with that of NBI, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were high, at 91.9 %, 92.7 %, and 92.9 %, respectively. During the study comparing specialists and residents, AFI and NBI dramatically improved the diagnostic accuracy of residents from 69.1 % to 86.1 % and 84.7 %, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Both AFI and NBI are considered to be feasible tools that can discriminate colon adenoma from hyperplastic polyps, and their use may be particularly beneficial for less-experienced endoscopists.

[A case of esophageal tuberculosis which developed during the treatment for tuberculous lymphadenitis]

A 23-year-old man was admitted to the other hospital complaining of fever and lymph node swelling in the left neck. Computed tomography showed swollen mediastinal lymph nodes without intrapulmonary lesions. Mycobacterium tuberculosis were identified by sputum culture and cervical lymph node biopsy and the case was diagnosed as tuberculous lymphadenitis. Three weeks after starting treatment with four anti-tuberculous drugs, he complained chest pain while eating and chest X-ray showed a new infiltrative shadow in the right cardiophrenic angle, then he was admitted to our hospital. Esophagoscopy revealed a deep ulceration with fistulas at 30 cm from the incisor and he was diagnosed as esophageal tuberculosis by histological examination of the biopsy specimen showing remarkable leukocytes infiltration and epithelioid cell granulomas with a few multinucleated giant cells. After antituberculous chemotherapy for six months, the mediastinal and cervical lymphadenopathy were reduced in size and the esophageal ulceration almost disappeared. Although esophageal tuberculosis is rare, the disease might develop during or after mediastinal or periesophageal tuberculous lymphadenitis.

Clinical applications of serum placental protein 14 (PP14) measurement in the IVF-ET cycle

OBJECTIVE

Placental protein 14 (PP14) is known to be one of the endometrial proteins that reflect endometrial functioning throughout the menstrual cycle. In this study, we examined PP14 as a marker for human endometrial receptivity in order to predict the outcome of in vitro fertilization and the embryo-transfer (IVF-ET) cycle.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The subjects were 72 women who had 96 IVF-ET cycles and who were examined at Tokyo Medical University Hospital during the period of January 1998 to June 1998 because of mechanical or unexplained infertility for a duration of at least 2 years. Serum samples were collected from all patients during treatment cycles, and serum PP14 concentrations were measured by a newly established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

In the pregnant group, serum PP14 concentrations were markedly increased after ET, and a significant difference between the pregnant group and the nonpregnant group was observed 8 days following ET (p < 0.01). PP14 concentrations were higher in patients with endometria that exhibited homogenous patterns and that were more than 7 mm thicker than in other patients, as determined by ultrasound on the day of oocyte collection (p < 0.005). The pregnancy rates of patients with homogeneous patterns were lower than those of patients showing a trilaminar pattern. No pregnancies were observed when serum PP14 concentrations were greater than 6.85 U/l on the day of oocyte collection.

CONCLUSION

PP14 might be a useful marker for human endometrial receptivity to predict the outcome of IVF-ET cycles.

Electron paramagnetic resonance and mutational analyses revealed the involvement of photosystem II-L subunit in the oxidation step of Tyr-Z by P680+ to form the Tyr-Z+P680Pheo- state in photosystem II

To reveal the molecular mechanism of involvement of photosystem II (PSII)-L protein in the electron transfer in PSII, effects of mutations in PSII-L on the photochemistry of PSII were investigated by means of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and flash photolysis. Wild type and a series of mutant versions of PSII-L were overproduced in Escherichia coliand chromatographically purified. Plastoquinone 9 (PQ-9) depleted PSII reaction center core complex consisting of CP47/D1/D2/Cytb-559/PSII-I/PSII-W was prepared and reconstituted with the wild type and each mutant version of PSII-L together with or without PQ-9. EPR signal indicating the formation of Tyr-Z+P680Pheo- state upon room-temperature illumination disappeared in CP47/D1/D2/Cytb-559/PSII-I/PSII-W, and it was recovered when the complex was reconstituted with the wild-type PSII-L. Mutation of a few amino acid residues in the carboxyl-terminal region of PSII-L, such as substitution of a triad of Tyr34, Phe35, and Phe36 by Leu, selectively resulted in the loss of the capability of PSII-L to recover the light-induced formation of Tyr-Z+P680Pheo- state in the reconstituted complex. Hydropathy profile of PSII-L suggests that it spans the membrane once by a hydrophobic stretch of the carboxyl-terminal side as its carboxyl end to face to the lumen. If this is the case, the amino acid residues essential for PSII-L to function are expected to be located close to the donor side of P680, suggesting the interaction of PSII-L with Tyr-Z (and/or Tyr-D) or P680 to facilitate the oxidation of Tyr-Z by P680+ to form Tyr-Z+P680Pheo- state in PSII. Evidence against PSII-L being involved in the electron transfer from Pheo- to QA was obtained by the flash photolysis experiments.

Role of PSII-L protein (psbL gene product) on the electron transfer in photosystem II complex. 1. Over-production of wild-type and mutant versions of PSII-L protein and reconstitution into the PSII core complex

To establish a system for over-production of PSII-L protein which is a component of photosystem II (PSII) complex, a plasmid designated as pMAL-psbL was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli JM109. A fusion protein of PSII-L and maltose-binding proteins (53 kDa on SDS-PAGE) was accumulated in E. coli cells to a level of 10% of the total protein upon isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) induction. The carboxyl-terminal part of 5.0 kDa was cleaved from the fusion protein and purified by an anion exchange column chromatography in the presence of detergents. This 5.0 kDa protein was identified as PSII-L by amino-terminal amino acid sequence analysis and the chromatographic behavior on an anion exchange gel. A few types of mutant PSII-L were also prepared by the essentially same procedure except for using plasmids which contain given mutations in psbL gene. Plastoquinone-9 (PQ-9) depleted PSII reaction center core complex consisting of D1, D2, CP47, cytochrome b-559 (cyt b-559), PSII-I and PSII-W was reconstituted with PQ-9 and digalactosyldiglyceride (DGDG) together with the wild-type or mutant PSII-L produced in E. coli or isolated PSII-L from spinach. Significant difference between the wild-type PSII-L proteins from E. coli and spinach was not recognized in the effectiveness to recover the photo-induced electron transfer activity in the resulting complexes. The analysis of stoichiometry of PQ-9 per reaction center in the PQ-9 reconstituted PS II revealed that two molecules of PQ-9 were reinserted into a reaction center independent of the presence or absence of PSII-L. These results suggest that PSII-L recovers the electron transfer activity in the reconstituted RC by a mechanism different from the stabilization of PQ-9 in the Q(A) site of PSII. Ubiquinone-10 (UQ-10), but not plastoquinone-2 (PQ-2), substituted PQ-9 for recovering the PSII-L supported electron transfer activity in the reconstituted PSII reaction center complexes. The results obtained with the mutant PSII-L proteins revealed that the carboxyl terminal part rather than amino terminal part of PSII-L is crucial for recovering the electron transfer activity in the reconstituted complexes.

Identification and regional localization of a highly polymorphic dinucleotide repeat D11S614 to the interval in 11q23.3 flanked by recurrent translocation breakpoints

A highly informative dinucleotide repeat polymorphism has been identified at the D11S614 locus on chromosome 11q23. Ten different alleles have been observed at this locus, and the heterozygosity frequency is approximately 85%. Physical localization of this marker in a panel of somatic cell hybrids containing chromosome 11 translocations showed that it maps to 11q23.3, within the interval between the recurrent t(4;11) leukaemia breakpoint and the t(11;22) Ewing's sarcoma breakpoint. This physical mapping data is consistent with the genetic mapping which indicates tight linkage to other markers in the q23.3 region including PBGD, CD3D and D11S29. Regional localization of highly informative markers such as D11S614 will facilitate integration of the genetic and physical maps.

Evaluation of effectiveness of mass screening for colorectal cancer

As the first step in the epidemiological evaluation of the effectiveness of mass screening for colorectal cancer, we compared clinicopathological features and survival rates of patients with cancer detected by mass screening (screened group) with those for patients treated in our outpatient clinic in the same period (outpatient group). The screened group consisted of 53 patients with colorectal cancer detected by 2-day or 3-day screening for fecal occult blood by guaiac slides. Their background factors were comparable to those of 120 patients of the outpatient group in regard to age, sex ratio, location of cancer, and histological type of cancer. In the screened group, 90% of patients had no complaints, and positive occult blood tests led to the detection of cancers. More than 60% of the patients had Dukes' A and B1 early cancers while only about 30% had advanced cancers. In the outpatient group, nearly 90% of patients were symptomatic, most commonly from rectal bleeding. Early-stage cancers made up only 20%, and large, advanced-stage cancers accounted for 80%. The 5-year survival rate of the screened group was 91.5%, being significantly higher than the 60% survival rate for the outpatient group. It is anticipated that mass screening for colorectal cancer by guaiac fecal occult blood testing will significantly reduce the mortality due to this neoplasm.

[Enhanced effect of intra-arterial adriamycin administration in combination with degradable starch microspheres on an intra-arterial chemotherapy model of nude rats transplanted of human gastric cancer]

Enhancement of the antitumor effects of adriamycin (ADR) by concomitant use of degradable starch microspheres (DSM) and pharmacokinetics of ADR in combination with DSM was investigated. An intra-arterial chemotherapy model of the nude rats transplanted of human gastric cancer xenografts (H-154) in the hind-limbs was used for this study. Drug was administered through a catheter inserted into the carotid artery with the tip in the common iliac artery. In the pharmacological study, increase of regional uptake of ADR and decrease of systemic distribution of ADR were recognized in some degree. DSM 30 mg/kg, which caused temporary arrest of blood flow in the tumor, had an only weak effect on tumor growth. ADR 3 mg/kg mixed with DSM 30 mg/kg was more effective than ADR 3 mg/kg solution. Furthermore, mixture of ADR 2 mg/kg and DSM 30 mg/kg had a greater effect on tumor growth than ADR 2 mg/kg following DSM 30 mg/kg. It seems that embolization by DSM, retention of ADR in regional tissues and cytotoxic effect of ADR have contributed to such a strong effect of ADR mixed with DSM.

[Basic studies in intra-arterial chemotherapy with degradable starch microspheres (DSM) on human gastric cancer xenografts in nude rats]

Enhancement of the antitumor effect of adriamycin (ADR) was investigated by using degradable starch microspheres (DSM) and pharmacokinetics of ADR in combination with DSM. An intra-arterial chemotherapy model of the nude rats transplanted of human cancer xenografts (H-154 gastric cancer) in the lower limbs was used for this study. Drug was administered through a catheter inserted into the carotid artery with the tip in the common iliac artery. DSM 30 mg/kg, which causes temporary arrest of blood flow in the tumor, had an only weak effect on tumor growth, whereas. DSM 30 mg/kg, mixed with ADR 3 mg/kg solution, was more effective than ADR solution. Furthermore, DSM 30 mg/kg mixed with ADR 3 mg/kg had a greater effect on the tumor growth than DSM 15 mg/kg mixed with ADR 3 mg/kg. In the pharmacological study, increase of the regional uptake of ADR and decrease of systemic distribution of ADR were recognized in some degree. It seems that embolization by DSM, retention of ADR in regional tissues and cytotoxic effect of ADR contributed to such a strong effect of ADR mixed with DSM on tumor growth.

Iodine content of various meals currently consumed by urban Japanese

Various meals being currently consumed by urban Japanese were determined for iodine. The meal samples were collected in 1982 and 1984. The habitual daily home meals of 4 middle-aged Japanese living in urban areas contained 45-1,921 micrograms (mean; 362, 361, 429 and 1,023 micrograms, respectively) of iodine per day. The regular meals served in two university hospitals contained 95-287 micrograms (mean; 195 micrograms) and 89-4,746 micrograms (mean; 1,290 micrograms) of iodine per day, respectively, and the diets for diabetes mellitus contained 59-144 micrograms (mean; 96 micrograms) of iodine per day. In the daily meals containing iodine exceeding ca. 300 micrograms, some kinds of seaweeds and, in some cases, several foods containing a red food color with low iodine bioavailability, erythrosine, provided a large portion of iodine. The iodine contents of refectory meals in a university were 47-203 micrograms (mean; 113 micrograms) per meal and those of lunches in two elementary schools were 25-31 micrograms (mean; 27 micrograms) and 18-43 micrograms (mean; 36 micrograms) per lunch, respectively. These results suggest that the current daily iodine intake of urban Japanese is not great and that erythrosine elevates the iodine content of meals.

Effects of zinc ion on the conformation of antigenic determinants on insulin

Comparison of c.d. spectra of Zn-insulin with Zn2+-free insulin demonstrated significant differences. It has been proposed that these differences are due to either changes in the structure of insulin monomers within aggregated insulins or the results of insulin aggregation. The effect of Zn2+ on the immunological activity of insulin indicated that the antigenic determinants of insulin were also altered. The apparent loss of immunological activity of monoiodotyrosylinsulin was demonstrated to be due to the loss of Zn2+ rather than the substitution of iodine. The immunological activity of Zn-insulin and Zn2+-free insulin was compared in both the radioimmune and immune haemolysis-inhibition assays by using an identical population of antibodies and concentrations of inhibitor. Relative to Zn-insulin, Zn2+-free insulin had a markedly attenuated immunological activity in the immune haemolysis-inhibition assay, whereas in the radioimmune assay slightly greater immunological activity was observed with the Zn2+-free insulin. These observations are submitted as evidence that the removal of Zn2+ perturbs the conformation of determinants that react with antibodies operative in the immune haemolysis-inhibition assay (immune haemolysis determinants) and has a minimal effect on the conformation of determinants that react with antibodies operative in the radioimmune assay (radioimmune determinants).