A new polycyclic tetramate macrolactam from Allostreptomyces RD068384: stereochemistry and antifungal potential

A new polycyclic tetramate macrolactam designated allostreptamide (1), together with four known congeners, were isolated from the culture extract of Allostreptomyces RD068384. The planar structure of the new compound was elucidated through interpretation of NMR and MS data. The absolute configuration was determined through ROESY and ECD analyses. The isolated compounds revealed antifungal potential against fourteen Candida albicans isolates with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 64 to 2048 µg ml-1. Compound 3 showed antibiofilm action and considerably reduced the viability of five isolates (36%) in the formed biofilm. The qRT-PCR revealed that 3 downregulated the BCR1, PLB2, ALS1, and SAP5 biofilm related gene expression. Therefore, 3 could be a promising antifungal therapy for C. albicans infections.

Diagnosis of peripapillary carcinoma: endoscopic findings

During the period 1982-1988, 8 patients were admitted with peripapillary carcinoma. Pancreatico-duodenectomy (PD) was successfully carried out on 7 occasions but only 3 patients are alive today. Early diagnosis of this disease is therefore mandatory. Endoscopic sphincterotomy is particularly useful for the diagnosis of the non-exposed type of carcinoma in the peripapillary region.

[Combined therapy with microwave hyperthermia and adriamycin in MM2-bearing mice]

C3H/He mice were inoculated i.p. with synergic MM2 tumor cells(2 X 10(6) cells/mouse), and subsequently treated either by systemic hyperthermia induced by microwave irradiation (2450 MHz)alone, administration of ADM alone, or a combination of both. The mice were exposed to hyperthermia for 5 minutes everyday at an output of 10, 20 or 30 watts. ADM was administered i.p. for 3 days at dose levels of 0.025 mg/kg, 0.05 mg/kg or 0.075 mg/kg body weight. The mean survival time and the mean relative body weight were recorded. From these data, tumor-suppressing effects of the treatments were analysed by one-way or two-way variance analysis. Mice treated with 30-watt microwave irradiation survived significantly longer than control mice without treatment (P less than 0.05), as did mice treated with ADM alone (P less than 0.01). The mean relative body weight was similar among the microwave, ADM and control groups. When the mice were given microwave treatment combined with ADM, significant difference was observed in the mean survival time by one-way variance analysis (P less than 0.01), but no significant difference was observed by two-way variance analysis. The best condition of mice and the optimal dose of ADM still remain to be determined to facilitate more efficient tumor-suppression using this combination therapy.

[Tumor suppressing effect of systemic hyperthermia with 2350 MHz microwaves combined with 5-fluorouracil in mice]

C3H/He mice were inoculated i.p. with syngeneic MM2 tumor cells (2 X 10(6) cells/mouse), and they were subsequently treated by systemic hyperthermia with microwave irradiation (2450 MHz) alone, administration of 5-FU alone, or a combination of the both. The mice were exposed to hyperthermia for 5 minutes everyday with an output of 10, 20 or 30 watts. 5-FU was administered i.p. for 3 days at dose levels of 2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg body weight. The mean survival time and the mean relative body weight were recorded. From these data, tumor-suppressing effects of the treatments were analyzed by one-way variance analysis or two-way variance analysis. The mice treated with microwave irradiation alone or 5-FU alone survived significantly longer than the control mice receiving no treatment (P less than 0.01). However, no significant difference in mean survival time was observed between the microwave group and the 5-FU group. The mean relative body weight was similar among the microwave, the 5-FU and the control group. When the mice were treated with microwave irradiation and 5-FU, significant difference was observed in the mean survival time (P less than 0.01), and the combination of microwave irradiation with an output of 20 W and 10 mg/kg of 5-FU seemed to be optimal. Determination of an optimal combination was difficult with the mean relative body weight, because body weight decreased due to side effect of the combination therapy.

[Experimental study on the anti-tumor effect of microwaves]

C3H/He mice bearing a mammary carcinoma, MM2, were treated by systemic hyperthermia with microwave irradiation (2450 MHz). An output of 30 watts of microwaves for 5 min at a distance of 20 cm from the animal raised and maintained the rectal temperature of mice to higher than 42 degrees C for 2.2 min and higher than 40 degrees C for 10.2 min. The mice were inoculated i. p. with MM2 tumor cells (2 X 10(6) cells/mouse), and then they were exposed to hyperthermia every day; 10 watts for 2, 4, or 6 min, or 20 watts for 2, 4, 6 min. The control mice receiving no irradiation and the mice treated with irradiation of 10 watts for 2 min or 20 watts for 2 min died within 21-23 days. Whereas, 40 percent of the mice treated with microwave irradiation of 10 watts for 4 or 6 min, or 20 watts for 4 or 6 min survived longer than 30 days. The 6 mice, which survived longer than 120 days, were challenged by reinoculation with MM2 tumor cells (2 X 10(6)cells/mouse). All the mice but one survived longer than 30 days with no accumulation of ascites. These experimental data suggest that the systemic hyperthermia with microwave irradiation (24 50 MHz) might suppress the tumor growth in vivo.

HLA-D typing using Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoblastoid cell lines

We examined whether Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoblastoid cell lines, established from homozygous typing cells (HTC-EBV-LCL), could be substituted for normal homozygous typing cells (HTC) in HLA-D typing. When using EBV-LCL as stimulators in one-way MLR, the stimulator: responder ratio was found to be most important. At a ratio of 1:10, the autologous MLR between EBV-LCL and PBL from the same donors exhibited low double normalized values (DNV) which could be distinguished from those of homologous combinations. The panel cells typed with HTC always exhibited low DNV in repeat one-way MLR in which EBV-LCL established from the same HTC were used. On the other hand, by employing our previously described method, we were able to establish the necessary HTC-EBV-LCL from unselected seropositive adult donors and utilize these cells for HLA-D typing. We suggest that our method makes it possible to circumvent the problem presented by the shortage of HTC, since our HTC-EBV-LCL can be substituted for normal HTC in HLA-D typing.

Effect of HLA-DR matching between living kidney donors and recipients and of pretransplant blood transfusions on graft survival

The effect of HLA-DR matching between living kidney donors and related recipients on 1-year graft survival was examined in 35 transplant recipients excluding 2-haplotype identical siblings. All 11 DR-compatible grafts survived 1 year; 7 of 24 DR-incompatible grafts ceased to function within 1 year (p less than 0.05). Among 24 DR-incompatible recipients, 6 of 11 who had preoperatively been transfused with less than 1000 ml blood lost their graft function. On the other hand, 12 of 13 who had received at least 1200 ml blood maintained their graft function beyond 1 year (p less than 0.05). All DR-compatible recipients received pretransplant blood transfusions and all produced anti-DR antibodies against random panel B cells after transplantation, but not against the graft donor's B lymphocytes. The anti-DR antibodies disappeared within 3 months. In recipients whose sera broadly reacted to random panel B cells at 1 years after transplantation, only 4 of 10 grafts survived. In recipients whose sera had lost their anti-DR reactivity within 1 year, all 20 grafts survived (p less than 0.05).