Genetic polymorphism of the CYP2E1 gene and susceptibility to Parkinson's disease in Taiwanese

Cytochrome p450IIE1 (CYP2E1), an ethanol-inducible cytochrome p450 enzyme, is expressed in the basal ganglia and is probably involved in the activation of neurotoxicants, producing free radical metabolites and resulting in oxidative stress. To examine the association between CYP2E1 polymorphism and the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), we performed a case-control study on a large population of Taiwanese PD patients, focusing especially on early-onset PD patients (onset at, or before, the age of 50). Two hundred and thirty-four PD patients and 251 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. A much higher frequency of the uncommon c2 allele was seen in our control subjects than in Caucasians (0.23 vs. 0.02). There were no significant differences between PD patients and controls in the distribution of either allelic or genotype frequencies. Our results suggest that CYP2E1 is not a major or independent determinant in the occurrence of PD in Taiwanese.

Hyaluronic acid enhances peripheral nerve regeneration in vivo

Hyaluronic acid has been shown to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration in vitro. It has been proposed that, during the fibrin matrix phase of regeneration, hyaluronic acid organizes the extracellular matrix into a hydrated open lattice, thereby facilitating migration of the regenerating axons. Hyaluronic acid solutions and saline control solutions were injected into a nerve guide spanning a transected gap in the sciatic nerve of Sprague-Dawley rats (five in each group). Nerve conduction velocities were measured at 4 weeks by electromyography (EMG) before sacrifice of the animals. These studies demonstrated increased conduction velocities in the hyaluronic acid group compared with control animals (P = 0.006). After the animals were sacrificed, regenerated axon cables were quantified histologically, and axon branching was delineated by retrograde tracer analysis. In addition, the hyaluronic acid group showed an increase in myelinated axon counts at 4 weeks (P= 0.03). An increase in retrograde flow was demonstrated in the hyaluronic acid groups compared with animals receiving saline solution.

Inhibition of tumor growth in vivo by hyaluronan oligomers

One of the critical events in tumor growth and metastasis is the interaction between tumor cells and host tissue stroma, mediated by different adhesion receptor repertoires in different tumor cell types. Several lines of evidence indicate that interaction between the hyaluronan receptor CD44, expressed on tumor cells, and host tissue stromal hyaluronan can enhance growth and invasiveness of certain tumors. Disruption of CD44-hyaluronan interaction by soluble recombinant CD44 has been shown to inhibit tumor formation by lymphoma and melanoma cells transfected with CD44. Since hyaluronan is a ubiquitous glycosaminoglycan polymer from which oligosaccharides of defined size can be readily purified, we tested the ability of hyaluronan oligomers to inhibit tumor formation by subcutaneously (s.c.) injected B16F10 melanoma cells. Our results indicate that hyaluronan oligomers injected at concentrations as low as 1 mg/ml can markedly inhibit B16F10 melanoma growth, providing a potentially attractive reagent for the control of local tumor development.

Dermatophyte pseudomycetoma: a case report

A 25-year-old man presented with several prominent subcutaneous masses in the occipital region of the scalp. He had a long history of tinea capitis and tinea corporis infection. Histopathology of the occipital lesions showed mycelial aggregates in the deep dermis and subcutis. Cultures of the excised material and superficial scales grew a fungus identified as Microsporum ferrugineum. We propose the term 'dermatophyte pseudomycetoma' to describe this distinctive mycosis.

Chemical modification of hyaluronic acid by carbodiimides

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear polysaccharide with repeating disaccharide units of glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine and is found in the extracellular matrix of connective tissues. Reaction of high molecular weight sodium hyaluronate (NaHA, MW approximately 2 x 10(6] with EDC at pH 4.75, either in the presence or absence of a primary diamine, gave the N-acylurea and O-acylisourea as NaHA-carbodiimide adducts. None of the expected intermolecular coupling with the amine component was observed. On the basis of this new observation, this method for chemical modification of HA was used in conjunction with new synthetic carbodiimides to prepare HA derivatives bearing lipophilic, aromatic, cross-linked, and tethered functional groups. The degree of conversion to NaHA-acylurea products appears to depend upon both the characteristics of various carbodiimides and the conformational structure of NaHA.

Comparison of the properties of AMVISC and Healon

A standardized investigation to compare the biophysical characteristics of two sodium hyaluronate products, AMVISC and Healon, was conducted. Results showed that the two products exhibited similar biophysical properties. AMVISC exhibited an average kinematic viscosity of 41,554 centistokes and a calculated average molecular weight of 2.04 X 10(6) daltons. Healon exhibited an average kinematic viscosity of 47,271 centistokes and a calculated average molecular weight of 2.43 X 10(6) daltons.

Inhibition of epoxide metabolism by alpha,beta-epoxyketones and isosteric analogs

Chalcone oxides and several isosteric compounds have been prepared to examine the importance of the alpha,beta-epoxyketone moiety in the inhibition of the hydrolysis of [3H]-trans-stilbene oxide to its meso-diol by mouse liver cytosolic epoxide hydrolase (cEH). Inhibition of microsomal EH and glutathione S-transferase were also examined. For cEH, replacement of the carbonyl by methylidene reduces inhibitor potency by a factor of 44, while replacement of the epoxide ring with a cyclopropyl ring reduces inhibition by a factor of 450. A 2'-hydroxyl also reduces cEH inhibition by 100 times. These observations are consistent with a model of the active site in which the carbonyl is hy-hydrogen-bonded to an acidic site presumed to be involved in initiating epoxide hydrolysis. The chalcone oxides thus bind tightly but are not readily turned over as substrates.