Angiosuppressive properties of marine-derived compounds-a mini review

Angiogenesis, formation of new blood vessels from preexisting one, is a critical step of tumorgenesis of solid tumors. Therefore, antiangiogenic therapy is one of the promising approaches to control tumor growth. In the past 20 years, a lot of compounds have been tested for their antiangiogenic properties. Bevacizumab, Avastin^®, the first antiangiogenic drug approved by the US FDA, has been widely used in clinic for treating cancer. Indeed, many synthetic compounds are highly toxic and exert side effects even though they are effective in inhibiting neovessel formation and cancer cell growth. Using natural compounds or their derivatives is one of the ways to solve these problems. Sinomenine and ginsenosides are common antiangiogenic and anticancer compounds that are extracted from herbal medicines. Recent findings suggested that marine algae-derived natural pigments also possess similar activities. It has been reported that fucoxanthin from Undaria pinnatifida, Siphonaxanthin from Codium fragile, can inhibit angiogenesis and cancer growth effectively. In conclusion, natural compounds derived from marine algae could provide a novel and safe source for new drug development in anticancer and antiangiogenic properties in the future.

A prognostic scoring system for locoregional control in nasopharyngeal carcinoma following conformal radiotherapy

PURPOSE

This study established a prognostic scoring system for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which estimates the probability of locoregional (LR) control following definitive conformal radiotherapy.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients with nondisseminated NPC at initial presentation (n = 630) were enrolled in this study. All patients had magnetic resonance imaging of the head and neck and were treated with conformal radiotherapy. Among them, 93% had concurrent chemotherapy, and 76% had postradiation chemotherapy. The extent of the primary tumor, age at diagnosis, primary tumor size, tumor and nodal classification, histology, and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level before treatment were included in the analysis for building a prognostic scoring system. The end point for this study was LR control.

RESULTS

The prognostic score was defined as the number of adverse prognostic factors present at diagnosis. Four factors had similarly independent prognostic effects (hazard ratio, 2.0-2.6): age >40 years, histologic WHO type I-II, serum LDH level > or =410 U/L, and involvement of two or more sites of the following anatomic structures, i.e., sphenoid floor, clivus marrow, clivus cortex, prevertebral muscles, and petrous bone. The score predicted the 5-year probability of LR control as follows: 0 (15% of the patients), 100%; 1 (42% of the patients), 93%; 2 (29% of the patients), 83%; 3 or higher (13% of the patients), 71%.

CONCLUSION

This scoring system is useful in the decision-making for individual patients and the design of clinical trials to improve LR control for advanced-stage NPC.

Accumulation of Krebs cycle intermediates and over-expression of HIF1alpha in tumours which result from germline FH and SDH mutations

The nuclear-encoded Krebs cycle enzymes, fumarate hydratase (FH) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDHB, -C and -D), act as tumour suppressors. Germline mutations in FH predispose individuals to leiomyomas and renal cell cancer (HLRCC), whereas mutations in SDH cause paragangliomas and phaeochromocytomas (HPGL). In this study, we have shown that FH-deficient cells and tumours accumulate fumarate and, to a lesser extent, succinate. SDH-deficient tumours principally accumulate succinate. In situ analyses showed that these tumours also have over-expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF1alpha), activation of HIF1alphatargets (such as vascular endothelial growth factor) and high microvessel density. We found no evidence of increased reactive oxygen species in our cells. Our data provide in vivo evidence to support the hypothesis that increased succinate and/or fumarate causes stabilization of HIF1alpha a plausible mechanism, inhibition of HIF prolyl hydroxylases, has previously been suggested by in vitro studies. The basic mechanism of tumorigenesis in HPGL and HLRCC is likely to be pseudo-hypoxic drive, just as it is in von Hippel-Lindau syndrome.

Proposed preliminary core set measures for disease outcome assessment in adult and juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

In order to develop a preliminary core set of disease outcome measures for use in clinical trials of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM), we evaluated those measures used in previous trials, assessed the validation of published instruments and discussed these at an international consensus conference. The initial proposals were further refined by a multidisciplinary group of adult and paediatric specialists experienced in IIM using the Delphi method. The proposed preliminary core set of disease activity measures consists of five domains: physician and patient/parent global assessments of disease activity; muscle strength; physical function; serum activity of muscle enzymes; and an assessment tool to capture extra-skeletal muscle disease activity. The group recommended further development of a core set of disease damage measures for assessment of persistent changes in anatomy, pathology and function of at least 6 months' duration. The group recommended that patient-reported outcomes should include generic health-related quality of life assessments using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) health survey in adult IIM patients and a validated quality of life instrument for paediatric patients. We propose the core set of outcome measures as a minimum group of assessments to include in all IIM therapeutic studies. The use of this core set should assist in standardizing outcome measurement and in optimizing therapeutic trials in myositis.

On-line identification of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in human urine by non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis-fluorescence spectroscopy at 77 K

The analytical profiles for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (3,4-MDMA) and related amphetamines in urine samples are described for non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis-fluorescence spectroscopy. 3,4-MDMA was detected and identified on-line, using a cryogenic molecular fluorescence technique at 77 K. Under optimized conditions, baseline separation of the selected compounds was achieved in less than 12 min. Precision was evaluated by measuring the repeatability and intermediate precision of the migration times and corrected peak areas. The non-aqueous CE separation conditions and the spectral characteristics of 3,4-MDMA with respect to solvent and temperature effects are also discussed.

A comparative study of outcome in myositis and other musculoskeletal disorders assessed using the Nottingham health profile

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the comparative impact of myositis and other musculoskeletal disorders on general health using the Nottingham health profile (NHP) as a generic measure of health status.

METHODS

A prospective observational study of 113 females with myositis, 142 females with rheumatoid arthritis, 45 females with spinal osteoporosis and 96 females with knee osteoarthritis.

RESULTS

All mean NHP section scores were higher in myositis and other musculoskeletal disorders compared to population mean values. Section scores for energy and social isolation were high in myositis compared to all other disorders. Scores for physical disability in myositis were similar to RA. Pain scores were higher in RA and OA compared to myositis. Backwards linear regression models explained 26-42% of the variation in energy and social isolation scores. Emotion and physical section scores were the major determinants and the pattern was similar in all disorders. Disease duration and age had little effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Myositis is not simply a disease with physical problems but has wide ranging effects on social and emotional well being. Until disease-specific instruments are available, a generic measure like the NHP can be used to assess problems other than muscle pain and loss of strength.

Development of a capillary electrophoresis-77 K luminescence detection system for online spectral identification

We have demonstrated that capillary electrophoresis (CE) can be easily interfaced with 77 K luminescence spectroscopy (LS) for separation and online spectral identification of structurally similar analytes. This novel CE-LS apparatus consists of a regular CE system, instrumentation for LS and a specially designed capillary Dewar. When the separating molecules traverse into the cryostat detection window, liquid nitrogen is added, freezing the separating analyte zones within the capillary. At low temperature, detection limits are improved via signal averaging and the inherent increase in quantum yield at 77 K. We present the first application of the CE-LS system to structural isomers (2,3- and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and stereoisomers (trans- and cis-resveratrol). With this approach, the CE-LS interfacing provides a sensitive, accurate, rapid, simple and economic methodology for analytical chemistry.

Treatment of Bowen's disease with a specially designed radioactive skin patch

Bowen's disease can be treated by various methods, including surgical excision, cryosurgery, laser ablation, curettage, Mohs' microsurgery and ionizing radiation. Radiotherapy has been a useful therapeutic modality in the treatment of Bowen's disease and other skin cancers in areas which are difficult to excise, especially the central areas of the face, including eyelids, nose and lips. To overcome some of the disadvantages of external radiotherapy, a specially designed skin patch coated with high-energy beta-emitter holmium-166 was made for topical application at our institute. Twenty-nine sites of Bowen's disease in eight patients, confirmed by skin biopsy, were treated with 166Ho patches. The patches were applied to the surface of skin cancers for 30-60 min for a total radiation dose of 35 Gy (3500 rads). One to two weeks after application of the 166Ho patch, desquamation, erythema or erosion developed in treated sites, but these acute radiation reactions healed gradually with epithelial regeneration, and they showed good functional and cosmetic results without any complications. Follow-up biopsies were performed 1-5 months after 166Ho patch therapy, and they did not show any signs of Bowen's disease. One to two years after treatment with 166Ho skin patches, there were no recurrences of Bowen's diseases and no late complications. The 166Ho patch is an effective and convenient alternative method for the treatment of Bowen's disease that yields good cosmetic and functional results.

A novel approach for nasopharyngeal carcinoma treatment uses phenylbutyrate as a protein kinase C modulator: implications for radiosensitization and EBV-targeted therapy

Sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) represent a new non-toxic class of compounds with antiproliferative activities to different tumors and has been shown to modulate many gene expressions by inhibiting histone deacetylation and DNA methylation as the major mechanism. Butyrate and other protein kinase C (PKC) activators have been reported to be able to activate virus enzymes. The present work investigates whether NaPB has an antiproliferative effect or modulatory effects on EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and whether EBV thymidine kinase gene can be activated to make cells susceptible to ganciclovir (GCV) therapy. NaPB treatment displayed a dose- and time-dependent antiproliferative effect on the NPC cell line CNE2. Cell cycle analysis revealed an inhibitory effect of NaPB on G1-S-phase progression. Shortly after NaPB treatment, we found that PKC activity was activated rapidly but also decreased rapidly. Down-regulation of PKC-alpha and translocation of PKC-alpha from the cytosol to membrane were seen by Western blot. The decrease in PKC activity by NaPB corresponds to an enhanced response to radiation on CEN2 cells. Moreover, NaPB up-regulated EBV thymidine kinase activity to render EBV-associated Daudi cells susceptible to killing by GCV. Based on the observations of NaPB as a PKC modulator, the combination of NaPB, GCV, and radiation may provide a potential novel approach for treatment of EBV-associated NPC.

Conflicting MRI signals from gliosis and neuronal vacuolation in prion diseases

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has given inconsistent results when used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In order to understand this finding, we studied a hamster model of scrapie by in vivo MRI and histopathology. Vacuolation of neurones/neuropil and gliosis were found to correlate with hypo-intense and hyper-intense changes in the conventional T2-weighted MR images, respectively. These opposing effects were shown to give rise to normal images of a scrapie-affected brain undergoing severe neurodegeneration, and may underlie the variability of previous CJD MRI data.

Brain bioenergetics in murine models of scrapie using in vivo 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The bioenergetic status of the brain in scrapie mouse models was investigated during the late, clinical phase of the disease, by in vivo phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The only significant change observed in the scrapie-infected mice compared with controls was an increase in intracellular brain pH (7.20+/-0.06 vs 7.10+/-0.05). No other changes in energetic metabolism were observed in the infected mice beside a trend in the decrease of phosphomonoester (PME) level, possibly associated with an alteration in glycolytic intermediates. This study showed that even in the presence of severe cellular vacuolation and microglia infiltrate, cerebral bioenergetic is maintained.

Involvement of the 5' proximal coding sequences of hepatitis C virus with internal initiation of viral translation

The 5' nontranslated region (NTR) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) consists of 341 nucleotides (nt). This region comprises the majority of the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) which controls the efficiency of viral translation. Previous studies of the 3' boundary of the HCV IRES yielded conflicting data regarding the involvement of viral coding sequences in IRES activity. We therefore studied the functional significance of the 5' proximal coding sequences of the HCV core gene on IRES activity. We constructed monocistronic and bicistronic DNAs that contained either a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene or a luciferase (Luc) gene as the reporter. Results from both in vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that the optimal IRES ranged within nt 1-371. Further mutational analyses of sequences surrounding the initiation codon revealed that primary sequences downstream of the AUG initiator rather than the secondary structure are important in regulating optimal IRES function. We are also able to demonstrate that a non-AUG codon could be used to initiate the synthesis of a reporter protein, albeit with lower efficiency. These findings bear important implications for the HCV IRES secondary structures.

In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in polymyositis and dermatomyositis: a preliminary study

The aim of the study is to determine whether biochemical abnormalities, such as lipid, creatine and choline metabolites, are observed in the more distal muscles of polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) patients. 12 patients suffering from chronic active PM/DM and 9 controls underwent a combined proton magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and proton MR spectroscopy study of the calf muscle. From a combination of T1-weighted MR images and corresponding fat suppressed images, fat infiltration into the muscle of both PM and DM patients was consistently observed. Muscular atrophy with a variable distribution was also noted in all patients. The biochemical profile of the localised proton MR spectra of soleus muscle showed reduction of both 'choline' to lipid and 'creatine' to lipid ratios in chronic PM and DM patients when compared with controls.

Characterization of human homologs of the Drosophila seven in absentia (sina) gene

Studies of Drosophila photoreceptor development have illustrated the means by which signal transduction events regulate cell fate decisions in a multicellular organization. Development of the R7 photoreceptor is best understood, and its formation is dependent on the seven in absentia (sina) gene. We have characterized two highly conserved human homologs of sina, termed SIAH1 and SIAH2. SIAH1 maps to chromosome 16q12 and encodes a 282-amino-acid protein with 76% amino acid identity to the Drosophila SINA protein. SIAH2 maps to chromosome 3q25 and encodes a 324-amino-acid protein that shares 68% identity with Drosophila SINA and 77% identity with human SIAH1. SIAH1 and SIAH2 were expressed in many normal and neoplastic tissues, and only subtle differences in their expression were noted. However, one of three murine homologs, Siah1B, was strongly induced in fibroblasts undergoing apoptotic cell death. While a previous study suggested that SINA was a nuclear protein, epitope-tagged SINA and SIAH1 proteins were found in the cytoplasm of Drosophila and mammalian cells. Their substantial evolutionary conservation, role in specifying cell fate, and activation in apoptotic cells suggest the SIAH proteins have important roles in vertebrate development. Furthermore, given the role of sina in Drosophila photoreceptor development, SIAH2 is a candidate for the Usher syndrome type 3 gene at chromosome 3q21-q25.

Evaluation of the corpus callosum in clumsy children born prematurely: a functional and morphological study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of functional and neuroradiological abnormalities of the corpus callosum in a group of 21 prematurely born children (GA < 34 weeks) who were found to be "clumsy" on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children at 6 years of age. All children underwent functional and morphological assessment of the corpus callosum. The functional assessment included tests of somesthesis, diadochokinesis and repetitive finger tapping. The morphology of the corpus callosum was evaluated on midsagittal MRI. Thirteen of the 21 clumsy children showed morphological abnormalities which were significantly associated with functional abnormalities. Morphological changes of the corpus callosum were also significantly associated with lesions on both neonatal ultrasound and late MRI. Our results support the view that morphological abnormalities of the corpus callosum are frequent in children born prematurely. The association between these abnormalities and lesions on US or MRI suggests that they are likely to be secondary to pre- or perinatal lesions.

Metabolic changes associated with vacuolation in murine models of scrapie using in vitro 1H-NMR spectroscopy

In this study, metabolic changes in the 79A/C3H, ME7/VM, ME7/C3H, 87V/VM and 22A/SV scrapie mouse models were investigated during the clinical phase of the disease, using in vitro proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. N-acetyl-aspartate was found to be significantly reduced in infected mice of the ME7/ C3H (40% reduction), ME7/VM (26%) and 79A/C3H (17%) models when compared to control mice, but not in the 87V/VM and 22A/SV models. The concentration of choline containing compounds and creatine remain unchanged in all models when compared with control murine brains. The level of N-acetyl-aspartate reduction correlated with the extent of grey-matter brain vacuolation. The levels of myo-inositol were found to be significantly increased in the ME7/VM (143%) and 79A/C3H (132%) models only and no significant changes were observed in the ME7/C3H, 87V/VM and 22A/SV models. These changes did not correspond to the severity of gliosis.

MRI assessment of the blood-brain barrier in a hamster model of scrapie

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in combination with gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid (Gd-DTPA) enhancement was used to investigate the integrity of the blood-brain barrier in a hamster model of scrapie (263K) during the clinical phase of the disease. The post Gd-DTPA images of the infected hamster brain showed marked enhancement, which was not present in control animals. These results suggest that blood-brain barrier function is disrupted in the clinically-affected animal.

A Model of High Performance Dynamometer

A narrow frequency bandwidth, strong fluctuations of the gain versus signal frequency and sensitivity to disturbances caused by the operating environments are the most common factors limiting the applicability of sensors in manufacturing systems. Self-tuning filters represent an efficient means of alleviating these limitations. Since the dynamic properties of sensors vary rapidly, a successful implementation of sensors coupled with self-tuning filters hinges upon accurate, real-time adjustments of these filters. The selection of optimum filter settings, based upon the available distorted output signals from the in-process sensors, poses a difficult problem. In general, the algorithm of self tuning requires a priori information about the sensor and its environment, condensed into a form of an analytical model. A systematic approach to the analytical modeling of sensors is proposed. To illustrate this approach, a comprehensive model of a commercial dynamometer is developed and tested.

Antiproliferative effect of esculetin on vascular smooth muscle cells: possible roles of signal transduction pathways

The effect of esculetin, a coumarin derivative with lipoxygenase inhibitor activity, on the proliferation response of cultured rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells was studied. Proliferation response was determined by the uptake of tritiated thymidine. Esculetin (10(-5)-10(-4) M) dose dependently inhibited the enhanced proliferation stimulated by 5% fetal calf serum. The structure-activity relationship of esculetin and eight other coumarin derivatives indicates that two adjacent phenolic hydroxyl groups at the C-6 and C-7 positions in the coumarin skeleton are necessary for the potent antiproliferative effect. The antiproliferative effects of other lipoxygenase inhibitors, 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA) and ketoconazole, were comparable to the effect of esculetin. However, esculetin exhibited the greatest maximal suppression. The enhanced releases of 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE), prostaglandin E2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha in the culture medium of smooth muscle cells stimulated by 5% fetal calf serum were significantly reduced by esculetin. Furthermore, the fetal calf serum-stimulated protein tyrosine kinase activity was reduced by esculetin (10(-5)-10(-4) M) in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the protein kinase C activity stimulated by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate was not affected by esculetin (10(-6)-10(-4) M). These results suggest that the antiproliferative effect of esculetin on vascular smooth muscle cells may be partly mediated through inhibition of protein tyrosine kinase and modulated by inhibition of lipoxygenase.