Inhibition of Fas antigen-mediated apoptosis of rheumatoid synovial cells in vitro by transforming growth factor beta 1

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mitogenic and anti-apoptotic effects of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) on rheumatoid synovial cells in vitro. METHODS: Synovial cells were cultured with or without TGF beta 1. After incubation, the proliferative response of synovial cells and the expression of Fas antigen and bcl-2 on synovial cells were examined. Finally, Fas antigen-mediated apoptosis of synovial cells was investigated by the addition of anti-Fas antibody. RESULTS: TGF beta 1 enhanced the proliferation of synovial cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, Fas antigen expression on synovial cells was inhibited by the addition of TGF beta 1 with up-regulation of bcl-2 expression. The addition of anti-Fas antibody induced synovial cell apoptosis. However, stimulation of synovial cells with TGF beta 1 became markedly resistant to Fas antigen-mediated apoptosis. The results were not affected by the addition of a neutralizing antibody to platelet-derived growth factor type AA (PDGF-AA), which suggests that the effect of TGF beta 1 on synovial cells was promoted via PDGF-AA-independent mechanisms. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that TGF beta 1 promotes synovial cell proliferation through its mitogenic effect on synovial cells and interference with the apoptotic process mediated by the Fas antigen, resulting in the perpetuation of the synovial hyperplasia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.     

Expression of p53 protein and p53 gene transcripts in rabbit carotid arteries after balloon denudation

A case of sinusitis caused by the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune is reported in a 36-year-old female with a history of allergic rhinitis and dermatitis. The patient presented with sudden nasal obstruction, purulent nasal discharge, headache and general discomfort. Computer tomography revealed extensive opacity of the left maxillary sinus as well as erosion of the nasal wall and maxillary bone. Mycological examinations of nasal discharges and material aspirated during anthrostomy showed hyaline, septate hyphae with rare spicules. Primary isolation yielded a white, woolly mould which demonstrated clamp connections and basidiocarp primordia but these characteristics were lost in subculture. Identification was confirmed by vegetative compatibility studies. The patient was treated with itraconazole to avoid possible postsurgical dissemination. Three months after cessation of therapy, no recurrence of infection had occurred.     

Theoretical L-shell Coster-Kronig energies 11 ≤ Z ≤ 103

Relativistic relaxed-orbital calculations of L-shell Coster-Kronig transition energies have been performed ab initio for all possible transitions in atoms with atomic numbers 11 ≤ Z ≤ 103. Hartree-Fock-Slater wavefunctions served as zeroth-order eigenfunctions to compute the expectation of the total Hamiltonian. A first-order approximation to the local approximation was thus included. Quantum-electrodynamic corrections were made. Each transition energy was computed as the difference between results of separate self-consistent-field calculations for the initial, singly ionized state and the final two-hole state. The following quantities are listed: total transition energy, “electric” (Dirac-Hartree-Fock-Slater) contribution, magnetic and retardation contributions, and contributions due to vacuum polarization and self energy.     

Simplified stable crack growth analyses of welded CT specimens—comparison study of GE/EPRI, reference stress and R6 methods

This paper describes some simplified stable crack growth analyses of two kinds of inhomogeneous CT specimens. The one is machined from a submerged are welded plate of a nuclear pressure vessel A533B Class 1 steel, while the other is machined from an electron-beam welded plate of the A533B Class 1 steel and a high strength HT80 steel. In both specimens, initial cracks are placed to be normal to the fusion line. The ratio of yield stresses of the weld metal and the base metal of the A533B Class 1 steel is about 1·15, while that of the HT80 and the A533B Class 1 steels is about 1·4.

The generation phase crack growth analyses using the GE/EPRI and the reference stress methods are performed, calculating an applied load (P) and the J-value, while the application phase analyses of analyses using the R6 method are performed to calculate the maximum value of the applied load (P_max). Finally, some modification procedures of the three simplified estimation schemes are discussed in order to apply them to inhomogeneous material regimes.     

Automaticity in conversations: A reexamination of the mindlessness hypothesis.

The automatic processing of an ordinary conversation, or what has been called mindlessness (Langer, Blank, & Chanowitz, 1978), implies that comprehension of conversation is based almost entirely on generic knowledge. As a consequence, memory of what was said will contain typical events but virtually no idiosyncratic information. To test this prediction, we conducted a field experiment in which college students were individually approached and asked to perform a small favor. Attention was either induced or allowed to operate naturally. Specifically, half of the students were warned beforehand of the forthcoming request and told to pay close attention and half were not forewarned. As expected, regardless of the condition, the generic features of the request were well remembered. On the other hand, memory for idiosyncratic information, namely, specific words used in the request, decreased when the structure of the conversation conformed to cultural conventions and when attention to the request was not induced. Findings cast doubt on the perfect automaticity suggested by the mindlessness hypothesis (Langer et al., 1978). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mapping of the pressure response element of the c-fos gene by direct DNA injection into beating hearts

In vivo gene transfer into various organs of postnatal animals has recently been demonstrated. We applied this technique in order to map the promoter element of the protooncogene c-fos in the myocardium that responds to left ventricular pressure overload in vivo. Beating rat hearts were directly injected with a recombinant plasmid containing a 356-base pair upstream regulatory element of the mouse c-fos gene fused to a reporter gene. Two days after the injection, the hearts were excised and buffer-perfused. Acute pressure overload was applied for 2 h by inflating an intraventricular balloon. Pressure overload increased the myocardial reporter gene activity by 3-8-fold (p < 0.01). Deletion and point mutations in the serum response element (SRE) of the c-fos promoter resulted in loss of pressure-induced reporter gene expression, indicating that the SRE is necessary for pressure response. The SRE alone was sufficient to confer pressure responsiveness to the minimal c-fos promoter, confirming that the pressure response element coincides with the SRE. A construct containing a point mutation at the p62TCF binding site of the SRE did not respond to pressure overload or to a protein kinase C activator but retained responsiveness to a calcium ionophore. This suggests that pressure overload may activate the c-fos promoter by a protein kinase C-dependent pathway. Thus, a directly injected gene can be regulated in the host cells by a physical stimulus to the intact organ. The in vivo DNA injection technique is a useful method to study complex organ physiology at the molecular level.     

Metallic Particle Motion in 3-Phase SF6 Gas Insulated Bus

To investigate the behavior of metallic particles in 3-phase gas insulated buses (3-phase GIB), we conducted a test by using a 3-phase 275kV, ac, 60Hz full-scale model. The test results revealed that in a 3-phase electric field, unlike in a single-phase field, metallic particles were trapped on and around the high-voltage conductors and revolved circumferentially. Computer analysis shows that it was closely related to locational and periodic changes in the electric field provided by the 3-phase GIB, and that there were points on the high-voltage conductors in which metallic particles were readily trapped. It also was proved that phenomena peculiar to the 3-phase GIB could be reproduced very well by computer simulation.