Regeneration of active receptor recognition domains on the B subunit of cholera toxin by formation of hybrids from chemically inactivated derivatives

In order to test the hypothesis that binding sites of cholera toxin for its receptor, the monosialoganglioside GM1, are shared between adjacent beta-polypeptide chains, two inactive chemical derivatives of the B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB) were prepared and were subsequently used for the construction of hybrid CTB pentamers. One inactive derivative consisted of CTB specifically modified in the single essential Trp-88 residue of each beta-chain. This residue was modified by formylation, a treatment preserving the structural integrity of CTB. The other inactive derivative consisted of CTB specifically succinylated in three amino groups located in or near the receptor binding site. Using [1,4-14C]succinic anhydride for the site-specific succinylation and analysis of radiolabeled tryptic fragments of S-carboxymethylated [14C]sssCTB revealed that the amino groups specifically modified were the alpha-amino group of Thr-1 and the epsilon-amino groups of respectively Lys-34 and Lys-91. Upon submitting equal amounts of formylated CTB and site-specific succinylated CTB to a denaturation-renaturation cycle, hybrid pentamers were formed which in contrast to the parental compounds were able to bind GM1. The affinity of hybrid CTB for GM1, as estimated by a competitive solid-phase radiobinding assay was unexpectedly high and only 2.5-fold lower than that of its native counterpart. The number of active binding sites on hybrid CTB was determined from: (i) titration with the oligosaccharide moiety of GM1 (oligo-GM1) and monitoring the reversal of the Trp fluorescence quenching by iodide ions and (ii) rapid gel filtration over a superdex HR column of a mixture of hybrid CTB and an excess of 3H-labeled oligo-GM1. The data are in agreement with the formation of one active binding per four reconstituted binding sites in hybrid CTB, which is consistent with a random association of CTB monomers during the denaturation-renaturation cycle.     

Effect of polyethylene on osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase and procollagen secretion by human osteoblastic cells

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Anastomotic leakage is a severe complication in gastric surgery and it is associated with a high rate of mortality. Conservative treatment sometimes is not sufficient to stem the leakages and, even when it is sufficient, it takes a long time. The present study describes the first experience in the treatment of anastomotic leakages with endoscopic clipping. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From May 1995 to December 1996, seven patients with postoperative anastomotic leakages after gastric surgery were prospectively treated in our Endoscopy Service. Metallic endoclips (MD 850, Olympus Corp., Tokyo, Japan) with prongs 12 mm long and 6 mm wide were applied, controlling the closure of the leakage by endoscopy, using radiographs to confirm the closure 24 hours later. RESULTS: Complete closure of the leakage was obtained in all seven cases. A single session of endoscopic clipping was needed for five patients while two other required, respectively, two and three sessions. The median time of leakage closure after endoscopic clipping was 2.3 days (range 1-5 days). The clips spontaneously dislodged within 1 month in five patients and within the second month in the other two patients. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic treatment of anastomotic leakages by metallic clips represents a safe and easily repeated method and, compared to conservative treatment, it seems to offer several time and cost advantages. Further studies involving a larger number of patients are needed to verify this finding.     

Comparison of total and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase in patients with nonskeletal disorder or metabolic bone diseases

To evaluate the diagnostic validity of new assays for bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), we compared measurements of total alkaline phosphatase (TAP) in serum with results for three different assays of serum BAP in healthy adults (n = 119), patients with chronic nonskeletal disorders (n = 123), and patients with metabolic bone diseases (n = 113). Serum TAP was determined by a standard colorimetric assay, BAP by the methods of lectin precipitation (L-BAP), enzyme immunoassay (E-BAP), and immunoradiometric assay (I-BAP). Impairment of liver function resulted in significant increases of all alkaline phosphatase (AP) measurements, with the smallest changes being exhibited by E-BAP. Compared with the results by TAP, diagnostic sensitivity (i.e., of values exceeding the reference interval) was not improved by BAP, but receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses revealed improved discrimination for primary hyperparathyroidism by E-BAP. These results indicate that, in the presence of liver disease, the specificity of AP measurements is improved by measuring BAP. In most other clinical situations, serum TAP appears to provide sufficient clinical information; however, the cross-sectional study design used here allows no statement about the usefulness of BAP in serial measurements.     

Characterization of platelet-activating factor synthesis in glomerular endothelial cell lines

Platelet-activating factor synthesis in two transformed lines of glomerular endothelial cells was characterized and contrasted with platelet-activating factor production in macrovascular-derived endothelial cells as well as with glomerular cells of mesenchymal origin. Platelet-activating factor synthesis was assessed in intact cells and in cell-free preparations. Glomerular endothelial cells constitutively synthesize bio-active alkyl-PAF, and this basal activity can be chronically augmented by various inflammatory and thrombotic agents. In contrast, thrombin-mediated platelet-activating factor formation in bovine pulmonary aortic endothelial cells as well as in glomerular mesangial cells is acute and transient. The potential role of anti-inflammatory prostanoids to function as negative feedback modulators of thrombin- or endothelin-mediated platelet-activating factor synthesis was also investigated, as the synthesis of platelet-activating factor is often associated with the formation of these prostanoids. Indomethacin augmented receptor-mediated platelet-activating factor synthesis while prostanoids of the E and I series reduced agonist-stimulated PAF synthesis. In summary, the unique capacity of glomerular endothelial cells to respond to inflammatory stimuli with sustained platelet-activating factor synthesis is a clear indication of this cell's pivotal role in augmenting the inflammatory response in the limited environment of the glomerulus.     

Endothelium-dependent vasodilatation is impaired in peritoneal dialysis patients

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients have a high risk of cardiovascular mortality, which is not completely explained by conventional risk factors. Other factors related to chronic renal failure and/or dialysis treatment might lead to endothelial dysfunction, which is associated with an adverse cardiovascular outcome. One such factor is hyperhomocysteinaemia, which has a high prevalence in PD patients. METHODS: A vessel wall movement detector system was used to investigate endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated, and endothelium-independent, glyceryl trinitrate-induced, vasodilatation of the brachial artery in 29 PD patients and 29 control subjects. RESULTS: Endothelium-dependent vasodilatation was markedly reduced in the PD group: 5.7 +/- 1.0% vs 10.4 +/- 1.3% in the control group (P = 0.004). Endothelium-independent vasodilatation was not impaired. Plasma total homocysteine was elevated in the PD patients (45.2 +/- 6.2 micromol/l), but was not related to endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. CONCLUSION: Chronic peritoneal dialysis patients have impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilatation, which may reflect an increased susceptibility for the development of atherosclerosis and thrombosis.     

Hippocampal atrophy in normal aging. An association with recent memory impairment

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of radiographically detectable hippocampal atrophy (HA) in a normal aging sample and to test whether such atrophy is associated with memory dysfunction. DESIGN: One hundred fifty-four medically healthy and cognitively normal elderly persons (aged 55 to 88 years) received magnetic resonance imaging and/or computed tomographic scans designed to identify HA. One hundred forty-five of these subjects also underwent psychometric tests of memory function. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to evaluate differences in memory performance between subjects with and without HA. SETTING: This study was conducted at a research clinic for the investigation of age-associated neuropsychological and neuroradiologic changes. PARTICIPANTS: Based on the following criteria, 154 subjects were consecutively selected from a larger group of elderly research volunteers participating in a study of normal aging: age of 55 years or greater; Global Deterioration Scale score of 2 or less; and Mini-Mental State examination score of 28 or greater. Subjects with evidence for significant medical, psychiatric, or neurologic disease were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measurements included individual psychometric test scores and computed tomographic-magnetic resonance imaging hippocampal atrophy ratings. RESULTS: Nearly 33% of the subjects had radiographic evidence for HA. The prevalence of HA increased significantly with age and was more common in male than female subjects. After controlling for age, level of education, and vocabulary, subjects with HA were found to perform more poorly on tests of recent (secondary) verbal memory when compared with subjects without HA (P < .01). No significant differences were found for tests of immediate (primary) memory. CONCLUSION: We conclude that HA is a common accompaniment of normal aging and is associated with mild memory impairment. Additional research is needed to determine whether HA constitutes a significant risk for future dementia.     

Hypothermic ischaemia of the liver: a re-perfusion phenomenon

BACKGROUND: The effects of hypothermic injury to the liver were investigated on an isolated perfusion circuit by comparing porcine livers with varying degrees of preservation injury. METHODS: A group of unstored livers (n = 5) were compared to livers stored in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution for 18 h (n = 5), and a group of livers stored in Hartmann's solution for 18 h (n = 5). RESULTS: We observed that the degree of platelet sequestration was directly related to the severity of the preservation injury. After 2 h of isolated liver perfusion, the perfusate platelet count fell from 148 +/- 14 x 10(9)/L to 84 +/- 13 x 10(9)/L for control livers. In comparison for livers stored in UW solution, the platelet count fell from 173 +/- 43 x 10(9)/L to 61 +/- 14 x 10(9)/L representing a 64.8% fall, while for those stored in Hartmann's solution, an even more profound fall from 152 +/- 36 x 10(9)/L to 19 +/- 9 x 10(9)/L (87.5% fall) was observed. The difference between the UW-stored and Hartmann's-stored livers was significant (P < 0.05). However, using this model, the degree of leukocyte sequestration did not differentiate the groups. Both histological and ultrastructural examination of liver biopsies taken immediately following revascularization demonstrated that for mild degrees of preservation injury following hypothermic storage, changes occur to the sinusoidal lining cells well before changes to the parenchymal elements. CONCLUSIONS: These findings substantiate the hypothesis that the primary injury associated with hypothermia involves the sinusoidal lining cells (non-parenchymal elements), that it is predominantly a reperfusion phenomenon and that efforts at improving preservation should therefore be targeted primarily at these cells and not the hepatocytes.     

Activation of auditory cortex during silent lipreading

Watching a speaker's lips during face-to-face conversation (lipreading) markedly improves speech perception, particularly in noisy conditions. With functional magnetic resonance imaging it was found that these linguistic visual cues are sufficient to activate auditory cortex in normal hearing individuals in the absence of auditory speech sounds. Two further experiments suggest that these auditory cortical areas are not engaged when an individual is viewing nonlinguistic facial movements but appear to be activated by silent meaningless speechlike movements (pseudospeech). This supports psycholinguistic evidence that seen speech influences the perception of heard speech at a prelexical stage.