Chronic inflammation caused by lymphotoxin is lymphoid neogenesis

In presenting a unifying concept for chronic inflammation and lymphoid organogenesis, we suggest that lymphotoxin's (LT, LT-alpha, TNF-beta) crucial role in these processes is pivotal and similar. Chronic inflammatory lesions that developed in the kidney and pancreas at the sites of transgene expression in rat insulin promoter-LT (RIP-LT) mice resembled lymph nodes with regard to cellular composition (T cells, B cells, plasma cells, and antigen-presenting cells), delineated T and B cell areas, primary and secondary follicles, characteristic morphologic and antigenic (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, MAdCAM-1, and PNAd) features of high endothelial venules, and ability to respond to antigen and undergo Ig class switching when obtained from mice immunized with SRBC. The vascular changes, with the exception of PNAd, appear to be the direct consequence of transgene derived LT expression, as they were also observed in RIP-LT mice lacking mature T and B cells. These data show that LT-induced chronic inflammation has the characteristics of organized lymphoid tissue.     

Endocardial fibroelastosis in L-transposition of the great arteries with Ebstein''s anomaly: revisited

An alkylation method of docetaxel at the C-10 position has been established by a radical coupling reaction using a 10-xanthate derivative of 7-O-TES-10-deacetylbaccatin III and appropriate alkenes. In addition the cytotoxic activity of 10-alkylated docetaxel analogs was evaluated. Among these analogs, a derivative having a methoxycarbonyl group at the end of the alkyl moiety exhibited more potent cytotoxic activity than docetaxel.     

Structural and functional properties of full-length and truncated human proapolipoprotein AI expressed in escherichia coli

Utilizing the Escherichia coli/pGex vector expression system incorporating a thrombin cleavage site, full-length (residues -6-243) and truncated forms of proapolipoprotein AI (proapoAI), terminating at amino acid residues 222, 210, 150, and 135, were purified to levels of at least 5 mg/L, after thrombin cleavage. Assessed by circular dichroism, the helical contents of L-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine-associated forms of human plasma-derived apolipoprotein AI (apoAI) and recombinant proapoAI were comparable, being 69% and 65%, respectively. Circular dichroism measurements of the lipid-associated complexes of the truncated forms showed that between the sequence of residues 150-222 no additional helicity was gained until the carboxyl-terminal sequence was present in the molecule, indicating that the carboxyl terminus of the protein is required for the formation of helix within this central region. While tryptophan residues were more than 86% accessible, as assessed by iodide quenching, in the two truncated forms, proapoAI-6-135 and proapoAI-6-150, for both free and complexed protein, this figure fell to about 50% for full-length recombinant proapoAI, further indicating the influence of the carboxyl terminus on the structure of the whole protein. While cross-linking human plasma apoAI in solution with dithiobis-(succinimidyl propionate) revealed high molecular weight oligomers by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, recombinant proapoAI did not strongly form complexes larger than trimers. None of the truncated proapoAI molecules formed oligomers larger than trimers. The shortest form, proapoAI-6-135, only dimerized. Initial results from lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activation (apoAI peptide concentration 0.2 microM) indicated that truncation of the 21 carboxy-terminal amino acids resulted in a drop of approximately 53% in activation and 33 residues a drop of 67% relative to the full-length protein. Overall these results indicate the important influence of the carboxyl terminus on the structure of apoAI.     

Occupational allergic contact dermatitis in a patient with a positive patch test to tin

The case of a 69-year-old man with liver cirrhosis, thrombocytopenia, unstable angina, and a history of previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is presented. The patient under-went successful repeat CABG through lateral thoracotomy on the beating heart without extracorporeal circulatory support.     

The effects of phenethyl isothiocyanate, N-acetylcysteine and green tea on tobacco smoke-induced lung tumors in strain A/J mice

Male and female strain A/J mice were exposed to a mixture of cigarette sidestream and mainstream smoke at a chamber concentration of total suspended particulates of 82.5 mg/m3. Exposure time was 6 h/day, 5 days/week for 5 months. The animals were allowed to recover for another 4 months in filtered air before sacrifice and lung tumor count. Male animals were fed either 0.2% N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or 0.05% phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) in diet AIN-76A with 5% corn oil added. Female animals received normal laboratory chow and were given a 1.25% extract of green tea in the drinking water. Corresponding control groups were fed diets without NAC or PEITC or given plain tap water. Exposure to tobacco smoke increased lung tumor multiplicity to 1.1-1.6 tumors/lung, significantly higher than control values (0.5-1.0 tumors/lung). None of the putative chemopreventive agents (NAC, PEITC or green tea extract) had a protective effect. In positive control experiments, PEITC significantly reduced both lung tumor multiplicity and incidence in mice treated with the tobacco smoke-specific carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). In mice treated with three different doses of urethan and fed NAC in the diet, a significant reduction in lung tumor multiplicity was found only at one dose level. Green tea extract did not reduce lung tumor multiplicity in animals treated with a single dose of NNK. It was concluded that successful chemoprevention of tobacco smoke-induced lung tumorigenesis might require administration of several chemopreventive agents rather than just a single one.     

Changes of antipyrine pharmacokinetics during influenza and after administration of interferon-alpha and -beta

Muscle morphological alterations derived from protein malnutrition are subjected to debate, specially regarding the alteration of the proportion of the different fibre types. The aim of the present study was to analyse the morphologic changes of the different muscle fibre types in experimental protein malnutrition. Twelve male Wistar rats were fed on a 6% protein containing diet, and another 12 rats were fed on an isocaloric, 20% protein containing diet as control group. Right gastrocnemius muscle was removed. Fibre diameter and relative proportions of type I, IIa and IIb muscle fibre (by means of the myosin-ATPasa reactivity) were evaluated. Protein deprived rats showed a significant decrease in the mean diameter of type IIb fibres and also a decrease of the proportion of the type IIb fibres.