Identification of the alpha1L-adrenoceptor in rat cerebral cortex and possible relationship between alpha1L- and alpha1A-adrenoceptors.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In addition to alpha1A, alpha1B and alpha1D-adrenoceptors (ARs), putative alpha1L-ARs with a low affinity for prazosin have been proposed. The purpose of the present study was to identify the alpha1A-AR and clarify its pharmacological profile using a radioligand binding assay. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Binding experiments with [3H]-silodosin and [3H]-prazosin were performed in intact tissue segments and crude membrane preparations of rat cerebral cortex. Intact tissue binding assays were also conducted in rat tail artery. KEY RESULTS: [3H]-silodosin at subnanomolar concentrations specifically bound to intact tissue segments and membrane preparations of rat cerebral cortex at the same density (approximately 150 fmol mg(-1) total tissue protein). The binding sites in intact segments consisted of alpha1A and alpha1L-ARs that had different affinities for prazosin, while the binding sites in membranes showed an alpha1A-AR-like profile having single high affinity for prazosin. [3H]-prazosin also bound at subnanomolar concentrations to alpha1A and alpha1B-ARs but not alpha1L-ARs in cerebral cortex; the binding densities being approximately 200 and 290 fmol mg(-1) protein in the segments and the membranes, respectively. In the segments of tail artery, [3H]-silodosin only recognized alpha1A-ARs, whereas [3H]-prazosin bound to alpha1A and alpha1B-ARs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The present study clearly reveals the presence of alpha1L-ARs as a pharmacologically distinct entity from alpha1A and alpha1B-ARs in intact tissue segments of rat cerebral cortex but not tail artery. However, the alpha1L-ARs disappeared after tissue homogenization, suggesting their decomposition and/or their pharmacological profile changes to that of alpha1A-ARs.

HLA-DPB1 mismatch induces a graft-versus-leukemia effect without severe acute GVHD after single-unit umbilical cord blood transplantation.

Although it is known that human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DPB1 disparity has a strong impact on outcomes in unrelated hematopoietic transplantation with induction of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and a graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect, its role in unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation (UR-CBT) has yet to be fully clarified. Our current study is being conducted to elucidate the impact of HLA-DPB1 mismatch, along with the effect of other HLA loci mismatches at the allele level. HLA six loci alleles were retrospectively typed in 1157 Japanese donors and patients with leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome who underwent transplantation with a single unit of cord blood. HLA-DPB1 mismatch was associated with a significant reduction in leukemia relapse (hazard ratio 0.61, P<0.001), whereas the other HLA loci allele-level mismatches did not. No significant effect of HLA-DPB1 mismatch was observed in the risk of acute GVHD, engraftment or mortality. This HLA-DPB1 GVL effect without induction of severe acute GVHD or deterioration of survival rate has not been reported in unrelated bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantations, suggesting apparent advantages of UR-CBT. Accordingly, selection of an HLA-DPB1 mismatch cord blood might be the preferable choice for single-unit UR-CBT.

Electrogene therapy using endostatin, with or without suicide gene therapy, suppresses murine mammary tumor growth and metastasis.

Syngeneic inoculated metastatic mammary cancers received direct intratumoral injection of a plasmid vector containing either endostatin (pEndo) with or without a suicide gene (pHSVtk), pHSVtk alone or control vector once a week for 8 weeks. We applied electrogene transfer to the tumors after each injection and administered ganciclovir (GCV) to pHSVtk-transfected mice using an osmotic minipump. Anticancer efficacy was monitored using a variety of parameters, namely tumor volume, intratumoral microvessel density and DNA synthesis, number of mice with metastasis, and number of sites of metastasis per mouse. Tumor volume was significantly lower in all therapeutic groups, with the most effective growth suppression in the pEndo+pHSVtk/GCV group. Lymph node metastasis was significantly less frequent in all therapeutic groups, whereas the multiplicity of lung metastases was significantly lower only in the pEndo and pEndo+pHSVtk/GCV groups. All therapeutic groups showed significantly lower intratumor microvessel density and DNA synthesis. The pEndo and pEndo+pHSVtk/GCV groups also showed a significant reduction in the numbers of dilated lymphatic vessels containing intralumenal tumor cells. Our data suggest that endostatin electrogene therapy alone or in combination with pHSVtk/GCV suicide gene therapy is more beneficial than suicide gene therapy alone. The observed antimetastatic activity of endostatin may be of high clinical significance in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome after hematopoietic cell transplantation for lymphoma.

Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (t-AML/MDS) represent severe late effects in patients receiving hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for lymphoma. The choice between high-dose therapy with autologous HCT and allogeneic HCT with reduced-intensity conditioning remains controversial in patients with relapsed lymphoma. We retrospectively analyzed incidence and risk factors for the development of t-AML/MDS in lymphoma patients treated with autologous or allogeneic HCT. A total of 13 810 lymphoma patients who received autologous (n=9963) or allogeneic (n=3847) HCT between 1985 and 2012 were considered. At a median overall survival (OS) of 52 and 46 months in autologous and allogeneic HCT groups, respectively, lymphoma patients receiving autologous HCT (1.38% at 3 years after autologous HCT) had a significant risk for developing t-AML/MDS compared to allogeneic HCT (0.37% at 3 years after allogeneic HCT, P<0.001). Significant risk factors for the development of t-AML/MDS after autologous and allogeneic HCT were high-stage risk at HCT (P=0.04) or secondary malignancies (P<0.001) and receiving cord blood stem cell (P=0.03) or involved field radiotherapy (P=0.002), respectively. Strategies that carefully select lymphoma patients for autologous HCT, by excluding lymphoma patients with high-stage risk at HCT, may allow the identification of individual lymphoma patients at particular high risk for t-AML/MDS.

Probing the water permeability of ROMK1 and amphotericin B channels using Xenopus oocytes.

Water permeability of ion channels in the plasma membrane of Xenopus oocytes was studied by simultaneously measuring the membrane conductance under two-electrode voltage-clamp and the cell size by video-imaging technique. The basal level of osmotic water permeability of oocyte plasma membrane was 15.9+/-0.98 microm/s (SE, n = 5). Extracellular application of pore-forming antibiotic amphotericin B at 5 microM developed macroscopic conductance of 995+/-70 microS (n = 5) and increased the osmotic water permeability of cell membrane by 44.9+/-4.1 microm/s. Meanwhile, after expressing ROMK1 channels, originally cloned from kidney, virtually no increase in the water permeability was observed even at the conductance level as high as 1113+/-47 microS (n = 5). This result suggests that even though potassium channels, like any others, are considered to be water-filled pores, K+-selective ion-transporting pathway remains virtually water-impermeable in physiological conditions, such as in kidney epithelia where huge water transport takes place at both apical and basolateral sides.

Apoptotic and necrotic blebs in epithelial cells display similar neck diameters but different kinase dependency.

Apoptotic and necrotic blebs elicited by H(2)O(2) were compared in terms of dynamics, structure and underlying biochemistry in HeLa cells and Clone 9 cells. Apoptotic blebs appeared in a few minutes and required micromolar peroxide concentrations. Necrotic blebs appeared much later, prior to cell permeabilization, and required millimolar peroxide concentrations. Strikingly, necrotic blebs grew at a constant rate, which was unaffected throughout successive cycles of budding and detachment. At 1 microm diameter, the necks of necrotic and apoptotic blebs were almost identical. ATP depletion was discarded as a major factor for both types of bleb. Inhibition of ROCK-I, MLCK and p38MAPK strongly decreased apoptotic blebbing but had no effect on necrotic blebbing. Taken together, these data suggest the existence of a novel structure of fixed dimensions at the neck of both types of plasma membrane blebs in epithelial cells. However, necrotic blebs can be distinguished from apoptotic blebs in their susceptibility to actomyosin kinase inhibition.

Voltage- and time-dependent K+ channel currents in the basolateral membrane of villus enterocytes isolated from guinea pig small intestine.

Patch-clamp studies were carried out in villus enterocytes isolated from the guinea pig proximal small intestine. In the whole-cell mode, outward K+ currents were found to be activated by depolarizing command pulses to -45 mV. The activation followed fourth order kinetics. The time constant of K+ current activation was voltage-dependent, decreasing from approximately 3 ms at -10 mV to 1 ms at +50 mV. The K+ current inactivated during maintained depolarizations by a voltage-independent, monoexponential process with a time constant of approximately 470 ms. If the interpulse interval was shorter than 30 s, cumulative inactivation was observed upon repeated stimulations. The steady state inactivation was voltage-dependent over the voltage range from -70 to -30 mV with a half inactivation voltage of -46 mV. The steady state activation was also voltage-dependent with a half-activation voltage of -22 mV. The K+ current profiles were not affected by chelation of cytosolic Ca2+. The K+ current induced by a depolarizing pulse was suppressed by extracellular application of TEA+, Ba2+, 4-aminopyridine or quinine with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of 8.9 mM, 4.6 mM, 86 microM and 26 microM, respectively. The inactivation time course was accelerated by quinine but decelerated by TEA+, when applied to the extracellular (but not the intracellular) solution. Extracellular (but not intracellular) applications of verapamil and nifedipine also quickened the inactivation time course with 50% effective concentrations of 3 and 17 microM, respectively. Quinine, verapamil and nifedipine shifted the steady state inactivation curve towards more negative potentials. Outward single K+ channel events with a unitary conductance of approximately 8.4 pS were observed in excised inside-out patches of the basolateral membrane, when the patch was depolarized to -40 mV. The ensemble current rapidly activated and thereafter slowly inactivated with similar time constants to those of whole-cell K+ currents. It is concluded that the basolateral membrane of guinea pig villus enterocytes has a voltage-gated, time-dependent, Ca(2+)-insensitive, small-conductance K+ channel. Quinine, verapamil, and nifedipine accelerate the inactivation time course by affecting the inactivation gate from the external side of the cell membrane.

Comparison between reduced intensity and conventional myeloablative allogeneic stem-cell transplantation in patients with hematologic malignancies aged between 50 and 59 years.

To evaluate the efficacy of reduced-intensity stem-cell transplantation (RIST), we retrospectively compared outcomes of 207 consecutive Japanese patients aged between 50 and 59 years with hematologic malignancies who received RIST (n=70) and conventional stem-cell transplantation (CST) (n=137). CST recipients received total body irradiation (TBI)-based or busulfan/cyclophosphamide-based regimens. RIST regimens were purine analog-based (n=67), 2 Gy TBI-based (n=2), and others (n=1). Most CST recipients (129/137) received calcineurin inhibitors and methotrexate as graft-versus-host (GVHD) prophylaxis, while 32 RIST recipients received cyclosporin. In all, 23 CST and five RIST recipients died without disease progression within 100 days of transplant. Grade II to IV acute GVHD occurred in 56 CST and 38 RIST recipients. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival between CST and RIST. On multivariate analysis on OS, five variables were significant: preparative regimens (CST vs RIST) (hazard ratio=1.92, 95% confidence interval, 1.25-2.97; P=0.003), performance status (2-4 vs 0-1) (2.50, 1.51-4.16; P<0.001), risk of underlying diseases (1.85, 1.21-2.83; P=0.004), acute GVHD (2.57, 1.72-3.84; P<0.001), and CML (0.38, 0.21-0.69; P=0.002). We should be careful in interpreting results of this small-sized retrospective study; however, reduced regimen-related toxicity might contribute to better survival in RIST. The low relapse rates following RIST suggest a strong antitumor activity through allogeneic immunity.

Time course of myocardial infarction evaluated by indium-111-antimyosin monoclonal antibody scintigraphy: clinical implications and prognostic value.

To investigate the clinical implications of 111In-antimyosin antibody scintigraphy in the chronic stage of myocardial infarction, 34 studies were performed in 26 patients with 36 infarcts of various infarct ages. The infarcts were divided into three groups according to time from onset of chest pain to scintigraphy. Positive antimyosin images were obtained in 93% of Group I patients (3 days to 1 mo), 71% of Group II patients (1.5 mo to 1 yr) and none were obtained from Group III patients (1.5-6 yr). A negative correlation was observed between antimyosin uptake and the time after myocardial infarction. In Group II, patients with coronary artery patency and patients showing redistribution on exercise 201TI scintigraphy were more likely to have positive antimyosin images compared to patients without these features. Recurrent angina may also relate to chronic antimyosin uptake. Indium-111-antimyosin antibody scintigraphy may be a useful method in assessing the course of myocardial infarction and for the patient follow-up.

Phloretin differentially inhibits volume-sensitive and cyclic AMP-activated, but not Ca-activated, Cl(-) channels.

Some phenol derivatives are known to block volume-sensitive Cl(-) channels. However, effects on the channel of the bisphenol phloretin, which is a known blocker of glucose uniport and anion antiport, have not been examined. In the present study, we investigated the effects of phloretin on volume-sensitive Cl(-) channels in comparison with cyclic AMP-activated CFTR Cl(-) channels and Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Extracellular application of phloretin (over 10 microM) voltage-independently, and in a concentration-dependent manner (IC(50) approximately 30 microM), inhibited the Cl(-) current activated by a hypotonic challenge in human epithelial T84, Intestine 407 cells and mouse mammary C127/CFTR cells. In contrast, at 30 microM phloretin failed to inhibit cyclic AMP-activated Cl(-) currents in T84 and C127/CFTR cells. Higher concentrations (over 100 microM) of phloretin, however, partially inhibited the CFTR Cl(-) currents in a voltage-dependent manner. At 30 and 300 microM, phloretin showed no inhibitory effect on Ca(2+)-dependent Cl(-) currents induced by ionomycin in T84 cells. It is concluded that phloretin preferentially blocks volume-sensitive Cl(-) channels at low concentrations (below 100 microM) and also inhibits cyclic AMP-activated Cl(-) channels at higher concentrations, whereas phloretin does not inhibit Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels in epithelial cells.

Expression and role of mannose receptor/terminal high-mannose type oligosaccharide on osteoclast precursors during osteoclast formation.

Osteoclasts are formed from hematopoietic precursors via cell-cell fusion. We have previously reported that mannose residues are expressed on the outer membranes of monocytes during osteoclast differentiation. In the present study, we have attempted to demonstrate the pattern of expression levels of terminal high-mannose type oligosaccharide and to show that the mannose receptor is expressed on osteoclast precursor cells. Osteoclasts were formed using three different systems, namely mouse bone marrow cell culture, co-culture of mouse spleen cells with stromal cells, and RAW264.7 cell cultures. During osteoclast differentiation, the expression of terminal high-mannose type oligosaccharide gradually increased and then peaked at the stage of fusion in all three systems. Expression of the mannose receptor gradually increased during osteoclast differentiation in bone marrow cells and the co-culture system. In contrast, that in RAW264.7 cells had already been detected in the absence of the soluble receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand and did not change during osteoclast differentiation. To ascertain whether expression of high-mannose type oligosaccharide is involved in tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cell (MNC) formation, glycosidase inhibitors were used on RAW264.7 cell culture. Castanospermine, an inhibitor of glucosidase I, inhibited the TRAP-positive MNCs, and deoxymannojirimycin, an inhibitor of alpha-mannosidase I, increased the TRAP-positive MNC formation. These results indicate that the binding of terminal high-mannose and mannose receptor is important for the process of cellular fusion in osteoclast formation.

Inconsistency between the fimbrilin gene and the antigenicity of lipopolysaccharides in selected strains of Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Immunochemical specificity of lipopolysaccharide and the molecular property of the gene encoding the fimbrilin (fimA) of Porphyromonas gingivalis strains were examined using 'fimbriated' strains 381 and HG564 and 'non-fimbriated' strains 381FL and W50. Lipopolysaccharide from strains 381, 381FL and HG564 reacted with monoclonal antibody raised to lipopolysaccharide from strain 381 to give a fused precipitin band by the immunodiffusion test. However, silver staining and Western blotting of lipopolysaccharide clearly revealed a difference in profile of bands between strains 381 and 381FL. On the other hand, lipopolysaccharide from W50 formed another precipitin band and reacted with the antibody, but only at higher concentrations of lipopolysaccharide. The fimA genes in these strains were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and cloned. Sequencing of the fimA gene revealed that the fimA(W50) was almost identical to fimA(HG564), but a notable difference was observed at the start codon of the open reading frame, while the fimA(381FL) was considerably different from fimA of other strains and its open reading frame was found to be missing. These results indicate that the molecular structure of the fimA genes of these strains is not homologous, indicating that molecular modifications in the fimA gene should occur during in vitro passages and maintenance of strains of P. gingivalis in laboratories.

Delayed diagnosis of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery 16 years after mitral valve replacement.

Mitral insufficiency caused by ischemia is frequently found in anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. We report a case of a 25-year-old woman who was diagnosed to have anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery and had successful left internal mammary artery bypass grafting 16 years after mitral valve replacement for mitral insufficiency of an unknown cause in her childhood.

Volume expansion sensitivity of swelling-activated Cl(-) channel in human epithelial cells.

In human epithelial cell lines, whole-cell swelling-activated Cl(-) current was not directly correlated to cell volume per se, membrane tension or hydrostatic pressure. The current density exhibited a relation described by a Boltzmann function to the square of the cell diameter. Cytochalasin D enhanced the volume sensitivity. These results suggest that the activation mechanism of volume-sensitive Cl(-) channel is related to cytoskeleton-dependent membrane spring energy in human epithelial cells.

Single-channel recordings of volume-sensitive Cl- channels in human intestinal epithelial cells.

Under the double-patch configuration, stepwise closing unitary events could be observed in the on-cell patch upon applications of large positive potentials only when inactivating whole-cell Cl- currents were simultaneously observed in cultured human epithelial cells (Intestine 407) after osmotic swelling. Under the cell-attached configuration, the single channel events exhibited similar time- and voltage-dependent inactivation upon large depolarizations. The inactivation time course became shorter with increasing positive command pulses. The unitary slope conductance was around 63 pS at +140 mV and 46 pS at +100 mV exhibiting outward rectification.

Osmotic swelling activates intermediate-conductance Cl- channels in human intestinal epithelial cells.

During osmotic swelling of a human intestinal epithelial cell line, stepwise closing unitary events of Cl- channels could be observed in cell-attached patches upon application of large positive potentials only when inactivating whole-cell Cl- currents were simultaneously observed. The closing process became faster with increasing positive command pulses. The unitary conductance was around 32 pS at 60 mV, 37 pS at +100 mV, and 47 pS at +140 mV exhibiting outward rectification.

Properties of volume-sensitive Cl- channels in a human epithelial cell line.

A regulatory volume decrease is accomplished by parallel activation of Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels and Ca(2+)-independent Cl- channels in cultured human intestinal epithelial cells (Intestine 407). The anion selectivity of whole-cell currents recorded in osmotically swollen cells falls into the Eisenman type I sequence corresponding to a low-field anion channel. The volume-sensitive Cl- channel has an intermediate unitary conductance. Both the whole-cell and single-channel Cl- currents exhibit unique voltage-dependency. The Cl- current can be maintained in the activated state in the physiological voltage range. However, at very large depolarizations (over +50 mV), the current is quickly inactivated. The Cl- current shows moderate outward rectification. The whole-cell Cl- current is sensitive to Cl- channel blockers such as SITS and NPPB as well as to cis unsaturated fatty acids such as arachidonic acid and oleic acid. The whole-cell current is totally independent of Ca2+ and cyclic AMP, but inhibited by increases in cytosolic free Mg2+ ions. Removal of intracellular ATP, but not Mg2+, abolishes the Cl- current. The ATP role can be substituted for non-hydrolyzable ATP analogs. Therefore, it is likely that intracellular ATP maintains the channel activity through non-hydrolytic binding.

Changes in bite force and occlusal contact area after orthognathic surgery for correction of mandibular prognathism.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the long-term changes of bite force and occlusal contact area in patients with prognathous after orthognathic surgery with a newly developed pressure-sensitive sheet (Dental-Prescale; Fuji Photo Film Co). STUDY DESIGN: Fifty-seven patients with prognathous were examined. Bite force and occlusal contact area were measured just before operation and at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years after operation. Forty control subjects with normal occlusion were also measured. RESULTS: The bite force and occlusal contact area of the patients were significantly greater than the preoperative level at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years after operation. However, they were still significantly lower than the control subject level even at 3 years after operation. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that orthognathic surgery improves the bite force and occlusal contact area of patients with prognathous. However, at 3 years from the time of operation, patients had not reached control subject levels.

[Comparison of bioavailability of salbutamol between oral and rectal administration in rabbits].

In order to obtain a basic knowledge for developing the rectal dosage form of salbutamol (SB), a comparison of the bioavailability was made between oral and rectal administrations. After the intravenous, oral and rectal dosing of SB solution in rabbits, SB and its glucuronide (SBG) in plasma and urine were determined. The bioavailability estimated by the area under the blood concentration-time curve (AUC) of SB from 0 to 9 h after oral and rectal administrations were 1.1 +/- 0.5% and 7.8 +/- 2.2% (mean +/- S. E., n = 5), respectively. Percent of dose excreted in urine as total SB (SB+SBG) 10 h after oral and rectal administrations were 77.3 +/- 3.82% and 9.80 +/- 0.15% (mean +/- S. E., n = 3), respectively, which indicating relatively good oral and poor rectal SB absorption. A partial avoidance of first-pass-effects might contribute to higher bioavailability after the rectal administration.

[Indium-111 antimyosin monoclonal antibody uptake in patients with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis].

Prognostic significance of myocardial uptake of indium-111 antimyosin antibody was evaluated in 17 patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathy; 10 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and 7 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Seven of 10 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy showed positive images. Three of these 7 patients with strongly positive scans died after scintigraphic examination. Six of 7 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy showed positive images. Three of the patients with dilated left ventricle had prominent positive scans and higher heart to lung ratio. The heart to lung ratio of antimyosin uptake in total patients was correlated with left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and ejection fraction measured by echocardiography. In patients with myocarditis, all three patients showed positive scintigrams within 4 weeks after the onset of the disease and 1 of 6 patients was positive thereafter, who had dilated ventricle and decreased cardiac function. Thus, indium-111 antimyosin antibody imaging may be useful to evaluate prognosis of patients with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis.