Preparation of iron-fortified potato starch and its properties.

Iron fortification was applied to commercial potato starch by immersion in different concentrations of ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) aqueous solutions. To determine the impact of iron fortification on the properties of potato starch, all of the starches obtained through the process mentioned above were analyzed for their pasting properties, color, gelatinization properties, and resistant starch content. Results indicated that the iron content markedly increased from 16 to 890 ppm when the potato starch was treated with a FeSO4 aqueous solution. During iron fortification, pasting properties markedly changed. Peak viscosity and breakdown decreased while peak viscosity temperature increased with iron fortification. Iron fortification caused a little reduced whiteness (slightly lower L*-value) and enhanced yellowish color (higher b*-value). In contrast, iron fortification had little influence on the gelatinization temperature and enthalpy. Moreover, no significant change in the resistant starch content was observed due to iron fortification.

Colored potato extracts induce superoxide dismutase-2 mRNA via ERK1/2 pathway in HepG2 cells.

Rats fed a diet containing Shadow Queen (SQ), an anthocyanin-rich potato cultivar, previously showed an increase in the hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD)-2 mRNA level. We investigated whether an extract of SQ would directly increase the hepatic SOD-2 mRNA level in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, we estimated the intracellular signaling pathway for the induction of SOD-2 mRNA expression. HepG2 cells were stimulated using extracts of four crops, including SQ, for 12 h; only extracts of colored potatoes induced SOD-2 mRNA expression significantly. This induction of SOD-2 mRNA expression was blocked by an inhibitor of the extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) 1/2 pathway. Furthermore, an extract of SQ increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 after 15 or 30 min of stimulation. These data indicate that an extract of SQ directly induces hepatic SOD-2 mRNA expression via activation of ERK1/2 pathway in HepG2 cells.

Comparison of two methods for evaluating bone marrow metastasis of neuroblastoma: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for tyrosine hydroxylase and magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: The presence of bone marrow (BM) metastasis and circulating tumor cells in patients with neuroblastoma is a significant prognostic factor at diagnosis and might antedate detection of a relapse by other diagnostic studies. In this study, the clinical value of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to amplify mRNA for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during the clinical course of patients with advanced neuroblastoma, was evaluated. METHODS: Four patients with Stage 1, 4 or 4S neuroblastoma, were studied. BM and peripheral blood (PB), including peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC), samples were examined for TH mRNA using RT-PCR. Concurrently, MRI detection of BM metastasis was used. RESULTS: In all cases, except one that had no evidence of BM invasion, TH mRNA in BM and PB at diagnosis were positive, and TH mRNA at diagnosis disappeared after chemotherapy. In two cases, although involvement in the neurocentrum BM was detected by MRI, TH mRNA in the iliac crest BM was negative. The pathological area still remained on MRI after intensive therapy. CONCLUSION: RT-PCR for TH mRNA might be the most sensitive method for the detection of occult neuroblastoma cells in BM and PB. However, because invasion of the BM by neuroblastoma may have a focal distribution, sampling errors can occur. Therefore, not only RT-PCR but also MRI, need to be used to rule out marrow involvement, especially at diagnosis and BM relapse.

[A case of hypereosinophilic syndrome associated with paraplegia].

We report a 3-year-old girl with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. She was admitted to our hospital because of fever, cough, significant eosinophilia (16,500/microliter) and an elevated serum IgE level (114,685 u/ml). After wheezes continued for several days, paraplegia, dysuria and dyschezia developed. CSF, chest roentgenogram and spinal MRI were normal, as well as motor and sensory conduction velocities of the median and tibial nerves. Flaum's hematologic score was 4. Treatment with prednisolone resulted in remission of neurological symptoms and a rapidly normalization of the eosinophil count. During the following months, eosinophilia reappeared with tapering the medication, but there was no recurrence of neurological signs. Glucocorticoid therapy was discontinued after 21 months.

Persistence of TEL-AML1 transcript in acute lymphoblastic leukemia in long-term remission.

BACKGROUND: It has recently been shown that t (12;21) (p13;q 22) is the most common molecular genetic abnormality in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We have analyzed this translocation in an attempt to evaluate its incidence and to monitor minimal residual disease (MRD) with t (12; 21) rearrangement by detection of TEL-AML1 transcript in patients with childhood ALL. PROCEDURE: All cryopreserved bone marrow samples were analyzed using a nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. TEL-AML1 transcripts were searched for in 34 ALL patients, including six in relapse consecutively diagnosed at our institution between 1991 and 1997. RESULTS: TEL-AML1 transcripts were found in five (19%) of 27 patients with B precursor ALL. The patients with BCR-ABL, chromosome 11q23 rearrangement and T-ALL patients did not express TEL-AML1 transcripts. Moreover, MRD in five patients with TEL-AML1 transcripts were analyzed in serial samples. Although TEL-AML1 transcripts disappeared soon after the beginning of chemotherapy in three of the five patients, one patient continued to express them for up to 21 months without recurrence and remained in continuous complete remission for seven years after the cessation of chemotherapy. The remaining patient was admitted to our hospital after the second relapse but died following a failure to induce complete remission. CONCLUSION: For most patients, the presence of TEL-AML1 transcripts suggests excellent chemosensitivity and a favorable prognosis, but some patients with these transcripts have a different outcome. The present study suggests the possibility that a persistence of MRD is not necessarily related to a relapse of ALL with TEL-AML1 fusion. The prognostic significance of TEL-AML1 transcript remains controversial. Further studies are needed to evaluate the relation between the TEL-AML1 transcript and prognosis.