Phagocytic Activation of Macrophages with Serum MAF Depends on Engulfment Efficiency and Not Migratory Activity.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Serum-derived macrophage activating factor (serum MAF) is known to increase the phagocytic activity of macrophages and potentially plays a role in activating cancer immunity. In order to reveal the contributing factors for phagocytic activation, the migratory activity and the efficiency of engulfment was analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THP-1 macrophages were induced by 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-acetate (TPA). The migratory activity and efficiency of engulfment were analyzed by time-lapse imaging and suspension assay, respectively. RESULTS: While the distance of migration did not change before and after activation with serum MAF, the efficiency of beads internalisation was significantly increased. CONCLUSION: Phagocytic activation of serum-MAF-treated macrophages was caused by increasing the efficiency of engulfment. This study contributes to the knowledge about the activation of the immune system through phagocytic activation of macrophages.

Macrophages Exhibit a Large Repertoire of Activation States via Multiple Mechanisms of Macrophage-activating Factors.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Macrophages are important components of human defense systems and consequently key to antitumor immunity. Human-serum macrophage activation factor (serum MAF) can activate macrophages, making it a promising reagent for anticancer therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We established four different macrophage subtypes through introduction of different culture conditions to THP-1- and U937-derived macrophages. We assessed phagocytic activity to understand subtype responses to typical macrophage activation factors (MAFs) and the activation mechanisms of serum MAF. RESULTS: All four macrophage subtypes differed in their response to all MAFs. Moreover, serum MAF had two different activation mechanisms: N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-dependent and GalNAc-independent. CONCLUSION: Macrophage activation states and mechanisms are heterogeneous.

Magnitude of the regression to the mean within one-year intra-individual changes in serum lipid levels among Japanese male workers.

To investigate the magnitude of the 'regression to the mean' effect for the changes in serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) levels during one-year interval between annual health check-ups in occupational settings, the relationships between the baseline level and subsequent one-year change in TC, TG or HDLC were analyzed using paired health check-up data in 1998 and 1999 of 547 Japanese male clerical workers. After adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), yearly change in BMI, drinking score and smoking score by the multivariate analyses, the yearly changes in each serum lipid (deltaTC, deltaLn(TG) or deltaHDLC) were clearly inversely associated with the lipid levels in 1998. For example, in the multiple linear regression analyses setting delta value in each serum lipid as a dependent variable, the partial regression coefficients for the baseline lipid levels (beta1) were - 0.21 (p<0.001) for the TC, -0.39 (p<0.001) for the Ln(TG) and -0.15 (p<0.001) for the HDLC, respectively. These results suggest that the observed yearly change in each serum lipid level may largely reflect the 'regression to the mean' effect in addition to the real yearly biological change.

[A new sedation technique with propofol during spinal anesthesia].

We compared our new sedation technique with propofol during spinal anesthesia (Group B, n = 50) with a previously described method by Mackenzie et al. (Group A, n = 20). In Group A, propofol was started at a rate of 6 mg.kg-1.h-1 for 10 minutes, followed by continuous infusion at a rate of 4 mg.kg-1.h-1 till the end of surgery. In Group B, propofol 0.4 mg.kg-1 was administered by a bolus injection at the beginning. One-hundred and fifty minutes after the first injection, propofol 0.2 mg.kg-1 was added. The third dose of 0.1 mg.kg-1 of propofol was given 150 seconds after the second dose, followed by continuous infusion at a rate of 4 mg.kg-1.h-1 till the end of surgery. When adequate sedation was not obtained in Group B, propofol 0.1 mg.kg-1 was added by bolus fashion occasionally. In Group A, it took 9 min. 29 sec. to complete adequate sedation assessed by Mackenzie and Grant's sedation score. On the other hand, in Group B, it was 7 min. 27 sec. (P < 0.05 compared with Group A). There was neither excitation nor movement during sedation in Group B, while 5 patients experienced such events in Group A. The blood concentrations of propofol in Group B was 0.946 +/- 0.076 microgram.ml-1 and 0.693 +/- 0.136 microgram.ml-1 at 5 minutes and 10 minutes after the beginning of propofol, respectively. These values were significantly lower than those reported by Kugimiya. Our newly developed method for sedation with propofol during spinal anesthesia would be safer and more effective than that previously described by Mackenzie et al.

[Comparative study of postoperative complications in primary and secondary implantation of posterior chamber intraocular lens in cataract surgery for diabetic patients].

Postoperative complications of diabetic cataract cases with active stage diabetic retinopathy, which underwent simultaneous extracapsular lens extraction (ECCE) and posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) implantation in 84 eyes, ECCE only in 38 eyes and secondary implantation of PC-IOL after ECCE in 23 eyes, were studied. In the eyes of the primary PC-IOL implantation group, fibrous response in 35 eyes (42%), posterior iris synechia in 10 eyes (12%), progression of diabetic retinopathy in 13 eyes (16%), after cataract in 11 eyes (13%), pupil capture in 4 eyes (5%) and decentration of lens optics in 3 eyes (4%) were appeared, while in the ECCE only group, fibrous response in 11 eyes (29%), posterior iris synechia in 4 eyes (11%), after cataract in 11 eyes (29%), progression of diabetic retinopathy in 6 eyes (16%) were observed. On the other hand, in the secondary PC-IOL implantation group, only fibrous response was appeared in 1 eye (4%), Although PC-IOL implantation has been so far considered contraindication in cases with cataract combined with active stage retinopathy, the present studies strongly suggest that secondary PC-IOL implantation would be good indication in these cases whose blood sugar was properly controlled and the retinopathy was burned out by panretinal photocoagulation soon after ECCE.