Opioid analgesia in necrotizing pancreatitis: Incidence and timing of a hidden crisis.

BACKGROUND: Rates of opioid usage during necrotizing pancreatitis (NP) disease course are unknown. We hypothesized that a significant number of NP patients were prescribed opioid analgesics chronically. METHODS: Single institution IRB-approved retrospective study of 230 NP patients treated between 2015 and 2019. RESULTS: Data were available for 198/230 (86%) patients. 166/198 (84%) were discharged from their index hospitalization with a prescription for an opioid. At the first clinic visit following hospitalization, 110/182 (60%) were using opioids. Six months after disease onset, 72/163 (44%) continued to require opioids. At disease resolution, 38/144 (26%) patients remained on opioid medications. The rate of active opioid prescriptions at six months after disease onset declined throughout the period studied from 68% in 2015 to 39% in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Opioid prescriptions are common in NP. Despite decline over time, 1 in 4 patients remain on opioids at disease resolution. These data identify an opportunity to adjust analgesic prescription practice in NP patients.

Smoking and IPMN malignant progression.

BACKGROUND: Patients with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) are at risk for invasive pancreatic cancer. We aim to characterize the impact of smoking on IPMN malignant progression. METHODS: Patients undergoing pancreatic resection for IPMN (1991-2015) were retrospectively reviewed using a prospectively collected database. RESULTS: Of 422 patients identified, 324 had complete data for analysis; 55% were smokers. Smoking status did not impact IPMN malignant progression (smokers/non-smokers: 22%/18% invasive grade; p = 0.5). Smokers were younger than non-smokers at the time of IPMN diagnosis (63 versus 68 years; p = 0.001). This association also held in the invasive IPMN subgroup (65 versus 72 years, p = 0.01). Despite this observation, rate of symptoms at diagnosis, cancer stage, and median survival were the same between smokers and non-smokers. CONCLUSION: Although smoking is not associated with IPMN malignant progression, invasive IPMN is diagnosed at a younger age in smokers. These data suggest tobacco exposure may accelerate IPMN malignant progression.

Does preoperative cross-sectional imaging accurately predict main duct involvement in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm?

Main pancreatic duct (MPD) involvement is a well-demonstrated risk factor for malignancy in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). Preoperative radiographic determination of IPMN type is heavily relied upon in oncologic risk stratification. We hypothesized that radiographic assessment of MPD involvement in IPMN is an accurate predictor of pathological MPD involvement. Data regarding all patients undergoing resection for IPMN at a single academic institution between 1992 and 2012 were gathered prospectively. Retrospective analysis of imaging and pathologic data was undertaken. Preoperative classification of IPMN type was based on cross-sectional imaging (MRI/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and/or CT). Three hundred sixty-two patients underwent resection for IPMN. Of these, 334 had complete data for analysis. Of 164 suspected branch duct (BD) IPMN, 34 (20.7%) demonstrated MPD involvement on final pathology. Of 170 patients with suspicion of MPD involvement, 50 (29.4%) demonstrated no MPD involvement. Of 34 patients with suspected BD-IPMN who were found to have MPD involvement on pathology, 10 (29.4%) had invasive carcinoma. Alternatively, 2/50 (4%) of the patients with suspected MPD involvement who ultimately had isolated BD-IPMN demonstrated invasive carcinoma. Preoperative radiographic IPMN type did not correlate with final pathology in 25% of the patients. In addition, risk of invasive carcinoma correlates with pathologic presence of MPD involvement.

Methional, a cellular metabolite, induces apoptosis preferentially in G2/M-synchronized BAF3 murine lymphoid cells.

We have previously shown that methional, derived from 4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoate, is a cellular mediator of apoptosis in BAF3 b0 murine lymphoid cells, which are dependent on IL3 for their growth in culture. When cells synchronized in S phase by double thymidine block were treated with methional immediately after thymidine withdrawal, methional was unable to induce DNA-strand breaks, whereas it inhibited the progression of cells from S to G2/M phases. This inhibition of cell cycle progression was associated with a 53% decrease in DNA synthesis. In contrast, when BAF3 b0 cells were synchronized in G2/M phase using SK&F 96365, and treated with methional immediately after drug removal, methional induced DNA-strand breaks in 49% of cells in 4 h, compared to 12% in controls. As contact time increased from 4 to 8 h, DNA-strand breaks increased to 94% in methional-treated cells compared to 11% in controls. These observations on G2/M-synchronized cells are different from those seen in BAF3b0 cells in G1 phase, 3 h after their release from the G2/M block, in that there was no decrease in size of the G1 population even after an additional 4 h incubation in the presence of methional. These results, taken together, provide a rational basis for using combinations of methional and G2/M blockers as inducers of DNA-strand breaks and apoptosis in murine lymphoid cells.

Ultrastructural immunolocalization of polyamines in HeLa cells subjected to fast-freezing fixation and freeze substitution.

Polyamines have been localized at the ultrastructural level in HeLa cells subjected first to fast-freezing fixation (FFF)-freeze substitution (FS) and then to an immunocytochemical method combining anti-polyamine antibodies and immunogold labelling. Polyamines were found in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus and, in the latter, particularly over the dense chromatin area. To our knowledge, this is the first example of the electron microscopic localization of a hapten after FFF-FS. For the preservation of fine ultrastructural details, this FFF-FS method is not only adequate but also greatly reduces, if not totally eliminates, any leeching-out and redistribution of the polyamines during the preparation of the sample. For the preservation of antigenicity in situ during FS, epoxy resin was more effective than hydrophilic LR white resin, probably due to the solubility of polyamines in the latter.

Altered methional homoeostasis is associated with decreased apoptosis in BAF3 bcl2 murine lymphoid cells.

Methional is a potent inducer of apoptosis in an interleukin 3-dependent murine lymphoid cell line BAF3 b0 when it is added to the culture medium. In these cells transfected with the bcl2 gene, BAF3 bcl2, the apoptotic-inducing activity of methional is dramatically reduced. The addition of disulfiram (an inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase) in order to reduce methional oxidation brought about an increase in apoptosis in BAF3 b0 but not in BAF3 bcl2 cells. In contrast, the addition of quercetin (an inhibitor of aldehyde reductase) in an attempt to diminish methional reduction increased apoptosis in both BAF3 b0 and BAF3 bcl2 cells. The extent of DNA fragmentation in BAF3 bcl2 cells approached that in BAF3 b0 cells in the presence of quercetin and exogenous methional, suggesting a defect in methional biosynthesis in BAF3 bcl2 cells. Direct evidence for this was obtained by measuring labelled methional in cells incubated with the sodium, salt of [U-14C]4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoic acid (MTOB), the precursor of methional. The 80% decrease in labelled methional in BAF3 bcl2 compared with BAF3 b0 cells was accompanied by a concomitant rise in the transamination of [14C]MTOB to [14C]methionine in BAF3 bcl2 cells. Inhibition of the transaminase, however, by a synthetic transition-state-type compound, pyridoxal-L-methionine ethyl ester, induced apoptosis in BAF3 b0 but not in BAF3 bcl2 cells, confirming that the defect in BAF3 bcl2 cells was not in the transaminase itself but rather in the oxidative decarboxylation step MTOB --> methional. In addition, no evidence was obtained for the synthesis of [14C]malondialdehyde from [14C]methional in BAF3 bcl2 cells. As these cells show no deficiency in their content of reactive oxygen species compared with that of BAF3 b0 cells, they may possess some other defect in the beta-hydroxylase enzyme system itself.

Methionine dependence of tumor cells: programmed cell survival?

A majority of tumor cell lines are considered to be "methionine-dependent" because of their inability to grow in culture when methionine is replaced by its precursor, homocysteine. We have previously shown that this phenotype is not due to the incapacity to synthesize methionine from homocysteine but rather to a deficiency in the "methionine salvage pathway", including 4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoic acid (MTOB), which is transaminated into methionine. At low concentrations MTOB can restore normal growth of methionine-dependent cell lines in the absence of methionine. However, when MTOB concentrations are increased the cells undergo apoptosis. Methional, a metabolite of MTOB produced by the branched-chain oxo acid dehydrogenase complex, is a potent inducer of apoptosis in a murine lymphoid cell line. We suggest that the methionine-dependent phenotype is associated with a reduced content of methional, which behaves as a proapoptotic agent. For this reason, methionine-dependent cells have a relative survival advantage.

Methional derived from 4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoate is a cellular mediator of apoptosis in BAF3 lymphoid cells.

4-Methylthio-2-oxobutanoic acid is the direct precursor of methional, which is a potent inducer of apoptosis in a BAF3 murine lymphoid cell line which is interleukin-3 (IL3)-dependent. Cultures treated for 8 h with methional in the presence of IL3 show extensive DNA double-strand breaks on flow cytometric analysis, increases in DNA fragmentation as measured by the amount of non-sedimentable DNA present in the 30,000 g supernatant of cell lysates and the typical laddering pattern of multiples of 180 bp seen upon agarose gel electrophoresis. No such features of apoptosis were found in cells treated with 4-methylthio 2-oxobutanoic acid or propanal, suggesting that the simultaneous presence of the methylthio group on the propanal moiety is essential for apoptosis to take place. Methional is further metabolized in cells by two reactions: oxidation via aldehyde dehydrogenase to (methylthio)propionic acid or beta-hydroxylation to malondialdehyde. The formation of malondialdehyde from methional in vitro by chemical hydroxylation under the conditions of the Fenton reaction provides a mechanism for the beta-hydroxylation which takes place in vivo. During apoptosis induced by IL3 deprivation, the ratio of 2,4-DNPH MDA to 2,4-DNPH methional is 0.94 in cells in IL3- medium compared with 0.54 in cells in IL3+ medium. These results support a role of cellular methional and malondialdehyde in apoptosis.

Differential expression of isopeptide bonds N epsilon (gamma-glutamyl) lysine in benign and malignant human breast lesions: an immunohistochemical study.

N epsilon (gamma-glutamyl) lysine isopeptide bonds were detected in situ in histological sections from benign and malignant human breast tissue using the monoclonal antibody (MAb) 81D1c2. On cryostat sections of fresh-frozen mammary tissue post-fixed in acetone, or on paraffin sections also from mammary tissue fixed in Bouin's solution, the MAb reacted preferentially with glandular epithelial cells and staining was restricted to the nuclei. In 41 out of 44 benign lesions examined, staining was strong or moderate, while in 25 out of 33 malignant lesions no staining was observed. In the 8 remaining lesions of this group, staining was positive but weak. The difference in reactivity of this MAb with the 2 types of lesions is highly significant (p less than 0.0005) according to the chi 2 test.

Transglutaminase activity and N epsilon (gamma glutamyl) lysine isopeptide levels during cell growth: an enzymic and immunological study.

A monoclonal antibody (MAb) 81D1c2, which recognizes the N epsilon (gamma glutamyl) lysine isopeptide produced by the action of transglutaminase activity was prepared. Its reactivity towards the homologous isopeptide was about 3-fold greater than that with either N alpha (alpha glutamyl) lysine (a naturally occurring heterologous dipeptide) or N alpha (gamma glutamyl) lysine, another heterologous peptide not described so far in naturally occurring proteins. When used in an immunohistochemical study on cells in culture derived from human carcinoma of the larynx (HEp2) and from chicken embryo cells (CEC), both fixed in acetone, this MAb detected N epsilon (gamma glutamyl) lysine residues in the nucleus. The amount of N epsilon (gamma glutamyl) lysine isopeptides follows closely transglutaminase activity during the lag phase of growth of both CEC and HEp2 cells. However, during exponential growth, the 2 parameters decrease concomitantly in HEp2 cells, whereas in CEC, transglutaminase activity increases but isopeptide bond levels drop. Compared with other reported methods for measuring isopeptides, this immunohistological approach permits the localization and at least the semi-quantitative determination of N epsilon (gamma glutamyl) lysine in cells in situ.

A novel covalent enzyme-linked immunoassay (CELIA) for simultaneously measuring free and immune complex bound antibodies of defined specificity. I. Application to naturally occurring antipolyamine antibodies in human sera.

A simple covalent enzyme-linked immunoassay procedure (CELIA) is described for the routine determination of free and immune complex-bound antibodies in sera. Assays for the latter could not have been performed by adsorption ELISA due to the high ionic strength of the reassociating buffer. For the measurement in human sera of free naturally occurring IgG and IgM antibody directed against the hapten spermine, polycarboxystyrene microtiter plates with covalently coupled spermine were used. For the determination of immune complex-bound antipolyamine IgG and IgM antibody titers, serum was first dissociated at pH 2.3 in tubes and then reassociated at pH 8.1 in the wells of a microtiter plate containing covalently bound spermine. The reactivity of anti-spermine antibodies was increased from 2- to 13-fold after dissociation and reassociation compared to that of non-dissociated area. The apparent reaction constant (Rapp.) of free IgG antibodies to spermine in the sera of 19 bronchopulmonary patients with cancer differed significantly from Rapp. values of IgG antibodies having this specificity in ten other patients with non-malignant disease.

A novel covalent enzyme-linked immunoassay (CELIA) for simultaneously measuring free and immune complex bound antibodies with a defined specificity. II. Application to immune complexes containing viral antigens in human sera.

The coupling of viral antigens from parainfluenza virus (PIV-1), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) to chemically functionalized polystyrene plates has permitted us to develop a covalent enzyme-linked immunoassay (CELIA) for measuring the titers of free antibody (Ab) and immune complex (IC) bound Ab directed against each of these viruses. The method was first validated for experimentally produced IC (PIV-anti-PIV) and then applied to the analysis of IC in human sera. In the case of a renal transplant patient with CMV viremia whose free Ab titers were less than 100, the method unambiguously permitted the IC bound anti-CMV titers to be determined. In the case of a survey for HIV-1 Ab, it also allowed us to identify a sub-group of seropositives with IC anti-HIV. In view of the ease and rapidity with which CELIA can be performed, this technology should enable determinations of IC bound Ab of defined specificity to be undertaken routinely in seroepidemiological surveys.

Protein-bound polyamines in the plasma of mice grafted with the Lewis lung carcinoma.

Protein-bound polyamines were isolated from the plasma of mice using antipolyamine antibodies covalently linked to magnetic latex spheres. Their subsequent separation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) showed that in plasma from normal mice, 3 proteins (27, 55 and 82 kDa) carrying polyamines could be visualized, whereas in mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma at least 8 other proteins of higher molecular mass (5 of 94, 110, 130, 145 and 160 kDa, and 3 of greater than 170 kDa) had bound polyamines. These protein-bound polyamines could be detected from the first week after tumour graft; they increased during the second and third week but decreased thereafter. These proteins were not bound by immunolatex spheres preincubated with spermine bound to a protein-carrier insulin. Moreover, the appearance of these protein-bound polyamines was not a consequence of the inflammatory process since in mice infected with heat-inactivated Brucella abortus, with the exception of a 65 kDa protein, polyamines were bound to the same proteins found in normal mice. In mice grafted with the Lewis lung carcinoma the concomitant decrease in transglutaminase-mediated polyamine (e.g. putrescine) binding capacity of plasma proteins provides additional evidence for the presence in vivo of polyamines already bound to plasma proteins.

[Demonstration of polyamines bound to plasma proteins during tumor growth]. / Mise en évidence de polyamines liées à des protéines plasmatiques lors de la croissance tumorale.

Using antipolyamine antibodies covalently bound to magnetic latex spheres, we have been able to isolate from the plasma of mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma, 8 proteins with bound polyamines. These proteins are not found in the plasma of healthy mice or in those suffering with chronic inflammatory infection.

Transglutaminase activity and putrescine-binding capacity in cloned cell lines with different metastatic potential.

An inverse correlation was found between cellular transglutaminase activity and metastatic potential of four cloned cell lines derived from a primary nickel-induced rat rhabdomyosarcoma. Cellular transglutaminase activity as assessed with endogenous cellular protein or exogenous methylated casein was greatest in the clone F9-4/8 which is the least metastasizing. When the putrescine-binding capacity of one cellular derived protein - fibronectin - was examined with exogenous transglutaminase, it was found that the fibronectin derived from the clone F9-4/8 showed the lowest binding capacity compared with those from the other clones. However, when the overall binding capacity of cellular proteins from each cell line was examined no differences could be detected. The results are discussed in the light of the well-known role of fibronectin in cellular adhesion.

Red blood cell polyamines in mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL) and in patients with bronchopulmonary cancers.

Experimentally, during Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL) growth, the red blood cell (RBC) polyamine levels increase with tumor volume and are inversely correlated to tumoral concentrations of spermidine and spermine. The RBC level of spermidine is continually correlated to both the volume and the tumoral concentration of this polyamine. Clinically, high levels of RBC polyamine are observed in cases of squamous-cell carcinoma or anaplastic cancer, and not in cases of adenocarcinoma. RBC polyamine levels only permit the establishment of statistical differences between groups of patients. Therefore, clinical use of these molecules as tumor markers depends on an understanding of polyamine distribution within blood.

The competitive inhibition of tissue transglutaminase by alpha-difluoromethylornithine.

The transglutaminase-mediated insertion of putrescine into casein was inhibited competitively by alpha-difluoromethylornithine (alpha-DFMO), an enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase. Preincubation of the amine acceptor (casein) or the enzyme itself with the inhibitor did not affect enzyme activity. Alpha-DFMO is a poorer substrate for transglutaminase (Km = 2.10 mM) than putrescine (Km = 0.17 mM). The inhibitory effect was also found with fibronectin as amine acceptor.

A quantitative and qualitative study of the transglutaminase-mediated insertion of polyamines into plasma proteins from patients with bronchopulmonary cancer.

The transglutaminase-mediated incorporation of putrescine into proteins of plasma derived from 44 patients with histologically defined bronchopulmonary cancer was compared with that from an age-matched group of 18 patients hospitalized with non-malignant diseases. Two types of kinetic data were obtained over a range of putrescine concentrations 0.09 mM to 0.6 mM. Whereas the plasma from all the patients of the control group showed linear kinetics, that from only 24 patients of the cancer group showed linear kinetics. The remaining 20 showed kinetics typical of inhibition by excess substrate. PAGE analysis of [14C] putrescine-bound plasma proteins showed around 15 different bands. Among these putrescine-binding proteins, we identified, with the help of corresponding specific antisera, four protease inhibitors: alpha 2-macroglobulin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin and antithrombin III.