Liposome-mediated in vivo gene transfer of antisense K-ras construct inhibits pancreatic tumor dissemination in the murine peritoneal cavity.

K-ras point mutation occurs at a characteristically high incidence in human pancreatic cancer. Plasmids expressing antisense (AS), AS-K-ras-LNSX or sense K-ras gene fragment, were first transduced into three human pancreatic cancer cell lines (AsPC-1, MIAPaCa-2, and BxPC-3) by liposome-mediated transfection. A stable expression of antisense or sense K-ras RNA was detected by Northern blot analysis, and Western blot analysis confirmed a reduction of up to 20% of K-ras-specific p21 protein in AsPC-1 cells transduced with AS-K-ras-LNSX. The growth of pancreatic cancer cells with K-ras point mutations (AsPC-1 and MIAPaCa-2) was significantly suppressed after transduction of AS-K-ras-LNSX, although the effect of antisense construct was not found in cells with a wild-type K-ras gene (BxPC-3). Next, to test the efficacy in vivo, AsPC-1 cells were inoculated into the intraperitoneal cavity of nude mice, and 3 days later, the AS-K-ras-LNSX:liposome complex was injected i.p. 3 times. Twenty-eight days after tumor cell inoculation, 9 of 10 control mice developed peritoneal dissemination and/or solid tumors on the pancreas, whereas only 2 of 12 mice treated with AS-K-ras-LNSX showed any evidence of tumors. Although PCR analysis indicated that the injected DNA was delivered to various organs except for the brain, treatment-related toxicity was not observed. This study shows that the liposome-mediated in vivo gene transfer of antisense K-ras construct may be a useful therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer.

Delivery of RANKL-Binding Peptide OP3-4 Promotes BMP-2-Induced Maxillary Bone Regeneration.

Although bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is known to stimulate osteogenesis, there is evidence that high doses of BMP-2 can lead to side effects, including inflammation and carcinogenesis. The supplementation of other bone-augmenting agents is considered helpful in preventing such side effects by reducing the amount of BMP-2 required to obtain a sufficient amount of bone. We recently showed that a receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)-binding peptide promotes osteoblast differentiation. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether OP3-4, a RANKL-binding peptide, promotes BMP-2-induced bone formation in the murine maxilla using an injectable gelatin hydrogel (GH) carrier. A GH carrier containing OP3-4 with BMP-2 was subperiosteally injected into the murine maxillary right diastema between the incisor and the first molar. The mice were sacrificed 28 d after the injections. The local bone formation in the OP3-4-BMP-2-injected group was analyzed in comparison to the carrier-injected, BMP-2-injected, and control-peptide-BMP-2-injected groups. The GH carrier containing OP3-4 with BMP-2 enlarged the radio-opaque area and increased the bone mineral content and density in the radiological analyses in comparison to the other experimental groups. Interestingly, fluorescence-based histological analyses revealed that the mineralization had started from the outside, then proceeded inward, suggesting that the size of the newly formed bone had already been set before calcification started and that the effects of OP3-4 might be involved in accelerating the early steps of osteogenesis. Actually, OP3-4 enhanced the BMP-2-induced 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive cell numbers at the injected site on day 7 and the expression of Runx2 and Col1a1, which are early osteogenic cell markers, on day 10 after the subperiosteal injections. In summary, we demonstrated, for the first time, that the application of OP3-4 by subperiosteal injection promoted BMP-2-induced bone formation, which could lead to the development of an easy and noninvasive means of promoting alveolar ridge formation.

A prospective randomized trial of either famotidine or omeprazole for the prevention of bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection and the healing of endoscopic mucosal resection-induced ulceration.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that inhibitors of gastric acid secretion prevent bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection for mucosal gastric neoplasm. However, uncertain whether an histamine2-receptor antagonist or proton-pump inhibitor is more effective. AIM: To evaluate prospectively the effectiveness of famotidine or omeprazole for ulcer management after endoscopic mucosal resection. METHODS: From July 2003 to October 2004, 57 patients were randomly assigned to famotidine or omeprazole for the management of endoscopic mucosal resection. Both drugs were given intravenously for the first 2 days, thereafter by mouth. The bleeding rates after endoscopic mucosal resection, the effects on the healing of endoscopic mucosal resection-induced ulceration, and cost-benefits were compared. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients received famotidine and 29 received omeprazole. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in patient characteristics. The bleeding rates after endoscopic mucosal resection were not significantly different (18% vs. 14%) between the groups. Similarly, no differences were seen in the size of the endoscopic mucosal resection-induced ulceration at 1, 30 and 60 days after resection between groups. The total costs of anti-secretory agents demonstrated a significant cost-benefit to those treated with famotidine (10,420 yen vs. 17,782 yen). CONCLUSIONS: Famotidine is suggested as a better alternative to omeprazole for the management of endoscopic mucosal resection, as it showed a clear cost-benefit, and the healing results after endoscopic mucosal resection were similar for the two treatment strategies.

Gene therapy for peritoneal dissemination of pancreatic cancer by liposome-mediated transfer of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene.

Peritoneal dissemination is one of the most common complications of the malignancies of the digestive system, such as gastric or pancreatic cancers. Yet, no effective therapy has been established so far to alleviate this devastating and often fatal end-stage condition. Here we describe a novel approach of intraperitoneal (i.p.) lipofection of a suicidal gene to the pancreatic cancer cells in a mouse peritoneal dissemination model. A human pancreatic cancer cell line, PSN-1, was inoculated into the peritoneal cavity of nude mice. Eight days later, a herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) gene expression plasmid under a potent hybrid promoter CAG was injected as a DNA-lipopolyamine complex. Ganciclovir (GCV) was then administered for 8 days, and the mice were examined for tumor development at the 24th day after the tumor inoculation. Although all 24 control mice showed macroscopic peritoneal dissemination and solid tumors on the pancreas, 8 of the 14 mice treated with HSV-TK and GCV were free of tumors, and only a few small tumors were observed in the remaining 6 mice. Treatment-related toxicity was not observed. The semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis suggested that the HSV-TK transgene was expressed in about 10% of tumor cells but not in the normal pancreas or in the small intestine. When the lacZ gene was transduced in place of the HSV-TK gene, the blue-stained cells were identified only in tumor nodules and not in normal organs. This preclinical study suggests the therapeutic feasibility of the i.p. lipofection-based suicidal gene/prodrug strategy for peritoneal dissemination of pancreatic cancer.

Modification of apoptosis-inducing activity of gallic acid by saliva.

Gallic acid, a structural unit of tannin, induced apoptotic cell death, characterized by nuclear condensation and caspase activation in human oral tumor cell lines (HSC-2, HSG). Agarose gel electrophoresis demonstrated that gallic acid produced large DNA fragments in these cells, as well as in T-cell leukemia (MOLT-4) and erythroleukemia (K-562) cells, whereas it induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in human myelogenous leukemic cell lines (HL-60, ML-1, U-937, THP-1). This indicates that induction of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation or production of large DNA fragments depends on both target cells and inducers. Addition of total saliva dose-dependently reduced the cytotoxicity induction by gallic acid. These data suggested that the biological action of gallic acid might be modified by physiological fluids.

Interaction of pine cone extract fraction VI with mutagens.

Pine cone extract fraction VI (PC-VI) inhibited the mutagenicity of the promutagens tested: the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) dose-dependently, and the aromatic amines 2-aminoanthracene (AA) and 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) at high concentrations. PC-VI had no effect on the mutagenicity of the direct-acting mutagens 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitrofuryl)acrylamide (AF-2) and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), but inhibited the mutagenicity of the direct-acting mutagen N-hydroxy 2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH AAF, proximate mutagen of AAF). The addition of PC-VI to rat hepatic microsomes resulted in a decrease of their enzyme activities, especially NADPH-cytochrome c reductase. By gas-chromatographic analysis of B[a]P or AA contents after incubation of B[a]P or AA and PC-VI and S9 mix, the inhibition of hepatic metabolizing enzymes and the interaction between AA and PC-VI were confirmed. On the other hand, PC-VI had no effect on the DNA repair systems for B[a]P- or AA-induced mutagenesis. We conclude that PC-VI shows indirect antimutagenicity by interfering with cytochrome P-450-dependent bioactivation and by direct interaction with AA and the proximate mutagenic product of AAF.

Effect of ascorbic acid deficiency on primary and reparative dentinogenesis in non-ascorbate-synthesizing ODS rats.

Ascorbic acid is essential to the biosynthesis of collagen, the major organic matrix component of dentine. The ODS rat is a mutant strain of Wistar rat characterized by hereditary lack of L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase and thus is unable to synthesize ascorbic acid. ODS rats were given an ascorbic acid-free diet to investigate how ascorbic acid deficiency affects dentine formation in vivo. Histomorphometric analysis on their growing molars and incisors showed a significant reduction in both size and mineral apposition rate of dentine, as revealed by contact microradiography and fluorescent time-marking, respectively. A similar reduction in bone formation was simultaneously demonstrated in the mandible, confirming the previously reported osteopathic effects of ascorbic acid deficiency. When pulp inflammation was induced in lower first molars by making unsealed pulp exposures, specimens from control animals showed continuous deposition of an osteodentine-like tissue in the radicular pulp chamber; this type of mineralized tissue formation was greatly reduced in ascorbic acid-deprived animals. These results indicate that ascorbic acid deficiency hampers dentine formation under both physiological and pathological conditions of the dentine/pulp complex. ODS rats could be useful in investigating in vivo effects of ascorbic acid deficiency on the formation of dentine and other dental mineralized tissues.

A simple novel method of biliary drainage: gallbladder serosal wrapping after open choledochotomy.

In this study, we developed a new, simple technique for biliary drainage after open choledochotomy of choledocholithiasis. After the absence of intraductal stones was established by operative cholangiography and cholangioscopy, preserved gallbladder serosal wrapping was performed by inclosing a polyethylene tube (C-tube), which was inserted from the cystic duct to optimal portion of choledochus, within the gallbladder bed, with continuous suture of the preserved serosa of the gallbladder using 4-0 absorbable thread. This method was used in the cases of 8 patients. There was neither bile leakage nor residual bile duct stones. The C-tube could be removed after 7 days following surgery. The average hospital stay was 12.3 +/- 6.6 days. We propose that this procedure would be very simple and useful, and it would significantly shorten hospital stays after open choledochotomy of choledocholithiasis.

The effect of high salt intake on the mandibular bone loss in Dahl-Iwai salt-sensitive rat.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of high salt intake on the mandibular bone in Dahl-Iwai salt-sensitive (DS) rats. Twenty-eight 11-week-old male DS rats were divided into four groups (n=7). The control groups received a normal (0.2% NaCl) diet while the experimental groups received a diet supplemented with 8.0% NaCl. The systolic blood pressure was significantly increased in the experimental groups compared to the control groups. The animals were sacrificed under ether anesthesia at the 8th week or the 22nd week of the experiment. The biochemical data in plasma and urine suggested negative calcium balance in the experimental groups compared to the control groups. The bone mineral density was significantly reduced at the 22nd week of high salt loading. The histomorphometric analysis suggested that the reduction of the mandibular bone volume had already started by the 8th week of high salt loading along with the increased bone resorption and the decreased bone formation, and that the improper bone remodeling balance became normalized by the 22nd week of high salt loading. In conclusion, these results indicate that a high salt intake causes not only severe hypertension but also a mandibular bone reduction in the DS rats.

[Antitumor effect of IL-2 entrapped in liposomes on rat hepatoma, AH-66].

The human recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2) was entrapped in liposomes, and the therapeutic effects of the liposomes containing IL-2 (Lip-IL-2) were experimentally studied using the rat hepatoma strain, AH-66, maintained in donryu rats and challenged subcutaneously in the inguinal region. The peri-tumor injections of Lip-IL-2 (15 X 10(4)/kg units for the IL-2 dose) significantly inhibited the tumor growth as determined from the relative mean tumor weight, although no therapeutic effects were observed when the unentrapped IL-2 or liposomes containing saline was administered rats in the same way as the injections of Lip-IL-2. They also prolonged the survival time of rats. The studies of serum IL-2 values after i.v. or s.c. injections of Lip-IL-2 revealed that IL-2 was released gradually from the liposomes containing IL-2 into the circulation. As the result of the tumor tissue staining of the immunoperoxidase 18 hrs after the peri-tumor injection of IL-2, it was shown that a number of macrophages infiltrated into the tumor tissue and degenerated tumor cells were observed adjacent to those macrophages. It is suggested that Lip-IL-2 is useful as an antineoplastic agent in the immunotherapy and that the therapeutic effects of Lip-IL-2 would be related to both the slow release of IL-2 and the cytotoxicity on the tumor cells mediated by the macrophages.

[Obstruction of the inferior vena cava at the hepatic portion--surgical management and prognosis of 11 cases].

Eleven patients with obstruction of the inferior vena cava at the hepatic portion were reviewed. In these patients, 7 had membranous obstruction and underwent balloon membranotomy. Pressure gradient between inferior vena cava and right atrium was 13.1 +/- 5.1 mmHg (mean +/- S.D.) and after membranotomy, this fell down to 7.0 +/- 1.9 mmHg. Four patients had long segmental obstruction, and cavoatrial bypass grafting with 16 mm ring reinforced Expanded-Polytetrafluoroethylene graft in 3 and bidirectional digital-instrumental membranotomy in one, were done, respectively. In 2 of 7 patients with membranous obstruction, transcardiac membranotomy was followed. These 3 procedures were so effective that pressure gradient between inferior vena cava and right atrium was 11.7 +/- 3.4 mmHg preoperatively, and after operation, this fell down to 1.7 +/- 0.7 mmHg. During the follow-up period from 8 months to 9 years (mean 4 years and one month), all patients are alive with remarkable improvement of clinical symptoms and signs. It is concluded that balloon membranotomy for membranous obstruction and cavoatrial bypass grafting for long segmental obstruction of the inferior vena cava at the hepatic portion would be recommended.

Reduction of established antibody responses against botulinum neurotoxin A by synthetic monomethoxypolyethylene glycol peptide conjugates.

In cervical dystonia, injection of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) A or B into affected neck muscle reduces symptoms but may elicit anti-toxin antibodies (Abs) that block responsiveness to treatment. Previously, we localized the BoNT/A and BoNT/B sites that bind mouse or human blocking Abs. We also reported that site-specific auto-Abs can be suppressed by a monomethoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG)-epitope conjugate. So we elicited here anti-toxin Abs in outbred mice by immunization with sublethal-suboptimal doses of active BoNT/A and determined the efficacy of selected mPEG-epitopes in reducing established anti-BoNT/A Abs. We tested in outbred mice four synthetic mPEG-N(α)-epitopes [N8 (residues 547-565), N25 (785-803), C15 (1051-1069), C31 (1275-1296)] of BoNT/A in tolerance against ongoing anti-toxin Abs. After short immunizations, tolerization with an mPEG-peptide reduced Abs to correlate peptide and caused varying Ab reductions to the other 3 peptides. Anti-N8 Abs were unaffected by mPEG-N25 tolerization, but mPEG-N8 and mPEG-N25 caused drop in anti-BoNT/A Abs. After long immunization with BoNT/A, tolerization with mPEG-N8 lessened anti-N8 Abs. Anti-C15 Abs decreased by tolerization with mPEG-C15 or any other mPEG-peptide. Anti-N25 Abs were not altered by mPEG-N25, but decreased after tolerization with mPEG-C15. Anti-C31 Abs disappeared on day 474 by tolerization with mPEG-C31 or mPEG-N8, mPEG-N25 or mPEG-C15. When an Ab response returns, a decrease can be re-established by re-administering the correlate mPEG-peptide. The method may be beneficial for extending BoNT treatment in immunoresistant patients.

The influence of mechanical stimulation on osteoclast localization in the mouse maxilla: bone histomorphometry and finite element analysis.

The mechanism of traumatic bone resorption in the denture-bearing bone has not yet been established with regard to the osteoclastic activity in relation to the mechanical stimulus. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether osteoclast appearance in maxilla depends on the strain intensity, using the murine loading model. The maxillary palate of thirteen-week-old male C57BL/6 mice was subjected to continuous pressure of 2 kPa (low stimulation, n = 4) or 7 kPa (high stimulation, n = 4) for 30 min/day for 7 consecutive days, and the mice were sacrificed after the last loading. The control group underwent the same protocol without load (n = 4). An animal-specific finite element model was constructed based on morphology and characteristics obtained from the micro-CT data and used to calculate the strain intensity of the bone. The bone histomorphometric technique revealed significant reduction of cortical bone volume and significant increase of bone resorption parameters such as osteoclast number in the bone tissue under the loading contact in comparison to the control (p < 0.05). The osteoclasts were observed in the subsurface region adjacent to the loading contact and the peripheral region of the marrow space in the intracortical region of the cortical bone in the mouse maxilla in both stimulation groups. An average of more than 90 % of the osteoclasts was observed in the areas with strain intensity higher than 85.0µ strain for the high stimulation group. The result suggests that the osteoclastic resorption is location-dependent and is also sensitive to the local strain intensity.

Reduction of antibody response against botulinum neurotoxin A by synthetic monomethoxypolyethylene glycol-peptide conjugates.

Recently, we determined the molecular locations on BoNT/A of the antigenic regions recognized by blocking Abs of cervical dystonia patients immunoresistant to BoNT/A treatment. In the present work we tested the possibility of reducing the levels of the Ab response against immunodominant antigenic sites on the heavy chain of BoNT/A in order to diminish immunoresistance caused by blocking Abs. Four antigenic regions on BoNT/A represented by peptides N8 (residues 547-565), N25 (785-803), C15 (1051-1069) and C31 (1275-1296) were tested for suppressing Ab responses against the correlate regions. The conjugates were synthesized with monomethoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG) attached to the peptide N-termini. Tolerization with a given mPEG-peptide reduced the Ab levels against the correlate region and the antisera became less protective than antisera of untolerized controls that were immunized only with inactive BoNT/A. On days 31 and 52 in the immunization course mPEG-N8 was most effective and the antisera of tolerized mice were weaker and less protective relative to controls. Other mPEG-peptides were also suppressed the Ab responses to various extents. Bleeds up to 5 months showed that tolerization can be made to persist for the entire period. The results indicated that the tolerization procedure might be potentially useful for clinical applications to immunoresistant patients.

[Morphological studies on the roots of maxillary premolars in Japanese].

Visual observations were made of 3,202 maxillary first premolars and 3,365 maxillary second premolars from subjects of known sex, age, and side attributes. The material belongs to the Okamoto Research Laboratory of Dentistry. Items observed for each donor included number of dental roots, shapes of root apexes, root grooves, root orientation and curvature, and conditions of the maxillary first and second premolars. Results 1) In 65.7% of all materials (55.4% in males and 76.1% in females), maxillary first premolars had primary single roots. Complete branched roots accounted for 25.5% of the male and 17.6% of the female materials. In both cases, there was significant distinction between the sexes. Triple root teeth were extremely rare in both male- and female-donor teeth, as were double rooted maxillary second premolars. 2) Protruding, circular, and flat root apex types occurred in both maxillary first and second premolars. Circular and flat types were common among males. Branched and double-root maxillary first and second premolars were of either the complete or the incomplete type, both of which were more common in males. 3) About half of the mesial surface grooves in single-root maxillary first premolars were deeper than distal surface grooves in the same teeth: In 1/4-branch double teeth, 28.8% of the mesial surface grooves were deeper than the distal-surface grooves. The corresponding percentage for 1/3-branch double teeth was 38.8%. In 7.6% of 1/4-branch and 17.4% of 1/3-branch double teeth, distal-surface grooves were deeper than mesial-surface grooves. In 36.4% of 1/4-branch double teeth and 28.9% of 1/3-branch double teeth, the lower portion of the root was web shaped. In maxillary first premolars, lingual roots of 1/3-branch double-root teeth were cylindrical, as were 28.9% of buccal roots. Root grooves occurred on the lingual sides of 61.7% of all specimens. For 1/2-branch double root teeth, 18.4% were cylindrical: and 62.7% had grooves on the lingual side. Results are essentially the same in both cases. 4) Straight dental roots occurred in 37.4% of maxillary first and 35.4% of maxillary second premolars. Roots inclined distally in 36.7% of maxillary first premolars and in 18.8% of maxillary second premolars. A variety of inclinations and curvatures was observed. Booth roots were straight in 47.5% of 2-branch maxillary first premolars, whereas 35.1% had 1 straight and 1 inclined root and 84.4% had 2 distally inclined roots.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Genetic characteristics of cellulose-forming acetic acid bacteria identified phenotypically as Gluconacetobacter xylinus.

Gluconacetobacter xylinus (=Acetobacter xylinum) shows variety in acid formation from sugars and sugar-alcohols. Toyosaki et al. proposed new subspecies of G. xylinus (=Acetobacter xylinum) subsp. sucrofermentans in point of acid formation from sucrose and a homology index of 58.2% with the type strain of G. xylinus subsp. xylinus in DNA-DNA hybridization experiments. We tried DNA-DNA hybridization to clarify relationship between acid formation from sugars and classification of G. xylinus. The G + C contents of G. xylinus showed 60.1-62.4 mol% with a range of 2.3 mol%. When type strains of G. xylinus subsp. xylinus, G. xylinus subsp. sucrofermentans, and IFO 3288 forming acid from sucrose, were used as probes, the DNAs from three strains showed 67-100%, 64-89%, and 60-100% similarity to those from sixteen strains including bacteria that form acid from sucrose or not. These results show that homology indexes do not reflect differences of acid formation from sucrose. As a results, the species G. xylinus was proved to be genetically homogeneous.