Serum YKL-40 Level is Associated with Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and γ-GTP in Hemodialysis Patients.

Chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) is a glycoprotein associated with inflammation and tissue remodeling that has recently been used as a marker of inflammation in hemodialysis (HD) patients. In this study, we aimed to determine whether YKL-40 has potential to serve as a nutritional parameter in Japanese HD patients. The serum YKL-40 concentration, hematological parameters, inflammatory marker levels, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory values were measured in 88 patients receiving HD. The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) was used as a nutritional assessment tool. 45.4% of patients were malnourished. YKL-40 correlated positively with age, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) levels, but not with nutritional status, and correlated inversely with ankle brachial index score, a predictor of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis confirmed that γ-GTP, GNRI and age correlated with YKL-40. YKL-40 elevation was associated with γ-GTP, GNRI and age in HD patients. J. Med. Invest. 69 : 101-106, February, 2022.

Characterization of cells with proliferative activity after a brain injury.

The cellular responses to a brain injury are important steps in restoring the integrity and function of the brain. Proliferating cells, such as reactive astrocytes, oligodendrocyte precursor cells and microglia remodel the injured tissue. To spatially and temporally characterize the initial cellular responses in vivo, proliferating cells were pulse-labeled with BrdU soon after (the 2nd day) a cortical cryo-injury, and their fate was investigated by double labeling with an anti-BrdU antibody and antibodies to various cellular markers. Three days after the cryo-injury, a significant proportion of BrdU-positive cells were positive for NG2-proteoglycan, suggesting that oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPCs) were induced in response to injury. One-two weeks after the cryo-injury, the number of OPC was reduced and GFAP/BrdU double-positive cells, in turn, became dominant, while cells with mature oligodendrocyte markers did not increase significantly. Neuronal markers were rarely co-localized with BrdU immunoreactivity throughout the period studied. These findings imply that OPCs are prone to differentiate to astrocytes in the lesioned site. In this cryo-injury model, treatment with thyroid hormone (T4) altered cell fate; the increase in the number of GFAP/BrdU-positive cells was significantly diminished, and there was an increased number of mature oligodendrocytes (CNPase, PLP-positive) exhibiting BrdU immunoreactivity. These findings suggest that modification of proliferating progenitors in injured brain by hormonal or chemical treatment might benefit functional regeneration.

Atm heterozygous deficiency enhances development of mammary carcinomas in p53 heterozygous knockout mice.

INTRODUCTION: Ataxia-telangiectasia is an autosomal-recessive disease that affects neuro-immunological functions, associated with increased susceptibility to malignancy, chromosomal instability and hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation. Although ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) heterozygous deficiency has been proposed to increase susceptibility to breast cancer, some studies have not found excess risk. In experimental animals, increased susceptibility to breast cancer is not observed in the Atm heterozygous deficient mice (Atm+/-) carrying a knockout null allele. In order to determine the effect of Atm heterozygous deficiency on mammary tumourigenesis, we generated a series of Atm+/- mice on the p53+/- background with a certain predisposition to spontaneous development of mammary carcinomas, and we examined the development of the tumours after X-irradiation. METHODS: BALB/cHeA-p53+/- mice were crossed with MSM/Ms-Atm+/- mice, and females of the F1 progeny ([BALB/cHeA x MSM/Ms]F1) with four genotypes were used in the experiments. The mice were exposed to X-rays (5 Gy; 0.5 Gy/min) at age 5 weeks. RESULTS: We tested the effect of haploinsufficiency of the Atm gene on mammary tumourigenesis after X-irradiation in the p53+/- mice of the BALB/cHeA x MSM/Ms background. The singly heterozygous p53+/- mice subjected to X-irradiation developed mammary carcinomas at around 25 weeks of age, and the final incidence of mammary carcinomas at 39 weeks was 31% (19 out of 61). The introduction of the heterozygous Atm knockout alleles into the background of the p53+/- genotype significantly increased the incidence of mammary carcinoma to 58% (32 out of 55) and increased the average number of mammary carcinomas per mouse. However, introduction of Atm alleles did not change the latency of development of mammary carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate a strong enhancement in mammary carcinogenesis by Atm heterozygous deficiency in p53+/- mice. Thus, doubly heterozygous mice represent a useful model system with which to analyze the interaction of heterozygous genotypes for p53, Atm and other genes, and their effects on mammary carcinogenesis.

Cardiac functions and taurine's actions at different extracellular calcium concentrations in forced swimming stress-loaded rats.

Modulation of the sinus rate and contractile force by taurine at different extracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]o) was examined using rat right atria loaded with forced swimming stress. Serum concentration of corticosterone profoundly increased in stress-loaded rats as compared with native rats. The taurine level in serum also increased in stress-loaded rats, but was not changed in the different heart tissues and aorta. Heat-shock protein (HSP72) was detectable in cardiac muscles and in the lumen of cardiac blood vessels of stress-loaded rats using a monoclonal antibody. Increasing [Ca2+]o (from 0.9 to 3.6 mM) enhanced the sinus rate and contractile force in a [Ca2+]o-dependent fashion in native rats, but not in stress-loaded rats. Taurine (1-20 mM) caused a negative chronotropic and inotropic effect in a concentration-dependent manner. At 1.8 mM [Ca2+]o, the negative chronotropic effect of taurine (10-20 mM) was attenuated in stress-loaded rats as compared with native rats. These results indicate that swimming stress causes a release of taurine into the serum and reduces the sensitivity to [Ca2+]o. Taurine administration might, in part, exhibit the protective actions on acute stress-induced responses.