The outcome of Japanese anorexia nervosa patients treated with an inpatient therapy in an internal medicine unit.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome of Japanese anorexia nervosa (AN) patients who were treated with the standard Japanese inpatient therapy. METHOD: Of the 88 female AN patients treated with our inpatient therapy between January 1997 and December 2002, 67 (76.1%) who agreed to cooperate in this study were assessed by the Global Clinical Score (GCS) at admission and follow-up, 6.3±1.8 years after discharge. Their clinical characteristics at admission and discharge were also examined. RESULTS: Four (6.0%) patients had died before follow-up. BMI was significantly increased during inpatient therapy. At follow-up, excellent, much improved, symptomatic, and poor outcomes on GCS were 57.1%, 14.3%, 14.3% and 14.3%, respectively. Younger age at admission and larger BMI at discharge were significantly associated with a better outcome. DISCUSSION: This study shows the potential for the use of this method for the treatment of AN patients in countries without specialized eating disorder units.

Factors related to renal dysfunction in patients with anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: Anorexia nervosa (AN) patients were surveyed to determine which disease factors were related to AN influenced renal dysfunction. METHODS: Data were from forty-five AN patients hospitalized in our department between 1995 and 2002. The patients were classified into three groups based on the type of anorexia: restricting (n=18), self-induced vomiting (n=13), and laxative abuse (n=14). Twenty-four hour-creatinine clearance (Ccr) was calculated within two weeks of hospitalization for comparison among the three groups. RESULTS: The Ccr level of the laxative abuse group was significantly lower than that of the restricting group (65.8+/-31.4 ml/min vs restricting type: 104+/-23.3 ml/min, p=0.002). The laxative abuse group had a significantly longer duration of illness than the restricting group (p<0.0001). Multiple regression analysis revealed the duration of illness to be a risk factor for renal function deterioration in AN patients (r=0.580, p<0.001). DISCUSSION: Renal function should be carefully followed during the treatment of AN patients with a long duration of illness, especially those with long-term laxative abuse.

Purification and characterization of a new peptide antigen extracted from dermatophyte mycelia.

A highly purified peptide antigen was produced from the cultured mycelia of Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Mycelia were extracted with 0.1 N-HCl at 37 degrees C repeatedly. The protein fraction was precipitated with picric acid and the final product was tentatively designated as Trichophyton mentagrophytes peptide (TMP). Total yield of TMP was about 3% of the original mycelia. When skin tests were done on sensitized guinea pigs, TMP showed a delayed-type reaction. The minimal dose which gave a positive reaction was 3 micrograms (0.1 ml of 30 micrograms/ml solution). Chemical analyses showed that TMP was almost exclusively of a peptide nature and digestion with bacterial peptidase (pronase) completely destroyed its skin test activity, thereby suggesting that protein fraction carried the entire antigenic activity. With chemical and/or physical processings, TMP showed firm stability; the skin test activity was unchanged after heating to 120 degrees C or after processing with HCl or NaOH. Fractionation of TMP by gel filtration demonstrated a considerable heterogeneity in its molecular size, while the antigenic activity was virtually the same in all the fractions. Disc electrophoresis also showed a wide-spread heterogeneous pattern. In the MIF test using peritoneal exudate cells from sensitized guinea pigs, 100 micrograms/ml of TMP had definite inhibitory effect on cell migration.

Cloning, sequencing and expression of serine/threonine kinase-encoding genes from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2).

A 6.3-kb DNA fragment encoding two eukaryotic-type serine/threonine protein kinases (Ser/Thr PK) was cloned from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) by using a PCR product obtained with primers based on highly conserved regions of eukaryotic Ser/Thr PK. The nucleotide (nt) sequence of the essential 4.4-kb fragment contained two possible ORFs. One ORF (PkaA) contained 543 amino acids (aa), while another (PkaB) consisted of 417 aa. The N-terminal half of both proteins showed significant similarity with the catalytic domain of eukaryotic Ser/Thr PK. On the other hand, the C-terminal region of PkaA, but not of PkaB, is rich in Pro and Gln residues, indicating that PkaA works as a PK as well as a transcription factor. The pkaB gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and the gene product (PkaB) was found to be phosphorylated mainly at Thr. The pkaA gene was also overexpressed in E. coli, and the gene product (PkaA) was found to be phosphorylated mainly at Thr and slightly at Ser. In the case of PkaA, at least 100 aa residues from the C terminus were not essential for the PK activity. When the PCR product was used as a probe, it hybridized to DNA fragments from all the Streptomyces species tested, indicating that these types of Ser/Thr PK are distributed ubiquitously and play significant physiological roles in the various species of Streptomyces.

Cloning, sequence and expression of the argG gene from Streptomyces lavendulae.

The argG gene, encoding argininosuccinate synthetase, was cloned from Streptomyces lavendulae KCCS0055 by colony hybridization using the argG-carrying 2.1-kb fragment of S. coelicolor DNA as a probe. The restriction map of the cloned DNA fragment was very similar to that of S. coelicolor. This DNA fragment could complement the argG mutation of both S. lividans 1326 I10 and Escherichia coli K-12 JE5694, suggesting that the fragment contained a promoter for both E. coli and S. lividans. The subcloning experiment using E. coli K-12 JE5694 as a host has indicated that the essential region for argG is contained in the 2.5-kb DNA fragment. The translational product was identified as a 56-kDa kDa protein in minicells and by conventional gel electrophoresis. Determination of the nucleotide (nt) sequence of the 2.5-kb DNA fragment revealed one open reading frame of 1449 bp. The amino acid (aa) sequence analysis showed that the N-terminus was Ser, and 9 aa from the N terminus were completely identical with those deduced from the nt sequence. Nuclease S1 mapping indicated that the transcription start point is located near the start codon.

Past and current dermatological status of yusho patients.

Skin symptoms of yusho and their subsequent change were described. In the early stage, skin eruptions were the most prominent features of yusho. Acneform eruptions and pigmentation were most conspicuous. With the passage of time, these symptoms have improved considerably and most patients have very slight eruptions now, except for the severely intoxicated group. In the analysis of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in the blood, the severely intoxicated group with intense skin symptoms showed pattern A--a typical yusho-specific pattern. The blood PCB patterns of each patient were stable, with no alteration after many years; on the other hand, the blood PCB concentrations have diminished year by year.

A facile preparation of exo-cyclic conjugated dienes fused to lactams or lactones via intramolecular coupling of acetylenes and their behavior in Diels-Alder reactions.

[reaction: see text] Treatment of bis-acetylenic amides or esters 3 with (eta(2)-propene)Ti(O-i-Pr)(2) generates functionalized titanacyclopentadienes which, upon hydrolytic workup, give exo, exo-cyclic conjugated dienes 4 in good yields. Some regio- and stereochemical aspects of their Diels-Alder reaction with dienophiles are also disclosed.

Asymmetric synthesis with a chiral catalyst generated from asymmetric autocatalysis.

A new and efficient one-pot system of asymmetric catalysis is presented in which a chiral catalyst (5-pyrimidyl alkanol) self-improves its ee by asymmetric autocatalysis and then acts as a highly enantioselective chiral catalyst for other asymmetric synthesis (addition of dialkylzincs to aldehydes) to provide products (sec-alcohols) with very high ee (up to 99%).[reaction: see text]

Cloning, nucleotide sequence and expression of a beta-lactamase gene from Streptomyces lavendulae.

A hybridized DNA fragment was cloned as a 7.6-kb fragment from Streptomyces lavendulae KCCS0263 using a 1.9-kb SacI-XbaI DNA fragment from S. cellulosae as a probe. The latter fragment encoded a beta-lactamase which can bind blue dextran. The hybridized region was reduced to a 2.8-kb KpnI-BclI fragment and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The nucleotide sequence indicated one open reading frame whose amino acid sequence is very similar to that of the beta-lactamase from S. cellulosae. The gene produced beta-lactamase enzyme at a low but significant amount.

Putative protein serine/threonine kinase genes are located in several positions on the chromosome of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2).

Seven DNA fragments containing putative protein serine/threonine kinase genes were cloned from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) by hybridization with a 165-bp amplified polymerase chain reaction product of pkaB containing kinase subdomains VI, VII and VIII. Among them, the nucleotide sequences of three fragments containing subdomains VI, VII and VIII were identical, while those of one fragment were identical with that of afsK, another protein serine/threonine kinase gene. However, these kinase-like genes with very similar nucleotide sequences were distributed on the chromosome of S. coelicolor A3(2).

Tosufloxacin in the treatment of nongonococcal urethritis, including Chlamydia trachomatis.

Sixty-three patients with nongonococcal urethritis were enrolled in an open, comparative study and assigned to 14 days of treatment with tosufloxacin 150 mg orally three times daily or doxycycline 100 mg orally twice daily. Chlamydia trachomatis was detected in 27 (42.9%) of the 63 patients: 13 (43.3%) of the 30 tosufloxacin-treated patients and 14 (42.4%) of the 33 doxycycline-treated patients. The clinical response between the two treatment groups was compared 7, 14, and 21 days after initiation of therapy. Clinical response to tosufloxacin was as good as that seen with doxycycline at the three follow-up visits. All C trachomatis-positive patients at baseline tested negative in both treatment groups at the three follow-up visits. Adverse reactions were observed in two patients treated with doxycycline. Although the number of study patients was small and the follow-up period short, these results indicate that tosufloxacin and doxycycline are equally effective in the treatment of nongonococcal urethritis.

Hyperthermia in the treatment of psoriasis.

The effectiveness of commercially available, chemically generated, topical exothermic pads that elevate skin surface temperature from 42 to 43 degrees C was stressed in 22 patients with psoriasis. Control sites were treated with conventional modalities such as Goeckerman's regimen, as well as with occlusion with nonexothermic pads. Skin lesions in 19 patients disappeared after the use of hyperthermia. The average time required for complete regression in the treated areas was 27 days with hyperthermia, compared with 44 days with Goeckerman's regimen. There were no hyperthermic side effects. Seventeen patients whose skin lesions disappeared with the use of both hyperthermia and Goeckerman's regimen were subsequently reexamined. The hyperthermia produced an equal or longer duration of remission than did Goeckerman's regimen.

Essential IgG cryoglobulinemia with purpura and cold urticaria.

An 80-year-old woman with essential cryoglobulinemia developed recurrent, widespread, purpuric lesions with superficial skin ulcers and cold urticaria. No disorders of other organ systems were recognized. Attempts to transfer the cold sensitivity passively by serum and isolated cryoprecipitate of the patient were successful. Immunochemical studies showed that the cryoglobulin was composed of IgG only. It was suggested that the cryoprecipitate might not be due to immune complex formation in this case.

Analysis of photo-initiators in visible-light-cured dental composite resins.

Seven commercial visible-light-cured (VL) dental composite resins were analytically studied for identification of the photo-initiator consisting of photo-sensitizer and reducing agent. Gas-liquid chromatography (GC) was used for the determination of the dilute components extracted from the composite resin. Mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used for confirmation of the qualitative data obtained by GC. The results showed that all composite resins examined included camphorquinone (CQ) as a photo-sensitizer. The concentration of CQ in the resin phase, however, ranged from 0.17 to 1.03% w/w. The composite resin with hybrid-sized filler tended to have a higher concentration of CQ than did the micro-filled composite resin. As for the reducing agent, two out of seven brands contained dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), and one included dimethyl-p-toluidine (DMPTI). The mixing ratio between CQ and the amine in these three composite resins also varied. Another four brands did not contain either DMAEMA or DMPTI, and would utilize different reducing agents.

Generation of a silylethylene-titanium alkoxide complex. A versatile reagent for silylethylation and silylethylidenation of unsaturated compounds

(Trimethylsilyl)ethylene-titanium alkoxide complex (1) was generated from trimethyl(vinyl)silane, Ti(O-i-Pr)(4), and i-PrMgCl as a preformed alkene-titanium complex and reacted with several unsaturated compounds such as aldehyde, imine, other vinylsilane, and acetylene to give the corresponding coupling products 4a-f, 6, 8, and 10a-d in a regioselective manner. Both of the two carbon-titanium bonds of the complex 1 reacted successively with esters to afford silylcyclopropanols 11a-j, 13, and 15, some synthetic applications of which were illustrated in the preparation of beta-silyl ketones 16 and cyclopropenes 17. Asymmetric addition of 1 to a chiral acyloxazolidinone 19 gave optically active cyclopropanol (+)-11a of 50% ee.

Reversible crystal transition of guanosine between the dihydrate and anhydrous states coupled with adsorption-desorption process.

Relative humidity induces the reversible crystal transition of guanosine between the dihydrate and the anhydrous state. The characteristics of the transition was investigated by means of X-ray powder diffraction analysis and high-resolution solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy. Adsorption-desorption hysteresis was observed. Guanosine dihydrate (the H-state) which is crystallized from an aqueous solution rapidly loses crystal water below 10% relative humidity (rh), and is anhydrous at 0% rh (the A-state). The crystals gradually recover the H-state at approximate 20% rh. In the adsorption process between 10-20% rh, there exists one intermediate state, M, with 1.2-1.3 moles water per mole guanosine. The lattice of the M-state was determined to be orthorhombic with the cell parameters of a = 16.248(1), b = 11.603(1), and c = 13.643(2) A. The base-stacking structure is retained throughout the transition. On the other hand, conformational changes of the riboses and break of the hydrogen-bonding network between the bases would be induced in the A-state in conformity with lack of crystal water.

A new indolopyridoquinazoline-type alkaloid from phellodendron amurense callus tissues

Callus tissue from the stems of Phellodendron amurense (Rutaceae) produced a new indolopyridoquinazoline-type alkaloid, 7, 8-dihydroxyrutaecarpine (2), together with known 7-hydroxyrutaecarpine (1). Their structures were established using spectroscopic methods.

Pericytes on the dermal microvasculature of the rat skin.

Surface morphology of pericytes of the subepidermal capillary network of rat skin was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Pericytes showed considerable variation in shape, one end of the spectrum representing a fusiform cell body and lateral projections, the other end a club-like, undulated appearance. Most cells of whatever form were disposed parallel to the capillary course and aligned on the dermal side of the vessels. The pericytic processes encompassed up to half of the endothelial circumference, and were not tapered but spatulated at the ends; the cells adhered to the vessel wall only in certain areas. These findings, together with our previous observation that the subepidermal capillaries exhibit fenestrations mainly at the epidermal side of the endothelial lining, suggest a possible functional role of the pericyte in control of material exchange through the vessel wall. The lateral processes of the fusiform pericytes may, by contraction, cause thinning of the capillary endothelium and the formation of fenestrae, while the club-like pericytes may straighten and push the capillary towards the epidermis, if pericytes are indeed contractile cells, as recent studies indicate.

Cloning from Streptomyces cellulosae of the gene encoding beta-lactamase, a blue-dextran binding protein.

A beta-lactamase gene was cloned from Streptomyces cellulosae as a 2.3-kb DNA fragment using Streptomyces lividans 1326 and PIJ385 as a host-vector system. During the course of cloning, a part of the chromosomal DNA fragment cloned together with a part of the vector plasmid were deleted, indicating instability of this contiguous DNA region. The enzyme from the clone showed similar properties with respect to binding of blue dextran and isoelectric point to the enzyme from S. cellulosae. The cloned gene hybridized not only to DNA of S. cellulosae, the source of DNA, but also to DNAs of several Streptomyces species, irrespective of their formation of beta-lactamase. These results suggest that this gene may have homology to genes other than the one for beta-lactamase.

Extracellular matrix in hepatic granulomas of mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni. Qualitative and quantitative analysis.

To investigate the role of extracellular matrix molecules in the granulomatous inflammation, cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni were injected subcutaneously into BALB/c mice. Well-organized granulomas consisting mainly of stimulated macrophages and epithelioid cells developed in the liver at 11 weeks after infection, thereafter showing a tendency to heal. Fibronectin and heparan sulfate proteoglycan deposition appeared around parasite eggs, then increased distinctly at 11 weeks after infection, and subsequently diminished. Quantities of glycosaminoglycans and hydroxyproline in the egg lesion increased significantly at 11 weeks after infection. Thereafter, the amounts of glycosaminoglycans decreased, whereas hydroxyproline content did not. The data suggest that fibronectin and other macromolecules interact to form granuloma extracellular matrix, and that these extracellular events participate in the development of granulomatous inflammation and subsequent fibrosis induced by schistosome eggs.