Nodules behind the ears: IgG4-related skin disease.

A 53-year-old healthy factory worker consulted our hospital complaining of small nodules of similar size, shape and location on both ears. The nodules revealed focal and massive infiltration of lymphocytes, plasma cells and eosinophils with fibrosis. They had no specific structure on pathological staining with haematoxylin and eosin. Immunostaining for IgG4 revealed that a large majority of the IgG+ cells were positive for IgG4. The ratio of IgG4+ to IgG+ plasma cells was approximately 40%. IgG4+ plasma cells were present at approximately 250 per high-power field. The patient was diagnosed with IgG4-related skin disease without multiple organ involvement in the systemic syndrome of IgG4-related diseases. Because the patient was a factory worker and exposed to an environment of metallic dust, a skin patch test that included a metal series was performed. Zinc and manganese produced positive reactions. Because only skin lesions were observed in this case, not multiple organ involvement, tissue infiltration by IgG4+ plasma cells might have resulted from continuous sensitization to zinc and/or manganese.

Influence of angiotensinogen and angiotensin-converting enzyme polymorphisms on cardiac hypertrophy and improvement on maximal aerobic capacity caused by exercise training.

BACKGROUND: The allele threonine (T) of the angiotensinogen has been associated with ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients and soccer players. However, the long-term effect of physical exercise in healthy athletes carrying the T allele remains unknown. We investigated the influence of methionine (M) or T allele of the angiotensinogen and D or I allele of the angiotensin-converting enzyme on left-ventricular mass index (LVMI) and maximal aerobic capacity in young healthy individuals after long-term physical exercise training. DESIGN: Prospective clinical trial. METHODS: Eighty-three policemen aged between 20 and 35 years (mean+/-SD 26+/-4.5 years) were genotyped for the M235T gene angiotensinogen polymorphism (TT, n = 25; MM/MT, n = 58) and angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism (II, n = 18; DD/DI, n = 65). Left-ventricular morphology was evaluated by echocardiography and maximal aerobic capacity (VO2peak) by cardiopulmonary exercise test before and after 17 weeks of exercise training (50-80% VO2peak). RESULTS: Baseline VO2peak and LVMI were similar between TT and MM/MT groups, and II and DD/DI groups. Exercise training increased significantly and similarly VO2peak in homozygous TT and MM/MT individuals, and homozygous II and DD/DI individuals. In addition, exercise training increased significantly LVMI in TT and MM/MT individuals (76.5+/-3 vs. 86.7+/-4, P = 0.00001 and 76.2+/-2 vs. 81.4+/-2, P = 0.00001, respectively), and II and DD/DI individuals (77.7+/-4 vs. 81.5+/-4, P = 0.0001 and 76+/-2 vs. 83.5+/-2, P = 0.0001, respectively). However, LVMI in TT individuals was significantly greater than in MM/MT individuals (P = 0.04). LVMI was not different between II and DD/DI individuals. CONCLUSION: Left-ventricular hypertrophy caused by exercise training is exacerbated in homozygous TT individuals with angiotensinogen polymorphism.

Function of Platelet-Induced Epithelial Attachment at Titanium Surfaces Inhibits Microbial Colonization.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the barrier function of platelet-induced epithelial sheets on titanium surfaces. The lack of functional peri-implant epithelial sealing with basal lamina (BL) attachment at the interface of the implant and the adjacent epithelium allows for bacterial invasion, which may lead to peri-implantitis. Although various approaches have been reported to combat bacterial infection by surface modifications to titanium, none of these have been successful in a clinical application. In our previous study, surface modification with protease-activated receptor 4-activating peptide (PAR4-AP), which induced platelet activation and aggregation, was successful in demonstrating epithelial attachment via BL and epithelial sheet formation on the titanium surface. We hypothesized that the platelet-induced epithelial sheet on PAR4-AP-modified titanium surfaces would reduce bacterial attachment, penetration, and invasion. Titanium surface was modified with PAR4-AP and incubated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP). The aggregated platelets released collagen IV, a critical BL component, onto the PAR4-AP-modified titanium surface. Then, human gingival epithelial cells were seeded on the modified titanium surface and formed epithelial sheets. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing Escherichia coli was cultured onto PAR4-AP-modified titanium with and without epithelial sheet formation. While Escherichia coli accumulated densely onto the PAR4-AP titanium lacking epithelial sheet, few Escherichia coli were observed on the epithelial sheet on the PAR4-AP surface. No bacterial invasion into the interface of the epithelial sheet and the titanium surface was observed. These in vitro results indicate the efficacy of a platelet-induced epithelial barrier that functions to prevent bacterial attachment, penetration, and invasion on PAR4-AP-modified titanium.

Effects of beta-D-xylosides on proliferation and matrix formation of adherent fibroblastic cells in mouse bone marrow culture.

Mouse bone marrow cells were seeded on small pieces of cover glasses placed in culture dishes, and after 3 days, the pieces of glass to which only small spindle cells adhered were transferred to another dish containing fresh medium. The adherent small spindle cells proliferated and some of them became large polygonal cells with abundant cytoplasm. When phenyl beta-D-thioxyloside (0.5 mM), an artificial initiator of chondroitin sulfate chain synthesis, was added to the culture medium, the cells showed a marked increase in number as compared to controls, with conversion of about 35% of the cells to large size cells. Immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies showed that the intercellular matrix of adherent cells consists mainly of a large proteglylcan with chondroitin 6-sulfate side chains. By histochemical analysis, the amount of chondroitin sulfate was shown to be greater in the intercellular matrices of xyloside-treated groups than those of control cultures. The amount of chondroitin sulfate in the growth medium of the adherent cells, as measured by uronic acid analysis, was also significantly increased by treatment with phenyl beta-D-thioxyloside compared with controls.

Studies of hypertension-induced vascular hypertrophy in cultured smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Mechanisms of vascular hypertrophy induced by hypertension were studied in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP) and compared with those from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Fetal calf serum-stimulated ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity of cultured smooth muscle cells was greater in SHR and SHRSP than in WKY. Beta- but not alpha-adrenergic agonist stimulated ODC activity acutely in cultured smooth muscle cells from WKY, and isoprenaline-induced activation was blocked by the beta-blocker, propranolol, and enhanced by the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine. These results indicate that cultured vascular smooth muscle cells from SHR and SHRSP are more prone to increase the protein synthesis than those from WKY through the trophic induction of ODC activity and that the regulation of ODC activity by catecholamines is mediated through beta-agonistic effect in cultured smooth muscle cells.

Genetic heterogeneity of the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

We examined DNA fingerprints of the spontaneously hypertensive rat from Shimane Institute of Health Science, Izumo, Japan, including seven substrains that were separated in the early stages of the establishment of the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat, and compared their fingerprints with those of rats from other sources. Obtained DNA fingerprints revealed that, in both the stroke-resistant spontaneously hypertensive rat and the Wistar-Kyoto rat, there is a substantial genetic difference between the rats from the National Institutes of health and from Shimane Institute of Health Science. By contrast, only a small genetic difference was observed either between the rats from the National Institutes of Health and Charles River Laboratories or among the substrains of the spontaneously hypertensive rat in the Shimane Institute of Health Science. Further, in the strains from the Shimane Institute of Health Science, there were fingerprinting bands that could distinguish either the Wistar-Kyoto rat from all the substrains of the spontaneously hypertensive rat or the stroke-prone from the stroke-resistant spontaneously hypertensive rat in spite of their close genetic backgrounds. From the observations above, we concluded 1) that there is substantial genetic variance of the spontaneously hypertensive rat between the two major sources in the world, the National Institutes of Health and the Shimane Institute of Health Science and 2) that by DNA fingerprinting analysis, it is possible to identify the restriction fragment length polymorphisms that are specific for the spontaneously hypertensive rat or the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat. These polymorphisms can be applied in the segregation study of the F2 generation.

Possible role of nutritional factors in the incidence of cerebral lesions in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The incidence of cerebral lesions in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats appears to depend on the severity of the hypertension and nutritional factors. Comparison of American and Japanese commercial rat diets revealed a much higher incidence of stroke in rats receiving the Japanese diet (88% vs 30% by 9 months of age). Analyses of the diets indicate that perhaps the most important difference in the two diets is the protein content. Based on complete amino acid analyses of the protein in these diets, it appears that the American diet contains about 22% protein as compared to about 15% for the Japanese diet. Minor differences in vitamin and mineral contents are not remarkable. Comparison of the findings in this experimental rat model with epidemiologic studies suggest that nutritional factors may also play a role in the incidence of stroke in humans.

Dietary effect on platelet aggregation in men with and without a family history of essential hypertension.

Platelet aggregation induced by 5 microM adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) was significantly higher in men with a family history of essential hypertension than in men without such a history when they were fed a low fat-cholesterol diet with low salt. Platelet aggregation activity was remarkably increased in both groups when the diet was changed from low salt into high salt. Platelet aggregation activity was higher in the group with a positive family history of hypertension on the low fat-cholesterol plus high salt diet than in the group without a family history under the same conditions. The activity was slightly increased in both groups when fed a high fat-cholesterol diet with low salt. There was no significant difference in the platelet aggregation between the two groups. The activity was significantly increased in both groups on the high fat-cholesterol diet after the diet was changed from low salt to high salt. Under both the low and high fat-cholesterol diets, the mean blood pressure was significantly elevated in response to excessive salt intake in the group with a family history of essential hypertension, but it was not elevated in the group without such a family history.

Humoral trophic influence on cardiovascular structural changes in hypertension.

Since the early development of structural cardiovascular change in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP) indicated the involvement of non-pressure-dependent factors in this process in hypertension, smooth muscle cells (SMC) from the aorta of SHR, SHRSP, and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were investigated under tissue culture conditions free from blood pressure and humoral factors in vivo. By the observation of such factors as growth rate and DNA or protein synthesis vascular SMC from these rats with genetic hypertension were proved to have intrinsically greater growth activity independently of blood pressure. Although serum from SHR and SHRSP had no specific stimulative effect on SMC growth, circulating epinephrine may accelerate cardiovascular structural changes because isoproterenol added to the culture media enhanced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. Moreover, SMC from SHR and SHRSP showed greater thymidine incorporation than those from WKY even in response to lower extracellular Na+ concentration. Local nutritional conditions of SMC, which were proved to have a great effect on the morphology and structure of cultured SMC, may be a basic determinant of the development of hypertension-induced structural vascular changes or lesions.

Interrelationships between blood pressure, sodium, potassium, serum cholesterol, and protein intake in Japanese.

Interrelationships among blood pressure (BP), sodium (Na), potassium (K), dietary protein, and serum cholesterol level (Chol) were examined in 62% (1120) of 1818 Japanese inhabitants of both sexes aged over 30 years who lived in a rural village in Japan. Fasting single-spot urine specimens were collected in the morning to measure Na, K, urea nitrogen (UN), inorganic sulfate (SO4), and creatinine (Cr). The Cr ratios of Na, K, UN, SO4, Na/K, and SO4/UN were analyzed by multiple regression analysis to determine independent associations with BP together with age, obesity index, hematocrit (Hct), Chol, triglyceride (TG), and fasting serum glucose level (Glu). Except for Na/Cr in men, Na/Cr and Na/K were found to be independently and positively related to BP, particularly to systolic BP (SBP). In contrast, K/Cr and SO4/UN (an index related to the dietary score of sulphur-containing amino acids derived mainly from animal protein) were both negatively associated with SBP, and UN/Cr (an index of total protein intake) was positively associated with SBP in men. Chol was linked to BP negatively in men but positively in women. Age, obesity index, TG, and Hct were generally positively and significantly related to BP in both sexes. The results confirmed on epidemiological grounds the positive link of Na and the negative link of K to BP within a single population in Japan. They further suggest, although only in men, that there is a negative relationship of Chol and dietary animal protein with BP.

Lipid metabolism in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Plasma cholesterol was lower in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), while plasma triglyceride and free fatty acid were increased in comparison with control normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WK) rats. Correspondingly, [1-14C]-acetate incorporation into liver cholesterol was clearly decreased in SHR as compared with WK. As for lipogenic enzyme activities, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme and acetyl-CoA carboxylase in SHR were respectively decreased, increased and not significantly different, in comparison with WK rats. Liver cholesterol was rather low and cardiac triglyceride was slightly increased in SHR. Aortic cholesterol and triglyceride levels were not significantly different between SHR AND WK rats. Thus, SHR have an abnormality in lipid metabolism, especially in cholesterol synthesis, but the pathological implication of this in hypertension and related vascular lesions is not yet clear.

ACAT inhibitor HL-004 accelerates the regression of hypercholesterolemia in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP): stimulation of bile acid production by HL-004.

The effect of the acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor HL-004 on bile acid production was studied during the regression phase of pre-established hypercholesterolemia in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). These rats were fed a hypercholesterolemic diet containing 5% cholesterol, 2% cholic acid, and 20% suet for 30 days to induce hypercholesterolemia. The regression phase was started by switching the diet to normal chow, followed by another 30 days of the diet. The decrease in serum cholesterol level was accelerated by treatment with 0.09% HL-004. At the end of regression, hepatic ACAT activity was significantly lower in the HL-004 treated animals, an event concomitant with the significant decrease in cholesteryl ester content in the liver. In contrast hepatic cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity was maintained at a higher level in the HL-004 treated animals. HL-004 increased the secretion of bile acid and biliary lipids in bile duct-cannulated SHRSP. In HepG2:cells, HL-004 at 1-30 microM dose-dependently stimulated bile acid synthesis from [3H]cholesterol. When cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity of the liver was compared ex vivo in the presence and in the absence of exogenous cholesterol, it was suggested that the higher 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity of the HL-004 group could be attributed not only to expansion of the endogenous cholesterol pool, which may be the result of hepatic ACAT inhibition by HL-004 but to the direct effect of HL-004 on bile acid production. Thus, HL-004 accelerates the regression of hypercholesterolemia, an event which may be related to the stimulation of bile acid production in the liver.

Increased Na(+)-H+ exchange activity in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Na(+)-H+ exchange activities were studied in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) obtained from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). The cytoplasmic pH of VSMC was detected by 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF), which was used as a fluorescent pH probe with a fluorescent microplate reader; this enabled us to measure the cytoplasmic pH of cells attached to multiwell culture plates. We measured cytoplasmic pH recovery in quiescent VSMC after acid loading with 20 mmol/l NH4Cl in HCO3(-)-free buffer. This recovery was inhibited either by removal of extracellular sodium or by addition of 5-N-ethyl-N-isopropyl amiloride (EIPA). The initial recovery rate was dependent on extracellular sodium concentration. Therefore, this change in cytoplasmic pH was presumed to be due to amiloride-sensitive Na(+)-H+ exchange. The Na(+)-H+ exchange activity represented by the cytoplasmic pH recovery rate was significantly higher in VSMC from SHRSP than in WKY cells at extracellular sodium concentrations greater than or equal to 20 mmol/l. In contrast, the steady-state cytoplasmic pH of quiescent VSMC from SHRSP was lower than that of WKY cells in HCO3(-)-free buffer. These findings seemed to contradict each other, and suggested that cytoplasmic pH was regulated not only by Na(+)-H+ exchange but also by other complicated mechanisms.

A new genetic locus cosegregating with blood pressure in F2 progeny obtained from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats and Wistar-Kyoto rats.

BACKGROUND: Segregation studies using genomic polymorphisms on F2 progeny obtained from hypertensive rat models showed that a putative hypertensive gene is located close to the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene. However, it was suggested that additional major genes should contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension. METHODS: F2 rats were obtained from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats of Izumo colony. Blood pressure was measured with a photoelectronic oscillometric tail-cuff method before and during salt loading. Genomic DNA was extracted from livers and digested with HaeIII or Rsal. DNA fingerprinting was performed with 26 32P-labelled human variable number of tandem repeats markers. RESULTS: Eighty-seven fingerprint bands polymorphic between SHRSP and WKY were obtained. When the distribution of these bands in the F2 progeny was studied, one fingerprint band (1/MCT96.1) showed a distorted distribution between the high- and low-blood pressure subpopulations of the F2 rats, suggesting that the band cosegregated with blood pressure. When blood pressure was compared between the F2 rats with [(+) rats] and without [(-) rats] the 1/MCT96.1 band, it was found that (-) rats had significantly higher basal and salt-loaded blood pressures than (+) rats. The 1/MCT96.1 locus was also shown to have no positive linkage with the ACE locus. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that examination of the allele distribution between subpopulations with extreme phenotype can be used in the screening of loci cosegregating with blood pressure. Furthermore, a locus not in the ACE region, showing cosegregation with blood pressure in F2 progeny from SHRSP and WKY rats, was found.

The association between salt sensitivity of blood pressure and some polymorphic factors.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association in Japanese subjects between the salt sensitivity of blood pressure and polymorphic factors. DESIGN AND METHODS: One hundred and four patients with essential hypertension were classified as salt-sensitive or non-salt-sensitive depending on their blood pressure response to salt restriction. An insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene was examined by detecting an alu sequence in intron 16. The ACE genotype was classified as II, ID or DD depending on whether each allele had this sequence. The haptoglobin phenotype was determined by the starch-gel electrophoresis method, and was classified as three phenotypes, 1-1, 2-1 or 2-2 form. RESULTS: The response of plasma renin activity to salt restriction was greater in patients with the DD form than in those with other forms, although there were no significant differences in the ratio salt-sensitive: non-salt-sensitive patients among the three ACE genotype groups. However, the ratio was significantly larger in the haptoglobin 2-1 phenotype group than in the 2-2 group. CONCLUSIONS: The salt sensitivity of blood pressure was associated with the haptoglobin phenotype, but was not associated with the ACE genotype. However, the response of plasma renin activity to salt restriction was different according to the ACE genotype.

Protective effect of inducible type nitric oxide synthase against intracellular oxidative stress caused by advanced glycation end-products in vascular smooth muscle cells from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVE: A recent study demonstrated that free radicals were involved in the maintenance of hypertension in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). However, the role of oxidative stress in hypertension and its related diseases in SHRSP remains unknown. On the other hand, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulate progressively in the vasculature with ageing, and have been identified to be as relevant mediators for various vascular complications. To elucidate whether nitric oxide (NO) produced by inducible type NO synthase (iNOS) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) taken from SHRSP and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) attenuate AGEs-induced oxidative stress, we investigated the effect of NO donors and iNOS-induction in VSMC on intracellular oxidant level caused by AGEs. METHODS: The cells preincubated with or without NO donor, S-nitroso-n-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) or 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1), IL-1beta and/or N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine monoacetate (L-NMMA), were treated with AGEs, and the intracellular oxidant levels, total glutathione (GSH) levels, and gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS) mRNA were determined. We also determined the expression of an iNOS in VSMC from SHRSP and WKY. RESULTS: The intracellular oxidant level of VSMC was induced by AGEs in a dose-dependent manner. NO donor dose-dependently reduced AGEs-stimulated intracellular oxidant level. Treatment with IL-1beta reduced the AGEs-stimulated intracellular oxidant level through increased NO production, whilst inhibition of NO production by L-NMMA reduced the inhibitory effect of IL-1beta. We also confirmed that NO production as well as the expression of iNOS mRNA and the protein itself were significantly decreased in response to IL-1beta in VSMC from SHRSP compared with WKY. We also confirmed that total GSH levels, decreased by AGEs, were restored by stimulation with IL-1beta. Increased GSH synthesis was due to enhanced expression of the rate-limiting enzyme for GSH synthesis, GCS. These results indicate that NO release, produced by iNOS in VSMC in response to cytokines, might play a protective role against AGEs-stimulated oxidative stress in VSMC. This protective effect of NO is decreased in SHRSP compared to WKY.

Different associations of blood pressure with 24-hour urinary sodium excretion among pre- and post-menopausal women. WHO Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison (WHO-CARDIAC) Study.

OBJECTIVE: Having found no definite relationship between blood pressure (BP) and 24h sodium excretion in women aged 48-56 years (in contrast to the results in men of the same age) in the WHO Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison (WHO-CARDIAC) Study, we analyzed the data to investigate whether the sodium-BP association differed between pre- and post-menopausal women. DESIGN AND METHODS: The WHO-CARDIAC is a multicenter cross-sectional study, involving, as of July 2000, 60 collaborating centers in 25 countries. In each center, 100 men and 100 women aged 48-56 years were selected randomly from the general population of the area. In this report, 2,212 women in 21 centers located in 17 countries worldwide, who had data on menopausal status, were studied. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI) and 24h urinary potassium excretion, 24h sodium excretion was positively and significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) [pooled regression coefficient: 0.037 (SE 0.01), P < 0.01] and with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) [0.023 (0.006), P< 0.01] in post-menopausal women. Pooled regression coefficients of sodium-BP association were not significant in pre-menopausal women (P< 0.05). Cross-center correlation analyses of the 21 centers showed that 24h sodium excretion was positively associated with SBP and DBP in both pre- and post-menopausal women, and this positive association between sodium excretion and SBP was significant in post-menopausal women (R2 = 0.23, P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Different associations between sodium and BP were observed in women with pre- and post-menopausal status. There may be a tendency for salt sensitivity to increase at the menopause.

The relation of oxidative DNA damage to hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors in Tanzania.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the mechanism of involvement of oxidative stress in hypertensives, we investigated the relationship between the marker of oxidative DNA damage, urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension and serum glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), among Tanzanians aged 46-58 years who were not on antihypertensive medication. DESIGN AND METHODS: Sixty subjects (males/females, 28/ 32) were selected randomly from the subjects who completed a 24h urine collection in our epidemiological study at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1998. The subjects were divided into two groups, hypertensive subjects (systolic blood pressure (SBP) > or = 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > or =90 mmHg) and normotensive subjects (SBP < 140 mmHg and DBP < 90 mmHg) or hyperglycemic subjects (HbA1c > or = 6.0%) and normoglycemic subjects (HbA1c < 6.0%). Biological markers from urine and blood were analyzed centrally in the WHO Collaborating Center. RESULTS: The mean levels of HbA1c and 8-OHdG were significantly higher in the hypertensive subjects than in the normotensive subjects (P < 0.05). Urinary 8-OHdG was significantly higher in hyperglycemic subjects than in normoglycemic subjects. HbA1c was positively correlated with the 24-h urinary 8-OHdG excretions (r= 0.698, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest oxidative DNA damage is increased in hypertensive subjects, and there is a positive correlation between the level of blood glucose estimated as HbA1c and oxidative DNA damage. Hyperglycemia related to insulin resistance in hypertension in Tanzania is associated with increased urinary 8-OHdG.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids induce tight junctions to form in brain capillary endothelial cells.

Tight junctions create a rate-limiting barrier to the diffusion of solutes between vertebrate epithelial cells and endothelial cells. They are also controlled within individual cells by a variety of physiologically relevant signals. We investigated the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the formation of tight junctions in brain capillary endothelial cells, monitoring the transepithelial electrical resistance, and analyzed the expression of occludin messenger RNA. Brain-capillary endothelial cells were grown to confluence on filters and exposed to eicosapentaenoic acids, gamma linolenic acid and linoleic acid. Transepithelial electrical resistance was determined with voltage-measuring electrodes. The messenger RNA expression of occludin was quantitated by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The basal resistance across monolayers of porcine brain capillary endothelial cells was 83+/-8.1 Omega cm(2). Cells cultured in eicosapentaenoic acids and gamma linolenic acid, but not linolenic acid, displayed a 2.7-fold increase in transepithelial electrical resistance at 10 microM in brain capillary endothelial cells. The expression level of occludin messenger RNA increased markedly immediately after the exposure to eicosapentaenoic acids or gamma linolenic acid. Following an 8 h exposure to exogenous eicosapentaenoic acids or gamma linolenic acid, occludin messenger RNA levels were significantly increased. In addition, the rise in transepithelial electrical resistance induced by eicosapentaenoic acids and gamma linolenic acid was markedly inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and PP2 and protein kinase C inhibitor, calphostin C. In contrast, the rise in transepithelial electrical resistance induced by eicosapentaenoic acids and gamma linolenic acid was not inhibited by the PI 3-kinase inhibitor, LY294002. We conclude that eicosapentaenoic acids and gamma linolenic acid increased the transepithelial electrical resistance and the expression of occludin messenger RNA in brain capillary endothelial cells. This gamma linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid induced assembly of tight junction is likely to be regulated by protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase activity.

Cardiac hypertrophy in early hypertension.

Studies of cardiac hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive rats have indicated that left ventricular hypertrophy occurred even in the prehypertensive stage. These findings suggested that other factors besides blood pressure levels, and including possibly a genetic predisposition to myocardial hypertrophy, could play a role in structural cardiovascular alterations in spontaneously hypertensive rats. More recent studies have confirmed these anatomic results; left ventricular hypertrophy was vectorcardiographically detected even in the prehypertensive stage in voth young stroke-prone rats and stroke-resistant spontaneously hypertensive rats. Further, a close relation was found between degree of left ventricular hypertrophy and vascular hypertrophy or hyperplasia; this suggests that early detection of left ventricular hypertrophy may be a useful indicator of the incipient stage of structural vascular changes in genetic hypertension.