Severe pulmonary tuberculosis complicating Ileocecal intussusception due to intestinal tuberculosis: a case report

Adult intussusception is a rare clinical entity that is most often caused by a tumor, such as a lipoma, adenoma, or malignant tumor. A case of adult intussusception due to intestinal tuberculosis of the ileocecal region is reported. There are few cases of intussusception due to intestinal tuberculosis.     

Intracellular localization and properties of aminopeptidases in human peripheral lymphocytes

Aminopeptidases in human peripheral lymphocytes were located in the cytosol, in organelles of low (1.13 g/cm3) and high density (1.16 g/cm3). These aminopeptidases located in three subcellular fractions showed enzymatic properties distinct from one another, suggesting them to be three distinct enzymes.     

Assessment of mucosal immune response in genitourinary tract using urine.

A novel method to assess mucosal immune response in the genitourinary mucosa after immunization with a mucosal vaccine has been developed. In this method, secretory IgA antibody is measured by a highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay (immune-complex transfer enzyme immunoassay) using urine as a specimen. The urinary IgA antibody response could be detected by the immune-complex transfer enzyme immunoassay. In contrast, a conventional enzyme immunoassay (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)) could not detect this response because of its low sensitivity. Because urine samples can be collected easily and nontraumatically, not only from experimental animals but also from humans, both males and females, the present method may be applicable for assessing the protective efficacy of candidates for mucosal vaccines against sexually transmitted microorganisms, such as human immunodeficiency virus. Furthermore, the usefulness of this method for novel mucosal vaccine formulae was shown for a model in which vaccine antigen and Bordetella pertussis adjuvant were adsorbed onto CaCO, and enclosed in enteric coated capsules.     

Spontaneous diabetes mellitus in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Glucose tolerance tests were performed with fourteen cynomolgus monkeys. They were divided into two groups with regard to the serum glucose level at the time of routine health-examination. Nine of them had normal glucose level (below 123 mg/dl, the normal group) and the other five monkeys exhibited hyperglycemia (the abnormal group). Fifty per cent glucose solution was administered into the saphenous vein at a dose of 4 ml/head. Blood samples were taken just before and 5, 10, 20, 30, 60 and 120 minutes after the glucose administration. K-value (K = 0.693/t 1/2 X 100) as the decreasing rate of serum glucose during from 5 to 60 minutes after the administration was calculated. Average K-value for eight monkeys of the normal group was 3.12 +/- 0.48. Both immunoreactive insulin level (IRI) and C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) increased just after the glucose administration and began to decrease 5 to 30 minutes after the administration in all the eight animals. Remaining one animal (No. 009) of the normal group showed 1.03 in K-value. For the abnormal group, K-value averaged 0.75 +/- 0.25. IRI was slightly higher in this group than in the 8 monkeys of the normal group. Furthermore, the abnormal group did not show any definite change of a certain trend in IRI and CPR. In conclusion, the former 8 monkeys were judged to be normal in the function of pancreatic beta-cells, and the latter 5 monkeys and No. 009 monkey were judged to be suffering from type II (noninsulin dependent) diabetes mellitus at different stages of the disease.     

Larvae and juveniles of pempheridid fishes,Pempheris xanihoptera andP. japonica

Larval developments ofPempheris xanthoptera andP. japonica were described on 31 (6.45–22.40 mm SL) and 5 (10.35–35.70 mm SL) specimens, respectively, with particular attention to cartilaginous development. Comparison between the two species indicated thatP. xanthoptera was discriminated fromP. japonica by the following key characters: two supracleithral spines (one inP. japonica); longer pectoral fin; shorter ventral fin; and absence of melanophore on mid-ventral part of lower jaw and anterolateral region of trunk, and web of ventral fin.     

Larvae and juveniles of two engraulid species, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thryssa setirostris</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thryssa hamiltoni</Emphasis>i,occurring in the surf zone at Trang,southern Thailand

 Engraulid larvae and juveniles collected from the surf zone off the Sikao River, Trang, southern Thailand, in the period between August 1999 and September 2000 were identified as Thryssa setirostris (n = 249, 14.1–25.7 mm SL) and T. hamiltonii (n = 731, 15.2–22.2 mm SL), based on the number of lower gillrakers and maxilla morphology. The two species were easily distinguishable by the melanophore pattern distributed on the anterior part of the striated hindgut, T. setirostris possessing three to five melanophores along the ventral midline and T. hamiltonii lacking such melanophores. The ratios of head length and eye diameter to SL also differed between the species, both being higher in T. hamiltonii. The distribution of the two species was limited to the surf zone outside the river mouth, that region being characterized by a higher salinity than the river and its tributaries.     

Discovery of novel pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine-based EP1 receptor antagonists by scaffold hopping: Design,synthesis, and structure-activity relationships

A scaffold-hopping strategy towards a new pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine based core using molecular hybridization of two structurally distinct EP₁ antagonists, followed by structure-activity relationship-guided optimization, resulted in the identification of potent EP₁ antagonists exemplified by 4c, 4f, and 4j, which were shown to reduce pathological intravesical pressure in rats when administered at 1 mg/kg iv.     

Inhibition of Neurite Outgrowth by a Neuropilin-1 Binding Peptide Derived from Semaphorin 3A

Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), an axon guidance molecule, inhibits neurite outgrowth of sensory neurons. Recombinant Sema3A protein has also inhibited scratching behavior and improved skin inflammation in an atopic dermatitis model. In the present study, we investigated whether Sema3A-derived peptides could bind its receptor, neuropilin-1 (NRP1), to inhibit neurite outgrowth. Here, two candidate NRP1-binding (NPB) peptides, NPB7 and NPB15, were found to inhibit NGF-induced survival and neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells and rat primary neurons in serum-free medium. To investigate the preventive effect of the two NPB peptides in vivo, we assessed whether they could inhibit skin inflammation induced by repeated topical application of oxazolone in mice. NPB15 peptide, but not NPB7, inhibited ear swelling. The NPB15 peptide solution and Vaseline ointment groups showed slightly decreased epidermal nerve densities compared with controls. The combination of NPB15 peptide and Vaseline ointment increased the inhibitory effect of NPB15 peptide on epidermal nerve densities. These results suggest that Sema3A-derived peptides can bind to NRP1 and inhibit neurite outgrowth both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, these peptides may be potent candidates for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.     

Identification of lamin B2 as a substrate of protein kinase C in BALB/MK-2 mouse keratinocytes

Protein phosphorylation by activation of protein kinase C was examined using quiescent cultures of the mouse epidermal keratinocyte line BALB/MK-2. Treatment with phorbol ester caused rapid phosphorylation of five proteins with molecular weights of 80,000, 70,000, 40,000, 34,000, 28,000. Of these proteins, the 70,000 molecular weight one (p70) was studied further. Its position on two-dimensional gel suggested that p70 is nuclear envelope lamin B. This possibility was confirmed by the co-migration of p70 with the lamin fraction of mouse liver and its immunoprecipitation with antinuclear lamina antibody. The lamin B fraction consists of lamin B1 and lamin B2. Evidence that p70 is lamin B2 was obtained by peptide mapping and amino acid sequencing. Lamin B2 is the only lamin that shows a substantial increase in phosphorylation on treatment of BALB/MK-2 cells with phorbol ester.