The detection and characterisation of collagenase inhibitors from rabbit tissues in culture.

As tissue cultures, rabbit bone, skin and non-gravid uterus synthesise inhibitors of collagenase (EC 3.4.24.3). An assay for the inhibitors is described and their action on collagenase from different tissue sources demonstrated. Evidence for the involvement of the tissue inhibitors of collagenase in the latency of the enzyme in culture media is presented. Latent collagenase was activated by treatment with 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate, and then reacted with the inhibitors to form inactive complexes with properties similar to the naturally occurring latent enzyme forms. The associated changes in molecular weight are detailed, and discussed in relation to the observations of other workers concerning the extracellular control of collagenase activity.     

Blood glucose in intoxicated chronic alcoholics.

Chronic alcoholics may present with hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. Because alcohol induces glycogenolysis, chronic alcoholics usually have higher blood glucose values than do nonalcoholic subjects. In a prospective study of blood glucose concentration in 201 chronic alcoholics, blood alcohol concentration, sex, weight, type of beverage consumed and time since last eating were not generally associated with lower blood glucose values. The infrequency of hypoglycemia in ambulatory chronic alcoholics may reflect the relatively ready availability of hostels, detoxification centres and hospitals in large cities. It is, however, important to be aware of the possible occurrence of hypoglycemia in chronic alcoholics, particularly when community facilities for the chronic alcoholic are not available.     

Therapy of Anorectal Gonorrhea in Men: Efficacy of Oral Antibiotic Regimens

The results of therapy in 916 men with anorectal gonorrhea treated with orally given antibiotic drugs were reviewed retrospectively. There was a 17.8 percent failure rate for tetracycline (total dose, 10 grams) and a 10.7 percent failure for 3.5 grams of ampicillin plus 1 gram of probenicid. Repeating the ampicillin plus probenicid dose once in 8 to 14 hours reduced the failure rate to 1.6 percent, an efficacy comparable to the regimen of 4.8 million units of aqueous procaine penicillin G given intramuscularly plus 1 gram of probenicid given orally for treatment of anorectal gonorrhea.     

A comprehensive study of Sansalvamide A derivatives: The structure–activity relationships of 78 derivatives in two pancreatic cancer cell lines

We report an extensive structure–activity relationship (SAR) of 78 compounds active against two pancreatic cancer cell lines. Our comprehensive evaluation of these compounds utilizes SAR that allow us to evaluate which features of potent compounds play a key role in their cytotoxicity. This is the first report of 19 new second-generation structures, where these new compounds were designed from the first generation of 59 compounds. These 78 structures were tested for their cytotoxicity and this is the first report of their activity against two pancreatic cancer cell lines. Our results show that out of 78 compounds, three compounds are worth pursuing as leads, as they show potency of ?55% in both cancer cell lines. These three compounds all have a common structural motif, two consecutive d-amino acids and an N-methyl moiety. Further, of these three compounds, two are second-generation structures, indicating that we can incorporate and utilize data from the first generation to design potency into the second generation. Finally, one analog is in the mid nanomolar range, and has the lowest IC₅₀ of any reported San A derivative. These analogs share no structural homology to current pancreatic cancer drugs, and are cytotoxic at levels on par with existing drugs treating other cancers. Thus, we have established Sansalvamide A as an excellent lead for killing multiple pancreatic cancer cell lines.     

Risk of Ovarian Cancer and Inherited Variants in Relapse-Associated Genes

Background

We previously identified a panel of genes associated with outcome of ovarian cancer. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether variants in these genes correlated with ovarian cancer risk.

Methods and Findings

Women with and without invasive ovarian cancer (749 cases, 1,041 controls) were genotyped at 136 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 13 candidate genes. Risk was estimated for each SNP and for overall variation within each gene. At the gene-level, variation within MSL1 (male-specific lethal-1 homolog) was associated with risk of serous cancer (p = 0.03); haplotypes within PRPF31 (PRP31 pre-mRNA processing factor 31 homolog) were associated with risk of invasive disease (p = 0.03). MSL1 rs7211770 was associated with decreased risk of serous disease (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.66–0.98; p = 0.03). SNPs in MFSD7, BTN3A3, ZNF200, PTPRS, and CCND1A were inversely associated with risk (p<0.05), and there was increased risk at HEXIM1 rs1053578 (p = 0.04, OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.02–1.91).

Conclusions

Tumor studies can reveal novel genes worthy of follow-up for cancer susceptibility. Here, we found that inherited markers in the gene encoding MSL1, part of a complex that modifies the histone H4, may decrease risk of invasive serous ovarian cancer.     

Synthesis and characterization of improved chloride-sensitive fluorescent indicators for biological applications

A class of N-substituted quinoline compounds has been introduced recently for the fluorescence measurement of Cl concentration in biological preparations. The most Cl-sensitive compound was 6-methoxy-N-[3-sulfopropyl] quinolinium with peak excitation and emission wavelengths of 350 and 442 nm and a Stern-Volmer constant for quenching by Cl of 118 M-1. Six water-soluble quinoline derivatives were synthesized and characterized for the purposes of increasing Cl sensitivity, adding ester functions for cell trapping, and red-shifting the fluorescence peak wavelengths. Acetic acid ester functions were added at the N-, 2-, and 6-positions of the quinoline ring. The best ester compound, N-(6-methoxyquinolyl)acetoethyl ester (MQAE), was water soluble (270 g/liter at 23 degrees C; octanol:H2O partition coefficient of 0.009), had a high Cl sensitivity (Stern-Volmer constant 200 M-1), peak excitation and emission wavelengths of 355 and 460 nm, a fluorescence lifetime of 21.6 ns, and a molar absorbance of 4850 M-1 cm-1 (320 nm). MQAE fluorescence was not altered by the physiological anions HCO3, SO4, and PO4, by cations, or by pH. MQAE was used to measure chloride transport in liposome membranes and in cultured LLC-PK1 cells in monolayer; MQAE leaked out of cells less than 20% in 60 min at 37 degrees C. The physical, optical, and anion quenching properties for the series of ester compounds were determined to establish a set of structure-activity correlates.