Fibroblasts from wounds of different stages of repair vary in their ability to contract a collagen gel in response to growth factors

Wound contraction is one function of granulation tissue which is critical to repair. This study compares the ability of fibroblast-like cells derived from granulation tissue of various ages to contract a tissue equivalent, or a collagen gel, and examines the influence of growth factors implicated in wound repair on collagen gel contraction by these different cell populations. Cells from older granulation tissue (21 and 28 days) have an enhanced ability to contract a tissue equivalent when compared to cells from younger granulation tissue (7 and 14 days) or normal rat skin fibroblasts. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) enhanced contractility most in those cells which had a greater basal contractile ability. While basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) alone had moderately stimulatory effects at low doses (0.1-1.0 ng/ml), higher doses (greater than or equal to 10 ng/ml) inhibited basal contraction. Pretreatment with bFGF followed by exposure to TGF-beta 1, with or without the continued presence of bFGF, delayed gel contraction by cells from skin and early granulation tissue, but bFGF enhanced TGF-beta 1 activity in highly contractile cells. Transforming growth factor-alpha moderately enhanced contraction by cells from older granulation tissue. While both TGF-beta 1 and bFGF enhanced wound repair, their differential effects on the fibroblast-like cell derived from granulation tissue of different ages suggest that phenotypic differences exist between these cell populations. In addition, our results predict significant interactions between polypeptide cytokines at the site of repair.     

The indirect negative inotropic effects of the P1-receptor agonist, L-phenylisopropyladenosine, in guinea-pig isolated cardiac preparations: comparison with cromakalim.

The possible mechanisms of the indirect negative inotropic responses to the P1-receptor agonist, L-phenylisopropyladenosine (L-PIA) were evaluated in electrically paced (2 Hz, 5 ms pulse width, voltage 50% above threshold) left atria and papillary muscles of guinea pigs. The responses were compared in naive tissues (direct effects) or after prestimulation with submaximal concentrations of either cAMP-dependent positive inotropes (isoprenaline or forskolin) or the cAMP-independent inotrope Bay K 8644. Cumulative concentration-response curves were obtained in naive or prestimulated preparations for L-PIA or the potassium channel activator, cromakalim, for comparison. L-PIA and cromakalim exerted negative inotropy in naive atrial tissues, whereas only cromakalim was active in naive papillary muscles. In atria prestimulated with isoprenaline (31 nM) or forskolin (1.4 microM), the negative inotropy of L-PIA was enhanced compared with naive tissues. In contrast, prestimulation with Bay K 8644 (1 microM) exerted a significant functional antagonism of the response to L-PIA. In the case of cromakalim, prestimulation with isoprenaline exerted a functional antagonistic effect. In papillary muscles, an indirect negative inotropic effect of L-PIA was only seen in tissues prestimulated with the cAMP-dependent inotropes isoprenaline (31 nM) or forskolin (2.4 microM), and not in naive tissues or those prestimulated by Bay K 8644 (333 nM). As with atria, prestimulation with isoprenaline exerted a functional antagonistic effect on the response to cromakalim. These results suggest that the P1-receptor agonist, L-PIA, exerts its indirect negative inotropic effects in left atria by two mechanisms.2+ with cAMP-dependent positive inotropes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Exercise training in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: a controlled randomized trial

Introduction

Exercise training has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to counteract physical dysfunction in adult systemic lupus erythematosus. However, no longitudinal studies have evaluated the effects of an exercise training program in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (C-SLE) patients. The objective was to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of a supervised aerobic training program in improving the cardiorespiratory capacity in C-SLE patients.

Methods

Nineteen physically inactive C-SLE patients were randomly assigned into two groups: trained (TR, n = 10, supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise program) and non-trained (NT, n = 9). Gender-, body mass index (BMI)- and age-matched healthy children were recruited as controls (C, n = 10) for baseline (PRE) measurements only. C-SLE patients were assessed at PRE and after 12 weeks of training (POST). Main measurements included exercise tolerance and cardiorespiratory measurements in response to a maximal exercise (that is, peak VO₂, chronotropic reserve (CR), and the heart rate recovery (ΔHRR) (that is, the difference between HR at peak exercise and at both the first (ΔHRR1) and second (ΔHRR2) minutes of recovery after exercise).

Results

The C-SLE NT patients did not present changes in any of the cardiorespiratory parameters at POST (P > 0.05). In contrast, the exercise training program was effective in promoting significant increases in time-to-exhaustion (P = 0.01; ES = 1.07), peak speed (P = 0.01; ES = 1.08), peak VO₂ (P = 0.04; ES = 0.86), CR (P = 0.06; ES = 0.83), and in ΔHRR1 and ΔHRR2 (P = 0.003; ES = 1.29 and P = 0.0008; ES = 1.36, respectively) in the C-SLE TR when compared with the NT group. Moreover, cardiorespiratory parameters were comparable between C-SLE TR patients and C subjects after the exercise training intervention, as evidenced by the ANOVA analysis (P > 0.05, TR vs. C). SLEDAI-2K scores remained stable throughout the study.

Conclusion

A 3-month aerobic exercise training was safe and capable of ameliorating the cardiorespiratory capacity and the autonomic function in C-SLE patients.

Trial registration

NCT01515163.     

Automated Entire Thrombus Density Measurements for Robust and Comprehensive Thrombus Characterization in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose

In acute ischemic stroke (AIS) management, CT-based thrombus density has been associated with treatment success. However, currently used thrombus measurements are prone to inter-observer variability and oversimplify the heterogeneous thrombus composition. Our aim was first to introduce an automated method to assess the entire thrombus density and then to compare the measured entire thrombus density with respect to current standard manual measurements.

Materials and Method

In 135 AIS patients, the density distribution of the entire thrombus was determined. Density distributions were described using medians, interquartile ranges (IQR), kurtosis, and skewedness. Differences between the median of entire thrombus measurements and commonly applied manual measurements using 3 regions of interest were determined using linear regression.

Results

Density distributions varied considerably with medians ranging from 20.0 to 62.8 HU and IQRs ranging from 9.3 to 55.8 HU. The average median of the thrombus density distributions (43.5 ± 10.2 HU) was lower than the manual assessment (49.6 ± 8.0 HU) (p<0.05). The difference between manual measurements and median density of entire thrombus decreased with increasing density (r = 0.64; p<0.05), revealing relatively higher manual measurements for low density thrombi such that manual density measurement tend overestimates the real thrombus density.

Conclusions

Automatic measurements of the full thrombus expose a wide variety of thrombi density distribution, which is not grasped with currently used manual measurement. Furthermore, discrimination of low and high density thrombi is improved with the automated method.     

Changes in gene expression in Arabidopsis shoots during phosphate starvation and the potential for developing smart plants

Our aim was to generate and prove the concept of "smart" plants to monitor plant phosphorus (P) status in Arabidopsis. Smart plants can be genetically engineered by transformation with a construct containing the promoter of a gene up-regulated specifically by P starvation in an accessible tissue upstream of a marker gene such as beta-glucuronidase (GUS). First, using microarrays, we identified genes whose expression changed more than 2.5-fold in shoots of plants growing hydroponically when P, but not N or K, was withheld from the nutrient solution. The transient changes in gene expression occurring immediately (4 h) after P withdrawal were highly variable, and many nonspecific, shock-induced genes were up-regulated during this period. However, two common putative cis-regulatory elements (a PHO-like element and a TATA box-like element) were present significantly more often in the promoters of genes whose expression increased 4 h after the withdrawal of P compared with their general occurrence in the promoters of all genes represented on the microarray. Surprisingly, the expression of only four genes differed between shoots of P-starved and -replete plants 28 h after P was withdrawn. This lull in differential gene expression preceded the differential expression of a new group of 61 genes 100 h after withdrawing P. A literature survey indicated that the expression of many of these "late" genes responded specifically to P starvation. Shoots had reduced P after 100 h, but growth was unaffected. The expression of SQD1, a gene involved in the synthesis of sulfolipids, responded specifically to P starvation and was increased 100 h after withdrawing P. Leaves of Arabidopsis bearing a SQD1::GUS construct showed increased GUS activity after P withdrawal, which was detectable before P starvation limited growth. Hence, smart plants can monitor plant P status. Transferring this technology to crops would allow precision management of P fertilization, thereby maintaining yields while reducing costs, conserving natural resources, and preventing pollution.     

Towards a framework for the evolutionary genomics of Kinetoplastids: what kind of data and how much?

The current status of kinetoplastids phylogeny and evolution is discussed in view of the recent progresses on genomics. Some ideas on a potential framework for the evolutionary genomics of kinetoplastids are presented.     

Peripheral mitochondrial inner membrane protein, Mss2p, required for export of the mitochondrially coded Cox2p C tail in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 (Cox2p) is synthesized on the matrix side of the mitochondrial inner membrane, and its N- and C-terminal domains are exported across the inner membrane by distinct mechanisms. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear gene MSS2 was previously shown to be necessary for Cox2p accumulation. We have used pulse-labeling studies and the expression of the ARG8(m) reporter at the COX2 locus in an mss2 mutant to demonstrate that Mss2p is not required for Cox2p synthesis but rather for its accumulation. Mutational inactivation of the proteolytic function of the matrix-localized Yta10p (Afg3p) AAA-protease partially stabilizes Cox2p in an mss2 mutant but does not restore assembly of cytochrome oxidase. In the absence of Mss2p, the Cox2p N terminus is exported, but Cox2p C-terminal export and assembly of Cox2p into cytochrome oxidase is blocked. Epitope-tagged Mss2p is tightly, but peripherally, associated with the inner membrane and protected by it from externally added proteases. Taken together, these data indicate that Mss2p plays a role in recognizing the Cox2p C tail in the matrix and promoting its export.     

The role of intravascular ultrasound imaging in vascular brachytherapy

Intracoronary brachytherapy has recently emerged as a new therapy to prevent restenosis. Initial experimental work was achieved in animal models and the results were assessed by histomorphometry. Initial clinical trials used angiography to guide dosimetry and to assess efficacy. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) permits tomographic examination of the vessel wall, elucidating the true morphology of the lumen and transmural components, which cannot be investigated on the lumenogram obtained by angiography. This paper reviews the use of IVUS in the clinical studies of brachytherapy conducted to date. IVUS allows clinicians to make a thorough assessment of the remodeling of the vessel and appears to have a major role to play in facilitating understanding of the underlying mechanisms of action in this emerging field. The authors propose that state-of-the-art IVUS techniques should be employed to further knowledge of the mechanisms of action of brachytherapy in atherosclerotic human coronary arteries.