Changes in IL-6, IL-8, C-reactive protein and pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor after transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization therapy for hepato-cellular carcinoma.

In an attempt to investigate the interaction between the changes of cytokines and acute phase reactants after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization therapy (TACE), the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), C-reactive protein (CRP) and pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) in the blood of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were measured. Before the therapy, serum IL-6 and plasma IL-8 levels were detectable in 77.8% and 28.5%, respectively, of patients with HCC. Levels of serum IL-6 and plasma IL-8 increased after TACE and reached a peak on day 3 in all patients (18/18) and in 87.5% of patients (12/14), respectively. Both blood levels of IL-6 and IL-8 reached a peak earlier than those of CRP and PSTI did after the therapy. When the maximal values of IL-6 were compared with those of CRP and PSTI, there were significant positive correlations (r = 0.63, P < 0.01 and r = 0.81, P < 0.01, respectively). Similarly, comparisons of the maximal values of IL-8 with those of CRP and PSTI gave a significant correlation (r = 0.68, P < 0.01 and r = 0.67, P < 0.05, respectively). However, no significant correlation was found between the elevation of IL-6 and IL-8.     

Purification of a fibrolast-inhibitory factor from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4

Abstract A factor showing inhibitory activity against human gingival fibrolasts was extracted from the cytosol fraction of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4. The activity markedly inhibited the proliferation of human gingival fibrolasts, but had no effect on cell viability or gross morphology. No such activity was found in cytosol fractions from either Porphyromonas gingivalis 381 or Escherichia coli HB101. The extract from A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 was then purified by anion-exchange chromatography, hydroxyapatite chromatography and gel-filtration chromatography to give a single band on SDS-PAGE with an apparent molecular mass of 65 kDa. The purification ratio was 183-fold with a recovery rate of 5% compared with the crude extract (starting material) when the activity was assessed by direct cell counts.     

Gelation Phenomena Induced by Alkali-alcohol Treatment of 7S and 11S Components in Soybean Globulins

Transparent gels containing about 2% protein were obtained by mixing alkaline dope solution of 7S or 11S soybean proteins with alcohol. The 7S component showed the ability to form a stronger gel than the 11S. This phenomenon depended on pH and alcohol concentration. In 66 % ethanol, the viscosity of the 7S and 11S reached maxima at pH 11.4 and 11.2, respectively. Above these pH levels where further unfolding and dissociation into subunits of the protein molecules occur, the viscosity decreased rather. The effectiveness of alcohol to increase viscosity increased in the order; n-butanol < tert-butanol < n-propanol < iso-propanol < ethanol < methanol. Alcohols having minor hydrophobicity were more effective for increasing viscosity, but ethylene glycol was ineffective. The addition of NaCl or 2-mercaptoethanol to ethanol-mixed alkaline dope solutions resulted in the remarkable increment of the viscosity, especially for the 7S.     

Activation of mouse peritoneal macrophages by synthetic glyceroglycolipid liposomes

Summary Liposomes composed of chemically synthesized glyceroglycolipids, such as 1,2-dipalmityl-[-cellobiosyl-(1 3)]-glycerol (Cel-DAG), 1,2-dipalmityl-[-lactosyl-(1 3)]-glycerol, or 1,2-dipalmityl-[-maltosyl-(1 3)]-glycerol, were found to enhance protective immunity against transplantable tumor cells (sarcoma 180) in ICR mice. Peritoneal exudate cells prepared from mice treated in vivo with Cel-DAG showed cytostatic activity in vitro against the mouse leukemia cell line, EL-4. Adherent cells separated from this preparation showed similar activity. Peritoneal cells from polypeptone-injected mice acquired appreciable cytostatic activity when incubated in vitro in the presence of glyceroglycolipid liposomes. The adherent cell fraction alone showed rather weak cytostatic activity when pretreated with the glyceroglycolipids, and full activity was restored by supplementing with the nonadherent cell fraction. The ability of glycolipids to induce tumoricidal effects was affected by cholesterol content: with increasing cholesterol content, the activities decreased. Cholesterol-free glycolipid liposomes were taken more efficiently by macrophages than cholesterol-containing liposomes. Cholersterol modifies the surface property of glyceroglycolipid liposomes. Activation of macrophages is responsible for enhancement of protective immunity against tumor cells by injection of these glycolipids in vivo.This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid (Nos. 58010010, and 59870076) for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan     

Structure and pre-B lymphocyte restricted expression of the VpreB in humans and conservation of its structure in other mammalian species.

DNA from several mammals, including humans, was found to contain one or more restriction enzyme digested DNA fragments which hybridized to the mouse VpreB gene under stringencies demonstrating at least 70% nucleotide sequence homologies, indicating that the VpreB locus may be widespread and highly conserved among mammals. A human VpreB genomic clone was isolated and sequenced. Two exons and the intervening intron are spaced almost identically as in the mouse VpreB1 gene, and show 76% sequence homology to the mouse gene. As in the mouse VpreB1 gene, the 5' end of the human VpreB gene contains characteristic features of Ig domains, while the 3' end is Ig non-related. This 3' Ig non-related structure of the VpreB gene(s) may, therefore, have existed before the speciation of humans and mice over 65 million years ago. Sequences encoding the entire putative second framework region and a stretch in the third framework region are identical in human and mouse VpreB. the human VpreB gene appears to be selectively expressed in human pre-B cell lines as an 0.85 kb poly(A)+ RNA. Its expression promises to be a useful marker for the detection of normal and malignant human pre-B lymphocytes.     

Molecular cloning and expression of cellulase genes of alkalophilic Bacillus sp. strain N-4 in Escherichia coli.

The genes for cellulases of alkalophilic Bacillus sp. strain N-4 were cloned in Escherichia coli with pBR322. Plasmids pNK1 and pNK2 were isolated from the transformants producing carboxymethyl cellulase, and the carboxymethyl cellulase genes cloned were in 2.0- and 2.8-kilobase-pair HindIII fragments, respectively. On the DNA level, the pNK1 fragment had a different restriction map from that of the pNK2 fragment, but the genomic hybridization experiments showed partial homology among these fragments. A total of 74 and 34% of the enzyme activities were observed in the periplasmic space of E. coli carrying the plasmids pNK1 and pNK2 , respectively. The carboxymethyl cellulase thus produced had broad pH activity curves (pH of 5 to 10.9) and was stable up to 75 degrees C.     

Respiration and avoidance reaction of a cyprinid fishPseudogobio esocinus under hypoxia

A cyprinid fish,Pseudogobio esocinus showed gradual bradycardia at oxygen saturation (%) of less than 29.7±4.6 (1.89±0.29 ml/l of oxygen concentration), surfacing at 14.7±1.3 (0.94±0.09ml/l), drastic decrease of oxygen consumption at less than 14.2±0.8 (0.91 ±0.06ml/l) and asphyxia at 9.7±1.4 (0.62±0.09ml/l). The fish avoided water having low oxygen saturation of less than 54.0± 5.4 (3.38±0.30ml/l), and markedly at less than 26.2±3.4 (1.62±0.16 ml/l).     

Cloning and chromosomal mapping of the mouse DNA-dependent protein kinase gene

 Severe combined immune deficiency (scid) mice are assumed to have two types of abnormalities: one is high radiosensitivity and the other is abnormal recombination in immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes. The human chromosome 8 q1.1 region has an ability to complement the scid aberrations. Moreover, the localization of the subunit DNA-dependent protein kinase [DNA-PK_cs] participating in DNA double-strand break repair in the same locus was clarified. In scid mouse cells, the number of DNA-PK_cs products and extent of DNA-PK activity remarkably decrease. These observations gave rise to the assumption that DNA-PK_cs is the scid factor itself. In order to determine whether the DNA-PK _cs gene is the scid gene, we isolated the mouse DNA-PK _cs gene and investigated its chromosomal locus by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Consequently, it became clear that the mouse DNA-PK _cs gene existed in the centromeric region of mouse chromosome 16, determined by cross-genetic study, as a scid locus. This finding strongly suggests that mouse DNA-PK _cs is the scid gene. Received: 22 March 1996