Biomedical subjects

E Rubin

Publications and source records attributed to E Rubin.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMed1995

Relationship between cardiomyopathy and liver disease in chronic alcoholism.

Based on anecdotal impressions, there is a common clinical perception that alcoholics with liver disease do not develop cardiomyopathy and that those with alcohol-induced cardiac disease are spared cirrhosis. To determine the relationship between alcoholic cardiomyopathy and cirrhosis, we carried out a prospective cross-sectional study that included: (1) 30 alcoholic men with cardiomyopathy; (2) 30 alcoholic men without cardiomyopathy (left ventricular ejection fraction > 55%); (3) 20 actively drinking alcoholics with cirrhosis; (4) 15 abstaining alcoholics with cirrhosis; and (5) 15 nonalcoholics with cirrhosis of other etiologies. Cirrhosis was observed in 13 of 30 patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy (43%), compared with 2 of 30 alcoholics without cardiomyopathy (6%) (P < .001). Ten of the 20 active alcoholics with cirrhosis (50%) showed evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy. Actively drinking alcoholics with cirrhosis had a significantly lower mean ejection fraction and shortening fraction, as well as a greater mean end-diastolic diameter and left ventricular mass than abstaining alcoholics with cirrhosis. Cardiac studies of patients with nonalcoholic cirrhosis were normal. We conclude that a positive correlation exists between alcoholic cardiomyopathy and cirrhosis. Alcoholics admitted solely for cardiomyopathy have a higher prevalence of cirrhosis than unselected alcoholics without heart disease. Actively drinking alcoholics admitted only for cirrhosis show impaired cardiac performance, whereas abstaining alcoholics with liver disease tend to manifest normal cardiac function.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

The Peter Principle in orthopedics.

Original orthopedic devices that were developed, tested, and found useful, were subsequently modified and seemingly "improved" to a point of diminished usefulness--a manifestation of the Peter Principle applied to orthopedics. The authors describe seven examples: (1) the talar-tilt inversion apparatus; (2) the patellar-tendon-bearing, below-knee amputation prosthesis; (3) the patellar-tendon-bearing orthosis; (4) the Veterans Administration Prosthetic Center's lumbosacral orthosis; (5) the partial-foot prosthesis; (6) the ankle-foot orthosis; and (7) the occipito-zygomatic cervical orthosis.

Artificial Limbs↗

PubMed1995

A phase I and pharmacokinetic study of a new camptothecin derivative, 9-aminocamptothecin.

Camptothecins are the only available antitumor agents which target the nuclear enzyme topoisomerase I. 9-Aminocamptothecin (9-AC) is a water-insoluble derivative of camptothecin which has demonstrated impressive antitumor activity in preclinical models. While two other water-soluble derivatives, CPT-11 and topotecan, have successfully completed Phase I and Phase II testing, biochemical and tissue culture studies suggest that camptothecin analogues differ in characteristics which may be important in determining antitumor activity. We performed a Phase I trial of 9-AC to determine the pharmacokinetics, dose-limiting toxicity, and maximum tolerated dose of this agent when administered as a 72-h continuous i.v. infusion. Thirty-one patients with resistant solid cancers received 5-60 microgram/m2/h 9-AC for 72 h, repeated at 3-week intervals. The drug was administered in a vehicle containing dimethylacetamide, polyethylene glycol, and phosphoric acid. Blood samples were collected and the lactone (closed ring) form of 9-AC was quantitated. The maximum tolerated dose of 9-AC was determined to be 45 microgram/m2/h. Dose-limiting toxicity consisted of neutropenia. Thrombocytopenia was also prominent. There were no significant nonhematological toxicities. Minimal responses were seen in patients with gastric, colon, and non-small cell lung cancer. Although significant interpatient variation in plasma 9-AC lactone levels was observed, pooled data were fit to a two-compartment model, with a terminal half-life of 36 h. Analyses of topoisomerase protein levels in peripheral blood cells indicated decreases in topoisomerase I accompanied by increases in topoisomerase II in two of three patients. 9-AC is an active antitumor agent and may be administered safely as a 72-h infusion in patients with cancer. Although Phase II trials with a 72-h infusion of 9-AC are warranted, alternate schedules should be evaluated given the dramatic preclinical activity seen with more prolonged administrations.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Activation of Src-like p56/p53lyn tyrosine kinase by ionizing radiation.

Mammalian cells respond to ionizing radiation (IR) with cell cycle arrest, activation of DNA repair, and induction of early response genes. The present work has examined the involvement of Src-like protein-tyrosine kinases in the response of irradiated HL-60 myeloid leukemia cells. The results demonstrate little if any effect of IR on p59fyn, p56lck, and pp60c-src activity. In contrast, HL-60 cells responded to x-ray exposure with activation of p56/p53lyn. At a dose of 200 centigrays, induction of p56/p53lyn activity was detectable at 15 min. Doses as low as 50 centigrays were effective in activating p56/p53lyn. H2O2 and the scavenger N-acetylcysteine had no detectable effect on p56/p53lyn activation, while the protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, herbimycin and genistein, blocked induction by IR. The results also demonstrate that incubation of a glutathione S-transferase-Lyn fusion protein with lysates of irradiated HL-60 cells is associated with binding of the cell cycle regulatory protein, p34cdc2. The interaction of p56/p53lyn and p34cdc was confirmed in similar experiments with a glutathione S-transferase-Cdc2 fusion protein. Moreover, coimmunoprecipitation studies demonstrate the selective binding of activated p56/p53lyn to p34cdc2 in irradiated cells. These findings indicate that IR activates p56/p53lyn in HL-60 cells and that this tyrosine kinase may contribute to the regulation of p34cdc2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Defective assembly of membrane proteins in erythroid precursors of beta-thalassemic mice.

beta-Thalassemic mice provide a useful model for studying the pathophysiology of human beta-thalassemia in that one can perform experiments that are difficult to perform in humans. The ease of access to beta-thalassemic mouse marrow provided the opportunity to explore the cause of the ineffective erythropoiesis that characterizes severe beta-thalassemia in mouse and man. We hypothesized that the accumulation of excess alpha-globin might interfere with the normal assembly of red blood cell (RBC) membrane proteins, thus contributing to the severe intramedullary lysis. Femoral marrow was obtained from normal and beta-thalassemic mice, and RBC precursors were purified (> 90%) by panning and harvesting CD45- cells. The assembly of RBC membrane proteins was assessed by observing immunofluorescence patterns obtained on fixed permeabilized precursors using rabbit polyclonal antibodies directed against human spectrin, and band 4.1, and murine band 3. The distribution of the proteins was shown with a fluorescein-tagged goat antirabbit antibody. In contrast to normal mice, about 30% of intermediate and late stage erythroblasts in beta-thalassemic mice appear abnormal. Neither spectrin nor band 4.1 formed crisp rim fluorescence in these erythroid precursors of thalassemic mice, whereas assembly of band 3 appeared normal. Therefore, the assembly of membrane skeletal proteins is abnormal in murine beta-thalassemic erythroid precursors perhaps because of the deposition of unmatched alpha-globin chains.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Evidence for discrete diacylglycerol and phorbol ester activator sites on protein kinase C. Differences in effects of 1-alkanol inhibition, activation by phosphatidylethanolamine and calcium chelation.

Stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC) activity is achieved in vivo by diacylglycerol but can also be obtained with tumor-promoting phorbol esters. Evidence is presented indicating that these two classes of activator may interact at different regions of the enzyme. The activity of a calcium-dependent PKC isoform (PKC-I) preparation was determined using 1,2-dioleoylglycerol (DOG) together with the phorbol ester 4 beta-12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). The resulting PKC activity was in excess of that attained with either activator alone, each being at a maximum concentration for activation. A similar result was obtained with purified PKC-alpha and -epsilon isoforms, indicating that the additive effect was not due to sites being on distinct enzyme molecules. Support for two dissimilar activator sites came from the observation that the inactive phorbol ester 4 alpha-TPA competed for TPA but not for DOG in PKC activation. Other differences were observed between TPA- and DOG-activated PKC. It was found that 1-butanol inhibited DOG-activated PKC-I, while being without effect on stimulation by TPA. Also, the inclusion of phosphatidylethanolamine in the lipid vesicles led to a potentiation of PKC-I activity which was greater when activation was achieved by DOG compared to TPA. Further, the calcium- and DOG-dependent active conformational change of PKC was fully reversible upon calcium chelation, while that stimulated by TPA was only partially reversible. These experiments taken together suggest that diacylglycerols and phorbol esters bind with different affinities and at different sites on PKC, and induce distinct activated conformational forms of the enzyme.

Alcohols↗

PubMed1994

The relation of alcoholic myopathy to cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between skeletal muscle disease (myopathy) and degenerative changes in cardiac muscle (cardiomyopathy) in patients with chronic alcoholism. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: University medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Group A included 24 patients with chronic alcoholism who had dilated cardiomyopathy; group B, 24 patients with chronic alcoholism who had normal cardiac function; group C, 12 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy because of coronary heart disease; group D, 12 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy; group E, 24 normal participants; and group F, 5 young men who died suddenly in traffic accidents. MEASUREMENTS: Clinical assessment of muscle strength, echocardiography, radionuclide cardiac angiography (groups A to E), muscle biopsy (groups A, B, E), endomyocardial biopsy of the left ventricle (group A), and examination of postmortem specimens of the left ventricle (group F). RESULTS: Alcoholic patients with cardiomyopathy had less muscle strength than did alcoholic patients with normal cardiac function, patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, and patients with coronary heart disease (all P < 0.01). Among alcoholic patients with cardiomyopathy, 20 of 24 (83%) had histologic findings of skeletal myopathy compared with 1 of 24 (4%) alcoholic patients with normal cardiac function (P < 0.001). Interstitial fibrosis occurred in all cardiac biopsy specimens, hypertrophy of the myocytes occurred in 95%, and myocytolysis occurred in 83%. Those patients with more severe cellular hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis of the myocardium had a greater decrease in deltoid muscle strength and had worse histologic myopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Diseases of skeletal and cardiac muscle in patients with chronic alcoholism are clinically and histologically related. The presence of muscle weakness in an alcoholic person suggests the likelihood of an accompanying cardiomyopathic abnormality.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

The modulation of protein kinase C activity by membrane lipid bilayer structure.

The hypothesis that protein kinase C (PKC) activity is sensitive to phospholipid head group interactions was tested using lipid bilayers of defined composition with PKC purified from rat brain. The head group interactions were modulated by varying phosphatidylcholine cis-unsaturation, vesicle curvature, and by the addition of phosphatidylethanolamine and cholesterol. With unilamellar vesicles (including 20 mol% brain phosphatidylserine), increased phosphatidylcholine unsaturation potentiated basal and phorbol ester stimulated PKC activity. By contrast, in the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, the activity decreased with increasing phosphatidylcholine unsaturation. Weakening phospholipid head group interactions spaces the head group region and increases interstitial water, and this effect was assessed from its effect on the fluorescence intensity of the phospholipid-labeled fluorophore 1-palmitoyl-2-N-(4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole)aminohexanoylphosphat idylcholin e (C6-NBD-PC). When the PKC activities with vesicles of varying phosphatidylcholine unsaturation, with and without phosphatidylethanolamine, were plotted as a function of the fluorescence intensity of C6-NBD-PC-labeled vesicles, a biphasic profile was obtained, which had an optimum value of intensity, relating to head group spacing, that corresponded to a maximal enzyme activity. A similar biphasic curve was also found when PKC activities were plotted as a function of published bilayer intrinsic curvature x-ray diffraction data, a parameter closely related to head group spacing. By contrast, no simple relationship was evident between PKC activity and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene anisotropy, taken as a measure of lipid order or fluidity. Therefore, increasing the level of phosphatidylcholine unsaturation, phosphatidylethanolamine, or cholesterol either potentiates or attenuates PKC activity, dependent on whether the initial condition is above or below its optimum.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Identification of a mutant human topoisomerase I with intact catalytic activity and resistance to 9-nitro-camptothecin.

Human U-937 myeloid leukemia cells were selected for resistance to increasing concentrations of the camptothecin derivative, 9-nitro-20(S)camptothecin (9-NC). The isolated single cell clone, designated U-937/CR, was approximately 20-fold resistant to 9-NC. Analysis of topoisomerase I (topo I) gene expression in U-937/CR cells demonstrated similar mRNA levels as compared with U-937 cells. Immunoblotting with an anti-topo I serum revealed reactive proteins at 100, 75, and 67 kDa which were expressed at the same level in the parental and 9-NC-resistant clones. These cell lines also demonstrated similar levels of topo I catalytic activity as determined by assaying nuclear extracts for relaxation of supercoiled plasmid DNA. In contrast, catalytic assays performed in the presence of 9-NC demonstrated that topo I activity from U-937/CR cells was approximately 10-fold more resistant than that from U-937 cells. Nucleotide sequencing of topo I cDNAs revealed the substitution of phenylalanine (TTC) at residue 361 in U-937 cells with serine (TCC) in the 9-NC-resistant clone. Expression and partial purification of the mutant topo I protein in Escherichia coli demonstrated resistance of this enzyme to 9-NC in catalytic assays. Taken together, these findings identify a novel mutation in topo I which confers resistance to 9-NC and support the involvement of this region in the interaction between topo I and 9-NC.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

Chronic alcoholism is one of the most important causes of dilated cardiomyopathy, and a large proportion of chronic alcoholics demonstrate impairment of cardiac function. The development of cardiac dysfunction is apparently related to the total lifetime dose of ethanol. Studies in experimental animals have demonstrated that both acute and chronic ethanol administration impair cardiac contractility. However, the relationship, if any, between the acute effects of alcohol and the development of irreversible cardiomyopathy remain to be elucidated.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1994

Effects of ethanol on the contractile function of the heart: a review.

Chronic ethanol consumption leads to a number of alterations in the contractile function of the heart and is a leading cause of cardiomyopathy. Ethanol also has an acute negative inotropic effect mediated by direct interaction with cardiac muscle cells, although this action is often masked by indirect actions resulting from enhanced release of catecholamines in vivo. This article reviews the effects of ethanol on the contractile function of the heart. The specific targets affected by ethanol in cardiac muscle cells are discussed in terms of potential mechanisms underlying the depressions of contractility resulting from both acute and chronic actions of ethanol.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1994

Partial characterization of human leukemia U-937 cell sublines resistant to 9-nitrocamptothecin.

Human leukemia U-937 cell sublines exhibiting various levels of resistance to 9-nitrocamptothecin (9NC) were developed after exposure to progressively increased 9NC concentrations. Increases in 9NC resistance of the cells were accompanied by decreases in proliferation rate; appearance of morphological and functional features that correlate with granulocytic maturation; decreased synthesis of topoisomerase I; increased synthesis of topoisomerase II; and inability or decreased ability to induce tumors when xenografted in nude mice. 9NC-resistant cells, transferred and propagated in 9NC-free media for 6 months, continue to exhibit resistance and other features similar to cells propagated in continual presence of 9NC. Finally, 9NC-resistant U-937 cells respond to physiological and non-physiological agents of cell differentiation, indicating that alternative treatments can be successfully used to inhibit growth of 9NC-resistant U-937 cells and tumors.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Human ApoA-II inhibits the hydrolysis of HDL triglyceride and the decrease of HDL size induced by hypertriglyceridemia and cholesteryl ester transfer protein in transgenic mice.

The plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the exchange of HDL cholesteryl esters with triglycerides of other lipoproteins. Subsequent lipolysis of the triglyceride-enriched HDL by hepatic lipase leads to reductions of HDL size and apoA-I content. To investigate a possible modulation of the effects of CETP by apoA-II, human CETP transgenic mice were cross-bred with transgenic mice expressing human apoA-II and, in some cases, human apoA-I and apoC-III (with human-like HDL and hypertriglyceridemia). CETP expression resulted in reductions of HDL and increases in VLDL cholesteryl ester in mice expressing human apoA-II, alone or in combination with apoA-I and apoC-III, indicating that apoA-II does not inhibit the cholesteryl ester transfer activity of CETP. However, CETP expression resulted in more prominent increases in HDL triglyceride in mice expressing both apoA-II and CETP, especially in CETP/apoA-II/apoAI-CIII transgenic mice. CETP expression caused dramatic reductions in HDL size and apoA-I content in apoAI-CIII transgenic mice, but not in apoA-II/AI-CIII transgenic mice. HDL prepared from mice of various genotypes showed inhibition of emulsion-based hepatic lipase activity in proportion to the apoA-II/apoA-I ratio of HDL. The presence of human apoA-II also inhibited mouse plasma hepatic lipase activity on HDL triglyceride. Thus, apoA-II does not inhibit the lipid transfer activity of CETP in vivo. However, coexpression of apoA-II with CETP results in HDL particles that are more triglyceride enriched and resistant to reductions in size and apoA-I content, reflecting inhibition of hepatic lipase by apoA-II. The inhibition of HDL remodeling by apoA-II could explain the relatively constant levels of HDL containing both apoA-I and apoA-II in human populations.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Segmental patterning of rat and chicken sympathetic preganglionic neurons: correlation between soma position and axon projection pathway.

The segmental organization of midthoracic rat and chicken sympathetic preganglionic neurons was examined by retrograde labeling in vivo and in vitro. The results demonstrate that individual sympathetic preganglionic neurons project only rostrally or caudally within the sympathetic chain, even though the spinal segment in which they reside provides innervation to both rostral and caudal ganglia. In addition, there is both a segmental and an intrasegmental pattern in the thoracic sympathetic column, in which the position of preganglionic neurons is related to the direction they project in the sympathetic chain. Thoracic sympathetic preganglionic neurons are organized into discrete segmental units, each of which exhibits an internal rostrocaudal polarity with respect to the direction of axon projection in the sympathetic chain. The rostrocaudal bias of this internal polarity is graded from segment to segment along the longitudinal axis. Since there is minimal overlap between thoracic segments, the transition from one segment to another entails a sharp change in the pathway choice of the preganglionic neurons. The organization of the preganglionic projections thus includes (1) segmental periodicity, (2) intrasegmental gradients of neuronal identity, and (3) an axial gradient of segment identity. The significance of these findings is twofold. First, they suggest a functional organization that may be related to the specificity of sympathetic reflex action. Second, they reveal a cellular organization that suggests an underlying segmental pattern in the developing spinal cord.

Amidines↗

PubMed1993

Stimulation of protein synthesis in isolated pancreatic acini from chronically ethanol-fed rats is due to alterations in post-transcriptional regulation.

In an earlier study, we reported that isolation of acini from the pancreas of rats fed ethanol chronically, led to a 2- to 3-fold increase in the rate of protein synthesis compared to acini from rats fed the control diet. In the present study, we wanted to investigate whether the enhanced rate of protein synthesis was due to an increased rate of degranulation, reflecting a stimulation of cellular signal transduction processes, and/or to changes at the level of transcription/translation. The rate of degranulation was monitored by initially prelabelling the secretory proteins in vivo with [3H]leucine followed by determination of their fate in the intact tissue as well as in the subsequently isolated acini. The recovery of the label in isolated acini as a fraction of that incorporated into the tissue was similar for control and ethanol-fed groups, suggesting that ethanol feeding had no effect on the rate of degranulation during the isolation of acini. The rate of incorporation of [3H]uridine into total RNA was about 70% higher in acini from the ethanol-fed group as compared to the control group, suggesting a higher rate of transcription. However, the steady-state level of mRNA for trypsinogen, a representative digestive enzyme mRNA, showed only a moderate increase of 20% in acini from the ethanol-fed group compared to those from the intact tissue. These results suggest that the increased rate of protein synthesis in isolated acini from ethanol-fed rat pancreas is primarily due to post-transcriptional modifications.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Activation of the early growth response 1 gene and nuclear pp90rsk in human myeloid leukemia cells by 1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine.

The early growth response 1 (EGR-1) gene is induced by mitogens, differentiating stimuli, and certain genotoxic agents in diverse cell types. The present work has examined the effects of 1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (ara-C), an antileukemia agent that misincorporates into DNA, on EGR-1 expression. Treatment of HL-525 myeloid leukemia cells with ara-C was associated with transient increases in EGR-1 mRNA levels. Nuclear run-on assays showed that this effect is related at least in part to activation of EGR-1 gene transcription. Sequences responsive to ara-C-induced signals were determined by deletion analysis of the EGR-1 promoter. The results demonstrate that ara-C inducibility of the EGR-1 gene is conferred by a region containing six serum response or CC(A/T)6GG (CArG) motifs. Further analysis demonstrated that the first two distal or 5'-most CArG elements are functional in the ara-C response. An oligomer corresponding to the first CArG element also conferred ara-C inducibility of the minimal thymdine kinase gene promoter, while no inducibility was detectable using a similar oligomer containing a mutated CArG box. Other work has demonstrated that the nuclear serum response factor (SRF) interacts with the CArG box in the EGR-1 promoter and that the serine/threonine pp90rsk protein kinase phosphorylates SRF in vitro at sites phosphorylated in vivo. The present studies demonstrate that ara-C has little if any effect on cytosolic pp90rsk as determined by immunoblotting to assess electrophoretic mobility and by immune-complex kinase assays using S6 peptide as substrate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Ethanol selectively blocks a noninactivating K+ current expressed in Xenopus oocytes.

There is presently a debate regarding the relative merits of lipid-based and protein-based theories of anesthesia and the action of ethanol in the central nervous system. Voltage-sensitive K+ channels play a key role as regulators of neuronal electrical activity and are potential targets of ethanol and other anesthetic agents. We investigated the action of low concentrations of ethanol on four structurally homologous cloned K+ channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. We report that only the Drosophila Shaw2 channel, which does not inactivate upon prolonged depolarization, is rapidly and reversibly blocked by ethanol in a concentration-dependent manner (17-170 mM). The concentration dependence of the blockade can be explained by assuming a bimolecular interaction between ethanol and the channel. We also found that Shaw2 K+ channels were selectively blocked by halothane (1 mM). Our results support the "protein hypothesis" of ethanol and anesthetic action. These findings open ways to elucidate directly the molecular mechanism of interaction between general anesthetics and a voltage-sensitive K+ channel.

Anesthesia↗

PubMed1993

Inhibition of protein kinase C by alcohols and anaesthetics.

Despite almost a century of research, the mechanism of anaesthesia remains obscure and there is still no agreement on the location of the site(s) of action. Because the potencies of general anaesthetics increase in proportion to their solubility in olive oil, this led to a consensus that the site is within the cell membrane. This led to theories that lipid bilayer perturbation was the primary event, which was then transmitted to a membrane protein. But at the concentrations used clinically, such perturbations are small. A plausible site would be in or on ion channels at the synapse, where a number of modulatory effects have been described. A possible location for such a site would be at the protein-lipid interface. We report here that anaesthetics inhibit protein kinase C, a key component in signal transduction. The potency is a linear function of the octanol-water partition coefficient (the Meyer-Overton rule of anaesthesia). The effect was obtained in a lipid-free assay, implicating a hydrophobic site in the protein, supporting the contention that a (membrane) protein may be a target for anaesthetic interactions. In a lipid-dependent assay, a potential role of lipids in the protein-site model was demonstrated. The inhibition was absent in the isolated catalytic domain, suggesting that the site of inhibition is on the regulatory subunit, which is unique to protein kinase C.

Alcohols↗