Synthesis of nor-beta-CIT, beta-CIT and trimethylstannyl-beta-CT.
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Autoradiography↗
Biomedical subjects
H Hall
Publications and source records attributed to H Hall.
Functions of the L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate in the nervous system.
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Animals↗
Characterization of a 21 amino acid peptide sequence of the laminin G2 domain that is involved in HNK-1 carbohydrate binding and cell adhesion.
The N-linked HNK-1 carbohydrate expressed by several recognition molecules mediates the adhesion of early post-natal cerebellar neurons to the G2 domain of the terminal globular domain of the laminin alpha 1 chain (H. Hall et al., submitted). To define this binding site more precisely, G2-derived synthetic peptides were used for binding and competition studies. Peptide 5-G2, comprising the amino acid residues 3431-3451 of G2, inhibited the interaction between the HNK-1-carrying glycolipid and laminin in a concentration-dependent and saturable manner. Peptides which overlap only partially with this sequence interfered less. Peptides comprising other amino acid sequences from G2, and peptides derived from G1 and G3 or a scrambled version of peptide 5-G2, did not show significant effects. Direct binding of peptide 5-G2 to the HNK-1 glycolipid was also demonstrated. Furthermore, peptide 5-G2 interfered in a concentration-dependent and saturable manner with the adhesion of early postnatal cerebellar neurons to laminin. These observations indicate that amino acid residues 3431-3451 of the laminin G2 domain are involved in HNK-1 carbohydrate-mediated cell adhesion.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Type- and subtype-specific detection of influenza viruses in clinical specimens by rapid culture assay.
A rapid culture assay which allows for the simultaneous typing and subtyping of currently circulating influenza A(H1N1), A(H3N2), and B viruses in clinical specimens was developed. Pools of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against influenza A and B viruses and MAbs HA1-71 and HA2-76, obtained by immunizing mice with the denatured hemagglutinin subfragments HA1 and HA2 of influenza virus A/Victoria/3/75, were used for immunoperoxidase staining of antigens in infected MDCK cells. MAb HA1-71 reacted exclusively with influenza A viruses of the H3 subtype, while MAb HA2-76 reacted with subtypes H1, H3, H4, H6, H8, H9, H10, H11, and H12, as determined with 78 human, 4 swine, and 10 avian influenza virus reference strains subtyped by the hemagglutination inhibition test. To determine if the technique can be used as a rapid diagnostic test, 263 known influenza virus-positive frozen nasal or throat swabs were inoculated into MDCK cells. After an overnight incubation, the cells were fixed and viral antigens were detected by immunoperoxidase staining. Influenza A viruses of the H1 and H3 subtypes were detected in 31 and 113 specimens, respectively. The subtypes of 10 influenza A virus-positive specimens could not be determined because they contained too little virus. Influenza B viruses were detected in 84 specimens, and 25 specimens were negative. We conclude that this assay is a rapid, convenient, non-labor-intensive, and relatively inexpensive test for detecting, typing, and subtyping influenza viruses in clinical specimens.
Animals↗
Utilization of radioligands in schizophrenia research.
Interest in the role of monoaminergic mechanisms in schizophrenia has stimulated the development of specific radioligands that allow PET analysis of quantitative aspects of monoamine receptor subtypes in the living human brain. Clinical studies with such ligands have not consistently demonstrated specific alterations of the total populations of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in the caudate putamen complex of drug-naive schizophrenic patients. However, recent studies using [11C]SCH 23390, a specific D1 dopamine receptor ligand, disclosed a highly significant reduction of ligand binding in pixel elements of the basal ganglia that normally contain high activity. This finding may be related to reduced D1 dopamine regulated transmission in subsets of neuronal pathways within the basal ganglia. D3, D4, and D5 receptor subtypes constitute minor fractions of the total number of dopamine receptors in the human brain. However, efforts to find selective ligands for D3 and D4 subtypes also show promise. Radioligands for monoamine receptors have also been used to follow drug effects on receptor subtypes in schizophrenic patients treated with different types of antipsychotic drugs. Such studies have allowed the analysis of relationships between occupancy of dopamine receptor subtypes and some clinical manifestations of drug treatment. Such studies with the selective D2 antagonist raclopride indicated quantitative relationships between the degree of D2 dopamine receptor occupancy in the basal ganglia and the extrapyramidal manifestations, as well as the antipsychotic action. Some of the currently available antipsychotic drugs also induced significant occupancy of D1 dopamine receptors. However, the selective D1 antagonist SCH 39166 in doses inducing a more than 70% occupancy of D1 dopamine receptors in the caudate putamen failed to induce an antipsychotic action. This indicates that, in contrast to D2 blockade, selective antagonism of D1-regulated pathways does not mediate antipsychotic action in schizophrenia. Some but not all antipsychotic drugs also induced high occupancy of neocortical 5HT2A receptors. Because selective 5HT2A antagonism does not appear to be an efficient treatment for schizophrenia, it seems most likely that 5HT2A receptors and, perhaps, D1 receptors act in concert to modify aspects of the mandatory D2 blockade to induce antipsychotic actions. Computer graphic methods for image analysis add new dimensions to brain imaging research, allowing three-dimensional visualization of receptor populations computed from molecular PET data. This will make possible further exploration of the detailed molecular compartmentalization of the human brain using radioligand binding.
Brain↗
Carbon-11-FLB 457: a radioligand for extrastriatal D2 dopamine receptors.
UNLABELLED: D2 dopamine receptors in extrastriatal brain regions are of central interest for research in schizophrenia and antipsychotic drugs. This article reports the development of [11C]FLB 457 for PET examination of extrastriatal D2 dopamine receptors. METHODS: Carbon-11-FLB 457 was prepared by O-methylation of FLB 604 (2-hydroxy precursor) with [11C]methyl iodide. Total radiochemical yield was 25%-35% within a total synthesis time of 30 min. The specific radioactivity at the end of synthesis was about 1300 Ci/mmole (48 GBq/mumole). RESULTS: FLB 457 bound with high affinity to D2 and D3 dopamine receptors, whereas binding to other putative central receptors was negligible. PET studies in Cynomolgus monkeys demonstrated 15 times higher accumulation of radioactivity in the striatum than in the cerebellum after 60 min. Uptake in the thalamus and neocortex, extrastriatal regions with a low density of D2 dopamine receptors, was, respectively, 4 and 2.5 times higher than in the cerebellum. Radioactivity was displaced by raclopride and haloperidol which confirms the selectivity and reversibility of [11C]FLB 457 binding to D2 dopamine receptors in vivo in the striatum, thalamus and neocortex. CONCLUSION: Carbon-11-FLB 457 should be a useful PET ligand for quantitative examination of D2 dopamine receptors in extrastriatal regions in the human brain.
Animals↗
Handwashing in medicine: infrequent use of an ancient practice.
The importance of handwashing in medicine has been identified by individuals for over 700 years. This practice, however, was not widely accepted during the early history of medicine. Handwashing was initially associated with religious and magical ceremonies. Later, public bathing became a social activity, and most recently, handwashing became associated with antisepsis and hygiene. The implications of the history of handwashing for today's physicians are explored.
Communicable Disease Control↗
Effect of discharge recommendations on outcome.
STUDY DESIGN: The incidence of two common discharge recommendations, return to work unrestricted (RTWU) and restricted (RTWR) suggested that most restrictions were applied on the basis of patients' subjective reports of pain or therapists' unfounded fears that return to full duty would result in physical harm. OBJECTIVES: This prospective study compares the therapist's return to work recommendation to the patient's actual work status and analyzes the effect of that recommendation on outcome. METHODS: There were 1438 consecutive patients reviewed by structured telephone interviews during the two halves of the study: the control group when pain was accepted as a reason for restriction and the study group when it was not. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: In the control group, 44% of the patients were recommended to RTWU; for the study group, 81% received this recommendation. Compliance was 84% for the control subjects and 78% for the study group. RESULTS: The absolute number of patients who returned to unrestricted work doubled in the study group. CONCLUSIONS: The probability of a successful return to normal duty increased with a recommendation of RTWU (P = 0.0001), whereas the probability of failure increased when restrictions were imposed (P = 0.0001).
Adult↗
PET study of [11C]beta-CIT binding to monoamine transporters in the monkey and human brain.
The cocaine congener beta-CIT has been labeled with 11C for positron emission tomographic (PET) studies of the dopamine transporter. In the present autoradiographic study on human brain sections and PET study on monkey and human [11C]beta-CIT accumulated markedly in the striatum. [11C]beta-CIT binding in the striatum was selective to the dopamine transporter. The binding in the thalamus was on an intermediate level and was displaced by compounds having affinity for norepinephrine and serotonin transporters. The neocortical binding was on a low level and could be displaced only by citalopram, a serotonin uptake inhibitor. A high dose of cocaine intravenously (7 mg/kg) induced a 50% occupancy of specific [11C]beta-CIT binding to the dopamine transporter in the striatum. This dose is much higher than the doses of 0.25-0.5 mg/kg i.v. for cocaine arousal in human subjects. The finding indicates that cocaine arousal may be induced at a low dopamine transporter occupancy of a few percent. [11C]beta-CIT should be a useful radioligand to explore cocaine actions in humans and to follow the pathophysiological process in vivo by PET in neurodegenerative diseases of the striatum.
Adult↗
Preparation of a potential positron emission tomographic radioligand for the dopamine transporter.
NNC 12-0722 (1-[2-(bis(4-fluorophenyl)-methoxy)ethyl]-4-methyl piperazine) is a new selective inhibitor of the dopamine transporter. [11C]NNC 12-0722 was prepared by N-methylation of the desmethyl compound with [11C]methyl iodide. The total radiochemical yield of [11C]NNC 12-0722 was 40%-50% with an overall synthesis time of 30-35 min. The radiochemical purity was higher than 99% and the specific radioactivity about 1500 Ci/mmol (55 GBq/mumol). Autoradiographic examination of [11C]NNC 12-0722 binding on whole hemisphere cryosections from human brain post mortem demonstrated specific binding in the caudate nucleus and putamen. In a positron emission tomographic examination of [11C]NNC 12-0722 in a cynomolgus monkey there was a rapid uptake of radioactivity in the brain. In the striatum, a region with a high density of dopamine transporters, the radioactivity was two times higher than in the cerebellum. These results indicate that [11C]NNC 12-0722 may be a useful radioligand for labelling of the dopamine transporter in man.
Animals↗
Saturation analysis in PET--analysis of errors due to imperfect reference regions.
In the determination of specific binding in receptor binding techniques in vitro as well as in vivo, determination of the nonspecific binding as well as the free component is of crucial importance. If a low proportion of specific binding is included when determining the nonspecific binding, relatively large errors may be obtained. In the present study, benzodiazepine (BZ) receptor binding in the human brain was determined in vivo using position emission tomography (PET) by applying a saturation procedure using [11C]flumazenil as an example of this problem. Analysis of the errors in Bmax and KD obtained using Scatchard analysis in PET was performed using a priori information from in vitro [3H]flumazenil binding in the pons, used normally as a reference region in BZ receptor binding studies. Even if the density of BZ receptors in the reference region pons is only 2% compared to that in the frontal cortex, this small proportion of specific binding sites will result in a 10% error in the Bmax and KD values. Simulation of a number of Scatchard plots was performed at varying ratios between the nonspecific and the specific binding.
Binding Sites↗
Distribution of D1- and D2-dopamine receptors, and dopamine and its metabolites in the human brain.
Densities and distribution of D1-dopamine and D2-dopamine receptors were investigated in vitro using [3H]SCH 23390 and [3H]raclopride in receptor binding assays and autoradiography on human post mortem whole hemisphere slices to serve as anatomical correlates to PET studies using [11C]SCH 23390 and [11C]raclopride. In addition, the levels of dopamine and its metabolites were determined by HPLC in various brain regions. Both dopamine receptor subtypes, as well as dopamine, HVA and DOPAC, were primarily found in the basal ganglia. Very high densities of D1-dopamine receptors were found particularly in the medial caudate nucleus, whereas D2-dopamine receptors were evenly distributed throughout the caudate. The densities of D1- and D2-dopamine receptors were similar in the caudate nucleus and the putamen, whereas there were 4 to 7 times higher densities of the D1- than of the D2-dopamine receptors in several limbic and neocortical regions. The receptor distribution in the autoradiographic study was consistent with that demonstrated in the living human brain using [11C]SCH 23390 and [11C]raclopride.
3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
Induced regression of bovine papillomas by intralesional immunotherapy.
It has long been assumed that papilloma regression is mediated by immunological mechanisms which are probably cellular in nature. The potentiation of these responses may alter the course of papilloma progression. Certain strains of the bacterium Corynebacterium parvum (Propionibacterium acnes) have been shown to augment cellular immune mechanisms by increasing both macrophage and natural killer cell activity. This study involves the use of naturally occurring bovine papillomas to investigate the immune mechanisms involved in induced papilloma regression. Papillomas were treated by intralesional injection of a C. parvum suspension. Treated papillomas were biopsied at various stages of regression. Tissue samples were subjected to immunohistochemical staining to identify specific infiltrating cells. Results showed that intralesional administration of C. parvum was capable of inducing regression of bovine papillomas in 8-15 weeks. Immunological staining revealed that regression was associated with an increased number of CD8+ and gamma delta+ cells in the dermis, as well as a marked infiltration of neutrophils.
Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
Expression of mRNAs encoding ARPP-16/19, ARPP-21, and DARPP-32 in human brain tissue.
In this study we have isolated and sequenced human cDNAs for the phosphoproteins DARPP-32, ARPP-21, and ARPP-16/19, and have compared these sequences to previously characterized bovine and rat cDNAs. In situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis with the human cDNA probes were used to study the expression of mRNAs encoding ARPP-16/19, ARPP-21, and DARPP-32 in human postmortem brain tissue. In situ hybridization was performed using horizontal whole hemisphere sections. Five representative levels of the brain ranging from 71 mm to 104 mm ventral to vertex were examined. All three probes showed distinct hybridization patterns in the caudate nucleus, putamen, nucleus accumbens, and the amygdaloid complex. For ARPP-16/19 mRNA, a hybridization signal comparable to the signal in caudate nucleus, putamen, and nucleus accumbens was also detected in the neocortex. ARPP-21 and DARPP-32 mRNA, on the other hand, were present in lower levels in neocortical regions. DARPP-32 mRNA was abundant in the cerebellar cortex at the level of the Purkinje cell layer. High levels of ARPP-16/19 and ARPP-21 mRNA were also found in the cerebellar cortex, where they were confined to deeper layers. The present result demonstrate that mRNAs for the three phosphoproteins are expressed in overlapping, but also distinct, areas of the human brain that in many cases coincide with previously described distribution of the dopamine D1 receptor.
Aged↗
[GABA A/benzodiazepine receptor. New knowledge may generate new possibilities].
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Animals↗
The L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate mediates adhesion of neural cells to laminin.
The L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope shared by several neural adhesion molecules has been implicated in cell-to-cell and cell-to-laminin adhesion (Keilhauer et al., Nature, 316, 728-730, 1985; Künemund et al., J. Cell Biol., 106, 213-223, 1988). As demonstrated previously for chicken retinal ganglion cells (Cole et al., Neurosci. Lett., 93, 170-175, 1988), cerebral cortex astrocytes or cerebellar neurons could not be shown to adhere to the substrate-bound L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate. The cell-bound L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate, however, was a potent mediator of astrocytic and neuronal cell adhesion to laminin, which was strongly reduced in the presence of the L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate-carrying glycolipids or Fab fragments of a monoclonal antibody against it. Inhibition of adhesion could not be observed in the presence of the negatively charged gangliosides or sulphatide, but in the presence of heparin. To investigate whether the L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate and heparin use the same or different binding sites on laminin, adhesion of cells to laminin was determined in the presence of heparin and Fab fragments of a monoclonal L2 antibody, which gave an additive value of inhibition as compared to the inhibition caused by the single compounds. This result, as well as studies of the binding of the L2/HNK-1 glycolipids to laminin in the presence of heparin, indicates that the L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate and heparin are implicated in different aspects of neural cell adhesion to laminin.
Animals↗
Preparation of [1-11C]dopamine, [1-11C]p-tyramine and [1-11C]m-tyramine. Autoradiography and PET examination of [1-11C]dopamine in primates.
A method for no-carrier-added 1-11C-labelling of 3-hydroxy-, 4-hydroxy- and 3,4-dihydroxy-substituted phenethylamines is described. [11C]Dopamine, [11C]p-tyramine and [11C]m-tyramine were prepared from on-line produced [11C]nitromethane. Condensation of [11C]nitromethane with various protected and unprotected benzaldehydes was investigated. A one-pot two-step reduction of the substituted 11C-labelled nitrostyrene intermediates, gave after hydrolysis and reversed-phase semi-preparative HPLC-purification the corresponding labelled amines in a total radiochemical yield of 8-20% (based on [11C]CO2 and decay-corrected). The total synthesis time was 45-50 min with a specific radioactivity of 400-1000 Ci/mmol (15-37 GBq/mumol). The radiochemical purity was higher than 98% [11C]Dopamine was used for in vitro autoradiography on human post-mortem brain sections and for positron emission tomography (PET) on Cynomolgus monkeys. Autoradiographic examination of [11C]dopamine binding on human brain section post-mortem demonstrated specific binding in the caudate putamen and the substantia nigra, regions with a dense dopaminergic innervation. Some binding was also seen in the globus pallidum, nucleus ventralis of the thalamus and in nucleus dentatus of the cerebellum, regions where the dopaminergic innervation is very low. In PET examinations of [11C]dopamine binding in Cynomolgus monkeys there was a high uptake of radioactivity in the pituitary, the kidneys and the heart. Any passage of [11C]dopamine across the blood-brain barrier could not be demonstrated. In human PET studies [11C]dopamine has potential as a radioligand for examination of the myocardium, pituitary and kidneys.
Animals↗
[11C] beta-CIT, a cocaine analogue. Preparation, autoradiography and preliminary PET investigations.
beta-CIT (2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane) is a cocaine analogue with a high affinity for the dopamine transporter. [11C] beta-CIT was prepared by N-methylation of nor-beta-CIT with [11C]methyl iodide. The total radiochemical yield of [11C] beta-CIT was 40-50% with an overall synthesis time of 35-40 min. The radiochemical purity was > 99% and the specific radioactivity at the time of injection was about 1000 Ci/mmol (37 GBq/mumol). Autoradiographic examination of [11C] beta-CIT binding in human brains post-mortem demonstrated a high level of specific binding in the striatum. PET examination of [11C] beta-CIT in a Cynomolgus monkey showed a marked accumulation of radioactivity in the striatum. The ratio of radioactivity in the striatum-to-cerebellum approached 5 after 87 min. In a displacement experiment, radioactivity in the striatum but not in the cerebellum, was markedly reduced after injection of unlabelled cocaine. [11C] beta-CIT has a potential as ligand for PET examination of cocaine effects in man.
Animals↗