Bleeding from stomal varices in a patient with portal hypertension, uncontrolled by surgical ligation and sclerotherapy, was well controlled by percutaneous transhepatic embolization with platinum and stainless-steel coils.

Colostomy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of isopropyl unoprostone on melanogenesis in mouse epidermal melanocytes.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of isopropyl unoprostone (referred to as unoprostone) on melanin synthesis and the nature of melanin. METHODS: M1 and M2, potential intraocular oxidized metabolites of unoprostone, were added to the culture medium in a cultured immortal line of mouse epidermal melanocytes, melan-a, once a day for 2 weeks at concentrations of 5 nM and 50 nM. Vehicle solution was utilized as a control. The amounts of pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (PTCA), an oxidized product of eumelanin, and aminohydroxyphenylalanine (AHP), a hydrolyzed product of pheomelanin, were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: A 5-nM concentration of M2 significantly increased PTCA production (20.84 +/- 3.17 ng/10(6) cells mean +/- SD) compared with the control (14.58 +/- 4.62 ng/10(6) cells) (P =.04), although other concentrations did not affect the synthesis of PTCA or AHP. A 5-nM concentration of M2 significantly increased the PTCA/AHP (1.86 +/- 0.18) ratio compared with the control (1.37 +/- 0.41) (P =.04). A 50 nM concentration of M2 slightly increased the PTCA/AHP (1.74 +/- 0.58) ratio, but M1 did not affect this ratio. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that M2 affects not only melanogenesis but also the nature of melanin, which could result in unoprostone-generated iridial pigmentation.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Amino acid sequence, active-site residue, and effect of suicide inhibitors on cephalosporinase of Citrobacter freundii GN346.

The structural gene for a cephalosporinase of Citrobacter freundii GN346 was sequenced. From the nucleotide sequence, the entire amino acid sequence of the mature enzyme with 361 amino acids and a molecular weight of 39,867 was determined. The active-site serine was directly confirmed to be serine 64 by studies in which the enzyme was labeled with dansylpenicillin. In investigations comparing the inhibitory effect of sulbactam (penicillanic acid sulfone) and cloxacillin sulfone on the cephalosporinase and on TEM-2-type penicillinase, sulbactam was found to be an effective progressive inhibitor but a poor competitive inhibitor for the cephalosporinase. The cephalosporinase and the inhibitor formed a long-lived complex with a half-life of 550 minutes. Cloxacillin sulfone could not inactivate the cephalosporinase progressively but irreversibly inactivated the penicillinase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Polymorphism of CYP2C19 and gastric emptying in patients with proton pump inhibitor-resistant gastric ulcers.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether CYP2C19 polymorphism status and gastric emptying are related to healing in patients with gastric ulcers. We studied the CYP2C19 status in seven patients with proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-resistant ulcers, 21 with PPI-sensitive ulcers and 46 healthy volunteers using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism to detect CYP2C19m1 mutation in exon 5 and CYP2C19m2 mutation in exon 4. Gastric emptying was evaluated using the 13C-acetate breath test. The frequency of phenotypes, indicated by genotypes, did not differ significantly between the three patient groups. The peak time of 13C excretion in patients with PPI-resistant ulcers was significantly longer than that of patients with PPI-sensitive ulcers and healthy volunteers. Our results suggest that rate of gastric emptying, but not CYP2C19 polymorphism, is likely to be an important factor in the delayed healing of patients with PPI-resistant gastric ulcer.

2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles↗

PubMedDate not supplied

No evidence for adaptation of current egg drop syndrome 1976 viruses to chickens.

In order to determine whether the current field strains of egg drop syndrome (EDS) 1976 viruses adapt to chickens, we compared the growth efficiency of three Japanese field strains (PA-1/79, AWI/98, Gifu/01) in chicken and duck embryo liver cells. The growth efficiency in chicken or duck embryo liver cells was almost similar in these strains. The fiber protein may carry the type-specific antigen and the hemagglutination activity, and hexon protein may contain the subgroup-specific antigenic determinants. Therefore, the fiber head and hexon loop 1 DNA domain sequences of the six Japanese field strains UPA-1/79, ME/80, 44/81, Kyoto/91, AWI/98, Gifu/01) were compared, but these DNA domains were identical among the six field strains. Our data suggested that the EDS virus was maintained without discernible changes for the last two decades in the field.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Encephalitis and retarded growth of chicks caused by Sitiawan virus, a new isolate belonging to the genus Flavivirus.

A new virus named Sitiawan virus (SV) was isolated from sick broiler chicks in chicken embryos. The virus replicated well with cytopathogenic effect (CPE) in the chicken B-lymphocyte cell line LSCC-BK3. The virus was an enveloped RNA virus of approximately 41 nm in size with hemagglutinating activity (HA) to goose erythrocytes. It was cross-reactive with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a member of flaviviruses by HA inhibition tests but not by cross-virus neutralization tests. The cDNA fragment of NS5 gene was amplified with primers corresponding to NS5 gene of flaviviruses. The nucleotide sequences were 92% homologous to Tembusu virus, a member of the mosquito-borne virus cluster of the genus Flavivirus. In cross-neutralization tests with Tembusu virus, antiserum to SV did not neutralize Tembusu virus, and antiserum to Tembusu virus neutralized more weakly to SV than against homologous virus. These results indicate that SV is a new virus which can be differentiated serologically from Tembusu virus but is otherwise similar with respect to nucleotide sequence. The virus causes encephalitis, growth retardation, and increased blood glucose levels in inoculated chicks.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lesions of bone and bone marrow in myeloid leukosis occurring naturally in adult broiler breeders.

Lesions of bone and bone marrow in myeloid leukosis (ML) occurring naturally in adult broiler breeders were investigated pathologically. During gross examination, nodules and protrusions were commonly observed on the surface of the sternum, ribs, vertebrae, and synsacrum. The bone marrow of all the bones of the body was pale in color. Histologically, granulated myelocytes proliferated in the bone marrow of various bones and in the periosteum of the sternum, ribs, vertebrae, and synsacrum. The first proliferation of tumor cells occurred in the bone marrow of epiphysis. The myelocytes invaded through haversian and Volkmann's canals from the bone marrow to periosteal areas. Hematopoiesis was suppressed by marked proliferation of tumor cells in the bone marrow of the whole bone. Atrophy was also seen in the bones, including medullary bones of the chickens suffering from ML. Proliferation of myelocytes was seen in the bone marrow and periosteum of ossified cartilaginous rings of the trachea and larynx. Marked proliferation of myelocytes was seen in the dura mater of spinal cords, and it subsequently depressed the spinal cords. Bone formation with cartilage was seen in the periosteum of the sternum having marked proliferation of myelocytes in the bone marrow and periosteum. Ultrastructurally, tumor cells showed large nuclei and cytoplasm with large round electron-dense lysosomes. The virus particles were rarely detected in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. The polymerase chain reaction test of tumor samples showed positive for subgroup J avian leukosis virus. This study indicates that the myelocytes can invade through the compact bones to the periosteum in the sternum, ribs, vertebrae, synsarcum, and ossified cartilage of trachea and larynx having thinner compact bones. In addition, the periosteal osteogenesis with cartilage in the sternum may be reactive change against the bone atrophy because of the marked proliferation of myelocytes.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Improved preparation of ELISA antigen of infectious bursal disease virus.

Serotype 1 of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) adapted to chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) was used for the preparation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antigen. After several passages of diluted viruses in CEF cultures, the titer of seed virus increased to 1.2 x 10(8) plaque-forming units/ml. Purified virus prepared from this seed virus had high titers of antigen and was less nonspecific than that from low titer of seed virus in an ELISA. The nonspecific reaction of purified virus decreased further after treatment with Triton X-100. When the specificity of this treated antigen was examined with specific-pathogen-free chicken sera before and during lay and with 14 antisera to some major avian viruses, this ELISA antigen had no nonspecific reaction and was specific to antibodies to serotypes 1 and 2 of IBDV.

Animals↗