We report a case of a hematoma of ligamentum flavum at T11-12 in a 66-year-old man who presented with progressive weakness of the right foot and numbness of both legs. Past history was negative and no precipitating episode of lower back sprain or trauma. The resected T11 and T12 laminas showed old hematoma with degenerative changes in the ligamentum flavum. Hematoma occurring in the thoracic spine has never been reported previously.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

mRNA expression of cytokines and chemokines in the normal gastric surface mucous epithelial cell line GSM06 during bacterial infection with Helicobacter felis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: A group of the proinflammatory and chemotactic cytokines (chemokines) has been considered as an important factor in the pathomechanism of different bacterial diseases, among them the common Helicobacter pylori infection. Experimental results obtained with gastric biopsy samples of H. pylori positive patients, and with H. pylori infected tumor originated gastric cell lines indicated that these cytokines have essential roles in the development and maintenance of the immune response and inflammation of the gastric mucosa during H. pylori infection. Although the mRNA expression was shown in these biopsy samples and cell lines, it is not yet proved that the normal gastric mucosal epithelial cells themselves express these cytokines. The establishment of a gastric surface mucous cell line with non-tumor origin (GSM06), and the usage of Helicobacter felis as a model of the classic H. pylori infection gave us the possibility to check this question. MATERIALS AND METHODS: in this study GSM06 cells were infected with different numbers (10(5), 10(6), 10(7), 10(8), 10(9) bacterium/ml medium) of H. felis for two different time periods (2, 4 h). Cells treated with medium only were used as control. Then the mRNA expression of the following cytokines was measured by RT-PCR method in the GSM06 cells: proinflammatory cytokine IL1-beta, and chemokine RANTES, eotaxin, MCP-1, MIP1-alpha and MIP1-beta. RESULTS: we found that neither mRNA of the investigated cytokines was expressed constitutively, however the GSM06 cells expressed the mRNA of each cytokine during H. felis infection. CONCLUSION: our results prove that normal gastric surface mucous epithelial cells express immunologically active peptides during H. felis infection. We may suppose that the epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa contribute to the immune response and inflammation by expressing proinflammatory (IL1-beta) and chemotactic (RANTES, eotaxin, MCP-1, MIP1-alpha and beta) cytokines during H. pylori infection in human.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Increased basal levels of plasma nitric oxide in Type 2 diabetic subjects. Relationship to microvascular complications.

To assess the underlying mechanisms of decreased endothelial function and advanced vascular complications in patients with Type 2 diabetes, we determined basal levels of plasma nitric oxide (NO(x): NO(2)(-) and NO(3)(-)) using a newly developed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-Griess method in hospitalized 129 diabetic and 76 nondiabetic subjects, and examined their clinical characteristics. Serum lipid peroxide and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) as markers of oxidative stress were also measured, and intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery was evaluated as a marker of atherosclerosis. In diabetic subjects, microvascular complications were newly evaluated during their admission. There were no differences in age or sex between the diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. Although there was no difference in basal plasma NO(2)(-) levels between the two groups, the basal levels of plasma NO(3)(-) in diabetic subjects were significantly higher than those in nondiabetic subjects. Plasma NO(x) levels in neither diabetic nor nondiabetic subjects correlated with serum lipids, HbA1c, or IMT. In diabetic subjects, plasma NO(3)(-) levels were related not only to the presence of hypertension but also to advanced microvascular complications. Moreover, plasma NO(3)(-) levels were positively correlated with both serum lipid peroxide and AGEs. Multiple regression analysis revealed that serum AGEs level was strongly associated with plasma NO(3)(-) level. Thus, the findings are consistent with the hypothesis that decreased endothelium-dependent vasodilation in diabetic subjects is associated with the impaired action of NO secondary to its inactivation resulting from increased oxidative stress, rather than decreased NO production from vascular endothelium, and that abnormal NO metabolism is related to advanced diabetic microvascular complications.

Biomarkers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reversed circadian blood pressure rhythm independently predicts endstage renal failure in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus subjects.

To investigate the significance of reversed circadian blood pressure (BP) rhythm as a predictor for diabetic endstage renal failure, introduction of hemodialysis (HD) was determined as an end point in 325 noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) subjects, in whom 24-h BPs had been monitored during their first admissions between 1988 and 1996. Circadian BP rhythm was analyzed by the COSINOR method, as previously reported. After exclusion of 68 dropout subjects, 257 were recruited for further analyses, in which 194 had normal circadian BP rhythms (N), and the remaining 63 had reversed rhythms (R). During this follow-up period, the numbers of HD-introduced subjects in N and R were 6 and 16, respectively, showing a higher prevalence in the latter (p < 0.001, chi2 test). Follow-up periods were significantly shorter in HD-introduced diabetic subjects of N and R than those in HD-free subjects of each group. In baseline characteristics, there were no differences in age, gender, or serum creatinine between HD-free and HD-introduced subjects of N or R. With regard to microvascular complications, the degree of retinopathy and nephropathy in N and R tended to be more pronounced in HD-introduced subjects than in HD-free subjects. Further, mean levels of circadian mean BP rhythms in HD-introduced subjects of N or R were similarly high, compared with those in HD-free subjects of each group, irrespective of circadian BP pattern. Unadjusted HD-free times were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, with a significant difference noted between N and R (p < 0.001; log-rank test). The Cox proportional-hazards model adjusted for circadian BP pattern, age, gender, blood pressure level, glycemic control, duration of diabetes, serum total protein, and serum creatinine demonstrated that circadian BP pattern, age, gender (female), blood pressure level (hypertension), and serum creatinine exhibited significant high relative risks. Thus, our data suggest that reversed circadian BP rhythm is an independent predictor of endstage renal failure in NIDDM subjects.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mitochondrial DNA mutations are associated with both decreased insulin secretion and advanced microvascular complications in Japanese diabetic subjects.

To assess the roles of various mitochondrial (Mt) DNA mutations in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects, we screened Mt DNAs at the 3243 base pair (bp) and its adjacent portion in unrelated Japanese diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. Furthermore, to clarify the clinical features of diabetic subjects harboring a Mt DNA mutation, we evaluated the ability of insulin secretion and microvascular complications in diabetic subjects. Five hundred thirty-seven diabetic patients and 612 unrelated nondiabetic subjects were recruited into this study. In Mt DNA analyses, Mt DNA was isolated from peripheral leukocytes of the subjects, and then an Mt DNA fragment surrounding the tRNA(Leu(UUR)) site was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using two sets of primers. These fragments were further digested with three kinds of restriction endonucleases and were subjected to agarose gel electrophoresis. When a mutation was present, Mt DNA fragments were directly sequenced with an autosequencer. Baseline characteristics in all subjects were examined, and microvascular complications and insulin secretory capacity in diabetic subjects were newly evaluated. Eight kinds of Mt DNA mutations, which were point mutations, were found in 74 subjects. Each affected subject had only one mutation in the Mt DNA examined. Among them, the mutations at np 3316, 3394, 3593, and 3391 were accompanied by amino acid replacement. Thirty-eight diabetic patients were affected (7.1%), including two subjects with a point mutation at np 3243, and 26 nondiabetic subjects were affected (4.2%). Thus, there was a higher prevalence in diabetic subjects than in nondiabetic subjects. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of maternally inherited diabetes between these two groups. The mean level of urinary C-peptide excretion was lower in diabetic subjects with an Mt DNA mutation (DM+) than in those without it (DM-). Although the prevalence of hypertension in DM+ was higher than that in DM-, diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy in DM+ were problematic, in comparison with those in DM-, when statistical corrections were performed for the effect of hypertension. Furthermore, a strategy based on logistic regression analysis revealed that advanced retinopathy and decreased urinary C-peptide excretion in all diabetic subjects studied were strongly related to the presence of Mt DNA mutation. Our results suggest that Mt DNA mutations in Japanese diabetic subjects are related to the development of diabetes, and also that these mutations are associated with not only a decrease in insulin secretion but also advanced diabetic microvascular complications.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Selective formation of oxindole- and formylkynurenine-type products from tryptophan and its peptides treated with a superoxide-generating system in the presence of iron(III)-EDTA: a possible involvement with iron-oxygen complex.

The oxygenation of tryptophan and its peptides by the superoxide-generating system hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase in the presence of iron(III) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) has been investigated. The reaction of a tryptophan derivative, N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-L-tryptophan, with hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase/Fe(III)-EDTA mainly resulted in the oxygenation of the pyrrole ring of the indole nucleus. 2-[(tert-Butoxycarbonyl)-amino]-3-(3-oxindolyl)propionic acid and N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-N'-formylkynurenine were identified as the major products. Similar oxindole- and formylkynurenine-type products were also obtained from the N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl) derivative of the tryptophan-containing peptides Ile-Trp, Trp-Leu, Gly-Trp-Leu, and Ala-Trp-Ile. In all cases, however, hydroxylation products of the benzene ring of the indole nucleus were scarcely detected, leading to the assumption that free hydroxyl radical did not play a role in the tryptophan oxidation of this system. Of interest was the fact that the reaction of N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-L-tryptophan with H2O2/horseradish peroxidase mainly afforded the same oxindole- and formylkynurenine-type products as those obtained in the hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase/Fe(III)-EDTA system. Taken together, iron-oxygen complex-type active species may play a role in the tryptophan oxygenation in a superoxide-generating system in the presence of iron-EDTA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibitory effect on the establishment of hepatic metastasis by transduction of the tissue plasminogen activator gene to murine colon cancer.

Hepatic metastasis is a major factor in limiting the prognosis of patients with colon carcinoma. Recent investigations indicate a correlation between plasminogen activator profiles and hepatic metastasis. We examined the effectiveness of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) gene therapy using a hepatic metastasis model of murine colon carcinoma. Murine colon carcinoma Colon 26 cells transduced with an MFGtPA retroviral vector (Colon 26/tPA) or an MFGLacZ retroviral vector (Colon 26/LacZ) were injected into the liver via the superior mesenteric vein of BALB/c mice, whose survival rates were checked daily. The mean survival rate of mice with hepatic metastasis induced by Colon 26/LacZ was 23.1 days, whereas that of mice with Colon 26/tPA was >100 days. The in vitro proliferation of Colon 26/tPA was comparable with that of Colon 26/LacZ, and antitumor immunity to wild-type Colon 26 cells was not induced after an intrahepatic injection of Colon 26/tPA. We suggest that transduction of the tPA gene to murine colon cancer is useful against the establishment of hepatic metastasis.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Sodium sensitivity and sympathetic nervous system in hypertension induced by long-term nitric oxide blockade in rats.

1. Pharmacological inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis is known to produce acute and chronic hypertension in many animal species, but the underlying mechanisms mediating the hypertension are not completely understood. In particular, the pathogenetic roles of sodium sensitivity and the sympathetic nervous system in this model of hypertension are controversial. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that long-term administration of the NO synthesis inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) to male Sprague-Dawley rats would produce a sodium-sensitive hypertension and that the enhanced activity of the sympathetic nervous system in this type of hypertension contributes to the sodium sensitivity. 2. NG-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester was added to drinking fluid for 8 weeks at a concentration of 16 mg/dL. Rats received tap water for the first 4 weeks of the study and were then divided into two groups and placed on either a normal or high sodium intake (ingestion of either tap water or 0.9% NaCl, respectively). Awake systolic blood pressure was measured by the tail-cuff method every week. Urinary excretion rates of the stable NO metabolites and catecholamines during NO synthesis inhibition were examined. 3. Long-term administration of L-NAME produced a marked and sustained elevation in arterial pressure without altering urine flow, or sodium excretion rate. NG-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-induced hypertension was accompanied by a decreased urinary excretion of the stable NO metabolites NO2- and NO3- and was aggravated when rats drank 0.9% NaCl in place of tap water. Urinary excretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline, but not dopamine, in L-NAME-treated rats increased significantly within the first week of the study compared with control rats. L-Arginine (2 g/dL in drinking fluid) completely reversed the elevation of arterial pressure as well as the decrease in urinary NO2- and NO3- excretion and the increased urinary excretion of catecholamines associated with L-NAME treatment by 3 weeks of concomitant administration. 4. These results suggest that long-term inhibition of NO synthesis produces a sodium-sensitive hypertension and that changes in sympathetic nerve activity may, at least in part, contribute to the sodium sensitivity in this type of hypertension.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship of cigarette smoking with blood pressure, serum lipids and lipoproteins in young Japanese women.

1. The relationship of cigarette smoking with blood pressure and serum lipids and lipoproteins was studied in 1062 young Japanese women aged 20-39 years of age. 2. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake and physical activity scores, the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP, respectively) did not indicate dose-dependent relationships with cigarette smoking. The largest significant mean differences in SBP (3.5%; P < 0.001), DBP (6.2%; P < 0.018), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C; 13.2%; P < 0.005), ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-C (13.9%; P < 0.022), triglycerides (TG; 24.1%; P < 0.001) and the logarithmic transformation of TG (log TG; 5.6%; P < 0.001) were found between non-smokers and smokers. 3. When age, BMI, alcohol intake and physical activity scores were included in the forward step-wise multiple regression analysis, there were negative relationships found for cigarette smoking and SBP and DBP and positive relationships for cigarette smoking and TG and log TG. 4. Although the results are somewhat variable, the present study shows that cigarette smoking is negatively associated with SBP and DBP and that there is an association between cigarette smoking and serum lipids and lipoproteins and that smoking has an unfavourable effect on these parameters in young Japanese women.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis of a mushroom worker due to Aspergillus glaucus.

We present the first reported case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) due to Aspergillus glaucus in a mushroom worker. The Aspergillus glaucus group is one of the most popular storage fungi and a possible subsidiary etiologic agent of farmer's lung, but no case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) due to A. glaucus has been reported. This first case may demonstrate the etiologic role of A. glaucus in HP and in farmer's lung.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis resulting from Aspergillus fumigatus in a greenhouse.

A 57-y-old female who had cultivated vegetables in a plastic greenhouse developed a case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis from Aspergillus fumigatus. This report exemplifies a potential hazard caused by a thermotolerant fungus, A. fumigatus, in a poorly constructed greenhouse.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗