Formation of the pseudoscalars pi 0, eta, and eta ' in the reaction gamma gamma --> gamma gamma.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Cooper.
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Malignant mesothelioma (MM) of childhood is a rare but important neoplasm. Eighty children with a previous diagnosis of MM were identified. Four of the 80 children had exposure to known risk factors (two had history of exposure to asbestos, one had received radiation therapy, and one had been exposed in utero to isoniazid). Tissue slides were available for independent and joint review by a panel of three pathologists in 22 of the cases. Ten were accepted as MM, nine were reclassified as other malignancies, and three were considered tumors of uncertain nature. Six of the ten children with MM were boys, and four were girls. Eight had pleural tumors, and two had peritoneal tumors. Four died at 7, 8, 18, and 48 months after diagnosis; three remained alive at 19, 20, and 59 months; and three had no follow-up. This review suggests that MM of childhood is a valid entity with a grave prognosis. The tissue diagnosis is difficult and is best made by a panel of pathologists. The available evidence does not support a causal relationship between MM and asbestos, radiation, or isoniazid.
In vivo administration of anti-CD4 mAb (GK1.5) has been shown to be effective in preventing acute and relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). In the present report we have studied the depletion of CD4+ cells by a single dose of GK1.5 on the immune response to myelin basic protein and in the development of EAE. Our studies show that depletion of CD4 cells in mice that had received encephalitogenic CD4+ T cells altered the kinetics of acute and relapsing EAE, but did not prevent disease altogether. The in vitro T cell proliferative response to myelin basic protein in lymph node cells was maintained in the presence of significant depletion of CD4+ cells. These studies indicate that the population of Ag-reactive cells to be large and relatively refractory to antibody therapy. The implication of these results to therapy of human autoimmune disease is discussed.
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Highly purified murine granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM) were used as target cells to assess the possible direct effects of purified preparations of recombinant murine gamma-interferon, prostaglandin E, recombinant human heavy chain (acidic) ferritin, and recombinant human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) on progenitor cells in vitro. Target CFU-GM, with cloning efficiencies of up to 84% and containing 0-3% morphologically recognizable accessory cells at the initiation of the culture period, were plated at a density of 100-150 cells/dish in the presence or absence of pure suppressor molecules. Colony formation was stimulated with either crude pokeweed mitogen-stimulated mouse spleen conditioned medium, pure natural murine macrophage colony-stimulating factor, or pure recombinant murine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. All four suppressor molecules were active in vitro against purified CFU-GM as assessed by their ability to inhibit colony or cluster formation. No apparent difference in the degree of responsiveness to prostaglandin E, gamma-interferon, or human heavy chain (acidic) ferritin was noted in the presence of pokeweed mitogen-stimulated mouse spleen conditioned medium, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, or macrophage colony-stimulating factor. In contrast, TNF-alpha in cultures containing macrophage colony-stimulating factor slightly, but significantly, potentiated colony formation. TNF-alpha also appeared more active at suppressing colony formation at lower concentrations in pokeweed mitogen-stimulated mouse spleen conditioned medium than in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-stimulated cultures of purified CFU-GM. The results suggest that TNF-alpha, human heavy chain (acidic) ferritin, gamma-interferon, and prostaglandin E can act directly at the progenitor cell level.
Combinations of low dosages of purified recombinant human (rh) macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF; also termed CSF-1) and rh granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) were compared alone and in combination for their influence on the cycling rates and numbers of bone marrow and splenic granulocyte-macrophage, erythroid, and multipotential progenitor cells in vivo in mice pretreated with iron-saturated human lactoferrin (LF). LF was used to enhance detection of the stimulating effects of exogenously added CSFs. Concentrations of each CSF that were not active in vivo when given alone were active when given together, with the other CSF. The concentrations of rhM-CSF and rhG-CSF needed to increase progenitor cell cycling in the marrow and spleen were reduced by factors of 40-200 when these CSFs were administered in combination with low dosages of the other CSF. At the concentrations of rhM-CSF and rhG-CSF tested, synergism was not noted on absolute numbers of progenitor cells or total nucleated cell counts per organ or circulating in the blood. These findings may have potential relevance when considered in a clinical setting where the CSFs might be used in combination with other biotherapy and/or chemotherapy.
Purified recombinant murine granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was labeled with 125I and used to examine the GM-CSF receptor on unfractionated normal murine bone marrow cells, casein-induced peritoneal exudate cells, and highly purified murine granulocyte/macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM). CFU-GM were isolated from cyclophosphamide-treated mice by Ficoll-Hypaque density centrifugation followed by counterflow centrifugal elutriation. The resulting population had a cloning efficiency of 62-99% in cultures containing conditioned medium from pokeweed mitogen-stimulated spleen cells and 55-86% in the presence of a plateau concentration of purified recombinant murine GM-CSF. Equilibrium binding studies with 125I-labeled GM-CSF showed that normal bone marrow cells, casein-induced peritoneal exudate cells, and purified CFU-GM had a single class of high-affinity receptor with an approximate Ka of 10(8)-10(9) M-1. CFU-GM expressed an average of 3783 +/- 4 receptors per cell; normal bone marrow cells, 1518 +/- 242 receptors per cell; and peritoneal exudate cells, 2025 +/- 216 receptors per cell. Affinity crosslinking studies demonstrated that 125I-labeled GM-CSF bound specifically to two species of Mr 180,000 and 70,000 on CFU-GM, normal bone marrow cells, and peritoneal exudate cells. The Mr 70,000 species is thought to be a proteolytic fragment of the intact Mr 180,000 receptor. The present studies indicate that the GM-CSF receptor expressed on CFU-GM and mature myeloid cells are structurally similar. In addition, the number of GM-CSF receptors on CFU-GM is twice the average number of receptors on casein-induced mature myeloid cells, suggesting that receptor number may decrease as CFU-GM mature.
Activin and inhibin are biomolecules that, respectively, enhance and suppress the release of follicle-stimulating hormone from pituitary cells in vitro. Purified recombinant human (rhu) activin A and inhibin A were assessed for their effects on colony formation in vitro by human multipotential (CFU-GEMM), erythroid (BFU-E), and granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitor cells. It was found that (i) rhu-activin A enhances colony formation by normal bone marrow erythroid and multipotential progenitor cells; (ii) purified rhu-inhibin A decreases activin, but not rhu-interleukin 3, rhu-granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, or rhu-interleukin 4, enhancement of erythropoietin-stimulated colony formation by erythroid and multipotential progenitor cells; (iii) modulatory actions of rhu-activin and rhu-inhibin are mediated through monocytes and T lymphocytes within the marrow; (iv) actions are apparent in the absence or presence of serum; and (v) rhu-activin and rhu-inhibin have no effect on colony formation by granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells. This defines an indirect mode of action and a specificity for activin and inhibin on multipotential and erythroid progenitor cells.
The rates of synthesis of peptidoglycan and protein during the division cycle of Escherichia coli were measured by the membrane elution technique using cells differentially labelled with N-acetylglucosamine and leucine. During the first part of the division cycle the ratio of the rates of protein and peptidoglycan synthesis was constant. The rate of peptidoglycan synthesis, relative to the rate of protein synthesis, increased during the latter part of the division cycle. These results support a simple, bipartite model of cell surface increase in rod-shaped cells. Prior to the start of constriction the cell surface increases only by lateral wall extension. After cell constriction starts, the cell surface increases by both lateral wall and pole growth. The increase in surface area is partitioned between the lateral wall and the pole so that the volume of the cell increases exponentially. No variation in cell density occurs, because the increase in surface allows a continuous exponential increase in cell volume that accommodates the exponential increase in cell mass. The results are consistent with the constant density of the growing cell and the surface stress model for the regulation of cell surface synthesis. In addition, the elution pattern suggests that the membrane elution method does work by having the cells effectively bound to the membrane by their poles.
Human embryonal carcinoma cells sometimes display the developmental potential of early embryonic stem cells. While available data do not clearly identify a counterpart of these tumor cells in normal development, previous comparisons of human embryonal carcinoma and yolk sac carcinomas indicated that these cell types are closely related, and suggested that embryonal carcinoma cells might resemble the progenitors of extraembryonic endoderm. To analyse further cell-differentiation lineage in these tumors, we produced monoclonal antibodies to cytostructurally associated antigens of human embryonal carcinoma cells. Spleen cells from mice immunized with a detergent-insoluble extract of cultured human embryonal carcinoma cells were fused to NS-1 myeloma cells, and hybridoma supernatants were screened by indirect immunofluorescence on the immunizing cell line, then on a panel of cell lines derived from human embryonal carcinomas, yolk sac carcinomas, and a range of neoplastic and normal tissues. Monoclonal antibody GCTM-1 stained the nuclei of all human cells tested and served as a positive control; this antibody immunoprecipitated proteins of 85 and 66 k Da from human embryonal carcinoma cells. GCTM-2 recognized an epitope on a 200-k Da extracellular protein present on the surface of embryonal carcinoma cells, and stained the surface of visceral yolk sac-type carcinoma and colorectal carcinoma cells as well. Enzymatic analysis of carbohydrate residues on the GCTM-2 antigen revealed that it was a keratan sulphate proteoglycan, and suggested that the epitope recognized by the antibody lies on the core protein. In immunoblots, antibody GCTM-3 bound to a 57-k Da cytoskeletal protein expressed in human embryonal carcinoma. This antibody decorated filamentous arrays in cell lines from human embryonal carcinoma, visceral yolk sac carcinoma, parietal yolk sac carcinoma (endodermal sinus tumour), and adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma of the lung. Antibody GCTM-4 recognized a determinant present on a 69-k Da polypeptide, associated with a component of the lysosomal compartment, which was expressed in embryonal carcinoma cells, but no other cell type tested. The results with this antibody panel thus allow distinction between human embryonal carcinoma and yolk sac carcinoma, but provide further evidence of a close relationship between these cell types.
The rates of synthesis of peptidoglycan and protein during the division cycle of Salmonella typhimurium have been measured by using the membrane elution technique and differentially labeled diaminopimelic acid and leucine. The cells were labeled during unperturbed exponential growth and then bound to a nitrocellulose membrane by filtration. Newborn cells were eluted from the membrane with fresh medium. The radioactivity in the newborn cells in successive fractions was determined. As the cells are eluted from the membrane as a function of their cell cycle age at the time of labeling, the rate of incorporation of the different radioactive compounds as a function of cell cycle age can be determined. During the first part of the division cycle, the ratio of the rates of protein and peptidoglycan synthesis was constant. During the latter part of the division cycle, there was an increase in the rate of peptidoglycan synthesis relative to the rate of protein synthesis. These results support a simple, bipartite model of cell surface increase in rod-shaped cells. Before the start of constriction, the cell surface increased only by cylindrical extension. After cell constriction started, the cell surface increased by both cylinder and pole growth. The increase in surface area was partitioned between the cylinder and the pole so that the volume of the cell increased exponentially. No variation in cell density occurred because the increase in surface allowed a continuous exponential increase in cell volume that accommodated the exponential increase in cell mass. Protein was synthesized exponentially during the division cycle. The rate of cell surface increase was described by a complex equation which is neither linear nor exponential.
The rate of leucine uptake, which is a measure of protein synthesis, was measured during the division cycle of Escherichia coli B/r by the membrane elution technique. The rate of leucine uptake was exponential, indicating that protein synthesis is exponential, and not linear, during the division cycle. These results, coupled with the results of other work on the exponential rate of RNA synthesis during the division cycle, indicate that the accumulation of mass in E. coli and other gram-negative organisms is exponential during the division cycle.
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The synthesis of peptidoglycan by Salmonella typhimurium at the molecular level has been analyzed by studying the pattern of insertion of newly synthesized strands into the preexisting cell wall. We have measured the acceptor-donor radioactivity ratio during short labeling periods, and we found values between 0 and 0.2. This is less than the ratio observed by Burman and Park (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 81:1844-1848) for peptidoglycan synthesis in Escherichia coli. We propose that insertion of new strands occurs as single strands.
In 1983 an article was published in this Journal describing the work of the Child Accident Prevention Trust. Since that time many developments have taken place in the field of child accident prevention. There has been an increased recognition of the role of accidents and injuries in child health and the importance of accident prevention at an international, national, and local level. This has, in part, been a result of work undertaken by the Child Accident Prevention Trust. Much remains to be done, however, and doctors and other health workers involved with children must recognise the part that they can play in reducing this epidemic. Mortality and morbidity from accidents is the largest single problem in the health of children after the first year of life. The aim of this article is to stimulate interest in the problem of accidents in childhood especially among community paediatricians and clinical medical officers. Hospital doctors and general practitioners also have a particular part to play in drawing the attention of appropriate authorities to factors which have led to accidents that may have been preventable (see Annotation in this issue).
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Normal mesenchymal cells, normal epithelial cells and many transformed epithelial cells require serum attachment factors and extracellular matrix proteins for growth and differentiation in vitro, and recent evidence strongly supports a role for extracellular matrix molecules in the regulation of cell movement in vivo during early embryogenesis. We previously described the isolation and characterization of cell lines representative of three types of stem cells most commonly found in human adult testicular teratomas, namely embryonal carcinoma cells, yolk sac carcinoma cells resembling visceral endoderm and yolk sac carcinoma cells resembling parietal endoderm (endodermal sinus tumour cells). Of these three cell types, only endodermal sinus tumour cells, which show particularly malignant behaviour in vivo, have no serum requirement for attachment and growth in vitro. Supernatants from endodermal sinus tumour cells support the attachment of embryonal carcinoma cells in serum-free medium. We demonstrate here that endodermal sinus tumour cells, but not other cell types isolated from testicular teratomas, secrete the serum attachment protein, vitronectin (also known as serum-spreading factor, S-protein or epibolin), as well as fibronectin, laminin and type IV collagen, into serum-free medium. Purified vitronectin from medium conditioned by endodermal sinus tumour cells supported both attachment and spreading of embryonal carcinoma cells in vitro, whereas cells attached but did not spread properly on surfaces coated with fibronectin or laminin. Peptides containing the RGD cell recognition sequence common to many attachment proteins blocked attachment of endodermal sinus tumour cells to untreated tissue-culture plastic in serum-free medium. The results suggest a possible role for vitronectin in regulating cell motility and growth in early development, and in the invasion and spread of teratomas in vivo.