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Biomedical subjects

S Kim

Publications and source records attributed to S Kim.

At least 1,297 records · Page 72Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

[Radioimmunoassay of the calcitonin gene-related peptide and its measurement in the plasma of patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma and in the cerebrospinal fluid of normal subjects].

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a peptide recently found by recombinant DNA and molecular biological techniques in rat medullary thyroid carcinoma cells, but its physiological role(s) is unknown. We established a radioimmunoassay for this peptide using human-CGRP (1-37) as a standard, 125I-human-CGRP (1-37) as a tracer, and anti-rat-CGRP (28-37) serum as a first antibody. Aprotinin, an inhibitor of proteolytic enzymes in the plasma, was also added to the assay system, because in its absence the tracer was degraded during incubation with plasma samples. The sensitivity of the assay was 60 pg/ml and the intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 6.0% and 8.5%, respectively. The recovery was 105 +/- 17%. The plasma levels of CGRP in 17 normal subjects (mean +/- S.D. age, 45 +/- 12 years) were all below 300 pg/ml, the mean level being 132 +/- 77 pg/ml. The levels were also below 300 pg/ml in 20 of 21 patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma, but one patient who had a high level of 942 pg/ml (mean value, 142 +/- 193 pg/ml). There was no significant difference between the mean plasma levels of CGRP in normal subjects and patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma. The mean plasma levels of CGRP in 5 patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma did not increase in response to infusion of either 4.3 mg/kg of calcium in 10 minutes or 4 micrograms/kg of tetragastrin in 5 minutes, although the plasma levels of calcitonin in these patients increased markedly during these provocation tests. The levels of CGRP in the cerebrospinal fluid of 16 normal volunteers were all below the detectable limit (less than 60 pg/ml). These findings suggest that fewer patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma than reported previously have high plasma levels of CGRP, either in the basal state or in response to calcium or gastrin, and that the levels of CGRP in the cerebrospinal fluid of normal subjects are very low.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Phase I/pharmacokinetic study of intraperitoneal cisplatin and etoposide.

We administered cisplatin and etoposide by peritoneal dialysis to 39 patients with i.p. malignancies in order to investigate the toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and clinical activity of this 2-drug combination. All patients received i.v. sodium thiosulfate concurrently with the i.p. chemotherapy. Myelosuppression, nausea, vomiting, and malaise were the primary toxicities encountered. The maximum tolerated dose of etoposide was 350 mg/m2, when administered with a fixed dose of cisplatin, 200 mg/m2. Although the total (free and protein-bound) etoposide exposure for the peritoneal cavity was only 1.5-fold greater than that for the plasma, the free (non-protein bound) etoposide peritoneal exposure was 65-fold greater than the plasma. Tumor regressions were noted in patients with ovarian and pancreatic carcinomas. This study is the first demonstration of the large pharmacokinetic advantage that exists for the i.p. administration of highly protein-bound drugs, and it also documents the clinical activity of i.p. cisplatin and etoposide.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1987

Identification of renin and renin messenger RNA sequence in rat ovary and uterus.

An increase in plasma prorenin during pregnancy suggests that prorenin might be synthesized in the ovary and the secretion of renin or prorenin may be stimulated by an ovarian steroid-mediated process. Recently, renin and angiotensinogen have been identified in human ovarian follicular fluid. However, there is considerable controversy over whether renin is synthesized in the ovary or derived from circulation. In the present study, we confirmed the presence of renin and renin mRNA in rat ovary and uterus by Northern blot analysis with rat renin cRNA as a hybridization probe. Our data show that ovarian or uterine renin is synthesized in the same cells. This suggests that the function of renin might be closely linked to the reproductive process.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Modulation of the peritoneal clearance of liposomal cytosine arabinoside by blank liposomes.

Liposomes containing cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) release drug slowly and can be used to maintain a locally high concentration of ara-C in the peritoneal cavity for intracavitary chemotherapy. However, a significant amount of active drug does reach the systemic circulation and contributes to systemic toxicity. We have devised a novel method of decreasing toxicity and increasing intraperitoneal half-life by pretreatment with "blank" liposomes containing no active drug. This technique has resulted in prolongation of intraperitoneal half-life of the liposomal ara-C from 21 h to 165 h, enabling maintenance of a therapeutic drug concentration even at 11 days after initial injection. One hundred percent cures (60-day survival) were achieved with a single-dose therapy begun 1 day after i.p. implantation of 10(6) L1210 leukemia cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Reduced S-adenosylmethionine:protein-lysine N-methyltransferase activity (protein methylase III) in shiverer mutant mouse brain.

Mice with the dysmyelinating mutation shiverer were studied by measuring the activity of two protein methylases and myelin marker enzymes in the brain. It was observed that S-adenosylmethionine:protein-lysine N-methyltransferase (protein methylase III, EC. 2.1.1.43) activity is significantly reduced in phenotypically affected homozygous shiverer (shi/shi) mutant mouse brain compared to the unaffected heterozygous littermate brain. This reduction in enzyme activity is manifested mainly by reduced formation of trimethyllysine during the in vitro methylation of histone. In contrast, myelin marker enzymes such as 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase and 5'-nucleotidase as well as S-adenosyl-methionine:protein-carboxyl O-methyltransferase (protein methylase II, EC. 2.1.1.24) activities were not significantly affected in these strains of mice.

5'-Nucleotidase↗
PubMed1987

Histone binding to isolated rat liver nuclei.

Calf thymus histone H3 bound irreversibly to the isolated rat liver nuclei. The rate and extent of binding was a function of the incubation period and the concentration of both H3 and nuclei, but independent of the temperature. The binding was saturable and was inhibited by simultaneous presence of various histones. Approximately 94% of the bound H3 was associated with nuclear membrane fraction.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Studies on in vitro S-methylation of naturally occurring thiol compounds with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and methyl methanesulfonate.

N-Methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) and methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) were found to rapidly methylate glutathione (GSH) in vitro yielding S-methyl glutathione, as verified and quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. Formation of S-methylcysteine in the acid-hydrolyzate of the methylated GSH further confirmed the formation of S-methyl glutathione. Other naturally occurring thiol compounds such as cysteine and homocysteine were also methylated by MNU. The observed pH dependency of GSH methylation by MNU suggests that the sulfide anion form of the thiol may represent the favored methyl acceptor. The high reactivity of GSH toward MNU and MMS may be of biological significance in that it could compete with macromolecular cellular components as a target for alkylation.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1987

Development of a differentiated microtubule structure: formation of the chicken erythrocyte marginal band in vivo.

The microtubules of mature nucleated erythrocytes are organized into a marginal band that is confined to a single plane at the periphery and that contains essentially the same number of microtubule profiles in each individual cell. Developing erythrocytes can be isolated in homogeneous and synchronously developing populations from chicken embryos. For these reasons, these cells offer a particularly accessible system for study of the pathway leading to a specific microtubule structure in a normal, terminally differentiated animal cell. Along this developmental course, striking changes occur in the properties of the microtubules. Between the postmitotic cell and the formation of the band, a novel arrangement is found: bundles of laterally associated microtubules in each cell, coursing through the cytoplasm but not confined to the periphery. The microtubule organizing centers evident at early stages disappear by the time the band forms. The microtubules in early cells are readily depolymerized by drugs, but that drug sensitivity is lost in the mature cells. The microtubule arrangement of mature cells is faithfully recapitulated after reversible depolymerization, while that of the immature cells is not. Finally, as the band forms, the microtubules and microfilaments increasingly become coaligned. In sum, the microtubules of immature cells have many properties in common with those of cultured cells, but during maturation those properties change. The results suggest that lateral interactions become increasingly important in stabilizing and organizing the microtubules. The properties of marginal band microtubules, and comparable properties of axonal microtubules, may reflect differences between the requirements for cytoskeletal structures of cycling cells and terminally differentiated cells.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed1987

Metabolism of circulating renin by liver and kidney of rats.

Rat renal renin, highly purified and labeled with 125I, was intravenously given to conscious rats, to study the fate of the circulating renin. Rat antirenin anti-serum was used to identify the labeled renin. The disappearance of [125I]-renin from the plasma showed two exponential components and the metabolic clearance rate was 11.4 +/- 1.0 ml/min/kg. Both 70% hepatectomy and bilateral nephrectomy decreased the clearance rate by about 50%. [125I]-renin accumulated mainly in the liver and kidney, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis indicated the degradation of [125I]-renin by these organs. Biliary excretion of [125I]-renin was negligible and urinary excretion accounted for 2% of the injected dose. Light- and electron-microscopic autoradiography indicated that [125I]-renin is taken up mainly by Kupffer cells and proximal convoluted tubular cells in the liver and kidney, respectively, and thereafter distributes to the lysosomes. In conclusion, both the liver and kidney are responsible for the clearance of circulating renin.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Fate of circulating renin in conscious rats.

Highly purified 125I-labeled rat renal renin (125I-renin) was given intravenously to conscious rats to study the fate of circulating renin. Specific antirat renin antiserum was used to identify the labeled renin molecules. In sham-operated rats, the disappearance of 125I-renin from the plasma showed two exponential components with a half-life of 6.7 +/- 0.4 min for the rapid component and 65.1 +/- 5.7 min for the slow component. The metabolic clearance rate was 11.4 +/- 1.0 ml X min-1 X kg-1. In bilaterally nephrectomized rats, the metabolic clearance rate of 125I-renin was reduced by 55%, but the half-life of the slow component remained unchanged. Seventy percent hepatectomy caused a 54% decrement in the metabolic clearance and prolonged the half-life of the slow component. Five minutes after injection of 125I-renin, approximately 59 and 11% of the administered 125I-renin had accumulated in the liver and the kidneys, respectively, and at later time points the 125I-renin was highly concentrated in these organs. High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the liver and kidney extracts demonstrated that 125I-renin was catabolized by these organs. Biliary excretion of 125I-renin was negligible. Urinary excretion of 125I-renin up to 120 min was approximately 2% of the injected dose. We conclude that both the liver and the kidney are responsible for the clearance of circulating renin, with participation of the liver being predominant.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Cellular and subcellular distribution of exogenously administered renal renin in rat liver and kidney.

Using highly purified 125I-labeled rat renal renin, we have demonstrated that both the liver and kidney are responsible for clearance of renal renin. In the present study, light and electron microscope autoradiography of intravenously administered 125I-labeled rat renal renin was performed in rat liver and kidney to observe the cellular and subcellular distribution of the renin. Fifteen and 60 min after the injection, the liver and kidneys were removed and fixed with 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.8, containing 2.5% glutaraldehyde and 0.5% tannic acid, which allowed for the removal of breakdown products of the labeled renin, and then autoradiography was performed. In the liver, silver grains were mainly localized in Kupffer cells and not in hepatocytes. In the kidney, silver grains were evident in the proximal tubule cells. In both liver and kidney cells, silver grains were mainly located over the lysosomes. Gel permeation high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the liver and kidney extracts indicated two main fractions, including immunoreactive 125I-renin and the breakdown products (free 125I and 125I-tyrosine). In conclusion, circulating renal renin is mainly taken up by Kupffer cells and proximal tubule cells and is subsequently transported to the lysosomes to be degraded. These results, taken together with our previous finding that nonglycosylated submaxillary renin does not distribute in the liver, suggest that the carbohydrate moieties of renal renin are necessary for the recognition by Kupffer cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Whole-body autoradiographic distribution of exogenously administered renal renin in rats.

We studied, by whole-body autoradiography, the distribution of exogenously administered renal renin in rat. Rat renal renin was completely purified and labeled with 125I ([125I]-renin) and was then injected into the tail veins of conscious rats at a dose of 30 microCi, 430 ng. After various intervals, rats were killed by an overdose of ether, the whole body rapidly frozen in acetone-dry ice, and autoradiography performed on sagittal whole-body sections. To remove breakdown products ([125I]-tyrosine and free 125I) from [125I]-renin, sections were treated with perchloric acid solution. The main accumulation of [125I]-renin acid-insoluble radioactivity was observed in liver and renal cortex. The accumulation in these organs was already evident 2 min after the injection, reached a maximum level by 15 min, then gradually decreased. A small amount of [125I]-renin was also evident in spleen, bone marrow, and adrenal gland. Thirty min after the injection, radioactivity began to appear in the thyroid gland, stomach, and small intestine, but disappeared with acid treatment, except in the thyroid. Radioactivity was negligible in other organs including brain, submaxillary gland, lung, heart, and testis. These autoradiographs clearly demonstrate that exogenously administered renal renin is distributed mainly in the liver and renal cortex.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Intraspinal tumors associated with hydrocephalus.

Three cases of intraspinal tumors associated with hydrocephalus were encountered and treated. This review includes 67 cases, including these 3 cases, and discusses the pitfalls associated with intraspinal tumors presenting with hydrocephalus. These tumors are not easily diagnosed, especially in cases where the chief complaint, due to hydrocephalus, is headache or dementia, and does not include back pain. Among the 67 cases reviewed, symptoms suggesting normal pressure hydrocephalus were particularly noticed in patients over 40 years old. In cases presenting with headaches or dementia, back pain corresponding to the tumor location may appear after a shunt operation or external ventricular drainage. This postoperative back pain is important in indicating the presence of an intraspinal tumor.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts↗