Bone morphogenetic protein-4 is a potent inducer of ectopic bone and cartilage formation in vivo. Expression of the bone morphogenetic protein-4 gene has been detected in bone cells during fracture repair but not in normal adult bone cells. To examine whether the gene is expressed by bone cells during embryonic development, in situ hybridization and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction methods were used to detect murine bone morphogenetic protein-4 specific complementary DNA in murine developmental bone tissues. Bone morphogenetic protein-4 messenger RNA was detected in the cells of various developing bone tissues, but it was not detected in these tissues after birth. Combined with previous reports, our findings indicate that the bone morphogenetic protein-4 gene is expressed during embryogenesis and bone repair and suggest that its product may be a potent bone-forming factor in bone development and fracture repair.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation with gabexate mesilate.

Gabexate mesilate (FOY) was used to treat 215 patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and 146 patients with a predisposition to DIC (pre-DIC). Sixty percent of DIC patients and 48% of pre-DIC patients exhibited pretreatment organ failure, which resolved after FOY treatment in 16% of DIC patients and 17% of pre-DIC patients. Seventy percent of DIC patients and 49% of pre-DIC patients had a pretreatment bleeding tendency that was ameliorated by FOY treatment in 32% of DIC patients and 30% of pre-DIC patients. Comparison of pretreatment and posttreatment hemostatic studies of the DIC patients revealed that platelet count and levels of fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), thrombin-antithrombin-III complex, and FDP-D-dimer decreased significantly; fibrinogen level increased markedly; and prothrombin time was prolonged. DIC scores were significantly lowered in both leukemic and nonleukemic patients from the third day of treatment with FOY. Among leukemic DIC patients, 59% showed complete remission (CR), 21% partial remission (PR), and 7% exacerbation of their condition; 46% of the nonleukemic DIC patients demonstrated CR, 17% PR, and 17% exacerbation. Of the leukemic pre-DIC patients, 59% showed improvement and 7% exacerbation, whereas 55% of the nonleukemic pre-DIC patients showed improvement and 27% exacerbation.

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnosis of pre-disseminated intravascular coagulation stage with hemostatic molecular markers. The Mie DIC Study Group.

We examined various hemostatic abnormalities in 395 patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), in 177 patients in a Pre-DIC stage, and in 99 patients who did not exhibit DIC. Pre-DIC was defined as the condition at least one week before the onset of DIC. The differences in activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), FDP, prothrombin time (PT) ratio, fibrinogen, and platelet count between DIC and Non-DIC patients were significant, but there were no significant differences in these parameters between Pre-DIC and Non-DIC patients. Plasma levels of fibrin-D-dimer, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-plasmin inhibitor complex (PPIC), soluble fibrin monomer (sFM), prothrombin activated peptide F1 + 2 (F1 + 2), thrombomodulin (TM), tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA), and PA inhibitor (PAI-I) in DIC patients were significantly higher than levels in Non-DIC patients. However, only TAT, sFM and PAI-I values in the Pre-DIC patients were significantly higher than the values in the Non-DIC patients. Almost all the hemostatic molecular markers examined had high sensitivity for DIC, but only TAT and PPIC had high sensitivity for Pre-DIC. Specificity for DIC was also high with TAT, sFM, and F1 + 2. Early diagnosis and early treatment are important in DIC; we believe that it is possible to predict Pre-DIC by assessing values for the combination of hemostatic molecular markers.

Antithrombin III↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Mycocinogeny in Bullera genus: killer activity of Bullera unica and intragenus killer-sensitive relationships].

The killer toxin secreted by the type strain of Bullera unica is sensitive to proteases and high temperature and displays fungicidal activities in a pH range of 3.5-6. Ascomycetous yeasts are resistant to this toxin except for Lipomycetaceae and two species of debaryomycetes. This mycocin displays activity against basidiomycetous yeasts, primarily those of tremellaceous affinity. The killer phenotype of B. unica is retained after treatment with agents eliminating extrachromosomal genetic elements. Intrageneric killer-sensitive relationships among within the genus Bullera were studied using all known in this genus; the results are discussed in taxonomic terms.

Ascomycota↗