tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF BACTERIAL ENDOTOXINS ON METABOLISM
Authors: L. Joe Berry, Dorothy S. Smythe
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1961)

In vitro secretion of glycocorticoids by adrenal glands pooled from several control mice was compared with that of glands removed from animals following injections of either ACTH or endotoxin. Both substances prevent glycocorticoid synthesis stimulated in vitro with ACTH. Cholesterol content of adrenal glands under these conditions was nearly depleted, indicating maximal response to ACTH or endotoxin prior to their removal for the in vitro tests. In an effort to account physiologically for the manner in which endotoxin suppresses or prevents the rise in urinary nitrogen excreted in response to ACTH, blood non-protein nitrogen levels (NPN) were determined. The following experimental conditions resulted in increased urinary nitrogen excretion but did not alter blood NPN: cortisone given alone or at the same time as endotoxin; ACTH alone; dichloroisoproterenol (DCI) given concurrently with endotoxin; and lactalbumin digest injected intraperitoneally. Increases (2- to 3-fold) in blood NPN were observed when endotoxin was given alone, concurrently with ACTH, or 3 hours prior to cortisone, DCI, or lactalbumin digest. Urinary nitrogen excretion showed no change under these conditions. The elevation in blood NPN in endotoxin-poisoned mice was found to be due almost entirely to urea nitrogen and not to amino acid nitrogen or to other nitrogenous wastes. Blood clearance of mulin, phenol red excretion, and urea elimination were each determined in control and in endotoxin-poisoned mice. The latter mice showed impaired renal function. Treatment with diuretics (diuril and aminophylline) failed to alter oliguria or elevated blood NPN. Hydergine treatment was also without effect. Total carcass NPN and urinary nitrogen excretion data were combined to give a picture of total protein catabolized by mice under different experimental conditions. Cortisone injected at the same time as endotoxin or 3 hours later resulted in the same increase in total NPN. However, in the former case all the extra nitrogen appeared in the urine while in the latter it remained in the carcass. ACTH given alone or concurrently with endotoxin produced large increases in total NPN but less in poisoned mice. This suggests that endotoxin suppresses adrenal response to ACTH. Urea injected into normal mice was recovered quantitatively in urine while in endotoxin-poisoned mice it was partitioned between carcass and urine. Elevation of carcass NPN by means of urea injections failed to alter the lethality of an LD(70) dose of endotoxin.
Chronic Hypoxia and Tubulointerstitial Injury
Authors: Masaomi Nangaku
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2005)

Recent studies emphasize the role of chronic hypoxia in the tubulointerstitium as a final common pathway to end-stage renal failure. When advanced, tubulointerstitial damage is associated with the loss of peritubular capillaries. Associated interstitial fibrosis impairs oxygen diffusion and supply to tubular and interstitial cells. Hypoxia of tubular cells leads to apoptosis or epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation. This in turn exacerbates fibrosis of the kidney and subsequent chronic hypoxia, setting in train a vicious cycle whose end point is ESRD. A number of mechanisms that induce tubulointerstitial hypoxia at an early stage have been identified. Glomerular injury and vasoconstriction of efferent arterioles as a result of imbalances in vasoactive substances decrease postglomerular peritubular capillary blood flow. Angiotensin II not only constricts efferent arterioles but, via its induction of oxidative stress, also hampers the efficient utilization of oxygen in tubular cells. Relative hypoxia in the kidney also results from increased metabolic demand in tubular cells. Furthermore, renal anemia hinders oxygen delivery. These factors can affect the kidney before the appearance of significant pathologic changes in the vasculature and predispose the kidney to tubulointerstitial injury. Therapeutic approaches that target the chronic hypoxia should prove effective against a broad range of renal diseases. Current modalities include the improvement of anemia with erythropoietin, the preservation of peritubular capillary blood flow by blockade of the renin-angiotensin system, and the use of antioxidants. Recent studies have elucidated the mechanism of hypoxia-induced transcription, namely that prolyl hydroxylase regulates hypoxia-inducible factor. This has given hope for the development of novel therapeutic approaches against this final common pathway.
Partner notification of chlamydia infection in primary care: randomised controlled trial and analysis of resource use
Authors: Nicola Low, Anne McCarthy, Tracy E Roberts, Mia Huengsberg, Emma Sanford, Jonathan A C Sterne, John Macleod, Chris Salisbury, Karl Pye, Aisha Holloway, Andrea Morcom, Rita Patel, Suzanne M Robinson, Paddy Horner, Pelham M Barton, Matthias Egger
Journal: BMJ (2005)

<h3>Abstract</h3> <b>Objective</b> To evaluate the effectiveness of a practice nurse led strategy to improve the notification and treatment of partners of people with chlamydia infection. <b>Design</b> Randomised controlled trial. <b>Setting</b> 27 general practices in the Bristol and Birmingham areas. <b>Participants</b> 140 men and women with chlamydia (index cases) diagnosed by screening of a home collected urine sample or vulval swab specimen. <b>Interventions</b> Partner notification at the general practice immediately after diagnosis by trained practice nurses, with telephone follow up by a health adviser; or referral to a specialist health adviser at a genitourinary medicine clinic. <b>Main outcome measures</b> Primary outcome was the proportion of index cases with at least one treated sexual partner. Specified secondary outcomes included the number of sexual contacts elicited during a sexual history, positive test result for chlamydia six weeks after treatment, and the cost of each strategy in 2003 sterling prices. <b>Results</b> 65.3% (47/72) of participants receiving practice nurse led partner notification had at least one partner treated compared with 52.9% (39/68) of those referred to a genitourinary medicine clinic (risk difference 12.4%, 95% confidence interval −1.8% to 26.5%). Of 68 participants referred to the clinic, 21 (31%) did not attend. The costs per index case were £32.55 for the practice nurse led strategy and £32.62 for the specialist referral strategy. <b>Conclusion</b> Practice based partner notification by trained nurses with telephone follow up by health advisers is at least as effective as referral to a specialist health adviser at a genitourinary medicine clinic, and costs the same. <b>Trial registration</b> Clinical trials: NCT00112255.
Factor V Leiden polymorphism and the rate of fibrosis development in chronic hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: M Wright
Journal: Gut (2003)

<b>Background:</b> The rate of progression to cirrhosis varies among individuals chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Coagulation pathway activation in models of hepatic fibrosis suggests variation in coagulation pathway components may influence the rate of fibrosis. We hypothesised that polymorphisms of the coagulation factors II and V affect the rate of progression to cirrhosis in HCV infected subjects. <b>Methods:</b> We studied the relationship between rate of fibrosis (calculated by dividing the fibrosis stage by duration of infection) and genotypes of specific coagulation pathway genes in 352 White European patients infected with HCV. Genotyping was performed using reverse line blot hybridisation. <b>Results:</b> The rate of fibrosis was significantly higher in patients with the factor V Leiden genotype (Arg560Gln) (ANOVA, p=0.004). In disease association studies, a significant association was seen (Fisher's exact test, p=0.029; odds ratio 3.28 for fast progression to cirrhosis (expected to reach cirrhosis in less than 30 years) if heterozygous for factor V Leiden). No associations were seen between factor II genotype and fibrosis rate. <b>Conclusions:</b> Possession of the factor V Leiden polymorphism significantly increases the risk of rapid disease progression in HCV, suggesting a role for the coagulation system in the pathogenesis of fibrotic liver disease.
Philadelphia ChromosomePositive Leukemias: From Basic Mechanisms to Molecular Therapeutics
Authors: Razelle Kurzrock, Hagop M. Kantarjian, Brian J. Druker, Moshe Talpaz
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

The Philadelphia chromosome translocation (t[9; 22]) results in the molecular juxtaposition of two genes, BCR and ABL, to form an aberrant BCR-ABL gene on chromosome 22. BCR-ABL is critical to the pathogenesis of chronic myelogenous leukemia and a subset of acute leukemias. The chimeric Bcr-Abl protein has constitutively elevated tyrosine phosphokinase activity. This abnormal enzymatic activation is critical to the oncogenic potential of Bcr-Abl. Initially, protein kinases were thought to be poor therapeutic targets because of their ubiquitous nature and crucial role in many normal physiologic processes. However, the advent of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Basel, Switzerland), formerly known as STI571 and CGP57148B, demonstrated that designer kinase inhibitors could be specific. This agent has shown striking activity in chronic myelogenous leukemia. It also inhibits phosphorylation of Kit (stem-cell factor receptor) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor. In addition, it has shown similar impressive responses, with little host toxicity, in gastrointestinal stromal tumors, which harbor activating Kit mutations, and in tumors with activated platelet-derived growth factor receptor. The studies of imatinib mesylate provide proof-of-principle for using aberrant kinases as a therapeutic target and are a model for the promise of molecular therapeutics. This paper reviews the current knowledge on the function of Bcr-Abl and its normal counterparts (Bcr and Abl), as well as the impact of this knowledge on the development of a remarkably successful targeted therapy approach. For definitions of terms, see Glossary.
The Murine Nonclassical Class I Major Histocompatibility Complex–like CD1.1 Molecule Protects Target Cells from Lymphokine-activated Killer Cell Cytolysis
Authors: Chew Shun Chang, Laurent Brossay, Mitchell Kronenberg, Kevin P. Kane
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1999)

Classical class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, as well as the nonclassical class I histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E molecule, can negatively regulate natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity through engagement of NK inhibitory receptors. We show that expression of murine (m)CD1.1, a nonpolymorphic nonclassical MHC class I–like molecule encoded outside the MHC, protects NK-sensitive RMA/S target cells from adherent lymphokine-activated killer cell (A-LAK) cytotoxicity. Passage of effector cells in recombinant interleukin (rIL)-2 enhanced protection by mCD1.1, suggesting an expansion of relevant A-LAK population(s) or modulation of A-LAK receptor expression. Murine CD1.1 conferred protection from lysis by rIL-2–activated spleen cells of recombination activating gene (Rag)-1−/− mice, which lack B and T cells, demonstrating that mCD1.1 can protect RMA/S cells from lysis by NK cells. An antibody specific for mCD1.1 partially restored A-LAK lysis of RMA/S.CD1.1 transfectants, indicating that cell surface mCD1.1 can confer protection from lysis; therefore, mCD1.1 possibly acts through interaction with an NK inhibitory receptor. CD1.1 is by far the most divergent class I molecule capable of regulating NK cell activity. Finally, mCD1.1 expression rendered RMA/S cells resistant to lysis by A-LAK of multiple mouse strains. The conserved structure of mCD1.1 and pattern of mCD1.1 resistance from A-LAK lysis suggest that mCD1.1 may be a ligand for a conserved NK inhibitory receptor.
Reversal of established autoimmune diabetes by restoration of endogenous β cell function
Authors: Shinichiro Ryu, Shohta Kodama, Kazuko Ryu, David A. Schoenfeld, Denise L. Faustman
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2001)

In NOD (nonobese diabetic) mice, a model of autoimmune diabetes, various immunomodulatory interventions prevent progression to diabetes. However, after hyperglycemia is established, such interventions rarely alter the course of disease or allow sustained engraftment of islet transplants. A proteasome defect in lymphoid cells of NOD mice impairs the presentation of self antigens and increases the susceptibility of these cells to TNF-α–induced apoptosis. Here, we examine the hypothesis that induction of TNF-α expression combined with reeducation of newly emerging T cells with self antigens can interrupt autoimmunity. Hyperglycemic NOD mice were treated with CFA to induce TNF-α expression and were exposed to functional complexes of MHC class I molecules and antigenic peptides either by repeated injection of MHC class I matched splenocytes or by transplantation of islets from nonautoimmune donors. Hyperglycemia was controlled in animals injected with splenocytes by administration of insulin or, more effectively, by implantation of encapsulated islets. These interventions reversed the established β cell–directed autoimmunity and restored endogenous pancreatic islet function to such an extent that normoglycemia was maintained in up to 75% of animals after discontinuation of treatment and removal of islet transplants. A therapy aimed at the selective elimination of autoreactive cells and the reeducation of T cells, when combined with control of glycemia, is thus able to effect an apparent cure of established type 1 diabetes in the NOD mouse.J. Clin. Invest.108:63–72 (2001). DOI:10.1172/JCI200112335.
T Cells With Similar T-Cell Receptor β-Chain Complementarity-Determining Region 3 Motifs Infiltrate Inflammatory Lesions of Synthetic Peptides Inducing Rat Autoimmune Myocarditis
Authors: Haruo Hanawa, Takayuki Inomata, Yuji Okura, Satoru Hirono, Yusuke Ogawa, Tohru Izumi, Makoto Kodama, Yoshifusa Aizawa
Journal: Circulation Research (1998)

Abstract —Experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) resembles the giant cell myocarditis seen in humans, and recurrent forms lead to dilated cardiomyopathy. EAM has been shown to be a T cell–mediated autoimmune myocarditis. We have previously shown that cDNA encoding Vβ complementarity-determining region (CDR) 3 from heart– and pericardial space–infiltrating T cells in EAM induced by rod cardiac myosin contains more restricted sequences than that from normal spleen T cells. Recently, it has become apparent that several epitopes of EAM exist in rod cardiac myosin; therefore, T cells infiltrating into lesions may recognize certain epitopes in EAM induced by rod cardiac myosin. In this study, we examined heart– and pericardial space–infiltrating T-cell clonotypes in EAM induced by synthetic peptides of cardiac myosin. EAM was produced by immunization with synthetic peptides corresponding to N-terminally acetylated amino acids 1539 to 1555 of rat cardiac myosin α heavy chain. Five of 12 rats receiving synthetic peptides developed macroscopic signs of myocarditis. To examine T-cell receptor (TCR) Vβ expression and CDR3 of the TCR β chain of lesion-infiltrating T cells in EAM, total RNA was isolated from heart, pericardial effusion, spleen, lymph node, and peripheral blood. TCR Vβ expression of the T cells infiltrating the lesions revealed a predominance of Vβ4. On the basis of single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis for CDR3 of the TCR Vβ4 chain, heart– and pericardial space–infiltrating T cells were considered to be oligoclonal, whereas spleen, lymph node, and peripheral blood in a rat with EAM and spleen in a native rat were considered to be polyclonal. In the same rat, clonotypes of heart-infiltrating T cells were almost the same as those of pericardial space–infiltrating T cells. Furthermore, on sequence analysis for CDR3 of the TCR Vβ4 chain, the amino acid motifs were similar among T cells infiltrating into lesions of different EAM rats. In the present study, TCR β chains of heart– and pericardial space–infiltrating T cells in EAM induced by synthesized peptide consisting of 17 amino acids were examined. Vβ4+ T cells with similar Vβ CDR3 motifs that infiltrate the heart and pericardial space may recognize the same epitope.
Cardiovascular Adverse Events During Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Early Breast Cancer Using Letrozole or Tamoxifen: Safety Analysis of BIG 1-98 Trial
Authors: Henning Mouridsen, Aparna Keshaviah, Alan S. Coates, Manuela Rabaglio, Monica Castiglione-Gertsch, Zhuoxin Sun, Beat Thürlimann, Louis Mauriac, John F. Forbes, Robert Paridaens, Richard D. Gelber, Marco Colleoni, Ian Smith, Karen N. Price, Aron Goldhirsch
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2007)

Purpose Previous analyses of adjuvant studies of aromatase inhibitors versus tamoxifen, including the Breast International Group (BIG) 1-98 study, have suggested a small numerical excess of cardiac adverse events (AEs) on aromatase inhibitors, a reduction in the incidence of hypercholesterolemia on tamoxifen, and significantly higher incidence of thromboembolic AEs on tamoxifen. The purpose of the present study is to provide detailed updated information on these AEs in BIG 1-98. Patients and Methods Eight thousand twenty-eight postmenopausal women with receptor-positive early breast cancer were randomly assigned (double-blind) between March 1998 and May 2003 to receive 5 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy with letrozole, tamoxifen, or a sequence of these agents. Seven thousand nine hundred sixty-three patients who actually received therapy are included in this safety analysis, which focuses on cardiovascular events. AE recording ceased 30 days after therapy completion (or after switch on the sequential arms). Results Baseline comorbidities were balanced. At a median follow-up time of 30.1 months, we observed similar overall incidence of cardiac AEs (letrozole, 4.8%; tamoxifen, 4.7%), more grade 3 to 5 cardiac AEs on letrozole (letrozole, 2.4%; tamoxifen, 1.4%; P = .001)—an excess only partially attributable to prior hypercholesterolemia—and more overall (tamoxifen, 3.9%; letrozole, 1.7%; P &lt; .001) and grade 3 to 5 thromboembolic AEs on tamoxifen (tamoxifen, 2.3%; letrozole, 0.9%; P &lt; .001). There was no significant difference between tamoxifen and letrozole in incidence of hypertension or cerebrovascular events. Conclusion The present safety analysis, limited to cardiovascular AEs in BIG 1-98, documents a low overall incidence of cardiovascular AEs, which differed between treatment arms.
Coadministration of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors and Perifosine Synergistically Induces Apoptosis in Human Leukemia Cells through Akt and ERK1/2 Inactivation and the Generation of Ceramide and Reactive Oxygen Species
Authors: Mohamed Rahmani, Erin Reese, Yun Dai, Cheryl Bauer, Shawn G. Payne, Paul Dent, Sarah Spiegel, Steven Grant
Journal: Cancer Research (2005)

Interactions between histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) and the alkyl-lysophospholipid perifosine were examined in human leukemia cells. Coadministration of sodium butyrate, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), or trichostatin with perifosine synergistically induced mitochondrial dysfunction (cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor release), caspase-3 and -8 activation, apoptosis, and a marked decrease in cell growth in U937 as well as HL-60 and Jurkat leukemia cells. These events were associated with inactivation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and Akt, p46 c-jun-NH2-kinase (JNK) activation, and a pronounced increase in generation of ceramide and reactive oxygen species (ROS). They were also associated with up-regulation of Bak and a marked conformational change in Bax accompanied by membrane translocation. Ectopic expression of Bcl-2 delayed but was ultimately ineffective in preventing perifosine/HDACI-mediated apoptosis. Enforced expression of constitutively active mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) 1 or myristoylated Akt blocked HDACI/perifosine-mediated ceramide production and cell death, suggesting that MEK/ERK and Akt inactivation play a primary role in these phenomena. However, inhibition of JNK activation (e.g., by the JNK inhibitor SP600125) did not attenuate sodium butyrate/perifosine-induced apoptosis. In addition, the free radical scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine attenuated ROS generation and apoptosis mediated by combined treatment. Finally, the acidic sphingomyelinase inhibitor desipramine attenuated HDACI/perifosine-mediated ceramide and ROS production as well as cell death. Together, these findings indicate that coadministration of HDACIs with perifosine in human leukemia cells leads to Akt and MEK/ERK disruption, a marked increase in ceramide and ROS production, and a striking increase in mitochondrial injury and apoptosis. They also raise the possibility that combining these agents may represent a novel antileukemic strategy.
Ex vivo expansion of human circulating myogenic progenitors on cluster-assembled nanostructured TiO2
Authors: Marzia Belicchi, Silvia Erratico, Paola Razini, Mirella Meregalli, Alessandra Cattaneo, Emanuela Jacchetti, Andrea Farini, Chiara Villa, Nereo Bresolin, Laura Porretti, Cristina Lenardi, Paolo Milani, Yvan Torrente
Journal: Biomaterials (2010)
Tissue localization of beta receptors for platelet-derived growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor B chain during wound repair in humans.
Authors: C Reuterdahl, C Sundberg, K Rubin, K Funa, B Gerdin
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (1993)

The expression and localization of PDGF beta receptors and PDGF-AB/BB in human healing wounds was evaluated by immunohistochemical techniques and in situ hybridization. Expression of PDGF beta receptor protein and PDGF-AB/BB were analyzed in wound margin biopsies using the PDGFR-B2 and PDGF 007 antibodies. PDGF beta receptor expression was minor in normal skin. An increased expression of PDGF beta receptor protein was prominent in vessels in the proliferating tissue zone in wounds as early as 1 d after surgery and was apparent < or = 4 wk after surgery. There was also a concordant increase in PDGF beta receptor mRNA detected by in situ hybridization. PDGF-AB/BB was present in healing wounds as well as in normal skin. In normal skin, expression of PDGF-AB/BB was confined to peripheral nerve fibers and to solitary cells of the epidermis and of the superficial dermis. In wounds, infiltrating mononuclear cells also stained for PDGF-AB/BB. To identify cell types expressing PDGF AB/BB and PDGF beta receptors, respectively, we performed double immunofluorescence stainings. PDGF beta receptors were expressed by vascular smooth muscle cells and cells in capillary walls; the receptor protein could not be detected in neurofilament containing structures, T lymphocytes, or CD68 expressing macrophages. PDGF-AB/BB colocalized with neurofilaments, it was present in Langerhans cells of the epidermis and in HLA-DR positive cells located in the epidermal/dermal junction area. Of the macrophages infiltrating the wound, 43 +/- 18% stained positively for PDGF AB/BB. Since PDGF-AB/BB and PDGF beta receptors are expressed in the healing wound, two essential prerequisites for a role of PDGF in wound healing are fulfilled.