Effects of IL-6 and soluble IL-6 receptor on the expression of cartilage matrix proteins in human chondrocytes.

Elevated concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6 and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6Ralpha) in synovial fluid have been implicated in joint cartilage destruction. We examined the effect of IL-6 and sIL-6Ralpha on cell growth, alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) activity, and the expression of Sox-9, type II collagen, aggrecan core, link protein, BMP-7, and BMP receptors in human chondrocytes. Cell proliferation increased slightly in the presence of both IL-6 and sIL-6Ralpha, whereas ALPase activity decreased markedly.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpr interacts with spliceosomal protein SAP145 to mediate cellular pre-mRNA splicing inhibition.

Vpr, an accessory gene product of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), affects both viral and cellular proliferation by mediating long terminal repeat activation, cell cycle arrest at the G2 phase, and apoptosis. We previously found that Vpr plays a novel role as a regulator of pre-mRNA splicing both in vivo and in vitro. However, the cellular target of Vpr, as well as the mechanism of cellular pre-mRNA splicing inhibition by Vpr, is unknown.

Novel nuclear import of Vpr promoted by importin alpha is crucial for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication in macrophages.

Monocytes/macrophages are major targets of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. The viral preintegration complex (PIC) of HIV-1 enters the nuclei of monocyte-derived macrophages, but very little PIC migrates into the nuclei of immature monocytes. Vpr, one of the accessory gene products of HIV-1, is essential for the nuclear import of PIC in these cells, although the role of Vpr in the entry mechanism of PIC remains to be clarified.

Establishment of a sequence-based typing system for BoLA-DQA1 exon 2.

In cattle, bovine leukocyte antigens (BoLAs) have been extensively used as markers for bovine diseases and immunological traits. Here, we developed a rapid, high-resolution sequence-based typing (SBT) system for BoLA-DQA1. We amplified 355 bp of BoLA-DQA1 by fully nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the newly constructed primers and then performed direct sequencing of each product.

Porcelain laminate veneer restorations bonded with a three-liquid silane bonding agent and a dual-activated luting composite.

This clinical report describes the fabrication and bonding of porcelain laminate veneer restorations in a patient with anterior open spaces. Laminate veneer restorations made of feldspathic porcelain were etched with 5% hydrofluoric acid, rinsed under tap water, ultrasonically cleaned with methanol, and primed with a chemically activated three-liquid silane bonding agent (Clearfil Porcelain Bond). The enamel surfaces were etched with 40% phosphoric acid, rinsed with water, and primed with a two-liquid bonding agent (Clearfil New Bond) that contained a hydrophobic phosphate (10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate; MDP).

DNA vaccine construct incorporating intercellular trafficking and intracellular targeting motifs effectively primes and induces memory B- and T-cell responses in outbred animals.

We developed a vaccine construct in which a BVP22 domain and an invariant-chain major histocompatibility complex class II-targeting motif capable of enhancing dendritic cell antigen uptake and presentation were fused to a sequence encoding a B- and T-cell antigen from the Anaplasma marginale major surface protein 1a and tested whether this construct would prime and expand immune responses in outbred calves. A single inoculation with this construct effectively primed the immune responses, as demonstrated by a significant enhancement of CD4(+) T-cell proliferation compared to that in calves identically inoculated but inoculated with a DNA construct lacking the targeting domains and compared to that in calves inoculated with an empty vector. These proliferative responses were mirrored by priming and expansion of gamma interferon-positive CD4(+) T cells and immunoglobulin G responses against the linked B-cell epitope.

Experimental binder-free investments reused to cast dental precious alloys.

This study aimed to develop reusable dental investments. SiO2 and MgO were selected as refractory materials to prepare three types of investment (coded as 60S-40M, 80S-20M, 100S) with 40, 20, and 0 wt% of MgO. Each type of investment was reused twice.

[Large malignant mesenchymoma of the left posterior mediastinum; report of a case].

Malignant mesenchymoma is a soft tissue tumor arising preferentially in the extremities and retroperitoneum. We report a case of primary malignant mesenchymoma of the left posterior mediastinum. A 24-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for complaining of cough.

The effect of IL-1beta on the expression of inflammatory cytokines and their receptors in human chondrocytes.

Cytokines released at sites of inflammation and infection can alter the normal processes of cartilage turnover, resulting in pathologic destruction or formation. Interleukin (IL)-1beta plays a central role in the pathophysiology of cartilage damage and degradation in arthritis. In the present study, we examined the effect of IL-1beta on the expression of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-11, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and their receptors in human chondrocytes.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpr induces cell cycle arrest at the G(1) phase and apoptosis via disruption of mitochondrial function in rodent cells.

Vpr of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 causes cell cycle arrest at the G(2)/M phase and induces apoptosis after G(2)/M arrest in primate cells. We have reported previously that Vpr also induces apoptosis independently of G(2)/M arrest in human HeLa cells. By contrast, Vpr does not induce G(2)/M arrest in rodent cells, but it retards cell growth.

Bovine leukemia virus high tax molecular clone experimentally induces leukemia/lymphoma in sheep.

Sheep were inoculated with high tax coded pBLV-IF (H group, Nos.1-5) of bovine leukemia virus (BLV), wild tax coded pBLV-IF (W group, Nos. 6-11), or control plasmid (C group, Nos.

[Successful removal of T4 lung cancer with left atrial invasion after induction chemotherapy].

A 53-year-old man presented with cough, sputa and chest pain. The chest X-ray revealed a large mass shadow in the right lower lobe. Massive tumor extending into the left atrium was diagnosed by computed tomography (CT).

Local anesthetics inhibit priming of neutrophils by lipopolysaccharide for enhanced release of superoxide: suppression of cytochrome b558 expression by disparate mechanisms.

Local anesthetics have anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and inhibit neutrophil functions in vitro, but how these agents act on neutrophils remains unclear. Phagocytosis and bactericidal activity of neutrophils are enhanced by exposure to bacterial components such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS); this process is termed priming, which for enhanced release of superoxide (O2-) causes mobilization of intracellular granules that contain cytochrome b558, a component of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. We studied whether local anesthetics affected LPS priming for enhanced release of O2- in response to triggering by the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP), and we investigated which element in the LPS signaling pathway might be the target of local anesthetics.

Primary cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma following a uterine leiomyosarcoma: double primary sarcomas.

Primary cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma is rare. A dismal prognosis is usually given due to its high propensity for distant metastases, with survival rarely exceeding 2 years. We report a case that was initially considered to be a cardiac metastatic tumor from a primary uterine leiomyosarcoma, but after morphological and immunohistochemical examinations was shown to be a primary cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma.

Induction of expression of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in blood taken from BLV-infected cows without removal of plasma.

The expression of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is blocked at the transcriptional level during the so-called latency period. However, when peripheral blood mononuclear cells and B lymphocytes are isolated from BLV-infected animals and incubated in the presence of activating reagents, such as phorbol ester, the expression of BLV is markedly enhanced. Such "reactivation" is thought to play a crucial role in the spread of BLV from infected to uninfected cattle.

The effect of IL-1beta on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases in human chondrocytes.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) plays key roles in altering cartilage matrix turnover. This turnover is regulated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs). In the present study, we examined the effect of IL-1beta on cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) activity, and the expression of MMPs, and TIMPs in chondrocytes derived from normal human femoral cartilage.

Importin-alpha promotes passage through the nuclear pore complex of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpr.

Viral protein R (Vpr) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 has potent karyophilic properties, but details of the mechanism by which it enters the nucleus remain to be clarified. We reported previously that two regions, located between residues 17 and 34 (alphaH1) and between residues 46 and 74 (alphaH2), are indispensable for the nuclear localization of Vpr. Here, we reveal that a chimeric protein composed of the nuclear localization signal of Vpr, glutathione S-transferase, and green fluorescent protein was localized at the nuclear envelope and then entered the nucleus upon addition of importin-alpha.

Involvement of bovine leukemia virus in induction and inhibition of apoptosis.

In a previous study, we identified an interesting mutant form of the Tax protein of bovine leukemia virus (BLV), designated D247G, that has an enhanced capacity to transactivate the long terminal repeat (LTR) of BLV and the cellular proto-oncogene c-fos when compared with wild-type Tax (wt-Tax). We demonstrate here that an infectious strain of BLV containing the mutant D247G form of Tax also differs in its capacity to modulate cell survival both positively and negatively. When peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with wild-type or mutant BLV are cultured ex vivo with staurosporine, an agent known to induce a mitochondrial caspase cascade pathway regulating apoptosis, the rate of apoptosis is reduced to a greater extent in cells infected with mutant BLV than wild-type BLV, consistent with previous observations in cultures without staurosporine.

Bioinformatics research on inter-racial difference in drug metabolism II. Analysis on relationship between enzyme activities of CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 and their relevant genotypes.

The enzyme activities of CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 show a genetic polymorphism, and the frequency of poor metabolizers (PMs) on these enzymes depends on races. We have analyzed frequencies of mutant alleles and PMs based on the published data in previous study (Shimizu, T. et al.

Bioinformatics research on inter-racial difference in drug metabolism I. Analysis on frequencies of mutant alleles and poor metabolizers on CYP2D6 and CYP2C19.

The enzyme activities of CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 show a genetic polymorphism, and the frequency of poor metabolizers (PMs) on these enzymes depends on races. In the present study, the frequencies of mutant alleles and PMs in each race were analyzed based on information from published studies, considering the genetic polymorphisms of CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 as the causal factors of racial and inter-individual differences in pharmacokinetics. As a result, it was shown that there were racial differences in the frequencies of each mutant allele and PMs.

Effect of IL-1alpha on the expression of cartilage matrix proteins in human chondrosarcoma cell line OUMS-27.

We examined the effect of the inflammatory mediator interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) on cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) activity, and the expressions of cartilage matrix proteins, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and BMP-2 receptors in human chondrosarcoma cell line OUMS-27 (chondrocytes). The cells were cultured with Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 15% fetal bovine serum with 0, 1, 10, or 100 units/ml of IL-1alpha for up to 14 days. The expressions of cartilage matrix proteins, BMP-2, and BMP-2 receptors were estimated by determining mRNA levels using semiquantitative or real-time PCR and/or by determining protein levels using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Nuclear localization of Vpr is crucial for the efficient replication of HIV-1 in primary CD4+ T cells.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) accessory protein Vpr appears to make a substantial contribution to the replication of HIV-1 in established T cell lines when HIV-1 is present at very low multiplicities of infection. However, the role of Vpr in viral replication in primary CD4+ T cells remains to be clarified. In this study, we generated a panel of viruses that encoded mutant forms of Vpr that lacked either the ability to accumulate in the nucleus and induce G2 arrest or the ability to induce apoptosis, which has been shown to occur independently of G2 arrest of the cell cycle.