Preventive and therapeutic effects of gene therapy using silica nanoparticles-binding of GM-CSF gene on white blood cell production in dogs with leukopenia.

Objective: Our previous study has shown that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) gene/silica nanoparticles have a leukocytosis effect in normal dogs. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine whether treatment of canine GM-CSF gene/silica nanoparticles has preventive or therapeutic effects in dogs with leukopenia.

Materials And Methods: To induce leukopenia, vinblastine was administered intravenously at a dose of 2 mg/m(2) of body surface area on day 0.

Cytologic and immunohistochemical characterization of a lung carcinoid in a dog.

An 11-year-old neutered male Yorkshire Terrier was presented to the Haemaru Referral Animal Hospital with a history of unresponsive tracheal collapse and an incidental finding of a lung nodule in the left caudal lung lobe on radiography. Thorough physical examination and imaging studies revealed no other masses. Cytologic examination of C-arm mobile fluoroscopy-guided fine-needle aspirates revealed numerous free nuclei and a low number of small round cells with moderate to abundant pale basophilic cytoplasm.

The effect of gene therapy using CTLA4Ig/silica-nanoparticles on canine experimental autoimmune thyroiditis.

Background: The present study aimed to determine the effect of canine CTLA4Ig on canine autoimmune thyroiditis. In a previous study, we established a canine model of autoimmune thyroiditis by immunizing normal dogs with bovine thyroglobulin. An in vitro study using recombinant CTLA4Ig revealed that this protein can inhibit the expression of Th1-type cytokines and the pro-inflammatory cytokines tested.

Effects of GM-CSF gene transfer using silica-nanoparticles as a vehicle on white blood cell production in dogs.

Objective: We sought to test two concepts: that nanoparticles can be used for in vivo gene delivery and that canine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)/nanoparticles can have possibility to be used to treat transient (acute) canine leukopenia.

Materials And Methods: We have generated a novel fluorescent-silica nanoparticle binding of canine GM-CSF gene; canine GM-CSF gene was inserted between the cytomegalovirus promoter and poly-adenylation sequences of simian virus 40, and the gene construct was ligated to fluorescent silica nanoparticles functionalized with tertiary amine.

Results: When the GM-CSF/nanoparticles were injected into normal dogs, the GM-CSF was expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells for at least 9 days and there were significant increases in white blood cell counts, as confirmed by complete blood count, differential count, and flow cytometry.

NP, PB1, and PB2 viral genes contribute to altered replication of H5N1 avian influenza viruses in chickens.

The virulence determinants for highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are considered multigenic, although the best characterized virulence factor is the hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage site. The capability of influenza viruses to reassort gene segments is one potential way for new viruses to emerge with different virulence characteristics. To evaluate the role of other gene segments in virulence, we used reverse genetics to generate two H5N1 recombinant viruses with differing pathogenicity in chickens.

An efficient algorithm for current source localization with tetrodes.

In this article we develop a simple algorithm for localization of electrical sources in neurons. The algorithm is based on multiple measurements of neuron's action potentials acquired from multiple sensors, such as tetrodes. We show that in many cases this problem can be solved analytically.

Antitumor activity of cytokine-induced killer cells against human lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women in the world. Despite the aggressive treatment with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, the long term survival for lung cancer patients remains low. In this study, the anti-tumor activity of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells against human lung cancer was evaluated in vitro and in vivo.

Modification of cap group in delta-lactam-based histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors.

Novel delta-lactam-based HDAC inhibitors which have various substituted benzyl, bi-aromatic cap groups were prepared using ring closure metathesis reaction, and evaluated their HDAC inhibitory activities and anti-proliferative effects. Among prepared analogues, 11m and 11o have very strong HDAC enzymatic inhibition and showed the most potent growth inhibitory activity to five human tumor cell lines including PC-3, ACHN, NUGC-3, HCT-15, and MBA-MB-231 tumor cell lines. Compounds 11m and 11o also showed good tumor growth inhibition of MDA-MB-231 cells in in vivo xenograft model.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of cinnamyl compounds as potent antitumor agents.

A series of cinnamyl compounds related to 2'-hydroxycinnamaldehyde were synthesized and their antitumor effects against human cancer cells evaluated. Hydroxylamine derivative 6 inhibited the growth of human cancer cells and human colon tumor xenograft in nude mice. Its antitumor effects belong to the induction of apoptosis and arresting cell cycle at G(2)/M phase, which is confirmed by detection of apoptosis markers and cell cycle analysis.

Case of Cowden syndrome associated with eccrine angiomatous hamartoma.

Cowden syndrome, also known as multiple hamartoma syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multiple hamartomatous tumors of ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal origin. A 47-year-old woman had a skin-colored plaque on the left foot. She had total abdominal hysterectomy due to uterine leiomyoma at the age of 35, and had modified radical mastectomy due to right breast cancer at 38.

Synthesis, enzymatic inhibition, and cancer cell growth inhibition of novel delta-lactam-based histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors.

delta-Lactam-based hydroxamic acids, inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC), have been synthesized via ring closure metathesis of key diene intermediates followed by conversion to hydroxamic acid analogues. The hydroxamic acids 12a, 12b, and 17c showed potent inhibitory activity in HDAC enzyme assay. The hydroxamic acid 12b exhibited growth inhibitory activity on five human tumor cell lines, showing good sensitivity on the MDA-MB-231 breast tumor cell.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of rhodanine derivatives as PRL-3 inhibitors.

A series of rhodanine derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their ability to inhibit PRL-3. Benzylidene rhodanine derivative showed good biological activity, while compound 5e was the most active in this series exhibiting an IC50 value of 0.9 microM in vitro and showed a reduced invasion in cell-based assay.

Acidic polysaccharide from Phellinus linteus inhibits melanoma cell metastasis by blocking cell adhesion and invasion.

The acidic polysaccharide (PL) from Phellinus linteus is an immunostimulator that has therapeutic activity against cancers. Here, we show that PL markedly inhibits melanoma cell metastasis in mice, and report that PL directly inhibits cancer cell adhesion to and invasion through the extracellular matrix, but that it has no direct effect on cancer cell growth. In addition, we found that PL increased macrophage NO production.

Giant vascular eccrine spiradenoma: report of a case with immunohistochemical study.

We report a rare case of giant vascular eccrine spiradenoma (GVES) which developed in 56-yr-old Korean woman. It is a rare variant of eccrine spiradenoma (ES), which might be mistaken for angiomatous lesions in view of its florid vascularity and hemorrhagic features. Histogenesis of GVES is not clearly elucidated although it is known that ES presumably originates in the eccrine glands.

Epitheliotropic cutaneous lymphoma (mycosis fungoides) in a dog.

A seven-year-old castrated male Yorkshire terrier dog was presented for a recurrent skin disease. Erythematous skin during the first visit progressed from multiple plaques to patch lesions and exudative erosion in the oral mucosa membrane. Biopsy samples were taken from erythematous skin and were diagnosed with epitheliotropic T cell cutaneous lymphoma by histopathology and immunochemical stain.

Pectic polysaccharide isolated from Angelica gigas Nakai inhibits melanoma cell metastasis and growth by directly preventing cell adhesion and activating host immune functions.

The pectic polysaccharide (angelan) of Angelica gigas Nakai is an immunostimulator that activates the immune functions of B cells and macrophages. Here we investigated the effect of angelan on tumor growth and metastasis. Angelan was found to significantly prolong the survival rate of B16F10-implanted mice and to reduce the frequency of pulmonary metastasis of B16F10 melanoma.

Effective prevention of lethal acute graft-versus-host disease by combined immunosuppressive therapy with prodigiosin and cyclosporine A.

Prodigiosin (PDG), a bacterial metabolite, is a known T cell-specific immunosuppressant. Here, we compared its inhibitory potency and mode of action with cyclosporine A (CsA) in a mouse model. PDG efficiently inhibited T cell proliferation with an IC(50) of 3.

Prevention of arthritic inflammation using an oriental herbal combination BDX-1 isolated from Achyranthes bidentata and Atractylodes japonica.

An oriental herbal combination (BDX-1) was isolated from Achyranthes bidentata and Atractylodes japonica. We previously tested the clinical effectiveness of BDX-1 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and found that it has a beneficial therapeutic effect. Here, we provide experimental evidence for the effectiveness of BDX-1 on RA in murine models.

Intra-abdominal mass aspirate from a cat in heat.

A 3-year-old intact female domestic shorthair cat was presented for the evaluation of a palpable intra-abdominal mass in the left caudal abdomen. The cat had a history of anorexia, depression and prolonged estrus over a period of about 1 month. Smears prepared from a fine needle aspirate of the mass revealed large round to oval cells arranged individually or in loose clusters surrounded by pink, fibrillar matrix material.

Stimulation of epidermal calcium gradient loss and increase in TNF-alpha and IL-1alpha expressions by glycolic acid in murine epidermis.

In a previous study, we reported that alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA), such as glycolic acid and lactic acid, did not induce any significant changes in transepidermal water loss for normal murine skin. The ultrastructural observations, however, showed that the extent of lamellar body exocytosis significantly increased. Because AHA can theoretically decrease the calcium ion concentration by chelation, topical AHA may induce the loss of epidermal calcium gradient by lowering the calcium ion concentration in the granulocytes and, subsequently, induce lamellar body secretion.

Variations in the nucleocapsid protein gene of infectious bronchitis viruses isolated in Korea.

Fourteen infectious bronchitis viruses (IBVs) were isolated in Korea between 2001 and 2003 from chickens suspected to be infected with IBVs. The nucleocapsid (N) protein genes of the various IBVs were amplified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and were cloned and sequenced, and the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences were compared with published sequences for non-Korean IBV strains. The Korean IBV isolates shared amino acid sequence similarity of between 89.

Isolation of human periosteum-derived progenitor cells using immunophenotypes for chondrogenesis.

Periosteum-derived progenitor cells (PDPCs) were isolated by characteristic surface markers. Reproducibility of immunophenotypes of the PDPCs was characterized by flow cytometric analysis using fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). SH2(+), SH3(+), SH4(+), CD9(+), CD90(+) and CD105(+) were important eternal characteristic cell surface markers for the PDPCs.

Tritium levels in Chinese cabbage and radish plants acutely exposed to HTO vapor at different growth stages.

To simulate an acute exposure of Chinese cabbage and radish plants to airborne HTO, the potted plants were exposed to HTO vapor under semi-outdoor conditions for 1h at different times from the early to late growth stages. The plants were grown outdoors and the plant tritium was measured at the end of an exposure (h(0)) and at harvest. The leaf tissue free water tritium (TFWT) concentrations at h(0) were considerably lower than estimated equilibrium concentrations.

Vertical distribution and characteristics of soil humic substances affecting radionuclide distribution.

The humic substances extracted from different soil depths are separated into humic (HA) and fulvic (FA) acids, and characterized for their chemical composition, proton exchange capacity, spectroscopic characteristics and binding properties to the europium ion. The chemical and spectroscopic results show that FA compared to HA has a relatively high O/C ratio, high acidic functional group contents and low aromatic contents. The synchronous fluorescence spectroscopic results show that the stability constant (K) of the soil humic substances with Eu(III) ion tends to increase as the soil depth becomes deeper, and HA has a slightly stronger binding ability than FA.