[MRI in progressive sensorineural hearing loss].

Magnetic resonance contrast imaging using gadolinium-DTPA and performing new high resolution sequences (Fast Spin-Echo, Spoiled Gradient-Echo) or angiographic sequences (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) allows an excellent visualization of the inner ear and the cerebellopontine angle to be obtained. Furthermore, using sequences obtained with the "steady-state" technique (Gradient Recalled At Steady-State-GRASS, Constructive Interference at Steady-State-CISS), a good analysis of the structures of the membranous labyrinth can be achieved. Based on these diagnostic techniques, we have studied the morphological features of the membranous labyrinth in patients with progressive sensorineural hearing loss due to inner ear malformations, labyrinthitis, neuritis of VII and VIII cranial nerves, degenerative entities such as otosclerosis and Ménière's disease, neoplasms of the cerebellopontine angle, of the inner ear and of the middle ear (glomus tumours, acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, epidermoid tumours, arachnoid cysts and malignant neoplasms).

Italian multicentre open trial on DDAVP spray in nocturnal enuresis.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of different doses of DDAVP spray treatment (20 to 40 mcg/day) in patients with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (defined as three or more wet nights per week).

Material And Methods: 237 patients (152 males, 75 females; age range 5-17 years), with no infections or organic abnormalities of the urinary apparatus and no neurological disorders, were admitted into the trial. The experimental design was planned as an "open study" with five different treatments schedules (5 groups).

Soluble CD14 acts as a negative regulator of human T cell activation and function.

T cell activation is controlled by the coordination of stimulatory and negative regulatory signals which are not completely defined. In this study we tested for a possible direct effect of CD14 on the regulation of T cell activation and function. We show that soluble CD14 (sCD14) induces inhibition of antigen-mediated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) proliferation and anti-CD3-mediated proliferation of CD4+CD8+, CD4+CD8+ and CD4+CD8+ Tcell clones.

Benign breast surgical biopsies: are they always justified?

Aim Of The Study: To evaluate the indications for open surgical biopsy of breast lesions resulting in a benign histologic report.

Methods: A consecutive series of 754 benign breast biopsies was collected from six Italian centers previously participating in a multicenter study on the benign/malignant biopsy ratio. Histologic diagnosis, diagnostic tests performed, final clinical diagnosis and the indication for surgical biopsy were compared.

Neurotensin is an antagonist of the human neurotensin NT2 receptor expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

The human levocabastine-sensitive neurotensin NT2 receptor was cloned from a cortex cDNA library and stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in order to study its binding and signalling characteristics. The receptor binds neurotensin as well as several other ligands already described for neurotensin NT1 receptor. It also binds levocabastine, a histamine H1 receptor antagonist that is not recognised by neurotensin NT1 receptor.

High affinity RGD-binding sites at the plasma membrane of Arabidopsis thaliana links the cell wall.

The heptapeptide Tyr-Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro containing the sequence Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD--the essential structure recognised by animal cells in substrate adhesion molecules) was tested on epidermal cells of onion and cultured cells of Arabidopsis upon plasmolysis. Dramatic changes were observed on both types of cells following treatment: on onion cells, Hechtian strands linking the cell wall to the membrane were lost, while Arabidopsis cells changed from concave to convex plasmolysis. A control heptapeptide Tyr-Gly-Asp-Gly-Arg-Ser-Pro had no effect on the shape of plasmolysed cells.

Antiproliferative effects of SR31747A in animal cell lines are mediated by inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis at the sterol isomerase step.

SR31747A is a new sigma ligand exhibiting immunosuppressive properties and antiproliferative activity on lymphocyte cells. Only two subtypes of sigma receptor, namely the sigma1 receptor and emopamil-binding protein, have been characterised molecularly. Only the sigma1 receptor has been shown to bind (Z)N-cyclohexyl-N-ethyl-3-(3-chloro4-cyclohexylphenyl)pro pen-2-ylamine hydrochloride (SR31747A) with high affinity.

The 100-kDa neurotensin receptor is gp95/sortilin, a non-G-protein-coupled receptor.

In this work, the 100-kDa neurotensin (NT) receptor previously purified from human brain by affinity chromatography (Zsürger, N., Mazella, J., and Vincent, J.

IL-13 increases the cPLA2 gene and protein expression and the mobilization of arachidonic acid during an inflammatory process in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Pretreatment of mouse peritoneal macrophages with interleukin-13 (IL-13) potentiates the mobilization of arachidonic acid (AA) and the production of HETEs but does not affect the production of cyclooxygenase metabolites triggered by the suboptimal concentration of an inflammatory agonist (opsonized-zymosan). Cycloheximide suppresses these effects of IL-13 suggesting that de novo protein synthesis is involved. Indeed, IL-13 induces a time-dependent increase in the levels of cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2) protein and mRNA.

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase of rat liver is a subunit of theanti-oestrogen-binding site.

A tritiated photoaffinity labelling analogue of tamoxifen, [(2-azido-4-benzyl)-phenoxy]-N-ethylmorpholine (azido-MBPE), was used to identify the anti-oestrogen-binding site (AEBS) in rat liver tissue [Poirot, Chailleux, Fargin, Bayard and Faye (1990) J. Biol. Chem.

Tissue distribution and cellular localization of the levocabastine-sensitive neurotensin receptor mRNA in adult rat brain.

The aim of this study was to determine the regional and cellular distribution of the neurotensin type 2 receptor (NT-2R) mRNA in the rat brain. Using a radioactive in situ hybridization approach, the distribution of NT-2R transcripts was quantified from autoradiograms, and the cellular localization was examined in liquid emulsions. In rat brain, NT-2R mRNAs, are more widespread than the neurotensin type 1 receptor mRNA.

An Italian epidemiological multicentre study of nocturnal enuresis.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of enuresis in schoolchildren in Italy.

Subjects And Methods: The Italian Club of Nocturnal Enuresis promoted a prevalence study of nocturnal enuresis using a self-administered questionnaire in seven cities in Northern, Central and Southern Italy. The association between enuresis and potential risk factors, e.

Human lamin B receptor exhibits sterol C14-reductase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Lamin B receptor (LBR), a nuclear protein of avian and mammalian cells, contains an hydrophobic domain that shares extensive structural similarities with the members of the sterol reductase family. To test if the sterol-reductase-like domain of LBR could be enzymatically competent, several sterol reductase-defective strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were transformed with a human-LBR expressing vector. LBR production did not change the ergosterol biosynthesis defect in an erg4 mutant impaired in sterol C24(28) reductase.

Intramolecular masking of nuclear import signal on NF-AT4 by casein kinase I and MEKK1.

T cell activation requires the import of NF-AT transcription factors to the nucleus, a process promoted by calcineurin-dependent dephosphorylation and inhibited by poorly understood protein kinases. Here, we report the identification of two protein kinases that oppose NF-AT4 nuclear import. Casein kinase Ialpha directly binds and phosphorylates NF-AT4, resulting in the inhibiton of NF-AT4 nuclear translocation.

Both the immunosuppressant SR31747 and the antiestrogen tamoxifen bind to an emopamil-insensitive site of mammalian Delta8-Delta7 sterol isomerase.

SR31747 is a novel agent that elicits immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects. This drug was shown to inhibit Delta8-Delta7 sterol isomerase in yeast. To test whether this enzyme could also be an SR31747 target in mammals, the binding, antiproliferative and sterol biosynthesis inhibitory properties of various drugs were studied in recombinant sterol isomerase-producing yeast cells.

Ectopic epididymal expression of guinea pig intestinal phospholipase B. Possible role in sperm maturation and activation by limited proteolytic digestion.

Guinea pig intestinal phospholipase B is a calcium-independent phospholipase hydrolyzing sequentially the acyl ester bonds at sn-2 and sn-1 positions of glycerophospholipids, promoting the formation of sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine from phosphatidylcholine. This 140-kDa glycoprotein from the brush border membrane of differentiated enterocytes contributes to lipid digestion as an ectoenzyme. The cDNA coding for guinea pig phospholipase B was revealed to be the homologue of AdRab-B, an mRNA appearing in rabbit upon intestine development.

Cryptorchidism associated with meningomyelocele.

Objective: The authors studied 75 male infants with meningomyelocele (MMC) to analyse the association with cryptorchidism.

Methods: All infants were diagnosed at birth and surgically corrected after 24-48 h. Testes were classified undescended in accordance with Kaplan.

Inhibition of lysophosphatidic acid-induced neurite retraction and cell rounding by SR 57746A.

Rapid neurite retraction and transient rounding of serum-starved NG108-15 and PC12 cells by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is retarded and reduced by pre-incubation of the cells with the small non-peptidic molecule, SR 57746A, which exhibits neurotrophic properties. The compound also antagonizes the redistribution of filamentous actin by LPA in both cell types. We hypothesize that the SR 57746A attenuation of LPA-induced effects may account for at least some of the neuroprotective properties of this molecule.

IL-13 induces tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C gamma-1 following IRS-2 association in human monocytes: relationship with the inhibitory effect of IL-13 on ROI production.

Here we analysed the involvement of tyrosine phosphorylation in the regulation of the initial molecular events induced by IL-13 to modulate TPA-triggered reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) production. Our data indicate that treatment of monocytes with a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor (herbimycin A) prevents IL-13-induced cAMP accumulation and subsequent ROI inhibition. We have previously demonstrated that cAMP accumulation depends on inositol phosphates hydrolysis (InsPs) and intracellular Ca2+ mobilisation.

Improved differential screening approach to analyse transcriptional variations in organized cDNA libraries.

A cDNA library was generated from rat brain tissues and organized into 1536-well plates, using a fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS), acting as a single cell deposition system. The organized library containing 10,000 clones, with 60% full-length cDNA inserts, allowed the generation of multiple identical membrane replicas. Each replica was hybridized with a complex probe obtained from a particular brain tissue or a given cultured cell.

Age-related effects of acidosis in isolated cardiac muscle.

Acidosis is associated with myocardial ischemia and several reports indicate the greater vulnerability of the aged heart to ischemic dysfunction. We investigated the effects of hypercapnic acidosis on isolated heart (n = 14) and papillary muscle (n = 10) from adult and senescent rats. Acidosis (pH from 7.

The endozepine triakontatetraneuropeptide diazepam-binding inhibitor [17-50] stimulates neurosteroid biosynthesis in the frog hypothalamus.

Neurons and glial cells are capable of synthesizing various bioactive steroids, but the neuronal mechanisms controlling neurosteroid-secreting cells are poorly understood. In the present study, we have investigated the possible effect of an endogenous ligand of benzodiazepine receptors, the triakontatetraneuropeptide [17-50] (TTN), on steroid biosynthesis in the frog hypothalamus. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that most hypothalamic neurons expressing 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/delta 5-delta 4-isomerase also contained peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor-like immunoreactivity.

Topological analysis of the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor in yeast mitochondrial membranes supports a five-transmembrane structure.

The peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, implicated in the transport of cholesterol from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane, is predicted by hydropathy analysis to feature five membrane-spanning domains, with the amino terminus within the mitochondrial periplasm and the carboxyl terminus in the external cytoplasm. We have tested these structural predictions directly by immunodetection of c-Myc-tagged peripheral benzodiazepine receptor on intact yeast mitochondria and by specific labeling in yeast membranes of cysteine residues introduced by site-directed mutagenesis. The combined results support the model originally proposed with some minor but important modifications.