Adjuvant effect of di-n-butyl-, di-n-octyl-, di-iso-nonyl- and di-iso-decyl phthalate in a subcutaneous injection model using BALB/c mice.

During the last decades, the prevalence of the allergic airway diseases, asthma and rhinitis, has increased world-wide. Introduction of environmental chemicals with adjuvant effect may play a role in this increase. In the present study, the adjuvant effects of di-n-butyl-, di-n-octyl-, di-iso-nonyl- and di-iso-decyl phthalate are studied in a screening model.

Investigation of the adjuvant and immuno-suppressive effects of benzyl butyl phthalate, phthalic acid and benzyl alcohol in a murine injection model.

In a recent study, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolite, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, were shown to possess adjuvant effect [Toxicology 169 (2001) 37; Toxicology Letters 125 (2001) 11]. The present study investigates the adjuvant effect of another important commercial phthalate plasticizer, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) as well as its degradation products, phthalic acid and benzyl alcohol (BA) in a murine model. The model antigen, ovalbumin (OA), was injected either alone (OA control group), together with one of the test substances (test group) or together with aluminium hydroxide, which served as the positive adjuvant control.

Reinnervation of the pretectum in adult rats by regenerated retinal ganglion cell axons: anatomical and functional studies.

We have investigated the specificity of reinnervation and terminal arborization of injured retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons in the brainstem with the object of studying in a simple situation the degree to which regenerating axons are able to replicate the characteristic patterns of terminal arborization and restore normal function. We have focussed here on the pathway that is responsible for the pupillary light reflex, which is mediated through the olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN). In adult rats, the left optic nerve was transected and a segment of peripheral nerve (PN) graft was used to bridge between the retina and different regions of the ipsilateral brainstem, including the superior colliculus.

MR urography: evaluation of different techniques in non-dilated tracts.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of different MRI sequences for the visualisation of the different components of the non-dilated urinary tract.

Method: 20 asymptomatic individuals were prospectively evaluated using 2 different heavily T2 weighted sequences, and after the injection of 2 different doses of gadolinium (Gd-DTPA). Images were independently scored.

Preservation of visual responsiveness in the superior colliculus of RCS rats after retinal pigment epithelium cell transplantation.

The dystrophic RCS rat undergoes progressive photoreceptor degeneration due to a primary defect in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. This has a major impact on central visual responsiveness. Here we have examined how functional deterioration is contained by subretinal transplantation of immortalized human RPE cells.

Cohabitation and marital status as predictors of mortality--an eight year follow-up study.

In a follow-up study of 1265 women and men aged 50, 60 and 70 years, we analysed how mortality was associated with cohabitation status (living alone/not living alone), living with/without a partner, and marital status respectively. Data originate from a longitudinal questionnaire study of a random sample of people born in 1920, 1930 and 1940 with baseline in 1990. Survival time for all individuals were established during the next 8 years until May 1998.

Transplantation of EGF-responsive neurospheres from GFP transgenic mice into the eyes of rd mice.

The isolation of stem cells from various regions of the central nervous system has raised the possibility of using them as a donor cell source for cell transplantation, where they offer great promise for repair of the diseased brain, spinal cord, and retina. Here, we have studied the migration, integration, and differentiation of EGF-responsive neurospheres isolated from the brains of green fluorescent protein transgenic mice and transplanted into the eyes of mature rd mice, a model of retinitis pigmentosa. While grafts of freshly isolated postnatal day 8 retina expressed many markers characteristic of mature retina (e.

IgE-mediated asthma and rhinitis I: a role of allergen exposure?

Exposures to airborne protein antigens, aeroallergens, may cause sensitization with production of Th2-dependent antibodies, including IgE. The IgE antibodies and associated cellular responses are responsible for the allergic airway diseases, allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma, which are increasing in societies with Western life style. Aeroallergens may have different potential to sensitize exposed subjects.

Treatment of a murine model of high-turnover renal osteodystrophy by exogenous BMP-7.

Background: The secondary hyperparathyroidism of chronic kidney disease (CKD) produces a high turnover osteodystrophy that is associated with peritrabecular fibrosis. The nature of the cells involved in the development of peritrabecular fibrosis may represent osteoprogenitors expressing a fibroblastic phenotype that are retarded from progressing through osteoblast differentiation.

Methods: To test the hypothesis that osteoblast differentiation is retarded in secondary hyperparathyroidism due to CKD producing bone marrow fibrosis, we administered bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7), a physiologic regulator of osteoblast regulation, to C57BL6 mice that had CKD produced by electrocautery of one kidney followed by contralateral nephrectomy two weeks later.

Characterization of genetically modified human retinal pigment epithelial cells developed for in vitro and transplantation studies.

Purpose: To develop, by specific genetic modification, a differentiated human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line with an extended life span that can be used for investigating their function in vitro and for in vivo transplantation studies.

Methods: Primary human RPE cells were genetically modified by transfecting with a plasmid encoding the simian virus (SV)40 large T antigen. After characterization, two cell lines, designated h1RPE-7 and h1RPE-116, were chosen for further investigation, along with the spontaneously derived RPE cell line ARPE-19.

Long-term preservation of cortically dependent visual function in RCS rats by transplantation.

Cell transplantation is one way of limiting the progress of retinal degeneration in animal models of blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Here we transplanted a human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line into the subretinal space of one such model, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat, and showed, using head tracking to moving stripes and pattern discrimination in conjunction with single-unit cortical physiology, that cortically mediated vision can be preserved with this treatment.

Bone morphogenetic protein-7: an anti-fibrotic morphogenetic protein with therapeutic importance in renal disease.

Bone morphogenetic proteins are members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily of cytokines and consist of a group of at least 15 morphogens involved in intracellular messaging through complex bone morphogenetic protein receptor mediated Smad signaling. Bone morphogenetic protein-7 knockout mice die shortly after birth due to uremia, demonstrating that this morphogenetic protein is essential for renal development. Recent investigations have characterized renal bone morphogenetic protein-7 receptors, shown exogenous bone morphogenetic protein-7 to prevent fibrogenesis associated with ureteral obstruction, indicated a loss of renal bone morphogenetic protein-7 associated with diabetic nephropathy, and an improvement in glomerular pathology in rodent streptozocin-induced diabetes with bone morphogenetic protein-7 treatment.

Basal increase in c-Fos-like expression in superior colliculus of Royal College of Surgeons dystrophic rats can be abolished by intraocular injection of tetrodotoxin.

In normal rats maintained in the dark, very few cells in the primary visual centers, including the superior colliculus, show Fos-like immunoreactivity. By contrast, in rats presented with flashing lights many Fos-like immunoreactivity cells are observed distributed throughout the visual centers. In the dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons rat, in which there is major loss of photoreceptors over the first 3 months of life, similar numbers of Fos-like immunoreactivity cells are seen on light presentation, but in marked contrast, cell densities in the rats maintained in the dark are many times higher than in non-dystrophic rats maintained under similar conditions.

Subretinal transplantation of genetically modified human cell lines attenuates loss of visual function in dystrophic rats.

Royal College of Surgeons rats are genetically predisposed to undergo significant visual loss caused by a primary dysfunction of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. By using this model, we have examined the efficacy of subretinal transplantation of two independent human RPE cell lines each exhibiting genetic modifications that confer long-term stability in vitro. The two cell lines, a spontaneously derived cell line (ARPE19) and an extensively characterized genetically engineered human RPE cell line (h1RPE7), which expresses SV40 large T (tumor) antigen, were evaluated separately.

Stability and change in structural social relations as predictor of mortality among elderly women and men.

In a follow-up study of 70-95 years old women and men (n = 911) we studied the association between change and stability in three structural aspects of social relations (contact frequency, contact diversity, cohabitation status) from 1986-1990 and mortality after the next four years in 1994. Women aged 70-74 years who developed low contact frequency or developed small contact diversity showed significantly higher mortality, adjusted ORfreq: 3.78 (1.

Cell transplantation as a treatment for retinal disease.

It has been shown that photoreceptor degeneration can be limited in experimental animals by transplantation of fresh RPE to the subretinal space. There is also evidence that retinal cell transplants can be used to reconstruct retinal circuitry in dystrophic animals. Here we describe and review recent developments that highlight the necessary steps that should be taken prior to embarking on clinical trials in humans.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of finasteride in older versus younger men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of finasteride 5 mg in older (65 years old or older) versus younger (45 to younger than 65 years old) men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods: The Proscar Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Study (PLESS) was a 4-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessing the efficacy and safety of finasteride 5 mg in 3040 men 45 to 78 years old with symptomatic BPH, enlarged prostates, and no evidence of prostate cancer. The endpoints included urinary symptoms, prostate volume, occurrence of acute urinary retention and/or BPH-related surgery, and safety.

Graft location affects functional rescue following RPE cell transplantation in the RCS rat.

Photoreceptor (PRC) rescue in the dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat has been well documented following a variety of interventions. Although the dystrophic process is asymmetric with respect to the horizontal meridian, little attention has been paid to the effect of topographic position on treatment outcome. In this study, RPE cells from adult congenic nondystrophic animals were injected into the subretinal space of 1-month-old dystrophic RCS rats in either the dorsal or the ventral equatorial region.

Progressive visual sensitivity loss in the Royal College of Surgeons rat: perimetric study in the superior colliculus.

The Royal College of Surgeons rat has a retinal pigment epithelial cell defect which causes a progressive loss of rods occurring primarily over the first few months of life. We have studied the consequences of this degenerative process on visual sensitivity across the visual field. Sensitivities were determined in the superior colliculus for unit responses recorded from 22 days up to one year of age from sites encompassing the whole visual field representation.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis in patients with end stage renal disease--two case reports and a brief review.

Chronic renal failure is a risk factor for tuberculosis. In the past five years we have identified two cases of tuberculosis in our dialysis population. The first patient, showed chronic failure to thrive on hemodialysis.

Rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure after changing statin-fibrate combinations.

Statin-fibrate combinations are commonly used to treat hyperlipidemia. These drugs have been previously reported to cause rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure. Whether different statin-fibrate combinations have different risks for rhabdomyolysis is not known.

[Polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy].

Background: Polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy (Nasu-Hakola syndrome) (PLO-SL) is an unusual cause of early dementia in which the decline in cognitive function is associated with multiple bone cysts, in particular in hands and feet. About 165 cases of this autosomal recessive hereditary disease have been reported worldwide, mostly from Finland and Japan.

Material And Methods: In this article, case histories of PLO-SL are presented of two brothers who were born to consanguineous parents on an island outside the western coast of Norway.

Sensory capacity of the royal college of surgeons rat.

Purpose: To apply noninvasive tests for examining visual and other sensory functions of pigmented Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats compared with pigmented and albino control animals.

Methods: Rats aged 3 and 7 months were tested with a general neurologic examination that assessed visual, auditory, tactile, and whisker displacement responses. Photophobic responses and visual discrimination were also measured.