Overexpression of receptor for advanced glycation end products induces monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression in rat vascular smooth muscle cell line.

Aim: The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) has been suggested to play a pivotal role in the development of diabetic vasculopathy and atherosclerosis; however, due to its low expression, the physiological role of RAGE in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) remains unknown.

Methods: Using VSMC lines stably expressing RAGE (RAGE-A10), we studied the molecular mechanism by which S100B, a RAGE ligand, induces proinflammatory gene expression.

Results: S100B induced NF-κB activation and the expression of several proinflammatory genes (MCP-1, IL-6, ICAM-1) at mRNA and protein levels in RAGE-A10, among which MCP-1 expression was the most robust.

Transcriptome analysis of aldosterone-regulated genes in human vascular endothelial cell lines stably expressing mineralocorticoid receptor.

A series of studies have demonstrated that endothelial cell is one of the target tissues of aldosterone. Here, we have conducted a transcriptome analysis of aldosterone-inducible genes in human endothelial cell lines stably expressing human mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) by retroviral system (MR-EAhy). We found that aldosterone in physiologic concentrations robustly induced MR-dependent transcriptional response in MR-EAhy.

Vasculoprotective effect of cilostazol in aldosterone-induced hypertensive rats.

Cilostazol (CILO), a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 3 with potent antithrombotic property, has been shown to have a vasculoprotective effect in atherosclerosis animal models due to its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. This study was undertaken to investigate whether CILO has in fact any vasculoprotective effects in aldosterone-induced hypertensive rats (Aldo-rats), and whether CILO affects Aldo-induced oxidative stress, nitric oxide (NO) production and pro-inflammatory gene expression. Treatment with CILO markedly ameliorated perivascular inflammatory changes in the coronary arterioles of Aldo-rats without affecting the systolic blood pressure and left ventricular weight.

Acromegaly associated with multiple tumors.

A 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for the surgical removal of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). He was diagnosed with acromegaly due to his characteristic clinical features, endocrine data, and the presence of pituitary tumor. He was found to have colon cancer and follicular thyroid tumor.

Late-night salivary cortisol as a screening test for the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome in Japan.

Measurement of late-night and/or midnight salivary cortisol currently used in US and European countries is a simple and convenient screening test for the initial diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome (CS). Unfortunately, this test has not been widely used in Japan. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the measurement of late-night salivary cortisol as a screening test for the diagnosis of CS in Japan.