Chromatin assembly factor Asf1p-dependent occupancy of the SAS histone acetyltransferase complex at the silent mating-type locus HMLalpha.

Transcriptional repression of the silent mating-type loci HMLalpha and HMRa in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by chromatin structure. Sas2p is a catalytic subunit of the SAS histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex. Although many HATs seem to relieve chromosomal repression to facilitate transcriptional activation, sas mutant phenotypes include loss of SIR1-dependent silencing of HMLalpha.

Changes in ovarian steroidogenesis in insulin-resistant, type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats after thyroidectomy and gonadotropin treatment.

The present study used thyroidectomized insulin-resistant, type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats to assess whether insulin resistance and hypothyroidism modulate ovarian physiology. Animals were treated with daily injections of 5 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin for 5 days starting 1 week after thyroidectomy. Control groups included rats of GK and control (Wistar) strains treated only with equine chorionic gonadotropin or thyroidectomy, or with no treatment (intact).

Selective induction of the tumor marker glutathione S-transferase P1 by proteasome inhibitors.

Exposure of cells to a wide variety of chemoprotective compounds confers resistance to a broad set of carcinogens. For a subset of the chemoprotective compounds, protection is generated by an increase in the abundance of phase 2 detoxification enzymes such as glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). Transcription factor Nrf2, which is sequestered in the cytoplasm by Keap1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1) under unstimulated conditions, regulates the induction of phase 2 enzymes.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in hepatocellular carcinoma and the surrounding liver and correlation with MRI findings.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to assess the correlation between the quantitative and qualitative imaging findings on unenhanced and gadolinium-enhanced MR images and the intensity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in hepatocellular carcinomas and in the surrounding nontumorous liver.

Materials And Methods: The intensities of VEGF expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and in the surrounding liver by Western blot analysis were converted to VEGF expression indexes (VEGF(IND)) in 22 surgical specimens ranging in size from 14 to 126 mm (mean, 47.6 +/- 29.

Identification of an immune tolerance reaction in response to pretreatment with frozen pancreatic tissue in islet cell transplantation in rats.

Objectives: Whereas transplantation of insulin-secreting pancreatic islets may provide long-term control of glucose metabolism in patients with diabetes mellitus, transplant rejection remains a problem. In this study, we tried pretreatment with frozen pancreatic tissue in a rat model of islet cell transplantation to determine whether induction of immune tolerance is feasible.

Methods: Isolated islet cells from Wistar rats were transplanted into the spleen of recipient rats that were sensitized and rats that were not sensitized with frozen pancreatic tissue.

Characterization of the yeast trimeric-SAS acetyltransferase complex.

The yeast SAS2 (Something About Silencing 2) gene encodes a member of the MYST protein family of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and is involved in transcriptional silencing at all silent loci (HML, HMR, telomeres, and rDNA) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sas2 is the catalytic subunit of a yeast histone acetyltransferase complex termed SAS complex. The enzymatic activity of SAS complex on free histones has been reported, but nucleosomal HAT activity has not yet been documented.

Some organotin compounds enhance histone acetyltransferase activity.

Eukaryotic DNA is packaged into chromatin, whose basic subunit is the nucleosome, which consists of DNA and a core histone octamer. Histone acetylation is important for the regulation of gene expression and is catalyzed by histone acetyltransferase (HAT). We observed the effects of suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on HAT activity.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in hepatocellular carcinoma and the surrounding liver: correlation with angiographically assisted CT.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to assess the correlation between the intensity and characteristics of contrast enhancement on angiographically assisted CT and the intensity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in the surrounding nontumorous liver.

Materials And Methods: The intensity of VEGF expression in HCC and in the surrounding liver was expressed as a VEGF expression index by Western blot analysis in 20 surgical specimens resected in 20 patients between March 2000 and August 2002. Findings on CT during arterial portography (n = 20) and CT hepatic arteriography (n = 17) were retrospectively evaluated to determine contrast enhancement indexes and the enhancement characteristics of HCCs and of the surrounding liver.

The clinical significance of monitoring alkaline phosphatase level to estimate postoperative liver failure after hepatectomy.

Background/aims: To predict the occurrence of postoperative liver failure after hepatectomy, the clinical significance of monitoring alkaline phosphatase (ALP) has been studied, and the relationship between the change of total bilirubin and the level of ALP or gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP) after hepatectomy was evaluated.

Methodology: The 163 patients, who underwent hepatectomy at our institute for the past 12 years, were divided into three groups according to the postoperative events. HF consisted of 5 patients with liver failure, HB showed the postoperative high bilirubinemia (over 5mg/dL) in 13 cases and GP were 145 cases without any postoperative problems.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver: ferumoxide-enhanced MR imaging as a tiebreaker.

We examined a 70-year-old male patient with an inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver mimicking a peripheral-type cholangiocellular carcinoma. Ferumoxide-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed residual Kupffer cell function in liver parenchyma in and surrounding the inflammatory pseudotumor involvement, which suggested the diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver. We correlate the MR imaging and pathologic findings in this report.

A case report of papilla Vater carcinoma showing positive expression of thymidine phosphorylase.

Recently, we experienced an interesting case of papilla Vater carcinoma. The patient was a 61-year-old woman, who was referred to our department from a private hospital with a chief complaint of high fever. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed an anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary duct without a common channel and a tumor, which was detected on the papilla Vater and diagnosed as well-differentiated adenocarcinoma.

Evaluation of parathyroid hyperplasia by ultrasonographic examination in patients with end-stage renal failure before and at initiation of dialysis.

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (2HPT), which is related to renal osteodystrophy (ROD), may occur in patients in the comparatively early stage of chronic renal failure (CRF). Secondary hyperparathyroidism patients with parathyroid hyperplasia showed resistance to vitamin D(3) treatment during long-term dialysis. At present, evaluation by ultrasonography is considered to be useful for confirming parathyroid hyperplasia.

Large solitary fibrous tumor of the retroperitoneum: report of a case.

We report an unusual case of a large solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) in the retroperitoneum. A 53-year-old man was referred to our hospital for surgical treatment of a swelling in the right flank with dull pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) and echograms showed a large encapsulated tumor compressing the right kidney and liver.

Clinical significance of combination study of apoptotic factors and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in estimating the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common recurrence diseases, which affects the patient's prognosis. The aim of this report is to evaluate recurrence risk after primary treatment by the combination study with the clinical features and immunohistological findings.

Methods: 153 removable HCCs were examined by immunohistochemical study of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), p53, or Bax.

Brain protection by resveratrol and fenofibrate against stroke requires peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha in mice.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors which belong to the nuclear receptor family. We examined whether PPARalpha agonists and resveratrol, a polyphenol contained in grapes, protect the brain against ischemia. To investigate whether resveratrol activates PPARs, we performed a cell-based transfection activity assay using luciferase reporter plasmid.

[Percutaneous cryoablation therapy under local anesthesia for unresectable metastatic liver tumors].

Even though liver resection is the first choice against metastatic liver tumors, oncologists are often obliged to include other treatment modalities depending on metastatic tumor size, number of metastatic nodules, location of tumors, patient's general condition, and so on. Among others we selected cryoablation therapy against unresectable tumors and examined its usefulness clinically in 5 patients. Under local anesthesia, the cryoprobe, which was 3 mm in diameter, was introduced into the center of the tumor by use of an ultrasonographic guiding technique.

Effect of alpha,alpha-dialkyl amino acids on the protease resistance of peptides.

A tryptic [EC 3.4.21.

Effect of low-density lipoprotein apheresis on plasma endothelin-1 levels in diabetic hemodialysis patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans.

Endothelin (ET)-1 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and chronic renal failure. We studied whether low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis alters plasma ET-1 levels in diabetic hemodialysis patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO). Plasma ET-1 levels were measured in 30 healthy control subjects (Group A), 30 diabetes patients without ASO (Group B), 20 diabetes patients with ASO (Group C), 20 diabetes patients without ASO who were undergoing hemodialysis (Group D), and 6 diabetes patients with ASO who were undergoing hemodialysis (Group E).

Magnitude of serosal changes predicts peritoneal recurrence of gastric cancer.

Background: Peritoneal dissemination is the most frequent mode of recurrence in patients with gastric cancer. We tried to identify factors that predict peritoneal recurrence with high sensitivity.

Study Design: Clinical and pathologic data from 587 consecutive patients with gastric cancer were reviewed retrospectively.

Hemoperfusion with polymyxin B-immobilized fiber in septic patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-associated glomerulonephritis.

Background/aims: We investigated whether urinary podocytes are present in septic patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-associated glomerulonephritis and whether polymyxin B-immobilized fiber (PMX-F) treatment affects proteinuria and urinary podocyte excretion in these patients.

Methods: Twenty septic patients with MRSA-associated glomerulonephritis (mean age: 63.7 years) and 80 septic patients whose MRSA infection was not followed by glomerulonephritis (mean age: 60.

New approach to cancer therapy: the application of signal transduction to anti-cancer drug.

Although it has been widely known that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway stimulates cell growth and have a protective effect from cell death, recent findings propose pro-apoptotic action of ERK phosphorylation. Since it was found that Vitamin K3 (VK3) or its analog was a potent growth inhibitor and inducer for ERK phosphorylation through specific pathway in cancer cell line, the critical role of ERK phosphorylation in growth inhibitory actions can be discussed. VK3 induced receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and occurred at growth inhibitory concentrations.

Synthesis of chemotactic peptide analogs with a photoaffinity cross-linker as new probes for analysis of receptor-ligand interaction.

Formylpeptide receptors are well-characterized receptors which participate in host defense responses of neutrophils. We designed and synthesized chemotactic peptide analog with p-benzoylphenylalanine (Bpa) and biotin to probe structural and mechanistic aspects of peptide-receptor interaction. These peptides possess biological activities which were dependent upon spacer residue length of and Bpa position.

Sas4 and Sas5 are required for the histone acetyltransferase activity of Sas2 in the SAS complex.

The SAS2 gene is involved in transcriptional silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Based on its primary sequence, the Sas2 protein is predicted to be a member of the MYST family of histone acetyltransferases (HATs). Sas2 forms a complex with Sas4 and Sas5, which are required for its silencing function.