Effect of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin on Th1 and Th2 immune responses in mice.

The present study was undertaken to study the effect of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin on Th1 and Th2 immune responses. For this study, mice were immunized by s.c.

The latency-associated transcript promoter of pseudorabies virus directs neuron-specific expression in trigeminal ganglia of transgenic mice.

The latency-associated transcript (LAT) promoter of pseudorabies virus (PRV) is unique among viral promoters in that it remains active in trigeminal ganglia during the latent state. It is not known which the viral or host proteins regulate expression of the PRV LAT gene in latently infected neurons. To determine whether host transcriptional proteins in neurons can regulate the PRV LAT promoter in vivo, three transgenic mouse lines containing the PRV LAT promoter (LAP; LAP1 and LAP2) linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene were generated.

Glial expression of Borna disease virus phosphoprotein induces behavioral and neurological abnormalities in transgenic mice.

One hypothesis for the etiology of behavioral disorders is that infection by a virus induces neuronal cell dysfunctions resulting in a wide range of behavioral abnormalities. However, a direct linkage between viral infections and neurobehavioral disturbances associated with human psychiatric disorders has not been identified. Here, we show that transgenic mice expressing the phosphoprotein (P) of Borna disease virus (BDV) in glial cells develop behavioral abnormalities, such as enhanced intermale aggressiveness, hyperactivity, and spatial reference memory deficit.

Functional haplotypes of PADI4, encoding citrullinating enzyme peptidylarginine deiminase 4, are associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis frequently have autoantibodies to citrullinated peptides, suggesting the involvement of the peptidylarginine deiminases citrullinating enzymes (encoded by PADI genes) in rheumatoid arthritis. Previous linkage studies have shown that a susceptibility locus for rheumatoid arthritis includes four PADI genes but did not establish which PADI gene confers susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. We used a case-control linkage disequilibrium study to show that PADI type 4 is a susceptibility locus for rheumatoid arthritis (P = 0.

Enhancement of acute lung injury related to bacterial endotoxin by components of diesel exhaust particles.

Background: Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) synergistically aggravate acute lung injury related to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice, but the components in DEP responsible for this have not been identified. A study was undertaken to examine the effects of the organic chemicals (DEP-OC) and residual carbonaceous nuclei (washed DEP) derived from DEP on LPS related lung injury.

Methods: ICR mice were divided into experimental groups and vehicle, LPS, washed DEP, DEP-OC, washed DEP+LPS, and DEP-OC+LPS were administered intratracheally.

Effects of UV dose on formation of spontaneously developing pocks in Streptomyces azureus ATCC14921.

Spontaneously developing pocks (S pocks) of Streptomyces azureus ATCC14921 were formed by the both functions of conjugative plasmid pSA1 and lysogenic phage SAt2. The formation was affected by the dose of UV irradiation. The mean pock diameter in cultures treated with UV light at 0, 7.

Association of the TAP2*Bky2 allele with presence of SS-A/Ro and other autoantibodies in Japanese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We previously reported that a new allele of transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) 2 gene, TAP2*Bky2 (Val577), was significantly increased in Japanese patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and had a strong association with SS-A/Ro antibody production. In the present study, it was investigated whether the association of TAP2*Bky2 with SS-A/Ro antibody production was also found in Japanese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Polymorphisms of the TAP1 and TAP2 genes were determined in 114 Japanese SLE patients by the polymerase chain reaction-single-stranded conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) method.

The pseudorabies virus immediate-early promoter directs neuronal tissue-specific expression in transgenic mice.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) immediate-early (IE) gene product is required for expression of the viral early and late genes as a transactivator. The IE gene is expressed as the first gene among the viral genes after the infection. To examine the activity of the IE promoter in vivo, we have generated transgenic mice expressing transgenes under the control of the IE promoter.

Effects of bisphenol A on antigen-specific antibody production, proliferative responses of lymphoid cells, and TH1 and TH2 immune responses in mice.

1. We investigated the effect of bisphenol A (BPA), which binds estrogen receptors, on immune responses including production of antigen-specific antibodies, proliferative responses of lymphoid cells, and Th1 and Th2 responses. 2.

Impaired development of the cerebellum in transgenic mice expressing the immediate-early protein IE180 of pseudorabies virus.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection in animals other than its natural host almost always gives rise to fatal diseases in the central nervous system as a result of infection of peripheral neurons and subsequently to the brain. PRV immediate-early protein (IE180) activates transcription of the PRV early and late genes, and other viral and cellular genes, and represses its own transcription. To examine specific effects of IE180 in neuropathogenicity, we have generated four transgenic mouse lines expressing IE180 in a tetracycline-regulated system.

Isolation of nitrophenols from diesel exhaust particles (DEP) as vasodilatation compounds.

The compounds in diesel exhaust particles (DEP) that are responsible for vasodilatation were isolated and characterized for the first time. From benzene extract of DEP, 2-methyl-4-nitrophenol, 3-methyl-4-nitrophenl and 4-nitrophenol were isolated, and their vasodilatation activities were confirmed. 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol caused dilatation of rat thoracic artery, and the other two nitrophenols, also showed vasodilatation activities.

Bone resorption and inflammatory inhibition efficacy of intermittent cyclical etidronate therapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Osteoclast activation or cartilage and bone destruction are developed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The efficacy of etidronate with respect to osteoporosis, inhibition of bone resorption and destruction, and antiinflammation in RA was examined for 72 weeks.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with RA (56 women, 7 men) were divided into a group that received intermittent cyclical etidronate therapy (ICET) (31 patients) and a non-ICET group (32 patients).

Effects of diesel exhaust particle extracts on Th1 and Th2 immune responses in mice.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of extracts of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) on Th1 and Th2 immune responses. In order to separate compounds from DEP different in hydrophobicity, a single DEP sample was consecutively extracted with hexane (HEX-DEP), benzene (BEN-DEP), dichloromethane (DIC-DEP), methanol (MET-DEP), and 1M ammonia (AMM-DEP). The last unextracted residue (UNE-DEP) was also used to test its effect on immune responses.

Advanced renal cell carcinoma in which a combination of IFN-alpha and meloxicam was thought to be effective.

An 83-year-old man with left renal cell carcinoma (RCC; pT4N0M0) was treated with postoperative combined subcutaneous injection therapy of alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) and IFN gamma-1a (IFN-gamma-1a). Metastasis to the pleura occurred 3 months after surgery. The metastatic lesion grew while the treatment was changed to intramuscular injection of IFN-alpha-2b due to the presence of severe general malaise, which seemed to be caused by IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma therapy.

Changes in nitric oxide and expression of nitric oxide synthase in spinal cord after acute traumatic injury in rats.

The aim of this study was to observe the time course of NO production and NOS expression in the spinal cord following acute traumatic injury. Rat spinal cord was injured by extradural static weight-compression, which resulted in an incomplete transverse spinal cord lesion with paralysis of the lower extremities. Using this model, measurement of NO by microdialysis and Griess reaction and histological and immunohistochemical examinations using polyclonal antibodies to nNOS and iNOS were performed from immediately to 14 days after injury.

The adaptation of soleus and edl in a rat model of distraction osteogenesis: IGF-1 and fibrosis.

The distraction rate of 0.5 mm/day produces good osteogenesis in small rodents; however, the effects of this distraction rate on muscle are not well documented. We evaluated the soleus and the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) after two weeks of lengthening distraction osteogenesis (DO) at 0.

A novel water-soluble vitamin E derivative, 2-(alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)methyl-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-6-ol, protects against acute lung injury and mortality in endotoxemic rats.

Satisfactory therapy for acute lung injury related to endotoxemia remains to be established. However, in vivo antioxidant treatment with N-acetylcysteine reportedly suppresses acute lung injury and proinflammatory cytokine production induced by endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS). In addition, intrinsic vitamin E is protective against LPS-induced insults.

Comparative study between thromboembolism and total knee arthroplasty with or without tourniquet in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Introduction: To investigate whether the occurrence of pulmonary embolism (PE) and/or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are influenced by use of a tourniquet or not in the patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Patients And Methods: The patients were randomly divided into a with-tourniquet group (19 patients) and a without-tourniquet group (18 patients). In the first group, snowstorm-like echogenic particles were observed after deflation of the tourniquet in all patients according to the transesophageal echocardiography.

Abnormal echogenic findings detected by transesophageal echocardiography and cardiorespiratory impairment during total knee arthroplasty with tourniquet.

Background: In patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, intraoperative pulmonary embolic events are rare, and most occur following tourniquet deflation. This embolization can be observed using transesophageal echocardiography. However, the authors have encountered sudden decreases in arterial oxygen partial pressure while a tourniquet is still inflated.

Engineering of polyploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae for secretion of large amounts of fungal glucoamylase.

We engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells that produce large amounts of fungal glucoamylase (GAI) from Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi. To do this, we used the delta-sequence-mediated integration vector system and the heat-induced endomitotic diploidization method.

Study of the mechanism involved in angiogenesis and synovial cell proliferation in human synovial tissues of patients with rheumatoid arthritis using SCID mice.

To examine whether synovial cell proliferation is due to angiogenesis, we studied the relationship between the inhibition of synovial cell proliferation and an angiogenesis inhibitor, TNP-470, in human synovial tissues. Human synovial tissues were implanted into the back of SCID mice (SCID-HuAg mice). Sixteen mice were divided into two groups of eight mice each: the untreated group (vehicle group) and the TNP-470-treated group that received a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight by subcutaneous injection.

TNFalpha induces acetylation of p53 but attenuates its transcriptional activation in rheumatoid synoviocytes.

Synovial hyperplasia is an important feature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and we have reported that several transcription factors were highly activated in rheumatoid synoviocytes. The purpose of this study was to examine nuclear acetylation in synoviocytes as an activation marker and determine its role in cell activation. Autonomous acetylation of approximately 53 and 62 kDa nuclear proteins was detected in rheumatoid synoviocytes by anti-acetylated lysine specific antibody.

Molecular characterization of the PceA reductive dehalogenase of desulfitobacterium sp. strain Y51.

The tetrachloroethene (PCE) reductive dehalogenase (encoded by the pceA gene and designated PceA dehalogenase) of Desulfitobacterium sp. strain Y51 was purified and characterized. The expression of the enzyme was highly induced in the presence of PCE and trichloroethene (TCE).

Diesel exhaust particles enhance lung injury related to bacterial endotoxin through expression of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1.

Epidemiologic studies demonstrate acute and serious adverse effects of particulate air pollution on respiratory health, especially in people who are susceptible to bacterial infection. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. To provide experimental evidence for the epidemiologic data, we determined the effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEP), major participants in particulate pollutants, on lung injury related to bacterial endotoxin in mice.