Aged rats lose vasoprotective and anti-inflammatory actions of estrogen in injured arteries.

Objective: 17beta-estradiol (E2) negatively modulates neointima formation, leukocyte infiltration, and proinflammatory mediator expression after vascular injury in young (10-wk-old) ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Trials of E2 in elderly postmenopausal women have not confirmed a vasoprotective effect. This study tested the hypothesis that responsiveness to E2 is lost in injured arteries of aged (12-mo-old) OVX rats.

JAB1 determines the response of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts to tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA FLSs) exhibit prosurvival, rather than apoptotic, response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha stimulation. Here, we show that JAB1 is a critical regulator of the TNF-alpha-mediated anti-apo-ptosis pathways in RA FLSs. We found that knockdown of JAB1 using small interfering (si)RNA led to restoration of the TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis response, reduction of nuclear factor-kappaB activity, delayed degradation of IkappaB-alpha, and inhibited phosphorylation of JNK.

Increased dietary salt activates rat aortic endothelium.

The function of vascular endothelium as a biomechanical sensor permits alterations in gene expression in the vascular tree in response to wall stress. The present study explored the mechanism by which the arterial endothelium responds to changes in dietary salt. Normotensive rats were fed diets containing varying amounts of NaCl for 4 days.

Novel methods to evaluate controlled reperfusion techniques in cardiac surgery.

Background: This manuscript describes two novel techniques that may be useful for comparing methods to reperfuse the heart during cardiac operations. These techniques are based on measurements of intra-myocyte ion content and the analysis of reperfusion arrhythmias.

Methods: Myocyte ion content was measured in normal porcine hearts before and after ischemia (cardioplegic arrest, CP arrest) using atomic absorption spectroscopy.

Endothelial dysfunction in the pulmonary vascular bed.

The pulmonary endothelium modulates vascular tone by the release of endothelium-derived constricting (EDCF) and relaxing (EDRF) factors, among them endothelin-1, nitric oxide, prostacyclin, and putative endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors. Abnormalities in EDCF and EDRF generation have been demonstrated in a number of cardiopulmonary disease states, such as primary and secondary pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive lung disease, cardiopulmonary bypass, and congestive heart failure. An imbalance between EDCF and EDRF, termed "pulmonary endothelial dysfunction," may contribute to the alteration in vascular tone characteristic of pulmonary disease.

Diagnosis and treatment of esophagitis in AIDS.

At least 30% of patients with AIDS experience esophageal symptoms at some point during the course of HIV infection. The aim of this review is to provide a practical approach to the evaluation and therapy of esophagitis in AIDS.

The C3H/HeJBir mouse model: a high susceptibility phenotype for colitis.

C3H/HeJBir is a substrain of C3H/HeJ mice that was generated by selective breeding for the phenotype of spontaneous colitis. These mice show increased B cell and T cell reactivity to antigens of the enteric bacterial flora. CD4+ T cells from this strain cause colitis, when activated by enteric bacterial antigens and transferred to histocompatible severe combined immunodeficient recipients.

EGF receptor signaling in prostate morphogenesis and tumorigenesis.

The growth and differentiation of the prostate gland are largely dependent on extracellular signaling factors. In addition to androgens, many polypeptide growth factors function through autocrine or paracrine networks. The paracrine interaction between stromal and epithelial cells is critical for androgen regulation, morphogenesis, epithelial cell proliferation, and secretory differentiation.

Ep-Cam levels in prostatic adenocarcinoma and prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia.

Purpose: The monoclonal antibody (mAb) 323/A3, a second generation high affinity antibody of the 17-1A antibody family, recognizes a 40 kDa transmembrane glycoprotein that has been referred to as Ep-CAM, 17-1A recognized antigen, or EGP40. While Ep-CAM is expressed on the basolateral surface of a variety of epithelia, the strongest expression is frequently detected among several types of carcinoma. In this regard, Ep-CAM may be useful in therapy, in diagnosis, and/or in prognosis.

Clinical aspects of ECL-cell abnormalities.

ECL cell hyperplasia results from hypergastrinemia, and in man this occurs due to achlorhydria in atrophic gastritis (pernicious anemia [PA]) and gastrinoma (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome [ZES]). Progression to neoplasia, i.e.

Hepatocyte growth factor and Madin-Darby canine kidney cells: in vitro models of epithelial cell movement and morphogenesis.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that epithelial cell movement and changes in morphology are central to both development and regeneration of epithelial organs and are involved with pathological processes such as transformation of epithelia to carcinoma and metastasis. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a mesenchymally derived growth factor with pleiotrophic effects on epithelia depending on culture conditions. In vivo, HGF plays a role in mesenchymal-epithelial interactions.

Immunoaffinity localization of the enzyme xanthine oxidase on the outside surface of the endothelial cell plasma membrane.

Background: Reactive oxygen metabolites generated from endothelial xanthine oxidase (XO) trigger reperfusion injury in many organs. We evaluated the possibility that endothelial XO was localized on the endothelial cell surface, as well as within the cytoplasm.

Methods: Primary cultures of bovine (BAECs) and porcine (PAECs) aortic endothelial cells were grown in media documented to be free of XO.

Clenbuterol and anabolic steroids: a previously unreported cause of myocardial infarction with normal coronary arteriograms.

During the last 10 years, several cases of myocardial infarction associated with anabolic steroid use have been reported. Postulated mechanisms to explain this association have included changes in lipid levels, the fibrinolytic system, and platelet aggregation. Clenbuterol is a beta 2-agonist with anabolic properties that has not been seen previously with myocardial infarction.

Surgical management of impacted third molars.

Teeth may become impacted when they fail to erupt or develop into the proper functional location. As such, impacted teeth are considered nonfunctional, abnormal, and pathological. The mandibular third molar is the most common tooth to become impacted.

Neoral conversion from Sandimmune in maintenance renal transplant patients: an individualized approach.

When converting maintenance renal allograft recipients from Sandimmune (cyclosporin A [CsA]) to Neoral (CsA-microemulsion [CsA-ME]), a dose conversion ratio of 1:1 may not be optimal, in part because of the variability in absorption of the CsA formulation of cyclosporine. After conversion using a 1:1 dose ratio, an individualized approach to the management of dosing was applied. In this article, close monitoring, which began at the time of conversion, and rapid response to potentially meaningful changes in cyclosporine trough levels early in the postconversion course were used to maintain patients' cyclosporine troughs at preconversion levels.

A pilot study of smokeless tobacco in smoking cessation.

Purpose: The substitution of smokeless tobacco for cigarette smoking is a harm reduction alternative for inveterate smokers and reduces others' passive exposure to smoke. Two million smokers have used smokeless tobacco to quit on their own, but no formal program has employed this method of smoking cessation. We conducted a pilot study to determine if smokeless tobacco could be successfully employed in a smoking cessation program.

Tooth structure loss apical to preparations for fixed partial dentures when using self-limiting burs.

Statement Of Problem: Burs with guide pins may be used to limit the depth of tooth preparation for fixed partial dentures. The effects of guide pins on tooth structure apical to the finish line after tooth preparation for fixed partial dentures has not been recorded.

Purpose: This in vitro study recorded loss of tooth structure within 1.

Dietary salt modulates renal production of transforming growth factor-beta in rats.

Transforming growth factors (TGF) are potent multifunctional polypeptides that are involved in renal function and glomerular sclerosis. We postulated that dietary salt modified renal production of TGF-beta. An increase in dietary salt produced sustained increases in steady-state levels of mRNA for TGF-beta 1, -beta 2, and -beta 3 in the rat kidney.

Nasal immunization of humans with dehydrated liposomes containing Streptococcus mutans antigen.

Five healthy female adult volunteers were intranasally immunized twice (7-day interval) with 250 micrograms of a crude glucosyltransferase (GTF) preparation from Streptococcus mutans in liposomes. Parotid saliva, nasal wash, and serum were collected prior to and at weekly intervals for 6 weeks following the first immunization for analysis of anti-GTF activity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The levels of IgA1 anti-GTF activity increased in the nasal wash from all five individuals after immunization.

Tacrine. A cause of fatal hepatotoxicity?

Tacrine, an acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, often causes reversible abnormalities in liver enzymes, but significant hepatotoxicity is uncommon. We describe fatal hepatic failure associated with tacrine administration. A 75-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease, taking tacrine for 14 months, developed progressive jaundice.