Osteoporosis is a multifactorial genetic disease which greatly increases the risk of bone fracture in elderly persons.
Four hundred and three recipients of a community health screening program were ...examined for the presence/absence of osteoporosis and 11 kinds of gene polymorphisms as a means of determining the relation between these gene polymorphisms and osteoporosis. The gene polymorphisms screened were: alcohol sensitivity-associated polymorphisms of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2) Arg47His, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) Glu487Lys, smoking sensitivity-associated polymorphisms of glutathione S transferase (GST) M1, (GST)T1, NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) C609T, inflammation-associated polymorphisms of interleukin-1beta (IL-1B)T-31C, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) T-1031C, endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) Glu298Asp, longevity-associated polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) 5178 A/C, allergy-associated polymorphism of interleukin-4 (IL-4), and immunity-associated polymorphism of CD14.
A significant association was found between the ALDH2Glu478Lys gene polymorphisms and osteoporosis. In the osteoporosis group of patients, a significant difference was noted between the Lys/Lys group and the group comprising Glu/Lys and Glu/Glu groups (namely, the genotypes including Glu alleles). In the Lys/Lys group, after age, sex, BMI, smoking history and alcohol consumption history had been adjusted for, the morbidity rate was significantly elevated odds ratio (OR): 3.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.28-8.71; p=0.014, and the effect was even more evident in the sub-group of women with osteoporosis (OR: 4.31; 95% CI: 1.24-14.92; p=0.021).
The present results suggest that active prophylactic interventions such as dietary, exercise, and pharmacological therapies should be offered to non-carriers of the Glu allele (Lys/Lys).
In the compensated state of congestive heart failure, the plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was slightly raised at 64 pg/ml (normal < 40 pg/ml).
A case of eosinophilic myocarditis following high serum levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) is described. A 27 year old woman was admitted with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III ...congestive heart failure. A haematological study showed hypereosinophilia with degranulation and vacuoles; the total eosinophil count was 7980/ml and the ECP serum concentration was noticeably high at 150 ng/ml. Endomyocardial biopsy from the right ventricle showed infiltration of eosinophils and dense deposits of ECP in the endocardium as well as the myocardium. Steroid treatment returned the total eosinophil count and serum ECP to normal, with satisfactory improvement in clinical features. Eosinophilia may cause cardiac damage, and this report confirms that eosinophil degranulation is toxic. Thus, serum ECP seems to be a reliable indicator for diagnosis and for determining treatment parameters of eosinophilic myocarditis.
We have developed an instrument that can simultaneously detect positive and negative scanning ion images of the same location on the same sample. It consists of a primary ion irradiating column, ...sample chamber, detection system for secondary ions and data processing and imaging system. The scanning ion probe uses a gallium liquid metal ion source with a sealed-cone-type reservoir. Positive and negative secondary ions sputtered from the same point on a sample by the scanned gallium ion beam are simultaneously extracted and converted into electrons at two separate ion–electron converters. The electrons are then accelerated toward scintillators to generate light signals, which are then detected by means of photomultipliers. The output signals of the negative and positive ion detector are then simultaneously processed by the data acquisition system in synchronization with the primary ion scanning signal.
J-104132 (+)-(5S,6R, 7R)-2-butyl-7-2-((2S)-2-carboxypropyl)-4-methoxyphenyl-5-(3, 4-methylenedioxyphenyl)cyclopenteno1,2-bpyridine-6-carboxylic; also referred to as L-753,037 is a potent, selective ...inhibitor of ETA and ETB endothelin (ET) receptors (e.g., Ki: cloned human ETA = 0.034 nM; cloned human ETB = 0.104 nM). In both ligand-binding and isolated tissue preparation protocols, the inhibition of ET receptors with J-104132 is reversible and competitive. In vitro, J-104132 is a potent antagonist of ET-1-induced accumulation of 3Hinositol phosphates in Chinese hamster ovary cells stably expressing cloned human ETA receptors (IC50 = 0.059 nM), ET-1-induced contractions in rabbit iliac artery (pA2 = 9.70) and of BQ-3020-induced contractions in pulmonary artery (pA2 = 10.14). J-104132 is selective for ET receptors because it had no effect on contractions elicited by norepinephrine or KCl in the vascular preparations. The in vivo potency of J-104132 was assessed using challenges with exogenous ET-1. In conscious mice, 5 nmol/kg i.v. ET-1 causes death. Pretreatment with J-104132 prevents the lethal response to ET-1 when administered i.v. (ED50 = 0.045 mg/kg) or p.o. in fed animals (ED50 = 0.35 mg/kg). In conscious, normotensive rats, pressor responses to 0.5 nmol/kg i.v. ET-1 are inhibited by J-104132 after i.v. (0.1 mg/kg) or p.o. (1 mg/kg) administration. In anesthetized dogs, ET-1 was administered directly into the renal artery or brachial artery to generate dose-response (blood flow) curves, and the inhibitory potency of J-104132 (i.v. infusion) was quantified. J-104132 produced greater than 10-fold shifts in the ET-1 dose-response curves at 0.03 mg/kg/h (renal) and 0.3 mg/kg/h (brachial). Oral bioavailability of J-104132 in rats was approximately 40%. These studies indicate that J-104132 is a selective, potent, orally active antagonist of both ETA and ETB receptors and is an excellent pharmacological tool to explore the therapeutic use of a mixed ETA/ETB receptor antagonist.
Multiple myeloma is manifested by a malignant proliferation of plasma cells producing a specific monoclonal immunoglobulin, referred to as an M component. The presence of two M components in the ...serum or urine (double gammopathy) in multiple myeloma constitutes an uncommon event. The author observed an unusual case of multiple myeloma with double gammopathy (IgA-kappa, IgA-lambda). By double immunofluorescence staining, 80% of kappa-positive myeloma cells were found to be lambda-positive. These results indicated that cells of common clonal origin produced monoclonal IgA of both kappa and lambda type. On the other hand, the two M components fell in a parallel fashion with a conventional chemotherapy. This concordant pattern which represents a common cell line producing both M components exactly coincided with the results of double immunofluorescence study. Generally speaking, interferons prolong the plateau phase but bring about no further reduction in the tumor load. In this case, however, a complete remission was induced with interferon-alpha 2a alone after a plateau phase achieved with a conventional chemotherapy. This fact indicates the effectiveness of interferon-alpha 2a in treating a part of patients with refractory multiple myeloma.
Identification using lip prints was first performed in the 1950s and was the subject of much research in the 1960s and 70s, leading to the acceptance of this technique as evidence in the criminal ...justice system. Previous research has focused on identifying lip print types or on methods of obtaining hidden lip prints left at the crime scene. The present study aimed to clarify characteristics of lip prints from cadavers with various causes of death (including drowning and hanging) and to determine the effects of fixation on post mortem changes in lip impressions.
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