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Notes: Activated caspase-3 is considered an important enzyme in the cell death pathway. To study the specific role of caspase-3 activation in neuronal cells, we generated a stable tetracycline-regulated SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cell line, which expressed a highly efficient self-activating chimeric␣caspase-3, consisting of the caspase-1 prodomain fused to the caspase-3 catalytic domain. Under expression-inducing conditions, we observed a time-dependent increase of processed caspase-3 by immunostaining for the active form of the enzyme, intracellular caspase-3 enzyme activity, as well as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. Induced expression of the caspase fusion protein showed predominantly caspase-3 activity without any apoptotic morphological changes. In contrast, staurosporine treatment of the same cells resulted in activation of multiple caspases and profound apoptotic morphology. Our work provides evidence that auto-activation of caspase-3 can be efficiently achieved with a longer prodomain and that neuronal cell apoptosis may require another caspase or activation of multiple caspase enzymes.

Notes: 1. Heavy alcohol consumption has been known as a risk factor for hypertension, although the mechanism by which alcohol intake causes hypertension remains elusive.2. We tested the hypothesis that brief exposure to ethanol augments vascular contractility through the stress response in human chorionic plate arteries.3. Human chorionic plate arteries were mounted in organ baths and exposed to 5% ethanol for 15, 30 or 45 min.4. Brief exposure for 45 min, but not 15 min, not only augmented contractility to KCl and 5-hydroxytryptamine 5 h after the end of exposure, but also increased the expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 70 in the tissues.5. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction showed gradual increases of hsp70 mRNA expression, but not heat shock cognate 70 (hsc70), hsp90α or glucose regulatory protein 78 (grp78) mRNA expression, in an exposure time-dependent manner 3 h after the end of exposure.6. These results indicate that ethanol augments vascular contractility through the stress response.

Notes: SUMMARY: Pharmacokinetic studies were performed in 10 stable kidney transplantation patients who received microemulsion formulation (Neoral®) of cyclosporine A (CsA) twice daily. No agents having pharmacokinetic effects on CsA had been used in these patients. The values of various basic pharmacokinetic parameters were similar to those reported in Western literature. The complete area under the blood concentration–time curve (AUC) of CsA for the duration of 12 h (12-h AUC) was determined using the linear trapezoidal rule from seven concentrations at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 h after CsA administration. The mean values of 12-h AUC were 4603.63 ± 344.61 ng h/mL. CsA concentrations at 2 h after dosing (not the trough levels) showed the best correlation with the complete AUC (r2 = 0.9322). The abbreviated AUC of CsA was calculated either by stepwise multiple linear regression analysis or by the linear trapezoidal rule from a few sampling time points. Using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, which was used in calculating abbreviated AUC in all previous studies, the model equation that had the highest correlation and the lowest prediction error with the complete AUC was derived by using CsA concentrations at 2 and 8 h after dosing (12-h AUC = 4.262C2 + 8.390C8− 669.417; r2 = 0.9808, absolute prediction error = 3.97 ± 0.96). Two model equations derived using the linear trapezoidal rule provided the best correlation with the complete AUC: (1) The two time points selected model equation 12-h AUC = 4C2 + 5C8; r2 = 0.9780, absolute prediction error = 6.41 ± 1.22). (2) The three time points selected model equation 12-h AUC = 4C0 + 3C2 + 5C6; r2 = 0.9475, absolute prediction error = 5.00 ± 1.41). When different pharmacokinetic data sets were applied to the model equations derived using regression analysis, the values of coefficients and the constant of the regression equation had changed from the initial equation. Thus, new model equations will emerge every time the new data are applied. In contrast, the values of coefficients in the model equation calculated using trapezoidal rule were unaltered when tested by the new pharmacokinetic data set. Thus, the abbreviated AUC derived using the linear trapezoidal rule would be simpler than and superior to that obtained using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis in prediction of the complete AUC.

Notes: Mixed vegetable juice was acidified to a pH below 4 and subjected to pasteurization regimes between 80 and 100 °C. Hunter colour scale values (L, a and b) of the pasteurized samples were analysed to determine the kinetics of green and total colour degradation. The ‘a’ value was chosen as the physical parameter for green colour while ‘Lab’ represented the total colour. A concept, based on fractional conversion, was used for the determination of kinetic parameters. The results revealed that degradation of green and total colour of the acidified vegetable juice followed first-order kinetics. Temperature dependency of the rate constants for both the green and the total colour could be described by the Arrhenius relationship. The activation energies of green and total colour degradation were 49.19 and 29.00 kJ mol−1, respectively.

Notes: With the introduction of high pressure balloon inflations and antiplatelet therapy, the incidence of stent thrombosis has been markedly reduced, but the incidence of late stent restenosis has not. A new strategy may be local drug delivery, which maintains sustained local concentration and limits systemic complications. To evaluate the efficacy of local nitric oxide (NO) donor delivery on stent thrombosis and complications, local NO donor delivery was performed in stented patients. NO donor (2.0-mg molsidomine) was delivered (1.0 mL/min 〉 10 min) using the Dispatch Catheter after predilation of target lesions in 13 patients (6 angina, 7 myocardial infarction, age 53.1 ± 11.4 years). After local NO donor delivery, Palmaz-Schutz stents were placed using standard methods. Follow-up coronary angiograms were performed 48 hours and 6 months after stenting. None of the patients had hypotensive effects, ischemic symptoms, or ECG changes during and after local NO donor delivery. APTT and CK values were unchanged at 3 and 24 hours after local NO donor delivery and stenting. Follow-up coronary angiograms at 48 hours and 6 months showed all stents patent with TIMI III flow and without intrastent thrombus. No target lesion revascularization and 100% event-free survival were observed during the 6-month clinical follow-up period. Intracoronary stenting may be performed safely and effectively by local NO donor delivery prior to stent implantation.

Notes: Background  A keloid results from excessive collagen deposition, the cause of which remains elusive. A thorough understanding of the pathophysiology of keloid tissue can help determine the most appropriate treatment strategy.Objectives  To assess the differences in gene expression between keloids and adjacent normal skin in order to define the genes involved in keloid formation.Methods  Three Korean patients with keloids underwent excision of the keloid and adjacent normal skin, which was used as the control. We investigated expression patterns of genes in the keloids and the normal skin using cDNA microarray and in situ hybridization techniques.Results  Nine genes in the keloid tissue were consistently upregulated over the 2·0 ratio compared with the normal control from the cDNA microarray composed of 3063 clones: collagen type I α1 (〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_000088"〉NM_000088), DNA segment on chromosome 21 (unique) 2056 expressed sequence (D21S2056E, NNP-1, 〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_003683"〉NM_003683), suppressor of Ty 5 homologue (〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_003169"〉NM_003169), phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_032692"〉NM_032692), adenosine triphosphate synthase β (〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_001686"〉NM_001686), serine (or cysteine) proteinase inhibitor, clade H (heat shock protein 47, 〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_001235"〉NM_001235), LIV-1 protein, oestrogen regulated (LIV-1, 〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_012319"〉NM_012319), interleukin-11 receptor α (IL11RA, 〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_004512"〉NM_004512) and carbonyl reductase 3 (CBR3, 〈accessionId ref="info:ddbj-embl-genbank/NM_001236"〉NM_001236). From the in situ hybridization study, the staining signals in the keloid tissue hybridized with anti sense probes of NNP-1 mRNA were stronger than signals in normal controls. Further, endothelial epithelium, but not the epidermis, expressed the signal equally in both keloid and normal control tissue.Conclusions  We identified nine upregulated genes in keloid tissue using cDNA microarray. Of the nine, the NNP-1 gene was confirmed by topological information using the in situ hybridization technique. We conclude that these nine genes, especially NNP-1, probably contribute either directly or indirectly to keloid formation.

Notes: Surface-energy-induced secondary or tertiary recrystallization by grains with a specific surface plane can be freely governed in thin-gauged 3% Si–Fe strips by controlling the bulk content of sulfur and annealing atmosphere. During a vacuum or hydrogen annealing process, a convex profile in segregated-sulfur concentration is formed due to evaporation or desorption of segregated sulfur as a hydrogen sulfide, corresponding to a trough in magnetic induction. High magnetic induction is obtained after the annealing treatments. Final annealing under an argon atmosphere caused a saturation in segregated-sulfur concentration with annealing time. Under this extremely high segregated sulfur, grains of high index crystal plane including {111} continued to grow, resulting in low magnetic induction. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The effects of heating rate and surface oxidation on magnetic induction of thin-gauged 3% Si–Fe strips have been investigated. Magnetic induction increased with increasing final annealing temperature. Before and after 1150 °C, the planar orientation of grains shifted from (100)[011] to (110)[001], resulting in magnetic induction higher than 1.90 T. Magnetic induction after final annealing was higher in case of a faster heating rate. This is because enough time for growth of (110) grains is given in the case. Irrespective of transient annealing temperature, magnetic induction after final annealing was mostly higher than 1.90 T. A maximum, 1.97 T, was obtained at a transient annealing temperature of 800 °C. This is because iron oxide formed at 800 °C inhibited the surface-energy-induced selective growth of (100)[011] grains during heating up to 1200 °C. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Neural network is considered as a parameter estimation tool in plasma controls for next generation tokamak such as ITER. The neural network has been reported to be so accurate and fast for plasma equilibrium identification that it may be applied to the control of complex tokamak plasmas. For this application, the reliability of the conventional neural network needs to be improved. In this study, a new idea of double neural network is developed to achieve this. The new idea has been applied to simple plasma position identification of KSTAR tokamak for feasibility test. Characteristics of the concept show higher reliability and fault tolerance even in severe faulty conditions, which may make neural network applicable to plasma control reliably and widely in future tokamaks. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: A Thomson scattering system on the Hanbit magnetic mirror device has been installed to measure the electron temperature and density of the plasma in the central cell. The configuration is based on a standard 90° scattering scheme. The optical system consists of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, input optics, collection optics, spectrograph optics, detectors, and a data acquisition system. Although the laser beam path is about 50 m long and the background emissions are not low, the electron temperature measurements have been made at a single point on a shot-by-shot basis, in which the stray light was considerably suppressed by using a beam dump, a viewing dump, and baffles. The measured electron temperature is about 50–70 eV in experiments for plasma production and heating by ICRF of 200-kW-rf power using a slot antenna. A description of the installed system and the experimental results are presented. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.