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Biomedical subjects

B E Sobel

Publications and source records attributed to B E Sobel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Automated, on-line quantification of left ventricular dimensions and function by echocardiography with backscatter imaging and lateral gain compensation.

To provide on-line quantification of left ventricular cavity dimensions and function by echocardiography 60 control subjects and 10 patients with cardiac dysfunction were studied. A novel, ultrasound imaging system was used which was developed to detect and track, in real time, ventricular endocardial blood boundaries based on quantitative assessment of acoustic properties of tissue. In addition, lateral gain compensation, a robust and novel image enhancement procedure, was used to provide instantaneous measurement and display of cavity areas and functional indexes on a beat-by-beat basis within regions of interest drawn around the blood pool cavity. In control subjects, short-axis end-diastolic area averaged 13.1 +/- 3.7 cm2 (SD), end-systolic area 5.9 +/- 2.7 cm2, and fractional area change 55.6 +/- 11.2%. Apical views yielded corresponding values of 23.8 +/- 4.5 cm2, 15.5 +/- 3.4 cm2 and 34.7 +/- 7.8%. Instantaneous peak rate of cavity area change approximated 50 cm2/s in systole and 60 cm2/s in diastole in each view. Serial measurements of area and functional index were reproducible over intervals of 2 to 3 weeks. Patients with dilated ventricles exhibited average apical view area values of 49.1 +/- 6.1 cm2 and 43.1 +/- 4.9 cm2 in diastole and systole with a fractional area change of 12.2 +/- 3.0%. Thus, results with on-line echocardiographic backscatter imaging-assisted automated edge detection are reproducible and capable of delineating cardiac dysfunction conveniently, promptly and serially at the bedside.

Adult

Post-transcriptional regulation of expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 mRNA by insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1.

In humans and non-human primates, alternative cleavage and polyadenylation of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) pre-mRNA transcripts results in two forms of mature mRNA, an unstable 3.2-kilobase (kb) form, and a relatively more stable 2.2-kb form. Insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) increase steady state levels of PAI-1 mRNA in Hep G2 cells independently and synergistically. In the present study we found that the rate of transcription of the PAI-1 gene is not affected by insulin, IGF-1, or both but that insulin prolongs the half-life of the 3.2-kb PAI-1 mRNA species 2.7-fold without affecting the half-life of the 2.2-kb species. In contrast IGF-1, alone or with insulin, markedly prolongs the half-lives of both species. Our results demonstrate a novel mechanism of regulation of expression of the PAI-1 gene by insulin and IGF-1 operating at the post-transcriptional level.

Animals

Quantitative ultrasonic imaging: tissue characterization and instantaneous quantification of cardiac function.

Quantitative myocardial tissue characterization is being developed to complement and expand conventional echocardiography by delineating the physical state of myocardium under diverse pathophysiologic conditions. Real-time quantitative integrated backscatter imaging has already been applied to patients with ischemic heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and cardiac allograft rejection in clinical investigations performed in the United States, Europe, and Japan. A recently introduced modification of imaging processing algorithms employed for characterization of tissue facilitates automatic detection of endocardial-blood interfaces and on-line quantification of ventricular size and function. Further progress and anticipated developments in quantitative ultrasonic imaging will undoubtedly augment the clinical applications of tissue characterizations based on myocardial integrated backscatter for improved diagnosis, elucidation of pathophysiology, and assessment of cardiac function.

Animals

After ISIS-3.

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Humans

Determinants of induction of increased synthesis of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 in human endothelial cells by t-PA.

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) induces synthesis of a rapidly acting inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in culture. In vivo, an analogous process may induce negative feedback on the fibrinolytic system. To define specific determinants in the t-PA molecule contributing to the induction, PAI-1 synthesis was characterized in 35S-methionine labeled HUVEC in response to several molecular variants of t-PA. Catalytically active variants devoid of several specific structural domains in the A-chain retained the capacity to form complexes with PAI-1 and to induce increased concentrations of total PAI-1 (free and complexed) in conditioned media without depleting PAI-1 from the extracellular matrix. Surprisingly, a mutant t-PA with markedly reduced catalytic activity reflecting replacement of the active site serine with threonine (S478T) formed complexes with PAI-1 and induced increased PAI-1 synthesis as well. However, in contrast to wild-type t-PA and A-chain variants, it did not release 35S-methionine labeled PAI-1 from the extracellular matrix. Thus, its effects appeared to reflect increased secretion exclusively. Our results suggest that induction of PAI-1 synthesis in HUVEC by t-PA depends on its protease domain but that an active site serine is not a requirement.

Binding Sites

Synergistic induction of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 in HEP G2 cells by thrombin and transforming growth factor-beta.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) is a physiologic modulator of the fibrinolytic system. Its activity in plasma increases in diverse thrombotic states. The large synthetic capacity of the liver make it a source of potentially large amounts of PAI-1. Because thrombin activity increases in association with thrombotic disorders and because specific binding sites for thrombin have been identified on hepatocytes, we characterized the effect of thrombin on hepatocyte PAI-1 production. Incubation of Hep G2 cells with human alpha-thrombin resulted in a dose- and time-dependent increase in the concentration of PAI-1 in conditioned media. This effect was inhibited completely by hirudin and by antithrombin III. Steady-state levels of both the 3.2-kb and 2.2-kb forms of PAI-1 mRNA increased after stimulation of the cells with thrombin, indicating that thrombin influences PAI-1 expression in Hep G2 cells at the pretranslational level. Incubation of Hep G2 cells with alpha-thrombin and either platelet lysates or purified transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), both previously shown to augment hepatocyte PAI-1 expression, resulted in a synergistic increase in the concentration of PAI-1 in conditioned media. PAI-1 mRNA appeared to be synergistically increased as well. Thus, thrombin increases expression of both PAI-1 protein and mRNA in Hep G2 cells and exerts synergistic effects with TGF-beta. These results underscore the potential importance of inhibition of thrombin under conditions in which thrombolysis is induced pharmacologically.

Antithrombin III

Differentiation of normal and ischemic right ventricular myocardium with quantitative two-dimensional integrated backscatter imaging.

We have previously shown that ultrasonic tissue characterization with two-dimensional (2D) guided M-Mode acquisition of integrated backscatter (IB) identifies ischemic and infarcted myocardium. However, there is no information regarding the applicability of IB in assessment of right ventricular (RV) myocardial acoustic properties. Thus, we performed IB imaging of the RV in a group of 45 consecutive patients and were successful in 16, all of whom had normal RV wall motion. This group was compared to 8 additional patients studied acutely with clinical criteria of RV infarction. Real-time IB from RV was obtained from parasternal long axis or subcostal views. Diastolic-to-systolic cyclic variation of IB in normals was 4.8 +/- 0.9 dB (+/- SD). No significant difference was observed between parasternal and subcostal views (5.2 +/- 0.8 and 4.5 +/- 0.9 dB). Mean value of delay (R wave to nadir of backscatter normalized to the electrocardiographic Q-T interval) was 0.85 +/- 0.07. Patients with RV infarction had significantly lower values averaging 3.2 +/- 0.8 dB (p less than 0.001 vs. normals); cyclic variation of IB was present in all despite severe hypokinesis in 4/8. Mean value of normalized delay was 0.80 +/- 0.04 and was not different from normals. Thus, tissue characterization provides quantitative information regarding RV myocardial structure and function. Preservation of IB cyclic variation in patients with RV infarction suggests residual RV myocardial viability.

Coronary Disease

Functional recovery after coronary revascularization for chronic coronary artery disease is dependent on maintenance of oxidative metabolism.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to define the importance of maintenance of oxidative metabolism as a descriptor and determinant of functional recovery after revascularization in patients with left ventricular dysfunction attributable to chronic coronary artery disease. BACKGROUND: Although myocardial accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose indicates the presence of tissue that is metabolically active, it may not identify those metabolic processes required for restoration of myocardial contractility. Experimental studies suggest that, under conditions of ischemia and reperfusion, maintenance of myocardial oxidative metabolism is an important metabolic determinant of the capacity for functional recovery. METHODS: In 16 patients positron emission tomography was performed to characterize myocardial perfusion (with H(2)15O), oxidative metabolism (with 11C-acetate) and utilization of glucose (with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose). Dysfunctional but viable myocardium was differentiated from nonviable myocardium on the basis of assessments of regional function before and after coronary revascularization. To define the importance of coronary revascularization on myocardial perfusion and metabolism, tomography was repeated in 11 patients after revascularization. RESULTS: Before revascularization, perfusion in 24 dysfunctional but viable myocardial segments and 29 nonviable segments averaged 79% and 74%, respectively, of that in 42 normal myocardial segments (both p less than 0.01). Dysfunctional but viable myocardium exhibited oxidative metabolism comparable to that in normal myocardium. In contrast, in nonviable myocardium, oxidative metabolism was only 66% of that in normal (p less than 0.01) and 69% of that in reversibly dysfunctional myocardium (p less than 0.003). Regional utilization of glucose normalized to regional perfusion in dysfunctional but viable myocardium was greater than that in normal myocardium (p less than 0.01). However, in both reversibly and persistently dysfunctional myocardium, utilization of glucose normalized to relative perfusion was markedly variable. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that preservation of oxidative metabolism is a necessary condition for recovery of function after coronary recanalization in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. Consequently, approaches that measure myocardial oxygen consumption, such as dynamic positron emission tomography with 11C-acetate, should facilitate the identification of those patients most likely to benefit from coronary revascularization.

Adult

Nature and time course of generation of isoforms of creatine kinase, MB fraction in vivo.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to characterize the nature and time course of carboxy-terminal lysine cleavages from the tissue isoform of MB creatine kinase (CK) in vivo. BACKGROUND: Rapid conversion of the tissue isoform of MM CK to two additional circulating isoforms with one or both carboxy-terminal lysines cleaved facilitates early detection of new tissue isoform release after acute myocardial infarction and coronary recanalization. Characterization of changes in plasma MB CK isoform profiles, potentially enhancing specificity even further, has been hindered by difficulties in separating the isoform products and elucidation of carboxy-terminal lysine cleavages underlying their formation. METHODS: Isoform species with carboxy-terminal lysine present on B-monomers were separated from those from which lysine had been cleaved by anion exchange chromatography. Carboxy-terminal lysine on M-monomers was assayed with the use of a monospecific antibody. RESULTS: MB CK in four pooled plasma samples from among 77 normal subjects exhibited carboxy-terminal lysine on 48 +/- 21% (mean +/- SEM) of B-monomers and 82 +/- 12% of M-monomers. Within the 1st 16 h after the onset of acute myocardial infarction, virtually all M- and B-monomers exhibited carboxy-terminal lysine, indicating release into plasma and the lack of rapid cleavage of lysine from the tissue isoform. After 20 to 30 h, 43 +/- 9% (three pools from 19 patients) of B-monomers and 95 +/- 10% of M-monomers exhibited lysine at the carboxyl terminus. After 40 to 50 h, 13 +/- 13% (four pools from 34 patients) of B-monomers and 46 +/- 19% of M-monomers still retained carboxy-terminal lysine. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to MM CK, the tissue isoform of MB CK undergoes slow cleavage of lysine from both monomers in vivo. Sequential cleavage of lysine first from the carboxyl terminus of B-monomers and subsequently from M-monomers is consistent with generation of at least two additional isoforms. Development of assays capable of resolving all of the isoforms of MB CK that can occur in vivo might increase sensitivity for early detection of new tissue isoform release associated with acute myocardial infarction and coronary recanalization compared with currently available assays that resolve only two species.

Chromatography, Ion Exchange

Dependence of recovery of contractile function on maintenance of oxidative metabolism after myocardial infarction.

This study was performed to define the importance of maintenance of oxidative metabolism as a descriptor and determinant of the potential for functional recovery after revascularization in patients with recent myocardial infarction. In 11 patients (mean interval after infarction 6 days; 5 patients given thrombolytic therapy), positron emission tomography (PET) was performed to characterize myocardial perfusion (with oxygen-15-labeled water), glucose utilization (with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose) and oxidative metabolism (with carbon-11-acetate). Dysfunctional but viable myocardium was differentiated from nonviable myocardium by assessments of regional function before and after coronary revascularization. The impact of coronary revascularization on regional myocardial perfusion and metabolism was assessed in nine patients in whom tomography was repeated after revascularization. Before revascularization, dysfunctional but viable myocardium (19 segments) and nonviable myocardium (10 segments) exhibited relative perfusion equivalent to 74% and 63% of that of normal myocardium (33 segments), respectively (p less than 0.02). Dysfunctional but viable myocardium exhibited oxidative metabolism equivalent to 74% of that of normal myocardium (p less than 0.02). In contrast, in nonviable myocardium, oxidative metabolism was only 45% of that seen in normal (p less than 0.02) and 60% of that in reversibly dysfunctional myocardium (p less than 0.003). Regional glucose utilization (normalized to regional perfusion) in dysfunctional but viable myocardium was higher than that in normal myocardium (p less than 0.02). Nonviable myocardium exhibited lower levels of glucose utilization than did normal tissue (p less than 0.02). However, in both reversibly and persistently dysfunctional myocardium utilization of glucose normalized to relative perfusion was markedly variable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Activation of prothrombin accompanying thrombolysis with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator.

Increases in thrombin activity in patients given fibrinolytic agents for acute myocardial infarction have been shown to be important in limiting the ultimate success of coronary thrombolysis. The present study was designed to determine whether increases in thrombin activity reflect, in part, activation of prothrombin accompanying thrombolysis. Plasma concentrations of prothrombin fragment 1.2, a polypeptide released when prothrombin is activated by factor Xa, were measured in 22 patients with acute myocardial infarction before and after treatment with 100 mg of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA). Concentrations of prothrombin fragment 1.2 increased from 0.83 +/- 1.1 nM (mean +/- SD) before rt-PA infusion to 1.5 +/- 1.5 nM 2 h after initiation of the infusion (p less than 0.05). After a 5,000-U intravenous dose of heparin given at the end of the infusion of rt-PA, concentrations of prothrombin fragment 1.2 decreased from 1.8 +/- 1.5 to 1.1 +/- 0.9 nM (n = 20, p less than 0.05), although values were still increased compared with concentrations before rt-PA. These results indicate that thrombin activity increases in patients given rt-PA at least in part because of activation of the coagulation system leading to activation of prothrombin. Thus, inhibition of the reactions involving coagulant proteins that lead to activation of prothrombin may be of value as conjunctive treatment to potentiate the efficacy of pharmacologic thrombolysis.

Blood Coagulation

"Plasminogen steal" and clot lysis.

Although initially developed to reduce the risk of bleeding, second-generation (clot-selective) thrombolytic agents have been found to induce more prompt and frequent recanalization than do nonselective, first-generation agents. To determine whether they do so in part by preserving clot-associated plasminogen, human whole blood clots formed in Chandler tubes were studied. Addition of suprapharmacologic concentrations of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) to the media bathing mature clots led to a paradoxic impairment of clot lysis and a concomitant concentration-dependent depletion of clot-associated plasminogen (Western blot analysis). In contrast, supplementation of the plasma with plasminogen (0.27 mg/ml) led to significant conservation of both plasma and clot-associated plasminogen (p less than or equal to 0.05, n = 4), and prevented the diminution of clot lysis (p less than or equal to 0.05; n = 4). Fibrinogen degradation products did not account for the attenuation of lysis with the highest concentrations of rt-PA. In concentrations equivalent to those that were induced by the highest concentrations of rt-PA evaluated, fibrinogen degradation products potentiated rather than inhibited lysis (p less than or equal to 0.05, n = 4), probably by stimulating rt-PA activity directly. When preformed clots were incubated with plasminogen-depleted plasma plus 1,000 ng/ml rt-PA, the plasminogen content in residual clot declined (9.36 +/- 0.46 versus 12.39 +/- 0.69 ng/mg clot found in nondepleted plasma; p less than or equal to 0.05; n = 6). Furthermore, clot lysis was attenuated completely.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Coagulation

Abnormal myocardial acoustic properties in diabetic patients and their correlation with the severity of disease.

Although patients with diabetes mellitus may be afflicted by cardiomyopathy, its prevalence and nature are controversial. Studies have shown that fibrosis alters the acoustic properties of the heart in animals and humans and that the changes are detectable by cardiac tissue characterization with ultrasound. The present study was performed to characterize myocardial acoustic properties in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes to determine whether ultrasound tissue characterization could detect changes potentially indicative of occult cardiomyopathy. The magnitude of cyclic variation of myocardial ultrasound integrated backscatter and its phase delay with respect to the onset of the cardiac cycle in the septum and posterior wall of the left ventricle were measured in 54 patients with diabetes who had no overt cardiac disease. Conventional echocardiography documented normal ventricular systolic function in 96%. As compared with results in age-matched patients without diabetes studied previously, cyclic variation of integrated backscatter was reduced (4.6 +/- 0.8 vs. 3.6 +/- 1.4 dB; p less than 0.001). In addition, delay was significantly increased (0.86 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.99 +/- 0.15). The primary analysis of the data focused on differences among the diabetic patients. Reduction of cyclic variation of backscatter was greatest in patients with diabetes who had neuropathy (3.2 +/- 1.0 dB; p less than 0.001) as was the increase in delay (1.04 +/- 0.16, p less than 0.001 vs. values in patients without neuropathy). Retinopathy and nephropathy were associated with abnormal myocardial acoustic properties as well. Thus, abnormalities that may reflect fibrosis or other occult cardiomyopathic changes in diabetic patients without overt heart disease are readily detectable by myocardial tissue characterization with ultrasound and parallel the severity of noncardiac diabetic complications.

Cardiomyopathies

On-line assessment of ventricular function by automatic boundary detection and ultrasonic backscatter imaging.

To provide an approach suitable for on-line analysis of ventricular function, a conventional two-dimensional ultrasound imaging system was modified to detect and track blood-tissue interfaces in real time based on their quantitative acoustic properties. This modification permitted on-line display of the left ventricular cavity area, fractional area change, volumes and ejection fraction on a beat by beat basis. Images were obtained from 54 patients and 12 normal subjects with broad ranges of ventricular dimensions and systolic function. On-line measurements of cavity areas were compared with off-line measurements of cavity areas (analysis of videotaped conventional images). Left ventricular cavity areas measured on-line from short-axis views correlated closely with off-line views as did areas from apical views. On-line fractional area change correlated well with ejection fraction calculated off-line. More than 70% of patients could be studied adequately with the approach developed. Thus, automatic boundary detection based on quantitative assessment of tissue acoustic properties permits on-line quantitation of ventricular cavity areas and indexes of function.

Algorithms

Quantitative assessment of lipoprotein metabolism by positron emission tomography with an 18F-containing residualizing label.

Residualizing labels for proteins are designed to remain entrapped within cells following uptake and degradation of the carrier protein. In the present work we report the synthesis of a novel residualizing label, N-lactitol-S-([18F]fluorophenacyl)-cysteamine ([18F]LCSH, and its use for quantifying the accumulation of low density lipoprotein in tissues in vivo by positron emission tomography (PET). The retention of degradation products in tissues from lipoprotein or from other rapidly catabolized protein pharmaceuticals tagged with [18F]LCSH reduces leakage of tracer into the plasma compartment. Thus, residualizing labels provide a valuable tool for enhancing signal-to-noise ratios, even during the relatively short interval of PET studies.

Animals

Identification of human myocardial infarction in vitro based on the frequency dependence of ultrasonic backscatter.

It has been reported previously that acute and mature myocardial infarction in dogs can be differentiated in vitro and in vivo by ultrasonic tissue characterization based on measurement of the frequency dependence of ultrasonic backscatter. To characterize human infarction with an index of the frequency dependence of backscatter that could be obtained in patients, cylindrical biopsy specimens from 7 normal regions and 12 regions of infarction of 6 fixed, explanted human hearts in 2-deg steps around their entire circumference with a 5-MHz broadband transducer were insonified. One to six consecutive transmural levels were studied for each specimen. The dependence of apparent (uncompensated for attenuation or beam width) backscatter, /B(f)/2, on frequency (f) was computed from spectral analyses of radio-frequency data as /B(f)/2 = afn, where from theoretical considerations the magnitude of n decreases as scatterer size increases. Apparent integrated backscatter was computed as the average of /B(f)/2 from 3 to 7 MHz. The average value for n for normal tissue (0.9 +/- 0.1) exceeded that for tissue from regions of infarction (0.6 +/- 0.1; p less than 0.05). Infarct manifested a significant decrease of n from epicardial to endocardial levels (epi----mid----endo: 0.9----0.7----0.2; p less than 0.05) whereas normal tissue manifested similar values for n at each transmural level (0.8----1.1----0.9; p = NS). Average integrated backscatter across all transmural levels for infarct was significantly greater than for normal tissue (-48.3 +/- 0.5 vs -53.4 +/- 0.4 dB, infarct versus normal; p less than 0.05). The presence of fibrosis was associated with smaller values of n and greater integrated backscatter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Humans

Augmented arterial wall expression of type-1 plasminogen activator inhibitor induced by thrombosis.

Type-1 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), the primary physiological inhibitor of endogenous plasminogen activators, modulates fibrinolysis, cell migration, and tissue repair. To determine whether genetic expression of PAI-1 is augmented in the walls of vessels exposed to thrombi but not to a direct physical insult such as electrical injury, we induced arterial thrombosis in rabbit carotid arteries with intraluminal surgical silk sutures and performed in situ hybridization for PAI-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) and immunohistochemistry for PAI-1 antigen at selected intervals. PAI-1 activity in plasma remained virtually constant. In contrast, PAI-1 mRNA increased in endothelial cells juxtaposed to thrombi, in smooth muscle cells adjacent to the neointima, and in macrophages surrounding the suture material. PAI-1 protein was detected in regions in which PAI-1 mRNA was expressed. The increased expression of PAI-1 mRNA colocalized with PAI-1 protein in the endothelium juxtaposed to thrombi may potentiate thrombosis by shifting the local balance between fibrinolysis and thrombosis toward thrombosis. Furthermore, it may alter vascular remodeling and predispose to stenosis after interventions such as angioplasty, in which local thrombosis cannot be avoided.

Animals