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Biomedical subjects

E May

Publications and source records attributed to E May.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Regression of transplant coronary artery disease during chronic HELP therapy: a case study.

This report concerns a heart transplant patient with hypercholesterolemia who showed rapid development of a severe transplant coronary artery disease. The patient received 10 mg pravastatine per day. Quantitative coronary angiography analyses of 4 serial angiograms clearly demonstrated that in the first 2.5 years following surgery, there was a rapid simultaneous progression in both the transplant coronary disease, involving the entire coronary system, and the development of segmental stenotic lesions. During one year of weekly heparin-mediated extracorporeal LDL-cholesterol precipitation (HELP) therapy in addition to diet and pravastatine therapy, the serum low density lipoprotein (LDL), lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), and fibrinogen levels could be reduced from 185 +/- 45 mg/dl, 138 mg/dl and 248 mg/dl, respectively, to interval values of 136 +/- 17 mg/dl, 48 +/- 15 mg/dl, and 185 +/- 44 mg/dl, respectively [interval value = (the concentration after HELP + the concentration before the next HELP treatment):2]. This therapy halted further progression of coronary diameter throughout the whole coronary system and brought about marked regression of segmental obstructive lesions.

Arteriosclerosis↗
PubMed1995

Human estrogen receptor messenger RNA variants in both normal and tumor breast tissues.

By using the PCR-SSCP technique we characterized various ER-specific RNA species present in a series of primary breast cancers, as well as in cell lines established from breast carcinomas and in mammary gland tissues from healthy specimens. A series of six truncated messenger RNAs generated by alternative splicing was characterized. These RNAs correspond to specific deletions of one (exons 2-7, except exon 6) or two (exons 3 + 4) exons. All these RNA variants are observed in each one of the analyzed RNAs, regardless of origin. In addition, the relative amount of these different variants in ER + tumors is comparable to that measured in ER - tumors and healthy mammary gland tissues. This data suggests that tumor progression is not related to the emergence of any of the ER mRNA variants.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1995

Nonisotopic competitive RT-PCR assay to measure MDR1 gene expression.

We report an original application of competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the quantification of MDR1 mRNA in clinical specimens by simultaneous reverse transcription and PCR amplification of cellular RNA with decreasing amounts of an internal standard. The competitor RNA shares the same MDR1 primer sequences as the cellular mRNA, but yields a different-sized PCR product. This allows resolution of the amplified cDNA fragments after agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining. The concentration of MDR1 mRNA is derived from the ratio between the intensities of the bands corresponding to the amplified products. We have used this assay to measure MDR1 expression in breast carcinomas and assessed the precision, sensitivity, and accuracy of the method. Competitive RT-PCR is a simple, highly specific, nonradioactive procedure for the quantification of MDR1 mRNA and is particularly suitable for use in the clinical laboratory.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMed1992

Simian virus 40 T antigen activates the late promoter by modulating the activity of negative regulatory elements.

Late promoter activity measured before viral DNA replication results from a complex involvement of negative and positive cis-acting elements located both in the enhancer and in the 21-bp repeats. GC motifs located within the 21-bp repeats act in cooperation with sequences overlapping the early TATA box to down-regulate the late promoter activity. Analysis of insertion mutants indicates that the late promoter might be negatively regulated at least partially by the early promoter machinery. The GTI motif located within the enhancer as well as the GC motifs lose the ability to down-regulate the late promoter in the presence of T antigen. Results obtained with tsA58 protein indicate that two different domains of T antigen are involved in the negative autoregulation of the early promoter activity and in the release of the down-regulation of the late promoter by the GC motifs.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

p53 mutations in Raji cells: characterization and localization relative to other Burkitt's lymphomas.

The nuclear phosphoprotein p53 is an important regulator of cell proliferation in normal cells. Interestingly, the gene encoding p53 has usually undergone mutations in a wide range of tumor types. Recent studies of the p53 gene in Burkitt's lymphomas have demonstrated that mutations are extremely common, and in fact it is rare that both alleles of the p53 gene in these tumors are not inactivated by mutation or deletion. We present here genetic data regarding the status of the p53 gene in the Burkitt lymphoma cell line, Raji. As is typical for this type of tumor, both alleles have undergone point mutations. Further, statistical analysis of available data from a large number of Burkitt's lymphomas indicates an apparent tumor-specific distribution of p53 mutations. The possibility that specific mutations of the p53 gene may be important for different tumor types is discussed.

Alleles↗
PubMed1992

[The interpretation of morphometric data of 10- to 13-year-old school children from the survey year 1978 of the Braunschweig Longitudinal Study].

The paper represents a cross-sectional study from a sample of 1800 out of 3000 school-children from the Braunschweiger Längsschnitt. In this methodical approach we first eliminate approximately the influence of age and stature on the raw data from all body measurements with regression equations. The transformed data were attached to three "types" named 'below normal', 'normal', and 'above normal', in course of which 'normal' means all cases in the range of the standard deviation, whereas the two other "types" are corresponding to the adjacent ranges of values. Subsequently each transformation on the mean of age and stature a discriminant analysis has been performed grouping the cases by the "types" of the width of pelvis, resp. shoulders. There were found great influences of the stature on the chosen measures of width in our investigated class of age. They could be made clear alone by using allometrical methods. Only before correction of the body height the given grouping is supported by other variables, at which different sets of variables dominate the discriminant functions for boys and girls. Out of this new aspects and considerations result for the understanding of the physique and the physique typologies, which would be significant in our opinion for acceleration phenomenon as well as for the comparative examinations on populations.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Immunological evidence for the association between simian virus 40 115-kDa super T antigen and hsp70 proteins in rat, monkey, and human cells.

Immunological evidence was provided that in subclone 7 cell line, which is derived from SV40 transformed cells, 115-kDa super T antigen, a transformation-competent, elongated form of large T antigen was physically complexed with hsp70 proteins. This conclusion was first based on the coimmunoprecipitation from unstressed or heat shocked subclone 7 cells of both super T antigen and hsp70 proteins. This was observed with any one of a set of anti-T monoclonal antibodies reacting to determinants located either in the C-terminal region or in the N terminal region. Reciprocally coimmunoprecipitation of both hsp70 and super T was also observed in the anti-hsp70 peptide serum-immunoprecipitate. The formation of complexes between hsp70 proteins and super T antigen in subclone 7 cells was also confirmed by Western blot experiments. Moreover, when expressed in cell lines originating from human (Hela cells) or monkey (CV1P cells) species following transfection with the relevant plasmid, super T antigen again displayed the ability to associate with hsp70 proteins. Considering that super T antigen was obtained in laboratory experiments as a stable evolutionary variant of SV40 large T antigen, it is suggested that the marked ability of super T antigen to associate with heat shock protein could be selectively advantageous under certain conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Characterization of SV40 enhancer motifs involved in positive and negative regulation of the constitutive late promoter activity; effect of T-antigen.

By analyzing the late promoter activity of a series of nonreplicative recombinants mutated within the different enhancer motifs of SV40 we identified both positive and negative regulatory elements. In the absence of T-antigen, the motifs Sph and/or octamer, and to a lesser extent the motifs GTI and P, account for the constitutive expression of the late promoter. The motif GTII overlaps elements that negatively regulate the expression of the late promoter. These results indicate that the late promoter is down-regulated not only at the level of the GC motifs but also at the enhancer level. Moreover, we showed that T-antigen interacts with both positive and negative regulatory elements.

Antigens, Viral, Tumor↗
PubMed1991

Angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia and peripheral neuropathy. Case report and literature review.

A man with multicentric angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia and a polyclonal gammopathy developed a debilitating sensory-motor peripheral neuropathy that resolved with plasma-pheresis and immunosuppressive therapy. Fourteen similar cases have been reported in the literature; however, to our knowledge, this is the first report of successful treatment with plasma-pheresis. Severe peripheral neuropathy usually occurs in the setting of multicentric, plasma cell-type disease with hypergammaglobulinemia and is often responsive to immunosuppressive therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Endogenous HeLa p53 proteins are easily detected in HeLa cells transfected with mouse deletion mutant p53 gene.

It has been reported [Matlashewski et al. (1986). Eur. J. Biochem., 154, 665-672] that HeLa cells contain no detectable p53 protein, although they contain p53 mRNA which is translationally active. Here it is shown that endogenous HeLa p53 proteins were easily detected in HeLa cells transiently expressing mouse deletion mutant p53 gene after transfection with the appropriate recombinant plasmid. This detection was obtained by immunoprecipitation coupled with SDS-PAGE as well as by Western blotting experiments. Our results strongly suggest that HeLa p53 mRNA is actually translated in vivo, generating an extremely unstable p53 protein. Considering that the HeLa cell line is a HPV-18-positive human cervical carcinoma cell line, this high instability of HeLa p53 proteins is in keeping with the finding that E6 oncoprotein encoded by human papillomavirus 16 or 18 promotes the degradation of p53 proteins [Scheffner et al. (1990). Cell, 63, 1129-1136].

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Human breast cancer: identification of populations with a high risk of early relapse in relation to both oestrogen receptor status and c-erbB-2 overexpression.

We recently defined a new early prognostic factor, the ER+(R) status, which permits the discrimination of a group presenting a high risk of early relapse among the ER+ patients. This group was referred to as ER+(R2) in contrast to ER+(R1) which corresponded to the group of ER+ patients having a lower risk of early relapse. Taking into account the whole population including the ER- and inflammatory tumours, we have extended this view and showed that ER+(R) status is a significant predictor of disease-free survival. Determination of c-erbB-2 mRNA levels in the same series of tumours showed that high expression of c-erbB-2 mRNA is significantly correlated with ER-, inflammatory tumours and with lymph nodes involvement. Moreover, a multivariate analysis showed that c-erbB-2 mRNA overexpression was a significant predictor of early relapse (P = 0.02), as significant as ER negativity and ER+(R2). For ER+ patients a high level of c-erbB-2 mRNA constitutes a higher risk of relapse for both ER+(R1) and ER+(R2) patients. However, in the case of ER- patients, early relapses were strongly correlated with c-erbB-2 overexpression. The counterpart of this observation is that ER- patients with no overexpression of c-erbB-2 constitute a group with a relatively good prognosis.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

[Central hemodynamics of a new positive inotropic substance, adibendan. Data from a dose-finding study].

Central Hemodynamics from the New Positive-inotrope Substance Adibendan/An open dose-finding study We investigated the influence of Adibendan which is a new phophodiesterase inhibitor on central hemodynamics in an open dose-finding study. 10 patients with chronic heart failure NYHA II-IV (mean age 67 +/- 5 years) got Adibendan i.v. A maximum increase in cardiac index from 2.3 +/- 0.5 to 3.2 +/- 0.5 l/min.m2 (p less than 0.001) was seen after a cumulative dosage of 0.916 +/- 0.571 mg at a time interval of 107 +/- 43 min after injection of the first dosage of 0.125 mg. There was a pronounced increase in stroke volume index from 30 +/- 6 to 40 +/- 8 ml/m2 (p less than 0.01). Heart rate raised by 5% which was not significant. Systemic vascular resistance dropped by 30% from 1693 +/- 720 to 1177 +/- 292 dyn.s.cm-5 (p less than 0.05), pulmonary vascular resistance by 39% from 755 +/- 273 to 463 +/- 199 dyn.s.cm-5 (p less than 0.001). Blood pressure and right atrial pressure did not alter. Mean pulmonary artery pressure dropped by 14% from 37 +/- 7 to 32 +/- 11 mmHg. We conclude that Adibendan improves cardiac index markedly and causes a modest decrease in mean pulmonary artery pressure.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

A new approach allowing an early prognosis in breast cancer: the ratio of estrogen receptor (ER) ligand binding activity to the ER-specific mRNA level.

We have performed a quantitative analysis of steady-state levels of ER-mRNA for 88 untreated, primary breast carcinomas. We compared the amount of specific mRNA with the amount of ER receptor measured, through ligand binding activity, by calculating the ratio R = [ER-protein/ER-mRNA]. This analysis showed that the relative level of ER-mRNA displayed a large range of values partly related to the concentration of ER-protein. We found a greater percentage of tumors with a high R ratio value in the tumor population containing elevated levels of ER-protein. A statistical analysis performed on a homogeneous population of 63 patients shows no correlation between the R ratio, lymph-node involvement and histological grade. However, R appears to be significantly related to the risk of relapse within a relatively short period of time following the first observation. An R value higher than 1.5 appears to constitute a significant and early prognostic factor of recurrence (P = 0.003).

Breast Neoplasms↗