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Biomedical subjects

N Bullock

Publications and source records attributed to N Bullock.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Repair analysis of 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide-induced DNA interstrand crosslinking in the c-myc gene in 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide-sensitive and -resistant medulloblastoma cell lines.

Cyclophosphamide is one of the most active agents in the treatment of medulloblastoma. However, development of resistance to this alkylator frequently occurs and is the harbinger of tumor progression and death. In order to understand the biochemical basis of this resistance, we generated a panel of medulloblastoma cell lines in our laboratory that were resistant to 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC). Previously, we have shown that elevated levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase and glutathione mediate cellular resistance to 4-HC. The present study was conducted to identify the third unknown mechanism mediating the resistance of cell line D283 Med (4-HCR) to 4-HC, testing the hypothesis that this resistance is mediated by an increased repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). The doses of 4-HC that produced a one- and two-log cell kill of D283 Med cells were 25 and 50 microM, respectively, compared with values of 125 and 165 microM in D283 Med (4-HCR), the resistant cell line. The formation and disappearance of 4-HC-induced DNA ICLs at the c-myc gene were subsequently studied by DNA denaturing/renaturing gel electrophoresis and Southern blot analysis. 4-HC-induced DNA ICLs in the c-myc gene exhibited a dose-dependent relationship. The percentage of the c-myc gene that was crosslinked was approximately 1-3% at a dose of 100 microM. More than 50% of the DNA crosslinking in D283 Med (4-HCR) cells was removed by 6 h after drug treatment, whereas, in D283 Med cells, more than 90% of the DNA crosslinking was still present at 6 h. These findings suggest that the increased repair of DNA ICLs in D283 Med (4-HCR) may contribute significantly to its resistance to 4-HC.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1995

The use of the CO2 laser for lingual frenectomy and excisional biopsy.

With the availability of CO2 laser technology, surgical cases that were previously referred out of the general dental practice to specialists can now be treated by the general dentist, with less difficulty than is commonly associated with traditional surgical procedures. This article will demonstrate two cases using the CO2 laser: lingual frenectomy and excisional biopsy.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Antidromic activation of a peptidergic pathway in the limbic system of the male rat.

Stimulation of the medial amygdaloid nucleus (AME) produces a long-latency and long-lasting inhibition of pyramidal cells in both the dorsal and the ventral hippocampus. The inhibition is blocked by a specific antagonist to vasopressin, which is a candidate neurotransmitter in the system. Antidromic activation of the AME from the hippocampus occurs with a latency suggestive of the conduction velocity of small diameter unmyelinated fibers. Immunocytochemistry for vasopressin reveals small diameter, unmyelinated immunoreactive fibers in the vicinity of the stimulating electrode in the hippocampus, and immunoreactive cell bodies in the vicinity of the recording electrode in the AME.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1992

Cyclophosphamide resistance in medulloblastoma.

Mechanisms of tumor resistance to 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) were studied by using a panel of human medulloblastoma cell lines either passaged in the laboratory for resistance to 4-HC or established from tumors showing clinical resistance to cyclophosphamide. Multiple distinct mechanisms of resistance were demonstrated. Daoy (4-HCR), a line that was 6-fold more resistant than Daoy, contained elevated levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Most of the difference in sensitivity between the Daoy (4-HCR) and Daoy cell lines was abolished when 4-HC was replaced with phenylketocyclophosphamide, a 4-HC analogue that cannot be detoxified by ALDH. Thus, elevated levels of ALDH appear to play a role in the resistance of Daoy (4-HCR). Several of the cell lines [D283 Med (4-HCR), D341 Med (4-HCR), Daoy (4-HCR), D458 Med] contained elevated levels of glutathione (GSH). No changes in glutathione-S-transferase activity or isozyme pattern were observed, but in two of these three lines, the elevation in GSH was accompanied by elevated levels of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. To confirm the role of elevated GSH content in 4-HC resistance, the sensitivity of the cell lines to 4-HC was repeated after depletion of GSH by treatment with L-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine. In medulloblastoma cell lines without other mechanisms of resistance, a linear relationship was seen between GSH content and resistance to 4-HC. Moreover, cells with GSH content greater than 5 nmol/mg protein and no other overriding mechanism of resistance could be sensitized to 4-HC treatment with L-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine. Finally, D283 Med (4-HCR) cells had mild elevations in both ALDH and GSH content, but were resistant to phenylketocyclophosphamide and were not significantly sensitized by L-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine. This cell line appears to demonstrate a third mechanism of resistance to 4-HC. These results suggest that 4-HC resistance in medulloblastoma can be multifactorial.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1987

Tetracycline sclerotherapy for hydroceles and epididymal cysts.

Tetracycline (Achromycin, Lederle) solution was used to produce sclerosis of 37 hydroceles and 18 epididymal cysts in patients over the age of 50 years. All but one of the epididymal cysts were sclerosed satisfactorily at 9 months; 35 hydroceles sclerosed satisfactorily, although four patients required re-treatment at 3 months. One patient required orchiectomy for an infected haematocele. Pain after instillation of tetracycline was an occasional complication which could be prevented by prophylactic spermatic cord block. Tetracycline sclerotherapy is a safe and effective alternative to surgery for hydroceles and epididymal cysts in older patients.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of glutathione or polyamine depletion on in vivo thermosensitization.

Investigations with the melphalan-sensitive and -resistant human rhabdomyosarcoma xenografts TE-671 and TE-671 MR were performed to examine the effect of glutathione and polyamine modulation on thermosensitivity. Regimens of intraperitoneally injected and orally administered buthionine sulfoximine were utilized to achieve glutathione depletion to 8.7% and 13% of control levels in TE-671 and TE-671 MR, respectively. Animals treated with L-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine and 42 degrees C or 43 degrees C hyperthermia for 70 min showed no detectable growth delays beyond those observed for hyperthermia alone. Hyperthermia at 42 degrees C of disaggregated TE-671 and TE-671 MR xenografts following growth in short-term culture was performed following preincubation with buthionine sulfoximine or 0.9% saline. Buthionine sulfoximine-mediated glutathione depletion produced a significant increase in hyperthermia-induced cytotoxicity only with TE-671 MR at 43 degrees C. Polyamine depletion was achieved with a 7-day orally administered course of MDL 72.175DA [(2R,5R)-6-heptyne,5-diamine dihydrochloride], an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase. Although this treatment caused significant depletion of intracellular putrescine and spermidine levels, spermine levels remained relatively unaffected. No significant growth delays were observed in either xenograft line for animals treated with MDL 72.175DA or MDL 72.175DA plus hyperthermia as compared with untreated controls. These results contrast with previous work performed in vitro showing synergism between glutathione or polyamine depletion and hyperthermia, and indicate that further studies are needed.

Alkynes↗