Variations in aging, gender, menopause, and obesity and their effects on hypertension in taiwan.

Aim. We assessed obesity, sex, menopause, and gender differences on hypertension in a Hakka-majority Taiwanese sample. Methods. 9621 subjects aged 20 and over participated in this community-based study. Trained nurses collected blood pressure (BP) measurements and anthropometric indices, including weight, height, hip circumference (HC), waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), waist to height ratio (WHtR), and waist to hip ratio (WHR). Results. Levels of systolic and diastolic BP significantly increased at a dose-dependent relationship based on four anthropometric indices (BMI, WC, WHR, and WHtR); the slopes for SBP and DBP differed. After controlling for other covariates using multivariate logistic regression, we found the adjusted odds ratios (OR) of hypertension to be significantly related to the four anthropometric indices. Notably, the effect of obesity on the ORs for hypertension was considerably higher in premenopausal women, but we found no such phenomenon among men. BMI, WC, WHR, and WHtR had significant linear associations with BP. Conclusion. Obesity indices are significantly correlated with the risk of hypertension across gender and age, with BMI having the highest relative potency. The effect of obesity on the risk of hypertension is especially high in premenopausal women, implying a relationship between hormones and hypertension.

Screening differentially expressed genes in an amphipod (Hyalella azteca) exposed to fungicide vinclozolin by suppression subtractive hybridization.

Vinclozolin, a dicarboximide fungicide, is an endocrine disrupting chemical that competes with an androgenic endocrine disruptor compound. Most research has focused on the epigenetic effect of vinclozolin in humans. In terms of ecotoxicology, understanding the effect of vinclozolin on non-target organisms is important. The expression profile of a comprehensive set of genes in the amphipod Hyalella azteca exposed to vinclozolin was examined. The expressed sequence tags in low-dose vinclozolin-treated and -untreated amphipods were isolated and identified by suppression subtractive hybridization. DNA dot blotting was used to confirm the results and establish a subtracted cDNA library for comparing all differentially expressed sequences with and without vinclozolin treatment. In total, 494 differentially expressed genes, including hemocyanin, heatshock protein, cytochrome, cytochrome oxidase and NADH dehydrogenase were detected. Hemocyanin was the most abundant gene. DNA dot blotting revealed 55 genes with significant differential expression. These genes included larval serum protein 1 alpha, E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, mitochondrial protein, proteasome inhibitor, hemocyanin, zinc-finger-containing protein, mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase and epididymal sperm-binding protein. Vinclozolin appears to upregulate stress-related genes and hemocyanin, related to immunity. Moreover, vinclozolin downregulated NADH dehydrogenase, related to respiration. Thus, even a non-lethal concentration of vinclozolin still has an effect at the genetic level in H. azteca and presents a potential risk, especially as it would affect non-target organism hormone metabolism.

Soil dissipation of juvenile hormone analog insecticide pyriproxyfen and its effect on the bacterial community.

This investigation was undertaken to examine the dissipation rate of pyriproxyfen as well as the change in the soil bacterial community. Residues of pyriproxyfen were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the changes in bacterial community were determined by comparing the 16S rDNA bands on patterns by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The dissipation of pyriproxyfen was affected by both the concentration applied and incubation temperature. Lower concentrations (1 mg Kg(-1)) and higher incubation temperatures (30 and 40°C) showed more rapid dissipation rates. The population of microbial community decreased rapidly after incubation with 10 mg Kg(-1) of pyriproxyfen for 91 days, indicating the toxicity of pyriproxyfen toward bacterial communities in a closed soil ecosystem. Lower concentrations of pyriproxyfen showed less toxicity toward the microbial community. From cluster analysis, the structure of the bacterial community showed roughly a 60 % similarity throughout the experiment period in the control experiment, indicating the stability within soil microbiota without chemical agitation. However, the similarity was lower than 50 % both in the one and 10 mg Kg(-1) of insecticide pyriproxyfen spiked experiment, indicating the soil bacterial community changed after the insecticide pyriproxyfen was applied.

Biomembrane-permeable and Ribonuclease-resistant siRNA with enhanced activity.

Small interfering RNAs (siRNA) could be the ideal inhibitor of specific gene expression if they could be delivered efficiently to their targets. Although siRNAs cannot by themselves cross cell membranes, they can enter cells with the help of transfection reagents via facilitated transport. Inside cells, however, they can still be hydrolyzed by cytoplasmic RNases before reaching their target. Here we show that poly-2'- O-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-siRNA (DNP-siRNA) can by itself diffuse into mammalian cells and stay in the cells for several days, with no detectable degradation. Using the DNP-RNA targeting to the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR) as an example, we demonstrate that the efficacy of this DNP-siRNA for inhibiting the growth of three different types of tumor cells is several-fold higher than that of the corresponding native siRNA. Similar results were obtained from Western blotting assay. As expected, the control siRNAs with mismatched, scrambled, and reverse sequences are all inactive. These results illustrate that both the biomembrane permeability and intracellular stability of siRNA can be greatly improved by DNP derivatization without loss of its sequence specificity.

Chemical modification of gene silencing oligonucleotides for drug discovery and development.

Gene silencing, the specific inhibition of unwanted gene expression by blocking mRNA activity, has long appeared to be an ideal strategy to leverage new genomic knowledge for drug discovery and development. But effective delivery has continuously been a limiting factor. In the past two decades, valuable progress has been made through the development of various chemically modified single-stranded antisense oligonucleotides, with improved properties such as enhanced stability, higher affinity and lower toxicity. Although short interfering RNA (siRNA) can provide better specificity and stronger efficacy by means of RNA interference (RNAi), in vivo delivery of siRNA often relies on plasmids or vectors, both of which present therapeutic safety risks. This review presents a brief history of gene silencing from PS-ODN through siRNA, introduces DNP-RNA--a more potent and easily delivered gene silencing platform--and compares its performance with that of siRNA and other AS-oligonucleotides.

Silencing of human c-myc oncogene expression by poly-DNP-RNA.

Deregulation of c-myc oncogene expression drives the progression of many different types of cancer. Recent experimental data suggest that even brief inhibition of c-myc expression may be sufficient to permanently stop tumor growth and induce regression of tumors. Previous efforts in developing an inhibitor to silence the c-myc gene were hampered by low efficacy and lack of sequence specificity. Here, we report the synthesis of an antisense RNA inhibitor based on a new 21-nt sequence on a poly- DNP-RNA platform that can specifically inhibit cancer cell growth by silencing c-myc gene expression. Both c-myc mRNA and protein levels were significantly decreased in MCF-7 cells following treatment with this antisense DNP-RNA inhibitor. The control compounds with sense or mismatched sequence were inactive. When c-myc transgenic mice were each treated with a single dose of the antisense RNA inhibitor, in vivo silencing of c-myc gene expression was observed for up to 72 hours by real-time RT-PCR. Similar treatment of c-myc transgenic mice with unmodified (native) homologous small interfering RNA (siRNA) had no effect on the mRNA concentration of the c-myc gene. Injection of this short antisense poly-DNP-RNA into mice did not induce the synthesis of DNP-binding immunoglobulins in the host. The observed in vivo gene silencing by this antisense RNA inhibitor suggests its possible use as a therapeutic agent for cancers involving the deregulation of c-myc gene expression.

Poly-2'-DNP-RNAs with enhanced efficacy for inhibiting cancer cell growth.

It is often believed that small interfering RNA (siRNA) is at least 10-fold more effective than the single-stranded antisense oligonucleotide for silencing the same target gene in the same cells. In view of the recent discovery that the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) contains only a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) molecule and can be reconstituted using single-stranded antisense RNA, such a large difference in efficacy seems puzzling. One possible reason is that hybridization protects siRNA from hydrolysis by endogenous RNase activity until it is incorporated in the RISC, whereas ssRNA is rapidly hydrolyzed. Because the single-stranded poly-2'-O-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-RNA (DNP-ssRNA) is both RNase resistant and membrane permeable, we synthesized homologous native siRNAs, DNP-siRNAs, native ssRNAs, and DNP-ssRNAs and made a comparative study of their efficacies for inhibiting the growth of two cancer cell lines with different overexpressed target genes under equivalent experimental conditions. It was found that the efficacy of antisense DNP-ssRNA is higher than that of the corresponding siRNA and that the efficacy of native siRNA for inhibiting cell growth can also be enhanced from 2-fold to 6-fold by replacing the native strands of RNA in siRNA with homologous DNP-RNA. Thermal denaturation data show that the hybridization affinity of the DNP-RNA/RNA duplex is higher than that of the native RNA/RNA duplex. Western blotting analysis of A549 cells treated with antisense DNP-ssRNAs containing single mismatching bases shows that the gene silencing by antisense DNP-ssRNA is as sequence specific as that by siRNA. The observed large enhancement of inhibition efficacy of native RNAs by DNP derivatization should be advantageous for both gene silencing studies and therapeutic applications.

A high-efficacy antisense RIalpha poly-DNP 21-nt RNA.

The antisense inhibitor poly-2'-O-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-5'-GGCUGCGUGCCUCCUCACUGG (antisense poly-DNP RNA-21) has been synthesized by in vitro transcription followed by chemical derivatization. Its base sequence is complementary to that of nucleotides 110-130 in the mRNA of the regulatory RIalpha subunit of PKA (RIalpha/PKA), which is overexpressed in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and A549 lung cancer cells. The bioavailable and RNase-resistant antisense poly-DNP RNA-21 was found to inhibit cell growth with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 0.05 nM in MCF-7 cells and 4 nM in A549 cells. The control 21-nt RNAs with the same poly-DNP oligonucleotide (ODN) platform but with scrambled, sense, or mismatched base sequence are inactive. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with antisense poly-DNP RNA-21 abolishes both the steady-state concentration of RIalpha mRNA and the synthesis of RIalpha protein. At sufficiently high concentration, antisense poly-DNP RNA-21 selectively kills the targeted cancer cells by inducing apoptosis. The observed sequence specificity and extremely low IC50 values of antisense poly-DNP RNA-21 suggest that it is a promising candidate for in vivo testing as an effective anticancer agent.

Protein-tyrosine phosphatase D1, a potential regulator and effector for Tec family kinases.

Etk, also named Bmx, is a member of the Tec tyrosine kinase family, which is characterized by a multimodular structure including a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, an SH3 domain, an SH2 domain, and a catalytic domain. The signaling mechanisms regulating Etk kinase activity remain largely unknown. To identify factor(s) regulating Etk activity, we used the PH domain and a linker region of Etk as a bait for a yeast two-hybrid screen. Three independent clones encoding protein-tyrosine phosphatase D1 (PTPD1) fragments were isolated. The binding of PTPD1 to Etk is specific since PTPD1 cannot associate with either the Akt PH domain or lamin. In vitro and in vivo binding studies demonstrated that PTPD1 can interact with Etk and that residues 726-848 of PTPD1 are essential for this interaction. Deletion analysis of Etk indicated that the PH domain is essential for PTPD1 interaction. Furthermore, the Etk-PTPD1 interaction stimulated the kinase activity of Etk, resulting in an increased phosphotyrosine content in both factors. The Etk-PTPD1 interaction also increased Stat3 activation. The effect of PTPD1 on Etk activation is specific since PTPD1 cannot potentiate Jak2 activity upon Stat3 activation. In addition, Tec (but not Btk) kinase can also be activated by PTPD1. Taken together, these findings indicate that PTPD1 can selectively associate with and stimulate Tec family kinases and modulate Stat3 activation.

Characterization of a hybrid receptor formed by dimerization of the insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) with the insulin receptor (IR): coexpression of cDNAs encoding human IRR and human IR in NIH-3T3 cells.

In many tissues, the insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) is colocalized with the homologous receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). Since a ligand for the IRR has not yet been identified, it has been proposed previously that IRR may be activated and transduce its signal via formation of hybrids with the insulin and IGF-I receptors. To test this hypothesis, we have coexpressed the human IRR and the human insulin receptor (IR) in NIH-3T3 cells. Although IRR/IR hybrid receptors were detected in these cells by using immunoprecipitation techniques, only a small proportion of each receptor was assembled into hybrids. While insulin was capable of stimulating insulin receptors autophosphorylation in these cells, there was no detectable increase in the total phosphotyrosine content of IRR. We conclude that the IRR/IR hybrid receptor does not play a major role in IRR signal transduction in response to insulin in NIH-3T3-hIRR/hIR cells.

Expression of a cDNA encoding the human insulin receptor-related receptor.

The insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) gene encodes a protein that is homologous to the receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). We have cloned a full-length cDNA encoding the human IRR by screening a human kidney cDNA library. The nucleotide sequence of our cDNA is identical to the sequence predicted from the human IRR gene except for the presence of an insertion of 24 base pairs between exons 13 and 14. This insertion was caused by use of an alternative splice acceptor site in the 3' portion of intron 13. Interestingly, this alternative splicing occurs at a position at which alternative splicing of the homologous IGF-I receptor mRNA also occurs. We amplified human kidney IRR by the polymerase chain reaction to quantitate the proportion of transcripts which included the 24-nucleotide sequence between exons 13 and 14. Fewer than 10% of the transcripts contained this additional sequence. We expressed the IRR cDNA lacking the 24-base pair insert in NIH-3T3 cells to study the biosynthesis, tyrosine phosphorylation, and ligand binding properties of the IRR. Like receptors for insulin and IGF-I, the IRR was synthesized as a single polypeptide precursor that underwent proteolytic cleavage and glycosylation to yield an alpha subunit and a beta subunit. However, both subunits of the IRR had smaller apparent molecular mass than the homologous subunits of the insulin receptor (108,000 versus 135,000 for the alpha subunits and 66,000 versus 95,000 for the beta subunits). IRR tyrosine phosphorylation could be stimulated by vanadate plus H2O2, which have been demonstrated previously to increase the phosphotyrosine content of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase. However, proinsulin, insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II did not stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of the IRR. We conclude that these peptides are not the ligands for the IRR.

Morphometric characteristics in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Morphometric analysis whereby size and form of cellular nuclei are transformed into quantities has previously been shown to be a valuable adjunct to the histopathologic differential diagnosis between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma. The present study aims to assess the clinical value of morphometry performed on cytologic material from benign and malignant pancreatic lesions. METHODS: Cytologic specimens from 100 patients with the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma and 15 patients with chronic pancreatitis were evaluated by interactive morphometry using a digital image analyzer system. RESULTS: There were significant differences (p < 0.001) for all morphometric variables between the malignant and benign groups (mean area p 50, 135.41 microns 2 versus 69.66 microns 2; anisokaryosis, 0.74 versus 0.41; and polymorphism, 0.13 versus 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Morphometry may be used as a complementary tool in the cytologic diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma.

In vitro replication of heavy strand DNA in permeabilized human mitochondria.

We have characterized some of the experimental conditions that are essential for initiation of human mitochondrial DNA synthesis. Mitochondria were purified from HeLa cells and were permeabilized with Triton X-100. When supplied with rNTPs and dNTPs, the permeabilized mitochondria synthesized nucleic acids that ranged in size from about 600 to 2000 nucleotides. In vitro DNA synthesis occurred on endogenous DNA templates and required a continuous supply of ATP. Analyses of the synthetic products revealed that almost all of them were of heavy-strand sequence and included authentic 7S DNA. Most of the synthetic products had 5' ends that mapped to similar locations as those previously identified for nascent heavy-strand DNA. Identification of these parameters should facilitate our efforts to achieve in vitro replication of heavy-strand mitochondrial DNA.

Effects of harringtonine in combination with acivicin, adriamycin, L-asparaginase, cytosine arabinoside, dexamethasone, fluorouracil or methotrexate on human acute myelogenous leukemia cell line KG-1.

Harringtonine (HT) is a new antitumor agent reported to be active in patients with leukemia and lymphoma. The interaction of HT with various antitumor agents was studied in vitro using a human acute myelogenous leukemia cell line KG-1. For the analysis of the drug - drug interaction at the cellular level, Steel proposed the concept of an envelope of additivity. Using this concept, the effect of a two drug combination can be classified as supraadditive (enhancement of the effect), non-interactive (additive), subadditive, and protective (antagonistic). Combination of HT and cytosine arabinoside or HT and dexamethasone produced only additive effects. Combination of HT and methotrexate was subadditive. For HT plus adriamycin or HT plus 5-fluorouracil, data points indicated both subadditive and protective interaction. HT plus acivicin or HT plus L-asparaginase combinations were found to be protective of each other. None of the seven agents produced supraadditive interaction. These results may provide the basis for selecting sequential rather than concurrent combinations which include HT for the treatment of leukemia in man.

Quantification of homoharringtonine and harringtonine in serum by chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

Homoharringtonine and harringtonine are esters of cephalotaxine and are naturally occurring alkaloids in certain coniferous trees in China. These compounds have been shown to have activity against certain types of leukemia in cell cultures, experimental animals, and initial clinical trials in China, and will undergo Phase I trials in several institutions. A gas chromatographic mass spectrometric technique was developed for the quantification of both drugs in serum. One drug serves as internal standard for the other. The drugs are extracted from serum with dichloromethane and are quantified by monitoring the protonated molecular ions of the trimethylsilyl derivatives obtained by chemical ionization (methane). Masses monitored are: m/z = 690 for homoharringtonine and m/z = 676 for harringtonine. Detection limit: 10 ng ml-1 (20 nmol); reproducibility: 1.6-15.0% in the 0-200 ng ml-1 range. Serum levels of harringtonine reached 145 ng mg-1 upon intraperitoneal injection of 3 mg kg-1 in BDF-3 mice.