No abstract

Thirty-eight patients with advanced breast cancer, multiple myeloma, and malignant lymphoma were treated with partially purified (about 0.1%) leukocyte interferon. Patients were treated with a remission-induction schedule of 3 million to 9 million antiviral units daily intramuscularly for 4 to 26 weeks. Responding patients were maintained on a schedule of 3 million U three times weekly. Tumor regression was observed in seven of 17 patients with breast cancer. Six of 10 patients with multiple myeloma responded with a decrease of at least 50% in serum myeloma protein levels or Bence Jones protein excretion. Six of the 11 lymphoma patients achieved tumor regression. Complete remissions occurred in two patients. Of the 19 responding patients, five remain on study for 52 to 63 weeks. Toxicity included low-grade fever, fatigue, anorexia, and partial alopecia. Myelosuppression (lowest median leukocyte count, 2500/mm3; granulocytes, 1300/mm3) occurred in most patients. On the basis of this pilot study, we conclude that leukocyte interferon can induce tumor regression in patients with advanced cancer.

Sixteen patients with advanced cancer were treated with recombinant-DNA-produced pure leukocyte A interferon (IFLrA) intramuscularly in doses ranging from 3 to 198 X 10(6) units. with interval periods of 72 to 96 hours between doses. At the two lowest doses of 3 and 9 million units, there was a cross-over evaluation between IFLrA and partially pure leukocyte interferon (IFN-C) produced from human cells. THe maximum observed serum concentration of IFLrA measured by enzyme immunoassay and bioassay increased with increasing doses. The mean serum concentrations of IFLrA and IFN-C were similar. Clinical effects produced by IFLrA and IFN-C were similar, including fever, chills, myalgias, headache fatigue, and reversible leukopenia and granulocytopenia. Eight patients had transient and mild numbness of the hands or feet, or both. Three patients developed low titers of antibody to IFLrA, Seven of 16 patients showed objective evidence of tumor regression during the study.

To evaluate shear stress-induced effects on cultured cells we have extended the mechanical setup of a multichannel in vitro rheological system and developed software allowing entire processing control and image data analysis. The values of cell motility, degree of orientation (alignment), and cell elongation were correlated as a function of time (morphodynamics). Collective and individual endothelial cells within confluent cultures displayed a shear stress-dependent characteristic phase behavior of the following time course: resting conditions (phase I), change of motility (phase II), onset of alignment (phase III), and finally cell elongation (phase IV). Especially cell motility was characterized by a randomized zigzag movement around mean trajectories (fluctuations) together with mean cell locomotion. Onset of shear stress caused a down-regulation of fluctuations of 30% within <10 min and simultaneously increased locomotion velocities preferring the flow direction (phase II). After a lag period of 10 to 20 min cells orientated in the direction of flow (phase III) without significant cell elongation, which finally occurs within hours (phase IV). These data provide first evidence that cells within confluent endothelial monolayers respond to shear stress with a characteristic phase behavior.

No abstract

Sensory axon T-like branching (bifurcation) in neurons from dorsal root ganglia and cranial sensory ganglia depends on the molecular signaling cascade involving the secreted factor C-type natriuretic peptide, the natriuretic peptide receptor guanylyl cyclase B (GC-B; also known as Npr2) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (cGKI, also known as PKGI). The bifurcation of cranial nerves is suggested to be important for information processing by second-order neurons in the hindbrain or spinal cord. Indeed, mice with a spontaneous GC-B loss of function mutation (Npr2cn/cn) display an impaired bifurcation of auditory nerve (AN) fibers. However, these mice did not show any obvious sign of impaired basal hearing. Here, we demonstrate that mice with a targeted inactivation of the GC-B gene (Npr2lacZ/lacZ, GC-B KO mice) show an elevation of audiometric thresholds. In the inner ear, the cochlear hair cells in GC-B KO mice were nevertheless similar to those from wild type mice, justified by the typical expression of functionally relevant marker proteins. However, efferent cholinergic feedback to inner and outer hair cells was reduced in GC-B KO mice, linked to very likely reduced rapid efferent feedback. Sound-evoked AN responses of GC-B KO mice were elevated, a feature that is known to occur when the efferent axo-dendritic feedback on AN is compromised. Furthermore, late sound-evoked brainstem responses were significantly delayed in GC-B KO mice. This delay in sound response was accompanied by a weaker sensitivity of the auditory steady state response to amplitude-modulated sound stimuli. Finally, the acoustic startle response (ASR) – one of the fastest auditory responses – and the prepulse inhibition of the ASR indicated significant changes in temporal precision of auditory processing. These findings suggest that GC-B-controlled axon bifurcation of spiral ganglion neurons is important for proper activation of second-order neurons in the hindbrain and is a prerequisite for proper temporal auditory processing likely by establishing accurate efferent top-down control circuits. These data hypothesize that the bifurcation pattern of cranial nerves is important to shape spatial and temporal information processing for sensory feedback control.

The cell sensitivity of recombinant human alpha interferons (rIFN-alpha) of greater than 95% purity (A,D and the hybrid A/D) and crude nature (B and F) was studied in human (WISH, HeLa, AG1732), bovine (MDBK, BT), monkey (Vero), mouse (L), rabbit (RK-13), and hamster (BHK-21) cells. Based on an activity of 100% in WISH cells, the other cells responded to rIFN-alpha A as follows: AG1732 (90%), HeLa (94%), and MDBK and BT cells (170-190%). Rabbit, mouse, and hamster cells had a relative sensitivity of less than 1%. rIFN-alpha B and F were essentially equivalent to rIFN-alpha A in terms of cell sensitivity, but MDBK and BT cells were about 20 times more sensitive to rIFN-alpha D than were WISH cells and rIFN-alpha D was 1/5 to 1/10 as active on L cells as on WISH cells. The activity of the hybrid IFN A/D on bovine, mouse, and human cells was similar. The inhibitory dose50 (U/ml) of rIFN-alpha A, B, D, and F against virus infections in WISH cells were: vesicular stomatitis virus (1-4), rhinovirus types 1 and 42 (2-18), and herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 (45-70). Type 1 HSV, Semliki Forest (SFV) and encephalomyocarditis (EMC) viruses were tested against only rIFN-alpha A and D where SFV and EMC were the most sensitive to both IFNs (ID50-SFV, 0.2 U/ml, EMC, 1.2 U/ml) while 13 U/ml of rIFN-alpha A and D inhibited Type 1 HSV. The various rIFN-alpha s did not exhibit different antiviral spectra in vitro. When tested in mice rIFN-alpha A did not protect against infections with SFV, EMC, HSV, or influenza viruses. rIFN-alpha D and A/D protected mice infected with EMC, SFV, or HSV.

Intraperitoneal administration of 10-carboxymethyl-9-acridanone sodium salt (CMA) protected at least 50% of mice tested from otherwise lethal infections with Semliki forest, coxsackie B1, Columbia SK, Western equine encephalitis, herpes simplex, and pseudorabies viruses. The protective effect against influenza A2/Asian/J305 and coxsackie A21 viruses was less but was statistically significant. When administered either subcutaneously or orally, CMA protected at least 50% of mice against Semliki forest and pseudorabies viruses; the effect against coxsackie B1 and herpes simplex viruses was less but was statistically significant. Initiation of treatment could be delayed from 2 to 24 h after infection of mice with coxsackie B1, herpes simplex, Semliki forest, and Western equine encephalitis viruses without loss of an antiviral effect. CMA did not inactivate Semliki forest or coxsackie B1 viruses on contact and was without effect against any of the viruses tested in tissue culture by the tube dilution assay. The humoral antibody response in mice to both influenza virus and sheep erythrocytes was unaffected by CMA. After administration of CMA, an interferon-like substance was induced in mice or mouse cell culture but not in rabbits or rabbit cell culture.