Mad2 is a component of the spindle checkpoint, which delays the onset of anaphase until all chromosomes are attached to the spindle. Mad2 formed a complex with Slp1, a WD (tryptophan-aspartic acid)-repeat protein essential for the onset of anaphase. When the physical interaction between the two proteins was disrupted, the spindle checkpoint was no longer functional. Post-anaphase events such as chromosome decondensation and the next round of DNA replication were not delayed even when the spindle assembly was incomplete. This relief of dependence appears to be a result of deregulation of ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis mediated by the anaphase-promoting complex.

No abstract

The success rate of tracheal intubation using the Pentax-AWS was high in patients with difficult laryngoscopy with a Macintosh laryngoscope and in patients with predicted difficult intubation.

isolated from Chromobacterium violaceum No. 968, were studied in animals. FR901228 (ip) prolonged the life of mice bearing such murine ascitic tumors as P388 and L1210 leukemias and B16 melanoma, and inhibited (iv) the growth of murine solid tumors (Colon 38 carcinoma, M5076 reticulum cell sarcoma and Meth A fibrosarcoma) and human solid tumors (Lu-65 and LC-6 lung carcinomas, and SC-6 stomach adenocarcinoma) implanted in normal and nude mice, respectively. Its antitumor activity was especially potent against murine Meth A fibrosarcoma and human SC-6 stomach adenocarcinoma which were refractory to mitomycin C or cisplatin. FR901228also was more effective against mitomycin C-, cyclophosphamide-, vincristine-and 5-fluorouracil-resistant P388 leukemias than against non-resistant P388 in mice. These results suggest that FR901228will be a new type of drug for the treatment of cancer.

Previous studies have shown a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is poorly assessed whether chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), which is a characteristic of OSA, affects the pathophysiology of AD. We aimed to investigate the direct effect of intermittent hypoxia (IH) in pathophysiology of AD in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, 15 male triple transgenic AD mice were exposed to either CIH or normoxia (5% O2 and 21% O2 every 10 min, 8 h/day for 4 weeks). Amyloid-β (Aβ) profile, cognitive brain function, and brain pathology were evaluated. In vitro, human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells stably expressing wild-type amyloid-β protein precursor were exposed to either IH (8 cycles of 1% O2 for 10 min followed by 21% O2 for 20 min) or normoxia. The Aβ profile in the conditioned medium was analyzed. CIH significantly increased levels of Aβ42 but not Aβ40 in the brains of mice without the increase in hypoxia-inducible factor 1, alpha subunit (HIF-1α) expression. Furthermore, CIH significantly increased intracellular Aβ in the brain cortex. There were no significant changes in cognitive function. IH significantly increased levels of Aβ42 in the medium of SH-SY5Y cells without the increase in the HIF-1α expression. CIH directly and selectively increased levels of Aβ42 in the AD model. Our results suggest that OSA would aggravate AD. Early detection and intervention of OSA in AD may help to alleviate the progression of the disease.