The effect of local graft irradiation on' immune response in allograft in which acute rejection occurs was studied using an in vitro model. Unidirectional mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) was used as the in vitro model of acute rejection.· 150 and 300 rad x-irradiation suppressed mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) but did not cell-mediated-lympholysis (CML) of unsensitized lymphocytes. X-irradiated ...

Prazosin, an antagonist of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors, has been found to suppress the clinical and histological expression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the Lewis rat. Suppression was more significant in females than in males and was a dose-dependent phenomenon. Analysis of the effect of other adrenergic receptor antagonists supports the conclusion that the suppressive...

We explored the potential benefits of stigmasterol in the treatment of asthma, an airway disorder characterized by immune pathophysiology and with an ever-increasing worldwide prevalence. We assessed the modulatory effect of the intraperitoneal administration of stigmasterol on experimentally induced airway inflammation in guinea pigs. The effect of stigmasterol on inflammatory cell proliferati...

Cellular constipation can be deadly, according to a study on page 1587. Wang and colleagues show that cells get clogged with aborted secretory cargo when they lack an enzyme that helps form vesicles. Deletion of this enzyme proved lethal in mice, halting brain, bone and vascular development. The enzyme in question is a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) called MEG2. MEG2 binds lipids and reside...

The effects of ulinastatin (ULN), a human urinary protease inhibitor, on liver injury caused by ischemia-reperfusion were studied in rats. In the liver ischemia-reperfusion model, ULN suppressed the elevation of serum transaminase levels and tissue lipid peroxide levels in the liver. ULN did not exhibit a radical-trapping action on the superoxide and hydroxyl radicals as measured by electron sp...

The effect of cocaine on the pressor response to some sympathomimetic amines before and after the acute reserpinization in dogs, anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium (i. v) in combination with morphine hydrochloride (s. c) and atropine sulfate (s. c), was investigated. Administration of cocaine suppressed the pressor effect of ephedrine and related compounds ; but administration of reserpine ...

HMGA2, a high-mobility group protein, is oncogenic in a variety of tumors, including benign mesenchymal tumors and lung cancers. Knockdown of Dicer in HeLa cells revealed that the HMGA2 gene is transcriptionally active, but its mRNA is destabilized in the cytoplasm through the microRNA (miRNA) pathway. HMGA2 was derepressed upon inhibition of let-7 in cells with high levels of the miRNA. Ectopi...