INTRODUCTION:Placenta growth factor (PlGF) is a growth factor originated from placenta. The sFlt-1 is soluble receptor for PlGF and suppresses PlGF function. It has been reported that in preeclampsia, serum level of PlGF decreased and sFlt-1 level increased and that preeclampsia placenta is in hypoxic condition. Metal-responsive transcription factor (MTF)-1, Hemoxigenase 1 (HO-1) and Hypoxia responsive factor -1 (HIF-1) may be induced in hypoxic condition.OBJECTIVES:In order to investigate pathophysiology in preeclampsia, we studied the expression of PlGF, sFlt-1, MTF-1, HO-1 and HIF-1 alpha mRNAs in placenta taken from preeclampsia and the effect of preeclampsia sera on their expression of choriocarcinoma cells and analysed the effect of placental hypoxia and serum factor on the expression of PlGF and sFlt-1 mRNA.METHODS:Placenta and serum samples were taken from preeclampsia and normal pregnancy with informed consent. The choriocarcinoma cells (JEG-3) were cultured in 24-well tissue culture plate. The cells were cultured with preeclampsia and normal pregnant sera. The RNAs were purified from these cells 24h after and placenta. The expressions of these mRNA were measured by using the real time PCR method (Applied Biosystems-7500).RESULTS:The expression of PlGF mRNA decreased and that of sFlt-1mRNA increased in preeclampsia placenta. The expression of MTF-1 and HO-1 mRNA decreased. The correlation was found between the expression of PlGF and MTF-1 mRNA, PlGF and HO-1 mRNA and sFlt-1 and HO-1mRNA. Moreover, expression of sFlt-1mRNA increased and HO-1mRNA decreased in JEG-3 cells after incubation of preeclampsia sera.CONCLUSION:The changes of PlGFmRNA in preeclampsia placenta may relate to the expression of MTF-1 and HO-1 mRNA. The changes of sFlt-1mRNA may relate to the expression of HO-1 mRNA and serum factor. Not only hypoxia but also serum factor may play a role of the levels of PlGF and sFlt-1 in preeclampsia placenta.

Physical phenomena associated with the dynamic spreading and dried shape of droplets on solid surfaces were demonstrated reviewing several models and discussed with regard to designing the most suitable thin-film formation processes using ink-jet printing. After droplets strike a substrate surface and expand for several microseconds, they spread semi-statically for tens of seconds and asymptotically approach the final equilibrium shape determined by droplet volume and contact angle. The contact angle and the volume, number, and impact velocity of droplets for various ink-jet-deposition applications can be designed by using semi-empirical formulas. If the contact angle at the edge of droplet on the substrate is small, a large amount of solute might accumulate there during the drying process because the evaporation rate there is high. The evaporation rate distribution on droplet surfaces should therefore be controlled to be uniform in radial direction during drying.

Exposure to bright light (2000 lx) for 2 h at the beginning of a 12 h light period (10 lx) resulted in about 1 h advances in the onset and termination of N-acetylserotonin (NAc5HT) synthesis in the pineal gland of NZBWF1 strain mice compared with those in mice not exposed to bright light. These effects are in contrast with the effect of exposure to bright light throughout the light period, which delayed the onset of pineal NAc5HT synthesis in NZB mice. The possible relationship of these effects with the mechanism of action of phototherapy of human affective disorder is discussed.

The diurnal variations of pineal indoles in New-Zealand Black (NZB) mice and Wistar rats were determined by HPLC fluorometry. Pineal N-acetylserotonin (NAc5HT) in NZB mice showed a marked diurnal variation, but no melatonin (MLT) was detected at any time of day or night. The night-time increases of NAc5HT in NZB mice and MLT in Wistar rats were delayed about one hour in animals kept under illumination of high intensity (2000 lux) during the light period (12 h) compared with those in animals kept under illumination of low intensity (10 lux). These results suggest that the intensity of illumination during the light period affects the diurnal rhythms of pineal indoles in experimental animals.

A highly sensitive and specific method was developed for the determination of histamine in biological materials by high-performance liquid chromatography with a cation exchanger and an automated Shore's fluorometric detection system. Since substances causing interference in Shore's o-phthalaldehyde method, such as ammonia, histidine, spermine and spermidine, were completely separated on the column and their fluorescent intensities were much less than that of histamine in this detection system, histamine could be determined by injecting a perchloric acid extract of human plasma or mouse brain tissue directly onto the column without any previous purification procedure. The lower limit of detection of histamine by this method is 0.05 pmol, and the within-day and day-to-day variations in plasma histamine assay are less than 3%. The plasma histamine level in normal human subjects was found to be 4.0 ± 1.6 pmol/ml (mean ± S.D., n=20). A good linear correlation was obtained between values for the histamine contents of mouse brain tissues determined by this method and by a radioenzymatic method with a purified histamine-N-methyltransferase preparation. The histamine levels of whole brain, hypothalamus, thalamus, brain stem and frontal cortex in male ddY mice were 367 ± 38, 1143 ± 70, 414 ± 66, 196 ± 47 and 467 ± 91 pmol/g of wet tissue (mean ± S.D.), respectively.

The binding of iodine 125-labeled fibronectin to polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) from human peripheral blood was examined. The optimum temperature and time for the binding were 37 degrees C and 30 minutes, respectively. On increase in the amount of 125I-labeled fibronectin, its binding to PMNs became saturated. Scatchard analysis of data on binding indicated the presence of a single class of binding sites. PMNs from 15 normal subjects had approximately 6.3 +/- 1.6 x 10(3) sites per cell and a dissociation constant of 10.2 +/- 2.4 x 10(-9) mol/L, indicating that they had high affinity for soluble fibronectin. Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser inhibited the binding of fibronectin to PMNs, strongly suggesting that the fibronectin receptor is one of the Arg-Gly-Asp receptor family. The plasma level of fibronectin was higher in patients with hyperthyroidism and lower in patients with hypothyroidism than in normal subjects, without any significant change in the number of fibronectin binding sites of the PMNs. However, the number of binding sites of fibronectin on PMNs of patients with aplastic anemia was increased, probably because of sensitization of the PMNs with immune complex and other factors.

A new eburnamine derivative, RU 24722 (RU), is structurally resemblant to Vincamine and is known as a specific and reversible depletor of noradrenaline (NA) in rat brain (Euvrard and Boissier, 1981). We further investigated the effect of RU on turnover of mouse brain monoamines and on catecholamine levels in rat plasma. NA levels in mouse brain were significantly decreased after 10mg/kg i.p. administration of RU with increasing MHPG, DOPAC and HVA. These changes returned to the control levels within 4 hrs. Levels of dopamine (DA), serotonin 5HIAA and histamine did not change at that dose. Vincamine did not affect those levels with the exception of a slight increase in MHPG levels at higher dose (50mg/kg). Plasma catecholamine levels in unanesthetized and freely-moving rats were 5- to 10-fold increased 10 min after RU (10mg/kg) and decreased to the basal levels within 4 hrs. These results indicate that RU increased turnover of NA and DA through releasing them from neural tissues.