Rajesh K. Malik

Clinical presentation of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: Pitfalls in diagnosis

A patient presented with a rapidly growing mass in the cervicothoracic paraspinous region. Associated clinical and radiographic skeletal abnormalities and histopathologic findings showing mild to moderate proliferation of spindle cells in a myxoid stroma led to the diagnosis of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. Recognizing the clinical features of this disease is important and should avoid the need for obtaining tissue to make the diagnosis, because performing a biopsy may be particularly morbid in these patients.

Aplastic anemia in a patient with Rothmund-Thomson syndrome.

This report is the first to describe constitutional aplastic anemia in a patient with Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (also called poikiloderma congenitale), a disease characterized by multiple cutaneous and extracutaneous findings. The findings suggest that although Rothmund-Thomson syndrome is a rare disease, vigilance for the development of associated hematologic abnormalities is warranted.

Apoptosis parallels ceramide content in the developing rat kidney

Abstract Ceramide is emerging as an important hydrophobic sphingolipid involved in cell differentiation and apoptosis. Since apoptosis plays a significant role in cellular remodeling during renal morphogenesis, we measured ceramide content and apoptosis in the fetal (18 days gestation), neonatal (3, 7, and 14 days postnatal), and adult rat kidney. In addition, to determine whether developmental changes in ceramide content are tissue-specific, we compared renal ceramide content with that in lung and liver. Ceramide was measured by the diacylglycerol kinase assay, and apoptosis was determined by the TUNEL technique. Renal ceramide content fell over 100-fold from the fetus to the 7th postnatal day. Renal apoptosis paralleled ceramide content, with a greater than 300-fold decrease in apoptosis from fetal to adult life. Ceramide content of the lung and liver was significantly less than that of the kidney, and changed less with maturation. We conclude that maturational changes in ceramide content are tissue-specific, and that the high rate of apoptosis in the developing kidney may be related to the elevated ceramide content.

Thrombin Induces Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) in Alveolar Type II Cells

Thrombin Induces Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) in Alveolar Type II Cells

LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPARIN FRAGMENTS SUPPRESS ET-1 PRODUCTION BY HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS. † 1542

LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPARIN FRAGMENTS SUPPRESS ET-1 PRODUCTION BY HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS. † 1542

Renal Tubular Apoptosis Parallels Renal Ceramide Concentration Following Chronic Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction (UUO) in the Neonatal but Not the Adult Rat

Renal Tubular Apoptosis Parallels Renal Ceramide Concentration Following Chronic Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction (UUO) in the Neonatal but Not the Adult Rat

Apoptosis Triggered by the Absence of an Integrin Signal: Role of the Sphingolipid Ceramide

Apoptosis Triggered by the Absence of an Integrin Signal: Role of the Sphingolipid Ceramide

The Integrin-Mediated Suppression of Apoptosis Correlates with Suppression of Ceramide Generation † 780

The Integrin-Mediated Suppression of Apoptosis Correlates with Suppression of Ceramide Generation † 780

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and Interleukin-13 (IL-13) inhibit IL-1β induction of Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and Epithelial neutrophil activating protein (ENA-78) in alveolar type II cells. 1958

Alveolar type II cells participate in inflammatory processes of the lung by elaborating chemotactic cytokines in response to IL-1β. Since IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 have been shown to influence macrophage production of inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-8, we assessed the ability of these cytokines to modify IL-1β induced chemokine release in type II cells. A549 cells were incubated with 100 ng/ml of IL-4,10 and 13 for 24 hours prior to the addition of 50 pg /ml IL-1β. Culture supernatants were examined for IL-8, MCP-1 and ENA-78 after 24 hours incubation. Interleukin-4 and IL-13 significantly inhibited IL-1β induced IL-8 and ENA-78 production. Interleukins 4, 10 and 13 (100 ng/ml) alone had no effect on IL-8 or ENA-78 production. Our results suggest that IL-4 and IL-13 may regulate chemokine production in alveolar type II cells. In contrast to its effects in macrophages, IL-10 has little effect on IL-8, MCP-1 or ENA-78 production in type II cells. Data represent Mean±SE of 7 experiments.(*p<0.05;#p=0.06) Table

REQUIREMENT FOR pp125 FOCAL ADHESION KINASE AND c-SRC IN THE INTEGRIN-DEPENDENT ACTIVATION OF p70/p85 RIBOSOMAL S6 KINASE. ▴ 936

REQUIREMENT FOR pp125 FOCAL ADHESION KINASE AND c-SRC IN THE INTEGRIN-DEPENDENT ACTIVATION OF p70/p85 RIBOSOMAL S6 KINASE. ▴ 936