BACKGROUND: Leptin secreted from adipose tissue activates not only its receptors expressed abundantly in the brain, including arcuate nucleus but the POMC neurons resulting in secretion of a-MSH. Activation of MC4R by a-MSH increases the energy expenditure and decreases the food intake, and promotes the sympathetic activity. METHODS: To analyze the biologic activity of a-MSH analogues, the rat MC3R DNA and human MC4R DNA were stably and independently expressed in CHO cell lines, and we performed the competitive receptor binding assay with [125I]NDP-MSH as a radioligand and cyclic AMP accumulation assay following treatment with different ligands. a-MSH (Ac-Ser-Tyr-Ser- Met-Glue-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-Val-NH2) and its analogue a-MSH-ND (Ac-Nle-Asp-His-Dphe- Arg-Trp-Lys-NH2) were synthesized by Genosys Biotechnologies, Inc. The HPLC purified samples for NMR experiments were dissolved in 90% HO/10% DO or 99.9% DO solutions at pH 7.0 with concentrations of 2 mM in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer. The NMR spectra were acquired on a Bruker AMX-500 or DMX-600 spectrometer in quadrature detection mode equipped with a triple-resonance probe with an actively shielded pulsed field gradient coil. RESULTS: The preferential order of binding activity for MC3R was NDP-MSH > a-MSH-ND > [Nle4]-MSH with IC50 values (nM) being 0.367 +/- 0.074, 47.20 +/- 9.08 and 106.70 +/- 32.25, respectively. For MC4R, the same preferential order, NDP-MSH (0.566 +/- 0.194) > a-MSH-ND (6.70 +/- 1.07) > [Nle4]a-MSH (238.30 +/- 30.47), were obtained. In c-AMP generation assay, the potency order of peptides was NDP-MSH > a-MSH-ND > a-MSH at both MC3R and MCAR. Accumulated food intake of Sprague Dawley rats was low significantly for six hours after injection of a-MSH-ND into peritoneum. a-MSH forms a hair pin loop conformation, whereas a-MSH-ND, a linear form of MTII, prefers a type I B-turn comprising residues Asp5-His6-DPhe7-Arg8 in NMR study. CONCLUSION: we developed in vitro and in vivo bioassay system to evaluate the biologic activity of a-MSH analogues and we also showed that the type I B-turn structure of a-MSH-ND might enhance the binding activity to MC4R.
Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; Arcuate Nucleus ; Biological Assay ; Biotechnology ; Brain ; CHO Cells ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Cricetinae ; Cyclic AMP ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; DNA ; Eating ; Energy Metabolism ; Hair ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Leptin* ; Ligands ; Neurons ; Peptides ; Peritoneum ; Pro-Opiomelanocortin ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium

No abstract available.
Heart Ventricles*

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Humerus*

Pilomatrix carcinoma is an extremely rare tumor of hair matrix origin and its definite biological behavior of malignancy has remained inconclusive. We report a case of a huge pilomatrix carcinoma arising in the lateral neck skin from an elderly woman, who eventually
Female ; Humans

The authors have experienced a case of organic mental disorder with bilateral frontal lobe atrophy in. a 36-year-old man. He showed negative symptoms of schizophrenia such as anhedonia, social withdrawal, flat affect, poverty of thought.
Adult ; Anhedonia ; Atrophy* ; Neurocognitive Disorders ; Frontal Lobe* ; Humans ; Poverty ; Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Korea* ; Maternal Death*

The suprapatellar plica is a synovial membrane that lies between the suprapatellar pouch and the true knee joint, but pathologic suprapatellar plica has been reported not frequently. We experienced one case of arch type of pathologic suprapatellar plica which was excised by arthroscopic technique, and report it with review of literature.
Knee Joint ; Synovial Membrane

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

Although the usefulness of mammography as a screening test for breast cancer is still indispute, its use topatients over 50 years of age is valid. Since Wolfe first classified the breast parenchymal patterns of mammography into 4 patterns, many authors have adopted the criteria in studying the changes of the parenchymalpatterns for certain ages and the risks for breast cancer of certain parenchymal patterns. Authors reviewed 49cases of breast masses which diagnosed by mammography and by operation during the period from January 1978 to July 1983 at St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Medical College. The parenchymal tissue patterns were classifed according toWolfe into NI, P1, P2 and DY. Risk groups were classified into low risk group (N1, P1) and high group(P2, DY). Onthe basis of these criteria, benign and malignant disease were analyzed against the breast parenchymal patterns.The results and conclusions were as follows: 1. Age ranged from 16 years to 67 years with the most prevalent agebeing 4th and 5th decades. 2. Diagnoses were; fibroadenoma 17 cases, fibrous dysplasia 16 cases, ductal papilloma3 cases, and cancer 13 cases. 3. Categorization of those 26 bening disease according to the Wolfe's criteria was:N1 6 cases, P1 10 cases, P2 9 cases and DY 11 cases. On the other hand, categorization of 13 cases of cancerwas:N1 5 cases, P1 3 cases, P2 3 cases, and DY 2 cases. 4. Of 13 cases of cancer, 8 fell in the low risk group andremainder in the high risk group. There were no significant correlation between the parenchymal patterns and theincidence of breast cancer.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Diagnosis ; Fibroadenoma ; Hand ; Mammography ; Mass Screening ; Wolves