The effectiveness of IFN-alpha2b for human multiple myeloma has been variable. TRAIL has been proposed to mediate IFN-alpha2b apoptosis in myeloma. In this study we assessed the effects of IFN-alpha2b signaling on the apoptotic activity of TRAIL and human myeloma cell survival. While TRAIL was one of the most potently induced proapoptotic genes in myeloma cells following IFN-alpha2b treatment, ...

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LG) is a rare, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated systemic angiodestructive lymphoproliferative disorder that may progress to a diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Pulmonary involvement may mimic other more common lung pathologies including pneumonias. Therapeutic standards have not been established for LG, but rituximab, interferon-alpha2b (INF-alpha2b), and chemothera...

Exaggerated response to alpha2-adrenergic receptor (alpha2-AR) blockade by yohimbine in normotensive subjects is an intermediate phenotype that predicts increased risk for development of hypertension. Here, we assessed the 3 alpha2-AR loci (alpha2A, alpha2B, alpha2C) as candidate genes for their influence on baseline and yohimbine-mediated increase in mean arterial pressure. Because initial res...

A major problem in the formulation of therapeutic proteins is the irreversible protein aggregation. Recombinant human interferon alpha2b (rhIFN2b) has poor stability and undergoes physical degradation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of solution conditions on the heat-induced aggregation of rhIFNα2b. The protein was incubated for 1 h at 40°C–70°C and for up to 240 h at 50C...

A major problem in the formulation of therapeutic proteins is the irreversible protein aggregation. Recombinant human interferon alpha2b (rhIFN2b) has poor stability and undergoes physical degradation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of solution conditions on the heat-induced aggregation of rhIFNα2b. The protein was incubated for 1 h at 40°C–70°C and for up to 240 h at 50C...

BACKGROUND An insertion/deletion polymorphism in the alpha2B-adrenoceptor (AR) has been associated with the risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and sudden cardiac death. In this study we tested whether this polymorphism is associated with the risk for AMI among members of families with type 2 diabetes. METHODS 154 subjects with a history of AMI were matched for age and sex with one of ...

Alpha2-adrenoceptors are essential presynaptic regulators of norepinephrine release from sympathetic nerves. Previous studies in mice with targeted deletions in the 3 alpha2-adrenoceptor genes have indicated that these receptors are essential for embryonic development. In the present study, we searched for the alpha2-adrenoceptor subtype(s) involved in placental development and its molecular me...

We investigated a new method using fluorescence in situ hybridization and DNA probes that span the common breakpoints of t(9;22)(q34;q11.2) and that detect double BCR/ABL fusion (D-FISH) in bone marrow cells with this translocation, one on the abnormal chromosome 9 and one on the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph chromosome). D-FISH patterns were abnormal in 30 of 30 specimens with classic, simple, c...

Type I interferon (IFN) was originally identified as an immunomodulatory cytokine because of its antiviral activity. Further characterization of its biological effects revealed a prominent role in the direct control of cell growth and potent immunomodulatory and antiangiogenic actions. IFN-alpha and IFN-beta had both been classified as type I IFN, but differences in their antitumor activities w...