bromochloroacetic-acid and Hematologic-Diseases

Cytoskeletal research in recent years has revolutionized cell biology and biomedicine. The cytoskeleton spans the cytoplasm and interconnects the cell nucleus with the extracellular matrix, thereby forming a structural link between molecules involved in cell communication on the one hand, and gene expression on the other. Since the cytoskeleton is involved in virtually all cellular processes, abnormalities in this essential cellular component frequently result in disease. In this introduction, the basic structure of the cytoskeleton is briefly outlined. Furthermore, the disease processes in which the cytoskeleton plays a decisive role, and which are reviewed in detail in the papers in this issue, are briefly introduced. The advances in our understanding of the cytoskeleton and its function in disease will lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic applications in the foreseeable future.

Topics: Actins; Cell Nucleus; Cytoskeletal Proteins; Cytoskeleton; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Intestinal Diseases; Keratins; Liver Diseases; Lymphatic Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Skin Diseases

Inflammatory conditions of the ear, otitis media, are one of the most common disease entities in children. In this study, the role of the plasminogen (plg)/plasmin system for the spontaneous development of chronic otitis media was investigated by the analysis of plg-deficient mice. Whereas essentially all of the wild-type control mice kept a healthy status of the middle ear, all the plg-deficient mice gradually developed chronic otitis media with various degrees of inflammatory changes during an 18-week observation period. Five bacterial strains were identified in materials obtained from the middle ear cavities of six plg-deficient mice. Morphological studies revealed the formation of an amorphous mass tissue and inflammatory changes in the middle ears of plg-deficient mice. Immunohistochemical studies further indicate a mass infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages as well as the presence of T and B cells in the middle ear mucosa of these mice. Extensive fibrin deposition and an abnormal keratin formation were also observed in the tympanic membrane, the middle ear cavity and external ear canal in these mice. These results suggest that plg plays an essential role in protecting against the spontaneous development of chronic otitis media. Our findings also suggest the possibility of using plg for clinical therapy of certain types of otitis media.

Topics: Animals; B-Lymphocytes; Bacteria; Disease Models, Animal; Ear, External; Ear, Middle; Fibrin; Hematologic Diseases; Immunohistochemistry; Keratins; Macrophages; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred DBA; Mucous Membrane; Neutrophil Infiltration; Otitis Media; Plasminogen; T-Lymphocytes; Tympanic Membrane