A case of immunohistochemically carcinoembryonic antigen producing cervical cancer--the evaluation of plasma CEA levels in 201 patients with uterine cancer

A case of a cervical cancer in a 40-year-old woman with a plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level of 29.4 ng/ml was investigated using light and electron microscopy. In addition, the plasma CEA levels before treatment were determined in 168 patients with cervical cancer and in 33 patients with endometrial cancer. CEA was found to be elevated in the plasma of 19% of those with cervical cancer and in 6% of those with endometrial cancer. Effective serial plasma CEA determinations following therapy, in patients whose plasma or tumors initially contain elevated amounts of antigen, might be useful as an adjunctive method in the earlier detection of a recurrent cancer.     

Frequency and Output-Dependent Change in Conduction Over Slow Pathways in a Patient with Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia Unrelated to Coronary Artery Disease

In a patient with sustained ventricular tachycardia, we obtained two different paced QRS morphologies from a single pacing site. In one QRS morphology the stimulus to the QRS complex was long, 150 msec, and in the other it was 100 msec. At the paced cycle length of 600 msec and the stimulus output of 4 V, one QRS morphology with the stimulus to the onset of QRS activation (St-QRS) interval of 150 msec was observed. At the paced cycle length of 400 msec, the other QRS morphology with a St-QRS interval of 100 msec was observed alternatively with the former. At the paced cycle length of 353 msec or 316 msec, the latter with a shorter St-QRS interval was exclusively observed. When the stimulus output was increased from 4 to 10 V, keeping with the paced cycle length at 400 msec, the St-QRS interval was shortened from 100 to 80 msec. For the two QRS morphologies with two St-QRS intervals, two slowly conducting pathways would be responsible. The site of the block in the faster pathway must be located at the proximity of the pacing site and the conduction at a shorter paced cycle length would be explained by "supernormal conduction."     

Combined Repeat Dose and Reproductive/Developmental Toxicity Screening Test (OECD): Familiarization Using Cyclophosphamide

Combined Repeat Dose and Reproductive/Developmental ToxicityScreening Test (OECD): Familiarization Using Cyclophosphamide.TANAKA, S., KAWASHIMA, K., NAITO, K., USAMI, M., NAKADATE, M.,IMAIDA, K., TAKAHASHI, M., HAYASHI, Y., KUROKAWA, Y., AND TOBE,M. (1992A, Y., AND TOBE, M. (1992). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 18,89–95. A familiarization study was conducted on the "Combined RepeatDose and Reproductive/Developmental Toxicity Screening Test(ReproTox)" proposed by the OECD. Cyclophosphamide (CP) at dosesof 6.7, 4.5, 3, 2, and 0 mg/kg body wt was given daily by gavageto groups of 12 male and 12 female Sprague-Dawley rats. As aresult, anemia and leukopenia were evident in treated males.The absolute and relative thymus and spleen weights were decreasedin treated rats. Histopathologically, atrophy of the thymus,spleen, and bone marrow was observed. With respect to the reproductive/developmentaltoxicity, dose-dependent increases in postimplantation lossof fetuses and postnatal death were found in dams given CP.The body weight of pups treated with CP was significantly loweredin a dose-related manner. Thus the results demonstrated mostof the known toxicological properties of CP, except the adverseeffects on spermatogenesis and fertility. Therefore ReproToxcan be considered as a useful screening test for assessing repeatdose and reproductive/developmental toxicity of existing chemicalsof high production volume.     

A case of advanced paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma

A case of paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma is presented. An 18-year-old male was admitted with the complaint of giant scrotal swelling and abdominal fullness on September 5, 1986. Left radical orchiectomy was performed with the pathologic diagnosis of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. The tumor was paratesticular in location and had invaded a spermatic cord. Radiological examination showed a gross metastatic mass in retroperitoneal lymph nodes, supraclavicular lymph nodes and Douglas pouch. The patient received induction chemotherapy containing vincristine, actinomycin-D, cyclophosphamide, bleomycin, CDDP and VP-16. After 3 courses, he had no mass in Douglas pouch and supraclavicular lesion. He received retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for residual retroperitoneal mass, and postoperative radiotherapy was given. However, recurrent disease was developed in the paraaortic region with malignant ascites. He was treated with salvage chemotherapy, had without any significant effect. He died of liver dysfunction due to progressive mass in hepatic hilum. A review of the current approach of paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma with the usefulness of combination chemotherapy is given.     

PELGEROID-LIKE ANOMALOUS CELLS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF NEUTROPHILIC DERMATOSIS ASSOCIATED WITH MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROME

Neutrophilic dermatoses (ND), with or without accompanying myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), were examined in terms of nuclear abnormality like pelgeroid anomaly of infiltrating cells into skin lesions. Six ND accompanying MDS showed 1.0 to 13.5% of such anomalous cells among infiltrating cells. In contrast, ND without accompanying myeloproliferative disorders rarely had such anomalous cells. Our findings suggest that pelgeroid-like anomalous cells infiltrating into ND are probably a good marker of underlying MDS.     

Fungi predatory activity on embryonated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Toxocara canis</Emphasis> eggs inoculated in domestic chickens (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gallus gallus domesticus</Emphasis>) and destruction of second stage larvae

The objective of this study was to evaluate the infectivity of Toxocara canis eggs after interacting with isolated nematophagous fungi of the species Duddingtonia flagrans (AC001) and Pochonia chlamydosporia (VC4), and test the predatory activity of the isolated AC001 on T. canis second stage larvae after 7 days of interaction. In assay A, 5000 embryonated T. canis eggs previously in contact with the AC001 and VC4 isolated for 10 days were inoculated into domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), and then these animals were necropsied to collect material (digested liver, intestine, muscles and lungs) at 3-, 7-, 14-, and 21-day intervals after inoculation. In assay A, the results demonstrated that the prior interaction of the eggs with isolated AC001 and VC4 decreases the amount of larvae found in the collected organs. Difference (p?<?0.01) was observed in the medium larvae counts recovered from liver, lung, intestine, and muscle of animals in the treated groups when compared to the animals in the control group. At the end of assay A, a percentage reduction of 87.1 % (AC001) and 84.5 % (VC4) respectively was recorded. In the result of assay B, the isolated AC001 showed differences (p?<?0.01) compared to the control group, with a reduction of 53.4 % in the recovery of L₂. Through these results, it is justified to mention that prior interaction of embryonated T. canis eggs with the tested fungal isolates were efficient in reducing the development and migration of this parasite, in addition to the first report of proven predatory activity on L₂.     

Effects of clotrimazole on the growth, morphological characteristics, and cisplatin sensitivity of human glioblastoma cells in vitro

OBJECT: Clotrimazole, an antimycotic drug, inhibits proliferation of normal and cancer cells by downregulating the movement of intracellular Ca++ and K+. The authors examined the effect of clotrimazole on the growth and sensitivity to cisplatin of two human glioblastoma cell lines--A172, which has the wild-type p53 gene, and T98G, which has the mutant p53 gene in vitro. METHODS: The A172 and T98G glioblastoma cells were exposed to clotrimazole and cell growth was assessed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium chloride colorimetric assay. Clotrimazole produced a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation and caused changes in cellular structure toward a well-differentiated form. The growth inhibitory effect of clotrimazole was reversible. Western immunoblot analysis revealed a marked increase in cellular glial fibrillary acidic protein and wild-type p53 and a decrease in c-myc and c-fos oncoproteins in both cell lines treated with clotrimazole. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that clotrimazole-treated cells accumulated in the G0/G1 phase with a marked decrease in cells in the S phase; when clotrimazole was washed out from the culture medium, cells again started to proliferate, with a marked decrease in cells in the G0/G1 phase and an increase in cells in the S phase. The growth inhibitory effect of clotrimazole could not be overcome by exogenous stimulation with either epidermal growth factor or c-myc peptide. A combined treatment with clotrimazole and cisplatin significantly enhanced cell cytotoxicity compared with treatment using either drug alone. A DNA fragmentation assay showed that both clotrimazole and cisplatin induced apoptosis, which was increased in cells treated by both drugs. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that clotrimazole inhibits cell proliferation accompanied by morphological changes toward differentiation of glioblastoma cells and that this drug synergistically enhances the antitumor effect of cisplatin by inducing wild-type p53-mediated apoptosis.     

The Levels of Serum Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Using Direct Measurement in Healthy Japanese School Children

This study aimed to investigate the levels of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) using direct measurement in healthy Japanese school children. The subjects were 621 children (325 boys and 296 girls) aged 9 to 10 in the 4th grade, and 688 children (334 boys and 354 girls) aged 12 to 13 in the 7th grade. The levels of serum LDLC and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured by direct determination (Cholestest LDL and Cholestest NHDL; Daiichi Pure Chemicals Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). In boys in the 4th grade, the mean, the 75th, the 90th and the 95th percentiles of LDLC levels (mg/dl) were 91.6, 104, 124 and 134, respectively. In girls in the 4th grade, they were 92.8, 108, 122 and 130. In boys in the 7th grade, they were 83.4, 96, 113 and 123. In girls in the 7th grade, they were 93.0, 106, 126 and 137. Serum LDLC levels in boys in the 7th grade were lower than those of other groups. The direct measurement of serum LDLC level is useful for evaluation of dyslipidemia in healthy school children, because the method is applicable to non-fasting serum.