Early gastric cancer superimposed on infestation of an Anisakis-like larva: a case report

This report describes a 73-year-old male with early gastric cancer (type IIc) superimposed on infestation of a parasitic larva. Eosinophilic granulomas surrounding a dead worm were seen in the submucosa just beneath the intramucosal tubular adenocarcinomatous lesion measuring 1 X 1cm at the anterior wall in the acid-secreting area. The cancer cells showed lowered and altered mucin production in comparison with the surrounding non-cancerous fundic mucosa. The parasite was identified as an Anisakis-like larva by the presence of typical lateral chords. An immunohistochemical examination revealed that the cancer cells were more strongly positive for IgA and secretory component than the surrounding non-cancerous mucosa, and that IgG, IgA and IgM were detected in plasma cells around the granulomas but IgE and IgD were not. The possibility that the Anisakis-like larva preferentially infested the cancerous mucosa because of the change in mucin, local defect in acid secretion and/or other structural alterations in the area is discussed.     

Fundamental and clinical studies of cefminox in children

Cefminox (CMNX, MT-141), a newly developed injectable cephem antibiotic, was administered intravenously as one shot injection at 3 different dosages of 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg to 9 children; for each dose level 3 children were used. In these children serum and urinary concentrations as well as recovery rates were determined. In addition, in order to determine clinical and bacteriological efficacies of CMNX, it was used in the treatment of 37 cases of various infections consisting of 2 cases of acute tonsillitis, 1 case of acute tonsillitis associated with otitis media, 1 case of acute bronchitis, 1 case of chronic bronchitis, 20 cases of pneumonia, 1 case of pneumonia associated with otitis media, 8 cases of urinary tract infections, 2 cases of purulent lymphadenitis and 1 case of gluteal abscess. The drug was administered intravenously as one shot injection at a mean daily dosage of 76.6 mg/kg, in 4 divided doses in most cases, for a mean period of 6 days. Finally, in 43 cases added of 6 drop out cases which were included in analysis of efficacy side effects and abnormal laboratory findings were examined. The following results were obtained. In 9 cases, which received CMNX at 3 different dosages of 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg for 3 cases each intravenously as one shot injection, mean serum concentrations reached the peaks of 109.4, 218.1 and 357.1 mcg/ml at 5 minutes after injection, respectively, showing dose response relation. The mean half-lives were 1.74, 1.62 and 1.84 hours, respectively. The mean concentrations of CMNX in urine in the same cases as used for determinations of serum concentrations were highest during the 0 approximately 2 hours period, reaching 1,582, 3,304 and 4,618 mcg/ml at the respective doses. The mean recoveries within the first 6 hours were 82.8, 69.8 and 81.3%, the rate for 20 mg/kg group being lower than those obtained for the other groups. This is possibly due to 1 case which showed unusually low recovery rate of 44.4%. When this case is excluded, the recovery rates became similar for all groups. As to clinical results, responses rated as good or higher were obtained for 91.9% of the cases (34 cases/37 cases), with high efficacy rate. No side effects were seen in 43 cases included of drop out cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Picosecond optical breakdown: tissue effects and reduction of collateral damage

The effects of picosecond laser-induced optical breakdown on tissue were investigated using high-intensity 40 ps Nd:YAG laser pulses at 1.06 microns. Tissue damage was evaluated using the corneal endothelium in vitro as a model system. Systematic studies were performed to determine the scaling of the tissue damage and damage range with pulse energy. For suprathreshold lesions, the radius of the damage zone varies as the cube root of the pulse energy, in agreement with simple physical scaling laws. A minimum damage range of less than 100 microns was observed for pulse energies of 8 muJ. Damage morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Three different damage patterns were observed; cell damage, cell removal, and rupture of Descemet's membrane. Different irradiation geometries were used to study damage mediated by either the shock wave or the cavitation bubble. Comparative studies using 10 ns pulses demonstrated that picosecond pulses yielded a significant reduction in collateral tissue damage.     

Epidemiologic study by interview on carcinoma in situ of the cervix uteri

From 1950 to 1979, 1248 patients with cancer in situ of the cervix uteri were treated at the Department of Gynecology, Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo. Information was obtained from 585 of these patients by direct interview. Many patients revealed early experience of first sexual intercourse and many had had more than two sexual partners and a large discrepancy between the age at first sexual intercourse and at first marriage. Early experience of first sexual intercourse, marital status and the number of sexual partners all seem to have a relation to the development of cancer in situ.     

Inhibitory effects of methyl o-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamoyl) reserpate (CD-3400) on the central nervous system (author's transl)]

Effects of methyl o-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamoyl) reserpate (CD-3400) on the central nervous system in mice, rats and cats were investigated, and a comparison was made with such effects of reserpine and rescinamine. Inhibitory effects of CD-3400 on spontaneous motor activity and conditioned avoidance response were weaker and shorter than those of reserpine and rescinnamine. In the experiments of the inhibitory effects of the central actions such as ptosis, hypothermia, decrease in motor ability, potentiation of hexobarbital and taming, reserpine was found to be the most potent followed by rescinnamine and CD-3400, respectively. High doses of CD-3400 exhibited inhibitory effects on methamphetamine-induced hyperactivity in mice and this action was weaker than those of reserpine and rescinnamine. CD-3400, 80-160 mg/kg p.o., showed no significant effects on morphine-induced analgesia, while a slight inhibition was observed on the Straub-tail reaction using morphine. Reserpine, 0.5 mg/kg i.v., resulted in a drowsy pattern in the spontaneous EEG activity and the EEG arousal response was depressed, while with CD-3400, 5 mg/kg i.v., there was no drowsy pattern. CD-3400 as well as rescinnamine and reserpine remarkably depleted 5-HT levels in brain, heart and plasma and the potency of CD-3400, particularly in the brain, was weaker than the potency of reserpine and rescinnamine. These results indicate that CD-3400 is an antihypertensive agent with a low toxicity and a weak central action.     

Estrogen receptors in brain tumors

We examined the cytosolic estrogen receptor (ER) level in tumor tissue from 77 patients: 36 meningiomas, 20 gliomas (12 glioblastomas, 2 cerebellar astrocytomas, 2 ependymomas, and 4 medulloblastomas), 8 neurinomas, 7 pituitary adenomas (2 prolactin-producing adenomas, 1 growth hormone-producing adenoma, and 4 nonfunctioning adenomas), and 6 metastatic brain tumors (1 from breast cancer, 4 from lung cancers, and 1 from colon cancer). Nuclear ER levels were assayed in 11 meningiomas and 2 glioblastomas. ER was determined by the dextran-coated charcoal method and calculated by Scatchard analysis. Cytosolic ER was detected in 100% of the pituitary adenomas, 50% of the meningiomas, 50% of the metastatic brain tumors, 25% of the neurinomas, and 15% of the gliomas. In gliomas, only medulloblastomas had ER activity. Nuclear ER was found in three premenopausal women with meningioma. The dissociation constant of the ER complex was, in each case, less than 10(-9) M. These observations suggest that some brain tumors may be responsive to estrogen via the cellular ER.     

Human yolk-sac tumor antigen 2G10: biochemical characterization and significance as a serum antigen

The biochemical characterization of human yolk-sac tumor (YST) antigen 2G10, detected by monoclonal antibody (MAb) M912-2G10, was studied. Previous results indicated that glycolipids having a non-reducing terminal N-acetyllactosamine structure were the epitope of 2G10 on human erythrocytes. In this study, the glycoprotein nature of 2G10 on the infantile embryonal carcinoma line, MTE, was investigated. 2G10 activity, measured by a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (2G10-ELISA), was recovered in residual fractions of MTE from which glycolipids were removed. Chromatographically, 3H-galactose-labelled 2G10 on MTE had a molecular weight (mw) of about 580 kDa, which decreased after pronase or alkaline-borohydride treatment. Our results indicate the glycoprotein nature of 2G10 on MTE. Furthermore, 2G10, both on erythrocytes and on MTE, was sensitive to galactosidase but not to neuraminidase and fucosidase, suggesting that terminal galactose is involved in the antigenic structure. It was also found by 2G10-ELISA that 2G10 sheds from tumor cells. Shedding occurs in nude mice transplanted with MTE as well as in patients with germ-cell tumors (GCTs). The serum level of 2G10 in non-tumor patients was low, but high levels were detected in patients with YSTs and with GCTs having YST components. Immunohistochemically, the presence of 2G10-positive YST components was shown in patients who had high serum levels of 2G10. Sera from other urogenital and childhood solid tumors did not have elevated 2G10. The mw of shed 2G10 was lower than that of 2G10 on the cell surfaces. Our results clearly indicate the usefulness of serum 2G10 as a tumor marker for GCTs having YST components.