Vasculitis and Pyrexia Associated with Superficial Spreading Gastric Carcinoma

A case of low grade fever developing about a month before the discovery of gastric carcinoma is reported. No findings of infection or collagen disease were revealed. The fever continued for about 3 months, but promptly disappeared after surgical removal of the tumor. A superficial spreading mucosal carcinoma with minimal invasion to the sub-mucosa was seen in the antrum, showing the features of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. In addition, unique venous inflammation was recognized beneath and around the neoplasm. Arteries and lymph vessels did not exhibit any inflammatory changes. It was presumed that the gastric carcinoma had induced phlebitis, which subsequently brought about the fever. As to the pathogenetic mechanism, it was suggested that a substance produced by the carcinoma cells flowed into nearby veins to induce the phlebitis. Acta Pathol Jpn 42 : 293-297, 1992.     

Purification of a Protective Antigen from a Saline Extract of Pasteurella multocida

It has been shown previously that soluble material extracted from Pasteurella multocida P-1059 by a 2.5% NaCl solution protects turkeys from generalized septicemia at a subsequent challenge exposure to the organism. In the present study, a protective antigen was purified from the crude soluble material by chromatographic methods. Four protein peaks were obtained by gel filtration with Sephadex G-200. The protective antigen was detected only in the first peak fraction, which contained a substantial amount of carbohydrate. The peak 1 fraction was adsorbed onto DEAE-cellulose and eluted by a linear gradient of NaCl. Fractions corresponding to a single protein peak were pooled and passed through an immunoadsorbent column to remove any possible serum component originating from the growth medium. The purified antigen had a carbohydrate/protein ratio of 1.5 and formed a single precipitin line with rabbit antiserum against the crude material in gel diffusion and immunoelectrophoresis analyses. The antigen produced antibodies in rabbits and turkeys which formed a single precipitin line against the crude material. Upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacryl-amide gel electrophoresis, the purified antigen showed three protein bands, corresponding to molecular weights of 44,000, 31,000, and 25,000, and one carbohydrate band. The carbohydrate band did not correspond to any of the three protein bands. Upon isoelectric focusing gel analysis, the purified antigen showed two bands (pI = 3.5 to 4.0 and 4.5 to 5.5), but the two bands were antigenically identical by isoelectric focusing crossed immunoelectrophoresis. The 50% protective dose of the purified antigen was between 10 and 50 μg of protein in trials where two doses were given at 14-day intervals to 10- to 20-week-old turkeys.     

Richner-Hanhart's syndrome. Electron microscopic study of the skin lesion

The plantar hyperkeratotic skin lesion in a case of Richner-Hanhart's syndrome was investigated using ultrastructural examination. Light microscopic examination showed remarkable hyperkeratosis and some aberrant keratinocytes with multiple nuclei. On ultrastructural examination, some abnormal structures were seen in the affected keratinocytes: aggregations of tonofilaments and intracytoplasmic inclusions. The inclusions were needle shaped and were considered to be "crystal ghosts," presumably of tyrosine. The formation of tyrosine crystalline inclusions seems to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of the cutaneous lesions in Richner-Hanhart's syndrome.     

Urinaryα 1 as an index of proximal tubular function in early infancy

Urinary ₁-microglobulin (U-A₁M) was measured in healthy term infants on days 1, 4, 7, 14, 28, 90 and 180 of life. U-A₁M was high until day 14 and declined thereafter. It was significantly correlated with urinary ₂-microglobulin (U-B₂M) throughout the study, but not with serum A₁M on days 1 or 7. Similar to U-B₂M, U-A₁M in the clinically stable term infants with intrauterine growth retardation (n=4–7) was not elevated on days 1–7. In the sick infants who needed immediate resuscitatio at birth (n=4–8), U-A₁M as well as U-B₂M was high on days 1–7 and then decreased to normal levels, suggesting that U-A₁M can be used as a sensitive marker of acute proximal tubular damage and its recovery. These observations indicate that U-A₁M is a useful index of proximal tubular function in early infancy.     

Markers of human T lymphotropic virus type I in patients with cancer of uterine cervix in Amazon, Brazil

Human T lymphotropic virus type I(HTLV-I) has been implicated in various human diseases. Serum samples of 390 Brazilian Amazonians with cancer of various types were tested for HTLV-I antibodies by Gelatin particle agglutination test, Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting. Of 134 sera from patients with cancer of uterine cervix, 4 were positive by all the methods. Three of these were from non-transfused patients. DNA was extracted from 2 of 4 seropositive sera that gave strong reactions and were analyzed by PCR-SSCP for HTLV-I sequences. One was positive for all HTLV-I genes tested while the other one was positive for LTR and tax and negative for gag. In view of a possible pathway of the virus by sexual contact, the involvement of HTLV-I in cervical cancer warrants further studies.     

The effects of lifestyle and type a behavior on the life-stress process

To evaluate the effects of personal factors such as lifestyle and Thpe A behavior on the life-stress process, we analyzed data randomly collected from 428 metropolitan Tokyo residents. Path analysis techniques were implemented to examine the direct and indirect effects of lifestyle and the Type A behavior pattern between life events, subjective stress and depressive symptoms. The following results were obtained: 1. Persons with a healthy lifestyle perceived a lower subjective stress level. 2. Although females with a healthy lifestyle had fewer direct depressive symptoms, males with a healthy lifestyle had fewer indirect depressive symptoms due to alleviation of subjective stress. 3. Type A males perceived a lower subjective stress level and Type A females experienced more life events. It is suggested that mental health is modified not only by lifestyle but also by Type A behavior in the life-stress process. In particular, the preservation and promotion of a healthy lifestyle appear to reduce subjective stress and may be an important factor for the improvement of mental ill health.     

Viral gene mutation as determinant of low grade malignancy of lesions induced by perinatal retrovirus infection

Of 108 Wistar/Ma rats perinatally injected with Snyder-Theilen feline sarcoma virus, 75 developed tumors within 60 days (group A), and 25 after more than 117 days (group B). Metastases were detected in 59.1% and 11.8% in group A and B respectively. Antibody to v-fes gene product was found to occur before tumor development in group B and after tumor development in group A. v-Ses was found to be down-regulated and extensively mutated in tumors of group B. These results suggest viral gene mutation as a determinant of low grade malignancy of lesions induced.     

Characterization of connectin-like proteins of obliquely striated muscle of a polychaete (Annelida)

Summary In obliquely striated muscle of polychaete, Neanthes sp., three kinds of connectin (titin)-like high molecular weight proteins, 4000 kDa, 1200 kDa and 700 kDa, were detected by SDS gel electrophoresis and immunoblots using antibodies to vertebrate skeletal muscle connectin and antiserum to the protein in question. The 700 kDa protein was isolated and characterized as a sheet-rich filament 170 nm long and 4 nm wide. Using polyclonal antibodies to the 700 kDa protein, the binding of the immunogold to the thick filament was only demonstrated in high ionic strength relaxing solution which solubilized some myosin. This observation suggested that the 700 kDa protein was localized below the layers of myosin in the thick filament and this localization is different from that of twitchin of C. elegans bodywall muscle that is on the surface of thick filament. The 4000 kDa protein was identified as a very thin filament linking the thick filament to the dense body. The very thin filaments were visualized in gelsolin-treated actin filament-free fibres. The 1200 kDa protein was located in the periphery of the dense body. A model of the elastic filament in polychaete bodywall muscle is presented.