Human leukocyte antigens in Fisher's syundrome

We performed human leukocyte antigens(HLA)typing for class I antigens on 19 Japanese patients with Fisher's syndrome. We demonstrated a statistically significant association between the disease and the HLA-B39 antigen.     

An autopsy case of deep cerebral venous thrombosis: serial CT, MRI and pathological findings]

A 17-year-old girl developed vomiting of sudden onset, followed by a state of confusion that progressed rapidly to coma within one day. Laboratory tests indicated iron deficiency anemia and reactive thrombocytosis, but there was no evidence of coagulopathy. There was no history of medication including the contraceptive pill, either. Emergency CT scan without contrast enhancement showed increased density along the course of the vein of Galen and internal cerebral veins. A repeated CT scan without contrast enhancement carried out 24 hours after the onset of the illness confirmed extensive bilateral hypodensity of the thalami, basal ganglia and adjacent white matter. There was also a prominent spontaneous increase in the density of the deep cerebral venous system. MRI was performed 3 days after the onset of the illness, which showed absence of a flow void in the region of the internal cerebral veins and septal veins on T1-weighed images. T2-weighted images showed low intensity in these veins. At autopsy, the bilateral internal cerebral veins were occluded by fresh thrombosis and hemorrhagic infarction was seen in the bilateral thalami.     

A clinicopathological study of prognostic factors in esophageal cancer

To evaluate the malignancy of esophageal cancer, we made a statistical clinicopathological study on 66 patients resected with definite operative and histological findings. The cumulative 5-year survival rate was 26.1%. By Cox's proportional hazard model depth and lymph node metastases were the prognostic factors in "Guide Lines for the Clinical and Pathological Studies on Carcinoma of the Esophagus". New histological factors for quantity idea: 1) depth judged by presence of cancer cells before irradiation; 2) intramural spreading characteristics; 3) volume of tumor measuring the infiltrating area of each layer; 4) distribution of metastatic lymph nodes set up by anatomical restriction and surgical risk; 5) number of metastatic lymph nodes. By analyzing the interaction of these 5 factors, the depth was correlated with the volume and the intramural spreading characteristics. The lymph node metastases were correlated significantly with the volume but not with the depth. The depth and the distribution of metastatic lymph nodes influenced prognosis according to Cox's proportional hazard model. Estimated survival rates of these factors were fitted to actual survival rates respectively. Postsurgical survival and adjuvant therapy may be determined by histological factor analysis.     

Effects of sevoflurane on autonomic nerve activities controlling cardiovascular functions in rats

Effects of different inspiratory concentrations of sevoflurane (fluorometyl-1,1,1,3,3,3,-hexafluoro-2-propylether) on blood pressure, heart rate and efferent activities of cardiac sympathetic, cardiac parasympathetic and renal sympathetic nerves were examined using rats either under the resting condition or during noxious mechanical stimulation of a hindpaw. Under the resting condition, an increase in the inspiratory concentration of sevoflurane from 2.1% to 4.2% gradually caused a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. With the increase in the sevoflurane concentration, cardiac sympathetic nerve activity decreased, whereas renal sympathetic nerve and cardiac parasympathetic nerve activities did not change significantly. When noxious mechanical stimulation was applied to a hind-paw by pinching, blood pressure and heart rate, renal sympathetic and cardiac sympathetic nerve activities all increased at the 2.1% concentration of sevoflurane. The responses of these parameters were attenuated at the 3.1% concentration of sevoflurane and almost disappeared at the 4.2% concentration. Cardiac parasympathetic nerve activity did not change significantly during the pinching stimulation throughout the 2.1–4.2% concentration increase.(Kurosawa M, Meguro K, Nagayama T et al.: Effects of sevoflurane on autonomic nerve activities controlling cardiovascular functions in rats. J Anesth 3: 109–117, 1989)     

Effect of direct-current stimulation on the growth plate

Summary Electrical stimulation of 8 A direct current was applied to the femoral distal growth plate of young rabbits for periods of 1, 2, and 3 weeks to examine the effect on bone growth. The results were analyzed using X-ray measurement, histological observation including tetracycline labeling, and glycosaminoglycans analysis. No obvious differences between the stimulated side and the control side were observed in the morphological and biochemical studies, but characteristic thickening of the growth plate caused by the accumulation of hypertrophic cells was found in the group stimulated for 2 weeks. Electricity affects the cell behavior of the growth plate, but it is necessary to find more appropriate conditions to stimulate obvious bone growth.     

Expression of connexin 32 gap junction protein in the kidneys during fetal development of the hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

The expression of gap junction protein was examined immunohistochemically using affinity-purified antibody against rat liver gap junction protein, connexin 32 (Cx32), in the kidneys of fetal (gestation days 13–16) and adult Syrian golden hamsters. Phalloidin histochemical staining, PNA- and RCA I-lectin stainings, NCAM immunostaining, and alkaline phosphatase and Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase enzyme-histochemical staining were performed in combination with Cx32 immunostaining. The kidney sections were observed with a confocal scanning laser microscope. By gestation day 13, Cx32 immunoreactivity was observed in the differentiating tubules. The Cx32 staining was localized on the lateral cell membrane of the cells lining the developing proximal tubules, while the S-shaped bodies, developing distal tubules, and collecting tubules showed no positive immunostaining. As the kidney developed, the density of Cx32 immunoreactivity increased. As the gap junction provides pathways for cell-cell communication, the development of Cx32 expression may imply that this structure plays an important role in renal tubule development. Confocal scanning laser microscopy provided a clear image of the fluorescence-labeled cell structures, free from out-of-focus blur. Using the same sections, stereoscopic images were easily reconstructed from serial optical sections, and were helpful in understanding the spatial distribution of Cx32 expression in the developing fetal proximal tubules.     

Effects of adrenoceptor antagonists on the cutaneous blood flow increase response to sympathetic nerve stimulation in rats with persistent inflammation

There is some evidence that the sympathetic nervous system plays a role in the development and/or maintenance of painful states, and that sympathetic nervous function is altered in these conditions. Our previous experiments showed that electrical stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic trunk (sympathetic stimulation: SS), which normally induces a decrease in blood flow (BF) of plantar skin, induced its BF increase in about 50% of adjuvant-inflamed rats. To investigate the mechanism of this BF-increase response, we examined whether noradrenaline (NA) plays any role in this changed response to SS, and which receptor subtype is involved. We measured paw cutaneous BF response with a laser Doppler flowmeter in rats chronically inflamed with complete Freund's adjuvant. SS induced the BF-increase response in 50-67% of measured sites. Close-arterially injected NA induced the BF-increase response at dosages between 10-100 ng/kg only at the sites with the BF-increase response to SS. The BF-increase and -decrease responses to NA was significantly reduced after the close-arterial injection of either alpha1- or alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonists (p lt; 0.05, respectively). In contrast, although the BF-decrease responses to SS were significantly reduced by administration of alpha1- and alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist, BF-increase response was reduced only by alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist, and that only at a higher dose. In addition, the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist had no effects on both responses. These results suggest that the BF-increase response to SS involves, additionally to NA, a non-adrenergic mechanism.     

An ultrastructural and cytochemical investigation of the development of inclusions in gastric chief cells and parietal cells of mice with the Chediak-Higashi syndrome

Gastric epithelium of the beige mouse, with a mutation thought to be analogous to that in Chediak-Higashi syndrome of man, has been examined by ultrastructural morphologic and cytochemical methods. The gastric chief cell in beige mice at 2 months of age or older disclosed two types of abnormal inclusion bodies each having distinctive morphologic and cytochemical features and a different distribution pattern and relationship to other organelles. On the basis of these findings, the first type of inclusion was thought to originate from zymogen granules, in a process of crinophagy, and the second type was interpreted as arising from the maturing face of the Golgi lamellae by the route for genesis of secondary lysosomes or lipofuscins. Each type of inclusion showed evidence both for participating in autophagic processes and for fusing with each other to produce giant inclusions. Additional observations in this study provided evidence for a role of Golgi endoplasmic reticulum lysosome in genesis of secretory granules and of the mature face of the Golgi complex in development of secondary lysosomes in chief cells. The findings also afforded evidence of migration of chief cells toward the bottom of the gland in the course of their maturation. The gastric parietal cell of control black mice disclosed secondary lysosomes, thought to arise from fusion between multivesicular bodies and mitochondria. These autophagic secondary lysosomes were enlarged in beige mice.