An autopsy case of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) with preceding aplastic anemia

A case of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) with preceding aplastic anemia is reported. The patient was a 36 year old female who had been diagnosed as having aplastic anemia 10 years before and thereafter had received multiple transfusions. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositivity was revealed 10 months prior to her death, but no particular clinical signs indicating HIV infection, pre-AIDS or onset of AIDS were recognized before serological diagnosis, although the slow progression of leukopenia was noted along with thrombocytopenia. Her general condition deteriorated during the last 10 months accompanied by an acute decrease In the CD4/CD8 ratio. Autopsy revealed full-blown AIDS: systemic aspergillosis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, Epstein-Barr virus-related B cell lymphoma arising in the diaphragm and severe lymphocyte depletion in the lymph nodes and spleen. Markedly hypo-plastic bone marrow was considered to be primarily attributable to the aplastic anemia but the affection of AIDS was not excluded. The possible transmission route of HIV and the effect of the preceding aplastic anemia on the infection and clinical course of AIDS are discussed.     

Immunoelectron microscopic localization of carcinoembryonic antigen in gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines

The distribution of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in human gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines (HPE-GAC-3 cells and HPE-GAC-2 cells) was determined immunohistochemically by indirect peroxidase-labeled antibody method at the light and electron microscopic levels. In GAC-3 cells that proliferated as non-adherent single cells, CEA was located in the perinuclear spaces, the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, vesicles, multivesicular body (MVB) and entire plasma membrane. Membrane CEA was shown to be internalized into MVB in GAC-3 cells. In GAC-2 cells that form an acinus, CEA was predominantly present along the microvilli of the lumina) surface and in glycocalyceal bodies, the vesicles which bud from the microvilli into the lumen. These results suggest that in poorly differentiated cancer cells CEA is transported over the entire cell surface, retained on the membrane and accumulated Into the cell by way of the MVB, but in well differentiated cancer cells the newly synthesized CEA is rapidly and predominantly transported to the luminal surface and rapidly released from the membrane into the lumen by way of the glycocalyceal body.     

HIGH-GRADE SURFACE OSTEOSARCOMA OF THE LEFT ILIUM A Case Report and Review of the Literature

A rare case of high-grade surface osteosarcoma of the left ilum is reported. Trephine biopsy performed on a 31-year-old woman suffering from a huge tumor of the left buttock revealed high-grade osteosarcoma, and hemipel-vectomy was undertaken. The surgical specimen showed that the tumor was present on the surface of the left ilium. Ten months after the operation, the patient died of brain metastasis. From these results, we considered this case to be one of high-grade surface osteosarcoma. ACTA PATHOL JPN 38: 235 -240, 1988.     

Long-lived polymer radicals, 2. An ESR study on the reactions of the propagating polymer radicals of N-methylacrylamide and N-methylmethacrylamide with vinyl monomers at room temperature

Acrylamide (AAm), methacrylamide (MAm), N-methylacrylamide (NMAAm) and N-methylmethacrylamide (NMMAm) were found to yield long-lived propagating polymer radicals in the photo-sensitized polymerizations in 1,4-dioxane or benzene. The concentration of poly(NMAAm) radicals reached 1.10^?3 mol/l. Some post-effect was observed at room temperature in the photo-sensitized polymerization of AAm with di-tert-butyl peroxide in 1,4-dioxane, while no post-polymerization proceeded at room temperature in the polymerization of NMMAm in benzene. The reactions of poly(NMAAm) and poly(NMMAm) radicals with various vinyl monomers were found to produce long-lived propagating polymer radicals of the second monomers at room temperature. Polymer radicals of non-homopolymerizable monomers such as α-methylstyrene and 1,1-diphenylethylene were easily formed in such a block-copolymerization matrix. The formation of the propagating polymer radicals of the vinyl monomers was investigated by means of ESR spectroscopy.     

Correspondence of cue activity to reward activity in the macaque orbitofrontal cortex

It has been reported that neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) respond to emotionally significant events such as reward-predicting cues and/or the reward itself. The responses to reward-predicting cues are considered to carry the information of the predicted reward. However, few studies have focused on the relationship of the neuronal activity during a cue period with that during a reward period. We can infer that the cue responses of OFC neurons are correlated to the reward responses if they carry the information of the predicted reward. In this study, we focused on neurons that showed responses during both the cue and reward periods, and compared the response characteristics between these periods. We found 94 of 369 OFC neurons showed significant responses during both the cue and reward periods, and 43 of which preserved their selectivity between these periods. Furthermore, population analysis showed that stronger cue responses corresponded to stronger reward responses, and stronger reward responses corresponded to stronger cue responses. These results suggest that individual neurons in the OFC associate visual information with reward information, and contribute to the prediction of future rewards by forming reward representations.     

Vinyl polymerization with dimethylaniline/cupric nitrate system

A study of vinyl polymerizations initiated with the system of dimethylaniline (DMA) and cupric [Cu(II)] nitrate has been made. This initiator system was found to induce the polymerization of vinyl monomers having an electron-attracting substituent such as methyl methacrylate (MMA) and acrylonitrile, but it does not initiate the styrene and vinyl acetate polymerizations. The rate of polymerization (R_p) of MMA with this system was expressed by the following Eqs., depending upon the Cu(II) concentration used: The apparent activation energy for this polymerization was found to be 16.5 and 14.4 kcal/mole for the above two Cu(II) concn. ranges, respectively. The polymer of MMA obtained by this system was found to contain an endgroup similar to dimethylaniline, probably a methylanilinomethyl group, from the determination of its UV spectrum.     

Metal-containing initiator systems, 34. Polymerization of vinyl monomers initiated by the binary system cobaltocene/bis(ethyl acetoacetato)copper (II)

The effect of some metallocenes such as ferrocene (Fe(C₅H₅)₂), nickelocene (Ni(C₅H₅)₂), and cobaltocene (Co(C₅H₅)₂), on the vinyl polymerization initiated with bis(ethyl acetoacetato)-copper(II) (Cu(eacac)₂) was investigated. Co(C₅H₅)₂ was found to exert a markedly accelerating effect on the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with Cu(eacac)₂. The polymerization of MMA with the system Co(C₅H₅)₂/Cu(eacac)₂ at 50°C was found to be fairly affected by the solvent used. The results of copolymerization of MMA with styrene (St) and the effect of hydroquinone (HQ) on the polymerization of MMA with Co(C₅H₅)₂/Cu(eacac)₂ showed that the polymerization proceeds via a radical mechanism. The polymerization of MMA with Co(C₅H₅)₂/Cu(eacac)₂ was studied kinetically in acetone. The overall activation energy of the polymerization was calculated to be 86,3 kJ/mol (20,6 kcal/mol). This value was somewhat higher than that (17,6 kcal/mol) obtained for the polymerization of MMA with Cu(eacac)₂ alone. The polymerization rate (R_p) is represented by the following equation: R_p = k[Co(C₅H₅)₂]^0,5 [Cu(eacac)₂]^0,2 [MMA]^1,3. The high order in monomer concentration suggests a participation of the monomer in the initiation process of this polymerization. This is supported by the examination of the ESR spectrum of the system Co(C₅H₅)₂/Cu(eacac)₂/MMA/acetone, where reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I) occurs. To elucidate the initiation mechanism, the spin trapping technique was applied to the system Co(C₅H₅)₂/Cu(eacac)₂/methyl acrylate. From these results, an initiation mechanism for the binary initiator system Co(C₅H₅)₂/Cu(eacac)₂ is proposed and discussed.     

KP544 amplifies the effects of nerve growth factor on cell differentiation and is neuroprotective

The ability of endogenous neurotrophins, including nerve growth factor (NGF), to promote the survival and development of neurons provides convincing evidence for their therapeutic potential, despite significant barriers to their successful clinical use. Many of these barriers might be surmountable, however, by strategies that enhance endogenous neurotrophin signaling. We evaluated a series of substituted pyrimidines for their ability to enhance the effects of NGF. KP544 [2‐amino‐5‐(4‐chlorophenylethynyl)‐4‐(4‐trans‐hydroxycyclohexylamino) pyrimidine] amplified NGF‐induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells approximately 2‐fold at 2 µM. KP544 also enhanced choline acetyltransferase activity, a marker of differentiation induced by either NGF or by cyclic AMP, by 3‐ to 8‐fold, with a 2‐fold amplification at 0.12–0.3 µM. This amplification occurred at all concentrations of NGF used including those that maximally stimulated the cells. KP544 did not increase the levels of phosphorylated mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPK) above that seen with NGF alone. These studies suggested that KP544 functions within the cell at a site that is downstream from or independent of MAPK signaling. NGF‐induced neurite outgrowth in a human cell line (SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells) was also enhanced with KP544 treatment. Primary embryonic rat cortical cultures were used to extend the observations beyond the studies with the immortalized cell lines. In addition to effects on neurite outgrowth, KP544 protected these cells from glutamate‐induced death. Overall, the data suggest that KP544 can selectively interact in the differentiation pathway downstream of MAPK in a manner that amplifies nerve growth factor and cyclic AMP effects and is also neuroprotective. Drug Dev. Res. 62:49–59, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Triggers of hair cell regeneration in the avian inner ear

We performed an in vitro study in order to determine possible triggers of hair cell regeneration in the chick basilar papilla following degeneration. We compared the response of sensory epithelium damaged by collagenase treatment with that damaged by acoustic trauma. The former exhibited no proliferative activity, but the latter did. The basilar papillae damaged by acoustic trauma could have proliferating activity in medium containing fetal bovine serum (FBS) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) but not in the medium without FBS or EGF. These findings indicate that regeneration of basilar papillae depends on the manner of cell death and that FBS or EGF is required for regeneration.