Expression of heat shock proteins in developing and degenerating rat testes

In the testis, several types of heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been identified and characterized, although the cellular basis of the HSPs remains elusive. In the present study, alterations in the cellular localization of HSPs, including HSP 25, 60, 70, and 90, were studied during the developing and degenerating periods in the rat testis using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. HSP25 was expressed in neither germ cells nor somatic cells on all days examined. In contrast, HSP 60 was expressed in Leydig cells during neonatal and prepuberty periods, and only in spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes after puberty. HSPs 70 and 90 were expressed in germ cells, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells during neonatal and early developing testes, and in spermatocytes and round spermatids after puberty. Besides, there was faint expression of HSP 90 protein in spermatogonia in this period. In the degenerative condition, all HSP proteins were markedly expressed in germ cells after surgery. It would appear that HSPs play roles in unique homeostasis in testes.     

Muscle biopsy findings predictive of malignancy in rare infiltrative dermatomyositis

Objective

The characteristic pathological muscular findings of polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) have been shown to reflect their different pathogeneses. Here, we characterized the muscle biopsy findings of PM and DM patients with or without malignancy.

Methods

We evaluated the muscle biopsy findings of 215 consecutive PM and DM patients admitted to our hospital between 1970 and 2009. Pathology of the lesion biopsy sections was classified into 3 types: endomysial infiltration-type, perivascular infiltration-type, and rare-infiltrative-type.

Results

There was no difference between the muscle pathology of PM patients with and without malignancy. However, the incidence of rare-infiltrative type muscle pathology in DM patients with malignancy was significantly higher than in those without such tumors (p = 0.0345).

Conclusion

The incidence of rare-infiltrative type muscle pathology may be a predictive marker of DM with malignancy.     

Drastic Therapy for Listerial Brain Abscess Involving Combined Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Antimicrobial Agents

Background

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a rare causative pathogen of brain abscess that is often found in immunocompromised patients. Although patients with supratentorial listerial abscesses showed a longer survival with surgical drainage, the standard therapy for patients with subtentorial lesions has not been established.

Case Report

We report herein a patient with supra- and subtentorial brain abscesses caused by L. monocytogenes infection. These abscesses did not respond to antibiotics, and his symptoms gradually worsened. Drainage was not indicated for subtentorial lesions, and the patient was additionally treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which dramatically reduced the volume of abscesses and improved the symptoms.

Conclusions

This is the first report of drastic therapy for a patient with listerial brain abscesses involving combined antibiotics and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The findings suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a good option for treating patients with deep-seated listerial abscesses and for who surgical drainage is not indicated.     

Regulation of Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity in a Purkinje Neuron

Inhibitory synapses on Purkinje cells show synaptic plasticity such as rebound potentiation (RP), which seems to contribute to refined information processing in the cerebellar cortex. Recent progress in the study on regulation mechanism of RP is reported. RP is induced by depolarization of a Purkinje cell and expressed as the increased postsynaptic responsiveness to GABA. RP might work as a homeostatic mechanism to maintain activity of a Purkinje cell sensing the strength of heterosynaptic excitatory inputs. However, there is a homosynaptic mechanism to regulate RP. RP is suppressed by the GABAergic transmission occurring during depolarization. Elaborate molecular regulation mechanism of RP induction, including GABA(B) receptors, Ca(2+), cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), kinases such as Ca(2+)- and calmodulin-dependent kinase II and protein kinase A, and protein phosphatases such as PP1 and PP2B, has been clarified. Application of systems biological analyses combined with electrophysiological experiments has revealed a critical role of phosphodiesterase 1 in determination of the Ca(2+) signal to induce RP.     

Granular-cell tumorlike Schwann cell degeneration in the anal sphincter of an infant suspected of having ultrashort Hirschsprung's disease

A 19-month-old girl who had a history of constipation since birth and suspected cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was admitted. Barium enema revealed no caliber change in the colon, anorectal manometry failed to show sphincter relaxation on rectal distension, and biopsied rectal specimens contained ganglion cells. She underwent rectal myectomy, after which her symptoms improved significantly. Morphologic studies, including electron micrographs of the muscle, demonstrated nerve plexuses with degenerative Schwann cells containing abundant eosinphilic cytoplasmic granules that resembled those of a granular-cell tumor. Granular-cell tumorlike change of the plexus is an unprecedented finding in any form of Hirschsprung's disease or its allied disorders, but appears to have been responsible for her symptoms. CMV as a causative agent is also discussed with a review of the literature.     

High prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 in acute retinal necrosis syndrome associated with herpes simplex virus in Japan

PURPOSE: To determine the type of herpes simplex virus in acute retinal necrosis syndrome associated with herpes simplex virus. METHODS: Herpes simplex virus type 1, herpes simplex virus type 2, varicella-zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and cytomegalovirus were examined by polymerase chain reaction in intraocular specimens from 16 patients with acute retinal necrosis syndrome. Anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 and anti-herpes simplex virus type 2 type-specific antibodies in serum from the patients were detected by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: Of 16 patients with acute retinal necrosis syndrome, seven were polymerase chain reaction positive for herpes simplex virus type 2 and nine were positive for varicella-zoster virus. Anti-herpes simplex virus type 2 antibody was positive and anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 antibody was negative in the sera of the seven patients with herpes simplex virus type 2 DNA-positive acute retinal necrosis syndrome. In contrast, anti-herpes simplex virus type 2 antibody was absent in all nine varicella-zoster virus DNA-positive acute retinal necrosis syndrome patients. CONCLUSION: Herpes simplex virus type 2 has been demonstrated to be the major causative agent in acute retinal necrosis syndrome associated with herpes simplex virus by molecular biological and serological methods. Negative preexisting anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 antibody may play an important role in acute retinal necrosis syndrome associated with herpes simplex virus type 2.     

Current surgical treatment of breast cancer in Japan and its rationale: foreword

This is a foreword to a collection of articles specially dedicated to describing the present status of local treatment of breast cancer patients in Japan, which continues to be a source of controversy in the midst of collaborative efforts between surgeons, pathologists, and medical and radiation oncologists. Surgical treatment of breast cancer consisting of procedures on the breast parenchyma and on lymph nodes do not appear to have reached the expected technical perfection. A variety of surgical procedures are performed under the name of breast-conserving surgery with widely varied rates of application ranging from 20-85% depending upon the institution. With regard to sentinel node biopsy/dissection, diversified techniques such as different types of tracers and injection sites are currently being utilized, and furthermore long-term analysis may be necessary to determine the superiority as compared with other approaches such as lower axillary sampling/dissection and 4-node biopsy. Since all efforts should be made to prevent locoregional tumor recurrence, surgeons must be alert and attuned to all the details of surgery. Continued efforts of surgeons with a broadened perspective will lead to the improvement of local treatment of breast cancer with the ultimate goal of obtaining better local control and consequently better long-term survival outcomes.     

Pontine glioblastoma multiforme initially presenting with leptomeningeal gliomatosis

A 49-year-old female presented with diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis as the initial manifestation of pontine glioblastoma. Magnetic resonance imaging initially revealed diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement caused by metastatic deposits, predominantly along the basal cistern and bilateral sylvian fissures. The primary pontine lesion appeared as hypointense on T1-weighted imaging and hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging, but with no enhancement by gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid. There was no diffuse enlargement of the pons. The patient died 11 months after the initial presentation. The primary lesion in the pons was histologically confirmed at autopsy. Diffuse enhancement of leptomeningeal dissemination may occur as the initial manifestation of non-enhanced pontine glioblastoma.