Antitumor agents, 127. Bruceoside C, a new cytotoxic quassinoid glucoside, and related compounds from Brucea javanica.

Bruceoside C [5], a new quassinoid glucoside, and related compounds were isolated from Brucea javanica, and their structures were elucidated by spectral data. Bruceoside C showed potent cytotoxicities against KB, A-549, RPMI, and TE-671 tumor cells.     

In vitro keratin expression of hair cells.

Human hair follicles were isolated from the scalp by dispase and collagenase treatment and dispersed into a cell suspension by trypsin. These cells proliferated well and could be subcultured 7 to 8 times. The medium used was MCDB 153 HAA medium further supplemented with some amino acids, hydrocortisone, insulin, EGF, and bovine brain extract. The concentration of Ca++ was adjusted to 0.1 mM. Immunohistochemically, these cells were proved to possess keratins specific to hair forming cells.     

Study on chemosensitivity test of urogenital tumors by ATP assay]

In order to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy against urogenital cancers, we developed a chemosensitivity test by measuring intracellular ATP in cancer cells. In the fundamental experiments using HeLa cells, a significant correlation was observed between intracellular ATP levels and numbers of viable cells. We employed 8 drugs, ADM, VCR, VLB, MTX, 5-FU, PEP, MMC, and CDDP for the assay Thirty-four renal tumors, 68 urothelial tumors and 19 testicular tumors were tested, and evaluable results were obtained in 25 specimens of renal tumors (76%) 55 specimens of urothelial tumors (80%) and 17 specimens of testicular tumors (98%). According to the ATP assay, renal tumors were sensitive to ADM and MMC, urothelial tumors to ADM, MMC and CDDP and testicular tumors to ADM and MMC. The ATP assay to determine the chemosensitivity to clinical specimens was sensitive and efficient. Thus the ATP assay could be applied for selection of anticancer drugs in the chemotherapy of urogenital cancers.     

Angiocentric immunoproliferative lesion of the lung

Angiocentric immunoproliferative lesion (AIL) is the angiocentric and angiodestructive process of lymphoreticular cells with vascular invasion. AIL of the lung is rare. We treated a 57-year-old woman with AIL of the lung in whom chest radiography and computed tomography showed ground-glass opacity in the left lower lobe and lingular segment. Since macroscopical and intraoperative lung biopsy findings could not rule out the possibility of malignancy, including malignant lymphoma, we conducted left pneumonectomy. Immunohistological examination of the tumor showed that infiltrating lymphocytes consistent with AIL. Because tumor markers such as serum LDH and soluble IL-2 receptor increased postoperatively, we conducted systemic chemotherapy, after which elevated serum tumor markers decreased.     

Cyclops syndrome occurring after chronic partial rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament without surgical reconstruction

Cyclops syndrome is one of the specific causes of loss of extension of the knee following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. This syndrome is manifest by progressive loss of knee extension associated with pain and audible clunk at terminal extension caused by a pedunculated nodule of fibrovascular proliferative tissue usually arising from a graft. Recent published reports, however, have described Cyclops syndrome also developing after a partial ACL rapture without surgical reconstruction. In most cases, Cyclops syndrome generally occurred within 2 months after reconstruction surgery or rupture. Here we report on the case of a patient with symptoms and arthroscopic and histological findings compatible with Cyclops syndrome that developed after a chronic partial ACL rupture that occurred 23 years ago. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of Cyclops syndrome occurring after chronic partial ACL rupture.     

Immunohistochemical, biochemical and electron microscopic analysis of myelin formation in the central nervous system of myelin deficient (mld) mutant mice

Myelin deficiency (mld) is an autosomal recessive mutation in mice and is considered to be allelic to the shiverer (shi) mutation. Mld mice are characterized by hypomyelination of the central nervous system (CNS). They show typical symptoms such as tremor, tonic convulsion and ataxic movement. Subcellular fractionation of the CNS revealed that the MBP bands were greatly decreased in the P2A (myelin) fraction and the total content of myelin basic protein (MBP) was much lower than that in the control in all parts of the CNS. Sections from mld mice were examined by immunohistochemical tests with MBP antiserum, and a mosaic expression of MBP was found in the myelin of the mld mice. Since the major dense line is considered to be composed mainly of MBP, we investigated the myelin of mld mice by electron microscopy and found that there were 3 types of myelin: (1) a normal type compact myelin with a major dense line, (2) a shiverer-type myelin with no major dense line, and (3) a mixed-type myelin, in which within a myelin lamella the major dense line abruptly changes to cytoplasm of oligodendrocytes.     

Retinal and choroidal arterial occlusion in Wegener's granulomatosis.

PURPOSE: To describe a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis presenting with bilateral retinal and choroidal arterial occlusion. METHODS: A 64-year-old male with Wegener's granulomatosis was examined using ophthalmoscopy and indocyanine green angiography. RESULTS: The patient had central retinal arterial occlusion in the right eye and branch retinal arterial occlusion in the left eye associated with bilateral choroidal infarcts. Early phase wide-angle ICG angiography of left eye revealed widespread choroidal perfusion problems, presumably from the confluence of multiple segmental arterial occlusions. Indocyanine green angiography of the right eye showed similar widespread choroidal arterial occlusions. CONCLUSIONS: This patient developed loss of vision from multiple arterial occlusions of the retina and choroid. Retinal and choroidal ischemia of this patient may have been caused by vasculitis leading to occlusion of retinal arteries and multiple short posterior ciliary arteries.     

A T cell leukemia line produces factor(s) that render rat neutrophils cytotoxic

Proteose-peptone-induced intraperitoneal neutrophils from rats were activated in terms of tumor cytotoxicity by pretreatment with culture supernatants from a human T cell leukemia line, Jurkat (culture sup). Culture sup-treated neutrophils showed cytotoxicity against various tumor cell lines. The cytotoxicity of culture sup-treated neutrophils was dependent on the number of neutrophils and the concentration of culture sup. Cytostasis by activated neutrophils was observed very early in the assay incubation period (within 6 hr), but cytolysis first occurred at 24 hr after the start of incubation. Factor(s) in culture sup responsible for the activation of cytotoxic neutrophils were stable to temperature and pH treatments, and their molecular weight was higher than 10,000. The responsible factor(s) for activation of cytotoxic neutrophils were different from interleukin-2, serum-derived factor, and bacterial lipopolysaccharide.