A case of oromandibular-digital hypogenesis syndrome

The oromandibular-digital hypogenesis syndrome is characterized by failure of development of the intraoral region and the distal extremities. A 12 year old female with an anomaly of the lingual fraenum, hypodontia of the lower incisors and defective fingers and toes was referred to our clinic. The aetiology of the disorder is still obscure. The author has reviewed the literature and discusses the morphological variation of the lingual fraenum.     

Combined effects of hyperthermia, bleomycin, and X rays on Ehrlich ascites tumor

The combined effects of water-bath hyperthermia at 42.5 degrees C for 30 min, 1/10 LD50 Bleomycin iv, and 200 rad x irradiation were studied in DDD strain male mice with Ehrlich ascites tumor. The objective was to acquire data on the optimum regimen for a combined administration of these three modalities. The treatments were given 10 days after the inoculation of 2 X 10(6) of the cells into the right hind limb. Concomitant application of the three modalities led to an 80% regression. A single modality produced no significant effect and a 30-50% regression occurred when only two modalities were combined. To assess the influence of timing and sequence, hyperthermia was applied at 1, 2, 4, and 6 hr before, after, or simultaneously with the combination of Bleomycin and 200 rad X ray. A significant effect was obtained in the case of concomitant application of the three and hyperthermia was effective when applied within 2 hr before or after administration of Bleomycin plus irradiation. This enhancement disappeared at 4-hr intervals.     

Screening for genetic heterogeneity in the interferon sensitivity determining region of the hepatitis C virus genome by polymerase chain reaction with melting curve analysis

BACKGROUND: Although mutations in the interferon (IFN) sensitivity determining region (ISDR) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been reported to be useful as a predictive viral factor for IFN therapy in patients infected with HCV-1b, such laboratory research has not been favorably translated into the clinic. To promote such translation, we attempted the establishment of a rapid and simple polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with melting curve analysis (MCA) to screen for mutations in the ISDR and for the monitoring of HCV quasispecies. METHODS: A PCR-MCA protocol was established using in-house primers and hybridization probes designed according to the results of direct sequencing of 34 HCV-1b samples. Then, the performance of PCR-MCA was verified by comparing with mutation profiles obtained by direct sequencing and sequencing after cloning. RESULTS: The MCA assay revealed that melting temperature (Tm) was inversely correlated with the number of nucleotide (nt) and amino acid substitutions in the ISDR deduced on the basis of the results of direct sequencing. A boundary Tm of 58.0 degrees C allowed us to discriminate HCV genomes into two groups: one with a Tm >58.0 degrees C had no or a low number of nt substitutions, while the other genomes with a Tm <58.0 degrees C had a high number of nt substitutions, corresponding to wild-type in the former and mutant-type in the latter in respect of a clinical setting for IFN therapy. Moreover, this MCA assay provided precise discrimination of Tm between clones, reflecting the degree of the genetic complexity of HCV genomes. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the MCA assay is useful to rapidly and simply screen the mutational status of the ISDR of HCV, as well as in using the ISDR as one of the targets for discriminating the genetic complexity of HCV genomes. The MCA assay could also be applicable as a convenient and useful screen of the genetic heterogeneity of clones relating to HCV quasispecies.     

Non-specific activities against ruthenium crosslinker as a new cause of assay interference in an electrochemilluminescent immunoassay

Clinical assays are very important for the diagnosis and management of clinical disorders. Each assay system consists of a specific method to detect and/or quantify a substance of interest in the clinical specimen. However, clinical assays can be unfavorably influenced by non-specific activities concomitantly present in the specimen, which may mislead clinical decisions. Thus, it is very important to know how each assay works, and how and when the assay is non-specifically influenced. Here, we report three cases shown clinical data of thyroid function influenced by new type of assay interference.     

Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer, the second report. Analysis of data on 2873 patients followed for five years

The effectiveness of combination chemotherapy with mitomycin-C (MMC) plus futraful (N1-(2'-tetrahydrofuryl)-5-fluorouracil), as an adjunct to surgery for gastric cancer was investigated in a prospective randomized controlled study. Three thousand and thirty-three Japanese patients in 344 hospitals were entered and 2873 could be followed for 5 years. All patients had undergone gastrectomy from April 1977 to May 1979 and were assigned, at random, to either Groups A, B or C. In Group A, bolus MMC was administered with no further treatment. In Group C, oral futraful was given for one year, without MMC induction. In Group B, both a bolus MMC injection and oral futraful were prescribed. This randomized study showed no statistical difference in the 5 year survival rate among the three groups. However, in patients given MMC and put on oral futraful for one year, the 5 year survival rate for those with stage III gastric cancer or for those with positive lymphnode metastasis plus obvious serosal invasion seemed to be improved.