Morphometric analysis of the immunohistochemical expression of Clara cell 10-kDa protein and surfactant apoproteins A and B in the developing bronchi and bronchioles of human fetuses and neonates

 Morphometric analyses of the immunohistochemical expression of the Clara cell secretory 10-kDa protein (CC10) and surfactant apoproteins A and B (SP-A and -B) were carried out on the developing bronchi and bronchioles of human fetuses and neonates. We analysed the ratio of the number of CC10-positive cells per subepithelial length of the bronchial or bronchiolar basement membrane and found that both the bronchial and the bronchiolar population of CC10-positive cells was significantly higher than that of either SP-A or SP-B. In addition, CC10 was found to be distributed mainly in the bronchiole. CC10-positive cells began to be recognized in the late pseudoglandular phase (15 weeks of gestation) and thereafter gradually increased in the canalicular and terminal sac phases, which correspond to the active development period of the acini or peripheral airways. The earliest expression of SP-A was also noted at 15 weeks of gestation, but its positive epithelial cells were present mainly in the larger bronchi. Double immunohistochemical staining for CC10 and SP-A revealed that the CC10-positive cells lining both the bronchi and bronchioles were different from the SP-A-positive cells. This finding suggests that CC10-positive cells are functionally and developmentally heterogeneous in both fetal and neonatal lungs in humans Received: 22 May 1997 / Accepted: 21 July 1997     

BRONCHIAL PLASMACYTOMA IDENTIFIED BY IMMUNOPEROXIDASE TECHNIQUE ON PARAFFIN EMBEDDED SECTION

A case of bronchial plasmacytoma occurring in a 57- year-old housewife is reported. She had had the productive cough and the "abnormal shadow" in the right lower lobe for three years before admission. On bronchocopy, a tumor was found in the right main bronchus, large enough to obstruct the air way. The tumor was resected through rigid bronchoscope. Histological impression was "plasmacytoma with local amyloid deposit." M-protein was never detected in the serum or urine. Applying the immunoperoxidase technique for the paraffin section, the plasma cells were found to contain only a single type of immunoglobulin, Ig G-L. The differential diagnosis between plasmacytoma and plasma cell granuloma was made, and plasmacytoma was considered to be one type of extranodal malignant lymphoma.     

HIV/AIDS surveillance in Japan, 1984-2000

The HIV/AIDS surveillance system in Japan, which began collecting data on the number of AIDS patients in 1984 and the number of HIV-infected persons in 1987, has played an important role in monitoring the trend and magnitude of Japan's HIV/AIDS epidemic and its distribution across various population subgroups. However, the system lacks any personal identifiers, making it impossible to eliminate duplication or to track cases for disease progression. It also does not permit the identification of the residence of HIV-infected persons because the residence of only the reporting physician is documented under the New Infectious Diseases Control Law, effective since April 1, 1999. The number of people with HIV/AIDS in Japan continues to grow. Among youth, sexually transmitted diseases, induced abortion, and sexual activities have shown a marked increase since the mid-1990s. Behavioral risk of infection for both injection drug users (IDUs) and men who have sex with men (MSM) remains alarmingly high. Accurate monitoring of infection rates is critical to the planning and evaluation of treatment, care and prevention programs. Japan should restructure its HIV/AIDS surveillance system to more accurately monitor the HIV/AIDS epidemic and related risk behaviors.     

JC virus genotyping using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded renal tissues

Recently genotyping of JC virus (JCV) DNA in renal tissue was reported to be useful to identify the geographic origin of unidentified cadavers. In the above study, autopsied tissue samples without storage or stored in a frozen state were used. This study examined JCV DNA sequence modifications caused by formalin-fixation, in an attempt to elucidate whether formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples can also be used to determine the genotypes of JCV DNA in the kidney. In four cases, a 610 bp typing region of the JCV genome was PCR-amplified from renal tissues stored for 1 year in three different states: frozen at -80 degrees C [Amaker, B.H., Chandler, F.W., Huey, L.O., Colwell, R.M., 1997. Molecular detection of JC virus in embalmed, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded brain tissue. J. Forensic Sci., 1157-1159], formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded [Ault, G.S., Stoner, G.L., 1992. Two major types of JC virus defined in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy brain by early and late coding region DNA sequences. J. Gen. Virol. 73, 2669-2678], and soaked in 5% formalin [Baksh, F.K., Finkelstein, S.D., Swalskey, P.A., Stoner, G.L., Ryschkewitsch, C.F., Randhawa, P.R., 2001. Molecular genotyping of BK and JC virus in human polyomavirus-associated interstitial nephritis after renal transplantation. Am. J. Kidney Dis. 38 (2), 354-365]. The amplified fragments were cloned, and the resultant clones were sequenced. In frozen samples, single sequences ('original' sequences) were detected in all cases. In formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples, not only the original sequences but also those with 1-6 base substitutions were detected. From formalin-soaked samples, the original sequences and those with 1-5 and 10-13 substitutions were detected. The genotyping of JCV DNA was not hampered by the presence of 1-6 substitutions, but a shift in JCV genotypes was observed in sequences with 10-13 substitutions. Thus, it was concluded that the genotypes of JCV DNA in the kidney can be determined only with specimens stored in a frozen state or formalin-fixed for a short time.     

Evidence for a link between mechanical and electrical alternans in acutely ischaemic myocardium of anaesthetized dogs.

In order to examine the relation between mechanical alternans and associated electrical alternans during acute myocardial ischaemia, we determined the effect of a ventricular premature beat and calcium antagonists on mechanical and electrical alternans during acute coronary occlusion in anaesthetized dogs. Isometric contractions and unipolar electrocardiograms were recorded from ischaemic myocardium. During coronary occlusion, mechanical alternans was accompanied by electrical alternans, which was an alternate change in the ST segment elevation, i.e. the higher ST and the lower ST. Electrical alternans was frequently discordant and in some cases accompanied by discordant mechanical alternans. Both discordant electrical and mechanical alternans became concordant and were potentiated after the ventricular premature beat. In all cases, concordant mechanical alternans was accompanied by concordant electrical alternans and vice versa. In this situation, the higher and the lower ST corresponded to the larger and the smaller contractions respectively. Thus, a fixed correspondence was observed between mechanical and electrical alternans. A fixed correspondence was also observed between mechanical alternans and the variation in the time taken for repolarization of the monophasic action potential. Verapamil and diltiazem inhibited both electrical and mechanical alternans. The present results support the idea that a common mechanism, such as a beat-to-beat cycle of the transmembrane and intracellular movement of calcium ions, may play a role in the mechanisms of electrical and mechanical alternans.     

Lack of association between the Met196Arg polymorphism in the TNFR2 gene and autoimmune diseases accompanied by vasculitis including SLE in Japanese

A polymorphism in high-affinity receptor of TNF (TNFR2) gene, Met196Arg, was reported to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Japanese, whereas the association could not be found in Europeans at all and this represents an apparent discrepancy. The association, then, should be tested in other populations to clarify the possible involvement, if any, of the TNFR2 polymorphism in SLE or other related autoimmune diseases. The purposes of this study were to examine the TNFR2 polymorphism in Japanese patients with SLE and to investigate its association with other autoimmune diseases accompanied by vasculitis, mixed connective tissue disease, Buerger's disease, and Takayasu's arteritis. We found no association at all between the TNFR2 polymorphism and any autoimmune diseases including SLE in Japanese.     

Effect of chilling on the survival of Bacteroides fragilis.

Factors affecting the susceptibility of Bacteroides fragilis subsp. fragilis to low temperature were examined. Predetermined numbers of cells were spread on agar media or suspended in enriched Trypticase soy broth and exposed to low temperature under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Exposure of 18-h growth of a freshly isolated B. fragilis strain to 4 degrees C aerobically or anaerobically resulted in a loss of at least 50% viability after 12 h. B. fragilis cells in early growth (6 h) were more tolerant to exposure at 4 degrees C than older cells (18 h). When the freshly isolated strain was repeatedly subcultured in the laboratory it was uniformly more cold tolerant than fresh clinical isolates. The incorporation of 1.0 M sucrose and 5 mM magnesium chloride into liquid media partially alleviated the lethal effects of cold temperature on B. fragilis subsp. fragilis.     

Primary rhabdomyosarcoma of the iliac bone in an adult: A case mimicking fibrosarcoma

Primary rhabdomyosarcoma of bone is exceedingly rare. We present a case of rhabdomyosarcoma of the iliac bone in a 32-year-old male. Histologically, the tumour consisted mainly of a uniform proliferation of elongated spindle cells arranged in a herring bone pattern, simulating fibrosarcoma. Focally there was a conventional embryonal pattern with scattered rhabdomyoblasts possessing an eosinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical studies disclosed expression of muscle markers such as desmin and muscle-specific actin, in both the embryonal and spindle-cell areas and myoglobin only in the embryonal areas. Such histological features are unusual for classical embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. The anatomical site and age of the patient are also atypical.     

Anti-myeloperoxidase and anti-lactoferrin antibodies in patients with IgA nephropathy and Henoch-Schönlein purpura

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) for two antigens, i.e. myeloperoxidase (MPO) and lactoferrin (LF) in sera from 19 IgA nephropathy (IgAN), 3 adult Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura (HSP) and 8 child HSP patients were examined by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) for immunoglobulin isotypes. All of child HSP patients showed negative ANCA. On the other hand, one IgAN patient and two adult HSP patients showed weak positivity for IgA class anti-MPO antibody. There was no patients who showed positivity for IgG and IgM class anti-MPO antibody. In anti-LF antibody, one IgAN and one adult HSP showed positivity in IgG class; 2 IgAN and 2 HSP in IgA class and 2 IgAN and one HSP in IgM class. These results indicate that adult HSP patients have higher prevalence of IgA class anti-MPO antibody and anti-LF antibody than IgAN or child HSP.