Expression of Thymidine Phosphorylase in Primary Human Renal Cell Carcinoma by ELISA Method

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) expression in 100 paired samples of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and normal adjacent tissue was analyzed by an ELISA method. We also investigated whether TP expression correlates with clinicopathological findings and clinical outcomes of these patients. Median TP expression was 9-fold (range, 0.5–56) higher in primary tumor than in non-cancerous renal tissue (P<0.0001). There was a significant difference with respect to tumor venous invasion. TP expression was significantly higher in patients with such venous invasion than in those without (P=0.018). However, there was no correlation between TP level and other clinicopathological findings and the survival curves. These results suggest that ELISA is useful for evaluating TP expression of human RCC and may provide a novel approach to therapy for patients with RCC.     

Ca2+ oscillation and c-fos gene expression induced via muscarinic acetylcholine receptor in human T- and B-cell lines

We previously reported that blood acetylcholine (ACh) mainly originates from T-lymphocytes and that muscarinic (Ms) ACh receptor mRNA is expressed in both T- and B-lymphocytes. In the present study, we used confocal laser scanning microscopy and fluo-3, a calcium-sensitive indicator, to investigate the effects of Ms-ACh receptor agonists on the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in single cells from human T-cell (CEM) and B-cell (Daudi) lines, which we used as models of lymphocytes. In both cell lines, stimulation of Ms-ACh receptors with ACh (0.1-100 microM), bethanechol (100 microM), car-bachol (100 microM) or oxotremorine-M (Oxo-M; 0.1-100 microM) induced [Ca2+]i-dependent increases in fluo-3 fluorescence, which in the presence of extracellular Ca2+ were followed by oscillations in [Ca2+]i that persisted for at least 10 min. All effects were completely blocked by atropine (1 microM), an Ms-ACh receptor antagonist. In both cell lines Oxo-M (100 microM) up-regulated expression of c-fos mRNA in an extracellular Ca2+-dependent manner. Again, the effect was blocked by 1 microM atropine. These results provide the first evidence that stimulation of Ms-ACh receptors induces Ca2+ oscillations and up-regulates c-fos gene expression in T- and B-lymphocytes, which is consistent with the notion that ACh released from T-lymphocytes triggers nuclear signaling via Ms-ACh receptors.     

Clinical and pathologic factors predicting axillary lymph node involvement in breast cancer

The diagnosis of axillary disease remains a challenge in the management of breast cancer and is a subject of controversy. In 1998, the Japanese Breast Cancer Society conducted a study assessing axillary lymph node involvement in breast cancer. The study included (a) clinical assessment by pre-operative imaging modalities, (b) histologic assessment for peritumoral lymphatic invasion, (c) biologic assessment by gelatinolytic activity using film in situ zymography, and (d) sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy. Clinical assessments by CT, PET, and US as well as biologic assessment were limited in their ability to detect axillary lymph node disease, although these imaging techniques may be useful to exclude node-positive patients from the need for SLN biopsy. Histologic assessment for peritumoral lymphatic invasion was useful, particularly for detecting false-negative cases by SLN biopsy. Nevertheless, the utility of SLN biopsy in assessing axillary nodal status was confirmed. Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) can be avoided in patients with a small tumor and a negative SLN. However, further studies will be required to investigate the value of SLN biopsy for predicting regional control and survival before it can replace routine ALND as the optimal staging procedure for operable breast cancer.     

Assessment of oropharyngeal swallowing dysfunction in myasthenia gravis patients presenting with difficulty in swallowing

Objective

To examine the correlation between the results of a clinical neurological evaluation and swallowing dysfunction in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients who presented with difficulty in swallowing and underwent videofluorographic (VF) and fiber-optic endoscopic (FE) evaluation.

Serotonin syndrome caused by minimum doses of SSRIS in a patient with spinal cord injury

There have been only a few reports of serotonin syndrome developing after mono-therapy with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). We report a case of serotonin syndrome caused by long-term therapy with fluvoxamine prior to treatment with paroxetine. An 18-year-old man with spinal cord injury (SCI) at thoracic level 2-3 presented with onset of serotonin syndrome after taking fluvoxamine (50 mg per day) for 8 weeks prior to treatment with paroxetine (10 mg per day) for 6 days. He had confusion, agitation, severe headache, tachycardia (124 beats/minute), hypertension (165/118 mmHg), high fever (39.1 degrees C), and myoclonus. All of the symptoms disappeared within 24 hours after discontinuation of administration of paroxetine. This is an interesting case of serotonin syndrome that developed after minimum doses of single therapy with an SSRI in a patient with SCI.     

Isolation and identification of histamine-release inhibitors from Pistacia weinmannifolia J. Pisson ex. Franch

Seven histamine-release inhibitors were isolated from Pistacia weinmannifolia J. Pisson ex. Franch. They were identified as gallic acid, 3-O-galloylquinic acid, methyl gallate, ethyl gallate, penta-O-galloyl--d -glucopyranoside, myricetin 3-O--l-rhamnopyranoside, and myricetin- 3-O-(3-O-galloyl)--l-rhamnopyranoside. These compounds suppressed the compound 48/80-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells.     

Experimental chemotherapy against human esophageal carcinoma xenografts with TS-1, cisplatin and docetaxel

Three strains of human esophageal carcinoma xenografts established in our institution were tested against combination chemotherapy in vivo and in vitro. TS-1 plus cisplatin (CDDP) was shown to be an effective combination against two carcinoma strains of moderately-differentiated type. Determination of the thymidylate synthase (TS) demonstrated a higher inhibition of the enzyme by adding CDDP to 5-FU, suggesting biochemical modulation. The remaining strain of poorly-differentiated type was resistant to the combination and an attempt was made to add docetaxel (DTX) to show that the three-drug combination was effective against the strain. Combination chemotherapy including TS-1 and CDDP thus appears to be useful treatment choice for esophageal carcinoma.     

Association of rpoB mutations with rifampicin resistance in Mycobacterium avium

The susceptibility of clinical isolates of Mycobacterium avium to rifampicin (RIF) was examined. All 32 clinical isolates tested, including 18 from Japan, 13 from Poland and 1 from Thailand, were resistant to RIF (minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) > or =32 microg/mL for 17 isolates and 2-16 microg/mL for 15 isolates), whereas the type strain of M. avium ATCC 25291 was susceptible to RIF (MIC < or = 0.03 microg/mL). Mutations in nucleotides 1276-1356 of the rpoB gene, termed the 81 bp core region, are associated with RIF resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. No mutations were found in this region in any of the M. avium clinical isolates tested. However, mutation of G-->A to give a Gly544-->Asp substitution was identified within the rpoB gene downstream of the 81 bp region in all clinical isolates. A RIF-resistant strain (ATCC 25291 Rif(r); MIC> or =32 microg/mL) obtained by culturing the type strain in RIF-containing broth possessed a mutation C-->T to give a His445-->Tyr substitution within the 81 bp region. When the rpoB gene of the ATCC 25291 Rif(r) strain and of a clinical isolate were inserted into Mycobacterium smegmatis, organisms with the ATCC 25291 Rif(r) sequence, but not those with the clinical isolate sequence, showed resistance to RIF. These results suggest that mutations of the 81 bp region of rpoB, as well as factors other than rpoB mutation, confer RIF resistance in M. avium.     

Chemical constituents from the peels of Citrus sudachi

A methanol extract of the peels of Citrus sudachi gave five new compounds (1-5) and 27 known compounds. The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Several of these compounds were assayed for antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Helicobacter pylori, and sudachitin (6) and 3'-demethoxysudachitin (7) were the most active.