Ultrastructure of capillary permeability in human brain tumor: primary meningeal malignant melanoma

The tumor vessels of a primary meningeal malignant melanoma were studied by electron microscopy. There were numerous endothelial fenestrae and basal lamina abnormalities in the intrinsic tumor capillaries. They resembled the tumor vessels found in nonglial tumors, but were distinctly different from those seen in glial tumors with nonfenestrated capillaries. These findings were anticipated because leptomeninges have fenestrated capillaries.     

Detection of nephritogenic antigen from the Lewis rat renal tubular basement membrane

Immunopathogenicity of trypsin-solubilized or non-solubilized renal tubular basement membrane (TBM) of the Lewis (LEW) rat was investigated. Autoimmune tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) was induced in BALB/c mice by immunization with trypsin-solubilized LEW rat TBM, while immunization with non-solubilized TBM did not produce the disease. Based on this preliminary experiment we studied the characterization of immunogenic and nephritogenic TBM antigen of the LEW rat. TIN was characterized by severe mononuclear cell infiltrates with multi-nucleated giant cells in the interstitium, tubular destruction and intensive IgG and C3 deposits along the TBM. Anti-TBM antisera and eluate from the nephritic mouse kidneys reacted with the TBM of normal LEW rat kidney by immunofluorescence. LEW rat TBM was also detected immunofluorescently by using antisera from BALB/c mice immunized with autologous trypsin-solubilized TBM. A competitive inhibition test revealed a higher titer of anti-TBM antibody in the eluate than in the adsorption-treated antisera per microgram IgG. Immunoblotting showed one reactive band with a molecular weight of 45,000 daltons, and the blotting patterns in tryptic TBM of the Brown Norway (BN) and LEW rats appeared similar. Amino acid analysis of nephritogenic LEW rat tryptic TBM showed that it contained no hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, suggesting that this TBM preparation was not collagenous. These findings suggest that tryptic digestion contributes to the release of nephritogenic antigen from the LEW rat TBM and that this antigen system might participate in the immune system involved in the anti-TBM associated TIN that is well known to be induced by non-digested TBM of TBM antigen positive animals.     

Effects of ethylene glycol on hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450

The effect of ethylene glycol on rat hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 was studied in vitro and in vivo. The destruction of cytochrome P-450 was not seen in vitro. The addition of 1 mM NADPH also did not change. When ethylene glycol was added to drinking water at a concentration of 1.0% for 7 days, there was no change in the contents of microsomal protein, cytochrome P-450, b5 and heme. While NADPH-cytochrome C reductase activity of the exposed group did not change, NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity increased significantly.     

Sex hormone-binding globulin in breast cancer

Serum level of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was measured by immunoradiometric assay in fifty two breast cancer patients and twenty nine healthy female volunteers. The results are as follows: 1) Although the serum SHBG concentration showed no significant difference between the breast cancer group and the healthy control group, the serum SHBG concentration in postmenopause was significantly higher in the breast cancer group (63.8 +/- 31.2nmol/ml/ml; mean +/- S.D.) than in the healthy control group (40.1 +/- 15.4nmol/ml). 2) Subsequently in the postmenopausal breast cancer group, the serum SHBG concentration was significantly higher in the estrogen receptor (ER)-negative cancer group (97.8 +/- 12.7nmol/ml) than in the ER-positive cancer group (55.8 +/- 32.1nol/ml). 3) No significant relationships were showed between the serum SHBG concentration and obesity or serum estradiol concentration in postmenopausal patients. 4) The serum SHBG concentration showed significant decrease 3 months after radical operation for breast cancer in postmenopausal patients. These results suggest the possibility of the SHBG synthesis in breast cancer tissue.     

Perforin expression in lymphocytes infiltrated to human colorectal cancer

Perforin (PFP) is a cytotoxic protein released from killer cells. PFP immunoreactivity in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) was investigated immunocytochemically with the aid of an anti-PFP monoclonal antibody. PFP was detected in the cytoplasm of 10% of PBL. We performed a double staining of PFP+ cells with Leu11b/CD16, Leu2a/CD8, or Leu3a/CD4 and showed that PFP was produced by 9% of CD8+ cells and 18% of CD16+ cells but not by CD4+ cells. In 28 colorectal cancer tissues, PFP immunoreactivity was observed in the lymphocytes infiltrating to the tumour stroma. The PFP+ cells were most numerous in Dukes A and decreased in number according to the progression of tumours. The PFP+ cells in TIL exhibited the same phenotypes as those in PBL but the PFP+ cells were more numerous in CD8+ cells than in CD16+ cells at all stages. This study represents the first evidence that PFP is mainly secreted from CD8+ cells in tumour tissues. It is hypothesised that the decrease in the number of PFP+ cells in accordance with tumour progression may reflect the suppression of the hosts local immunity.     

Comparison of characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma associated with head and neck cancer and those with gastric cancer

In ongoing reviews of 339 patients with surgically treated primary squamous cell carcinoma, there were 19 (5.6%) with concurrent gastric cancer and 11 (3.2%) with head and neck cancer. The incidences of intra-esophageal multiple occurrence of esophageal cancer are 27.3% and 26.3% in those with associated head and neck cancer and gastric cancer, respectively, and higher than 7.1% in those without such a concurrent cancer. There was no difference in the clinicopathological characteristics of those with concurrent head and neck and gastric cancers, except for the higher incidence of metachronous occurrence in the former. These findings suggest that, in cases of esophageal cancer associated with concurrent head and neck cancer and gastric cancer, intraesophageal multiplicity of the esophageal carcinoma is frequent and that preoperative serial evaluations is most important to design treatment and estimate the prognosis.     

Effects of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on Rhizobium sp. in pure culture

The effects of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on the growth rate, chemical composition, ¹⁴C-2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ uptake by Rhizobium sp. M 4 able to nodulate Arachis hypogaea were determined. Cellular growth was diminished by the presence of 10^?3 M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in the medium. Alterations in cellular chemical composition, in ¹⁴C-2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and in ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ uptake were found.     

A case of autoimmune hepatitis needed to be differentiated from EBV hepatitis, in that the histology of liver biopsy specimen was useful for diagnosis]

A 10-year-old girl with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) was reported. She was admitted to our hospital because of cholestasis and elevation of liver enzymes for 2 months. Laboratory examination revealed that EBV-DNA copy number in the PBMNC (peripheral mononuclear cells) was 1.2 x 10(3) copies/microg of DNA, hypergammaglobulinemia, and positive antinuclear antibody, positive anti-smooth muscle antibody. The histology of her liver biopsy specimen revealed interface hepatitis, dense mononuclear cell infiltrates, mild fibrosis, and negative for EBV in situ hybridization assay indicating AIH and not EBV-associated hepatitis. She was treated firstly with methylprednisolone pulses, then will prednisolone p.o.+azathioprine p.o.. Intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse therapy was introduced because of her abnormal immune pathology. All abnormal laboratory parameters improved to normal levels within 2 months, and EBV-DNA copy number in the PBMNC became negative after 4 months. The histology of liver biopsy specimen was useful for the diagnosis of AIH in such a difficult case needed to be differentiated from EBV hepatitis.