Chemical and biological properties of a peptidoglycan isolated from Treponema pallidum kazan.

A peptidoglycan layer of Treponema pallidum kazan was isolated by solubilization of whole cells with 1% warm sodium dodecyl sulfate and subsequent digestion of an insoluble residue with proteases. Electron microscopy revealed that the peptidoglycan was isolated as a single-layered sacculus of less than 5 nm in thickness, freed from axial filaments and an envelope sheath. An isolated peptidoglycan fraction was mainly composed of glucosamine, muramic acid, alanine, glutamic acid, ornithine, and glycine in molar ratios of 0.65:0.68:1.63:1.00:0.75:1.03. Amino (N)- and carboxyl (C)-terminal amino acid analyses suggested the involvement of at least a part of the glycine residue in cross-linking between the amino group of ornithine residue at one strand of the stem peptide subunit and the carboxyl group of alanine of the neighboring strand. The treponemal peptidoglycan lacked the immunoadjuvant activity both to stimulate antibody production and to induce delayed-type hypersensitivity against ovalbumin, as well as the properties necessary to stimulate guinea pig and mouse splenocytes and guinea pigs peritoneal macrophages, unlike the cell walls or peptidoglycans (group A type of Schleifer and Kandler's classification, Bacteriol. Rev. 36:407-477, 1972) isolated from many bacterial species parasitic to the mammal. However, the peptidoglycan activated the human complement system through the alternative pathway, as well as the classical one, and caused a liberation of 5-hydroxytryptamine in rabbit blood platelets in a similar manner to the cell wall peptidoglycans of both group A and B types.     

Cordyceps militaris Fruit Body Extract Decreases Testosterone Catabolism and Testosterone-Stimulated Prostate Hypertrophy

The androgens testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are essential for a variety of systemic functions in mature males. Alteration of these hormones results in late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). The fruit bodies of fungi of the genus Cordyceps have been regarded as folk medicine or health food with tonic and antifatigue effects. The extract from the fruit body of Cordyceps militaris parasitizing Samia cynthia ricini (CM) was evaluated as a novel-candidate natural product for ameliorating male andropause symptoms. To explore the effects of CM on LOH and BPH, CM was applied to rat models and cultured testicular cells and prostate cells. The concentrations of androgens in the serum and culture media were determined by ELISA. Expression of steroidogenic enzymes and androgen-related genes was evaluated by qPCR, and prostatic cell proliferation was assessed with the cell-viability assay. CM maintained the serum levels of testosterone and DHT, but inhibited testosterone-induced prostate hypertrophy. CM also increased the secretion of testosterone and DHT by primary testicular cells, with no changes in the mRNA expression of steroidogenic enzymes, but decreased the growth of prostatic cell lines. Our data suggest that CM could improve both LOH and BPH in males.     

Anaplastic large cell Ki-1 lymphoma with bone involvement: Report of two cases

Two cases of anaplastic large cell Ki-1 lymphoma involving bone as the most prominent and initial manifestation are reported. The first patient was a 20-year-old male who had back pain and incomplete paraparesis due to vertebral involvement. The second was a 14-year-old girl, whose first clinical signs were fever of unknown origin and sternal bone pain. Radiologically, skeletal lesions were lytic and destructive. Histopathologically, the tumour cells had pleomorphic bizarre nuclei and abundant basophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemically, Ki-1 (CD30) reactivity was strongly positive in both cases. Tumour cells were also CD3, CD4, epithelial membrane antigen and interleukin-2 receptor positive in the first case, and CD10, HLA-DR positive in the second case. The former tumour was considered to be of T-cell lineage and the latter of lymphoid progenitor cell origin. Radiation and chemotherapy were temporarily effective. However, both patients died 14 and 7 months after diagnosis, respectively, due to systemic lymph node involvement. These observations suggest that the prognosis for Ki-1 lymphoma involving bone is poorer than indicated in previous reports.     

Clinical,cytological, and pathological characteristics of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the thyroid: A study of 14 cases at a Japanese single institution

A preoperative diagnosis of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the thyroid (MRCCT) is important for determining clinical management but is challenging even in cases with a clinical history of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study aimed to elucidate the clinical, cytological, and pathological characteristics of MRCCT. Fourteen MRCCT cases extracted from 18 320 malignant thyroid tumors were included in this study. Twelve MRCCT (85.7%) occurred as solitary lesions and the most frequently suspected lesions on ultrasonography were follicular tumors. On cytology, 46.2% of cases were reported as RCC or suspected RCC; a medical history of RCC and immunocytochemistry were helpful in interpretation. RCC metastasized to a follicular adenoma in 50.0% of the solitary lesions. MRCCTs with a long interval from the initial presentation, solitary lesion, and Ki-67 labeling index <10% showed significantly longer disease-free survival. MRCCT is characterized by a long interval from the initial presentation of RCC, appearance as a solitary nodule, ultrasonographic similarity to follicular tumors, sharing cytological findings with primary thyroid tumors, and high frequency of metastasis within follicular adenoma. A long interval from the initial presentation, occurrence as a solitary lesion, and low Ki-67 labeling index may be favorable prognostic factors.     

The impacts of breast conserving treatment and mastectomy on the quality of life in early-stage breast cancer patients

The quality of life (QOL) in 55 early-stage breast cancer patients after surgery was prospectively assessed using a newly developed Japanese QOL questionnaire: The QOL Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs (QOL-ACD). The impacts of breast conserving treatment (BCT) (22 cases) and modified radical mastectomy (MRM) (33 cases) on the QOL in those subjects were compared. The overall QOL scores were evaluated during four periods (before surgery, 0–2, 3–12, and 13–24 months after surgery). The mean scores of the four categories of the QOL-ACD (activity, physical condition, psychological condition, and social relationships) were also compared. The results demonstrated that a significant improvement was observed in the overall QOL scores among the three periods after surgery (0–2, 3–12, and 13–24 months) only in the BCT group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the overall QOL scores during any of the three periods after surgery, and the mean score of the ‘psychological condition’ during 0–2 months period in the BCT group was significantly lower than that in the MRM group (P< 0.05).     

Improved fertility through superoxide removal by Toki-shakuyaku-san in mice--a preliminary study

The effect of a superoxide dismutase inhibitor on pregnancy rate and fetal survival, and the effect of concomitant treatment with Toki-shakuyaku-san, was studied. Twelve week-old IV CS female mice were given diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDC; 0.9, 9, 45, and 225 mg kg(-1)) intraperitioneally, from Day 3 to Day 5 of pregnancy, every 12 h, for a total of six times. Two additional groups received both 45 mg kg DEDC and Toki-shakuyaku-san (50 or 200 mg/100 mL), by water bottle, from 12 h before to 12 h after DEDC administration. For each group, the pregnancy rate, the number of surviving fetuses, and the number of resorbed fetuses was calculated. Pregnancy rates were 95.5, 81.8, 54.5 and 0%, respectively, in the DEDC groups and were 100% in the control group. The fetal resorption rate was 0.9 in the control group, and 1.0, 1.7, and 2.3, respectively, in the 0.9, 9, 45 mg kg(-1) DEDC groups. Administration of 200 mg Toki-shakuyaku-san significantly (P<0.05) improved the pregnancy rate to 81.8%, and improved the degree of reduced intercellular interactions and insufficient decidual reactions found on Day 5 in the endometrium of the DEDC groups. Toki-shakuyaku-san reduces the adverse effects of excess superoxides on the endometrium during implantation.     

Neural cell adhesion molecule expression in thyroid cancer

Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is an integral membrane glycoprotein that participates in cell-cell interactions. We examined the expression of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) by immunohistochemistry in 65 cases of thyroid disease. In the majority of thyroid tumors, NCAM expression was detected in tumor cells. In chronic thyroiditis, Hurthle cells demonstrated expression of NCAM. In normal thyroid gland, neither follicular nor parafollicular cells expressed NCAM at detectable levels. All papillary carcinomas and most poorly differentiated follicular carcinomas and some follicular adenomas demonstrated NCAM expression. In thyroid carcinoma, clinical stage and recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis did not correlate significantly with expression of NCAM. Papillary carcinomas with strong expression of NCAM were more likely to have extra capsular invasion. It is supposed that immunohistochemical detection of NCAM expression supports histologic diagnosis and offers prognostic information.