Expression of CD56 antigen on acute nonlymphocytic leukemia]

CD56 antigen (detected by NKH-1) is distributed on NK cells, monocytes, and ectodermal neural cells. In this study, the blasts of 29.2% of 27 patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) expressed CD56 antigen, but not CD16, CD2, or CD3 antigen. Leukemic cells isolated from 3 patients with CD56-positive ANLL did not have NK activity. There were no significant differences between CD56-positive and CD56-negative ANLL in CD13-positive cases, CD33-positive cases, and HLA-DR-positive cases. These results suggest that CD56-positive ANLL could be so-called mixed-lineage leukemia (lymphoid-associated antigen in ANLL).     

Serum soluble CD4 and CD8 levels in Kawasaki disease.

The levels of soluble CD4 (sCD4) and sCD8 in serum correlate with the T cell subset activation and may be important in monitoring and characterizing disease processes during immunological diseases. We compared acute Kawasaki disease (KD) with anaphylactoid purpura (AP) and acute febrile viral infections, such as measles and infectious mononucleosis (IM), in terms of serum sCD4 and sCD8 levels. The levels of serum sCD4 and sCD8 were measured by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay. In addition, peripheral blood mononuclear cell subsets were analysed by single and two-colour flow-cytometric analyses in KD and IM patients. The levels of serum sCD4 and sCD8 were significantly elevated in patients during acute stages of KD, measles and IM, but not AP. Peripheral blood CD4+, CD8+ and also HLA-DR+ T cells count did not increase during the acute stage of KD; however, peripheral blood CD8+ and HLA-DR+ T cell counts were increased during the acute stage of IM. Our results suggest that there is a low level of activation of peripheral blood T cells during acute KD, or that infiltrated T cells in some local tissues of KD patients contribute to the elevated levels of serum sCD4 and sCD8.     

Interaction and colocalization of HERMES/RBPMS with NonO,PSF, and G3BP1 in neuronal cytoplasmic RNP granules in mouse retinal line cells

HERMES, also called RBPMS, is a conserved RNA binding protein with a single RNA recognition motif (RRM) that is abundantly expressed in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and in the heart in vertebrates. Here, we identified NonO and PSF as the interacting proteins of HERMES only when the neuronal differentiation of the retinal cell line RGC‐5 was induced. Although NonO and PSF are nuclear paraspeckle components, these proteins formed cytoplasmic granules with HERMES in the neurites. G3BP1, a component of stress granules, was also colocalized to the granules, interacting with NonO and HERMES even in the absence of cellular stress. Consistent with a previous report that KIF5 interacts with neuronal granules, the localization of KIF5A overlapped with the cytoplasmic granules in differentiated RGC‐5 cells. Thus, our study strongly suggests that the cytoplasmic granule containing HERMES, NonO, PSF, and G3BP1 is a neuronal RNA–protein granule that is transported in neurites during retinal differentiation.     

Immunological status of nude mice engrafted with allogeneic or syngeneic thymuses

Restoration of T-cell functions and changes in autoantibody production were studied in BALB/c nu/nu (nude) mice engrafted with syngeneic (BALB/c) or allogeneic (C57BL/6J) thymuses across major histocompatability barriers. T-cell functions, including mitogen responses and antibody production to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), were restored in nude mice engrafted with either allogeneic or syngeneic thymuses. Alloreactivity was evaluated by analysis of the pattern of skin allograft rejection, generation of alloreactive cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs), or quantitation of mixed-lymphocyte reaction (MLR). BABL/c nude mice engrafted with thymuses from newborn C57BL/6J mice accepted the skin from either thymus donor-type mice or from host-type mice. By contrast, such thymic chimeras rejected skin grafts from a third-party donor. CTLs from nude mice engrafted with C57BL/6J thymuses were cytotoxic to target cells of the third party but not to target cells of the host-type or of the thymus-type. In the MLR assay, spleen cells of nude mice engrafted with C57BL/6J thymuses responded vigorously to third party cells and only slightly to cells of the thymus-type. Low levels of serum IgG and high titers of IgM antibodies to nuclear antigens (but not dsDNA) or skin basal cells were also found in nude mice. Antibodies to both nuclear antigens and skin basal cells disappeared after transplantation of syngeneic thymuses, but not after transplantation of allogeneic thymuses. By contrast, serum IgG levels were restored to normal in nude mice engrafted with either syngeneic or allogeneic thymuses. These results suggest that either HLA-matched or HLA-mismatched thymus grafts may become a viable treatment for certain patients with T cell deficiencies associated with deficient development or maintenance of thymic structure and/or function.     

Peripheral blood monocyte/macrophages and serum tumor necrosis factor in Kawasaki disease

We analyzed the populations of peripheral blood monocyte/macrophages in 27 patients using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter, and investigated the possibility, in another 30 patients, that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) might be detectable in serum during the acute phase of Kawasaki disease (KD). Percentages of peripheral blood monocyte/macrophages among mononuclear cells and serum TNF levels were both seen to increase during the acute phase of the illness in patients with KD. The percentage of TNF positive cases in KD patients with coronary involvement was higher than that of patients without coronary involvement. These results suggest the possibility that immunological activation, accompanied by the secretion of TNF from monocyte/macrophages, is an important predisposing condition for the exacerbation of vascular damage in KD.     

Split tolerance between spleen and lymph node cells in severe combined immunodeficiency mice grafted with AKR fetal liver cells

Severe combined Immunodeficient (SCID) mice defective in stemcells for T and B cells appear to be an ideal host for constructionof chimeric mice. When bone marrow cells are used as a sourceof stem cells, however, host SCID mice do not always show sufficientreconstitutlon. In this study, fetal liver cells from AKR embryoswere transplanted into SCID mice without prior irradiation.This treatment induced full reconstltution of lymphopoiesisas evaluated by flow cytometry analysis and serum Ig production2 months after transplantation. Thus, fetal liver cells seemto be a better source for reconstitutlon of SCID mice than bonemarrow cells. Lymph node (LN) cells of these mice (FLT mice)had no proliferatlve or cytotoxlc activities against eitherhost-type (C.B-17) or donor-type (AKR) spleen cells. However,spleen cells from FLT mice exhibited marked proliferatlve andcytotoxlc activities against C.B-17 cells, with no activitiesagainst AKR cells. Spirt tolerance against C.B-17 cells In spleenand LN cells was not a transient phenomenon, since similar resultswere obtained from a cytotoxic T lymphocyte assay 4 months later.In spite of the strong host reactivity in vitro, aberrationof clonal deletion or development of a graft-versus-host diseasewas not seen in FLT mice. As IL-2 induced the host reactivityof LN cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction, potentially host-reactiveT cells were present in LN but were rendered anerglc. Tolerancein FLT mice seems to be regulated by a peripheral mechanism.We supposed that the split tolerance in FLT mice was inducedby the different antigenicity between the spleen and LN.     

Nicotine improves AF64A-induced spatial memory deficits in Morris water maze in rats

Ethylcholine mustard aziridinium ion (AF64A) is a neurotoxic derivative of choline that produces not only long-term presynaptic cholinergic deficits, but also various memory deficits in rats similar to some characteristics observed in Alzheimer's disease patients. This study investigated whether nicotine (NCT) administration attenuated spatial learning deficits induced by intracerebroventricular AF64A treatment. AF64A (6 nmol/6 μl)-or saline (SAL)-treated rats were trained in Morris water maze task. NCT (0.025–0.25 mg/kg) was subcutaneously injected 5 min before the training every day. The results showed that moderate dose (0.10 mg/kg) of NCT attenuated AF64A-induced prolongation of escape latency. Furthermore, NCT dose-dependently recovered the AF64A-induced decrease of time spent in the target quadrant in the probe test. These results suggest that NCT improves AF64A-induced spatial memory deficits, and thus it is a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of memory deficits in dementia.     

Impact of our new protocol on the outcome of the neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Background/purpose

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) remains a defiant challenge for pediatric surgeons. Since 2003, we developed a new protocol aiming for the better outcome. In this study, the usefulness of our new protocol was evaluated.

Materials and methods

Forty-six neonates with CDH at the age of less than 24 h were divided into two groups based on the difference of era and treatment protocols. In Group 1, 15 patients were treated between 1997 and 2002 and 31 patients were treated between 2003 and 2011 in Group 2. In the latter group, a new protocol was introduced focusing on the prevention of lung edema as well as lung injury by steroid administration and on the stabilization of cardiopulmonary function using continuous d-mannitol infusion. The survival rate and the postoperative intubation period (POIP) were compared between the two groups.

Results

The overall survival rate was significantly increased from 53 % (8/15) to 81 % (25/31) (p < 0.05). In isolated CDH, the survival rate was increased from 58 to 93 %. The average POIP was remarkably shortened from 39.0 to 4.4 days (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Our new protocol remarkably improved the survival rate and shortened the period of mechanical ventilation in neonates with CDH.