Referees 1991

Inhibition of germination and reduction in survival of Arabidopsis thaliana were investigated to study the effects of heavy ions on a multicellular system. Dry seeds of Col and Ler ecotypes were exposed to He, C, Ar and Ne ions with linear energy transfer (LET) in the range of 17-549 keV/ mu m and to electrons (LET 0.2 keV/ mu m). The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for the survival of both ecotypes showed the same pattern of variation with a maximum RBE of 11-12 at 252 keV/ mu m. For germination, RBE increased with increasing LET in Ler but not in Col, showing different sensitivities between the plant ecotypes. Inactivation cross sections of survival increased linearly in the range of 0.2-17 keV/ mu m and proceeded more steeply in the range of 113-252 keV/ mu m. At higher LET, cross sections appeared to reach a plateau at a little less than the size of the cell nucleus. When the value for survival was plotted against LET, it decreased steeply in the range about 113-252 keV/ mu m, indicating that heavy ions may have similar effects on both the shoulder and slope of the survival curve.     

T-Independent Polyclonal Activation of B Cells In Vitro by Immunoglobulin Binding Substance (IBS) from the Granary Weevil

Experiments are described for T-independent polyclonal activation of B cells in vitro by the immunoglobulin binding substance (IBS) from the granary weevil. The affinity-chromatographically purified IBS was used. IBS is a heat-, alkali- and acid-stable glucopeptide which is characterized by non-specific immunoglobulin binding to the Fab fragment. The purified IBS consists of three polymer homologues whose molecular weights are 12-14,000, 25-30,000 and more than 150,000 Da. IBS did not stimulate DNA synthesis by murine T cells, macrophages or plasma cells whereas it did stimulate that by mature B cells without any help from T cells or macrophages. IBS also stimulated both in vitro IgG production by spleen cells and in vitro sensitization of spleen cells by sheep red cells (SRBC). IBS was found to stimulate DNA synthesis by B cells mediated by binding to surface immunoglobulins of B cells. IBS is thought to be a useful amplifier for inducing human hybridomas and a valuable tool for examining mature B cells, both diagnostically and experimentally.     

Interval sentinel lymph nodes in patients with cutaneous melanoma: A single‐institution study in Japan

Interval sentinel lymph nodes (ISLN) are defined as the lymph nodes located between the primary melanoma and anatomically well‐defined lymph nodal basins. It was reported that the ISLN appeared to be at the same metastatic risk as sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) in the traditional nodal basins. This study aimed to examine the incidence and metastatic risk of the ISLN in melanoma patients. Between June of 1999 and December of 2008, 117 patients enrolled at Nagoya University Hospital underwent SLN biopsy for primary cutaneous melanoma with a Breslow thickness of at least 1.0 mm. Triple techniques with lymphoscintigraphy, blue dye injection and gamma probe were used for the biopsy except for 13 cases that underwent lymphoscintigraphy, ultrasonography and blue dye injection, but without gamma probe. Patients who had melanoma of the head and neck were excluded from this analysis. The SLN were identified in 253 nodal basins from 117 patients, and ISLN were found in six patients (5%). We recognized 41 (17%) SLN metastases in 246 conventional nodal basins and one (14%) in seven ISLN. Although ISLN were identified infrequently, the incidence of metastasis into the ISLN was similar to that into SLN in conventional nodal basins. It is therefore recommended that preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative recognition of ISLN should be performed.     

人体真实形状手指内的血液流动和温度分布的有限元分析

本研究的目的是要考察人体末梢的血流变化及温度调节特性. 分别对上肢大血管内血液流动及手指的传热特性进行分析并建立了数学模型.采用一维非线性脉动流体力学模型模拟大血管内的血液流动,采用描述多孔介质内流体流动的Darcy模型模拟组织内血液流动, 而用多孔介质内的能量方程描述组织内的传热特性.同时利用基于图像的建模方法,由手指的MRI系列图像建立了中指的计算机模型并生成了有限元网格.通过分析,得到人体真实形状手指内的血液流动和温度分布,并与由红外热像仪测得的结果进行了比较.比较结果显示,手指的皮肤温度变化趋势与实测结果相同,说明该模拟分析系统能够较好地分析上肢血流及末梢的传热特性.     

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration and dementia with Lewy bodies: Clinicopathological issues associated with antemortem diagnosis

Currently, the clinical diagnostic criteria of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are well known to neurologists and psychiatrists. However, the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of these diseases in autopsy series is not always adequate. For example, FTLD is a syndrome rather than a clinicopathological disease entity that is comprised of various pathological substrates, including Pick's disease, FTLD with microtubule-associated protein tau gene mutation, FTLD with tau-negative ubiquitin-positive inclusions (FTLD-U), FTLD-U with progranulin gene mutation, corticobasal degeneration, basophilic inclusion body disease, and neuronal intermediate filament inclusion disease. Whether these underlying pathologies can be identified clinically is one of the greatest interests in neuropathological research. The pathophysiological relationship between Lewy pathology and Alzheimer pathology in DLB is explored with interest because it may be associated with the accuracy of clinical diagnoses. For example, although Lewy pathology may progress from the brain stem nuclei to the cerebral cortex in Parkinson's disease, recent studies have demonstrated that the progression pattern in DLB is not always identical to that in Parkinson's disease. It is also considered that the progression pattern of Lewy pathology correlates with the evolution of clinical symptoms and that the progression pattern of Lewy pathology may be altered when Alzheimer pathology coexists. In the present paper, the clinicopathological features of two demented cases are presented, and some pathological issues associated with the clinical diagnosis of FTLD and DLB are discussed.     

Enhanced motility of the vagotomized canine stomach by electrical stimulation

Functional impairment of the vagotomized stomach used as a substitute oesophagus seriously deteriorates the quality of life of patients following oesophageal cancer surgery. We speculated that if the enteric neurons of the reconstructed gastric tube survived functionally, the motility of the gastric tube could be facilitated and the recovery process after operation would improve as a consequence. In the present study we investigated whether direct electrical stimulation was effective for facilitating the motility of the canine vagotomized stomach. Dogs underwent truncal vagotomy by trahsabdominal approach and, in some cases, arteries to the upper stomach and the oesophagus were also ligated and resected to resemble the blood supply and surgical invasion of the reconstructed gastric tube. Electrical stimulation, a few minutes of positive rectangular current pulses, amplitude 20 V (or 15 mA), duration 0.5 ms and frequency between 0.2 and 7 Hz, was delivered on the greater curvature of the mid corpus. Changes in mechanical contractions were recorded using strain gauge force transducers. Electrical stimulation successfully enhanced the mechanical force of the phasic ring contractions of the vagotomized stomach in a frequency dependent manner. Aboral propagation and periodicity of the contractions, impaired by surgical procedures, were restored during stimulation. These excitatory effects were inhibited by atropine, hexamethonium and tetrodotoxin, suggesting that electrical stimulation acts on intramural cholinergic nerves that have survived functionally. These results suggest that electrical stimulation could be an effective method for improving the motility of the vagotomized stomach.     

A Clinical Study on Colitis Found during Total Colonoscopy Screening for Colorectal Cancer

Abstract: Colitis was found in 302 out of 5803 patients (5.2%) who underwent colonoscopy for the first time. Unclassified colitis (with slight edema, hemorrhage etc.) accounted for 89.1 % of these cases. Most of the colitis (93 cases, 40.1 %) was found to affect the sigmoid colon, followed, in order of decreasing frequency, by the rectum, cecum, transverse colon, descending colon and ascending colon. A comparison of the percentage revealed that of colitis found in two groups which were given different pre-treatments, 80 out of 3280 cases (2.4%) were found among those examinees pre-treated by the modified Brown method (B-method), while 152 out of 2513 cases (6.0%) were found in those pre-treated by the PEG oral lavage method (P- method). About 40% of the diagnosed colitis cases were free from symptoms (diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc.); the results of the guaiac test on their stool samples were negative. We hypothesized that, in these cases, signs of colitis were actually pretreatment-induced artifacts. No significant differences were found among groups with regard to sex and age, nor was the fraction of colitis cases represented by artificial colitis significantly different between pre-treatment groups.