A patient with hepatic granuloma formation and angiotensin-converting enzyme production by granuloma cells during clinical relapse of hepatitis A

Elevation of the serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (sACE) level and hepatic granulomas were found during a clinical relapse in a 22 year old patient with acute viral hepatitis type A (AVH-A). The serum transaminase level and sACE level remained high for more than 6 months. In the biopsied specimen of the liver, fibrous rings of granulomas composed of collagen types I, III, and V were observed. Furthermore, the localization of ACE was visible in the rough endoplasmic reticulum of epithelioid cells of granulomas in the liver under electron microscopy using the indirect immunoperoxidase method. These results suggest that granuloma cells in the liver caused by hepatitis A may be involved in ACE production. In addition, other diseases associated with the presence of granulomas in the liver, such as lymphoma, cytomegalovirus infection, visceral leishmaniasis, and lupoid hepatitis, were ruled out. However, the hepatic granulomas disappeared with the healing of AVH-A. In this regard, the present case is considered to be one of the very few cases of hepatic sarcoidosis.     

Production of multiple murine CD2 receptor constructs using the baculovirus expression vector and a rapid dot-blot assay

The baculovirus expression system was used to produce three different constructs of the murine cell surface adhesion receptor CD2. One construct coded for a single, N-terminal, Ig-fold domain. It was inefficiently secreted and therefore primarily intracellular. The second construct coded for both extracellular, N-terminal Ig-fold domains. This was efficiently secreted into culture supernatant. The third construct coded for the full-length transmembrane molecule which localized to the cell surface. All constructs were monomers of predicted MW_r and were appropriately glycosylated. They retained epitopic specificity as demonstrated by binding to mAbs, and adhesion function as demonstrated by a rosetting assay.     

ISCHEMIC ENTEROCOLITIS WITHOUT ARTERIO–OCCLUSIVE LESION

Four cases of Ischemic enterocolitis without arterio–occlusive lesion were described. Three cases were associated with sigmoid colon carcinomas. Ischemic lesions developed anal to the carcinomas in two cases, and oral to sigmoidostomy to relieve intestinal obstruction by carcinoma in one case. One other case was associated with inguinal hernia. Grossly, ischemic lesions involved relatively short intestinal segments, and the ischemic colonic lesions were not related to teniae coli. Extensive veno–occlusive lesions were discovered in a case of ischemic stricture of the ileum, which had been incarcerated in the right inguinal hernia. Reversible mechanical occlusion of the intestinal vessels caused by transient or recurrent intestinal strangulation is the most probable cause of these ischemic lesions., ACTA PATHOL. JPN. 33: 249–256, 1983.     

Nine-bp repeat polymorphism in exon 1 of thehMSH3 gene

Summary We have identified a polymorphic 9-bp repeat sequence in exon 1 of thehMSH3 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Five alleles were observed in unrelated Japanese individuals with heterozygosity of 0.57.     

Education of medical technologists in North America

The increasing complexity of diseases and advancing medical technologies have recently raised the number of test items and their use. This has caused each department to ask for clinical support by medical technologists, including consultation services on clinical laboratory tests in Japan. Under these circumstances, we think it is necessary to consider a Japanese education system for medical technologists to foster people with advanced ability capable in providing adequate clinical support. It is important that we study medical technologist systems and education systems superior to than ours. Therefore, to investigate the state of the Japanese education system for medical technologists, we conducted a comparison between the medical technologist systems and education systems in foreign countries and those of Japan. The social background in which medical technologists are positioned, their scope of work, and the education systems overseas are different from Japan on many points and we were given many suggestions for what a system in Japan should be like.     

EARLY CHANGES IN CEREBRAL ANEURYSMS IN THE INTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY/POSTERIOR COMMUNICATING ARTERY JUNCTION

In order to obtain information about preaneurysmal changes, the junction of the internal carotid artery/posterior communicating artery (ICA/PComA) in the circles of Willis in subjects with aneurysms at sites other than the junction, and in control subjects without aneurysms, were studied by light microscopy.
Small evaginations and thinnings of the media with and without dilatation were observed at the apical areas of the forks with a significantly higher incidence in the aneurysm series than in the control, suggesting some predisposing factor in subjects with aneurysms. As well as funnel-shaped dilatations previously described as the only type of ICA/PComA preaneurysmal change, other more localized types were observed. All the small evaginations and about half of the thinnings and dilatations were observed at the apex in association with a medial gap, but the other half occured at some distance from the apex. The thinned arterial wall showed degenerative changes of the elastic lamina and media. Intimal pads were observed at the apex, the ICA/PComA lateral angle and the ICA stem/branch curve. Their combination with preaneurysmal changes was more frequent in the aneurysm series in comparison with the control.
Degenerative changes of the elastic lamina and media caused by hemodynamic stress due to branching structures including intimal pads are thus presumed to be the initial lesions existing prior to aneurysm formation.