Cell fusion-mediated improvement in transfection competence for repair-deficient mutant of mouse T cell line

A multiple mutagen-sensitive mutant (XUM1) of mouse T-cell lymphoma line, L5178Y, is hypersensitive to ionizing radiation, ultraviolet (UV) light, and cross-linking agents (such as mitomycin C). The frequency of transfection for XUML cells after exposure to calcium phosphate-coprecipitated pSV2neo DNA was more than 10⁴-fold less effective than that for Ltk^–aprt^– (LTA) cells. Other transfection methods (DEAE-dextran and polybrene-DMSO) were not effective for L5178Y and XUM1 cells. The transfection-proficient trait of LTA cells was demonstrated to be genetically dominant by examining the transfection frequency in hybrid clones constructed between XUM1 and LTA cells. To circumvent the problem with XUM1, the LTA genes necessary for transformation processes were introduced into XUM1 cells by constructing hybrids between XUM1 and LTA cells irradiated with X-rays which causes directional chromosome elimination for hybrid cells. Four of 194 hybrid clones tested were transfection-proficient and hypersensitive to UV (XL102, XL107, XL215, and XL216). All four clones were not hypersensitive to X-rays or mitomycin C. The frequencies of transfection for XL102 and XL216 were nearly the same level as that for LTA cells. The efficiency of transfection for XL107 and XL215 was 10 to 100-fold lower than that for LTA cells.     

The usefulness of Chlamydia testpack for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in genito-urinary tract

A comparative study between Chlamydia Testpack and Chlamydiazyme for the detection of chlamydial antigen was performed. In 61 cases suspected of being chlamydial infection, Chlamydia Testpack had a specificity of 92% and a sensitivity of 88% when compared with Chlamydiazyme. On the result of study using Chlamydia trachomatis serotype B, the sensitivity of Chlamydia Testpack which had a lower limit of 6 x 10(4)/ml of EB was less than that of Chlamydiazyme which had a lower limit of 0.7 x 10(4). However, the large number of EB presented in almost all positive specimen, indicated that Chlamydia Testpack could be used to screen the clinical materials.     

A case of Ramsey Hunt syndrome with multiple cranial nerve paralysis and acute respiratory failure]

The authors report a 56-year-old woman with Ramsey Hunt syndrome with multiple cranial nerve paralysis and acute respiratory failure. Five days before admission, she experienced right otalgia and right facial pain and consulted an otolaryngologist of our hospital, who diagnosed the illness as acute parotitis and laryngopharyngitis. One day before admission, she experienced mild dyspnea and general fatigue and came to our hospital emergency room. A chest X-ray film revealed no abnormalities but some blisters were observed around her right ear. The next day, her dyspnea became more severe and she was admitted. A chest X-ray film on admission revealed right lower lobe consolidation, and neurological examination disclosed multiple cranial nerve paralysis, i.e., paralysis of the right fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth and left tenth cranial nerve. The serum titer of anti-herpes zoster antibody was elevated to 1,024, and the patient was diagnosed as having Ramsey Hunt syndrome with multiple cranial nerve paralysis. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed hypoxemia with hypercapnea, which was considered to be due to aspiration pneumonia and central airway obstruction caused by vocal cord paralysis. Mechanical ventilation was soon instituted and several antibiotics and acyclovir were administered intravenously, with marked effects. Three months after admission, the patient was discharged with no sequelae except mild hoarseness. Patients with herpes zoster oticus, facial nerve paralysis and auditory symptoms are diagnosed as having Ramsey Hunt syndrome. This case was complicated by lower cranial nerve paralysis and acute respiratory failure, which is very rare.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Attenuated SEPs with no latency shifts in a family with hereditary spastic paraplegia

Five siblings with hereditary spastic paraplegia of autosomal-dominant inheritance were studied with somatosensory evoked potentials. Somatosensory evoked potentials were recorded from Cz', T12, and the left popliteal fossa following left posterior tibial nerve stimulation. The latency and amplitude of the corresponding potentials (i.e., P37, N20, and N7) were compared with normal values obtained from age- and height-matched controls. There was no significant difference in the values of N7, suggesting an intact afferent peripheral pathway; in contrast, the amplitudes of P37 and N20 were decreased with normal latencies. The degree of amplitude decrease correlated with the severity of vibration sense impairment in the lower limbs. These results appear to support selective axonopathy of the centrally directed axons of the dorsal root ganglion cells. Furthermore, our results suggest that different degrees of dorsal column involvement in hereditary spastic paraplegia can cause different types of somatosensory evoked potential abnormalities, namely, attenuated amplitudes with no latency shifts, as recorded in this family, and the prolonged latencies, as reported previously.     

The influence of beryllium on cell survival rates in theIn-vitro culture system, on intracellular DNA synthesis and on SRBC-IgM antibody production responses

Immunocytotoxicity of beryllium (Be) was evaluated by studying cell viability, intracellular DNA synthesis and SRBC-IgM response in an in-vitro culture system using non-sensitized spleen cells of a C57BL mouse. Be addition showed a suppressive effect on cell viability, an enhancing effect on DNA synthesis and on IgM antibody production. The suppressive effect on cell viability manifested itself markedly as the concentration of Be was increased or the culture time was prolonged. The DNA synthesis-enhancing effect was noted at a relatively low concentration of Be (not more than 10μM). The enhancing effect on the IgM response was related to Be concentration at not more than 20μM. The experimental results mentioned above speculate that the cytotoxicity of Be shows a conflicting pattern of enhancement or suppression according to the concentration used and that immunologically it has a modulating effect or an activating effect on the immunocompetent cells.     

Fibromatosis of the Breast: A Case Report

Fibromatosis develops in many anatomic sites, but it rarely arises as a primary lesion in the breast. This lesion is locally invasive and frequently recurs after a local excision, but it has no potential for distant metastasis. In this report, we present a case of mammary fibromatosis which was closely similar to carcinoma in clinical, mammographic and ultrasonographic findings, thus leading us to breast conserving surgery. Despite being a rare disease, fibromatosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of younger patients (the age of the present case was 51, and the mean ages of patients with fibromatosis ranges from37 to 49) with abnormal changes on physical examinations and imaging studies.