Leukocyte and plasma N-laurylsphingosine deacylase (ceramidase) in Farber disease

Severe deficiency of acid ceramidase activity (4-5% of normal) was demonstrated in cultured skin fibroblasts, leukocytes and plasma from a 1-year-old boy who was diagnosed as being affected with Farber disease. Determination of ceramidase activity in plasma was achieved by a highly sensitive assay employing a ceramide substrate containing radiolabeled C12 N-acyl moiety (N-lauryl). The enzyme activity in the parents' leukocytes and plasma was found to be reduced to 18-47% of the respective normal values, and that determined in a plasma specimen from a patient with I-cell disease was about 4 times elevated above the normal level.     

A stereological study of the human ovarian surface epithelium.

The surface of the ovary has been found to be composed of two types of epithelial cells called A and B cells which are found in their own respective zones, the A and B zones. A quantitative study was undertaken to determine the mean cell volumes and cell ultrastructure. Ovarian biopsies were taken from six women and A and B zones, having been identified by scanning electron microscopy, were re-embedded for transmission electron microscopy. Stereological measurements using point sampled intercepts were made on vertical sections and showed that B cells are significantly larger than A cells. The volume weighted mean cell volumes of the A and B cells were 237.3 microns 3 and 676.8 microns 3 respectively. The volume fractions of the nucleus and mitochondria were similar in the two cell types. Although the vesicle content of each type was similar, a large variation between cases made the interpretation difficult. The stereological tools used in this study proved to be easy and efficient estimators of surface cell ultrastructure and give an important direction for ultrastructural research.     

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the prostate. A clinicopathologic study of 12 patients.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the prostate is a rare tumor that can be difficult to distinguish from a true sarcoma. The authors report 12 patients in whom the typical light microscopic appearance of prostatic adenocarcinoma was accompanied by the appearance of spindled or pleomorphic sarcomatoid areas within the same specimen or in subsequent accessions. Immunostaining or electron microscopic study demonstrated epithelial differentiation within the sarcomatoid area(s) in 6 of the 11 patients in whom special studies were performed. All nine patients for whom follow-up data were available died of disease within 3 to 48 months (median time until death, 12.0 months) after the appearance of the sarcomatoid carcinoma, and the clinical course in each instance was characterized by aggressive local recurrence. Our experience confirms that sarcomatoid carcinoma of the prostate is an aggressive variant of prostatic adenocarcinoma.     

Balloon dilatation versus surgical revision of infra-inguinal autogenous vein graft stenoses: long-term follow-up

Although infra-inguinal autogenous vein graft stenoses may be treated by balloon dilatation (PTA) or surgical revision, the optimal approach is undefined. Over the last 7 years 24 PTA procedures were performed on 37 vein graft stenoses in 19 grafts. Graft stenoses were diagnosed from 2 to 72 (mean = 17.3) months after implantation. PTA was successfully completed in 23 (96%) of the 24 procedures including 18 (95%) of the primary, and 5 (100%) of the secondary procedures. Recurrent vein graft stenosis or graft thrombosis developed in 12 (67%) grafts from 3 to 47 (mean = 12.5) months after primary PTA. Long-term patency after primary PTA was 69% at 6, 29% at 12, and 22% at 36 months; secondary patency was 81% at 6, 45% at 12, and 27% at 36 months. During the same period vein graft stenosis in 7 fem-pop and 2 fem-tib grafts were surgically revised with an initial success rate of 100%, and 2 (22%) complications. Four (44%) of these grafts occluded from 1-17 (mean 6.2) months after repair, yielding a primary 5-year patency of 62%. Although vein graft stenosis may be safely, effectively, and repeatedly treated with PTA, long-term durability appears to be superior after surgical revision.     

Progesterone and environmental tobacco smoke act synergistically to exacerbate the development of allergic asthma in a mouse model

BACKGROUND: Asthma affects males and females differently. Females have a higher incidence than males after the onset of puberty. This suggests a hormonal component to the development of the disease. Progesterone, a female hormone, has previously been shown to illicit a T-helper type 2 (TH2) immune response similar to that seen in allergic asthma. Previous studies performed by our laboratory have shown that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) enhances the immune response to allergens. OBJECTIVE: To determine if the combination of exposure to ETS and progesterone would further exacerbate the immune response in a mouse model of allergic asthma. METHODS: Female mice were ovariectomized and then implanted with time-release progesterone pellets. Mice were housed in either filtered air (FA) or ETS chambers and half were exposed to aerosolized house dust mite allergen (HDMA). Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed for cell differentials; lung and spleen cells were harvested to compare IL-4 and IFN-gamma production by ELISPOT. RESULTS: Progesterone pellet implantation resulted in increased serum progesterone levels (28.3+/-8.43 vs. 13.5+/-7.22 ng/mL in placebo-treated mice, P<0.0001). Serum total IgE levels were significantly greater in progesterone vs. non-progesterone treated animals that were also exposed to HDMA. ETS exposure enhanced total IgE levels as well. Lung homogenate cells from HDMA/progesterone-treated animals stimulated with Concavalin A produced significantly more IL-4 compared with HDMA/placebo-treated animals (200+/-17.6 vs. 146+/-17.5 spots/well, P<0.01 in ETS exposed animals and 221+/-28.9 vs. 167+/-23.4 spots/well, P<0.01 in animals housed in FA). HDMA/ETS-treated animals had higher eosinophilia in lavage than all other groups. CONCLUSION: Increased serum progesterone levels exacerbate the allergic asthmatic phenotype in a mouse model. These effects are further exacerbated by the addition of environmental tobacco smoke. Progesterone provides a major contribution to the gender differences seen in the development and elicitation of the asthmatic response.     

A not-so-basic case of metabolic alkalosis: an analysis featuring Leendert Paul and emphasizing Occam’s razor

A patient had the onset of a severe degree of metabolic alkalosis associated with a very large daily loss of diarrheal fluid. Because the expected acid-base disorder in this setting is metabolic acidosis, factors that could result in the markedly increased concentration of bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) in plasma (P ₃) were sought. In our approach, there is an emphasis on electroneutrality, mass balance, a quantitative analysis, and the application of basic concepts in physiology at the bedside. We suggest that there were 3 major factors that could explain why the P ₃ was so high. First, a severe degree of extracellular fluid volume contraction was probably the most important factor that raised her P ₃. Second, there may have been an unusual way to have an electroneutral addition of HCO₃⁻ and removal of chloride ions from her extracellular fluid compartment. Third, the diarrheal fluid could have contained little HCO₃⁻ because of a down-regulated intestinal secretion of HCO₃⁻. This analysis challenges the traditional pathophysiology of metabolic alkalosis.     

Inhibition of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) — induced renal toxicity in the rat

Summary The hydroxyl-containing dithiocarbamates, sodium (di(hydroxyethl)-dithiocarbamate (NaY) and sodium N-methyl, N-dithiocarboxy-D-glucamine (NaG), appear to possess definite advantages over sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) in reducing the cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum (Cis-Pt)-induced renal damage in rats given Cis-Pt as an IV bolus of 7.5 mg/kg 1 h before the IP administration of the dithiocarbamate. Renal damage, as estimated by blood urea nitrogen (BUN) values and serum creatinine levels, was less at all times up until sacrifice in animals given naY or NaG than in those given DDTC.An even more effective method for suppression of Cis-Pt renal toxicity is to use a combination of procedures. The most efficacious combination involves a 24-h pretreatment with DDTC or NaG plus acetazolamide and normal saline hydration 30 min before administration of Cis-Pt, followed by post-treatment with NaG. With this combination therapy renal function can be almost completely spared. Although DDTC or NaG pretreatment is highly effective when used in conjunction with NaG post-treatment, DDTC or NaG pretreatment alone has no renal sparing effect on renal function or renal platinum accumulation.In experiments in which antidotes were given 1 h after Cis-Pt and the animals were followed up for 75 days, a chronic interstitial nephritis at 75 days, suggesting a persistent cell-mediated immune response to Cis-Pt-induced renal damage, may be the basis for chronically abnormal renal function resulting from Cis-Pt. Treatment with all three dithiocarbamates, NaY, NaG, and DDTC, reduced the intensity of this cellular reaction and also reduced platinum levels in the kidneys.Although NaY and NaG are effective heavy metal chelators and renal function is spared and kidney platinum levels are substantially reduced by the dithiocarbamates, no parallel loss of antineoplastic activity by Cis-Pt on the rat Walker carcinoma was observed. Since the dithiocarbamates have no known human toxicity that would disqualify their clinical use, phase 1 clinical trials are indicated.This work was supported in part by the Natural Sciences Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences, Vanderbilt University     

Biliary cystadenoma with mesenchymal stroma of the liver: Correlation between unusual MR appearance and pathologic findings

We reported a case of the biliary cystadenoma of the liver. The cystic mass had labulation and septation and showed marked hyperintensity on T1-weighted images and hypointensity on T2-weighted images; MR findings were very unusual for cystadenoma. The content of the cystic mass was jelly-like, thick mucinous fluid without intracystic hemorrhage. We concluded that these unusual signal intensities of the cyst were due to hyperproteinous mucinous fluid.