Improvement in the Treatment of Childhood Cancer: Analysis of Survival Data from the National Children's Hospital (1965-1987)

Developments in the treatment of childhood cancer have beenevaluated in patients who had been treated in the National Children'sHospital from 1965 to 1987. The total number of patients was867, of which leukemia accounted for 376, malignant lymphoma61, neuroblastoma 174, Wilms' tumor 55, yolk sac tumor 29, rhabdomyosarcoma36 and hepatoblastoma 30. Patients were divided into three timeintervals: the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A marked improvementin five-year survival was recognized in Wilms' tumor and yolksac tumor, amounting to 80%, followed by rhabdomyosarcoma, acutelymphoblastic leukemia and malignant lymphoma. There was noimprovement in patients with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia,neuroblastoma and hepatoblastoma. Prognostic factors for neuroblastomawere further analyzed, and the age of onset and stage of diseasewere found to have remained constant for 23 years. Factors relatingto the improvement of survival were discussed.     

Radioallergosorbent test (RAST) for specific IgE antibody to lidocaine,procaine and methylparaben

Although anaphylactoid reactions to local anesthetics are well known, a radioallergosorbent test (RAST) to detect specific drug reagin (IgE) anti-body has not been developed. We established RAST for local anesthetics by using carboxylic acid derivatives of lidocaine, procaine and methylparaben. Serum samples were taken from 100 volunteers who were regarded to be nonallergic to the drugs used. Negative RAST values obtained from these volunteers were 1653 ± 254(SD) cpm (lidocaine), 2750 ± 264cpm (procaine), and 2805 ± 336cpm (methyl paraben).(Kokubu M, Oda K, Shinya N: Radioallergosorbent test (RAST) for specific IgE antibody to lidocaine, procaine and methylparaben. J Anesth 3: 74–79, 1989)     

Transient induction of single GST-P positive hepatocytes by DEN

The single cells positive for placental glutathione S-transferase(GST-P), detectable in livers of rats soon after treatment withhepatocarcinogens, are possible ‘initiated cells’,the hypothesis tested in the present series of experiments.No low dose threshold was observed in male Sprague-Dawley ratsat different single doses of diethylnitrosamine (DEM) althougha plateau was reached between 160 and 200 mg/kg body weight.At the latter single dose 12 400 positive cells/cm³ were observedimmunohistochemically in rat livers after one week, the numbersthen decreasing to week 8 and thereafter rising again. In thenumbers then decreasing to week 8 and thereafter rising again.In the early stages single cells predominated but with timea gradual increase in mini-foci and larger lesions became evident.Application of selection pressure (feeding of diet containing0.02% 2-AAF plus partial hepatectomy) to rats 2–24 weeksafter single DEN-treatment resulted in the formation of largefoci positive for GST-P, especially in the early stages, thegrowth response being less pronounced with time. The numberof foci, on the other hand. was correlated with the number offoci, on the other hand, was correlated with the number ofsingle cells/mini-foci detected inhepatectomy tissue of thesame individuals. These results suggest that the early GST-Ppositive populations could be the precursor for preneoplasticfoci and nodules.     

Morphometric difference in the human maxillary nerve fibers between dentulous and edentulous jaw subjects

This study was conducted to quantify the change in the number and size of myelinated nerve fibers of the maxillary nerve with tooth loss in humans. We carried out a morphometric analysis to compare the number and size of myelinated nerve fibers in the human maxillary nerve between four dentulous and four edentulous jaw cases. Our results indicated that the number of axons decreased by approximately 13,000 with tooth loss. The average size of axons remained unchanged, but there was a change in the fiber size distribution, namely the loss of a large number of small-sized axons was accompanied by the total disappearance of small number of large-sized axons.     

An electron microscopic study of neurosecretion in the cerebral ganglion of the earthworm

Non-synaptic, exocytotic release of neurosecretory granules in cerebral ganglion neurons was observed electron microscopically in 3 species of the oligochaete annelids Aporrectodea caliginosa, Octolasion cyaneum and Lumbricus terrestris. In addition to the features indicating exocytotic release of neurosecretory granules into perineuronal space, possible features of neurosecretion into blood vessels were seen within the cerebral ganglion. Axon terminals in synaptic contact with perikaryal profiles of cerebral ganglion neurons were also found.     

The value of external morphology in the identification of larval anisakid nematodes: a scanning electron microscope study

We studied larval nematodes of four genera of the Anisakidae using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The anterior and posterior extremities and cuticular structures of the 3rd-stage larvae (L3) ofAnisakis type I,Pseudoterranova decipiens, Contracaecum type B andHysterothylacium were examined. The 4th-stage larvae (L4) ofAnisakis type I,P. decipiens, recovered after infection into laboratory rats, and the L3 and L4 ofAnisakis type I larvae from human were also examined in the same way. There were generic differences in the shape and size of the lip bulges, external papillary structures, the appearance of the boring tooth, the width and depth of the grooves and ridges of the cuticle and the caudal structures of the L3. InAnisakis type I andP. decipiens L3, changes were seen in the anterior extremity, cuticle and posterior extremity after molting to the L4. Similar changes can be expected in larvae infecting man. The L4 ofAnisakis type I from rat and man were similar, while the L4 ofAnisakis type I andP. decipiens showed differences. These ultrastructural differences might be of value in the identification of fragments recovered during endoscopy in man.     

Hyperplastic epithelial foci in honeycomb lesions in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Seventy-two cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) were examined from 2856 consecutive autopsy cases at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo from 1973-1996. Primary lung cancer had arisen in 31 of 72 cases of IPF (43%), significantly higher than the incidence in cases without IPF (8.1%) and in the cases with non-IPF chronic lung diseases (11.9%). Hyperplastic epithelial foci in the honeycomb lesions of IPF cases were significantly more prominent in the lower than in the upper lobe, in cases with or without lung cancer, and they were more prominent in the lower lobe of IPF with than in those without cancer. The length of hyperplastic epithelial foci in the lower lobe of IPF cases was longer than that in interstitial pneumonia-associated with collagen vascular diseases. There was a higher PCNA labeling index of hyperplastic epithelial foci in IPF cases than in cases of interstitial pneumonia-associated with collagen vascular diseases. The PCNA labeling index was almost the same between smokers and nonsmokers with IPF. Overexpression of p53 was observed in hyperplastic epithelial foci in honeycomb lesion of IPF. DNA ploidy analysis of hyperplastic epithelial foci in the paraffin sections of 12 IPF cases revealed aneuploidy patterns in eight cases. These results strongly suggest that accelerated cell proliferation occurs in the honeycomb lesion of IPF, and that regenerative epithelia becomes susceptible to carcinogenic agents in addition to the smoking effect.     

Three Kinds of Foamy Cells in the Spleen: Comparative Histochemical and Ultrastructural Studies

By light and electron microscopy, we observed foamy cells in the spleens from a patient with hemolytic anemia due to red cell adenosine deaminase (ADA) overproduction, a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with gold, and patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)

The foamy cells associated with red cell ADA overproduction were essentially similar to Gaucher-like cells described in patients with thalassemia, and it was suggested that the accelerated destruction of red cells was one of the factors responsible for the development of foamy cells. Foamy cells in ITP and RA were closely associated with an increased destruction of platelets in the spleen. Morphologic transitions between phagocytosed platelets and myelinlike materials were traced in these disorders. In RA, however, foamy cells were heterogeneous from an ultrastructural standpoint, with different cytoplasmic inclusions. In addition to myelinlike materials, dense bodies, vacuoles with flocculent materials, and gold were noted in most of foamy cells. As gold compounds are known to inhibit lysosomal enzymes, we surmise that an acquired disturbance in lysosomal digestion is partially responsible for the accumulation of intermediate metabolites.

In the pathogenesis of foamy cells associated with blood cell dyscrasia, the accelerated destruction of blood cells and/or acquired disorders in catabolic pathways within the macrophages are suggested to be the underlying mechanism of an intralysosomal accumulation of incompletely degraded cellular debris.     

Polyovular follicles in the ovary of immature mice exposed prenatally to diethylstilbestrol

Summary Polyovular follicles (PF) occur in the ovary of 30-day-old offspring of ICR/JCL mice given 4 daily subcutaneous injections of 20–2,000 g diethylstilbestrol (DES)/day from days 15 to 18 of gestation. PF containing 2–9 oocytes per follicle in the prenatally DES-exposed mice are increased 33- to 112-fold as compared to controls. In 5- to 25-day-old offspring of mothers given injections of 2,000 g DES/day, PF are observed 17–65 times more frequent than in controls.