Autoradiographic Analysis of Radiolabeled Anti-carcinoembryonic Antigen Monoclonal Antibody CEA102 in Colorectal Cancer Using Computed Radiography

Anti-carcinoembryonic antigen monoclonal antibody (MAb) CEA102 was produced by immunization with purified CEA and the specific accumulation of radiolabeled CEA102 in colorectal cancers was investigated by autoradiography of surgical specimens using Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR). Five patients with colorectal cancer were injected intravenously with ¹³¹I-labeled intact CEA102 or its F(ab')₂. Primary tumor and liver metastases were successfully detected by external scanning with a gamma camera in 4 cases. Autoradiographic study of the surgical specimens using FCR showed predominant localization of ¹³¹I-labeled CEA102 in primary tumors and liver metastases in all cases. Even a small liver metastasis (0.5 cm) was clearly visualized in the autoradiogram by FCR. The pixel distribution curves of the density of the respective tissues in the autoradiograms by FCR showed the heterogeneity of the distribution of administered radiolabeled MAb in individual tumors, but the density of the tumors was higher than that of the normal tissues. In the quantitative distribution analysis of CEA102, the uptake of the primary tumor (mean 1.10%ID/kg) was ten-fold greater than that of the normal colon mucosa (mean G.10%ID/kg). These results revealed that the application of MAb has great potential in radioimmunodetection as well as in antibody-directed therapy.     

Kimura's disease associated with minimal change nephrotic syndrome: A case report

Kimura's disease is a rare disorder that involves regional lymph nodes and the major salivary glands, which become infiltrated by eosinophils and lymphocytes. Renal lesions associated with Kimura's disease are rare. We describe the case of a 60-year-old Japanese woman who first noted a nodular mass in a salivary gland. As the nodule grew, nephrotic syndrome and heart failure developed. A biopsy of the nodule revealed Kimura's disease, and surgical excision was performed. After the operation, the heart failure and nephrotic syndrome, which were diagnosed as minimal change disease on renal biopsy, improved rapidly without steroid therapy. Four months later, the nephrotic syndrome recurred without recurrence of Kimura's disease. The patient showed marked improvement during prednisolone therapy (40 mg/d) and was in complete remission 4 weeks after the initiation of steroid therapy. This case shows that surgical excision and prednisolone therapy are useful for nephrotic syndrome associated with Kimura's disease.     

Effects of insulin on maltase and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities of serum and kidney in experimental diabetic rats

The activities of lysosomal maltase in the serum, urine and kidney were determined in rats with diabetes induced by streptozotocin (STZ, 75 mg/kg, i.p.) and compared with the changes in N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity. Moreover, effects of insulin on maltase and NAG activities of the serum, urine and kidney in diabetic rats were studied. The following results were obtained: 1) The serum maltase activity within 24 hr after administration of STZ was influenced by insulin secretion. 2) Significant increases in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were observed from the 3rd week after a single administration of STZ. The serum insulin level significantly decreased at 3 weeks after treatment of STZ. In this time, maltase activity in the serum rapidly increased, while the enzyme activity in the kidney decreased considerably. On the other hand, the changes in NAG activities in the serum, urine and kidney after administering STZ were almost similar to those in maltase activities. 3) There were positive relationships between maltase and NAG activities in the serum and urine in diabetic rats, respectively. 4) When lente insulin (2U) was subcutaneously injected once daily for 20 days from 24 hr after administration of STZ, NAG activities in the serum and kidney approached to the control levels. However, maltase activities in the group treated with insulin were significantly higher in the serum and kidney than those in the control group.     

Funnel procedure to separate human sperm with good motility

Penetration of human sperm into a underlaying Percoll layer is very effective in isolating forward motile sperm. A plastic funnel, the bottom of which having been plugged with a 1.0-ml disposable syringe, was used as a separation vessel. Ejaculated semen (2.0 ml) was loaded on 2.0 ml of 80% Percoll; after allowing to stand 60 min, forward motile sperm penetrating into the lower part of Percoll layer (1.0 ml) were collected into the syringe. Sperm motility was enhanced to 91.5% +/- 3.3% regardless of the original motility (48.4% +/- 14.6%) with a mean recovery of 34.1% +/- 6.8% (n = 22). Measurement of residual lactate dehydrogenase activity suggested that seminal plasma was excluded almost completely from the purified sperm fraction.     

Age- and sex-related differences in the nerve growth factor distribution in the rat brain.

Levels of the nerve growth factor (NGF) have been measured in various brain regions of young and aged male and female rats of Wistar strain by means of a highly sensitive two-site enzyme immunoassay system for beta-NGF. Among the ten regions examined, the amount of NGF per wet weight of tissue was found to be highest in the hippocampus, irrespective of the sex and age. The NGF concentration in the hippocampus of female rats at 3 months of age was comparable to that of same aged males. Further, there was no significant difference in the NGF levels of the hippocampus between young and age males. However, the NGF level was significantly lower in aged females as compared to that in 3- or 4-month-old females, and hence the marked male-female difference was found in the NGF levels in aged Wistar rats.     

The usefulness of CEA as an indicator for early detection and a guide to the treatment of recurrent gastric cancer

The usefulness of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as an indicator for recurrence and a guide to the treatment was evaluated from a retrospective analysis of 88 patients with recurrent gastric cancer. Sixty-two of these patients (70.5 per cent), 25 of whom had a preoperative positive assay, and 37 a negative assay, had elevated levels of CEA after disease progression. Averaged CEA level in patients with liver metastasis was significantly higher (872 ng/ml) than in those with peritoneal metastasis (68 ng/ml), with lymph node metastasis (103 ng/ml) or with local metastasis (93 ng/ml) (p<0.01). An elevation of CEA was found prior to the clinical manifestation of recurrence, and the average lead time was 4 months. In 25 patients with a lead time of more than 4 months, survival time after CEA elevation was 13.3 months, which was longer than the 6.5 months of 28 patients with less than 4 months. Thirty-seven of the 88 patients were treated after recurrence. The average survival period after the detection of recurrence was 9.4 months in patients with surgical treatments followed by chemotherapy, 5.9 months in those with chemotherapy alone and 3.8 months in those with surgery alone. The average survival period of 26 patients with positive CEA assays in recurrence was 5.1 months longer than of patients with negative assays. This fact suggested that early detection of recurrence followed by various treatments, in the elevated CEA group, contributes to favorable results.     

Buoyancy and sedimentation of human X- and Y-bearing sperm

The buoyant and sedimentation behaviors of human X- and Y-bearing sperm were examined in discontinuous density gradients of Nycodenz. The washed sperm placed at the bottom of the discontinuous density gradients of Nycodenz (23-50% in 3% steps) were centrifuged at 250 x g for various periods. The buoyant velocity of X-bearing sperm was faster than that of Y-bearing sperm. The sedimentation profiles of human sperm in the discontinuous density gradients of Nycodenz (4-20% in 2% steps) showed that X-bearing sperm sedimented faster than Y-bearing sperm. The separation of X- and Y-bearing sperm by means of centrifugation usually have been based on the assumption that smaller Y and larger X chromosomes might provide the difference in their apparent densities. The present results suggest that the separation cannot be due merely to a difference in their densities.     

Possible Role of Streptococcus Pyogenes in Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome. XII. Variable Responses of Platelets in MCLS Seem to Be Explainable by Streptococcal Pyrogenic Exotoxin

As a model system for mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MCLS), we have advocated and used mice which had been rendered tolerant to Streptococcus pyogenes-associated antigens by neonatal infection with group A fteta-hemolytic streptococci, because these mice have shown a variety of peculiar bioimmunological characteristics bearing a striking resemblance to those of MCLS patients. The results of our current investigations reaffirmed the reliability of the animal model by indicating that mice subjected to neonatal infection with 5. pyogenes , or inoculation with streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) in Freund's adjuvant, were perfect counterparts of patients with MCLS on account of their platelet activation and hyperaggregability in response to provocative treatment, which are familiar findings in this disease.     

Thymomas associated with pure red cell aplasia. Histologic and follow-up studies

Seventeen cases of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) with thymoma were studied clinically, histologically, and immunologically. Two cases were associated with myasthenia gravis (MG), and three with hypogammaglobulinemia. Coombs test and antinucleus antibody test were positive in five cases. All thymomas were spindle cell types, and the adjacent thymuses had no germinal center, but showed epithelial clusters frequently. All patients, except one whose tumor was unresectable, had thymo-thymomectomy. The operation was effective in six cases (37.5%), and the effects were not different between two operative procedures (simple and extended thymectomy). Myasthenic symptoms in two patients remitted after the operation, but effects on hypogammaglobulinemia were conincident with those on PRCA.