Liver metastasis from rectal cancer with prominent intrabile duct growth

Intrabiliary growth of liver metastases from colorectal cancer has rarely been studied. A surgically resected case of a metastatic liver tumor with prominent intrabiliary growth derived from rectal cancer is reported. The patient was a 62-year-old man who had received a low anterior resection for rectal cancer in March 2000. He was re-admitted due to obstructive jaundice in January 2003, and was diagnosed with hepatic malignancy in segment II of the liver with an intrabiliary tumor extending from the intrahepatic bile duct of segment II to the common hepatic duct. He underwent a left hepatectomy, a partial resection of segment VI, and an extrahepatic bile duct resection with reconstruction of the biliary tract. In the resected specimen, there were whitish tumors of 3 cm and 1.5 cm in diameter in segments II and VI, respectively, and an intrabiliary tumor originating from the main tumor in segment II extended to the common hepatic duct. Both the liver tumors and the intrabiliary tumor consisted of a well- to moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, which showed the same histological features as the rectal cancer. The immunohistochemical findings strongly supported that these tumors, including the intrabiliary growth, were liver metastasis from the rectal cancer. The intrabiliary invasion and growth of metastatic liver tumors has generally been overlooked, notwithstanding their frequently observed biological behavior. The present case is informative, and further investigation into this type of metastatic liver tumor may be warranted.     

Adsorption of anti-dsDNA antibodies by immobilized polyanionic compounds.

Antibodies to dsDNA are characteristically present in serum from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and have been shown to have the capacity to react with various molecules bearing repeating negative charges. After a number of polymeric or monomeric molecules with differently charged groups and hydrophobic molecules had been coupled covalently as ligands on cellulose gel, the adsorption capacities of the ligands for anti-dsDNA antibodies were evaluated. It was found that gels coupled with polyanionic dextran sulphate (DXS) and polyacrylic acid (PA) and monoanionic sulphanilic acid (SA) absorbed anti-dsDNA antibodies effectively. DXS gel also adsorbed antibodies to ssDNA and heparan sulphate, antigens with repeating negatively charged moieties, while no ligand was able to adsorb anti-nRNP antibodies. The finding that DXS gels adsorbed anti-dsDNA antibody in proportion to their charge density, and that the interaction between anti-dsDNA and DXS gel is broken readily by an increase in ionic strength, indicated that the binding is ionic in nature. Moreover, virtually all F(ab')2 anti-dsDNA became adsorbed onto the DXS gels, suggesting that the binding occurred via specific antigen-binding sites on the antibody molecule. Binding of these polyanion-binding autoantibodies with anionic sites in the glomerular basement membrane may therefore cause the tissue damage observed in SLE.     

Expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor in primary breast cancer: immunohistochemical analysis

Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) has been implicated in regulation in tumor growth. The results of previous studies performed by radioimmunoassay are conflicting, and the prognostic significance of IGF-1R expression in primary breast cancer is still controversial. IGF-1R expression was evaluated in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue of 210 primary breast cancer patients by using anti-IGF-1R antibody. The clinicopathologic variables and 5-year disease-free survival were studied, and their correlations between IGF-1R expressions were investigated. IGF-1R overexpression was observed in 43.8% of tumors. IGF-1R overexpression had no correlation with prognosis or with other clinicopathologic parameters, such as age, tumor size, nodal status, histologic grade, hormone receptor status, and human epidermal growth factor 2 status. Though its prognostic value in breast cancer is limited, immunohistochemical evaluation of IGF-1R by using this monoclonal antibody may be useful in translational research using archived material.     

An HLA-binding-motif-aided peptide epitope library: A novel library design for the screening of HLA-DR4-restricted antigenic peptides recognized by CD4+T cells

Susceptibility to a series of autoimmune diseases is strongly associated with particular HLA class II alleles. Identification of T cell clones and antigenic epitopes bound by HLA class II molecules involved in autoimmune diseases is critical to understanding the etiology of these HLA class II-associated diseases. However, establishment of T cell clones in autoimmune diseases is difficult because the antigenic peptides are unknown. Peptide library methods which include all possible peptide sequences offer a potentially powerful tool for the detection of cross-reactive antigenic peptides recognized by T cells. Here, we reduced the number of peptides per mixture by utilizing the known binding motifs of peptides for the HLA-DRB1*0405 molecule and evaluated the effectiveness of this library design. Each library mixture evoked a strong proliferative response in the unprimed peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from HLA-DRB1*0405-positive donors but little or no response in the PBL from HLA-DRB1*0405-negative donors. The library also detected antigenic peptides that activated three antigen-specific T cell lines restricted by HLA-DRB1*0405, with different specificities. The motif-based approach thus presents a powerful method for monitoring T cells in large, heterogeneous T cell populations and is useful for the identification of the mimic peptide epitopes of T cell lines and clones. Received: October 3, 1997 / Accepted: October 23, 1997     

Plasma brain natriuretic peptide and the evaluation of volume overload in infants and children with congenital heart disease

This study was designed to explore whether it was possible to evaluate the severity of VSD, PDA, and ASD by measuring brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels. We also investigated normal BNP levels in children to provide a baseline for our study. We measured BNP levels in 253 normal children, including 11 normal neonates, and in 91 VSD patients, 29 PDA patients, and 34 ASD patients. BNP levels showed no age-related differences in normal children (the mean value: 5.3 +/- 3.8 pg/ml). In the healthy neonates, BNP levels rose from 10.4 +/- 11.9 pg/ml in cord blood to 118.8 +/- 83.2 pg/ml on day 0, then fell to 15.3 +/- 7.8 pg/ml by day 7. In VSD and PDA patients, BNP levels correlated significantly with Qp/Qs, LVEDV, and peak RVP/LVP. In ASD patients, BNP levels correlated with Qp/Qs and RVEDV. Especially, in VSD patients, as an index corresponding to 1.5-2.0 of the Qp/Qs ratio, BNP levels of 20-35 pg/ml were found to be best with regard to both sensitivity and specificity. In the healthy neonates, BNP levels changed rapidly after birth. In VSD, PDA, and ASD patients, BNP levels were well-correlated with the severity of the disease. Especially, in VSD patients, it that appears BNP levels may be useful in evaluating surgical indications, with 20-35 pg/ml levels being the appropriate cut-off value.     

Enhancement of lymphocyte response to PHA by lysosomal enzymes from polymorphonuclear leukocytes of RA joint fluid

The effect of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) granule lysates obtained from joint fluid of RA an the in vitro DNA synthesis of PHA-stimulated autologous lymphocytes from joint fluid was studied. Lymphocytes were cultured for 3 days with or without PMN lysates in 2 ml of RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum (FCS). The lymphocytes were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA-M). The DNA synthesis was measured by counting the [³H]thymidine incorporation. Lymphocytes from RA joint fluid stimulated with PHA-M showed 19,466±987 cpm (mean±SE per 10⁶ cells in the absence of PMN lysates. Upon addition PMN lysates to the PHA-stimulated lymphocytes, the maximum in vitro DNA synthesis increased to 44,877±1338 cpm. The enhancing effect of PMN lysates was abolished by plasma inhibitors or by passage through a column of protease inhibitor (Trasylol). It was concluded, therefore, that the enhancing effect of PMN lysates on PHA-stimulated lymphocytes may be associated with lysosomal proteases. Based on experiments using separated T and B lymphocytes, the enhancing effect of PMN lysates was considered to result from the activation of T lymphocytes. The results obtained in the present study suggest an important role for lysosomal proteases in the perpetuation of rheumatoid synovitis.     

Purification of fully activated Clostridium botulinum serotype B toxin for treatment of patients with dystonia

Clostridium botulinum serotype B toxins 12S and 16S were separated by using a beta-lactose gel column at pH 6.0; toxin 12S passed through the column, whereas toxin 16S bound to the column and eluted with lactose. The fully activated neurotoxin was obtained by applying the trypsin-treated 16S toxin on the same column at pH 8.0; the neurotoxin passed through the column, whereas remaining nontoxic components bound to the column. The toxicity of this purified fully activated neurotoxin was retained for a long period by addition of albumin in the preparation.     

IgG-KAPPA-PRODUCING PRIMARY PLASMACYTOMA OF THE THYROID GLAND WITH PREOPERATIVE SERUM M PROTEIN

A case of primary plasmacytoma of the thyroid gland which occurred in a 63-year-old woman is reported. Histologic and ultramicroscopic examination revealed that the excised thyroid tumor was plasmacytoma superimposed on lymphocytic thyroiditis. Immunohistological study showed that the tumor cells produced intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin (IgG-kappa). Electropho-retic and immunoelectrophoretic studies disclosed the presence of monoclonal immunoglobulin (IgG-kappa) in samples of the patient's serum which had been obtained preoperatively. After completion of irradiation therapy to the neck following tumor removal, the serum monoclonal immunoglobulin disappeared. The patient is currently alive and well without any evidence of the tumor three years after surgery.     

Simple method for the identification of oxidative fibers in skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle is composed of several different types of myofiber: slow oxidative (SO), fast glycolytic oxidative and fast glycolytic. However, the classification is usually determined by myosin heavy chain typing rather than by metabolic index. In this study, the oxidative metabolic index was investigated as a possible method of myofiber typing. Myoglobin, which is involved in oxygen transport and storage in myofibers, and mitochondria, which are the central organelles for oxidative metabolism, were studied. High levels of myoglobin and mitochondria are believed to exist in SO fibers, but the current study showed that they are considerably richer in some fast type fibers. As myofiber typing using the oxidative metabolic index is important physiologically, an attempt was made to find a simple method for this purpose. Some mitochondrial proteins have been observed to auto-fluoresce but until now this effect was too faint to detect easily. Owing to the recent advances in cooling charge-coupled device technology, such auto-fluorescence can now be used for myofiber typing, and the simple and rapid method for doing so is reported here.