Oxygen radical production by neutrophils from patients with bacterial infection and rheumatoid arthritis

The production of three kinds of oxygen radicals (superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals) by neutrophils from patients with bacterial infection or rheumatoid arthritis was measured. The stimulators used in this study were opsonized zymosan (1 mg/ml), phorbol myristate acetate (20 ng/ml), A23187 (1M, and platelet activating factor (1M). Oxygen radical production by neutrophils from patients with rheumatoid arthritis was not significantly different from that of the control group. Hydrogen peroxide production by the neutrophils from patients with bacterial infection was significantly enhanced by only opsonized zymosan, but the production of the other kinds of oxygen radicals was not. Cytochalasin B reduced the production of hydrogen peroxide induced by opsonized zymosan more markedly than that of any other kind of oxygen radical. The measurement of hydrogen peroxide is suggested to be the most accurate indicator of the enhancement of intracellular production of oxygen radicals by neutrophils during infection.     

Practical application of nutritional assessment protein and inflammatory marker in the nutrition support team (NST)

Recently nutrition support team (NST) has been established for the purpose of prevention of complications which are caused by nutrition disorders and reduction of the medical expenses. Although physical examinations and blood biochemical data had been used as the indexes evaluating nutritional of patients, they were not suitable for the evaluation for the short-term in-patient. On the contrary, serum albumin (ALB) has been wildly used as a nutritional marker. However, it is impossible to evaluate nutrition state for the short-term in-patient and acute phase disease patient accurately, because the plasma half-life is 21 days and it takes long time to detect the change in nutritional state by its value. Rapid turnover proteins (RTP), whose plasma half-life is shorter, has paid attention to evaluate nutritional state for the short-term in-patients and acute phase disease patients. Although, prognostic inflammatory and nutritional index (PINI) was considered as a useful maker for evaluating inflammatory and nutritional states using the concentrations of transthyretin (TTR), a RTP, alpha1-acid glycoprotein (alpha1-AG), a chronic inflammation marker, C reactive protein (CRP), a acute inflammation marker, and ALB, However, it has several pitfalls. We newly made serum amyloid A (SAA) index using SAA instead of CRP. When we compared SAA index with PINI in many diseases, it turned out that SAA index became a more effective index which reflected the patient condition than did PINI. As for this index, it is expected to be used by NST while further alternation may be needed.     

Late onset type I familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy: Presentation of three autopsy cases in comparison with 19 autopsy cases of the ordinary type

Clinicopathological features of three autopsy cases of extremely rare late onset type I familial amyloldotic polyneuropathy were presented and compared with 19 autopsy cases of the ordinary type. In the late onset cases, the ages at onset and at death were 27.5 and 24.5 years older, respectively, compared with the ordinary type. Also, duration of the total clinical course form onset to death was 3.7 years less than in the late onset cases. The degree of amyloid deposition was more marked in the heart of the late onset cases, causing prominent cardiac hypertrophy. It was also marked In the kidneys or thyroid of two cases, but slight to moderate in the peripheral or autonomic nervous tissues in all cases. Immunohistochemical Investigation demonstrated the presence of transthyretin (TTR) as an amyloid precursor protein and of serum amyloid P-component in amyloid deposits in various organs and tissues of the late onset type. These findings, as well as serum levels of variant TTR, were similar to those of the ordinary type. These results suggest that there are some factors other than the amyloid precursor protein that effect the degree of amyloid deposition.     

The numerical aberrations of chromosome 7 detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization in human breast cancers

The relationship between the numerical aberrations of chromosome 7 in interphase cells and the clinicopathological behavior of breast tumors was investigated in 51 touch imprinted preparations of breast tumors. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization with a chromosome 7-specific DNA probe, the fluoresceinisothiocyanate (FITC) spots mean and the representative copy number of each breast tumor were examined. The FITC spots mean (2.34) of 40 breast cancers increased compared with that of 11 benign lesions (1.98) (P < 0.02). The FITC spots mean tended to increase with the advancing stage and tumor size of the breast cancer. The FITC spots mean in the case with metastasis was also of a higher value than that without metastasis (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the existence of trisomy or over-trisomy of the copy number was related to the advancing stage and tumor size (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). These findings suggest that the FITC spots mean and polysomy of the number of chromosome 7 may be highly predictive for breast tumor aggressiveness.     

Studies on the fragments of FDP in 4 patients with DIC]

We previously studied fibrinolysis and fibrinogenolysis by analyzing fragments of fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) employing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. In this report, we characterized the fragments of FDP in four patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), that were caused by various diseases. In the patients suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (case 1) and acute suppurative cholangitis (case 3), DD and DY/X fragments resulting from fibrinolysis accounted for the most part of the FDP fragments. In case 3, D fragments resulting from fibrinogenolysis were also observed to much less extent. In a DIC associated with acute myeloblastic leukemia (case 2), both fibrinolysis and fibrinogenolysis were increased and resulted in high levels of D, Y and DY/X fragments, concomitant with moderate levels of DD and high molecular weight (HMW) fragments in the patient's sera. The increased fibrinogenolysis in this case was attributed to accelerated activation of plasmin. In a DIC patient of case 4, who underwent an operation due to hepatocellular carcinoma, marked increase in DY/X and HMW fragments and slight increase in DD fragment were observed on the day of operation. Hyperfibrinolysis documented in case 4 was explained by both increased production of thrombin and moderately accelerated activation of plasmin. Both qualitative and quantitative changes in the fragments of FDP during the courses of treatment in two cases of DIC were also noted. In summary, each underlying disease expresses characteristic pattern of FDP fragments in DIC.     

Induced circular dichroism of biphenyl and its derivatives in mesophase

The mesophase induced circular dichroism (CD) of biphenyl and its derivatives was investigated using the Tween 80 (monooleate of the ether of sorbitan with 4 mol of polyethyleneglycol)-water system, which can form a twisted smectic mesophase. The sign of CD bands in this mesophase is explained by a modified C₂-symmetry rule, since it can be considered that alignment of the solute molecules in this mesophase can be elucidated in terms of a pseudo-C₂ symmetry, when the concentration of the solute is comparatively high. The assignments of the electronic transitions of the solute molecules show a good accordance with results of magnetic circular dichroism study.     

The pathogenesis of hyaline globules in liver cells after partial hepatectomy in rats

To clarify the pathogenesis of hyaline globules in liver cells after partial hepatectomy, the present study was undertaken in rats. When partial hepatectomy was performed by the surgical procedure of Higgins and Anderson, the inferior vena cava pressure was raised, and many hyaline globules, which are very similar to those caused by condensation of the contents of vacuoles in liver cells after temporary pressure elevation of the inferior vena cava, were induced in liver cells. On the other hand, when the median lobe and the left lateral lobe were removed carefully one at a time to avoid operative narrowing of the inferior vena cava, the inferior vena cava pressure was not elevated, and only very few hyaline globules were formed. This suggests that hyaline globules in liver cells following partial hepatectomy in rats may be caused by elevation of inferior vena cava pressure due to narrowing of the inferior vena cava by surgical procedure.