Immunohistochemical localization and dynamics of paraquat in the stomach and esophagus of rats

Summary The dynamics of paraquat in the stomach and esophagus of rats were demonstrated using immunohistochemical techniques. The Rats were killed 3 h, 12 h, 24 h, 3 days, 7 days and 10 days after intravenous administration of paraquat. In the stomach, paraquat was localized in the epithelial cells between 24h and 10 days after injection, whereas in the esophagus, paraquat was localized in epithelial cells and the lamina propria mucosa between 12 h and 10 days after administration. Although these findings were similar to those observed in the intestine of rats, no clear changes in the distribution of paraquat with time were observed; suggesting that the stomach and esophagus are important reservoirs for the redistribution of paraquat.     

Intracerebral hemorrhage after carotid endarterectomy

A series of 14 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage after carotid endarterectomy is reviewed. This complication occurred in 0.6% of 2362 consecutive carotid endarterectomies performed at the Mayo Clinic from 1972 through 1986. All hemorrhages occurred within the first 2 weeks after operation and were ipsilateral to the side of the operation. Eight patients died, and only two made a good recovery. Significant risk factors are hypertension and chronic hemispheric hypoperfusion with impaired autoregulation. The "normal pressure-hyperperfusion breakthrough" syndrome was considered to be operative in 12 of the 14 patients. Nine patients had documented hyperperfusion (at least 100% increase of baseline cerebral blood flow) at the time of surgery. In an additional three patients, normal perfusion-pressure breakthrough was inferred by the clinical course and radiological findings, as well as by the absence of alternative explanations. Patients at risk for postendarterectomy intracerebral hemorrhage include those who have a clinical history suggestive of hemodynamic cerebral ischemia, severe carotid stenosis with limited hemispheric collateral flow, and postendarterectomy hyperperfusion, as measured by intraoperative cerebral blood flow. To minimize the risk of hemorrhage in these patients, strict maintenance of blood pressure at normotensive or even relatively hypotensive levels during the intraoperative and early postoperative periods is advised.     

Enhancement of norepinephrine-induced transient contraction in aortic smooth muscle of diabetic mice

Changes in norepinephrine-induced transient contractions in Ca2+-deficient solution were investigated in the aortic smooth muscles of diabetic ALS (alloxan-induced diabetes susceptible) mice. The transient contractions in diabetic mice were significantly larger than those in normal mice. The longer incubation of the muscle preparations in Ca2+-deficient solution made the transient contractions smaller, probably due to the leakage and decrease in norepinephrine-releasable stored Ca2+. The rate of this reduction in contraction was slower in diabetic mice. These results suggest that the leakage of intracellular stored Ca2+ caused by extracellular Ca2+ deficiency is attenuated in diabetic mice, contributing to enhanced norepinephrine-induced transient contractions.     

Serological specificity of phenolic glycolipid I from Mycobacterium leprae and use in serodiagnosis of leprosy

The serological activities of the specific phenolic glycolipid I from Mycobacterium leprae, its dissected parts, and related glycolipids from other mycobacteria were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against hyperimmune anti-M. leprae rabbit antiserum and sera from patients with leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases. High anti-phenolic glycolipid I immunoglobulin M antibodies were found in 23 of 24 (96%) of lepromatous leprosy patients on short term chemotherapy and in 8 of 13 tuberculoid leprosy patients (62%). Sera from patients with tuberculosis or atypical mycobacterial infections were devoid of anti-phenolic glycolipid I activity. The structurally related phenolic glycolipids from Mycobacterium kansasii and Mycobacterium bovis and the aglycone segments of the M. leprae product showed no significant activity. Thus, the trisaccharide determinant of phenolic glycolipid I is specific in its structure, serological activity, and, to a lesser extent, the antibody class it evokes.     

Classification of Leptospira interrogans serovar lai strain 017 by using monoclonal antibodies

Leptospira interrogans serovar lai was identified in China in 1966 as a new serovar of the icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup by cross-absorption tests. In this study, we established three hybridoma cell lines producing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) of the immunoglobulin G3 subclass (LW1, LW2, and LW3) and of the immunoglobulin M class (LW4a) against serovar lai strain 017 by the cell fusion technique. Immunological reactivities of the MAbs were determined by the microscopic agglutination test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and indirect immunofluorescence assay. MAbs LW1 and LW3 agglutinated cells of serovars lai, birkini, and gem of serogroup icterohaemorrhagiae. LW2 agglutinated various serovars of serogroup icterohaemorrhagiae, except for serovar tonkini. LW4a reacted positively with various Leptospira species, including a new species, Leptospira parva, in the ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence assay. However, LW4a did not react with Leptonema illini 3055. The results of an inhibition ELISA with heated outer envelope (OE) or periodate-oxidized OE suggested that these MAbs recognize a carbohydrate moiety of the OE as the antigenic determinant.     

Comparison of standard and hand-assisted laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma.

A laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) for renal cancer can be performed using two methods, hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) and standard laparoscopic surgery (SLS). This institute initially used HALS to perform all radical nephrectomy, but gradually shifted to SLS. This study compared the two methods of radical nephrectomy: HALS vs. SLS, which were performed at a single institute. From March 1999 to November 2006, a total 129 patients with pathologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma underwent LRN, including 73 patients with the HALS and 56 patients with SLS. The median operative time was 264 minutes, and median estimated blood loss was 200 ml in the HALS group, respectively. The median operative time and median estimated blood loss in the SLS were 215 minutes and 100 ml, respectively. There was no significant difference in either the operative time or estimated blood loss between HALS and SLS. The median time to both postoperative oral intake and ambulation in the SLS were 1 day. Neither of these events after SLS was significantly shorter than that after HALS. The 4-year disease-free and overall survival rates in the HALS patients were 97.5% and 98.2%, respectively. Both the 4-year disease-free and overall survival rates in the SLS patients were 100%. Since no significant differences were observed between the two operative methods (SLS and HALS) regarding the operative data, postoperative course and oncological outcome, the surgical method for LRN can be selected according to characteristics of each surgical method.     

Detection and characterization of IgE-producing cells in patients with clonorchiasis

The ability of peripheral B cells of patients with Clonorchis sinensis infections to secrete IgE spontaneously was investigated in vitro. The de novo synthesis of IgE was observed in unstimulated B-cell cultures of patients. There was a significant relationship between the serum IgE level and the amount of IgE spontaneously secreted by B cells. Pretreatment of patients' B cells with 10 micrograms/ml of rabbit anti-human IgE resulted in the clear suppression of spontaneous IgE synthesis without affecting the IgG synthesis. Their B cells capable of spontaneously secreting IgE were partially sensitive to irradiation with 1,000 rad. The results obtained suggest that such IgE-forming cells may be responsible for at least part of the persistent IgE formation in patients with helminthic infections as well as in those with atopic disease.     

Lipopolysaccharide Induces Mucus Cell Metaplasia in Mouse Lung

A murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced airway inflammation and epithelial cell phenotypic change, and the time courses of these events are described. A single intratracheal instillation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS in mice resulted in massive recruitment of neutrophils to the lung 2 d after treatment as assessed by differential cell counts of the inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and histologic assessment of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained lung sections. The LPS-induced neutrophilic inflammation subsided substantially on Day 4 and essentially vanished by Day 7. Airway epithelial mucus cells were not detected by Alcian blue periodic acid-Schiff staining until Day 4 after LPS treatment and became more abundant in number as well as in mucus content on Day 7. The expression of Muc5ac messenger RNA (mRNA) as well as glycoprotein was enhanced on Day 2, peaked on Day 4, and decreased on Day 7, whereas enhanced expression of mucin core 2 beta6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (C2GnT)-M mRNA was not detected until Day 4 and peaked on Day 7. The expression of C2GnT-L mRNA in the lung, a marker for activated leukocytes as well as mucus cells, peaked on Day 2 and remained moderately high until Day 7. C2GnT-L mRNA expression in LPS-treated lung correlated with the presence of neutrophils and the appearance of mucus cells in the airway epithelium. We conclude that mucus cell metaplasia and hyperplasia can be generated in mouse lungs with a single intratracheal instillation of LPS. In addition, C2GnT-M may serve as a marker for mucus cells in mouse lung. This LPS-induced mucus cell metaplasia and hyperplasia model should be useful for the study of Pseudomonas-induced airway mucus hypersecretory diseases.     

Hypoxia-ischemic insult in neonatal rats induced slowly progressive brain damage related to memory impairment

The present study was designed to determine potential associations between the brain damage induced by hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insult and spatial learning impairment in an eight-arm radial maze task. We first determined the pathological outcomes after 2, 5, 9, and 17 weeks of recovery following the HI insult. The results show that the brain damage progressed from 2 up to 17 weeks of recovery. To clarify the time course of the brain damage changes, we investigated the histological changes of the same individual with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after 5, 9, and 57 weeks of recovery following the HI insult. The MRI changes were similar to the histological changes, and the brain damages were exacerbated in the contralateral hemisphere after 57 weeks of recovery following the HI insult. To investigate whether alteration in brain function was correlated with MRI and histological changes, the rats were made to find their way through an eight-arm radial maze was performed at either 7th or 16th weeks of recovery. According to the results, the spatial learning impairments of rats in the maze starting at 16 weeks of recovery were more severe than those at 7 weeks of recovery, indicating that the impairments were progressive and depended on the degree of brain damage. The results of the present study are the first demonstration that the evolutional and specific brain damage following the HI insult is slowly and progressively exacerbated to the contralateral hemisphere and rats who experience the HI are at risk for showing a late impairment of brain function.     

Biological activity of chemically synthesized core sugar linked lipid A analog, heptose-(alpha 1----5)-2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid-(alpha 2----6)-2,3-diacyloxyacylglucosamine-4-phosphate.

The mitogenicity, lethal toxicity and antitumor activity against Meth A fibrosarcoma and the induction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) of chemically synthesized compounds designated as A-103, 2,3-diacyloxyacylglucosamine-4-phosphate (GlcN-4-P), and A-503), heptose-(alpha 1----5)-2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid (KDO)-linked GlcN-4-P (A-103), were determined. Compound A-103 induced significant incorporation of [3H]thymidine of C57BL/6 mice at 25-100 micrograms/ml, and A-503 showed the highest incorporation of [3H]thymidine at 100 micrograms/ml. The mitogenicity of A-503 exhibited a lower activity than of A-103. Compound A-503 showed no lethality at high doses of 25 and 50 micrograms/mouse in C57BL/6 mice loaded with D-galactosamine, whereas A-103 caused the death of one of three mice at a dose of 50 micrograms/mouse. Although, the two compounds with or without muramyl dipeptide showed weak antitumor activity against Meth A fibrosarcoma in BALB/c mice, but there were no remarkable differences between the compounds on antitumor activity. Peritoneal macrophages, stimulated with A-103 or A-503 caused no production of TNF which induces L929 cell lysis in vitro. These findings indicate that the addition of heptose and KDO to GlcN-4-P seems not to affect mitogenic activity, lethal toxicity, antitumor activity and TNF-production of the GlcN-4-P compound (A-103).