Uncommon Type of Meningiomas with Conspicuous Plasmo-lymphocytic Infiltration: An Immunohistochemical and Histochemical Study

Two cases of meningioma revealing conspicuous plasmo lymphocytic tissue and hyalinized fibrous tissue components are reported. Histopathological examination of the plasmo lymphocytic infiltration was performed. Both lesions showed polyclonality of plasma cells as revealed by positive reactions for 1gG and paraimmunoglobulin χ- and λ light chains, and amyloid infiltration into the fibrous stroma and blood vessel walls. The histochemical and immunohistochemical characteristics of the lesion in relation to its etiology are briefly discussed. Acta Pathol. Jpn. 32: 190∼194, 1989.     

Histamine content, synthesis and degradation in nasal mucosa and lung of guinea-pigs treated with toluene diisocyanate (TDI)

We have reported the presence of a histamine synthesizing enzyme, histidine decarboxylase (HDC), and histamine degrading enzymes, histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT) and histaminase (diamine oxidase, DAO) in human nasal mucosa and the histamine content of the mucosa. In this study, we demonstrate the influences of the toluene diisocyanate (TDI) treatment on the histamine content and these enzyme activities in guinea-pigs as an animal model of respiratory hypersensitivity. Application of TDI to the nasal vestibuli induced intense nasal allergy-like and mild asthma-like responses in TDI-sensitized guinea pigs. Increases in the histamine content and HDC and HMT activities were observed in the nasal mueosa and lung of TDI-sensitized guinea pigs. No apparent changes in the histaminase activities were observed in either the nasal mucosa or the lung. These data suggest that the turnover rate of histamine is increased in the nasal mucosa and the lung of guinea pigs with respiratory hypersensitivity.     

Transition between two forms of heterochromatin at plant subtelomeres

The manner of packing of the terminal DNA loci into nucleosomes and higher order structures may strongly influence their functional interactions. Besides the structural flexibility of telomeric DNA sequences, conserved features of their chromatin including short nucleosome phasing (157 bp) and nucleosome sliding have been described previously. To gain a complementary knowledge of subtelomeres, we have analysed the chromatin structure of two subtelomeric tandem repeats from the plant Silene latifolia: X43.1 and 15Ssp. X43.1 shows two distinct nucleosome periodicities – 157 and 188 bp. Preferred positions of its two nucleosomes have been mapped at both low and high resolution and the experimental results correspond to computer-predicted positions. 15Ssp is a newly-discovered sequence showing a telomere-associated position by PCR and a subtelomeric location by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and fluorescence in situ hybridisation. Its 159 bp sequence unit shows a tandem arrangement and the presence of micrococcal nuclease-hypersensitive sites when either naked DNA or chromatin is digested. Use of a chemical nuclease results in a regular nucleosome ladder of 157 bp periodicity. Moreover, 15Ssp mononucleosomes show instability and absence of specific positioning, features typical for telomeric chromatin. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

DNA typing of HLA in the patients with moyamoya disease

Summary Moyamoya disease is a clinical entity demonstrating a chronic occlusion of the cerebrovascular system. Although some possible etiological factors have been postulated, the etiology of this disease is still unknown. So far, some investigations have suggested the association between moyamoya disease and HLA in the serological typing. However, DNA typing of HLA have not been performed yet. Thus, we performed DNA-typing of HLA in the unrelated Japanese patients with definite moyamoya disease, using the polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (PCR-SSOP) technique. In the total patients,DQB1*0502 had a positive association with the disease. On the other hand,DRB1*0405 andDQB1*0401 showed a negative association. In comparing the early-onset and late-onset groups, two groups did not share the same disease associated alleles at all. Thus, the etiology of moyamoya disease seem to have a genetic background. Furthermore, different genetic factors might also be involved in the difference between the early-onset and late-onset groups.     

Characteristics of the antihistamine effect of TAK-427, a novel imidazopyridazine derivative

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: The characteristics of the antihistamine effect of the new antiallergic compound TAK-427 were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro binding assay of [(3)H] pyrilamine was performed using recombinant human histamine H(1) receptors (rhH(1)R). In vivo studies were performed in male ICR mice or Hartley guinea pigs. Drugs were administered orally 1 h before examinations. Determinations were made of histamine-induced skin reaction, ex vivo measured radioligand binding to brain and lung H(1) receptors, pentobarbital-induced sleeping time, passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction, and antigen-induced itch-scratch responses (ISRs). RESULTS: TAK-427 inhibited ligand binding to rhH(1)R with an IC(50) value of 17.3 nmol/l. TAK-427 inhibited histamine-induced skin reactions in guinea pigs and mice with an ID(50) value of 0.884 and 0.450 mg/kg, p.o., respectively; significant inhibition associated with 10 mg/kg of TAK-427 was still observed 24 h after dosing in guinea pigs. TAK-427 showed as high selectivity for peripheral H(1) receptors as terfenadine and epinastine did, which was evaluated by ex vivo measured radioligand binding. Even at 300 mg/kg, TAK-427 did not affect pentobarbital-induced sleeping time in mice. TAK-427 significantly inhibited PCA in mice and guinea pigs, and also inhibited antigen-induced ISRs in guinea pigs. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that TAK-427 may have a long-lasting antihistamine activity with minimum sedative side effect and suppress acute phase allergic reactions.     

Thymoma in a Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora)

Thymoma is described in a 3-year-old female Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora). Histopathologically, the subcutaneous mass from the cervical region consisted of epithelial cells characterized by large polyhedral cells and spindle cells, which sometimes showed squamous differentiation, and small lymphocytes without apparent atypical forms. Immunohistochemically, the epithelial cells possessed cytokeratin in their cytoplasm and proliferating cell nuclear antigen.     

Restricted expression of transgenic HLA-DRA gene in thymic epithelial cells and its role in acquisition of T cell tolerance to self-superantigens and processed DRα-derived peptide

We have established a set of transgenic mouse lines in which the HLA-DRA gene was expressed in different cell types. In one line (DRα-24), DRαEβ^b molecules were expressed on thymic medullary and cortical epithelial cells and all lineages of bone marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells (APC) except for thymic macrophages. By contrast, expression of the molecules in another line (DRα-30) was found on thymic medullary and cortical epithelial cells but not on bone marrow-derived APC in the thymus and periphery. To evaluate the role of thymic epithelial cells in acquisition of T cell tolerance, comparative analysis of DRα-24 and DRα-30 was performed. In DRα-30, T cells expressing TcR Vβ5 and Vβ11 were eliminated to comparable levels to those in DRα-24, suggesting that expression of the DRαEβ^b molecules on thymic epithelial cells are sufficient for clonal deletion of the self-superantigen-reactive T cells. In addition, CD4⁺ T cells from DRa-30 as well as those from DRα-24 were tolerant to DRα-derived peptide/I-A^b complex expressed on spleen cells from DRα-24 even in the presence of exogenous interleukin-2. These observations suggest that expression of the DRα chain in thymic epithelial cells could induce T cell tolerance directed toward naturally processed DRα-derived peptide bound to I-A^b molecules, probably via clonal deletion of the self-reactive T cells.     

Expression of the histamine H1 receptor gene in relation to atherosclerosis.

Histamine in serum and arterial tissue contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and the formation of coronary artery vasospasm. As the effect of histamine at a given site will be mediated by its specific receptors, we investigated by in situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis the expression and localization of human histamine H1 receptor mRNA in the arterial wall and in cultured human aortic intimal smooth muscle cells (SMC) and immortalized SMC (ISS10) and endothelial cells (SE1). In situ hybridization showed that SMC and endothelial cells expressed H1 receptor mRNA in vivo and that the expression was increased in SMC in the thickened intima of atherosclerotic foci in both the aorta and coronary artery. By Northern blot analysis, we also detected histamine H1 receptor mRNA in cultured SMC, ISS10, and SE1 and found that platelet-derived growth factor stimulated SMC to increase their expression of the mRNA in vitro. These results suggest that up-regulation of histamine H1 receptor expression by platelet-derived growth factor plays an important role in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular diseases.     

Information value of clinical signs and stat tests as indicators of female outpatient urinary tract infection]

This study was designed to evaluate signs and stat tests as an indicator of lower urinary tract infection in female subjects with urogenital complaints at an out-patient clinic. Of various symptoms including hematuria, pollakiuria, dysuria, urinary retention, and micturition pain, pain during micturition was present in 48% of 25 patients with urinary tract infections and in 4% of 27 patients without urinary tract infections, and was the sign with the highest positive predictive value. Comparison and discrimination of the infection and non-infection groups using a single laboratory valuable yielded significant F-statistics for urinary leukocyte esterase (14.5) and leukocyte count in urinary sediment (31.1), and revealed large Mahalanobis' distances for the same variables. Multivariate analysis using a discriminant function of categorical data (Hayashi's Suryoka type 2) revealed that combining occult blood with leukocyte esterase in the urine or combining red cell count with leukocyte count in sediment did not yield substantially smaller misclassification error than did leukocyte esterase alone or leukocyte count alone. It was concluded that neither urinary occult blood nor red cell count in sediment contribute substantially to the prediction of urinary tract infection. For the purpose of detecting urinary tract infection among outpatients, a receiver-operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that the optimal cut-off point in sediment was 3 or more leukocytes per microscopic high power field (x 400). Urinary leukocyte esterase was found to have limitations for use in screening, because its optimal decision level is equivalent to trace esterase reading on the dipstick test.     

Globular and Fibrous Structure in Barley Chromosomes Revealed by High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy

Barley chromosomes were prepared for high-resolution scanning electron microscopy using a combination of enzyme maceration, treatment in acetic acid and osmium impregnation using thiocarbohydrazide. Using this technique, the three-dimensional ultra-structure of interphase nuclei and mitotic chromosomes was examined. In interphase, different levels of chromatin condensation were observed, consisting of fibrils 10 nm in diameter, 20- to 40-nm fibres and a higher order complex. In prophase, globular and strand-like structures composed of 20- to 40-nm fibres were dominant. As the cells progressed through the cell cycle and the chromatin condensed, globular and strand-like structures (chromomeres) were coiled and packed to form chromosomes. Chromomeres were observed as globular protuberances on the surface of metaphase chromosomes. These findings indicate that the chromomere is a fundamental substructure of the higher order architecture of the chromosome. In the centromeric region, there were no globular protuberances, but 20- to 40-nm fibres were folded compactly to form a higher level organization surrounding the chromosomal axis.