Menaquinone (vitamin K2)-6 production by mutants of Flavobacterium meningosepticum

Flavobacterium meningosepticum IFO 12535, a menaquinone (MK) producer, was mutagenized to improve productivity. A mutant, which was resistant to 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate (HNA), was found to produce MK more abundantly: 34 mg/liter of culture broth and 5.5 mg/g of dry cells. The mutant was less sensitive to inhibition by HNA on MK biosynthesis than the wild-type strain. MK was isolated from cells of the mutant and identified as MK-6 based on its physicochemical characteristics. Mutants, which were given each KCN resistance, aromatic amino acid auxotrophy and no carotenoid productivity, did not show further increase of productivity.     

A 6-day subrenal capsule assay for predictive testing of primary esophageal cancers

Subrenal Capsule Assay (SRCA) as a chemosensitivity test was performed on 14 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas in order to select a more effective form of chemotherapy. Of the 14 assays, 12 were evaluable. Mice were treated with anticancer agents (e.g. Cisplatin, Bleomycin, Methotrexate, Vindesine) on days 1 and 3 after transplantation, and on day 6, the sensitivities were determined. Fresh esophageal cancers yielded an evaluable assay rate of 74%. The implant grew progressively for six days in the remaining group of control mice. Histologically, host cell infiltration at the border of the implant was observed from day 3 after transplantation, and cells had degenerated or had been partially replaced by scar tissue by day 6. The results of chemosensitivity tests differed according to the anticancer agent used or from case to case. Clinically, correspondence between the assay results and clinical results was obtained in 5 out of 7 cases. SRCA is a new promising chemosensitivity test which is clinically useful, and the present results indicated the feasibility of its use in developing an effective chemotherapy for esophageal cancer.     

Measurement of quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis]

This study was designed to explore the health status or quality of life (QOL) in 366 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Japan. Physical, social, and emotional functions of the patients, namely the QOL, were measured by the modified health assessment questionnaire, the quality of well-being score, and the face scale, respectively. These functions were also evaluated by the new methods using visual analogue scales. The longer the duration of rheumatoid arthritis, the worse the QOL measures in these patients. A similar result was observed in the relationship between the stage classification of progression of rheumatoid arthritis and the QOL measures. In contrast, the traditional medical process measures, such as Lansbury activity index, sedimentation rate, and serum CRP concentration did not correlate with the duration of the disease. We conclude that the QOL measures in this study are useful for evaluation of the functional status and well-being of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. However, the clinical usefulness of these measures for evaluation of effectiveness and/or side effects of anti-rheumatic drugs still remains unknown.     

Clinico-pathological study of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is an uncommon lesion which may form a tumor-like mass in inflamed gallbladders. In a review of 44 cases there were 40 associated with gallstones which had been incarcerated in the neck of the gallbladder, 10 with past histories of abdominal surgeries, 15 with diabetes mellitus, three with carcinomas in the neck of the gallbladder and four with carcinomas in the other organs. Radiologically the differential diagnosis of gallbladder cancer and XGC was difficult in several cases. Thirty five cases of XGC have been diagnosed as chronic cholecystitis and 7 have been mistaken for feature of XGC in the contrast enhancement CT that is, detection of an intramural low density mass with continuously enhanced internal membraneous layer of the gallbladder wall. In view of the clinico-pathological findings of XGC, the lesions appear to result from intramural extravasation of bile and subsequent xanthogranulomatous reaction under obstructive conditions in the neck of the gallbladder. We conclude that XGC is not an uncommon special type of cholecystitis but an accompanied lesion sometimes seen in a kind of cholecystitis.     

Effects of iodine-enriched egg (IE-egg) on nasal allergy: basic and clinical investigations

The effect of iodine-enriched egg (IE-egg) on nasal allergy was investigated using an experimental allergic model. In addition, the effect of IE-egg was investigated using patients with yearly nasal allergy. IE-egg could suppress the leakage of pontamine sky blue dye in the experimental allergic model. beta-Glucuronidase activity in the perfusate was suppressed with the ingestion of IE-egg. The symptoms of the patients with yearly nasal allergy were mitigated by the ingestion of IE-egg. beta-Glucuronidase activity in the pituita of nasal allergic patients tended to be decreased.     

Postoperative subarachnoid hemorrhage from an intracranial aneurysm after craniotomy for astrocytoma--case report

The authors present the first reported case of a glioma associated with a right posterior cerebral artery (PCA) aneurysm. A 37-year-old male underwent craniotomy and total removal of the glioma, which appeared, according to encephalographic findings, to be responsible for the initial symptom of loss of consciousness. The risk of craniotomy-induced bleeding from the aneurysm was thought to be low, since it was unruptured and was packed with coagulum. However, subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of the PCA aneurysm occurred just after craniotomy, and clipping was performed 15 days after the first operation.     

Kinetics and specificity at the clonal level of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte response to influenza pneumonia

We have studied the kinetics and specificity of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response to influenza A/PR/8 (H1N1) virus pulmonary infection in the mouse detected using spleen cells from infected mice which were stimulated in bulk and limiting dilution cultures. A hybrid protein designated D-peptide, which contains the terminal 157 amino acids of the HA2 subunit of A/PR/8 virus, was used to stimulate influenza virus subtype-specific secondary CTL in vitro. Infection induced two specificities of precursor CTL, cross-reactive and subtype-specific. The kinetics of the subtype-specific CTL response detected by the D-peptide were similar to the cross-reactive CTL response detected by stimulation with live virus. The majority of the precursor CTL (CTL-p) are able to lyse virus-infected target cells in a cross-reactive fashion. The number of memory subtype-specific and cross-reactive CTL increased by approximately 2.5 logs10 during the first 3 weeks after infection.