Glucose uptake by individual skeletal muscles during running using whole-body positron emission tomography

The purpose of this study was to examine, by positron emission tomography (PET), the distribution of [¹⁸F]fluoro-deoxy-glucose ([¹⁸F]FDG) uptake by human muscles during 35?min of running. Thirteen healthy male subjects were studied, seven of whom participated in the exercise study. Running intensity was kept constant such that the subjects' heart rates were maintained at between 140 and 150?beats per minute. [¹⁸F]FDG [62.9 (14.8)?MBq, mean (SD)] was injected after 15?min of running. PET imaging was started immediately after the running ended. The ratio of [¹⁸F]FDG uptake by muscles in runners to that in control subjects (r-c ratio) varied from three to six for the muscles of the foot and leg below the knee joint. The r-c ratio of the medial head of the gastrocnemius (MG) was higher than that of its lateral head (LG). The r-c ratio of the rectus femoris (RF) was lower than that of the other three muscles of the quadriceps femoris (QF). The r-c ratio of inactive muscles located above the waist was approximately 0.7. These results suggest that, during the moderate running of this study: (1) glucose uptake by muscles of the foot and leg below the knee joint clearly increases, (2) the r-c ratio differs significantly among the skeletal muscles, which act synergistically, and (3) glucose uptake by inactive skeletal muscles decreases.     

Integrins are not involved in the process of human sperm-oolemmal fusion

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether integrins are required forthe human sperm–oocyte binding and fusion processes. METHODS:The expression of several integrin subunits at the human oocyteplasma membrane was investigated using immunofluorescence microscopy,and the functional role of integrins expressed at the humanoocyte surface in sperm–oocyte interaction was studiedusing a zona-free human oocyte binding and fusion assay. A totalof 144 unfertilized oocytes were stained with anti-integrinantibodies and 147 zona-free unfertilized oocytes were inseminatedin the presence of various anti-integrin antibodies that wereexpressed in oocyte plasma membrane. RESULTS: The antibodiesof six integrin subunits (₂, ₃, ₅, ₆, _V, _M) and six integrinsubunits (₁, ₂, ₃, ₄, ₅, ₆) were bound to the surface of fixedunfertilized oocytes. In contrast, the presence of ₁ and ₄ subunitscould not be verified. The human sperm–oocyte bindingwas only partially inhibited by blocking antibodies of ₂, ₃,₅, ₆, _V, _M, ₁, ₂ and ₃ with a maximum of 55% inhibition, butantibodies of ₄, ₅ and ₆ showed no effect on sperm–oolemmalbinding. A similar reduction of the number of fused sperm wasobserved. However, the ratio of fused sperm to total sperm (boundand fused) was not impaired by all integrin antibodies, suggestingthat integrins had no role in the sperm–oolemmal fusionprocess. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that one of thebinding mechanisms can be inhibited by integrin antibodies butthat this mechanism does not play an essential role in the humansperm–oolemmal binding and fusion processes. The othermechanisms, insensitive to integrins, may involve both bindingand fusion processes in human oocytes.     

Implication of the common {gamma} chain of the IL-7 receptor in intrathymic development of pro-T cells

The effects of IL-7 on the growth and differentiation of thymocyteswere analyzed using murine fetal thymua organ cultures (FTOC)in the presence of mAbs specific for the conventional IL-7 receptor(1L-7R) and for the common (c) chain. In FTOC, the developmentof CD4^–CD8^– double-negative thymocytes to CD4+CD8+double-positive (DP) and CD4+ or CD8+ single-positive (SP) cellswas not completely blocked by adding these mAbs, although cellgrowth was reduced by the treatment. To define a developingstage sensitive to the mAbs, most immature thymocytes, Pgp-1⁺c-kit cells, were cultured in the 2-deoxyguartosine treatedfetal thymus. In the presence of both mAbs in the culture, neitherDP nor SP thymocytes developed whereas either of the mAbs partiallyblocked their development. These results indicate that the Cchain is involved in early T cell development as an indispensablesubunlt of the functional IL-7 receptor complex.     

EXFOLIATIVE CYTOPATHOLOGY OF ALVEOLAR RHABDOMYOSARCOMA

Exfoliative cytopathology of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is presented. A 34-year-old male was found to have alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the retroperitoneum at autopsy. Ascites was recognized in the course of this disease. Cytological features in the ascites were characterized by relatively small-sized ovoid cells observed singly or in loose clusters. The neoplastic cells possessed small amount of rather vesicular cytoplasm and an eccentric nucleus. The nucleus characteristically revealed multiple deep indentations in the nuclear membrane, a few prominent eosinophilic nucleoli and finely granular or evenly distributed chromatin pattern. These cytological findings, especially the nuclear features, might be useful to differentiate alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma from other neoplasms which consist of relatively small-sized ovoid cells even if the striated muscle origin cannot be confirmed by immunoperoxidase staining.     

FAMILIAL AMYLOID POLYNEUROPATHY WITH MARKED HYPERTROPHY OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVES

Autopsy findings in a 40-year-old male with heredofamilial amyloidosis and polyneuropathy are reported. He had been suffering from progressive autonomic as well as sensorimotor dysfunctions. Prominent amyloid deposit was found in the kidney, heart, thyroid, and testis, and less in the interstitium and small vessels of almost all organs. The peripheral nerves, some showing prominent hypertrophy, were most severely involved by amyloid deposit in a form of stellate mass, which ultrastructurally consisted of radially arranged amyloid filaments. In the hypertrophied nerves and ganglia, in addition to amyloid, massive accumulation of acid mucopolysaccharide (AMPS) was seen filling up the interstitial space, which was the cause of hypertrophy. Ultrastructurally, AMPS was seen as finely granular substance. An extracted amyloid from the kidney showed 8 nm filament on negative staining and was estimated of having a molecular weight of 14,000.     

p53 and Ki-67 immunoreactivity and nuclear morphometry of 'carcinoma-in-adenoma' and adenoma of the gall-bladder

Twenty lntramucosal tumors of ‘carclnomaln-adenoma’ and 43 ademas (39 pylorlc gland type, 4 Intestinal type) of the gall-bladder were studied to establish more precise histo-logical criteria of carcinoma or adenoma In cases of ‘carcinoma In pyforic gland type adenoma’, to compare carcinoma In adenoma with pure, that Is, without adenomatous components, carcinoma, and to confirm the benign nature of spin-dle cell fd in the adenomas. Ki-67 and p53 immunostaining and nuclear morphomety were used. Eight pure intramucessl cancers were used as controls. The formalin-fixed, paraffln+mbedded sections were stained with p53 and Ki-67 antibodies. Splndle cell foci were observed only In the adenoma area of the pyloric gland type, wlth a frequency of 23% In 39 adenomas, and of 45% in 20 tumors of carclnoma-lrradenoma. Ki-67 staining was negative in 129 of 130 spin-die cell foci examlned, regardless of their size, and positive in only one focus (550 pm in size, Ki-67 Index 0.2%). All of the spindle cell foci were negative for p53 stain. The Ki-67 positive index was 36.6 ± 5.6% In the 8 pure carcinomas, and 12.5 ± 1.9% in the cancer areas of 16 tumors with carcinoma-in-adenoma, while it was 7.9 ± 1.7% in the adenoma areas of 16 tumors with carcinoma-in-adenoma and 4.9 ± 0.5% in the 32 pure pyloric gland adenomas. The p53-protein over-expression was found in seven of eight pure intramucosal cancers, and in one of 16 cancer components of carclnoma-in-adenoma. However, it was not found in any of 16 adenoma components of carcinoma-in-adenoma, and 35 adenomas. Cells of the cancer tissue of carcinoma-In-adenoma showed a significantly larger nuclear area and a larger nuclear minor axis than those of the pyloric gland type adenomas, as well as other architectural and cytologic abnormalities differing from the features of adenomas. These results suggest that clustered spindle cells do not indmte a malignant transformation of adenoma cells and that carcinomas in carcinoma-in-adenoma are dtfferent from pylorlc gland type adenomas In terms of morphology and proliferative activity. Moreover, the results of the present study indicate that carcinomas In carcinoma-ln-adenoma are lower In malignancy than pure carcinomas, and that their genetic abnormaltty may differ from that of pure carcinomas.     

Lack of intermediate-affinity interleukin-2 receptor in mice leads to dependence on interleukin-2 receptor α, β and γ chain expression for T cell growth

An interleukin (IL)-4 dependant mouse T cell clone 8.2 derived from an IL-2-dependent T cell line was characterized. As measured by flow cytometric analysis and Northern blotting, it expresses IL-2 receptor β (IL-2Rβ) and γ (IL-2Rγ) chains, but has lost expression of IL-2 receptor α chain (IL-2Rα). To investigate the properties of the mouse IL-2Rβγ complex and the role of IL-2Rα gene expression, this clone was further studied. T cell clone 8.2 has lost the capacity to bind ¹²⁵I-labeled human IL-2 under experimental conditions able to detect intermediate-affinity IL-2R in human cells. Mouse IL-2 is unable to block the binding of mAb TMβ1 to 8.2 cells. Under the same experimental conditions, mouse IL-2 blocks the binding of TMβ1 to C30-1 cells expressing the IL-2αβγ complex. Since TMβ1 recognizes an epitope related to the IL-2 binding site of IL-2Rβ, these results can be taken as a demonstration that mouse IL-2Rβγ does not bind mouse IL-2. Furthermore, T cell clone 8.2 does not proliferate in response to recombinant mouse or human IL-2. On the other hand, T cell transfectant lines expressing heterospecific receptors made of the human IL-2Rβ and mouse IL-2Rγ chains bind ¹²⁵I-labeled human IL-2 and proliferate in response to IL-2. This establishes the difference between mouse and human IL-2Rβ chains. Transfection of T cell clone 8.2 with human IL-2Rα genes restores their capacity to proliferate in response to IL-2. In addition, all transfectants grown in IL-2 express the endogeneous mouse IL-2Rα chain. When grown in IL-4, the endogeneous mouse IL-2Rα gene remains silent in all these transfectants. These results show that, contrary to the human, the mouse does not express an intermediate-affinity IL-2R. Expression of the IL-2Rα gene is therefore required for the formation of the functional IL-2R in mice.     

Disseminated Atypical Mycobacteriosis

Two cases of disseminated infection caused by Mycobacterium intracellulare were reported and discussed. In the first case, the patient was a fifty-seven-year-old male who complained of general fatigue, weight loss, and fever. Biopsy of the right inguinal lymph nodes and the liver revealed infiltration by histiocytes engulfing many acid-fast bacilli. At autopsy an egg-sized abscess was found is the region of the right Iliac lymph nodes. Histological examination showed histiocytic infiltration in the abscess wall, neighboring lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. In the second case, the patient was a four-year-old boy, who had persistent fever and splenomegaly. Splenectomy was performed and histological examination of the spleen revealed multiple nodular infiltration by swollen histiocytes with many acid-fast bacilli in their cytoplasm. The bone marrow aspirates and liver tissue obtained in the necropsy also showed many histiocytes containing many acid-fast bacilli. The authors emphasized the importance of paying special attention to atypical mycobacteriosis in feverish patients having lesions with a proliferation of histiocytes.