No allelic association between Parkinson's disease and dopamine D2, D3, and D4 receptor gene polymorphisms

Parkinson's disease is thought to be caused by a combination of unknown environmental, genetic, and degenerative factors. Evidence from necropsy brain samples and pharmacokinetics suggests involvement of dopamine receptors in the pathogenesis or pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. Genetic association studies between Parkinson's disease and dopamine D2, D3 and D4 receptor gene polymorphisms were conducted. The polymorphism was examined in 71 patients with Parkinson's disease and 90 controls. There were no significant differences between two groups in allele frequencies at the D2, D3, and D4 dopamine receptor loci. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that susceptibility to Parkinson's disease is associated with the dopamine receptor polymorphisms examined. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Clear cell hepatocellular carcinoma with abundant myxoid stroma.

A case of the clear cell variant of hepatocellular carcinoma with an abundant myxoid stroma is presented. The tumor occurred in a 55-year-old Japanese man, and swelling of the scrotum was the initial symptom. The patient underwent high-level orchiectomy, and the pathologic diagnosis was a metastatic tumor on the surface of the processus vaginalis and intact testis. Extensive examination failed to show a primary site. Subsequent autopsy revealed a large hepatic tumor and metastatic nodules with a prominent myxoid appearance in multiple organs. Histologically, each tumor consisted of uniform small tumor cells with clear cytoplasm attributed to abundant accumulation of glycogen particles, and an abundant myxoid stroma was also present. The tumor cells were positive for keratin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, liver ferritin, prealbumin, and fibrinogen, but lacked alpha-fetoprotein. These findings indicated that this case was hepatocellular carcinoma of the clear cell type with a prominent myxoid stroma.     

Distribution of Antigens Detected with MB1, MB2 and MB3 on Non-hematopoietic Human Organs and Various Tumors

We have examined the distribution of antigens detected by MB1, MB2 and MB3 on non-hematopoietic normal human tissues and various types of benign and malignant tumors. MB1 and MB2 reacted with various organs, such as the epithelium of various glands, smooth muscle cells, vascular endothelial cells, and peripheral nerve tissue. The distributions of these two antibodies were essentially identical. Reactivity with MB3 was confined to the ductal eDithelium of salivary glands, the pancreas, and sweat glands, and the cortex of the adrenal gland. lmmunoblotting analysis demonstrated that MB1 and MB2 reacted with a few bands of an extract of myometrial cytoskeletal fraction and salivary gland cytosol fraction, whereas MB3 failed to show any bands on these materials. The reactivities of MB1 and MB2 with various neoplasms were similar to those in normal organs, with slight variations of staining pattern and preponderance in well differentiated tumors. Exceptionally, carcinoid tumor and small round cell tumors, such as small cell carcinoma or neuroblastoma, were not reactive with MB1 and MB2. MB3 reacted with several cases of well differentiated benign and malignant epithelial tumors in various organs, and exceptional cases of malignant schwannoma and glioma. These results indicate that the antigens detected by MB1 and MB2 are distributed broadly on non-hematopoietic normal organs, whereas those detected by MB3 are confined to exceptional cases of epithelial and non-epithelial tumors. Thus, although the use of MB1, MB2 and MB3 is of little value for differential diagnosis of various tumors, these three antibodies may be useful for determining of the origin of some tumor types. Acta Pathol Jpn 42: 339–346, 1992.     

Benign clear cell tumor of the lung in an 8-year-old girl

A case of "benign clear cell tumor of the lung" occurred in an 8-year-old girl. The tumor was a solid well-circumscribed mass, measuring 1 cm in diameter. Histologically, it consisted of polygonal cells intermingled with large, thin-walled vessels. Glycogen was scarce in paraffin sections; however, electron microscopic observation revealed a large amount of glycogen. Intracytoplasmic filaments were not observed, but scattered pinocytotic vesicles and plaquelike densities along the plasma membrane were found.     

The afferent and efferent pathways of the recto-colonic reflex in the dog

The nature of the afferent and efferent pathways of the recto-colonic reflex was studied electrophysiologically in the dog. A compound action potential consisting of many peaks was evoked on a sacral dorsal rootlet by a stimulus to the ipsilateral rectal strands of the pelvic nerve. Conduction velocities of the peaks indicate that A delta and C afferent fibers innervate the colon and rectum. When the stimuli were subthreshold for C fibers, the reflex discharges of contralateral parasympathetic post-ganglionic fibers in the rectal strands and the reflex contraction of the colon were smaller than those caused by stronger stimuli. As the intensity of the stimulus to the sacral ventral roots was weakened, response peaks of preganglionic B fibers in the rectal branch, post-ganglionic C fibers in the rectal strands and a bladder branch of the pelvic nerve disappeared in the order of slow to fast conduction velocities. Contraction of the colon also decreased. The number of peaks arising from each nerve correlated well with the strength of the contraction. These results indicate that the peripheral limbs of the recto-colonic reflex arc consist of afferent A delta and C fibers, preganglionic B fibers and post-ganglionic C fibers.     

Immunoelectron microscopical study of non-lymphocytic leukemic cells. Expressing human granulocyte antigen defined by monoclonal antibody 1G10

The cells from 5 cases of non-lymphocytic leukemia were investigated by immunoelectron microscopy using an anti-granulocyte antibody, clone 1G10 (New England Nuclear), to clarify the nature of immature leukemic cells. Reaction products on the surface of the leukemic cells were composed of two layers, an inner translucent and an outer dense granular zone. Although non-leukemic cells of the granulocytic series in various stages of maturation between promyelocytes and neutrophils were all positive for the antigen-antibody reaction, non-neoplastic monocytes and lymphocytes were all negative. Using this method, it was possible to diagnose the undifferentiated leukemic cells that were negative for myeloperoxidase. Furthermore, the results of our present study suggest the possibility that the antibody 1G10 may be useful for distinguishing granulocytic cells from cells of monocytic lineage.     

Relationship between presence of Creola bodies and airway hyperresponsiveness in patients with bronchial asthma

It has recently been suggested that epithelial damage participates in the development of bronchial hyperresponsiveness. In this study we investigated the relationship between the presence of clusters of desquamated respiratory epithelial cells (Creola body. CrB) in sputum and airway responsiveness. Sputa were collected from asthmatic patients and acetylcholine inhalation tests were performed to assess airway responsiveness. Smears of 100 microliters of sputum were spread in pairs of two glass slides. One slide was stained with Papanicolaou's stain, the other with Giemsa stain. CrBs were detected on the whole glass slide stained with Papanicolaou's stain and the CrB score was determined by summing up the points given to each CrB on a glass slide according to the number of epithelial cells composing one CrB. The CrB score was significantly higher in patients with CrBs than in patients without CrBs. The patients with higher CrB score (CrB score greater than or equal to 6) had significantly greater number of eosinophils in sputa than the patients without CrBs. These results suggest the participation of damage to the respiratory epithelium in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness in bronchial asthma. The detection of CrBs is easy and we consider it clinically useful in the estimation of airway hyperresponsiveness.     

Gentamicin inhibition of Na+,K(+)-ATPase in rat kidney cells.

Na,K(+)-ATPase activity is decreased in homogenized renal tissue from GM-treated rats. This study examines whether the site of the active effect of GM on Na,K(+)-ATPase activity in the kidney can be localized to the proximal convoluted tubules (PCT) where the drug is taken up and where it will produce necrosis. In rats treated with gentamicin (50 micrograms.kg-1.day-1 i.m.) for 7 days, PCT Na,K(+)-ATPase activity was reduced as compared to vehicle-treated rats but returned to control levels 7 days after treatment withdrawal. In another nephron segment, the medullary thick ascending limb of Henle (mTAL), where GM induced lesions are uncommon, Na,K(+)-ATPase activity was the same in GM- and vehicle-treated rats treatment. To study the in vitro effect of GM, dissected PCT and mTAL segments from untreated rats were preincubated for 30 min with GM 10(-3) M, a dose similar to the tissue concentration in chronically treated rats. In tubule segments that were permeabilized to allow the drug to enter the cells, GM 10(-3) M significantly inhibited Na,K(+)-ATPase activity both in PCT and mTAL. In non-permeabilized mTAL segments GM did not inhibit Na,K(+)-ATPase activity. GM inhibition of Na,K(+)-ATPase activity in permeabilized PCT segments persisted after the tubules were rinsed in GM free medium. GM does not inhibit Na,K(+)-ATPase partly purified from the renal cortex. Conclusion. Gentamicin inhibits Na,K(+)-ATPase activity in renal tubule cells when it has access to the cytoplasm. Treatment with GM will therefore cause a selective inhibition of Na,K(+)-ATPase in the proximal tubule cells.