Yucca leaf protein (YLP) stops the protein synthesis in HSV-infected cells and inhibits virus replication.

Yucca leaf protein (YLP), an inhibitor of tobacco mosaic virus isolated from the leaves of Yucca recurvifolia Salisb., exhibited potent activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) with no cytotoxicity below 300 micrograms/ml. The inhibitory dose was varied with the time of addition; 50% effective concentrations (ED50) of YLP were 3, 19 and 95 micrograms/ml when YLP exposure was begun 3 h before virus infection, 0 h and 3 h after infection, respectively. This protein also inhibited the multiplication of herpes simplex virus type 2 and human cytomegalovirus. YLP has been shown to have a weak virucidal activity at higher concentrations. Analysis of early events following infection showed that YLP affected viral penetration in HeLa cells but did not interfere with adsorption to the cells. YLP was found to exert strong inhibition of protein synthesis in virus-infected cells but not in uninfected cells. This selective effect can be considered to attribute mainly to the antiviral activity of YLP.     

Mapping corpus callosum deficits in autism: an index of aberrant cortical connectivity.

BACKGROUND: Volumetric studies have reported reductions in the size of the corpus callosum (CC) in autism, but the callosal regions contributing to this deficit have differed among studies. In this study, a computational method was used to detect and map the spatial pattern of CC abnormalities in male patients with autism. METHODS: Twenty-four boys with autism (aged 10.0 +/- 3.3 years) and 26 control boys (aged 11.0 +/- 2.5 years) underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at 3 Tesla. Total and regional areas of the CC were determined using traditional morphometric methods. Three-dimensional (3D) surface models of the CC were also created from the MRI scans. Statistical maps were created to visualize morphologic variability of the CC and to localize regions of callosal thinning in autism. RESULTS: Traditional morphometric methods detected a significant reduction in the total callosal area and in the anterior third of the CC in patients with autism; however, 3D maps revealed significant reductions in both the splenium and genu of the CC in patients. CONCLUSIONS: Statistical maps of the CC revealed callosal deficits in autism with greater precision than traditional morphometric methods. These abnormalities suggest aberrant connections between cortical regions, which is consistent with the hypothesis of abnormal cortical connectivity in autism.     

Ulnar recurrent adipofascial flap for reconstruction of massive defects around the elbow and forearm.

An ulnar recurrent adipofascial flap was raised and turned over to reconstruct massive defects around the elbow and forearm after wide resection of malignant tumours. Compared to the fasciocutaneous flap, the ulnar recurrent adipofascial flap has the following advantages: (1) a larger flap can be harvested without the problem of primary closure of the donor site, (2) the contour and scar of the donor site is reasonably acceptable since no tension is presented, (3) the flap can be turned over to cover a wider area, and (4) debulking of the flap can be performed during the operation if needed. The rotation arc of the ulnar recurrent adipofascial flap reaches a wide region, including the distal one-half of the upper arm, the elbow, and the proximal two-thirds of the forearm. Sensory deficit in the forearm was avoided in our patients because meticulous separation and preservation of the medial cutaneous nerve of the forearm was achieved without jeopardising the blood supply to the flap. The ulnar recurrent adipofascial flap is an easy and reliable option for one-stage reconstruction of massive defects around the elbow.     

Sentinel node sampling limits lymphadenectomy in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: It is controversial whether a systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection (MLND) needs to be performed in all patients with stage I lung cancer. The present study was done to examine the new sentinel lymph nodes hypothesis based on the lobe of the primary tumor. METHODS: In our first study, the lymph node (LN) metastases were assessed in 291 stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who had a major lung resection with a systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection. We evaluated the validity of using our new sentinel lymph nodes method based on the lobe of the primary tumor as follows: the pretracheal (#3), tracheobronchial (#4), and hilar nodes (#10) for right upper lobe tumors; #4, subcarinal (#7), and #10 for middle lobe tumors; the subaortic (#5), paraaortic (#6), and #10 for left upper lobe tumors; and the #7, #10, and interlobar nodes (#11) for tumors in either lower lobes. In the second study, we performed a lobectomy with new sentinel node sampling in 64 patients with preoperative complications. If all of the sampling nodes showed no metastases on frozen section diagnosis, systematic node dissections were not performed. RESULTS: Six of 291 patients in the first study had skip metastases that did not involve the new sentinel nodes; 5 of the 6 patients had macroscopic pleural invasion. Thus, we defined pleural invasion as an exclusion criterion for the second study. In the second study, the median follow-up time was 39 months. Metastatic lymph nodes were detected in 11 of 64 patients. Fifty-three patients (83%) had no metastasis in the sampled nodes, and, therefore, a mediastinal lymph node dissection was not done. The morbidity rate in the sampling group was 36%, and there was no mortality. In the sampling group, local recurrences were observed in two patients, distant metastases in eight, and carcinomatous pleuritis in one; the overall 5-year survival rate was 82%. CONCLUSIONS: We found that it is possible to perform a less invasive lymphadenectomy for patients with stage I lung cancer using intra-operative sampling of new sentinel lymph nodes.     

Long-term toxicity/carcinogenicity of musk xylol in B6C3F1 mice

The long-term toxicity/carcinogenicity of musk xylol, a synthetic nitro musk, was examined in B6C3F1 mice of both sexes. Musk xylol was administered at dietary levels of 0 (control), 0.075 or 0.15% for 80 wk. The overall tumour incidences in all treated groups of both sexes were significantly higher than those in the corresponding controls. Combined malignant and benign liver cell tumours were clearly increased in both sexes, and in males a positive significant trend was also noted for the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinomas. In males the incidence of Harderian gland tumours was also significantly greater in treated groups than in controls. Some other neoplasms, such as lung tumours in both sexes and Harderian gland tumours and lymphomas in females, occurred in greater numbers in the treated groups, although the differences were not statistically significant in comparison with the controls. In addition, the incidences and total numbers of malignant tumours were significantly increased in treated groups of both sexes, although the increases were not dose dependent. The results demonstrated that musk xylol is carcinogenic in B6C3F1 mice when given at dose levels of 0.075 or 0.15% in the diet for 80 wk.     

Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy of cerebral ischemia in cats

The energy metabolism of the brain was measured in three types of ischemic models in the cat using phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The cerebral ischemia was produced as follows. In Group 1, two balloons were inflated in the left subclavian artery and the brachiocephalic trunk. In Group 2, the left middle cerebral artery was occluded through a transorbital approach. A combination of the two was employed in Group 3. Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectra were obtained serially during 2 hours of ischemia. Immediately after occlusion, peaks of phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate decreased, whereas the peak of inorganic phosphate increased and split in two. Intracellular pH determined by chemical shift of the inorganic phosphate peak decreased. These changes were more pronounced in Group 3 when compared with the other groups. Histological study showed no infarction in Group 1 and infarcted areas in Groups 2 and 3. The size of the infarcted area in Group 3 was larger than that in Group 2. These results suggest that the model of middle cerebral artery occlusion potentiated with the occlusion of the brachiocephalic trunk and the left subclavian artery by balloon catheters is a reliable stroke model and that phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy is useful to understand the pathophysiological state of cerebral ischemia in vivo.     

Roles of kallikrein-kinin system in acute inflammation: studies on high- and low-molecular weight kininogens-deficient rats (B/N-Katholiek strain)

Carrageenin-induced paw edema in HMW- and LMW-kininogens-deficient rats was significantly less than that in normal rats. There are three kininogens, HMW-, LMW- and T-kininogens, in normal rat plasma, but B/N-Katholiek rat plasma contains only T-kininogen. The pretreatment with captopril, a kiniase II inhibitor, enhanced paw swelling of normal rats, but not that of the deficient rats, indicating that bradykinin released from HMW-kininogen may have a role for the swelling but T-kinin may not be released in this inflammation.     

Ammonia: a possible promotor in Helicobacter pylori-related gastric carcinogenesis.

Helicobacter pylori (HP) has been shown to possibly be a pathogen of gastric carcinoma. HP has urease activity and produces ammonia in the stomach. In this study, the role of ammonia on gastric carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) were investigated in rats. After 24 weeks pretreatment with MNNG (83 mg/l), 0.01% ammonia or tap water as a drinking water was administered for 24 weeks. The ammonia-treated rats showed a significantly higher incidence of gastric cancer (percent of animals with tumors and number of tumors per rat). Ammonia would thus appear to have an important role in HP-related human gastric carcinogenesis.