Quantification of acute phase proteins in rat serum and in the supernatants of a cultured rat hepatoma cell line and cultured primary hepatocytes by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed to measure acute phase reactants (APRs) in rat serum. Rat APRs of alpha 2-macroglobulin, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), haptoglobin (Hp), haemopexin (Hpx), cysteine protease inhibitor (CPI), albumin (Alb) and transferrin (Tf) were purified from the plasma of turpentine treated rats. Fab' fragments from each IgG fraction were labelled with horseradish peroxidase (POD) by the maleimide method and the assay was performed using a sandwich technique. This ELISA procedure was able to measure nanogram quantities of rat serum APRs.     

Molecular abnormality and cDNA cloning of human aldehyde dehydrogenases

Usual human livers contain two major ALDH isozymes, i.e., cytosolic ALDH1 and mitochondrial ALDH2, while approximately 50% of Orientals are "atypical" and have only the ALDH1 and are missing the ALDH2. Instead, the atypical livers contain an enzymatically inactive but immunologically cross-reactive material (CRM) corresponding to the ALDH2 component. Some Orientals are found to be atypical also in the ALDH1 locus, i.e., they are missing the enzymatically active ALDH1 but contain a large amount of CRM corresponding to the ALDH1 component. cDNA for ALDH1 and that for ALDH2 were cloned and their nucleotide sequences were determined. The amino acid sequences of ALDH1 and ALDH2 were deduced from their cDNA sequences. The molecular abnormality of the inactive ALDH2(2) is found to be the substitution of Glu at the 14th position from the COOH-terminal of the protein by Lys which resulted from G----A transition in the gene.     

Acetylcholinesterase and manometry in the diagnosis of the constipated child

We studied 309 constipated infants and children who underwent rectal manometry (n = 261) and/or punch rectal biopsy, in which acetylcholinesterase histochemistry (n = 124) was compared with routine histologic examination (n = 93) for diagnostic accuracy. A 99% diagnostic accuracy was achieved with acetylcholinesterase histochemistry compared with 61% accuracy with routine hematoxylin-eosin staining on punch rectal biopsy. We recommend screening cooperative, quiet patients with rectal manometry. Most patients with abnormal manometric studies or those on whom manometry cannot be performed should have superficial punch biopsy (except those ill infants who require urgent operative intervention). This plan of management provides the least invasive but the most accurate evaluation of the constipated child. Deep rectal biopsy can be avoided except in the very rare child with hypoganglionosis or "skip-area" aganglionosis, which can be detected by manometry.     

Interference by plastics additives in the HPLC determination of microcystin-LR and -YR.

Plastics devices used for the field collection of water samples may contain plastics additives which will interfere with the HPLC determination of the cyanobacterial toxins microcystins. The presence of the additives resorcinol monobenzoate or 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone can interfere with the determination of microcystin-LR. The presence of bisphenol A in plastics can interfere with the determination of microcystin-YR.     

Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Lobectomy Achieves a Satisfactory Long-term Prognosis in Patients with Clinical Stage IA Lung Cancer

We designed a prospective trial to determine the long-term prognosis of video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) lobectomy versus conventional lobectomy for patients with clinical stage IA (T1N0M0) lung cancer. Between January 1993 and June 1994, 100 consecutive patients with clinical stage IA non-small cell lung carcinoma underwent either conventional lobectomy through an open thoracotomy (open group; n= 52) or VATS lobectomy (VATS group; n= 48). Lymph node dissections were performed in a similar manner in both groups. No significant differences were observed in the number of dissected lymph nodes between the 2 groups. Pathologic N1 and N2 disease was found in 3 and 1 patients, respectively, from the open group, and in 2 and 1 patients, respectively, from the VATS group. During the follow-up period, distant metastases and local or regional recurrences developed in 7 and 3 of the open group patients, respectively, and in 2 and 3 of the VATS group patients, respectively. Two and one of the open and VATS group patients developed second primary cancers, respectively. The overall survival rates 5 years after surgery were 85% and 90% in the open and VATS groups, respectively (log-rank test, p= 0.74; generalized Wilcoxon test, p= 0.91). VATS lobectomy with lymph node dissection achieved an excellent 5-year survival, similar to that achieved by the conventional approach.     

Cell biological basis for combination radiotherapy using heavy-ion beams and high-energy X-rays.

We investigated the biological effect of combining carbon-beam and X-ray in vitro. The results showed that when we employed Gray equivalent as the indication of therapeutic dose, the effects could be explained with simple additive way in the treatment plan. This fact provides important information about the combined therapy of carbon-beam and X-ray.     

Medulloblastoma in an adult suggestive of external granule cells as its origin: A histological and immunohistochemical study

We describe a rare case of medulloblastoma in an adult woman with histological findings suggesting an origin for this neoplasm in the external granular layer or its remnants. The patient presented with cerebellar dysfunction, and neuroimaging revealed a right cerebellar mass lesion. Pathological examination of the operative specimen revealed a medulloblastoma with occasional areas of neuronal or glial differentiation. Zic protein was also detected immunohistochemically in the tumor cells. The tumor cells were mainly distributed in the subarachnoid space and extended to the cerebellar parenchyma through the perivascular space to form tumor nodules. A suggestive finding, as concerns the origin of this neoplasm, was that the tumor cells were also spread evenly along the subpial zone of the molecular layer, reminiscent of the cellular architecture of the fetal external granular layer.     

Propionibacterium acnes is the most common bacterium commensal in peripheral lung tissue and mediastinal lymph nodes from subjects without sarcoidosis

BACKGROUND: In studies of the unknown etiology of sarcoidosis, Propionibacterium acnes (a possible agent) was found in the lungs and lymph nodes of many sarcoidosis patients and some control subjects. P. acnes might be commensal not only to the skin, conjunctivae, and intestine, but also to the lungs and lymph nodes of individuals without sarcoidosis. METHODS: We cultured peripheral lung tissue and various lymph nodes obtained from patients with diseases other than sarcoidosis. DNA of 45 isolates of P. acnes from these patients, 67 isolates from normal skin, conjunctiva, and intestine, and 39 isolates from sarcoid lymph nodes were compared by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. RESULTS: P. acnes was isolated from half of 43 lungs and 8 of 11 mediastinal lymph nodes, mostly in pure culture. P. acnes was isolated from half of 20 gastric and 3 of 12 intestinal lymph nodes; intestinal bacteria were also numerous. In general, fewer than 500 colony-forming units of P. acnes per gram tissue were isolated, but 4 lung tissue specimens, 2 of which had a few granulomas, had many more. P. acnes strains from a particular site (lung, lymph node, skin or conjunctivae, and intestine) were genetically similar, more than isolates obtained from different sites. Lymph-node isolates from subjects with and without sarcoidosis differed little. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that P. acnes normally resides in peripheral lung tissue and mediastinal lymph nodes and that the strains of P. acnes isolated from sarcoid lymph nodes were not specific to sarcoidosis.