Bilateral congenital multicystic dysplasia of the kidney

The clinical and pathological features of congenital multicystic dysplasia of the kidney are reviewed and we report of a patient with bilateral dysplasia who lived longer than do most such patients. When multicystic disease of the kidney is bilateral, it is commonly confused with polycystic disease. Despite the fatal prognosis, differentiation is essential for appropriate genetic counselling since multicystic disease is not a familial occurrence.     

Production of calcitonin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in tumors derived from amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation cells.

The tumor production of human calcitonin (CT) was examined by radioimmunoassay, and it was found that 50 of 85 (59%) tumor tissues collected at random contained immunoreactive CT. These tumors were grouped as to whether they were derived from the amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation (APUD) series. The group that was derived from APUD cells showed appreciable amounts of CT in 30 of 31 (97%) of these tumors or in 20 of 21 (95%) when the medullary carcinomas of the thyroid were excluded. However, of the non-APUD group of tumors only 20 of 54 (37%) were found to contain CT, so that the difference between these two groups was highly significant (p less than 0.001). Of the tumors with ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone-melanocyte-stimulating hormone production, 12 of 14 were shown to contain CT. These data indicate that CT is a common product of the APUD tumors and that tumor production of CT is often associated with that of adrenocorticotropic hormone and beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone.     

The effects of 5-minute ischemia in Mongolian gerbils: II. Changes of spontaneous neuronal activity in cerebral cortex and CA1 sector of hippocampus

Summary Spontaneous neuronal activity was recorded in the cerebral cortex and the CA1 sector of the hippocampus in gerbils during and after 5-min ischemia, produced by bilateral clamping of the common carotid arteries. It was found that spontaneous activity in both cortical and CA1 neurons ceased within 60 s after the onset of ischemia and that it began to reappear 10–20 min after the recirculation. During the next 24 h most CA1 neurons which were recorded showed hyperactivity. This was evident primarily by an increase in spike discharges, whereas recordings from the cerebral cortex were within the preocclusion ranges. On the 2nd day after ischemia, functioning CA1 neurons could not be found, as if they were in a state of functional death, although histological sections showed a general preservation of their cellular structure at that time.     

Role of zinc as an activator of mitochondrial function in rat liver

The effects of zinc on the enzymes of hepatic mitochondria were investigated in rats that had been given zinc sulfate (10 mg Zn2+/100 g body wt) p.o. Administration of zinc caused a marked elevation of succinate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase and ATPase activities, whereas it did not cause significant changes in pyruvate carboxylase, malate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase activities. The effect of zinc as a function of time was greatest on succinate dehydrogenase. Zinc also produced a marked elevation of ATP concentration in the hepatic cytosol and a corresponding increase in ATPase activity in the hepatic mitochondria. Zinc content of the inner membrane of mitochondria was raised significantly by administration of zinc. The removal of zinc by washing in 10 mM EDTA caused a significant decrease of the increased succinate dehydrogenase activity caused by administration of zinc, while it did not lower ATPase activity. The addition of zinc in amounts of 10-10(3) ng Zn2+ per mg protein produced a significant increase in succinate dehydrogenase activity in the inner membrane of mitochondria, whereas ATPase activity was elevated significantly at 10(3)-10(4) ng Zn2+ per mg protein, indicating that zinc activated succinate dehydrogenase more sensitively than ATPase. The present investigation suggests that zinc taken up by hepatic mitochondria stimulates the electron transport system and oxidative phosphorylation and, as a result, increases the ATP concentration in the hepatic cytosol.     

A study on exercise test for mass examination of heart disease

One thousand and twenty-two of senior high school students and 274 of primary and junior high school students screened as positive through heart disease mass examination were tested by the Master's two step Method. The results are as follow: 1) In order to get informations to give the guide line for school life, it is still insufficient triple amounts of exercise performed during 3 minutes and 45 seconds for high school male students although this may be appropriate for primary, junior high school students and female senior high school students. 2) Fatigue and their history concerning to athletic activity should not be neglected to evaluate the results of exercise test. 3) It is important to consider before evaluation of the test that QTc immediately after exercise shorten by 6 to 8% and QTc 3 minutes after the exercise prolonged by 3 to 4%.     

Postirradiation malignant fibrous histiocytoma in a patient with squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix--an autopsy case

An autopsy case of postirradiation sarcoma is described. The tumor, a malignant fibrous histiocytoma, occurred in the radiation fied 7 years after postoperative external beam radiation therapy (6000 rad) for squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. To our knowledge, 11 cases of postirradiation malignant fibrous histiocytoma have been reported in the literature and only one occurrence of this neoplasm after treatment for cervical cancer has been described. We review the literature on postirradiation sarcoma with special attention to malignant fibrous histiocytoma.     

Acute infantile gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus in Japan

We had an outbreak of acute infantile gastroenteritis accompanied by milky-white stool (called Hakuri in Japanese) during the winters of 1976 and 1977. Stool specimens collected from 72 cases of Hakuri were studied by negative-staining electron microscopy. Rotavirus was detected with a very high frequency (89%).Rotavirus obtained from one of the patients was isolated and passaged in cultures of primary human embryonic kidney cells. Viral antigens could be detected in the cytoplasm of the cells by indirect immuno-fluorescence. The fluorescence-positive cells increased in number with repeated passage.Serum anti-viral activities in 11 patients were titrated by indirect immuno-fluorescence, using the cells infected with the passaged rotavirus. All 11 patients developed IgM responses in the convalescent phase. However, in 4 of the 11 patients, no IgG responses were detected even 2–3 weeks after the onset of illness. The reinfection which has occasionally be seen in our country may be related to these poor IgG responses.