Protein Synthesis in Yolk Sac Tumor: Histochemical Studies of Human and Rat Yolk Sac Tumor

Synthesis of various serum proteins, such as albumin, prealbumin, α₁-antitrypsin, transferrin and α-fetoprotein, by human and rat yolk sac tumors was studied by indirect immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques. These serum proteins were found to be present in the cytoplasm of tumor cells forming the lining of vitelline cysts, as well as Schiller-Duval bodies and vacuolated meshwork on histological sections. Two of these tumors were cultured. Immunopathological studies revealed that albumin, prealbumin, α₁-antitrypsin, transferrin and α-fetoprotein were found in the cytoplasm of these cultured tumor cells. The immunofluorescence of these proteins was also found on the PAS-positive granules, which existed intra- and extra-cellularly.
The ability to synthesize these serum proteins of these tumor cells was not affected by tissue culture and was maintained during subcloning.
It was demonstrated by electron microscope ferritin antibody technique that α-fetoprotein was mainly synthesized on the ribosomes of the rough endoplasmic reticula of rat yolk sac tumor cells.     

Appearance of basophils in the sputum of patients with bronchial asthma

A total of 108 samples of sputum obtained from twenty patients with bronchial asthma were examined for appearance of basophils and eosinophils. Both cell types are present in sputum during an asthmatic attack and disappear at the conclusion of the attack. Their presence correlates with the severity of the disease. It has previously been demonstrated that the blood basophils count falls during attacks of bronchial asthma, and the present study suggests that basophils move from the blood stream into bronchial tissue during the acute phase of an asthmatic attack.     

Blast Crisis of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia with Tumor Formation Characterized by T-cell Features--A Case Report

We report a case of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) associatedwith pronounced peripheral lymphadenopathy, with the cells havingthe Philadelphia (Phl) chromosome and T-cell features. A 23-year-oldman who was diagnosed as having CML and treated with busulfanwas admitted to our hospital because of increasing hepatosplenomegalyand pronounced lymphadenopathy. An axillary lymph node biopsydisclosed that the malignant cells formed rosettes with neuraminidase-treatedsheep red blood cells (En) (95.0%) and were positive for Leu1 (91.8%). Of the cytochemical reactions, peroxidase was negativeand periodic acid-Shiff, acid -naphthyl acetate esterase andß-glucuronidase were all positive. The karyotype ofthe bone marrow cells was 46 XY Phl positive (22q–), andthat of the lymph node cells was 51 XY Phl positive +8, +9,+18, +19, +21, 22q–. He was treated with various anti-leukemicagents and irradiation. Despite such treatments, he died ofpneumonia. This is a report of a CML patients with blast crisisand tumor formation characterized by T-cell features.     

Phagocytosis of heat‐killed Staphylococcus aureus by eosinophils: comparison with neutrophils

Eosinophils are characterized by several functional properties, such as chemotaxis, adhesion, superoxide anion production, and degranulation. In this article, we have studied the role of bacterial ingestion by eosinophils in comparison with that by neutrophils. Eosinophils and neutrophils were purified by using the Percoll gradient method followed by selection with CD16‐coated immunomagnetic beads and centrifugation through a Ficoll‐Hypaque gradient combined with dextran sedimentation, respectively. Both cells were preincubated with anti‐FcγRIIa mAb (CD32 mAb), anti‐FcγRIIIb mAb (CD16 mAb), anti‐CR3 (CD11b mAb), or anti‐CR1 (CD35 mAb) before being examined for phagocytosis of opsonized heat‐killed Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Phagocytosis and production of hydrogen peroxide were simultaneously measured by flow cytometry using S. aureus labeled with propidium iodide and stained with 2′,7′‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Eosinophils showed significantly lower activity than neutrophils in both phagocytosis and hydrogen peroxide production. Phagocytosis by both cells was decreased by heat‐inactivated serum. Phagocytosis by neutrophils was significantly inhibited by CD16 mAb and CD32 mAb, whereas that by eosinophils was only inhibited by CD35 mAb. Whereas the mechanism of phagocytosis by neutrophils was mediated by CD16 and CD32, that of eosinophils was modulated by complement receptor 1 (CD35).     

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in Japanese children with ulcerative colitis

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) in Japanese children.
Methodology Serum samples from 23 children with UC (17 Japanese, 6 non-Japanese), 27 children with Crohn's disease (CD) (10 Japanese, 17 non-Japanese), 10 children with other diarrhoeal diseases, and 33 normal, healthy adult volunteers were assayed for ANCA using an indirect immunofluorescence technique.
Results ANCA were detected in 6/17 (35%) UC patients and 0/10 (0%) CD patients in Japanese children, and in 3/6 (50%) UC patients and 3/17 (18%) CD patients in non-Japanese children. The difference in prevalence between Japanese and non-Japanese children with UC was not statistically significant ( P >0.05). ANCA were not found in other diarrhoeal patients and volunteers.
Conclusions Although ANCA have been reported to be useful in the diagnosis of UC in adults, they may be of limited use in Japanese children. This might reflect the heterogeneity of UC.     

Acute childhood leukemia in a patient with hemophilia: First report in Japan

This study reports an unusual case of acute leukemia which was diagnosed as hemophilia A on initial admission for leukemia. A 3 year old boy was admitted to Kagoshima University Hospital with anemia. He was diagnosed as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At the same time he was revealed to have severe hemophilia A⁻ without any previous episodes of severe bleeding tendency or family history of this disease. The laboratory investigation showed his mother to be a carrier of hemophilia A. Although there are many cases of hemophilia which have developed malignant tumors, most of them were caused by association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Only five cases with coexistence of leukemia and hemophilia without HIV infection have been reported and the present case is the first one in Japan. At this stage, hemophiliacs are not necessarily regarded to be a population at risk for the development of leukemia. Furthermore, no particular subtype of leukemia was characterized among these patients in the literature.     

Resetting of Tachycardia Cycle by Single and Double Ventricular Extrastimuli in Recurrent Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia

In two cases with recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) due to re-entry, the response pattern to extrastimuli during the tachycardia was studied. In each case, right ventricular extrastimuli with longer coupling intervals during VT were followed by fully compensatory pauses and with shorter coupling intervals reset the tachycardia cycle. In one case, a plateau was produced by a single extrastimulus, resembling that seen in the response curve of sinus node automaticity as well as ectopic atrial tachycardia. Two successive stimuli produced three definite zones, i.e., fully compensatory, reset producing a plateau, and progressive prolongation zones with shortening of the coupling intervals between the two stimuli, and terminated the tachycardia with further shortening of the coupling intervals. In conclusion, resetting phenomenon was confirmed on two cases with re-entrant VT. This phenomenon cannot be used as a criterion to determine the mechanism responsible for VT.