Study of the localization of radiopacities similar to calcified carotid atheroma by means of panoramic radiography.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the location in soft tissues of the calcifications, similar to calcified carotid atheromas, that can be observed radiographically in the cervical region in panoramic radiographs. STUDY DESIGN: In each anatomic cadaver specimen preserved in formol, consisting of the head and neck, radiopaque spheres (made from gutta-percha) were positioned in anatomic structures of the cervical region that can be sites of calcification. For each anatomic structure marked in this way, panoramic radiography was performed, consisting of 17 radiographs. The images obtained were analyzed by 24 examiners who indicated which radiographs, in their opinion, presented the radiopaque reference projected in the region of bifurcation of the carotid artery. Analysis of 2 proportions from agreement and disagreement was used to determine radiopacities that could be confused in panoramic radiographs with calcified atheromas in the carotid artery. RESULTS: The results showed that 75% (18) of the examiners correctly indicated the reference in the bifurcation of the carotid artery and 79.2% (19) indicated a triticeous cartilage as calcified atheroma of the carotid artery. CONCLUSIONS: Calcified atheromas of the carotid artery are not the only features that can produce radiopaque images lateral to the panoramic radiograph; the presence of calcification in the triticeous cartilage also can induce an erroneous diagnosis of calcified carotid atheroma.     

Different antigenic nature in apparently healthy women with high serum CA 125 levels compared with typical patients with ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND. CA 125 is a representative ovarian cancer-associated antigen defined by monoclonal antibody OC125. Recently, monoclonal antibodies were produced (designated 130-22 and 145-9) that were reactive with CA 125 but bound to a separate epitope named CA 130. There was a close correlation between serum CA 125 and CA 130 values in most instances. However, among more than 8000 serum samples, 5 apparently normal women had high serum CA 125 values, despite having normal CA 130 values. In this study, the antigenic nature of these five women was investigated. METHODS. Using gel chromatography, the molecular masses of CA 125 and CA 130 were estimated that were found in the five women with false-positive CA 125 values. The sera were examined using double-determinant assays combining iodine-125-labeled OC125 or iodine-125-labeled 130-22 with OCI25-coated or 145-9-coated beads. RESULTS. The molecular masses of both CA 125 and CA 130 were estimated as greater than 1000 kilodaltons (KD); the CA 130 mass from one of the five women with an abnormal CA 125 level was approximately 200 KD using gel chromatography. Using the double-determinant assays that combined iodine-125-labeled OC125 or iodine-125-labeled 130-22 with OC125-coated or 145-9-coated beads, high radioactivity was found only in the homologous assay using iodine-125-labeled OC125 with OC125-coated beads. These results suggest that the antigenic nature of CA 125 found in apparently healthy women differs from that found in patients with ovarian cancer and that CA 130 epitopes are not present. CONCLUSIONS. Measurement of serum CA 130 concentrations may be useful for excluding women with falsely elevated CA 125 values.     

Guidance of dopaminergic neuritic growth by immature astrocytes in organotypic cultures of rat fetal ventral mesencephalon.

Astrocytes, with their many functions in producing and controlling the environment in the brain, are of great interest when it comes to studying regeneration after injury and neurodegenerative diseases such as in grafting in Parkinson's disease. This study was performed to investigate astrocytic guidance of growth derived from dopaminergic neurons using organotypic cultures of rat fetal ventral mesencephalon. Primary cultures were studied at different time points starting from 3 days up to 28 days. Cultures were treated with either interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), which has stimulating effects on astrocytic proliferation, or the astrocytic inhibitor cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C). Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunohistochemistry was used to visualize dopaminergic neurons, and antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100 beta were used to label astrocytes. The results revealed that a robust TH-positive nerve fiber production was seen already at 3 days in vitro. These neurites had disappeared by 5 days. This early nerve fiber outgrowth was not guided by direct interactions with glial cells. Later, at 7 days in vitro, a second wave of TH-positive neuritic outgrowth was clearly observed. GFAP-positive astrocytic processes guided these neurites. TH-positive neurites arborized overlying S100 beta-positive astrocytes in an area distal to the GFAP-positive astrocytic processes. Treatment with IL-1 beta resulted in an increased area of TH-positive nerve fiber network. In cultures treated with Ara-C, neither astrocytes nor outgrowth of dopaminergic neurites were observed. In conclusion, this study shows that astrocytes play a major role in long-term dopaminergic outgrowth, both in axonal elongation and branching of neurites. The long-term nerve fiber growth is preceded by an early transient outgrowth of dopamine neurites.     

Time-course changes of regional cerebral blood flow by SPECT with N-isopropyl-p-[123I]-iodoamphetamine in childhood partial seizures]

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with N-isopropyl-p-[123I]-iodoamphetamine was performed twice at different times in 18 children suffering from partial seizures to evaluate the time-course changes of the hemodynamics in the focal region. Comparison of the 2 SPECT images revealed that a decreased regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the first was normalized in 4 cases (22.2%) and contracted in 7 cases (38.9%). The region of decreased blood flow in the second was contralateral to that in the first in 1 case (5.6%) and unchanged in 6 cases (33.3%). Most of the normalized and contracted cases were those in which clinical seizures disappeared and the EEG findings were normalized. In these cases which responded to treatment, the decreased regional CBF was also found to be improved. Repeated SPECT appears to be useful for evaluating the therapeutic efficacy. On the other hand, most of the unchanged cases were those in which clinical seizures were frequent or uncontrolled, or which persistently showed the abnormalities in their EEG. SPECT was considered to reflect well the conditions of the epileptic foci. These results indicate that repeated SPECT for observing the time-course changes of the regional CBF represents a useful technique with can be applied in evaluating the therapeutic efficacy or deciding the time to discontinue treatment and for pathogenetic elucidation of the epileptic foci.     

Development of new immunoradiometric assay for CA 125 antigen using two monoclonal antibodies produced by immunizing lung cancer cells

CA 125 is an antigen associated with non-mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer, which is defined by OC 125 antibody developed by immunizing ovarian cancer cells. We have produced two monoclonal antibodies, 130-22 and 145-9, by using the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line PC-9. Both 130-22 and 145-9 antibodies recognized CA 125 antigen. However, the binding sites seemed to be separate from those of OC 125. Testing by 9 immunoradiometric assays (IRMA), using different combinations of the 3 monoclonal antibodies 130-22, 145-9 and OC 125 demonstrated that the best standard curve for detecting CA 125 could be obtained by a "simultaneous sandwich" assay based on a mixture of 125I-labeled OC 125 and 130-22 or 145-9 coated beads. One-step IRMA, using 130-22 as a tracer and 145-9 as an immunoadsorbent, also showed good reproducibility and sensitivity for measuring CA 125. Antigens were detectable in the culture supernatants of PC-9 cells and 5 of 6 ovarian cancer and endometrial adenocarcinoma cells. These results indicate that one-step IRMA using 130-22 and 145-9 is useful for detecting CA 125 antigen.     

Further Survey of Aflatoxin M1 in Milk Powders by ELISA

A survey of AFM₁ residues in 58 commercial milk powder samples was carried out using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on a monoclonal antibody against aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁). The samples were collected from the USA (10), China (28), Italy (14), New Zealand (3) and Poland (3). The ELISA was performed without the need for clean‐up procedures. The data revealed that 4 (US), 21 (Chinese) and 1 (Polish) samples were positive for AFM₁, with an average of 95.5, 102.8 and 85.0 pg g^‐1 of the AFM₁respectively.     

TWO CASES OF ACQUIRED TOXOPLASMIC LYMPHADENITIS. Light and Electron Microscopic and Immunohistochemical Studies

We report two cases of acquired toxoplasmic lymphadenitis, one with toxoplasmic cysts and the organisms of Toxoplasma gondii and the other with the organisms only. These cysts and organisms were observed in paraffin-embedded sections, touch smears and ultrathin sections for electron microscopy. Touch smears were especially valuable for the quick and accurate diagnosis of toxoplasmic lymphadenitis. We also studied immature sinus histiocytosis (ISH) in these cases. The predominant cells of ISH were confirmed to be B lymphocytes immunohistochemically, the majority being positive for polyclonal surface IgM. ISH was observed in the perifollicular and paracortical areas surrounding post-capillary venules (PCV), whereas the sinuses were only partially involved.     

Transforming growth factor-beta1 gene polymorphism modifies the histological and clinical manifestations in Japanese patients with IgA nephropathy

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, a multifunctional cytokine, which regulates proliferation and differentiation of a variety of cell types, has the central role in the development and progression of renal injury in both animal models and human. Although it has been suggested that genetic variations in the TGF-beta1 gene are associated with the activity of the gene product, their clinical significance in glomerular disease is unknown. We investigated whether the polymorphisms of C-509T and T869C in TGF-beta1 account for interindividual variation in manifestations of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) using 626 Japanese subjects including 329 patients with histologically proven IgAN and 297 healthy controls with normal urinalysis. The frequencies of genotypes, alleles, and major haplotypes were similar between the patients and controls. The C-509T and T869C polymorphisms were in tight linkage disequilibrium, and the major haplotypes were C-C and T-T, which accounted for more than 95% of the total. In patients with -509CC and in those with the 869CC, urinary protein excretion was higher than in those with other genotypes, whereas no difference in other clinical manifestations was noted. Moreover, patients with -509CC and those with 869CC genotypes presented with a significant higher score of mesangial cell proliferation than in those with other genotypes. These results suggest that TGF-beta1 gene polymorphisms are specifically associated with heavy proteinuria and mesangial cell proliferation in Japanese patients with IgAN, although they do not confer susceptibility to this disease.