Fibroepithelial polyp of the verumontanum

A case of fibroepithelial polyp of the verumontanum in a 20-year-old male is presented. The endoscopic examination revealed polypoid lesion protruding from the verumontanum, and transurethral resection of the tumour was performed. The histopathological diagnosis was fibroepithelial polyp, containing no prostatic glandular structures. As the nomenclature of the lesions is widely varying, we tried to classify polypoid or papillary lesions of the prostatic urethra by a literature review.     

Studies of effects of anticancer agents in combination with/without hyperthermia on metastasized human bladder cancer cells in chick embryos using the polymerase chain reaction technique

Cultivated T24 cells derived from a human bladder cancer were inoculated into the chorioallantoic membrane vein of chick embryos. Hyperthermic treatment was performed following injection of anticancer agents 3 days after the inoculation of the T24 cells. DNA samples were obtained from the livers of the chick embryos, and the polymerase chain reaction technique was used to amplify a DNA fragment specific to the human -globin gene. The Southern hybridization method was used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of anticancer agents in combination with/without hyperthermia on T24 cells metastasized to the liver. The hyperthermia exerted an inhibitory effect on the growth of the T24 cells in the livers of the chick embryos, and this was dependent on the thermal dose. The antitumor effects of hyperthermia performed at 42.5° C for 20 min and at 43.0° C for 10 min were evidenced by 69.2% an 82.0% inhibition of the growth of the metastasized T24 cells, respectively, as compared with the growth of untreated T24 cell. Hyperthermia performed at 42.5° C for 10 min alone produced 26.7% tumor growth inhibition, and these conditions for hyperthermia were subsequently used as a criterion for evaluating the effects of its combination with various anticancer agents. Adriamycin (20 g/egg) alone, mitomycin C (10 g/egg) alone, carboplatin (10 g/egg) alone, and cisplatin (10 g/egg) alone produced 13.5%, 58.9%, 27.3%, and 29.1% tumor growth inhibition, respectively. Adriamycin and mitomycin C applied in combination with hyperthermia showed additive inhibitory effects on the growth of the metastasized T24 cells in this chick embryo model.     

Radiofrequency capacitive hyperthermia combined with irradiation or chemotherapy for patients with invasive bladder-cancer

The immediate therapeutic clinical efficacy and long-term outcome of hyperthermia in combination with irradiation or chemotherapeutic agent was evaluated in 46 patients with invasive bladder cancer. Radiohyperthermia was performed in 19 cases and chemohyperthermia in 27 cases. Complete response (CR) was obtained in 5 and partial response (PR) in 15 of the 46 cases. Five-year survival rates by the Kaplan-Meier method were 43.8% in the CR/PR group and 18.3% in the no change (NC)/progressive disease (PD) group, showing no difference of survival rate between the CR/PR group and the NC/PD group. The overall median survival period for the CR/PR group without metastasis was 61.6 months compared to 32.3 months for the NC/PD group without metastasis (P<0.05).     

Incubation in tissue culture media allows isolated rabbit proximal tubules to regain in-vivo-like transport function: response of HCO3 – absorption to norepinephrine

Using a new stop-flow perfusion technique with microspectrofluorometric determination of luminal fluid pH, we have studied which substrates or incubation conditions allow isolated rabbit proximal tubules to attain in-vivo-like rates of HCO3- absorption (J(HCO3)) and maximal responses of J(HCO3) to norepinephrine (NE). Essentially three incubation media were tested: plasma-like HCO(3-)-Ringer solution containing 5 mmol/l D-glucose (G-Ringer sol.), the same solution also containing 10 mmol/l lactate and 5 mmol/l L-alanine, (LAG-Ringer sol.), and two tissue culture media (DMEM and RPMI 1640). Compared to G-Ringer sol., application of LAG-Ringer sol. in the bath and/or lumen, or application of DMEM or RPMI 1640 in the bath either slightly increased or decreased J(HCO3) with borderline significance. However, RPMI 1640 plus 1 mmol/l pyruvate stimulated J(HCO3) by 55%. While NE (10(-5) mol/l), if applied in G-Ringer sol., had no effect, in the presence of LAG-Ringer sol. it increased J(HCO3) by approximately =40%, and in the presence of DMEM or RPMI 1640 it increased J(HCO3) by approximately =100%. This stimulation by NE followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an EC50 value of 0.25 micromol/l and was probably mediated by alpha1-adrenergic receptors. Additional cell pH measurements suggest that NE stimulates the basolateral Na+-HCO3- cotransporter which then becomes susceptible to inhibition by cAMP. We conclude that incubation in tissue culture media allows isolated proximal tubules to maintain a better functional state than the commonly used solutions with unphysiologically high substrate concentrations.     

Pharmacokinetics of calcitriol and maxacalcitol administered into peritoneal dialysate bags in peritoneal dialysis patients.

OBJECTIVES: It is well known that injection of calcitriol (CT) or maxacalcitol (OCT) is very effective in hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (2HPT). However, it is difficult to use these drugs with peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients with 2HPT because these drugs must be injected two or three times per week. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the stability of physiological activities of CT and OCT in PD bags and to determine the CT or OCT dosage for intraperitoneal (IP) administration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We added CT 1.5 microg or OCT 10 microg to Dianeal PD-2 (approximate pH = 5.0, calcium = 0.87 mmol/L; Baxter,Tokyo, Japan), Midpeliq 250 (approximate pH = 7.0, Ca = 1.0 mmol/L;Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), and Peritoliq 250 (approximate pH = 5.5, Ca = 1.0 mmol/L; Terumo Corp.). Dialysis solutions were collected from the PD bags at 0, 1, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after addition of CT and OCT. The activities of CT and OCT in the dialysis effluent were measured by radioimmunoassay. The levels of serum and effluent OCT after a single IP administration of 10 microg OCT were examined in 4 PO patients with advanced 2HPT. RESULTS: Although the levels of CT and OCT in PD bags made of polyvinyl resins decreased by 70% - 75% immediately after injection, levels in PD bags made of polypropylene resins decreased only slightly. The concentration of CT mixed into the acidic solution in glass containers was stable; the decreased concentration of CT in the PD solution might be due to adsorption onto polyvinyl resins. The maximum serum concentration after IP administration of 10 microg OCT was 750 pg/mL after 5 minutes, and remained at 500 pg/mL at 60 minutes. These results show good peritoneal transport of OCT but not rapid disappearance, unlike intravenous administration. CONCLUSIONS: If peritoneal administration of vitamin D derivatives is contemplated, it is important to select the composition of PD bag resins, type of vitamin D analog, and time lag to use when deciding the dosage of injectable vitamin D preparations, such as OCT or CT, for IP administration to PD patients. It appears that IP administration in overnight dwells might be useful for PD patients as a complementary vitamin D preparation.     

Oncogene amplification and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in urological malignant tumors--the application of restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis]

We applied restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis to 24 cases of renal cell carcinomas (RCC), 18 cases of prostate adenocarcinomas (PC), and 11 cases of transitional cell carcinomas (TCC) in the renal pelvis to study the oncogene amplification and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. All of the cases showed no amplification nor gross rearrangements of the Harvey ras, c-myc, c-fos, c-myb, EGFR and PDGFR. In contrast, RFLP analyses demonstrated allelic losses interpreted as inactivational events of TSGs among the tumor forms studied. RCC had allelic losses on the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p) (68%), the long arm of chromosome 18 (18q) (33%), Y chromosome (29%), and 17p (27%) at high frequencies. PC showed frequent allelic losses on 16q (67%), 8p (50%), 18q (43%), 10p (40%), and 10q (38%). TCC had allelic losses on 17p (73%), 11p (64%), and 9p (40%). It was likely that the cases with the more malignant grade tumor had the more allelic losses.     

A gene near the D3F15S2 site on 3p is expressed in normal human kidney but not or only at a severely reduced level in 11 of 15 primary renal cell carcinomas (RCC)

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) has been associated with the loss of heterozygosity at several loci on the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p). We have previously found that one of these loci, D3F15S2 (pH3H2) was lost in 76% of the tumor cells derived from heterozygous donors (Kovacs, G., Erlandsson, R., Boldog, F., Ingvarrsson, S., Müller-Brechlin, R., Klein, G. & Sümegi, J. (1988), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 85, 1571-5). More recently we have identified a putative CpG island in the vicinity of D3F15S2, suggesting that DNA sequences in or around this site may have coding potential (Boldog, F., Erlandsson, R., Klein, G. & Sümegi, J. (1989). Cancer Genet. Cytogenet., 42, 295-306). The screening of a human placenta cDNA library with DNA probes derived from D3F15S2 has led to the isolation of several cDNA clones. They identified a 2.9 Kb long message in human placenta and kidney. In total RNA from 11 of 15 primary RCCs the gene expression was reduced to less than 20% compared to eight normal kidneys. This low level of expression may be due to contaminating normal tissue. In the remaining 4 tumors the expression varied from 24-51% compared to normal kidney. To facilitate reference, the gene was provisionally designated as 'RIK'. It was expressed in the HEK 293, one osteosarcoma (HOS), two carcinoma (COLO320 and QDMT), and three Burkitt lymphoma lines (BL2, BL29 and BL31). It was not expressed in one Burkitt lymphoma (DG75) and two EBV transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) (NAD-20 and Cherry).