Ultrastructural localization of adhalin in normal murine skeletal myofiber

The ultrastructural localization of adhalin and its relations to dystrophin, β-dystroglycan, and β-spectrin were studied in normal murine skeletal myofibers. The C-terminal peptides of adhalin and β-dystroglycan were synthesized based on their cDNAs, and the affinity-purified antibodies against these peptides were produced. Single-immunolabeling electron microscopy showed that the adhalin was located just inside the muscle plasma membrane or inside the myofiber a short distance from the plasma membrane. The adhalin signal was also noted at the sarcoplasmic side of plasmalemmd invaginations or at vesicular structures in subsarcolemmal areas. Double-immunogold-labeling electron microscopy disclosed a similar localization of dystrophin, β-dystroglycan, and β-spectrin. The close association of adhalin with dystrophin or β-dystroglycan was demonstrated by formation of doublets by signals of antibodies of adhalin with those of dystrophin or β-dystroglycan and was confirmed by statistical analyses. This study demonstrated that the location of adhalin is close to that of dystrophin and β-dystroglycan at the muscle plasma membrane.     

A case of primary giant calculus in female urethra

Urinary calculus is rarely seen in the urethra and is usually encountered in men with urethral stricture or diverticulum. Primary urethral calculi are extremely rare in females. We describe a case of a giant urethral stone impacted in the urethra of a 103-year-old female.     

Malignant mesenchymoma of the esophagus

This is a case report of a malignant mesenchymoma of the esophagus in a 50?year-old Japanese man. The tumor was a sessile polypoid mass showing a downward invasion limited to the submucosa of the esophagus. Histologically, the lesion contained rhabdomyosarcomatous and osteosarcomatous areas, in addition to an ill-defined fibrosarcomatous element. In contrast with reports of carcinosarcoma up to the present, this tumor lacked any invasive lesion of an epithelial malignancy. The morphogenesis of these tumor groups was discussed from a hamartoblastomatous standpoint. Acta pathol. jpn. 34: 925～933, 1984.     

Detecting Candida albicans in human milk

Procedures for diagnosis of mammary candidosis, including laboratory confirmation, are not well defined. Lactoferrin present in human milk can inhibit growth of Candida albicans, thereby limiting the ability to detect yeast infections. The inhibitory effect of various lactoferrin concentrations on the growth of C. albicans in whole human milk was studied. The addition of iron to the milk led to a two- to threefold increase in cell counts when milk contained 3.0 mg of lactoferrin/ml and markedly reduced the likelihood of false-negative culture results. This method may provide the necessary objective support needed for diagnosis of mammary candidosis.     

Akt/PKB activation in gastric carcinomas correlates with clinicopathologic variables and prognosis

Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) plays an important role in cell survival. However, the role of Akt in the biology of gastric cancer has not been well studied. We sought to investigate the expression of Akt or phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) in human gastric carcinomas and to analyze the relationship between Akt or pAkt and the clinicopathologic parameters. The expressions of Akt and pAkt were evaluated immunohistochemically in 311 gastric carcinomas using the tissue array method. Akt expression was detected in 74% of the tumors and pAkt expression in 78%. pAkt was highly expressed in the early stage of pTNM (p=0.011). We also found an inverse association between pAkt and lymphatic invasion (p=0.01) or lymph node metastasis (p=0.008). pAkt expression was significantly correlated with a higher survival in patients with stage I carcinomas (p=0.0003). Interestingly, combined evaluation revealed that the group with pAkt-positive and lymph node-negative carcinomas showed a better prognosis than the other groups (p<0.0001). In addition, pAkt was shown to correlate positively with APC (p=0.002) and Smad4 (p<0.0001) expression. These findings suggest that pAkt expression may help to predict the clinical outcome of gastric cancer patients.     

Pseudolesions of the liver possibly caused by focal rib compression: analysis based on hemodynamic change

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to show and analyze the CT appearance of pseudolesions of the liver caused by rib compression and to discuss the possible mechanism on the basis of findings of incremental dynamic CT, CT during arterial portography, and CT hepatic arteriography. CONCLUSION: Focal compression of the liver caused by curved ribs can cause transient focal diminishment of portal venous perfusion without significantly altering hepatic arterial perfusion. Such diminishment may be observed as low-density areas on the early phase of incremental dynamic CT.     

Hepatic angiomyolipoma: report of changing size and internal composition on follow-up examination in two cases

We present two cases of hepatic angiomyolipoma in which the size and internal composition of the tumor changed during the course of follow-up study. The tissue elements composing the tumor are thought to grow or regress independently during the disease's clinical course. Radiologists should be aware that hepatic angiomyolipoma can change in size and internal composition during its natural course.