BONE RESORPTION BY TARTRATE-RESISTANT ACID PHOSPHATASE-POSITIVE MULTINUCLEAR CELLS ISOLATED FROM RHEUMATOID SYNOVIUM

Inflammatory reactions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often causesevere joint destruction. However, the mechanism of bone destructionis still a matter of controversy. To determine whether multinuclearcells found in the rheumatoid synovium can resorb bone, isolatedsynovial cells were assessed for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase(TRAP) staining and the ability to resorb bone in a dentineresorption assay. TRAP-positive multinuclear cells were foundin six out of 10 samples. These six samples showed resorptionpit formation on dentine slices. The other four samples didnot form resorption pits. The results of this study demonstratethat TRAP-positive multinuclear cells isolated from the rheumatoidsynovium form resorption pits on dentine slices. Our resultssuggest that inflamed synovial cells in rheumatoid joints mightparticipate in bone destruction. KEY WORDS: Bone resorption, Rheumatoid arthritis, Pit formation, Synovial cells, Osteoclast-like cells, Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase     

Alpha-Fetoprotein Subtractions in Germ Cell Tumors Identified by Con A or LCH Crossed-Line Affinity Immunoelectrophoresis

ABSTRACT: Using concanavalin A (Con A) crossed-line affinity immunoelectrophoresis and lentil lectin (LCH) crossed-line affinity immunoelectrophoresis, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) subfractions were studied in sera including three sera from nude mice heterotran-splanted with human yolk sac tumor of the ovary and three sera from patients with yolk sac tumor, mature solid teratoma, or immature solid teratoma of the ovary. In sera of nude mice bearing yolk sac tumor or from a patient with yolk sac tumor, subfractions from yolk sac and those from fetal liver were identified. Since AFP subfractions from yolk sac and fetal liver can be differentiated according to the carbohydrate moieties, our findings indicate that AFP produced by yolk sac tumor and fetal yolk sac are to some extent differently glycosylated. We also found that AFP in both mature and immature solid teratoma was composed of two subfractions ontogenetically originating from yolk sac or fetal liver. All these findings indicate that more than two different factors are responsible for the AFP synthesis in germ cell tumor of the ovary.     

Altered intrahepatic pathway of para-umbilical vein in portal hypertension

The object of this study was to determine the frequency and characteristics of altered paraumbilical vein in the hepatic parenchyma, developed from portal hypertension, using computed tomography (CT). Two hundred and ninety-two patients who presented with portal hypertension from 1986 to 1996 were studied retrospectively. The pathway of the dilated para-umbilical vein was demonstrated by contrast-enhanced CT. Thirty-one (11%) patients had a dilated para-umbilical vein arising from the left portal vein into the falciform ligament. In 24 (77%) of these patients, the para-umbilical vein followed the expected route, passing through the fissure of ligamentum teres hepatis. The remaining seven patients (23%) displayed the unusual pathway, with the vein arising from the left branch of the portal vein and passing into the hepatic parenchyma. In these seven patients, four had one collateral vein, and three patients had two collateral veins in the liver parenchyma. The dilated para-umbilical vein frequently passes through the hepatic parenchyma in patients with portal hypertension.     

Social support and pregnancy:II. Its relationship with depressive symptoms among Japanese women

Abstract In a questionnaire survey among 1329 first-trimester pregnant women, both the husband support measures and unwanted pregnancy ('stressor' agent in pregnancy) showed significant effects on an elevated score of the cognitive disturbance subscale of the Zung's self-rating depression scale (SDS), while only unwanted pregnancies showed an effect on an elevated score of the dysphoric mood subscale of the SDS. However, no interaction was observed between the husband support measures and unwanted pregnancy, therefore the effect of the husband's social support on the cognitive disturbance score was not that of a buffer, but rather a main effector. Finally, multiple regression analyses showed that the dysphoric mood score was preceded by unwanted pregnancy, premenstrual irritability, public self-consciousness, and maternal overprotection; while the cognitive disturbance score was preceded by unwanted pregnancy, husband reduced 'given' and 'giving' support, maternal reduced care and overprotection, paternal reduced care, low annual income, low private self-consciousness, and smoking. These findings suggest that the husband's support for a pregnant woman is effective only in reducing cognitive symptoms, and that different symptomatic constellations have different sets of psychosocial correlates.     

Antiviral effect of lymphoblastoid interferon-alpha on hepatitis C virus in patients with chronic hepatitis type C

Abstract To study the antiviral effect of lymphoblastoid alpha interferon (IFN) on hepatitis C virus (HCV) we conducted a randomized, controlled trial on 80 patients with chronic hepatitis C using three different doses. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with 1, 3 or 6 million units of lymphoblastoid IFN-alpha daily for 2 weeks. To assess the antiviral effect of IFN, the amount of HCV present in the serum was estimated by competitive nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) before and after 2 weeks of treatment. The multiple logistic analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with virus clearance, adjusting the imbalance in predictive factors among patients. Hepatitis C virus became negative as assessed by nested PCR after therapy in 26, 50 and 63% of patients receiving 1, 3 and 6 mega units, respectively. Hepatitis C virus was cleared more often in patients having initially low (< 10⁵/mL) amounts of virus. No significant decrease in the amount of virus was observed in the untreated, control group. Patients without bridging fibrosis in liver histology and with HCV genotypes other than K1 (type II) tended to respond well. These results indicate that lymphoblastoid IFN-alpha suppresses HCV in a dose dependent manner. Higher initial virus amounts, bridging fibrosis and genotype K1 were factors associated with poor response.     

改良套简冠预防性可摘修复体修复牙列缺损的临床体会

目的:经改良的套筒冠,使其兼具固定桥及可摘局部义齿的优点,观察其用于牙缺失患者的临床修复效果。方法:套筒冠经改善,命名为预防性可摘式修复体(Preventive,Removable Prosthesis,PRP)系统,其内冠固定于基牙,而外冠作为PRP系统的一部分,与桥体、支托、连接体铸为一体,成为系统可移动的单元。结果:经临床对4例牙缺失患者的修复、使用,随访观察约1～5a,发现PRP系统使基牙切割量少于50%,并有效改善患者口腔清洁度及功能修复。结论:PRP系统,兼取传统的固定桥与可摘局部义齿之优点,对于牙缺失的口腔修复治疗,不失为另一择优选择。     

Is postoperative radiotherapy or maintenance chemotherapy necessary for carcinoma of the uterine cervix?

Summary. The effectiveness of postoperative radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy was examined for patients with uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Whole pelvis irradiation is unnecessary for patients with less than 2/3 of depth of cervical local involvement without pelvic regional lymph node metastases. Adjuvant chemotherapy with tegafur [l-(2-tetrahydrofuryl)-5-fluorouracil] (600 mg/day) has failed to improve the survival of patients with positive lymph node metastases.     

Social support and pregnancy:I. Factorial structure and psychosocial correlates of perceived social support

Abstract In a questionnaire survey among 1329 first-trimester pregnant women, social support providers were divided by factor analysis into husband, 'premarital network' (parents and friends) and 'postmarital network' (children and mother-in-law), while social support contents were divided into 'given' (emotional, informational and instrumental support) and 'giving' (nurturing opportunity and general confiding). The husband was most frequently nominated by the woman as the support provider in both of these categories. Multiple regression analyses revealed that a husband's poor 'given' support was predicted by the presence of premenstrual irritability, a lower level of the woman's own education, her smoking habits and past experience of pregnancy termination, while a husband's poor 'giving' support was predicted by current older age, smoking habits and past experience of delivery.     

Effects of stress on growth of transplanted hepatic tumours and immune responses

Growth of transplanted hepatic tumours (T-9) was enhanced in immune rats under stress, compared with immune rats in an unstressed condition. Compared with unstressed immune rats, killer activity of mononuclear cells infiltrating the tumours against T-9 cells was significantly reduced in stressed immune rats. In contrast, killer activity of splenocytes obtained from stressed immune rats against T-9 cells was elevated compared with that from unstressed immune rats. In addition, natural killer cell activity of mononuclear cells infiltrating the tumours obtained from stressed immune rats was significantly reduced compared with that from unstressed immune rats. Cell populations infiltrating tumour tissues were identified by flow cytometric analysis. The percentage of CD8+ cells in mononuclear cells isolated from tumour tissues of stressed immune rats was reduced compared with that of unstressed immune rats. Furthermore, interleukin-2 responsiveness of splenocytes was suppressed in stressed immune rats, whereas T cell function as reflected by phytohaemagglutinin- or Concanavalin A-reactivity was unaffected by stress. Collectively, it is likely that stress suppressed the generation of cytotoxic cells from the spleen cells of immune rats.