Gastric carcinosarcoma with neuroendocrine differentiation as the carcinoma component and leiomyosarcomatous and myofibroblastic differentiation as the sarcomatous component

Gastric carcinosarcoma with neuroendocrine differentiation is a very rare neoplasm. In this article we present such a case. The gastroendoscopic examination of a 59-year-old Japanese man disclosed gastric cancer during follow-up after operation for rectal cancer. Subsequently, total gastrectomy was carried out because of gastric cancer. A large tumor measuring 9.2 x 8.4 cm was observed in the posterior wall of the upper portion of the stomach. The tumor was composed of carcinoma and sarcomatous cells, and the histological transition of both components was observed. Immunohistochemically, carcinoma and sarcomatous cells were positive for cytokeratin CAM5.2. The carcinoma contained adenocarcinoma and malignant cells with neuroendocrine differentiation. The sarcomatous component showed leiomyosarcomatous and myofibroblastic differentiation. The present tumor is the fifth case of gastric carcinosarcoma with neuroendocrine differentiation and the first case of gastric carcinosarcoma with myofibroblastic differentiation. Pathologists should bear in mind that gastric carcinosarcoma may show various types of differentiation.     

Protective role of interleukin-1 in mycobacterial infection in IL-1 alpha/beta double-knockout mice

To understand the role of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) in mycobacterial inflammation, IL-1 alpha/beta double-knockout (KO) mice were produced. These mice were infected with either Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv by the airborne route using an airborne infection apparatus, and their capacities to control mycobacterial growth, granuloma formation, cytokine, and nitric oxide (NO) production were examined. The IL-1 alpha/beta mice developed significantly larger (p < 0.01) granulomatous, but not necrotic, lesions in their lungs than wild-type (WT) mice after infection with H37Rv. Inflammatory lesions, but not granulomas, were observed in spleen and liver tissues from both IL-1 alpha/beta KO and wild-type mice. Granulomatous lesion development in IL-1 alpha/beta KO mice was not significantly inhibited by treatment with exogenous recombinant IL-1 alpha/beta. Compared with wild-type mice, splenic IFN-gamma and IL-12 levels were within the normal range. NO production by cultured alveolar macrophages from IL-1 alpha/beta KO mice was lower than in wild-type mice but were increased by the addition of recombinant IL-1 alpha/beta. Our data clearly indicate that IL-1 is important for the generation of early-phase protective immunity against mycobacterial infection.     

Immunohistochemical demonstration of neurotensin in striatal neurons of the cat, with particular reference to coexistence with enkephalin

Neurotensin-like immunoreactivity (NT-LI) was visualized in medium-sized, spiny neurons of the caudate nucleus (Cd) and putamen (Put) in colchicine-treated cats by the immunoperoxidase method. In serial sections alternately immunostained for NT and enkephalin (Enk), coexistence of NT-LI and Enk-LI was revealed in about 50% of NT-neurons and about 50% of Enk-neurons in Cd and Put.     

Epitope mapping of human factor IX inhibitor antibodies

Summary. We have determined the location of epitopes on the factor IX for three haemophilia B inhibitor antibodies (HB-1, HB-3, HB-7) and a monoclonal anti-factor IX inhibitory antibody (designated 65–10). The main binding region of HB-1, HB-3 and HB-7 was ¹⁵⁵YVNSTEAETI¹⁶⁴ (residues 155–164), ¹⁶⁷NITQSTQSFN¹⁷⁶ and ¹⁵⁶VNSTEAETI¹⁶⁴, respectively. The binding region of 65–10 was ¹⁶⁸ITQSTQSFNDFTRVV¹⁸², which included the cleavage site (¹⁸⁰R-V¹⁸¹) for activation by factor XIa. By neutralization experiments using two peptides, ¹⁵⁶VNSTEAETI¹⁶⁴ and ¹⁶⁷NITQSTQSFN¹⁷⁶, the degree of neutralization of anti-factor IX IgG purified by protein A was determined. Neutralization of three antibodies, HB-1, HB-3 and HB-7, in the presence of 10m m of the peptides ¹⁵⁶VNSTEAETI¹⁶⁴ was 30.1%, 0% and 10.8%, respectively, and in the presence of 4 m m of ¹⁶⁷NITQSTQSFN¹⁷⁶ it was 0%, 13.5% and 17.3%, respectively. On the other hand, when plasmas of patients instead of purified IgG were used for neutralization, 10 m m of ¹⁵⁶VNSTEAETI¹⁶⁴ and 4 m m of ¹⁶⁷NITQSTQSFN¹⁷⁶ failed to neutralize the inhibitor in the plasmas.     

Evaluation of the laser-Doppler velocimetry method in the measurement of gastric blood flow in rats--spatial resolution

In this paper, gastric blood flow in rats was measured with the laser-Doppler velocimetry method (the LDV method) to study about the tissue locus where its flow signal arises (spatial resolution). In the measurement throughout some 1 mm thickness of another nonperfused gastric wall interposed between the laser probe and gastric mucosal surface, its laser flow signal was 17% of the flow signal in the usual measurement. In the blood flow measurement with the LDV prove on the mucosal and the serosal surface of gastric wall, the laser flow signal on the mucosal surface was higher (p less than 0.05) than that on the serosal surface. These results suggested that the laser flow signal mainly arose from the tissue right under the laser probe, reflecting the total gastric blood flow of the gastric wall. In the regional blood flow measurement at corpus and antrum, the ratio between antral and corpus flow signals by the LDV method was similar to that between gastric mucosal blood flows at both sites by the hydrogen gas clearance technique. In the blood flow measurement after the intravenous infusion of each pentagastrin, isoproterenol, and vasopressin, flow signal of the LDV method could detect the each effect of these drugs on gastric mucosal blood flow as well as well as the hydrogen gas clearance technique. These results showed that the laser flow signal and gastric mucosal blood flow were mutually correlated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)