The participation of adenosine receptors in the adenosine 5''-triphosphate-induced relaxation in the isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum penis

AIM: To investigate the participation of adenosine receptors in the adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)-induced relaxation in the corpus cavernosum penis (CCP) of rabbits. METHODS: The ATP-induced relaxation was assessed on the noradrenaline precontracted CCP of rabbits in the presence and absence of 8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine (CSC); an adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonist; alloxazine and MRS1754; adenosine A(2B) receptor antagonists; and ARL67156, an inhibitor of ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases. RESULTS: Adenosine and ATP relaxed the noradrenaline precontracted CCP of rabbits in a concentration-dependent manner. The adenosine- and ATP-induced relaxations were suppressed by alloxazine and MRS1754, but not by 8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine. ARL67156 potentiated the ATP-induced relaxation but not the adenosine-induced one. MRS1754 suppressed the ATP-induced relaxation potentiated by ARL67156. CONCLUSIONS: The above results suggest that, in the CCP of rabbits, the adenosine receptor mediating adenosine-induced relaxation is of the A(2B) receptor and the ATP directly causes relaxation through the A(2B) receptor on the CCP.     

Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid with exuberant nodular fasciitis-like stroma

 We describe a rare case of papillary carcinoma with extensive proliferation of stromal cells. The stromal cells were immunocytochemically positive for vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin and desmin, but negative for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, S-100, thyroglobulin and CD34. These results and the ultrastructure of the stromal cells, which exhibited the characteristics of both fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells, indicated an origin from myofibroblasts. We conclude that myofibroblastic proliferation may contribute to the stromal response in the slow growth of the papillary carcinoma. Received: 29 August 1996 / 26 May 1997     

New hepatic vein reconstruction in left liver graft.

The incidence of hepatic venous stenosis is higher in partial liver transplantation. New methods for hepatic venous reconstruction in left liver transplantation, which secure wide anastomosis, were devised and are reported here. In the graft, the right side of the middle hepatic vein or the left side of the left hepatic vein was cut longitudinally and a rectangular-shaped vein patch was attached for venoplasty. In the recipient, after the left and middle hepatic veins were joined, the right side of the middle hepatic vein was cut toward the closed right hepatic vein, making a horizontal cavotomy for anastomosis. Of 92 patients who underwent conventional hepatic vein reconstruction, 3 were complicated by hepatic venous stenosis (median follow-up 43 months). By contrast, there were no hepatic vein complications in the 20 patients who underwent the new technique (7 months). The current method appears to be technically feasible for outflow reconstruction in left liver graft transplantation.     

Early reinfection with human metapneumovirus in an infant

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is one of the major pathogens of respiratory illness. Reinfection with hMPV occurs frequently throughout life. We describe an infant who was infected with two different hMPV strains during a period of only 1 month.     

Genetic susceptibility testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer--approach from a commercial clinical laboratory

Genetic testing for hereditary cancers and other common diseases are still considered as the research testing, not for the clinical testing in Japan. One of the major reason of this situation is related to the guidelines regarding the human genetic testing issued successively in the spring of 2001, one by joint work of the eight learned societies and the other by the Japan clinical laboratories association. Both of these guidelines warn the condition of the clinical application of genetic testing after research stage must have the evidence data for clinical utility. We describe the situation of the genetic testing in the U.S. focusing the social background of increasing breast cancer cases and the contribution of Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc. for the genetic testing industry. We also describe the Japanese situation of the genetic testing and problems to be solved before spreading widely.     

Prevalence of chlamydia-pneumoniae-specific immunoglobulin M antibody and acute exacerbations of asthma in childhood]

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae is a frequent causative agent of acute respiratory disease and has been recently reported as a possible cause of asthma. We investigated the prevalence of C. pneumoniae infections in childhood patients with acute exacerbations of asthma. METHOD: One hundred twenty-six childhood patients with acute exacerbations of asthma, 77 with acute bronchitis and 22 Respiratory syncytial virus infections were studied. Serum samples were obtained and tested for C. pneumoniae-specific IgM antibody by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA). RESULTS: C. pneumoniae IgM-positive results were observed in 48.4% (Index value>or=1.60) and 23% (Index value>or=1.10) of patients with acute exacerbations of asthma. The prevalence of C. pneumoniae-specific IgM was significantly higher in asthma cases than in other subjects (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that C. pneumoniae infection may trigger acute exacerbations of childhood asthma.     

Fate redirection of hippocampal astrocytes toward neuronal lineage by aggregate culture

Mammalian cells that have been committed to a certain cell lineage cannot be directed to other lineages. However, some astrocytes in the mammalian brains have been reported to represent plasticity to redirect to other cell lineages. We found that mouse hippocampal astrocytes cultured in aggregate forms of "astrosphere", redirected to MAP2-positive immature neurons. In astrospheres, basic HLH factors positively regulating neuronal differentiation were up-regulated and Id3 inhibiting basic HLH factors was down-regulated. Ectopic Id3 induction repressed redirection of astrocytes to a neuronal lineage, suggesting that astrosphere formation induced plasticity of astrocytes by changing the gene expression patterns.     

Clonal expansion of multiphenotypic Epstein-Barr virus-infected lymphocytes in chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has been recognized as clonal non-neoplastic lymphoproliferative diseases. However, some reports of cases with a multiphenotypic expansion of EBV-infected lymphocytes give rise to questions of how EBV infects multiphenotypic lymphocytes and whether chronic active EBV infection is a truly monoclonal lymphoproliferative disease. We report two patients with chronic active EBV infection who showed expansion of multiphenotypic EBV-infected lymphocytes. EBV DNA was detected in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and in B cells from pleural fluid of one patient and in T and B cells from a cervical lymph node of the other patient by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Although real-time PCR showed that there were equally high loads of EBV genomes in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from the pleural fluid, Southern blot hybridization with terminal repeats of the EBV genome showed a single band of the same molecular weight in three tissue samples from the patient. The results indicated biphenotypic expansions of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells infected with the same clone of EBV. Furthermore, bisulfite PCR analysis showed hypermethylated status in the Cp region in the two patients regardless of their cell populations. There has been a discrepancy between clonality and expansion of multiphenotypic EBV-infected lymphocytes. We speculate that lymphoid progenitor cells that have not differentiated into T and B cell progenitors are infected with EBV, resulting in clonal expansion of EBV-infected multiphenotypic cells.