Effects of Gadolinium Chloride on the Rat Lung Following Intratracheal Instillation

The metabolic behavior, clearance, and pulmonary effects ofgadolinium (Gd), one of the rare earth elements, were investigatedafter single intratracheal instillation of gadolinium chloride(GdCl₃) in male Wistar rats. There was a dose-related increasein Gd content of lung tissue. Gd content in the supernatantof bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) did not exceed 5 µgGd/ BALF even at a dose of 100 µg Gd/rat. Gd in the lungtissue decreased very slowly with a biological half-life of136 days at a dose of 50 µg Gd/rat. On the other hand,Gd content in the super natant of BALF was not detectable after31 days. These results suggest that intratracheally instilledGd can be retained in epithelial lining fluid only to a limitedextent as soluble forms and is deposited in the lung tissueprobably in insoluble forms which are metabolized very slowly.Calcium (Ca) content in BALF increased more rapidly than othertoxicological indices such as lactate dehydrogenase activity,protein concentration, and inflammatory cell counts. In thelung tissue, levels of Ca in Gd-instilled groups did not differfrom the control value. Although these data suggest that theorigin of Ca may be blood plasma, biological and/or toxicologicalsignificance of increased Ca is not known. The number of neutrophilsreached the maximum at 12 hr after instillation, indicatingthat Gd has the potency to cause acute lung toxicity. Summarizingthe observation, Gd instilled intratracheally into rats wasdeposited in the lung tissue in nonsoluble forms with an extremelylong half-life, while the metal caused a rapid and selectiveinfiltration of serum Ca before acute lung toxicity.     

谷胱甘肽对顺铂致猴和大鼠肾细胞毒性的影响

目的 探讨顺铂对猴和大鼠肾小管上皮细胞的毒性及半胱氨酸和GSH合成抑制剂BSO对其影响。方法 从猴和大鼠的肾脏分离培养的肾小管上皮细胞接种于96孔培养板，培养24h后加入一系列浓度的顺铂，或在加入顺铂前16和4h，分别加入GSH合成抑制剂BSO和GSH的前体物半胱氨酸，继续培养，分别在8、24和48h3个时间点用MTT方法检测细胞存活率。结果 顺铂对猴和大鼠肾小管上皮细胞有明显的毒性，在不同的时间点有各自的剂量—反应关系，顺铂对大鼠肾小管上皮细胞在8、24和48h 3个时间点半数抑制浓度(IC50)分别为1105．12、513．25和71．24μmol/L；BSO能使3组IC50均降低，分别为66．00、21．43和7．23μmol/L，而半胱氨酸则使3组IC50均升高，均大于5000μmol/L；顺铂对猴肾小管上皮细胞在3个时间点IC50分别为3026．00、1238．35和664．44μmol/L；BS0使3组ICD分别降为480．10、108．61和31．43μmol/L，而半胱氨酸则可使3组IC50均大于5000μmol/L。结论 顺铂对猴和大鼠肾小管上皮细胞均具有明显毒性作用，对猴的毒性低于大鼠；BS0可增强顺铂的细胞毒性，对大鼠的影响大于猴，而半胱氨酸对两种细胞的保护作用无显著性差异，提示细胞内GSH对顺铂所致肾小管上皮细胞毒性有保护作用。     

Persistent infection of Strongyloides venezuelensis and normal expulsion of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis in Mongolian gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus, with reference to the cellular responses in the intestinal mucosa

The kinetics of daily faecal egg count, worm burdens, and intestinal cellular responses were examined in Mongolian gerbils after infection with either Strongyloides venezuelensis or Nippostrongylus brasiliensis alone, or concurrently with both parasites. The results show that, both in individual and concurrent infections, S. venezuelensis infection persisted for over 10 weeks and elicited a gradual increase in number of mast cells in the jejunal mucosa. On the other hand, N. brasiliensis worms were expelled by 3 weeks in association with goblet cell hyperplasia. These results suggest that effector/regulator cells involved in worm expulsion are different and highly selective depending on the genus of intestinal helminths.     

Severe chronic active giftein-Barr virus infection accompanied by virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome,cerebellar ataxia and encephalitis

We present a rare case of chronic active giftein-Barr virus (EBV) infection showing various clinical outcomes. A 26-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to persistent fever and dyspnea. Serologic response of the patient to EBV indicated chronic active infection. He showed pleuritis, parotitis, chronic hepatic dysfunction, disseminated intravascular coagulation, virus associated hemophaghocytic syndrome, acute rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure, acute cerebellar ataxia, encephalitis and multiple brain abscesses. None of acyclovir, gancyclovir, prednisolone or interleukin-2 was effectual to abolish those abnormalities. This is the first report of transient cerebellar ataxia which aggravated to panencephalitis associated with chronic EBV infection.     

Selective effector mechanisms for the expulsion of intestinal helminths

In the middle of the era of molecular biology, much less attention is paid to in vivo phenomena. However, carefully designed experimental systems in vivo still can provide valuable information as to the mechanisms underlying the establishment and maintenance of host-parasite relationships. In this review we describe the advantage of using concurrent infections with appropriately chosen combinations of different genera or different maturation stages of parasites to segregate the cellular responses of the host. By means of simple experimental approaches we have found that mucosal mast cells and goblet cells, both of which have long been considered as non-specific effectors, are in fact highly selective and specific effector cells of the host defence mechanisms capable of acting on the establishment and the expulsion of intestinal helminths.     

Percutaneous ethanol injection for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma. Study of 95 patients

Percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) was applied to 120 lesions in 95 patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) smaller than 3 cm in the past 6 years. All main target tumours, in 67 patients who had been followed by sonography for more than 6 months after PEI, decreased in size; 28 tumours (41.8%) became undetectable and have remained so until now. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year survival rates calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method were 93%, 81%, 65%, 52% and 28% respectively. These survival rates were better than those of patients with HCC smaller than 3 cm who did not receive anticancer treatment (P less than 0.01). The survival of patients of the Child's A or Child's B status was better than that of those with Child's C disease. Recurrence occurred in areas within the liver different from the original lesion in 34% in one year, 61% in two years and 66% in three years after PEI. PEI was then repeated in 61% of such patients.     

Effect of testosterone on the mucosal defence against intestinal helminths in Indian soft-furred rats, Millardia meltada with reference to goblet and mast cell responses

Effects of testosterone on the mucosal defence mechanisms against intestinal helminths were examined in Millardia meltada. When female M. meltada were treated with testosterone at the pharmacological dose, Nippostrongy-lus brasiliensis infection persisted for over seven weeks with prominent biphasic pattern of faecal egg production, whereas almost complete expulsion was observed by two weeks in untreated controls. In spite of a biphasic pattern of faecal egg production, the worm burden of testosterone-treated animals remained constant up to three weeks and then slowly decreased by seven weeks. To see whether or not this delayed expulsion in testosterone treated animals was due to altered cellular responses of the intestinal mucosa, goblet and mast cell responses were examined histologically. At two weeks post-infection, goblet cell responses at the infected site were significantly lower in testosterone-treated animals than in controls. In contrast mast cell hyperplasia was comparable between testosterone-treated and control animals. When Strongyloides venezuelensis, in which expulsion is dependent on mucosal mast cells, were infected concurrently with N. brasiliensis, testosterone-treated animals could expel S. venezuelensis worms by Day 18, but failed to expel N. brasiliensis. Histologically, mast cell hyperplasia was associated with expulsion ofS. venezuelensis, while goblet cell responses were suppressed. From these results, testosterone seems to suppress proliferation/function of goblet cells but does not affect mast cells ofM. meltada.     

Stratum corneum hydration and amino acid content in xerotic skin

The relationship between clinical severity, the hydration state of the skin surface as assessed by a conductance with a 3.5 MHz high frequency impedance meter, and the amino acid content of the stratum corneum (SC) of six patients with ichthyosis vulgaris and 30 elderly persons with varying degrees of xerosis was investigated. With an increase in the severity of xerosis the SC showed a decrease in hydration and in its extractable amino acid content. There was a significant correlation between the hydration state and amino acid content of the SC. Although there was a significant correlation between the amino acid content of the lower leg SC and that of the forearm SC in the same subject, the former was generally lower, corresponding to the greater incidence of xerosis on the lower leg. These results suggest that a decreased amount of amino acids may be the result of low profilaggrin biosynthesis in the epidermis and that this is involved in the pathogenesis of these xerotic skin conditions. Clinical improvement of the xerosis following treatment with a urea-containing cream was not accompanied by any significant change in the amino acid content of the SC.     

顺铂对大鼠肝细胞毒性及谷胱甘肽的保护作用

目的探讨顺铂对原代培养的大鼠肝细胞的毒性及谷胱甘肽对其影响.方法从大鼠的肝脏分离培养肝实质细胞接种于96孔培养板,培养3h后加入一系列浓度的顺铂,或在加入顺铂前16和4h,分别加入谷胱甘肽(glutathione,GSH)合成抑制剂DL-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine(BSO)和GSH的前体物半胱氨酸,继续培养,分别在8,24和48 h 3个时间点用噻唑蓝(MTT)方法检测细胞存活率.结果顺铂对大鼠肝细胞有明显的毒性,在不同的时间点有各自的剂量-反应关系,顺铂对大鼠肝细胞在8,24和48 h 3个时间点半数抑制浓度(IC50)分别为1.13,0.21和0.15 mmol/L;BSO能使3组IC50均降低,分别为0.017,0.011和0.013 mmol/L,而半胱氨酸则可使3组IC50均升高,均大于5mmol/L.结论顺铂对大鼠肝细胞具有明显的毒性作用,且呈时间和剂量依赖关系;BSO可增强顺铂的肝细胞毒性,而半胱氨酸对顺铂引起的肝细胞毒性有保护作用,提示细胞内GSH对顺铂所致肝细胞毒性有保护作用.     

Comparison of Symptomatic Vasospasm after Surgical Clipping and Endovascular Coiling

Vasospasm, initial neurological damage, rebleeding, and periprocedural complications are associated prognostic factors for clinical outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In this study, factors related to delayed ischemic neurological deficit (DIND) are evaluated using data from our institute for the last 18 years. Data from 2001 to 2018 of patients with aneurysmal SAH who underwent surgical clipping (SC) or endovascular coiling (EC) within 7 days of onset were retrospectively analyzed. Cases of mortality within 5 days after treatment were excluded. Multivariate analysis was used to identify the risk factors for DIND. In total, 840 cases of SAH were assessed; among these cases, 384 (45.7%) and 456 (54.3%) were treated with SC and EC, respectively. The frequency of DIND in the EC group was significantly less than that in the SC group (11.8% vs. 17.7%; p = 0.016). In the results of multivariate analysis, internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm and hemorrhagic complications were the risk factors for DIND. Cilostazol administration and EC were significant factors for vasospasm prevention after aneurysmal SAH (odds ratio of ICA aneurysm: 1.59, hemorrhagic complications: 1.76, SC: 1.51, and cilostazol administration: 0.51, respectively). Cilostazol administration was also a significant factor in patients who were treated with EC. ICA aneurysm, treatment strategy, hemorrhagic complications, and cilostazol administration were associated with DIND. Oral administration of cilostazol and avoiding hemorrhagic complications were effective in DIND prevention. If both treatments are available for ruptured aneurysms, clinicians should choose EC on the basis of its ability to prevent DIND.