Adsorption of Human Recombinant Erythropoietin on Dialysis Membranes In Vitro

Abstract: The adsorptive characteristics of 5 dialysis membranes for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) were studied in vitro in a closed circuit system. For 120 min, EPO added with bovine serum was significantly adsorbed by polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) and polyacry–lonitrile (PAN) membranes but not by Cuprophan, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVAL), or polysulfone (PS) membranes. In addition the EPO adsorptive rate, as well as that of β₂–microglobulin (β₂–MG), was greater with a PMMA membrane than with a PAN membrane. EPO was not detected in the ultrafiltrate at 15 min with 5 membranes. These results indicate that EPO was eliminated by membrane adsorption only with some dialysis membranes.     

First-line high-dose chemotherapy combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for patients with advanced extragonadal germ cell tumors

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for patients with advanced extragonadal germ cell tumors (EGGCT). METHODS: Six male patients with advanced non-seminomatous EGGCT were treated with HDCT combined with PBSCT following 2-3 cycles of conventional-dose induction chemotherapy. The regimens used for HDCT were carboplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide (ICE) in five patients and ICE plus paclitaxel (T-ICE) in one patient, and that for induction therapy was cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin (PEB) in all patients. As a rule, HDCT was continuously administered until alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin normalized (beta-HCG). RESULTS: Following 1-6 courses of HDCT (median, 4 courses), beta-HCG and AFP were normalized in all patients, and five and one patient were diagnosed as showing partial remission and stable disease, respectively. Five patients underwent surgical resection of residual tumors after HDCT, yielding necrotic tissue in two, mature teratoma in two, and viable cancer tissue in one, and the surgical margin was negative in all patients. At a median follow-up of 36 months, five patients were alive and disease-free, whereas the remaining one died of disease progression. Although all patients had grade 3 hematological toxicity, there was no treatment-related death by combining PBSCT. CONCLUSIONS: First-line HDCT with PBSCT could be safely administered to patients with advanced EGGCT, and the antitumor effect of this treatment was comparatively favorable. First-line HDCT therefore may represent an attractive option for patients with advanced EGGCT.     

Scintigraphic detection of recurrence of medullary thyroid cancer

A case of recurrent medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) was evaluated with¹²³I-MIBG,^99mTc(V)-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), and²⁰¹Tl scintigraphy. This patient had been operated on for MTC in the right thyroid. Recently a left neck mass was noticed, and was suspected of being a. recurrence of MTC based on increased plasma calcitonin (CT) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). He was operated on for the neck mass which revealed MTC, and papillary thyroid cancer was incidentally found in the left thyroid, but the CT and CEA levels remained high, and remaining MTC tumor was suspected. But the location of the tumor was unknown. Although^99mTc(V)-DMSA scintigraphy is generally believed to be superior in sensitivity to¹²³I-MIBG scintigraphy, it did not demonstrate the tumor site but²⁰¹Tl and¹²³I-MIBG did. Furthermore,¹²³I-MEBG scintigraphy has greater specificity for tumors which arise in the neural crest. Judging from the results of this case and cases reported in the literatures, both¹²³I-MIBG and^99mTc(V)-DMSA should be performed in the detection of recurrent MTC.     

Histological study of effect of bone morphogenetic protein derived from bovine tooth on periosteum in rats

Summary In this study, we examined histologically the effect of a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) derived from bovine tooth on the periosteum. Supraperiosteal injection of crude BMP into femurs of Wistar rats (28 day old) resulted in periosteal cell proliferation with subsequent bone and cartilage formation. Moreover, proliferating periosteal cells migrated into injected BMP, and formed both cartilage and bone. These observations show that exogenous BMP stimulates mesenchymal cells of the periosteum to proliferate and differentiate into osteoblasts, and therefore BMP may be one of factors which are involved in differentiation of osteoblasts in the periosteum.     

A case of polycythemia vera complicated by chronic renal failure under hemodialysis requiring parathyroidectomy for secondary hyperparathyroidisim

A case of polycythemia vera complicated by chronic renal failure under maintenance hemodialysis requiring parathyroidectory (PTH) for secondary hyperparathyroidism (2° HPT) is reported. A 62 year old female presented with 75000 white blood cells (WBC)/μl, 703×10⁴ red blood cells (RBC)/μl, 23×10⁴ platelets (PLT)/μl, hyperuricemia and hypertension in 1970 and the diagnosis of polycythemia vera was made. Hemodialysis was started in October 1974 for chronic renal failure. Blood cells in peripheral blood rapidly decreased in number after the beginning of dialysis, reaching the level of 10000∼20000 WBC/μl, and 150∼250×10⁴RBC/μl. In August 1988, marked bone resorption in X-ray picture and high serum alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone (PTH) noted along with 17400 WBC/μl, 370×10⁴RBC/μl and 35.9×10⁴PLT/μl. After subtotal PTX removing 3.21g parathyroid gland, serum PTH rapidly fell. At 3 months after PTX, WBC rose to 23600/μl, RBC 372×10⁴/μl and PLT 94.0×10⁴/μl. At 6 months, WBC was to 31000/μl, RBC 429×10⁴/μl and PLT 78.0×10⁴/μl, suggesting an inhibitory action of PTH on not only RBC, but also WBC and PLT.     

Ascidian embryonic development: An emerging model system for the study of cell fate specification in chordates

The ascidian tadpole larva represents the basic body plan of all chordates in a relatively small number of cells and tissue types. Although it had been considered that ascidians develop largely in a determinative way, whereas vertebrates develop in an inductive way, recent studies at the molecular and cellular levels have uncovered several similarities in the way developmental fates are specified. In this review, we describe ascidian embryogenesis and its cell lineages, introduce several characteristics of ascidian embryos, describe recent advances in understanding of the mechanisms of cell fate specification, and discuss them in the context of what is known in vertebrates and other organisms. Developmental Dynamics 236:1748–1757, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Gallium scintigraphy in patients with adult T-cell leukemia lymphoma

Gallium scintigraphy was evaluated in 25 patients with adult T-cell leukemia lymphoma (ATLL). Anterior and posterior images were obtained at 72 h after administration of 3 mCi ⁶⁷Ga-citrate using a gamma camera (Maxi-Camera 400T, General Electric Co.) with a medium energy standard parallel hole collimator. Abnormally high accumulations were observed in 17 out of 25 cases (superficial lymph node, 8; hilar and mediastinal lymph node, 7; paraaortic lymph node, 2; lung, 9; liver, 1; bone, 1). There were 10 malignant lesions detected by ⁶⁷Ga scintigraphy in 9 out of 17 cases (superficial lymph node, 1; hilar and mediastinal lymph node, 6; paraaortic lymph node, 1; liver, 1; bone, 1). White blood cell count and serum LDH levels were raised in patients with abnormally high accumulations of ⁶⁷Ga. In conclusion, ⁶⁷Ga scintigraphy seemed to be a useful examination to detect malignant lesions in patients with ATLL.     

Beta 2-microglobulin synthesis of mononuclear cells in chronic dialysis patients.

Beta 2 microglobulin (B2M) has been identified as a major component of amyloid deposits. This study was designed to determine whether changes occur in the synthesis of B2M in dialysis patients. Mononuclear cells (MNC) were isolated in peripheral blood from healthy volunteers, patients on hemodialysis (HD) and on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). MNC were cultured in a medium of RPMI 1640 with or without interleukins IL-1, IL-2 or interferon INF-r. B2M in the cultured cells and supernatant was measured by enzyme immunoassay. IL-2 or INF-r stimulated B2M synthesis was significantly lower (25%) in patients on HD than in normal controls regardless of the type of dialysis membranes used, with no change in basal B2M synthesis. No differences were detected between healthy volunteers and CAPD patients. Preincubation of MNC with complement--activating or non-complement--activating membrane had no influence on B2M synthesis. The basal B2M synthesis of MNC significantly increased after a 4-hour HD regardless of the membranes used, and IL-2 and IFN-r stimulated synthesis were both essentially the same before and after HD. It was thus concluded that maximum capacity for B2M synthesis of MNC decreases in hemodialysis patients. This low responsiveness of MNC may be partially the cause for the reduction in cell-mediated immune response in HD patients.     

Pyoderma gangrenosum associated with ulcerative colitis and subcutaneous and splenic abscesses

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare, chronic, inflammatory ulcerative skin disease of unknown etiology and pathogenesis. It is often associated with systemic disease. We describe a patient with pyoderma gangrenosum associated with ulcerative colitis and aseptic abscesses of the subcutis and spleen, which have been rarely reported previously. These manifestations were cleared by combined therapy with minocycline hydrochloride and diaphenylsulfone.