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.     

Clinical features of childhood-onset schizophrenia with obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the prodromal phase

Abstract Thirty-nine patients with schizophrenia, diagnosed according to DSM-III-R, who were under 15 years of age, were studied in two groups; 16 subjects with obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the prodromal phase, and 23 with no obsessive-compulsive disorders. The group with obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the prodromal phase was characterized by a higher ratio of males, higher incidences of perinatal and brain computed tomography (CT) abnormalities, fewer hereditary factors, longer duration of the prodromal phase, and a higher incidence of insidious onset and negative symptoms compared with the group without such prodromal symptoms. Schizophrenic patients with obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the prodromal phase were clinically distinct from those without, which suggests the possibility of subtype categorization.     

ISCHEMIC ENTEROCOLITIS WITHOUT ARTERIO–OCCLUSIVE LESION

Four cases of Ischemic enterocolitis without arterio–occlusive lesion were described. Three cases were associated with sigmoid colon carcinomas. Ischemic lesions developed anal to the carcinomas in two cases, and oral to sigmoidostomy to relieve intestinal obstruction by carcinoma in one case. One other case was associated with inguinal hernia. Grossly, ischemic lesions involved relatively short intestinal segments, and the ischemic colonic lesions were not related to teniae coli. Extensive veno–occlusive lesions were discovered in a case of ischemic stricture of the ileum, which had been incarcerated in the right inguinal hernia. Reversible mechanical occlusion of the intestinal vessels caused by transient or recurrent intestinal strangulation is the most probable cause of these ischemic lesions., ACTA PATHOL. JPN. 33: 249–256, 1983.     

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.     

Case of postradiation osteosarcoma with a short latency period of 3 years

Osteosarcoma is one of the neoplasms that may occur following exposure to radiation. A case of osteosarcoma arising in the craniofacial bone with a short latency period of 3 years after radiotherapy for maxillary squamous cell carcinoma is described. A 64-year-old-man underwent right partial maxillectomy and chemoradiotherapy due to squamous cell carcinoma of his right maxillary sinus. Histologically, the tumor was composed of moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with a component of spindle cell carcinoma. Three years later, osteosarcoma developed in the craniofacial bone within the irradiation field of the first tumor. Detailed histological examination demonstrated that there was no component of osteosarcoma in the first tumor or squamous cell carcinoma in the second tumor. Radiation-induced osteosarcoma usually occurs after a long latency period of more than 10 years after the radiotherapy. In this case, osteosarcoma was possibly a radiation-induced osteosarcoma with a short latency period of 3 years.