Coexistence of renal replacement lipomatosis with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis

We report on a case of coexistence of replacement lipomatosis with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) in the same kidney associated with staghorn calculi. A 63-year-old man was admitted to hospital complaining of a right abdominal mass. Computed tomography (CT) showed renal parenchymal atrophy with extremely increased perirenal fat. Right nephrectomy was performed. Postoperative diagnosis was renal replacement lipomatosis with XGP. Renal replacement lipomatosis and XGP have several similarities in terms of clinical background and CT findings. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate them from malignant diseases. It is extremely rare that both conditions coexist in the same kidney. To our knowledge, only one such case has been reported.     

Relationship between cellular ATP content and cellular functions of primary cultured rat hepatocytes in hypoxia

The importance of oxygen in maintaining the functional integrity of hepatocytes has been well established in a variety of experimental models, such as in vivo , perfused liver and isolated hepatocytes. However, one of the shortcomings of these systems is their short life span. Therefore, we have examined the effects of long-term hypoxia on cellular adenine nucleotide content and cellular functions, such as albumin production, urea production and DNA synthesis, in adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture. Hepatocytes were cultured at a density of 11 × 10⁴ and 5 × 10⁴ cells/0.18 mL per cm² for the study of albumin and urea production and DNA synthesis, respectively, at various oxygen tensions (20, 12, 8 and 5%) for 24 h. Cellular ATP content in cultured hepatocytes in hypoxia gradually declined, corresponding to the decrease in oxygen tension, and the cellular ATP level at 5% oxygen was approximately 20% of that at 20% oxygen. Albumin production also decreased in parallel with the decrease in cellular ATP content in cultured hepatocytes in hypoxia. However, even when cellular ATP content gradually declined corresponding with the decrease in oxygen tension in cultured hepatocytes in hypoxia, such as at 8 or 5% oxygen, urea production remained at a high level; in contrast, DNA synthesis was completely suppressed. These results suggest that the cellular ATP content decreases in cultured hepatocytes during long-term hypoxia in relation to oxygen tension and that the relationship between decreased ATP levels and liver function in cultured hepatocytes during hypoxia differs for albumin production, urea production and DNA synthesis.     

Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Increased Toxicity of 2-sec-Butylphenyl Methylcarbamate (BPMC) by Fenitrothion Pretreatment in Mice

Pharmacokinetk Analysis of Increased Toxicity of 2-sec-ButylphenylMethylcarbamate (BPMC) by Fenitrothion Pretreatment in Mice.TSUDA, S., MIYAOKA, T., IWASAKI, M., AND SHIRASU, Y. (1984).Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 4, 724–730. The potentiating effectof O,O-dimethyl O-(3-methyl-4-nitrophenyl) phosphorothioate(fenitrothion) on the toxicity of 2-sec-butylphenyl methylcarbamate(BPMC) in male mice was analyzed pharmacokinetically. The animalspretreated by dietary administration of 1000 ppm fenitrothionfor 1 week (4.4% of the po LD50 daily) did not show toxic symptomsexcept for a slight decrease in body weight In the fenitrothion-pretreatedmice, toxicity of fenitrothion was not changed but a fivefoldpotentiation was observed in po and ip acute lethality and athreefold potentiation of iv lethality of BPMC. Toxic signsafter BPMC administration were similar regardless of fenitrothionpretreatment or of route of administration. Fenitrothion pretreatmentfollowed by BPMC administration (20 mg/kg po or 8 mg/kg iv,approximate LD5 in the pretreated mice) significantly increasedthe plasma BPMC concentration and the total area under the plasmaconcentration versus time curve (AUG_0-. The pretreatment increasedthe oral AUC_0-, more greatly than the iv AUC_0-, (for po, 6.3-fold;for iv, 2.0-fold). The oral systemic availability of BPMC (fractionreaching systemic circulation) was increased by fenitrothiontreatment to 3.3-fold. These results suggest that a major causeof the potentiation may be the increase in amount of BPMC inthe systemic circulation.     

Differences in the Mode of Lethality Produced through Intravenous and Oral Administration of Organophosphorus Insecticides in Rats

Differences in the Mode of Lethality Produced through Intravenousand Oral Administration of Organophosphorus Insecticides inRats. TAKAHASHI, H., KOJIMA, T., IKEDA, T., TSUDA, S. and SHIRASU,Y. (1991). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 16, 459–468. This studywas undertaken to investigate the possibility that mechanismsother than cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition account for the acutetoxicity of organophosphorus insecticide. Both the PO type insecticide(direct ChE inhibitors: chlorfenvinphos and dichlorvos) andthe PS type insecticide (indirect ChE inhibitors: diazinon andfenthion) were employed. Rats treated with lethal doses of intravenousand oral PO type insecticides and oral PS type insecticidesexhibited typical signs of anti-ChE poisoning along with markedinhibition of brain and erythrocyte ChE activity. In contrast,rats given lethal doses of intravenous PS type insecticidesexhibited tonic convulsions and opisthotonos, with only slightinhibition of ChE activities. When PO type insecticides wereintravenously administered to anesthetized and conscious rats,animals exhibited typical anti-ChE poisoning signs in cardiorespiration:hypertension and apnea which were antagonized by atropine. Afteradministration of lethal doses of PO type insecticides, breathingdisappeared before the cessation of heart beats. Rats receivinglethal doses of intravenous PS type insecticides did not showhypertension, but exhibited transient cessation of breathingand heart beats. Breathing was observed after the disappearanceof heart beats. The electroencephalogram (EEG) was characterizedby spike and wave complexes. The EEG and cardiorespiratory changeswere not antagonized by atropine. It was concluded that lethalityfollowing intravenous PS type insecticides may be independentof ChE inhibition.     

CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL,IMMUNOLOGICAL AND GENETIC STUDIES OF CD30+ ANAPLASTIC LARGE CELL LYMPHOMA OF B-CELL TYPE; ASSOCIATION WITH EPSTEIN–BARR VIRUS IN A JAPANESE POPULATION

The clinicopathological features, the immunophenotype, and the presence of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated genomes and gene products were examined in 17 cases of CD30⁺ anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) of B-cell type. Microscopically, the 17 cases were divided into ten cases of the monomorphic type and seven cases of the pleomorphic type. EBV was detected in 6 of 17 cases (38 per cent) by RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) with EBV-encoded RNA (EBER1). EBER1⁺ cases consisted of two cases (20 per cent) of the monomorphic type and four cases (57 per cent) of the pleomorphic type. The five EBER1⁺ cases showed clonality of the EBV genome by Southern blotting, consistent with the presence of EBV in a monoclonal proliferation. The EBV-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) was found in all six EBER1⁺ cases and EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2) was present in two cases by immunohistochemistry. No expression of LMP1 or EBNA2 was observed in the EBER1⁻ cases. The EBER1⁺ cases had a tendency for a more favourable prognosis than the EBER1⁻ cases. It is concluded that EBV has an association with CD30⁺ ALCL of B-cell type in the Japanese population studied, and especially with the large pleomorphic type. EBV infection may play a pathoaetiological role and may influence clinical behaviour.     

PLENARY LECTURES-PL1 Toxicity of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate

Persistent perfluorinated organic compounds, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are used in a variety of industrial applications. They are very stable in the environment, distribute widely in the global environment and in wild life, and are detected in human sera.     

STUDIES ON PEPTIDES

The tetradecapeptide amide corresponding to the entire amino acid sequence of a wasp venom (polistes mastoparan), isolated from Polistes jadwagae, was synthesized using the trifluoroacetic acid-thioanisole deprotecting procedure.