Liver plasma membranes and proteoglycan prepared therefrom inhibit the growth of hepatoma cells in vitro

1. Plasma membranes from rat liver or kidney inhibited the growth of hepatoma (AH-130) cells in vitro. AH-130 plasma membranes or erythrocyte ghosts inhibited the growth of AH-130 cells less effectively. The inhibitory activity of liver plasma membranes was lost by heat treatment, or mild protease (papain or bromelin, but not trypsin or pronase) treatment, whereas it was retained after sialidase treatment of delipidation by ethanol/ether. 2. Proteoglycan (proteoheparan sulfate) prepared from liver plasma membranes inhibited the growth of AH-130 cells, but heparan sulfate was less active. The inhibitory activity of liver plasma membranes seemed, however, not to be ascribable solely to proteoheparan sulfate associated with plasma membranes. 3. Preliminary investigation suggested that the molecular weight 40 000 component may be a major inhibitory principle in liver plasma membranes.

Quantitation of HBeAG and anti-HBe by RIA in sera of chronic HBsAG carriers and individuals with type B hepatitis

This paper gives the results for HBeAg and anti-HBe titers in chronic HBsAg carriers and patients with type B hepatitis using a "solid-phase" radioimmunoassay. In tumor and hemodialysis patients the HBeAg titers are statistically significant higher compared to the group of HBsAg positive CAH or CPH. High anti-HBe titers are a characteristic finding in "healthy" HBsAg carriers. On the other hand, there is a subgroup of HBsAg positive CAH with anti-HBe; although there are signs of an ongoing virus B replication these cases of CAH proceed sometimes to cirrhosis.

[Computed tomography of ruptured arteriovenous malformations in the acute stage (author's transl)]

Eighteen patients with angiographically proved intracranial arteriovenous malformation (AVM) were studied by computed tomography (CT) and their clinical features were reviewed at the same time. The pathophysiology of ruptured AVM in the acute stage was discussed. Seven of the 18 patients were performed CT scan within 7 days after the onset. Although all but one of the patients showed symptoms and signs suggestive of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), intracerebral hematoma was demonstrated in all cases and two of them were accompanied by ventricular rupture. On the more, no high density lesion was demonstrated in cerebral cisterns by plain CT scan as seen in the acute stage of ruptured cerebral aneurysms. Six patients were performed contrast study within 7 days after the onset and showed no enhancement effect. On the contrary, nine of 10 patients performed contrast study more than 8 days after the onset showed enhancement effect. It has been commonly postulated that subarachnoid hemorrhage is the main pathophysiology of ruptured AVM. However, out study on CT scan of ruptured AVM demonstrated that intracerebral hematoma or ventricular hemorrhage is the chief underlying pathophysiology of ruptured AVM in the acute stage.

Cell surface proteoglycans as a negative modulator in concanavalin A-mediated agglutination of hepatoma cells

Proteoglycan (heparan sulfate-protein conjugate) was solubilized with 8 M urea from rat liver plasma membranes after enzymic (RNAase, neuraminidase) treatments and extensively purified by chromatography and gel filtration. The final products gave an average ratio of hexuronate to protein (weight) of approx. 1.5, contained hexosamine equimolar to hexuronate and were sensitive to beta-elimination (the molecular weight being reduced from 20 . 10(4) to 3 . 10(4) (gel filtration)). The proteoglycan fraction, when added to trypsinized and untrypsinized ascites hepatoma (AH-130F(N)) cells, inhibited the concanavalin A-mediated agglutination of the cells. However, the alkali-treated proteoglycan (beta-elimination) or acid mucopolysaccharide fraction prepared from liver plasma membranes by papain digestion were less effective, and a reference preparation of heparan sulfate was almost ineffective. It was confirmed that significant amounts of proteoglycan labelled with 35SO4(2-) were firmly bound to or taken up by the trypsinized ascites hepatoma cells. These results together with the sensitization of lectin-mediated agglutination by mild protease treatment of cells suggest that cell surface proteoglycans may act as a negative modulator in the lectin-mediated agglutination of cells.

[The association of polycystic kidneys with intracranial aneurysms (author's transl)]

A 48 year-old man is presented who died of rupture of intracranial aneurysm. Autopsy findings revealed a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm associated with polycystic kidneys and polycystic liver. Epidermiological review is performed using "Annual of the Pathological Autopsy Case in Japan" (Vol. 17-20). In 92854 autopsy cases, there are 243 cases of polycystic kidney, 1542 cases of intracranial aneurysm and 10 cases of association with both of them. Several points come clear from comparing our data with foreign ones, as follows; 1) The frequency of polycystic kidney (0.25%) is almost the same between Japan and foreign country. 2) The frequency of intracranial aneurysm (1.6%) is higher in Japan. 3) The frequency of association with both (0.01%) is lower in Japan. 4) The frequency of intracranial aneurysm appears to be higher in cases suffered from polycystic kidney than in others. We suspected that cerebral aneurysm formation is caused by hypertension due to polycystic kidney, although in many reports, the association of polycystic kidney and cerebral aneurysm is explained to be maldevelopment. The operation of cerebral aneurysm with polycystic kidney is the same as that without polycystic kidney. But the control of hypertension and renal function is necessary during and after operation.

[Changes in plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (author's transl)]

In 24 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) who were admitted within 48 hours after the onset, the activity of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) in peripheral venous plasma was analyzed applying the method described by Nagatsu and Udenfriend (Clin. Chem., 18: 980-983, 1972) with a minor modification. Plasma samples were serially collected every a few days for three days to four weeks after the onset. DBH activity in peripheral venous plasma increased markedly after the onset, reaching the highest level within 48 hours, and thereafter declined time-dependently for about two weeks. There was no significant difference in the plasma DBH activities on admission between patients with and without cerebrovascular spasm revealed by angiography. The decline of the activity was significantly remarkable in patients with spasm compared with those without spasm. The difference was most prominent around the 7th day after the onset when spasm was shown most frequently. Neurosurgery or administration of analgesics and/or sedatives had little effect on the changes in plasma DBH activity in acute SAH. The activity correlated with the pressure of cerebrospinal fluid (r = 0.587, P less than 0.05), when it was higher than the normal range. With these results we obtained following: 1) The activity of sympathetic nervous system increases following SAH for a week after the onset. 2) The activity declines more rapidly in patients with cerebrovascular spasm than those without spasm, when it was judged from the activity of plasma DBH activity.

[A case of choroid plexus angioma with subarachnoid hemorrhage--case report (author's transl)]

Authors report a case of choroid plexus angioma of lateral ventricle, in a 42 years old woman, initiated with an episode of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The localization of lesion, in the anterior horn and body of right lateral ventricle, producing primary intraventricular bleeding was revealed by pneumoencephalography, especially polytome pneumotomography. However, it was difficult to find by angiography. Patient was successfully removed angioma and showed good recovery. In review of the literatures, the choroid plexus angioma is found more frequently in children than adults, caused by primary intraventricular or subarachnoid hemorrhage and is ocasionally associated with other congenital anomalies. Otherwise, it is found incidentally at autopsy and show hydrocephalus or normal pressure hydrocephalus. Prognosis is excellent in operated case, but heavy mortality in non-operated case and combined with intraventricular hematoma.

[Cerebral hemodynamics in the vegetative state patients--relationship between patterns of dysautoregulation and prognosis (author's transl)]

The pathophysiological analysis of cerebral hemodynamic mechanisms and its metabolism in the vegetative patients was not enough until now. It was reported in this paper that the correlation between cerebral hemodynamics, metabolism and neurological function was analysed in 14 patients with vegetative state caused by cerebrovascular disorders. The materials consist of 14 vegetative patients due to 7 hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage, 6 subarachnoid hemorrhage and one cerebral infarction. In all of them, the cerebral hemodynamics such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), CO2 reactivity and autoregulation, and cerebral metabolism were measured sequencially by 133Xe clearance methods. In the majority of cases, both values of mean hemispheric CBF and cerebral oxygen consumption (CMRO2) were markedly decreased with severe impairments of autoregulation and CO2 reactivity on the bilateral hemispheres but much more significatly on the affected hemispheres. Futhermore, from view points of the pressureflow relationship in the CBF studies, the patterns of dysautoregulation could be classified into 2 types as follows; Type 1 is the complete loss type, which has no plateau formation in all ranging of systemic arterial blood pressure (SABP). Type 2 is the incomplete loss type with 2 subdivisions, in which the abnormal narrowing plateaus are recognized in relatively higher or lower range of SABP (called as the upper or the lower type of incomplete loss type respectively). And then, the phenomen, which we gave a term as "shift-off phenomenon", was recognized in 8 cases that the proper values of resting SABP was seated outside the plateau level of the auto-regulatory capacity. The correlation between CBF dynamics and the grade of vegetative state was analysed. In 2 cases with slight communications (vegetative grade1), mean hemispheric CBF value was 32.5 (ml/100 g/min.) and CMRO2 was 2.01 (ml/100 g/min.) with the normal or the upper type in incomplete loss of dysautoregulation. In 3 cases of vegetative grade 2, who could slightly response to vocal order, mean CBF and CMRO2 showed 27.0 +/- 2.0 and 1.7 +/- 0.08 respectively. In these cases, dysautoregulations with the upper type incomplete loss were recognized. In 3 cases of vegetative grade 3, who had only spontaneous movement of body and slight emotional expression but no response to vocal order, mean CBF was in 22.4 +/- 1.9 and CMRO2 in 1.28 +/- 0.21. The patterns of dysautoregulation showed the lower type of incomplete loss. We had experienced the shift-off phenomenon in all of 5 cases with the upper type of incomplete loss and in 3 of 7 cases with the lower type of incomplete loss dysautoregulation. As conclusion, in cases of vegetative grade 2 or 3 whose patterns of dysautoregulation are the upper or lower type of incomplete loss with the shift-off pnenomenon, it would be a useful therapeutic method to get away from vegetative state that SABP could be corrected and controlled within the proper plateau level of autoregulation by the suitable administration of some vasoactive agents.

[HCG proved by enzyme labelled antibody technique in a suprasellar tumour--an autopsy case report (author's transl)]

An 11-year-old female case of suprasellar tumour was reported. She presented consciousness disorder without precocious puberty. Microscopically, two cell pattern pinealoma and choriocarcinoma with no metastasis were revealed. By means of enzyme-labelled antibody technique, the authors proved HCG in syncytial cells of the tumour.

Sequential changes of regional circulation in cerebral infarction

Sequential changes of regional cerebral circulation and effects of spontaneous recanalization of occluded artery on cerebral circulation were observed in 50 patients with cerebral infarction. 1) Luxury perfusion was predominantly recognized in the recanalized patients within 16 days after onset. 2) Impairment of vasomotor responses was almost the same in the recanalized patients and the occluded patients. 3) CO2 response tended to recover about 3-4 weeks after onset, but disautoregulation to induced hypertension persisted up to 2 months after onset. Some clinical problems are discussed.

Regional cerebral blood flow in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage

Regional cerebral blood flow was measured by 133 Xe clearance method in 44 patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HIH) within three weeks from attack. Mean CBF in cases with the more disturbed consciousness was the lower value. There was no definite relationship between mean CBF and the duration from last stroke to measurement. In 44 cases, 35 showed hematoma of so-called "lateral type" and nine showed a "mesial type." There was no difference of mean CBF between these two groups. In the group with lateral-type hematoma, 14 cases were thought to show large space-occupying signs, and their mean CBF was significantly lower than that of the other 21 cases.

In 16 cases, relative hyperemic regions were observed in both the focal and nonfocal areas. In seven cases, relative ischemic regions were frequently in nonfocus rather than focus.

Response of hyperemic region to carbon dioxide was good in seven and poor in three regions in focal area, and was good in eight and poor in one region in nonfocal area. Reactivity of ischemic region to 5% CO 2 inhalation was good in three and poor in zero regions in focus, and was good in three and poor in two regions in nonfocus.

Early venous filling (EVF) was observed in 13 cases and all of them were with lateral-type hematomas.

Only four out of 13 cases showed good correlation between angiographical findings and cerebral circulation.