[The prognostic value of neonatal cranial ultrasonography in infants with periventricular leukomalacia]

Serial cranial ultrasonography was performed in 17 preterm infants with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in the neonatal period. Periventricular high-echogenicities were observed in all infants, and periventricular cysts in 14/17 infants (82%). We investigated the correlation between these findings and abnormalities on MRI in late infancy. Periventricular high-echogenicity was correlated with the extent of periventricular high-intensities on T2-weighted images of late infantile MRI. The extent of periventricular cysts was correlated with that of volume loss on MRI during late infancy. The degree of periventricular echo-lesion was associated with that of neurological abnormalities of infants. The extent of periventricular echo-lesion has the same prognostic value as findings on MRI in infants with PVL.

[Statistical study of aqueous flare in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment]

Inflammation of the anterior chamber in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment was studied in 338 eyes with a laser flare cell meter. The mean flare value, 32.84 +/- 81.39 pc/msec, was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than the 5.01 +/- 2.05 pc/msec of the control group of 133 normal eyes. Clinical findings of retinal detachment were grouped into 11 factors and each factor was divided into 34 details. The following details were proven by t-test to cause significant elevation of the flare value: (1) duration of more than 3 months, (2) hypotony of less than 9 mmHg, (3) aphakia, (4) retinal breaks in the ora area or the posterior area, (5) extension of retinal detachment with more than 2 quadrants, and (6) choroidal detachment. The correlation coefficients of the 6 clinical factors showed significant elevation of flare value in the following order: (1) presence or absence of choroidal detachment (0.396), (2) extension of retinal detachment (0.375), (3) intraocular pressure (-0.28), (4) duration of retinal detachment (0.18), (5) location of the break (0.15), and (6) presence or absence of the lens (0.134).

Fat-free mass in Japanese boys predicted from bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric variables

OBJECTIVE

To develop the best prediction equation for estimating fat-free mass (FFM) from bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric variables in Japanese boys.

SUBJECTS

141 boys, aged 9-14 years, were recruited from elementary schools managed by Osaka City.

METHODS

FFM was calculated from underwater weighting (UW) using a two-component model. Prediction equations were developed using multiple regression analyses. Adjusted R2 and standard errors of the estimate (SEE) ranged from 0.831 to 0.854 and from 1.25 to 1.80 kg in the validation group (n = 84), and ranged from 0.817 to 0.912 and from 1.27 to 1.86 kg in the cross-validation group (n = 57), respectively. The validation group and cross-validation group were combined in order to develop a more stable prediction equation with a greater sample size (n = 141).

RESULTS

The variables ZI (height2/impedance), body mass (M) and abdominal skinfold thickness were found to be the best combination of predictors. Adjusted R2 and SEE for finally developed regression equations ranged from 0.949 to 0.975 and from 1.50 to 2.10 kg.

CONCLUSION

As a result of all analyses and considering the practicability of the measurement, we recommend the equation FFM = 0.56ZI+0.20M+1.66, with an adjusted R2 of 0.971 and SEE of 1.59 kg, which can predict FFM with high precision in Japanese boys.

Prosopagnosia without topographagnosia and object agnosia associated with a lesion confined to the right occipitotemporal region

A patient is presented who developed prosopagnosia with a recent occipitotemporal infarct in the distribution of the right posterior cerebral artery. He did not have topographical agnosia or object agnosia. He regained the ability to recognize faces of familiar persons, whereas he remained unable to identify faces of persons whom he met after the disease onset. This case demonstrates that prosopagnosia may occur as a deficit of matching a perceived face to a memory store of the face, and that the failure to recognize unfamiliar faces may be due to the inability to form memory stores of new faces. These deficits can occur in association with a lesion confined to the right occipitotemporal region.

Permeability for horseradish peroxidase in strial capillaries in each turn of cochlea

The capillary permeability of the stria vascularis in each turn of cochlea was examined at intervals of 10 and 30 min and 1 and 2 h after an injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), using light and electron microscopic techniques. Ten minutes after HRP was administered, 18% of examined vessels showed HRP leakage. Thereafter, the level of HRP leakage increased with time. One hour after the injection, HRP had leaked from almost all vessels of the upper three turns. Two hours after the injection, the tracer in the vessel lumen became sparse with very thin staining or nonstaining, and a large amount of HRP was observed outside the vessels. It was noted that the capillary permeability to HRP at the basal turn was different from that of the upper three turns. This seems to be the result of the different pinocytic activity in the capillaries of these two regions. When the tracer disappeared from the vessels (2 h after the HRP injection), labelled vesicles in endothelial cells were frequently visible near the outside surface, whereas very few were visible near the inner surface. It is speculated, therefore, that HRP which has leaked can be reabsorbed back into the blood circulation via a similar micropinocytosis down the concentration gradient.

Nuclease resistance of an extraordinarily thermostable mini-hairpin DNA fragment, d(GCGAAGC) and its application to in vitro protein synthesis

The nuclease resistance of a short, thermostable mini-hairpin, d(GCGAAGC), and other related hairpins was examined. Hairpins possessing a purine-rich (GAA) or (GAAA) loop appeared to be more resistant against nucleases than those with a pyrimidine-rich loop or single-stranded oligomers. Among 8 kinds of oligodeoxyribonucleotides examined, the fragment most resistant against nucleases was a hairpin with the sequence of d(CGCGAAGCG). This hairpin was then utilized for the stabilization of mRNA in an in vitro translation system; the 3'-terminal region of an mRNA was hybridized with an oligodeoxyribonucleotide including the sequence complementary to the 3'-terminus of the mRNA tagged with the nuclease-resistant d(CGCGAAGCG) hairpin sequence. By using this method, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) mRNA was stabilized against nucleases contaminating a cell-free translation system of E.coli, with a consequent increase in protein synthesis efficiency of 200%.

Evolutional changes of cortical hypometabolism in West's syndrome

The pathophysiological basis of the epileptic encephalopathy West's syndrome remains unknown. We have done serial positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorine-18-labelled 2-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) in twelve patients with newly diagnosed West's syndrome. Throughout follow-up, PET revealed diffuse or focal cortical hypometabolism in eleven patients, whereas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed morphological abnormalities in only five. At disease onset, PET showed cortical hypometabolism in eight patients (diffuse in three, focal in five). The second PET showed normal metabolism in six of these patients but focal abnormalities in three of the four with normal results on first PET. In all seven patients with normal findings on the second PET, tonic spasms ceased after initial treatment and no epileptic seizure occurred thereafter. In the five patients with cortical hypometabolism on the second PET, tonic spasms persisted or recurred, or partial seizures appeared. However, in two patients PET abnormalities disappeared in accordance with the later resolution of epileptic seizures. All patients with normal MRI and second PET results had normal psychomotor development. Diffuse or focal cortical hypometabolism that cannot be detected by MRI or computed tomography is common in patients with West's syndrome. However, this anomaly is not permanent and changes with clinical symptoms. These functional abnormalities in the cerebral cortex may be associated with the development of West's syndrome.

Effect of the order of antibody variable regions on the expression of the single-chain HyHEL10 Fv fragment in E. coli and the thermodynamic analysis of its antigen-binding properties

In order to physically stabilize the Fv fragment of anti-lysozyme monoclonal antibody, HyHEL10, the variable domains were linked covalently with a flexible linker. A marked difference in the level of expression in E. coli was observed between VH-linker-VL (scFvHL) and VL-linker-VH (scFvLH). The highly expressed scFvLH was purified by a single step of affinity chromatography from the culture supernatant with a typical yield of 3-5 mg per liter of culture. This HyHEL10 scFvLH showed reduced binding activity toward its antigen, HEL, in comparison with Fv. Thermodynamic study showed that this reduced activity was due to entropic loss upon binding to its antigen, although this interaction between scFvLH and its antigen was enthalpically favorable.

Retinal detachment with atopic dermatitis similar to traumatic retinal detachment

PURPOSE

The cause of retinal detachment (RD) with atopic dermatitis remains uncertain. The purpose of this study is to show that the probable cause of RD with atopic dermatitis is ocular contusion.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively compared the fundus findings of 24 eyes (16 patients) that had RD and atopic dermatitis with 36 eyes (36 patients) that had traumatic RD.

RESULTS

The authors found similar characteristics. Retinal breaks at vitreous base borders characterized by ocular contusion occurred in 79.2% of eyes with RD and atopic dermatitis and in 75.0% of eyes with traumatic RD. Irregular retinal traumatic breaks in the equatorial zone occurred in 20.8% of eyes with RD and atopic dermatitis and in 47.2% of eyes with traumatic RD. Objective signs of ocular contusion outside the retina appeared in 54.2% of eyes with RD and atopic dermatitis.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors' data support the conclusion that self-inflected ocular contusion by tapping the eyes can cause RD with atopic dermatitis.

An experience of ischemic limb salvage associated with myositis ossificans of the left thigh

A case of ischemic limb salvage associated with myositis ossificans of the left thigh in a 66-year-old man was reported. The patient had a medical history of cerebral palsy and a cervical spinal cord injury, and had an operative past history of hip arthroplasty for fracture of the left femoral neck 10 years before. He showed ischemic symptoms such as paleness, coldness, and loss of the left dorsal arterial pulsation in the left toe, and had a rapidly growing mass in the left thigh. Roentgenography and computed tomography showed a mass 10 cm by 10 cm by 8 cm in size with severe calcification in the left quariceps muscle. Occlusion of the left common femoral artery was found in the arteriogram. Surgery was carried out in order to establish an accurate diagnosis and to rescue the left lower limb. The arterial pulsation was recovered as the result of completely resecting the left quariceps muscle tumor. The pathohistological diagnosis was of myositis ossificans in the quariceps muscle of the thigh. Etidronate disodium was administered in order to prevent a recurrence postoperatively. The patient has been well for the 13 months since surgery.

Fusarium merismoides Corda NR 6356, the source of the protein kinase C inhibitor, azepinostatin. Taxonomy, yield improvement, fermentation and biological activity

Fungal strain NR 6356, Fusarium merismoides Corda, was discovered as the source of the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, azepinostatin. The strain was identified based on its growth on potato sucrose agar, slender conidial shape, characteristic polyphialide and production of abundant chlamydospores. Fusarium aquaeductuum Lagh. IMI 103658 and Fusarium sp. NR 7222 were also found to produce the same inhibitor. After single colony isolation and medium optimization trials, a more than 30-fold increase in the production of azepinostatin over the original culture was achieved. Azepinostatin selectively and potently inhibited rat brain PKC with an IC50 value of 70 nM. Other enzymes utilizing ATP, including hexokinase, were not affected. The Ki of azepinostatin for PKC was 0.5 nM. The inhibition of PKC was competitive with ATP and uncompetitive with histone.

Acceleration of diabetes in young NOD mice with peritoneal macrophages

To elucidate the roles of macrophages in the pathogenesis of NOD murine diabetes, peritoneal macrophages from NOD mice were injected into young NOD mice. We used 12 to 20 week-old NOD mice of both sexes as donors, and sex-matched 2-week-old NOD mice as recipients. Cyclophosphamide (CY), 200 mg/kg, was intraperitoneally injected into the donors. Two weeks later, peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) were collected from the diabetic donors. Macrophage-rich fractions (MRF) were collected by adherence. Then PEC(5-8 x 10(6)) or MRF(3-7 x 10(6)) were transferred, intraperitoneally, to the recipients. Two weeks later, some of the recipients were killed in order to perform immunofluorescent analysis of splenocytes and to assess pancreatic histology. Mac 1 positive splenocytes were increased in PEC- and in MRF-injected recipient mice. Insulitis was seen in PEC- and MRF-injected mice, but not in controls. Some of the recipients were injected with CY, 200 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, at two weeks post cell transfer. Two weeks after CY injection, the animals were examined for the presence of diabetes. The incidences of diabetes were 67% in PEC-injected mice, 40% in the MRF-injected group, and 3% in the controls. These results suggest that peritoneal macrophages accelerate the disease process in NOD mice.

Antiepileptic drugs--calcium current interaction in cultured human neuroblastoma cells

The voltage-dependent calcium channel current (ICa) in the neuroblastoma cell line of human origin (NB-I) was studied by the whole-cell clamp recording. Three types of ICa were identified in NB-I cells. Our electrophysiological and pharmacological findings have suggested that these three types of ICa are consistent with the T-, N- and L-type ICa, respectively. Phenytoin (PHT) inhibited T-type ICa by 13.0% at a concentration of 5 microM, and L-type ICa by 6.3% at a concentration of 100 microM. At a concentration of 100 microM, carbamazepine (CBZ) inhibited T- and L-type ICa by 6.0% and 5.9%, respectively. At a concentration of 50 microM, sodium valproate (VPA) blocked T- and L-type ICa by 6.1% and 47.5%, respectively. At a concentration of 50 microM, zomisamide (ZNS) inhibited T- and L-type ICa by 38.3% and 41.9%, respectively. Na+ channel blockade has been reported to be responsible for the clinical efficacy of PHT or CBZ. Inhibition of T-type ICa by PHT may enhance the efficacy of its anticonvulsant action. CBZ had little effect on ICa. The anticonvulsant activity may be related to the blockade of T-type ICa in the case of VPA and ZNS.

Frequent expression of 75 kDa nerve growth factor receptor and phosphotyrosine in human peripheral nerve tumours: an immunohistochemical study on paraffin-embedded tissues

One hundred and three benign, and 10 malignant peripheral nerve tumours were examined immunohistochemically for expression of 75 kDa nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR). In benign tumours NGFR was demonstrated at 61% in neurinoma, 71% in neurofibroma, 93% in neurofibromatosis and 90% in traumatic neuroma. Malignant neurogenic tumours were 100% positive for NGFR. Phosphotyrosine-immunoreactivity was detected in 76% of NGFR-positive tumours but the frequency of immunostained tumour cells was low. These results suggest that both benign and malignant peripheral nerve tumours express 75 kDa NGFR. The receptor seems to serve as growth signal transduction of the tumour cells in terms of phosphorylation of the tyrosine residue of the receptor or the target protein of the NGFR protein tyrosine kinase.

Predominant melanogenesis and lentoidogenesis in vitro from multipotent pineal cells by dimethyl sulfoxide and hexamethylene bisacetamide

Pineal cells of the 8-day embryonic quail are multipotent cells which differentiate in vitro into skeletal muscle fibers, pigmented epithelial cells (PECs), lens cells and neurons. However, it was not yet clear whether precursor cells which gave such a wide repertoire of differentiation were single type or not. The present culture studies revealed that pineal cells were exclusively directed to ocular differentiation pathways by dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA), suggesting a single type of precursor cell in the pineal body. DMSO directed pineal cells to differentiate into PECs. Co-administration of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) with DMSO partially inhibited PEC differentiation and promoted lens cell differentiation. Northern blot analysis using cDNAs specific to PEC and lens cell confirmed this morphological observation. HMBA completely inhibited pigmentation of cultured pineal cells and markedly promoted lens cell differentiation. Ocular differentiation of pineal cells was accompanied with the loss of myogenicity. We discuss three possible pathways of lens cell differentiation from pineal cells. The agents which affect pineal cell differentiation seemed to modulate the cell-substrate interaction. And the interaction was suggested to be one of the environmental cues in the differentiation.

Regional cerebral blood flow in diabetic patients: evaluation by N-isopropyl-123I-IMP with SPECT

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured using N-isopropyl-123I-iodoamphetamine (123I-IMP) with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in 27 patients with diabetes mellitus with an average age of 64.1 years and with an average fasting plasma glucose of 145 mg dl-1. Their data were compared with those of 12 non-diabetic subjects with an average age of 64.6 years. None had cerebral infarction on computed tomographic (CT) studies. There were no significant differences in the physiological or laboratory data between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups except for their fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels. A reference sampling method using continuous arterial blood sampling was employed to quantify the rCBF. The average rCBF in each region of the cerebrum and cerebellum was significantly lower in the diabetic group than in the non-diabetic group (P < 0.01). Although a definite cause was obscure, the rCBF of the diabetic patients was reduced even in the absence of findings indicative of cerebral infarction on a CT study.

Relationship among coelacanths, lungfishes, and tetrapods: a phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences

To clarify the relationship among coelacanths, lungfishes, and tetrapods, the amino acid sequences deduced from the nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes were compared. The phylogenetic tree of these animals, including the coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae and the lungfish Lepidosiren paradoxa, was inferred by several methods. These analyses consistently indicate a coelacanth/lungfish clade, to which little attention has been paid by previous authors with the exception of some morphologists. Overall evidence of other mitochondrial genes reported previously and the results of this study equally support the coelacanth/lungfish and lungfish/tetrapod clades, ruling out the coelacanth/tetrapod clade.

IL-8 as an important chemoattractant for neutrophils in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease

IL-8 is generating increasing interest as a powerful neutrophil chemoattractant and activator. To elucidate the mechanisms of neutrophil infiltration in inflammatory bowel disease, we examined 33 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 18 with Crohn's disease (CD), eight with some other type of colitis, and 18 normal control subjects for measurement of IL-8 in homogenates of colonic biopsy specimens. The affected colonic mucosa was found to contain significantly more IL-8 in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease than in patients with inactive disease (UC, P < 0.001; CD, P < 0.001), in patients with other types of colitis (UC, P < 0.05; CD, P < 0.01), or in normal control subjects (UC, P < 0.001; CD, P < 0.001). Colonic IL-8 levels correlated significantly with the macroscopic grade of local inflammation, especially in patients with UC (P < 0.001). Colonic IL-8 levels also correlated well with the neutrophil numbers in mucosal tissue (UC, r = 0.950, P < 0.001; CD, r = 0.940, P < 0.001), and with colonic IL-1 beta (r = 0.911, P < 0.001) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels (r = 0.604, P < 0.001) in patients with these two conditions. These data suggest a potential role for IL-8 and its regulatory cytokines IL-1 and TNF-alpha in mediating neutrophil infiltration of the gut wall in inflammatory bowel disease.

Substrate specificity of tRNA (adenine-1-)-methyltransferase from Thermus thermophilus HB27

tRNA (adenine-1-)-methyltransferase was purified to homogeneity from an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus HB27, by several steps of column chromatographies. The molecular weight of this enzyme was about 60,000 as analyzed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Km for E. coli tRNA(2Glu) was 100 nM and that for the methyl group donor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine, was 7.8 microM. The substrate specificity of the enzyme was investigated by using T7 RNA polymerase transcripts and tRNA fragments obtained by partial digestion with RNases. The enzyme was able to transfer the methyl group to the 3'-half fragment of E. coli initiator tRNA, however, the extent of methylation was elevated by more than five times when the 5'-half fragment was added and annealed to the 3'-half. This indicates that the main recognition site of the enzyme is within the 3'-half region of tRNA molecule, while the tertiary interaction between the T-loop and the D-loop is very effective for the adequate methylation reaction.

Responses of tonically active neurons in the primate's striatum undergo systematic changes during behavioral sensorimotor conditioning

The basal ganglia have been implicated in motor planning and motor learning. In the study reported here, we directly tested for response plasticity in striatal neurons of macaque monkeys undergoing Pavlovian conditioning. To focus the study, we recorded from the tonically active neurons (TANs) of the striatum, which are known to respond to conditioned sensory stimuli that signal reward delivery and elicit behavioral reactions. The activities of 858 TANs were recorded extracellularly from the striatum in alert behaving macaque monkeys before, during, and after the acquisition of a classical conditioning task. Two monkeys were trained to lick reward juice delivered on a spoon simultaneously with the presentation of a click. Almost no licks were triggered by the cues at the start of training, but by the fifth day more than 90% of licks were triggered, and values were near 100% for the remainder of the 3 week training period. In the striatum, only a small number of TANs responded to the clicks at the start before conditioning (about 17%). During training, the numbers of responding TANs gradually increased, so that by the end of training more than 50-70% of the TANs recorded (51.3-73.5%) became responsive to the clicks. The responses consisted of a pause in firing that occurred approximately 90 msec after the click and that was in some cells preceded by a brief activation and in most cells was followed by a rebound excitation. Prolonged recordings from single TANs (n = 6) showed that individual TANs can acquire a conditioned response within at least as short a time as 10 min. TANs retained such responsiveness after overtraining, and also after a 4 week intermission in training. When the monkey was trained to receive rewards in relation to a new conditioning stimulus, TANs were capable of switching their sensory response to the new stimulus. Histological reconstruction showed that the TANs that became responsive were broadly distributed in the region of striatum explored, which included the dorsal half to two-thirds of the caudate nucleus and putamen over a large anteroposterior span. We conclude that, during the acquisition of a sensorimotor association, TANs widely distributed through the striatum become responsive to sensory stimuli that induce conditioned behavior. This distributed change in activity could serve to modulate the activity of surrounding projection neurons in the striatum engaged in mediating learned behavior.

Establishment of the two glioma cell lines: YH and AM

We have established two human glioma cell lines, which were designated as YH cells and AM cells. The two cell lines have maintained morphological appearance as seen in the primary culture and immunohistochemically expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S-100 protein. Population doubling time for YH cells and AM cells indicated 30 hours and 25 hours, respectively, in an exponential phase of culture.

Effects of neopterin on ischemic neuronal damage in gerbils

The effects of neopterin on ischemic neuronal damage were examined. Cerebral ischemia was produced in the gerbil by bilateral common carotid occlusion for 8 min or unilateral occlusion for 30 min, which resulted in delayed neuronal death in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. However, preischemic treatment with neopterin (3 mg/kg i.p.) markedly reduced hippocampal neuronal damages in both cases. Since neopterin serves both as an antioxidant and as an oxidant depending on its redox state, these findings indicate that neopterin attenuates the ischemic neuronal injury by scavenging oxygen free radicals and/or by inhibiting their generation.

Structure-activity relationships in the induction of single-strand breakage in plasmid pBR322 DNA by amino sugars and derivatives

Structure-activity relationships in the induction of strand breakage in plasmid pBR322 DNA by amino sugars and their derivatives were investigated using agarose gel electrophoresis. The coexistence of a potential free aldehyde group at the C-1 position and a free amino group at the C-2 position in the molecules was indispensable for the display of DNA strand-breaking activity in both mono- and oligo-aminosaccharides. The activity was increased by the introduction of an acidic group, especially a phosphate group, at the C-6 position. The activity was also increased by the addition of Cu2+. The order of activity of the amino monosaccharides tested was D-isoglucosamine > D-mannosamine > D-galactosamine > D-glucosamine, and it is suggested that this order is correlated with the portion of acyclic (aldehydo) form in the solution of each sugar. The possible chemical basis for DNA strand breakage by amino sugars is discussed.