Ultrasonography and computed tomography in adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder

Ultrasonography and computed tomography were performed in 4 patients with adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder of segmental or diffuse type. Cholecystectomy was performed in all cases, and the diagnosis of adenomyomatosis was confirmed histopathologically. Ultrasonography revealed diffuse or segmental thickening of the gallbladder wall with small intramural diverticula. Small stones were also found. The characteristic findings of adenomyomatosis at computed tomography were soft tissue density masses in the gallbladder fossa, associated with a well-delineated, distinct tumor-free space between the mass and the liver, and with small intramural diverticula and calcified stones within the mass. Ultrasonography and computed tomography demonstrate a characteristic appearance of adenomyomatosis.

[Therapeutic effects of SM-4300 and antibiotics combination against severe bacterial infections]

A newly developed human immunoglobulin preparation for intravenous administration (SM-4300) was applied to the severe bacterial infections in the field of internal medicine. Nine cases of severe infections were treated with SM-4300 and antibiotics combination. Clinical effects of SM-4300 were excellent in 1 case, good in 5, poor in 1 and unknown in 2. The efficacy rate was summarized as 86%, and no side effects were observed.

Globular Mallory-like bodies in renal cell carcinoma: report of a case and review of cytoplasmic eosinophilic globules

The case of a patient who had renal cell carcinoma with cytoplasmic eosinophilic globular hyaline bodies antigenically similar to Mallory bodies, highly suggestive of globular type III alcoholic hyalin, is presented. Mallory bodies are not found exclusively in the liver, having also been demonstrated in the lung. The renal tumor in this case represents an additional extrahepatic site.

Protection against the photosensitized skin irritancy of chlorpromazine by cyclodextrin complexation

The efficacy of three types of cyclodextrins (CyDs) to reduce skin irritation in guinea pigs caused by photoirradiated chlorpromazine (CPZ) was in the order of beta-greater than gamma-much greater than alpha-CyD, depending upon the magnitude of the stability constant of the CPZ-CyD complexes. The inhibitory effects of CyDs may be attributable to the alteration in the photochemical reactivity of CPZ through inclusion complexation. By the photoirradiation of CPZ in the presence of CyDs, promazine, which is less toxic than CPZ, was produced and the yield decreased in the order of beta-greater than gamma-much greater than alpha-CyD. These results clearly indicate that beta-CyD complexation is particularly useful to reduce the CPZ-photosensitized damage to skin.

Improvement of dissolution and suppository release characteristics of flurbiprofen by inclusion complexation with heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin

The inclusion behavior of methylated beta-cyclodextrins, heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin and heptakis-(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin in solution and the solid state was compared with that of natural beta-cyclodextrin using an anti-inflammatory drug, flurbiprofen, as a guest molecule. Stability constants were determined by the solubility method at various temperatures, and the thermodynamic parameters were calculated for inclusion complex formation in aqueous solution. The solid complexes were obtained in a molar ratio of 1:1, and their dissolution behavior and release from suppository bases were examined. The data suggest that the inclusion mode of the complex with 3 is somewhat different from that of the complexes with 1 and 2. From a practical point of view, 2 seems to be particularly useful for improving the pharmaceutical properties of flurbiprofen in various dosage forms.

Improvement in the percutaneous absorption of beclomethasone dipropionate by gamma-cyclodextrin complexation

Inclusion complex formation of beclomethasone dipropionate (BMDP) with gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CyD) in water and in solid state was assessed by solubility analysis and X-ray diffractometry. The solid complex of BMDP with gamma-CyD in a molar ratio of 1:2 was prepared and its in-vitro release behaviour was investigated using an ointment release simulator. The release of BMDP from hydrophilic ointment was significantly improved by the gamma-CyD complexation. Permeation and uptake studies indicated that the enhanced release of BMDP from the ointment may be due to the faster dissolution and the lower binding affinity of the complex in the ointment base. The vasoconstrictor activity of BMDP in man was found to be increased by gamma-CyD complexation, suggesting an improvement in the percutaneous absorption of BMDP.

Preparation of 13N-beta-phenethylamine

Nitrogen-13-labelled beta-phenethylamine[( 13N]PEA) was synthesized by Hofmann rearrangement of [13N]phenylpropionamide prepared from phenylpropionyl chloride and aqueous [13N]ammonia solution. The reaction proceeded rapidly with a fairly good yield. [13N]PEA was isolated using preparative thin-layer chromatography, and organ distribution in mice was studied preliminarily. After i.v. administration of [13N]PEA, high accumulation and long-term retention of the radioactivity were observed in the brain and the heart.

Electron microscopic study of the in vitro calcium-dependent degradation of Mallory bodies and intermediate filaments in hepatocytes

Isolated crude fractions of intermediate filaments (IFs) from livers of control and griseofulvin-fed mice were incubated with calcium (Ca2+) or ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA). The fractions were semiquantitatively compared using electron microscopy to study the Ca2+-dependent degradation of Mallory bodies and IFs. Numerous intermediate filaments were observed in the cell cortex and cytoplasm of hepatocytes both in control and griseofulvin-fed mice at zero time and after incubation in EGTA. However, only rare IFs near desmosomes were seen after incubation with Ca2+ in the fractions from two control mice. In the remaining controls no IFs survived incubation with Ca2+. Although almost all IFs disappeared after incubation with Ca2+ in griseofulvin-fed mice, some IFs could be detected near desmosomes in all cases. In contrast, Mallory bodies were observed to survive both Ca2+ and EGTA incubations. There was no morphologic difference between the Mallory bodies incubated in Ca2+ or EGTA. The disappearance of IFs after incubation in Ca2+ indicates that the IF's protein of hepatocytes (cytokeratin) can not retain its filamentous structure in the presence of Ca2+. This suggests that Ca2+-dependent factor(s) may regulate IF's degradation. Whether the protein subunits of the IFs were chemically altered was not determined. The resistance of Mallory bodies to Ca2+ dependent degradation suggests that they may form in part as a result of an imbalance in the rate of filament formation and degradation favoring growth of the Mallory body filaments.

Mallory body formation runs parallel to gamma-glutamyl transferase induction in hepatocytes of griseofulvin-fed mice

To evaluate whether Mallory bodies (MBs) are linked to the induction of the enzyme gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), mice were fed 2.5% griseofulvin (GF). The experimental and control mice livers were examined at four time periods, i.e., after 4 months' of GF feeding, 1 month after GF withdrawal and 13 days after GF refeeding, and at sacrifice after 4 months of GF withdrawal. The livers from mice continuously fed GF or control diet for 10 months were also examined. Tumors and nontumorous livers were examined histologically, histochemically, electron microscopically, and immunocytochemically. The tumors consisted of hepatomas and hyperplastic nodules. To localize MBs inside GGT-positive cells, a double-staining method was employed; GGT-positive cells were identified histochemically followed by staining for MBs using the unlabeled immunoperoxidase technique. The per cent area of the GGT-positive foci was closely correlated with the frequency of MBs observed in the course of a GF feeding and withdrawal. Almost all of the MBs were located in GGT-positive cells in both tumors and nontumor liver tissue. MBs and GGT positivity involved the same liver cells. They both were found in high frequency in tumors induced by GF. These results indicate that MB formation, like GGT induction, is a phenotypic change induced by GF. The coexistence of the two phenomenon in the same cell throughout all phases of tumor formation suggests that MBs may be related to the neoplastic process in the GF-fed mouse model.

Reduction in the local tissue toxicity of chlorpromazine by beta-cyclodextrin complexation

Effect of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CyD) on the local tissue toxicity of chlorpromazine (CPZ) was investigated following the intramuscular injection to rabbits. From the gross and histological examinations, beta-CyD was found to alleviate the muscular tissue damage produced by CPZ on M. vastus lateralis in rabbits. The protective effect of beta-CyD may be ascribed to the decrease in affinity of CPZ to the tissue membrane through inclusion complexation. The present data suggest that beta-CyD complexation is particularly useful to reduce the local toxicity of phenothiazine neuroleptics without altering the pharmacological efficacy.

Production system for 18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose--a trial for automatic production

We have developed a production system for 18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-2FDG), which assures reliable production with easy handling and reduces radiation exposures to the operator. Chemical procedures in this system are the same as manual method developed in NIRS. This system has 2 operation modes; one is remote controlled manual operation mode and the other is microcomputer controlled automatic operation mode. In remote controlled mode, we tested this system 5 times and 18F-2FDG synthesized was supplied for clinical use once. The mean radiochemical yield of 18F-2FDG from the target gas recovery with decay time correction was 8%, that is the same as in the manual synthesis. It took about 2 hours from end of bombardment (EOB) to end of synthesis (EOS). Since this time is shorter than in manual synthesis, the available activity at EOS is increased.

Protective mechanism of beta-cyclodextrin for the hemolysis induced with phenothiazine neuroleptics in vitro

beta-Cyclodextrin (beta-CyD) was found to protect the human erythrocytes from the hemolysis induced with ten phenothiazine neuroleptics in isotonic solution. The hemolytic activities of the phenothiazine-beta-CyD systems appeared to depend upon the free phenothiazine concentration, suggesting that the complexed form of phenothiazines is essentially inactive to cause hemolysis. The binding abilities and surface activities of the complexed form of phenothiazines were much smaller than those of free phenothiazines. These results indicate that the protective effect of beta-CyD may be due to the decrease in the effective hemolytic concentration of phenothiazines by inclusion complexation rather than the stabilizing effect of beta-CyD on the erythrocyte membrane.

Relationship of Mallory bodies to the cytoskeleton of hepatocytes in griseofulvin-treated mice

The livers of control and griseofulvin-treated mice were perfused with a detergent solution to study the relationship of Mallory body formation to the hepatocyte microtubules and intermediate filaments using electron microscopy and morphometric analysis. Numerous microtubules and intermediate filaments were found throughout the cytoplasm of hepatocytes, especially around the nucleus and the cell border, in both the griseofulvin-treated mouse livers and controls. Intermediate filaments were numerous in the cytoplasm around Mallory bodies. Morphometric analysis revealed that griseofulvin feeding did not significantly alter the amount of microtubules and intermediate filaments in hepatocytes. There was no significant decrease in microtubules and intermediate filaments in Mallory body-containing hepatocytes. In griseofulvin-treated mice, typical Mallory bodies were observed as randomly oriented, relatively short, approximately 17-nm. thick filaments. After detergent extraction some Mallory bodies were observed to be composed of thinner (approximately 8.4 nm) filaments, which morphologically resembled intermediate filaments. Our results suggest that Mallory bodies are composed of intermediate filaments decorated with a nonfilamentous substance that can be extracted by the Triton X-100. The data do not support the theory that Mallory bodies form at the expense of intermediate filaments as has been suggested from immunofluorescence studies. Our results do not support the antimicrotubule hypothesis of Mallory body pathogenesis.

alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) demonstrated in the immature glands of mediastinal teratocarcinoma: a case report

A 21-year-old man with mediastinal teratocarcinoma showed high levels of serum tumor markers: alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). After modified VAC chemotherapy (vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide), AFP and HCG levels in the serum were reduced significantly, while serum CEA increased gradually to the level of 6.5 ng/ml. Histopathologic study of the tumor obtained by surgical resection and autopsy revealed teratocarcinoma (a combination of embryonal carcinoma and teratoma). By the indirect immunoperoxidase technique, the antigens AFP, HCG, and CEA were stained in the immature glandular tissues of teratoma. By serial section of the tumor, the antigens tested were found in the same gland of the tumor. In addition, the tumor contained high levels of AFP (17353.8 ng/g.wt.), beta-HCG (beta-HCG) (125.05 ng/g.wt.), and CEA (11.37 ng/g.wt.).

Cyclodextrin-induced hemolysis and shape changes of human erythrocytes in vitro

Cyclodextrins (CyDs) at higher concentrations were found to cause hemolysis of human erythrocytes in the order of beta- greater than alpha- greater than gamma-CyD in isotonic solution. Biphasic effects of CyDs were observed for the osmotic and heat-induced hemolysis; i.e. the protection at relatively low CyD concentrations and stimulation at higher CyD concentrations. From the scanning electron microscopic observations, CyDs induced shape changes of membrane internalization type on erythrocytes. CyDs caused the release of cholesterol from erythrocyte membrane in the order of beta- greater than gamma- greater than alpha-CyD. These results clearly indicate that CyD-induced hemolysis is probably a secondary event resulting from the membrane disruption which elicited the removal of membrane components from erythrocytes.