The role of hydrogen peroxide in basophil histamine release and the effect of selected flavonoids

Studies on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced histamine release from human basophils indicate that H2O2 is a weak stimulus of histamine release, that the release process is Ca2+ and energy-dependent, and that histamine release is not influenced by theophylline (in keeping with previous observations with rat mast cells). Low concentrations of H2O2 appeared to augment and high concentrations to inhibit histamine release induced by anti-IgE. However, the inhibitory effect of high concentrations of H2O2 were completely abrogated by catalase, which destroys H2O2, and thus indicates that basophils retain immunologic responsivity and are not irreversibly effected by high concentrations of H2O2. Leukocyte suspensions relatively enriched in monocytes, lymphocytes, basophils, neutrophils, and neutrophils plus eosinophils were prepared by Percoll-gradient centrifugation. Anti-IgE stimulated H2O2 formation only in the fraction richest in basophils. Opsonized zymosan, on the other hand, stimulated H2O2 generation in both the basophil and monocyte fractions, indicating activation of both monocytes and basophils by this stimulus. Mixtures of basophil-containing leukocyte suspensions plus purified neutrophils and opsonized zymosan stimulated histamine release in proportion to concomitant generation of H2O2. Addition of catalase reduced histamine release under these conditions, whereas scavengers of other toxic oxygen derivatives (superoxide dismutase, alpha-tocopherol, D-mannitol) had little or no effect on histamine release. These findings suggest that neutrophil-derived H2O2 can cause basophil histamine release in mixed populations of activated leukocytes. Three naturally occurring flavonoids, quercetin, apigenin, and taxifolin (dihydroquercetin) were examined for their effect on anti-IgE-induced histamine release and H2O2 generation in basophil-containing leukocyte suspensions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Transformation of the factor loadings in inter-battery factor analysis]

The factor transformation problem in inter-battery factor analysis is not limited to ordinary factor rotation. In this paper, four methods of transformation in inter-battery factor analysis are proposed. The first one is a solution of Gibson's (1960) proposal and may be applied to obtain factor loadings for the transformation toward simple structure. The second one is a kind of Procrustes rotation in inter-battery factor analysis. These solutions are obtained by numerical methods. The third and the fourth ones consist of scale transformation of factor loadings and may be applied to cases where orthogonality of factor loadings are desirable to a definite interpretation (e.g. as a profile score which is independent of general ability). The transformed values of the third and fourth methods are obtained as the numerical solutions of quartic equations.

Seventeen year's experience in the treatment of carcinoma of the mobile tongue

Two hundred and forty-two patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the mobile tongue were reviewed. Most of them were initially treated by irradiation and then treated surgically for salvage. Cervical node metastases were frequently developed during or after the initial therapy. The patients in the advanced stage showed poor prognosis due to uncontrolled cervical node metastases and/or local recurrence. In the patients with no initial cervical node involvement, better local control and less frequent incidence of subsequently developed cervical node metastases were observed in the group treated by surgery than in those treated by irradiation. In the patients with initial cervical node involvement, no significant difference was noted in the survival yielded by either treatment modality. In advanced carcinoma, combined treatment with radiotherapy and surgical therapy seemed to give better results than with either radiotherapy or surgical therapy alone in this study.

Phonopneumograph possible for real-time tracing

We constructed a new phonopneumograph that provides real-time tracing of lung sounds at a high speed without the steps of memory and playback by use of a thermal printer system. Accuracy of the recorded wave form was considered adequate even at the maximum speed of 750 mm/sec for detailed wave form analysis. The device is easily connected to a recording system for respiratory flow rate or volume. To test the clinical usefulness of this portable instrument, the difference in the interpretation of four types of basic adventitious lung sounds by different listeners was examined. The "trained" group who had experience in using this instrument interpreted adventitious lung sounds more accurately than did the "untrained" group. Even in the "trained" group, however, the accuracy of identifying certain sounds was sometimes low. These results suggest that this device is useful for bedside interpretation of adventitious lung sounds or for training of auscultation ability.

Rales in silicosis. A correlative study with physiological and radiological abnormalities

Pulmonary auscultation, pulmonary function tests and radiological examination were done in 127 hospitalized patients with silicosis. Fine crackle (FC) was heard in 21.3% of patients, coarse crackle (CC) in 28.5%, rhonchi or wheeze (RorW) in 25.2% and friction rub (FR) in 5.5%. In complicated silicosis the incidence of rales was paradoxically lower than in simple silicosis (54.6 vs. 83.3%, respectively, p less than 0.05). In simple silicosis, patients with CC and/or RorW had lower %VC and FEV1/FVC%, but in complicated silicosis, the relation between the presence of rales and pulmonary functional status was not so apparent. These results suggest that in relatively advanced silicosis, all kinds of rales are heard, and in simple silicosis, rales are useful indicators of physiological impairment, but in complicated silicosis, they do not seem to be so useful.

Malignant lymphoma in unusual areas of the head and neck: parapharyngeal space and temporal fossa

Primary malignant lymphomas of the parapharyngeal space are rare and only 28 cases are known to have been reported. No case of malignant lymphoma arising in the temporal fossa has been previously documented. The present paper reports a case of primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the parapharyngeal space in a child and two cases of lymphoma of the temporal fossa in adults. All three cases were diagnosed histopathologically from biopsy specimens as diffuse, B-cell lymphomas. For diagnosis, inspection and bimanual palpation were most important in the parapharyngeal case and the temporal cases required more than one biopsy for the final diagnosis.

Radiochemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in palatine tonsil

From January 1966 to December 1980, 367 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were autopsied at Kobe University Hospital. The rate of extranodular type was 76.7% and the most common site of origin was the palatine tonsil. Of 133 patients with NHL in the palatine tonsil, at the Kobe University Hospital 110 were treated. All of the patients were treated by irradiation. Sixty-one patients were treated by irradiation alone. Forty-nine patients were treated in addition with conventional chemotherapy using vincristine, cyclophosphamide, endoxan a, and prednisolone. In 14 of 49 patients, adjuvant immunochemotherapy using a Streptococcus pyogenes (OK-432) was added at maintenance dose in combination with induction radiochemotherapy. The survival curve of the patients treated by radiochemotherapy is better than that of the patients treated by irradiation alone. The survival rates at 0 to 1, 1 to 2, and 2 to 3 years for the patients treated by radiochemotherapy were 81.5, 66.3, and 59.0%, respectively, significantly higher than those of the radiotherapy group. The 5-year survival rates of the radiotherapy group were 50.2% for Stage I and 26.5% for Stage II patients. The rates increased to 78% and 41.8% by radiochemotherapy. The extranodal NHL of Stage II also frequently develops into the advanced stage and adjuvant chemotherapy is necessary for such patients.

Malignant histiocytosis in the oropharynx

Malignant histiocytosis is characterized by systemic, progressive, and invasive proliferation of malignant histiocytes. The disorder is typically accompanied by fever, general fatigue, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. A case of a 21-year-old woman with primary malignant histiocytosis of the oropharynx is reported. Histologic diagnosis from the biopsy specimen was confused by infiltration of normal-appearing histiocytes and inflammatory cells. The titers of Epstein-Barr virus and the Paul-Bunnell test were elevated without atypical lymphocytes. The patient died 3.5 months after the onset of symptoms. Autopsy revealed systemic neoplastic proliferation of malignant histiocytes. A review of literature on this subject revealed no cases of malignant histiocytosis primarily involving the oropharynx.

Malignant lymphoma presenting as a parotid mass

Primary malignant lymphomas of the salivary glands are very rare. Three cases of diffuse B-cell malignant lymphomas, each developing as a parotid mass, were presented. The preoperative early diagnosis is essential in these cases to avoid an unnecessary radical procedure as well as to have a beneficial effect on the prognosis. If there were a possibility of malignant lymphoma, present authors stressed that an incisional biopsy should be performed for diagnosis. The usefulness of immunopathological diagnosis of these tumors has been discussed with regards to the prognosis.