Incontinentia pigmenti achromians as part of a neurocutaneous syndrome: a case report

A case of incontinentia pigmenti achromians associated with mental retardation, epilepsy, short stature and ocular anomalies was reported. A study of this case together with a review of the 38 cases in the literature revealed that this entity has been associated with central nervous system involvements at a high frequency. It is necessary, therefore, to consider incontinentia pigmenti achromians as a neurocutaneous syndrome from the viewpoint of pediatric neurology.

Simultaneous competitive enzyme immunoassay for human chorionic gonadotropin

A simultaneous competitive enzyme immunoassay (SICEIA) for hCG was developed using beta-D-galactosidase (beta-Gal) as a labelled enzyme and anti-hCG antibody coated sheep red blood cells (SRBC) as a solid phase. In this report, a new coupling agent, MCAE, was used to couple beta-Gal with hCG. The sensitivity was improved to the degree of 2.5 mIU/ml, equal to that of RIA. The present procedure was safer and rapider than RIA. The value of hCG in urine by our procedure had good correlation with that by RIA.

Induction and isolation of frameshift mutants in cultured Chinese hamster DON cells

Induction, isolation and characterization of frameshift mutants were studied by using a Chinese hamster Don (CHD) cell line. ICR-191, known to be a potent frameshift mutagen, was used for the induction of frameshift mutations. The drug (10(-5) M), as well as N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), increased significantly the frequency of forward mutations from 8-azaguanine (8-AG) sensitivity (8-AGs) to resistance (8-AGr) over the untreated control to an extent of about 100-fold. 21 8-AGr mutants were isolated from the AP-01 (a sub-line of CHD) cells after treatment with appropriate concentrations of ICR-191 (10(-5) and 1.36 X 10(-5) M), and subsequently several reclonal mutants were tested for their ability to revert to 8-AG susceptibility after treatment with the three mutagens and a carcinogen, 2-nitrofluorene (2-NF), known to be a frameshift mutagen. Among the 8-AGr mutants tested, clone ICR-014 or ICR-172 showed a significant increase in reversion frequency over the control level only after treatment with ICR-191 or 2-NF, respectively; but not with the other two mutagens. These results suggest that each of these two kinds of mutant has a different frameshift mutation in one of the loci controlling 8-AG resistibility. It was also found that the hypoxanthine--guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) activities in clones ICR-014 and ICR-172 were 1.9 and 34% of that of the original AP-01 cells, respectively.

Mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium mutants of the benzene-soluble organic matter derived from air-borne particulate matter and its five fractions

Air-borne particulate matter was collected on a filter, then extracted with benzene. The benzene-soluble material was separated into 5 fractions, namely acidic, basic, alipathic, polyaromatic and oxygenated fractions. The mutagenic activities of these fractions were examined with a set of Salmonella typhimurium mutants. The 6 mutants were from the TA1535 series, deep rough strains without excision repair, namely TA100 and TA98 (having a resistance-transfer factor) and the standard strain TA1535, TA1536, TA1537 and TA1538. Linear dose-response curves were obtained for the benzene-soluble organic matter, and its acidic, polyaromatic and oxygenated fractions with strain TA98 and a 9000 X g liver supernatant from both phenobarbital(PB)- and dibenz(a,h)anthracene(DBA)-treated rats. Among the 5 fractions tested, 3 fractions, namely the acidic, polyaromatic and oxygenated, played an important role in the mutagenicity of the benzene-soluble organic matter derived from air-borne particulate matter. The 9000 X g rat-liver supernatant was not required to make the acidic fraction mutagenic.

Chronic toxicity of 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl) acrylamide (AF-2) in mice, with special reference to carcinogenicity in the forestomach

Chronic toxicity of 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)acrylamide (AF-2), which had been widely used in Japan as a food additive, was studied in both sexes of ICR/JCL mice by feeding a diet containing AF-2 in a concentration of 0.4% or 0.08%. The experiments confirmed its definite carcinogenicity in the forestomach, with dose dependency; more than 70% of mice fed the higher dose developed tumors, the majority of which were squamous cell carcinomas with metastatic growths, whereas, with a lower dose, fewer tumors occurred, following a longer latent period. In addition, possible leukemogenicity was suggested by a higher incidence in AF-2-fed females (10.8%) over that in control females (3.2%). The development of non-neoplastic lesions in the liver and kidneys, and of amyloidosis in various organs was also observed in some of AF-2-fed mice.

A female case of Kallmann's syndrome

A case of 20-year-old woman with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and anosmia is reported, since very few female cases of Kallmann's syndrome have been reported so far in Japan. Three uncles on the father's side had no children. Height was 168 cm, and arm span 165 cm. The olfactory test revealed complete anosmia. Bone age was 13 year. Chromosome was 46 XX and normal karyotype. Basal levels of serum FSH, LH and estrogens (E1, E2 and E3) were low. Serum FSH and LH levels rose slightly only after LH-RH administration, and did not increase in clomiphene test. Plasma estrogens did not increase after daily injection of 150 IU of HMG for 3 successive days. The response of serum GH to arginine infusion was normal, while that to insulin-induced hypoglycemia was poor.

Hepatic tumors of rabbits induced by cycad extract

Fifteen rabbits were administered cycad extract by gastric intubation, 1 ml/rabbit, once a week for 27 or 33 weeks. The extract contained 16.6 mg of cycasin/ml. Out of 9 rabbits surviving over 200 days, 7 animals had malignant neoplasms developing in the liver. Histological and electron microscopic examinations of the developed tumors revealed that they were malignant hemangioendotheliomas. The animals showed no proliferation of hepatic cells or any tumor development in other organs.

The Raman Spectra of the Chlorofluorosilanes in the Gaseous, Liquid, and Solid State; Anomalous 35Cl, 37Cl Isotope Intensity Effects in the Splitting of the Totally Symmetrical SiCl Stretching Mode in SiCl3F and SiCl2F2

The Raman spectra of the chlorofluorosilanes are reported in their various phases together with vibrational assignments of the normal modes. The 35Cl–37Cl isotope lines of the totally symmetrical SiCl stretching modes in SiCl3F and SiCl2F2 were partially resolved in the solid and liquid phases and their intensities were found to be approximately normal in the liquid state but may show deviations in the solid state. Possible reasons for this behavior are discussed and the results are compared with similar effects observed for CCl3F and CHCl3.

Necessity of calcium ion for cell division in Lactobacillus bifidus

Electron microscopy revealed that reversion of the bifid form to the bacilloid form of Lactobacillus bifidus takes place by cross wall formation, the process requiring available calcium ions.

Induction of pleomorphy and calcium ion deficiency in Lactobacillus bifidus

The induction of pleomorphism of Lactobacillus bifidus by NaCl was completely inhibited by CaCl(2). When the organism was cultivated in calcium-free medium, growth of the bifid form was exclusively observed. Supplementation of calcium ion in the medium caused bacilloid growth. Chemical analyses indicated that calcium content of the bifid form organisms was significantly less than that of the bacilloid form; i.e., in the former type, there was an approximately 30% decrease of calcium in the whole cells, and an 82% decrease in the cell wall, as compared with the respective content of the latter. These results indicate a suppressing role of calcium ion in the induction of pleomorphism of L. bifidus. Besides calcium content, sugar and amino acid compositions were shown to be different between the bifid and bacilloid forms. In the cell wall especially, the content of glucose in the bifid form was larger than that in the bacilloid form. Methionine and phenylalanine were present in the bifid form, but not in the bacilloid form. Cell walls of the bifid form organisms lacked a larger molecular weight peptidoglycan (7.5S) which was clearly detected in the bacilloid form. Evidence has been given for the relationships of calcium ion and cell wall components to the pleomorphism in L. bifidus.