A gag-env hybrid protein of human T-cell leukemia virus type I and its application to serum diagnosis

A fused gene of the gag and env sequences of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I), the causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia, was constructed in vitro and expressed in Escherichia coli. The gag-env hybrid protein accumulated as insoluble granules with a yield of approximately 12% of the total proteins. In an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay done with the use of the gag-env hybrid protein, all 57 seropositive sera gave positive signals, and none of the sera from normal persons did. This system can produce large quantities of the gag-env hybrid protein, which can be used for mass screening of human sera for HTLV-I infection.

[Enhancement of antitumor effect of MMC on Walker 256 by intra-arterial administration of noradrenaline in hyperthermia]

We performed a study of hyperthermia while injecting 0.05% of Noradrenaline following MMC for 10 minutes into the feeding artery of Walker-256 carcinosarcomas implanted 6 days earlier into the s.c. dorsum side of hindpaw of Wistar rats. The tumor growth rates on the 6th day after treatment by warning tumor in hot water (40 degrees C, 44 degrees C) for 10 minutes with or without Noradrenaline, were 0.7 +/- 0.6, 2.1 +/- 0.9 (40 degrees C) and 0.2 +/- 0.3, 0.0 +/- 0.0 (44 degrees C), respectively. The data suggested that tumor ischemia induced by a vasoconstrictive drug may enhance the antitumor effect in low grade warning therapy (40 degrees C). An injection of warmed physiological saline (50 degrees C) may heat the tumor vessels on the tumor surface and showed enhanced antitumor effects as a from of hyperthermia. The target area of the tumor for hyperthermia can be considered to be the tumor vessels on the tumor surface.

[Enhancement of Walker-256 antitumor effect by intra-arterial administration of TNF before using mitomycin C]

Intraarterial administration of TNF showed enhanced antitumor effects on Walker-256 implanted in the dorsum side of the Wistar rat hindpaw than by its intravenous injection. Using MMC immediate after TNF can have an improved antitumor effects.

Cloning of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor cDNA from human macrophages and its expression in Escherichia coli

Human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (hG-CSF) cDNA was cloned, by using a synthetic oligonucleotide probe, from an Okayama-Berg cDNA library of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human peripheral blood macrophages. The cDNA encodes a polypeptide with an amino acid sequence which completely matches that of the known polypeptide with hG-CSF activity derived from human tumor cell lines. Expression in E. coli of high levels of the protein (about 10% of total cellular proteins) was accomplished under control of the trp promoter, and the purified protein was proved to have hG-CSF activity. Our data provide evidence that human peripheral blood macrophages do produce hG-CSF mRNA when stimulated exogenously, suggesting they are the producer of naturally occurring hG-CSF.

[Thermochemotherapy of unresectable pancreatic carcinoma (hot water and intra-arterial chemotherapy using noradrenaline)]

A 86-year-old man with unresectable pancreatic carcinoma was treated with thermochemotherapy. In most of the body and tail affected by the tumor, which did not show any cytotoxic damage after intraarterial chemotherapy, an enhanced antitumor effect was achieved by hyperthermia, which heated the tumor using hot water in a balloon placed on the pancreas, and which was delivered through a vinyl tube leading out of the body for 40 minutes while administration of antitumor agents mixed with noradrenaline was simultaneously given into the celiac artery. In this case, we observed that using noradrenaline with contrast material injected into the celiac artery it was possible to delineate the tumor area by computed tomography of the pancreas.

A serological survey for human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 of individuals who visited health centers in Tokyo

The serum antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus types 1 (HIV-1) and 2 (HIV-2) were examined for among individuals who visited health centers in Tokyo. Of 8,198 sera screened, one was true-positive and 37 false-positive for HIV-1 antibodies. These 37 false-positives and 305 sera from the population groups at risk for HIV-2 (42 sojourners in Africa, 251 homo- and bisexuals, and 19 prostitutes) were further examined for HIV-2 antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence and Western blotting. No antibodies reactive with HIV-2 were detected in the sera examined. Serological cross-reactivity between HIV-1 and HIV-2 was examined by use of rabbit antisera.

[Reticuloendothelial function as a prognostic factor in breast cancer]

Reticuloendothelial function was investigated in breast cancer by the 131I-microaggregated albumin method using the parameters of phagocytic function (K value) and metabolic function (M value). Reticuloendothelial function of the patients with breast cancer was decreased compared with that of the controls, and it was related to the peripheral lymphocyte count. This finding indicates that reticuloendothelial function is one of the prognostic factors in breast cancer.

Giant cell tumor of the bladder associated with transitional cell carcinoma

We report in detail the first giant cell tumor associated with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. The giant cell tumor was composed of multinucleated giant and mononuclear stromal cells, and was morphologically indistinguishable from giant cell tumor of the bone. The giant and transitional cell carcinomas showed no evidence of recurrence or metastasis 8 months after transurethral resection. No histogenetic correlation between the cancers was found.

[The case studies on oral administration of tegafur encapsulated with slow releasing granule (SF-SP) for three rectal patients]

Three rectal cancer patients with partial response (PR) were obtained by oral administration of 800-1200 mg/day of SF-SP. One of them showed I-A grade and other I-B in Karnofsky evaluation.

[Intra-arterial chemotherapy combined with noradrenaline--histopathological effect in stomach cancer]

The histological evaluation of intraarterial administration of MMC, adriamycin and noradrenalin as a preoperative treatment was performed in 24 gastric patients. The effective histological changes estimated microscopically by the Takahashi's criteria were found in 9 (37.5%) patients with the primary tumor and in 8 (50.0%) patients with the metastatic lymph nodes.