Single stranded DNA binding antibodies in patients with obstructive jaundice

An elevation of single stranded (ss) DNA binding antibodies was present in patients with biliary tract stones and/or tumor of the biliary tract or of the pancreas. The incidence of the appearance of ssDNA binding antibodies was 22 percent in cases of non-obstructive jaundice and 50 percent in those with obstructive jaundice. The incidence was particularly high (70 percent) in patients with obstructive jaundice of over 50 days duration. No significant correlation was seen between the levels of ssDNA binding antibodies and the serum total bilirubin. However, a significant correlation was observed between the levels of ssDNA binding antibodies and the serum IgM.

IgA containing circulating immune complexes and IgA anti-single stranded DNA antibodies in patients with obstructive jaundice

Elevated levels of IgA containing circulating immune complexes (IgA-CIC) and IgG containing (IgG-) CIC were detected in patients with obstructive jaundice due to biliary tract stones and/or tumour of biliary tract or pancreas. Levels of serum IgA were also elevated, and correlated with the levels of IgA-CIC. The levels of IgA and IgG anti-single stranded (ss) DNA were elevated, and there was a significant correlation between the levels of IgA-CIC and IgA anti-ssDNA antibodies. The cause of IgA-CIC increase in patients with obstructive jaundice might be due not only to simple obstruction of biliary tract but also to other factors such as a tissue destruction.

Malignant melanoma and extramammary Paget's disease in the same patient

Axillary Paget's disease was found in a 34-year-old man who died of metastatic malignant melanoma. The primary cutaneous malignant melanoma was diagnosed 6 years before the patient's demise and was confirmed by the presence of melanin, a positive dopa reaction, and immunohistochemical demonstration of S-100 protein in neoplastic cells. Postmortem examination revealed Paget's disease of the axillary skin in addition to widespread metastases of malignant melanoma. Paget cells were positive for periodic acid-Schiff reaction and alcian blue. They were also immunohistochemically positive for carcinoembryonic antigen, but were negative for S-100 protein. This association of malignant melanoma and Paget's disease in the same person has not, to the best of our knowledge, been described before.

An electroblotting apparatus for multiple replica technique and identification of human serum proteins on micro two-dimensional gels

A new apparatus for electrophoretic transfer of proteins from micro polyacrylamide slab gels has been developed. The apparatus enabled the easy changing of nitrocellulose sheets and was suited for obtaining multiple blots from a gel. Electrophoretic conditions were determined so that all of the blots obtained sequentially from one slab gel were successfully used to visualize specific proteins irrespective of their molecular weight. Combining the transfer technique with the technique of parallel micro two-dimensional electrophoresis, 20 blots could be obtained within 1 h of electroblotting time. The locations of 28 human serum proteins were determined simultaneously on these blots using commercial specific antisera.

Regional lymph node involvement in benign renal angiomyolipoma

A case of angiomyolipoma of the kidney with the involvement of regional lymph nodes and adjacent adipose tissue is reported. Histology of the tumor was essentially benign in either location. During three years of follow-up period, no recurrence or distant metastasis has appeared. It was considered that the tumor was benign and that the regional lymph node involvement probably represents a multicentric hamartomatous or choristomatous growth. In such an example, it is suggested that additional treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy should be avoided until a definitive evidence of distant metastasis is obtained.

[Surgery and drug therapy of advanced pancreatic cancer]

By applying an en bloc resection of the pancreas with adjacent soft tissue, regional lymph nodes and pertinent vascular structures, a better prognosis could be made for patients with stages I or II carcinoma of the pancreas. The patients with stages III or IV of carcinoma of the pancreas could only be treated to a certain degree of effectiveness by using systemic combination chemotherapy with a very limited prognosis. Recent development of slow releasing anticancer agents would give more positive aspect for the management of persistent pains due to carcinoma of the pancreas with the absence of systemic side effect.

Tubular myelin figures in the lung with Wilson-mikity syndrome

An electron microscopic examination of the lung from a patient with Wilson-Mikity syndrome revealed abundant tubular myelin in the atelectatic areas. The tubular myelin was seen free and adjacent to secreted lamellar bodies in the alveolar spaces as well as within macrophages, but never in type II cells. The transverse dimension of the tubular units ranged from 24 to 30 nm, and the distance between two tubules was 5-6 nm. Occasionally the center of a tubule contained a single electron dense particle. The structure of the tubular myelin presented here differs to some degree from that in rat lungs. To our knowledge, the presence of tubular myelin figures has not been reported in cases of Wilson-Mikity syndrome. Their relation to the etiology of the disease is totally unknown; however, our findings that they were present only in the area of atelectasis but not in emphysematous areas may be significant. An accumulation of similar cases with ultrastructural study and combined biochemical and physiological studies is awaited to permit some interpretation.

Evaluation of postoperative exocrine pancreatic function using chymotrypsin labile peptide

The assessment of exocrine pancreatic function by the oral administration of a chymotrypsin labile peptide N-benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (BT-PABA) has proved to be an easy and reliable test of exocrine pancreatic function. It has the additional advantage that it can be used to study exocrine pancreatic function in all operative cases, even after gastrointestinal reconstruction. The recovery of p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) correlates significantly with parameters of the PZ/CCK secretin (PS) test. Following Billroth II gastrectomy, the recovery of PABA decreased to 39.8 +/- 3.2% two weeks after and to 45.4 +/- 4.5% one to two months after operation, significantly lower than the 80.6 +/- 3.4% in normal subjects. In cases of cancer of the head of the pancreas, the exocrine function was 44.0 +/- 3.7%, and decreased to 17.5 +/- 3.0% after total pancreatectomy. Thus, BT-PABA enables a pertinent evaluation of pancreatic function in postoperative patients with various types of gastrointestinal reconstruction and also in cases when the PS test cannot be feasibly used.

A normalized protein map of human plasma, and characterization of the normalized spots by microscale amino acid analysis

A "normalized map" of human plasma proteins, which shows the standard distribution pattern of the proteins separated two-dimensionally in the absence of denaturing agents, is described. The pI and molecular mass of the protein represented by each spot in the normalized map are shown, and 84 of 128 spots are identified or tentatively identified as known plasma proteins. Of the several methods we used for the identification, the method of micro-scale amino acid analysis of the proteins extracted from the fixed, stained two-dimensional gels is described in detail. Patterns for human cerebrospinal fluid and urinary proteins are compared with the normalized map, the positions of proteins characteristic of each body fluid sample being shown.

A normalized protein map of human plasma, and characterization of the normalized spots by microscale amino acid analysis

A "normalized map" of human plasma proteins, which shows the standard distribution pattern of the proteins separated two-dimensionally in the absence of denaturing agents, is described. The pI and molecular mass of the protein represented by each spot in the normalized map are shown, and 84 of 128 spots are identified or tentatively identified as known plasma proteins. Of the several methods we used for the identification, the method of micro-scale amino acid analysis of the proteins extracted from the fixed, stained two-dimensional gels is described in detail. Patterns for human cerebrospinal fluid and urinary proteins are compared with the normalized map, the positions of proteins characteristic of each body fluid sample being shown.

Microscale multisample two-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins in human serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine

In this technique, in which no denaturing agent is used, proteins in human serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine are separated by isoelectric focusing in cylindrical 40 g/L polyacrylamide gels of capillary size (1.3 x 35 mm) for 40 min, followed by electrophoresis in 40--170 g/L polyacrylamide linear gradient gel, with use of 38 x 35 x 1 mm slab gel, for 1 h. Only 2 microL of untreated human serum is required to obtain clear protein-distribution patterns, made visible by Coomassie Blue staining. By use of silver staining, proteins in unconcentrated cerebrospinal fluid can be made visible. An apparatus we devised for microscale two-dimensional electrophoresis enables us to analyze eight protein samples simultaneously.

Microscale multisample two-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins in human serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine

In this technique, in which no denaturing agent is used, proteins in human serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine are separated by isoelectric focusing in cylindrical 40 g/L polyacrylamide gels of capillary size (1.3 x 35 mm) for 40 min, followed by electrophoresis in 40--170 g/L polyacrylamide linear gradient gel, with use of 38 x 35 x 1 mm slab gel, for 1 h. Only 2 microL of untreated human serum is required to obtain clear protein-distribution patterns, made visible by Coomassie Blue staining. By use of silver staining, proteins in unconcentrated cerebrospinal fluid can be made visible. An apparatus we devised for microscale two-dimensional electrophoresis enables us to analyze eight protein samples simultaneously.

Separation of extremely acidic proteins, S-100 proteins and calmodulin, in some bovine tissues and mammalian brains by two-dimensional electrophoresis in the absence of denaturing agents

Extremely acidic proteins in bovine brain extracts, including S-100 proteins and calmodulin, were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis in the absence of denaturing agents. The pattern was compared with the patterns of other bovine tissue extracts and also with those of brain extracts of other species. S-100 proteins (S-100 a and S-100 b) were specifically abundant in nerve tissues. A small amount of S-100 proteins was detected in heart extract. Extracts of liver and kidney did not have S-100 proteins, but each showed the distribution pattern of acidic proteins characteristic to the tissue. Calmodulin seemed to be present in all tissue extracts examined. Comparisons of the patterns of acidic proteins in brain extracts of various animal species suggest that S-100 proteins are more "variable" in structure than calmodulin.

Dirofilarial infection in human lungs

Two cases of dirofilarial infection in the human being were reported. Dirofilarial infection is common in dogs but rather rare in human. A review of Japanese literature disclosed 13 cases of human dirofilarial infection. Scarcity of symptoms and its morphological similarity to tuberculosis or infarction as well as the popularity in pets suggest that the true incidence of infection may actually be higher than the above figure. Our cases alert us for the recognition of human dirofilarial infection, and careful examination of multiple sections in granulomatous or nonspecific infarcted lesions is suggested.

Mutagenicity studies on alcohol extracts from gamma-irradiated potatoes--preparation of samples and their chemical analysis

The preparation of alcohol extracts from gamma-irradiated potatoes of the "Danshaku" variety and their chemical aspects were studied. The final concentrate of alcohol extracts from potatoes showed pH values of 3-4. The o-quinones or "radiotoxins" reported by Kuzin, et al. were not detected in the alcohol extracts from potatoes of this variety by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, paper chromatography and the model enzymatic experiment.

Ultrastructural observation of neonatal lungs with transmission electron microscope and freeze-fracture replication

Nine neonatal and one child lungs in various conditions were examined with electron microscopy combined with thin section and freeze-fracture replication techniques in order to study mainly ultrastructural changes of lamellar inclusion bodies of type II alveolar cells. Lungs from neonates with respiratory distress syndrome and with bronchopneumonia showed occasional lamellar inclusions that were partially amorphous in thin section and granular and fragmentarily linear in freeze-fracture preparation. This change was considered to represent focal micelle formation of phospholipid lamellae. No specific morphological changes were noted in lungs of respiratory distress syndrome. In contrast, lungs from thanatophoric dwarfism showed ripple appearance of inclusion lamellae. This was considered to possibly represent unusual phospholipid compounds forming lamellae. Other interesting findings were also described.

Detection of the changes in protein distribution of rat plasma induced by carbon tetrachloride administration by means of two-dimensional electrophoresis

The changes in rat plasma protein distribution after carbon tetrachloride administration were examined using two-dimensional electrophoresis, utilizing isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel in the first dimension and pore gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the second dimension. Drastic changes in amount of protein were observed at more than 20 spot positions including those of transferrin, Gc-globulin and low-density lipoprotein. The time course of the changes was examined, and the most drastic changes were observed at 2 days after carbon tetrachloride administration.

Preparation and characterization of cobalt(II)-substituted bovine serum amine oxidase

The Type-2 copper ion in bovine serum amine oxidase (BSAO) was first replaced by cobalt(II) ion. The enzymatic activity of Co(II)BSAO was 13.3% of that of native BSAO. The various spectral data indicated that the Co(II) center has tetrahedral geometry (high-spin state) and is linked by two nitrogens and two oxygens. It was also found that the putative organic chromophore suggested by many investigators exhibits a positive CD band near 370 nm and a negative CD band near 440 nm.

Oxidation of epsilon-amino group of lysyl peptides by bovine serum amine oxidase

We examined whether bovine serum amine oxidase (BSAO) was able to oxidize lysyl peptides. Seven synthetic peptides, Z-Lys-Leu-OMe, Z-His-Lys-Leu-OMe, Z-Val-Leu-Gly-Lys-Leu-OMe, Ala-Ala-Lys, Ala-Lys-Ala, Phe-Lys, and Gly-Lys were incubated with BSAO at 37 degrees C for 4 days, and the extent of oxidation (H2O2 formation) was assayed by o-dianisidine method. The amino acid sequence of lysyl peptides affected the oxidation rate by BSAO. The rate of oxidation of Z-Lys-Leu-OMe was about fifty fold higher than that of Z-His-Lys-Leu-OMe. Z-Lys-Leu-OMe, the lysyl peptide most reactive with BSAO was analyzed by the 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrochloride method, amino acid analysis, and the 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid method. The production of aldehyde, a decrease in the lysine/leucine ratio, and a decrease in epsilon-amino group were confirmed. These results show that bovine serum amine oxidase is able to oxidize the epsilon-amino group of lysyl peptides.

Normalization of two-dimensional electrophoretic patterns of human plasma proteins and comparisons of cerebrospinal fluid and urine patterns in terms of the normalized map

A "normalized map" of human plasma proteins, which illustrated the standard distribution pattern of the proteins, was prepared by comparing eight two-dimensional electrophoretic gels of normal human plasma. Phenotypes of several plasma proteins were detected. The pI and molecular weight of each spot in the normalized map were calculated and 84 spots out of 128 were identified or tentatively identified as known plasma proteins by several methods including micro amino acid analysis of the proteins extracted from the stained gel pieces. Human cerebrospinal fluid and urine protein patterns were compared with the normalized map and the positions of proteins characteristic of each body fluid sample were determined.

Manifestations of carcinoma of the uncinate process by means of superior mesenteric arteriography

Identification of carcinoma arising in the uncinate region of the pancreas is difficult because of the peculiar topographic relationship of this lesion with adjacent structures. Among the various diagnostic procedures performed upon ten patients with this malignant lesion, superior mesenteric arteriography provided the most helpful information, including signs of invasion in the main trunk of the superior mesenteric artery and vein and in the proximal portion of the jejunal arteries. A clearer visualization of these vascular involvements was attained in the right posterior oblique projection rather than in the anteroposterior projection. On the contrary, the arterial and portal vessels belonging to the celiac territory, such as superior pancreaticoduodenal arteries, dorsal pancreatic artery, gastroduodenal artery, splenic vein and portal vein, were almost free of involvement. At laparotomy, almost all of the patients had direct extension of the tumor to the superior mesenteric vessels, forming a cancerous core in the root of mesentery. All died of cachexia within six months after a palliative surgical procedure. Serial roentgenograms of superior mesenteric artery, especially taken in the oblique projection, are the best means of confirming carcinoma of the uncinate process, for which only a few available methods have been established to evaluate the clinical aspects.

Angiography and pancreatoductography in resectable carcinoma of the pancreas

Angiography and pancreatoductography were performed in 18 patients with resectable carcinoma of the pancreas. The presence or absence of vascular and ductal tumor involvement was evaluated. Accurate diagnosis was obtained in 83 per cent at pancreatoductography alone, in 66 per cent at angiography alone, while combination of the methods resulted in 94 per cent accuracy. Tumor involvement of the capsule and secretion stagnation in the distal part of the pancreas are of importance for the surgical management and the survival after resection. An improved result after surgery may be obtained by combined evaluation of the vascular and ductal morphology as demonstrated at preoperative radiography.

Protective effects of PGE2 on diet-induced acute pancreatitis in mice

Prostaglandins have been noted to have a "protective" effect against gastrointestinal mucosal injury induced by a wide variety of agents although possible protective effects of prostaglandins on injury to other tissues have not been reported. We have tested the effect of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on acute experimental pancreatitis induced by feeding young female mice a choline-deficient ethionine-supplemented (CDE) diet for 24 hr. Administration of 0.05--0.20 microgram PGE2/g body wt 1 hr before and 4 hr after institution of the CDE diet lowered the mortality rate of diet-induced pancreatitis from 56% to 31%. Larger and smaller doses of PGE2 were without effect. Administration of PGE2 (0.10 microgram/g body weight) diminished the rise in in-vitro LDH discharge and the increase in "free" Cathepsin D activity which occur during diet-induced pancreatitis. Similarly, PGE2 (0.10 microgram/g body wt) diminished the magnitude of the increase in in-vitro protein discharge and the elevated concentrations of trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen in pancreas fragments taken from mice given the CDE diet. These findings indicate the PGE2 has a protective effect against CDE diet-induced acute experimental pancreatitis. The Cathespin D and LDH changes noted during CDE diet-induced pancreatitis suggest that this diet may decrease membrane integrity and thus allow these enzymes to leak out of the lysosomes and acinar cell, respectively, during pancreatitis. Although the basis for the protective effect of PGE2 remains unclear, our observations suggest that the prostaglandin may act to reduce the alteration in membrane integrity which occurs during CDE-diet induced pancreatitis.

Two-dimensional electrophoresis of immunoglobulin myeloma proteins in the absence of denaturing agents

Human sera from myeloma patients were subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis. Heterogeneity in molecular weight and in isoelectric point of the myeloma proteins were demonstrated on the protein map. The patterns of five major immunoglobulin classes differed from each other, implying that the five classes of myeloma immu,oglobulin can be distinguished by examining the two-dimensional electrophoretic patterns. Sugar content analysis suggested that differences in sialic acid content may be one of the origins of the heterogeneity of myeloma proteins observed in isoelectric focusing.

Cholecystokinin/pancreozymin induces the parallel discharge of digestive enzymes from the in vitro rabbit pancreas

Considerable controversy has surrounded the question of whether the exocrine pancreas discharges digestive enzymes in a parallel or nonparallel fashion. A recent report (Rothman, S.S., and Wilking, H. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 3543-3549) claimed that the in vitro rabbit pancreas demonstrated nonparallel enzyme discharge after stimulation with cholecystokinin/pancreozymin, but that parallel discharge followed stimulation with the COOH-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin/pancreozymin. It was suggested that the full hormone acted to inhibit chymotrypsinogen secretion while stimulating trypsinogen secretion. Because of the fundamental importance of this question to our understanding of the exocrine secretion of exportable proteins, we have repeated these experiments using the same preparation and stimulant but have observed only parallel enzyme discharge. We conclude that it is unlikely that cholecystokinin/pancreozymin causes the selective inhibition of chymotrypsinogen secretion.