[Carcinoma of the esophagogastric junction with extension to the cervical esophagus]

A 51-year-old woman with adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (E-G J), which spread from the E-G J to the cervical esophagus, is reported. Only two cases of carcinoma in the E-G J with the extension of the tumor to the upper or middle portion of the intrathoracic esophagus have been reported in the Japanese literature in the past two decades and there have been no previous reports of E-G J carcinoma with extension to the cervical esophagus. At first, the invasion to the esophagus in our case was thought to be continuous. Histological examination, however, revealed that the tumor in the esophagus was discontinuous in some portions and that the lymph vessels were remarkably invaded. These findings suggested that the extension of the tumor to the esophagus was lymphogenous metastasis.

Ultraviolet-B radiation suppresses mast cell degranulation induced by compound 48/80

This study was designed to investigate the effect of middle-wave ultraviolet (UVB) radiation on mast cell functions using mouse ear skin as an in vivo model. Groups of UVB-irradiated BALB/c mice were given an intradermal injection of the mast cell degranulator compound 48/80 into ears at various time intervals (30 min-7 days) after a single exposure to a bank of fluorescent sunlamp tubes (10-100 mJ/cm2). Both the compound-evoked ear swelling response (ESR) and mast cell degranulation were significantly suppressed by preexposure to UVB (25-100 mJ/cm2) after 0 (30 min) to 3 days postirradiation, with a subsequent recovery by day 7. No such effects were observed in mice irradiated with 10 mJ/cm2. The ESR induced by 5-hydroxytryptamine was not significantly affected by UVB radiation during the experimental period. While within this dose range UV radiation itself caused neither loss of mast cell counts nor a measurable degree of degranulation in ear skin, exposure to larger amounts of UV energy (200-500 mJ/cm2) produced tremendous ear swelling with histologic features of mast cell degranulation in an early phase of inflammation. The results suggest that UVB radiation exerts a dual effect on mast cells and that administration of smaller amounts of UVB may alter the mast cell/vasoactive amine system, suppressing ear swelling in response to the degranulator. Vascular reactivities to vasoactive amines were not affected by UVB irradiation.

Lichen striatus

The possible relationship between lichen striatus and atopy was studied. Twenty-six patients with typical lichen striatus were studied, and 22 (84.6%) had a positive history of atopic disorders. This might indicate that the pathogenesis of lichen striatus has a close relationship to that of atopic disorders.

Affinity to lectin, biological and immunological characteristics of human chorionic gonadotropins from pregnant women and trophoblastic tumour patients

To compare the affinity to lectin of human chorionic gonadotropins (hCG) from pregnant women and trophoblastic tumour patients, a small amount of urine was fractionated by a lentil lectin (LcH) affinity chromatography. The LcH-bound fractions were eluted with 2% mannoside solution, and each fraction was assayed for hCG activities by radioimmunoassay. In pregnant women, more than 90% of hCG immunoactivity in urine was bound to the LcH column and eluted from it, whereas 8 to 26% and 37 to 51% of the activity were not adsorbed to the affinity column and were recovered in the LcH-unbound fraction in the patients with hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma, respectively. These results suggest that LcH affinity chromatography of urinary hCG contributes to differential diagnosis between pregnancy and trophoblastic tumours. To characterize the properties of hCG from the urine of choriocarcinoma patients, with or without the LcH affinity, hCG activities in both LcH-unbound and LcH-bound fractions were measured by in vivo and in vitro bioassays and each of the activities was compared with the activities measured by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that the LcH-unbound fraction contained hCG molecules defecting to induce the biological activity of hCG in vivo.

Decreased NK activity of nude mice receiving long-term ultraviolet irradiation: in relation to tumor induction

We have serially evaluated the basal and poly I: C-enhanced NK activity of BALB/c X C57BL/6 F1 nude mice (CB6F1-nu/nu) receiving repeated ultraviolet (UV) exposures with the interval of 2-5 weeks until overt skin tumor(s) developed. Chronic UV exposure induced a dose dependent suppression of basal splenic NK activity. The latent period between the initial UV treatment and the appearance of the first overt skin tumor was 19 weeks. After that time, incidence of tumor development gradually increased until it became 69% at the last inspection (27th week). 89% of the tumors inspected were fibrosarcoma and the remaining revealed squamous cell carcinoma. The UV-induced suppression of NK activity was restored by poly I:C treatment before the tumor appearance; however, this restorative effect was significantly reduced thereafter.

Effect of 8-methoxypsoralen plus long-wave ultraviolet (PUVA) radiation on mast cells. II. In vitro PUVA inhibits degranulation of rat peritoneal mast cells induced by compound 48/80

Rat peritoneal mast cells incubated with a histamine liberator, compound 48/80, showed a significantly reduced capacity for releasing histamine following in vitro treatment with 0.1 micrograms/ml of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) plus 1-5 J/cm2 of long-wave ultraviolet (UVA) irradiation (PUVA). No remarkable inhibition in histamine release was observed in the cells treated with 8-MOP only. Irradiation with 5 J/cm2 of UVA alone exerted an inhibitory effect on histamine release, to a lesser extent than PUVA. PUVA irradiation did not bring any decrease in cell viability or any spontaneous release of histamine from irradiated cells as shown by phase-contrast microscopy and by histamine assay, respectively. These results suggest that PUVA treatment may cause a noncytotoxic disturbance at mast cell membranes or on surface receptors, leading to a decreased capacity for secreting chemical mediators.

Differential scanning calorimetric studies on the melting behavior of water in stratum corneum

The melting behavior of water in human stratum corneum (s. corneum) has been studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the temperature range from -40 degrees to 20 degrees C. The DSC thermogram was analyzed in terms of the amount of bound water and the melting temperature of water in s. corneum. Extraction of the s. corneum with the mixed solvent of chloroform: methanol (2:1, v/v) or 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate aqueous solution decreased the bound water content, whereas extraction with water did not change the bound water content. The melting temperature of water in the s. corneum was lowered as the water contents decreased. Extraction of the water-soluble components from the s. corneum increased the melting temperature of water when the water contents were constant. The results suggest that 20-30% of water in the s. corneum is bound water interacting strongly with the protein or lipids in the s. corneum, and the excess of water over the bound water content is unbound water solubilizing the water-soluble components such as amino acids and urea in the s. corneum. The thermodynamic theory for freezing-point depression is favorably applied to the melting temperature change of the unbound water, which implies that the water-soluble components are present as an aqueous solution in the s. corneum. Measurements of the melting-point depression of water in s. corneum provide us the quantitative information on the amount of water-soluble components in the s. corneum. This technique is a sensitive and useful tool to evaluate the hydration behavior of s. corneum.

UVB/PUVA-induced suppression of human natural killer activity is reduced by superoxide dismutase and/or interleukin 2 in vitro

We have evaluated the effects of ultraviolet irradiation or PUVA treatment [8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) plus long-wave ultraviolet (UVA) irradiation] on natural killer (NK) activity of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In vitro exposure of PBMC to UVB (280-320 nm, 1-30 mJ/cm2) or PUVA [8-MOP, 0.1 microgram/ml; UVA (320-400 nm), 0.5-5 J/cm2] resulted in a dose-dependent suppression of NK activity, whereas UVA (0.5-5 J/cm2) or 8-MOP (0.1 microgram/ml) treatment alone did not have the inhibitory effects. This suppressive effect of UVB/PUVA irradiation was successfully reduced in the presence of superoxide dismutase (SOD) (100 or 1000 U/ml) during the irradiation. The addition of interleukin 2 (IL-2) (100 U/ml) markedly enhanced the NK activity of both irradiated and nonirradiated PBMC. Combination treatment with both SOD and IL-2 to UVB/PUVA-irradiated PBMC resulted in a more remarkable improvement of NK suppression than with either SOD or IL-2 treatment alone.

Immunoelectron microscopic observations in a case of linear IgA bullous dermatosis of childhood

A 16-month-old boy exhibited vesicobullous skin lesions on the lower part of his abdomen, in his genital region, and on the buttocks and extremities. The eruptions presented small, tense bullae with or without erythematous changes of the surrounding skin, some of which clustered around the resolving lesions. Histologic examination of the eruptions showed subepidermal, ultrastructurally suprabasal laminar blister formation with infiltration of the polymorphonuclear cells and large mononuclear cells in the blister cavity. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed IgA deposits at the basilar surface of the basal keratinocytes of the lesional skin, as well as the presence of circulating IgA-class antibodies reacting to the basilar surface of the hemidesmosomes. The eruptions responded well to a combination therapy of small doses of a corticosteroid agent and a sulfonamide. There were neither clinical nor laboratory findings suggesting dermatitis herpetiformis. This case, diagnosed as linear IgA bullous dermatosis of childhood by immunofluorescence microscopy, ultrastructurally had a pathogenic site close to that observed in bullous pemphigoid.

A microcyst-overproducing mutant of Polysphondylium pallidum

A mutant, PN6017, of the cellular slime mold Polysphondylium pallidum was selected by cell-surface labeling with a monoclonal antibody, mAb 293, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The antibody was directed against an L-fucose-containing epitope on glycoproteins, designated ep 293, and the mutant showed reduced and delayed expression of this epitope. PN6017 was distinguished from other mutants of this kind by extensive microcyst formation on agar plates under conditions where the wild type formed only sparse microcysts. In suspension cultures transformation of cells into microcysts was negligible in the wild type, and close to 100% in the mutant. Under these conditions microcyst formation in the mutant began at 5-7 h of starvation. At the same time expression of ep 293 and also of a developmentally regulated cytoplasmic protein, pallidin, became detectable. This coincidence in time suggests that microcyst formation in PN6017 is coupled to the same control mechanism as the two other developmentally regulated processes.

[The attachment structure and the heterosexual relationship among university students]

Research on adolescents in romantic love has suggested that their heterosexual relationship may be influenced by their attachment to their mothers and to friends of the same sex. Three hundred fifty-nine college students responded to a questionnaire designed to explore this correlation. The results indicated that male sexual behavior and feelings of romantic love towards their girl friends were not influenced by the attachment to their mothers nor to their friends whereas those of the females were. Females who were involved in intimate sexual relationship had weaker attachment to their mothers; on the other hand, females who had strong romantic feelings, yet without sexual relationships, tended to have strong attachment to their friends of the same sex.

[Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy with anticancer agents for advanced breast cancer--effect and toxicity of mitomycin C and adriamycin]

In 23 cases of primary advanced breast cancer, intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy of Adriamycin (ADR) and Mitomycin C (MMC), which were injected jointly or individually, was performed and its effects and side effects were studied. As for the clinical effects, the response rate (CR + PR) was 73.9% (17/23 cases) and the histological response rate (greater than grade IIb) was 82.6% (19/23 cases). ADR alone (100-150 mg) and MMC (28 mg) + ADR (42 mg) combined regimens were especially superior in both their clinical and histological effects. In metastatic lymph nodes, the histological response rate was 78.9% (15/19 cases). As for the side effects, in the cases treated with MMC, bone marrow suppression such as leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia was remarkable and took a long time to recover. The above results suggested that the most effective regimen for primary advanced breast cancer using intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy is ADR alone, in single doses of 50 mg up to a total dose of 150-200 mg. Histological examination of the effective cases revealed that the central region of the tumor was more markedly recrotic than the periphery. It was suggested that the grade of the effects on tumor tissues is related to the mechanism of anticancer agents.

Mutants of Polysphondylium pallidum altered in cell aggregation and in the expression of a carbohydrate epitope on cell surface glycoproteins

Mutants of the cellular slime mold Polysphondylium pallidum have been selected using a cell sorter and a fluorescentlabeled monoclonal antibody, mAb 293. This antibody blocks cell adhesion when applied as Fab, and recognizes a carbohydrate epitope containing L-fucose. This epitope is expressed on the cell surface and is present on >10 membrane glycoproteins of different apparent mol. wts. Twenty mutants were obtained which did not bind mAb 293 when tested at 2 h of starvation. After longer periods of starvation the epitope became detectable in the mutants. In all these mutants aggregation patterns were atypical. Generally streams of cells that were radially orientated around aggregation centers were missing or were much shorter than in wild-type. Genetic analysis demonstrated that aberrant aggregation was linked to the alteration in carbohydrate epitope expression. One mutant was unstable and gave rise to subclones in which almost no antibody binding was observed, even after 24 h of starvation, and only few aggregation centers with no streams or very short ones were formed. These results indicate that the capability of the cells to aggregate is correlated with the exposure on their surfaces of the carbohydrate epitope recognized by mAb 293, whose function in development remains to be established.

The effect of 8-methoxypsoralen plus long-wave ultraviolet (PUVA) radiation on mast cells: PUVA suppresses degranulation of mouse skin mast cells induced by compound 48/80 or concanavalin A

In order to see whether 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) plus long-wave ultraviolet (UVA) radiation (PUVA) has an influence on immediate-type skin reactions, we have undertaken an animal study. Ears of mice were treated with a 0.5% 8-MOP solution topically plus UVA radiation (1.5-2.5 J/cm2). After PUVA radiation, skin responses to intradermal injection with mast cell liberators, including compound 48/80 (2.5 mg/ml, 10 microliter) and concanavalin A (Con-A) (2.0 mg/ml), or with a mixture of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and histamine as vasodilator (1.0 mg/ml and 50 mM, respectively) were examined with time (2 h-14 days). At each time point, an ear swelling response (ESR) was measured with a dial thickness gauge. The rate of mast cell degranulation and mast cell numbers were assessed by light microscopy using toluidine blue-stained semithin (1 micron) sections. ESR induced by compound 48/80 or Con-A was significantly suppressed dose-dependently (greater than 42% inhibition) by PUVA between 2 h-3 days postirradiation as compared with that in nonirradiated control mice, and the value returned to normal levels by 7-14 days. Compound 48/80- or Con-A-induced mast cell degranulation (%) was remarkably decreased between 2 h-3 days (greater than 48% inhibition) in accordance with the suppression in ESR and it was restored to the rates in nonirradiated controls by 7-14 days. Neither ESR nor percent degranulation was affected by UVA radiation only (less than 3.5 J/cm2) or application of 8-MOP only. 5-HT plus histamine-mediated ESR was not altered at all by PUVA throughout the experimental period. Since PUVA radiation itself at given doses did not produce measurable ESR, mast cell degranulation, or a reduction in mast cell numbers, and since PUVA did not affect a normal vascular response to vasodilator, it seemed that decreased skin reactivity to mast cell degranulators by PUVA might be due to a PUVA-induced noncytolytic alteration in mast cell release mechanisms.

The relationship of skin color, UVB-induced erythema, and melanogenesis

The relationship between skin color, delayed erythema, and delayed tanning (DT) elicited by a single exposure of UVB was investigated. Both constitutive and facultative pigmentation were determined by skin reflectance using a melanometer. Skin reflectance using visible light was well correlated to the minimal immediate pigment darkening dose elicited by UVA irradiation, which may relate to epidermal melanin content, a determinant of skin color. Minimal erythemal dose (MED) was well correlated to skin color, but there was less correlation between minimal melanogenic dose and skin color or the MED, since melanogenesis is controlled by genetic factors. DT also correlated to the dose of UVB in terms of MED. A coefficient of the regression line of DT may suggest the tanning capacity of skin. The possibility of detecting mild photosensitivity in individuals from a regression line of the MED on skin color is suggested.

Effects of electroacupuncture on the neuronal activity of the arcuate nucleus of the rat hypothalamus

Electroacupuncture (EA) effects on the spontaneous unit activities of 143 neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARH) which were electrophysiologically identified to project to the median eminence were investigated using anesthetized rats weighing about 300 g. Stimuli were delivered unilaterally to a meridian point of Ho-Ku in the forepaw as rectangular pulses of 5 ms duration, intensity 300 to 500 microA, for 15 min at 3 and 45 Hz. Unit activities of ARH cells were extracellularly recorded and the mean firing rates were compared before and after EA stimulation. Stimulation at 3 or 45 Hz induced a long-lasting and naloxone-reversible suppression of the magnitude of the digastric electromyogram (dEMG) in the jaw opening reflex to 48 to 56% of the control value. Based upon the EA effects on the spontaneous firing rate, the ARH cells were classified into three types: the rate either increased (type I), decreased (type II), or did not change (type III). Type I, II, and III neurons composed 56, 40, and 4% of the recorded neurons (N = 45) when EA stimulation was applied at 3 Hz, and 27, 70, and 3% (N = 37) at 45 Hz, respectively. The distribution of the three types of ARH neurons after EA stimulation at 3 Hz was significantly different (P less than 0.05, chi-square test) from that at 45 Hz.

[Urinary excretion of cadmium, copper and zinc in workers exposed to cadmium]

Changes in urinary cadmium, copper and zinc excretion in workers who had considerable exposure to cadmium oxide fumes were investigated over a 5-year period following the cessation of exposure. The 22 male subjects aged 22 to 55 had been welders on automobile parts for periods ranging from 7 months to 23 years, using silver solder which contained cadmium. They were divided into three groups according to levels of urinary cadmium in the first medical examination in 1975: 5 in the high excretion group, 11 in the moderate group, and 6 in the low group. Renal tubular dysfunctions were indicated in most workers in the high excretion group but not in the other two groups. The high and moderate groups showed a rapid decrease in the levels of urinary-excreted cadmium, with biological half-times of 1.42 and 1.21 years, respectively. Excreted cadmium levelled off in the two groups about 1.7 and 1.5 years after the last exposure. Urinary copper excretion in the high cadmium excretion group was about twice that in the moderate and low groups, the difference being statistically significant in comparison with the controls. Urinary zinc excretion was high in all subjects immediately after cessation of exposure but decreased rapidly. After three years it was found that the reduction of urinary zinc was greatest in the high cadmium group. Urinary cadmium showed significant correlations with both copper and zinc. Urinary copper showed a negative correlation with zinc excretion in the high cadmium excretion group and a significant positive correlation in the other two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)