Extracellular paraprotein globules in a patient with monoclonal gammopathy

A patient with a plasma cell disorder and IgA lambda paraprotein had the unusual finding of numerous, large, opaque, extracellular globules in her bone marrow and liver. While plasma cell intracellular inclusions are well documented, identification of such material in extracellular sites is not. These globules were of various sizes, stained light to dark blue with Wright's stain, were gray in hematoxylin-eosin preparations, and were fluorescent when stained with conjugated antibodies to lambda, but not to kappa, light chains. They strongly resembled the inclusions (Russell bodies) seen in plasma cells and are believed to be massive accumulations of immunoglobulin. The clinical significance of this morphological finding is unknown, but physicians interpreting bone marrow specimens should be aware of this unusual feature.

Non-cross-resistant chemotherapy and consolidation radiotherapy for small cell carcinoma of the lung

Fifty-six patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were treated with a two-cyclic induction course of hexamethylmelamine, vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. Patients with limited disease (LD) who responded and patients with extensive disease (ED) who had a complete response received prophylactic whole-brain radiotherapy, as well as radiotherapy to thoracic and abdominal sites of disease. Concurrently with radiotherapy, consolidation chemotherapy was given with doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and etoposide. The complete response rate was 35% for ED patients and 68% for LD patients. The median survival time for complete responders was 54 weeks for ED patients and 65 weeks for LD patients. The toxicity of the program was moderate, and the effectiveness was comparable to that of other reported combined-modality treatment programs.

Fibronectin has a dual role in locomotion and anchorage of primary chick fibroblasts and can promote entry into the division cycle

Fibronectin (FN), which is already known to be a natural factor for fibroblast spreading on substrata, has now been shown to be essential for two distinct types of adhesion with different biological functions in chick heart fibroblasts, namely adhesion directed toward locomotion and toward stationary anchorage for growth. Manipulation of culture conditions and the use of antisera of differing specificities has demonstrated that both exogenous and cell-derived FN are important in each process. The organization of the fibronectin-containing matrix differs between the two states. Immunoelectron microscopy with a colloidal gold marker reveals the presence of small membrane-associated plaques of fibronectin in motile cells with associated submembranous specialization. A fibrillar matrix containing fibronectin is dominant in nonmotile, growing fibroblasts. The development of focal adhesions for stationary anchorage can be dramatically enhanced by addition of cell-derived FN at an appropriate stage, and this promotes entry into the growth cycle. New macromolecular synthesis in addition to FN is necessary for focal adhesion development but not for locomotion.

Acute myelocytic leukemia following prolonged streptozotocin therapy

A 69-year-old man with metastatic islet cell carcinoma was treated with streptozotocin and achieved excellent tumor regression. Sixty-seven grams of streptozotocin were given over 28 months. After completion of streptozotocin therapy, the patient had progressive leukopenia. Thirteen months after discontinuation of streptozotocin, acute myelocytic leukemia developed in the patient. He received aggressive antileukemia therapy but died without achieving complete remission. Streptozotocin should be added to the list of chemotherapeutic agents whose prolonged use in the management of a primary malignancy has been followed by the appearance of acute leukemia.

Mode structure in the unstable resonator of an optically pumped FIR laser: an investigation

In this paper we investigate the mode structure in an unstable optically pumped FIR oscillator as a function of the pump beam uniformity. It is shown that the effective output coupling is sensitively dependent on the pump beam intensity profile and the degree of saturation. As an example a telescopic D(2)O resonator of nominally 75% output coupling is discussed. The mode structure varies from a stable configuration with zero loss in the small signal range to saturated intensity distributions with output coupling factors exceeding the geometrical value.

Definition of a novel promoter for the major adenovirus-associated virus mRNA

A 660 nucleotide adenovirus-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) DNA fragment which encodes the 5' terminal leader and the entire intervening sequence of the major viral mRNA has been cloned into pBR322, and its primary sequence has been determined. The 5' terminal viral mRNA sequence was deduced by sequencing the reverse-transcriptase cDNA extension product of a 5' end-labeled DNA primer complementary to the RNA 5' terminal region. From combined DNA and RNA sequence analyses (which confirm our previous mapping data) we conclude that the major AAV2 transcript contains a 5' terminal leader sequence about 55 nucleotides in length encoded from a continuous region of DNA (near position 39 on the viral genome) 320 bases from the RNA body. The DNA sequences of the splice junctions are similar to those found for other class II genes. No other nucleotide sequence, indicative of promotion at another (upstream) site, is present at the 5' terminus. The DNA region encoding and flanking the leader sequence displays structural features expected for a class II gene promoter, including the canonical ATATAA sequence 23-25 bases upstream from the presumed initiation site. When the cloned viral DNA fragment is transcribed in vitro by RNA polymerase II in a cell-free system, a transcript is produced with a 5' end that is similar or identical to that found on the in vivo mRNA. Taken together these data strongly suggest that the major polysomal RNA may be generated from a transcription unit with a promoter at position 39, even though this transcription unit is part of a larger transcription unit with an upstream promoter near position 6. This indication of overlapping transcription units with independent promoters provides a major new insight into parvovirus gene expression.

Transcripts of the adeno-associated virus genome: mapping of the major RNAs

The four major adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2)-specific RNAs were mapped on the linear viral genome by a variety of biochemical techniques, including S1 nuclease and exonuclease VII mapping, RNA gel-transfer hybridization, and analysis of reverse transcriptase extension products. All the major AAV2 RNAs were derived from the minus DNA strand and had 3' termini at position 96. The nucleus-specific 4.3- and 3.6-kilobase (kb) RNAs had 5' termini at positions 6 and 19, respectively. The 5' terminus of the 2.6-kb RNA mapped to position 38.5. The predominant 2.3-kb AAV2 mRNA was spliced and contained a short leader sequence (approximately 50 nucleotides) which mapped to position 38.5, coincident with the 5' terminus of the 2.6-kb RNA. The 5' end of the body of the 2.3-kb RNA mapped to position 46.5. These results are discussed in terms of the involvement of single versus multiple promoters (for transcription) and RNA splicing mechanisms in the generation of the AAV2 RNAs.

Transcripts of the adenovirus-associated virus genome: multiple polyadenylated RNAs including a potential primary transcript

Adenovirus-associated virus type 2 synthesizes four prominent viral transcripts, containing 4.3, 3.6, 2.6, and 2.3 kilobases (kb), in productively infected human KB cells (coinfected with adenovirus type 2). All species are polyadenylated and present in both nuclear and whole-cell RNA preparations, but only the predominant 2.3-kb (and possibly the 2.6-kb) RNA species are found on polysomes. Electrophoretic analyses under denaturing conditions of S1 nuclease-generated and exonuclease VII-generated DNA-RNA hybrids revealed, in each case, four protected DNA fragments which are equal in length (within 50 to 100 nucleotides) to the four S1 nuclease-generated hybrids resolved by electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions. These results suggest that in the infected cell, abundant adenovirus-associated virus type 2 transcripts are present predominantly (by mass) as unspliced RNAs or, alternatively, they are spliced but contain very short (less than or equal to 50 nucleotides) leader sequences. That the 2.3-kb RNA represents such a spliced transcript is suggested by exonuclease VII mapping experiments and our more detailed RNA mapping studies (M. R. Green and R. G. Roeder, J. Virol., in press).

Spontaneous regression of metastatic testicular carcinoma in a patient with bilateral sequential testicular tumor

Spontaneous regression of metastatic neoplasia is rate. A review of previously reported spontaneous regressions of testicular cancer indicates that in no case has such a patient had a prior, concurrent, or subsequent contralateral tumor. The case presented is unusual because it is the first instance of bilateral sequential testicular cancer in which spontaneous regression of metastases from one of the tumors has been noted. Together with a previous report of a spontaneous regression of testicular cancer which occurred only after a second orchiectomy, the present case suggests the possibility of hormonal modulation of tumor growth.

Mutagenicity of some lipsticks and their dyes

Twenty-four lipsticks of various shades and colors were tested for mutagencitiy with the histidine-requiring tester strain Salmonella typhimurium TA98. Nine lipsticks were mutagenic without microsomal (S-9) activation. Dose-response effects were observed. Eight colorants listed as ingredients of the mutagenic lipsticsk were tested with and without S-9. Drug and Cosmetic (D&C) Orange No. 17, a monoazo dye with two nitro groups, was highly mutagenic in the absence of S-9. The mutagenic effect was decreased or lost in the presence of S-9 prepared from livers of male noninbred Sprague-Dawley rats given a single injection of Aroclor 1254. Eight lipsticsk matched for ingredients other than dyes were tested. Two containing D&C Orange No. 17 were directly mutagenic. The mutagenic effect was decreased by the presence of S-9. Only D&C Orange No. 17 was sufficiently mutagenic without microsomal activation to account for the mutagenicity observed in these lipsticks. Lipsticks containing D&C Orange No. 17 and those labeled with the words "may contain" D&C Orange No. 17 should be suspected of being mutagenic for S. typhimurium TA98. This dye and 2,4-dinitrosaniline, which may also be present, are potential health hazards. Assessment of their carcinogenicity awaits evaluation of results obtained by appropriate testing in animals.

Procarbazine, vincristine, CCNU, and cyclophosphamide (POCC) in the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma

Twelve previously untreated patients with histologically documented, metastatic, malignant melanoma were treated with the combination of procarbazine, vincristine, CCNU, and cyclophosphamide, with an objective response rate of 33%. The median survival time was 10 months for responders versus 5 months for nonresponders. Bone marrow suppression was the major toxic effect. Further clinical trials are needed to better assess the utility of this combination in advanced melanoma.

Expression of the autonomous parvovirus H1 genome: evidence for a single transcriptional unit and multiple spliced polyadenylated transcripts

We identified viral transcripts in parvovirus H1-infected rodent cells using the S1 nuclease mapping technique of Berk and Sharp (1977, 1978). The most abundant viral transcript, present in both nucleus and cytoplasm, is approximately 2.8 kb long and represents about 56% of the viral genome. Less abundant viral transcripts of 3.0, 1.45 and 1.30 kb, and possibly other minor viral transcripts, are also detected in nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions. In contrast, a prominent 4.7 kb viral transcript which corresponds to 95% of the viral DNA is found only in the nucleus; this finding suggests that the parvovirus genome may function as a single transcription unit. Virus-infected cells pretreated with cycloheximide accumulate all these viral transcripts. Analyses of RNA-DNA hybrids (isolated from neutral agarose gels) by electrophoresis on alkaline agarose gels indicate that the 4.7, 3.0 and 2.8 kb viral transcripts are "spliced" RNAs. The nuclear-specific 4.7 kb transcript appears to be encoded by two noncontiguous DNA segments of 2.2 and 2.6 kb. The 3.0 and 2.8 kb transcripts are apparently encoded by.a 2.6 kb segment of DNA and one or more much smaller noncontiguous DNA segments, one of which is approximately 170 nucleotides long.

Defective splicing of mitochondrial rRNA in cytochrome-deficient nuclear mutants of Neurospora crassa

Recent studies have shown that the gene encoding the large (25 S) mitochondrial rRNA of Neurospora crassa contains an intervening sequence of 2-2.5 kilobases that is not present in the mature 25S mitochondrial rRNA. Earlier studies had provided evidence that mitochondrial rRNAs in Neurospora are synthesized via a 32S precursor RNA that contains sequences for both the mature 19S and 25S RNA species. The present work shows that the intervening sequence is not present in 32S RNA. However, we have identified two temperature-sensitive nuclear mutants that fail to excise the intervening sequence at the nonpermissive temperature (37 degrees C). When grown at 37 degrees C, the mutants show decreased ratios of 25S to 19S RNA and accumulate a novel 35S RNA that appears to consist of 25S RNA plus most or all of the intervening sequence. The mutants are allelic but can be distinguished in temperature shift-up experiments, mitochondrial rRNA processing turning off more rapidly in one than in the other. These mutants should provide powerful new tools for studying RNA processing in eukaryotic cells.

The cationic carbocyanine dyes Stains-all DBTC, and Ethyl-Stains-all, DBTC-3,3',9 triethyl

A simple method is presented for distinguishing two closely related metachromatic carbocyanine dyes: Ethyl-Stains-all, a triethyl dye, and Stains-all, a diethyl methyl dye. This has become important since one lot of the triethyl dye was distributed erroneously under the diethyl methyl label. The dyes differ in solubility and in differential staining of macromolecules. Studies performed with both dyes are summarized.

The Inhibition of the Vitamin K Dependent Carboxylation by Free Radical Scavengers

Prothrombin contains γ-carboxyglutamic acid residues, synthesised at a post-translational step requiring vitamin K quinol, carbon dioxide, molecular oxygen, and a carboxylating system solubilised from liver microsomal fractions of rats (normal and vit.K deficient) and calves by non-ïonic detergents. The reaction is assayed by the incorporation of 14C into prothrombin precursor or the pentapeptide, Phe-Leu-Glu-Glu-Val. Superoxide dis-mutase reduces the incorporation (50% inhibition at 300μM) and so too do copper chelates with known dismutase activity: 50% inhibition at 60μM copper (II) aspirinate, 127μM copper (II) penicillamine and 152μM copper (II) tyrosine. The superoxide anion is postulated as a primary product of reduced Vitamin K and dioxygen. Catalase also inhibits at high concentrations (> .5mM), possibly by shifting the equilibrium to favour dismutation or b; preventing production of an ‘active carbon” species via hydrogen peroxide. So far it has not been possible to replace Vitamin K with active intermediates, such as t-butyl hydroperoxide, which also inhibits the action of the vitamin, possibly due to the formation of Vitamin K 2,3-epoxide. These results point to the involvement of radical species in the Vitamin K dependent carboxylation of prothrombin.