Crohn's disease in Barrett's esophagus

A patient with regional ileitis (Crohn's disease) developed a benign esophageal stricture. He had no history of heartburn or other symptoms of reflux esophagitis. The diagnosis of Crohn's disease was suspected but could not be proved preoperatively. The surgically resected esophagus showed the gross and microscopic features of Crohn's disease. Barrett's esophageal mucosa was also found in the resected esophagus. Postoperatively, the patient developed a fistula at the esophagogastrostomy site. Crohn's esophagitis has been reported in 15 patients but none had Barrett's esophagus. We believe our patient reported here is the first case with Crohn's disease and Barrett's esophagus.

Congophilic angiopathy and cerebral hemorrhage

All the cases of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage that were autopsied between 1965 and 1976 at at Kuakini Hospital, Hawaii, were analyzed to determine the frequency of coexistent cerebral congophilic angiopathy. Seven of 75 cases (9.3%) were confirmed to have deposition of amyloid in the intracerebral vessels by means of polarized light microscopy and electron microscopy. The cerebral congophilic angiopathy was found to have predilection for aged patients and women (ratio of 6:1). Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, systemic amyloidosis, and paraproteinemia did not appear to be associated with this change. There is, however, a strong correlation between classic as well as compact senile plaques and this vascular lesion.

Selective lethal effect of thymidine on human and mouse tumor cells

Human cell lines derived from a melanoma and a colon carcinoma, and cultures of human melanocytes and intestinal epithelial cells, as well as a mouse mesenchymal non-neoplastic cell line and a malignant subline of the same have been quantitatively studied in tissue culture for their sensitivity to thymidine. All three tumor lines produced solid tumors when injected into nude thymus-deficient mice. No tumors were obtained by injecting cells of the human normal long-term cultures or the non-neoplastic mouse line. The tumor-producing lines showed a greater sensitivity to the lethal effects of high concentrations of thymidine than their non-tumor-producing counterparts. Less than 23% of the tumor cells survived 72 hours in the presence of 1 mg/ml of thymidine, in contrast to 60% or more of the non-tumor cells. Colony formation was much more inhibited by thymidine and the differential between normal and tumor cells was even more pronounced. Tumor cells which also were treated for 72 hours with 1 mg/ml of thymidine and then plated in fresh medium formed very few colonies. If the plating efficiency of the untreated controls is considered as 100%, 4.3% or less of the treated tumor cells formed colonies, in contrast to 33% or more of the non-tumor cells.

Effect of excess thymidine on the growth of human melanoma cells transplanted in thymus deficient nude mice

The effect of thymidine (TdR) on the growth of a human melanoma transplanted in nude mice has been studied. It was found that the injection of 1 g/kg/h of TdR for at least 72 h is sufficient to suppress the growth of the melanoma cells. This inhibition lasts for the duration of the treatment, and causes no apparent toxicity to the host. Nude mice treated for 6--9 days with TdR survived 158 days after melanoma transplant versus 126 days for the controls.

Biosynthesis of ferritin in rat hepatoma cells and rat livers. I. Synthesis and assembly of protein subunits of ferritin

Cell fractions were prepared from ACI rat livers and from rat hepatoma cell clone M-5123-C1. Radioimmunoassays of ferritin and of its protein subunits in various cell fractions after biosynthetic labeling with [14C]leucine were done by means of ferritin-specific and subunit-specific rabbit antibody. In both ACI rat livers and M-5123-C1 hepatoma cells free polyribosomes synthesized approximately 81% of the protein subunits of ferritin, and membrane-bound polyribosomes synthesized the rest. In both polyribosomal fractions, [14C]leucine-labeled subunits were detected earlier than [14C]leucine-labeled ferritin and apoferritin (5 min as against 30 min after initiation of a pulse). Time sequence studies of the shifts of biosynthetically labeled subunits and ferritin through different cell compartments provided evidence for vectorial transport of subunits and of ferritin, the direction of transport being from the two polyribosomal systems to the smooth membrane compartment and to the cytosol.

Biosynthesis of ferritin in rat hepatoma cells and rat livers. II. Binding of iron by ferritin protein

Ferritin and its protein subunits in rat hepatoma cell clone M-5123-C1 were biosynthetically labeled with [14C]leucine and 59Fe. Radioimmunoassays of ferritin/apoferritin and of protein subunits in the free polyribosome, membrane-bound polyribosome, smooth membrane, and cytosol fractions were done with ferritin-specific and subunit-specific rabbit IgG antibodies at various time intervals after pulsing. Much more 59Fe was bound by ferritin/apoferritin than by subunits in all of the cell fractions. Binding of iron to subunits may have been a random process. When hepatoma cells were simultaneously pulse-labeled with 59Fe and [14C]leucine, uptake of much of the 59Fe by ferritin occurred relatively early, in comparison to incorporation of [14C]leucine, in all of the cell fractions examined. Thus, 59Fe was readily incorporated into pre-existing ferritin. We conclude that most, if not nearly all, of the iron is incorporated after assembly of protein subunits.

Pyoderma gangrenosum with carcinoid tumor

A patient with the classic lesions of pyoderma gangrenosum was found on autopsy to have a carcinoid tumor of the ileum. The simultaneous occurrence of a carcinoid tumor with pyoderma gangrenosum is interesting because both conditions are associated with immunologic defects.

The monomers and oligomers of ferritin and apoferritin: association and dissociation

We have reinvestigated the association and dissociation of ferritin and apoferritin in phosphate buffer (pH 7.2, I = 0.05). When oligomer-enriched solutions of horse spleen ferritin were mixed with more concentrated, but unenriched solutions of horse spleen apoferritin, there was dissociation of the ferritin oligomers, as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and from iron/protein ratios. Some evidence was also obtained for association of monomers in the mixture of ferritin and apoferritin after pelleting and redissolution of pellets in minimal volumes of the phosphate buffer. Monomer-enriched, biosynthetically labeled rat liver ferritin was pelleted, redissolved in minimal volumes of phosphate buffer, and separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; the fractions were isolated and counted. The results revealed that an association of monomers of the rat liver ferritin had taken place which doubled the concentration of dimers. However, our results also indicate that association by concentration was limited to a fraction of monomers.

Production of ferritin by rat hepatoma cells in vitro. Demonstration of protein subunits and ferritin by immunofluorescence

Using precipitating antibodies to ACI rat liver ferritin and to sodium-dodecyl-sulfate-dissociated protein subunits of ACI rat liver ferritin, we have demonstrated the presence of ferritin-positive sites and subunit-positive sites in situ in several rat hepatoma cell lines by immunofluorescence. Hepatoma cells from three transplantable rat hepatomas (Reuber H-139, Reuber H-35, and Morris 5123) were explanted and propagated. Rabbit antibodies specific for either protein subunits of ferritin or ferritin were prepared by affinity chromatography or by dissociation of antibody-antigen complexes with 0.1 M acetic acid followed by differential ultracentrifugation. Explants of Reuber H-139, Reuber H-35, and Morris 5123 hepatoma cells, grown either in ordinary McCoy's 5a medium or in such medium enriched with iron (0.002% Fe), gave positive immunofluorescence for subunits as well as ferritin. Exposure of a clonal strain of Morris 5123 hepatoma cells to iron-enriched culture medium for varying lengths of time of up to 24 hours resulted in progressive increase in the quantity of ferritin-specific immunofluorescent cytoplasmic material, which was at first present diffusely, and later in clumps. By contrast, during the initial 24-hour period, subunit-specific immunofluorescence remained at relatively low intensity, with diffuse distribution through the cytoplasma. Our findings indicate a) the presence, in the cytoplasm, of the three kinds of hepatoma cells, of unassembled or only partly assembled subunits of fragments of subunits as well as of ferritin, and b) rapid assembly of the protein subunits into apoferritin and ferritin after administration of iron, so that the concentration of subunits in the cytoplasm was not significantly increased.

Cholesterol fatty liver. Morphological changes in the course of its development in rabbits

Livers from 90 rabbits used in a factorial experiment relating cholesterol contents of various tissues to their serum cholesterol levels and duration of exposure were observed under light microscope. Livers from eight additional rabbits fed a 2% cholesterol diet for various periods up to 90 days were fixed in an aldehyde fixative containing 0.2% digitonin and observed under electron microscope. Digitonin-induced laminar and microtubular structures appeared five hours after cholesterol feeding. Fat vacuoles in both hepatocytes and Kupffer cells were first noted on the third day and increased in number and size to the 60th day but decreased on the 90th day. Adaptation of the liver to such excessive fat accumulation was evidenced by the gradual decrease of fat vacuoles and increase of binucleated cells.

The effect of parahydroxylation of diphenylhydantoin on metaphase accumulation

DPH has a colchicine-like action on metaphase arrest of cultured human lymphocytes. The first step in detoxification of DPH increased its power to accumulate metaphases 3-fold. This hydroxy derivative [5-[4-hydroxyphenyl]-5-phenylhydantoin, HPPH] 3.6 X 10(-4) M was equivalent colchicine 1 x 10(-5) M in its power to inhibit metaphase completion. The effect of HPPH on mitosis was reversible; colchicine effect was not reversed and vincristine effect was partially reversed by washing drug from the medium. Hydroxylation of DPH did not change its inhibition of DNA synthesis and enhanced inhibition of protein synthesis to a minor degree. Detoxification increased the colchicine-like action of DPH.

Detection of protein subunits of ferritin in situ in cells by immunofluorescence

Antisera raised in rabbits against protein subunits of rat liver ferritin contain antibodies (IgG) that precipitate subunits and other antibodies (IgG) that precipitate undissociated ferritin and apoferritin. Removal of the latter antibodies from IgG fractions of immune sera by repeated addition of ferritin leaves antibodies that specifically precipitate subunits. Using these subunit-specific antibodies, we have demonstrated the presence of subunit-positive sites in cells by immunofluorescence. Subunit-positive sites were best demonstrated in rats that had been loaded with iron. These sites were diffusely spread through the cytoplasm of hepatocytes and Kupffer cells in rat livers and of macrophages and fibroblasts in rat livers and hearts. With antibodies to ferritin, the presence of ferritin was demonstrated in the same kinds of cells. Although, by immunofluorescence, the intracellular localization of ferritin-positive and subunit-positive sites was similar, ferritin-positive immunofluorescence was most intense in Prussian blue-positive cytoplasmic granules in which high concentrations of ferritin were presumed to be present on the basis of electron microscopic studies. Our findings can be interpreted to indicate either the presence of unassociated subunits or of fragments of subunits in the cytoplasm of the several kinds of cells studied. It is also possible that partly assembled molecules of ferritin or apoferritin in these cells reacted with subunit-specific antibodies. Subunit-specific antibodies may be useful for localizing sites of assembly of ferritin molecules at the level of cell fine structure and for elucidation of the biosynthesis of ferritin.