Ultrasonically guided percutaneous contrast medium injection and aspiration biopsy using a renal-time puncture transducer

A real-time transducer for ultrasonically guided puncture was used for percutaneous contrast medium injection and aspiration biopsy in 160 patients with various diseases of the abdomen. Opacification of the bile ducts, pancreatic duct and the portal vein was accomplished in 157 patients. Percutaneous aspiration biopsy provided cytological proof of malignancy in 56 of 64 patients with suspected carcinoma. Ducts or vessels less than 10 mm wide on ultrasound images were successfully opacified, and biopsy confirmed at 2 X 2.5-cm carcinoma.

Real-time sonography of the pancreatic duct: application to percutaneous pancreatic ductography

Using a linear-array electronic real-time scanner, ultrasonic pancreatograms were obtained in 21 of 25 normal adults and in 28 of 29 patients with pancreatic disease. The normal pancreatic duct was seen as a thin anechoic tube with echogenic walls and an inner diameter under 0.8 mm. In patients with pancreatic disease, changes in the duct such as dilatation, obstruction, and pancreatic stones could be seen. When ultrasonic pancreatograms were compared with endoscopic pancreatograms in the same patients, there was a good correlation in the patterns of duct dilatation. Using a real-time transducer to guide a thin needle for puncture, both percutaneous pancreatic ductography and percutaneous aspiration biopsy of the pancreas were successfully performed as a single procedure in eight patients with carcinoma of the head of the pancreas. There were no major complications, and the examination provided a definitive diagnosis in all patients.

Fatal herpesvirus tamarinus infection in cotton-topped marmosets (Saguinus oedipus)

Fatal herpesvirus tamarinus infection was observed in cotton-topped marmosets (Saguinus oedipus) imported from South America via the United States on August 26, 1976. In addition to the lesions hitherto reported in herpesvirus tamarinus infection, severe degenerative and necrotic changes of ganglion cells were recognized with intranuclear inclusion bodies in the plexus of the digestive tract and the sympathetic nerves and their ganglions in the abdominal cavity. Inflammatory or regressive changes were also noted in the central nervous system. A large number of basophilic or eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies frequently recognized in multinucleated giant cells were observed in various organs and tissues, and they showed different shapes at the electron microscopic level. Morphological findings indicated that herpesvirus tamarinus infection seemed to be similar to herpes simplex virus infection in man. The findings of the susceptibility of a variety of cell cultures to the virus isolate serologically identified as herpesvirus tamarinus and physicochemical characteristics of the virus isolate were in general agreement with the findings of herpesvirus tamarinus already reported by previous workers.

Biological activity of 1-alpha-hydroxy vitamin D3 in vitamin D dependency

The biological activity of 1(OH) vitamin D3 was evaluated in 2 cases of vitamin D dependency. For the improvement of serum chemistry and increment of urinary excretion of calcium 1(OH) vitamin D3 was 500--1000 times more active than vitamin D2. The administration of 0.05 microg/kg/day and 0.1 microg/kg/day of 1(OH) vitamin D3 were equally effective to keep the serum chemistry within normal limits. However, urinary excretion of calcium increased to an abnormal height on 0.1 microg/kg/day of 1(OH) vitamin D3. On the other hand, administration of 0.05 microg/kg/day of 1(OH) vitamin D3 kept both serum level and urinary excretion of calcium normal. It is suggested that 0.05 microg/kg/day is close to the optimum requirement of 1(OH) vitamin D3 in vitamin D dependency and this should correspond to the essential requirement of 1(OH) vitamin D3 in man.

Plaque formation by a host range mutant of vaccinia virus in non-permissive cells co-infected with Yaba virus

A host-dependent conditional lethal mutant of vaccinia virus strain DIs was rescued to form plaques in a non-permissive cell line JINET co-infected with Yaba virus, a poxvirus serologically distant from the rescued virus. The efficiency of plaque formation under optimal conditions in this system was comparable to that in Vero cells which were permissive for the mutant. The plaque number of the mutant in JINET cells was influenced greatly by the multiplicity of Yaba virus, the interval between inoculations with DIs and Yaba virus and the maintenance medium for pre-infection of cells with Yaba virus. The plaque formation by DIs in JINET cells was suppressed or inhibited when the duration of pre-infection with high multiplicities of Yaba virus was prolonged. Thus, Yaba virus possessed both rescuing and inhibitory activities on DIs and the plaque number of DIs in doubly infected cells was thought to be determined by the balance between the two activities. Ultraviolet light-inactivated Yaba virus retained rescuing activity on DIs in JINET cells.

In vitro effect of D-isoascorbic acid and betaine hydrate alone and in combination on normal and malignant cells

D-Isoascorbic acid, an isomer of vitamin C, and betaine hydrate (quaternary amine) were found to inhibit mitoses of sarcoma 37, Ehrlich carcinoma, and L1210 leukemia cells in vitro. However, the combined effect of these compounds produced a greater inhibitory activity than when either was administered individually.

Selective effect of fractions of a yeast extract (PCO) on normal and malignant cells

The selective action of two fractions of PCO (a yeast extract) on normal and malignant cells was demonstrated. In vivo, the mitotic activity of malignant cells was inhibited by the methanol-insoluble fraction of PCO, whereas the methanol-soluble fraction caused no inhibition. The in vitro studies, however, showed inhibition of mitoses with both fractions. The malignant cells employed in vitro and in vivo were the Krebs-2 and Ehrlich carcinomas. The nonneoplastic cells tested in vitro were established cultures of epithelial-like cells from murine bone marrow and thymus, and corneal epithelium and peripheral blood in vivo.

Response of neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells to a yeast extract

PCO, an aqueous-alcoholic extract of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was found to inhibit mitoses of 4 different ascites tumors removed from mice. Carried as established in vitro lines 6 tumors and 4 established lines of non-neoplastic cells could not be inhibited by PCO. Primary cultures (diploid) of mouse embryo tissue cells and granulocytic blast cells from adult mice also could not be mitotically inhibited by PCO.