[Histopathological analysis of herniated cerebellar tonsils resected from the patients with Chiari type I malformation with syringomyelia]

Cerebellar tonsillectomy is a controversial treatment for Chiari type I malformation combined with syringomyelia. To demonstrate the validity of this procedure, we evaluated the postoperative clinical course, the histopathological finding in the resected cerebellar tonsils and the MR images of four patients. The patients were all women, ranging in age from 27 to 58 years old (mean: 43 years). The postoperative follows-up period lasted from 28 to 51 months (average: 38 mos), and the neurological symptoms and signs improved in all patients. Histopathological examination of the resected tonsils revealed a loss of Purkinje cells and granule cells. Vacuolated degeneration and chromatolysis were also seen, and modified Bielschowsky stain revealed axonal degeneration. These findings appeared to be irreversible. Postoperative T1-weighted MR images of the cervical and thoracic spine demonstrated a decrease in the size of the syrinx and the disappearance of evidence of tonsillar herniation in all patients. Postoperative phase-contrast MR images showed good CSF pulsation in the subarachnoid space at the craniocervical junction in all three patients examined. It was possible to avoid surgical complications by using careful microsurgical techniques. Based on these results, we concluded that cerebellar tonsillectomy is an adequate surgical strategies for treating Chiari type I malformation associated with syringomyelia.

Purification and characterization of Aeromonas sobria Ae24 pili: a possible new colonization factor

Pili of Aeromonas sobria Ae24 were purified and characterized. The molecular mass of the pilin was estimated to be about 19 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The Ae24 pili were electrophoretically distinguishable from previously reported Aeromonas hydrophila Ae6 W pili and A. sobria Ae1 pili, although all three had indistinguishable morphology and shared a high degree of homology in the N-terminal amino acid sequences. Strain Ae24 and its purified pili adhered to rabbit intestine and agglutinated human and rabbit erythrocytes. Hemagglutination was inhibited by D-galactose and D-mannose, but not by L-fucose. Organisms pretreated with Fab fraction of the antipilus antibody failed to adhere to the intestine. Organisms did not adhere to intestine pretreated with the purified pili. These findings suggest that the pili are a colonization factor of A. sobria Ae24 for the rabbit intestine, and that the receptor is galactose- and mannose-containing structure.

[A infant case of rhabdomyosarcoma arising from the left iliac region with complete remission for 2 years after combination therapy]

A case of rhabdomyosarcoma in a 14-year-female is reported herein. The patient developed left inguinal pain and tumor. She was initially seen by her local medical doctor, who biopsied her left inguinal tumor with a pathological report of malignancy. She was referred to the Ryukyu University Hospital in July, 1990. CT and MRI demonstrated a large tumor 10 cm in diameter arising from the left iliac region. The tumor was extirpated and the pathological report indicated rhabdomyosarcoma (alveolar type). The patient was treated with VAC chemotherapy and local irradiation. Her course has been uneventful for the past 2 years without any clinical manifestation of recurrence since surgery.

Characterization of Aeromonas sobria TAP13 pili: a possible new colonization factor

Pili of Aeromonas sobria TAP13 were purified and characterized. The molecular mass of the pilin was estimated to be about 23 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The TAP13 pili were immunologically different from A. sobria Ae1 pili and A. hydrophila Ae6 W pili as previously reported, nevertheless all three had indistinguishable morphology and shared a high degree of homology in their N-terminal amino acid sequences. Strain TAP13 and its purified pili did not agglutinate human, rabbit or sheep erythrocytes. However, they adhered to rabbit intestine. Organisms pretreated with the Fab fraction of an antipilus antibody failed to adhere to rabbit intestine, and organisms did not adhere to intestine pretreated with purified pili. These results suggest that the pili are a colonization factor of A. sobria TAP13 for the rabbit intestine.

Purification and characterization of Aeromonas sobria pili, a possible colonization factor

Pili of Aeromonas sobria Ae1 were purified and characterized. The molecular mass of the pilin was estimated to be about 23 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The Ae1 pili were electrophoretically and immunologically distinguishable from the W pili of A. hydrophila Ae6, although the two pili were morphologically indistinguishable. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the two pilins were identical in the first 10 residues. Strain Ae1 and its purified pili adhered to human and rabbit intestines and agglutinated human and rabbit erythrocytes. Hemagglutination was inhibited by D-galactose and D-mannose, but not by L-fucose. Organisms pretreated with the Fab fraction of the antipilus antibody failed to adhere to the intestines. Organisms did not adhere to intestines pretreated with the purified pili. These findings suggest that the pili are a colonization factor of A. sobria Ae1.

Pili of an Aeromonas hydrophila strain as a possible colonization factor

Aeromonas hydrophila Ae6 had 2 morphologically distinctive kinds of pili. One appeared rigid and straight with a diameter of 9 nm (R-pili). The other appeared wavy and flexible with a diameter of 7 nm (W-pili). W-pili were very few on the cell as compared with R-pili. In this study, W-pili were purified and characterized. The pili consisted of a subunit protein with a molecular weight of 21 kDa as estimated by SDS-PAGE. There was no immunological cross-reaction between W-pili and other cellular components. The strain Ae6 and its purified W-pili adhered to human and rabbit intestine and agglutinated human and rabbit erythrocytes. Organisms pretreated with the Fab fraction of anti-pilus antibody failed to adhere to the intestine. Pretreatment of intestine with purified W-pili blocked adherence of the organisms to the intestine. These results suggest that the W-pili are the colonization factor of A. hydrophila Ae6.

[A case of local recurrent breast cancer with complete response to combination of systemic chemotherapy and topical use of adriamycin ointment]

A Case of local recurrent breast cancer in a 45-year-old female with complete response to Combination of chemotherapy and topical administration of Adriamycin is reported. The patient had left mastectomy for breast cancer in 1978, and then right mastectomy for breast cancer in 1987. Two years later, she was readmitted to our hospital with right neck lymph node metastasis and local recurrence at right chest wall. Neck lymph node metastasis was treated with irradiation with good response. On the other hand, Adriamycin ointment was applied to recurrent cancer on the right chest. The cancer was gradually diminished in size. Seventy-eight days after treatment, the local chest wall with cancer was resected. Histologically, the entire resected tissue showed no viable cancer cells and Adriamycin concentration in the tissue was extraordinary high (ten to forty fold over on systemic chemotherapy). Adriamycin ointment may be an alternative treatment of choice for local recurrent breast cancer.

Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic findings in a case of mixed hamartoma of the liver

A case of mixed hamartoma of the liver in a 36 day old female infant is reported herein. The resected tumor was well demarcated, measured 7.5 X 7.0 cm and weighed 179 gm. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of loose fibrous stroma intermingled with spindle and polygonal cells and ductular structures. The spindle and polygonal tumor cells displayed the distinct cytoplasmic staining for alpha-1-antitrypsin. Most of the tumor cells showed the characteristic ultrastructural features of immature hepatocytes, having numerous cytoplasmic microvillous structures, abundant rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. These findings suggest that embryonic liver cells, which are capable of transforming into biliary structures and hepatocytes, serve as essential elements of mixed hamartoma of the liver.

IgG subclasses of islet cell surface antibodies and their cytotoxic activity against pancreatic islet cells

IgG subclasses of islet cell surface antibodies (ICSA) and their cytotoxic activities against pancreatic islet cells in the presence of complements were simultaneously investigated in ICSA-positive patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (n = 15). ICSA (IgG class) and ICSA-IgG subclasses were determined by flow cytometry using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). Complement-dependent antibody-mediated cytotoxicity (CAMC) was measured by release of 51Cr from target cells. For these assays, rat insulinoma (RINr) cells were used as antigenic or target cells. Sera from 11 out of 15 patients who were positive for ICSA possessed at least one positive ICSA-IgG subclass, though these sera did not always exert positive CAMC activities. When the relationship between ICSA-IgG subclasses and CAMC was tested by chi-square analysis, a significant relationship (P less than 0.01) was observed between ICSA-IgG3 and CAMC. In sera from the other four patients, not any positive ICSA-IgG subclass or CAMC activity was found. The data suggest that (1) ICSA (IgG class) found in diabetics are not always cytotoxic to pancreatic islet cells, (2) the IgG subclass of ICSA varies with the patients, and (3) ICSA-IgG3 have a significantly higher association with CAMC to pancreatic islet cells. Thus, ICSA (IgG class) might not always be responsible for the impairment of pancreatic islet cells, at least in part, because of the heterogenous ICSA-IgG subclass.

Studies on the properties of the immunologically effective anti-tumor substance from spleen cells of tumor-resistant rats

The influence of physical and chemical treatments upon the immunologically effective subcellular fractions (5,000 X g supernatant and 105,000 X g sediment), which were prepared from the spleen cells of Yoshida sarcoma (YS)-resistant Donryu rats, was studied. The immunological activity of the 5,000 X g supernatant was stable to heating at 80 degrees C for 30 min. It was stable to alkali (pH 10) and less stable to acid (pH 2). It was labile to a ten-day storage at 4 degrees C, but relatively stable to a 30-day storage at -20 degrees C. When the 105,000 X g sediment was lyophilized and stored at -20 degrees C for 95 days, its immunological activity was well maintained. It was labile to 95% ethanol, 90% phenol and 2 M NaNO2, but relatively stable to 10% as well as 100% acetone, 10% phenol and 10% ethanol. It was labile to 0.1 M NaIO4 and relatively stable to 0.1 M K2Cr2O7 solution. It was labile to RNase but relatively stable to DNase.