Diurnal variation of the human urinary TRH excretion measured by radioimmunoassay

Urine TRH was estimated by the radioimmunoassay which was accomplished according to the method of Bassiri and Utiger. Minimum detectable dose of TRH was 25 pg and recovery of TRH ranged from 72% to 112% in our laboratory. Intraassay coefficients of variation were 5.4% to 14.0% and interassay variations were 10.6% to 15.0%. Of the TRH analogues tested, only two (Ser-His-Pro-NH2, Thr-His-Pro-NH2) had potent reactivity to anti-TRH serum in large dose of 100 ng/tube. Urine samples were kept at -20 degrees C after adjusted to pH 3.0 because the inactivation of TRH in urine was markedly dependent on temperature and pH value. Using this radioimmunoassay, diurnal variation of the urinary TRH excretion at regular intervals in normal subjects was observed. Peak TRH excretion occurred around early morning, while minimum of the excretion was observed around noon. Total urinary TRH excretion of 24 hours was 817-1579 ng (M+/-SE: 1241+/-89 ng) in normal subjects. In patients with chronic renal failure, urinary excretions of TRH was obviously lower than those of normal subjects.

Lung cancer at autopsy in A-bomd survivors and controls, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1961-1970. II. Smoking, occupation, and A-bomb exposure

The apparent effect of ionizing radiation on lung cancer in A-bomb survivors has not been large enough to still doubts as to its validity. It has seemed essential to determine whether the apparent radiation effect could have resulted from a confounding of heavy smoking and high radiation dose, or if the occupational exposure of high-dose subjects with lung cancer was suggestive of the influence of environmental hazards other than radiation. The available series consists of 204 subjects with lung cancer verified by autopsy, 61 of whom were low-dose (less than 1 rad) and 13 high-dose (200 + rads) subjects. No evidence could be found that the influence of either smoking or occupational exposure upon lung cancer was exerted so as to suggest that the apparent radiation effect is other than real. The study also provides additional evidence of the relationship between lung cancer and smoking in Japanese.

[Pathological studies on corynebacterial ulcerative entero-colitis in rats treated with ACTH (author's transl)]

Ulcerative entero-colitis was developed in 6-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats treated daily with ACTH (4 mg/kg. s. c.) as well as necrotic purulent lesions in liver, kidney, lung or heart. Incidence of ulcerative lesions was 6.3% in Farm-A rats and 56% in Farm-B rats. Although ulcerative lesions were mostly observed in cecum, the similar lesions were also detected in distal ileum or proximal colon in some cases. Histologically, the lesions were characterized by focal necrosis demarcated from surrounding normal tissue containing a number of clumps of bacteria and cellular debris. Bacteriological examination revealed that provocation of Coryne-bacterium kutscheri by ACTH-treatment resulted in appearance of the lesions. By means of intravenous or intraperitoneal inoculation with the strain isolated from lesion similar lesions were produced in the cecum of inoculated rats under the ACTH-treatment.

The relationship of gastrointestinal endocrine cells to gastric epithelial changes with special reference to gastric cancer

Using advanced gastric adenocarcinoma and carcinoid as human material and gastric adenocarcinoma in rats induced by MNNG and in mice by localized X-irradiation of the stomach as experimental material, a pathological study was made on the relationship of gastric endocrine cells to gastric cancer. The results of the present study suggest that most of the endocrine cells in the cancer tissue are derived from the differentiation of cancer cells. Therefore, the following three may be given as the aformentioned relationship, that is, 1) carcinoid of endocrine cell origin, 2) endocrine cell carcinoma showing undifferentiated adenocarcinoma, and 3) endocrine cell cloning developed from the differentiation of cancer cell of adenocarcinoma. There is the possibility that most of 2) are of 3) origin and thus 2) and 3) should be discriminated from 1), having a functioning tumor in rare cases. The significance of reactive hyperplasia of endocrine cells in the non-metaplastic mucosa of the stomach around cancer and atypical epithelium is not yet determined, but that of EC cell seems at least to be related with the development of intestinal metaplasia in the gastric mucosa.