[Pathological study of 936 cases of smooth muscle tumor in the alimentary tract]

936 cases of smooth muscle tumor were analysed, including 198 cases in esophagus, 354 in stomach, 243 in small intestine, and 141 in the large bowel. Pathological diagnosis revealed, that there were 468 cases of either leiomyoma or leiomyosarcoma, and the leiomyosarcoma cases had been further divided into three grades. The follow-up data of 191 leiomyomas showed that except 15 patients who died of irrelevant reasons, all the rest survived. Of 252 leiomyosarcoma patients, 138 are still alive and 114 died. The survival rate was 36.1% for 5 years and 30.1% for 10 years. Factors having an effect on the prognosis include sites, sizes, grades of the tumor and the number of mitotic figure in leiomyosarcoma. The authors suggest that mitotic figures (greater than or equal to 2/25HPF); cell anaplasia; density of tumor cell; tumor size (greater than 6cm); presence of necrosis and cystic change and infiltration of tumor cells into the neighbouring tissue may be considered as the criteria for the diagnosis of malignant smooth muscle tumors of the alimentary tract.

cDNA-derived amino acid sequence of the 86-kDa subunit of the Ku antigen

The Ku antigen is a DNA-associated nuclear protein recognized by sera from patients with autoimmune diseases. It consists of two polypeptides of 86 and 70 kDa. cDNA clones encoding the 86-kDa subunit of the Ku antigen were isolated by probing lambda gt11 recombinant cDNA expression libraries with a monoclonal antibody specific for this protein. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA comprises 732 amino acids and corresponds to a protein with molecular weight of 81.914. Nineteen residues at the NH2 terminus determined by protein sequencing corresponded to the sequence deduced from the cDNA. The predicted amino acid sequence contains a region with repeating leucine residues similar to the "leucine zipper" structure observed in the c-myc, v-myc, and c-fos oncogene products. The largest cDNA hybridized to 2.7- and 3.4-kilobase poly(A)+ mRNAs from HeLa cells. The cDNA clones expressed fusion proteins immunoreactive with the monoclonal antibody and sera from patients with autoimmune diseases.

Toxicity and chromosomal damage in fetal Syrian hamster and human pulmonary epithelial cells

In order to test the hypothesis that human chromosomes are more stable than those of rodents, we compared the fetal human and Syrian hamster pulmonary epithelial cell lines for their sensitivity to the induction of cytotoxicity (CT), chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs). One day after plating, the cells were exposed for 2 h to various doses of ENU dissolved in an exposure medium consisting of McIlvaine buffer, RPMI 1640, and bovine serum albumin. CAs and SCEs were examined in 24-64 post-exposure hours by the standard methods, while CT was determined by cell counts. The frequency of CAs (particularly chromatid exchanges) and that of SCEs showed clear dose dependency and was remarkably higher in the hamster than in the human cells. CT determined in 1 week of post-exposure incubation showed a similar dose response for both cell lines with sharply declining regressions. These results suggest that human chromosomes are indeed more resistant to ENU-inducible aberrations than hamster chromosomes and that CT may not always be directly associated with chromosomal damage.

[Endodermal sinus tumor of sacrococcygeal region in the infant--clinico-pathologic analysis of 6 cases]

Endodermal sinus tumor can be found in the ovaries, testes and extragonadal sites, such as sacrococcygeal, retroperitoneal, mediastinal regions or other mid line structures. Sacrococcygeal endodermal sinus tumor and its characteristics are presented. The age of patients with lesions in this region is youngest among all. Their ages ranged 10 months to 3 years in our series. Five of them were females. Most cases had difficulty in passing stools. When first seen in the clinic, all were in the advanced stage with the tumor infiltrating into the sacrococcygeal bones, presacral soft tissues and rectum already. The residual lesions recurred rapidly after operation. All cases were not treated systematically by chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and died within 1-15 months. Pathologically, the composition of the tumor is the same in every site, assuming patterns of reticular or solid, glandular or pseudopapillary appearance, Schillar-Duval bodies, hyaline bodies and so on. Positive serum AFP test may be helpful in the differential diagnosis and prognostic evaluation.

Developmental morphometry of the vagus nerve in the opossum

Developmental morphology of the vagus nerve has been described for placental but not marsupial mammals such as the opossum which undergo even greater postnatal maturation. In the present study, the cervical vagus nerve of opossums from the seventh postnatal day to the adult were compared after 3% glutaraldehyde immersion, postfixation in osmium tetroxide and staining with uranyl acetate and lead citrate. At 7 days of age, axons were unmyelinated. Only 4 myelinated axons were present at the 25th postnatal day and by 50 days of age only 11% of adult values were reached. The number of Schwann cells increased from 105 at age 7 days up to 640 in the adult. The number of myelin lamellae surrounding the largest axons increased from 9 at 25 days up to 102 +/- 9 at adulthood. In the newborn kitten and rabbit, the number of myelinated vagal fibers comprised 10% (n = 326) and 18% (n = 653), respectively, of that reached in the adult animal. Comparable values are not obtained in the opossum until the 50th postnatal day.

Primary Sjogren's syndrome and autoimmune hemolytic anemia in sisters. A family study

Familial primary Sjogren's syndrome is infrequently reported despite a strong association with a genetically determined factor, HLA-DR3. Although autoimmune hemolytic anemia occurring with secondary Sjogren's syndrome has been well-documented, its association with primary Sjogren's syndrome has not previously been well-recognized. Thus, the unique occurrence of primary Sjogren's syndrome and autoimmune hemolytic anemia in two sisters prompted investigation of other family members for autoimmune diseases and serologic phenomena and their relationships to HLA genotypes. Serologic analysis (antinuclear antibodies, anti-single-stranded DNA, biologic false-positive result for syphilis, and rheumatoid factor) and HLA-A, B, C, and DR typing were performed in 19 relatives in the kindred. Although HLA-DR3 occurred in those affected with Sjogren's syndrome and thyroid disease, there was no consistent segregation of HLA haplotype with serologic abnormalities in other relatives. These data suggest that there are other, non-HLA-linked, factors contributing to the autoimmune diseases in this family.