[A case of breast cancer with lipid secretion]

Lipid-secreting carcinoma of the mammary gland is a very rare disease entity. We have experienced a 59-year-old woman diagnosed as having cancer of the left breast and treated by mastectomy. The excised material was found to be afflicted with common duct carcinoma partially involved in lipid secretion. This patient had a relapse and died three and a half years after the mastectomy. The autopsy material consisted mostly of lipid-secreting carcinoma. The pathogenesis of this disease and changes of histological figures are also discussed.

Effects of autonomic drugs on in vivo recording of electromyograms of canine renal pelvis and ureter

The effects of the autonomic drugs (noradrenaline, isoproterenol and acetylcholine) and the urine volume change on the pacemaker of ureteral peristalsis were studied by our new method of the in vivo recording of electromyograms (EMGs) of canine renal pelvis. The EMGs of the pelvicalyceal region showed a two phasic slow-rising potential of amplitude of 20 microV and discharge interval of 5 s and was different from propagated waves and therefore considered to be the pacemaker potentials. In the diuretic state the pacemaker potentials kept a constant discharge interval. On the contrary, the discharge interval of the ureter EMG became shorter and finally corresponded to the pacemaker EMG one to one. These results suggest that the urine transport in the diuretic state is controlled by the change of efficiency of the peristaltic propagation and not by the changes of the discharge of the pacemaker itself. Noradrenaline promoted the ureteral peristalsis and isoproterenol inhibited the ureteral peristalsis. These two drugs had no effects on the pacemaker potentials. Acetylcholine had a great variety of the effects on the ureter EMG and the pacemaker EMG separately. These results suggest that the pacemaker of the ureteral peristalsis is controlled under the influence of the parasympathetic system and the ureter is controlled under the influence of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic system.

Immotile cilia syndrome associated with polycystic kidney

The immotile cilia syndrome is an inherited disorder characterized by the inability of ciliated structures to beat effectively. The urological manifestation of this syndrome is sterility. We report a case of the immotile cilia syndrome associated with polycystic kidney, which also is a hereditary disease.

Response of the renal pacemaker to beta 1-adrenoceptor agonist: difference from the cardiac pacemaker

Electromyographic responses of the canine-pyeloureter to dobutamine, a beta 1-adrenoceptor agonist were investigated in vitro. Dobutamine produced a marked enhancement of potential in the pelvicalyceal (PC-) border, but failed to evoke noticeable responses in the renal pelvis and ureter. Dobutamine, however, made the pacemaker rhythm a little slow. This finding shows that the renal pacemaker is somewhat different form the cardiac pacemaker, pace of which is quickened by dobutamine.

Urometric evaluation of intramural ureter function with continual ureteral perfusion

Urometry provides a valuable test of ureteral function wherein intraureteral pressure changes associated with ureteral peristaltic contraction are recorded via a fine catheter inserted through the bladder into the ureter. An attempt was made to evaluate the function of the intramural ureter by analysis of urometric wave pattern of resting pressure recorded during the phase of no ureteral peristaltic contraction with continual instillation of sterile water via the catheter at a constant rate. By this technique, the length of functional intramural ureter (FUimL) was estimated to be 10-15 mm and the resting pressure in the intramural ureter (Pr) was between 5 and 10 mmHg in patients with possibly normal intramural ureter (4 ureters). In cases of chronic dysuria with cystographic evidence of morphologic changes in the bladder and with no vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), the FUimL was 5 mm and the Pr 2-3 mmHg. The corresponding values were 5 mm and 1 mmHg with a ureter showing VUR. The data obtained indicated that the product of these parameters, FUimL X Pr, may reflect the function of intramural ureter. The method reported herein being procedurally simple requiring no particular apparatus provides a remarkably valuable test for the evaluation of function of intramural ureter which has been virtually impracticable.

[An autopsy case of metastatic thyroid tumor]

In a survey of the thyroid glands of 621 patients with terminal malignant tumors, 50 (8.1%) were found to be associated with metastatic tumors. Examination of routine autopsy materials revealed this association in 11 out of 269 cases (4.1%); observations using multiple sections showed in this association 39 of 352 (11.1%) cases. The primary cancer sites most commonly associated with metastasis to the thyroid gland were the breast (8 of 25 cases, 32.0%), the lung (13 of 65. 20.0%), and the esophagus (3 of 16, 18.8%). Morphological observations showed the formation of regional nodules in 13 cases, diffuse infiltration into the whole thyroid gland in 17 and intravascular embolism alone in 20 patients. There changes were inferred to be due to hematogenous metastases.

[Histological classification and prognosis of mammary cancer-histological classification devised by the Japan Mammary Cancer Society and WHO classification]

Between 1966 and 1977, 427 patients with mammary cancer underwent surgery at the Shikoku Cancer Center Hospital. Using these subjects, the histological classification devised by the Japan Mammary Cancer Society was compared with the WHO classification. Since the WHO classification places 80.4% of all cases into the category of invasive duct carcinoma, the significance of the histological classification as a factor in predicting prognosis is reduced. Thus, some other subclassification is needed for practical application. We classified invasive duct carcinoma according to cellular atypism (CAT), structural atypism (SAT) and infiltration mode (INF), and examined their relationship to the 5-year survival rate; there was a positive correlation.

Directional difference of urethral pressure profile in anterior, posterior and lateral components of canine urethra

The urethral pressure profile (UPP) was recorded in anterior, posterior, and right and left lateral portions of the canine urethra using a newly designed catheter with only one eye around the circumference of the tip for UPP recording. Our single-eye catheter made it possible to measure UPP in the four aspects separately and confirmed that there was a directional difference in UPP.

Presence of 3-amino-beta-carbolines (3-amino-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indoles), effectors in the induction of sister-chromatid exchanges, in protein pyrolysates

3-Amino-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (3-aminonorharman) and 3-amino-1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (3-aminoharman), effectors for induction of sister-chromatid exchanges in human lymphoblastoid cells, were identified in pyrolysates of casein by high-performance liquid chromatography and UV spectrophotometry, together with some other mutagenic/carcinogenic carbolines. In pyrolysates from a preparation of zein, which contained little tryptophan, only norharman and harman were found in small amounts.

Stimulation of tyrosinase activity of cultured melanoma cells by lysosomotropic agents

The tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1) activity of cell-free extracts (TyH) of B16 melanoma cells cultured in the presence of 5 to 10 mM ammonium chloride was considerably higher than that of cells from control cultures. This increase in TyH in the presence of ammonium chloride seemed to be due to de novo synthesis of the enzyme, because it was inhibited by 1 microgram/ml of cycloheximide. In the presence of the latter, however, ammonium chloride did increase the tyrosinase activity of living cells in culture (TyC) resulting in about threefold increase in the TyC/TyH ratio, a measure of the extent of tyrosinase reaction exerted by the enzyme present in living cells. This higher TyC/TyH ratio induced by ammonium chloride was also observed in the absence of cycloheximide. Similar increases in TyH, TyC, and TyC/TyH occurred in the presence of methylamine or ethylamine instead of ammonium chloride, but not in the presence of tetraethylammonium chloride, and also in culture medium of higher pH. The apparently similar effects of lysosomotropic bases and medium of higher pH on the TyC/TyH ratio suggest that there are some mechanisms that control the intramelanosomal pH lower than the cytoplasmic pH.

Synthesis and degradation of tyrosinase in cultured melanoma cells

The tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1) activity of cultured B-16 mouse melanoma cells (C2M) in the stationary phase depends greatly on whether the culture medium contains glucose or galactose. The activity in medium containing galactose was about ten times that in medium containing glucose at pH 7.2. This difference in tyrosinase activity was concluded to be due to a shift of balance between synthesis and degradation of the enzyme. Experiments were conducted with stationary phase cultures in the presence of cycloheximide. The melanoma cells did not synthesize tyrosinase in medium containing glucose in the stationary phase. But when they were cultured under identical conditions, except that glucose was replaced by galactose, they continued to synthesize tyrosinase. The rate of synthesis in medium containing galactose at pH 6.3 was one third of that in the same medium at about pH 7, in which the increase in specific activity of tyrosinase per day was about 30 nmoles/mg cell protein per hr. The rate of degradation of the enzyme was practically the same in medium containing glucose as in medium containing galactose, and largely depended on the pH of the culture medium. At pH 6.3, the half-life was about one third of that at pH 7.2, where it was about 1.8 days. The degradation at acidic pH values was much reduced by ammonium salt and was strongly inhibited by the protease inhibitor, leupeptin.

1-N-Alkyl analogs of butirosin

Butirosin (Ia), 5''-amino-5''-deoxy-(Ic), 3',4'-dideoxy-(Ie), and 5''-amino-3',4',5''-trideoxy-butirosin A (If) were converted into the corresponding 1'''-deoxo derivatives, Ib, Id, Ig, and Ih by borane reduction. In addition, xylostasin (IIIa) was converted into its 1-N-ethyl derivative (IIIb) by reductive ethylation. Their antibacterial activities were discussed.

Effects of pH and type of sugar in the medium on tyrosinase activity in cultured melanoma cells

The tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1) activity of cultured mouse melanoma cells B16 in the stationary phase of growth, depends greatly on the pH of the medium and the kind of sugar present. The enzyme activity of a homogenate of cells grown at pH 7.2 in Eagles's MEM supplemented with 10% new born calf serum and con taining galactose in place of glucose, was about ten times that of a homogenate of cells cultured at pH 6.3 in the same medium. The tyrosinase activity changed reversibly on changing the pH of the culture medium. When cultured at a constant pH of 7.2, cells grown with 1 mM galactose had about five times higher tyrosinase activity than cells grown with 1 mM glucose. Only a small amount of lactate accumulated in cultures with glucose and it had little effect on the enzyme activity. These two findings explain the very low tyrosinase activity of cells cultured in medium with 5 mM glucose: the low activity is due to the presence of glucose and to the low pH resulting from conversion of glucose to lactic acid.