Alpha 2HS-glycoprotein in the serum and urine of patients with renal diseases

The concentration of alpha 2HS-glycoprotein (alpha 2HS-GP), as measured by the single radial immunodiffusion technique in the sera of 52 patients with various renal diseases and varying degrees of proteinuria, was found to be significantly reduced (P less than 0.001) when compared to the control values. Out of the 52 patients examined, 34 were found to excrete alpha 2HS-GP in urine with no correlation between the serum and urine levels of this protein. Although there is a statistically significant correlation between the clearances of albumin and alpha 2HS-GP, in only six patients were the clearances of alpha 2HS-GP within +/- 25% of albumin clearance. Twelve had higher, and 16 had lower, relative clearances of alpha 2HS-GP. The relative clearance of alpha 2HS-GP had no relation to the serum levels of alpha 2HS-GP, but correlated with the degree of proteinuria and the type of histological lesion in the kidney. In conclusion, there is a quantitative reduction of serum alpha 2HS-GP in patients with renal diseases. It appears that the degree of proteinuria and the type of renal lesion influences its selective handling by the kidneys.

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of mammary adenocarcinomas in the rat

A study of 24 rats implanted in the hind leg with mammary adenocarcinomas and five sham-implanted rats, followed from the second to the eight week postimplantation, showed nuclear magnetic resonance imaging capable of detecting all the tumors without yielding any false-positives in the control rats. The T1 relaxation time of tumors overlapped that of muscle, and the T2 times overlapped fat, but the combination was unique when comparing tumors to muscle and fat. Necrotic regions of the tumor and the bladder contents tended to have very long T1 and T2 relaxation times. The difference in relaxation time between tumors and muscle could be accounted for in terms of water content, which was approximately 8% higher for the tumors. The study corroborates data from previous studies indicating that NMR imaging is a highly sensitive modality, although T1 and T2 times are not exclusive indicators of malignancy.

Prolidase and prolinase activities in the erythrocytes of patients with chronic uremia

To elucidate the nature of the iminoacidopathy in uremia, the prolidase and prolinase activities in erythrocytes from 36 normal subjects, 28 patients with chronic uremia, and 21 patients on maintenance hemodialysis were determined. A statistically significant decrease in the activities of both prolidase and prolinase was found in the uremic patients and the hemodialysis group. No difference has been observed in the enzyme activities in the pre- and postdialysis samples of the hemodialysis patients. It is suggested that decreased activities of prolidase and prolinase may contribute to the iminoacidopathy in uremia, including high contents of serum iminoacid containing peptides.

Activity of 4'-0-tetrahydropyranyladriamycin hydrochloride (THP-ADM) in a human tumor cloning system

4'-0-tetrahydropyranyladriamycin hydrochloride (THP-ADM) is a new anthracycline derivative. The antitumor activity of THP-ADM was tested on 51 human tumor samples representing ten different tumor types in in vitro colony assay method. Tested tumors were: 26 cases of ovarian cancer, 8 cases of breast cancer, 6 cases of colorectal cancer, 3 cases of endometrial cancer, 2 cases each with gastric cancer and sarcoma, and another 4 cases. An in vitro colony assay was done in soft agar as described by Hamburger & Salmon. The criteria for in vitro sensitivity was defined as a 70 percent or greater reduction in the number of colonies after a 1-h exposure to drugs. The selected concentrations of THP-ADM for assay were 0.05, 0.5, and 1.0 micrograms/ml. The sensitivity rates for THP-ADM in each dose were: 0.05 micrograms/ml (7/19, 37%), 0.5 micrograms/ml (10/51, 20%), and 1.0 micrograms/ml (12/19, 63%). In vitro sensitivity of adriamycin (0.04 micrograms/ml) was simultaneously tested in 49 cancer patients. Five out of 25 ovarian cancer patients (20%) showed responses to adriamycin and an overall response rate was 12% (6/49). These data indicate that THP-ADM has an antitumor activity against various cancers and it is comparable to that of adriamycin.

Clinical efficiency of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging

Advances in imaging technique have improved the efficiency of clinical nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging, and will allow total patient examination time that equals or is more favorable than that of x-ray computed tomography (CT). The whole head can be examined with NMR in a 6.5-minute imaging time with a spatial resolution of 1.7 mm. Fifteen sections in the body can be similarly imaged. Quantitative T2 ("spin-spin" relaxation time) information, as well as estimates of T1 ("spin-lattice" relaxation time) can be obtained in this time. Quantitative T1 information requires an additional procedure.

Alteration of glomerular anionic sites by the development of subepithelial deposits in experimental glomerulonephritis in the rat

Using highly cationic polyethleneimine, alteration of glomerular anionic sites were evaluated ultrastructurally in two types of rat glomerulonephritis (GN); chronic serum sickness GN and heterologous (passive) or autologous (active) Heymann's GN. Daily i.v. injections of egg white lysozyme in physiologic saline into presensitized rats led to the formation of numerous mesangial and subepithelial deposits. In the non-proteinuric period in which immune deposits were localized predominantly in the mesangium, anionic sites of the laminae rarae and the epithelial cell coat were clearly observed. In the subsequent proteinuric period in which numerous subepithelial deposits were superimposed, a broad loss of anionic sites in the epithelial cell coat was seen. Splitting and focal loss of anionic sites on the lamina rara externa adjacent to the subepithelial deposits were commonly observed both in passive and active Heymann's GN and in lysozyme GN. These findings indicate that the subepithelial deposits are closely involved in the development of proteinuria by injuring the anionic sites, especially those on lamina rare externa of the glomerular basement membrane.

[Colony formation of solid tumors in in vitro colony assay (human tumor stem cell assay)]

Colony forming ability of solid tumor cells was studied in a tumor colony assay (human tumor stem cell assay). In 50 cases of solid tumors, cloning efficiencies of 5 X 10(5) cells plated were as follows: breast cancer 12/12 (100%), colon cancer 10/11 (91%), ovarian cancer 9/9 (100%), sarcomas 7/9 (78%), gastric cancer 3/6 (50%), endometrial cancer 2/2 and pancreatic cancer 1/1. An overall cloning efficiency was 88% (44/50) and this rate is higher than those reported in literatures. Ovarian cancer showed the highest plating efficiency of 0.07% (number of colonies/number of cells plated X 100%) in various solid tumors tested. Subsequently, plating efficiencies of colon and breast cancer were 0.03 and 0.01%, respectively. In the cases of sarcomas and gastric cancer, low plating efficiencies were seen (0.008%, 0.003%). The overall rate succeeded colony growth of solid tumors was somewhat higher in enzymatically treated tumor cells, that is, cloning efficiencies in mechanical and enzymatic methods were 85 and 90%, respectively. The enzymatic disaggregation is an advantageous method in gastric cancer and sarcomas. Various solid tumors can be formed colonies in soft agar and chemosensitivity test using in vitro colony assay is expected in solid tumors.

Nephritic factor (NeF) of alternate pathway (NeFA) and of classical pathway (NeFc)

NeFA and NeFc were studied in various cases (115 cases). 5 cases were followed up for a long time. NeFA assay was done by the "microtest plate method". We detected the NeF activity for the first time in the cases of Sjögren syndrome (SjS) and SjS+SLE+Hashimoto's disease (Hashimoto). In some cases NeF activity disappeared after therapy, and in one case NeFA and NeFc were positive at first, but then only NeFA activity became negative following the adequate therapy. As to the antibody nature of NeF, the possibility was suggested that NeFA might be anti C3b autoantibody and NeFc might be anti C4b and/or C4b2a auto-antibody.

Relationship between complement-fixing (hemolytic) antibodies to single-stranded and double-stranded DNA and the prognosis in systemic lupus erythematosus

Hemolytic (complement-fixing) antibodies to single-stranded (ss) or double-stranded (ds) DNA, measured by recently developed PHL assay, occurred closely correlated with renal activity in patients with systemic lupus (SLE). Approximately one third of the patients with renal disease had hemolytic antibodies to ss-DNA but never to ds-DNA. Hemolytic antibodies were scarcely detectable in patients with mild course. Serial studies also revealed that the estimation of the hemolytic antibodies to ds- and/or ss-DNA was particularly valuable in predicting the future course of the SLE. The emergence of hemolytic antibodies to DNA may be an ominous sign suggestive of grave prognosis in SLE.

[Chemosensitivity of adriamycin, mitomycin C, and bleomycin with in vitro colony assay]

In vitro colony assay was used to examine the sensitivities of adriamycin (ADM), mitomycin C (MMC), and bleomycin (BLM), and the effects of a prior chemotherapy on in vitro chemosensitivities of the drugs. One hundred forty-seven tumor specimens from 106 patients with various malignancies were placed in culture. Seventy tumors (56.0%) from 125 evaluable specimens which had histologically or cytologically confirmed to be malignant, and were plated at 5 x 10(5) cells/plate formed more than 30 colonies/plate enough for sensitivity assays. The results of in vitro sensitivities of the drugs were nearly similar to those reported in the clinical trials. The in vitro antitumor activity of BLM was noted in 3 (21.4%) of 14 patients with ovarian cancer, therefore the results suggest that the assay is useful to select effective drugs against tumors in which phase II study has never been performed. In vitro sensitivity of BLM was markedly reduced by a prior chemotherapy containing the same drug (p less than 0.05), and prior therapeutic ADM exposure also reduced in vitro activity of the drug, whereas there was no significant influence on in vitro activity of MMC. These results indicate the usefulness of the in vitro colony assay for predicting clinical antitumor activities of ADM, MMC, and BLM.

Effect of L-glutamine antagonists on 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate levels in P388 leukemia and in murine colon adenocarcinomas in vivo

The intratumoral content of 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) and the activity of the enzymes anabolizing and catabolizing the sugar phosphate were determined following i.p. administration of an LD10 dose of an L-glutamine antagonist or saline to tumor-bearing animals. Elevation of PRPP pool size following administration of L-[alpha S,5S]-alpha-amino-3-chloro-4,5-dihydro-5-isopazoleacetic acid (NSC-163501) (AT-125) was maximal at 8 hr and returned to pretreatment levels by 24 hr. In P388 leukemia, dose for dose, at 4 hr, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (NSC-7365) (DON) was the most potent of the L-glutamine antagonists in elevating basal PRPP pool size (50% above control) followed by AT-125 and azaserine, 300 and 100% above control respectively. Moreover, such augmentation in PRPP pool size preferentially affected P388 tumor rather than the small intestine. Following i.p. administration of LD10 doses of AT-125, DON and azaserine, the specific activities of PRPP anabolizing and catabolizing enzymes were determined. A significant inhibition of PRPP amidotransferase was demonstrated with DON and AT-125 (P less than 0.05), and no inhibition with azaserine. A similar modulation of PRPP pool size demonstrated in vivo following administration of 250 mg/kg of ART-125 in mice bearing colonic adenocarcinoma lines. It was suggested that a significant increase of PRPP pool size might cause the possible synergism of a selected L-glutamine antagonist and 5-fluorouracil as reported after the appropriately scheduled administration of methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil.

[Human tumor stem cell assay]

Human tumor stem cell assay is an in vitro colony-forming technique. Double soft agar layers are used for culture tumor cells and cell lethality is judged by the numbers of colony formation in this assay. Single-cell suspension made from various malignant materials in cancer patients is placed in culture after exposing to various anticancer agents for one hour and incubated for two weeks. Antitumor effects of various anticancer agents against individual patients are evaluated by % inhibition of colony formation. Of 57 tumor specimens 42 (74%) formed at least five colonies per plate (per 0.5 x 10(6) cells). The colony-forming rates of various malignancies are as follows: breast cancer 14/15 (93%), ovarian cancer 8/10 (80%), stomach cancer 5/13 (38%), sarcoma 4/5 (80%), lung cancer 1/4 (25%), colon cancer 3/3, each of pancreas cancer, leukemia and primary unknown adenocarcinoma 2/2, malignant lymphoma 1/1. The median plating efficiency (number of colonies/number of nucleated cells plated) is 0.02% (range: 0.001-0.3%). High correlation between human tumor stem cell assay results and response of an individual patient's tumor to chemotherapy is reported by Salmon and Von Hoff. Human tumor stem cell assay is useful tool for the high prediction of chemosensitivity response.

[Effect of carboquone in complete regression of mouse mammary cancer MM-46]

Therapeutic effect of an alkylating agent, carboquone (CQ: Esquinon, 1mg/vial Sankyo Co., Tokyo) was investigated with a mouse mammary tumor MM-46 inherited the MM-antigen. MM-46 tumor cells (3 X 10(6)) were implanted subcutaneously into the axillary region of syngeneic C3H/He mice and CQ was administered intravenously at a dose of 2 mg/kg by a single injection on day 1, 4, 7 or 10. The experiment was carried out with 10 mice in each group. As a result, treatment of CQ elicited a complete regression effect on MM-46 tumor; the rate of complete regression in the group treated with CQ on day 4 or day 7 was 10/10, but that in control group was 0/10. Administration of CQ after the tumor inoculation brought about necrosis of the subcutaneous tumor, followed by complete regression and only a scar remained by day 25 at the site of tumor exclusion. In this experiment no recurrence or metastasis was observed after tumor regression. Since the mice which rejected the once developed tumor were resistant to them on rechallenge with the same amount of MM-46 tumor cells, it was suggested that an immunological response would play an important role in exclusion of the tumor. The complete regression effect described above has generally been reported on the antitumor pattern of the host-mediated agents such as polysaccharides of Basidiomycetes, while has hardly on that of the alkylating agents except cyclophosphamide. The mechanism of such the regression effect attributed to the activity of CQ is obscure, but these results suggest that this phenomenon may be dependent on the inherent antigenicity of MM-46 tumor.