Synthesis of lambda light chain subtypes by stimulated and unstimulated mouse B cells

Inbred mouse make 3 lambda chain subtypes. The lambda 1 and lambda 3 chains have similar variable (V) regions (in both the same V gene segment [V lambda 1] is used), whereas lambda 2 and lambda 3 have similar constant (C) regions. Despite the lambda 1 and lambda 3 V region similarity, lambda 1 occurs much more frequently than lambda 3 (and lambda 2) in the serum immunoglobulins and antibody responses of most inbred strains of mice. To explore the basis for the lambda 1 predominance, we compared the rates of synthesis of the 3 subtypes and the frequencies of the B cells that synthesize them, focussing on "resting" (i.e., unstimulated) and on polyclonally stimulated B cells from spleens of unimmunized BALB/c mice. In resting cells the relative rates of synthesis and the relative frequencies of the respective B cells were in accord, indicating that the rate of lambda chain synthesis is approximately the same per resting B cell, regardless of the lambda subtype it produces. However, in the polyclonally stimulated cells, lambda 1 was made 7 times faster than lambda 2 and 10 times faster than lambda 3; normalizing these rates by the frequencies of the respective stimulated cells suggests that in stimulated B cells lambda 1 chains are made 5 times faster per cell than lambda 2 or lambda 3, while the latter are made at about the same rate per cell. In view of the marked structural homology between lambda 2 and lambda 3 genes in segments other than the V-gene segment, we suggest that the pronounced differences among polyclonally stimulated B cells in expression of the genes for the various lambda subtypes may be due to the presence of less potent enhancer-like sequences in the lambda 2 and lambda 3 genes than in the lambda 1 gene.

[Factors affecting the serum thyroid hormone concentration during fasting in rats--with special reference to the relation with temperature]

The present studies examine the effect of starvation together with cold or hot exposure on thyroid hormone levels in rats. At 23 degrees C starved for 5 days, serum thyroid hormone levels decreased significantly compared with fed rats, averaging 3.6 +/- 0.5 micrograms/dl of thyroxine (T4), 47 +/- 11 ng/dl of triiodothyronine (T3), 1.4 +/- 0.3 ng/dl of free T4 and 39.6 +/- 5.1 pg/ml of reverse T3, respectively. At 15 degrees C rats starved for 5 days, serum free T4 level significantly more increased than that of 23 degrees C starved rats, while serum T4 level and T3 did not increase significantly. At 30 degrees C rats whether concomitant starvation or not, serum thyroid hormone levels of both group markedly more decreased than control rats. These experiment provide additional evidence that thyroid gland and the peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormone respond to variety situations such as cold or hot exposure together with starvation or not.

Fatty acid of cerebrospinal fluid in arrested hydrocephalus

The fatty acids composition of cerebrospinal fluid in hydrocephalic patients was analyzed by gas chromatography and fatty acid content was determined using arachidic acid as an indicator. In 40 cases of congenital hydrocephalus, total fatty acid values were found to be significantly higher than normal in the preoperative period. After shunt operation, hydrocephalus came to a standstill in 6 cases. They were not dependent on the shunting system. Their quantitative fatty acid composition was maintained within normal limits after removal of the shunting system.

Fatty acid in cerebrospinal fluid of congenital hydrocephalus

In this presentation the analysis of fatty acid composition in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), by gas-chromatography, in 40 cases of congenital hydrocephalus before and after shunting operation is discussed. Each fatty acid content was determined by the method which uses arachidic acid as an indicator. The total fatty acid value was found to be significantly higher than normal in the preoperative period in hydrocephalus. The concentration of the total and of the short chain fatty acids (less than C16) in the CSF was higher in the high ventricular CSF pressure group of hydrocephalic patients (above 150 mm H2O) than in the low pressure group. The concentration level of all these fatty acids in the CSF was higher in the cases showing poor prognosis than in those with good prognosis 3 weeks after operation.

[Some observations on prognosis in congenital hydrocephalus (second report) -with reference to the physical handicap in survival cases (author's transl)]

The prognosis of surgically treated congenital hydrocephalus has lately proven to give a remarkably increased expectation of life for patient. However, numerous reports hve shown that the prognosis of congenital hydrocephalus have not always shown favourable turns from the viewpoints of physical and mental disability. This problem has been considered many times over the past years. But, an important problem has been left unsolved. The children of social and physical disability are most serious problem, so we attempt to obain a new interpretation about the influence factors upon the prognosis. Present report consists of follow-up studies of long surviving patients who have studied the fatty acid metabolism in the cerebrospinal fluid during postoperatively, the influeence on prognosis of complicated central nervous system malformation and discussed motor and mental disability in survival cases. Since lipids are essential factors in composing the brain tissues, quantitative composition of fatty acid inC.S.F. was determined by the method of gaschromatography using the arachidic acid as an indicator...

[Some observations on prognosis in congenital hydrocephalus (first report)--with reference to the preoperative evaluation of the hydrocephalic infants (author's transl)]

Recently, the prognosis of congenital hydrocephalus has improved by shunting operation. There are some cases, however, showing poor prognosis even when this procedure has been performed. Thus, postoperative courses of hydrocephalus are variable, and do not always produce the same results. From the clinical viewpoint, we have studied preoperative signs and symptoms, and tried to find some factors which influence the prognosis. This report consists of 41 cases of congenital hydrocephalus and 7 cases of hydroencephalodysplasia over the past six years. For the purpose of observations before and after operation, we adopted some neurological symptoms, head circumference, thickness of cerebral mantle in pneumoventriculogram, intraventricular pressure and others. The average period of follow up of all the cases was two years and six months. Of the 41 patients of congenital hydrocephalus, 24 survived and 14 died. Of the 7 patients of hydroencephalodysplasia, 5 survived and 2 died. As to the age of the patients on admission, 57% of all the cases were infants from 2 months to 4 months old. The patients who had such neurological signs already on admission as motor disability, opisthotonic posture and severe optic nerve atrophy, had a tendency to show poor prognosis in general and to result in a higher mortality. The convulsion and so-called setting sun sign had no significant correlation to poor prognosis. From the morphological evaluation, we have examined increase of circumference and enlargement rate of the head. In the death group, abnormal increase of head circumference was recognized within the first three months of life. When the enlargement was higher than Nellhaus's standard rate within four months after birth, over half of the cases died. In the survival cases, the cerebral mantle thickness was found to be variable while a remarkable decrease was often noted in the death cases. If the mantle is less than 14 mm within three months after birth, prognosis of these cases was generally poor. In the evaluation of intraventricular pressure under endotracheal anesthesia, we found little difference between the survival cases and death cases. However, the death cases exhibited slightly higher average intraventricular pressure. In hydroencephalodysplasia, the cases with abnormal enlarged head marked dysplasia of cerebral hemisphere and thin cerebral cortex showed a tendency toward death, however, the cases with localized partial brain or a lobe dysplasia survived. In some cases by using the ventriculoscope, we could see directly the defect of the brain and obtain beneficial information on diagnosis. Due to the influence of various factors, it is impossible to predict or decide exactly the prognosis of congenital hydrocephalus before operation, but it is of critical necessity to anticipate the postoperative prognosis from preoperative synthetic information.