Different growth control of the two human thyroid cell lines of adenomatous goiter and papillary carcinoma

To study the growth control of human thyroid cells in different stages of differentiation, we established two human thyroid cell lines of adenomatous goiter and papillary carcinoma. A 59-year-old female patient with adenomatous goiter was operated in September 1991, and a 27-year-old female patient with papillary carcinoma in May 1990. The thyroid cell lines were established by successive passage without cellular or genetic manipulations such as fusing other cell lines or oncogenic viral infection. These cell lines, human adenomatous goiter cells (hAG) and human papillary thyroid carcinoma cells (hPTC), exhibited a flattened polygonal shape and proliferated as a monolayer in cell culture. The doubling time of the hAG cells was 60 h in Ham's F12 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, and that of the hPTC cells, 18 h in the same medium. Both cell lines expressed mRNA for TSH receptor and secreted cAMP into the medium during incubation with thyrotropin (TSH) at concentrations as low as 0.01 mU/mL. The effects of activators of protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), tyrosine kinase (TK), and estradiol (E2) on proliferation of the hAG cells and the hPTC cells were assessed by measuring cellular DNA content in 24-well plates with diaminobenzoic acid. TSH stimulated proliferation of the hAG cells, but it inhibited proliferation of the hPTC cells. Since TSH activates two signaling pathways, the adenyl cyclase-PKA system and phospholipase C-PKC system, we tested effects of dibutylyl cAMP (dBC) and phorbol myristate 13-acetate (PMA), separately. dBC stimulated proliferation of the hAG cells, but it inhibited that of the hPTC cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute liver allograft rejection in the rat. An analysis of the immune response

Liver allografts are vigorously rejected in 9-12 days in Lewis recipients of fully histoincompatible DA livers. The purpose of this study was to examine the initial events in this cascade, specifically the role of CD4+ T helper cells. Lewis recipients of DA or Lewis livers were killed at days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 days after transplant. Indicators of acute liver rejection, including a marked inflammatory infiltrate and decreased liver function, progressed in untreated recipients of allografts. Splenocytes taken from allogeneic recipients on days 1-4 and 7 proliferated in response to donor and third-party stimulators, whereas graft-infiltrating cells did not respond to donor and third-party antigens until day 3 after transplant, but thereafter maintained a good response. To further characterize the host T helper cell response to liver allografts, cytokine expression was analyzed in graft tissue and in the periphery. IL-4 mRNA was present in both syngeneic and allogeneic liver grafts, while message for IL-10 was present early in all liver grafts but persisted only in allografts. In contrast, IL-2 and IFN-gamma transcripts were specific to rejecting allografts. Similar patterns of cytokine expression were observed in the spleen, indicating the immune response to the graft involves the peripheral lymphoid organs. Thus, the cytokine profile detected during liver allograft rejection is extremely similar to that observed in other experimental models of transplantation.

Growth regulation of the human papillary thyroid cancer cell line by protein tyrosine kinase and cAMP-dependent protein kinase

We established a cell line (hPTC) from the tissue of papillary thyroid cancer surgically excised from a 27-year-old female patient. Synthesis of cAMP by the hPTC cells was stimulated by TSH. This cell line has continued to divide as a monolayer in a tissue culture for three years. We assessed growth regulation of the hPTC cells by protein tyrosine kinase and cAMP-dependent protein kinase by measuring the DNA content of the hPTC cells in 24-well plates with 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid after incubation in various growth factors. Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), all of which bind to their respective receptors with tyrosine kinase activity, stimulated DNA synthesis in the hPTC cells. Neutralizing antibodies to basic FGF and EGF suppressed the growth stimulation by basic FGF and EGF, respectively. Genistein, a specific protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, inhibited proliferation of the hPTC cells. On the other hand, thyrotropin, dibutyryl cAMP (dBC) and forskolin inhibited proliferation. KT5720, a specific cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor, restored the growth of the hPTC cells even in the presence of dBC. This study shows that stimulation of the protein tyrosine kinase activity by basic FGF, EGF, and IGF-1 promoted DNA replication by the human thyroid cancer cell line. However, activation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibited proliferation of this cell line.

Prevention of rejection and graft loss with an aggressive quadruple immunosuppressive therapy regimen in children and adolescents

During the two-year period May 1991 to April 1993, 36 kidney transplants were performed in children less than 18 years of age at California Pacific Medical Center using an aggressive quadruple-therapy regimen of immunosuppression. The regimen consisted of induction with an antilymphocyte preparation (MALG in 21, OKT3 in 2, ATGAM in 12, none in 1), initial moderate-dose steroid therapy, early intravenous cyclosporine therapy, and azathioprine. Twenty living-related graft recipients were pretreated with donor-specific transfusions. Long-term cyclosporine was dosed by levels to keep through whole-blood levels (RIA) at 200-300 ng/ml. Twenty-five grafts were from living-related donors, two from living unrelated donors, and nine from cadaveric donors. Eleven (30%) recipients were five years old or under at the time of transplantation. Of these recipients 44% had complex congenital urologic disease and required urologic surgery prior to or at the time of transplantation. Patients have been followed for a mean of one year, with actual patient and graft survivals of 100% and 97%, respectively. Only one graft has been lost, to severe, early recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Four of the 36 patients have had one rejection episode each, all reversed completely. Graft function is stable, with serum creatinine proportionate to age--mean serum creatinine in the children under two years old being 0.4 mg/dl, and in the adolescents 1.3 mg/dl, with two adolescent boys having the highest creatinine levels at 1.8 mg/dl. We conclude that an aggressive approach to immunosuppressive therapy in the early posttransplant period with MALG/OKT3/ATGAM induction and rapid achievement of therapeutic cyclosporine levels prevents rejection and results in excellent patient and graft survival with subsequent stable good graft function.

[An experience with a continent appendix stoma]

The submucosally embedded in situ appendix guarantees an ideal continence mechanism in patients with ileocecal urinary reservoirs. To date this modification of the Mainz pouch technique was performed successfully in 10 patients between September 1990 and October 1992. Pouch capacity ranged from 350 ml to 900 ml (mean: 565 ml), frequency of intermittent self-catheterization ranged from 3 to 7 times per day (mean: 4.4-5.4 times) and complete urinary continence without difficulty of self-catheterization was obtained in eight patients. Two patients with stomal stenosis needed to indwell a catheter. The follow up periods ranged from 3 to 24 months (mean: 14.7 months). The main advantages of appendix stoma technique are shorter operation time, a short ileal segment, no risk of nipple gliding or prolapse, no need for staples, thereby decreasing significantly the risk of stone formation, and facilitating easy catheterization. This method seemed to be valuable for continent urinary reservoir assuring patients of high quality of life.

Three-dimensional SEM study of arteriovenous anastomoses in the dog's tongue using corrosive resin casts

Arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs) participate in the regulation of blood flow. Although it has been speculated that AVAs in the dog's tongue play a role in the regulation of the body temperature, no published work is available on the structural characteristics of AVAs in the dog's tongue. The purpose of the present investigation was therefore to determine the frequency of AVAs and their structural characteristics by the fabrication of vascular corrosive resin casts and examination under a scanning electron microscope. This method permitted not only the visualization of the three-dimensional characteristics of AVAs, but also a clear differentiation between arterioles and venules. The total number of AVAs in the mucosal lamina propria of the dorsum of the left tongue half was 2,292. Several essential types such as S-shaped, hook-shaped, straight, bibranching and Y-shaped AVAs were observed, of which the S-shaped and similar types constituted the overwhelming majority; Y-shaped types have never been reported heretofore. This study also revealed that the locations where AVAs were most often distributed were, in descending order of frequency, the tip, the corpus and the root area of the tongue. This high frequency and strategic location of AVAs in the tongue strongly indicate that AVAs of the dog's tongue participate in the thermal regulation.

Hematoporphyrin derivative photocytotoxicity of human glioblastoma in cell culture

The parameters of hematoporphyrin-derivative (HpD) photocytotoxicity of human glioma cells in cell culture were studied to determine the optimum wavelength and power density of light, to investigate the influence of tissue oxygenation, and to evaluate the role of singlet oxygen and free radicals in producing cell death. Cell survival curves demonstrated a relative killing efficiency of 12:1 for violet compared to red light. Eighty joules of red light were required to produce 100% cell kill at an HpD concentration of 10 micrograms/ml, a level of HpD that has been quantitated in biopsies from patients receiving HpD photoradiation therapy. No difference in cellular killing efficiency was observed for power densities of red light varying from 10 to 100 mW/cm2. Cytotoxicity was directly related to O2 tension from 12 to 490 torr with a slight but consistent increase in cell kill at O2 tensions from 7 to 12 torr. Cytotoxicity was effectively quenched by beta-carotene, whereas mannitol had no effect, indicating that cytotoxicity is probably mediated via a mechanism involving singlet oxygen. This information may serve as a basis for more effective application of HpD photoradiation therapy and for designing protocols to study the efficacy of such therapy.

Phagocytosis of different matrix components by different cell types at bone-forming sites in cultured mouse calvariae

Sites of bone formation on fragments of parietal bone of fetal-mice cultured for 10 days were examined by electron microscopy after addition of either ruthenium red or ferrocyanide to the postfixation fluid. Osteoclasts, osteoblast-like cells, and macrophages were the principal active cells at these formation sites. The mononuclear cells (osteoblast-like cells and macrophages) in the osteoid tissue showed evidence of having incorporated elements of calcified tissue. Osteoblast-like cells had phagocytized collagen fibrils and calcified bone matrix. This occurred more frequently in the calcifying area. Mononuclear macrophages showed not only phagocytosis and digestion of cellular debris and bone spicules in the osteoid, but also active incorporation of calcified bone matrix that had been detached from its surroundings by its pseudopod-like projections from long cytoplasmic processes. Collagen fibrils were seldom observed within the macrophages. These observations suggest that in our culture system osteoblast-like cells and macrophages at bone formation sites have a phagocytic role in bone remodeling.

Fibrinolytic activity of middle ear fluid in otitis media with effusion

In order to investigate the prolonged factors of otitis media with effusion, hydrolytic activities for specific substrates of plasmin and plasminogen activator (P.G.-activator) and the activity for fibrin degradation (fibrinolysis) were measured. Materials were middle ear fluids of 36 cases diagnosed as unilateral otitis media with effusion. Age of the patients were from 28 to 88 years old (mean: 61.3). Using specific substrates, determinations of P.G.-activator activity and plasmin activity were made by the method of Claeson et al. and fibrinolysis was determined by the standard fibrin plate. The results are shown below: 1) Both activities for decomposition of amide against the specific substrates of plasmin and of P.G.-activator were revealed. 2) Concerning fibrinolysis in all cases, we divided them into 3 groups; fibrinolysis (-) group of 8 cases (22.2%) which could not dissolve fibrin at all, fibrinolysis (+) group of 17 cases (47.2%) which could dissolve fibrin. Fibrinolysis (+/-) group of 11 cases (30.6%) of which the presence of fibrin dissolution was unknown. 3) The progress of fibrinolysis was observed by serial collection of middle ear fluid in the same side ear of 5 cases out of 17 cases having much activity for fibrin degradation, and lowering of fibrinolytic activity was revealed in 4 out of these 5 cases as the result. On the basis of these results, we discussed on the process of prolongation in this disease from the standpoint of the presence of fibrinolytic activity in the middle ear fluid.