[Three patients with typical sandblaster's silicosis proven by mineralogical analysis]

Three family members who had worked as sandblasters in their own sandblasting factory showed innumerable small nodularities in both lung fields of their chest radiograms. One of those showed conglomerate shadows in the upper lung fields. Those shadows seemed to be consistent with those of silicosis. One of the patients was examined by transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) and showed typical silicotic nodules. Mineralogical studies were done on the abrasive particles and the deposited particles in the lung tissue specimen obtained via TBLB and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sample (BALF) using polarized microscopy, X-ray diffraction and analytical electron microscopy. The particles which had accumulated on the floor of the factory mineralogically consisted of mostly (over 90%) silica quartz containing small amount of chlorite, and the deposited particles in the lung tissue and those in the BALF showed similar composition.

Stable and dynamic forms of cytoskeletal proteins in slow axonal transport

Dynamic organization of the axonal cytoskeleton was investigated by analyzing slow axonal transport of tubulin and other major cytoskeletal proteins in the motor axons of rat sciatic nerve 1-4 weeks after injection of L-35S-methionine into the anterior horn area of L3-L5 lumbar spinal cord. A large proportion (50-65%) of tubulin transported in the axon was found to be insoluble when extracted with 1% Triton at 4 degrees C. This cold-insoluble tubulin was also resistant to other microtubule-destabilizing agents such as Ca2+, colchicine, and nocodazole, suggesting that it corresponded to the stably polymerized tubulin specific to the axon. From the cold-soluble fraction, microtubules containing a distinct set of associated proteins were recovered by the taxol-dependent procedure. Transport pattern of cold-soluble and -insoluble tubulin in this system showed a time-dependent broadening of the tubulin wave resulting in the appearance of a new faster wave enriched in cold-soluble tubulin. The slower and the faster waves of tubulin were defined as group V or slow component a (SCa) and group IV or slow component b (SCb), respectively, with respect to the 2 subcomponents of slow transport originally described in the optic system. However, compositions of groups IV and V in sciatic motor axons differed significantly from those of the optic system. Actin also exhibited a clear dual wave pattern of transport that coincided well with that of tubulin, indicating that both actin and tubulin were the major components of both groups IV and V.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Axonal transport studied in a single vertebrate neuron: the giant electromotor neuron of the electric catfish, Malapterurus electricus

Axonal transport was studied using a single vertebrate neuron, the giant electromotor neuron of the electric catfish, Malapterurus electricus. The electric organs of this strongly electric fish are innervated by two neurons whose axons form one electric nerve each. After injection of [35S]methionine into the spinal cord at the level of the two perikarya radioactively labelled material is exported by fast flow as a small wave with a velocity of 5.8 mm/h and a somal release time of 91 min (29 degrees C). Slow flow investigated between 15 and 39 days had a velocity of 1.36 mm/d at 29 degrees C. Analysis of radiolabelled proteins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed different patterns of labelling between slow and fast flow. The relative molecular mass of the two major proteins labelled on slow flow correspond to actin and tubulin. Labelled proteins of higher relative molecular mass may correspond to neurofilament proteins. Our results suggest that this vertebrate single-neuron and single-axon system can be used successfully for axonal transport studies.

Estrogen-binding protein in blood and follicular fluid, and its biochemical properties in human females

Testosterone-estradiol binding globulin (TeBG) has been known to have specific binding to estradiol (E2) in blood, however an unknown binding protein having higher affinity to E2 than TeBG is thought to exist in blood. Therefore blood serum and follicular fluid were collected in normal females. Ammonium sulfate precipitation showed different maximum bound ratio between E2BP and TeBG. Concanavalin A (Con-A) Sepharose adsorption analysis showed that the Con-A-bound phase demonstrated estradiol-binding protein (E2BP). Isoelectric focusing showed TeBG in pH 4.9 and E2BP in pH 3.9. The substance giving the peak at pH 3.9 has a high affinity to dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and E2, but the substance with peak at pH 4.9 shows a high affinity to 5-dihydrotestosterone and testosterone. E2BP changed concomitantly with total E2 in blood in the menstrual cycle, but in follicular fluid E2BP was found only in small amounts. It consisted of two components, one protein with low affinity binding and the other with high affinity binding. These results suggest that E2BP exists as a specifically bound fraction to E2, while TeBG, as a nonspecifically bound fraction to E2, is not directly involved in the E2-related biological function.

Use of color image correlation in the retrieval of gastric surface topography by endoscopic stereopair matching

We propose finding an optimal generalized color plane to carry out digital color image correlation. We seek the optimization of the correlation peak's sharpness and, for the purpose of analysis, we make some assumptions regarding the statistical properties of images to be considered. The analysis leads to a simple solution involving a projection onto the Karhunen-Loeve vectors corresponding to the smallest eigenvalues of the interprimary colors covariance matrix. We use our results in the retrieval of the gastric mucosal surface structure from stereopairs taken through an endoscope. Study of the statistics of the endoscope images shows that the assumptions used earlier can be applied to this type of image. We present some results of stereopair matching with color image correlation. We conclude by proposing a pseudo-3-D surface reconstruction of the gastric surface by mapping the endoscopic image onto the retrieved elevation information.

Effects of taxol on slow and fast axonal transport

Axonal transport of tubulin in the rat sciatic nerve is almost completely inhibited by a single subepineural injection of taxol, without affecting that of neurofilament proteins. Actin and a large number of polypeptides cotransported with actin as minor components are also blocked by taxol, although to a lesser extent. Fast axonal transport is essentially free from the inhibitory effect of this drug. Although previous models have suggested that slow axonal transport involves the bulk movement of cytoskeletal structures, these results suggest that such transport may involve an equilibrium between polymerised and depolymerised forms of the axonal cytoskeleton.

The recovery of slow axonal transport after a single intraperitoneal injection of beta, beta'-iminodipropionitrile in the rat

A single intraperitoneal injection of beta, beta'-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) at a dose of 1.5 g/kg was given to 4-week-old rats. Immediately following, or at 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 15 weeks after IDPN injection, [35S]methionine was introduced into the anterior horn area of the lumbar cord. Labeled axonal proteins in the sciatic nerve were analyzed electrophoretically and fluorographically at 5, 10, and 15 weeks post-labeling. Labeled neurofilament proteins halt for a short period just after IDPN injection, then continue migrating distally, though at a slower rate, and finally the transport of affected neurofilament proteins completely recovers by 6 weeks post-labeling.

The axonal transport of dipeptidyl aminopeptidase II, angiotensin-converting enzyme and other peptidases in rat sciatic nerves

The axonal transport of four peptidases with different subcellular localizations were examined in rat sciatic nerves by the double ligation technique. At 2 days after ligation, rapid retrograde axonal transport of the activity of dipeptidyl aminopeptidase II (a lysosomal enzyme), angiotensin-converting enzyme and leucyl aminopeptidase (membrane-bound enzymes), was found in the segment distal to the proximal ligation. On the other hand, prolyl endopeptidase (a cytosolic enzyme) showed neither anterograde nor retrograde rapid axonal transport. These results indicate that lysosomal and membrane-bound peptidases are transported retrogradely in rat sciatic nerves.

A ganglioside species (GD1 alpha) migrates at a slow rate and CMP-sialic acid severalfold faster in Xenopus sciatic nerve: fluorographic demonstration

The ninth dorsal root ganglion of adult Xenopus laevis was labeled with N-acetyl-D-[6-3H]mannosamine, and intraaxonal migration of gangliosides was examined by analysis of the chloroform/methanol extract of each of 5-mm consecutive nerve segments by TLC coupled with fluorography. A unique disialoganglioside (GD1 alpha), which amounted to up to 83% of the total ganglioside in this nerve, migrated at 1-2 mm/day at 15 degrees C. This contrasts with the rapid transport of other ganglioside species previously reported in the optic systems of goldfish, rabbits, chickens, and rats. Fluorographic analysis also revealed a trichloroacetic acid-soluble substance migrating at a velocity of approximately 8 mm/day at 15 degrees C. The substance was considered to be CMP-sialic acid on the basis of observations that it comigrates with authentic CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid in TLC developed with two different solvent systems, it is very labile to weak acid but resistant to neuraminidase from Vibrio cholerae, it is converted to N-acetylmannosamine when treated first with weak acid and subsequently with N-acetylneuraminic acid aldolase, and it has a beta-sialosyl group in its structure. Because CMP-sialic acid is believed to be the sole sialosyl donor in the cells, its migration in axons toward terminals, together with the previous demonstration of sialyltransferase activity in the synaptosomal plasma membrane, strongly supports the possibility that sialosylation of gangliosides and probably of other sialoglycoproteins is not confined to the Golgi apparatus, but can also occur after the compounds are committed to axonal transport.

The long-term effects of a single injection of beta,beta'-iminodipropionitrile on slow axonal transport in the rat

Following a single intraperitoneal injection of beta,beta'-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) simultaneously with or 5 weeks after injection of [35S]methionine into the ventral horn area of rat spinal cord, the changes of slowly migrating axonal proteins were analyzed electrophoretically up to 10 weeks after labeling, and the following results were obtained. After a single injection of IDPN, only the transport of neurofilament proteins is inhibited, leaving that of tubulin and actin almost unaffected, though a small portion of the former was retarded through the interaction with neurofilaments. The inhibitory effect of IDPN on neurofilament transport is not a complete blockage, but a slowing of the rate of transport to about a half of the control with a possible short halting period just after IDPN treatment. The dose-response data indicate a threshold between 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg of body weight, increasing the dose above which does not further affect the neurofilament transport. The transport of neurofilaments is uniformly impaired by IDPN along the whole axon.

CMP-sialic acid, the sole sialosyl donor, is intra-axonally transported

N-Acetyl-D-[6-3H]mannosamine was injected into the 9th dorsal root ganglion of Xenopus laevis and the intra-axonal transport of chloroform/methanol-soluble radioactivity was analyzed using thin-layer chromatography coupled with fluorography. Three radioactive groups were distinct in consecutive segments of the sciatic nerve. The first is due to N-acetyl-D-mannosamine itself which labels the nerve uniformly, but does not seem to migrate within axons. The second group, representing most probably CMP-sialic acid, migrates at about 8 mm/day at 15 degrees C. The third is a species of ganglioside uniquely present in the frog nerve, and this migrates at 1-3 mm/day. Our demonstration of the intra-axonal transport of CMP-sialic acid affords direct support to the contention that sialosylation of the ganglioside can occur in axon terminals.

Two populations of axonally transported tubulin differentiated by their interactions with neurofilaments

In the sensory fibers of the rat sciatic nerve (fibers of the dorsal root ganglion cells), two components of tubulin transport were observed that differed in the rate of transport, solubility in Triton, and subunit composition. The faster component, migrating ahead of the neurofilament proteins, was soluble in 1% Triton. The slower component, migrating with the neurofilament proteins, was insoluble in 1% Triton and contained a unique polypeptide, "NAP," in the tubulin region that was not present in the faster component. "NAP" was not a subspecies of tubulin as evidenced by peptide mapping. It seems to be a neurofilament-associated protein. When a complete separation of the main tubulin wave from the neurofilament wave was achieved in the motor axons of the same nerve (axons of the ventral motoneurons) under the effect of beta,beta'-iminodipropionitrile, a portion of tubulin was still found associated with the retarded neurofilament wave. The subunit composition of this portion was similar to the slower, neurofilament-associated component in the sensory fibers under normal conditions, i.e., enriched in "NAP" and the most acidic subtype of beta-tubulin. It is suggested that two populations of transported tubulin exist that are differentiated by the extent of their interaction with neurofilaments.

Subunit composition specific to axonally transported tubulin

One week after injection of L-[35S]methionine into the dorsal motor nuclei of the guinea-pig, labelled tubulin carried down the vagal nerve by the slow phase of axonal transport was analysed by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Transported tubulin showed a much stronger labelling of the beta-subunit. Isoelectric focussing revealed that both alpha- and beta-subunits were composed of several components. Labelled tubulin was isolated from the brain by cycles of polymerisation and depolymerisation after injection of L-[35S]methionine into the lateral ventricle, for comparison with transported tubulin from the vagal nerve. In addition to the two alpha-components and three beta-components detected in both preparations, axonally transported tubulin contained an extra component (TAX) with a molecular weight corresponding to that of beta-tubulin and with the same isoelectric point as alpha-tubulin. The axon-specific component TAX co-polymerised with tubulin isolated from the brain. Upon peptide mapping by limited proteolysis, the peptide pattern generated from TAX was similar to that of the alpha-tubulin. It is concluded that the axonally transported tubulin contains a modified alpha-subunit which is not found in the bulk of brain tubulin.

Unchanged rate of axonal regeneration by cyclophosphamide in rat sciatic nerve

The rates of axonal regeneration and initial delay in motor and sensory axons of cyclophosphamide-treated and control rat sciatic nerves after cold injury were determined by using fast axoplasmic transport. The rates in motor and sensory nerves were not significantly different between the two groups. The difference of initial delay in motor nerve was not significant, but in sensory nerve the drug-treated group showed a longer initial delay than the control. These results suggest that the enhancement of motor function recovery by cyclophosphamide is not due directly to an increased rate of axonal regeneration, nor to a decreased initial delay.

[Combination chemotherapy with cis-diammine-di-chloro-platinum (II) and bleomycin in advanced head and neck cancer]

Combination chemotherapy of cis-diammine dichloro platinum (II) (CDDP) and bleomycin was given to 10 patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Nine patients had received prior radical radiotherapy, 2 had major ablative surgical procedures, and one had been previously treated with chemotherapy. Responses were as follows (duration in months): 2 CRs (4,6+), 2 PRs (1.5,1.5), and 2 minors. Vomiting related to CDDP was observed in 5 patients, nephrotoxicity and hypocalcemia in one patient were also observed.

Preferential blockade of the tubulin transport by colchicine

L-[35S]Methionine was injected into the dorsal root ganglion (L5) of the adult rat, and migration of the neurofilament polypeptides (the triplet with molecular weights of 200,000, 160,000 and 68,000 daltons), alpha- and beta-tubulins and actin in the sciatic nerve and the dorsal root was quantitatively determined and also examined by fluorography. Colchicine (4 microgram) injected into the ganglion 10 min before methionine preferentially blocked the tubulin transport, with little if any blockade of the triplet and actin. Colchicine at this dose had no effects on the incorporation of L-[14C]leucine into the total protein and also into tubulins. In contrast to colchicine, vinblastine sulphate (4 microgram) injected into the ganglion in a similar way blocked the transport of all the triplet, tubulins and actin. Cytochalasin D (1 microgram) had no effect on the slow axoplasmic transport.

Slowly migrating axonal polypeptides. Inequalities in their rate and amount of transport between two branches of bifurcating axons

Polypeptides in the dorsal root ganglion (L5) of the adult rat were radioactively labeled, and components slowly migrating in the sciatic nerve (peripheral axons) and dorsal root (central axons) were analyzed, using SDS-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis and fluorography. In particular, the transport rates and amounts of six major polypeptides, i.e., the triplet (reference 15; with mol wts of 200,000, 160,000, and 68,000 daltons), alpha- and beta-tubulins and actin were compared between the two axon branches. In peripheral axons, fronts of the triplet, tubulins, and actin migrate at 2-3 mm/d, 9-13 mm/d and approximately 19 mm/d, respectively. The corresponding values in central axons are 1-2 mm/d, 3-4 mm/d, and approximately 4 mm/d, indicating an obvious asymmetry in the transport rate between the two branches of bifurcating axons. A greater amount of labeled triplet, tubulins, and actin each is found to migrate in peripheral than in central axons. Another striking aspect of asymmetry between the two branches relates to the tubulins/triplet ratio which is significantly higher in the peripheral branch. Considerable proportions of radioactivities associated with tubulins and actin in the ganglion are nonmigratory, which are thought to derive mostly from periaxonal satellite cells. In contrast, most if not all of the labeled triplet is migratory, suggesting a virtual absence of triplet polypeptides in satellite cells. The possible significance of peripheral-central inequalities in slow axoplasmic transport is discussed from the viewpoints of axon volume and axonal outgrowth.