Infectivities of four isolates of Taenia taeniaeformis to various rodents

Taenia taeniaeformis were isolated from Norway rats captured at Sapporo (SRN isolate) and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KRN) and from Bedford's gray red-backed voles at Toubetsu (TCR) and Abuta (ACR). SRN, KRN and TCR isolates showed similar degree of infectivity to various rodents in which cysticerci with hooks were obtained in laboratory rats, white tuberous lesions in mice and no cysts or lesions in Mongolian gerbils and voles. Contrary to this, inoculation with ACR isolate eggs resulted in strobilocerci formation in the liver of voles, but no cysts were observed in rats, mice or gerbils. This host specificity of ACR isolate to voles suggests that it might be a new species of Taenia.

Enhanced expression of group II phospholipase A2 in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Enzyme activity, protein contents, and mRNA contents of group II phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surgically obtained from 8 patients were compared with those in either its neighboring liver tissues or control liver tissues. The PLA2 specific activity towards the mixed micelles of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol and cholate was significantly greater in the tumor tissues (6.62 +/- 1.46 nmol/min/mg) than those in the surrounding liver tissues (1.33 +/- 0.22 nmol/min/mg) and controls (0.43 +/- 0.04 nmol/min/mg). The results of immunoblot analysis using a specific anti-human group II PLA2 antibody and of Northern blot analysis using a human group II PLA2 cDNA as a probe demonstrated that group II PLA2 was responsible for the increased enzyme activity. The contents of immunoreactive group II PLA2 in the tumor tissues (8.81 +/- 1.24 ng/mg) were significantly higher than those in the surrounding liver tissues (1.74 +/- 0.27 ng/mg); those in the control tissues were below the analytical range of the method used. The group II PLA2 mRNA was also significantly increased in the tumor tissues, compared with that in the surrounding liver tissues, whereas it was not detectable in the controls. This indicates that group II PLA2 in HCC is induced at the pretranslational level.

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans protect cultured rat's cortical and hippocampal neurons from delayed cell death induced by excitatory amino acids

Protective effects of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) from rat's brain against delayed cell death induced by excitatory amino acids were examined in cultured neurons of the rat. CSPGs reduced delayed neuronal death induced by 10 min exposure to glutamate at a concentration between 100 microM and 1 mM when lactate dehydrogenase activity of culture medium was assayed 24 h after the exposure. CSPGs also protected neuronal death induced by 200 microM N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), kainate or 100 microM alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA). CSPGs reduced death of cortical and hippocampal neurons even when they were administered at 2 h, but not 6 and 12 h, after the exposure to glutamate. These results indicate that CSPGs may have a neuroprotective action against acute noxious conditions in the brain.

[Quantitation of regional cerebral blood flow by single photon emission computed tomography of CBF-tracer combined with whole-brain CBF: a comparison between 123I-IMP and 99mTc-HMPAO in healthy volunteers]

A simple, noninvasive method of measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF) that uses single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of CBF-tracer and whole brain CBF obtained by xenon-133 (133Xe) clearance technique was developed. In nine healthy volunteers, SPECT data were normalized to the count density of 123I-IMP or 99mTc-HMPAO uptake in the whole-brain, and then converted to the absolute units of CBF by multiplying average 133Xe-CBF in the whole brain. The CBF values measured by 99mTc-HMPAO CBF-SPECT was significantly lower in the high flow regions of cortical gray matter (bilateral frontal lobe; p < 0.05 and right occipital lobe; p < 0.05), and was significantly higher in the bilateral white matter (p < 0.05 or 0.01) and the cerebellum (p < 0.005) compared with the flow values measured by 123I-IMP CBF-SPECT. Whereas, the IMP-CBF values were significantly lower in the bilateral striatum (p < 0.02 or 0.05) compared with the HMPAO-CBF values. Good correlations were found between IMP-CBF and the HMPAO-CBF values in the cortical gray matter (rs = 0.761; p < 0.001, n = 108), the white matter (rs = 0.739; p < 0.001, n = 18) and the cerebellum (rs = 0.731; p < 0.001, n = 18). In the striatum (rs = 0.58; p < 0.05, n = 18) and the thalamus (rs = 0.628; p < 0.05, n = 18), the correlations between IMP-CBF and HMPAO-CBF values were inferior to those of the other three regions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia with cardiac sarcoidosis: treatment with low-dose metoprolol and cibenzoline

A 38-year-old female had felt exertional dyspnea for six months. Physical examination and laboratory data including angiotensin-converting enzyme, failed to diagnose sarcoidosis. Her chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly but no hilar lymph node enlargement. Holter ECG showed nonsustained and sustained ventricular tachycardias, monomorphic or polymorphic tachycardia. Echocardiography and contrast left ventriculography showed left ventricular dilatation and generalized hypo- and akinesis. Endomyocardial biopsy revealed myocardial sarcoidosis. Administration of corticosteroids, metoprolol of 20 mg/day and cibenzoline of 300 mg/day was markedly effective for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia. This patient is alive for one year after treatment and the combination therapy seems to contribute to good prognosis.

Lysis of autologous tumor cells by large granular lymphocytes in patients with acute leukemia in complete remission: correlation between lytic activity and clinical outcome

In order to evaluate the effect of specific immune response on prognosis in acute leukemia, we investigated the correlation between the lysis of autologous tumor cells (ATC) by lymphocytes and prognosis. Peripheral mononuclear cells (PMC) from most patients with acute leukemia in complete remission (CR) do not exhibit cytotoxic activity against fresh-frozen ATC, although they have adequate cytotoxic activity against K562 cells. When the large granular lymphocyte (LGL) fraction was used in this study, we observed lysis of ATC in 17 (43.6%) of 39 patients with acute leukemia (12 (42.9%) of the 28 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and 5 (45.5%) of the 11 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)). With regard to prognosis, the lytic activity of the LGL fraction did not reflect the duration of CR. The median CR duration in AML patients was 13 months for the lysis-positive group and 11 months for the lysis-negative group. No significant correlation was also found between lytic activity of the LGL fraction and overall survival in each patient. However, the lysis-positive group tended to have a longer survival, the median overall survival being 48 months for the lysis-positive group vs 12 months for the lysis-negative group. The prolonging of overall survival in the lysis-positive group was attributed to a high rate of induction of second remissions in this group. Long-term patient survival in the two groups did not differ.

[Effects of inhaled SDZ ISQ 844, a cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase isoenzyme type III/IV inhibitor, on airway responsiveness in beagles]

To evaluate the effects of inhaled SDZ ISQ 844, a selective cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoenzyme type III/IV inhibitor and inhaled salbutamol on airway responsiveness, we studied the changes in airway responsiveness following inhalation of SDZ ISQ 844 and salbutamol in 7 beagles. Respiratory resistance and airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine were determined by modified Astograph (7 Hz oscillation method), SDZ ISQ 844 solution (5 x 10(-4) M) and salbutamol solution (5 x 10(-5) M) were delivered as aerosols generated from a Bird nebulizer for ten minutes. After inhalation of salbutamol respiratory resistance showed a slight but significant decrease (p < 0.05). Inhaled SDZ ISQ 844 did not affect respiratory resistance. Airway responsiveness decreased significantly following inhalation of SDZ ISQ 844 and salbutamol (p < 0.02). There was no significant difference between the changes in airway responsiveness following the inhalation of SDZ ISQ 844 and salbutamol. These results indicate that inhalational administration of a selective PDE isoenzyme type III/IV inhibitor, SDZ ISQ 844 decreases airway responsiveness at dosage which does not affect the base-line respiratory resistance.

CA125-producing adenocarcinoma of the seminal vesicle

A case of primary seminal vesicle carcinoma is reported. The tumor was a CA125-producing adenocarcinoma consisting of fine papillary-tubular, intricate branching or anastomosing glandular structures and was composed of small cuboidal, but occasionally hobnailed, cells with mostly clear, but occasionally granular, cytoplasm. Some tumor cells showed evidence of secretion of seromucinous materials into the interpapillary and cystic space. Immunohistochemically, almost half of the tumor cells expressed a positive reaction with anti-CA125, a common serological marker for ovarian epithelial carcinomas; however, no tumor cells expressed any other serological tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, prostatic specific acid phosphatase, or prostatic specific antigen. The patient showed a high level of serological CA125, which fluctuated parallel with the growth, removal and recurrence of the tumor. The morphological and immunohistochemical findings suggested a close relationship between the present tumor and clear cell carcinoma of the ovary, which is thought to be of a Müllerian-Wolfian duct origin.

[Pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel in experimental animals. Part 2. Tissue distribution]

In S 180 bearing male mice, paclitaxel was rapidly distributed to various tissues within 10 minutes. The highest AUC was seen in the liver, and relatively high in the pancreas, kidney, thymus, intestine, stomach and lung. The concentration of paclitaxel in tumor tissue was not so high early time after administration, but was sustained for a long time with a half life of 12.3 hr. Elimination from the testis and thymus was also slow. The drug level in the brain was very low. In M 109 bearing female CDF1 mice, the distribution and elimination profile of paclitaxel was comparable to that in S 180 mice. The concentration of paclitaxel in the ovary, lung and uterus decreased slowly. In M 109 tumor, which was very sensitive to paclitaxel, the drug had a higher and long lasting distribution compared with S 180 tumor. In S 180 tumor bearing mice pretreated with CCl4, the paclitaxel level was found to be lower in the liver and higher in the other tissues including tumor, plasma, urine and bile than in non-treated mice.

[Pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel in experimental animals. Part 1. Blood level]

The plasma disposition of paclitaxel in rabbits (7 mg/kg, 1 h i.v. inf.) was biphasic with half-lives of 0.36 and 6.36 h, and AUC was 9.46 micrograms.hr/ml. K12 value was larger than K21 and V2 was larger than V1, suggesting that paclitaxel had a favorable distribution profile in tissues. In S 180 bearing male ICR mice (30 mg/kg, i.v. bolus), the biphasic plasma disposition was also observed. The half-lives and AUC were 0.25 h, 2.23 h and 117.93 micrograms.hr/ml. Paclitaxel distributed widely in plasma rather than blood cells. The biliary level of paclitaxel in the enlarged gallbladder of ICR mice was markedly high, about 10-fold higher than the urinary level and 100-fold higher than the plasma level. The bioavailability with oral administration to ICR mice was poor. AUC(oral)/AUC(i.v.) ratio in the bile, liver, tumor and plasma was 18.91, 6.71, 0.83 and 0.45%, respectively.

Quantitation of rCBF by 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime single photon emission computed tomography combined with 133Xe CBF

A simple, noninvasive method of measuring CBF that uses single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) and whole-brain CBF obtained by 133Xe clearance technique was developed. SPECT data were normalized to the count density of HMPAO uptake in the whole brain and then converted to the absolute units of CBF by multiplying average CBF in the whole brain obtained by 133Xe. Mean CBF values in healthy volunteers (n = 12) were 49 +/- 7 and 30 +/- 5 ml 100 g-1 min-1 for gray matter and white matter, respectively, with a global flow value of 45 +/- 5 ml 100 g-1 min-1. The mean flow value was 19 +/- 7 ml 100 g-1 min-1 for the core of the infarct and 31 +/- 5 ml 100 g-1 min-1 for the contralateral region (n = 13). CBF values were reproducible for all brain regions. The method was convenient to use and suitable for the routine measurement of regional CBF in normal and pathologic states.

[Prostatic carcinoma with bilateral testicular metastasis: a case report]

A 77-year-old man was referred for the treatment of urolithiasis. The patient noticed the swelling of bilateral scrotal contents 2 weeks previously and had been suffering from bladder symptoms for several years, dysuria and pollakisuria. Therefore, he was admitted for the treatment of stones and further examination. By transrectal examination, prostatic carcinoma was suspected. Biopsy of the prostate and bilateral orchiectomy revealed the prostatic carcinoma and the metastatic adenocarcinoma of the bilateral testis. The histological or immunohistological examination indicated that the metastatic adenocarcinoma was prostate in origin.

A protective action of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans against neuronal cell death induced by glutamate

The role of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) on excitotoxic cell death and long-term survival of neurons were investigated in primary cultured neurons of the rat cortex. Soluble CSPGs were prepared from 10-day-old and adult rat brains by the ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel. CSPGs were added to the culture medium on culture day 4, and glutamate neurotoxicity was examined on culture day 7 by both microscopic cell count and measurement of lactate dehydrogenase activity in culture media. The effect on long-term survival was evaluated by counting viable neurons until culture day 28. CSPGs and core proteins, but not glycosaminoglycan chains (GAGs), protected cultured neurons from excitotoxic cell death induced by 24 h exposure to 1 mM glutamate, but CSPGs did not promote the long-term survival of neurons. The neuroprotective effect of CSPGs and core proteins was dose-dependent with ED50 about 10 microM hexuronate and 2 micrograms/ml protein respectively. This effect was not considered to be due to adsorption of glutamate by CSPGs because [3H]glutamate was not adsorbed by CSPGs added to the culture medium. Based on these findings, we suggested that CSPGs may exert their neuroprotective action through molecular interactions with the binding sites on neuronal membrane, neurotrophic factors, or other extracellular matrix molecules and may be involved in the pathogenesis of neuronal cell death in acute pathological conditions and chronic degenerative diseases of the brain.

Treatment of ureteral stones by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: with ureteral catheter or in situ?

Many authors recommend that stone manipulation or catheter placement be attempted before SWL of ureteral stones. We tried to insert ureteral catheters before SWL on the unmodified Dornier HM3 machine in all patients treated for solitary ureteral stones between April 1986 and December 1991, succeeding in 77.5% (n = 395) of those for whom adequate follow-up is available for analysis. The stone-free rates with SWL alone in the series of 510 patients were 93% in patients with catheters and 75% in patients without catheters. An additional 6% of the patients in both groups became stone free with the aid of ureteroscopy. Eventually, only 0.5% of the patients with a catheter and 1.7% of the patients without a catheter had residual fragments. Among patients with a ureteral catheter after any procedure, 58.7% had no need for pain relief medication and no fever; the figure in the patients treated without a catheter was 74.4%. Although the success rate of SWL for ureteral stones is higher with a ureteral catheter in place, the incidence of complications also is higher. We recommend trying in situ SWL initially for patients with a ureteral stone.

An acquired Robertsonian 13;15 translocation in acute myelogenous leukemia (M5b)

A 43-year-old male developed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML, M5b) with an acquired Robertsonian 13;15 translocation. He did not achieve complete remission after sequential intensive induction chemotherapy and he died 13 months later. We reviewed 7 patients with this translocation reported in the literature. Acquired Robertsonian translocations are rare, but could represent an important event in the tumorigenesis of hematologic malignancies.

[Increased blood cell destruction during vigorous regeneration of bone marrow after CAMBO-VIP chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma]

Alternating non-cross-resistant chemotherapy has been induced for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with the aim of cure, even in advanced cases. We formulated a new high dose regimen, CAMBO-VIP, which was a weekly treatment. They were administered during alternate weeks for a total period of 12 weeks. We obtained high response rate and prolonged disease-free survival with this regimen. We noticed the elevation of serum LDH level in some patients at or shortly after the completion of CAMBO-VIP treatment. LDH elevation was not associated with liver function abnormality in terms of elevation of GOT or total bilirubin. All of these patients were in complete or partial response with no evidence of tumor progression. An LDH isozyme study which was done at the time of LDH elevation showed elevation of both LDH1 and LDH2. Interestingly serum haptoglobin was undetectable in all 6 patients measured at the time of LDH elevation. Reticulocytosis and leukoerythroblastosis in peripheral blood were also observed in all of these patients. These abnormalities including LDH elevation returned to normal within a rather short period, usually within 1 to 3 weeks. From these observations, it is most likely that these abnormalities were due to excessive blood cell destruction, which was observed in association with rapid recovery from myelosuppression.

Three year follow up study of national influenza vaccination practices in Japan

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To evaluate new national influenza vaccination practices which were started in 1987 under a revised law in Japan.

DESIGN

This was a three year, nonrandomised cohort study with information collected by questionnaire between 1989 and 1991.

SETTING

Eight primary schools in the city of Yonago, Tottori, Japan. These schools were selected from 23 schools in the city.

PARTICIPANTS

Altogether 4251 pupils (1355 boys and 2896 girls) in years 1-4 of the eight primary schools were included in this study, and followed up. Three years later, data for 1619 pupils (768 boys and 851 girls) were obtained and analysed.

MAIN RESULTS

The one-winter seasonal incidence rates of influenza-like disease were 13.4%, 29.9%, and 10.3% in 1989, 1990, and 1991 respectively. The incidence rate of influenza-like disease in fully vaccinated pupils was significantly lower than that in unvaccinated pupils in 1990, but not in 1989 or 1991. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the incidence of influenza-like disease had a statistical relationship with the frequency of vaccination and the school year (R2 was 0.0148). Standardised parameters of the frequency of vaccination and the school frequency of vaccination and the school year were -0.089 and -0.080 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The preventive effects of influenza vaccine are not strong. There must be some unknown factors that affect the incidence of influenza. This vaccine is useful for pupils in the early school years who seem to have less resistance. All pupils should not be inoculated with the vaccine to reduce influenza transmission in the community or school.

Decreased cerebrovascular dilatory capacity in subjects with asymptomatic periventricular hyperintensities

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The clinical significance of the periventricular hyperintensity incidentally found on magnetic resonance images of the brain is questionable. We evaluated resting cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular dilatory capacity of subjects with asymptomatic periventricular hyperintensities to study their cerebral hemodynamics.

METHODS

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed in 28 asymptomatic subjects with cerebrovascular risk factors to determine the severity of periventricular hyperintensity. Mean gray matter flow was computed by a 133Xe-clearance technique in subjects at rest and after the administration of 1 g acetazolamide. Flow values were correlated with the scores for periventricular hyperintensity.

RESULTS

Resting gray matter flow was not significantly correlated with the severity of periventricular hyperintensity for the whole brain (rs = -.364), whereas flow after acetazolamide loading (rs = -.783, P < .001) and the absolute value of increased flow (rs = -.567, P < .01) were significantly and negatively correlated with the severity of periventricular hyperintensity.

CONCLUSIONS

A decrease in vasodilatory capacity and compensatory vasodilation occur in the cerebral cortex of subjects with asymptomatic periventricular lesions and maintain cerebral blood flow.

Eclosion hormone-mediated signal transduction in the silkworm abdominal ganglia: involvement of a cascade from inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate to cyclic GMP

The neuropeptide eclosion hormone triggers ecdysis behavior in lepidopteran insects. We have previously shown that the eclosion hormone stimulates the formation of two intracellular second messengers, cGMP and inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate in the abdominal ganglia of Bombyx mori. In order to elucidate the intracellular signaling pathway involving these second messengers, we studied the eclosion hormone-mediated signal transduction using saponin-treated abdominal ganglia. We obtained the following results; i) eclosion hormone activated nitric oxide synthase, ii) the eclosion hormone-induced cGMP increase was inhibited by various enzyme inhibitors such as NG-nitro-arginine; a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, EGTA; a calcium chelating reagent, W-5; a calmodulin inhibitor and compound 48/80; a phospholipase C inhibitor and iii) the inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate stimulated the formation of cGMP, in the Bombyx abdominal ganglia. Based on these findings we tentatively propose a hypothetical pathway: The signal initially triggered by eclosion hormone and eclosion hormone receptor complex induces activation of phospholipase C which produces inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate. Inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate increases intracellular Ca2+, followed by subsequent activation of nitric oxide synthase through the formation of Ca(2+)-calmodulin complex. The reaction product, nitric oxide acts on soluble guanylate cyclase to stimulate cGMP formation which induces the ecdysis behavior in Bombyx pharate adults.

Myringoplasty in the outpatient clinic

In 1990, the authors first started performing myringoplasty with temporal fascia homografts and fibrin glue in the outpatient clinic with consequent reduction in expenditure, time and patient physical stress. Of primary consideration in homogeneous transplantation is the possibility of infection by HIV or other pathogens from donors. The fascial grafts were submitted to treatment with 99% ethyl alcohol and pasteurization resulting in the inactivation of pathogenic viruses. This paper discusses methods, eardrum perforation closing rates, hearing improvement and future application of myringoplasty.

Study on the distribution of hearing levels in idiopathic bilateral sensorineural hearing loss

The pattern of aggravation in hearing was investigated in 105 patients who were diagnosed as having idiopathic bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at the Hearing Loss Clinic, Department of Otolaryngology, Kitasato University Hospital. Audiograms were taken 1,069 times from the 105 cases over more than 3 years, and were used to obtain the distribution of hearing levels at each test frequency. The clinical course of idiopathic bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was divided into three stages: Stages I, II and III, based on the pattern of aggravation. The pattern of distribution of hearing levels at different stages was compared with each other with reference to peaks or clustering points. Similar peaks were noted at Stage II and Stage III as aggravation proceeded from Stage I. Another peak was noted in the zone of scale-out.

Investigation of pure-tone hearing levels at a single frequency in sudden deafness

Hearing levels in patients with sudden deafness are commonly discussed in terms of average thresholds at 3 or 5 frequencies, but an investigation of hearing levels at a single frequency is also important. In this paper, pure tone thresholds at 500 Hz and 4,000 Hz were investigated in patients with sudden deafness who came to our clinic within 4 days of onset. Particular attention was paid to the relationship between audiometric types according to the contour of the initial loss and degree of hearing recovery at each frequency. In the group of patients whose initial hearing level at 500 Hz was between 55 and 70 dB, the hearing recovery at 500 Hz in the upward slope type was significantly greater than that in the downward slope type, but in other groups no significant differences in hearing recovery were observed among the different types of initial audiograms. We considered that the hearing recovery at a single frequency was not related to the audiometric type except in the patients with the upward slope type with moderate hearing loss.

[CAMBO-VIP for advanced diffuse large cell lymphoma (LSG classification)--a long-term follow-up study]

Twenty-two patients with advanced diffuse large cell lymphoma (LSG classification) were treated with the combination chemotherapy of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, methotrexate with leucovorin rescue, bleomycin, vincristine, etoposide, ifosfamide and prednisolone (CAMBO-VIP) from Oct. 1987 to Sept. 1989. Eighteen (90%) of 20 evaluable patients achieved complete remission and 2 patients had partial remission. With a median follow-up of 52 mos, 3 patients relapsed (17%), and 2 patients died. The actuarial overall survival and relapse-free survival at 4 years were estimated to be 90% and 83%, respectively. Myelosuppression was severe, but transient. No serious infection was seen, and no platelet transfusion was required. Oral mucositis and liver damage (Grade 3 in WHO grading) was seen in one patient each, but no treatment-related fatalities were observed. CAMBO-VIP is a well tolerated, effective treatment regimen for advanced diffuse large cell lymphoma.