The studies of malignant transformation of human epithelial cells induced by diethyl-nitrosamine (NDEA) in vitro

This is the first report on the diethylnitrosamine-induced malignant transformation of human epithelial cells derived from fetal kidney. The transformed cells have prolonged life span and aneuploid karyotypes. They also form anchorage independent colonies in soft agar. With additional one or two NDEA treatments, these cells could elicit poorly differentiated carcinomas in immunosuppressed new-born rats. This experiment indicates that the human fetal kidney cells seem to be a good material for studying the mechanisms of carcinogenesis of human epithelial cell.

Malignant transformation of human fetal lung fibroblasts induced by nitrosamine compounds in vitro

This report, for the first time, demonstrates that diethyl-nitrosamine (NDEA) and a new nitrosamine compound-N-1-methylacetonyl-N-3-methylbutyl-nitrosamine (MAMBNA), which are suspicious carcinogens of esophageal cancer (EC) in Linxian, Henan Province, are able to cause the malignant transformation (altered morphology, extended life span, anchorage independent growth, invasiveness, tumorigenicity, etc.) of normal diploid fibroblasts derived from human fetal lung. Besides, the preselection for clonogenic cells, which seem to be more readily to be transformed, in soft agar before carcinogen treatment, could be considered as one of the useful ways in establishment of a model system of malignant transformation of human fibroblasts in vitro.

[Surgical management of soft tissue sarcoma]

From 1964 to 1978, 313 patients with soft tissue sarcoma were treated in our hospital by resection and followed over 5 years. 192 patients were males and 121 were females. The sex ratio was 1.5:1. In the 190 cases who developed postoperative recurrence, 55 were in the head and neck, 136 in the trunk and 122 in the limbs and 23 (7.4%) as metastasis in the lymph nodes. By pathology, the common types were fibrosarcoma (86 cases), neurofibrosarcoma (66 cases) and rhabdomyosarcoma (32 cases). All the 313 patients were treated by resection, the overall 5 and 10 year survival rates were 47.6% and 35.8%. The 5 year survival rate was 47.9% in the 117 patients treated by local resection, 62.7% in the 75 by extensive resection, 18.6% in the 43 by amputation and 48.7% in the 78 by combination of resection and irradiation. According to the UICC TNM staging system, the 5 year survival was 60% in stage I, 46.9% in stage II, 40% in stage III and 22.2% in stage IV. In this series, discussion of the treatment modalities and prognosis factors in emphasized.

Uptake of lung surfactant subfractions into lamellar bodies of adult rabbit lungs

The goals of this investigation were to determine whether subfractions of alveolar surfactant that have different physical and biochemical properties are preferentially taken up from the alveolar air space into lamellar bodies and to correlate the magnitude of the uptake with the properties of the fractions. Radiolabeled subfractions were obtained by differential centrifugation of lavage fluid from rabbits that had been intravenously injected with radioactive palmitate. The subfractions were P (pellet) 3 (1,000 g, 20 min), P4 (60,000 g, 60 min), P5 (100,000 g, 16 h). Subfractions were instilled into the lungs of anesthetized spontaneously breathing adult rabbits, and lavage and lamellar body fractions were isolated at later times. P3 and P4 were taken up to a larger extent than was P5 or liposomes prepared from a P4 lipid extract. The fractions that were preferentially taken up (P3 and P4) contained surfactant apoprotein (APO) 36, tubular myelin, multilamellar vesicles, and were rapidly adsorbed to an air-water interface. P3 also contained APO 10. These results demonstrate that different forms of surfactant are recycled at different rates and suggest that there is specificity in the recycling process.

Characterization of functional receptors for vasoactive intestinal peptide in bovine cerebral arteries

This study reports the characterization of receptors for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on membranes prepared from bovine cerebral arteries. By use of HPLC we prepared two purified monoiodinated VIP radioligands with nearly equivalent cerebral vasorelaxant potency as native VIP, [Tyr(125I)10 )VIP and [Tyr(125I)22]VIP. The former resulted in a higher proportion of specific binding to arterial membranes than the latter and was therefore thought to be the superior radioligand for receptor characterization. The binding of [Tyr(125I)10]VIP to cerebral arterial membranes was saturable, specific, reversible, and dependent on time and temperature. Scatchard analysis suggested the presence of a high- and a low-affinity binding site with KD values of 0.2 and 11 nM and receptor concentrations of 79 and 737 fmol/mg of protein, respectively. The dose-response curves for binding to the VIP receptor by the VIP-homologous peptides PHI, PHM, and rat growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) were very similar to their dose-response curves for relaxation of cerebral arteries. The order of potency was VIP greater than PHM greater than PHI greater than rat GRF. It is suggested that the characteristics of the vascular VIP binding sites and the close correlation between the binding and vasorelaxant properties of VIP and its related peptides argue for the vascular binding sites being functional receptors for VIP.

Cerebral vascular adenylate cyclase: evidence for coupling to receptors for vasoactive intestinal peptide and parathyroid hormone

We have studied the responsiveness of vascular adenylate cyclase to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) using preparations of cerebral microvessels and arteries. Cerebral microvessels obtained from rats, guinea-pigs, cattle, and pigs all responded potently to bovine (b) PTH-(1-34), whereas considerable between-species variability was observed in the responsiveness to VIP. The homologous peptide to VIP, PHI (porcine heptacosapeptide), stimulated adenylate cyclase in both rat microvessels and a broken-cell preparation of bovine arteries. The ED50 values for activation of bovine arterial adenylate cyclase by VIP, PHI, and bPTH-(1-34) were 6.9 nM, 10 nM, and 100 nM, respectively, with the following order of efficacy: VIP = PHI greater than bPTH-(1-34). The other related peptides, hpGRF (human pancreatic growth hormone releasing factor), secretin, and glucagon, and the fragment VIP-(10-28) were inactive. The PTH antagonist, [Nle8, Nle18, Tyr34]bPTH-(3-34) amide, inhibited bPTH-(1-34) activation of vascular adenylate cyclase but did not affect activation by VIP using either microvessels or arteries. VIP or PHI demonstrated an additive effect with bPTH-(1-34) on vascular adenylate cyclase activity. However, the effects of VIP and PHI were nonadditive with each other. These data suggest that VIP and bPTH-(1-34) activate cerebral vascular adenylate cyclase by interacting with pharmacologically distinct receptors, whereas PHI and VIP likely interact with a common receptor.

Studies on mechanism of entry of EB virus into non-B lymphocytes. Establishment of an EB virus-producing human-tupaia hybrid cell line TuH18

With the use of the EB virus-producing lymphoblastoid cell line H18, an attempt was made to infect the monolayer cell culture of nasopharyngeal tissue from the normal tupaia, and an EB virus-producing, human-tupaia hybrid cell line was established. The mechanism of entry of EB virus into cells other than B lymphocytes is discussed in this paper.

Effects of vitamin A-deprivation on hamster tracheal epithelium. A quantitative morphologic study

The effects of vitamin A-deprivation on the tracheal epithelium were studied in 35-day old hamsters that had been raised since birth on a vitamin A-deficient diet. Colchicine and 3HTdR were given 6 hours before death and the proliferative activities of basal cells and mucous cells were quantified separately by 3HTdR labeling indices and mitotic rates. Vitamin A-deprivation decreased replication of basal cells and mucous cells in tracheal epithelium which showed minimal morphologic change. The mitotic rates and labeling indices were reduced 3 to 4-fold in basal cells and 14-fold in mucous cells (analyzed as percent of total number of each cell type) compared with controls. Thus, replication of mucous cells was more inhibited by lack of vitamin A, than replication of basal cells. The disparate hypoplasia of basal cells and mucous cells in epithelium showing minimal change, resulted in a relative increase in the proportion of basal cells and a relative decrease in the proportion of mucous cells, which could be erroneously interpreted as "basal cell hyperplasia". Proportions of preciliated and ciliated cells were also decreased compared to controls. At foci of stratification and epidermoid metaplasia, cell replication rates were increased over controls and more than 70% of all mitotic activity was associated with "non-basal" cells. Genesis of these lesions was coincident with cell death and cell loss. The histogenesis of stratification and epidermoid metaplasia was characterized. Morphological evidence indicated that these lesions were closely related histogenetically and were composed, for the most part, of altered mucous cells which expressed dual phenotypes i.e. keratinization and mucus synthesis.

Restoration of mucociliary tracheal epithelium following deprivation of vitamin A. A quantitative morphologic study

In order to learn more about the respective roles played by basal cells and mucous cells in the maintenance of tracheal mucociliary epithelium, cell kinetics and epithelial cell morphology were characterized over a 7-day period, during which dietary vitamin A was restored to previously deprived hamsters. Hamsters were reared from birth to 35 days of age on vitamin A-replete or deficient diets. Deprived hamsters were made replete by 5 mg vitamin A-acetate orally, plus a vitamin A-replete diet. Colchicine and 3HTdR were given 6 h before death. The numbers of basal cells, mucous cells, preciliated cells and ciliated cells, and mitotic rates (MR) and labeling indices (LI) of basal cells and mucous cells, were quantified in glycol methacrylate sections stained with PAS-lead hematoxylin. Vitamin A-deprivation decreased replication of basal cells and mucous cells in tracheal epithelium which showed minimal morphological change. The proportion of basal cells was increased and proportions of mucous, preciliated and ciliated cells were decreased. Following restoration of vitamin A to the diet, the basal cell MR remained below control level throughout the experimental period, but the mucous cell MR started to rise on day 2-replete, and on day 3-replete and thereafter the mucous cell MR was within the control range. Basal cell and mucous cell LI's showed similar trends. Preciliated cells were reduced or absent in vitamin A-deprived epithelium. Their number had risen by day 3-replete and thereafter they were generated within the control range. These cells matured into ciliated cells. By day 4-replete, the proportion of basal cells had decreased markedly and the proportions of mucous cells, and preciliated plus ciliated cells had increased, so that at this time cellular proportions were within or near control values. This trend continued so that by day 7-replete, a nearly normal mucociliary epithelium was restored. The results show that vitamin A-levels modulate replication rates of basal cells and mucous cells and indicate that mitotic division of mucous cells is a prerequisite for the genesis of preciliated cells and new mucous cells and for restoration of the mucociliary epithelium following deprivation of vitamin A in the diet.

Relaxation of bovine, porcine and human brain arteries by parathyroid hormone

We have studied the relaxant effect of bovine parathyroid hormone (bPTH) on helical strips of branches of bovine and human middle cerebral arteries and bovine and porcine basilar arteries. All arteries were studied after contraction with prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha or KCl. In the case of all arteries contracted with PGF2 alpha, the ED50 of PTH vasorelaxation related to maximal vasorelaxation induced by papaverine ranged from 9 to 14 nM for bPTH-(1-34) and 100 to 220 ng/ml for native bPTH-(1-84). The PTH inhibitor, [Nle8, Nle18, Tyr34]bPTH-(3-34) amide, attenuated the vasorelaxant effect of both bPTH-(1-34) and bPTH-(1-84). The vasorelaxant effects of PTH which we have observed in this study are consistent with the stimulatory effects of PTH on vascular adenylate cyclase which we had previously reported.

Effects of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, monoamines, prostaglandins, and 2-chloroadenosine on adenylate cyclase in rat cerebral microvessels

Adenylate cyclase in microvessels isolated from rat cerebral cortex was stimulated by guanine nucleotides, catecholamines, prostaglandin E1, prostaglandin E2, and 2-chloroadenosine. Catecholamine stimulation was mediated by interaction with beta-adrenergic receptors. The order of relative potency was: isoproterenol greater than epinephrine greater than norepinephrine. Activation of microvessel adenylate cyclase by prostaglandins E1 and E2 as well as by 2-chloroadenosine was dose related. Twenty-two peptides were tested for possible effects on the microvessel adenylate cyclase. Only vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) was stimulatory. No inhibitory action was observed. Activation by VIP required guanosine triphosphate and was dose dependent from 10 nM to 1 microM (ED50 = 0.1 microM). At 30 degrees C, stimulation of adenylate cyclase by the peptide increased linearly with time for up to 15 min. The effect of VIP was not inhibited by phentolamine or propranolol, suggesting that its action was not elicited by interaction with alpha- or beta-adrenergic receptors. Activation achieved by VIP and isoproterenol, prostaglandin E1, or 2-chloroadenosine was the sum of the individual stimulations, suggesting that receptors for VIP were distinct from those for isoproterenol, prostaglandin E1, and 2-chloroadenosine.

Parathyroid hormone stimulates adenylate cyclase in rat cerebral microvessels

We have studied the effect of parathyroid hormone (PTH) on adenylate cyclase of microvessels isolated from rat cerebral cortex. Native bovine (b) PTH-(1-84), the synthetic amino-terminal fragment bPTH-(1-34) and the synthetic analog [Nle8,Nle18,Tyr34]-bPTH- (1-34) amide stimulated adenylate cyclase in a dose-dependent manner with apparent ED50 values of 16 nM, 6.3 nM and 15 nM respectively. The stimulation by bPTH was greatly enhanced by guanosine triphosphate. The PTH antagonist, [Nle8,Nle18,Tyr34]-bPTH-(3-34) amide inhibited the action of bPTH-(1-84) and bPTH-(1-34). In summary, PTH stimulated adenylate cyclase in rat cerebral microvessels in a very similar manner to its stimulation in the renal cortex.

An evaluation of falls, syncope, and dizziness by prolonged ambulatory cardiographic monitoring in a geriatric institutional setting

Fifty-nine patients living in a geriatric residential setting underwent prolonged ambulatory cardiographic monitoring with the Holter monitor (AHM) as part of an investigation of falls, dizziness, and syncope. In 16 instances, cardiac arrhythmias were a contributing factor; in 12, the diagnostic AHM recordings were associated with unrevealing standard electrocardiographic (ECG) tracings. In 12 patients who had fallen, cardiac arrhythmias played a contributing role, but in only two of these cases was the ECG diagnostic. The value of the AHM for use in managing elderly patients, whose cardiac complaints may be vague, and especially in managing those who have sustained falls, is emphasized.

Diet and vitamin nutrition of the high esophageal cancer risk population in Linxian, China

In order to examine the nutritional status of the population of Linxian (in Henan, China) known to be at high risk for esophageal cancer (EC), we analyzed blood samples and conducted 3-day dietary surveys on 3 groups of normal adults, age 40-50, from Henan province. Two groups were from Linxian, where the EC mortality rate is about 138/100,000 (Group C, consisting of volunteers with a family history of EC, and Group NC, consisting of those who did not have a family history of EC). The third group, Group F, was from Fanxian, where the EC mortality rate is about 24/100,000. The average plasma retinol level was found to be about 0.27 micrograms/ml in all 3 groups; about 13%-20% of the individuals had a level less than 0.2 micrograms/ml. The average plasma carotene level of all 3 groups appeared to be adequate, ranging from 0.5-1.0 micrograms/ml. About 23% of the subjects in both Groups C and NC had low (less than 2 micrograms/ml) plasma ascorbate levels; in Group F, 16% had low ascorbate levels. Less than 12% of the individuals in each of the 3 groups had erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficients less than 1.2, indicating a widely occurring riboflavin deficiency. Consumption of alcoholic beverages was not found to be a contributing factor to EC. The results of the present study reveal a deficiency of vitamins in the study populations, but do not indicate that the average nutritional status of the volunteers in Group C was worse than that of Groups NC and F with regard to vitamin A, ascorbate, and riboflavin.

Cognitive style and lateral eye movements

The lateral eye movement paradigm was employed to test the hypothesis that narrow categorizers, who are believed to be more analytic in information processing, make characteristic use of the left hemisphere, while broad categorizers, being more holistic, depend more on the right hemisphere. Data for narrow categorizers confirmed the hypothesis in that they tended to produce a majority of right shifts. Results from broad categorizers turned out to be less clear, although there was a tendency in the direction of left eye shift. Additionally, narrow categorizers made significantly more total LEMs than did broad categorizers. The results are discussed in terms of cerebral specialization underlying cognitive style.