Chromosomal mapping of the genes for the human cell cycle proteins cyclin C (CCNC), cyclin E (CCNE), p21 (CDKN1) and KAP (CDKN3)

Many gene products associated with the cdk cell cycle kinases are thought to regulate the active kinase complex and thus regulate the transition points of the cell cycle. Genes encoding these proteins may potentially function as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. We describe the chromosomal mapping by FISH of the genes for several cdk-associated proteins including human CCNC (cyclin C) to 6q21, CCNE (cyclin E) to 19q12-->q13, CDKN1 (p21) to 6p21.2 and CDKN3 (KAP to 14q22). Some of these sites are near chromosomal translocations or LOH sites common to a variety of human tumors. The potential role for each of these genes in neoplasia is discussed.

Effect of fish oil on the development of AOM-induced glutathione S-transferase placental form positive hepatocellular foci in male F344 rats

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are contained in fish oils and certain vegetable oils in contrast to corn oil or safflower oil rich in omega-6 fatty acids (linoteic acid), have been reported to reduce the carcinogenesis in several organs. In this study, the modifying effect of menhaden fish oil was investigated on the occurrence of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P) positive hepatocellular foci, recognized preneoplastic lesions in the liver, in male F344 rats. Starting at five weeks of age, groups of animals were fed ad libitum a semipurified diet containing 5% corn oil (low fat). At seven weeks of age, all animals except the vehicle-treated groups were injected subcutaneously with AOM (15 mg/kg body wt, 1x/wk for 2 wks). Four days after the second injection, groups of animals were fed the diets containing 4% menhaden oil + 1% corn oil (low fish oil diet), 22.5% menhaden oil + 1% corn oil (high fish oil diet), and 5% corn oil. Thirty-four weeks after AOM injections, all animals were necropsied. Livers were sectioned and performed immunohistochemical staining of GST-P for quantitative analysis of enzyme altered foci of the liver. The results demonstrate that the density and the unit area of AOM-induced enzyme altered foci in the liver were significantly lower in the high fish oil group (0.60 +/- 0.08/cm2, 3.0 +/- 0.4 x 10(-4)) than in the 5% corn oil group (2.71 +/- 0.33/cm2, 16.6 +/- 2.6 x 10(-4)) and the low fish oil group (1.66 +/- 0.33/cm2, 11.1 +/- 1.9 x 10(-4)).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A 10-year survivor with unresectable hepatic metastases from sigmoid colon carcinoma treated with regional chemotherapy

We treated a man with unresectable hepatic metastases from sigmoid colon carcinoma who has since survived for more than 10 years. A sigmoidectomy with lymph node dissection was performed and a continuous hepatic arterial infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with intermittent infusion of mitomycin C (MMC) was administered for about 3 months after this operation. The total doses of 5-FU and MMC were 16 g and 84 mg, respectively. Tegafur also was administered orally at a dose of 600 mg/day for about 8 months. The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level (which had reached 4,409 ng/ml preoperatively) normalized 4 months after surgery, and still remains normal. Very few patients with unresectable hepatic metastases survive for 5 or more years. However, regional chemotherapy can be effective in some patients.

Arrayed-waveguide grating multiplexer with flat spectral response

The design principle of a single-mode arrayed-waveguide grating multiplexer with flat spectral response is proposed on the basis of a discrete Fourier transform. By a beam propagation-method simulation, a flat spectral region (within 1-dB loss increase) is obtained over 57.2 GHz for 100-GHz channel spacing.

Antitumor effect of neocarzinostatin conjugated to human/mouse chimeric Fab fragments of the monoclonal antibody A7 on human pancreatic carcinoma

The anticancer agent neocarzinostatin (NCS) was bound covalently to human/mouse chimeric Fab fragments of the monoclonal antibody A7 to form the conjugate chA7Fab-NCS. The antitumor effect of chA7Fab-NCS was tested by measuring the inhibition of 3H-thymidine incorporation into human pancreatic carcinoma cells. The chA7Fab-NCS was approximately 2.3 times as effective as free NCS against human pancreatic carcinoma cells which reacted with the monoclonal antibody A7. The antitumor activity of chA7Fab-NCS was inhibited by excess chA7Fab. ChA7Fab-NCS had an antitumor effect equivalent to free NCS on human pancreatic carcinoma cells which did not react with the monoclonal antibody A7. ChA7Fab-NCS appears to be a potentially useful conjugate for immunotargeting chemotherapy against pancreatic carcinoma.

[An autopsy case of lung cancer metastasizing to renal cell cancer and rectal villous adenoma]

A 67-year-old woman with bloody stool was admitted to our hospital. Chest radiograph on admission showed a tumor shadow in the right lower lung field. Lung adenocarcinoma of right S6 and villous adenoma of the rectum were detected. Although she was treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she died of respiratory failure. At autopsy, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the right lung, renal cell carcinoma, and villous adenoma of the rectum were confirmed. Lung adenocarcinomas were detected in the focus of the renal cell carcinoma and in the villous adenoma. Metastasis of a cancer into another coexisting tumor in the same individual is extremely rare, and a satisfactory explanation for this phenomenon has not yet been offered.

Study of hereditary trends in the shape of the murine mandible

Inbred mice are a suitable material for genetic studies, and mandibular shape in particular provides a highly quantitative hereditary trait. We investigated which genetic trait in F1, F2 and N2 hybrid mice was most strongly affected by the presence of a large or small mandible in the parents. Ten C57BL/6By strain mice as parents with a small mandible and 10 MRL/n strain mice as parents with a large mandible were employed. Twenty-five (C57BL/6By male X MRL/n female) F1 and 67 F2 hybrids, and 28 (F1 male X C57BL/6By female) N2 backcross hybrids were obtained by laboratory mating. The inter-landmarks of the right mandible were measured by an electronic digitizer. Each mean value of horizontal dimensions in F1 mice resembled that in MRL/l mice, and that in N2 mice was intermediate between C57BL/6By and MRL/n mice. On the other hand, the mean values of vertical dimensions in F1, F2 and N2 hybrids were intermediate between those of C57BL/6By and MRL/n mice. Hence we suggest that horizontal dimensions are predominantly inherited by mice with a large mandible, and that vertical dimensions show intermediate inheritance between mice with large and small mandibles in the C57BL/6By and MRL/n strains.

Inhibition of cytokine production from human peripheral blood leukocytes by anti-allergic agents in vitro

The influence of anti-allergic drugs on lymphocyte function was investigated by examining the blastic activity and cytokine production of human peripheral blood leukocytes in response to concanavalin A stimulation in vitro. Addition of ketotifen, disodium cromoglycate and oxatomide did not influence peripheral blood leukocyte blastic activity even when high concentrations (10.0 micrograms/ml) of these drugs were added to cell cultures. However, azelastine and terfenadine caused inhibition of peripheral blood leukocyte activation. Interleukin-2, interleukin-3, interleukin-4 and interleukin-5 production from peripheral blood leukocytes was strongly suppressed when the cells were cultured in the presence of these agents. This suppression was observed even when lower concentrations (1.0 and 0.5 micrograms/ml) of these agents were added to the cultures.

Antiasthmatic activity of a macrolide antibiotic, roxithromycin: analysis of possible mechanisms in vitro and in vivo

This study was designed to examine the possible mechanisms by which macrolide antibiotics favorably influence the clinical course of asthmatic patients. In the first set of experiments, we investigated the effect of roxithromycin (RXM), a newly synthesized macrolide antibiotic, on in vitro cytokine secretion by mitogen-activated human peripheral blood leukocytes. RXM suppressed the secretion of T cell cytokine interleukins (IL) 2-4 and monocyte cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha. This inhibitory effects on cytokine secretion was dose dependent and firstly noted at a concentration of as little as 0.5 microgram/ml which is much lower than therapeutic blood levels. In the second part of experiments, we examined the influence of RXM on cytokine appearance in mouse lung extract induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inhalation and on bronchial responsiveness to methacholine in LPS-treated mice. As compared with mice pretreated with phosphate-buffered saline, RXM administered orally at a single dose of 5 mg/kg once a day for 21 days inhibited the appearance of IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, and tumor necrosis factor alpha in aqueous lung extracts. Pretreatment with RXM also decreased the bronchial responsiveness to methacholine induced by intratracheal injection of LPS. We conclude that the attenuating effect of macrolide antibiotics on asthmatic syndromes might be explained partially by their inhibitory effects on cytokine secretion from leukocytes.

Cytologic evaluation of phyllodes tumors as compared to fibroadenomas of the breast

In an attempt to better understand the cytopathologic features of phyllodes tumors (PTs) and to differentiate PTs from fibroadenomas (FAs) of the breast, cytologic smears prepared from 17 and 19 histologically diagnosed cases of PT and FA, respectively, were reviewed. PT cases were histopathologically graded as benign, borderline and malignant. Cytologically, hypercellularity of stromal cells with recognizable cytoplasm was observed in 6 of 7 borderline and malignant PT cases, but none of the benign PT or FA cases revealed such hypercellular stroma. Between all PT and FA cases, no statistically significant differences could be obtained in the nuclear size of stromal cells, folding of epithelial cell sheets or number of foamy macrophages. The study revealed that the abundance of stromal cells with cytoplasm, not naked nuclei, was strongly suggestive of borderline and malignant PT, but the differentiation between benign PT and FA was difficult on the basis of the cytopathologic findings.

Modulation of cytokine secretion by mesenteric lymph node cells from vitamin A-deficient mice during Hymenolepis nana infection

The influence of vitamin A deficiency on the development of cellular immune responses was examined using vitamin A-deficient mice (A mice)/Hymenolepis nana system. Mesenteric lymph node cells (MLNC) prepared from both normal BALB/c mice and A mice during H. nana infection proliferated extensively when cultured with soluble egg antigen of H. nana as assessed by 3H-thymidine incorporation. MLNC from normal mice secreted significantly more IL-2 and significantly less IFN-gamma than A mice when the cells were cultured in the presence of soluble egg antigen.

[Differential diagnosis between recurrence of gliomas and radiation necrosis by 201TlCl SPECT]

We studied the value of quantitative 201Thallium Chloride brain SPECT (Tl SPECT) in the differentiation between glioma recurrence and radiation necrosis. A total of 44 patients--26 patients with recurrent malignant glioma, 10 patients with low grade glioma and 8 patients with radiation necrosis--underwent Tl SPECT. The patients had early SPECT images taken 15 minutes after intravenous injection of 3mCi of 201TlCl and also had delayed SPECT images taken 4 hours after injection. Count ratios of a lesion to normal brain (L/N) were calculated from the rectangular ROI for the quantitative analysis. Count ratios of the lesion seen on the delayed image to that on the early image (D/E) were also calculated. In 26 patients with recurrent malignant gliomas, L/N ratio ranged from 2.6 to 12.6 with a mean of 4.4 +/- 2.3 on early images. All patients had L/N ratios greater than 2.5. However, in 8 patients with cerebral radiation necrosis, L/N ratios ranged from 1.5 to 2.4 with a mean of 2.0 +/- 0.3 on early image. L/N ratios were always 2.5 or less. In 8 patients with cerebral radiation necrosis, there were little differences between the L/N ratios for early and delayed images. D/E ratios ranged from 1.0 to 1.3 with a mean of 1.2 +/- 0.1. These results confirmed the validity of Tl SPECT in differentiating cerebral radiation necrosis from recurrent malignant gliomas. In 10 patients with low grade astrocytoma there was a subtle uptake or no uptake of Tl and the ratios of these patients were rated at 1.0.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A new variant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Val7-->Glu) deduced from lymphocyte mRNA sequences from Japanese patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

We have identified a new mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) deduced from the nucleotide sequences of peripheral blood lymphocyte mRNA from Japanese patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS). Sequence analysis of reverse transcriptase-initiated PCR amplified mRNA revealed a heterozygosity indicative of one normal allele and one variant allele with a T-->A transversion. This base change led to replacement of valine by glutamic acid at position 7 of 153-residue SOD1 molecule, and produced a new restriction site for Alu I in the exon 1. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis confirmed the linkage of this mutation with this type of FALS. Both enzymatic activity and protein of the SOD1 were reduced in red blood cells from the patient.

Cyclin G is a transcriptional target of the p53 tumor suppressor protein

Through a PCR-based differential screening method, cyclin G was identified as a novel transcriptional target of the p53 tumor suppressor gene product. In both a mouse p53 temperature-sensitive leukemic cell line and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) after gamma-irradiation, cyclin G mRNA was rapidly induced. MEF from a p53-deficient mouse expressed cyclin G at a level > 10-fold lower than that from a wild-type mouse. Using a DNA binding assay, a specific p53 binding site was identified upstream from the cyclin G gene, which functioned as a p53-dependent cis-acting element in a transient transfection assay. These results suggest that cyclin G might participate in a p53-mediated pathway to prevent tumorigenesis.

New chlorine-containing prenylated C6-C3 compounds increasing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity in culture of postnatal rat septal neurons from Illicium tashiroi

The structures of two new chlorine-containing C6-C3 compounds isolated from the woods of Illicium tashiroi have been established as 2(R)-12-chloro-2,3-dihydroillicinone E (1) and 12-chloroillicinone E (2) by X-ray crystallographic analysis and spectroscopic data, respectively. Compound 1 has been found to significantly increase ChAT activity in culture of P10 rat septal neurons.

Binding protein for Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin II in mouse intestinal membrane

The protein binding Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin II (STII) was isolated from cell membranes of mouse intestine. The binding of 125I-labeled STII to the proteins was inhibited by unlabeled STII, showing that it is specific. Proteins cross-linked with 125I-STII were purified by column chromatography on hydroxyapatite and TSK gel. Analyses of the purified protein by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration showed that the molecular mass was 25 kDa.

[Surgical treatment of coronary artery aneurysm as a complication developed after PTCA]

A 56-year-old man was admitted to our medical center because of acute anterior myocardial infarction. Emergent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) resulted in successful dilatation at the stenotic lesion of the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Three months later, coronary angiography showed not only a restenosis but also an aneurysm formation at the same portion. This lesion was too risky to redo PTCA. We successfully performed coronary bypass grafting with the internal thoracic artery.

Emergency and long-term extracorporeal life support following acute myocardial infarction: rescue from severe cardiogenic shock related to stunned myocardium

There has been no report regarding therapy of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) that showed stunned myocardium echocardiographically and electrocardiographically in patients with acute myocardial infarction. ECLS was performed in eight patients with cardiogenic shock or arrest unresponsive to catecholamines and intra-aortic balloon pumping following myocardial infarction; these patients required prolonged external cardiac massage. After the initiation of ECLS, both blood pressure and metabolic acidosis improved in all patients. Four of eight patients were weaned from ECLS after a mean of 69.3 h, which was far longer than previously reported in patients with ischemic heart disease. Three of these patients survived, and cardiac function recovered to NYHA class II in two of the survivors and class III in the other. The other five patients did not recover from coma during ECLS and died. A marked improvement of ventricular wall motion was seen in two survivors with the disappearance of pathologic Q waves after the initiation of ECLS. No occlusion of the coronary arteries or bypass grafts was observed in any of the survivors. These findings suggested the existence of stunned myocardium with myocardial reperfusion. The recovery of stunned myocardium may be delayed for days or even weeks, hence the extended period of ECLS therapy was theoretically justifiable. We conclude that long-term ECLS is a useful therapeutic method for patients with severe cardiogenic shock that is related to stunned myocardium.

Formation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-modified proteins in human renal-cell carcinoma

To study the possible involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the tumor biology of human renal-cell carcinoma (RCC), we analyzed 35 cases of RCC for 2 parameters of oxidative damage: 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a mutation-prone DNA-base-modified product, was measured by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an electrochemical (EC) detector, and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE)-modified proteins were measured with a polyclonal antibody against HNE-modified proteins. A 54% higher content of 8-OHdG was found in RCC than in the corresponding non-tumorous kidney, suggesting that the DNA of RCC is more exposed to ROS than is the DNA of non-tumorous kidneys. Immunohistochemistry for HNE-modified proteins showed a distinct staining pattern of fine to coarse granularity in the cytoplasm of RCC (n = 15), implying that lipid peroxidation products are located in cytoplasmic organelles. These results suggest that RCC constitutionally elaborates more ROS than is produced by the non-tumorous parts of kidneys. No correlation was found between clinical stage, histology, age or sex and the 2 parameters examined.