Light and electron microscopic studies of bone-titanium interface in the tibiae of young and mature rats

Bone-titanium contact was examined in young and mature rats on various days after insertion of pure titanium into the tibia. Under light microscopy, on the 14th day, lamellar mature bone was initially formed, and was seen to make direct contact with the titanium in both groups. In young rats on the 28th day, bone-titanium contact was greater than that in mature animals. On 1-micron sections, an amorphous zone 0.5-1.0 micron thick was found around the titanium, and a slender cell layer lay parallel to the implant, forming the superficial layer of the amorphous zone. Ultrastructurally, these slender cells were identified as osteoblastlike cells and made direct contact with the implant via a 20-50-nm thin amorphous zone. Below this cell layer, a collagen-containing, poorly mineralized zone was present and bordered by lamellar bone with a lamina limitans-like structure. However, this cell layer was absent in places, and therefore the thick amorphous zone without slender cell layer consisted ultrastructurally of a 20-50-nm thin amorphous zone and a poorly mineralized zone bordered by the lamellar bone. Sometimes this poorly mineralized zone was absent, and in such cases, the lamellar bone contacted the titanium by the thin amorphous zone formed on the lamina limitans-like structure. Thus, although bone was seen to make contact with the titanium implant, ultrastructurally a 20-50-nm thin amorphous zone, a slender cell layer, and/or a poorly mineralized zone were interposed between the bone and titanium.

[Interleukin-3 therapy in patients with aplastic anemia refractory to prior therapies]

A therapeutic trial of interleukin-3 (IL-3) was carried out in four patients with aplastic anemia refractory to the prior therapies. Daily subcutaneous doses of 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5 micrograms/kg was given for 7 or 14 days. In a patient who had co- and immediate boost-administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and/or erythropoietin (Epo) and another who had sequential administration of G-CSF and Epo two weeks after IL-3, definite hematological response was obtained during the course after IL-3. In one patient, moderate to severe side effects consisting of facial edema, conjunctival bleeding, chills and fever, were observed after two days' administration of IL-3. Co- or sequential administration of other hemopoietic factor(s) may be essential in IL-3 therapy for aplastic anemia.

Enhanced engraftment of HTLV-I-infected human T cells in severe combined immunodeficiency mice by anti-asialo GM-1 antibody treatment

The effects of anti-asialo GM-1 antibody (AAGM) treatment on the engraftment of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)-infected human T cells in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice were studied. The frequency of tumor formation in an HTLV-I-transformed human T-cell line, MT-2 cells, at the site of inoculation was significantly higher in AAGM-treated than untreated mice (P<0.05): 16/18 (89%) and 16/26 (62%), respectively. The promotive effect of AAGM treatment on tumor development was marked in the early stage (less than 3 weeks), suggesting that the immediate reaction of natural killers to the inoculated cells may be important for the prevention of tumor development. The surface phenotypes and clonality of the tumor cells were the same as the MT-2 cells inoculated. Inoculation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from one of the 4 adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) patients resulted in the development of tumors in AAGM-treated SCID mice. However, the surface phenotypes of the cells from these tumors were a mixture of B cells and T cells, suggesting that these tumors consisted of Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cells and HTLV-I-transformed T cells. In addition, HTLV-I was detected by polymerase chain reaction in various organs of the mice inoculated with PBMC from the ATL patient and the asymptomatic carrier examined. These results suggest that elimination of natural killer function by AAGM treatment is important, although such treatment is not always necessary for the engraftment of HTLV-I-infected cells in SCID mice.

[Hematological stability under ubenimex monotherapy in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia developing marrow karyotypic changes during the course]

We encountered a 71-year-old female with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML, M1), who maintained a steady hematological state for 22 months under ubenimex monotherapy. At the first medical examination in our hospital, the marrow cellularity was approximately 40% containing leukemic myeloblasts of 41.4% in the total nucleated cells, and the marrow cytogenetic study revealed 47, XX, + 8 in 13 of 20 cells analyzed. Nineteen months later, the bone marrow showed definite hypoplasia with leukemic blasts of 39.8% and chromosome finding of 46, XX, ins (10;?) (q11;?) in all cells analyzed. During the course, the patient has been doing well without transfusion of red blood cells or platelets.

[Morphological observation of a process of bone marrow hypoplastic formation in a case of aplastic anemia]

Bone marrow morphological change was consecutively analyzed form the disease onset to the formation of bone marrow aplasia in a patient with post-hepatitic aplastic anemia. In this case, the mean bone marrow cellularity and absolute numbers of erythroids and megakaryocytes were continuously higher than those in normal subjects for 3 weeks after the appearance of peripheral pancytopenia. During this stage, administration of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) improved marrow myeloid hypoplasia and peripheral neutropenia. During the period in which the marrow cellularity transformed from hyperplasia to hypoplasia, the bone marrow showed a mixture of hyper-, normo- and hypocellular portions, and the decrease in the megakaryocytes was the faster than myeloid and erythroid cells. These findings indicate that (1) ineffective hematopoiesis might be present in the early stage of the disease, (2) G-CSF responsive granulocytic precursors remained during the early stage of the disease, and (3) the marrow aplasia progressed in the manner of aplastic nest formation during the period in which the marrow cellularity declined to hypoplasia. We experienced another case of aplastic anemia showing the same progress of bone marrow findings and speculated that this might be one of the ways of the progression of bone marrow hypoplastic formation in aplastic anemia.

[A case of pulmonary arteriovenous fistula failed in transcatheter embolization and followed by emergency operation]

We reported a 55-year-old male case with pulmonary arteriovenous fistula. The lesion existed in right S9b and was about 6 cm in diameter. The afferent artery and the efferent vein, both were more than 10 mm in diameter, were shown on the chest CT and DSA film. At first transcatheter embolization with steel coils and Histoacryl was tried. Though we succeeded in embolization of the afferent artery, embolization of the fistula was failed because of reflux from the drainage vein. And a coil, a fragment of Histoacryl dropped and floated in the fistula. With concerning about the risk of embolization of the other organ with these materials, we performed the enucleation of the fistula at the next day. Although transcatheter embolization is useful in treating pulmonary arteriovenous fistula, in the case of wide communication with large drainage vein such as our case, it seems to be risky.

Effects of apple pectin on fecal bacterial enzymes in azoxymethane-induced rat colon carcinogenesis

Because of the potential significance of colonic bacteria in colon carcinogenesis, we investigated the effect of pectin of different types on fecal bacterial enzymes (beta-glucuronidase, beta-glucosidase and tryptophanase) at various periods of time after feeding rats with pectin-containing diets during azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis. The diet supplemented with 20% apple pectin or 20% citrus pectin decreased the multiplicity of colon tumors, and the number of tumors was significantly decreased in the group fed apple pectin. The incidence of colon tumors in the apple pectin group was lower than that in the control group. The mean tumor size was similar among the three groups. Apple pectin feeding decreased fecal beta-glucosidase and tryptophanase levels. Furthermore, a significant decrease in the activity of beta-glucuronidase was observed in the apple pectin group during the initiation phase. These findings suggest that the protective effect of pectin on colon carcinogenesis may be dependent on the type of pectin and be related to the decrease of beta-glucuronidase activity in the initiation stage of carcinogenesis.

Eradication of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi from patients' blood by chemotherapy, as assessed by the polymerase chain reaction

The presence of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of eight patients with tsutsugamushi disease was determined by the polymerase chain reaction during antibiotic treatment with minocycline or doxycycline. Rickettsia tsutsugamushi DNA was detectable in all samples from these patients collected the day before treatment began. After the initiation of chemotherapy, all samples tested positive on the third or fourth day, and one sample tested positive on the eighth day, showing a slow action of the drugs against the rickettsia within cells. Immune responses against R. tsutsugamushi also seemed to be important for eradication of the pathogens, as suggested by patients' high antibody titers.

[Effects of combined aprotinin and prostagrandin E1 therapy on aortic arch replacement]

This study was undertaken to compare the effects of combined aprotinin and prostaglandin E1 therapy on aortic arch replacement. Twenty patients were divided into 2 groups with (group A; n = 10) or without (group B; n = 10) the treatment (200 KIU of aprotinin and 0.01-0.02 microgram/kg/min of prostaglandin E1 during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and the first postoperative day. Preoperative evaluation of respiratory function and all parameters related to CPB procedure were revealed to be equal between the groups. Postoperative A-a DO2 and respiratory index (RI) as functional parameters of oxygenation capacity, dosage of dopamine were monitored at 0, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hr after termination of CPB and at extubation period. Serum creatinine, platelet numbers and blood coagulation function (PT, APTT) were also assayed postoperatively. The recovery of respiratory and cardiac function were superior in group A with treatment, but renal and blood coagulation function showed no difference in the groups. We suggest the combined therapy with aprotinin and prostaglandin E1 for aortic arch replacement may emerge as a valuable treatment to save postoperative respiratory and cardiac function.

Intra- and inter-specific variations in Lens revealed by RAPD markers

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to estimate intra- and interspecific variations in the genus Lens (lentil). Twenty cultivars of L. culinaris ssp. culinaris, including 11 microsperma (small-seeded) and nine macrosperma (large-seeded) types, and 16 wild relatives (four accessions each of L. culinaris ssp. orientalis, L. odemensis, L. nigricans and L. ervoides), were evaluated for genetic variability using a set of 40 random 10-mer primers. Fifty reproducibly scorable DNA bands were observed from ten of the primers, 90% of which were polymorphic. Genetic distances between each of the accessions were calculated from simple matching coefficients. A dendrogram showing genetic relationships between them was constructed by an unweighted pair-group method with arithmetical averages (UPGMA). This study revealed that (1) expect for L. ervoides, the level of intraspecific variation in cultivated lentil is lower than that in wild species, (2) L. culinaris ssp. orientalis is the most likely candidate for a progenitor of the cultivated species, and (3) microsperma and macrosperma cultivars were indistinguishable by the RAPD markers identified here.

Subnanosecond In-Line Soft X-Ray Holography Using Germanium Laser in the 20 nm Wavelength Region

Near- and far-field characteristics of a germanium soft x-ray laser at the wavelengths of 23.2-23.6 nm (J = 2-1 transitions) and 19.6 nm (J = 0-1 transition) are given for quantitative evaluation of the germanium laser for holographic applications. In-line Gabor holography of simple structured objects, such as thin opaque fibers and a standard electron microscope test specimen, is demonstrated. The holograms were recorded on PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) photoresists and llford Q-plates. The holograms recorded on PMMA were retrieved with an atomic force microscope. The object image was reconstructed by numerical reconstruction with phase retrieval algorithm, resulting in a clear, ghost-free image with sharp edges which infer sub-μm resolution. Future directions for x-ray laser holography are briefly discussed.

Significant improvement in the efficiency and brightness of the J = 0-1 19.6-nm line of the germanium laser by use of double-pulse pumping

We describe significant improvement in the efficiency and brightness of the J = 0-1 19.6-nm line of the neonlike germanium laser. A curved slab target was irradiated by two laser pulses of 100-ps duration separated by 300 ps with a total energy of 200-300 J on target. Compared with that obtained by 1-ns single-pulse pumping with 1.1 kJ of energy, the J = 0-1 line has a 12 times higher peak intensity, with a smaller beam divergence of 2 mrad, corresponding to a factor-of-25 improvement in brightness.

[Initiation of hematopoietic recovery by recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in a case of severe aplastic anemia induced by gold salt]

A 65-year-old female with severe aplastic anemia induced by gold salt, whose hematopoietic recovery was initiated by rhGM-CSF therapy, was reported. The patient has been given a total of 500 mg of gold-sodium thiomalate for treatment of her rheumatoid arthritis. Two months after the final administration of it, she was admitted to our hospital with complaints of palpitation and shortness of breath. The hemogulobin was 5.9 g/dl, the platelet count was 0.5 x 10(4)/microliter, and the leukocyte count was 800/microliters with 19% neutrophils. Her bone marrow showed aplasia, and both of Ham and sugar-water tests were positive. Three times of bolus-methylprednisolone treatment, with or without methenolone acetate, resulted in no definite improvement of peripheral pancytopenia and marrow aplasia. Subsequent subcutaneous rhGM-CSF, 300 micrograms daily for 28 days with oral prednisolone 5 mg and methenolone acetate 40 mg daily, initiated hematopoietic recovery of all three cell lineages in both peripheral blood and bone marrow. The same doses of prednisolone and methenolone acetate were continued after rhGM-CSF administration, and three months later peripheral cytopenia and positive Ham and sugar-water tests disappeared completely.

[Association of cell cycle and protein kinase C with the expression of cytoskeletal protein in cultured rat mesangial cells]

We conducted a study to investigate whether expression of the contractile proteins in cultured rat mesangial cells (MC) was associated with the cell cycle and protein kinase C (PKC). When growth-arrested MC were stimulated with 100 nM phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) for 24 hours, an increased expression of smooth muscle alpha-actin and vimentin was detected by immunocytochemistry. A proportion of the S- and G2/M-phase in MC was increased in accordance with the enhanced expression of contractile proteins on flow cytometry. Immunoblot analysis revealed that 100 nM PMA stimulated expression of alpha-actin and vimentin as a single band. These results indicate that expression of contractile proteins, such as alpha-actin and vimentin, is dependent on the cell cycle and PKC, suggesting a phenotypic change in which MC assume smooth muscle cell characteristics.

The delta-crystallin enhancer-binding protein delta EF1 is a repressor of E2-box-mediated gene activation

The repressor delta EF1 was discovered by its action on the DC5 fragment of the lens-specific delta 1-crystallin enhancer. C-proximal zinc fingers of delta EF1 were found responsible for binding to the DC5 fragment and had specificity to CACCT as revealed by selection of high-affinity binding sequences from a random oligonucleotide pool. CACCT is present not only in DC5 but also in the E2 box (CACCTG) elements which are the binding sites of various basic helix-loop-helix activators and also the target of an unidentified repressor, raising the possibility that delta EF1 accounts for the E2 box repressor activity. delta EF1 competed with E47 for binding to an E2 box sequence in vitro. In lymphoid cells, endogenous delta EF1 activity as a repressor was detectable, and exogenous delta EF1 repressed immunoglobulin kappa enhancer by binding to the kappa E2 site. Moreover, delta EF1 repressed MyoD-dependent activation of the muscle creatine kinase enhancer and MyoD-induced myogenesis of 10T1/2 cells. Thus, delta EF1 counteracts basic helix-loop-helix activators through binding site competition and fulfills the conditions of the E2 box repressor. In embryonic tissues, the most prominent site of delta EF1 expression is the myotome. Myotomal expression as well as the above results argues for a significant contribution of delta EF1 in regulation of embryonic myogenesis through the modulation of the actions of MyoD family proteins.

Establishment and characterization of an immortalized bovine glomerular endothelial cell line

Bovine subcultures (second passage) of glomerular endothelial cells (GEN) isolated from one-year-old kidney were successfully transfected by recombinant plasmids containing the simian virus (SV)-40 T antigen (Tag) using a lipofectin-mediated procedure. One cell clone was selected, propagated and characterized. This clone can be grown in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. The advantage of this cell line is the cultivation of bovine GEN without the addition of fibroblast growth factor or a coating of fibronectin or gelatin on the culture plate. More than 80 passages were achieved and the doubling time was 32 h. The Tag was easily identified in transfected-GEN by indirect immunofluorescence. These cells weakly expressed factor VIII-related antigen, slightly took up acetylated-low density lipoprotein and secreted a detectable amount of angiotensin-converting enzyme. Immunocytochemical staining for UAE-1 was also positive. Moreover, oncoproteins, such as Ki-67 and p53, were expressed in these cells. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry revealed that the percentages of G1, S, and G2/M stages in cycling transfected-GEN culture in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum were 34%, 52.9%, and 13.1%, respectively. The conditioned medium from confluent transfected-GEN stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into glomerular mesangial cells. This cell line may provide a useful tool for examining modulators of mesangial cell growth. Thus this cell line is the first immortalized bovine GEN that retain the morphologic, phenotypic, and functional characteristics of bovine GEN.

The distribution of T-cell subsets among HTLV-I carriers in Japan

Data on T-cell subsets from 89 human T-cell lymphotropic virus-I (HTLV-I) carriers and 25 seronegative people were analyzed to identify differences in T-cell subset values among three subgroups: HTLV-I carriers with abnormal lymphocytes (Ably; n = 24), carriers without Ably (n = 65), and HTLV-I seronegatives (n = 25). Estimates of mean values were adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and alcohol drinking, as appropriate. The percentage of CD25+ T cells was elevated in carriers with Ably (mean, 16.7 +/- 1.0) compared with the seronegatives (11.4 +/- 1.4; p = 0.0002); individuals with CD25 T-cell percentages above the median for the seronegatives had a corresponding 5.4-fold risk for being a carrier with Ably. Similarly, the percentage of CD4 T cells was elevated in carriers with Ably. Conversely, the percentage of CD8 T cells was lower among both groups of HTLV-I carriers than in the seronegatives. There was a corresponding significant increase (p = 0.0004) of the CD4/CD8 ratio among carriers with Ably (1.57 +/- 0.12) compared with the seronegatives (1.22 +/- 0.12). Among subjects with CD4/CD8 ratios above the median for the seronegatives, there were 6.8- and 4.5-fold risks for being carriers with or without Ably, respectively. The percentage of CD7 was lower among carriers with Ably (75.6 +/- 1.6) than among seronegatives (78.9 +/- 1.5; p = 0.13). The percentage of beta-interleukin-2-receptor-positive T cells did not vary among the three subgroups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Association of HTLV-I antibody profile of asymptomatic carriers with proviral DNA levels of peripheral blood mononuclear cells

The human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) antibody profile of 216 asymptomatic carriers in Miyazaki, Japan, was analyzed in conjunction with the HTLV-I proviral DNA levels in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) determined by the semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The geometric mean HTLV-I titer by particle agglutination assay (PA) of 58 subjects (27%) with a high DNA level was 1:1, 240; 94 (44%) with a medium DNA level, 1:740; 38 (18%) with a low level, 1:476; and, 26 (12%) with an undetectable level, 1:263. Moreover, when the subjects were divided into four groups according to titer from high to low, the correlation between DNA level and antibody titer level was highly significant (p < 0.0001). HTLV-I antibody subclass by Western blot (WB) was determined for 78 randomly selected samples from these carriers. Immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibody was detected in 35 (45%). The mean PA antibody titer was higher in carriers with IgM antibody than in those without, at each detectable proviral DNA level. These findings suggest that HTLV-I antibody titer is related to proviral DNA level and also to the presence of IgM antibodies among those with proviral DNA of the same level. Seven carriers (9%) were negative for IgG antibody by WB, among whom the proviral DNA level was low or undetectable and the PA titer was also low. Three of these were positive only for IgM antibody.