Usefulness of radionuclide bone and joint imaging in vibration disease

Bone and joint imaging with 99mTc-MDP was carried out in 17 patients with vibration disease. A comparison was made between bone scintigraphy and radiography in the regions frequently involved: cervical spine, elbow joint, wrist joint, and bone of hand. These results suggested that radiography was superior to scintigraphy in the detection of osseous changes of cervical spine, while scintigraphy was superior to radiography in the case of wrist joint and bone of hand. 99mTc-MDP joint imaging was found to be more sensitive in the detection of involvement in peripheral joints (especially metacarpal, proximal, and distal interphalangeal joints) than radiography, but it is nonspecific. Therefore, regions of increased uptake should be radiographed to determine whether other causative factors exist.

[Clinical studies on preoperative nonspecific immunological parameters and radical operation in stomach cancer]

Ratio of IgG Fc receptor positive T (Fc R(+) T) cell, PHA-induced blastogenesis and serum alpha 2-globulin ratio were examined in 90 preoperative cases with gastric cancer and were analyzed according to various stages of cancer and compared with normal controls. Moreover, on the basis of correlations among these parameters, operative radicality and prognosis were discussed. Fc R(+) T cell ratio was significantly elevated. PHA- blastogenesis was significantly reduced. Alpha 2-globulin ratio tended to increase as the stage progressed. A significant negative correlation was found between Fc R(+) T cell ratio and PHA- blastogenesis. In a scattergram indicating this correlation, the group of noncurative resection or exploratory laparotomy was divided into two areas, B1 and B2. The group of curative resection (A1) was located between B1 and B2, and the normal control group was located in the area common to B1 and A1, Cases succumbing to cancer within one year postoperatively were found to accumulate either in the area B2 or in the area B1 minus the area common with A1. No significant correlation was found between Fc R(+) T cell ratio and alpha 2-globulin ratio. However in a scatter gram, the almost same relationship between these three groups was noted. Thus it has suggested that postoperative prognosis (at least for two years) is good in cases which an immunological harmony among these parameters is maintained preoperatively.

The fermentation, isolation and characterization of a macromolecular peptide antibiotic: AN-1

A new macromolecular peptide antibiotic, named AN-1, was isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces albus AJ9003. From 18 liters of culture broth (110 units/ml activity) a 300 mg sample of AN-1 was obtained with a specific activity of 1,160 units/mg was obtained. AN-1 is a basic polypeptide with a molecular weight of 12,000, isoelectric point of pH 8.3, and gives a single band on SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It is soluble in water but insoluble in ethanol, butanol and acetone. It was stable at pH 6 approximately 9 but very unstable at pH 2. The UV absorption spectrum shows a maximum at 280 nm. AN-1 had no antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested, but shows strong inhibitory activity toward Escherichia coli MP2, a macromolecule permeable mutant. In addition to being highly mutagenic, AN-1 inhibits the in vitro cell growth of L1210 (ED50 0.41 micrograms/ml). However, AN-1 had no antitumor activity against mouse leukemia L1210 or Lewis lung carcinoma in mouse.

Accumulation of 99mTc methylene diphosphonate in malignant pleural and ascitic effusion

Increased accumulation of radioactivity was observed in malignant pleural and ascitic effusion as to a patient with stomach cancer and in malignant pleural effusions as to 2 patients (1 with breast cancer and another with lung cancer) during the performance of routine whole-body bone scans with 99mTc methylene diphosphonate. This finding should strongly suggest malignancy.

The fermentation, isolation and characterization of macromolecular peptide antibiotics: AN-7A, -7B and -7D

A group of new macromolecular peptide antibiotics, named AN-7, was isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces griseoincarnatus AJ9424. AN-7 was fractionated into three different components, A, B and D. From 18 liters of culture broth (78 units/ml), 10 mg of AN-7A with a specific activity of 2,053 units/mg, 9 mg of AN-7B (1,167 units/mg) and 11 mg of AN-7D (6,225 units/mg) were obtained. All of these samples gave single bands on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. They are acidic polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from 12,400 to 13,000. Their UV absorption spectra showed maxima peaks at 280 nm and shoulders at 290 nm. Each AN-7 component has a nonprotein chromophoric component. AN-7A, -7B and -7D have no antibacterial activity against the Gram-negative bacteria tested but strongly inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria and Escherichia coli MP2, a macromolecule permeable mutant strain. The AN-7 components are mutagenic. These antibiotics inhibit the in vitro growth of L1210 cells (ED50 0.13 approximately 0.18 micrograms/ml). AN-7A, -7B and -7D also inhibit the growth of L1210 cells in mice.

New streptothricin-group antibiotics, AN-201 I and II. Screening, fermentation, isolation, structure and biological activity

Two streptothricin-group antibiotics, AN-201 I and II, were newly discovered and isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces nojiriensis C-13. These antibiotics were purified by IRC-50 (H+) and CM-Sephadex C-50 chromatography, and paper electrophoresis. Structural analysis of AN-201 I and II showed that they were N beta-acetylated derivatives of streptothricin E and D, respectively. They had antibacterial activities against several strains of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus, and showed a strong selective cytotoxic effect on 3T3 cells transformed with SV-40 as compared with their normal cells in a test system in vitro as well as in vivo.

The fermentation, isolation and characterization of a macromolecular peptide antibiotic: AN-3

A new macromolecular peptide antibiotic, named AN-3, was isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces albulus. From 19 liters of culture broth containing AN-3 with 90 units/ml activity, a 400 mg sample with a specific activity of 109 units/mg was obtained. Purified AN-3 gave a single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. AN-3 was a basic polypeptide with a molecular weight of 12,000 approximately 12,500 and an isoelectric point of pH 7.6. It showed a peak of absorption at 280 nm and seemed to have no nonprotein chromophoric component. It was soluble in water but insoluble in ethanol, butanol and acetone, and was stable at pH 4 approximately 9 but unstable at pH2. AN-3 had no antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria so far as tested. But, it showed a strong inhibitory effect on a macromolecule permeable mutant of Escherichia coli. It was not mutagenic. It appeared to inhibit synthesis of DNA and RNA without affecting DNA itself. It also inhibited the in vitro cell growth of L1210 and its ED50 was 5 micrograms/ml. AN-3 had antitumor activity against Lewis lung carcinoma in mouse in vivo.

Clinical studies on diverticular disease of the colon

In 12,505 patients who received barium enemas during the past 14 days, 979 cases (7.8%) of diverticular disease of the colon (DDC) were found. The incidence of DDC increased with age; 2.2% of the patients were below age 29 and 14.3% were over 70 years old. The sex distribution was 584 males and 395 females. 76.1% had diverticula in the right-side colon, 12.9% in the left-side colon, and 11.0% in both sides. All patients below age 29 had the right-side colon type, while 44% of those aged 70 or more did. On the other hand, the left-side colon type and both-sides colon type were found only in patients over 30 years old, and constituted a majority in those of 70 years old or more. The main symptoms and signs were: disturbances in bowel habits 50.7%, abdominal pain 48.1%, abdominal distension and/or discomfort 41.5%, occult blood 25.2% and melena 5.8%. Therefore, DDC is clinically becoming an important disease in recent years in Japan as well as in Western countries.

Identification and distribution of immunocompetent cells in inflamed gingiva of human chronic periodontitis

Advanced human periodontitis is considered to be a B-cell lesion, but the cellular infiltrate contains several cell types, the distribution of which has not been determined. This experiment was designed to characterize and identify the immunocompetent cells on histological sections and in eluates from diseased human gingiva. Immunoglobulin-bearing cells were detected on histological sections by direct immunofluorescence with F(ab')2 antisera monospecific for human immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, or IgM. Plasma cells predominated in the central portion of the lamina propria, with the proportions positive for IgG, IgA, and IgM accounting for 65.2 +/- 9.5, 11.2 +/- 1.1, and 1.3 +/- 1.1% of the total infiltrating cells, respectively. T lymphocytes, identified by indirect immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibody (Leu-1) against human T cells, accounted for 29.3 +/- 10.0% of the total infiltrated cells. Most of the T cells were located subjacent to the pocket epithelium, but there were a few in the central lamina propria. Similarly, Fc receptor-bearing cells detected by EA rosetting and macrophages and monocytes detected by nonspecific esterase staining with alpha-naphthylbutyrate esterase were also localized to the region immediately subjacent to the pocket epithelium. Infiltrated cells were harvested from minced gingival tissue after digestion with collagenase, hyaluronidase, and DNase. The eluates contained 35.3 +/- 6.0% T lymphocytes, 30.0 +/- 14.9% Fc receptor-bearing cells, and 12.9 +/- 4.4% monocytes and macrophages. Whereas T gamma cells comprised 13.3 +/- 1.4% of peripheral blood T cells, they accounted for only 6.0 +/- 2.0% of the eluate T cells. In contrast, T mu cells accounted for 44.7 +/- 4.9% of the T cells in the eluates and 51.6 +/- 4.4% in the peripheral blood. The decreased proportion of T gamma cells in the gingiva may indicate a form of abnormal immune regulation concerned with T suppression of B-cell proliferation.

Correlation between extent of metastatic lesions in whole body bone scintigraphy of patients with prostatic cancer and prostatic acid phosphatase in serum with Eiken PAP RIA kit

The whole body bone scintigraphy of 13 patients whose prostatic cancer were histologically confirmed, was processed in four colors, and the bone metastases were quantitatively estimated. On the basis of this estimation, the extent of bone metastases was classified into 4 divisions (grades 0, 1, 2 and 3). And then, the correlation between the extent of bone metastases and prostatic acid phosphatase, acid phosphatase, and alkali phosphatase levels in serum were investigated.