[A case of idiopathic spinal epidural hematoma with a fructuation of the symptoms]

We reported a 9-year-old girl with idiopathic spinal epidural hematoma. She complained of her back and neck pain only during night for a few days, followed by days with no symptoms (a few days remission of her symptoms). This episode repeated, and she was suspected to have a psychogenic reaction. However, 28 days later after the first symptoms appeared, paralysis of lower extremities, anesthesia and urinary bladder dysfunction (neurogenic bladder) appeared. Spinal MRI showed a spinal epidural hematoma at the C 5-Th 2 level. An emergency operation of laminectomy and evacuation of the hematoma was done, and she has recovered gradually. We diagnosed her as having idiopathic spinal epidural hematoma. Excerbations of symptoms during nights were thought to be due to an elevation of venous pressure by lying, and transient remissions were due to intermittent small hemorrhages.

Concomitant administration of sodium dichloroacetate and vitamin B1 for lactic acidemia in children with MELAS syndrome

Myoclonic seizures, intractable abdominal pain, and headaches resolved during the concomitant administration of sodium dichloroacetate and vita min B1 in two Japanese siblings with the MELAS syndrome (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and strokelike syndrome).

Comparative studies on the histochemical properties of M. iliotibialis lateralis from Kumamoto Cochin crossbred roaster and broiler chickens

1. Histochemical properties of M. iliotibialis lateralis were compared between Kumamoto Cochin (a Japanese native breed) crossbred roasters (KC roasters, 112 d of age) and normal broilers (56 d of age). 2. Myofibres were divided into Types II-R, II-I and II-W showing high, moderate and low reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (NADH-DH) activities, respectively. 3. Subsarcolemmal formazan granules indicating very strong NADH-DH activity in Type II-R fibres were observed only in KC roasters. In both sexes the percentage of Type II-R fibres present was greater in KC roasters than in broilers. 4. These results indicated marked differences in histochemical properties and meat quality between KC roasters and broilers.

Purification and characterization of a glutamic-acid-specific endopeptidase from Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6051; application to the recovery of bioactive peptides from fusion proteins by sequence-specific digestion

Screening cultures of nonpathogenic microorganisms led us to a glutamic-acid-specific endopeptidase from Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6051, which we purified and named BSase. The nucleotide sequence encoding BSase, with a molecular mass of 23,894 Da, completely agreed with that of the mpr gene, which had been reported by Rufo Jr. and Sloma et al. to encode a metalloprotease [J Bacteriol (1990) 172: 1019-1023 and 1024-1029 respectively]. However, enzymatic characterization revealed it to have the catalytic triad of a serine protease and not the consensus sequence of a metalloprotease, and it was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate. We therefore consider BSase (mpr) to be a serine protease. In the alignment of the acidic-amino-acid-specific proteases, the proteases from bacilli have a highly conserved histidine residue, which is most important in the histidine triad in the proteases from streptomycetes. Furthermore, Ca2+ was necessary for its activity and stability. BSase cleaved the C-terminal glutamic acid with high specificity and was very stable over a wide pH range. On the basis of these properties, we tried to retrieve a bioactive peptide from a fusion protein by sequence-specific digestion, and succeeded in obtaining the bioactive peptide. BSase was found to be very useful as a tool for selective cleavage.

Comparison between dietary soybean protein and casein of the inhibiting effect on atherogenesis in the thoracic aorta of hypercholesterolemic (ExHC) rats treated with experimental hypervitamin D

Atherosclerotic lesions of the thoracic aorta were induced in exogenously hypercholesterolemic (ExHC) rats by treating initially with hypervitamin D2 and subsequently feeding on hypercholesterolemic diets for 180 days. Dietary soybean protein, in comparison with casein, substantially decreased the degree of atherosclerotic lesions, which was evaluated by intimal thickening, although with a similar topographical distribution. The casein-fed rats tended to maintain a high concentration of serum cholesterol, particularly in triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins. The concentrations of apo A-I and TBARS in the serum was comparable between the dietary protein groups. The data suggest that dietary soybean protein, compared to casein, produced lipoproteins which were less atherosclerotic by partitioning cholesterol in the triacylglycerol-poor lipoproteins.

Carcinosarcoma of the urinary bladder: expression of epithelial markers and different expression of heat shock proteins between epithelial and sarcomatous elements

A case of carcinosarcoma composed of both adenocarcinoma and sarcomatous elements in the non-trigone region of the urinary bladder is presented. The epithelial element was a well to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with focal squamous metaplasia. The sarcomatous elements disclosed spindle cell sarcoma with focal epithelioid pattern and myxoid change in the stroma, together with chondrosarcomatous and rhabdomyosarcomatous elements. By immunohistochemical examination, not only the carcinoma element but also the sarcomatous elements showed a positive immunoreaction for cytokeratin (CK), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and carcinoembryonic antigen. Some population of sarcomatous elements expressed smooth muscle actin and muscle specific actin (MSA) and a limited portion of epithelioid area showed a positive immunoreaction for desmin, MSA and myoglobin, indicating leiomyosarcomatous and rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation, respectively. Unexpectedly, tumor cells in the chondrosarcomatous element revealed a simultaneous positivity of CK and EMA as well as S-100 protein. Both epithelial and sarcomatous elements showed an intensive positive immunoreaction for p53 and heat shock protein (HSP) 70. However, HSP27 and HSP60 were detected in most epithelial elements and only in a small number of tumor cells in the sarcomatous area. These findings indicate that sarcomatous elements, including heterologous elements, may derive from epithelial elements with partial or complete loss of epithelial features, and different factors other than p53 and HSP70 may associate with the morphological alteration of carcinoma.

Small-Angle X-ray Diffraction of Muscle Using Undulator Radiation from the Tristan Main Ring at KEK

Time-resolved X-ray diffraction of muscle has demanded ever-increasing flux into small sample volumes with low beam divergence. Results are reported of static and time-resolved small-angle X-ray diffraction studies on muscle fibers using a hard X-ray undulator installed in the Tristan main ring at KEK, Tsukuba, Japan, as an innovative source of synchrotron radiation more intense and better collimated than that available with the Photon Factory bending-magnet beamline. Static studies used the low divergence of the source to obtain detailed high-quality diffraction patterns of stable muscle states. The diffraction patterns from live skeletal muscles showed the numerous (over 100) meridional reflections. The well collimated beam from the undulator made it possible to clearly resolve, with an angular resolution of ca 700 nm, the closely spaced diffraction peaks arising from the two halves of the thick filaments centred on the M lines in a sarcomere, in addition, the diffraction peaks from the thin filaments on opposite sides of the Z bands could be resolved with an angular resolution of ca 1000 nm. The detailed structure of the meridional pattern defines the nature of the molecular packing in the thick and thin filaments. Time-resolved experiments using a focusing mirror aimed to prove cross-bridge states in striated muscle fibers by collecting X-ray diffraction data at a 0.185 ms time resolution from sinusoidally oscillating chemically skinned rabbit muscle fibers during active contraction and in rigor. When sinusoidal length changes at 500 Hz with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.6% of the muscle length were applied to a small fiber bundle, the tension showed a simple elastic response during the length oscillation. In the active muscle the intensity of the 14.5 nm myosin-based meridional reflection changed out of phase with the tension change during the oscillating length change. In contrast, in the rigor muscle it occurred in phase with the tension change. The high time-resolved experiments provide an insight into the coupling between conformational changes and force generation of the actomyosin cross-bridges. These studies provide a preview of the expected gains for muscle studies from the more widespread use of undulator radiation at third-generation synchrotron sources.

Superficial liposuction. Body contouring

Since its onset, liposuction has revolutionized the treatment of lipodystrophies. The authors, adept at superficial liposuction and associated with the tumescent technique of anesthetic infiltration, demonstrate the importance of the use of proper cannulas during many surgical steps, and propose a classification according to their main physical characteristics. After a detailed explanation and general consideration of the technique used, the authors describe the different approaches for specific body regions (isolated or associated) and present several superior and unique results attained using superficial liposuction in body contouring.

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies against (1R,2R)-cyclohexanediamine platinum(II)-DNA adduct

Two monoclonal antibodies raised against Pt(II)(1R,2R-cyclohexanediamine)-DNA were prepared, and the specificity of the monoclonal antibodies against Pt(II)(cyclohexanediamine)-DNA derivatives was determined by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The binding affinity of the monoclonal antibodies is apparently influenced by the cyclohexanediamine moiety of Pt(II)(cyclohexanediamine)-DNA adducts, but the monoclonal antibodies can not bind to the low molecular analogue, Pt(II)(1R,2R-cyclohexanediamine)-d(GpG), which is the intrastrand binding model compound of Pt(II)(1R,2R-cyclohexanediamine)-DNA. Therefore, the monoclonal antibodies recognize the macromolecular parts, including DNA duplex, in addition to the cyclohexane moieties of the platinum complexes on Pt(II)(cyclohexanediamine)-DNA adducts.

Copper binding selectivity of N- and C-sites in serum (human)- and ovo-transferrin

Copper binding selectivity of the N- and C-sites in serum (human)- and ovo-transferrin was investigated through copper binding constants, copper dissociation rate constants, and EPR spectra. At pH 7.4, stepwise copper binding constants of serum (human)-transferrin were K1 = 1.8 (+/- 0.6) x 10(12) M-1 and K2 = 1.2 (+/- 0.5) x 10(11) M-1, and those of ovo-transferrin were K1 = 1.9 (+/- 0.5) x 10(11) M-1 and K2 = 2.1 (+/- 0.4) x 10(11) M-1. Absorbance changes resulting from copper binding to the C- or N-site at various ratios of Cu2+/apo-transferrin were separated by a kinetic method. It was clearly indicated that, in serum (human)-transferrin, the copper binding affinity for the C-site was much larger than that for the N-site, whereas in ovo-transferrin, the C- and N-sites have almost the same affinity for copper ions. In the presence of anions (0.1 M KCl or 0.1 M NaClO4), the stepwise copper binding constants of serum (human)-transferrin were almost 10-times smaller than those in the absence of the anions. The selectivity in binding the copper ions to both sites of serum (human)-transferrin in the presence of 0.1 M NaClO4 is much smaller than that in the presence of 0.1 M KCl or in the absence of the anions (0.1 M KCl and 0.1 M NaClO4). EPR spectra of the copper ions of the N-site in dicupric serum-transferrin are dramatically changed respectively by the addition of 0.1 M KCl, 0.1 M NaCl, and 0.1 M NaClO4. This suggests that the change in the coordination geometry of the copper ions occurs at the N-site.

Novel beta-D-galactofuranose-containing high-mannose type oligosaccharides in ascorbate oxidase from Acremonium sp. HI-25

Ascorbate oxidase from the fungus Acremonium sp. HI-25 is a copper-containing glycoprotein that catalyzes the oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid. Monosaccharide composition analysis showed that the enzyme contains exclusively N-linked oligosaccharide chains. Following liberation by hydrazinolysis/re-N-acetylation, and fractionation by HPLC on anion exchange. Amide-80 and/or octadecyl silica columns after derivatization with p-aminobenzoic ethyl ester, the structures of the twelve major neutral oligosaccharides were identified by FAB-MS, 400 MHz 1H-NMR, methylation analysis, mild acid hydrolysis, and/or sequential exoglycosidase digestions. Acremonium sp. ascorbate oxidase was found to consist of high-mannose type oligosaccharides (76.3%) having 4 to 9 mannose residues and a series of novel D-galactofuranose-containing high-mannose type oligosaccharides (18.6%) with the following structure.

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease in a prospective population survey in Japan: The Hisayama Study

To elucidate the effect of glucose intolerance on cardiovascular disease in the current Japanese population, we performed a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test in 2,427 Hisayama residents aged 40-79 years in 1988, who were free from a previous history of stroke or myocardial infarction, and followed them prospectively for 5 years. The prevalence of diabetes (NIDDM) among men was 13% and that of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) was 20%; the corresponding values for women were 9 and 19%, respectively. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence of cerebral infarction (6.5 per 1,000 person-years, P < 0.01) and coronary heart disease (5.0 per 1,000 person-years, P < 0.05) was significantly higher in subjects with NIDDM than in those with normal glucose tolerance (1.9 and 1.6 per 1,000 person-years, respectively). In addition, subjects with IGT and NIDDM had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease including stroke and coronary heart disease than did those with normal glucose tolerance after adjustment for age and sex, namely the relative risk for IGT was 1.9 (95% CI 1.2-3.2), and the relative risk for NIDDM was 3.0 (95% CI 1.8-5.2). These associations remained significant even after controlling for six other risk factors including hypertension in multivariate analysis. Our data suggest that NIDDM is a significant risk factor for both cerebral infarction and coronary heart disease and also that IGT itself is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the general Japanese population today.

Brain MR in Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy

PURPOSE

To determine the MR characteristics of brain abnormalities in Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD).

METHODS

We reviewed 30 MR examinations of 21 patients with FCMD to assess cerebral and cerebellar cortical dysplasia, white matter changes, and miscellaneous abnormalities.

RESULTS

On MR images, all patients had thick and bumpy cortices with shallow sulci corresponding to polymicrogyria, and 12 patients had pachygyric cortices with smooth surfaces, corresponding to type II lissencephaly. Both types of cortical dysplasia had characteristic distributions: the first type involved the frontal lobe in all 21 patients and also the parietotemporal lobe in 6 patients; the second type involved the temporooccipital lobes. Eighteen patients had prolonged T1 and T2 signal in the white matter, which was indistinct in neonates and seen infrequently in adolescents. In four patients, abnormal vessels were seen within the pachygyric cortices.

CONCLUSION

MR studies of the brain show findings consistent with the known characteristics of FCMD. The MR detection of the two types of cerebral cortical dysplasia with characteristic distribution and cerebellar abnormalities is helpful in the differential and early diagnosis of FCMD.

Rapidly growing calcified cerebellar astrocytoma in infants

We report the case of an infant with a cerebellar astrocytoma that showed marked calcification within only 6 months. In general, only slow-growing tumors tend to calcify. To our knowledge, no other case of such rapid calcification in cerebellar astrocytoma has been reported.

Malignant neoplasms in the Japanese community of Hisayama: mortality and changing pattern during a 30-year observation period based on a consecutive autopsy series

To obtain a relatively true mortality from malignant neoplasms, we studied the frequency of cancers in the different sites and the changing patterns of the frequency and sites over time among residents of the community of Hisayama, where an autopsy-based population survey (autopsy rate, 80%) has been conducted since 191. During the 30-year period from 1962 to 1991, we found 438 malignant neoplasms in 407 cases among 1,250 consecutive autopsies. Stomach cancer was not frequent in type of cancer, with 123 cases (9.8%), followed by lung cancer in 62 (5.0%), colorectal cancer in 42 (3.4%), liver cancer in 37 (3.0%), and pancreatic cancer in 30 (2.4%). We compared the mortality from cancers for both autopsy and nonautopsy cases (the proportional mortality) among three 10-year periods. The proportional mortality from all cancers, as well as for lung, colorectal, and liver cancers, showed an increase in recent years, while stomach and pancreatic cancer showed a decrease. These figures were nearly similar to the mortality statistics for the Japanese population as a whole except for the observed decreasing trend in mortality from pancreatic cancer.

Polyethylene glycol-modified avidin: a novel agent for the selective extraction of biotinylated immune-complex in an aqueous two-phase system

Chicken avidin was chemically modified with 2,4-bis[O-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)]-6-chloro-s-triazine (activated PEG2) to form PEG-avidin. The PEG-avidin, in which 78% of the amino groups were modified, retained 49% of the active biotin-binding sites. The modified avidin was partitioned preferentially into the PEG-phase in an aqueous two-phase system (PEG/dextran). Using PEG-avidin, the immune-complex formed between biotinylated anti-mouse IgG and its antigen IgG (mouse) molecules, was successfully transferred into the PEG-phase in an aqueous two-phase system. This finding leads to the effective isolation of a specific antigen among various kinds of antigens by partitioning with a two-phase system using PEG-avidin.

Production of chronic compression of the cauda equina in rats for use in studies of lumbar spinal canal stenosis

STUDY DESIGN

The pathophysiology of lumbar spinal canal stenosis was analyzed with a new model in rats.

OBJECTIVES

To produce chronic compression of the cauda equina in rats for analysis of the pathophysiology of lumbar spinal canal stenosis.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Models of compression to date have involved acute or subacute compression. A model of chronic compression has not been available.

METHODS

A stainless steel wire fastened around the spine at L5 in 3-week-old rats, with a plate inserted against the ventral aspect of the vertebra to protect it from the wire. as the rats grew, the wire cut into the spinal canal. One year after the operation, canal stenosis was present without paralysis of the back limbs.

RESULTS

Stenosis seen in sagittal sections, as a percentage of the original width, was 51.6 +/- 6.2% (mean +/- standard deviation). In histologic analysis of the region near the wire, findings included axonal degeneration, demyelination, vacuolar degeneration of the nerve fibers, and narrowing the intradural blood vessels with a decrease in their number. Cephalad and caudad to the wire, congested intradural blood vessels, degenerative foci near these congested vessels, fibrosis around these foci, congested epidural vessels, and fibrosis around these vessels were observed. During electrophysiologic analysis (six rats with stenosis), the conduction velocity of the cauda equina was found to be delayed.

CONCLUSIONS

The histologic and electrophysiologic findings in this animal model were similar to findings in human subjects, so rats prepared in this way should be useful for study of chronic compression of the cauda equina.

[Sisters with early onset hereditary dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy of childhood--DNA analysis and clinicopathological findings]

Two sisters were presented, 16 years old and 12 years old, who showed similar clinical courses. They had had mental retardation since early childhood, and then ataxia began. They suffered from astatic and tonic seizures from early school age, which gradually evolved to intractable epilepsies. Spasticity progressed, and they deteriorated both physically and mentally. They revealed photo-sensitivity; convulsions were induced by the flickering of light. They were attacked by myoclonic seizures as well as choreoathetosis, and became bedridden by the latter part of the elementary school age. There were no fruitful results of any kind from the laboratory examinations for metabolic disorders. EEG showed that the epileptic seizure discharges were induced by photic stimulation; there were frequent 3-4 Hz diffuse spike-and-wave short bursts during waking and sleep periods. MRI findings of the elder sister at the age of 16 revealed remarkable diffuse brain atrophy. Gene analysis showed abnormally enlarged DNA fragments localized on the short arm of chromosome 12. This meant expanded CAG trinucleotide repeats. The younger sister died at the age of 12 years. Autopsy findings revealed degeneration of both dentatorubral and pallidoluysian pathways. There were especially remarkable gliosis and neuronal cell loss in the outer segment of globus pallidus, and moderate neuronal cell loss and typical grumose degeneration in the dentate nucleus. The diagnosis of juvenile-type hereditary dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy was compatible with the pathologic findings. This diagnosis will be made possible before death through the understanding of the clinical symptoms and molecular genetics.

An improved method for large-scale purification of recombinant human glucagon

Glucagon was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein including the glucagon sequence [Ishizaki et al. (1992), Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 36, 483-486]. The high-level expression of a protein in E. coli often results in an insoluble aggregate called an inclusion body containing a fusion protein. In our previous report [Yoshikawa et al. (1992), J. Protein Chem. 11, 517-525], we solubilized this inclusion body by using guanidinium chloride. However, the existence of denaturant caused problems such as a low proteolytic activity for transforming the fusion protein into glucagon and complicated purification methods. We tried to improve the method to enable large-scale purification. At alkaline pH, the inclusion body could be solubilized to a high concentration and cleaved by amino acid-specific endopeptidases. By utilizing isoelectric precipitations as a new economical purification method for glucagon from intermediates, the glucagon obtained was shown to be over 99.5% pure by analytical RP-HPLC. The yield was almost equal that of our previous method, and the glucagon produced was chemically and biochemically equivalent to natural glucagon.

Evidence for increased low force cross-bridge population in shortening skinned skeletal muscle fibers: implications for actomyosin kinetics

The dynamic characteristics of the low force myosin cross-bridges were determined in fully calcium-activated skinned rabbit psoas muscle fibers shortening under constant loads (0.04-0.7 x full isometric tension Po). The shortening was interrupted at various times by a ramp stretch (duration, 10 ms; amplitude, up to 1.8% fiber length) and the resulting tension response was recorded. Except for the earlier period of velocity transients, the tension response showed nonlinear dependence on stretch amplitude; i.e., the magnitude of the tension response started to rise disproportionately as the stretch exceeded a critical amplitude, as in the presence of inorganic phosphate (Pi). This result, as well as the result of stiffness measurement, suggests that the low force cross-bridges similar to those observed in the presence of Pi (presumably A.M.ADP.Pi) are significantly populated during shortening. The critical amplitude of the shortening fibers was greater than that of isometrically contracting fibers, suggesting that the low force cross-bridges are more negatively strained during shortening. As the load was reduced from 0.3 to 0.04 P0, the shortening velocity increased more than twofold, but the amount of the negative strain stayed remarkably constant (approximately 3 nm). This This insensitiveness of the negative strain to velocity is best explained if the dissociation of the low force cross-bridges is accelerated approximately in proportion to velocity. Along with previous reports, the results suggest that the actomyosin ATPase cycle in muscle fibers has at least two key reaction steps in which rate constants are sensitively regulated by shortening velocity and that one of them is the dissociation of the low force A.M.ADP.Pi cross-bridges. This step may virtually limit the rate of actomyosin ATPase turnover and help increase efficiency in fibers shortening at high velocities.

Fine needle aspiration cytology of primary mediastinal germ cell tumors

Fine needle aspiration cytology was performed on six patients with malignant mediastinal germ cell tumor: 1 pure seminoma, 1 pure embryonal carcinoma, 1 pure yolk sac tumor and 3 mixed germ cell tumors containing teratoma. Their cytologic features were compared with each other and with the cytologic features of thymoma, which arises commonly in the anterior mediastinum. A definitive cytologic diagnosis could be made only in the cases of seminoma because of its characteristic cytologic features. Cytochemical staining for germ cell alkaline phosphatase was helpful in diagnosing seminoma in the cytologic examination, while the presence of hyaline globule or alpha-fetoprotein immunostaining as the cytologic diagnostic feature of yolk sac tumor were not necessarily found in fine needle aspiration cytology. All epithelial, lymphocytic and mixed type thymomas were easily differentiated from the four types of germ cell tumor examined.

Two mechanically distinct types of fast twitch muscle fibres of the frog and their temperature sensitivity, as detected by sinusoidal analysis

The mechanical responses to sinusoidal oscillations were recorded from tetanically contracting fast twitch fibres from the anterior tibialis muscle of the frog, Rana japonica. Two distinct fibre types were recognized. One type of fibres (tentatively referred to as 'worker') were similar to skinned rabbit skeletal muscle fibres in that three exponential processes (each represents a single exponential viscoelastic decay) were resolved. The second fastest process (process b) had a negative polarity and caused the fibres to produce net work during oscillations in a range of frequencies. In the other type of fibres (tentatively referred to as 'idler'), this negative process was much smaller, and no net work was produced at any frequency. No intermediate fibre has been found so far. In the 'worker' type of fibres, the tension response to oscillation had a modest amount of harmonic components at frequencies just above the range for work production. In the 'idler' type, the corresponding harmonic components were much greater. In spite of these large apparent differences, the two types of fibres showed similar temperature sensitivity, raising a possibility that the basic contractile mechanisms and their rate constants are common to both types of fibres. In the 'idler' type, the rate constant for the fastest process (process c) is possibly distributed over a wide range, thus masking the work-producing process (process b).