[DNA heterogeneity in oral cavity and hypopharyngeal carcinoma]

The study was carried out on 18 cases of oral cavity carcinoma and 12 cases of hypopharyngeal carcinoma to assess the degree of intratumoral heterogeneity and the relation to tumor size, lymph metastasis and histological type. In oral cavity carcinoma, 6 cases (33%) were aneuploid, while in hypopharyngeal carcinoma all were aneuploid. DNA heterogeneity was identified in 4 cases (22%) in oral cavity carcinoma, end in 6 cases (50%) of hypopharyngeal carcinoma. No correlation was found between DNA heterogeneity and tumor size, lymph metastasis and histological type. However, even early carcinomas have intratumoral DNA heterogeneity. It was supposed that the result which hypopharyngeal carcinoma had higher degree of aneuploid and DNA heterogeneity comparing with oral cavity carcinoma supported that hypopharyngeal carcinoma had higher clinical malignancy from the aspect of proliferative movement. The data indicate that it is impossible to analyze correct DNA content by only one specimen and it is important to investigate intratumoral DNA heterogeneity to research the mechanism of multiplicity and clinical malignancy of carcinoma.

Typical fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma in Japanese patients: report of two cases

We report herein the cases of two Japanese patients with typical fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma treated at our institute. The first patient was a 19-year-old man with no hepatitis B or C viral infection and a normal, noncirrhotic liver in the nontumorous area. The second was a 36-year-old woman with no viral infection and a noncirrhotic liver in the nontumorous area. The clinicopathology, imaging appearances, and histology of both cases were similar to reports from the United States.

Phenotypic expressions of type I, III, IV, V, and VI collagens in patients with diabetic nephropathy: immunohistochemical comparison between HD and non-HD patients

Molecular organization of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the kidney may change as impairment of renal function progresses. The present immunohistochemical study of the kidney was designed to compare localization of type I, III, IV, V, and VI collagens between "Group A" (13 patients on maintenance hemodialysis due to diabetic nephropathy) and "Group B" (13 patients with diabetic nephropathy and massive proteinuria whose serum creatinine levels were 1.3 +/- 0.5 mg/dl, mean +/- SD). Nodular scleroses that were commonly observed both in Group A (87.8 +/- 10.1%) and B (80.5 +/- 17.0%) were stained in a very similar way with antibodies against collagen types IV, V, and VI. On the contrary, thickened Bowman's capsules that were observed exclusively in Group A (80.7 +/- 10.4% in Group A versus 5.7 +/- 6.2% in Group B) were stained intensely with antibodies against collagen types I and III. Normal and expanded peritubular interstitium from every group was stained with all of the above antibodies in an identical manner. Taken together, these results indicated a close relationship between severe impairment of residual renal function and a high incidence of thickened Bowman's capsule rich in type I and III collagens.

[Interleukin-1 in cancer therapy]

The therapeutic potentials of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in the cancer therapy are supposed to be; 1) anti-tumor activity, 2) immunostimulating activity, and 3) hematopoietic activity. We observed that IL-1 beta revealed a directly cytostatic activity to certain tumor cells in vitro. Intratumoral or subcutaneous injection of IL-1 beta caused a complete regression and lifespan elongation of tumor-bearing mice by augmenting of the anti-tumor effects mediated by host immune responses indirectly. We have observed IL-1 beta to accelerate the recovery of the numbers of granulocytes and platelets by inducing the production of colony stimulating factors, and by stimulating the hemopoietic progenitor cells. In the phase II clinical study, IL-1 beta was proved to be effective against cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). In the hematopoietic stimulating activity of IL-1 beta, it was reported in many clinical cases that IL-1 beta accelerated the recovery of the numbers of granulocytes and platelets in myelosuppressed patients.

Effect of ageing on erythrocyte aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activity

We measured erythrocyte aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activity in erythrocytes in healthy individuals aged from 16 to 91 years to determine the mechanism of age-dependent sorbitol accumulation. Erythrocyte aldose reductase activity increased significantly with age but ageing had no effect on sorbitol dehydrogenase activity. Age and the aldose reductase/sorbitol dehydrogenase ratio were positively correlated. These findings suggest that an increase in the ratio of aldose reductase to sorbitol dehydrogenase may contribute to the tissue accumulation of sorbitol in the elderly and may be a mechanism of a disease that is common in elderly individuals.

Systematic sequencing of the 180 kilobase region of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome containing the replication origin

We have determined a 180 kb contiguous sequence in the replication origin region of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome. Open reading frames (ORF) in this region were unambiguously identified from the determined sequence, using criteria characteristic for the B. subtilis gene structure, i.e., starting with an ATG, GTG or TTG codon preceded by sequences complementary to the 3' end of the 16S rRNA. Four rRNA gene sets, 7 individual tRNA genes and 1 scRNA gene were identified, occupying 20 kb in total. In the remaining 160 kb region, 158 ORFs were identified, suggesting that 1 ORF is coded on average by 1 kb of DNA of the B. subtilis genome. Among the 158 ORFs, the functions of 48 ORFs were assigned and those of 11 ORFs are suggested through significant similarities to known proteins present in data banks. However, the functions of more than half of the ORFs (63%) remain to be determined.

Determination of Kt/V and protein catabolic rate using pre- and postdialysis blood urea nitrogen concentrations

We developed a new urea kinetic method for simultaneous determination of the Kt/V and protein catabolic rate (PCR) only from blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations before and after a single dialysis session. Using this method, the parameters were calculated within 1.5 s even when a hand-held computer with a low central processing capacity is used. The total amount of urea eliminated during three dialysis sessions in 1 week is assumed to be equal to urea volume (Gw) generated over a 1-week period (Tw): [formula: see text]. Here, G is the generation rate, K is the dialyzer urea clearance, T is the dialysis time and C1, C2 and C3 are BUN during the respective dialysis session. If this equation and the equation expressing the urea kinetics during a single dialysis session are solved together, we have a solution for Kt/V and G. The thus-obtained Kt/V and G are corrected using the change in body weight. The corrected Kt/V showed a good correspondence with the parameter calculated with the classical method, and the midweek PCR derived from G determined by the present method being equivalent to the PCR averaged for a 1-week period determined by the classical methods.

Efficient laser-diode-pumped neodymium-doped calcium-niobium-gallium-garnet laser

Efficient lasing of Nd:Ca (Nb, Ga)(2-x) Ga(3)-garnet (CNGG) disordered crystal pumped by a laser diode was demonstrated. In the end-pumped cw lasing experiment with a single-stripe diode, a slope efficiency of 24.2% and a maximum optical conversion efficiency of 19.3% were obtained. It was shown that the dependence of cw output power on the pump wavelength is insensitive compared with Nd:YAG because of the broad pump absorption bandwidth of Nd:CNGG. From the diode-bar-pumped experiment, it was confirmed that Nd:CNGG is a promising material for diode-bar pumping to obtain high average power with good beam quality, because of its advantages of a broader pump absorption band compared with that of Nd:YAG and the higher thermal conductivity compared with Nd-doped glasses.

Comparative studies of phosvitin from chicken and salmon egg yolk

1. A method developed for the isolation of phosvitin from chicken egg yolk was successfully applied to the isolation of phosvitin from salmon eggs. 2. Salmon roe phosvitin is smaller in molecular size than chicken egg phosvitin. 3. Circular dichroism spectra of all phosvitins investigated displayed good similarities with spectra showing characteristics of unordered and beta-sheet secondary structure. 4. The main component in the Fourier transform infrared spectra of chicken egg phosvitin is indicative of unordered conformation, whereas the Fourier infrared data of the salmon egg phosvitin are consistent with more of beta-sheet structure compared to the chicken egg phosvitin.

Vesnarinone inhibits production of HIV-1 in cultured cells

Vesnarinone, a synthetic oral cardiotonic agent that has been used for treatment of patients with congestive heart failure, was found to inhibit replication of HIV-1 in a peripheral blood lymphocytes model and in chronically infected macrophages at clinically achieved concentrations. Vesnarinone has no direct inhibitory activity against the reverse transcriptase of HIV-1, syncytium formation in short term assays, or retroviral protease. In addition, vesnarinone inhibits production of TNF-alpha and IL-6 by human peripheral blood mononucleated cells stimulated with LPS. These observations suggest that vesnarinone may be therapeutically useful in patients infected with HIV-1.

Relationship of protein catabolic rate or Kt/V with morbidity

The authors investigated the influence of Kt/V and protein catabolic rate (PCR) on dialysis failure for 689 hemodialysis (HD) outpatients treated at the seven dialysis facilities in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Dialysis failure was defined as death or hospitalization for reasons other than blood access, accident, wound, or mental disease. Patients were followed for 2 years. The rate of patients who developed dialysis failure during the observation period relative to the total patient population was defined as the dialysis failure rate. A total of 123 patients developed dialysis failure, which was fatal in 33 cases. In patients with Kt/V values of 1.6 or higher, the mean dialysis failure rate was significantly lower at 12.0% than that (19.2%) of patients with Kt/V values between 0.8 and 1.6 (p < 0.04). In patients that had PCR values under 0.8 g/kg/day, the dialysis failure rate was significantly higher at 32.5% than that (15.8%) of patients with PCR values between 0.8 and 1.4 g/kg/day (p < 0.0001).

Treatment effect of a traditional Chinese medicine, ren-shen-yang-rong-tang (Japanese name: ninjin-youei-to), on autoimmune MRL/MP-lpr/lpr mice

MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) mice were treated with a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Ren-shen-yang-rong-tang (Japanese name: Ninjin-youei-to, NYT) intraperitoneally (i.p.) every 3 days or per os (p.o.) 6 times/week from before the onset of autoimmune disease (6 weeks of age). Fifty percent survival time was found in placebo-controlled male and female mice of 28 and 22 weeks of age, respectively. NYT-treatment markedly prolonged the survival time of MRL/lpr mice. That is, 50% survival time was 43 weeks in the i.p.-treated male mice and 30 weeks of age in the p.o.-treated female mice. Further, NYT-treatment significantly reduced occurrence of thymic atrophy and prevented the anomalous accumulation of B220+ T-cells in lymph node and spleen, both of which are characteristic in MRL/lpr mice. Moreover, grades of proteinuria were significantly reduced in both the i.p.- and p.o.-treated groups compared with the control groups. Such clinical benefit and increased survival time were interestingly not associated with the decrease in the level of autoantibodies.

Production and purification of Fab' fragments from chicken egg yolk immunoglobulin Y (IgY)

Methods were described for the production of Fab and Fab' fragments from chicken egg yolk IgY also referred to as IgG by papain and pepsin digestion respectively. Pepsin digestion was found to be suitable for the large scale preparation and purification of Fab'. Optimum yield of Fab' was obtained after peptic digestion of IgY at pH 4.2 for 9 h at low NaCl concentration. This condition led to the complete digestion of pFc' fragment leaving only the Fab' fragment. By combination of ultrafiltration and anion exchange, and conditions which allowed binding of the small amount of contaminants in the digest to the anion exchange column, pure Fab' fragments were easily obtained in the eluent. The advantage of this approach is that a small column could be used to purify large amount of protein, therefore, improving the efficiency of purification. The Fab and Fab' fragments appeared to be similar on the basis of their molecular weights as determined by SDS-PAGE, reaction of identity in immunodiffusion assay and similar antigen binding activities as shown by ELISA.

Purification and characterization of recombinant human macrophage colony-stimulating factor expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells

We expressed human macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells by introducing an expression plasmid coding for a 554-amino-acid M-CSF precursor and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene, and by amplifying the sequence. A cell line was obtained that secreted approximately 200,000 units/ml after 6 days in culture. The expressed recombinant human M-CSF (rhM-CSF) primarily consisted of two molecular species, a main 80-90 kD M-CSF as a homodimer and a molecular form higher than 150 kD. Purification of a main rhM-CSF gave an apparently homogeneous protein disulfide-bonded from 42-kD subunits, but one of the purified rhM-CSFs was composed of two subunit species with molecular masses of 44 and 42 kD. These purified rhM-CSFs had substantially the same specific activity (1 to 4 x 10(7) units/mg protein). Deglycosylation experiments with the latter rhM-CSF using chemical (trifluoromethanesulfonic acid) and enzymatic methods found a terminal neuraminic acid in addition to N- and O-glycosylation, but the two subunit species did not coalesce into a single molecule.

Comparison of four purification methods for the production of immunoglobulins from eggs laid by hens immunized with an enterotoxigenic E. coli strain

The importance of eggs as a source of specific antibodies is well recognized. Egg yolk contains 8-20 mg of immunoglobulins (IgY) per ml. However, the major problem in isolation is removal of lipids which are present in high concentrations. A method had been developed by employing water dilution to separate the yolk plasma proteins from the granules and lipids. Further purification of IgY from plasma proteins was achieved by a protocol involving salt precipitation and ultrafiltration. The water dilution method (WD) was compared with three other methods, namely, polyethylene glycol (PEG), dextran sulphate (DS) and xanthan gum (Xan) in terms of yield, purity, ease of use, potential scaling up and immunoactivity of IgY. The WD method gave the highest yield, followed by DS, Xan and PEG methods in that order. 9.8 mg IgY/ml egg yolk was routinely obtained from the WD method compared to 4.9 mg IgY/ml egg yolk with the popular PEG method with purities of 94% and 89% respectively. Purification methods had no adverse effect on the immunoactivities of IgY. WD was also found superior in terms of ease of use and large scale production of IgY. WD method therefore provides a simple, rapid and efficient means of purifying IgY with high activity.

A new wearable system for continuous monitoring of arteriovenous fistulae

A wearable system to constantly monitor the bruit generated by an AV fistula at times other than during dialysis was developed, and provided early detection of rapidly developing thrombi that cause occlusion of the fistular vessels. The system consists of a downsized microphone that continuously monitors the bruit generated, a warning device worn like a wristwatch, and a wire running down from the microphone to the emergency warning device. The microphone converts the bruit into an electrical signal and outputs it to the warning device. The emergency warning is then sounded whenever the input signal from the tiny microphone is weaker than a preset level. The warning device was set off in 4 of 21 long-term dialysis patients with arteriovenous fistulas, and within several hours all 4 developed an occlusion. One of the 14 patients with a graft had the device go off while sleeping, but it was a false alarm due to positioning that resulted in compression of the fistula arm.

[Problems in DNA ploidy analysis using flow cytometry--influences from contaminant mononuclear cells]

The present study was undertaken to examine the influences of excessive contamination by lymphocytes on the flow cytometric analysis of DNA ploidy of head and neck cancers. Although lymphocytes which contaminate test cells can serve as an internal control (2C), an excess of these lymphocytes can mask the aneuploid peak of cancers. This tendency was particularly prevalent in well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. In some cases, most of the cells isolated from tumor-positive HE-stained tissue samples were lymphocytes. This is probably because lymphocytes are likely to survive the cell-isolating procedure, whereas keratocytes are likely to be destroyed during it. If samples excessively contaminated by lymphocytes are subjected to flow cytometry, the aneuploid peak of cancer cells is low relative to the 2C peak, possibly causing an erroneous judgment of diploid. Cytofluorometry, in which a smear of test cells is observed directly to quantify the DNA of cancer cells alone, was useful in detecting lymphocyte-masked aneuploid cells.