Genetic analysis of the roles of daf-28 and age-1 in regulating Caenorhabditis elegans dauer formation

Based on environmental cues, the nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans regulates formation of the dauer larva, an alternative larval form specialized for long-term survival under harsh conditions. Mutations that cause constitutive or defective dauer formation (Daf-c or Daf-d) have been identified and the genes ordered in a branched pathway. Most Daf-c mutations also affect recovery from the dauer stage. The semi-dominant mutation daf-28(sa191) is Daf-c but has no apparent effect on dauer recovery. We use this unique aspect of daf-28(sa191) to characterize the effects of several Daf-d and synthetic Daf-c mutations on dauer recovery. We present double mutant analysis that indicates that daf-28(sa191) acts at a novel point downstream in the genetic pathway for dauer formation. We also show that daf-28(sa191) causes a modest increase (12-13%) in life span. The phenotypes and genetic interactions of daf-28(sa191) are most similar to those of daf-2 and daf-23 mutations, which also cause a dramatic increase in life span. We present mapping and complementation data that suggest that daf-23 is the same gene as age-1, identified previously by mutations that extend life span. We find that age-1 alleles are also Daf-c at 27 degrees.

The influence of aortic calcification on spinal bone mineral density in vitro

We examined the influence of aortic calcification on the spine phantom bone mineral density (BMD). Soft X-ray photographs of human aortae were taken to calculate the percent calcification of aortic tissues. Human aorta laid on lumber spine phantom was placed in the bottom of 15 cm of water and BMD and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured in the anteroposterior view. Samples with severe aortic calcification (over 30%) caused a 2.5% increase of BMD. There might be a relatively small influence of aortic calcification on the value of L2-L4 BMD, but changes over time in a patient could falsely elevate values.

Early detection of platelet activation after coronary angioplasty

BACKGROUND

Although platelet activation has been considered an important reaction after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), it is still difficult to detect the activated platelets in vivo directly.

METHODS

To detect platelets activated at an early stage after PTCA, blood samples were take from the coronary sinus and the aorta in 22 patients with coronary artery disease, who underwent PTCA for a lesion of the left anterior descending artery. Ten patients with coronary artery disease, who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography only, were compared with them. The expression of activation-dependent granular protein, CD62P (P-selectin) and CD63, on the platelet membrane surface was analysed using flow cytometry. The plasma thrombomodulin level was also measured.

RESULTS

The percentage of platelets positive for CD62P (0.53 +/- 0.04 to 0.80 +/- 0.11%, P < 0.01) and CD63 (16.0 +/- 1.4 to 19.8 +/- 2.0%, P < 0.05) increased after PTCA in the coronary sinus, although it did not change in the aorta. The plasma thrombomodulin level also increased after PTCA in the coronary sinus (16.7 +/- 1.0 to 20.4 +/- 2.0 mu/ml, P < 0.05). However, these parameters did not change after coronary angiography only. After PTCA, the plasma thrombomodulin level was correlated with the percentage of platelets positive for CD62P (r = 0.88, P < 0.001) and with that for CD63 (r = 0.69, P < 0.001) in the coronary sinus.

CONCLUSIONS

PTCA produced activation of circulatory platelets, which might have been caused by balloon-induced vascular endothelial injury. One should take care to avoid needless vascular injury during the PTCA procedure to inhibit the platelet activation.

Phylogenetic tree-based epidemiological analysis of hepatitis C virus transmission in a region of Japan with a high prevalence of infection

Local clustering of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been demonstrated in various regions in Japan. HCV genotypes have now been compared between infected individuals from districts of Saga prefecture with either a high (H district) or low (L district) prevalence of HCV-seropositivity. The prevalence of HCV genotype 1b was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the H district (45/50; 90%) than in the L district (19/36; 52.8%). A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the genomic sequences of viral isolates from 20 patients infected with genotype 1b in the H district. Almost all these HCV strains clustered in the same regions of the tree. With regard to risk factors for HCV transmission, the percentage of patients with a history of surgery was significantly higher in the H district than in the L district (58 versus 33.3%; P < 0.05). Of 20 patients infected with similar strains of HCV in the H district, 16 (80%) had at least one parenteral risk factor associated with medical care. These results indicate an increased transmission of similar strains of HCV in the H district as a result of nosocomial infection.

Asymptomatic cerebral small infarcts (lacunae), their risk factors and intellectual disturbances

This study examines the relationship between cerebral small infarcts (lacunae) and the multiple risk factors of diabetes, age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis in asymptomatic NIDDM patients and nondiabetic subjects by comparing brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings to these risk factors. Brain MRI was performed on 155 asymptomatic NIDDM and 39 asymptomatic nondiabetic patients, using a Shimazu SMT-150, 1.5-T instrument. Among the diabetic patients, 65 showed evidence of lacunae. The incidence of lacunae was significantly higher in older diabetic patients, but it did not significantly differ in those with or without the risk factors of atherosclerosis. We also correlated the results of a freehand cube-drawing test with the incidence of lacunae. Cube-drawing is a good indicator of spatial cognition ability supported by wide association areas of the brain. Drawing ability was tested in 56 diabetic and 39 nondiabetic subjects. Correlations of lacuna incidence with deformity in drawing and with age were high in the diabetic group. Correlation of lacunae with deformity in drawing was also significant in nondiabetic subjects. The incidence of lacunae was highly correlated with intellectual impairment.

Idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (idiopathic BOOP) in childhood

Idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (idiopathic BOOP) is a clinicopathological entity of unknown origin first described by Epler and colleagues in 1985. We report our findings from a study of two Japanese boys aged 12 and 13 years with idiopathic BOOP. The patients showed no respiratory symptoms nor signs of infection. There was no history of exposure to noxious agents or medications in either case. Laboratory data, including hematological, biochemical, and immunological tests, were normal, and pulmonary function tests showed only a slight nonprogressive decrease from normal predicted values in vital capacity and diffusing capacity. Serial radiographs in both cases showed migration of patchy infiltrates. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy was performed for evaluation of eosinophilic pneumonia, but the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) revealed no increase in eosinophils and a decrease in CD4/CD8 ratio in the BAL fluid. Histopathological findings of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) specimens were compatible with a diagnosis of BOOP. As neither case has shown clinical abnormalities apart from migratory patchy infiltrates on chest radiographs, both patients have been observed without drug therapy for 3-4 years.

Indirect labeling of macroaggregated albumin with indium-111 via diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid

It is ideal to perform a simultaneous pulmonary perfusion and ventilation scan in cases of suspected pulmonary thromboembolism. Indium-111 (111In)-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-macroaggregated albumin (MAA) was designed for this purpose. MAA was conjugated with DTPA at a molar ratio of 1:100 and incubated with 111In-chloride for 30 min at room temperature. DTPA-MAA could be labelled with 111In above a 96% labelling efficiency without MAA particle aggregates making their particles larger than desirable. The obtained 111In-DTPA-MAA was intravenously injected into normal mice and their biodistribution was studied at 15 and 180 min after injection. A gamma camera image was obtained 15 min after injection. 111In-DTPA-MAA was stable in vitro and in vivo, and gave high uptake of murine lung in the biodistribution study and clearly visualized murine lung in the scintigraph. Using 111In-DTPA-MAA as a pulmonary perfusion agent, a simultaneous pulmonary perfusion and ventilation scan with technetium-99m-ventilation agents is able to be performed using the dual-isotope technique. 111In-DTPA-MAA may be a potential pulmonary perfusion agent.

Hyperperfusion and hypermetabolism in brain radiation necrosis with epileptic activity

We report a case of high uptake of 11C-methionine (MET), 18F-FDG (FDG) and 201Tl-Cl (Tl) in brain radiation necrosis. Twenty-one years previously, the patient had undergone surgery and radiation therapy consisting of 60-Gy for ependymoma in the anterior horn of the right lateral ventricle. The clinical features consisting of frequent seizures of the left face and arm suddenly appeared 2 wk before admission. MRI depicted a Tl and T2-prolonged lesion in the right frontal lobe. Abnormally high uptake in this area demonstrated by MET-PET, FDG-PET, Tl-SPECT or HMPAO-SPECT suggested the presence of a recurrent tumor. A craniotomy was then performed and an intraoperative electrocorticogram showed continuous epileptic spikes in the lesion. The epileptic foci were resected and the histological features of the lesion were consistent with radiation necrosis. After surgery, the seizures disappeared and the postoperative examinations with MET-PET, FDG-PET, Tl-SPECT and HM-PAO-SPECT no longer showed abnormally high uptake. Hypermetabolism and hyperperfusion related to epileptic fits are therefore thought to result in high uptake of MET, FDG and Tl in radiation necrosis.

Symptomatic relief for patients with osseous metastasis treated with radiation and methylprednisolone: a prospective randomized study

A multi-institutional prospective study to evaluate the relief of symptoms for patients with osseous metastasis treated with irradiation and methylpredonisolone was performed. A total of 38 patients with osseous metastasis, treated between January 1991 and December 1992, were included in this study. Patients were randomly allocated to one of two treatments: radiation alone (RT alone) (n = 18) or radiation combined with methylpredonisolone (RT + MP) (n = 20). Symptoms were scored by patients themselves using original Quality of Life (QOL) scores. Stratification by urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine ratios (Hypro/Cr) showed no significant differences in QOL scores between RT and RT + MP in the group with good prognosis, which showed a lower Hypro/Cr (< 3.6 mg/g) during treatment. Following treatment, the score for both groups improved. On the other hand, in the group with poor prognosis, with a higher Hypro/Cr (> or = 3.6 mg/g), a significantly greater improvement in QOL scores was observed for the RT + MP group than for the RT alone group (p < 0.05). There was also a marked difference in the RTOG pain scores, evaluated by physicians before treatment and at the end of treatment, between the two treatment groups and the prognostic groups divided according to Hypro/Cr. No correlation was seen at initial presentation between urinary Hypro/Cr and serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TrACP). In conclusion, the treatment regimen of RT + MP is recommended for patients with osseous metastasis with poor prognosis who show relatively high Hypro/Cr values. Radiotherapy was equally effective in terms of RTOG pain score for both the poor and good prognostic groups. Serum TrACP was not useful for determining the prognosis of our patient groups.

Effect of radiotherapy on serum level of interleukin 6 in patients with cervical carcinoma

To determine the inflammatory state of cervical cancer after radiotherapy, we examined serum interleukin 6 levels (sIL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) before and after radiation therapy in sixteen patients with cervical cancer. External radiation therapy did not cause changes in sIL-6 and CRP during the examined periods. On the other hand, brachytherapy caused transient elevation of sIL-6 on the day after treatment by 6.39 +/- 1.89 pg/ml to 13.41 +/- 2.34 pg/ml (p < 0.05) while CRP did not show any significant change. Therefore, brachytherapy would induce a small inflammatory reaction. However, we confirmed that radiotherapy is a less invasive treatment than surgery from the point of view of cytokine related inflammation.

Acute myocardial infarction during pregnancy

We report a 30-year-old woman who developed an acute myocardial infarction at 24 weeks of gestation. She did not undergo any kind of acute intervention. On the 8th hospital day, premature delivery was performed safely following premature rupture of membrane. Coronary angiogram was normal and no spasm was induced by provocative test with ergometrine maleate. The patient had abnormal values of fibrinogen, thrombin-antithrombin III complex and plasmin-alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor complex. Thus, thrombus formation might have been associated with the onset of acute myocardial infarction. This is the first case of acute myocardial infarction during pregnancy, showing normal coronary angiogram and negative pharmacological provocation of coronary spasm.

In vivo induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific for a single epitope introduced into an unrelated molecule

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognise antigenic peptides in the context of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules on virus-infected cells. The formation and transportation of antigenic peptides to class I MHC in the cells are multi-step reactions known as antigen processing. In order to design a good DNA vaccine, it is important to dissect the specificity of antigen processing. Here we describe the construction of an epitope-based plasmid vector as a device to investigate antigen processing in transfected cells. The epitope-based plasmid vector was constructed by insertion of an epitope-encoding minigene into the lacZ gene. We used a CTL epitope on influenza A virus nucleoprotein (NP366-374 epitope) as a model. Upon transfection, the epitope-based plasmid vector induced the expression of NP epitope antigenically as well as immunogenically. Immunization of mice with plasmid-transfected cells was able to induce NP epitope-specific CTLs in vivo. Moreover, the plasmid vector functioned as a gene vaccine; NP epitope-specific CTLs were primed in vivo upon transfection of the vector into dermis by electroporation. The results suggest that this epitope-based DNA delivery system may provide a new strategy for in vivo induction of epitope-specific CTLs to investigate antigen processing and presentation.

Effects of hydroquinone-type and phenolic antioxidants on calcium signals and degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells

We previously reported that a hydroquinone-type antioxidant, 2,5-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-hydroquinone (DTBHQ), increases intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), causes degranulation together with a protein kinase C activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA), and increases antigen-induced degranulation in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. In this study, the effects of five-hydroquinone-type and phenolic antioxidants (2,5-di(tert-amyl)-1,4-hydroquinone [DTAHQ], 2-tert-butyl-1,4-hydroquinone [MTBHQ], 3,5-di(tert-butyl)-4-hydroxytoluene [BHT], 3,5-di(tert-butyl)-4-hydroxyanisole [DTBHA], and 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole [MTBHA]) on [ca2+]i and degranulation (beta-hexosaminidase release) were examined and compared with that of DTBHQ. DTAHQ (> or = 3 microM) showed effects similar to those of DTBHQ (10 microM) on [Ca2+]i elevation, induction of degranulation with TPA, and increase of antigen-induced degranulation. BHT (50 microM) and DTBHA (50 microM) caused [Ca2+]i elevation and increased degranulation in the presence of TPA or antigen, but their effects were less than those of DTBHQ and DTAHQ. MTBHQ and MTBHA had no effect on [Ca2+]i and degranulation, even at 50 microM. The degree of Ca2+ response caused by the compounds correlated well with the increase in degranulation, but not with their antioxidant activity estimated with the first oxidation potential. From these results, it is suggested that the increasing effects of six antioxidants on degranulation in the presence of TPA or antigen were dependent on [Ca2+]i increase caused by the compounds, probably through their ability to inhibit endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase.

Amorphization of Serpentine at High Pressure and High Temperature

Pressure-induced amorphization of serpentine was observed at temperatures of 200&deg; to 300&deg;C and pressures of 14 to 27 gigapascals with a combination of a multianvil apparatus and synchrotron radiation. High-pressure phases then crystallized rapidly when the temperature was increased to 400&deg;C. These results suggest that amorphization of serpentine is an unlikely mechanism for generating deep-focus earthquakes, as the temperatures of subducting slabs are significantly higher than those of the rapid crystallization regime.

Infection with hepatitis GB virus C in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

BACKGROUND

A recently discovered non-A-E hepatitis virus has been designated hepatitis GB virus C (HGBV-C), but little is known about its mode of transmission and its clinical manifestations. We studied 519 patients on maintenance hemodialysis to determine whether they were infected with HGBV-C.

METHODS

HGBV-C RNA was identified in serum by a reverse-transcription-polymerase-chain-reaction assay with nested primers deduced from a non-structural region. A nucleotide sequence of 100 bp in the nonstructural region was determined on HGBV-C clones.

RESULTS

HGBV-C RNA was detected on 3.1 percent of the patients on hemodialysis (16 of 519), as compared with 0.9 percent of healthy blood donors (4 of 448, P<0.03). None of the 16 patients had evidence of active liver disease, although 7 were also infected with hepatitis C virus. Eight patients with HGBV-C infection were followed for 7 to 16 years. In two patients the virus was present at the start of hemodialysis. One had a history of transfusion, and HGBV-C persisted over a period of 16 years; the other became free of HGBV-C after 10 years. In five patients, HGBV-C RNA was first detected 3 to 20 weeks after blood transfusion and persisted for up to 13 years. One patient with no history of transfusion was infected with an HGBV-C variant with the same sequence as in two of the patients with post-transfusion HGBV-C infections.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients on maintenance hemodialysis are at increased risk for HGBV-C infection. This virus produces persistent infections, which may be transmitted by transfusions but may also be transmitted by other means.

Late local recurrence after radiotherapy for tongue and early glottic carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIM

Late local recurrence after radiotherapy for tongue and early glottic carcinoma is rarely discussed. In the head and neck cancer, approximately 90% of local recurrence occurred within 2 years after radiotherapy. However, we found that late local recurrence after radiotherapy for glottic cancer was not rare. Our aim was to evaluate the late local recurrence after radiotherapy for early glottic and tongue cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From 1967 through 1982, 633 patients with tongue carcinoma and 330 patients with early (T1T2N0) glottic carcinomas were treated at the Department of Radiology, Osaka University Hospital. Of these 821 patients, 329 patients with tongue carcinoma and 221 patients with early glottic carcinoma survived at 5 years after radiotherapy without local recurrence. For tongue carcinoma, patients were divided by T category. For early glottic carcinoma, patients were divided by the tumor response at 40 Gy.

RESULTS

Late local recurrence occurred in 23 of 329 patients (7%) with tongue carcinoma, and in 9 of 221 (4%) with early glottic carcinoma. For tongue carcinoma, late recurrence occurred in 19 of 249 patients (8%) in stage I and II, and 4 of 80 patients (5%) in stage III and IV. For glottic carcinoma, late recurrence occurred in 8 of 137 patients (6%) with tumor clearance at 40 Gy and 1 of 63 patients (2%) with tumor persistence at 40 Gy. The incidence of double cancer was also evaluated. Of 329 5-year survivors with tongue carcinoma, 39 patients (12%) had another malignancy, and 26 patients of 221 5-year survivors with early glottic carcinoma (12%) had also another malignancy. Of 39 double primaries of tongue carcinoma, 10 patients (26%) had head and neck malignancies, and none of 26 double primaries of early glottic carcinoma.

CONCLUSION

Late local recurrence was not rare in tongue and early glottic cancer. Poor prognostic group showed lower incidence of late recurrence than good prognostic group. This result suggests that secondary tumor at the same site of primary tumor is late local recurrence.

[Perioperative fractionated high dose rate brachytherapy in bone and soft-tissue tumors]

The 13 lesions of 11 patients with bone and soft-tissue tumors (four primary and nine recurrent lesions) were treated with surgery and postoperative fractionated high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy started on the 6-7th day after surgery. The total dose was 40-50 Gy/7-10 fr/6-7d(bid) at 5 mm from the source. Local control was achieved in eight of 13 lesions (62%). Four of the five uncontrolled lesions had macroscopic residual tumor after the surgery. There was one peripheral nerve damage as a side effect. This study indicates that the use of perioperative fractionated HDR brachytherapy is feasible and well tolerated.

Synthesis, biodistribution, and estrogen receptor scintigraphy of indium-111-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-tamoxifen analogue

This study was aimed at developing a hydrophilic diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-tamoxifen (DTPA-Tam) analogue for use in imaging estrogen receptor positive (ER+) lesions. In rat uterine cytosol, the IC50 of DTPA-Tam conjugate was 1 microM and of tamoxifen, 2 microM. Biodistribution, autoradiography, and radionuclide imaging of 111In-DTPA-Tam in breast-tumor-bearing rats showed that tumor-to-tissue ratios increased steadily between 30 min and 48 h. The in vivo response of MCF-7 breast cancer xenografts to tamoxifen and DTPA-Tam in nude mice demonstrated that DTPA-Tam could reduce tumor growth rate. These results indicate that DTPA-Tam, a new hydrophilic ER+ ligand, might be useful in diagnosing ER+ lesions.

[The characteristics of clinical features of pulmonary tuberculosis in female]

We studied the clinical features of culture-positive, previously untreated patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (77 in females and 200 in males), with special reference on the gender differences in clinical features. The mean age was 50.8 y.o. for female and 54.4 y.o. for male, and the age distribution was almost similar to that of newly-registered patients of whole Japan in 1993, namely, small peak in 20s decade and large peaks in the age group over 50 in female, and gradual increase up to 50 years and get to plateau in male. Thirty-nine % in female and fifty-four % in male had various past histories and/or complications which might affect to the deterioration of tuberculosis, such as diabetes mellitus, liver function distress, respiratory failure, malignancy, stomach resection and so on. The rates with each complication were, in general, higher in male than in female. The positive rate to Mantoux reaction was higher in female than in male, and stronger reactions were observed in female than in male. According to the classification of pulmonary tuberculosis designed by the Japanese Society for Tuberculosis (GAKKAI classification), the site(s) of affected lung, the stage and the extent of lesions were more advanced in male than in female, and the positive rate and the amount of bacilli on smear were higher in male than in female. The most marked difference was the location of the main lesions, 80% in the apical and posterior segments of upper lobe (S1,2) and 8% in the superior segments of lower lobe (S6) in male, while 60% in S1,2 and 25% in S6 in female. The rate of complete resistance against to anti-tuberculosis agents was higher in male than in female, but the combination chemotherapy of isoniasid and refampicin with streptomycin or ethambutol was almost equally effective both in males and females, and almost all patients converted to bacilli negative within three months after the initiation of the chemotherapy, except in a few male patients.

[Unusual hepatic fibrosis in three cases of Down syndrome]

We report three infants with Down syndrome who had hepatic fibrosis, which is rare in this syndrome. Liver specimens were obtained by biopsy or autopsy. In one patient, the peripheral blood contained blastoid cells, a typical hematological feature of the transiently abnormal myelopoiesis of Down syndrome. Ascites and hepatosplenomegaly were found in all patients. The intralobular hepatic fibrosis was pericellular and perisinusoidal, and the narrowing of the central veins resembled that in venoocclusive disease of the liver. We found some megakaryocytes in the liver, which were stained for von Willebrand factor and platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa. In one specimen, collagen type IV and alpha smooth muscle actin were stained by immunohistochemical methods, so the fibrosis in this case was probably caused by cells such as Ito cells derived from myofibroblasts. Overall, the findings suggest that megakaryocytes in the liver of these three patients produce collagen-stimulating cytokines such as transforming growth factor beta, and that Ito cells were involved in the hepatic fibrosis we observed.

Quantitation of alpha-fetoprotein and albumin messenger RNA in human hepatocellular carcinoma

To analyze gene expression of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and albumin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), messenger RNAs (mRNAs) of these proteins in six human hepatoma cell lines and in 30 cases of HCC were quantitatively analyzed by competitive reverse transcription (RT) followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The transcriptional levels of both AFP and albumin genes in HepG2 and Huh 7 cell lines were 10(10) copies/microgram RNA, in contrast to approximately 10(5) copies/microgram RNA in HLE and HLF cell lines. AFP and albumin mRNA levels in three normal livers were 10(5) and 10(10) transcripts/microgram RNA, respectively. In 30 cases with HCC AFP mRNA level in neoplasm was 10 to 10(5)-fold enhanced as compared with that of nonneoplastic portion, and correlated with serum AFP level and tumor size (P < .01). In contrast, albumin mRNA level was not reduced in the neoplasms presenting enhanced AFP mRNA levels, indicating that AFP and albumin gene expression in situ is not necessarily mutually exclusive. Prospective analysis revealed that an increased serum AFP was shown at the time of recurrence among patients with enhanced AFP mRNA levels in neoplasm only, indicating that AFP mRNA levels in neoplasm could be a clinically predictable tool.

Infection with GB virus C in leprous patients in Japan

The detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in blood donors and patients with acute and chronic hepatitis has brought to the fore another virus or viruses which can be transmitted parenterally and induce liver disease. The RNA of a candidate virus designated GB virus C (GBV-C) was determined by the polymerase chain reaction with primers deduced from a helicase-like region in 229 leprous patients in Japan. GBV-C RNA was detected in 12 (5.2%) patients, and HCV RNA in 41 (18%). Three patients were coinfected with GBV-C and HCV. The nine patients infected with GBV-C alone had aminotransferase levels lower than the three patients with the mixed infection or the 38 patients infected with HCV only (P < 0.001). Sequence comparison within 100 base pairs in the helicase-like region suggested that two, three and three patients, respectively, would have been infected with three distinct strains of GBV-C. These results indicate that patients with leprosy are at increased risk for infection not only with HCV, but also with GBV-C, and that the infection with GBV-C alone would not induce hepatic injuries as severe as HCV infection.

[A photoallergenicity study of prulifloxacin (NM441) in guinea pigs]

Photoallergenicity of prulifloxacin, a new antibacterial agent, was examined using guinea pigs compared with those of the other quinolone antibacterial drugs, ofloxacin (OFLX), lomefloxacin (LFLX), ciprofloxacin (CPFX), enoxacin (ENX) and nalidixic acid (NA). Prulifloxacin and other drugs were orally administered at minimal phototoxic doses 1 hr before UVA (18 J/cm2) irradiation. This photosensitization procedure was daily repeated for 5 days. On 16 days after the final sensitization, the animals were challenged with UVA (18 J/cm2) after the administration of correspondent substances at maximal non-phototoxic doses. Photoallergic reactions were induced by OFLX (40 mg/kg), LFLX (3 mg/kg), CPFX (170 mg/kg) and ENX (80 mg/kg), but were not observed in prulifloxacin (170 mg/kg) and NA (30 mg/kg). These results show that photoallergenicity of prulifloxacin were less severe than those of the other quinolone antibacterial drugs under the conditions of this study.