The effect of thymectomy on myasthenia gravis, thrombocytopenia, and granulocytopenia associated with thymoma: report of a case

We report the case of a 47-year-old woman with thymoma who developed myasthenia gravis, thrombocytopenia, and granulocytopenia, simultaneously, the concurrent association of these four disorders being extremely rare. Thymectomy was performed, and, during the post-thymectomy course, there were surprising findings concerning the recovery of not only the myasthenia gravis but also of the hematologic disorders. Immediately after thymectomy, the myasthenic symptoms completely disappeared, and the granulocyte and platelet counts recovered to within the normal range within a few days. The laboratory data revealed no difference between pre- and post-thymectomy in the release of cytokines (tumor necrosis factor; TNF, interleukin; IL-2, and IL-6), anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody, or platelet-associated IgG. On the other hand, the serum level of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (p-ANCA), against the myeloperoxidase of the granulocytes was dramatically decreased, after thymectomy, showing a significant correlation with the granulocyte count. According to our survey of the literature, this is the first report to show that the removal of a thymoma led to the dramatic resolution not only of myasthenia gravis but also of other associated diseases. It is possible that p-ANCA may be regulated by thymoma, thus causing severe granulocytopenia.

Restoration of interleukin-2 production in tumor-bearing rats through reducing tumor-derived transforming growth factor beta by treatment with bleomycin

We studied mechanisms of immunosuppression caused by tumor-derived transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) and restoration of the immune response by treatment with bleomycin in rats bearing KDH-8 hepatoma. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) production from splenocytes of KDH-8-tumor-bearing rats progressively decreased as the KDH-8 tumor grew. IL-2 production from concanavalin-A-stimulated normal rat splenocytes was significantly inhibited by in vitro cultured KDH-8-tumor-cell-conditioned medium; this inhibition could be blocked by neutralizing the conditioned medium with anti-TGF beta antibody. TGF beta activities were found in KDH-8-tumor-tissue-conditioned medium without acid treatment and were found in tumor-cell-conditioned medium after acid treatment; TGF beta mRNA and TGF beta protein were found in cultured KDH-8 tumor cells. These results suggested that the KDH-8-tumor-derived TGF beta might be involved in the inhibition of IL-2 production from splenocytes. To determine whether bleomycin chemotherapy could reduce tumor-derived TGF beta and restore the immune responses, we treated KDH-8 tumor-bearing rats with bleomycin (5 mg/kg, one shot) at an appropriate time (before the occurrence of immunosuppression) resulting in a significant reduction of TGF beta activity in KDH-8 tumor tissues and restoration of IL-2 production from splenocytes of tumor-bearing rats; KDH-8 tumor growth ultimately regressed. In vitro experiments also showed that TGF beta activity, mRNA expression, and protein synthesis in KDH-8 tumor cells were reduced by bleomycin treatment, and that bleomycin-treated-KDH-8-tumor-cell-conditioned medium did not inhibit IL-2 production from normal rat splenocytes. These results suggest that bleomycin treatment restored IL-2 production in tumor-bearing rats through reducing the tumor-derived TGF beta.

Infundibulopelvic stenosis, multicystic kidney, and calyectasis in a kindred: clinical observations and genetic analysis

Congenital obstructive anomalies of the urinary tract usually occur sporadically. We describe inheritance in a three-generation kindred of a spectrum of kidney anomalies consistent with an autosomal-dominant mode of transmission, with incomplete penetrance, calyectasis (maternal grandmother), infundibulopelvic stenosis (uncle), and multicystic kidney (male proband, age 4 years). The proband's mother, father and half sister had normal renal imaging studies. Inheritance of informative polymorphic markers (3'-HVR, GGG1, GGG9, SM-7, KG8, and CW3) mapping close to the adult polycystic kidney disease type 1 (PKD-1) and tuberous sclerosis (TSC-2) loci on chromosome 16p was evaluated by Southern blot studies and by PCR-based, fluorescent genotyping for linkage to phenotype. The 3 affected individuals, as well as the unaffected mother (obligate carrier) and unaffected half-sister, inherit a common chromosome haplotype linked to the PKD1 locus. Our findings support the hypothesis that these anomalies may be part of a spectrum of obstructive renal dysplasia which are inherited as a simple Mendelian trait exhibiting an autosomal-dominant mode of transmission with variable expression and incomplete penetrance.

A morphological study on the histogenesis of human colorectal hyperplastic polyps

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Little is known about the histogenesis of human colorectal hyperplastic polyp, although this polyp is clinically very common. Therefore, the structural features of the polyp and their implications regarding histogenesis were studied.

METHODS

A total of 261 foci were examined using scanning electronmicroscopic observation of the isolated crypt and surface structure, NaOH cell maceration and scanning electron microscopy, dissecting microscopy, and standard histological analysis.

RESULTS

In surface view, each polyp crypt was discretely demarcated as in the normal crypt, suggesting that the crypt epithelium had not replaced the adjoining crypt. Notches at the base and various stages of branching, observed in 21.8% of the isolated crypts, were considered to reflect crypt fission. Several polyps with a single crypt mouth consisting of fissioned multiple crypts suggested polyp origin from a single crypt and growth by fission. Juxtaposition of small polyps and their fusion suggested polycentric origin. Almost all polyps showed increased stromal inflammatory cell infiltration and/or a lymphoid follicle at the base.

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperplastic polyps originate by the apparent fusion of single abnormal crypts within a small region of mucosa. The polyps grow by fission of the crypt and fusion of the polycentrically originated polyps. Chronic inflammation has some relation to this process.

Gamma knife radiosurgery for cerebral arteriovenous malformations: an autopsy report focusing on irradiation-induced changes observed in nidus-unrelated arteries

BACKGROUND

In radiosurgical treatment for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), the effects of irradiation on the intranidal and perinidal angioarchitectures have seldom been analyzed histologically. An autopsy case is reported, studying an AVM treated by gamma knife radiosurgery. Postmortem studies following AVM-unrelated death were performed after a 2-year angiography had demonstrated complete nidus obliteration. Irradiation-induced changes were also observed in surrounding nidus-unrelated arteries and the choroid plexus, both of which were within the irradiation target.

METHODS

Microscopic studies were performed using a coronal section of the brain including the center of the AVM, on which the percent isodose volume gradient, corrected with a magnification rate, was superimposed.

RESULTS

This study disclosed that intimal hypertrophy can occur in a normal, AVM-unrelated pial artery due to irradiation of 10 Gy or more and that more remarkable intimal hypertrophy with fragmentation of the elastic laminae, or even complete occlusion, can occur in these arteries with 25 Gy. Similarly, irradiation-induced degeneration was present in the choroid plexus, which had been exposed to doses varying from 10 Gy to 25 Gy.

CONCLUSIONS

A normal surrounding blood vessel may also be affected by high-dose, single-fraction irradiation though the abnormal vessels have been reported to be more susceptible.

[Varicella pneumonia with multiple nodular shadows after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in chronic myeloid leukemia]

A 30-year-female with chronic myelogenous leukemia received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). On day 104, low-grade fever, cough, and general malaise developed, resulting in hospitalization 10 days later. Chest X ray revealed diffuse infitrates, suggesting cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonia. Ganciclovir (DHPG) was given daily and all symptoms disappeared three days later. However, a very few vesicular lesions appeared on her trunk and her two children had chickenpox at that time. Chest CT was taken and disclosed diffuse nodular shadows. Clinical course and chest CT suggested varicella pneumonia. DHPG administration was stopped and acyclovir PO started to be given. She was discharged in excellent condition. In this report, we show a rare case of varicella pneumonia after allogeneic BMT and efficacy of DHPG for the treatment of varicella pneumonia.

[Automatic determination for bone morphometry using a computed image analyzer]

An image analyzer which combines a digitizer and a computer is widely employed in bone histomorphometrical evaluation. With this method, however, all regions of determination are traced manually so that considerable time is consumed when many preparations are measured. To resolve this problem, we have developed an automatic program for rapid and quantitative measurement of many bone histomorphometrical parameters using a computed color image analyzer. The bone volume (BV), tissue volume (TV), osteoid surface (OS), and the bone surface (BS) of rat tibia metaphysis were measured by this automatic method, and by the manual method using an image analyzer. The correlation coefficient between both methods in measuring BV/TV was 0.98 and in measuring OS/BS was 0.96. The reproducibility and accuracy of both methods for these parameters were similar. The time required for the automatic method was much shorter than that for the manual method. Various parameters of the tibial metaphysis, lumbar vertebral body, and femoral mid-diaphysis in ovariectomized rat (Fischer) measured by this method were in good agreement with values reported previously.

The influence of excess body weight on the surgical treatment of patients with gastric cancer

Sixty-two overweight gastric cancer patients were compared with 201 normal-weight patients to clarify the influences of excessive weight on the surgical treatment of gastric cancer. The frequencies of hypertension and diabetes mellitus were significantly higher in the overweight group (P < 0.01), but no pathologic differences in the resected tumor were found between the two groups. The operative times were longer (P < 0.01) and the number of lymph nodes extirpated and examined was smaller (P < 0.01) in the overweight group. The incidence of postoperative complications was not higher in the overweight group. The postoperative survival rate of patients with nodal metastasis was statistically lower in the overweight group (P < 0.05). Regarding the causes of death in patients with nodal metastasis, 61.1% of overweight patients and 43.8% of normal-weight patients died of recurrence of gastric cancer. In conclusion, surgical treatment of overweight patients with gastric cancer was found to be technically more difficult and the prognosis of such patients with nodal metastasis may thus be worse than that of their normal-weight counterparts.

Hemodynamic and arterial blood gas changes during carbon dioxide and helium pneumoperitoneum in pigs

The effects of pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide and helium on systemic hemodynamics and arterial blood gases were investigated in pigs in an attempt to clarify the mechanisms by which pneumoperitoneum may induce organ dysfunction. A total of 16 anesthetized female pigs underwent pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide or helium (n = 8 each) in a stepwise fashion to intraabdominal pressures of 8, 10, 12, 16, and 20 mmHg. Changes in cardiac output; renal and hepatic blood flow; mean arterial, mean pulmonary arterial, mean pulmonary arterial wedge, inferior vena caval, and portal venous pressures; and total peripheral resistance were measured. Arterial blood samples were obtained at the same time the above parameters were determined. Urine volume was measured as an indicator of renal function. Pneumoperitoneum with either carbon dioxide or helium significantly increased venous pressures and simultaneously decreased cardiac output. These changes were associated with decreases in organ blood flow due to increased peripheral resistance. Urinary output was reduced to a similar degree in the two groups. Blood gas analysis revealed pneumoperitoneum-induced metabolic acidosis in both groups, although hypercapnia was observed only in the carbon dioxide group. These findings suggest that pneumoperitoneum-related organ dysfunction may be due to increased intraperitoneal pressure rather than to hypercapnia.

Ultraweak biophoton emission imaging of transplanted bladder cancer

Biophoton emission or spontaneous ultraweak light emission has been observed from almost all living organisms, with intensities ranging from 10(-19) to 10(-16) W/cm2. The measurement of biophoton emission offers the attractive possibility of noninvasive monitoring of the underlying physiological function of a living system. In the present study, ultraweak biophoton emission from mice with transplanted bladder cancer was detected by a two-dimensional photon-counting system. Photon counts were observed to be 1.51-4.73 times higher from the regions of untreated tumor than from normal regions. Our study suggests that this novel technique may be applicable to the diagnosis of superficial tumors.

Type VI collagen in mouse masseter tendon, from osseous attachment to myotendinous junction

BACKGROUND AND METHODS

The association of masseter tendon type VI collagen with other extracellular matrix (ECM) components was examined from osseous attachment to myotendinous junction by immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy with ATP treatment and enzyme digestion.

RESULTS

In the tendon proper, fibrocytes extended their processes among bundles of striated collagen fibrils and associated with adjacent cells through amorphous materials, thus forming a three-dimensional network. The amorphous or filamentous material was observed around the fibrocyte cell body and along the cell processes, where the localization of type VI collagen was confirmed by immunohistochemistry using anti-type VI collagen antibody. After treatment with 20 mM adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), 100 nm periodic fibrils, an aggregated form of type VI collagen, were formed in the place where amorphous or filamentous material was present before the treatment. In myotendinous junction, the ATP-aggregated periodic fibrils were observed to associate with the external lamina of the muscle cells as well as among junctional tendon collagen fibrils. In the tendon-bone boundary, ATP-aggregated periodic fibrils were observed around fibrocartilage-like cells in the uncalcifying area but not in the calcification front. Prolonged ATP treatment or hyaluronidase predigestion caused the formation of type VI collagen periodic fibrils in the area near the calcified matrix.

CONCLUSIONS

The distribution of type VI collagen in mouse masseter tendon is different in different anatomical position. This may reflect the different functional demand for this collagen.

Establishment and characterization of a novel cell line, TK-6, derived from T cell blast crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia, with the secretion of parathyroid hormone-related protein

We established a novel T cell line, designated TK-6, from a patient with T cell lineage blast crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) complicated by hypercalcemia. A surface marker study showed T cell phenotype, cluster designation (CD)4, CD5 and CD7. Light and electron microscopic examination revealed myeloperoxidase (MPO)-negative, however, ultrastructural examination under certain specific conditions demonstrated that some cells were MPO-positive. The TK-6 cell karyotype carried a t(9;22)(q34;q11) and additional chromosome aberrations, including a deletion of the long arm of chromosome 6 and the abnormality of chromosome 7. Southern blot analysis showed rearrangement of the T cell receptor beta-chain (TCR beta) gene and the major breakpoint cluster region (bcr) gene. Northern blot analysis detected the expression of the parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) gene, however, the proviral genome of human T cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) was negative. This cell line will provide a valuable resource for the analysis of the relationship between T cell lineage crisis and myeloid differentiation and for the analysis of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM) or leukemia.

Clinical characteristics of synchronous multiple lung cancer associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. A review of Japanese cases

To define the clinical characteristics of multiple lung cancer (LC) associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), we reviewed 154 LC patients associated with IPF: 23 patients with synchronous multiple LC (IPF-multiple LC group) and 131 with single LC (IPF-single LC group), and these were compared with 4,931 patients with LC from 1975 to 1977 in Japan (whole LC group). In the IPF-single and IPF-multiple LC groups, most tumors were observed in male patients (91% and 96%), smokers (94% and 100%), and in peripheral regions of the lung (91% and 98%). The incidence of occurrence in the lower lobes, where a fibrotic shadow was prominent, was significantly higher in the IPF-LC groups (58% and 67%) than for the whole LC group (37%). The distribution of histologic types in the IPF-single LC group was similar to that of the whole LC group. However, the incidence of small cell carcinoma was significantly higher in the IPF-multiple LC group (33%) than for the IPF-single LC (14%) and whole LC (12%) groups. These results indicate that the features characteristic to synchronous multiple LC in patients with IPF are as follows: (1) male patients; (2) smokers; (3) small cell carcinoma histologic type; (4) lower lobes; and (5) peripheral type, all of which show a high rate of occurrence.

[Percutaneous placement of intraluminal stent-graft for aortic dissection: experimental study]

Highly porous fabric vascular grafts fabricated of ultrafine polyester fibers (UFPF-graft; porosity, 7,000 ml, 9,000 ml, 11,000 ml at 120 mmHg) were attached between two Gianturco stents connected with two stainless steel struts. UFPF-grafts with two Gianturco stents were placed into the aortas of six adult mongrel dogs without firm contact with the luminal surface. From two days to four months after placement, all the UFPF-grafts were completely sealed with fresh thrombus or neointima. Within two months, complete endothelialization was observed on both surfaces of the neointima. In three dogs, aortic dissections were created experimentally. Then an UFPF-graft (porosity, 9,000 ml) with two Gianturco stents was placed at the site of entry of the dissection, followed by additional Gianturco stents to expand the UFPF-graft. X-ray angiography showed that the entries were closed immediately after placement, and false lumens disappeared within one hour after placement. These results indicated that the method has the possibility of treating aortic dissection with complete sealing of the fabric by the neointima.

The development of neural visinin-like Ca(2+)-binding protein 2 immunoreactivity in the rat neocortex and hippocampus

Neural visinin-like Ca(2+)-binding protein 2 (NVP2) immunoreactivity in the rat neocortex and hippocampus was barely detectable by immunoblot analysis on postnatal day 1 (P1), but increased during postnatal weeks 2-3, reaching a plateau on P28. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed moderate immunoreactivity firstly on P7 in some subsets of the hippocampal interneurons and in the hippocampal pyramidal cells and dentate granule cells. Immunoreactivity of the interneurons decreased during postnatal weeks 2-3 and disappeared by P28. In contrast, immunoreactivity of the cortical and hippocampal pyramidal cells and dentate granule cells abruptly increased during postnatal week 2. The distinctly immunoreactive cells were distributed throughout the neocortex, especially in the cortical plate, and the stratum pyramidale of Ammon's horn and granular layer of the dentate gyrus on P14. Immunoreactivity was homogeneously concentrated in the cell bodies and proximal dendrites at this stage, whereas thereafter immunoreactivity in the neuropil gradually increased, and underwent a relative decrease in the cell bodies. By P28, the higher and granular immunoreactivity in the neuropil covered whole layers of the neocortex, Ammon's horn and the dentate gyrus, the same as in adults. Differential expression of NVP2 in different neuron populations may reflect the differential functional consequences for neuronal development.

An ovarian tumor of probable Wolffian origin with hormonal function

In 1973, the histopathologic features of nine neoplasms with a distinctive appearance were reported under the term "female adnexal tumor of probable Wolffian origin." Although to date more than 40 cases of this disease have been reported in the literature, there have been only a few reports that the tumors might be endocrinologically active. We report on a hormonally active tumor of this type.

Interleukin 10 cooperates with interleukin 4 to suppress inflammatory cytokine production by freshly prepared adherent rheumatoid synovial cells

OBJECTIVE

Inflammatory cytokines have been implicated as important mediators of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated whether interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines by freshly prepared adherent rheumatoid synovial cells.

METHODS

Adherent synovial cells were obtained from the rheumatoid synovium by collagenase digestion. The levels of IL-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-6, and IL-8 in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA. The gene expression of IL-6 and IL-8 were determined by Northern blot analysis.

RESULTS

Freshly prepared rheumatoid synovial cells spontaneously produced large amounts of IL-6 and IL-8. However, the amounts of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha produced were approximately 1000-fold less than those of IL-6 and IL-8. IL-4 alone inhibited the production of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and IL-8 by 32, 35, and 50%, respectively. IL-10 alone was less potent than IL-4 in suppressing these cytokines. Of note, the combination of IL-4 and IL-10 cooperatively exerted potent suppressive effects on the production of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and IL-8 by 74.3, 69, and 77%, respectively. The suppressive effects of the combination of IL-4 and IL-10 on IL-6 and IL-8 were also observed at the levels of mRNA.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that combination of IL-4 and IL-10 may be capable of suppressing the production of inflammatory cytokines at rheumatoid inflammatory joints.

Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by concanavalin A affinity electrophoresis of serum alpha-fetoprotein

BACKGROUND

Concanavalin A (Con A) affinity electrophoresis of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) can distinguish hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from other malignancies when the serum AFP concentration is elevated. However, Con A has not been able to distinguish HCC from benign chronic liver disease such as cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis.

METHODS

The Con A affinity electrophoresis of serum AFP was analyzed in patients with a serum AFP concentration greater than 50 ng/mL by antibody affinity electrophoresis and Western blotting in an attempt to distinguish hepatocellular carcinoma from benign chronic liver disease. Before the assay, the serum AFP concentrations were adjusted between 100 ng/ml and 300 ng/ml by concentrating or diluting the samples.

RESULTS

Of 180 patients with HCC, 44 (24%) had a single band and 91 (51%), 35 (19%), and 10 (6%) had 2, 3, and 4 bands, respectively. All 35 patients with chronic hepatitis had a single band. All but 1 of 72 patients with cirrhosis had a single band. Multiple AFP bands on Con A affinity electrophoresis appear to be diagnostic of HCC. This method has a sensitivity of 76%, a specificity of 99%, a positive predictive value of 99%, and a negative predictive value of 71% for detecting HCC. The number of AFP bands correlated with serum AFP concentration and tumor size in patients with HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

This assay is useful for distinguishing HCC from benign chronic liver diseases.

Laparoscopic approaches in the management of patients with early gastric carcinomas

In eight Japanese patients, three different laparoscopic procedures were used to excise an early gastric carcinoma; partial resection in four, intragastric resection of the gastric mucosa in two, and laparoscopic-assisted distal partial gastrectomy with the abdominal wall-elevating method in two patients. Histological examinations revealed that the lesions were completely resected, and there was no evidence of lymphatic metastasis. The operation time ranged from 2 to 4 h. These forms of laparoscopic gastric surgery for patients with early gastric carcinomas may be useful from the standpoint of minimal access, rapid recovery, less pain, and good cosmesis.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON)-related mitochondrial DNA sequence changes in italian patients presenting with sporadic bilateral optic neuritis

Eighteen Italian patients presenting with sporadic, bilateral, simultaneous, or sequential optic neuritis (ON) were evaluated for 14 base changes in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) previously found associated with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), aiming to identify at a molecular level LHON cases with nontypical phenotypes. During a 36-month follow-up, 11 ON patients developed clinical or laboratory features allowing diagnosis of clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS). None was positive for any of the "primary" LHON-associated mutations. However, single or multiple "secondary" LHON-associated sequence changes at 4216/ND1, 4917/ND2, and 13708/ND5 were detected in ON and ON-MS patients. MS controls without visual failure as well as healthy control subjects harbored the same base changes at similar frequencies. In addition, coexistence of three sequence changes was found in two cases (1 ON-MS patient and 1 MS control patient). We also report finding two new neutral sequence base changes in the ND-4 gene which were identified by SSCP and confirmed by automated DNA sequence analysis. The results suggests that these secondary mutations do not contribute to MS susceptibility in these patients, but rather represent neutral mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms. In addition, whether there are biochemical abnormalities related to single and multiple secondary mtDNA sequence changes remain to be demonstrated.

The role of glucagon in the gastric hyperdynamic circulation of cirrhotic portal hypertensive rats

The role of glucagon as a mediator of gastric hyperdynamic circulation, induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), was assessed in cirrhotic rats. A selective elimination of pancreatic glucagon from the circulation was achieved by the intravenous infusion of a glucagon antiserum. Gastric blood flow was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry. The glucagon antiserum had no effect on the blood flow in the stomach in control rats, while in cirrhotic portal hypertensive rats, the glucagon antiserum significantly reduced gastric blood flow (30%). The glucagon antiserum did not completely exclude the gastric hyperdynamic state in the cirrhotic rats. It would thus appear that glucagon contributes to a portion of the gastric hyperdynamic circulation associated with cirrhotic portal hypertension.

Recombinant human thrombopoietin (Mpl ligand) enhances proliferation of erythroid progenitors

We have studied the effects of recombinant human thrombopoietin (TPO, Mpl ligand) on human hematopoiesis in vitro. TPO alone did not support erythroid burst formation but, in the presence of erythropoietin, it enhanced erythroid burst formation from CD34+ bone marrow and cord blood cells. The burst-promoting activity (BPA) was stronger under 5% serum than 30% serum conditions. The direct nature of BPA effects was documented by replating studies of early erythroid bursts. The BPA of TPO was less than that of interleukin-3 but was comparable with that of granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor and steel factor. The soluble form of Mpl receptor inhibited burst enhancing effects of TPO, suggesting that the BPA effects of TPO are mediated through the Mpl receptor. These results further delineate the physiologic roles of TPO and may aid in the determination of the clinical usages of TPO.

Bellidifolin stimulates glucose uptake in rat 1 fibroblasts and ameliorates hyperglycemia in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats

Bellidifolin, isolated from Swertia japonica, was found to be a potent hypoglycemic agent in STZ-induced diabetic rats by both oral and intraperitoneal administration. Bellidifolin significantly lowered the loaded glucose level in normal as well as diabetic rats. Bellidifolin also lowered blood triglyceride levels significantly. It stimulated glucose uptake activity in Rat 1 fibroblasts expressing human insulin receptors.

[Genetic analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization of lung cancer cells obtained by bronchial brushing]

Fluorescence in situ hybridization was done with specimens obtained by bronchial brushing from 25 patients with abnormal lung shadows. A satellite DNA probe, specific for chromosome 11, was used to detect numerical chromosome aberrations in tumor cell nuclei. Normal diploid human lymphocyte nuclei, which served as control, had two signal spots in 99.6% of the nuclei in response to the chromosome 11 probe. The most frequent signal spots in class V cells (Case 1-7) ranged from 3 to 5, followed by 6 to 8, regardless of histopathological findings of lung cancer. In class I cells (cases 8-11) the signal appearance was similar to that in class V cells. The disease in patients from whom class I cells were obtained was found to be malignant by other diagnostic procedures performed afterward. The abnormalities in cases 13-25 were diagnosed as non-malignant by brush cytology, and clinical course showed a little more than 3 spots. These data indicate that fluorescence in situ hybridization with specimens obtained by bronchial brushing can be useful for detecting numerical chromosome abnormalities and can aid in the rapid diagnosis of lung cancer.