Neuromagnetic activity in the human left cerebral hemisphere concerning logical processing during auditory oddball stimulation.

The aim of this study was to examine the cortex during the logical processing of auditory information using a whole-cortex type dc-SQUID gradiometer. The task modified the normal auditory oddball paradigm to require the processing of simple logic before counting a rare stimulus mentally. Although the latency of P300 m did not change, a dipolar magnetic field pattern was observed over the left cerebral hemisphere at approximately 280 ms poststimulus before forming the field pattern of P300 m.

A high-sucrose diet alters the lipid composition and fluidity of liver sinusoidal membranes.

Impaired insulin suppression of hepatic glucose production and accumulation of hepatic triglycerides occur after 1 week on a high-sucrose diet. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether changes in structural lipids, fatty acid composition and/or fluidity occur after 1 week on a high-sucrose diet, and therefore might contribute to the sucrose-induced impairment in hepatic glucose metabolism. Male Wistar rats (n=28) were fed a purified high starch (68% of energy) diet for a 2-week baseline period.

Intraoperative radiation therapy for a patient with bulky disease of mesenteric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

A long survival is rarely observed in patients demonstrating recurrent malignant lymphoma with bulky disease because of the appearance of chemoresistant tumor cells after extensive chemotherapy, and moreover the presence of bulky disease has also been consistently associated with a poorer response rate and a shortened survival, due to the fact that tumor size is the most significant factor for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We herein describe a case of a 53-year-old woman presenting with the chief complaint of abdominal fullness, who underwent intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) for recurrent bulky non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the mesenterium. The patient has had no evidence of tumor recurrence, based on the findings of regular abdominal computed tomographic scans, 60 months after initial chemotherapy and 28 months after IORT.

Decreased type V collagen expression in human decidual tissues of spontaneous abortion during early pregnancy.

Aim: To provide some insight into the aetiology of spontaneous abortion, the contents of type V collagen was investigated in human decidual tissues in spontaneous abortion and normal pregnancy.

Methods: Collagens were extracted from decidual tissues in spontaneous abortion (n = 19) and normal pregnancy (n = 25). The different types of collagen alpha chains were separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), stained with Coomassie brilliant blue, and measured by densitometry.

[Changes in acetylcholine level and its related enzyme activities in rat brain following focal ischemia].

At 1 to 4 weeks following middle cerebral artery occlusion in Wistar rats, levels of acetylcholine, which is neuro-transmitter, were measured. In the hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory, levels of acetylcholine in the ischemic group could not be detected the significant difference compared with those in the sham-operated group. But in the anterior cortex and the caudate-putamen, levels of acetylcholine in the ischemic group were recognized the significant difference compared with those in the sham operated group.

Differences on intraoperative ultrasonography between meningioma and neurilemmoma.

We examined the differences on intraoperative ultrasonography between 17 cases of meningioma and 29 of neurilemmoma, the common intradural extramedullary tumors. In meningiomas, cysts were rarely seen (in 12.5%, P < 0.

Increased laminin-1 expression in hydatidiform mole.

To investigate the aetiology of hydatidiform mole, laminin-1 expression was determined in human villous tissues obtained from normal pregnancies (n = 17) and complete hydatidiform moles (n = 10). Indirect immunofluorescent staining was performed to detect laminin-1, and Northern blot analysis was performed to assess expression of laminin mRNA. Serum concentrations of laminin P-1 were also measured.

Effects of oestrogen on the extracellular matrix in the endometrium of postmenopausal women.

Aim: To obtain insight into the effects of oestrogen on extracellular matrix (ECM) in the postmenopausal endometrium.

Methods: The distribution of the components of the ECM, including collagen types I, III, IV, and VI, and laminin, was investigated in the human postmenopausal endometrium by an indirect immunofluorescence method with specific monoclonal antibodies and a polyclonal antibody. Collagens were also extracted from the endometrial tissues of postmenopausal women who had or had not been treated with oestrogen for three weeks.

Cisplatin modulates tumor cell susceptibility to tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in vivo.

We investigated the in vivo augmentation of susceptibility of tumor cells to tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with cisplatin (CDDP). TILs showed cytotoxicity against autologous and established tumor cells. Pretreatment of tumor cells with CDDP 2 mu g/ml for 12 h enhanced the susceptibility of tumor cells to TILs in vitro.

Increase in the relative level of type V collagen in the placentae of patients with pre-eclampsia.

To obtain some insight into the extracellular matrix in the human placenta, we investigated the composition of collagens purified from the placentae of patients with pre-eclampsia and compared it with normal placentae. Collagen was extracted from the placentae of both normal and pre-eclampsia pregnancies during the third trimester. The relative amounts of various collagens were evaluated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

In vivo gene inoculation of a recombinant single-chain antitumor antibody induces anti-immunoglobulin response.

While in vivo gene inoculation is being increasingly exploited to express genes of choice and elicit specific immune responses in animal models, the utility of this method has not been explored extensively for the expression of antibody genes. The primary constraint of this method is the need to deliver to, and express in, a single cell two functional genes, i.e.

Clinical effects of chemoimmunotherapy for patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis.

The present study was undertaken to determine whether chemoimmunotherapy using activated killer cells is better than chemotherapy alone for cancer patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. Thirty-one cancer patients received adoptive immunotherapy by activated killer cells and chemotherapy by anticancer drugs selected by a chemosensitivity test (chemoimmunotherapy group), and another 31 cancer patients received chemotherapy (chemotherapy group). The regimen of chemotherapy was determined by the results of a chemosensitivity test in both groups.

Etoposide enhances the antitumor effects of cisplatin in gastric cancer cells.

We studied the combination effect of cisplatin(CDDP) plus etoposide(VP-16) in an established gastric cancer cell line, KATO-III, and also highly purified fresh human tumor cells obtained from 55 gastric cancer patients, using MTT assay. The synergistic effects of CDDP plus VP-16 were shown by both the fractional product method and median effect plot analysis in KATO-III cells, and by fractional product method in fresh human gastric cancer cells. The combination with CDDP and VP-16 showed the synergistic antitumor effects in not only KATO-III cells, but also fresh human gastric cancer cells.

Modulation of multidrug resistance by cepharanthine in fresh human gastrointestinal tumor cells.

Resistance to doxorubicin (DOX) is mainly due to the effect of P-glycoprotein encoded by the multidrug resistance (MDR) gene. Cepharanthine (CEP) has been shown to circumvent multidrug resistance in P-glycoprotein-expressing cell lines. In the present study, we investigated the augmentation of DOX sensitivity by CEP using an MTT assay, and assessed the correlation between DOX sensitivity and P-glycoprotein expression by flow cytometry, in highly purified fresh human tumor cells obtained from 73 cancer patients.

Enhancement of tumor cell susceptibility to tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes by cisplatin.

Some means of enhancing the susceptibility of tumor cells to tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are required in adoptive immunotherapy. This study was designed to investigate whether or not tumor cell lysis by TIL was enhanced by treatment of the tumor cells with cisplatin, and also to clarify the mechanism of cisplatin's action on tumor cells. Autologous tumor cells and established cancer cell lines, including KATO-III and MKN-28, were used.

Increased serum concentrations of type IV collagen and laminin associated with granulosa cell tumour of the ovary.

A 65 year old woman presented with an ovarian mass. Ultrasonography and computed tomography findings, and an increased serum oestrogen concentration were suggestive of an oestrogen producing ovarian tumour. The tumour was removed surgically and weighed 460 g.

Ethinyl estradiol cholestasis involves alterations in expression of liver sinusoidal transporters.

The mechanisms involved in ethinyl estradiol-induced cholestasis are controversial. Basal bile flow was reduced by ethinyl estradiol administration, with a half time (t1/2) of 12.5 +/- 0.

Tamoxifen circumvents the multidrug resistance in fresh human gastrointestinal cancer cells.

The resistance to doxorubicin (DOX) is mainly due to the effect of P-glycoprotein encoded by the multidrug resistance-1 (mdr1) gene. Tamoxifen (TAM) has been shown to circumvent multidrug resistance in P-glycoprotein-expressing cell lines. In the present study, we clarified the augmentation of DOX sensitivity by TAM using MTT assay in highly purified fresh human tumor cells obtained from 85 cancer patients.

Increase in the relative level of type V collagen during development and ageing of the placenta.

Aim: To obtain some insight into the extracellular matrix in the placenta, changes in the composition of collagens during placental development were investigated.

Methods: Collagen was extracted from placentas (group 1, 25-30 weeks, n = 21; group 2, 31-36 weeks, n = 32; and group 3, 37-41 weeks of gestation, n = 40) and the relative concentrations of various collagens were evaluated by SDS-PAGE.

Results: The ratio of the intensity of the alpha 1 (III) band to that of alpha 1 (I) chain collagen in group 3 placentas were lower than those in group 1 placentas.

Fibronectin promotes the proliferation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes generated from cancer patients.

We studied whether fibronectin (FN) enhances the activity of autologous tumour-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) generated from cancer patients. The proliferation of CTLs stimulated by immobilised anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody and interleukin 2 (IL-2) was enhanced three or four times by immobilised FN. whereas soluble FN did not alter the DNA synthesis of CTLs.

Serum dehydroepiandrosterone and DHEA-sulfate in patients with adult T-cell leukemia and human T-lymphotropic virus type I carriers.

The serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA-sulfate (DHEA-S) were determined by radioimmunoassay in 38 patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). Levels of serum DHEA and DHEA-S were also measured in 60 human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) carriers, and did not differ from those in 60 healthy control subjects. Serum levels in patients with ATL were lower than those in the age- and sex-matched healthy controls and in HTLV-I carriers with statistical significance.

Increased hepatic Na,K-ATPase activity during hepatic regeneration is associated with induction of the beta1-subunit and expression on the bile canalicular domain.

Cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating the activity of the sodium pump or Na,K-ATPase during proliferation of hepatocytes following 70% liver resection have not been defined. Na,K-ATPase may be regulated by synthesis of its alpha- and beta-subunits, by sorting to either the sinusoidal or apical plasma membrane domains, or by increasing membrane lipid fluidity. This study investigated the time course of changes during hepatic regeneration for Na, K-ATPase activity, lipid composition and fluidity, and protein content of liver plasma membrane subfractions.

Synergistic effects of tamoxifen and cepharanthine for circumventing the multidrug resistance.

We examined the synergistic effects of tamoxifen (TAM) and cepharanthine (CEP) for doxorubicin (DOX) sensitivity using MTT assay. The augmentation of DOX sensitivity by TAM and CEP was significantly correlated with the P-glycoprotein expression. The cytotoxic effect of DOX with TAM and CEP was significantly higher than that of DOX alone, or DOX with TAM, and this synergistic effect was dominant in cell lines with high expression of P-glycoprotein.

Clonal and functional analysis for the augmentation of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes by interleukin 4.

In the adoptive immunotherapy for cancer, the amounts of induced effector cells play a major role in improving therapeutic efficacy. We have already demonstrated that interleukin 4 (IL-4) augments proliferation of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) without altering the cytotoxic activity against autologous tumour cells. The present study is designed to investigate how IL-4 augments TILs by using established TIL clones in terms of IL-2/IL-2 receptor system.

Alterations in distribution and composition of the extracellular matrix during decidualization of the human endometrium.

The distribution of the extracellular matrix, including type I, III, IV and VI collagens and laminin, and of prolyl hydroxylase was investigated in the human endometrium by an indirect immunofluorescence method with specific monoclonal antibodies. Collagens were also extracted from the endometrial tissues in the proliferative and secretory phases and from the decidual tissues in the first trimester of pregnancy. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that interstitial collagens, such as type I, III, and VI collagens, were localized diffusely in the stroma of the endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle, as well as in the decidua.