Structural analysis of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptides bound to phospholipid membranes by magic angle spinning solid-state NMR.

PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide) is a member of the VIP/secretin/glucagon family, which includes the ligands of class II G-protein coupled receptors. Since the recognition of PACAP by the receptor may involve the binding of PACAP to membranes, its membrane-bound structure should be important. We have carried out structural analysis of uniformly 13C,15N labeled PACAP27 and its C-terminal truncated form PACAP(1-21)NH2 (PACAP21) bound to membranes with high resolution solid-state NMR.

Bile-induced DNA strand breaks and biochemical analysis of bile acids in an experimental model of anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts.

A canine experimental model for the anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts (APBD) was made to investigate the effects of bile acids on carcinogenesis. Seven adult mongrel dogs underwent dorsal pancreatico-cholecystostomy to serve as a functional model for APBD, and six dogs underwent the same procedure with the pancreatic duct ligated as a control group. Bile from the gallbladder was taken 14 months after surgery for bile acid analysis by HPLC.

Analysis of c-Ki-ras oncogene and p53 immunocytochemistry in the gallbladder mucosa of an experimental dog model of anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts.

Anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts is a congenital condition which predisposes the affected person to biliary tract carcinoma. We developed an experimental dog model of anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts to investigate the mechanism of carcinogenesis in this condition. We used this model to analyze point mutations in the c-Ki-ras gene, and to assess the expression of mutant p53 protein in the gallbladder mucosa.

The successful application of jejunal interposition for severe dumping syndrome: report of a case.

We report herein the case of a 76-year-old man with intractable dumping syndrome which had manifested itself 3 years after he underwent a gastric resection and Billroth I reconstruction for a gastric ulcer. Despite aggressive medical therapy by the time of admission, he had suffered from disabling dumping symptoms for 9 years. In an attempt to relieve these symptoms, a 15-cm segment of the jejunum was placed isoperistaltically between the lesser curvature of the remnant stomach and the duodenum, and a selective vagotomy was performed.

A new method for determining cellular ATP content in hepatocytes.

We have developed a new ATP assay for hepatocytes which is simple, rapid and highly sensitive. ATP determination using luciferin-luciferase was performed on hepatocytes separated by perfusion of the liver with collagenase. There was a close correlation between the ATP content of hepatocytes and viable cell numbers.

Purification and characterization of the 26S proteasome complex catalyzing ATP-dependent breakdown of ubiquitin-ligated proteins from rat liver.

An ATP/ubiquitin-dependent proteasome complex with an apparent sedimentation coefficient of 26S was purified from rat liver to near homogeneity by an improved method based on procedures reported previously. Two electrophoretically distinct forms of the 26S complex, named 26S alpha and 26S beta, with very similar subunit compositions were found not only in purified preparations but also in crude extracts, indicating that the 26S proteasome is present as two isoforms. The 26S proteasome was shown to degrade multi-ubiquitinated, but not unmodified, lysozymes in an ATP-dependent fashion, to have ATPase activity supplying energy for proteolysis, and to contain isopeptidase activity to generate free ubiquitin Mg2+/ATP-dependently.

A case of urethral prolapse in a young girl.

Urethral prolapse is rarely reported in the pediatric literature. We report a 4 year old female with urethral prolapse and discuss the etiology and the treatments in children documented in the literature.

A newborn case of extrarenal malignant rhabdoid tumor.

Malignant rhabdoid tumor is initially differentiated from renal tumors and characterized by extremely rapid growth. We report a newborn case of extrarenal malignant rhabdoid tumor and review the literature.

Increased aspartate and glutamate levels in both gastric and colon cancer tissues.

The concentrations of free amino acid and protein-bound amino acid in gastric and colon cancers and also in normal tissues were measured and compared in order to investigate the differences in amino acid metabolism between these cancers. The examined materials were 20 specimens of gastric cancer, with 20 specimens of normal gastric full-thickness layers and 11 specimens of normal gastric mucosal layers, as well as 16 specimens of colon cancer, with 12 specimens of normal full-thickness layers and 16 specimens of normal colon mucosal layers. The amino acid pattern in gastric cancer was more similar to that in the gastric full-thickness layer than the gastric mucosal layer.

A case of biliary stricture caused by cavernous transformation of the portal vein.

A case is reported of extrahepatic obstruction of the portal vein with the unusual complication of obstructive jaundice that resulted from compression of the common bile duct caused by cavernous transformation of the varicose network. It is surgically impossible to repair choledochal stenosis resulting from enlarged varices in the vicinity of the common bile duct. In this case, internal drainage from the biliary duct to the duodenum using a silastic tube and a reservoir implanted in the subcutaneous space successfully eliminated the jaundice.

Bile duct atresia following extended right hepatectomy because of a tumor.

A 19 month old male infant with a mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver underwent an extended right hepatectomy. Serum bilirubin gradually rose until 3 months after the surgery, and obstructive jaundice and acholic stools were manifested at 6 months. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangio-drainage was performed.

Mutagenicity of the bile of dogs with an experimental model of an anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary duct.

To learn the reasons for the high incidence of biliary carcinoma in patients with anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary duct (APBD) mutagenicity of the bile of APBD-modeled dogs that had received a dorsal pancreatico-cholecystostomy was assayed by the Ames Salmonella mutation test. The bile from two out of 18 APBD dogs was mutagenic for Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 under the condition of metabolic activation by rat liver S9 fraction, while the bile from 17 normal dogs was not mutagenic. Furthermore, the bile from five APBD dogs i.

Case report of an anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts and nuclear DNA ploidy analysis.

Two cases with an anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts (APBD) are reported in order to investigate the mechanism of carcinogenesis of the extrahepatic biliary tract from the aspect of DNA ploidy analysis. Highly elevated biliary enzymes were found in both cases. Although inflammatory changes without any metaplasia or neoplasia were observed histologically, a cytofluorometric nuclear DNA ploidy analysis showed an aneuploid low ploidy pattern in a histogram of the gall bladder, an aneuploid high ploidy pattern in a histogram of the common bile duct in one patient, and a diploidy pattern in the gall bladder, an aneuploid low pattern in the common bile duct in another case.

[Cooperative Study of Surgical Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer (fourth report): five-year results after surgery].

In collaboration with 428 institutions nation-wide, comparative studies on the optimal daily dosage of UFT were carried out for non-curative resection cases of colorectal cancer for two years from January 1984 to December 1985. The administration method employed was as follows. Group C received 12 mg/m2 of MMC on the day of operation, followed by 6 mg/m2 every 2 months 6 times, and from the 2nd week after the operation 600 mg/body of UFT was continuously administered every day for 1 year.

[Cooperative Study of Surgical Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer (third report): five-year results after surgery].

Beginning in January 1984, in collaboration with 357 institutions nationwide, comparative studies on curative resection cases of colorectal cancer and a control group were conducted for 2 years. The following method of administration was employed; Group A received 12 mg/m2 of MMC on the day of operation, followed by 6 mg/m2 every 2 months 6 times. From the 2nd week after the operation, 800 mg/body/day of Futraful was administered for one year.

A case of femoral hernia in a child.

A 9-year-old boy with a painless reducible swelling in the right groin was admitted to our hospital. The diagnosis of a right external inguinal hernia was made, but no inguinal hernial sac was found at operation. On further examination, the diagnosis of femoral hernia was confirmed.

Unusual cases of benign stricture of the biliary tract.

Three patients, i.e., two adults and one child, with unusual benign stricture of the extrahepatic biliary duct are reported.

Intra-operative total enteroscopy for the management of Peutz-Jegher's syndrome.

We present a case of Peutz-Jegher's syndrome in an 18 year old female who was followed for gastrointestinal polyps for 13 years from the age of 5 years. The patient was treated four times with surgical or endoscopic polypectomy for gastrointestinal polyps. At the age of 14 years, a combined surgical and endoscopic approach for the management of Peutz-Jegher's syndrome was carried out.

Immature gastric teratoma in an infant.

A 45 day old boy presented with progressive abdominal distension, tarry stools and anemia. A plain roentgenogram of the abdomen showed irregular, coarse calcifications in the left upper quadrant. The ultrasonography and computerized tomography of the abdomen revealed a large heterogeneous tumor with calcified parts in the left hemiabdomen.

Papillary and cystic tumor of the pancreas possibly concealed within a pseudocyst.

A 17 year old girl, with a papillary and cystic tumor of the pancreas, probably concealed within a previous post-traumatic pseudocyst of the pancreas is described. At 10 years of age, she had received a drainage procedure for a pancreatic pseudocyst, following a blunt abdominal trauma. The histological examination of the cyst wall did not show an epithelial lining.

Comparison of cytofluorometric nuclear DNA ploidy analysis on fresh and paraffin embedded specimen.

The cytofluorometric nuclear DNA ploidy analysis was performed in gallbladder (GB) epithelium of eight patients of chronic cholecystitis to make a comparison between fresh and paraffin embedded tissue analysis, to make an ideal single cellular suspension, to evaluate the ploidy pattern affected by inflammation and to assess the histological correlations. Six (75%) fresh specimens and eight (100%) paraffin embedded specimens showed diploidy pattern of histogram. Two (25%) fresh specimens showed low ploidy pattern of histogram.

Glutamine antagonist with diet deficient in glutamine and aspartate reduce tumor growth.

This study was designed to investigate whether a combination of a glutamine antagonist (DON) and a diet deficient in glutamate and aspartate (AG) altered glutamine metabolism in tumor tissue, and inhibited tumor growth. In experiment-1, 21 male Donryu rats were fed with AG and implanted with Yoshida's Sarcoma. Of them, 7 rats were sacrificed on the 5th day (group AG), other 7 were sacrificed next day (group AG-1) and the remaining 7 were injected with DON on the 5th day and sacrificed next day (group AG+D).

Experimental studies on carcinogenesis in anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts.

An experimental model of anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary ducts (APBD) was produced by pancreaticocholecystostomy performed in 29 mongrel dogs. Our purpose was to study carcinogenesis of the extrahepatic biliary tract by DNA ploidy analysis with cytofluorometry. The amylase level in the bile was elevated in all 25 dogs tested except the controls.

Case report of hepatocellular carcinoma and cytofluorometric nuclear DNA ploidy.

Cytofluorometric nuclear DNA ploidy analysis was performed in two cases of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was done to get the information about clinical behavior of tissues and to assess the prognosis. In both cases, almost all the liver function tests were abnormal, the tumors were thickly encapsulated, and the size of the tumors were below 5 cm in diameter.

Does the type of anomalous arrangement of pancreaticobiliary ducts influence the surgery and prognosis of choledochal cyst?

A new classification of the anomalous arrangement of pancreaticobiliary ducts (APBD) has been proposed following amendments and modificiations of the previous one. Fifty-one cases of choledochal cyst complicated with APBD were extensively examined and analyzed for clear visualization of the APBD system to make a standard classification. APBD were classified broadly into three types: type I, type II, and type III with their subtypes.