[The role of fibronectin in repairing fetal membrane].

The fibrin adhesion technique is being recognized as a way to prevent amniotic fluid leakage in the case of preterm premature rupture of the fetal membrane (PROM). However, the effect of fibrin adhesion is still not clear. The aim of this study is to investigate the implications of fibronectin in repairing the fetal membrane.

Clinical significance of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) in invasive cervical cancer of the uterus.

The relationship between the level of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and pelvic lymph node metastasis was investigated in 20 patients with invasive cervical cancer of the uterus. Frozen sections from all surgical specimens were stained immunohistochemically by alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase method to detect uPA in cancer tissue. The concentration of uPA, determined immunologically, and the fibrinolytic activity were also examined in supernatants of homogenates of some cancer tissues.

[Immunohistochemical study on the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) in invasive cervical cancer of the uterus].

We have investigated the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) in invasive cervical cancer tissue of the uterus to determine whether there is a relationship between the expression of EGF-R and lymph node metastasis. Frozen sections of surgical specimens from twenty patients with invasive cervical cancer were immunohistochemically stained by the alkalinephosphatase anti-alkalinephosphatase method. The monoclonal antibody 528 we employed reacts with the receptor binding epitope within the EGF molecule, indicating that monoclonal antibody 528 is competitive with ligands such as EGF.

Elastase activity of endocervical mucus in normal pregnancy.

Elastase activity of 294 samples of endocervical mucus taken from 125 normal pregnant women during the visits to antenatal clinic were measured. Activity of the enzyme increased gradually with the advance of gestational age. Steep rising of the enzyme was seen between 34-35 weeks of gestation and the peak was achieved at 37 week since then the enzyme activity sustained at relatively high level until deliveries.

Determining zinc coproporphyrin in maternal plasma--a new method for diagnosing amniotic fluid embolism.

We measured the concentration of zinc coproporphyrin I (ZnCP-I), a characteristic component of meconium, in maternal plasma by fluorometry after HPLC. We obtained plasma samples from 89 women: 35 at weeks 10-40 of normal pregnancy, 41 shortly after normal delivery, 4 from patients with amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), and 9 from non-AFE patients with intra- or postpartum shock caused by genital bleeding. The plasma ZnCP-I concentration was 97 (SD 83, range 38-240) nmol/L in the AFE patients, 11 (SD 9.

[The effect of granulocyte elastase inhibitor (urinastatin) vaginal suppository on patients with imminent premature delivery].

Cervical maturation, dilatation and uterine contraction in imminent premature delivery are closely related to chemical mediators from activated granulocytes which infiltrate into the cervix. It is known that urinastatin (urinary trypsin inhibitor, UTI) inhibits many kinds of chemical mediators from granulocytes and macrophages such as granulocyte elastase (elastase) and interleukin 1. We examined the effect of a UTI suppository on uterine contraction and the elastase level in cervical mucus in cases of imminent premature delivery.

Plasma fibronectin receptor levels during pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia and abruptio placentae.

The level of human fibronectin receptor (FNR) in plasma was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in samples from normal pregnant women in the 1st trimester (n = 5), 2nd trimester (n = 7), 3rd trimester (n = 23), normal postpartum women day 1 (n = 4), day 2 (n = 5), day 3 (n = 8), nonpregnant women (n = 18), 20 preeclamptic patients in the 3rd trimester, and 8 patients with abruptio placentae in the 3rd trimester. In normal pregnancy, the mean value of FNR was 1.4 +/- 0.

Relationship of serum levels of pro-type I collagen peptide, pro-type III collagen peptide and type IV 7S collagen with cervical maturation.

The serum levels of pro-type I collagen peptide (PIP), pro-type III collagen peptide (PIIIP) and type IV 7S collagen (7S collagen) were measured in 41 women in various gestational weeks of pregnancy (5-41 weeks). The PIP level did not change during pregnancy, being 450 +/- 380 mg/ml before week 37 and 448 +/- 280 mg/ml after week 37. The PIIIP level also did not change being 0.

Isolation and characterization of zinc coproporphyrin I: a major fluorescent component in meconium.

We isolated a substance from an organic extract of meconium (in neutral pH) that exhibited a porphyrin-like fluorescence peak at 580 nm on excitation at 405 nm and deduced its structure. Spectrometric data suggest that the substance is not free coproporphyrin I or free coproporphyrin III, but is a chelate of coproporphyrin I with Zn2+. We also detected a chelate of coproporphyrin III with Zn2+ by HPLC.

[The role of D-dimer in diagnosis of ovarian cancer].

One of fibrin degradation products, D-dimer was measured in ovarian cancer (N = 28), benign ovarian tumors (N = 26), benign uterine tumors (N = 15) and normal controls (N = 66). The D-dimer value for ovarian cancers was 721 +/- 423 ng/ml, benign ovarian tumors; 299 +/- 248, benign uterine tumors; 248 +/- 141, and normal controls; 237 +/- 212, respectively. There was a significant difference between the ovarian cancer group and the other groups (p less than 0.

[The relation between granulocyte elastase activity in cervical mucus and gestational cervical polyp].

Granulocyte elastase activity in cervical mucus (elastase activity) was measured in pregnant women (10-20 gestational weeks) with cervical polyp and controls (gravida with no cervical polyp). Elastase activity in the cervical polyp group was 86 +/- 44 U/l, and that in the control group was 22 +/- 13 (p less than 0.01).

The relationship between granulocyte elastase-like activity of cervical mucus and cervical maturation.

Granulocyte elastase (elastase)-like activity in 119 samples of cervical mucus from pregnant women was measured. Though elastase-like activity in normal pregnant women was low in 2nd and 3rd trimesters (less than 20 units), it increased during labor (1st stage of labor: 70 +/- 50 U/l; 2nd stage: 72 +/- 56). Elastase-like activity in pregnant women with imminent premature delivery (24-30 gestational weeks) was also high (78 +/- 57).

Human tumor cell urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA): degradation of the proenzyme form (pro-uPA) by granulocyte elastase prevents subsequent activation by plasmin.

When human granulocytes were stimulated with the chemotactic peptide FNLPNTL (N-formyl-norleucyl-leucyl-phenylalanyl-norleucyl-tyrosinyl- lysin; in the presence of cytochalasin B), proteolytic enzymes were released which prevented activation of tumor-cell derived pro-uPA by plasmin. Elastase was identified by use of eglin C (elastase inhibitor) and an inhibitory monoclonal antibody to elastase as the functional proteolytic enzyme in these granulocyte supernatants. Purified human granulocyte elastase cleaves pro-uPA at amino acid position lle159-lle160 thus generating an enzymatically inactive two-chain form of uPA, as judged by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis.

Inactivation of human tumor cell pro-urokinase by granulocyte elastase.

Supernatant obtained from granulocytes stimulated in the presence of cytochalasin B by the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-norleucyl-leucyl-phenylalanyl-norleucyl-tyrosyl- lysine displayed an inhibitory effect on the plasmin-dependent conversion of tumor urokinase-type plasminogen activator proenzyme (pro-uPA) to the active form of uPA. Moreover, the supernatant was also found to inhibit the fibrinolytic activity of human vulva (A431) and breast (MCF7) carcinoma cell lines, which contain large amounts of pro-uPA, by 87% and 96%, respectively. By using eglin C (elastase inhibitor) and a monoclonal antibody to elastase (proteolytic activity blocker of the enzyme), elastase was identified as the key enzyme of the supernatant in these phenomena.

[Study on the specific diagnosis of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) with fluorometry].

Porphyrins are found in fetal urine, neonatal urine, amniotic fluid, and meconium. Zn-coproporphyrin (Zn-CP), which we identified in meconium, has two fluorescent peaks at 580 nm and 630 nm, and Coproporphyrin (CP), found in fetal urine, has one fluorescent peak at 620 nm, when both porphyrins are excited at 405 nm. In this study, the fluorescent peak at 580 nm was used to detect Zn-CP in neonatal urine, using the new index, that is the Urinary Fluorescence Meconium Index (UFMI); UFMI = F580-(F580 + F600)/2 [F: fluorescence intensity].

Elastase released from human granulocytes stimulated with N-formyl-chemotactic peptide prevents activation of tumor cell prourokinase (pro-uPA).

Proteolytic enzymes released from granulocytes upon stimulation with the chemotactic N-formyl peptide FNLPNTL (in the presence of cytochalasin B) prevented activation of tumor cell single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (pro-uPA) by plasmin. Elastase was identified by the use of eglin C (elastase inhibitor) and a monoclonal antibody to elastase as the functional proteolytic enzyme in granulocyte supernatants. Action of purified granulocyte elastase on pro-uPA generated enzymatically inactive two-chain uPA linked by disulfide bridges which was indistinguishable by SDS-PAGE from plasmin-generated HMW-uPA.

Mechanical stretching increases prostaglandin E2 in cultured human amnion cells.

Mechanical stretching increases synthesis and release of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in cultured amnion cells. The maximum level of PGE2 in stretched amnion cells is three times higher than that in nonstretched amnion cells. The maximum level of PGE2 in stretched cell medium is nine times higher than the maximal level of PGE2 in nonstretched cell medium.

[The mechanism of the increase in the serum CA125 concentration in patients with endometriosis].

We discussed the mechanism of the increase in CA125 among patients with benign gynecologic diseases, especially with endometriosis. The tissue CA125 concentrations of surface endometrium in patients with adenomyosis were as follows; the highest tissue concentration was observed at the early proliferative phase followed by the late secretory one and was lowest in the late proliferative one. The tissue CA125 concentration showed the significantly different characteristics in surface and ectopic endometrium.

[Usefulness of measurement of serum CA125 levels in diagnosing and treating endometriosis].

We investigated the usefulness of the measurement of serum CA125 levels for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of endometriosis. An additional study concentrated on the production of CA125. 1.