[Adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma with hyperprolactinemia: successful treatment by OK432 and PSK].

A 48-year-old woman was admitted in September 1987, because of lumbago and galactorrhea. Peripheral blood analysis showed neutrophilia and eosinophilia without abnormal lymphocytes. The antibody to adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) virus-associated antigen was detected and a hyperprolactinemia was observed.

Integrated optic matrix-vector multiplier using multifrequency acoustooptic Bragg diffraction.

An integrated optic numerical processor performing matrix-vector multiplication in an analog representation is proposed. Parallel processing of a number of numerical products is made in the same area of a substrate by means of multiple Bragg diffraction of multiwavelength optical signals due to multifrequency surface acoustic waves. The wavelength interval of multiplexed optical signals can be 0.

Long-term effects of calcium antagonists and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with chronic renal failure of IgA nephropathy.

Long-term effects of Ca antagonist and ACE inhibitor on renal function in hypertensive patients with chronic renal failure of IgA nephropathy were studied. Both Ca antagonists and ACE inhibitors were equally effective in reducing blood pressure.

Modulation of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III, IV and V activities and alteration of the surface oligosaccharide structure of a myeloma cell line by interleukin 6.

The activity of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GnT) III, IV and V on a myeloma cell line, OPM-1, was examined after incubation with interleukin 6 (IL-6). While augmenting cell proliferation, IL-6 resulted in a decrease of GnT III activity and an increase of GnT IV and V activities. Consistent with this, OPM-1 cultured with IL-6 showed an increased affinity to Datura stramonium lectin, which recognizes asialo-tri- and asialo-tetraantenary N-linked oligosaccharides.

Alteration of membrane oligosaccharides by castanospermine, an alpha glucosidase inhibitor, enhances immunoglobulin production in Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I-stimulated lymphocyte culture.

Castanospermine (CSP) inhibits alpha-glucosidase, which is involved in the initial step of N-linked oligosaccharide processing of secretory and membrane glycoproteins. In Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC)-stimulated human lymphocyte culture, CSP at a dose of 20 micrograms/ml caused a twofold increase in immunoglobulin G (IgG) release after 7 days. An initial 48-h exposure to CSP sufficed for this enhancing effect.

Thrombin stimulates the production of immunoreactive endothelin-1 in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

The present study was designed to examine the effect of thrombin on endothelin production by cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) by radioimmunoassay. Cultured HUVEC released immunoreactive endothelin-1 (ir-endothelin-1) into the medium in a time-dependent manner. This release was inhibited completely by 10 micrograms/mL cycloheximide and is, therefore, directly related to de novo protein synthesis.

Carbohydrate analysis of immunoglobulin G myeloma proteins by lectin and high performance liquid chromatography: role of glycosyltransferases in the structures.

The carbohydrate structures and the enzymatic basis for glycosylation of IgG by bone marrow plasma cells were determined in 7 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and 22 patients with IgG MM. Lectin-binding analysis showed that in all cases of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and normal controls the IgG heavy chains bound to Ricinus communis agglutinin more strongly than to concanavalin A. In contrast, the IgG in 11 of the 17 advanced cases of MM (stages II and III) studied reacted to concanavalin A more strongly.

Amylase-producing plasmacytoma cell lines, AD3 and FR4, with der(14)t(8;14) and dic(8)t(1;8) established from ascites.

We established two human plasma cell lines, FR4 and AD3, from ascitic fluid in a patient with IgA k plasmacytoma (PC). Aberrant amylase production was found in this patient. Both AD3 and FR4 were free of Epstein-Barr virus, and both produced Ig A k in vitro.

Aberrant expression of immunoglobulin light chain isotype in B lymphocytes from patients with monoclonal gammopathies: isotypic discordance and clonal B-cell excess.

A study was made of 29 patients with monoclonal gammopathies to detect aberrations in immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain isotype expression in lymphocytes at various levels of B-cell differentiation, namely, circulating surface Ig positive (SIg+) cells, Ig-secreting cells (plaque forming cells, PFC) and mitogen-induced PFC. By using kappa-lambda analysis, two major phenotypes of aberrant Ig light chain isotype expression were found in circulating B cells at these three levels of differentiation: an absolute increase in B cells bearing the same Ig light chain isotype as that of monoclonal protein (clonal B-cell excess), and a relative decrease in those B cells (isotypic discordance). Isotypic discordance (ID) was found to be essentially negative in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) provided that they were in a stable condition.

[Actual conditions of bacterial infection associated with hematopoietic disorders--changes in 10 years. The Hanshin Study Group of Hematopoietic Disorders and Infections].

This study showed several accumulated data through ten years from our experience in hematopoietic disorders and associated infections, which has been analyzed by the Hanshin Study Group of Hematopoietic Disorders and Infections. Since 1979 to 1988, our group had evaluated the sorts of causative organisms and the efficacy of various antibiotics therapy in 2119 cases of infectious diseases associated with hematopoietic disorders. On behalf of evaluating the changes of disease profile for ten years, we divided the accumulated data into three phases; former phase the first three years, middle phase the second three years and late phase the last four years.

Chronic antihypertensive drug treatment decreases protein kinase C activity in platelets from SHR.

There is evidence that protein kinase C activity in platelets from adult SHR is significantly higher than this activity in age-matched WKY. In the present study, protein kinase C activity in the SHR was measured following antihypertensive drug treatment. Chronic administration of enalapril to SHR for 2 weeks decreased both systolic blood pressure and protein kinase C activity to the levels seen in the WKY.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme in the rat kidney. Activity, distribution, and response to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

While it is known that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in the kidney is concentrated at the brush borders of the proximal tubule, the role of tubular ACE in renal physiology is not well understood. The active site of tubular ACE is exposed on the luminal surface of the brush borders and may hydrolyze peptides in the glomerular filtrate. However, a positive correlation between blood pressure and renal ACE activity was observed in spontaneously hypertensive rats, as well as in cases of ACE inhibition.

Corticosteroid- and furosemide-induced increase in proteinuria in nephrosis.

A corticosteroid- and furosemide-induced excessive increase in proteinuria developed in a 34-year-old nephrotic patient with focal glomerulosclerosis. The concentration of urinary protein increased almost in parallel with that of urinary glucose. This finding indicates that corticosteroids and/or furosemide can promote the disturbance of the tubular reabsorption mechanism together with increases in glomerular permeability and glomerular filtration rate.

Analysis of surface antigen expression of human immunoglobulin-secreting cells: phenotypic heterogeneity in normal counterparts of myeloma cells.

Human myeloma cells are malignant counterparts of plasma cells which represent the most differentiated B cells. Myeloma cells are, however, heterogeneous in their surface antigen expression (Katagiri et al, 1984, 1985), which may reflect that normal plasma cells have a spectrum of differentiation. To test this hypothesis, immunoglobulin-secreting cells (ISC) of non-neoplastic nature were studied with regard to their surface antigen expression by using a combination of reverse haemolytic plaque assay and complement-dependent cytolysis.

Possible involvement of interferon alfa in the pathogenesis of fever in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Serum concentrations of interferon alfa, interleukin 1, and tumour necrosis factor alpha were measured in 25 untreated patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A close correlation was found between serum concentrations of interferon alfa and the degree of fever, while no significant correlations were found between fever and interleukin 1 or tumour necrosis factor alpha. These results suggest the possible involvement of interferon alfa in the pathogenesis of fever in SLE.

The clinical significance of iC3b neoantigen expression in plasma from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We studied the expression of an iC3b neoantigen (iC3b-NEO) in plasma from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), by using a monoclonal antibody specific for iC3b/C3dg/C3d, to investigate the activation of the third component of complement in SLE. The plasma iC3b-NEO level in 40 untreated patients with active SLE was significantly higher than that in 36 normal subjects (mean +/- SD 31.5 +/- 13.

The complement system in the acute phase of myocardial infarction.

Although some studies suggest that complement activation is involved in the development of acute myocardial infarction, there has been little convincing evidence of a change in the complement system in patients suffering from myocardial infarction. In this study circulating levels of C3a, C3, C4 and the total hemolytic complement titer (CH50) were serially measured in 12 patients with acute myocardial infarction up to 10 days after an attack. The plasma C3a level was greatly elevated throughout the post-attack observation period.

Regulation of human tyrosine hydroxylase activity. Effects of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and polyanion.

To determine the regulatory mechanism for human tyrosine hydroxylase, we examined modulations of the activity of the enzyme from human pheochromocytoma by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and polyanion. The most remarkable activation was observed when the enzyme was assayed at physiological pH (pH 7) after being subjected to phosphorylation by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and polyanion also modulated the enzyme activity.

Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy. Review of 44 patients with emphasis on prognostic behavior.

In order to investigate the relationship between histologic findings and clinical behavior in angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy (AILD), 44 patients with AILD were reviewed. These patients comprised 24 men and 20 women with age range from 25 to 84 years of age (median, 64 years). Lymphadenopathy was observed in all patients, systemic in 37, and localized in seven.

[CALLA-positive leukemic multiple myeloma of IgA-kappa type].

A 73-year-old man was admitted into the hospital because of lumbago in October, 1986. Laboratory examination on admission showed anemia, an IgA-kappa Bence Jones proteinemia. The bone marrow picture disclosed a marked involvement by the neoplastic cells, followed by leukemic conversion 2 weeks later.

Clinical significance of antibodies to histones in systemic lupus erythematosus.

IgG antibodies to whole histones and to individual histones H1, H2A+H4, H2B and H3 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in serum samples from 46 untreated patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who had undergone renal biopsy. Patients with the WHO Class IV lupus nephritis had significantly higher levels of antibodies to histones (except H1) than those with milder forms of nephritis. Among antibodies to individual histones, the levels of antibodies to H2B histones best correlated with the renal histologic and the clinical activity of disease (rs = 0.

Plasminogen activation in plasma of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We measured alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor-plasmin complexes (PI-PC) in plasma of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to examine the plasminogen activation in SLE. The plasma PI-PC level in 23 patients with SLE was significantly higher than that in 18 normal subjects (P less than 0.001) and the SLE patients with nephrotic syndrome had higher plasma PI-PC levels than those without nephrotic syndrome (P less than 0.

New approach to eliminate HLA class I antigens from platelet surface without cell damage: acid treatment at pH 3.0.

A new method was studied for eliminating HLA class I antigens from the surface of platelets without damaging the cells. Platelets were exposed to an acid solution (pH 3.0) to eliminate the antigenicity of HLA class I antigens.