Modified distribution of lymphocyte subpopulation in blood and spleen from mice exposed to cadmium.

The effect of cadmium (Cd) on the lymphocyte subpopulation in peripheral blood and spleen was studied in ICR mice given a daily subcutaneous injection of 0.5 and 1.0 mg Cd/kg body weight for 5 days or mice fed with the drinking water containing 3, 30 and 300 ppm Cd for 10 weeks.

Induction of 6-thioguanine-resistant mutants and single-strand scission of DNA by cadmium chloride in cultured Chinese hamster cells.

Inducibility of 6-thioguanine-resistant (6TGr) mutants and single-strand scission of DNA by cadmium chloride (CdCl2) was investigated in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells. Frequency of 6TGr mutants increased concentration dependently by 24-h treatment with CdCl2 up to 3 X 10(-6) M but decreased beyond 3 X 10(-6) M. Mutagenic potency of cadmium in the absence of S9 was about half that of benzo[a]pyrene in the presence of S9 at equitoxic concentrations.

Cadmium-induced DNA single-strand scissions and their repair in cultured Chinese hamster cells.

DNA lesions induced by cadmium chloride (CdCl2) were characterized using the technique of alkaline or neutral elution for cell-DNA in cultured V79 cells. A marked increase in elution of the DNA was observed on elution of the proteinase-K-digested cell lysates with alkaline eluting solution (pH 12.2) after treatment with 5 X 10(-5) M CdCl2 for 2 h.

A mechanism for the stimulation by inorganic mercury of [3H] thymidine incorporation into DNA in cultured Molt-4F cells.

Mercuric chloride at a narrow range of concentration (2 to 2.5 X 10(-5)M) facilitated [3H]thymidine incorporation into acid-insoluble material (DNA fraction) of cultured human T lymphoid cells, Molt-4F, after 72-hr culture with the metal. This effect by mercury was observed in spite of the decrease in growth rate and DNA contents of the cells.

The pathology of the involved tendons in patients with familial arthropathy and congenital camptodactyly.

In 2 sisters with congenital camptodactyly and joint effusions, abnormalities in tendons were restricted to the portion within synovial sheaths. This implied a disease of the tenosynovium, rather than one of the tendon itself. In areas of chronic involvement, some tendons were replaced by fibrous tissue.

Diagnostic significance of early diastolic time intervals in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and myocardial hypertrophy due to essential hypertension.

In order to differentiate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) from myocardial hypertrophy due to essential hypertension (HT), echocardiogram, apexcardiogram and phonocardiogram were simultaneously recorded in patients with HCM (n = 22), HT (n = 34) and normal subjects (N) (n = 22). The following early diastolic time intervals were measured: 1) IIA-O time, 2) IIA-MVO time (IRT) and 3) MVO-O time. The IIA-O time was 119 +/- 9 msec in N, 159 +/- 31 in HT (p less than 0.

Mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium mutants of serum extracts from airborne particulates.

Airborne particulates collected from urban and non-urban air were extracted with calf serum or benzene, and their mutagenic potencies were evaluated in the Salmonella reversion assay. The serum extracts were mutagenic to strains TA98 and TA100 and contained both direct- and indirect-acting mutagens. Mutagenic activities for TA98 recovered from the particulates by serum or benzene extraction were much less in the serum extracts than in the benzene extracts.

Suppression of the proliferative response of human lymphocytes to cultured allogeneic HeLa cells by zinc.

Zinc added to the culture medium caused a dose-related suppression of the proliferative response of human lymphocytes to cultured allogeneic HeLa cells without any significant decrease in cell viability. In contrast to the response to HeLa cells, this metal ion moderately enhanced T lymphocyte response to mitogens such as phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (ConA) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). These findings seem to indicate that zinc may be a crucial factor for the modulation of the T lymphocyte function.

Immunomodulatory effect of procainamide in man. Inhibition of human suppressor T-cell activity in vitro.

Procainamide (PA) induces the production of a number of autoantibodies in a high proportion of treated individuals and in some a syndrome closely resembling systemic lupus erythematosus. The mechanism underlying this action of PA is unclear. To examine the possibility that PA might induce autoantibody formation by altering normal immunoregulatory mechanisms, the action of this drug on an in vitro model of antibody formation in man was examined.

Effect of splenectomy on establishment of hematopoietic chimerism in nonirradiated mice.

When spleen cells (1.5 x 10(8)) from beige C57BL/6 (bgJ/bgJ, Chediak-Higashi syndrome) mice were injected into nonirradiated (C57BL/6 x CBA)F1 hybrid mice, the hematopoietic stem cells of the hybrid host were eradicated by graft-versus-host (GVH) reaction, and peripheral neutrophils of the host changed from normal type to beige type with giant sudanophilic granules in 20 days after the cell injection. Effect of splenectomy on the establishment of such hematopoietic chimerism was investigated.

Effect of mercuric chloride on the proliferative response of human lymphocytes to cultured HeLa cells or a lectin.

Proliferative responses of human lymphocytes to cultured allogeneic HeLa cells and to PHA were employed as in vitro cellular immune systems to investigate effects of mercuric chloride on the both proliferative responses. When stimulator HeLa cells were pretreated with mercury, proliferative response of lymphocytes to HeLa cells in the mixed cell culture was suppressed dose-dependently. The response of lymphocytes treated with mercury to HeLa cells was suppressed markedly, even at 15-min exposure to 1 X 10(-5) M HgCl2.

Survival of host mast cells after establishment of hematopoietic chimerism by graft-versus-host reaction in nonirradiated F1 hybrid mice.

Since the tissue mast cell has been shown to be progeny of the multipotential hematopoietic stem cell (CFU-S), and the CFU-S is a sensitive target of graft-versus-host (GVH) reaction, we examined whether or not the mast cell is also the target of GVH reaction. Giant granules of C57BL/6-bgJ/bgJ mice were used as a marker of donor cells. When 10(8) spleen cells of C57BL/6-bgJ/bgJ mice were injected into nonirradiated (C57BL/6 X CBA)F1 hybrid mice, erythrocytes and neutrophils became of donor type in about one-half of the recipient mice.

Is captopril effective in primary pulmonary hypertension?

Several vasodilating agents have been used for the treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). However, no effective therapy is currently available for this distressful disease. We tried to use an angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril, for one woman suffering from PPH.

Japanese summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis: studies using Cryptococcus antigen.

Sixty-six patients, diagnosed as Japanese summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis at Osaka Prefectural Habikino hospital between 1973 and 1980, were studied. The diagnosis was based on the clinical features and summer-seasonal nature of the disease. The presence of an aetiological agent within patients' home environment was suggested by the recurrence of acute symptoms of high fever, cough and dyspnoea 5-8 hr after coming home from hospital, and by spontaneous improvement on leaving home.

Primary culture of chondrocytes embedded in collagen gels.

Chondrocytes isolated from sternal cartilage of 13-day embryonic chicks were dispersively embedded inside the collagen gels in Ham's F-12 medium containing fetal calf serum. Viability, three-dimensional growth and deposition of extracellular matrix in the living cultures were evidenced by increased cell number, morphology and autoradiographic observations, respectively. The cells increased 2- to 3-fold in 1 week and occupied ' chondrocytic lacunae' surrounded by 'territorial matrix'.

Effect of prazosin on serum lipids.

On the premise that serum lipids may be correlated with the increased mortality from coronary heart disease seen in Japan despite successful antihypertensive therapy, we undertook an open, noncomparative study to determine the effect of prazosin on serum lipid. All patients were adults (mean age of 59, with a range of 45 to 72), and all had a sitting blood pressure greater than 160 mm Hg systolic or 90 mm Hg diastolic. After a stabilization period of 2 to 4 weeks, prazosin was started at 0.

Chronic polyarthritis in inbred C3H/He mice after systemic administration of allogeneic thymocytes.

Chronic polyarthritis was produced in inbred C3H/He mice after intraperitoneal (ip) administration of allogeneic thymocytes of inbred line BALB/c mice. The polyarthritis persisted more than 18 months without additional ip treatment. Histologically, synovial cell hyperplasia, granulation tissue formation, and inflammatory cell infiltration were seen.

A comparative study of assay systems for drug-resistant mutation in cultured mammalian cells.

Three assay methods which have been reported previously for the detection of drug-resistant mutation in mammalian cells were compared using V79 cells growing monolayer and FM3A cells growing in suspension. 8-Azaguanine and ouabain were used for the selection. A method in which mutagen-treated cells were replated and cultured in the control medium during expression period, followed by the incubation in a selection medium (we named immediate replating method), was more efficient for demonstrating mutated cells than other replating methods in every occasions examined.

Induction of chromosomal aberrations and 8-azaguanine-resistant mutations by aryldialkyltriazenes in cultured mammalian cells.

Inducibility of chromosomal aberrations, cell survival, and mutation to 8-azaguanine (8AG) resistance in cultured V79 cells by 1-phenyl-3,3-dimethyltriazene (PDMT), 1-phenyl-3,3-diethyltriazene (PDET), and 1-(pyridyl-3)-3,3-diethyltriazene (PyDET) were examined with or without metabolic activation. Chromosomal aberrations were induced in a dose-dependent manner by all 3 triazenes in a direct treatment for 24 h. Chromosomal aberrations were also induced by PDMT with metabolic activation system for 3 h, and little differences in the incidences were observed compared with those obtained by a direct treatment.

Osteogenesis by factor(s) isolated from mouse osteosarcoma cells in combination with collagen.

An osteogenic factor(s) was extracted with acetic acid from cultures of mouse osteosarcoma cells. The extract was mixed with acid-soluble human skin collagen as a carrier and the mixture was aggregated by dialysis against 0.02 M Na2HPO4.

Immunochemical quantitation of complement components of Clq and C3 in sera and synovial fluids of patients with bone and joint diseases.

The amount of the initiating complement component (Clq) in the classical pathway and the first essential component (C3) in the alternative complement pathway were measured with a single radial immunodiffusion (SRID). A high ionic strength was used corresponding to that of 0 . 25 M NaCl and 0 .