Interferon regulatory factor-1 gene abnormality and loss of growth inhibitory effect of interferon-alpha in human hepatoma cell lines.

The effect of IFN-alpha on the growth of 5 hepatoma cell lines and a normal liver-derived cell line were examined. IFN dose-dependently inhibited the growth of cell lines except for HLE and PLC/PRF/5 in which the inhibition only occurred at a high concentration over 10,000 IU/ml. IFN-alpha induced the G1 arrest of these cells according to upregulation of p21WAF-1 expression, which is induced in PLC/PRF/5 and HLE only at a high IFN concentration.

Comparative features of double-contrast barium studies in patients with isosporiasis and strongyloidiasis.

Objective: To compare the gastrointestinal features of isosporiasis and strongyloidiasis.

Methods: Two patients with isosporiasis and three patients with strongyloidiasis were assessed by double-contrast radiography of the duodenum and small intestine, with reference to histology of the duodenal biopsy specimens.

Results: Both conditions affected the duodenum and the proximal jejunum, and showed similar radiographic changes as the diseases progressed.

The replication licensing system.

The replication licensing system acts to ensure that no section of the genome is replicated more than once in a single cell cycle. Experiments using Xenopus egg extracts have revealed that the licensing system consists of two components, named RLF-M and RLF-B. Whereas the function of RLF-B is still unclear, RLF-M has been shown to consist of all six members of the MCM/P1 family proteins, which appear to be the structural component of the licensing system.

Automated fluorimetric determination of cellular cholesterol.

We developed a completely automated fluorimetric method for the determination of cellular cholesterol, consisting of enzymatic hydrolysis of cholesteryl ester to free cholesterol and enzymatic oxidation of free cholesterol in the presence of an indicator substrate to produce a fluorescent product. For control preparations of monocytes, the mean detection limit was 2.57 mumol/5 x 10(5) cells and the mean within-batch coefficients of variation were 9.

[Lactate metabolism and lactic acidosis].

Lactate can be viewed as a metabolic dead end in that it can only be produced or utilized via pyruvate. Lactate production is determined primarily by pyruvate concentration and to a lesser extend by the redox state. Increased lactate production may result from tissue hypoxia, alkalosis, catecholamine and alanine transamination to pyruvate.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the gene encoding N'-[(5'-phosphoribosyl)-formimino]-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (BBM II) isomerase from Arabidopsis thaliana.

We have isolated an Arabidopsis BBM II isomerase cDNA from an Arabidopsis cDNA library, by means of functional complementation of the E. coli hisA mutant strain HfrG6. The isolated cDNA encodes a polypeptide of 304 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 33,363.

Induction of endothelin-1 synthesis by IL-2 and its modulation of rat intestinal epithelial cell growth.

Endothelin (ET), a vasoconstrictive peptide, is known to have a variety of biological actions. Although ET is released by vascular endothelial cells, other cell populations also have been reported to synthesize and release ET. In this study, we examined whether ET is synthesized by intestinal epithelial cells and whether it affects induction of epithelial cell proliferation by interleukin-2 (IL-2).

[Usefulness of CO2 US angiography in treating hepatocellular carcinoma].

We evaluated the usefulness of CO2 US angiography in the detectability of and the effectiveness of TAE and/or PEIT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Twenty-three patients with HCC underwent CO2 angiography during the interventional procedure to treat HCC after examination of CT and conventional US. CO2 US angiography was observed on the US monitor by injecting CO2 microbubbles through a catheter placed in the hepatic artery.

Infrahyoid spread of deep neck abscess: anatomical consideration.

The aim of this study was to determine the pathway of infrahyoid extension of the oropharyngeal abscess considering the anatomy of the fascial spaces by cross-sectional imaging. CT scans and MR images were retrospectively reviewed in ten patients with known infrahyoid extension of oropharyngeal abscesses (eight with acute tonsillitis, two with acute phlegmonous oropharyngitis). In seven of eight patients tonsillar abscesses descended along the deep cervical fascia converging on the hyoid bone and further accumulated in the anterior cervical space through which extension to the mediastinum took place in four patients.

[Clinical usefulness of ultrasound (US) database and reporting system].

Our US database and reporting system is a relational database designed for US image-management and navigation through volumes of US images, ACR code, text and diagnostic reports. This program, running on a network of Unix servers and Macintosh clients, supports jukebox 5 inch optical disks for data storage. With simple keywords for ACR code, we can make a cross-reference and categorize US images of teaching files.

Hepatic and splenic sarcoidosis evaluated by multiple imaging modalities.

We present a case of hepatosplenic sarcoidosis. A 51-year-old Japanese male, who was diagnosed to have sarcoidosis 4 years previously, was presented to our hospital because of dry cough and anorexia with weight loss. He had tender hepatosplenomegaly.

Breast masses: color Doppler, power Doppler, and spectral analysis findings.

Purpose: To determine the diagnostic efficacy of power Doppler sonography (PDS) with spectral analysis for breast diseases, we retrospectively compared PDS and color Doppler sonography (CDS) in patients with breast lesions.

Methods: One hundred thirty-eight women with palpable breast lesions were examined with PDS (65 women) and/or CDS (73 women). We calculated peak velocity, end-diastolic velocity, pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI).

Genetic risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm: HLA-DR2(15), a Japanese study.

Purpose: Autoimmunity has been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Several autoimmune diseases are associated with specific HLA DR alleles. These experiments were carried out to determine whether the same HLA DR types that have been reported to be associated with AAA in a mixed North American population are similarly associated with AAA in a more homogeneous group of patients in Japan.

Endoscopic and pathological manifestations of the gastrointestinal tract in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy type I (Met30).

Objectives: To evaluate the characteristic changes in the gastrointestinal tract in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) (Met30), both fibre gastroscopy and colonoscopy studies were performed in FAP (Met30) patients. Microscopic changes were also examined in autopsied and biopsied materials from patients with FAP, and compared with data from autopsied samples from patients with AL amyloidosis, and secondary amyloidosis patients.

Design: Endoscopic and histopathological study.

Spontaneous remission of desquamative interstitial pneumonia.

We report a case of spontaneous remission of desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) in a 50-year-old male. The histological diagnosis of DIP was based on open lung biopsy. A chest X-ray revealed reticulo-nodular shadows in the bilateral lung fields, and the patient had mild dyspnea on exertion.

Differential modes of nuclear localization signal (NLS) recognition by three distinct classes of NLS receptors.

The targeting of karyophilic proteins to nuclear pores is mediated via the formation of a nuclear pore-targeting complex, through the interaction of nuclear localization signal (NLS) with its NLS receptor. Recently, a novel human protein, Qip1, was identified from a yeast two-hybrid system with DNA helicase Q1. This study demonstrates that Qip1 is a novel third class of NLS receptor that efficiently recognizes the NLS of the helicase Q1.

[Psychological investigation on spa therapy in patients with bronchial asthma].

To evaluate the effects of complex spa therapy (swimming training in a hot spring pool + fango therapy + inhalation of iodine salt solution) on psychological factors, three psychological examinations; CMI (Cornell Medical Index), SDS (Self-Rating Depression Scale) and CAI (Comprehensive Asthma Inventory); were given 25 patients with bronchial asthma (10 male, 15 female, mean age 60 years), and the results of these examinations were compared before and after spa therapy. 1. Physical symptoms, respiratory system and CIJ symptoms by CMI were significantly improved after spa therapy, however the improvement of psychical symptoms was not significant.

Cloning of a cDNA encoding a novel importin-alpha homologue, Qip1: discrimination of Qip1 and Rch1 from hSrp1 by their ability to interact with DNA helicase Q1/RecQL.

We isolated two cDNA clones encoding human proteins which interact with DNA helicase Q1/RecQL, a human homologue of Eschelichia coli RecQ protein, by two-hybrid screening. One of these proteins, named Qip1, was a novel protein homologous to the nuclear localization signal (NLS) receptor importin-alpha, and the other was the known protein Rch1, which is also a homologue of importin-alpha. DNA helicase Q1 in human cell lysates was coprecipitated with bacterially expressed Qip1 and Rch1 fused with glutathione-S-transferase with glutathione Sepharose beads, confirming the interaction between these proteins and DNA helicase Q1.

Susceptibility of experimental autoimmune hepatitis in transgenic mice overexpressing the c-H-ras gene.

Results from a recent study of ours have demonstrated the significant role of the wild-type ras gene in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in rasH2 mice having prototype human c-H-ras genes. Chronic cell death and regeneration have been considered to work as co-carcinogens with wild-type ras gene overexpression in this model. To elucidate a role of gene overexpression in the occurrence of chronic inflammation, we tried to induce inflammation in the liver of rasH2 mice by immunizing them with the supernatant of a freshly prepared syngenic liver homogenate.

[Juvenile onset of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia].

A 22-year-old first man came to our hospital because of dyspnea on exertion in February 1993, and was admitted in September 1994 because of progression of dyspnea. A chest roentgenogram showed diffuse ground-glass-opacities in the middle and lower lung fields, and an elevated diaphragm. Pulmonary-function testing revealed a low %VC and a low diffusing capacity.

Low stringency hybridization study of the dopamine D4 receptor revealed D4-like mRNA distribution of the orphan seven-transmembrane receptor, APJ, in human brain.

We recently reported that the density of mRNA for the dopamine D4 receptor was extremely low in human cerebral cortex but unexpectedly higher in the corpus callosum and spinal cord both of which contain substantial white-matter area. Under low stringency conditions, Northern blot analysis using the D4 probe detected cross-hybridized mRNAs having a similar distributional profile to the D4 mRNA in human brain regions, suggesting the mRNA distributional profile is not peculiar to the D4 receptor. Homology screening revealed one of the mRNAs to be an orphan seven-transmembrane receptor, APJ, abundantly expressed in the corpus callosum and spinal cord.

YM-50001: a novel, potent and selective dopamine D4 receptor antagonist.

We investigated some in vitro pharmacological properties of a novel human dopamine D2-like receptor antagonist, YM-50001 [(R)-5-chloro-4-cyclopropylacarbonylamino-2-methoxy-N-[1-(3-methox ybenzyl)- 3-pyrrolidinyl]benzamide monooxalate]. Receptor binding studies revealed that YM-50001 had a potent affinity for human D4 receptors (Ki = 5.62 nM).

Scarab beetleAnomala albopilosa albopilosa utilizes a more complex sex pheromone system than a similar speciesA. cuprea.

Four compounds have been identified as sex pheromone constituents of the scarab beetleAnomala albopilosa albopilosa, namely (R, Z)-5-(-)-(oct-1-enyl)oxacyclopentan-2-one (buibuilactone), 2-(E)-nonenol, 2-(E)-nonenal, and methyl benzoate (in the ratio 10:3:3:1). The diel rhythm of pheromone release inA. a.