Serum alpha-L-fucosidase activity and tumor size in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The serum level of alpha-L-fucosidase activity has been suggested as a useful marker in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, although the precise mechanism behind the elevation of this parameter has not been determined. We found that the serum alpha-L-fucosidase activity level was significantly higher in 67 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (695.1 +/- 245.

Observation of the highly organized development of granule cells in rat cerebellar organotypic cultures.

Cerebellar slices of 9-day-old rats were cultured for a week at the interface between air and a culture medium containing horse serum and hormone cocktail, and the development of granule cells was characterized morphologically. The typical layered structure of the cerebellar cortex was well preserved during the cultivation. Many granule cells in the external granular layer (EGL) proliferated actively within the early culture period.

Aberrant regulation of complement by the erythrocytes of hereditary erythroblastic multinuclearity with a positive acidified serum lysis test (HEMPAS).

Susceptibility to hemolysis in acidified serum is a pathognomonic feature of hereditary erythroblastic multinuclearity with a positive acidified serum lysis test (HEMPAS, congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II). The purpose of the studies reported herein was to determine if aberrant regulation of complement contributes to the susceptibility of HEMPAS erythrocytes to acidified serum lysis. The results of these experiments have demonstrated that regulation of both the C3 convertase of the alternative pathway and the membrane attack complex of complement by HEMPAS erythrocytes is aberrant.

Isolation of erythrocyte membrane inhibitor of reactive lysis type II. Identification as glycophorin A.

When incubated with activated CoF and normal human serum (as the C source), a portion of the E from most patients with PNH are hemolyzed. In contrast, normal E are completely resistant to this form of C-mediated cytolysis called reactive lysis. This observation implies that normal E express membrane proteins that inhibit reactive lysis.

Fatty acid composition of the subcutaneous adipose tissue and risk of proliferative benign breast disease and breast cancer.

Background: Studies in animals and geographic correlations across populations suggest that fatty acid intake may have a positive relationship with breast cancer risk, but analytic epidemiologic studies of fat intake have been less supportive. Adipose tissue analysis provides a more objective assessment of intakes of fatty acids that are not endogenously synthesized than do the questionnaire survey methods used in many epidemiologic studies.

Purpose: This case-control study of postmenopausal women was designed to examine the relationship between fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue and risk of breast cancer and proliferative benign breast disease.

Quick assay of serum HBs antibody levels using latex agglutination-integrating sphere turbidimetric assay (ISTA).

A method for determining serum HBs antibody applying the principle of integrating sphere turbidimetric assay (ISTA) by latex agglutination was developed. The minimum detectable level of HBs antibody by this method is 12.5 IU/L, indicating that this method is 3 times or more sensitive with better reproducibility and specificity than the passive hemagglutination (PHA) method.

[Bone mineral content in premenopausal women treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue].

To assess bone metabolism during treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa), serum osteocalcin (BGP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) were determined before and after 6 months of GnRHa treatment in 15 premenopausal women with clinically diagnosed endometriosis. The bone mineral content (BMC) of the lumbar spine (L3) was measured by single energy quantitative computed tomography in 9 women, and in 6 of these 9 women microdensitometry was performed simultaneously during the treatment. BMC decreased significantly to 92.

[Bone mass and biochemical parameters in metabolic bone diseases].

We studied the relationship between the bone mass and biochemical parameters in 175 normal premenopausal, 72 normal postmenopausal and osteoporotic postmenopausal women, between 20 and 88 years old, and in 40 patients with hyperthyroidism, and 23 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, between 13 and 64 years old. The bone mineral density (BMD) of the spine (L2-L4) and proximal femur (femoral neck) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry using a QDR-1000, Hologic. The bone mineral content (BMC) of the radius was measured by single photon absorptiometry (SPA) using a model 2780, Norland.

Comparative studies of decay-accelerating factor and HLA-DR within the CD8-brightly positive population.

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) is a membrane protein that inhibits C3 convertase activity of autologous complement at the cell surface. We found that DAF+ cells and DAF- (DAFlow, if any) cells are clearly separated from each other among CD8-brightly positive (CD8bright) cells. Using three-color fluorescence flow cytometry, we found that whereas the CD8bright DAF- population express HLA-DR (class II major histocompatibility complex antigens, and an activated T cell marker), the CD8bright DAF+ population does not.

Aggravation of subclinical diabetes insipidus during pregnancy.

Background: Transient polyuria and polydipsia during pregnancy are rare, and their cause is not entirely clear. Possible explanations include the exacerbation of preexisting abnormalities in the secretion or action of vasopressin and abnormally large increases in plasma vasopressinase activity.

Methods: We studied two women in whom overt polyuria and polydipsia developed during the third trimester of pregnancy and disappeared after delivery.

Mouse targets undergo double-strand DNA fragmentation when exposed to syngeneic or xenogeneic LAK cells whereas human targets undergo single-strand breaks.

A number of recent studies have shown that mouse target cells (TC) of hematopoietic origin, when exposed to cytotoxic lymphocytes, undergo double-stranded DNA fragmentation. The cause and relevance of the fragmentation remain controversial. In this study we generated a number of mouse (M-LAK) and human LAK (H-LAK) cells and exposed them to a variety of mouse and human TC.

[Lumbar bone density and serum osteocalcin in pre- and postmenopausal women].

The bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (L3) and serum osteocalcin (OC) were measured in 31 pre- and 25 postmenopausal women. Bone density was measured by single energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT value). A significant inverse correlation between the QCT value and age was demonstrated in postmenopausal women but no correlation was found in premenopausal women.

Effect of metyrapone pretreatment on adrenocorticotropin secretion induced by corticotropin-releasing hormone in normal subjects and patients with Cushing's disease.

To examine the influence of endogenous cortisol on the ACTH response to CRH, we compared ACTH secretion during CRH tests before and after metyrapone administration in 9 normal subjects and 12 patients with Cushing's disease. The administration of 4.5 g metyrapone (750 mg, orally, every 4 h) resulted in a decrease in basal (pre-CRH) plasma cortisol levels and an increase in basal plasma ACTH levels in both normal subjects and Cushing's patients.

Osmoregulation of plasma vasopressin in myxedema.

We studied osmoregulation of plasma vasopressin (AVP) in eight patients with untreated myxedema due to primary hypothyroidism. All patients had severe thyroid hormone deficiency due to chronic thyroiditis and had been receiving no medication at the time of this study. AVP release was defined by 5% hypertonic saline infusion test in all patients, and urinary diluting capacity was estimated by the iv water-loading tests in five patients.