Cellular differentiation, secretory and proliferative activities of craniopharyngiomas.

The cellular differentiation of craniopharyngiomas was studied immunohistochemically by determining the expression of cytokeratins. Alcian-Blue staining was used to assess secretory activity and expression of AgNORs and PCNA as indicators of proliferative activity. Both, tumors of the adamantinomatous type and of the squamous type expressed complex type cytokeratins, with skin type differentiation being noted in some cases.

Clinicopathological study of lymphomas in the central nervous system--with the reference to the recurrence and proliferative activity.

Nine cases of CNS lymphomas obtained by surgical resection or biopsy between 1984 and 1991 were examined. One case of intraorbital lymphoma was also studied. All patients underwent radiotherapy.

[A case of chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia with pituitary hypothyroidism].

We report a case of chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia with pituitary hypothyroidism. This patient had complained of hearing-loss at the age of fourteen and loss of body weight at fifteen. She was examined by otorhinolaryngologists at large hospitals yearly over a period of 5-6 years, but hearing-loss remained unknown.

Cerebral blood flow in mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes.

Background And Purpose: The precise mechanism of neurological symptoms with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes (MELAS) is still controversial. We investigated the correlation between strokelike episodes and cerebral blood flow in two patients with MELAS and discuss the pathogenesis of strokelike episodes with MELAS.

Summary Of Report: Cerebral dynamic computed tomography and cerebral angiography were used to measure cerebral circulation in the first case, that of a 20-year-old woman with MELAS.

Cytokeratin immunohistochemical study of epithelial cysts in the central nervous system: with special reference to origins of colloid cyst of the third ventricle and Rathke's cleft cyst in the sella.

A variety of epithelial cysts in the central nervous system were examined immunohistochemically for expression of cytokeratins. Colloid cysts, Rathke's cleft cysts and epithelial cysts in the spinal canal expressed complex type cytokeratins, while enterogenous cysts and neuroectodermal cysts showed only simple type cytokeratins. Colloid cysts showed a pattern of cytokeratins similar to that of upper respiratory tract which is endodermal in origin.

Bilateral morning glory syndrome associated with sphenoid encephalocele. Case report.

Morning glory syndrome is a congenital anomaly of the optic disc in which the disc is enlarged and excavated, with white glial tissue in the center. A case is presented of morning glory syndrome associated with sphenoid encephalocele, median cleft lip, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. A 22-day-old boy was referred to the Wakayama Medical College Hospital for management of dyspnea due to a soft-tissue mass in the oral cavity.

The recurrence of primary intracranial germinomas. Special reference to germinoma with STGC (syncytiotrophoblastic giant cell).

Twenty three cases of primary intracranial germinomas including five cases of germinomas with syncytiotrophoblastic giant cells are studied and analyzed, with special reference to the recurrence under radiotherapy. The follow-up period for all cases was 7 months to 12 years (average: 5.8 years) with that for pure germinomas ranging from 8 months to 12 years (average: 5.

Exclusion and inclusion of alpha and beta T cell receptor alleles.

Exclusion and inclusion of T cell receptor (TCR) genes were analyzed in alpha beta TCR transgenic mice. Both transgenes are expressed unusually early on the surface of CD4-8-, HSA+, IL-2R- thymocytes. These progenitor cells give rise to progeny, which at the single-cell level contains endogenous alpha but not beta TCR-RNA as well as protein, in addition to products encoded by the transgenes.

Meningeal melanocytoma: magnetic resonance imaging characteristics and pathological features. Case report.

A case of meningeal melanocytoma at the foramen magnum is reported in a 62-year-old man. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed characteristic signal patterns: homogeneous high intensity on the T1-weighted image and low intensity on the T2-weighted image. Light microscopy showed a histological appearance similar to that of melanotic meningioma.

A possible involvement of central atrial natriuretic peptide in cerebral cortical microcirculation.

The possible involvement of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in cerebral cortical microcirculation was investigated in rats by means of laser-Doppler flowmetry and immunohistochemistry. In the laser-Doppler study, local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) changes after the administration of 10(-6) to 10(-8) mol/LANP solution or vehicle (saline solution) as an intracortical injection for 5 minutes were continuously monitored throughout the 30 minutes of the study and were expressed as percentages of preinjection values represented as 0%. The administration of 10(-6) to 10(-8) mol/LANP caused a significant decrease in LCBF; the onset of LCBF responses occurred within a few minutes after the start of the injection and the decrease in LCBF reached the maximum level within 7 to 10 minutes after the completion of the administration, after which LCBF gradually recovered.

Preferential association of alpha and beta chains of the T cell antigen receptor.

The cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clone B6.2.16 expresses a V beta 8.

The T-cell-receptor repertoire in the synovial fluid of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis is polyclonal.

We have analyzed the T-cell-receptor repertoire expressed in the synovial fluid of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis by using an inverse polymerase chain reaction. Total RNA was isolated from Ficoll-purified mononuclear cells and converted into circularized double-stranded cDNA. Specific amplification of alpha- and beta-chain variable regions (V alpha and V beta) was achieved with inverted alpha- and beta-chain constant region (C alpha and C beta) primer pairs, and the amplification products were cloned into phage vectors.

Hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombus extending into the right atrium: report of a successful resection with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass.

Hepatocellular carcinoma with a tumor thrombus extending into the right atrium has been considered beyond the reach of resection. These patients usually die within a short period because of pulmonary embolism, heart failure, or cancer progression. The only treatment is hepatic resection with removal of the tumor thrombus.

A novel and rapid cloning method for the T-cell receptor variable region sequences.

Conventional polymerase chain reactions (PCR) require sequence information on both ends of the DNA to be amplified. The novel technique described here allows the amplification of cDNA fragments with sequence information from one end only. Blunt-ended double-strand cDNA is prepared, circularized with T4 DNA ligase and used as a PCR template.

Grating axicon for collimating Cerenkov radiation waves.

An axicon optical element that utilizes a diffraction grating has been fabricated for collimating the Cerenkov radiation wave. The grating axicon has the advantage of a simple structure, which can easily be fabricated by the computerized numerical control machining technique. The collimation function of the grating axicon is confirmed for Cerenkov-type second-harmonic generation in LiNbO(3) waveguides, and correction of the aberration caused by substrate anisotropy is investigated.

[Epithelial cyst in the central nervous system--characteristic expression of cytokeratin].

Twenty one cases of epithelial cysts in the central nervous system including six colloid cysts of the third ventricle, eight Rathke's cleft cysts in the sella, two enterogenous cysts in the posterior fossa, two epithelial cysts in the spinal canal and three neuroectodermal cysts in the cerebrum were examined immunohistochemically for expression of intermediate filamentous proteins-simple type, stratified type and skin type cytokeratins and GFAP. Colloid cysts of the third ventricle. Rathke's cleft cysts in the sella and epithelial cysts in the spinal canal expressed complexed type cytokeratins while enterogenous cysts and neuroectodermal cysts showed only simple type cytokeratins.

Epithelial cysts in the central nervous system, characteristic expression of cytokeratins in an immunohistochemical study.

Nineteen epithelial cysts in the central nervous system including six colloid cysts of the third ventricle, seven Rathke's cleft cysts in the sella, two enterogenous cysts in the posterior fossa, two epithelial cysts in the spinal canal and two neuroectodermal cysts in the cerebrum were examined immunohistochemically for expression of intermediate filament proteins-simple type, stratified type and skin type cytokeratins and GFAP. Colloid cysts of the third ventricle, Rathke's cleft cysts in the sella and epithelial cysts in the spinal canal expressed complex type cytokeratins while enterogenous cysts and neuro-ectodermal cysts showed only simple type cytokeratins. In addition, Rathke's cleft cysts expressed GFAP in occasional lining cells.

[The astrocyte-endothelial interface in cerebellar astrocytoma].

The astrocyte-endothelial interface is a component of the anatomical blood-brain barrier in the central nervous system and is of interest in neoplastic lesions. We, therefore, investigated the fine structure of this interface in five, well-differentiated cerebellar astrocytomas. The astrocyte-endothelial interface in cerebellar astrocytomas revealed various abnormalities.

[A case of pseudotumor cerebri associated with colon cancer].

A case of pseudotumor cerebri associated with iron deficiency anemia due to colon cancer is reported in a 37-year-old woman. Her initial symptoms were vomiting and severe headache. On physical examination, no lymph nodes and abdominal mass were palpable but marked anemia was noted in her skin and conjunctiva .

Gross genetic differences among substrains of NZB mice.

Substrains of NZB mice have been compared by Southern blot analysis using several probes. The restriction fragment length polymorphism of probes derived from the Igh-V, Igk-V, Tcr alpha-C loci and of the long terminal repeat of the mouse mammary tumour virus revealed that NZB/BlLwPtIbm were grossly different from NZB/BlNJ and NZB/BlOla. Comparison with mouse strains of the Igk-V haplotypes a and d suggested that NZB/BlLwPtIbm contain genetic material of the C58 mouse strain.

Distribution of epithelial membrane antigen in normal and neoplastic human ependyma.

The ependyma and choroid plexus of 23 normal brains and 20 ependymal tumors were examined immunohistochemically for expression of epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) using a specific monoclonal antibody. The ependyma of normal brains showed three patterns of immunoreactivity: membrane immunoreactivity confined to the luminal surface; irregular punctate intracytoplasmic immunoreactivity in the subependymal layer; and spherical and ring-like intracytoplasmic immunoreactivity in the subependymal layer. Of 13 differentiated ependymomas 11 reflected the immunoreactive patterns of normal ependyma.

Transgenic mice to study T-cell receptor gene regulation and repertoire formation.

Transgenic mice have been obtained with genes coding for an alpha beta T-cell receptor that recognizes the male-specific antigen H-Y in association with the Db class I major histocompatibility complex molecule. Most if not all of the T-cells express the beta chain encoded by the transgene and show allelic exclusion of endogenous beta genes. In contrast, the expression of the alpha transgene does not completely block rearrangement and formation of functional endogenous alpha genes.