Humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy with elevated plasma PTHrP, TNF alpha and IL-6 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

A case of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is reported. An 82-year-old male underwent surgery for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the left hand in 1992. He subsequently developed clouding of consciousness with remarkable hypercalcemia, a high parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHrP) level, and elevated plasma cytokine levels [tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6)].

Water channel protein subtype suggests the origin of renal cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Several subtypes of water selective channel protein have been cloned. In normal kidneys, CHIP-28 (channel forming integral protein of 28 kd) is expressed solely in the proximal tubules and descending thin limbs, and aquaporin-CD (AQP-CD) expression is restricted to collecting ducts. We assessed expression of these 2 distinct types of water channels in renal cancer tissues.

Optical studies of the biphasic modulatory effects of glycine on excitatory postsynaptic potentials in the chick brainstem and their embryogenesis.

Multiple-site optical recording of transmembrane potential activity, using a voltage-sensitive dye, was employed to monitor neural activity from the nucleus tractus solitarius of the chick embryo. Optical signals related to glutamate-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potentials were evoked by a brief square current pulse applied with a microsuction electrode to the vagus nerve, and were recorded simultaneously from many sites in the brainstem slice preparation. We have found that glycine has biphasic modulatory effects on the glutamate-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potentials: at lower concentrations, glycine enhances the glutamate-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potential-related optical signal, and at higher concentrations, it reduces the glutamate-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potential-signal.

Visceral leishmaniasis misdiagnosed as malignant lymphoma.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a chronic infectious disease caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania, characterized by intermittent fever, monocytosis, hepatosplenomegaly and hypergammaglobulinemia. This morbid condition is rather difficult to diagnose correctly, especially at its early stage, because it is rarely encountered in Japan. Recently we treated a case of visceral leishmaniasis in which the patient was misdiagnosed as malignant lymphoma, and went through splenectomy and steroid administration, which made the diagnosis more difficult.

Frequent microsatellite instabilities and analyses of the related genes in familial gastric cancers.

Microsatellite instability or replication error seems to be related to defective DNA mismatch repair genes, such as hMSH2, hMLH1, hPMS1 and hPMS2, which have been identified as causative genes of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancers (HNPCC). Recently, it was reported that mutations at the simple repeated sequences in the transforming growth factor-beta type II receptor (TGF-beta RII) gene occurred in replication error-positive colorectal cancers. To determine genetic alterations in familial gastric cancers (FGC, we examined replication error using eight microsatellite DNA markers, and screened mutations in the hMSH2, hMLH1 and TGF-beta RII genes in six cases from four FGC kindreds.

[Combined hormone-chemotherapy for stage D2 prostatic cancer: starting time of chemotherapy in relation to hormone therapy].

We retrospectively analyzed 29 patients with stage D2 prostatic cancer who had been treated with chemotherapy at the urological clinic of Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital between 1983 and 1992 to evaluate the efficacy of chemotherapy for advanced prostatic cancer. The patients were divided into three groups according to the starting time of chemotherapy in relation to hormone therapy; 9 patients who received chemotherapy more than four weeks after the initial hormone therapy (group H), 9 patients who received chemotherapy only or in combination with the hormone therapy more than four weeks previously (group C), and 11 patients in whom both therapies were started within four weeks (group HC). Follow-up period ranged from four to 108 months averaging 35.

[Human mismatch repair genes and HNPCC].

Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is a major cancer susceptibility syndrome known to be caused by the inheritance of mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes, such as hMSH2, hMLH1, hPMS1 and hPMS2. Germline mutations in the hMSH2 and hMLH1 genes were detected in 9 and 11 Japanese or Korean HNPCC kindreds, respectively. These data establish a basis for the presymptomatic diagnosis of HNPCC patients.

Evaluation of tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor-I levels in acute myocardial infarction.

Fluctuations in tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity, t-PA antigen, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-I (PAI-1) antigen levels were evaluated in blood samples obtained from 84 patients with initial uneventful acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 35 patients with reinfarction and fatal infarction (patients with bad prognoses). Patients with initial AMI had significantly higher levels of t-PA activity than those of 14 patients with angina pectoris. Tissue plasminogen activator activity peaked between day 7 and 19 after the initial attack of AMI.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Dobutamine increases contractility of fatigued diaphragm in dogs: The relationship between dose and diaphragmatic contractility.

The dose-related effects of dobutamine (DOB) on the contractility of fatigued diaphragm were studied in 16 anesthetized, mechanically ventilated dogs. The animals were divided into two groups of eight: the control (group C) and the DOB (group D). Diaphragmatic fatigue was induced by intermittent supramaximal electrophrenic stimulation at a frequency of 20 Hz applied for 30 min.

Mesangial cells of the lamprey, Lampetra japonica, store vitamin A.

Structure and vitamin A-storage of the mesangial cells in the lamprey kidney are documented using the gold chloride method, fluorescence histochemistry and electron microscopy. Abundant lipid droplets in the cytoplasm of the mesangial cells release intense, but quickly fading vitamin A-fluorescence under a fluorescence microscope and react with gold chloride. Characteristic tubular invaginations of the plasma membrane which usually occur in the lamprey smooth muscle cells are observed in these cells.

[En bloc cystourethrectomy with preservation of potency].

Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate efficacy of en bloc cystourethrectomy with preservation of potency in patients with bladder carcinoma.

Methods: A total of nine patients underwent this procedure in 1991 and 1994. Following 2 cases of 1991 who were confirmed to recover potency and had no recurrence in the pelvis during 2-year follow up as a preliminary study, 7 cases underwent the same procedure in 1994.

[Results of transurethral resection of prostate plus incision (TUR-P+I) for benign prostatic hypertrophy].

The results of 14 patients treated by TUR-P+I and 15 patients by TUR-P between September 1991 and August 1993 were reviewed to evaluate the effects of TUR-P+I. Tur-P+I is a combined technique of channelling TUR-P and transurethral incision of the bladder neck and the prostate. After receiving modest TUR of the adenoma, the bladder neck and anatomical capsule of the prostate was incised by electroresectoscope at 6 o'clock position from the bladder neck toward to verumontanum.

[Relationship between pretreatment serum levels of prostate specific antigen and bone metastasis in prostate cancer].

We retrospectively reviewed pretreatment levels of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) in 138 newly diagnosed, untreated patients with prostate adenocarcinoma to evaluate the usefulness of serum PSA levels to predict results of radionuclide bone scans. All of the 24 patients with serum PSA levels above 200 ng/ml showed positive bone scans whereas those with serum PSA levels below 10 ng/ml included only three cases (3/51, 5.1%) positive for bone metastasis.

Loss or somatic mutations of hMSH2 occur in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancers with hMSH2 germline mutations.

Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is a major cancer susceptibility syndrome known to be caused by the inheritance of mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes, such as hMSH2, hMLH1, hPMS1 and hPMS2. To investigate the role of genetic alterations of hMSH2 in HNPCC tumorigenesis, we analyzed 36 Japanese HNPCC kindreds as to hMSH2 germline mutations. Moreover, we also examined somatic mutations of hMSH2 or loss of heterozygosity at or near the hMSH2 locus in the tumors from the hMSH2-related kindreds.

Acceleration of proliferative activity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with invasion beyond the mucosa: immunohistochemical analysis of Ki-67 and p53 antigen in relation to histopathologic findings.

Background: The authors observed patients with superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (s-ESC). Those with cancer invasion beyond the muscularis mucosae (SM-carcinoma) had an extremely poor prognosis, compared with those with intramucosal carcinoma (M-carcinoma). Therefore, we surveyed cell proliferative activities in relation to pathologic findings of the s-ESC.

Superantigen-induced cytokine expression in organ-cultured human skin.

Bacterial superantigen such as staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) induced strong ICAM-1 expression in organ-cultured human keratinocytes. Other superantigens (SEA, SEC1, SEC2) but not mite antigen (Dermatophagoides) also induced ICAM-1 expression both at protein and mRNA level. In contrast to ICAM-1, vascular endothelial cell expression of VCAM-1 was only demonstrated at mRNA level following ICAM-1 expression in keratinocytes.

Monocyte function associated with intermittent lentinan therapy after resection of gastric cancer.

The effect of lentinan administration on monocyte function in the peripheral blood were examined in 33 patients who underwent resection of gastric cancer. As parameters of monocyte function, IL-1 production, C3b receptor, Fc gamma receptor and monocyte ratio were determined every 4 weeks for a maximum of 24 weeks. Among patients who were taking combined therapy with lentinan, an increase in IL-1 beta production of more than 50% was found 8 weeks (2 months) after the initiation of therapy in 8 of 12 patients given 2 mg at 2-week intervals, and in 11 of 16 patients given the same dose at 4-week intervals.

Antiemetic effects of granisetron on postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients with and without motion sickness.

Purpose: This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was to evaluate the effects of granisetron, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptor antagonist, for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting in 110 patients with (n = 50) and without (n = 60) a history of motion sickness undergoing general anaesthesia for major gynaecological surgery.

Methods: The patients received a single dose of either granisetron (40 micrograms.kg-1) or placebo (saline) iv over 2-5 min immediately before induction of anaesthesia.

Enhanced anticancer effect of vincristine with methionine infusion after methionine-depleting total parenteral nutrition in tumor-bearing rats.

Methionine-depleting total parenteral nutrition (Met(-) TPN), in which an amino acid solution devoid of L-methionine and L-cysteine is infused, is thought to reduce tumor cell growth through acting as a partial late S-G2 (i.e., late-S and G2 phases) blocker.

Role of cell surface glycosaminoglycans of human T cells in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection.

To investigate the role of cell surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), including heparan sulfate (HS), on HIV-1 infection in human T cells, HIV-1 binding and infection were determined after treatment of T-cell lines and CD4+ T cells from normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with GAG-degrading enzyme or a GAG metabolic sulfation inhibitor. Heparitinase I (hep I) and sodium chlorate prevented binding of HIV-1/IIIB to MT-4 cells as revealed by indirect immunofluorescence procedures, thereby inhibiting infection. Hep I was less effective in the binding inhibition of the macrophage-tropic strain HIV-1/SF162 than that of the T-cell line-tropic strain HIV-1/IIIB.

Fibropapule multiplex of the nose: a variant of Cowden's disease?

A 58-year-old male presented multiple papules on the nose for over 10 years. Excisional biopsy revealed angiofibroma with perivascular fibrosis and coarse collagen fibers. Investigation for internal malignancies revealed gastric cancer.