Frequent development of murine T-cell lymphomas with TcR alpha/beta+, CD4-/8- phenotype after implantation of human inflammatory breast cancer cells in BALB/c nude mice

Tumors developed quite frequently in some of the visceral organs, including spleen and liver, in BALB/c nude mice upon subcutaneously xenografting surgical specimens from five different inflammatory breast cancer patients. All of these tumors developed within two and a half months to one year after the subcutaneous inoculation of surgical specimens. From these tumors, five independent transplantable tumors, including tMK-2, tHK-1, tYK-1, tYK-2 and tTY-1 have been established. Chromosome analysis, morphologic studies by light and electron microscopy and phenotype analysis indicated that these tumors are of mouse origin. The tMK-2 tumor was highly metastatic to the spleen and liver when it was subcutaneously transplanted into the right scapular region. In addition, the region where the tMK-2 tumor cells were subcutaneously inoculated showed an apparently inflammatory process represented by erythema. After subcutaneous inoculation into the right scapular region, tHK-1, tYK-1, 2, and tTY-1 tumors also metastasized to some of the visceral organs, including spleen and liver. From these tumors, in vitro cell lines were established. The cells grew in a stromal-cell dependent manner under in vitro culture conditions. The cells were again tumorigenic at the inoculated region and metastasized to various organs, including liver and spleen, of BABL/c nude mice. Histological examination revealed that the tumors showed features of malignant lymphoma. Phenotypically, these five tumors expressed early T lymphocyte markers as revealed by anti-mouse anti-TcR alpha/beta, anti-CD3, CD4 and CD8 monoclonal antibodies. To our knowledge, these cell lines are the first T-cell lines showing the phenotype of extrathymically differentiated T-cells in the liver.     

Effect of the size of nuclei on crystallization behavior of Li2O · 2SiO2 glass

Crystallization peak temperature was measured for Li₂O · 2SiO₂ glass with various number densities of nuclei induced by long heat-treatment (405 h) at 460°C. Its crystallization process of Li₂O · 2SiO₂ glass was simulated numerically in order to examine the effect of the initial size of nuclei on crystallization behavior, and the relationship between crystallization peak temperature and the number density of nuclei in the glass was considered. It was found that the effect of nuclei size is not significant when the heat-treatment temperature is lower than 460°C. By considering the effect of nuclei size, number density of nuclus was evaluated by DTA method accurately.     

Formation and crystallization of gels in the Na2O-SiO2-TiO2-ZrO2 system

5Na₂O·95(SiO₂ + TiO₂ + ZrO₂) gels together with Na₂O-MO₂ gels (MO₂ = SiO₂, TiO₂, ZrO₂) were synthesized and effect of Na₂O addition to the gel formation and crystallization behavior were studied. From Si(OC₂H₅)₄, Ti(iso-OC₃H₇)₄, Zr(n-OC₃H₇)₄ and NaOCH₃ solutions in EtOH without H₂O, transparent, opaque and heterogeneous gels were obtained. By SEM observation, it was found that the opague bulk gels, rich in TiO₂ or ZrO₂ component, contain agglomerated spherical particles of less than 10 m diameter. Crystallization temperature (Tc) measured by DTA decreased sharply from 1258°C (SiO₂) to 613°C (30Na₂O·70SiO₂) due to the increasing non-bridging oxygens in the Na₂O-SiO₂ system. But in the Na₂O-TiO₂ and Na₂O-ZrO₂ systems, Tc increased as Na₂O content was increased up to 10 mol%. The thermal stability, defined by Tc/TL ratio, decreased from Tc/TL = 0.77 (SiO₂) to 0.57 (5Na₂O·95SiO₂) or increased from Tc/TL = 0.30 (TiO₂) to 0.67 (30Na₂O·70TiO₂) with Na₂O addition. In the 5Na₂O·95(SiO₂ + TiO₂ + ZrO₂) system maximum Tc was 891°C at 5Na₂O·76SiO₂·19ZrO₂ composition and decreased as TiO₂ or ZrO₂ contents increased. Compared with the SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ gels, Tc of the 5 mol%Na₂O containing gels (Na₂O-SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂) was lower in SiO₂ rich composition and higher in TiO₂ or ZrO₂ rich compositions. It is assumed that addition of Na₂O changed the structure of amorphous TiO₂ and ZrO₂ someway to increase their thermal stability or amorphous forming ability. After DTA run up to 1000°C, cystalline phases precipitated in the 5Na₂O·95(SiO₂ + TiO₂ + ZrO₂) gels were determined by XRD analysis.     

Thermodynamics of lead and bismuth in CaO–CaF2 melts

In order to understand a new refining process for removing tramp elements from alloy steels under strongly reducing conditions, the authors previously reported the thermodynamic behaviour of P, Sn, Sb, As and Cu in CaO–CaF₂ melts. In this investigation, the thermodynamic behaviour of Pb and Bi in CaO–CaF₂ melts under oxygen partial pressures from 10^?16 to 10^?20 atm was studied at temperatures ranging from 1360 to 1550°C, using a similar technique. It was shown that Pb and Bi exist in slag mainly as Ca₂Pb and Ca_1.5Bi, respectively, under very low oxygen partial pressure although a part of Pb is soluble in slags as metal. The obtained results were extrapolated to lower oxygen partial pressures to investigate the possibility of removing these tramp elements from molten iron, causing Bi to be removed from molten iron below an oxygen partial pressure of 10^?23 atm, whereas Pb is removed under higher oxygen partial pressures.     

Comparative study of Nd:YAG laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and transversely excited atmospheric CO2 laser-induced gas plasma spectroscopy on chromated copper arsenate preservative-treated wood

Taking advantage of the specific characteristics of a transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO(2) laser, a sophisticated technique for the analysis of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in wood samples has been developed. In this study, a CCA-treated wood sample with a dimension of 20 mm × 20 mm and a thickness of 2 mm was attached in contact to a nickel plate (20 mm × 20 mm × 0.15 mm), which functions as a subtarget. When the TEA CO(2) laser was successively irradiated onto the wood surface, a hole with a diameter of approximately 2.5 mm was produced inside the sample and the laser beam was directly impinged onto the metal subtarget. Strong and stable gas plasma with a very large diameter of approximately 10 mm was induced once the laser beam had directly struck the metal subtarget. This gas plasma then interacted with the fine particles of the sample inside the hole and finally the particles were effectively dissociated and excited in the gas plasma region. By using this technique, high precision and sensitive analysis of CCA-treated wood sample was realized. A linear calibration curve of Cr was successfully made using the CCA-treated wood sample. The detection limits of Cr, Cu, and As were estimated to be approximately 1, 2, and 15 mg/kg, respectively. In the case of standard LIBS using the Nd:YAG laser, the analytical intensities fluctuate and the detection limit was much lower at approximately one-tenth that of TEA CO(2) laser.     

Assessment of adrenergic neuron function altered with progression of heart failure

We used MIBG to evaluate cardiac adrenergic neuron integrity and function in congestive heart failure. METHODS: Rats were treated with adriamycin (2 mg/kg, s.c.) once a week for 7, 8 and 9 wk. In analyzing cardiac adrenergic neuron function, we assessed alterations of uptake-1, exocytotic release and nonexocytotic metabolic release in relation to progression of heart failure. RESULTS: LVEF progressively decreased. Cardiac MIBG accumulation (4 hr postinjection) decreased to 53% of control at 7 wk and markedly decreased to 14% of control at 9 wk, accompanied by massive pleural effusions. Reduction of MIBG accumulation in the lung and spleen, which are adrenergic-rich organs similar to the heart, were less pronounced compared to reduction in the heart. There was no difference in cardiac uptake of 3H-norepinephrine between the control and 8-wk groups. Cardiac uptake of 3H-norepinephrine decreased 91.0% in the control and 90.8% in the 8 wk group by pretreatment of desipramine, indicating no difference in the uptake-1 component. CONCLUSION: Congestive heart failure due to adriamycin cardiomyopathy progressively accelerates exocytotic release of norepinephrine predominantly from cardiac adrenergic neurons, but neuronal uptake function is not disturbed so long as heart failure is not advanced. In the advanced stage, nonexocytotic metabolic release is induced specifically in cardiac adrenergic neurons due to energy depletion and norepinephrine release markedly increases.     

Survey on the distribution of the gene 4 alleles of human rotaviruses by polymerase chain reaction

The presence of six gene 4 alleles (or VP4 genotypes) in human rotaviruses has been recognized. Using 16 representative cultivable human rotavirus strains, we confirmed the specificity of VP4 genotyping by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the nested oligonucleotides specific to each of the four representative gene 4 alleles. Using the PCR, we surveyed the gene 4 alleles of 199 human rotaviruses in stools collected in Japan and Thailand. Strains with the gene 4 allele, corresponding to P1A serotype, were shown to be the most prevalent, but two strains with P2 gene 4 allele and one strain with P3 gene 4 allele were detected in Thailand and in Japan, respectively.