First results on U levels in global fallout

The global fallout ²³⁶U level in soil was deduced from measurements of ²³⁶U, ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs in surface soils which are solely influenced by global fallout. A total of 12 soil cores from the depths of 0-10, 0-20 and 0-30 cm were collected at a flat forest area in Japan. Concentrations of ^239+240Pu and ²³⁸U were determined by α-particle spectrometry, while the ²³⁶U/²³⁸U ratio was measured with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Consistent ²³⁶U/²³⁹Pu ratios between 0.212 and 0.253 were found. Using this ratio, the total global fallout of ²³⁶U on the earth is estimated to be as much as ca. 900 kg. This knowledge will contribute to the promotion of research on U isotopes, including ²³⁶U, for the fields of geo-resources, waste management and geochemistry.     

Effect of treatment with electrolyzed NaCl solutions and essential oil compounds on the proximate composition,amino acid and fatty acid composition of carp fillets

This investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effect of treatment with electrolyzed NaCl solutions and 1% essential oil (0.5% carvacrol + 0.5% thymol) on the proximate composition and nutritional components (amino acids and fatty acids) of carp fillets at room temperature (25 °C). Carp fillet samples were treated with anodic electrolyzed NaCl solution [EW (+)], cathodic electrolyzed NaCl solution [EW (−)] followed by EW (+) [EW (−)/EW (+)], 1% essential oil (0.5% carvacrol + 0.5% thymol) [1% (Cv + Ty)], EW (+) followed by 1% (Cv + Ty) [EW (+)/1% (Cv + Ty)] and EW (−) followed by EW (+) and finally with 1% (Cv + Ty) [EW (−)/EW (+)/1% (Cv + Ty)]. Proximate composition, SDS–PAGE, amino acid composition, digestibility and fatty acid composition were used to determine the changes in carp fillet composition. Moisture, total lipid, total protein, ash and carbohydrate contents of the carp fillets were approximately 76%, 3.9%, 17.5%, 1.0% and 0.40%, respectively. The dominant amino acid was glutamic acid, and the composition ranged from 14.2 to 14.5 mol%. Protein digestibility of the carp fillets was approximately 85%. Oleic acid was the major monounsaturated acid in the carp fillets (41.0–41.9%). These results show that our method of fish preservation, using electrolyzed NaCl solutions and 1% (Cv + Ty), did not affect the quality (nutritional components) of carp fillets, and could be a good alternative to synthetic preservatives routinely used in the food industry.     

Multivariate evaluation of prognostic determinants for renal cell carcinomas which are metastatic at initial diagnosis

To clarify the relative importance of clinicopathological factors potentially affecting the survival of individuals initially diagnosed as having metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), univariate and multivariate analyses using Cox's proportional hazards model were performed for 111 RCC patients who were admitted to four hospitals in Nagoya, Japan, between 1978 and 1993. Survival time was calculated from the date of diagnosis to the date of death or the end of May, 1995. Nineteen factors (17 clinically applicable before treatment and 2 histological in nature) were included for assessment. Univariate analysis revealed that 10 of the total 19 factors were significantly associated with patient survival. Multivariate analysis found 7 factors to be statistically significant determinants. Survival was further evaluated by categorizing the patients into three groups according to the number of the 7 factors. These groups showed clearly different survivals (log-rank test, p < 0.0001), confirming the importance of the 7 factors as definite determinants. They should therefore prove to be of advantage for classifying metastatic RCC patients when designing clinical prospective studies of immunotherapy and chemotherapy.     

An insect cell line discrimination method by RAPD-PCR

Orbital hydatid cyst is rare. We present a case with CT and MRI, emphasizing the superiority of the latter.     

An autopsy case of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the liver associated with hepatitis C virus antibody positive liver cirrhosis

An increase in potassium (K) intake may lower blood pressure (BP), but inconsistent results have been obtained in clinical trials. We studied the effects of K supplementation in hypertensive patients with monitoring of home and ambulatory BP. Fifty-five patients with essential hypertension (26 men, 29 women, 36-77 years old) participated in this study. A 4-week K supplementation period and 4-week control period were assigned in a randomized crossover manner. During the K period, the subjects were given 64 mmol/day of K as slow-release KCl tablets. Office, home, and 24-h BP, as well as serum and urinary electrolytes, were measured at the end of each period. In the control period, office, home, and 24-h BP were 151 +/- 2/88 +/- 1 (mean +/- SE), 138 +/- 1/83 +/- 1, and 137 +/- 1/81 +/- 1 mm Hg, respectively. Serum K increased from 4.15 +/- 0.04 to 4.42 +/- 0.05 mmol/L, and urinary K increased from 54 +/- 2 to 96 +/- 3 mmol/day with the K supplementation. Office, home, and 24-h BP were significantly lower in the K period than in the control period, although the differences were small (2.7 +/- 1.1/1.4 +/- 0.6, 3.6 +/- 0.9/1.7 +/- 0.5, 3.4 +/- 1.0/1.2 +/- 0.5 mm Hg, respectively). Changes in home and 24-h systolic BP with K supplementation were highly significant (P < .001), compared with office BP (P < .05). The change in 24-h systolic BP was correlated negatively with baseline BP and urinary Na/K ratio, and positively with baseline urinary K excretion. The changes in daytime and nighttime BP were comparable. These results indicate that increasing K intake lowers BP in hypertensive subjects, especially in those with higher BP and lower K intake. Our study supports the usefulness of K supplementation in the treatment of hypertension, although its antihypertensive effect may be small.     

Evaluation of the PyloriTek test for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in cases with and without eradication therapy

OBJECTIVE: The accuracy of the PyloriTek test (a 1-h rapid urease test) used after eradication therapy of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has not been well clarified. This study was done to evaluate the accuracy of the PyloriTek test results for cases with and without eradication therapy, using culture and histology as gold standard methods, and to establish the suitable timing of the PyloriTek test after eradication treatment. METHODS: One hundred sixty-three patients undergoing upper endoscopy were randomly selected; 100 patients had not received eradication therapy and 63 had. Three biopsy specimens each were obtained from the gastric antrum and the body for examination by PyloriTek, culture, and histology. The absence of H. pylori was established with negative results from both culture and histology. RESULTS: In cases without eradication therapy, PyloriTek, correctly identified 66 of 67 H. pylori-positive cases and 30 of 33 H. pylori-negative cases, yielding 98.5% sensitivity and 90.9% specificity. In cases with eradication therapy, PyloriTek gave correct diagnoses in 10 of 17 H. pylori-positive cases and in 45 of 46 H. pylori-negative cases, for 58.8% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity. However, when PyloriTek was used more than 4 months after the end of eradication therapy, both the sensitivity and the specificity increased to 100%. CONCLUSION: Considering time and cost, the use of PyloriTek alone may be satisfactory for detecting H. pylori infection in cases without eradication therapy. When patients are examined more than 4 months after intervention, the use of PyloriTek alone may be sufficient for correctly diagnosing H. pylori infections.     

Formation of acrolein-derived 2'-deoxyadenosine adduct in an iron-induced carcinogenesis model

Acrolein is a representative carcinogenic aldehyde found ubiquitously in the environment and formed endogenously through oxidation reactions, such as lipid peroxidation and myeloperoxidase-catalyzed amino acid oxidation. It shows facile reactivity toward DNA to form an exocyclic DNA adduct. To verify the formation of acrolein-derived DNA adduct under oxidative stress in vivo, we raised a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb21) against the acrolein-modified DNA and found that the antibody most significantly recognized an acrolein-modified 2' -deoxyadenosine. On the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence, the major antigenic product of mAb21 was the 1,N6-propano-2' -deoxyadenosine adduct. The exposure of rat liver epithelial RL34 cells to acrolein resulted in a significant accumulation of the acrolein-2' -deoxyadenosine adduct in the nuclei. Formation of this adduct under oxidative stress in vivo was immunohistochemically examined in rats exposed to ferric nitrilotriacetate, a carcinogenic iron chelate that specifically induces oxidative stress in the kidneys of rodents. It was observed that the acrolein-2' -deoxyadenosine adduct was formed in the nuclei of the proximal tubular cells, the target cells of this carcinogenesis model. The same cells were stained with a monoclonal antibody 5F6 that recognizes an acrolein-lysine adduct, by which cytosolic accumulation of acrolein-modified proteins appeared. Similar results were also obtained from myeloperoxidase knockout mice exposed to the iron complex, suggesting that the myeloperoxidase-catalyzed oxidation system might not be essential for the generation of acrolein in this experimental animal carcinogenesis model. The data obtained in this study suggest that the formation of a carcinogenic aldehyde through lipid peroxidation may be causally involved in the pathophysiological effects associated with oxidative stress.