Hepatoblastoma in an adult associated with c-met proto-oncogene imbalance

A rare case of hepatoblastoma in a 61-year-old Japanese housewife is described. This liver tumor mainly consisted of two tissue components: embryonal hepatocytes and primitive mesenchymal tissue. Fetal hepatocytes with alpha-fetoprotein production, gland formation, cartilage and osteoid were also found in a small portion. Molecular analysis by slot blot method revealed increased copy numbers of c-met and K-sam proto-oncogenes and cyclin D1 genes. These findings suggest that alterations of these oncogenes might play a role in the development of adult hepatoblastoma.     

Determination of Ethyl Carbamate in Sake Using Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction

An analytical method for the determination of ethyl carbamate in alcoholic beverages has been developed and optimized. A combination of headspace solid phase microextraction (HS‐SPME), as the extraction technique, and GC/MS, as the determination technique, was utilized. Analytical grade ethyl carbamate dissolved in ethanol solution was analyzed to determine the optimum analytical conditions. Ethyl carbamate‐d₅ was added as an internal standard. The following HS‐SPME conditions were investigated: type of stationary phase of the fibre, ethanol content, sample volume and extraction time. The optimized procedure showed that the detection limit, relative standard deviation, and recovery were 6.7 μg/L, 0.4–2.0%, and 103.6–107.6%, respectively. The precision of this new method was equivalent to previous analyses. Finally, the developed method was applied to the analysis of ethyl carbamate in sake.     

Dual regulation of the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor by triadin and calsequestrin

Triadin, a calsequestrin-anchoring transmembrane protein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), was successfully purified from the heavy fraction of SR (HSR) of rabbit skeletal muscle with an anti-triadin immunoaffinity column. Since depletion of triadin from solubilized HSR with the column increased the [3H]ryanodine binding activity, we tested a possibility of triadin for a negative regulator of the ryanodine receptor/Ca2+ release channel (RyR). Purified triadin not only inhibited [3H]ryanodine binding to the solubilized HSR but also reduced openings of purified RyR incorporated into the planar lipid bilayers. On the other hand, calsequestrin, an endogenous activator of RyR [Kawasaki and Kasai (1994) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 199, 1120-1127; Ohkura et al. (1995) Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 73, 1181-1185] potentiated [3H]ryanodine binding to the solubilized HSR. Ca2+ dependency of [3H]ryanodine binding to the solubilized HSR was reduced by triadin, whereas that was enhanced by calsequestrin. Interestingly, [3H]ryanodine binding to the solubilized HSR potentiated by calsequestrin was reduced by triadin. Immunostaining with anti-triadin antibody proved that calsequestrin inhibited the formation of oligomeric structure of triadin. These results suggest that triadin inhibits the RyR activity and that RyR is regulated by both triadin and calsequestrin, probably through an interaction between them. In this paper, triadin has been first demonstrated to have an inhibitory role in the regulatory mechanism of the RyR.     

Ion induced bending (IIB) phenomenon for 3-D structure fabrication

We propose a thin-film bending technique based on the ion-induced bending (IIB) phenomenon, which enables the fabrication of three-dimensional structural devices and arrays, such as micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices. We investigated the IIB phenomenon with various film materials and various ion species. It was found that the distribution of vacancy occurs under ion-irradiation was the important parameter affecting the degree of bending, irrespective of film material and ion-species. Therefore, it was found that the bending angle could be controlled by the distribution of vacancy. Using this technique, a micron-sized region of a standing thin-film array could be produced using conventional ion-implantation equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing.     

Beam focusing characteristics of silicon microtips with an in-planelens

Single microtips, 2×2 and 10×10 arrays of microtips surrounded by an integrated focusing ring, were fabricated and their focusing characteristics experimentally investigated. Observation of the beam on a phosphor screen shows that the focusing is very effective for single microtips and 2×2 arrays; moreover, the reduction in emitted current is much smaller than for double-gate focusing. 10×10 arrays of microtips, however, do not generate very focused beams. These results agree well with simulations. The possibility of simultaneous focusing and deflecting is also discussed, and a new structure combining the advantages of double-gate and surrounding ring focusing is suggested     

Preoperative evaluation of the limitation of hepatic resection using 99mTc-GSA (galactosyl human serum albumin) scintigraphy

Preoperative evaluation of the operative indication of hepatic resection using the parameters obtained by 99mTc-GSA scintigraphy has been done. In particular, the accurate evaluation of the postoperative hepatic functional reserve essentially depends on these parameters. In the present study, a preoperative evaluation of postoperative hepatic functional reserve using 99mTc-GSA scintigraphy was performed in our operated cases retrospectively. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight patients who underwent hepatic resection were studied on 99mTc-GSA scintigraphy before and after operation. These patients were divided into two groups. Group A; had no postoperative complications (n = 31). Group B; had some postoperative complications (n = 7). Preoperative parameters of 99mTc-GSA liver scintigraphy (HH15, LU15) were calculated from the activities of liver and cardiac ROIs at 5 and 15 minutes after injection. The resection ratio (RR) was obtained by comparing the liver volumes which were calculated from the pre- and postoperative SPECT studies. The resectability indices (Res) were as follows: Res (LU15) = LU15 x (100-RR(%)/100, Res (HH15) = (1/HH15) x (100-RR (%)/100. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of Res between A and B groups (p = 0.002, Mann-Whitney test). The values of Res, of which half of patients have complication, were 1.10 (Res (HH15)) and 16.4 (Res (LU15)). CONCLUSION: The resectability indices using 99mTc-GSA liver scintigraphy are useful for the preoperative evaluation of the limitation of hepatic resection.     

Spatial and temporal expression of angiogenic molecules during tumor growth and progression

The growth and metastasis of cancer directly correlates with tumor angiogenesis. A better understanding of the expression of regulatory factors controlling angiogenesis is important in exploiting this process therapeutically. Our present study demonstrates that small tumors (3-4 mm in diameter) express more basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) than large tumors (> 10 mm in diameter), whereas more vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is expressed in large tumors. Immunostaining showed a heterogeneous distribution of angiogenic factors within the tumor; expression of bFGF and IL-8 was highest on the periphery of a large tumor, where cell division is maximum. VEGF expression was higher in the center of the tumor. In vitro studies demonstrated that sparse cultures of tumor cells expressed higher levels of bFGF and IL-8 than confluent cultures. In contrast, the expression of bFGF and IL-8 was not diminished in tumor cells growing on confluent monolayers of normal cells. VEGF expression was upregulated by cell density irrespective of contact with tumor cells or normal cells. These results demonstrate that the expression of different angiogenic factors in tumor cells can be regulated by their proximity to other tumor cells or host cells.     

Serum protein binding kinetics of phenytoin in monotherapy patients

Recently a German appraisal instrument for clinical guidelines was published that could be used by various parties in formal evaluation of guidelines. An user's guide to the appraisal instrument was designed that contains a detailed explanation for each question to ensure that the instrument is interpreted consistently. This paper describes the purposes, format and contents of the user's guide, and reviews the key factors influencing the validity of guidelines. Taking into account international experiences, the purposes, chances and methodological limitations of a prospective assessment of clinical practice guidelines are discussed.     

Application of a power line maintenance information system usingOPGW to the Nishi-Gunma UHV line

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. began operation of the Nishi-Gunma UHV trunk line, the first 1000 kV designed power line in Japan, in April, 1992. This line is expected to be the key line in a major trunk-line system that is being developed. It traverses high-altitude mountainous areas subject to severe environmental and meteorological conditions for a long distance. A system using composite fiber-optic overhead ground wire (OPGW) is constructed to obtain precise information on this line for maintenance purposes. This system comprises three major functions: (1) meteorological and facility's monitoring for gathering meteorological data on such elements as winds, and icing and snow accretion, and for evaluating the corresponding reaction of the components such as conductor tension, and strain in the tower structure; (2) industrial TV monitoring for visual observation of weather, surrounding conditions and site facilities; and (3) fault section location for pinpointing faults quickly and determining the maintenance office that should respond to the faults. This is done by estimating the fault section accurately around the boundaries of the maintenance jurisdictions. This paper describes the development of these functions and results obtained from practical operation     

Immunohistochemical evaluation of thymidylate synthase in gastric carcinoma using a new polyclonal antibody: the clinical role of thymidylate synthase as a prognostic indicator and its therapeutic usefulness

BACKGROUND: Before this study was conducted, the clinical and therapeutic significance of immunohistochemical evaluation of thymidylate synthase (TS) in patients with gastric carcinoma had not yet been clarified. METHODS: TS was immunohistochemically evaluated in 134 gastric carcinomas using anti-TS antibody. TS expression, 11 clinicopathologic variables, and survival were studied, and the correlations among them were investigated. RESULTS: The groups with high and low TS levels consisted of 56 and 78 patients, respectively. Granular cytoplasmic staining patterns of tumor cells were produced by immunohistochemical staining of the gastric carcinoma tissues. The grade of TS staining was significantly correlated with three clinicopathologic variables: depth of invasion, peritoneal metastasis, and stage of the carcinoma (P < 0.05). A univariate analysis revealed that the 5-year survival was significantly better for the low TS group than for the high TS group (P < 0.05): 65.2% for the low TS group and 43.2% for the high TS group. The group with high grade TS staining who received chemotherapy because of the advanced stage of their disease had worse prognoses even if they received adjuvant chemotherapy. A multivariate analysis revealed that four variables (peritoneal metastasis, lymphatic invasion, liver metastasis, and TS staining grade) independently contributed to survival (P < 0.05). The hazard ratio for the group with low grade TS staining was 0.464 compared with the group with high grade staining. CONCLUSIONS: The immunohistochemical evaluation of TS using this anti-TS antibody may be clinically and therapeutically useful in determining the prognosis of gastric carcinoma patients.