Interleukin-6 cDNA transfected Lewis lung carcinoma cells show unaltered net tumour growth rate but cause weight loss and shortened survival in syngeneic mice

HuIL-6 cDNA, cloned into a neomycin resistant conferring expression vector, BMGNeo, was transfected into Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) cells. LLC cells (5 x 10(6) ml-1) transfected with IL-6 cDNA (LLC-IL6) secreted IL-6 into the culture supernatant at a concentration of 9.9 ng ml-1 within 48 h. When 1,000,000 of untransfected LLC, BMGNeo vector transfected LLC (LLC-Neo) or LLC-IL6 cells were transplanted into C57BL/6 mice subcutaneously, the mean +/- s.d. of survival times of these mice were 33.3 +/- 9.7, 34.3 +/- 7.1 and 17.0 +/- 3.1 days, respectively. The survival time of LLC-IL6 cells transplanted mice was significantly shorter than that of LLC (P < 0.01) or LLC-Neo (P < 0.01) cells transplanted mice without a measurable difference of tumour size. Plasma concentration of IL-6 steadily increased in LLC-IL6 transplanted mice. Body weight and serum albumin were significantly lower in LLC-IL6 transplanted mice than in LLC transplanted mice. Mouse IL-1 alpha and mouse TNF-alpha were not detected in the plasma of LLC-IL6 transplanted mice. These data suggested that secretion of IL-6 from LLC cells was unable to alter net tumour growth rate but rather caused a state similar to cachexia without detectable increase of IL-1 alpha and TNF-alpha in the plasma. This state may be responsible for the shortened survival of LLC-IL6 tumour-bearing mice.     

Evaluation of blue-chitin column, blue-rayon hanging, and XAD-resin column techniques for concentrating mutagens from two Japanese rivers

Highly mutagenic water of the Katsura River, Kyoto, and moderately mutagenic water of the Asahi River, Okayama, were used to evaluate the efficacy of three concentration techniques, the blue-chitin column, the blue-rayon hanging, and the XAD-2 column. These two river waters have been shown to exhibit high mutagenicity in the assay with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 with metabolic activation. With this assay as a measure, two water samples from the Katsura, collected on different dates, and a sample from the Asahi were submitted to the column concentration techniques, blue-chitin and XAD-2. Blue-chitin was more efficient than XAD-2 for all of these samples: e.g., for one Katsura sample, the mutagenicity found was 913 +/- 53 (mean +/- SD, n = 3) revertants/500 ml with blue-chitin, and 419 +/- 129 (n = 3)/500 ml with XAD-2. Blue rayon (0.5 g) hung in the Asahi for 24 h gave 563 +/- 74 (n = 3) revertants, while the water spot-sampled at the start of the hanging showed 253 +/- 10 (n = 3) revertants per 5 liter with the blue-chitin column technique. We conclude that for quantitative measurement of the "Salmonella TA98 +/- S9' mutagens in these rivers, the blue-chitin column is more efficient and accurate than the XAD-2 column and that for judging the presence of mutagens, the blue-rayon hanging is the most sensitive and convenient among the three methods examined.     

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy underlies syndrome of right bundle branch block, ST-segment elevation, and sudden death

In all experimental mammals tested (rats, dogs, primates), intramuscular injections of the oil-soluble antimalarial artemisinin derivatives artemether and arteether have produced an unusual pattern of selective damage to brain stem centers predominantly involved in auditory processing and vestibular reflexes. Artesunate, the most widely used of these compounds, is a water soluble hemisuccinate derivative given parenterally either by intravenous or intramuscular injection. The neurotoxic potential of parenteral artesunate and artemether was compared in a murine model. Adult Swiss albino mice were assigned randomly to 28-day regimens of intramuscular artemether or artesunate in doses ranging from 30 to 100 mg/kg/day. At 30 mg/kg/day, no abnormalities were detected with either drug. At 50 mg/kg/day, abnormalities were observed in six of 12 artemether recipients and two of 12 artesunate recipients. These were reversible in all but one (artemether) mouse. At 100 mg/kg/day, eight of 36 artemether recipients, two of 36 artesunate recipients, and one of 18 control mice died. All but four surviving mice in the artemether group (86%) showed obvious and usually irreversible abnormalities of balance and equilibrium, whereas only four artesunate recipients (11%) exhibited abnormalities, and these were reversible in each case (P < 0.001). At this dose the relative risk (95% confidence interval) for death or disability was 5.3 (2.6-11.2) for artemether recipients. Intramuscular artemether is significantly more neurotoxic than intramuscular artesunate in this murine model.     

Nanosecond High Voltage Pulse Generator Using Water Gap Switch for Compact High Power Pulsed Microwave Generator

Nanosecond and sub-nanosecond high voltage pulses can provide new applications. A cancer treatment by an ultra-short pulse high electric field is one of them. High power pulsed microwave has been proposed to apply the high electric field for that treatment. This work focuses on the design of a compact high power pulsed microwave generator using a nanosecond pulse power generator for the cancer treatment. To obtain fast rise time of voltage and current for nanosecond pulses, a switch has to have low inductance. Water gap switches have this property. Since water has a dielectric strength exceeding 1 MV/cm, gap distances for switching can be reduced to several hundreds of micrometers, and still allow switching of tens of kV. The narrow gaps allow us to reduce the switch inductance. In this study, the water gap switch was built in a Blumlein pulse forming line. The Blumlein line was designed to provide a pulse of 1 ns and to match an impedance to 16 Omega of an antenna. By using the water gap switch in the Blumlein line, the voltage rise time obtained approximately 750 ps at 13 kV of a peak pulse voltage. An electromagnetic wave was radiated underwater by the loop antenna. A measuring antenna at 0.15 m and 0.4 m from the radiating antenna caught electric field intensities of 116 kV/m and 32 kV/m, respectively. A frequency element of 250 MHz had higher intensity.     

Portal-hepatic venous shunt through a portal aneurysm complicated by hepatic encephalopathy and pulmonary hypertension

We report a rare case of portal-hepatic venous shunt through an enormous portal aneurysm complicated by pulmonary hypertension. A 66-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for hepatic encephalopathy. Chest roentgenography revealed pulmonary hypertension. Computed tomography and ultrasound examination demonstrated a shunt between the portal and hepatic veins through an enormous portal aneurysm. The diagnoses of portal-hepatic venous shunt and pulmonary hypertension were confirmed by hepatic venous catheterization and cardiac catheterization. Pulmonary hypertension might result from the effects of vasoconstrictive agents, which should be metabolized by the liver in normal subjects, passing through the intrahepatic shunt into the lung.     

Gamma-ray radiation hardened properties of pure silica coresingle-mode fiber and its data link system in radioactive environments

The radiation resistances of pure silica core single-mode optical fiber (Si-SMF) and its data link module at 1.30 μm were investigated. It was found that the induced loss of fibers exposed to γ-rays at a low dose rate was proportional to the 0.54 power of total dose from the result of a low dose rate irradiation test for 3 years, and the induced loss for 40 years aging at 1 R/h was estimated to be 1.8 dB/km. It was ascertained that transmission is achievable at a bit rate of 125 Mb/s even under high dose rate irradiation to a total dose of 10⁸ R, which corresponds to the postulated maximum γ-ray exposure in nuclear power plants     

A new concept of nuclear fuel reprocessing by applying ion-exchange technology

The development of advanced technology for the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing should be achieved not only considering cost, non proliferation and reduction of radioactive wastes but also corresponding to both spent nuclear fuels of LWR and FBR.

We have proposed an ion exchange process for reprocessing using a new type ion exchanger developed to chemical method of U enrichment technology. This process possess possibility of a sharp cut in cost, since this ion exchanger is characterized by rapid adsorption-desorption rate dominating the treatment rate.

From the basic experimental results, this reprocessing process has been constructed by 3 ion exchanger columns which consist of a main separation column, the uranium-refining column and the plutonium-refining column.

Comparing ion exchange process with the conventional Purex process, this ion exchange process has many advantages such as the decrease in the number and size separation equipment, solvent-spent free and alkaline-liquid-spent free. With these advantages, this process is estimated that the construction cost of reprocessing process is greatly reduced comparing to the conventional process.     

A randomized cross-over study of high-dose metoclopramide plus dexamethasone versus granisetron plus dexamethasone in patients receiving chemotherapy with high-dose cisplatin

We carried out a randomized, single-blind, cross-over trial to compare the antiemetic effect, for both acute and delayed emesis, of granisetron plus dexamethasone (GRN+Dx) with that of high-dose metoclopramide plus dexamethasone (HDMP+Dx). Fifty-four patients with primary or metastatic lung cancer, given single-dose cisplatin (> 80 mg/m2) chemotherapy more than twice, were enrolled in this study. They were treated with both HDMP+Dx and GRN+Dx in two consecutive chemotherapy courses. On day 1, patients experienced a mean of 2.5 (SD = 4.3) and 0.1 (SD = 0.4) episodes of vomiting in the HDMP+Dx and the GRN+Dx groups, respectively (P = 0.0008). Complete response rate on day 1 was 45 and 90% in the HDMP+Dx and the GRN+Dx groups, respectively (P = 0.0001). Patients treated with GRN+Dx had a tendency to suffer more episodes of vomiting than the HDMP+Dx group on days 2-5, but it was not statistically significant. Twenty-four patients (57%) preferred the GRN+Dx treatment and 14 patients (33%), HDMP+Dx. In the HDMP+Dx group, nine patients (21%) had an extrapyramidal reaction, and 5 patients (12%) had constipation that lasted for at least two days. In contrast, no patients had extrapyramidal reactions, and 18 patients (43%) had constipation in the GRN+Dx group (P < 0.01). GRN+Dx was more effective than HDMP+Dx only in preventing the acute emesis induced by cisplatin. An effective treatment for delayed emesis is still needed.     

Purification and characterization of an esterase involved in poly(vinyl alcohol) degradation by Pseudomonas vesicularis PD

An esterase catalyzing the hydrolysis of acetyl ester moieties in poly(vinyl alcohol) was purified 400-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity from the cytoplasmic fraction of Pseudomonas vesicularis PD, which was capable of assimilating poly(vinyl alcohol) as the sole carbon and energy source. The purified enzyme was a homodimeric protein with a molecular mass of 80 kDa and the isoelectric point was 6.8. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were 8.0 and 45 degrees C. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of side chains of poly(vinyl alcohol), short-chain p-nitrophenyl esters, 2-naphthyl acetate, and phenyl acetate, and was slightly active toward aliphatic esters. The enzyme was also active toward the enzymatic degradation products, acetoxy hydroxy fatty acids, of poly(vinyl alcohol). The K(m) and Vmax of poly(vinyl alcohol) (degree of polymerization, 500; saponification degree, 86.5-89.0 mol%) and p-nitrophenyl acetate were 0.381% (10.6 mM as acetyl content in the polymer) and 2.56 microM, and 6.52 and 12.6 mumol/min/mg, respectively. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and diisopropyl fluorophosphate at a concentration of 5 mM, which indicated that the enzyme was a serine esterase. The pathway for the metabolism of poly(vinyl alcohol) is also discussed.