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To clarify the ultrastructure of the extended ribosomal RNA molecules, electron microscopic observations were carried out on the RNA molecules extracted from purified ribosomes of mouse ascites sarcoma cells. By the treatment with ethylenediamine-tetraacetate agglomerated rRNA molecules were elongated to thread-like structure by partial unfolding. The lengths of thread-like molecules were measured as less than Iii. The strand of RNA molecules stained with uranyl acetate was observed approximately l5A in width.

Acute superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS) following a major surgical procedure is extremely rare, and represents an iatrogenic cause of postoperative upper gastrointestinal obstruction. In this report, the first documented case of acute SMAS following a left hemicolectomy is presented in an obese patient. Upper gastrointestinal roentgenographic series and conservative management remain to be the first line diagnostic and therapeutic modalities and were successful in our patient. Up to date no patient with SMAS reported to be obese but apparently obesity per se, can not be considered as an insurance. A postoperative acute SMAS is impossible to predict depending on the previous history, predisposing factors and the physique of the patient. Therefore, the surgeon should be aware of the SMAS and it is his task to secure all the precautions in order to preclude excessive traction on the mesenteric vasculature and vascular compression of the duodenum during surgery. In cases in which SMAS is suspected during extended colonic resections with lymph node dissection, duodenal mobilization seems to be selectively justifiable.

The amygdalofugal fibers were studied III the cat with the silver method of NAUTA-GYGAX. 1. The amygdalofugal fibers are distributed by way of the stria terminalis, the longitudinal association bundle, the inferior thalamic peduncle, and the medial forebrain bundle. 2. The amygdalofugal fibers running through the longitudinal association bundle arise in the lateral principal, intermediate principal nuclei and the lateral and possibly intermediate parts of the periamygdaloid cortex, and terminate in the lateral preoptic nucleus, the bed nucleus of the anterior commissure, the olfactory tubercle, the nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca, the nucleus accumbens, the medial and posterior septal nuclei and the basal part of the head of the caudate nucleus. In addition, there are scattered fibers coursing along the longitudinal association bundle proper. These fibers may have a widespread origin from the amygdaloid complex. The longitudinal association bundle contributes no fibers to the medial forebrain bundle. 3. The fibers, originating from the lateral principal, intermediate principal and medial principal nuclei, join the medial forebrain bundle to distribute widely in the lateral hypothalamic nucleus. A few fibers are seen to reach the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, and are considered to arise in the medial principal nucleus. 4. By way of the inferior thalamic peduncle some fibers from the amygdaloid complex course dorsally into the medial part of the dorsomedial thalamic nucleus at its caudal levels. They may arise widely from the amygdaloid complex. A few of them extend farther dorsally to reach the lateral habenular nucleus and the parataenial nucleus. They probably originate from the lateral principal nucleus. 5. The fibers forming the stria terminalis originate from the medial principal nucleus, the medial nucleus, the periamygdaloid cortex and the cortical nucleus, and are distributed in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the lateral preoptic nucleus (preoptic component), as well as the medial preoptic nucleus, the anterior hypothalamic nucleus and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (supracommissural component). The cortical nucleus, particularly its caudal part, and possibly the medial part of the periamygdaloid cortex are regarded as the main sources of the stria terminalis fibers ending in the hypothalamic region. The intermediate principal and lateral principal nuclei do not appear to contribute fibers to the stria terminalis. 6. The ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus receives amygdalofugal fibers both from the medial principal nucleus by way of the medial forebrain bundle, and from the cortical nucleus via the stria terminalis. 7. In addition to intrinsic internuclear fibers within the amygdaloid complex, some of the fibers from the complex are distributed to the ventralmost part of the putamen, the medial part of the claustrum, the periamygdaloid cortex, the prepiriform area and the anterior amygdaloid area, but do not reach the hippocampus.

A fibroblast-inhibiting agent, chloroquine, used in the treatment of animal tumors led to a reasonably good result, and this approach was extended to the treatment of human cancers. Of histologically proven 54 cases, the drug was effective in 38, ineffective in 15, and unknown in one. It proved to be effective in all the patients who were treated for over 2 months with exception of terminal patients. Of the various malignant tumors treated, excellent therapeutic effects were obtained in patients with carcinoma of the lung and bladder. In the cases where the drug was effective there were a decrease of the size of tumors, fall of serum lactic dehydrogenase, increase of necrosis, inhibition of the stroma, as well as improvement of the symptoms and general condition. As to the mechanisms of the drug action, it would be necessary to consider of its anti-inflammatory and humoral effects upon the host in addition to its inhibitory action on the stromal connective tissue of cancers. The present chloroquine treatment appears to have its indication in inoperable cases, and pre- and post-operative cases, and for the prevention of reccurrence of tumors. Studies are currently in progress in our laboratory to discover more potent fibroblastinhibiting agents and on the combined chemotherapy of chloroquine and other anti-turnor agents. We are indebted to the Department of Urology of our University for the generosity to allow us to use the clinical data on patients with cancer of the urinary bladder.

In order to clarify difference of the mucosal immunity in various sites of normal large and small intestines, we studied the population of lymphocyte subsets and immunoglobulin (Ig)-containing cells in situ in biopsy specimens taken from various sites (ascending colon, sigmoid colon and rectum) of the large intestine and from the duodenum using an immunohistochemical method. Monoclonal antibodies against pan-T (Leu 1), cytotoxic/suppressor T (Leu2a), helper/inducer T (Leu3a), suppressor T (Leu15) and natural killer/K (Leu7) cells, and polyclonal antibodies to human IgG, IgA and IgM were used. In the duodenum, intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) were more prominent than in the large intestine. Immunoelectron microscopic observation revealed that some Leu2a+ IELs possessed pseudopods extending into intestinal epithelial cells, indicating that some IELs belong to the cytotoxic T cell subset. Leu7+ IELs were scarcely observed and Leu7+/Leu1+ ratio was higher in the large intestine than in the duodenum. Furthermore, the number of Leu7+ cells were more in the distal than the proximal colon. In the lamina propria Ig-containing cells tended to be fewer in the rectum than in the duodenum and the proximal colon. Our findings may suggest the variation of local immune responses and the difference of assigned immunological functions among the various sites of the intestines.

We compared the thin-section CT findings of 11 intrapulmonary lymph nodes with pathological findings and evaluated the possibility of CT scan differential diagnosis from pulmonary metastatic nodules. First, we retrospectively reviewed CT scan and pathological findings of intrapulmonary lymph nodes. The median size of these nodules was 6.2 mm. The nodules appeared round (n=3) or angular (n=8) in shape with a sharp border, and they were found below the level of the carina. The median distance from the nearest pleural surface was 4.6 mm, and 3 of the 11 nodules were attached to the pleura. On thin-section CT scan, linear densities extending from the intrapulmonary lymph nodes were frequently visualized, and were pathologically proven to be ectatic lymphoid channels. We then compared the thin-section CT findings of 8 metastatic nodules less than 1 cm in diameter with those of the 11 intrapulmonary lymph nodes. The median size of these nodules was 6.8 mm, and the median distance from the nearest pleural surface was 16 mm. All nodules appeared round in shape. None of the nodules had linear densities extending from the nodules. The linear densities on thin-section CT scan may be the most useful characteristic of intrapulmonary lymph nodes, when differential diagnosis from metastatic nodules is necessary.

Vectorcardiogram (VCG) recorded by both the Frank and Kimura systems were examined in 45 patients with complete right bundle branch block (RBBB) and left axis deviation (LAD) to investigate the relationship seen on electrocardiogram (ECG) between RBBB with LAD and bilateral bundle. The sample included: 13 cases of type SI, SII, SIII, SaVF; 21 cases of type SI, SII, SIII, aVF; and 11 cases of types SI, SII, SIII. VCG recorded by the Frank system were classified into seven types according to the QRS loop pattern on the frontal plane and into three types according to the horizontal plane. The main findings were: (a) In the Frank system the QRS loop in the frontal plane showed a variety of patterns in RBBB with LAD. (b) On VCG of complete RBBB judged complicated by a left anterior hemiblock by the Frank system, the main portion of the QRS loop extended to the left superior or merely to the left in the frontal plane. The direction of rotation and position on the horizontal plane were not consistent. (c) The results of this study suggest the usefulness of the Kimura system as an auxiliary diagnostic technique.

A case of extravesical malacoplakia, the first case in Japan, is described in detail. The patient was a 61-year-old woman with a right flank mass. Radiologically, the mass was thought to be of the renal origin. Surgically, however, the tumor was found attached not only to the cortical surface but extended to the retroperitoneum and psoas muscle. Pathological examination confirmed the lesion to be malacoplakia characterized by the presence of von Hansemann cells and Michaelis-Gutmann bodies.

Lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells can destroy not only tumor cells but also syngeneic liver cells. In this study, the effects of passive transfer of LAK cells on liver regeneration were examined by the 3H-thymidine uptake and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling methods after resection of 70% of the volume of the liver. LAK cells were infused 12h after hepatectomy and the effects on regeneration of liver cells were examined 36 h later. The transfusion of LAK cells induced significant inhibition of liver regeneration at a dose of 5-10 x 10(7) cells. Neuraminidase treatment of lymphocytes is desirable to enhance the selective entrapment of LAK cells into the liver. When LAK cells were treated with neuraminidase (0.5 units/ml), and transfused into hepatectomized mice, more potent suppression of liver regeneration was induced in comparison with the same dose of LAK cells. The intraperitoneal injection of recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2) after partial hepatectomy also inhibited the regeneration of remnant liver. From these results, lymphocytes such as LAK cells appear to regulate liver regeneration.

1. The properdin levels in sera from mice bearing Ehrlich ascitic carcinoma and from rabbits with Brown-Pearce carcinoma decrease inversely with the increase of the ascites or the tumors. In the incipient period of tumor transplantation, the level rather rises. When the tumor is proliferating or large, the level keeps falling or is low. On the contrary, when the tumor is regressing or disappears, the level elevates or reverts to that before transplantation. Strong A and R III mice with spontaneous mammary cancer have markedly low serum properdin levels as compared with those of healthy mice. 2. The properdin levels are less than 2 units per milliliter of the serum in 44.4 per cent of patients with gastric cancer, in 18.2 per cent of ones with non-malignant tumor and in 18.2 per cent of ones with gastric or duodenal ulcer. The abnormal low level has been found in 33.3 per cent of patients without recurrence, who had undergone extended radical gastrectomy combined with radical lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer. 3. Some correlation can be seen between the serum properdin levels and the degree of progress of gastric cancer. 4. The cancer patients with low total serum protein have lower serum properdin levels than those having nomal protein. 5. As for influence of surgical operation on the serum properdin levels, there is observed a tendency that a minor operation causes the levels to increase and a major operation causes the levels to fall. 6. It has been inferred that the properdin system could be one of the host natural resistance against cancer.

Conservative treatment is ineffective for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) in the thoracic spine, and surgical treatment is indicated for most cases, while such cases are not often experienced. In the present study, the results of surgical management involving mainly posterior decompression for this disease were evaluated clinically. The study included 9 patients (1 man and 8 women) who underwent surgical treatment for OPLL of the thoracic spine between 1984 and 1993. Laminectomy was performed in 5 patients, and laminectomy plus anterior decompression of the OPLL via the posterior approach based on Otsuka's method was performed in 2 patients. In 1 patient, laminoplasty for OPLL of the cervical spine was combined with laminectomy of the symptomatic lesion in the thoracic spine. One patient underwent anterior decompression and fusion. The results were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (JOA score) and recovery rate. The postoperative follow-up period ranged from 1 year to 10 years and 3 months (mean, 4 years and 6 months). The mean JOA score was 4.8 before surgery and improved to 7.6 at the final examination. This was a mean recovery rate of 50.1%. Symptoms caused by OPLL in the thoracic spine can be alleviated by posterior decompression where OPLL extends from the upper to the middle thoracic spine or extends from the middle to the lower thoracic spine. It seems, however, that OPLL localized to the middle thoracic spine requires anterior decompression.

Phalloidin, a toxin from the plant Amanita phalloides, irreversibly polymerizes actin filaments and causes cholestasis. Three-dimensional structural changes induced by phalloidin in the bile canaliculi and the intra-acinar localization of these changes were studied in the rat liver by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. After 3 days of treatment, canalicular changes appeared mainly in zones 2 and 3 of Rappaport's acinus, but after 7 days of treatment changes occurred in bile canaliculi of the whole acinus. The changes in the bile canaliculi included tortuosity, saccular dilatation, loss of microvilli, bleb formation and elongation of canalicular side branches. Some side branches extended near to Disse's space, leaving only a thin cytoplasmic rim between the canalicular lumen and Disse's space. Kupffer cells were occasionally situated near such extended bile canaliculi and protruded their processes into the hepatic cord. These results suggest that bile canaliculi in zone 3 are more susceptible to phalloidin toxicity than those in zone 1 and that biliary constituents may leak from such altered bile canaliculi.

Although the identification and characterisation of a participant's lateral profile during quiet standing have not received much research attention, they have the potential to greatly extend our understanding of upright stance stability control. This study further examines limb load asymmetries during quiet bipedal stance. During voluntary frontal-plane weight shifting for 2 min, 300 centre-of-pressure displacements on 14 blindfolded right-handed young adults were recorded. Four biomechanical indices were used to assess postural behaviour. These were the bias of time and the magnitude of the partial ground reaction forces from both legs, and the bias in the number and magnitude of microshifts influencing stability. Our study identifies a significant level of asymmetry in the quiet bipedal stance of right-handed people. This asymmetry is associated with the right-sided bias of the ground reaction force and the angle of inclination to the upright (vertical) centroidal line. We found that the initial lateralisation of the partial ground reaction forces from both feet, as well as the period of ground reaction force bias, are important elements in any clinical tests involving quiet bipedal stance.