Unusual visual and olfactory perceptions during radiotherapy sessions: an investigation of the organs responsible

During radiotherapy sessions to treat brain tumors or head-and-neck cancers, some patients experience unusual visual and/or olfactory perceptions. This prospective study sought to answer two questions: (i) what proportion of patients experience these unpleasant sensations?, and (ii) which organs are responsible? Eligible patients had brain or near-orbital tumors treated by helical tomotherapy. All were aged 10 years or older, able to communicate, and interviewed by a radiation oncologist at least once weekly during radiation therapy. If they had experienced such sensations, they were encouraged to join the second phase of the study. The patients were asked to indicate, using a button, when a sensation commenced and ended. The recorded data were collated with the treatment log. Thirty-eight consecutive patients were eligible. Twenty-six experienced visual and 13 olfactory sensations. The radiation doses to the organs related to the visual or olfactory sensations did not differ between patients who reported sensations and those who did not. Seventeen patients were enrolled in the second phase of the study. All 14 with visual sensations reported that the sensations occurred when the X-rays passed at eye level. Olfactory sensations were reported by eight out of nine patients when the X-rays passed through the olfactory epithelium and/or ethmoid sinus level. In conclusion, 68% of patients experienced visual sensations caused by X-rays passing through the level of the eyes, and 34% complained of olfactory sensations. With the exception of one patient, olfactory sensations occurred when the X-rays passed through the levels of the olfactory epithelium and/or ethmoid sinus.

A Network Inversion Technique for Estimating Equivalent Dipole Description of Visual Evoked Potential

For the activation study of the brain, dipole localization from the scalp potential is one of the most promising techniques to realize a reasonable temporal resolution which cannot be realized in functional MR and PET. The goal of our study is to estimate inversely the electrical brain activity in the form of several dipoles from the scalp potential, using a network inversion technique. As a basic approach, we have inversely estimated several dipoles from the potential distribution on a spherical surface, in the homogeneous sphere model.

In the training phase, by expanding the neural network input dimensions being redundant, the network can easily learn the forward mapping. In the inversion phase, the space of the expanded-network-input-vector can be narrowed by introducing a penalty term. Additionally, a consensus term was used to force several dipoles to have a similar orientation. We estimate that this is applicable to the localization of several dipoles that reflect the actual brain activity, especially in the visual evoked potentials.

Antiviral Activities of Mizoribine and other Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors against Several Ortho- and Paramyxoviruses

Mizoribine (4-carbamoyl-1-β-D-ribofuranosylimidazo-lelium-5-olate), EICAR (5-ethynyl-1-β-D-ribofuranosylimi-dazole-4-carboxamide), mycophenolic acid and ribavirin are antiviral agents targeted for inosine monophosphate (IMP) dehydrogenase. These compounds have been examined for their activities against orthomyxoviruses [influenza viruses (FluV)] and paramyxoviruses [parainfluenza viruses (PFIuV), mumps virus, measles virus (MLSV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)] in vitro. Mizoribine was 1- to 9-fold more active than ribavirin against RSV, PFIuV and MLSV. EICAR and mycophenolic acid showed higher potency than mizoribine and ribavirin against all myxoviruses examined. None of the four compounds examined proved cytotoxic to stationary host cells (HeLa, Vero and MDCK) at a concentration of 200 μg ml−1 or more. On the other hand, EICAR and mycophenolic acid were toxic to rapidly growing cells at concentrations of 2.2-9 and 0.1-1.1 μg ml−1, respectively. Mizoribine and ribavirin showed cytotoxicity to the growing cells at higher concentrations (12-51 μg ml−1). The antiviral activities of mizoribine against FluV and RSV were reversed by 25-100 μm of each of guanosine and guanosine monophosphate (GMP). The antiviral activity of ribavirin against FluV was reversed by 25 μg of each of guanosine and GMP, while its activity against RSV was reversed by ≥ 100 μm of each of these compounds. Neither xanthosine nor xanthosine monophosphate (XMP) reversed the antiviral effects of mizoribine and ribavirin at concentrations of 300 μM. Concentrations 9 times higher than the median effective doses (EC50) of mizoribine and ribavirin inhibited the growth of RSV in HeLa cells as determined in an assay of infectious virus yield. Mizoribin should be further pursued as a candidate drug for the treatment of ortho- and paramyxovirus infections.

Hydrolysis of beef tallow by lipase from Pseudomonas sp

The lipase produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens biotype I was selected for hydrolyzing beef tallow at 50-70 degrees C to more than 90% of reaction ratio. Using an amount of lipase sufficient to reach equilibrium, the final reaction ratio was decreased with increasing temperature and the apparent enthalpy of beef tallow hydrolysis obtained by the final reaction ratio was -1.93 x 10(4)cal/mol, and the final reaction ratio also decreased with increasing substrate concentration. The rising time, which is the reaction time up to one-half of the final reaction ratio, decreased remarkably with increasing temperature, and was closely related to the value of the maximum velocity by the Michaelis constant of this lipase. The final reaction ratio increased with increasing lipase amount up to equilibrium. Increasing the lipase above the amount required to reach equilibrium caused a decrease in the rising time. The feasibility of using parameters obtained by a hyperbolic simulation of the progress curve is discussed.

Simulation studies of the ischemic vulnerability of the subendocardium

Changes in the subendo-subepi flow ratio were studied by using a simple electronic circuit model of the coronary vessel consisting of a resistor, capacitor and field effect transistor in order to provide a better understanding of the ischemic vulnerability of the subendocardium. The simulated subendo-subepi flow ratio was found to be approximately 1.2 under normal condition. Changes in the flow ratio were observed while varying the main arterial resistance, mean arterial pressure and intramyocardial pressure individually. The mean flow in the subendocardium was found to decrease at a rate faster than that in the subepicardium with the increase in the septal arterial resistance and the intramyocardial pressure. The same tendency was also observed while the arterial pressure was lowered. This decrease in the mean subendocardial flow is considered to be the effect of higher end-systolic resistance in the subendocardial venule compared to that in the subepicardial venule. These results would be helpful in understanding the vulnerability of the subendocardium to ischemia and in providing clinical treatment to patients with that disease.

Human arylhydrocarbon receptor repressor (AHRR) gene: genomic structure and analysis of polymorphism in endometriosis

The diversity of biological effects resulting from exposure to dioxin may reflect the ability of this environmental pollutant to alter gene expression by binding to the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AHR) gene and related genes. AHR function may be regulated by structural variations in AHR itself, in the AHR repressor (AHRR), in the AHR nuclear translocator (ARNT), or in AHR target molecules such as cytochrome P-4501A1 (CYP1A1) and glutathione S-transferase. Analysis of the genomic organization of AHRR revealed an open reading frame consisting of a 2094-bp mRNA encoded by ten exons. We found one novel polymorphism, a substitution of Ala by Pro at codon 185 (GCC to CCC), in exon 5 of the AHRR gene; among 108 healthy unrelated Japanese women, genotypes Ala/Ala, Ala/Pro, and Pro/Pro were represented, respectively, by 20 (18.5%), 49 (45.4%), and 39 (36.1%) individuals. We did not detect previously published polymorphisms of ARNT (D511N) or the CYP1A1 promoter (G-469A and C-459T) in our subjects, suggesting that these polymorphisms are rare in the Japanese population. No association was found between uterine endometriosis and any polymorphisms in the AHRR, AHR, ARNT, or CYP1A1 genes analyzed in the present study.

Estimation of intra-cranial neural activities by means of regularized neural-network-based inversion techniques

Artificial neural networks can be exploited to solve inverse problems arising from the estimation of neural activities in the brain. In this paper, we review the network inversion techniques for solving inverse problems with special attention directed towards electroencephalographic dipole localization and the improvement of positron emission tomography. In our regularized network inversion technique, for stabilizing the solution, we explicitly include the a priori knowledge by adding penalty terms to the energy function and/or build this knowledge into the architecture of the multi-layered neural networks that are used as an inverse problem solver. In the electroencephalogram analysis, the consensus term added to the energy function facilitated 3-dipole localization for visually evoked potentials. Effectiveness of our regularization is shown in improving the positron emission tomographic images and for generating metabolic images of the brain, under the constraints given by the a priori knowledge inherent to the measurement systems and physiological rules.

A novel amplification at 17q21-23 in ovarian cancer cell lines detected by comparative genomic hybridization

OBJECTIVE

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and/or progression of ovarian cancer (OC). To investigate the genomic imbalances and identify the cancer-related genes associated with this tumor, we applied comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) in OC cell lines.

METHODS

Chromosomal aberrations among 17 OC cell lines were analyzed with CGH. Since novel chromosomal regions, including 17q21-23, were identified, we examined the involvement of two candidate genes, PS6K and ZNF147, mapped on this chromosomal region. We examined the status of amplification and expression by fluorescence in situ hybridization as well as by Southern blot analysis and by Northern blot analysis on two candidate genes, respectively.

RESULTS

All lines displayed numerous chromosomal imbalances; the most frequent losses were observed on 18q22-23 (29.4%), 13q22-34 (23.5%), 9p (17.6%), 4p11-14 (17.6%), and 11p14-15 (17.6%). The most common gains were noted at 20q12-13 (47.1%), 8q23-24 (35.2%), 5p15 (23.5%), 7q32-36 (23.5%), and 20p (23.5%). High-level gains (HLGs) were detected at 20q12-13 (four cell lines), 8q24 (two cell lines), 12p11-12 (two cell lines), and 17q21-23 (two cell lines). PS6K and ZNF147 genes were amplified in two cell lines exhibiting HLGs at 17q21-23, but not overexpressed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our CGH data indicate that OCs have various DNA copy number changes. Among these frequent changes, 17q21-23 may harbor another tumor-associated gene(s) responsible for OC carcinogenesis.

Hadamard-based image decomposition and compression

In this paper, we develop a general algorithm for decomposition and compression of grayscale images. The decomposition can be expressed as a functional relation between the original image and the Hadamard waveforms. The dynamic adaptive clustering procedure incorporates potential functions as a similarity measure for clustering as well as a reclustering phase. The latter is a multi-iteration, convergent procedure which divides the inputs into nonoverlapping clusters. These two techniques allow us to efficiently store and transmit a class of half-tone medical images such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the human brain. Due to the redundant image structure of MRI, obtained after the decomposition and clustering, almost half of the image can be omitted all together. Naturally, the compression rates for this specific type of grayscale image are increased greatly. A run-length coding is performed in order to compress further the retained information from the first two steps. Although all the techniques applied are simple, they represent an efficient way to compress grayscale images. The algorithm exhibits a performance which is competitive and often outperforming some of the methods reported in the literature.

Expression of genes responsible for ethylene production and wilting are differently regulated in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) petals

Carnation petals exhibit autocatalytic ethylene production and wilting during senescence. The autocatalytic ethylene production is caused by the expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase genes, whereas the wilting of petals is related to the expression of the cysteine proteinase (CPase) gene. So far, it has been believed that the ethylene production and wilting are regulated in concert in senescing carnation petals, since the two events occurred closely in parallel with time. In the present study, we investigated the expression of these genes in petals of a transgenic carnation harboring a sense ACC oxidase transgene and in petals of carnation flowers treated with 1,1-dimethyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)semicarbazide (DPSS). In petals of the transgenic carnation flowers, treatment with exogenous ethylene caused accumulation of the transcript for CPase and in-rolling (wilting), whereas it caused no or little accumulation of the transcripts for ACC oxidase and ACC synthase and negligible ethylene production. In petals of the flowers treated with DPSS, the transcripts for ACC synthase and ACC oxidase were accumulated, but no significant change in the level of the transcript for CPase was observed. These results suggest that the expression of ACC synthase and ACC oxidase genes, which leads to ethylene production, is differentially regulated from the expression of CPase, which leads to wilting, in carnation petals.

A network inversion technique for estimating equivalent dipole description of visual evoked potential

For the activation study of the brain, dipole localization from the scalp potential is one of the most promising techniques to realize a reasonable temporal resolution which cannot be realized in functional MR and PET. The goal of our study is to estimate inversely the electrical brain activity in the form of several dipoles from the scalp potential, using a network inversion technique. As a basic approach, we have inversely estimated several dipoles from the potential distribution on a spherical surface, in the homogeneous sphere model. In the training phase, by expanding the neural network input dimensions being redundant, the network can easily learn the forward mapping. In the inversion phase, the space of the expanded-network-input-vector can be narrowed by introducing a penalty term. Additionally, a consensus term was used to force several dipoles to have a similar orientation. We estimate that this is applicable to the localization of several dipoles that reflect the actual brain activity, especially in the visual evoked potentials.

Esterification of polyunsaturated fatty acids by various forms of immobilized lipase from Rhizomucor miehei

Ethyl esterification specificity of a lipase from Rhizomucor miehei for polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was compared at 1 and 100 mM to study molecular recognition of PUFA. The chemical shift of methylene adjacent to carboxyl groups in the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in ethanol moved to a lower magnetic field as the concentration of DHA increased, suggesting that the degree of dissociation of DHA decreased. Specificity constants or apparent second-order rate constants (Vmax/Km or catalytic power) for 1 mM esterification by immobilized lipases were higher than the native lipase. Immobilized hydrophobic carrier of low mass transfer resistance for the esterification substrate may improve maximal velocity and affinity for the substrate. Higher specificity constants for 1 mM substrates were observed using immobilized lipases fixed on an anion exchange resin with glutaraldehyde and on a cation exchange carrier with carbodiimide. Activity yields measured with 1 mM PUFA substrate were high. For the substrates at a concentration of 100 mM, higher specific constants with these bifunctional reagents were not observed but higher activity yields were found.

Examination of signal transduction pathway of stimulated B1 and B2 kinin receptors; MAP kinase pathway to AP-1 translocation in HEK 293 cells

B1 or B2 kinin receptor-overexpressing HEK293 cells were stimulated with des-Arg9-BK or BK, respectively. Each agonist induced translocation of AP-1 into the nuclear fraction as well as activation of MAP kinases in each cells. MAP kinase inhibitor PD98059 suppressed translocation of AP-1 and agonist-induced MAP kinase activation in both cells. These results indicate that stimulation of B1 or B2 receptor expresses a feature of the signal transduction pathway of MAP kinase activation to translocation of AP-1. This signal transduction pathway of HEK cells through B1 and B2 receptors may be similar in response to respective agonists.

Thermostable flap endonuclease from the archaeon, Pyrococcus horikoshii, cleaves the replication fork-like structure endo/exonucleolytically

The flap endonuclease gene homologue from the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus horikoshii, was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The results of gel filtration indicated that this protein was a 41-kDa monomer. P. horikoshii flap endonuclease (phFEN) cleaves replication fork-like substrates (RF) and 5' double-strand flap structures (DF) using both flap endonuclease and 5'-3'-exonuclease activities. The mammalian flap endonuclease (mFEN) is a single-strand flap-specific endonuclease (Harrington, J. J., and Lieber, M. R. (1994) EMBO J. 13, 1235-1246), but the action patterns of phFEN appear to be quite different from those of mFEN at this point. The DF-specific flap endonuclease and 5'-exonuclease activities have not yet been reported. Therefore, this is the first report of the specific endo/exonuclease activities of phFEN. The DF-specific 5'-exonuclease activity degraded the downstream primer of 3' single-flap structure and was 15 times higher than the activities against nicked substrates without 3' flap strand. DF-specific flap endonuclease cleaved the 5' double-flap strand in DF and the lagging strand in RF at the junction portion. Because the RF appears to be the intermediate structure, due to the arrest of the replication fork, the double strand breaks after the arrests of the replication forks are probably caused by phFEN.

Counteracting moment device for reduction of earthquake-induced excursions of multi-level buildings

A vibration-control mechanism for beams and columns was presented in our previous report in which the earthquake force was transformed into a vibration-control force by using a gear train mechanism. In our previous report, however, only the principle of transforming the earthquake force into the control force was presented; the discussion for real structures and the design method were not presented. The present article provides a theoretical analysis of the column which is used in multi-layered buildings. Experimental tests were carried out for a model of multi-layered buildings in the frequency range of a principal earthquake wave. Theoretical results are compared to the experimental data. The optimal design of the control mechanism, which is of importance in the column design, is presented. Numerical calculations are carried out for the optimal design. It is shown that vibrations of the column involving the mechanism are suppressed remarkably. The optimal design method and the analytical results are applicable to the design of the column.

Increased heterogeneity of chromosome 17 aneuploidy in endometriosis

OBJECTIVE

Endometriosis is a complex gynecologic disorder that may display features similar to malignancy, including aggressive growth and localized invasion of the myometrium or spread to various organs outside the uterus. Molecular studies of cancer have demonstrated that genomic instability involving chromosome 17 plays a role in the development and progression of various tumor types. These involve gain and/or loss, deletions, and mutations of candidate tumor suppressor genes (eg, BRCA1 and p53 ) on chromosome 17.

STUDY DESIGN

We used a 2-color fluorescence in situ hybridization method for analysis of endometriotic and normal archival tissue. Centromere-specific and locus-specific p53 probes localized to chromosome 17 were selected to study 8 patients with late-stage (severe) endometriosis. Single cells localized to endometriotic lesions or normal endometrial glands were analyzed and identified as normal or abnormal on the basis of the distribution of fluorescence in situ hybridization signals.

RESULTS

Overall, chromosome 17 aneuploidy was significantly greater (P <.05) in the endometriosis specimens (mean of 65%) than in normal endometrial cells (mean of 25%). No significant difference (P =.1071) in the distribution of fluorescence in situ hybridization signals was observed among the 5 normal endometrial specimens. However, significant differences (P <. 0001) were observed between the 8 endometriosis tissue specimens.

CONCLUSION

We found increased heterogeneity of chromosome 17 aneuploidy in endometriosis. These findings support a multistep pathway involving somatic genetic alterations in the development and progression of this common disease.

Thermostable aminopeptidase from Pyrococcus horikoshii

From the genome sequence data of the thermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii, an open reading frame was found which encodes a protein (332 amino acids) homologous with an endoglucanase from Clostridium thermocellum (42% identity), deblocking aminopeptidase from Pyrococcus furiosus (42% identity) and an aminopeptidase from Aeromonas proteolytica (18% identity). This gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the characteristics of the expressed protein were examined. Although endoglucanase activity was not detected, this protein was found to have aminopeptidase activity to cleave the N-terminal amino acid from a variety of substrates including both N-blocked and non-blocked peptides. The enzyme was stable at 90 degrees C, with the optimum temperature over 90 degrees C. The metal ion bound to this enzyme was calcium, but it was not essential for the aminopeptidase activity. Instead, this enzyme required the cobalt ion for activity. This enzyme is expected to be useful for the removal of N(alpha)-acylated residues in short peptide sequence analysis at high temperatures.

Stabilities of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) isoenzymes in urine: advantage of NAG isoenzyme B measurement in clinical applications

N-Acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) is a widely used urinary enzyme for the assessment of renal diseases. We studied the stabilities of NAG isoenzymes in urine at 37 degrees C by enzyme assay and ELISA using a model simulating in vivo conditions. The stabilities were found to be affected by the pH. Under mild acidic condition (about pH 6), there was no significant loss of enzymatic activity of NAG isoenzyme A, enzymatic activity of NAG isoenzyme B and immunological activity of NAG isoenzyme B even after 8 h incubation. In contrast, under alkaline condition (about pH 8), the enzymatic activity of NAG isoenzyme A was rapidly lost, whereas both enzymatic and immunological activities of NAG isoenzyme B were maintained at more than 80% of their initial values. Also, we found that the ratios of endogenous NAG isoenzyme B to total NAG were elevated in alkaline urine samples. These results indicate that NAG isoenzyme A, which is a major isoenzyme in normal urine (pH 5-7), seems to be inactivated in alkaline urine. Our results suggest that for alkaline urine, NAG isoenzyme B should be measured to avoid misinterpretation of total NAG enzymatic activities.

Agonist stimulation of B1 and B2 kinin receptors causes activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway, resulting in the translocation of AP-1 in HEK 293 cells

In response to bradykinin, phosphorylated MAP kinases (ERK-1 and ERK-2) were abundantly increased in HEK 293 cells, which overexpress the rat B2 kinin receptor. In a similar way des-Arg9-bradykinin stimulation of B1 kinin receptor-overexpressing HEK 293 cells caused activation of the same species of MAP kinase. Furthermore, nuclear translocation of transcription factor AP-1 was also found in the cells after stimulation with either agonist. PD98059, a MAP kinase kinase (MEK-1) inhibitor, blocked the agonist-induced AP-1 translocation as well as the phosphorylation of the MAP kinases. This communication provides the first evidence for both B1 and B2 kinin receptors mediating the MAP kinase signaling pathway to activate AP-1.

Neural network-based PET image reconstruction

In PET image analysis, conventional deconvolution alone will not give sufficient information for a precise study of a localized brain function. In the deconvolution process, which is a type of inverse problem, it is important to confine the solution space by incorporating a priori knowledge such as the tissue distribution given by MR images as well as smoothness in the blood flow distribution profile. An MR-embedded neural-network model is described to reduce the partial volume effect in the restoration of blood flow profiles from PET images.

New sandwich ELISA for human urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase isoenzyme B as a useful clinical test

We have developed a new ELISA for quantifying N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) isoenzyme B in human urine after raising monoclonal antibodies against the isoenzyme from human placenta. Though the obtained antibodies reacted not only to isoenzyme B but also to A, we could detect isoenzyme B selectively by a two-step sandwich ELISA with a pair of selected antibodies at low pH in the first reaction. The detected limit was 0.5 microgram/L for a sample volume of 25 microL. Within-run CVs ranged from 2.5% to 5.4% and between-run CVs ranged from 6.2% to 9.1%. Recoveries of NAG isoenzyme B added to each of three urine samples ranged from 91% to 114%. The dilution curves of urine samples showed good linearity. The cross-reactivity of NAG isoenzyme A was practically negligible (2-3%). The mean value for NAG isoenzyme B in spot urines from healthy adults was 2.9 micrograms/g creatinine. This ELISA method is rapid and precise enough for routine determination of NAG isoenzyme B in human urine.

Inhibition by 1-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylate of the activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase obtained from senescing petals of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) flowers

We partially purified 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase from senescing petals of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L. cv. Nora) flowers and investigated its general characteristics, and, in particular, the inhibition of its activity by ACC analogs. The enzyme had an optimum pH at 7-7.5 and required Fe2+, ascorbate and NaHCO3 for its maximal activity. The Km for ACC was calculated as 111-125 microM in the presence of NaHCO3. Its M(r) was estimated to be 35 and 36 kDa by gel-filtration chromatography on HPLC and SDS-PAGE, respectively, indicating that the enzyme exists in a monomeric form. These properties were in agreement with those reported previously with ACC oxidases from different plant tissues including senescing carnation petals. Among six ACC analogs tested, 1-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylate (ACBC) inhibited most severely the activity of ACC oxidase from carnation petals. ACBC acted as a competitive inhibitor with the Ki of 20-30 microM. The comparison between the Km for ACC and the Ki for ACBC indicated that ACBC had an affinity which was ca. 5-fold higher than that of ACC. Whereas ACC inactivated carnation ACC oxidase in a time-dependent manner during incubation, ACBC did not cause the inactivation of the enzyme. Preliminary experiments showed that ACBC and its N-substituted derivatives delayed the onset of senescence in cut carnation flowers.

[Analysis of the mechanism of trophoblast infiltration]

A cytotrophoblast (CT) infiltrates into the stroma, forming an extravillous trophoblast (EVT) in the placenta early in gestation and the phenomenon is strictly controlled, differing from the infiltration of cancer cells. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), which deeply involve infiltrative metastasis of cancer, and the reactivity to transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1), which controls the expression of these MMPs and inhibits the growth of epithelial cells, were investigated in CT derived from villi at normal gestational week 6 (early CT) and CT derived from villi at normal gestational week 37 (full-term CT), and also the choriocarcinoma cell line BeWo (BeWo). The ability of normal epithelial cells and BeWo cells to proliferate and infiltrate were evaluated in vitro by northern blotting, gelatin zymography, and invasion assay. It was revealed that early CT had a higher capacity for infiltration than full-term CT as well as BeWo. MMP2 and MMP9 appeared in the early CT, whereas only MMP9 was observed in the full-term CT. MMP2 and MMP9 were more abundantly observed in the early CT and the full-term CT rather than in BeWo. In uterine stroma-derived cells, membrane type matrix metalloproteinase (MT-MMP), which activates MMP2, was observed. These results indicated that the motility of normal villous cells was higher in the early CT than in the full-term CT. The expression of MMP2 in the early CT, which was not observed in the full-term CT, was thought to be related to this difference in motility. As for the responsiveness to TGF beta 1, which is a growth inhibiting factor for epithelial cells, the villous carcinoma cell line was insensitive to the growth inhibiting effect of TGF beta 1, but the early CT was sensitive to this effect. When TGF beta 1 was added, MMP2 and MMP9 increased in the early CT. This response was also seen in BeWo. That is, it was assured that the growth capacity was not inhibited in BeWo, but was certainly inhibited in the early CT. The overall results of these evaluations indicated that the development to EVT by infiltration of the early CT was associated with the increase in the mobility of cells caused by MMP2 and the increase in amounts of MMP2 and MMP9 caused by TGF beta 1, and the predominant inhibitory effect of TGF beta 1 on the growth of normal epithelial cells could explain why normal epithelial cells do not grow as cancer cells do.

[Usefulness of newly developed subcutaneous one point lifting method in gynecological laparoscopic operation]

We first introduced the abdominal wall lifting method in gynecological laparoscopic operations in 1994. Now we have developed a new one-point lifting technique (Tokyo Medical College method) that enables gynecological laparoscopic operations to be performed more safely, easily and economically. 1. The TMC method provides a sufficiently spacious operative field in the same way as artificial pneumoperitoneum and can overcome the negative influence of obesity on the operative field. 2. Because the abdominal wall is lifted up by means of a single stainless steel wire passed under the skin in this method, the limitations of previous methods are completely overcome. Furthermore setting up for this method is very easy and can be completed in a short time. 3. Because the aperture for the Surgigrip made in the abdominal wall is short and has a large internal diameter, we can manipulate operative instruments freely. Especially suturing and ligation can be carried out simply and accurately. 4. We were able to continue irrigation and suction without deterioration of the operative field and to easily remove resected tissue from the abdominal cavity. 5. The frequency of intracorporeal suture and ligation in this method increased significantly compared with the pneumoperitoneum method in cases of ovarian diseases. As a result, most operative procedures in ovarian diseases became cystectomies, preserving the healthy part of the ovary. This also reduced operative cost by avoiding expensive autosuture equipment. 6. There were no complications such as subcutaneous bleeding with this method. There was no significant difference between this method and pneumoperitoneum in terms of postoperative pain. The TMC method is a new laparoscopic operative technique that allows procedures to be performed under conditions close to laparotomy procedures and solves most of the problems of the pneumoperitoneum method.

New neplanocin analogues. IV. 2-Fluoroneplanocin A: an adenosine deaminase-resistant equivalent of neplanocin A

2-Fluoro- and 2-chloroneplanocin A's (2 and 3) were synthesized as an adenosine deaminase resistant-equivalent of neplanocin A, and evaluated for their antitumor and antiviral activities. Of these, 2 was completely resistant to adenosine deaminase and showed more significant antitumor and antiviral activities than neplanocin A.

Changes in the parameters of oxygen metabolism in a clinical course recovering from potassium cyanide

Poisoning with potassium cyanide is usually fatal because of the inhibition of cytochrome oxidase. The parameters of oxygen metabolism in a patient with cyanide poisoning who was admitted in a coma with seizures was monitored. The administration of amyl nitrite and sodium thiosulfate led to a rapid improvement: the parameters reflecting oxygen metabolism improved and the plasma level of cyanide decreased. The patient revived 1 1/2 hours after treatment. The arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR), which is the ratio of acetoacetate to beta-hydroxybutyrate in arterial blood and which reflects the redox state in liver mitochondria, improved dramatically following treatment. Because the AKBR changes in relation to electron transport in liver mitochondria, it seems to be a logical parameter for evaluating the effect of potassium cyanide poisoning on electron transport. The AKBR also reflects the efficacy of treatment for cyanide poisoning.

Neural network mapping for nonlinear stereotactic normalization of brain MR images

We present techniques of automatic nonlinear transformation of MR images (2D or 3D). A neural network automatically finds the corresponding parts between the subject's brain images and the standard images. By iterative operations, the network generates a set of image-shifting vectors to realize a plastic transformation. For precise matching, a set of markers can be placed manually before starting the transformation on landmarks of the images, e.g., on the anterior-posterior commissural line and on the central sulcus.

A biocompatible needle-type glucose sensor based on platinum-electroplated carbon electrode

A biocompatible needle-type glucose sensor with a 3-electrode configuration was constructed. A platinum-electroplated carbon stick was used as the working electrode, Ag/AgCl as the reference electrode, and a disposable hypodermic needle made of stainless steel as the counter electrode. A Nafion membrane, an immobilized glucose oxidase (GOD) membrane, and a biocompatible membrane with diffusion-limiting effect were coated successively onto the working electrode. The sensor showed a rapid response (< 120 s in batch operation), good reproducibility (RE < 3%), good stability (over 36 h in control serum), a wide dynamic range (5-600 mg/dL glucose), and superior biocompatibility. It was used to determine glucose in serum. The data obtained from the sensor showed good agreement with that from a clinical autoanalyzer (R > 0.95).

Open surgery assisted by the neuronavigator, a stereotactic, articulated, sensitive arm

A new computed tomographic-stereotactic device that translates the operating point onto preoperative computed tomographic (CT) images, the Neuronavigator, has been developed. We have applied this system to various neurosurgical procedures to examine its usefulness. The system consists of a 6-joint sensing arm and a 16-bit personal computer. It projects the location of the arm tip onto a corresponding CT slice with a cursor that guides the surgeon toward the intracranial target during open surgery. The system also projects the location of the tip onto angiograms, and when used in conjunction with echography or a transcranial Doppler (TCD) flow meter, the surgeon's ability to navigate is enhanced. Sixty-eight patients underwent operation with the Neuronavigator. The navigation system worked as the core of a multimodal three-dimensional data base that proved to be useful during surgery. The maximum detection error was 2.5 mm, which was considered sufficient for open microsurgery. It also proved useful in designing the position of a craniotomy, in targeting deep-seated mass lesions, and in tracing the tumor edge, which had been identified on a CT scan. When the angiogram was combined with the navigator, it became easy to identify key vessels within a small operating field. The system was also combined with a TCD flow meter. This combination makes it possible to translate the measuring point of the TCD directly into CT coordinates, improving the precision of location of the TCD probe. The Neuronavigator combines various diagnostic images into one database and effectively guides the surgeon during surgery.

Evaluation and improvement of associative memory for pattern recognition

Optical systems of associative memory models are capable of reconstructing lost information from incomplete input patterns. In this paper, we evaluate the ability of associative memory models when used in practical pattern recognition systems. Effects of improvement techniques, including defocusing preprocessing, and the recursive use of the associative operation are also examined with computer simulations. Finally the effectiveness of the recognition system is tested experimentally with alphabetic characters in different illumination conditions.