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Volume 184 (1998)
- Issue 4 Pages 257-
- Issue 3 Pages 159-
- Issue 2 Pages 73-
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Volume 184, Issue 3
March
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
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Review
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Setsuya Aiba1998 Volume 184 Issue 3 Pages 159-172
Published: 1998
Released on J-STAGE: December 08, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSRecently, elucidation has progressed on a crucial role played by dendritic cells (DCs) in the induction of primary antigen-specific immune reactions. Although mature DCs exhibit potent antigen presenting function, DCs are scattered in nonlymphoid organs throughout the body as immature cells that have only minimum antigen presenting function. When they are stimulated to maturate, they increase their expression of class II major histocompatibility (MHC) antigen and several co-stimulatory molecules, resulting in the augmentation of antigen presenting function. Furthermore, these maturated DCs move to the T-dependent areas of secondary lymphoid organs to sensitize naive T cells for these antigens. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanism to induce the maturation of DCs. Recent progress in the study of DC biology depicts various factors, such as cytokines, bacterial products and haptens, which are responsible for DC maturation. In this paper, the mechanism of DC maturation induced by cytokines and chemicals is described.View full abstractDownload PDF (934K)
Regular Contributions
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Itaru Watanabe, Naomi Kurosawa, Tetsuro Nishihira1998 Volume 184 Issue 3 Pages 173-187
Published: 1998
Released on J-STAGE: December 08, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSA hard mass incidentally found in the right buttock of an elderly male A/J mouse was morphologically consistent with malignant fibrous histiocytoma; storiform-pleomorphic subtype. Diced pieces or suspensions of the tumor tissue were readily transplantable subcutaneously in the flank of mice of the strain. The tumor-bearing mice died mostly of rupture of the tumor into the thorax or abdomen within 4 weeks. Pulmonary and splenic metastasis were recognized only in a mouse which survived more than 10 weeks. A new cell-line was established from the original tumor without necessary cloning and was maintained in MEM (minimum essential medium) supplemented with 10%FCS for 6 months under 22 passages. Frozen stocks were then made, from which the recovery of the cells was successful. The cell growth, requiring about 20 hours for doubling of population, was a mixture of plump or stellate histiocytic cells and fibroblastic ones, both of which contained lipid droplets and retained phagocytic activity. The cell-line was designated as murine sarcoma Sendai (MuSS). Morphological versatility of the cultured cells suggested the origin of the neoplasm from multipotential, primitive mesenchymal cells.View full abstractDownload PDF (9601K) -
Haruo Nakatsuka, Zuo-Wen Zhang, Marilyn G. Agetano, Ronald D. Subida, ...1998 Volume 184 Issue 3 Pages 189-205
Published: 1998
Released on J-STAGE: December 08, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSIntakes of various nutrients by working women in Manila, the Philippines, was surveyed by the total food duplicate method, with foci to elucidate relative weight of three meals and snack in addition to quantitative evaluation of nutrient intakes. In practice, 45 women (average age; 37.2 years) volunteered, who were all nonsmokers and nonhabitual drinkers, and mostly married. In parallel, hematology, serum biochemistry, anthropometry and clinical examinations were conducted. On average, the women took 1787 kcal energy, 57 g protein, and 54 g lipid daily. Comparison with the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Filipinos showed that intakes of energy and major nutrients were adequate, whereas that of minerals (e.g., 15 mg Fe/day vs. 26 mg Fe/day as RDA) and vitamins (e.g., 0.65 mg vitamin B1/day vs. 1 mg/day as RDA) were generally insufficient. Prevalence of anemia was however rather low with an average hemoglobin concentration of 12.9 g/100 ml blood. Rice was the staple source of energy for daily life, and beef rather than fish and shellfish was the leading source of protein. Lunch was the richest meal of a day (with the largest intake of energy, protein and lipid), and snacks rather than dinner appeared to be next substantial.View full abstractDownload PDF (1211K) -
Yasuyuki Nakamura, Tohru Takahashi1998 Volume 184 Issue 3 Pages 207-227
Published: 1998
Released on J-STAGE: December 08, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSIn an attempt to examine the feasibility of the acinar concept in the liver of humans, the spatial distribution of zonal necrosis and its relation with the blood vessels were studied in terms of 3-D tissue microstructure. The material was five autopsy livers, two from patients of acute cresol intoxication and three with long-standing heart failure. Examined were: 1) whether the surviving areas (zones 1, 2) in acute zonal necrosis have surfaces convex toward the necrotic zone 3 as illustrated in the acinar schema, and 2) whether the necrosis extends as slender “sleeves” so as to reach the portal tracts and create portal-central (P-C) bridging, leaving zones 1 and 2 as a spheroid parenchymal clump. These were examined on serial histologic sections of the livers, which were subjected to 3-D reconstruction with the aid of a computer system. The geometric properties of the interfaces between the surviving and necrotic areas were analyzed by 3-D tangent counting technique of DeHoff modified for 3-D application. It was shown by reconstruction that necrosis was uniformly distributed around the hepatic venules. In acute cases, tangent counting showed that the surfaces of the surviving areas were mainly concave toward necrosis. In contrast, in chronic cases, the surfaces became mainly convex as a result of parenchymal regeneration. At no place, in acute or chronic cases, was necrosis shown to reach the portal tracts, and because of this, neither acini nor their agglomerates revealed themselves as a separate unit. All these findings contradict what one expects would be, so long as based on the assumption of the acinar model.View full abstractDownload PDF (3760K) -
Takaaki Yambe Yanagisawa, Yoji Sasahara, Hiromi Fujie, Yoshiyuki Ohash ...1998 Volume 184 Issue 3 Pages 229-240
Published: 1998
Released on J-STAGE: December 08, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe “touchdown” polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique has been applied to analyze expression of the neuron-specific protein, PGP9.5, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) genes for detection of minimal residual neuroblastoma cells in bone marrow and peripheral blood. PGP9.5 and TH gene products were not detected in any normal samples (n=72) examined. However, in patients more than 1 year of age with stage III and IV neuroblastoma PGP9.5 mRNA was detected in six of seven bone marrow samples and in four of eight peripheral blood samples, and TH mRNA in four of seven and three of eight, respectively. The detection sensitivity was up to 10−6 to 10−7 μg of total cellular RNA for PGP9.5 and 10−4 μg for TH. Among forty bone marrow specimens from nineteen patients with neuroblastoma both PGP9.5 and TH mRNAs were detected in six, and only PGP9.5 mRNA was detected in ten. Since detection of PGP9.5 and TH gene transcripts by the “touchdown” PCR was highly specific and sensitive, it might be most informative at present to carry out both PGP9.5 and TH mRNA assays for minimal residual neuroblastoma cells in blood and bone marrow.View full abstractDownload PDF (1403K)
Case Reports
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Seiichiro Nagai, Tsuyoshi Kasai, Keigo Ogawa, Kaoruko Mizuno, Shoji Oh ...1998 Volume 184 Issue 3 Pages 241-246
Published: 1998
Released on J-STAGE: December 08, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWe investigated the efficacy of assisted ejaculation in combination with in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in two couples with infertility due to anejaculation. Case 1 was in an anejaculatory condition associated with a spinal cord-injury. We performed intrauterine insemination (IUI) three times using motile sperm obtained by intrathecal injection of neostigmine, but no pregnancy followed. The couple then entered IVF-ET. The semen volume obtained by assisted ejaculation was 4.5 ml. The sperm count was 33×106/ml with 33% motility. At 35 weeks of gestation she delivered three healthy babies by cesarean section. Case 2 was in an unexplained retrograde ejaculatory condition. We performed IUI eight times before changing to IVF-ET. We then used sperm obtained from urine or sperm recovered from the bladder after administration of human tubal fluid, but no pregnancy followed. At the fifth IVF-ET attempt, using sperm obtained from urine, we succeeded. We prepared the sperm by the Percoll gradient method. The sperm count was 36×106/ml with 64% motility. At 39 weeks of gestation she delivered a healthy baby. Deficient seminal quality contributes to the decreased fertility potential in patients with anejaculation. With the use of IVF-ET methods, pregnancies can be achieved in these couples.View full abstractDownload PDF (402K) -
Miyako Yoshinari, Masue Imaizumi, Yutaka Hayashi, Atsushi Sato, Toshia ...1998 Volume 184 Issue 3 Pages 247-254
Published: 1998
Released on J-STAGE: December 08, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWe report a nine-month-old boy with stage III B hepatoblastoma of caudate lobe origin. Surgical resection was attempted following six courses of chemotherapy, but viable tumor cells remained microscopically at resection margins. Subsequently, he received peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), whose preparative regimen being consisted of carboplatin, etoposide, tetrahydropyranyl adriamycin, and melphalan. Since then, the patient shows no relevance of local relapse or distant metastasis without any chemotherapy. PBSCT for patients with post-operative residue may improve the outcome of advanced hepatoblastoma and worth of a further clinical investigation.View full abstractDownload PDF (2484K)
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