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Eosinophil infiltrations were observed in the intestine and the muscle of both Trichinella spiralis-infected (WBxC57BL/6)F1-W/Wv mice and their littermates, WBB6F1-+/+, +/W, +/Wv, almost to the same extent. W/Wv mice did not show infiltration of subepithelial mast cells and globule leucocytes in response to T. spiralis infection. Increased numbers of these cells were observed in their littermates. Worms in W/Wv mice were retained for longer periods than those in littermates. Also, no difference was noted in the production of specific serum antibodies between W/Wv mice and their littermates, as determined by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) for specific IgE and by indirect haemagglutination (IHA). These results suggest a possible participation of SMC, GL and eosinophils in the expulsion of adult T. spiralis.

A collection of Vibrio cholerae non-O1 isolated from the aquatic environs of Calcutta, a cholera-hyperendemic area, were examined for the production of cholera toxin (CT), Shiga-like toxins (Vero toxins), heat-stable enterotoxin, and hemolysins. Two (0.5%) V. cholerae non-O1 isolates produced CT. The DNA from both these isolates also hybridized with a DNA probe containing sequences encoding the A subunit of CT. None of the strains produced Shiga-like toxins or heat-stable enterotoxin. Hemolytic activity was observed in 89.7% of the strains, of which 36.1% exhibited biological activity in the suckling mouse. However, none of them produced a hemolysin that cross-reacted with the thermostable direct hemolysin of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It appears from this study that a small percentage of environmental V. cholerae non-O1 strains do possess the potential for causing cholera-like diarrhea.

An immunochemical staining technique for the spore coat proteins of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 12872 was developed using colloidal gold as a second antibody. For reducing the non-specific immunogold binding and increasing the specific binding, the affinity-purified IgG was used as a first antibody. In sporulating cells at t10, gold particles were found not only in the spore coat but also in the mother cell cytoplasm, suggesting that some coat proteins were synthesized in the cytoplasm. Use of the specific affinity-purified antibody to 48K-protein demonstrated that this protein was one of the components of the outer coat.

The superior and inferior vena cava flow velocities (SVC and IVC flow velocities) of 3 patients with anomalous pulmonary vein connection were recorded with the Doppler flowmeter catheter. The cases consisted of a patient with partial anomalous pulmonary vein connection to the SVC (Case 1), one with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the SVC (Case 2), and one with partial anomalous pulmonary vein connection to the IVC (Case 3). The SVC and IVC recordings of these patients were compared with those of 10 normal subjects, 20 patients with atrial septal defect and 150 patients with other heart diseases. The SVC and IVC flow velocities in the latter group of 180 patients showed a biphasic pattern, having systolic (S) and diastolic (D) waves, the peak S wave occurring around midsystole. In Cases 1 and 2, the SVC flow velocity showed a markedly delayed peak S wave, similar to the pattern of the pulmonary vein flow velocity; this pattern was also seen in the IVC flow velocity in Case 3. This abnormal pattern could be useful in diagnosing anomalous pulmonary vein connection.

The involvement of haematopoietic and lymphopoietic cells in the expulsion of Trichinella spiralis from the intestine of mice, and the origin of the subepithelial mast cells (SMCs) and the globule leucocytes (GLs) were determined using SMC- and GL-deficient WBB6F1-W/Wv and WCB6F1-S1/S1d mice. On day 12 after infection with T. spiralis, SMCs and GLs appeared in W/Wv mice injected with spleen and bone marrow cells from normal +/+ mice, but not in W/Wv mice injected with thymus, mesenteric lymph node and Peyer's patch cells from +/+ mice or in S1/S1d mice injected with spleen cells from normal mice. On day 22 after infection, GLs and SMCs with giant granules were found in W/Wv mice injected with spleen cells of C57BL/6J-bgJ/bgJ mice in which GLs and SMCs contained giant granules. These results suggested that the precursor cells of SMCs and GLs were located in the haematopoietic tissues. In W/Wv mice reconstituted with SMCs and GLs, expulsion of T. spiralis from the intestine was as rapid as that of the normal mice, but in W/Wv mice injected with lymphopoietic cells and S1/S1d mice which had been injected with normal spleen cell, expulsion of T. spiralis was less rapid. The result suggested that haematopoietic cells containing SMC- and GL-precursor cells might be involved in the expulsion of T. spiralis from the intestine of mice.

Indirect systolic time intervals corrected for heart rate were measured at rest, during, and immediately after the isometric handgrip exercise in 70 patients with progressive muscular dystrophy, and these were compared with the values of normal subjects. Those with dystrophy included 47 patients with Duchenne type, 19 with limb girdle type and 4 with facioscapulohumeral type, and each type was subdivided into 2 groups by the severity of the skeletal muscle involvement: 1) mild group, included patients who were still able to walk, 2) severe group, included those who were restricted to wheel chair or confined to bed. Over a half of the patients of the severe Duchenne type group had a longer pre-ejection period (PEP), shorter left ventricular ejection time (LVET), and larger PEP/LVET ratio at rest than the normal group. Increased PEP/LVET ratio during and after isometric handgrip exercise was observed in the severe group of Duchenne type. The patients with limb girdle type, and facioscapulohumeral type showed no significant difference in values of the systolic time intervals at rest and during handgrip exercise compared with the normal subjects. The measurements of resting and exercise systolic time intervals may be useful for clinical recognition of latent left ventricular functional impairement in subjects with progressive muscular dystrophy.

An outbreak of acute enteritis in children aged one to thirty-three months occurred from June 10th to 23rd, 1986, at a private orphanage in Matsuyama City. Twenty-two out of 23 children suffered from diarrhea. Nine of the 22 children excreted bloody stool. Fever and vomiting were observed with a few patients. One of them, a 33-month-old girl, developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, and died twelve days after the admission. Escherichia coli O111:H- was isolated from fecal specimens of 7 out of 15 patients. The culture filtrate of the isolate caused fluid accumulation in ligated ileal loops in a rabbit, and was lethal to mice. It was found that all isolates produced two kinds of Vero toxins (VT1 and VT2, or shiga-like toxin I and II). The amount of VT2 produced in vitro was about 10 times more than that of VT1.

MX-2, a new morpholino anthracycline derivative, showed broad anti-neoplastic activity against experimental tumors. Molecular weight of MX-2 is 622.07, and it can cross blood-brain barrier because of its high lipid solubility. In this report, we described its in vitro and in vivo effects on brain tumors. The growth of rat 9L and human KNS-42 glioma cells were markedly inhibited by the medium containing more than 1 ng/ml of MX-2. The inhibitory concentration of MX-2 for 50% cell kill was 1.8 ng/ml for 9L cell and 18 ng/ml for KNS-42, respectively. These values were the almost same as those reported with P388 leukemia. In rats with meningeal carcinomatosis induced by intracisternal inoculation of Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells, the median survival time was significantly prolonged. The increased life span was 40, 40, 40 (p less than 0.01), and 20% (p less than 0.05) in the animals given intravenous MX-2 of 1.5, 1.0, 0.75, and 0.375 mg/kg on day 1, 5, and 9 after tumor inoculation respectively. These results indicate that MX-2 may be a promising new antineoplastic agent for the treatment of malignant brain tumor.

A cytotoxin to Vero cells (Vero toxin), which was immunologically related to Shiga-like toxin II (SLT-II) (or VT2), was purified from a stain of Escherichia coli isolated from a patient with hemolytic uremic syndrome. The toxin was active on Vero cells but much less active on HeLa cells, a property similar to that of the recently identified SLT-II variant from E. coli strains that caused edema disease of swine. Thus the toxin purified in this report was tentatively named Shiga-like toxin II variant (Vero toxin 2 variant). The purification procedures consisted of ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography, chromatofocusing column chromatography, and repeated high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on TSK-gel G-2000SW column and on TSK-gel DEAE-5PW columns. About 90 micrograms of purified toxin was obtained from 451 of the culture supernatant with a yield of about 16%. The purified toxin consisted of A and B subunits of molecular sizes similar to those of SLT-II (VT2). The isoelectric point of the purified toxin was 6.1, which was different from that of SLT-II (VT2) (pI = 4.1). In an Ouchterlony double gel diffusion test, purified toxin and SLT-II (VT2) formed precipitin lines with spur formation against anti-purified toxin and anti-SLT-II (anti-VT2), respectively. The purified toxin was cytotoxic to Vero cells, about 6 pg of the toxin killing 50% of the Vero cells, and showed lethal toxicity to mice when injected intraperitoneally, the LD50 being about 2.7 ng per mouse.

The homovanillic acid (HVA) concentrations in the lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were determined in 38 epileptic and 39 control patients. The mean concentration of HVA was 23.9 ng/ml +/- 2.8 SEM for the epileptic group and 30.2 ng/ml +/- 2.1 SEM for the control group, respectively. Thus, HVA was significandly reduced in the patients with epilepsy compared with the controls. The mean HVA in the female patients was higher than in the male patients in both groups but this failed to reach statistical significance. There was no apparent relationship between the degree of reduced HVA concentration and other clinical indexes of the epilepsy (age, type and frequency of seizures, and anticonvulsant medication). For the determination of concentration gradient of HVA three fractions of the spinal CSF were obtained from 11 patients. A pronounced gradient of HVA concentration was found with a ratio of 1 : 1.46 : 1.97 for the first, second and third fractions. This suggests that a standardized conditions for collecting CSF should be employed to study HVA levels in humans.

A cyst located in the cerebellar vermis and causing obstructive hydrocephalus is described. The wall of the cyst was lined with ciliated and non-ciliated cuboidal epithelial cells which were completely invested by a basement membrane.

A new operative method for treating recurrent chronic subdural hematoma is presented. This method consists of complete obliteration of the subdural hematoma cavity and conversion of the hematoma cavity into epidural space. The procedure was carried out in three patients with recurrent chronic subdural hematoma, all of whom made a complete recovery.