Okayama University Medical School

<P>A 73-year-old man with a left testicular tumor is presented. Orchiectomy was performed and the tumor was diagnosed as a plasmacytoma. There has been no bone lesion or immunoglobulin abnormality during a follow-up period more than one year. For several reasons, the tumor was regarded as a primary plasmacytoma of the testicle. The literature concerning testicular plasmacytoma is reviewed briefly.

We purified a 44-kDa nuclear protein from salt-extract of permeable mouse ascites sarcoma cells in an effort to isolate factors involved in the repair of acid-depurinated DNA. It was copurified with a major AP endonuclease (APEX nuclease) by sequential column chromatography then further purified by sodium dodecyl sulphate-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis as a possible DNA repair support factor. Its partial amino acid sequences were determined, and a cDNA clone for the protein was isolated from a mouse T-cell cDNA library using long degenerate oligonucleotide probes deduced from the amino acid sequence. The complete nucleotide sequence of the cDNA (1.7 kilobases) was determined. Northern hybridization using this cDNA detected two transcripts: 1.8kb being the major one and 2.6 kb being the minor one. The complete amino acid sequence for the protein predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA indicates that the 44-kDa protein consists of 394 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 43,698. In tests performed thus far, the recombinant 44-kDa protein expressed in Escherichia coli has not expressed any repair-support activity. It remains to be analyzed whether the protein attains this activity after appropriate posttranslational modifications. Most parts of the 44-kDa protein cDNA and the deduced amino acid sequence were found to be identical to those of the protein p38 -2G4, recently reported as a cell cycle-specifically modulated nuclear protein of 38kDa. The p38-2G4 may be a truncated form of the present 44-kDa protein.

APEX nuclease is a mammalian DNA repair enzyme having apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease, 3'-5'-exonuclease, DNA 3' repair diesterase and DNA 3'-phosphatase activities. It is also a redox factor (Ref-1), stimulating DNA binding activity of AP-1 binding proteins such as Fos and Jun. In the present paper, a cDNA for the enzyme was isolated from a rat brain cDNA library using mouse Apex cDNA as a probe and sequenced. The rat Apex cDNA was 1221 nucleotides (nt) long, with a 951-nt coding region. The amino acid sequence of rat APEX nuclease has 98.4% identity with mouse APEX nuclease. Using the rat Apex cDNA as a probe for Northern blot analysis, the size of rat Apex mRNA was shown to be approximately 1.5 kb. Its expression was compared in 9 rat organs on postnatal days 7 and 28. Although Apex mRNA was expressed ubiquitously, the levels varied significantly, suggesting organ- or tissue-specific expression of the Apex gene. The highest level was observed in the testis, relatively high levels in the thymus, spleen, kidney and brain, and the lowest level in the liver. The level of expression at postnatal day 28, with the exception of the testis, was almost the same as or lower in respective organs than that at postnatal day 7. Postnatal developmental changes of Apex mRNA expression in the testis and thymus were further studied. The expression in testis was markedly increased on postnatal days 21 and 28. The expression in thymus increased once at postnatal day 14, and then decreased. The developmental changes of Apex mRNA expression in testis and thymus suggest that APEX nuclease is involved in processes such as recombinational events.

The relationship between immune insulitis and glucose tolerance was investigated in three groups of mice following active immunization with different components of bovine pancreatic hormone. An abnormal blood glucose level was observed in the three groups ranging from 33.3% to 87.5% of sensitized mice. A relationship was not present between the glucose tolerance response and the presence of insulitis or anti-insulin antibody in the blood of sensitized mice. However, all sensitized mice with a marked decrease in glucose tolerance were found to have insulitis. In animals without established insulitis and with no demonstrable anti-insulin antibody, abnormal glucose tolerance was noted. This latter condition occurred more frequently with recrystallized insulin than with a-component and did not occur with monocomponent insulin. These findings seemed to indicate that two distinct processes involving some circulating antibodies with anti-insulin antibody and insulitis might be involved in the development of the observed glucose tolerance abnormality.

Die Autoren berichten uber die guten Behandlungsmoglichkeiten in der Praxis bei verschiedenen peripheren venosen Durchblutungsstorungen bei Erkrankungen der Bewegungsapparate, bei leichteren Fallen von arteriellen DurchblutungsstOrungen und bei einigen Fallen von Hirnblutungen mit Vasotonin und Vasotonin-forte und auch in vitro-Blutgerinnungsuntersuchungen. Bei den erwahnten Fallen kann man die therapeutische Wirkung noch mit Vasotonin-forte-Salbe gut unterstutzen. Die Autoren konnen nachweisen, daB Extr. Arnicae insbesonder in dem Vasotonin-forte die hamodynamische und die blutgerinnungshemmende Wirkung von extr. Aesculi Hippercastani gut verstairkt.

Es wurde Untersuchungen an Mausen mit dem Rinder-Monokomponente-Insulin und der Rinder-a-Komponente durchgefGhrt, urn den Nachweis zu erbringen, ob das Monokomponente. Insulin oder die a-Komponente als ein Insulitis-erzeugendes Antigen dienen kann. Dabei wurden die Tiere mit den Substanzen, die jeweils mit Freund's complete adjuvant wiederholt verabreicht wurden, aktiv immunisiert und weiterhin untersucht auf eine dadurch bewirkte Insulitis. (1) Bei den mit dem Rinder-MonokomponenteInsulin sensibilisierten Gruppen kam die Insulitis bei 1 von 8 Fallen in der 20. Woche nach der ersten Sensibilisierung und bei 5 von 10 Fallen in der 28. Woche zur Erscheinung. (2) Bei den mit der a-Komponente behandelten Gruppen liet3 sich die Insulitis bei 0 von 9 Fallen in der 20. Woche nach dem Sensibilisierungsbeginn und auch bei 1 von 10 Fallen in der 28. Woche nachweisen. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dat3 das Monokomponente-Insulin als ein Insulitis-erzeugendes Antigen wirken kann. Dagegen war nur ein Fall von Insulitis befallen unter 19 Tieren, die mit der a-Komponente behandelt wurden.

We used a yeast functional assay (functional analysis of separated alleles in yeast: FASAY) to determine the p53 gene status of human cell lines maintained in our laboratory. This assay enables the researcher to score wild-type p53 expression on the basis of the ability of expressed p53 to transactivate the reporter gene HIS 3 via the p53-responsive GAL 1 promoter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The cell lines examined were ten hepatoma, two hepatoblastoma, three in vitro immortalized fibroblast, two osteosarcoma, a chondrosarcoma, an ovarian teratocarcinoma and a colon cancer cell line. Out of 20 cell lines, 11 cell lines had mutations in both alleles of the p53 gene, and another 8 cell lines had no mutation in the p53 gene. Thus, 55% of the cell lines examined had mutations in the p53. Interestingly, PA-1 cells had both the normal and the mutant p53 alleles, showing that FASAY is a useful method for detecting the wild-type and mutated p53 genes simultaneously. As for the three liver cell lines harboring HBsAg, there was no relationship between their p53 gene status and the presence of HBsAg. Two cell lines were normal for p53 status, while the other had a mutation of the p53 gene.

This research aims to establish the effect of working conditions on the appearance of varicose veins. The epidemiological study was carried out on 1,324 examinees, 530 males and 794 females, employed in 5 highly represented groups of professional activities in Rijeka (catering, trade, light industry, heavy industry and finances). The data were collected by survey and clinical examination. Varicose veins were more prevalent in the trade than in the office workers (odds ratio (OR) = 2.08; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.31-3.31), and more prevalent in catering industries than in the office workers (OR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.001-2.43). chi 2-testing suggested that standing in the workplace (OR = 1.35; 95% CI = 0.95-1.92), weight handling while working (OR = 1.29; 95% CI = 1.01-1.64) and working indoors (OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.02-2.53) were risk factors for varicose veins. By multiple logistic regression, the following risk factors were isolated in the total population: female sex (OR = 1.92; 95% CI = 1.37-2.67), workplace (OR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.78-0.99), age (OR = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.03-1.07), body mass index (OR = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.01-1.07) and family history of the disease (OR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.55-2.57).

The purpose of this study was to verify the differences in women's anxiety in old age, the expected long-term care provision, and the expected final location for terminal care for the women themselves and for their parents. In addition, we examined factors that related to their anxiety and needs. The subjects were 1,000 women of the Seikatsu Club customer cooperative association in Chiba; 539 responded to our survey. The subjects were more anxious for their parents than for themselves. They more strongly expected long-term care for their parents to be provided by their family than they expected the same for themselves. Although no differences were observed in the expected location for terminal care, most subjects expected their home to be the terminal location. Analysis by the multiple logistic regression model indicated that the following factors were significantly related to the anxiety in old age: age odds ratio [OR = 1.81], employment [OR = 2.25] for women, and planning to live with parents [OR = 2.42], housing conditions [OR = 0.56] for parents. The following factors were significantly related to the expected long-term care provision: age [OR = 2.22] for women, and age [OR = 2.15], living with parents [OR = 3.58], and employment [OR = 2.33] for parents. Age [OR = 2.14] for women, and planning to live with parents [OR = 2.09] for parents were significantly related to the expected final location of terminal care. This survey showed that women expected long-term care for their parents to be provided by their family, while many expected public long-term care services for themselves. This is the biggest difference in women's outlook on long-term care for their parents and for themselves. Multivariate analysis suggested that women aged 40 years or over, who will need long-term care in the future, tended to expect public home care services for themselves. It is virtually certain that the demand for public home care services will increase in the future.

The aim of this study is to obtain data for improving a training program for patients with diabetes mellitus. One hundred eighty-seven patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus were tested with 20 questions about their knowledge for self-management of diabetes mellitus. Then to draw out factors in their personal backgrounds relating to their correct answers, multiple regression analyses were conducted. As a result, four factors showed significant differences in the following order: Educational careers > ages > duration of disease > socioeconomic strata. The results of the present study have shown for the first time, that these four factors closely concern patients to acquire the necessary knowledge for their self-management of the disease. In addition, this study has raised some fundamental problems regarding the training program for patients: how education should be given to patients.