Purification and Properties of Hyaluronidase (EC 4. 2. 2. 1) from an Oral Strain of Propionibacterium acnes

From a culture supernatant of P. acnes isolated from a lesion of periodontal disease, hyaluronidase was purified to homogeneity by the sequential procedures including ammonium sulfate precipitation, carboxy methy-cellulose column chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. Specific activity increased 1,027 fold and the recovery of the enzymatic activity was 12.4%. Molecular weight was determined to be 67,000 and isoelectric point was 7.2. Optimal pH for the activity was found at 5.5. The enzyme was inactivated by heating at 60℃ for 10 min. The purified hyaluronidase degraded hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, chondroitin sulfate A and chondroitin sulfate C. From the degradation products of these substrates, unsaturated disaccharides were detected by paper chromatography. When the rate of reaction of this enzyme against hyaluronic acid is supposed to be 100%, the corresponding values against chondroitin, chondroitin sulfate A, and C were 47%, 8%, and 8%, respectively. No degradation by this enzyme of heparin and heparan sulfate was demonstrated

A Morphological Study of"Microfold" Cells of Lymphoid Aggregative Tissue in the Small Intestine of the Chicken

The morphology of lymphoid aggregative tissue of the small intestine was studied in the Japanese bantam chicken. Lymphoid aggregative tissue were composed of leaf-like villi unlike those in mammals. In the present study, these lymphoid aggregative tissues histologically were identified as Peyer\u27s patches. Light and electron microscopy of the covering epithelium of the Peyer\u27s patches showed that the cells had morphologically the same features of "Microfold" ("M") cells previously described in mammalian species. The authors demonstrated that the "M" cells of birds were not limited to the bursa of Fabricius, but also existed in the covering epithelium of the Peyer\u27s patches in the small intestine. The proportion of "M" cells enfolding lymphoid cells much in mature chickens (18%) than in mature rats (100%)

An Endoscopic Case Report of Jejunal Leiomyosarcoma and Review of the Japanese Literature

Jejunoscopy for a small intestinal leiomyosarcoma was performed on a 73-year-old male. The patient was admitted because of a palpable abdominal mass. A barium meal study, abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography and angiography suggested a leiomyogenic tumor with a central cavity arising from the jejunal loop extraluminally. Enteroscopy with a pediatric colonofiberscope (PCF) enabled us to observe a mucosal ulcer and a part of the cavity of the tumor. Histology of the resected tumor revealed it to be a leiomyosarcoma with a large central hollow connected to the mucosal ulcer. The authors discussed the endoscopic findings of 17 previously reported Japanese cases of jejunal leiomyosarcoma and the present case