Anti-Carcinogenic Effects of a Serine Protease Inhibitor (FOY-305) through the Suppression of Neutral Serine Protease Activity During Chemical Hepatocarcinogenesis in Rats

Anti-carcinogenic effect of a serine protease inhibitor, [N, N-dimethylcarbamoylmethyl 4-(4-guanidinobenzoyloxy)-phenylacetate] methanesulfate (FOY-305), was studied in rats with neutral serine protease during hepatocarcinogenesis induced by a single intraperitoneal administration of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and following feeding of a diet containing 2-N-fluorenylacetamide (FAA) for 32 weeks. Oral administration of FOY-305 significantly suppressed development of -γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP)positive hyperplastic nodules, preneoplastic lesion, at the 8th week of DEN injection, and that of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation at the 32nd week. Neutral protease activity increased in the preneoplastic and neoplastic livers. The activities in the preneoplastic and tumor-bearing livers were much lower in FOY-305-treated group compared with those in control group. Neutral protease partially purified from neoplastic liver at the 32nd week was inhibited by FOY-305 in vitro. The data suggest that neutral protease plays a crucial role in the process of chemical hepatocarcinogenesis

Chromosomal Organization and Sequence Diversity of Genes Encoding Lachrymatory Factor Synthase in Allium cepa L.

Lachrymatory factor synthase (LFS) catalyzes the formation of lachrymatory factor, one of the most distinctive traits of bulb onion (Allium cepa L.). Therefore, we used LFS as a model for a functional gene in a huge genome, and we examined the chromosomal organization of LFS in A. cepa by multiple approaches. The first-level analysis completed the chromosomal assignment of LFS gene to chromosome 5 of A. cepa via the use of a complete set of A. fistulosum–shallot (A. cepa L. Aggregatum group) monosomic addition lines. Subsequent use of an F2 mapping population from the interspecific cross A. cepa × A. roylei confirmed the assignment of an LFS locus to this chromosome. Sequence comparison of two BAC clones bearing LFS genes, LFS amplicons from diverse germplasm, and expressed sequences from a doubled haploid line revealed variation consistent with duplicated LFS genes. Furthermore, the BAC-FISH study using the two BAC clones as a probe showed that LFS genes are localized in the proximal region of the long arm of the chromosome. These results suggested that LFS in A. cepa is transcribed from at least two loci and that they are localized on chromosome 5

Assay procedures for cathepsin B, H and L activities in rat tissue homogenates.

Cathepsin B, H and L activities in small amounts of rat tissue homogenates corresponding to 10 micrograms protein were determined with 7-amino-4-methyl-coumarin conjugates as substrates. A new procedure for serum cathepsin H activity was also developed. High cathepsin B and H activities were found in kidney, spleen and liver. Liver cathepsin B, H and L activities in D-galactosamine-injured rats were decreased concomitantly with an increase in serum cathepsin H activity.</p

Cerebral edema associated with acute hepatic failure.

The clinicopathological findings of cerebral edema were investigated in patients with acute hepatic failure autopsied at Okayama University Hospital between 1970 and 1980 retrospectively. Nine (64%) of 14 hepatic failure cases were found to have cerebral edema during a post-mortem examination of the brain. Clinical features of the patients with cerebral edema were not significantly different from those of the patients without cerebral edema. However, general convulsions were observed more frequently in patients later found to have cerebral edema. Moreover, the length of time from deep coma to death was much shorter in the brain edema cases with cerebral herniation than without herniation.</p

Detection of type V collagen-degrading enzyme activity in human liver.

&lt;p&gt;Type V collagen-degrading enzyme activity was detected as a metalloprotease acting at neutral pH in the human liver. Type V collagen extracted from human placenta and labeled with [1-14C] acetic anhydride was used as the substrate in the assay. Four major degradation products with relatively high molecular weights were observed upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the incubation mixture of type V collagen and liver homogenate. The significance of the measurement of this enzyme activity was discussed in relation to the clarification of the mechanism of liver fibrosis.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Effect of continued drinking on prognosis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

The prognoses of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis were compared between those who continued to drink and those who stopped. Clinical criteria were strictly set so as to control other variables affecting the prognoses. Four-year survival was significantly higher in the patients who stopped drinking than in those who continued to drink. Continued drinking worsens the prognosis of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.</p

Clinical application of removable partial dentures using thermoplastic resin—Part I: Definition and indication of non-metal clasp dentures

AbstractThis position paper proposes a definition and naming standard for removable partial dentures (RPDs) using thermoplastic resin, and presents a guideline for clinical application. A panel of 14 experts having broad experience with clinical application of RPDs using thermoplastic resin was selected from members of the Japan Prosthodontic Society. At a meeting of the panel, “non-metal clasp denture” was referred as the generic name of RPDs with retentive elements (resin clasps) made of thermoplastic resin. The panel classified non-metal clasp dentures into two types: one with a flexible structure that lacks a metal framework and the other having a rigid structure that includes a metal framework. According to current prosthetic principles, flexible non-metal clasp dentures are not recommended as definitive dentures, except for limited cases such as patients with a metal allergy. Rigid non-metal clasp dentures are recommended in cases where patients will not accept metal clasps for esthetic reasons. Non-metal clasp dentures should follow the same design principles as conventional RPDs using metal clasps

Computed tomographic arteriography in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Computed tomographic arteriography (CTA) was performed in 30 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Detection of HCC by CTA was compared with that of conventional celiac or hepatic arteriography. CT scanning was performed immediately, 30 seconds and 1 min after an injection of 5 to 10 ml of contrast medium into the common or proper hepatic artery. Repeated infusions allowed whole liver sections to be visualized. HCC was localized in 28 of the 30 patients by conventional arteriography, with CTA detecting the masses in 27 of the 28 patients. CTA imaging presented the tumor mass in 1 of the 2 patients missed by arteriography. Conventional arteriography delineated the boundaries of HCC in 15 (50%) of the 30 patients. CTA clearly delineated the masses in 26 (87%) of the 30 patients including 11 patients in which the tumor borders were obscure by conventional arteriography. HCC lesions smaller than 1 cm in diameter were detected only by CTA in 6 (20%) of the patients. It was concluded that CTA is both useful and necessary in the demarcation of small HCC masses.</p

High Energy Particle Measurements during Long Discharge in LHD

The spatial resolved energy spectra can be observed during a long discharge of NBI plasma bycontinuously scanning the neutral particle analyzer. In these discharges, the plasmas are initiated by the ECH heating, after that NBI#2 (Co-injection) sustains the plasma during 40-60 seconds. The scanned pitch angle is from 44 degrees to 74 degrees. The injected neutral beam (hydrogen) energy of NBI#2 is only 130 keV because the original ion source polarity is negative. The shape of spectra is almost similar from 44 degrees to 53 degrees. However the spectra from 55 degrees are strongly varied. It reflects the injection pitch angle of the beam according to the simulation (53 degrees ot R* = 3.75 m in simulation). The beam keeps the pitch angle at incidence until the beam energy becomes to the energy, which the pitch angle scattering is occurred by the energy loss due to the electron collision. The low flux region can be observed around 10-15 keV, which is 15 times of the electron temperature. The energy region may be equal to the energy at which the pitch angle scattering is occurred. At the energy, the particle is scattered by the collision with the plasma ions and some of particles may run away from the plasma because they have a possibility to enter the loss cone. According to the simulation, the loss cone can be expected at the 10 keV with the small angular dependence. The depth of the loss cone is deep at the small pitch angle. The hollow in the spectrum may be concluded to be the loss cone as the tendency is almost agreed with the experimental result