[Two cases of adult T-Cell leukemia/lymphoma with main lesion in stomach treated by VCAP-AMP-VECP regimen].

We report two cases of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma(ATLL)having their main lesions in the stomach. Case 1 was a 74-year-old man, complaining of left upper abdominal mass and pain. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed an ulcerous lesion in the stomach. Histological analysis and southern blotting for HTLV-1 pro-viral DNA led us to our diagnosis of ATLL. There were no apparent lesions in the bone marrow and other organs. He died of tumor lysis and multi-organ failure shortly after treatment with the VCAP-AMP-VECP regimen. Case 2 was a 68-year-old man complaining of abdominal bloating and pain. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy disclosed an irregularity of the gastric mucosa. A biopsy sample was diagnosed pathohistologically as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We conducted total gastrectomy. Based on the results from the histological study and southern blotting for HTLV-1 p ro-viral DNA in the resected specimen, a diagnosis of ATLL was made. We treated him with a VCAP-AMP-VECP regimen, but multiple bone metastases and pathologic fracture occurred, proving that the disease was progressive. ATLL having a main lesion in the stomach is rare, and requires an accumulation of cases analyzed with careful diagnostic approach to establish a standard therapy for it.

Evolutionary modification of specification for the endomesoderm in the direct developing echinoid Peronella japonica: loss of the endomesoderm-inducing signal originating from micromeres.

We investigated the inductive signals originating from the vegetal blastomeres of embryos of the sand dollar Peronella japonica, which is the only direct developing echinoid species that forms micromeres. To investigate the inductive signals, three different kinds of experimental embryos were produced: micromere-less embryos, in which all micromeres were removed at the 16-cell stage; chimeric embryos produced by an animal cap (eight mesomeres) recombined with a micromere quartet isolated from a 16-cell stage embryo; and chimeric embryos produced by an animal cap recombined with a macromere-derived layer, the veg1 or veg2 layer, isolated from a 64-cell stage embryo. Novel findings obtained from this study of the development of these embryos are as follows. Micromeres lack signals for endomesoderm specification, but are the origin of a signal establishing the oral-aboral (O-Ab) axis. Some non-micromere blastomeres, as well as micromeres, have the potential to form larval skeletons. Macromere descendants have endomesoderm-inducing potential. Based on these results, we propose the following scenario for the first step in the evolution of direct development in echinoids: micromeres lost the ability to send a signal endomesoderm induction so that the archenteron was formed autonomously by macromere descendants. The micromeres retained the ability to form larval spicules and to establish the O-Ab axis.

Myeloid/Lymphoid Neoplasm with PDGFRB Rearrangement with t (5;10) (q33;q22) Harboring a Novel Breakpoint of the CCDC6-PDGFRB Fusion Gene.

Myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with PDGFRB rearrangement are a distinct type of myeloid neoplasms that occur in association with rearrangement of PDGFRB at 5q32. The hematological features most often show prominent eosinophilia. We herein report a patient with myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with PDGFRB rearrangement with t (5;10) (q33;q22) who showed atypical chronic myeloid leukemia-like clinical features without eosinophilia and achieved an optimal response to imatinib. A sequence analysis showed a CCDC6-PDGFRB fusion gene with a new break point in the PDGFRB gene. This is the sixth case of myeloid/lymphoid neoplasm with PDGFRB rearrangement harboring a CCDC6-PDGFRB fusion gene, and it has a new breakpoint in the PDGFRB fusion gene.

Ligation of CD44 leads to killing activity in human peripheral mononuclear cells via MAP kinase and tyrosine kinases.

CD44 is a widely distributed transmembrane glycoprotein associated with various lymphocyte functions, including lympho-hemopoiesis, adhesion to the extracellular matrix, and T cell activation. In this study, we examined the mechanisms of CD44 involvement in regulating the killing activity of human peripheral mononuclear cells (PMC). An anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody (mAb) J173 enhanced the killing activity of PMC against Daudi and K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The increased cytotoxicity peaked at mAb concentration of 1.25 microg/ml. Under this condition, triggering of CD44 enhanced the killing activity by 1.5- and 2.2-fold at an effector-to-target (E/T) ratio of 20 for Daudi and K562 cells, respectively. Cytotoxic activity was remarkably diminished by treatment of PMC with concanamycin A, suggesting that this PMC-mediated cytotoxicity is mainly exerted via the perforin pathway. Moreover, we found that ligation of CD44 transduced signals to PMC that led to the tyrosine phosphorylation of several intracellular proteins and activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. Genistein, an inhibitor of tyrosine phosphorylation, and PD98059, an inhibitor of MAP kinase, suppressed CD44-induced enhancement of cytotoxicity. These results suggest that the CD44 molecule, which is a main receptor for hyaluronan known to be expressed on the surface of tumor cells, plays an important role in PMC-mediated cytotoxicity, and that tyrosine kinases and MAP kinase are essential for CD44-mediated signaling in cytotoxicity.

Pharmacognostical studies of cistanchis herba (III) phylogenetic relationship of the cistanche plants based on plastid rps2 gene and rpl16-rpl14 intergenic spacer sequences.

The phylogenetic relationship of Cistanche deserticola, C. salsa and C. tubulosa was analyzed by comparing the nucleotide sequences of the plastid rps2 gene and the intergenic spacer region between rpl16 and rpl14. By comparison of sequence data, the Cistanche samples were distinguishable from each other. The results were consistent with their anatomical and chemical characteristics. Intraspecific variations were found in C. salsa and C. tubulosa among the geographical populations. The NJ tree reconstructed based on the sequence data revealed that C. deserticola and C. salsa from China were closely related to each other, and C. tubulosa was placed as an outgroup of them.