Differential visual ornamentation between brood parasitic and parental cuckoos.

The evolution of brood parasitism should affect adult phenotypic traits due to sexual selection as well as the parasite-host interactions, although it is rarely focused on. Sexual selection theory predicts extravagant secondary sexual characteristics in brood parasites whereas immature-like modest sexual characteristics in parental species. This is because juvenile-like immature traits can attract mates by exploiting parental care for young (i.e. attraction to young), and because the good parent process, which favours traits that signal parental care ability, would constrain the evolution of costly secondary sexual characteristics due to evolutionary trade-offs between parental investment and sexually selected traits. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we studied plumage and bare-part characteristics of adults in relation to brood parasitism in cuckoos (family Cuculidae), in which brood parasitism together with loss of parental care has evolved three times. As predicted, we found that nonparasitic cuckoos had plumage more similar to the juveniles than did brood parasitic cuckoos. Furthermore, nonparasitic cuckoos had a higher probability of having additional bare skin, that is a seemingly less costly, hatchling-like trait, than did brood parasitic cuckoos. This finding further supports the link between parental care and sexual selection, although the influence of a parasite-host interaction cannot be excluded. The analysis of evolutionary pathways suggested interdependent evolution of additional bare skin and brood parasitism. Brood parasitism together with the loss of parental care may prevent the maintenance of a modest phenotype similar to the young, and vice versa in some cases.

Inhibition of hyaluronan retention by 4-methylumbelliferone suppresses osteosarcoma cells in vitro and lung metastasis in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Hyaluronan (HA) plays crucial roles in the tumourigenicity of many types of malignant tumours. 4-Methylumbelliferone (MU) is an inhibitor of HA synthesis. Several studies have shown its inhibitory effects on malignant tumours; however, none have focused on its effects on osteosarcoma. METHODS: We investigated the effects of MU on HA accumulation and tumourigenicity of highly metastatic murine osteosarcoma cells (LM8) that have HA-rich cell-associated matrix, and human osteosarcoma cell lines (MG-63 and HOS). RESULTS: In vitro, MU inhibited HA retention, thereby reducing the formation of functional cell-associated matrices, and also inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Akt phosphorylation was suppressed by MU (1.0 mM). In vivo, although MU showed only a mild inhibitory effect on the growth of the primary tumour, it markedly inhibited (75% reduction) the development of lung metastasis. Hyaluronan retention in the periphery of the primary tumour was markedly suppressed by MU. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that MU suppressed HA retention and cell-associated matrix formation in osteosarcoma cells, resulting in a reduction of tumourigenicity, including lung metastasis. 4-Methylumbelliferone is a promising therapeutic agent targeting both primary tumours and distant metastasis of osteosarcoma, possibly via suppression of HA retention.

Interobserver agreement in endoscopic evaluation of reflux esophagitis using a modified Los Angeles classification incorporating grades N and M: a validation study in a cohort of Japanese endoscopists.

The Los Angeles classification system is the most widely employed criteria associated with the greatest interobserver agreement among endoscopists. In Japan, the Los Angeles classification system has been modified (modified LA system) to include minimal changes as a distinct grade of reflux esophagitis, rather than as auxiliary findings. This adds a further grading M defined as minimal changes to the mucosa, such as erythema and/or whitish turbidity. The modified LA system has come to be used widely in Japan. However, there have been few reports to date that have evaluated the interobserver agreement in diagnosis when using the modified LA classification system incorporating these minimal changes as an additional grade. A total of 100 endoscopists from university hospitals and community hospitals, as well as private practices in the Osaka-Kobe area participated in the study. A total of 30 video clips of 30-40 seconds duration, mostly showing the esophagocardiac junction, were created and shown to 100 endoscopists using a video projector. The participating endoscopists completed a questionnaire regarding their clinical experience and rated the reflux esophagitis as shown in the video clips using the modified LA classification system. Agreement was assessed employing kappa (kappa) statistics for multiple raters. The kappa-value for all 91 endoscopists was 0.094, with a standard error of 0.002, indicating poor interobserver agreement. The endoscopists showed the best agreement on diagnosing grade A esophagitis (0.167), and the poorest agreement when diagnosing grade M esophagitis (0.033). The kappa-values for the diagnoses of grades N, M, and A esophagitis on identical video pairs were 0.275-0.315, with a standard error of 0.083-0.091, indicating fair intraobserver reproducibility among the endoscopists. The study results consistently indicate poor agreement regarding diagnoses as well as fair reproducibility of these diagnoses by endoscopists using the modified LA classification system, regardless of age, type of practice, past endoscopic experience, or current workload. However, grade M reflux esophagitis may not necessarily be irrelevant, as it may suggest an early form of reflux disease or an entirely new form of reflux esophagitis. Further research is required to elucidate the pathophysiological basis of minimal change esophagitis.

Abundance and genetic damage of barn swallows from Fukushima.

A number of studies have assessed or modeled the distribution of the radionuclides released by the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). Few studies however have investigated its consequences for the local biota. We tested whether exposure of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) nestlings to low dose ionizing radiation increased genetic damage to their peripheral erythrocytes. We estimated external radiation exposure by using thermoluminescent dosimeters, and by measuring radioactivity of the nest material. We then assessed DNA damage by means of the neutral comet assay. In addition, we conducted standard point-count censuses of barn swallows across environmental radiation levels, and estimated their abundance and local age ratio. Radioactivity of nest samples was in the range 479-143,349 Bq kg(-1), while external exposure varied between 0.15 and 4.9 mGy. Exposure to radioactive contamination did not correlate with higher genetic damage in nestlings. However, at higher levels of radioactive contamination the number of barn swallows declined and the fraction of juveniles decreased, indicating lower survival and lower reproduction and/or fledging rate. Thus, genetic damage to nestlings does not explain the decline of barn swallows in contaminated areas, and a proximate mechanism for the demographic effects documented here remains to be clarified.

Neurofibromatosis 2 and neurilemmomatosis gene are identical.

Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the occurrence of bilateral acoustic neuromas, as well as meningiomas and schwannomas. The gene locus for NF2 resides on chromosome 22q12 and has been cloned recently. Neurilemmomatosis is characterized by multiple cutaneous and spinal neurilemmomas without other signs of NF1 or NF2. Many cases with this disorder include the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis or other rare diseases unexplained by current nosology. In this study, we analyzed the peripheral leukocytes and tissue from cutaneous neurilemmomas of seven patients with neurilemmomatosis using DNA markers for different regions of chromosome 22. We detected allelic losses in three of seven tumors from seven patients with a probe for the NF2 region of the long arm of chromosome 22 and the germ-line mutations in two of three tumors from the same three patients. Mutations in the NF2 gene were a deletion from at least codon 334 to 579 and G insertion at codon 42. We conclude that the neurilemmomatosis locus lies within the NF2 region and that these diseases might be identical.

Molecular cloning of a novel receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase from murine fetal liver.

A cDNA fragment encoding a novel tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase), termed ptpf, was isolated from day 11.5 mouse fetal liver using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with degenerate primers. The 5.5-kb cDNA encoding the complete coding region was isolated from an adult mouse kidney cDNA library. This cDNA contained a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a predicted 1436-amino-acid protein with a molecular mass of 161,150 Da. Sequence analysis revealed that PTPf was homologous to PTPmu and PTPkappa, and a putative receptor-type PTPase. Northern blotting analysis of adult mouse mRNA indicated the existence of four major ptpf transcripts of approximately 10, 6, 3 and 2.7 kb, and these transcripts were expressed in a tissue-specific manner. During embryogenesis, only the 6-kb transcript was detected.

Pseudolymphomatous folliculitis: a clinicopathologic study of 15 cases of cutaneous pseudolymphoma with follicular invasion.

We report the clinical, histopathologic, and immunohistologic features of 15 cases of pseudolymphomatous folliculitis (PLF). The patients comprised seven males and eight females (mean age, 38.6 years; age range, 2-67 years). All patients had dome-shaped or flat-elevated nodules suggestive of cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasias (CLHs). The lesions were solitary in all 15 cases, except in one case with duplex lesions. All lesions were located on the face and measured less than 1.5 cm. In 14 cases with one lesion each, five lesions showed rapid regression after incisional biopsy, whereas the remaining nine underwent excisional biopsy. In the case with duplex lesions, one regressed spontaneously after excisional biopsy of the other. Histopathologically, all PLFs showed dense lymphocytic infiltrates from the dermis to the subcutis simulating cutaneous lymphomas. The walls of hair follicles in all cases were enlarged and irregularly deformed with their epithelium blurred by lymphocytic infiltrates; we called this change "activation" of hair follicles. In nine cases, many atypical lymphocytes were intermingled; three of these cases had been misdiagnosed as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma at other institutions. Immunohistologically, 10 and 5 cases showed predominantly B cells and predominantly T cells, respectively. Remarkably, all lesions showed increased numbers of perifollicular histiocytes expressing anti-S-100 protein and CD1a, and seven lesions showed histiocytes in aggregates. We conclude that PLF is a subset of CLH with characteristic clinical and pathologic features showing perifollicular clustering of T-cell-associated dendritic cells with activation of pilosebaceous units. PLF is an entity to be differentiated from malignant lymphomas and other cutaneous pseudolymphomas.

Constitutional translocation t(4;22) (q12;q12.2) associated with neurofibromatosis type 2.

We report on a female patient with bilateral acoustic neurinomas and other tumors in the central nervous system (neurofibromatosis type 2: NF2) and the constitutional translocation, t(4;22) (q12;q12.2). The precise identification of the translocation breakpoint (q12.2) on chromosome 22 implies the refined localization of a gene responsible for NF2, and would provide a clue to its molecular characterization and to the isolation of the gene. Chromosomes of a paraspinal neurinoma from the patient were also analyzed, and the same karyotype as seen in cultured peripheral lymphocytes was found. The patient's father was also a carrier of the translocation, but he had no clinical symptoms of NF2, nor did other relatives. Several explanations are offered for the different expression of the translocation between the patient and her father.

Role of apoptosis in spontaneous regression of peripheral T-cell lymphoma arising in the skin or subcutis.

Apoptosis was suspected to play a significant role in spontaneous regression of skin lesions in four cases of peripheral T-cell lymphoma arising in the skin or subcutis. All of the patients had skin tumors with ulcer formation, but no metastasis to the lymph nodes or viscera. Biopsy showed a sea of CD3-positive lymphoma cells involving the dermis to the subcutis with scattered foci of coagulative necrosis. In the zone of incipient necrosis surrounding the core of coagulative necrosis, frequent apoptotic bodies were identified by electron microscopy (EM), and DNA strand breaks were detected in 34% to 51% (mean, 42%) of lymphoma cells by the TdT-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP)-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL). As for the pathogenesis of coagulative necrosis, ischemic necrosis attributable to lymphocytic vasculitis appeared unlikely, because necrotic foci were devoid of neutrophils and had no relation to vascular distribution. Primary cataclysmic apoptosis appeared more likely, but its pathogenetic role could not be established, because EM and TUNEL could not be applied to the core of the debris-ridden coagulative necrosis. Although these cases had been classified as pseudolymphomas because they were histologically malignant but clinically benign, they were in fact true lymphomas characterized by extensive coagulative necrosis with a high rate of apoptosis demonstrable in the zone of incipient necrosis.

Specific skin lesions as the presenting symptom of hairy cell leukemia.

A 68-year-old Japanese man with a chief complaint of eczema-like dermatosis was diagnosed as having B-cell hairy cell leukemia (HCL) by demonstration of hairy cells in the skin lesions as well as in blood and bone marrow. He was treated with alpha-interferon, resulting in disappearance of skin lesions and reduction of his massive splenomegaly from 18 to 5 cm in about 14 months. Although specific skin lesions in HCL, shown by a review of the literature to occur in about 8% of cases, are not as uncommon as generally assumed, it is rare for HCL to present with specific skin lesions, the present case being only the second of its type mentioned in the literature.

Intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition strategy for enantioselective synthesis of FR-900482 analogues.

[reaction: see text] Enantioselective synthesis of FR-900482 analogues is described. The key reaction of the synthesis is intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a highly functionalized nitrile oxide with complete stereo- and regioselectivities to construct the eight-membered benzazocine ring.

Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome in Japan. Clinicopathologic study of 107 autopsy cases.

We reviewed 111 clinical and pathological materials of patients who had been entered as mycosis fungoides (MF) or Sézary syndrome (SS) in the Annuals of the Pathological Autopsy Cases in Japan during the 29-year-period since the Annuals' inception in 1958. One hundred and seven patients were classified. Of these, 64 were in Group 1 (mycosis fungoides, MF), 23 in Group II (Sézary syndrome, SS), and 20 in Group III (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL). The clinicopathologic features of Groups I and II (MF, SS) were similar to those of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) in Europe and the United States. Those of Group III (NHL) were indistinguishable from primary cutaneous non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It was suggested that some patients with adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) with skin lesions used to be misdiagnosed as MF or SS in earlier years when ATLL was still unknown. It was concluded that CTCL in Japan has clinicopathologic features quite like those of CTCL in Europe and the United States and that they are probably the same disease.

Generalized eruptive histiocytoma: report of a pediatric case.

A one-year-old boy was seen with brownish, flat papules on his face, neck and upper arms. The lesions were symmetric, discrete, slightly raised, firm to the touch, and asymptomatic papular eruptions. Histological and immunohistochemical investigation revealed monomorphous infiltration of S-100 negative, lysozyme negative, and alpha 1-antitrypsin negative, but alpha 1-antichymotrypsin positive and vimentin positive histiocytic cells with small numbers of lymphocytic cells. The histiocytic cells did not show any foamy changes in the cytoplasm. No giant cells were found. The lesions increased in number during the first few years and then spontaneously regressed by the sixth year of age, leaving partial brownish pigmentation.

A case of chronic expanding hematoma in the tensor fascia lata.

We describe a patient in whom a chronic expanding hematoma was pathologically confirmed by examination of the resected specimen. It developed gradually in the left lateral thigh, which had been bruised 8 months before, but had produced no mass-related symptoms initially. Computed tomography (CT) showed the mass to be homogeneous with capsule formation, whereas ultrasonography showed it to resemble a multilocular cyst. The lesion was treated by complete excision of a perifascial mass. Grossly, a well-circumscribed, fusiform mass with a soft cystic center and a fibrous pseudocapsule was observed. Histologically, the mass was composed of necrotic debris, fibrin and blood clots. This was surrounded by a rim of hyalinized fibrous tissue with a chronic inflammatory infiltrate and granulation tissue with sprouting new capillaries. CT was unable to discriminate the chronic expanding hematoma from other soft tissue masses, ultrasonography being needed to reveal its characteristics in this case.

[An autopsy case of Gerstmann-Sträusser-Scheinker's disease with spastic paraplegia as its principal feature].

A 38-year-old woman developed slowly progressive gait disturbance. At age 39 years she was admitted to our department because she could not walk without assistance. On neurological examination she was alert with normal mental functions. Horizontal nystagmus on both sides, minimal clumsiness in the left upper extremity on the finger-to-nose test and moderate degree of spasticity in bilateral lower extremities without evident motor weakness were present. The gait was spastic with small steps on a wide base. There was no sensory abnormalities. The deep tendon reflexes were hyperactive on both sides, on the lower extremities, with positive Babinski's sign. The sphincter functions were intact. During the following 5 years she gradually deteriorated and pseudobulbar palsy, emotional incontinence and the progressive dementia appeared in addition to severe spastic paraplegia. At age 45 years she was admitted to our nursing home and she died 3 months later, of pneumonia, on 6 years after the onset of her illness. Two elder sisters of her 7 siblings had the similar neurologic illness. The brain weighed 1,060 g. There was mild atrophy of cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem. There were neuronal loss and gliosis in layers IV-VI of cerebral cortex with no evidence of the spongy state. Cerebellar cortex, cerebellar peduncles and spinocerebellar tracts were preserved. There was marked degeneration of corticospinal tract from cerebral peduncle to lateral funiculus of lumbar spinal cord. The most prominent feature was appearance of numerous multicentric amyloid plaques, which were marked in layers I-III of cerebral cortex and to a lesser extent in corpus striatum, hippocampus and the white matters of cerebrum and cerebellum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: clinical experience of 8 cases].

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is an uncommon form of granulomatous inflammation characterized by destruction of the renal parenchyma and replacement by solid sheets of lipid-laden macrophages. The first report was made by Schlagenhaufer in 1916. Due to diagnostic difficulties, relatively few cases have been reported. However, within the past 20 years, XGP has been recognized with increasing frequency. At present, over 400 cases have been reported. Recently, the computed tomographic (CT) findings of XGP have been described in a few sporadic case reports (1-4). Our clinical experience consists of 8 cases of XGP. The sonographic and computed tomographic findings in our cases are presented along with the correlation with the pathological specimens. We stress the importance of sonography and CT in preoperative planning. Moreover, in our cases we could obtain typical findings on sonography and CT, which enabled us to make a correct preoperative diagnosis. In this report we describe some specific features.

[A case of renal oncocytoma].

We report a case of renal oncocytoma and review 158 cases in the literature. The patient was a 75-year-old woman whose chief complaint was epigastric discomfort without any urological symptoms. The right renal tumor was incidentally discovered by ultrasonography. Its angiographic patterns such as spoke-wheel appearance and homogeneous nephrogram were "characteristic" of renal oncocytoma. We diagnosed it as oncocytoma by microscopical and ultrastructural observation.

[Hematuria: an initial sign of cecal carcinoma].

A 79-year-old female was seen with hematuria, cystoscopy showed a non-papillary, broad-based tumor arising from the right anterolateral wall of the bladder. Transurethral biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma. Pelvic CT scanning revealed that the tumor extended from the bladder wall to the wall of the ileo-caecal intestine. Gastrointestinal series revealed no abnormal findings although the cecum could not be visualized clearly, and we could not distinguish whether the primary site was the bladder or intestine. Surgical exploration was performed. The main tumor seemed to arise from the cecum, extended downward and invaded the bladder wall. Right hemicolectomy and en bloc partial cystectomy were performed. The final diagnosis was adenocarcinoma of the cecum invading the bladder. We could find no reports on adenocarcinoma of the cecum in which hematuria was the initial symptom, as in this case, in Japan.