Evaluation of the potassium adsorption capacity of a potassium adsorption filter during rapid blood transfusion.

The concentration of extracellular potassium in red blood cell concentrates (RCCs) increases during storage, leading to risk of hyperkalemia. A potassium adsorption filter (PAF) can eliminate the potassium at normal blood transfusion. This study aimed to investigate the potassium adsorption capacity of a PAF during rapid blood transfusion. We tested several different potassium concentrations under a rapid transfusion condition using a pressure bag. The adsorption rates of the 70-mEq/l model were 76·8%. The PAF showed good potassium adsorption capacity, suggesting that this filter may provide a convenient method to prevent hyperkalemia during rapid blood transfusion.

Cystic Hypersecretory Duct Carcinoma of the Breast:A Case Reprot Describing the Cytologic Features.

We report the clinical, cytological and pathological features of so-called cystic hypersecretory duct carcinoma occurring in a 60-year-old Japanese woman. The tumor mainfested a multicystic mass ultrasonographically, and aspiration biopsy cytology revealed atypical ductal epithelial cells with vacuolar cytoplasm. A modified radical mastectomy was performed. Histologically, the lesion was charcterized by many dilated ducts containing eosinophilic secretions, which resembled thyroid colloid. The ducts were lined by an intraductal micropapillary carcinoma with hobnail-shaped cells, and were positive for lactalbumin immunohistochemically. Additionally, a so-called cystic hypersecretory hyperplasia was seen in the surrounding breast parenchyma. Although a direct transition from the hyperplasia to the carcinoma was not proved, a close relationship between the two lesions was suggested.

Rat prostatic growth factors: purification and characterization of high and low molecular weight epidermal growth factors from rat dorsolateral prostate.

Growth factors which possibly participate in androgen-induced proliferation of rat prostate epithelial cells have been purified and characterized. Four distinct forms of growth factor were found in the extract of rat dorsolateral prostate. One of the factors was a member of heparin-binding growth factor (HBGF) family judging from its high affinity for heparin-Sepharose. The other three factors were capable of competing with [125I]epidermal growth factor (EGF) for the cell surface receptor, and recognized by anti-rat EGF antiserum. These EGF-like factors (EGF1-EGF3) were purified by ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration and reverse phase HPLC. EGF1 showed microheterogeneity on chromatographic and electrophoretic separation and N-terminal sequence analysis. EGF1 showed an average molecular weight of about 35,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) under reducing conditions. These results indicated that EGF1 was a mixture of high molecular weight forms of EGF. The molecular weights of EGF2 and EGF3 were similar to that of rat submaxillary gland EGF (Mr = 5400). The amino acid sequence of EGF2 was identical with that of rat EGF except for the N- and C-terminal amino acids: aspartic acid instead of asparagine was found at the N-terminal position and C-terminal arginine was missing in EGF2. Although the N-terminal sequence of EGF3 (1-19) was identical with that of EGF2, the two factors were completely separated by gel filtration indicating a difference in the C-terminal structure. EGF1, EGF2 and EGF3 but not HBGF stimulated proliferation of primary cultured rat dorsolateral prostate epithelial cells.

Role of cyclic AMP and polypeptide growth regulators in growth inhibition by interferon in PC-3 cells.

Participation of growth factors and intracellular cAMP in direct antiproliferative action of interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) was investigated in PC-3 human prostate carcinoma cell line. IFN-alpha inhibited proliferation of PC-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner in vitro, and the effect was reversible. Fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, when added to the culture medium, showed no effect on growth of PC-3 cells in presence or absence of IFN-alpha. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) significantly inhibited PC-3 cell growth, and the effect was additived to that of IFN-alpha. TGF-beta content in conditioned medium of PC-3 cells was not affected by treatment with IFN-alpha. On the other hand, IFN-alpha increased intracellular cAMP concentration about 20-fold. Dibutyryl cAMP and reagents which elevated intracellular cAMP level also inhibited PC-3 cell growth. These indicated that direct antiproliferative effect of IFN-alpha on PC-3 cells was at least partly mediated by cAMP, and that neither growth factors nor a growth inhibitor participated in the action of IFN-alpha.

Differences in growth requirements between epithelial and stromal cells derived from rat ventral prostate in serum-free primary culture.

Different procedures of enzymatic digestion of rat prostatic tissue and unique sets of mitogenic factors made it possible to culture practically pure populations of epithelial and stromal cells without previous separation of the two types of cells. Keratin-positive epithelial cells dissociated by trypsin and collagenase from adult rat ventral prostate proliferated in medium WAJC 404 supplemented with epidermal growth factor, insulin, cholera toxin, and bovine pituitary extract. Proliferation of epithelial cells was completely inhibited by dexamethasone as low as 30 nM. On the other hand, fibroblast-like stromal cells released by trypsin digestion required a plastic substratum coated with calf serum or fibronectin, and proliferated in Eagle's minimum essential medium supplemented with cholera toxin, bovine pituitary extract, dexamethasone, and bovine serum albumin. Epidermal growth factor and insulin had negligible effect on proliferation of stromal cells. Physiological concentrations of dihydrotestosterone and estradiol showed no effect on proliferation of both types of cells.

[Primary malignant mesothelioma of the pericardium masquerading as malignant pleural mesothelioma: report of an autopsy case and review of the reported cases in Japan as to its invasion to neighboring organs].

The Patient was a 72-year-old man who presented with dyspnea and general fatigue. Chest X-ray and CT-scan at the admission showed bilateral pleural effusion with collapse of the left lung and pericardial effusion. Cytology from the left pleural effusion suggested malignant mesothelioma. For this reason, malignant mesothelioma of the left pleura was diagnosed clinically and it was supposed to have spread subsequently to the pericardium. At autopsy, entire surface of the heart was found to be encroached in a diffuse fashion by a thick layer of mesothelioma tissues, which formed a small mass around the left pulmonary vein over the left atrium and invaded deep into the myocardium of all cardiac chambers. The endocardium and the intima of the left pulmonary vein were free of the invasion. The parietal pericardium adhered in places to the cardiac lesion, but no direct invasion to the adjacent pleurae through the pericardial wall was present. The left pleura over the lung and chest cavity disclosed only a superficial invasion by similar mesothelioma which was identifiable only on microscopic study. No distant metastasis was present in any thoracic and other organs as well as lymph nodes including the hilar ones of the lung. It seemed most likely from this anatomical finding that the primary site of the present mesothelioma was in the pericardium (visceral) and the tumor spread to the left pleura by a continuous extension along the outside of the left pulmonary vein. Primary malignant mesothelioma of the pericardium is of very rare occurrence and we found only 51 cases of it in the Japanese literature since 1915.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)