Recently it has been reported that fibroblasts from distal parts of the body of a patient with Werner's syndrome grew poorly in vitro as compared with those from the proximal part of the same patient. To confirm this observation, cultures of fibroblasts from different parts of the body were set up in 2 cases of Werner's syndrome, but no significant difference in life span was observed. Fetal calf serum (FCS) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) stimulated growth of fibroblasts from different body parts equally well. These data indicate that there is no difference in growth activity of fibroblasts from proximal and distal body parts in patients with Werner's syndrome. Moreover, the growth rate of epidermal outgrowths did not differ significantly between proximal and distal parts of these patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Relapse of herpes simplex encephalitis in children.

The polymerase chain reaction method was used to diagnose herpes simplex encephalitis in children. Initial samples of cerebrospinal fluid from 15 patients with herpes simplex encephalitis were all positive for the herpes simplex virus DNA by polymerase chain reaction assay. In terms of early diagnosis, polymerase chain reaction assay became positive significantly earlier than the detection of intrathecally produced anti-herpes simplex virus antibody using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (4.4 vs 8.9 days after onset; P less than .01). Serial examinations showed that the presence of virus DNA in cerebrospinal fluid continued for 3 to 18 days after the neurologic onset (mean 10.1 days). Four of the 15 patients had a relapse of encephalitis after completing acyclovir therapy. The mean duration of initial acyclovir therapy in the recurrent group was significantly shorter than that in the nonrecurrent group. In recurring cases, herpes simplex virus DNA reappeared temporarily in the cerebrospinal fluid of two patients. These results show that polymerase chain reaction assay is a useful diagnostic tool for the early and noninvasive diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis in children. Results also suggest that a comparatively short duration of acyclovir therapy may be related to a relapse of herpes simplex encephalitis in some children.

Acyclovir↗

PubMed1992

[A steroid-effective case with "prolonged" cerebellar ataxia].

We reported a girl with "prolonged" cerebellar ataxia for whom steroid was effective. At the age of 9 months, she developed gait disturbance, tremor and abnormal eye movements following exanthema subitum. Her symptoms were prolonged for more than 4 months and she was admitted to our hospital. The symptoms were successfully suppressed with repeated ACTH treatment but recurred in a few weeks after cessation of the therapy. Steroid was also effective but reduction of the dosage resulted in worsening of symptoms. Immunological mechanism was suspected for her disorder because of her response to steroid and ACTH.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMed1991

The level of urinary epidermal growth factor is not influenced by the extent of psoriatic lesions.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) levels in the urine of 31 normal individuals and 33 psoriatic patients were measured. The amounts of urinary EGF secreted in a day by normal and psoriatic individuals were not significantly different nor were the levels of EGF in random urine specimens corrected for creatinine values. It is known that the urinary EGF content corrected for the creatinine value correlates very well with the EGF level in blood as well as in 24-h urine specimens. Our data indicate that EGF circulating in the blood may not be correlated with the extent of psoriatic lesions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Autocrine secretion of an EGF-like substance by a cell line (HSC-1) derived from a human skin squamous cell carcinoma.

The presence of EGF-autocrine secretion was investigated in a cell line derived from a human squamous cell carcinoma (HSC-1). The cell line was found to secrete the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like substance. Meanwhile, normal human and uninvolved and involved psoriatic epidermal cells did not show any evidence of EGF secretion in culture. Not was any evidence of EGF secretion observed in vitro in several malignant cell lines other than HSC-1 derived from human squamous cell carcinomas, adenocarcinoma and melanoma. The addition of EGF did not stimulate, but rather inhibited, the growth of HSC-1 cells in GIT medium as well as Dulbecco's modified essential medium with low concentrations of fetal calf serum (0.5-1%) in vitro. Overexpression of EGF receptors is known to occur in HSC-1. The results suggest that HSC-1 cells exhibit autocrine secretion of the EGF-like substance but not autostimulation in anchorage-dependent cell culture.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

PubMed1991

Discordant expression of tuberous sclerosis in monozygotic twins.

A set of 20-year-old female Japanese twins, most probably monozygotic, had clinical evidence of tuberous sclerosis (TS). They were discordant for symptoms. One of the twins exhibited facial red-brown papules (adenoma sebaceum), a dorsal shagreen patch, intracerebral calcifications, angiomyolipoma in the right kidney, and hypopigmented macules; the other had only a few hypopigmented macules. Modification of TS gene expression by the effects of environmental (extrinsic) factors is suggested.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Amino acid sequence of the 8-kDa protein in photosystem I reaction center complex from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus.

The 8-kDa protein in Photosystem I (PS I) reaction center complex was isolated from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus, by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using TRIS-Tricine buffer system. The complete amino acid sequence of the protein was determined. The 8-kDa protein consisted of 73 amino acid residues giving a calculated molecular weight of 7,472. No significant sequence homology were observed with the known other small subunits in PS I reaction center complex, except for the 6.5-kDa protein in PS I from another thermophilic cyanobacterium, S. vulcanus. The 8-kDa protein was characteristically rich in hydrophobic amino acid residues, especially the content of leucine. These suggest that the 8-kDa subunit is an intrinsic structure component in PS I core complex for stabilization of the reaction center.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1991

Amino acid sequence of the 14-kDa protein in the photosystem I reaction center complex from Synechococcus elongatus Naegeli.

One of the small components (14 kDa) of the photosystem I reaction center complex was isolated from a thermophilic alga, Synechococcus elongatus. The amino acid sequence was determined. The protein consists of 137 amino acid residues, corresponding to the molecular mass of 15,319. Alignment of this sequence with the ferredoxin-binding proteins of photosystem I from other cyanobacteria and higher plants suggests the possible biologically important residues and the residues responsible for thermostability in the sequence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1991

Amino acid sequence of 10-kDa protein in photosystem I reaction-center complex from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus Naegeli.

Four small subunits (14, 13, 10, and 8 kDa) of the photosystem I reaction-center complex were isolated from a thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus. The complete amino acid sequence of the 10-kDa subunit was determined to consist of 80 amino acid residues giving a molecular mass of 8855.3, excluding iron and sulfur atoms, and containing two special sequences of cysteine residues, Cys-X-X-Cys-X-X-Cys-X-X-X-Cys-Pro, at residues 10-21 and 47-58, which indicates that the subunit is an apoprotein carrying two iron-sulfur centers, FA and FB, assigned as [4Fe-4S] clusters. The amino acid sequence indicated an 87.5% identity compared with those deduced from the nucleotide sequences of chloroplast gene psa C from several plants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1990

Organ culture of human scalp hair follicles: effect of testosterone and oestrogen on hair growth.

Whole human scalp hair follicles were cultured. The follicles were dissected from skin pieces of normal scalp and put into 1.5 ml of incubation medium in a closed 5 ml glass tube under an atmosphere of 95% O2 and 5% CO2. The tube was rolled at 15 rpm at 36 degrees C. Remarkable hair growth was noticed for 7 to 8 days. Hair root sheaths also grew with the hair shafts. The structure of the hair bulbs was well maintained for at least 6 days, and then the hair matrix cells started to degenerate. Fetal calf serum was not essential for hair growth in vitro, but increased the growth rate slowly. Testosterone and oestrogen inhibited hair growth in vitro to a similar extent. The minimum effective doses of both hormones to suppress hair growth were around 5 ng/ml, which corresponds well to the normal plasma level of testosterone in adult males in vivo, suggesting that scalp hair growth may be critically controlled by testosterone in adult males.

Autoradiography↗

PubMed1990

Further study on gas phase acid hydrolysis of protein: improvement of recoveries for tryptophan, tyrosine, and methionine.

A novel method for vapor phase acid hydrolysis of protein suitable for quantitative analysis of tryptophan is presented. The hydrolysis is carried out in vapor of a mixture made of 7 M HCl, 10% trifluoroacetic acid, and 20% thioglycolic acid in the presence of indole. Reasonably good recoveries of common amino acids, including tryptophan (above 75%), were achieved.

Hydrochloric Acid↗

PubMed1990

Benign infantile epilepsy with complex partial seizures.

Benign infantile epilepsy with complex partial seizures is characterized by a high incidence of family history of benign childhood convulsions, normal development prior to onset, infantile onset, no underlying disorders, no neurological abnormalities, normal interictal EEGs, good response to treatment, and complete remission with normal developmental outcome. Seizures often occur in clusters, consisting of motion arrest, decreased responsiveness, staring or blank eyes mostly with simple automatisms, and mild convulsive movements associated with focal paroxysmal discharges, most frequently in the temporal area.

Electroencephalography↗

PubMed1990

Long-term organ culture of rabbit skin: effect of EGF on epidermal structure in vitro.

A method is described for maintaining the epidermal structure of normal rabbit ear skin explants in organ culture for up to 12 weeks. Split-thickness skin specimens were put in diffusion chambers made of either millipore filters or bovine collagen membranes, and then submitted to a roller tube culture at 15 rpm and 36 degrees C. The culture medium was Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum (FCS) + 0.4 micrograms/ml hydrocortisone. The gas used in the culture tube was air + 5% CO2. Autoradiography revealed the incorporation of [3H]-glycine into the 68-kD keratin band of explants for up to 12 weeks, indicating that normal keratinization was maintained throughout the entire culture period. The turnover time of the epidermis from basal layer to granular layer was around 7 d in both the early and late stages of culture. The addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to the culture caused the epidermis to become acanthotic with orthokeratosis, but with high concentrations of EGF (greater than or equal to 10 ng/ml) parakeratosis and increased proliferation of the epidermis occurred. Dexamethasone (DMS) strongly inhibited the EGF effect.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Human squamous cell carcinoma from skin: establishment and characterization of a new cell line (HSC-5).

A new cell line, designated as HSC-5 and derived from human skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), has been established in vitro and maintained proliferative in continuous tissue culture for over two years. The cells grow in a monolayer in vitro and have anaplastic epithelioid features. The doubling time was about 35 hr at the 30th passage. Chromosome analysis showed hypotetraploidy with a modal number of 76. A trial of transplantation of the cultured cells into nude mice was not successful. Analysis of cytokeratins from HSC-5 by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed polypeptides No. 5, 8, 13, 18 and 19. The cell line is available to other investigators.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗