Muscle-type tropomyosin of sea urchin egg increases the actin-binding of nonmuscle-type tropomyosin.

Tropomyosin isoforms in eggs of several species of sea urchins are classified into two types, muscle-type and nonmuscle-type, based on their antigenicities. Their actin-binding abilities were investigated using muscle-type isoform (32K) and nonmuscle-type isoform (30K), which were purified by the method previously reported and separated by isoelectric focusing from eggs of sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Co-sedimentation assays revealed that 32K could stoichiometrically bind to actin filaments independently of the 30K, but 30K alone bound very poorly. The actin-binding of 30K was, however, considerably increased in the presence of 32K, and the molar ratio of the bound 30K and 32K was approximately 1:1. The increase in the actin-binding of 30K is probably caused by the interaction of 30K with 32K in a head-to-tail manner, as indicated by the higher specific viscosity of the mixture than that of 32K alone.

The inferior collicular potential in acoustic and electrical stimulation of the cochlea: an experimental study of guinea pig.

We made experiments of the inferior collicular potentials in acoustic and electrical stimulation for the purpose of studying fundamental issues for cochlear implantation. Guinea pigs with normal Preyer's reflex were used for this study. The results were as follows: (1) in acoustic stimulation relatively wide and large waveforms were gained but in electrical stimulation sharp and narrow ones were gained, (2) in acoustic stimulation the input-output curve of latency and amplitude was biphasic but in electrical stimulation it was monophasic. For this reason, in acoustic stimulation by click, when the intensity is low (under 80 dB SPL) stimulus site would be comparatively low frequency fibers. When the intensity is high (over 80 dB SPL) the stimulus site would shift to high frequency fibers. Therefore, many more neighboring fibers start responding. This results in biphasic input-output curves of latecy and amplitude. By electrical stimulation, however, it would be possible to stimulate only a restricted area among the bipolar electrode. Therefore, as the intensity increases, the response amplitude increases and becomes saturated at a constant level. This results in monophasic input-output curves of latency and amplitude.

Cytokeratin expression patterns by one- and two-dimensional electrophoresis in pars flaccida cholesteatoma and pars tensa cholesteatoma.

Expression patterns of cytokeratins (CKs) in normal skin, in pars flaccida type cholesteatoma (PFTC), and in pars tensa type cholesteatoma (PTTC) were examined by means of one- and two-dimensional electrophoretic techniques. Both CKs 14 and 5 pair (CKs 14/5) and CKs 10/1 were found in all materials. Neither CKs 16/6 nor 19 was found in the skin. CKs 16/6 and 19 were both found in 3 out of 5 PFTCs, only CKs 16/6 in 1 out of 5 and neither CKs 16/6 nor 19 in 1 out of 5. CKs 16/6 and 19 were both found in 1 out of 3 PTTCs, only CKs 16/6 in 1 out of 3 and neither CKs 16/6 nor 19 in 1 out of 3. There was no significant difference in the CKs expression patterns between PFTC and PTTC. The expression of CKs 16/6 and 19 suggested that their matrix epithelia were hyperproliferative. However, not all of the cholesteatomas were always hyperproliferative. Patterns of the terminal differentiation of CKs 1, 5, 10 and 14 in the PFTC or the PTTC were basically the same as those in the skin. In the cholesteatoma, eack CK gradually diminished in molecular weight in the cornified layer and debris. Desmosomal proteins were abundant in skin but not in cholesteatomas.

[Two cases of sensory neural hearing loss as a manifestation of HIV infection].

In patients with HIV infection, oral and pharyngeal pathology frequently occurs, but there have been no reports on cases of deafness in Japan. Herein, the authors report two cases of sensory neural hearing loss in hemophilia A patients infected with HIV through factor VIII concentrates. Case 1 was a 16-year-old male with hemophilia A. He had been administered factor VIII concentrates starting at 6 months after birth. At 8 years of age, HIV antibodies were positive. He was diagnosed as having AIDS after suffering from pneumocystis carinii. He complained of right otalgia and slight vertigo during treatment for a relapse of the pneumocystis carinii. He underwent otological examinations at our department. The right tympanic membrane showed opacification and serous otorrhea was noted. Acute otitis media was diagnosed and tympanotomy was conducted. Afterwards, the right tympanic membrane developed a large perforation and sensory neural hearing loss occurred. Case 2 was a 49-year-old male with hemophilia A. He had been administered factor VIII concentrates from the age of 23 years. At 48 years of age, HIV antibodies were positive. The patient complained of sudden deafness in the right ear and slight vertigo. He underwent otological examinations at our department. The tympanic membrane was normal bilaterally, but sensory neural hearing loss was found in the right ear. It was presumed that acute otitis media directly involving the inner ear had caused a perceptive disorder in case 1 while a pattern of sudden onset of deafness was apparent in case 2.

The blood vessels in Reissner's membrane of the rat.

Blood vessels on Reissner's membrane were electron-microscopically found in 24 out of 30 rats of the Wistar strain. The vessels were noted in the upper turns, mainly in the third turn of the cochlea. They originated from radiating arterioles in the upper spiral ligament and took straight courses radially down to the spiral limbus, and further to the modiolus, running along the surface of the scala vestibuli side of the membrane. Their diameter was approximately 4 microns. Bifurcated blood vessels were occasionally detected in 3 out of the 24 rats that possessed the vessels in the membrane. From the morphological point of view the blood vessels in Reissner's membrane may possibly have some function in the inner ear of the rat.

Histopathology of the temporal bones of deaf dogs.

Histopathological studies were done in 22 deaf dogs consisting of 10 Dalmatians, 5 English setters, 2 Great Danes, 2 foxhounds, 1 shepherd, 1 bulldog and 1 Australian sheep dog. Hypoplasia or aplasia of the sensory cells of the organ of Corti, stria vascularis and macula sacculi (pars inferior) was noted in all deaf dogs examined, indicating the pathology of inner ear malformation in these dogs to be of Scheibe's type. A solidified and calcified tectorial membrane was noted in 19 out of the 22 deaf dogs. A calcified sclerosis of the tectorial membrane is thought to be a characteristic finding of genetically inherited anomaly of the inner ear in deaf dogs. Distortion of the tectorial membrane, absence of the sensory cells in the organ of Corti, agenesis of the stria vascularis and abnormalities of the saccule described Scheibe's dysgenesis of the pars inferior as the pathological correlate for deafness in these dogs as assessed functionally.

Acute profound deafness in Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Two case reports.

Two patients with sudden progressive profound hearing loss resulting from Ramsay Hunt syndrome are reported. Case 1: A 63-year-old woman was admitted to Jichi Medical School Hospital with sudden, progressing deafness of the left ear, vertigo, sore throat, and hoarseness. An otoscopic examination revealed the external ear and the tympanic membrane to be normal. Pure-tone audiometry revealed profound deafness in the left ear. A horizontal nystagmus in the non-affected direction was observed by gaze nystagmus test. An endoscopic examination revealed herpetic vesicles and shallow ulcers on the left side of the pharynx and the larynx. There was complete paralysis of the left recurrent nerve. Hearing acuity of the left ear did not recover at all with steroid hormone therapy. Case 2: A 75-year-old man was referred to the ENT Clinic by a dermatologist for hearing evaluation in Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The man had noticed severe otalgia and sudden progressive deafness of the right ear approximately 2 weeks prior to admission. Physical examination revealed herpetic vesicles and ulcers in the right external ear and lateral neck. Complete paralysis of the right facial nerve was noted. Profound hearing loss in the affected ear was observed by pure-tone audiometry. A gaze nystagmus test revealed a horizontal nystagmus in the non-affected direction. No recovery of the cochlear function was noted following administration of antiviral drug. The pertinent literature is briefly reviewed.

A histological study of formation and growth of nasal polyps.

Chronic infection and allergy are considered to be the two major etiologic factors of nasal polyps. Whatever its cause may be, the initial phase of nasal polyp formation is represented by increased exudation from vessels, edema of the lamina propria and the bulging of the nasal mucosa. Nasal polyps were histologically classified into three types: edematous type, glandular and cystic type (ductal type) and fibrous type. Those of the edematous type and the glandular and cystic type are in the active stage of tissue reaction because of permeation of vascular fluid and marked infiltration of round cells. Contrastingly, the fibrous type polyps are in the healing stage of tissue reaction because of marked proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen fibers. The morphological structure of the nasal glands involved in the bulging mucosa determines the type of nasal polyps, whether edematous type or glandular and cystic type.

Histochemical study on innervation of glands and blood vessels in nasal polyps.

The autonomic innervation of glands in the mucosa of the inferior concha and nasal polyps was studied histochemically. Both cholinergic nerve fibres and adrenergic nerve fibres were noted around the arterioles, arteries and glands in the mucosa of the inferior concha. However, no autonomic nerve fibres were detectable in much of the nasal polyps, except in the stalk region, suggesting that the autonomic nervous system was not present in the polyps. It is assumed that dysfunctioning of the autonomic innervation may be a leading causative factor in the occurrence and/or development of nasal polyps.

Wegener's granulomatosis: report of a case with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and diabetes mellitus.

A patient with the classic form of Wegener's granulomatosis with severe dabetes mellitus and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis is described. This 61-year-old male presented with epistaxis and nasal pain and obstruction. The nasal cavities were filled with crusts covering eroded mucosa. The diagnosis was made by biopsy of nasal and bronchial mucosa, and laboratory data. The epistaxis was stopped by 10 Gy irradiation over the nasal cavities. The patient had severe diabetes mellitus. His blood sugar was not controlled by diet and insulin injection. His general condition worsened rapidly as the growth of granuloma in the nose and lung. Accordingly, prednisolone therapy reinitiated to suppress the granuloma although it has a reverse effect on diabetes mellitus. Approximately one month after admission, he died of acute renal failure. Autopsy was carried out. Granulomatous lesions were noted in the nasal cavities, lungs and spleen. Many petechiae were found macroscopically over the cortex of the kidney. Hyalinization or sclerosis with crescent formation was found microscopically in estimated 85% of the glomeruli. Immunohistologic analysis of the renal tissue demonstrated an irregular linear pattern deposition of IgG, IgA and C3 and a granular pattern deposition of IgM and C1q.

Lymphangiectatic fibrous polyp of the palatine tonsil. A report of three cases.

Three cases of lymphangiectatic fibrous polyp of the palatine tonsil are reported. The polyp arose from the upper pole of the tonsil in two cases and from the middle-to-lower part in one case. They were all asymptomatic until the polyps grew larger. The polyps were removed, with or without the tonsil. The pertinent literature is reviewed.

Cholesterol crystals in middle ear effusions and granulomas.

Pathomorphological investigations of the cholesterol crystals were carried out in the middle ear effusions and cholesterol granulomas of experimented animals and humans. The shape and size of the cholesterol crystals were variable, depending upon the surrounding substances. In the middle ear effusions, the crystals formed rather large rectangular structures, which tended to become smaller and thinner, as the granulomas developed. In the compact granulomas, the crystals appeared smaller, thinner and deformed, suggesting that they may possible be dissolved by a phagocytosis of active giant cells.

Juvenile nasal angiofibroma: a case report.

A very rare case of juvenile angiofibroma arising from the nasal septum is reported. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such case reported in the literature. This tumour was ablated with surgical manipulation and electrocauterization. The pertinent literature is reviewed.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the middle ear invading the cochlea. A histopathological case report.

This report describes the histopathological changes in the temporal bone of a 71-year-old man who died of meningitis and epidural abscess complicated by primary squamous cell carcinoma of the middle ear. The present case is unusual and differs somewhat from previously reported cases of the primary squamous cell carcinoma of the middle ear in three respects: 1) an extensive invasion of the cancer into the membranous labyrinth, 2) cholesterol deposits in the cochlear spiral canal, and 3) presence of ossifying labyrinthitis. Among these findings, extensive involvement of the inner ear by cancer destroying the lower part of the otic capsule is particularly unusual. It is assumed that squamous cell carcinoma overcame the biological resistance to neoplastic infiltration which probably exists in the otic capsule and the membranous labyrinth.

The fine surface view of the human adult eustachian tube.

The distribution pattern of ciliated cells and goblet cells in the mucosa of the normal adult human eustachian tube has been determined by means of SEM. In general, the density of the ciliated cells decreased from the pharyngeal to the tympanic orifice, and from the tubal floor to its roof. Most ciliated cells possessed about 100-200 cilia, and the average length of the cilia was approximately 8 mu. It is interesting to note that their number and length had a tendency to diminish towards the tympanic orifice of the tube. The ciliated epithelial cells at the tubal floor and lower parts of the walls undoubtedly play an important part in providing an active mucociliary mechanism, as in other parts of the upper respiratory system.