Orientation dependence of Pd growth on Au electrode surfaces.

The structure of thin Pd films grown on Au(111) and Au(001) electrodes in a solution containing PdCl(4)(2 -) and SO(4)(2 -) has been investigated by surface x-ray scattering. This technique provided structural information on the Pd films in the lateral direction as well as in the surface normal direction. Comparison of Pd/Au(111) and Pd/Au(001) growth modes shows similarity in the first layer deposition. On Au(111) and Au(001) substrates, Pd follows the crystal structure of the substrates and forms a pseudomorphic monolayer. Beyond 2 ML, however, Pd films grown on Au(111) are relaxed, although there are still pseudomorphic layers at the interface. In contrast, Pd films on Au(001) continue to grow pseudomorphically over 10 ML. The difference in the growth mode between (111) and (001) surfaces is not ascribable only to anisotropy in the elasticity of the film. The relationship between a growing surface and an allowed gliding plane in misfit dislocations is presented as a crucial factor determining the critical thickness of the film.

A clinicopathologic study of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

BACKGROUND: Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the stomach is a rare histologic type of gastric adenocarcinoma and its features are still controversial. We attempted to clarify the clinicopathologic characteristics of this histologic type. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 112 patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma of the stomach (MUC) and 4160 patients with nonmucinous gastric adenocarcinoma (NMUC) for factors including age; sex; tumor location, size, and depth; lymph node metastasis; lymphatic or venous permeation; peritoneal dissemination; liver metastasis; and survival rate. We also investigated the relationship between cancer depth and lymph node metastasis. Statistical analysis included chi 2 and Student's t-tests. Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and analyzed by the log rank test. RESULTS: MUC was found mostly in younger patients, in the lower part of the stomach and was of larger size, invading to or beyond the muscularis propria, positive for lymph node involvement, and associated with peritoneal dissemination. The overall 5-year survival rate in patients with MUC was lower than that in NMUC patients, because the MUC patients more frequently had advanced stage disease; however, the survival rates in the two groups did not differ significantly. As for the relationship between cancer depth and lymph node involvement, the frequency of lymph node metastasis increased when invasion reached the submucosa in patients with MUC compared with those with NMUC while the frequency of lymph node metastasis increased in the muscularis propria in patients with NMUC compared with those with NMUC. CONCLUSION: MUC was characteristically found in younger patients, at lower sites, at an advanced stage, and with peritoneal dissemination; MUC had a poor prognosis. Lymph node metastasis should be suspected when MUC invades to the submucosa or deeper.

Immunohistochemical distribution of CD9, heparin binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor, and integrin alpha3beta1 in normal human tissues.

The tetra-membrane-spanning protein CD9 forms a complex with a membrane-anchored heparin binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) and integrin alpha3beta1 in some human and monkey cell lines. We show here the immunohistochemical distribution of CD9, HB-EGF, and integrin alpha3beta1 in normal human tissues. Distribution of CD9, HB-EGF, and integrin alpha3beta1 was similar in various tissues, including transitional epithelium, squamous epithelium, thyroid follicular epithelium, adrenal cortex, testis, smooth muscle, and stromal fibrous tissue. However, distribution of the three proteins did not coincide in some tissues, such as lung, liver, kidney, gastric and intestinal epithelium, pancreas, salivary gland, and ovary. In striated muscle, including cardiac muscle, CD9 was present not in the muscle cells themselves but in the endomysium and perimysium, whereas HB-EGF was distributed in the muscle cells themselves. CD9 was distributed in the myelin, but HB-EGF was found in the axon of the peripheral and central nervous systems. Coincident distribution of integrin alpha3beta1 with others was not observed in muscles and neural tissues. In conclusion, there is a possibility of complex formation and functional cooperation of CD9 with HB-EGF and/or integrin alpha3beta1 in several tissues.

An additional axis for the surface X-ray diffractometer.

A new surface X-ray diffractometer based on a kappa-type diffractometer will be installed in BL14B1, SPring-8. This diffractometer has an additional axis on its detector arm for rotating the receiving slit about the normal of the slit plane, in addition to two axes for positioning the detector. This additional axis is founded on the consideration of the correction factor which has been derived so as to be valid for the z-axis mode measurement using any incoming and outgoing angles of the X-ray beam. The rotational slit allows accurate measurement of the surface structure factor up to large perpendicular momentum transfer.

Present status and performance of SPring-8 front ends.

SPring-8 front ends have a novel structure which makes it easy to rearrange them and exchange the components. The structure has a common support for all the components except X-ray beam-position monitors and lead collimators. The alignment of the common support as well as the components was carried out with an accuracy of 0.25 mm in the vertical and horizontal directions. Replaceable pumping systems have also been placed on the common support and have achieved a vacuum of 2 x 10(-8) Pa at the upstream part of the front ends without synchrotron radiation. During the commissioning with synchrotron radiation, the pumping systems displayed good pumping-down characteristics. Commissioning has been successfully performed for four standard in-vacuum X-ray undulators and three bending-magnet-beamline front ends up to July 1997. Measurements of temperature rise show that absorber, pre-slits and XY slits can handle the anticipated maximum heat load at a ring current of 100 mA.

[Cerebellar atrophy in Minamata disease: comparison with spino-cerebellar degeneration on MR images].

We evaluated atrophic patterns of the cerebellar vermis in seven patients with Minamata disease (MD) and nine patients with spino-cerebellar degeneration (SCD) on MR images. Twenty-five control subjects were also examined. The cerebellar vermis was divided into superior, middle, and inferior parts by the primary fissure and the prepyramidal fissure on the median sagittal T1-weighted MR image. The length and area of each part were measured. In the patients with SCD, there were no significant differences in the degree of atrophy among the three parts. However, MR images of the patients with MD showed more severe atrophy in the middle and inferior parts than in the superior part. Atrophy of the superior part was less frequently observed in MD patients.

Balloon occlusion of a spontaneous carotid-cavernous fistula in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV.

A case of spontaneous carotid-cavernous fistula associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Type IV was treated successfully by transarterial balloon embolization. To minimize the stress to the arterial wall, we detached three silastic balloons with low-attachment force in the cavernous sinus with the aid of a proximal balloon to control the high flow of the fistula. To achieve complete obliteration, we had to inflate the third balloon to dimensions that occluded the cavernous portion of the internal carotid artery. Patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Type IV carry a high risk when undergoing any diagnostic or therapeutic endovascular procedure due to the fragility of their blood vessels. Recognition of this entity is important and special attention should be paid to its pathophysiology for a successful treatment.

[Nutritional improvement after operation of valvular heart diseases with protein-calorie malnutrition].

We evaluated the nutritional states before and after operation in patients with severe valvular heart disease characterized by malnutrition. The patient population consisted of 6 females, age range between 42 and 60, average 52.2 years old. The valve lesions were mitral stenosis in 2, combined aortic and mitral valve diseases in additional 4 patients, and moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation was noted in 5 of these 6 patients. All 6 patients underwent a successful mitral (c/s aortic) valve replacement, and 5 of 6 tricuspid annuloplasty. The ideal body weight increased significantly from 77.9 +/- 3.4% preoperatively to 84.6 +/- 3.9% postoperatively (p < 0.01). Late postoperative cardiac catheterization revealed an improvement of mixed oxygen saturation (61.3 +/- 3.8%, preoperatively vs 67.3 +/- 5.6%, postoperatively; p < 0.01). The postoperative serum prealbumin, retinol binding protein and K value in intravenous glucose tolerance test increased significantly (p < 0.05) compared to those before operation. In conclusion, our data suggested that corrective surgery would have a good effect on nutritional improvement of the protein-calorie malnutrition caused by valvular heart diseases.

Solitary pancreatic metastasis of malignant fibrous histiocytoma treated by distal pancreatectomy.

A tumor in the body of the pancreas was detected in a 31-year-old man who had undergone a resection of a malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the left distal femur 2 years before. The patient underwent a distal pancreatectomy with regional lymph node dissection. The surgical specimen revealed MFH metastatic to the pancreas. He is alive without recurrence or metastasis at 1 year after pancreatectomy. This case seems to be the first report of successfully resected pancreatic metastasis of a malignant fibrous histiocytoma in the published literature, as far as we can determine.

Improvement of nephrotic syndrome in a massively obese patient after weight loss and treatment with an anti-allergic drug.

An obese patient with nephrotic syndrome was admitted to the hospital because of increasing edema in the legs. With 25 kg weight loss, proteinuria decreased from 15 g to 5 g/day. Renal biopsy revealed mesangial glomerulopathy. The serum IgE level was highly elevated, and the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) was strongly positive for many kinds of allergens. No significant change in proteinuria, compared with the highly right atrial pressure period, was observed after normalization in the right atrial pressure. In spite of a decrease in body weight (27 kg) (113 to 86 kg) in 140 days, no significant change in proteinuria was observed. After additional therapy with an anti-allergic drug, proteinuria was completely abolished. These results suggest that a combination of weight loss and treatment with an anti-allergic drug is very important therapy for massive obesity with nephrotic syndrome. Since RAST was strongly positive for many kinds of allergens, the pathophysiology in this nephrotic syndrome may be, at least partially, related to the immunologic abnormalities.

Studies on café au lait spots in neurofibromatosis and pigmented macules of nevus spilus.

Café au lait spots from 14 Japanese patients with neurofibromatosis and nevus spilus from 9 Japanese patients were subjected to the studies on the differences in nature of their melanocytes. When the number of melanocytes of the pigmented lesions was compared with that of the surrounding normal skin, the former was always increased and that of café au lait spot was higher than that of nevus spilus. Giant pigment granules were recognized only in 6 patients out of 14 with neurofibromatosis but not in nevus spilus examined. 2 days after UV irradiation at 4 MED, the number of melanocytes was increased in both surrounding normal skin and pigmented lesion, and the rates of increase were lower in the pigmented lesion. Under the electron microscope, melanocytes in café au lait spots which received an ultraviolet light irradiation showed various changes in their cytoplasm; a development of dendrites containing many mature melanosomes, an increased number of cytoplasmic vacuoles and mitochondria, a development of Golgi apparatus in their cytoplasm, appearances of some dense-bodies and of autophagosomal melanosome-complexes. In nevus spilus, the same kind of changes occurred, but they were moderate compared with those developed in café au lait spots. Melanosomes in the keratinocytes of café au lait spots tended to come together around the nucleus and to form melanosome-complexes; while, melanosomes in the keratinocytes of nevus spilus seemed to be single-dispersed after irradiation. The causative factors of the hyperpigmentation and the different reactivity of melanocytes against UV irradiation in these two pigmented macules were discussed.

Study on the photochemical reaction of HCN and its polymer products relating to primary chemical evolution.

The photochemical reaction of HCN at 184.9 nm is studied in the gas phase. (CN)2, H2, CH4, NH3, N2H4, C2H6, and CH3NH2 are identified as gas phase products, and a reaction mechanism is proposed. HCN polymers are also obtained as solid reaction products, and their structure is investigated by Infrared Spectorscopy, UV-Visible Spectroscopy, Mass Spectrometry, and Amino Acid Analysis. The process and nature of the formation of the polymers are discussed.