N-acetyl D-galactosamine specific lectins were isolated from the seeds of Jack Fruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) and Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) and D-galactose specific lectin was isolated from peanut (Arachis hypogaea). These lectins were conjugated to Horse Radish Peroxidase (HRP) and were used to study the lectin binding properties of benign and malignant lesions of the thyroid. For comparison of the results 10 normal fresh autopsy specimens were included in the study. The Peanut lectin (PNL) and Jack fruit lectin (JFL) conjugates showed positive binding with the cells in different lesions, while Winged Bean Lectin (WBL), despite its having a common inhibitory sugar, showed no binding even after neuraminidase treatment. These lectins revealed difference in the composition of glycoconjugates of benign and malignant thyroid cells. The HRP conjugated JFL and PNL may be of use in distinguishing carcinomatous tissues from benign tissues which makes them potential tools in the differential diagnosis of thyroid lesions.
The prevalence and titre of IgG antibodies to human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) were assayed in the serum samples from normal subjects and patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and oral cancer (OC) using immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques. This forms the first study on the sero-prevalence and titre of antibodies to HHV-6 in India. There was no considerable difference in the prevalence (76%) and titre (10-160) of the antibodies in normal population from those reported for normal adults in other parts of the world. All the HL and ALL patients studied showed no significant elevation in the antibody titre, though a slight increase in the prevalence (95%) was noted. Antibody titre and prevalence were found highly elevated in OC. OC remained totally unstudied for the presence of anti-HHV-6 antibodies, and this is the first report of elevated levels of the antibody in this cancer. The role of HHV-6, if any, in the pathogenesis of OC is worth investigating.
Our data showed that the regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle in newborn guinea pigs was less than in adults. In newborn guinea pigs the active regeneration of muscle tissue was only observed during the 1st week after mincing of gastrocnemius muscle. The 14-day grafts were characterized by having smaller muscle fibers and greater amounts of interstitial connective tissue. Furthermore, the active growth of connective tissue was more pronounced. The grafts did not recover contractility. In 60 day grafts the ectopic formation of 2-3 bone-cartilage nodules was observed. In adult guinea pig grafts the quantity of muscle tissue was twice as great as in newborns. Muscle tissue was formed throughout the graft, but no bone-cartilage nodules were present. All 60 day grafts contracted when the tibial nerve was stimulated, but this contractility was very weak. However, the reestablishment of neuromuscular junctions had occurred. The age characteristics of skeletal muscle regeneration were the same both in the term guinea pig and in the rat.
In our previous study, we reported that monocyte-activation inhibitory factor was produced by stimulated fibroblasts. We also previously found that glycyrrhizin (GL) had an ability to affect fibroblasts because the proliferation of human fibroblasts was increased by GL. In this study, we demonstrated that culture supernatants from the GL-stimulated fibroblasts inhibited the activation of normal human peripheral monocytes in vitro. Then, studies were performed to know whether GL affects fibroblasts to suppress the granuloma formation. Pulmonary granulomas were induced in guinea pigs by Sephadex beads. The formation of granulomas was significantly suppressed by intraperitoneal injections of GL. Thus, GL was shown to have antigranulomatous effects in vivo.
The effects of the vagus and its action on the mucosal mast cells (MMC) of the secretory portion of the rat stomach are analyzed by observing the consequences caused by subdiaphragmatic truncal vagotomy on the MMC in terms of cell count and degranulation over a period of four months. Observations showed a gradual decrease in the number of mast cells/mm2, an increase in the percentage of MMC in a state of degranulation, but the same number of degranulated cells/mm2. This suggests that the vagus controls both numerically and functionally the MMC population in the secretory portion of the rat stomach.
