Goyo Koya

A Thymic Hormone Protects Mice from Enteropathy during Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease

We have previously reported that a nonapeptide thymic hormone, facteur thymique serique (FTS), is involved in the differentiation and activation of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (i‐IEL) in mice. In this study, we examined the effect of FTS treatment on enteropathy in a murine model for acute graft‐vs.‐host disease (GVHD) induced by injection of parental C57BL/6 splenocytes into unirradiated (C57BL/6XDBA/2) F1 hybrids. FTS treatment significantly protected mice from developing acute GVHD as assessed by mortality rate, splenomegaly and enteropathy. The infiltration of donor‐derived TCRαβ i‐IEL bearing CD8αβ was significantly inhibited in the small intestine of FTS‐treated mice, and the frequencies of apoptosis of crypt cells in the intestinal mucosa were decreased in these mice during acute GVHD. These results suggest that FTS treatment contributes to protection against enteropathy of acute GVHD. Thus, FTS may provide a useful approach to control acute GVHD after blood transfusion or bone marrow transplantation.

Morphological study on the motility of the human colon

SummaryWe tried to make a clear three-dimensional picture of the autonomic nerves in the wall of the human colon, using a Golgi method rarely applied to human materials. At autopsy, sigmoid colon without mucosal lesions were collected from 16 males after sudden death from apoplexy, head injury, or myocardial infarction. These materials were fixed in 10% formalin, impregnated with a modified Golgi method and embedded in celloidin. Then three-dimensional serial sections were made and observed with a light microscope. Many fine nerve fibers formed a plexus in the subserosa, muscular layer, submucosa, and mucosa. The myenteric plexus was made up of rectangular meshes of nerve fiber bundles. However, unlike myenteric plexus, no regular mesh was found in the submucosal plexus. Further, nerve fibers connecting myenteric and submucosal plexus were observed. It may be concluded from these findings that there exist nerve pathways regulating intestinal motility between myenteric and submucosal plexus.

Changes of Amyloid-invaded Intramucosal and Muscularis Mucosa Nerves in the Colon of Leprosy

Amyloid-invaded intramucosal and musculasis mucosa nerves of the large intestines in two leprosy patients were studied with our modified Golgi Staining.The main findings were as follows; 1) Amyloid deposition was found in the mucosa and the mucosal muscle as well as on the small arterial walls. 2) Both nerve fibers passing through the muscle layer and vasomotor nerves in myenteric plexus were degenerated, coarsed and decreased in number. 3) And the circumnutated nerve fibers were disappeared and/or degenerated in amyloid-deposited arterial walls.With those findings, it might be possible to say that there are some lesions in sensory neurous at the mucosa of the colon with amyloid deposition.