Kaoru Katsuumi

Two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of human hair keratins, especially hair matrix proteins.

SummaryHuman hair keratins are composed of hair fibrous proteins (HFP) forming 10-nm filaments and nonfilamentous cysteine-rich hair matrix proteins (HMP); these proteins are highly cross-linked by disulfide bonds. In order to obtain high-resultional separation of HFP and HMP by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis according to isoelectric point (IP) in the first dimension and molecular weight (MW) in the second dimension, these proteins were converted to S-carbamoylmethylated (SCam) derivatives with nonionizable iodoacetamide; this treatment hardly modified the electrophoretic mobility. SCam-HFP were separated into polypeptides with MW 41.5–59 kD (IP pH 5.1-6.8). SCam-HMP were subdivided into two groups; 14 polypeptides of acidic HMP with MW 15-28 kD (IP pH 5.0-7.0) and 12 polypeptides of basic HMP with MW 18.5-28 kD (IP pH 7.8-8.8). Variation in electrophoretic patterns among hair samples obtained from 15 persons in four Japanese families was found in acidic HMP, but not in HFP in basic HMP. The present method appears to be very suitable for the biochemical analysis of human hair keratins, especially HMP of nonfilamentous proteins.

Adult Henoch-Schönlein purpura with severe abdominal pain treated with dapsone and factor XIII concentrate.

We describe an adult patient with Henoch‐Schönlein purpura who had arthralgia, severe abdominal pain, and low plasma factor XIII activity. Corticosteroids were not used because of his history of multidrug‐resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. Dapsone had no immediate effect on his abdominal pain, but appeared to have some effect on the purpura and arthralgia. Marked improvement of the abdominal pain was observed immediately after the administration of factor XIII concentrate. Factor XIII concentrate may be useful for alleviating abdominal pain in Henoch‐Schönlein purpura patients when corticosteroids are contraindicated

Anti-keratin Monoclonal Antibody against Basal Cell Epithelioma Keratin: BKN-1

A BALB/c mouse was immunized with fibrous proteins (FP) extracted from basal cell epithelioma (BCE) and anti‐keratin monoclonal antibodies were produced by a hybridoma technique with a mouse myeloma cell line. One monoclonal antibody was designated as BKN‐1.

Risk factors for lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the skin

背景: 有棘細胞癌 (SCC) の治療において所属リンパ節の取り扱いが予後に与える影響は大きい。センチネルリンパ節生検はSCCにも適用されるが全例に行うのは現実的ではなく, ハイリスク症例の選別が必要となる。目的: SCCにおけるリンパ節転移のリスク因子の同定対象・方法: SCC118例を対象とし, 初回治療時もしくは経過中のリンパ節転移の有無を目的変数とした多重ロジスティックモデルを構築。説明変数として年齢, 性別, 発生部位, 腫瘍径, tumor thickness, level分類, 浸潤様式 (胃癌取り扱い規約に準ずる) の計7因子を共変量とした。結果: リンパ節転移の有意な相対リスクを示したのは, 手・足原発 (頭頸部に対するオッズ比8.3) と浸潤様式INFγ (α・βに対するオッズ比5.9) の2因子であった。結論: 手・足原発もしくは浸潤様式INFγを示すSCCは, リンパ節転移のハイリスク症例として取り扱うべきである。

Squamous cell carcinoma on the nail. A case of squamous cell carcinoma on nail division which caused multiorganic metastasis through rapid progress.

We reported a case of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the nail bed, with very rapid multiple metastases in various organs. A 65-year-old man had a hyperkeratotic tumor which had been around the nail bed of his right 5th toe for two months. A digital X-ray film of the toe showed the disappearance of the digital phalanx. A biopsy specimen of the tumor led us to diagnose as poorly differentiated SCC. Amputation of the toe at the level of metatarsal bone and therapeutic dissection of the right ilio-inguinal and popliteal lymphnodes were performed. Additionaly the patient was followed by radiation therapy. Histologically, the tumor invaded the bone underneath, and two metastatic lymphnodes were detected on his right groin.In spite of irradiation on his right foot toe and groin, many in-transit metastases appeared on his right leg and thigh three months later. Several times of resection and two courses of combination chemotherapy (cisplatin, 5-FU and peplomycin) could not inhibit the tumor progression. Bone and lung metastases occurred and he died seven months after the first visit.Although the prognosis of subungual SCCs is thought to be relatively favorable, some cases may take a miserable course.

A case of vascular sarcoma.

An 85-year-old man presented a dome-shaped violaceous tumor of 2 cm in diameter, in the center of a palm-sized erythematous macule on his frontal scalp. This lesion was considered to be a local recurrence of a nodular lesion which had been previously excised marginally 4 months before. The primary lesion was histologically reevaluated and diagnosed as a moderately differentiated type of angiosarcoma. The intravenous and intralesional injections of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) was started at total daily doses ranging from 70 to 105 JRU, 6 days a week. The recurrent lesion disappeared 5 weeks after the initiation of the therapy and no remnant of malignant tissue was recognized in the specimen of the excisional biopsy taken after the treatment. Seven weeks after the biopsy, sacral bone metastasis was noted by sacral pain and comfirmed by CT scan. Both scalp area and metastatic bone lesion were treated by low dose irradiation combined with systemic intravenous administration of rIL-2. However, the metastatic lesion did not show any response to the therapy. Three months later the patient died of respiratory failure caused by pneumothorax and pleuritis due to the multiple lung metastases. It is suggested that the systemic rIL-2 therapy alone is not so effective to the distant metastatic lesion in spite of the remarkable curative effect of intralesional injection of rIL-2 on the primary skin lesion of angiosarcoma.