Masao Sakaguchi

Digoxin-Like Immunoreactive Substance in Urine of Patients with Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome (MCLS)

Levels of digoxin-like immunoreactive substance (DLIS) and dehydroepian drosterone sulfate (DHEA) in urine from patients with mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MCLS) were measured by radioimmunoassay. Because DLIS of stored samples was often below the level of detection by conventional immu noassay, the authors used 80% ammonium sulfate and extraction with phos phate buffer and then 80% hot ethanol. To study the origin of raised levels of DLIS in urine, the synthesis of DLIS by cultured human umbilical vein endothe lial cells (HUVEC) was tested in vitro. The correlation between DLIS and DHEA levels was not significant. Mean levels of urinary DLIS corrected for creatinine in the patients with MCLS were significantly higher than in both normal and diseased controls. The culture medium of HUVEC was found to contain DLIS activity. These results show that MCLS should be added to the clinical states associated with an increased urinary concentration of DLIS and that the endothelial cells are one source of DLIS in man.

Growth hormone responses to growth hormone releasing factor in neonates.

The response of growth hormone (GH) to synthetic human growth hormone releasing factor (hGRF) administered intravenously was examined in 32 neonates aged 3-28 days. GH peaked at 30 min after hGRF administration and the mean +/- SEM level of GH at maximal response was 66.4 +/- 6.2 ng/ml. In the comparison between the neonates less than 7 days old and those more than 8 days old, between the neonates less than 37 weeks and those more than 38 weeks in gestational age, between the neonates under 2,500 g and those over 2,501 g in birth body weight, and between males and females, no significant statistical differences were observed.

The management of prenatally diagnosed sacrococcygeal teratoma

Two of our own and 18 other reported cases with prenatally diagnosed sacrococcygeal teratoma that were delivered by cesarean section are reviewed. Six infants delivered at a gestational age of from 25 to 32 weeks died perinatally. Causes of death were immaturity, intratumoral hemorrhage, and tumor rupture. It is concluded that an attempt should be made to continue pregnancy until 32 weeks gestation and that after this age infants should be delivered by elective cesarean section as soon as possible.

Cytolytic action of stored human milk on blood cells in vitro.

Stored human milk induced cytolysis on various types of blood cells depending on the storage time and temperature. When separated by centrifugation after storage for 24 h at 4 degrees C, the cream, not whey, induced cytolysis. When separated and heated for 30 min at 56 degrees C before storage, neither cream or whey induced cytolysis. When the cream was heated at 56 degrees C for 30 min and mixed with non-heat-treated whey before being storage for 24 h at 4 degrees C, it induced cytolysis. When bile salt was added to whole milk before storage, the cytolytic activity was enhanced. When eserine was added, the cytolytic activity was suppressed. Thin layer chromatography showed that stored milk, not fresh milk, contained free fatty acids which caused a similar degree of cytolysis as stored whole milk. These results indicated that the cytolysis is due to the free fatty acids which were produced from triglycerides catalyzed by the lipase in milk.

Reevaluation of Thyroid Function in Low Birth Weight Infants Based on Free Triiodothyronine and Triiodothyronine

We attempted to analyze the physiological meaning of abnormally low thyroid hormones in low birth weight (LBW) infants on the basis of cross-sectional data on free triiodothyronine (free T3) and T3 in addition to the other thyroid hormones. In LBW infants, the levels of free T3 and T3 were lower than those of normal infants, similar to the relation between free thyroxine (free T4) and T4. The ratio of free T3/T3 or free T4/T4, however, was not different between the groups. The levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone, thyroid hormone-binding globulin and reversed T3 in LBW infants were not significantly different from those of normal infants.