Yoshikatsu Hosoya

Serum concentration of type I collagen metabolites as a quantitative marker of bone metastases in patients with prostate carcinoma

Bone scans, widely used for the detection of bone metastases from prostate carcinoma, can neither quantitate metastatic lesions nor detect osteolytic lesions.

Chemical Compositions of 300 Lower Urinary Tract Calculi and Associated Disorders in the Urinary Tract

The stones removed from 273 patients (220 males, 53 females) with bladder stones and 27 patients with urethral stones (males) were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. Of these stones 50.0% contained magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP), 39.9% calcium (oxalate and/or phosphate), 9.4% uric acid (urate), and 0.7% cystine. The disorders associated with bladder stones were prostatic hyperplasia and cancer (47.8%), neurogenic bladder (11.8%), urethral stricture (3.6%) and so on in males, and neurogenic bladder (48.1%), after operation of uterus (29.0%), bladder cancer (5.7%) and so on in females. Urinary infections were complications in 59.3% of patients with MAP stones, 41.2% with urate stones and 20.0% with calcium stones. The most often isolated bacteria from the infected urine were of the Proteus species.

Serum levels of the carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen and the pyridinoline cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen as markers of bone metastases in patients with prostate carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate serum levels of the carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) and the pyridinoline cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) as possible markers of bone metastases in patients with prostate carcinoma (PCA) patients. METHODS Levels of PICP and ICTP were measured by radioimmunoassay of serum from 29 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 17 patients with PCA without bone metastases and 29 patients with PCA and bone metastases. RESULTS Serum levels of PICP in patients with PCA and bone metastases (mean +/- SD 304.3 +/- 365.9 ng/ml) were significantly higher than those in patients with BPH (95.6 +/- 27.1 ng/ml) and in patients with PCA without bone metastases (111.1 +/- 44.6 ng/ml). No significant difference was observed between the BPH and the PCA without bone metastases groups. Serum levels of ICTP were significantly higher in the PCA with (10.4 +/- 10.3 ng/ml) and without bone metastases groups (7.7 +/- 6.0 ng/ml) than in the BPH group (3.7 +/- 2.0 ng/ml). There was no significant difference between the PCA groups with and without bone metastases. CONCLUSION Serum PICP levels correlate well with results of bone scans, while serum ICTP levels increase in patients with PCA regardless of the presence of bone metastases.

Serial lectin affinity chromatography demonstrates altered asparagine-linked sugar chain structures of γ-glutamyltransferase in humaa renal cell carcinoma

Differences between human renal cortex and human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in asparagine (Asn)-linked sugar chain structures of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) were investigated by using a serial lectin affinity chromatographic technique. The relative amounts of GGT which passed through the concanavalin A (Con A) column but bound to the phytohaemagglutinin E column, were significantly decreased in RCC, but there were significant increases in the relative amounts of GGT which bound weakly to the Con A column and passed through the pea lectin (PSA) column, and bound strongly to the Con A column and bound to the wheat germ agglutinin column in RCC compared with those of the normal renal cortex. A significant correlation was observed in RCC between nuclear grade and relative amount of GGT which bound weakly to the Con A column and passed through the PSA column. The findings indicate that Asn-linked sugar chain structures are altered in RCC and suggest that studies of qualitative differences of sugar chain structures of GGT might lead to a useful diagnostic tool for human RCC.

Study of the Structure of Struvite Stones with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis

Topographic features of eight struvite calculi were investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). Perpendicularly cracked fragments showed concentric laminations composed of compact and loosely packed strata alternately. Magnesium and phosphorus were detected in the compact strata with their characteristic dispersive X-ray spectra. There existed numerous spherular crystals with smooth or porous surfaces and scattered penta- or hexa-hedral coffin-lid shaped crystals in the loosely packed strata. The former crystals showed the dispersive X-ray spectra of calcium and phosphorus, and were estimated to be calcium phosphate (CaP). The latter ones were presumed to be magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) with EDX. The surfaces of the fragments were cracked like eggshells and displayed numerous CaP crystals and scattered MAP crystals in most cases, while in only 1 case some faces of pieces demonstrated wavy MAP phases, sundry areas which were rimmed with aggregated CaP spherulites. The mean molar ratios of Mg/P and Ca/P in each case were 0.88-1.03 and 1.25-1.52, respectively. Though EDX was inadequate to determine the accurate chemical formula of CaP and MAP crystals by detecting their molar ratios of Ca/P and Mg/P with EDX, SEM/EDX is useful to observe these urolith crystals and to surmise them to be CaP or MAP crystals by detecting their atomic elements with EDX.

前立腺特異抗原 (PSA) 測定キット間の測定値の違いについての検討

PURPOSE We conducted this study to examine differences in characteristics of immunoreactivity for free PSA and alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin complex PSA (ACT-PSA) as well as in compositions and concentrations of PSA reference materials among commercially available PSA kits. METHODS Fractionated serum samples using a Sephacryl S-200 column were measured by Tandem-R, Delfia-PSA, Ab bead PSA, ACS-PSA, Markit-M and gamma-seminoprotein (gamma-Sm) kits. The calibrators of Tandem-R, Delfia-PSA, Ab bead PSA and Markit-M were fractionated by the same method and measured by Tandem-R. The calibrators of Delfia-PSA, Ab bead PSA and Markit-M and control serums of ACS-PSA were measured by Tandem-R. RESULTS Although the characteristic of immunoreactivity of Tandem-R, Delfia-PSA, and Ab bead PSA were found to be similar, they were not shown identical. ACS-PSA was proved to recognize free PSA greater than above three PSA kits, while Markit-M could scarcely detect free PSA. gamma-Sm recognized only free PSA. The calibrators of Tandem-R, Delfia-PSA, Ab bead PSA and Markit-M were proved to be only free PSA. The linear correlation was obtained between Tandem-R and Delfia-PSA or Ab bead PSA or Markit-M. The ratio of Delfia-PSA to Tandem-R, Ab bead PSA to Tandem-R and Markit-M to Tandem-R was 0.66, 0.93 and 2.2, respectively. With regard to relation of ACS-PSA and Tandem-R, two ratios of 0.22 and 0.25 were obtained between the two kits according to the different concentrations of control sera. CONCLUSION The present studies suggest that the difference in PSA values among the commercial PSA kits results from (1) different characteristics of immunoreactivity for ACT-PSA and free PSA among PSA kits, (2) compositions of PSA calibrators among the kits, and (3) different concentrations of PSA calibrators among the kits.