We examined the intracellular distribution of 8-oxo-dGTPase (8-oxo-7,8-dihydrodeoxyguanosine triphosphatase) encoded by the MTH1 gene, a human mutator homologue. The activity of 8-oxo-dGTPase mainly located in cytosolic and mitochondrial soluble fractions of Jurkat cells, a human T-cell leukemia line. Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry, using a specific antibody against MTH1 protein, showed localization of MTH1 protein in the mitochondrial matrix. Activity in the mitochondria accounted for about 4% of the total activity. The specific activity in the mitochondrial soluble fraction (8093 units/mg protein) was as high as that in the cytosolic fraction (8111 unit/mg protein). The 8-oxo-dGTPase activities in cytosolic and mitochondrial soluble fractions co-eluted with MTH1 protein by anion-exchange chromatography, and the molecular mass of the mitochondrial MTH1 protein was much the same as that of the cytosolic MTH1 protein (about 18 kDa). HeLa cells expressing MTH1 cDNA showed an increased cytoplasmic signal together with a weak signal in the nucleus in in situ immunostaining of MTH1 protein, and the overexpressed MTH1 protein was recovered from both cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions. Thus, the 8-oxo-dGTPase encoded by MTH1 gene is localized in mitochondrial and cytosol.

In this study, the ability of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to treat or prevent chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in patients with advanced breast cancer was evaluated. A total of 14 patients who received intraarterial (i.a.) adriamycin (ADM) preoperatively were divided into two groups according to whether or not G-CSF was given. Thus, group A (n = 7) was given G-CSF and group B (n = 7) was not. G-CSF therapy reduced both the incidence and duration of ADM-induced oral mucositis, and a positive correlation was also seen between the incidence of mucositis and ADM-induced leukopenia (< 2,000/mm3). Group A was further divided into two subgroups according to whether G-CSF was given after or before the leukopenia had dropped below 2,000/mm3: group A-1 (n = 3) and group A-2 (n = 4), respectively. ADM-induced mucositis was observed in two of the three patients in group A-1, but in none of the four patients in group A-2. These results strongly support the idea that G-CSF can effectively treat and prevent ADM-induced oral mucositis.

The use of laparoscopic splenectomy has increased in recent years, primarily for patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). We describe herein the first known case of a laparoscopic splenectomy to be performed in Japan for a patient with a giant splenic epidermoid cyst. A 26-year-old woman presented to our hospital with the major complaint of a feeling of abdominal fullness. Prior to surgery, an ultrasound-guided splenic cyst puncture was conducted for diagnostic purposes as well as to reduce the size of the cyst. The carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) level was found to be elevated in the cystic contents and in the serum. Under laparoscopic guidance, the splenic vessels were ligated using a device for extracorporeal ligation, then divided. After the resected spleen had been placed in a retrieval bag, it was delivered out of the abdominal cavity without fragmentation. Following surgery, the patient's serum CA 19-9 level returned to normal. Splenic epidermoid cysts are most often encountered in young women, and laparoscopic surgery to remove cysts of this type is both minimally invasive and excellent from a cosmetic standpoint. Thus, laparoscopic surgery should be considered as the method of choice for the majority of patients diagnosed with a splenic epidermoid cyst.

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Introduction Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is widely used as a neutrophil supportive therapy in breast cancer chemotherapy. Common adverse events of G-CSF include bone pain, headache, and fatigue; however, reports of G-CSF-associated vasculitis are few. Case report A 66-year-old woman who had undergone surgery for breast cancer received adjuvant chemotherapy with prophylactic use of pegfilgrastim (peg-G). She developed peg-G-associated vasculitis 11 days after initially receiving peg-G. Management and outcome: Although various blood and culture tests were required to rule out other vasculitis syndromes and infections, her symptoms spontaneously disappeared without any treatment other than discontinuation of the causal drug. Discussion G-CSF-associated vasculitis is occasionally accompanied by severe complications such as aortic dissection and aneurysm formation. This case report is important to draw attention towards this rare and difficult-to-diagnosis adverse event of peg-G.