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Biomedical subjects

A Harada

Publications and source records attributed to A Harada.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Abnormal thyroid function in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Thyroid weight, thyroidal radioiodide uptake, and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity of a thyroid supernatant fraction were increased significantly in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), apparently because of increased secretion of pituitary TSH. However, the thyroids of SHR did not make supernormal amounts of thyroxine (T4), and thyroidal radioiodine release was apparently impaired. In the SHR, proteolytic enzyme activity was less than normal and the thyroglobulin was more resistant to normal proteolytic enzyme than was control thyroglobulin. Presumably because of these abnormalities, plasma T4 was significantly lower than normal, but triiodothyronine (T4) was normal, as a result of compensatory processes occurring in T3 synthesis and hydrolysis of thyroglobulin. T4 and T3 were less effective in depressing pituitary TSH synthesis and secretion in SHR than in controls, possibly because of an abnormal setting of the "hormostat." Although the hypothalamic content of TRH was normal in SHR, the exact site of the abnormality in the "hormostat" is not delineated in the present study.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Pituitary unresponsiveness to thyrotropin-releasing hormone in thyrotoxic patients during chronic anti-thyroid drug therapy and in rats previously treated with excess thyroid hormone.

In an attempt to study pituitary-thyroid feedback control in thyrotoxic patients, TRH tests were performed in 10 thyrotoxic patients who were treated for varying intervals with propylthiouracil. Plasma TSH was undetectable before and after administration of 500 mug TRH in 7 patients (euthyroid or hypothyroid) after therapy for 1 to 4 months. Also, plasma TSH was undetectable before and after TRH in 3 patients who had been euthyroid for at least 6 months. To explore this abnormality, rats were made thyrotoxic by administering large doses of thyroxine or desiccated thyroid for 3 to 28 days. Discontinuation of thyroid hormone administration was followed by a significant but temporary fall of plasma thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentration below control levels. Duration of the low plasma thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentration was longer with the prolonged administration of thyroid hormone. Despite low plasma thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentrations, plasma TSH was below normal before and after administration of TRH. This unresponsiveness of the pituitary to TRH may be comparable to that found in thyrotoxic patients receiving antithyroid drugs for a certain period. Since this pituitary unresponsiveness to TRH in rats is due to a depletion of pituitary TSH content, it is suggested that depletion of pituitary TSH in thyrotoxic patients during antithyroid therapy is the cause of pituitary unresponsiveness to TRH.

Adult↗
PubMed1974

[Endemic goiter].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Goiter, Endemic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Usefulness of simultaneous determination of alpha-fetoprotein and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Serum gamma-fetoprotein (AFP) and plasma des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP), a protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II (PIVKA-II) levels, were measured in 197 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). DCP levels were determined by conventional enzyme immunoassay kit (E-1023) and a newly developed high-sensitivity kit using the avidin-biotin complex method. Cut-off levels of AFP and DCP by the E-1023 kit and of DCP by the high-sensitivity kit were put at 100 ng/ml, 0.1 arbitrary unit (AU)/ml, and 0.004 AU/ml, respectively. Positive rate of AFP and DCP by the E-1023 kit and the high-sensitivity kit for HCC was 48%, 44%, and 57%, respectively. The positive rate by combination assay with AFP and DCP by the high-sensitivity kit increased up to 73%. There was no correlation between serum levels of AFP and those of plasma DCP. A significant correlation between tumor size and DCP levels was observed, but not with AFP. The postoperative disease-free survival rates of patients in the group with elevated levels of AFP and DCP were lower than those with normal levels of AFP and DCP. There were various patterns of change in the AFP and DCP levels at the time of recurrence compared with preoperative patterns. The combination assay of AFP and DCP levels is useful for the diagnosis, prognosis, and postoperative monitoring for recurrence of HCC.

Biomarkers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Intracaval endovascular ultrasonography for malignant hepatic tumor: new diagnostic technique for vascular invasion.

Successful operation for hepatic tumor extending to the inferior vena cava (IVC) depends heavily on accurate preoperative imaging. We investigate the diagnostic value of intracaval endovascular ultrasonography (US) in the diagnosis of invasion to the IVC. A retrospective study of 26 consecutive patients of hepatic tumor with possible invasion of the IVC was performed using conventional imaging techniques from the right femoral vein with an 8-French, 20-MHz intravascular US. Nineteen of 26 cases were operated on and 15 cases were resected, including three cases of combined resection of the IVC. The sonographic criterion for IVC invasion was obliteration of a single echogenic layer of the IVC wall or intracaval tumor mass. The results of intracaval endovascular US were compared with those of CT and cavography. Vascular invasion was obtained in seven of 26 cases. Vascular invasion was confirmed by pathologic examination of five resected specimens, including two autopsy and two operative findings. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of intracaval endovascular US for the diagnosis of the IVC invasion were 100%, 94.7%, and 96.1%, respectively. The values were 85.7%, 63.2%, and 69.2% for CT and 71.4%, 68.4%, and 69.2% for cavography, respectively. The intracaval endovascular US clearly visualized the IVC and established the presence and extent of tumor invasion. Intracaval endovascular US is a useful technique that can precisely evaluate the IVC for possible hepatic tumor invasion, especially when presence or extent of vascular invasion is not definitely established by conventional imaging techniques.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mechanism and prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury of the liver.

Interruption of liver blood flow is often necessary as an operative technique in liver surgery. However, this procedure causes liver damage and can be a factor in postoperative liver failure. Interruption of oxygen and substrate supply and accumulation of metabolites contribute to a great variety of cellular and subcellular dysfunctions. Impairment of liver microcirculation occurs after reperfusion. It has been presumed that there is an imbalance between the activities of vasoconstrictors and vasodilators which would determine the vascular condition during ischemia and reperfusion phases. Some mediators are known to act as cytotoxic factors, especially after reperfusion following ischemia. The phenomenon in which organ damage becomes worse, even after reperfusion, is called reperfusion injury. Mediators released from accumulated polymorphonuclear neutrophils and activated Kupffer cells such as oxygen radicals and inflammatory cytokines are associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury of the liver. Regulation of these mediators will be a therapeutic necessity for this kind of liver injury in the future.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Advances in hepatic resection and results for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The mortality and morbidity of hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have decreased in recent years because of the various advances in hepatic resection. Various improvements are evident in dissecting apparatus, liver hepatic inflow clamp, cold hepatic perfusion technique, intraoperative ultrasonography, accurate assessment of hepatic function, autologous blood transfusion, and so on. Five-year survival after hepatic resection for HCC was reported at 26-59% in Eastern as well as Western series. The prognostic factors were portal invasion, multiplicity, serum alpha-fetoprotein level, tumor size, associated cirrhosis, age, alcohol abuse, histologic classification, DNA ploidy, and surgical margin. Segmental or lobar hepatic resection brought about better survival, especially in stage I and II patients. Effective adjuvant therapy should improve the diagnosis.

Blood Transfusion, Autologous↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma and concomitant esophagogastric varices.

Preventing a rupture of esophagogastric varices (EGV) is very important in aggressively treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotic patients. We therefore performed simultaneous partial hepatic resection and direct interruption procedure on nine patients with HCC and concomitant EGV. Patients were selected on the basis of their stages of HCC and hepatic functional reserve. Postoperative hospital courses of all patients were uneventful. Six patients had recurrence of HCC and received non-surgical anti-tumor treatments. Only one patient had upper gastrointestinal bleeding at 18 months after operation, and the other eight patients have had no episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding during the follow-up period. The 5-year survival rate of these patients was 48%. This operative procedure is quite effective and is one of the treatments of choice for patients with less advanced HCC and concomitant risk of EGV.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impaired liver function and long-term prognosis after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) show a wide variety of histologic changes in the noncancerous liver parenchyma, and these changes may affect the prognosis. In this study, we grouped patients according to the extent of liver impairment and investigated their long-term prognosis after hepatectomy for HCC. A total of 194 patients were divided into two groups according to their plasma clearance rate of indocyanine green (ICG-K) values: those with values < 0.13 min-1 (group A, n = 97) and those with values of > or = 0.13 min-1 (group B, n = 97). Eighty-nine patients with stage I or II HCC were also divided into two groups: those with values < 0.13 min-1 (group C, n = 52) and those with values of > or = 0.13 min-1 (group D, n = 37). Group B patients tended to survive longer than group A patients during 4 years after hepatectomy, and group D patients survived significantly longer than group C patients (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the recurrence-free survival rates between those in groups A and B or groups C and D. Because patients with poor liver function frequently had multiple recurrent lesions and limited therapeutic options, patients with good liver function received more intensive treatment. In conclusion, the extent of liver impairment is one of the factors determining long-term prognosis after hepatectomy for HCC, especially during the early stage of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

One hundred and eighteen patients underwent hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma from 1979 to 1987. Ninety-eight of these patients had co-existing cirrhosis of the liver; 18 patients underwent lobectomy, 28 patients had segmentectomy, and 52 patients had subsegmentectomy. In the 21 non-cirrhotic patients, 11 patients underwent lobectomy, 5 patients had segmentectomy, and 5 patients had subsegmentectomy. The operative mortality rate of patients with cirrhosis was 11% and of patients without cirrhosis was 5%. There was no significant difference in hepatic function tests between survivors and nonsurvivors. Lobectomy of < 55% of the parenchymal hepatic resection rate was well tolerated in the patients with cirrhosis. One-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and co-existing cirrhosis were 57.9%, 36.8% and 20.0% following lobectomy, 82.8%, 82.8% and 57.6% following segmentectomy, and 72.0%, 46.2% and 24.0% following subsegmentectomy. The tumor recurrence rate appeared to be lower after segmentectomy than subsegmentectomy. Multiple gross lesions, tumors > 5 cm, and presence of gross vascular invasion were poor prognostic signs in terms of survival rates as well as recurrence rates. Of the 51 patients with tumor recurrence limited to the residual liver, 13 patients underwent repeat resection, and 23 patients were treated by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. The survival rates of the patients undergoing repeat resection were significantly better than those of other groups.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Orosomucoid phenotyping with monoclonal antibodies:polymorphic occurrence of ORM1*Q0 in aboriginal Taiwanese populations.

Three monoclonal antibodies (OR35, OR40 and OR48) against orosomucoid (ORM) were prepared for the phenotyping of the human ORM system. The OR35 and OR48 antibodies recognized ORM1 and ORM2 products, respectively. OR40 reacted strongly to the products of ORM1 but poorly to those of ORM2. With the help of these monoclonal antibodies, ORM phenotyping was performed on 658 individuals from nine subpopulations of aboriginal Taiwanese, with close attention to two individuals with an ORM1 Q0 homozygous phenotype. The ORM1*Q0 allele was found to be at a polymorphic frequency in eight of the nine subpopulations.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of extended radical procedures in advanced gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Owing to recent advances in diagnostic and surgical techniques, aggressive operations for advanced gallbladder carcinoma are becoming more safe. However, the role of a radical operation in terms of long-term survival remains controversial. In this study, we reviewed our experience with gallbladder carcinoma and the literature to clarify the present status of this strategy. METHODOLOGY: So far in our department, we have treated 88 patients with gallbladder carcinoma and resection was performed in 46 of them. Stages, operative procedures, results of pathologic examinations and the outcome of the resected cases were reviewed. RESULTS: Only 6 of the 46 patients belonged to the early stage (stage I and II in Nevin staging system, or stage I in TNM staging system) and had a good prognosis. Cholecystectomy with regional lymph node resection was performed in 13 patients. In other patients, more radical procedures including adjacent organ resection were performed according to the spread of the cancer. Major hepatectomy and pancreatoduodenectomy were additionally performed on 8 and 6 patients, respectively. Portal vein resection and reconstruction were performed in 3 patients. The survival rate in advanced cases was poor, but we had 5 long-term (more than 4 years) survivors among 40 patients in the advanced stages. Moreover, one patient undergoing a combination of extended right lobectomy of the liver, pancreato-duodenectomy with portal vein resection and extended node resection of the paraaortic nodes, survived for 3 years and 3 months until she died of another disease. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis is still not good in patients with advanced gallbladder carcinoma even if radical resection is performed. However, a number of our patients who underwent radical surgery survived a long time.

Adult↗