[A case of portal hypertension secondary to arteriovenous malformation involving the inferior mesenteric vessels].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H Oka.
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We report a case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma originating in a renal capsule. A 43-year-old woman was admitted with a chief complaint of right lower abdominal pain. Physical examination was unremarkable. Serum C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate increased to 3.8 mg/dl and 60 mm/hr., respectively. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed a heterogeneous enhanced mass, 4 x 9 x 13 cm in size, in contact with the lateral part of the right kidney. Selective right renal arteriography revealed a hypovascular tumor, the main feeding artery of which was the right adrenal artery. Preoperative clinical diagnosis was a retroperitoneal sarcoma and transabdominal tumor resection was performed. The adhesion between the tumor and the right kidney was so severe that right nephrectomy was also necessary for a radical surgery. The tumor, measuring 13 x 9 x 6 cm, was located laterally adhering to the right renal capsule. Microscopic examination of the tumor demonstrated spindle-shaped fibroblast-like cells arranged in a storiform pattern with fibrous stroma and clusters of rounded histiocyte-like cells and pleomorphic giant cells with bizarre nuclei. Histopathological diagnosis was malignant fibrous histiocytoma arising from the renal capsule and there was no tumor invasion to renal parenchyma. No adjuvant therapy was performed but she has remained well for 31 months since the operation without evidence of disease.
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It has been claimed that cardiovascular dysfunction in patients with Parkinson's disease is less severe than multiple system atrophy. Autonomic dysfunction, however, increases with progression of Parkinson's disease. We studied the relation between autonomic dysfunction and disease severity by cardiovascular function testing with the Valsalva maneuver. The study group comprised 20 healthy controls (age, 52.7 +/- 13.6 years) and 31 patients with Parkinson's disease (59.0 +/- 7.2 years), including 13 who were previously untreated (55.0 +/- 6.2 years) and 18 who were receiving levodopa (61.8 +/- 7.1 years). The Valsalva maneuver was done having the subject exhale into a mouthpiece with an expiratory pressure of 40 mmHg for 15 seconds. Blood pressure and RR interval were measured during the Valsalva maneuver by tonometry, using a non-invasive blood pressure monitoring system (ANS 508, Nihon Colin Co., Ltd). Baroreceptor reflex sensitivities (BRS) of the second phase (BRS II) and fourth phase (BRS IV) of the Valsalva maneuver were calculated, and blood pressure elevations during the late second phase (IIp) and fourth phase (IVp) were measured. BRS II, BRS IV, and IVp in the patients of Parkinson's disease were significantly lower than those of healthy controls. BRS II, BRS IV, and IIp, however, did not significantly differ between the previously untreated patients and healthy controls. IVp of the previously untreated patients was significant lower than that of healthy controls. BRS II and BRS IV of patients with Parkinson's disease who were receiving levodopa for less than 5 years were significantly lower than those of the healthy controls. BRS II, BRS IV, and IIp decreased as disease duration increased, while IVp was unrelated to disease duration. These results suggest that patients with early Parkinson's disease have cardiac sympathetic autonomic dysfunction with maintained baroreceptor reflex sensitivity. Reduced baroreceptor reflex sensitivity was associated with levodopa treatment in patients with Parkinson's disease. Baroreceptor reflex sensitivity decreased and vasomotor sympathetic autonomic dysfunction developed as duration of disease increased.
We report a case of advanced gastric cancer producing Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) with multiple liver metastases in which TS-1 is effective. Prognosis of gastric cancer producing AFP is well known to poor. A 74-year-old female was admitted complaining of anemia. She was diagnosed as having advanced gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases producing AFP by endoscopy, computed tomography and angiography. Her serum AFP level was 17,666 ng/ml and her serum CEA level was 5-2 ng/ml. After transarterial embolization (TAE), her family rejected her operation because it would not be curative. So, she was treated with TS-1, 40 mg, administered orally every day, followed by 14 days rest, as the first course. The next was TS-1, 80 mg orally administered for 6 courses. Her serum AFP level was down from 17,666 ng/ml to 94 ng/ml after 6 courses of TS-1. CT revealed that liver metastases did not change and endoscopy showed the primary lesion has diminished. Our report is the first to demonstrate that TS-1 is effective for patients with advanced gastric cancer producing AFP with multiple liver metastases.
We encountered a rare case of symptomatic Rathke's cleft cyst associated with pituitary apoplexy. To our knowledge, six cases have been reported in the literature. The mechanism of this symptom is still obscure because of the rare pathological findings concerning Rathke's cleft cysts. Judging from the operative and the histopathologic findings, we speculate that pituitary apoplexy could occur due to hemorrhage from certain vessels such as compressed portal veins or newly organized vessels of the granulation tissue of the cyst wall.
The association between the balance of Th1/Th2 cell responses and CYP11A1 expression in CD4+ T cells was investigated in a murine model implanted with highly metastatic B16F10 melanoma cells (B16F10 mice). When 2 x 10(5) cells/mouse of B16F10 cells were inoculated into C57BL/6 mice, Th2 cell responses and pulmonary metastasis were increased. In addition, corticosterone levels in splenic tissue or serum and CYP11A1 mRNA expression (mRNA encoding cholesterol side-chain cleavage p450 enzyme) in CD4+ T cells were increased in these mice. When the anti-corticosterone drug aminoglutethimide (CYP11A1 inhibitor) was administered to B16F10 mice, corticosterone levels in splenic tissue or serum and CYP11A1 mRNA expression were decreased at 14 days after tumor inoculation. In addition, Th1 cell responses were restored and pulmonary metastasis was reduced by aminoglutethimide. These results indicated that the breakdown of Th cell responses and increase of pulmonary metastasis were due to an increase in steroidogenic CYP11A1 mRNA expression in CD4+ T cells. Moreover, it was suggested that promotion of CYP11A1 mRNA expression in Th2 cells was partially involved due to an increase in level of corticosterone in splenic tissue and the breakdown of Th cell responses locally in the splenic tissue, which then affected the maintenance of Th2 cell functions in the microenvironment of tumor-bearing mice.
A simple, rapid, and reliable method for the determination of residual sulphonamide antibacterials (SAs) (sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, sulfadimidine, sulfamethoxypiridazine, sulfisozole, sulfamonomethoxine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfisoxazole, sulfadimethoxine, and sulfaquinoxaline) in animal liver and kidney was developed using a combination of clean-up on a Bond Elut PSA cartridge and HPLC with UV detection. The SAs were extracted with ethyl acetate and then dissolved in 5 ml of 50 v/v% ethyl acetate-n-hexane after being evaporated to dryness. For clean-up of the crude sample, the resuspended extract was applied to a Bond Elut PAS (primary/secondary amine cartridge), and then SAs were eluted from the cartridge using 5 ml of 20 v/v% acetonitrile-0.05 M ammonium formate before being analysed by HPLC. Recoveries of the SAs at the levels of 0.5 and 0.1 microg/g were 70.8-98.2%, the rerative standard deviation were less than 7.0%, and the detection limits were 0.03 microg/g. The present analysis method of SAs in animal kidney and liver using HPLC with a clean-up procedure was demonstrated to be highly applicable to the direct LC-MS-MS analysis without any modification.
BACKGROUND: Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TGLs) are atherogenic. However, their cellular mechanisms remain largely unexplained. This study examined the effects of isolated remnant-like lipoprotein particles (RLPs) on the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and tissue factor (TF), proatherothrombogenic molecules, in cultured human endothelial cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: RLPs were isolated from plasma of hypertriglyceridemic patients by use of the immunoaffinity gel mixture of anti-apoA-1 and anti-apoB-100 monoclonal antibodies. The incubation of cells with RLPs significantly upregulated mRNA and protein expression of these molecules. Total TGLs (d<1.006) and LDL had fewer or minimal effects on expression of these molecules compared with RLPs. RLPs increased intracellular oxidant levels, as assessed with an oxidant-sensitive probe. Combined incubation with alpha-tocopherol or N-acetylcysteine, both antioxidants, suppressed RLP-induced increase in expression of these molecules. In patients with higher plasma levels of RLPs, plasma levels of soluble forms of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were significantly higher than in patients with lower RLP levels. Treatment with alpha-tocopherol for 1 month decreased levels of the soluble adhesion molecules concomitantly with an increase in resistance of RLPs to oxidative modification in patients with high RLP levels. CONCLUSIONS: RLPs upregulated endothelial expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and TF, proatherothrombogenic molecules, partly through a redox-sensitive mechanism. RLPs may have an important role in atherothrombotic complications in hypertriglyceridemic patients.
A simple method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of triclabendazole and its metabolites (sulphoxide and sulphone) in bovine milk by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A milk sample was homogenized with sodium sulfate anhydrous and acetonitrile, and centrifuged. The supernatant was isolated, rinsed with n-hexane saturated with acetonitrile, and evaporated. The residue was dissolved with 0.1 M potassium dihydrogenphosphate, and 0.1 M sodium hydrogencarbonate, and then cleaned up on a Bond Elut C18 cartridge. The three compounds were separated on a Capcell Pak C18 UG 120 (5 microm, 150x4.6 mm I.D.) column and determined by UV detection at 295 nm. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.05 M ammonium acetate (50:50), and the flow-rate was 0.8 ml/min at 40 degrees C. The mean recoveries (n=4) were 89.1-95.0% with a relative standard deviation of 1.1-2.6%. The detection limits were 0.004-0.006 microg/g in milk. The proposed method was used to monitor raw milk samples for the market, and applied to the analysis of milk samples from 10 cows which had been administered with triclabendazole to control the liver fluke. The confirmation of the triclabendazole and its metabolites in the above milk sample has been achieved by electrospray LC-MS for the first time.
Tetracycline antibiotics (TCs), such as oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, and doxycycline, have for decades continued to play an important role in veterinary medicine and feed additives because of the broad spectrum antibiotics and their economical advantages. Many analysis methods of TCs, therefore, have been reported to monitor their residues in foods. We review the recent developments in chromatographic analysis methods for TCs in foods. This review involves the following techniques: thin layer chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography, and sample preparation including extraction and clean up procedures.
A multiresidue analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of benzylpenicillin (PCG), phenoxymethylpenicillin (PCV), oxacillin (MPIPC), cloxacillin (MCIPC), nafcillin (NFPC) and dicloxacillin (MDIPC) in bovine liver and kidney. The method involves the use of an ion-exchange cartridge for sample clean-up followed by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The recoveries of PCG, PCV, MPIPC, MCIPC, NFPC and MDIPC from bovine liver spiked at levels of 0.5 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg were in the range of 73-91% and 83-96% with coefficients of variation of 1.4-4.2% and 3.4-8.7%, respectively. For bovine kidney spiked at levels of 0.5 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg, the recoveries of these compounds were 79-92% and 82-92% with RSDs of 1.8-5.9% and 2.7-7.8%, respectively. The detection limits for the six penicillins were 0.02-0.05 mg/kg in bovine liver and kidney.
Most urologists perform adjuvant radiation therapy for stage 1 (TxN0M0) testicular seminoma after orchiectomy, although the majority of patients with clinical stage 1 seminoma do not have occult metastases and therefore do not require elective nodal irradiation. However, there are currently no clinical or histological parameters that can be used to distinguish patients who need radiation therapy from those who do not. We reported previously that estimates of volume-weighted mean nuclear volume (MNV) were a better predictor of the prognosis of prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma than subjective histological grading. Here, we examined the usefulness of estimation of MNV for predicting the prognosis of primary testicular seminoma. A retrospective study of 57 patients with testicular seminoma diagnosed between April 1981 and March 1997 at Kobe City General Hospital was performed. Unbiased estimates of MNV data were compared for prognostic value with the level of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Fifty patients were stage 1 (TxNoMo), and 7 patients were stage 2 (TxN1-2M0). All patients received orchiectomy, followed by radiation therapy. Estimates of MNV of stage 2 patients were significantly larger than that of stage 1 patients (P = 0.0142). Although the LDH level was also significantly higher in stage 2 (P = 0.001), there were no significant differences between stages 1 and 2 with respect to beta-HCG (P = 0.997), ALP (P = 0.226), and AFP (P = 0.467). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the estimate of MNV was the only variable predicting lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0315). In stage 1 patients, only the estimate of MNV was significantly correlated with progression-free survival (P = 0.0118). These findings indicate that the estimate of MNV may be an important prognostic indicator for testicular seminoma. Estimates of MNV may also be useful for excluding patients from surveillance protocols.
A new sample injection method for foam countercurrent chromatography (CCC), named the "recycle injection system", has been developed. In this system, the effluent from the liquid outlet is directly returned into the column through the sample feed line so that the sample solution is continuously recycled for repetitive foam fractionation. The utility of this system was demonstrated in the separations of microcystin extract and bacitracin complex from large volumes of sample solution. Microcystins were separated and enriched in decreasing order of hydrophobicity. Bacitracin A, a hydrophobic major component, in the bacitracin complex was highly enriched in the foam fraction and almost completely isolated from other components. This recycling foam CCC method may be effectively applied for separation and enrichment of various foam-active components from crude natural products.
A case of erythrocytosis caused by a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that produced erythropoietin (Epo) is described. A 64-year-old man, with a huge HCC tumor in the right lobe of the liver, showed a high concentration of hemoglobin and increased levels of serum Epo, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and protein induced by vitamin K absence II (PIVKA-II). Right lobectomy of the liver was performed. Histological findings of the specimen showed a moderately differentiated HCC. The existence of Epo was confirmed immunohistochemically only in the tumor tissue and not in the normal liver tissue. Erythrocytosis disappeared and the serum levels of Epo, AFP, and PIVKA-II returned to the normal range after the operation. Within 2 months after the operation, recurrent tumors appeared in the remnant liver, and the patient died 13 months after the operation.
BACKGROUND: The tensile strength in intestinal anastomoses decreases postoperatively in association with degradation of the extracellular matrix, and these changes would be expected to be more intense in the presence of peritonitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we investigated extracellular matrix degradation and tensile strength in a rat model of intestinal anastomosis with peritonitis. In the chemical peritonitis model, peritonitis was induced 24 h earlier with intraperitoneal HCl. A serine protease inhibitor, nafamostat mesilate (NM), was given intraperitoneally to some animals every 12 h from immediately after the operation for 3 days. Immunostaining was performed by the standard streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase method after fibronectin (Fn) and factor XIII antigen retrieval on paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. RESULTS: In comparison with controls, administration of NM reduced the loss of tensile strength on Day 3 in a dose-dependent manner, and high-dose NM (20/mg/kg) significantly prevented the loss of tensile strength on Day 3 (P < 0. 05). In the control group, degradation of the collagen layer in the anastomosis was associated with disappearance of Fn and factor XIII staining on Day 3. The administration of NM attenuated these changes with intense immunostaining for Fn and factor XIII seen particularly between collagen fibers on both sides of the anastomosis on Day 3. In the chemical peritonitis model, administration of NM also significantly prevented the loss of tensile strength on Day 3 without disappearance of collagen fibers. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that NM may be clinically useful for preventing intestinal leakage, particularly when anastomoses are performed under protease-activating conditions, such as intestinal edema and inflammation.
High-speed counter-current chromatography was successfully applied to the separation of the main components of spiramycin. A 25-mg quantity of sample was separated using a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (3:6:5:5), and the fractions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The separation yielded 13.4, 0.7 and 1.7 mg of spiramycins I, II, and III with purities of 98.2, 92.3 and 97.4%, respectively.
New adjuvant therapy individualized by the results of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for drug-resistance genes has been used to treat malignant gliomas. Protocol studies for malignant gliomas were not so encouraging in their therapeutic results because of heterogeneity and the various drug-sensitivities of the tumors. Individualization of glioma therapy is recommended. Drug-resistance genes messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expressions were investigated in drug-resistant human glioma cell lines derived from U87MG and 46 frozen samples of retrospectively examined neuroepithelial tumors (12 low grade neuroepithelial tumors, 16 Grade III gliomas, 11 glioblastomas, and 7 other malignant neuroepithelial tumors such as medulloblastomas and primitive neuroectodermal tumors) by RT-PCR with the specific primers for O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), multidrug-resistance gene 1 (MDR1), multidrug-resistance-associated protein (MRP), and glutathione-S-transferase-pi (GST-pi). Thirty-seven preliminary individual adjuvant therapies (IAT) based on RT-PCR results, mainly in MGMT expression, were performed on 30 consecutive patients with neuroepithelial tumors. In the retrospectively examined series, the initial response to 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidynyl) methyl-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride (ACNU) was correlated most significantly to the MGMT mRNA expression among 11 independent prognostic factors (p = 0.0037) in multivariate logistic regression analysis. In the preliminary IAT, 17 of 32 evaluable therapies had a partial or complete response (53.1% response rate). Our IAT based on RT-PCR seemed to be more effective than conventional therapies for malignant gliomas.