Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Watanabe

Publications and source records attributed to H Watanabe.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Conservative treatment for trigger thumb in children.

Conservative treatment was performed for 60 trigger thumbs (19 right, 17 left, 12 bilateral) in 48 children (19 boys, 29 girls); the age at initial diagnosis ranged from 0 to 48 months old (mean 26 months). In this approach, only passive exercise of the affected thumb was performed by the mother. As a result, two patients (two thumbs) dropped out of treatment. Fifty-six thumbs out of 58 showed a satisfactory result (96%). Sixteen thumbs (in stage 2) and eight thumbs (in stage 3) showed completely recovery. Four thumbs (in stage 3) have not yet improved. In conclusion, we suggest that conservative treatment is effective for trigger thumbs in stage 2, while surgical therapy was thought to be indicated for stage 3 before the age of 3 years to avoid flexion deformity.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Effect of fractionated exposure to carbon ions on the frequency of chromosome aberrations in tobacco root cells.

The induction of chromosome aberrations in tobacco root tip cells was measured after exposure to either 18 MeV/n carbon ions or 2 MeV electrons. The RBE value for acute exposure was found to be about 10. Splitting the dose into two fractions did not produce any significant effect on the yield of aberrations following carbon-ion exposure, whereas a clear decrease was observed after exposure to electrons thereby indicating an induction/activation of error-free repair after the first fraction. Moreover, this decrease appeared to be independent of the types of chromosome aberrations. On the other hand, it was suggested that the lack of any significant effect on the yield of aberrations is either due to a lack of error-free repair or to a less efficient damage repair after exposure to carbon ions.

Carbon↗
PubMed2001

Pneumatosis intestinalis and hepatic portal venous gas caused by mesenteric ischemia in an aged person.

An 82-year-old woman complaining of abdominal pain and vomiting was admitted to our emergency department. Abdominal X-ray, ultrasonography, and computed tomography showed hepatic portal venous gas, as well as pneumatosis intestinalis. We first suspected superior mesenteric arterial thrombosis. However, her physical findings, including computed tomography scanning and laboratory data, did not support the presence of bowel necrosis. The gas disappeared after 1 day. After the 12th day, she had recovered with conservative therapy, and she was discharged on the 41st day. Many reports indicate that hepatic portal venous gas is often associated with bowel necrosis, and urgent operation is recommended in such instances. In this patient, total colonoscopy on the 7th day revealed longitudinal redness, suggesting mesenteric ischemia. Thus, we speculate that this is a rare case of mesenteric ischemia without bowel necrosis associated with both pneumatosis intestinalis and hepatic portal venous gas.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Hepatic peribiliary cysts diagnosed by magnetic resonance cholangiography.

We report a 76-year-old man with hepatic peribiliary cysts diagnosed by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). On his first admission, in 1991, the patient was misidentified as having localized dilatation of the left intrahepatic bile ducts, from the ultrasound (US) and computed tomographic (CT) findings, or primary sclerosing cholangitis from endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). However, US and CT in 1998 suggested worsening of the lesions. MRCP was performed for the first time, revealing hepatic peribiliary cysts in the hepatic hilum and along the left hepatic ducts. Drip infusion cholangiography (DIC)-CT confirmed the extraluminal compression of the bile ducts, caused by the cysts, without an influx of contrast medium into the hepatic peribiliary cysts. Retrospective evaluation showed increases in the size and number of the cysts in 1998 compared with the findings in 1996.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Identification of a novel frameshift mutation (383insT) in the RUNX2 (PEBP2 alpha/CBFA1/AML3) gene in a Japanese patient with cleidocranial dysplasia.

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is an autosomal dominant disorder due to mutations in runt-related gene 2 (RUNX2)/polyomavirus enhancer-binding protein 2alphaA (PEBP2alphaA)/core-binding factor A1 (CBFA1)/acute myeloid leukemia 3 (AML3). To investigate the RUNX2 mutations in a Japanese patient with classic CCD, we analyzed the RUNX2 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single-strand conformation polymorphism and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The patient had hypoplasia of the clavicles, patent fontanelles, short stature, supernumerary teeth, and retention of deciduous dentition. We identified a 1-bp insertion (383insT) at codon 128 of the RUNX2 gene. The 383T insertion affects the conserved residue in the runt domain and results in premature termination in the runt domain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Gouty tophus of the patella evaluated by PET imaging.

We report a case of gouty tophus of the patella, a rare lesion, which was evaluated using positron emission tomography (PET). This modality, which uses a combination of an amino-acid analog emitter, L-[3-(18)F]-alpha-methyl tyrosine (FMT), which neglects malignancies, and a glucose analog emitter, (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG), which neglects benign lesions, simulating the radiographic findings, may be useful for the preoperative evaluation of gouty tophus occurring in patella partita, including detection, differentiation from malignant tumors, and possible pathogenetic diagnosis.

Gout↗
PubMed2001

Discriminant analysis of prognostic factors for malignant fibrous histiocytoma in soft tissue.

We prospectively followed 32 patients with soft-tissue malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). Parameters were age; sex; tumor size, location, and depth; operative method; chemotherapy; radiotherapy; and histology. Patients with recurrence or metastases due to MFH within 6 months after the initial operation were separated from those without these characteristics by discriminant analysis with statistically significant difference. The order of influential functions was histology, depth of tumor, operative method, and sex. Male patients with deep-seated storiform-pleomorphic type MFH, receiving less comprehensive surgery, had the greatest risk of local recurrence or early metastases. We have to pay particular attention to patients with these factors and perform adequate surgery, because local recurrence and metastases were found to be closely related, and to have a great influence on the prognosis of this disease. Discriminant analysis to separate patients with MFH recurrence or metastases within 6 months after the initial operation from those without these characteristics is worthwhile for prognostic assessment.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A myxoid liposarcoma in the lower leg, with a large intra-abdominal metastasis.

We report a patient with a large intra-abdominal metastasis of myxoid liposarcoma. The patient first noticed an asymptomatic mass in her left leg in 1985, when she was 20 years old. The mass was left untouched until she realized its rapid growth and consulted a local doctor in 1994. After needle biopsy, she was histologically diagnosed as having a myxoid liposarcoma. She disagreed with the recommendation for an amputation below the knee, made at another hospital. A marginal resection was performed as an alternative treatment. She subsequently underwent three more marginal resections and four intra-lesional resections for repeated local recurrences. In 1997, an abdominal computed tomography scan revealed the presence of multiple intra-abdominal metastases, and the lesions were judged to be inoperable. Ileus and respiratory distress, caused by compression by the abdominal mass, gradually worsened, and she died in 1999, at the age of 34. The girth of her abdomen was 135 cm at the time of death.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2001

Heterogeneity of p53 mutational status in the superficial spreading type of early gastric carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The superficial spreading type of gastric carcinoma may originate from either a single cellular clone or from several different clones; this issue remains controversial. Indeed, the p53 gene has been shown to play an important role in gastric carcinogenesis, but there have been only a few reports on the heterogeneity of gastric carcinoma with respect to the p53 gene. METHODS: We analyzed seven cases of the superficial spreading type of gastric submucosal carcinomas (80 lesions; 10 to 17 per case) which showed different histological types and/or different p53 protein staining patterns. Direct sequences of polymerase chain reaction products were used for the analysis. RESULTS: p53 Gene heterogeneity in mucosal carcinoma lesions was detected in three cases. However, in all of the cases, the p53 mutational pattern was identical to that found in the submucosal carcinoma lesions. In the heterogeneous cases, the mutation in the submucosal carcinoma was one of the mutation patterns found among the mucosal carcinoma lesions. More precisely, the mutational pattern of both submucosal carcinoma lesions and the mucosal lesions located just above them, was identical. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that, with regard to the p53 gene, in some superficial spreading types of gastric carcinomas, there are various subclones in the mucosal carcinoma; one of these subclones becomes predominant through clonal selection, and, thus, invades the submucosa.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Energy value and digestibility of dietary oil containing mainly 1,3-diacylglycerol are similar to those of triacylglycerol.

Diacylglycerol (DAG) is a component of various vegetable oils. Approximately 70% of the DAG in edible oils are in the configuration of 1,3-DAG. We recently showed that long-term ingestion of dietary oil containing mainly 1,3-DAG reduces body fat accumulation in humans as compared to triacylglycerol (TAG) oil with a similar fatty acid composition. As the first step to elucidate the mechanism for this result, we examined the difference in the bioavailabilities of both oils by measuring food energy values and digestibilities in rats. Energy values of the DAG oil and the TAG oil, measured by bomb calorimeter, were 38.9 and 39.6 kJ/g, respectively. Apparent digestibility expressed according to the formula: (absorbed) x (ingested)(-1) x 100 = (ingested - excreted in feces) x (ingested)(-1) x 100 for the DAG oil and the TAG oil were 96.3+/-0.4 and 96.3+/-0.3% (mean +/- SEM), respectively. The similarity in the bioavailabilities of both oils supports the hypothesis that the reduced fat accumulation by dietary DAG is caused by the different metabolic fates after the absorption into the gastrointestinal epithelial cells.

Absorption↗
PubMed2001

Different recurrence patterns after phototherapeutic keratectomy in the corneal dystrophy resulting from homozygous and heterozygous R124H BIG-H3 mutation.

PURPOSE: To report the recurrence pattern of corneal deposits after phototherapeutic keratectomy in patients with corneal dystrophies resulting from homozygous and heterozygous Arg124His (R124H) mutation of the BIG-H3 gene. METHODS: Slit-lamp examination was performed on patients with corneal dystrophy resulting from a genetically confirmed BIG-H3 R124H mutation. RESULTS: The recurrence of corneal deposits after phototherapeutic keratectomy in patient with heterozygous R124H mutation was mild; the granular opacities occurred as spot lesions in the central cornea. The patient with a homozygous mutation had a more severe pattern, and the recurrent lesions were diffuse and occurred in the periphery between the corneal epithelium and laser-ablated stroma. The recurrence-free interval in homozygous patients was shorter. CONCLUSION: The mutation genotype of BIG-H3 gene determines the recurrence pattern after phototherapeutic keratectomy.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Two patterns of opacity in corneal dystrophy caused by the homozygous BIG-H3 R124H mutation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the opacity pattern in corneas with an Arg124His (R124H) homozygous mutation of the BIG-H3 gene. METHODS: Slit-lamp examination was performed on eight patients with corneal dystrophy resulting from a genetically confirmed BIG-H3 R124H homozygous mutation. The birthplace of each patient also was determined. RESULTS: Slit-lamp examination disclosed two types of opacity patterns in corneas with the BIG-H3 R124H homozygous mutation. Type I (n = 4) is a spot-like opacity present in the anterior stroma in which the lesions are confluent. Type I is the same pattern that previous reports have shown to be caused by the BIG-H3 R124H homozygous mutation. The type II corneal opacity pattern (n = 4) is a reticular opacity in the anterior stroma with round translucent spaces. Type II opacity has not been reported previously in association with any corneal dystrophy. The patients with the type I opacity do not share a common birthplace; however, interestingly, the patients with the type II opacity traced their origin to Tottori prefecture in western Japan. CONCLUSION: The BIG-H3 homozygous R124H mutation induces the development of two distinct patterns of corneal opacity, the recognition of which can establish an accurate diagnosis of corneal dystrophy caused by the homozygous BIG-H3 R124H mutation independent of genetic analysis. In addition, genetic factors or circumstantial influences other than the gene responsible for the corneal dystrophy may influence the pattern of corneal opacity.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A new technique: light-induced fluorescence endoscopy in combination with pharmacoendoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Most cancers and adenomas of the GI tract are easily detected by light-induced fluorescence endoscopy (LIFE-GI). However, some tumors are poorly visualized by using this technique. To investigate whether the spraying of noradrenaline on the lesion provides better visualization of the boundaries of neoplasms, the conventional and LIFE-GI endoscopic observations were made before and after spraying of nonadrenaline. METHODS: Seven patients with gastric cancers were studied. After a conventional fiberscopic examination, a LIFE-GI procedure was performed, and then 20 mL of 0.02% noradrenaline solution was sprayed on the lesion. RESULTS: The normal mucosa became paler than the tumor after spraying noradrenaline, thereby clarifying the tumor boundary in the LIFE-GI image. CONCLUSIONS: The combined use of pharmacoendoscopy with LIFE-GI is useful in the detection of gastric malignant tumors because it enhances the boundaries of these lesions.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2001

Factors that influence the surgical effects of astigmatic keratotomy after cataract surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors affecting the surgical effect of astigmatic keratotomy (AK) when against-the-rule astigmatism is present following cataract surgery. DESIGN: Prospective interventional noncomparative case series. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty eyes of 19 patients from four medical centers who had against-the-rule astigmatism following cataract surgery. INTERVENTION: AK with a 6 mm optical zone, two linear 3-mm length incisions (T-cut) and a depth of 90% of the central thickness was performed on all subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Vector analysis of astigmatic correction. Multiple regression analysis for seven covariates including age, spherical equivalent of the manifest refraction, preoperative astigmatism, corneal diameter, corneal thickness, mean radius of corneal curvature and axial misalignment. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis showed that the preoperative astigmatism (p = 0.014) and the axis deviation (p = 0.005) were significantly correlated with the surgical effects. CONCLUSIONS: Even with a uniform surgical procedure, the surgical effects of AK in eyes with against-the-rule astigmatism can be affected by the amount of preoperative astigmatism and the intraoperative axis misalignment. Adding the amount of preoperative astigmatism to the nomogram and improvement of surgical procedures will be required to obtain better surgical predictability of AK following cataract surgery.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Endoscopic findings of radiation esophagitis in concurrent chemoradiotherapy for intrathoracic malignancies.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The incidence and extent of radiation esophagitis were assessed endoscopically in patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-two patients who received thoracic radiotherapy for lung, thymic, or esophageal cancer were investigated endoscopically from July 1991 to the end of 1997. Among them, 23 esophageal cancer patients were treated with radiation alone, and the others were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Esophageal endoscopy was performed during or just after radiotherapy. The presence of radiation esophagitis was assessed and assigned an endoscopic score (i.e. grade 0 for normal, 1 for erythema, 2 for erosion or sloughing, 3 for ulcer, hemorrhage, or stricture). The symptomatic grade was assessed using the RTOG (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group) acute radiation morbidity score. RESULTS: A correlation was seen between endoscopic and RTOG scores. However, even some patients with RTOG grade 0 to 1 had endoscopic grade 3 esophagitis. Endoscopic grade 3 was observed in 16 (27.1%) patients in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group, whereas it did not occur in any patient in the radiation alone group (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that (1) RTOG score correlates closely to esophageal mucosal damage, and (2) more severe esophagitis occurs in those undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy than those undergoing radiotherapy alone [corrected].

Adult↗