Biomedical subjects

Hiroki Ito

Publications and source records attributed to Hiroki Ito.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Inverse relation between osteoporosis and spondylosis in postmenopausal women as evaluated by bone mineral density and semiquantitative scoring of spinal degeneration.

STUDY DESIGN: The relation between bone mineral density and severity of spondylosis was evaluated in postmenopausal women. OBJECTIVE: To examine the possible inverse relation between osteoporosis and spondylosis by evaluating the association between bone mineral density and osteophyte formation or intervertebral disc narrowing using a semiquantitative scoring system. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The literature contains studies demonstrating an inverse relation between osteoporosis and spondylosis as well as those documenting insufficient support for such a relation. However, in these studies, only limited-range grading systems (e.g., Grades 1-4) were used to evaluate the severity of spondylosis. METHODS: In this study, 104 postmenopausal women older than 60 years underwent bone mineral density measurement of the lumbar spine (anteroposterior, lateral, and midlateral) and proximal femur (femoral neck, trochanter, and Ward's triangle) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Raw data representing the semiquantitative osteophyte score and disc score as well as the number of vertebral fractures were obtained using spinal radiograph. Correlations between bone mineral density and the radiographic variable were then analyzed. RESULTS: Significant negative correlations were found between all bone mineral density data and the number of vertebral fractures (-0.524 < or r= r < or = -0.347; P < 0.05). Marginal/moderate positive correlations were observed between the osteophyte score and the bone mineral density data (0.263 < or = r < or = 0.580, P < 0.05), and between the disc score and the bone mineral density data (0.233 < or = r < or = 0.570, P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONS On the basis of the finding that spondylotic changes in postmenopausal women exhibit positive correlations not only with the lumbar bone mineral density, but also with the remote-site bone mineral density, this study supports the view that osteoporosis has an inverse relation with spondylosis.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Skin sympathetic nerve function during sleep--a study with effector responses.

We investigated the effector-organ activities corresponding to skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA) during sleep in eight healthy adult volunteers. The following parameters of SSNA were recorded during night sleep: the spontaneous skin vasoconstriction and skin blood flow volume, by laser Doppler flowmetry; sweating, by the ventilated capsule method; and the galvanic skin response (GSR). Fluctuations of sweating and GSR were mainly observed on the dorsal side of the hand during night sleep. The frequency of GSR and sweat rate on the dorsal side of the hand were significantly lower during REM sleep than during NREM sleep. The frequency of spontaneous skin vasoconstriction was higher and blood flow was lower during REM sleep than during NREM sleep. These results indicate that sweating and blood flow in the skin are differentially regulated depending on the sleep stage. Our results also suggest that the sleep-regulating system is closely linked to thermoregulation, which is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Alcoholic neuropathy is clinicopathologically distinct from thiamine-deficiency neuropathy.

Characteristics of alcoholic neuropathy have been obscured by difficulty in isolating them from features of thiamine-deficiency neuropathy. We assessed 64 patients with alcoholic neuropathy including subgroups without (ALN) and with (ALN-TD) coexisting thiamine deficiency. Thirty-two patients with nonalcoholic thiamine-deficiency neuropathy (TDN) also were investigated for comparison. In ALN, clinical symptoms were sensory-dominant and slowly progressive, predominantly impairing superficial sensation (especially nociception) with pain or painful burning sensation. In TDN, most cases manifested a motor-dominant and acutely progressive pattern, with impairment of both superficial and deep sensation. Small-fiber-predominant axonal loss in sural nerve specimens was characteristic of ALN, especially with a short history of neuropathy; long history was associated with regenerating small fibers. Large-fiber-predominant axonal loss predominated in TDN. Subperineurial edema was more prominent in TDN, whereas segmental de/remyelination resulting from widening of consecutive nodes of Ranvier was more frequent in ALN. Myelin irregularity was greater in ALN. ALN-TD showed a variable mixture of these features in ALN and TDN. We concluded that pure-form of alcoholic neuropathy (ALN) was distinct from pure-form of thiamine-deficiency neuropathy (TDN), supporting the view that alcoholic neuropathy can be caused by direct toxic effect of ethanol or its metabolites. However, features of alcoholic neuropathy is influenced by concomitant thiamine-deficiency state, having so far caused the obscure clinicopathological entity of alcoholic neuropathy.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Grasping power by means of functional electrical stimulation in a case of C6 complete tetraplegia.

Grasping power (GP) by means of functional electrical stimulation (FES) was measured in a case of C6 complete tetraplegia. This was compared with GP by means of the dynamic tenodesis effect, the flexor hinge splint and the GP of normal female. Palmar grasp strength by means of FES was approximately 16% of the control group and 2.4 times greater than the flexor hinge splint. Lateral grasp strength by FES was approximately 13% of the control group. Our results suggest that FES is more effective than the flexor hinge splint in increasing the GP of tetraplegic patients, and that a stronger and stable GP, which is not affected by wrist position, makes FES practical for improving activities of daily living (ADL).

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Epidemic nosocomial keratoconjunctivitis caused by adenovirus type 4].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical features of nosocomial epidemic keratoconjunctivitis(EKC) occurring in the ophthalmology ward of Sapporo Medical University Hospital and to devise preventive measures for it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied the symptoms and clinical course of 2 patients who had EKC and 16 patients who had EKC caused by nosocomial infections in our hospital. We attempted to detect adenovirus antigen and viral DNA from conjunctival swabs and also to isolate the virus. RESULTS: The clinical symptoms of EKC were conjunctival hyperemia in 18 patients(100%), conjunctival follicles in 11 patients (61.1%), discharge in 8 patients(44.4%), superficial punctate keratopathy in 7 patients(38.9%), swelling of the eyelids in 3 patients(16.7%), and fever in 3 patients(16.7%). 72% were positive for Adeno-check. Adenovirus type 4 was isolated from the conjunctival swabs. We considered that the route of hospital infection was infection from the doctor's hands, from eye drops, and from contact lenses. We disclosed that nosocomical EKC had occurred in our hospital. The hospital infection was eliminated by closing the ophthalmology ward and sterilizing instruments and washing hands. CONCLUSIONS: The delay of proper measures increased the risk of nosocomical infection. We recognized the importance of careful observation of patients and immediate preventive efforts in nosocomical infection.

Adenovirus Infections, Human↗

PubMed2002

A low-grade extraskeletal osteosarcoma.

The case of a 35-year-old woman with low-grade extraskeletal osteosarcoma of the left leg is presented. Radiographs showed peripheral ossification of the lesion, suggesting myositis ossificans. Most of the tumor was composed of cartilage, and the cellularity and cell atypia of the proliferating chondrocytes were mild to moderate. In the periphery, bone formation with a relatively clear margin and proliferation of spindle cells with minimal nuclear atypia were observed. The average percentage of cells positive for MIB-1 was 9.0%. A diagnosis of low-grade extraskeletal osteosarcoma was made on the basis of these histologic findings. The clinical course 47 months after a wide excision was uneventful.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Postgastrectomy polyneuropathy with thiamine deficiency is identical to beriberi neuropathy.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether postgastrectomy polyneuropathy associated with thiamine deficiency is clinicopathologically identical to beriberi neuropathy, including a biochemical determination of thiamine status. METHODS: Clinicopathologic features of 17 patients who had postgastrectomy polyneuropathy with thiamine deficiency were compared with those of 11 patients who had thiamine-deficiency neuropathy caused by dietary imbalance. RESULTS: The typical presentation for the two etiologies was as a symmetric sensorimotor polyneuropathy predominantly involving the lower limbs. A variety of clinical features, including neuropathic symptoms, progression, and coexistence of heart failure or Wernicke's encephalopathy, was seen similarly in both conditions. In both groups, the main electrophysiologic findings were those of axonal neuropathy, most prominently in the lower limbs. Sural nerve biopsy specimens also indicated axonal degeneration in both groups. Subperineurial edema was commonly observed. CONCLUSION: This study showed that thiamine-deficiency neuropathies due to gastrectomy and dietary imbalance are identical despite variability in their clinicopathologic features and suggested that thiamine deficiency can be a major cause of postgastrectomy polyneuropathy.

Beriberi↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical effects of tumor-associated macrophages and dendritic cells on renal cell carcinoma.

Several reports have documented infiltration of many monocytes in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Since few studies have examined the relationship between monocyte infiltration and clinical prognosis in RCC, we clinically investigated this relationship by semi-quantitative analysis of monocyte infiltration and tumor angiogenesis. The following six parameters were measured immunohistologically in 98 RCC patients who underwent nephrectomy between 1987 and 1997: tumor-associated macrophage (TAM), microvessel density (MVD), S-100 protein-positive cells (S-100(+) cells), HLA-DR-positive cells, apoptosis index and proliferative index (PI). We then assessed intercorrelations among parameters and correlations to prognosis. Significant positive correlations were identified for TAM, MVD and PI, with a tendency for higher parameter values to reflect poorer prognosis. The prognosis of patients without metastasis was poor for the high TAM group even when levels of MVD were low. These findings suggest that TAM facilitates the growth of RCC via angiogenesis and other mechanisms. Prognosis was significantly better in metastatic RCC patients who underwent interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy when the levels of S-100(+) cells were high. Nonetheless, the levels of S-100(+) cells among these IFN-treated patients did not correlate with other parameters, and none of the other parameters correlated with prognosis. One of the antitumor effects of IFN-alpha for RCC could therefore be mediated by dendritic cells.

Apoptosis↗