We report a solitary intraperitoneal recurrence in a long-term survivor after rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma. Ultrasonography demonstrated the finding of a lobulated mass with a "mosaic" appearance. The patient underwent resection of this implant and is currently disease free. We emphasize the importance of periodic surveillance of disseminated metastases of this condition.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Do the kinetics of peripheral muscle oxygenation reflect systemic oxygen intake?

To examine whether the kinetics of local muscle oxygenation reflect systemic oxygen intake, we measured the kinetics of local muscle oxygenation and systemic oxygen consumption (VO2). This study included 16 healthy males who performed an exercise tolerance test on a bicycle ergometer. During the exercise test, expiratory gas analysis was performed with an expiratory gas analyzer, and the kinetics of vastus lateralis muscle oxygenation were determined by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Oxygenated hemoglobin (OxyHb) and tissue blood oxygen saturation (StO2) gradually decreased during the exercise test, while deoxygenated hemoglobin (DeoxyHb) gradually increased. We examined correlations between the mean values of these parameters, which were calculated by time-integrating the values obtained using NIRS and dividing them by the integral time, and VO2. There was a marked positive correlation between DeoxyHb and VO2 (r = 0.893-0.986), and a marked negative correlation between StO2 and VO2 (r = 0.859-0.995). There was a negative correlation between VO2 and OxyHb (r = 0.726-0.978), and no correlation between TotalHb and VO2. These results suggest that the kinetics of peripheral muscle oxygenation reflect systemic VO2.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Systemic infection due to atypical mycobacteria in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Disseminated atypical mycobacterial infection has been reported mainly in patients with AIDS and hairy cell leukemia. We describe three patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) who developed disseminated atypical mycobacterial infection in the chronic stage of their disease. The incidence of the latter infection is 3.9% among patients with CML at our institution; such a high incidence has never before been reported. There are no specific signs or symptoms other than fever. The bone marrow is the culture site most often useful in diagnosis. An immunologic defect may be one of the features of CML. Clinicians must thus be aware of the possibility of disseminated atypical mycobacterial infection in patients with CML.

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Torsion of the wandering spleen: CT and angiographic appearance.

OBJECTIVE: To seek CT and angiographic appearances that characterize torsion of the wandering spleen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CT and angiographic findings of two cases of preoperatively diagnosed torsion of the wandering spleen were reviewed, and the findings were closely compared with intraoperative and histopathological findings. RESULTS: Characteristic CT appearance seemed to be a whirled appearance formed at the medial side of the displaced spleen. The angiographic finding that was characteristic of the disease was a tapered and abruptly twisted distal splenic artery. CONCLUSION: These findings were useful in making the early and correct diagnosis of this rare but fulminant condition.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Spectral tuning of photoactive yellow protein.

We report a theoretical study on the optical properties of a small, water-soluble photosensory receptor, photoactive yellow protein (PYP). A hierarchical ab initio molecular orbital calculation accurately evaluated the optical absorption maximum of the wild-type, as well as the lambda(max) values of 12 mutants. Electronic excitation of the chromophore directly affects the electronic state of nearby atoms in the protein environment. This effect is explicitly considered in the present study. Furthermore, the spectral tuning mechanism of PYP was investigated at the atomic level. The static disorder of a protein molecule is intimately related to the complex nature of its energy landscape. By using molecular dynamics simulation and quantum mechanical structure optimization, we obtained multiple minimum energy conformations of PYP. The statistical distribution of electronic excitation energies of these minima was compared with the hole-burning experiment (Masciangioli, T. [2000] Photochem. Photobiol. 72, 639), a direct observation of the distribution of excitation energies.

Amino Acid Substitution↗