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Biomedical subjects

K Sahashi

Publications and source records attributed to K Sahashi.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

[A case of pigeon breeder's disease].

A 73-year-old woman developed dry cough and exertional dyspnea. She had been breeding pigeons for thirty years. Her serum showed positive precipitin reaction against pigeon serum. Furthermore the lymphocyte stimulation test against pigeon serum was positive. An X-ray film of the chest showed diffuse ground glass infiltrate, fine nodular shadows and reticular shadows. Histopathology revealed diffuse interstitial infiltration with mononuclear cells and occasional giant cell formation as well as granuloma formation in the bronchiole. The symptoms subsided after admission. From these results, this case was diagnosed as pigeon breeder's disease. She had the subacute form probably because of her old age and smoking. It could be that exacerbation of pneumonitis was caused by cessation of smoking in an attempt to alleviate the symptoms. This is the fifth case reported in Japan.

Aged↗

[Progressive hemifacial atrophy with sympathetic nerve dysfunction of central origin].

A 37-year-old unmarried man was admitted because of gait disturbance and right hemifacial atrophy. Family history was unremarkable. He had an unconscious attack at age 13 and had writer's cramp since age 15. He was thin and lipodystrophic. In reviewing his portraits, hemifacial atrophy was considered to develop in his early teens and to be progressive since then. Pigmented gum, high arched palate, mild mental retardation, pseudo-Argyll Robertson's pupil, sexual impotence, amyotrophy of the left thigh and the right calf, and a limp due to bony abnormalities was detected. Serological tests for syphilis were negative. Bone X-rays disclosed coxa-deformance. Cerebrospinal fluid. EMG, EEG, muscle biopsy and brain CT were normal. Hearing was decreased to 20-35 dB bilaterally. Plasma norepinephrine levels were 450 pg/ml in the supine position and 539 pg/ml in standing. Plasma renin activity was 5.1-5.4 ng/ml/hr. Microneurography revealed highly accentuated muscle and skin sympathetic nerve activities. Hypothermia on the feet, reduced CVR-R and decreased mydriatic response to 5% cocaine instillation were present. Intravenous infusion of norepinephrine and intradermal injection of either acetylcholine or histamine revealed normal results. In the case, sympathicotonia due to dysfunction in the central nervous system is considered to be related to the pathogenesis of hemifacial atrophy.

Adult↗

[Superior oblique myokymia--a case report and pathogenetic consideration].

A 30-year-old male visited us with complaints of dizziness and diplopia of abrupt onset in September, 1988. Neurological studies demonstrated paroxysmal rotatory to-and-fro oscillations of the left eye. There has been the same clinical episode at 25 years of age, lasting approximately 6 months. The characteristics of his ocular involuntary movement with the mild IVth cranial nerve paresis were as follows: quick, nonrhythmic, initially counterclockwise-rolling, more prominent in moving the left eye to the lower medial side, persisting for 1-10 seconds and rapidly repeated oscillations. When oscillations were prominent, he complained of faintness in addition to double vision. Except for the ocular signs, other neurological and laboratory examinations including cerebrospinal fluid, brain MRI and brain stem auditory evoked response, failed to disclose the precise location and nature of the lesion. Abnormal ocular movement was fluctuating for 4 months and gradually disappeared without any medication. In conclusion, the faintness could be considered to result from a lesion of reticular activating system adjacent to the IVth cranial nerve nucleus and its rostral (excitatory or inhibitory) supranuclei, and it suggests that a responsible lesion of the abnormal ocular movement is located at a region of the dorsomedial midbrain.

Adult↗

[HTLV-I associated encephalo-myelopathy resembling ALS with concurrence of acute promyelocytic leukemia in a member of the relatives].

A 36 year-old woman beginning with spastic paraparesis at her age of 11 visited us for evaluation of progressive muscular weakness of the distal portions of the upper extremities and difficulty in speaking at her age of 33. The neurological features at the present are as follows; fine horizontal gaze-nystagmus, impaired smooth pursuit ocular movement, highly spastic paraplegia with pes equino-varus necessitating canes and the wheel-chair, highly accentuated PTRs and ATRs associated with positive Babinski's sign, diminished or absent deep reflexes in the upper extremities, moderate muscular wasting with fasciculation on the tongue and distal portions of the upper extremities (rt less than lt). Sensory or cerebellar functions remain normal. No autonomic finding has been manifested. The HTLV-I antibody titers of serum (eg. PA method: x8192 ) and cerebrospinal fluid are highly positive in various methods. That of her mother (no blood-transfusion history) is positive. The provirus genome analysis on peripheral lymphocytes using the Southern blotting method by the cleaving enzyme Psi I was unable to discriminate that of an ATL patient. MRI of the central nervous system revealed higher signal area (short SE) at the C5/6 region and atrophy of C7/8 region. Neither a definite lesion in the lower brain stem, cerebellum nor cerebral hemispheres was identified. The skeletal muscle X-ray CT on the lower extremities revealed the atrophic flexor thighs and the anterior tibial and peroneal muscles. Needle EMG showed the prominent neurogenic changes in the atrophic muscles. Oral prednisolone therapy for four months relieved nystagmus and difficulty in walking, slightly. She, however, discontinued because of its side effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Two cases of myasthenia gravis associated with transient amenorrhea].

Two cases of acquired autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG) presenting transient amenorrhea were reported. Case 1, 28 years old, developed blepharoptosis and generalized fatigability at the age of 20 years. She had been treated only by anti-cholinesterase. Amenorrhea appeared at the age of 26 years. Then, physical examinations showed normal secondary sexual development and moderate myasthenic features. On laboratory examinations, SLE findings such as leucopenia (1,600/mm3), biologically false positivity in the serological tests for syphilis, negative Mantoux reaction, positive anti-nuclear and -DNA antibodies, were noted. Anti-AChR antibody was highly positive (max.: 353 nmol/l). Decreased E2 (13-15 pg/ml) and progesterone (0.21-0.29 ng/ml) values in serum, elevated LH (110-160 mIU/ml) and FSH (78-90 mIU/ml) and highly reactive LH-RH loading test were consistent with the hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Thymus pathology of thymectomy which was done during amenorrhea, showed hyperplasia. Bilateral ovarian biopsy revealed a number of arrested primordial follicles, but neither inflammatory changes nor fibrosis. Immune complexes were not localized in the ovarian biopsy. The Kaufmann's therapy aggravated myasthenic symptoms. Menstruation recurred after 13 months of thymectomy. Amenorrhea continued for 18 months. Case 2, 37 years old, has had anti-epileptic regimens since the age of 4 years. She has been highly myasthenic for 15 years and treated by thymectomy, steroid hormone, plasmapheresis and some other therapies for 10 years. Amenorrhea occurred at the age of 34 years. Sexual development was normal. Myasthenia was very severe. On laboratory examinations, anti-AChR antibody was positive (max.: 941 nmol/l). Transient elevation of serum LH (37 mIU/l) and FSH (14 mIU/l) values was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Clinical analyses on moving toes in "painful legs and moving toes"].

Clinical analyses on moving toes were done through two cases of painful legs and moving toes, who had been ill for more than 5 years. Either cases had degenerated lower lumber to upper sacral spines. Clinico-physiological data suggested the presence of polyneuropathy of the sensory type. They showed the lowered skin temperature on the distal portions of lower extremities and acrocyanosis. They, in addition, showed an irregular respiration frequently associated with apnea episodes. Frequency and amplitude of moving toes were increased during Valsalva's maneuver or apnea. Further more, findings were obtained that both the muscle sympathetic nerve activity recorded microneurographically from the tibial nerve and the surface electromyographic activity on the extensor digitorum longs were increased well concomitantly by the occurrence of moving toes. The finding may relevant that moving toes, a type of dyskinesia, may be probably generated by a direct noxious stimulus to the peripheral sensory or autonomic fibers, being strongly influenced by the higher central autonomic (at brain stem?), the extrapyramidal (at corpus striatum?) or some other structures. Moving toes might be a compensatory mechanism to lessen the paucity of blood flow in the lower extremities.

Aged↗

Thyrotropin releasing hormone levels in human cerebrospinal fluid in various neurologic diseases.

Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) in the human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 102 patients with non-neurologic and neurologic diseases was measured by a specific TRH radioimmunoassay. TRH levels in CSF were 17.6 +/- 3.4 pg/ml (mean +/- SE) in non-neurologic diseases. TRH levels in CSF were significantly elevated in cases of spinal cord tumor and multiple sclerosis (acute phase). Elevated TRH levels in CSF were decreased in these diseases by operation or prednisolone treatment, respectively. From these data, it is suggested that TRH is present in the human CSF and that measurement of TRH levels in CSF may be a useful indicator of the activity of certain neurologic diseases.

Adolescent↗

Acute predominantly sensory neuropathy.

An account is given of an unusual patient with acute sensory neuropathy, leading within a few weeks to almost generalized sensory loss. Generalized sensory deficits were involved in the face, tongue, and palate. He had a drug allergy from chemotherapy during an early stage of illness. An albuminocytological dissociation of the cerebrospinal fluid was noted in a few months. A sural nerve biopsy after 2 months showed a marked reduction of fibers, and extensive invasion of phagocytes throughout the endoneurium. This patient recovered poorly with profound sensory ataxia of the limbs and tongue. A possible explanation for the clinico-pathological findings may be that acute idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis (Guillain-Barré syndrome) and toxic neuropathy exert an etiological role in the extramedullary sensory system.

Acute Disease↗