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Biomedical subjects

K Tashiro

Publications and source records attributed to K Tashiro.

629 records · Page 35Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Early gastric carcinomas in the cardiac region: diagnosis with double-contrast x-ray studies.

BACKGROUND: The ratio of early to advanced gastric carcinomas in the cardiac region is significantly low. It is necessary to establish methods of early diagnosis of gastric carcinomas in the cardiac region. METHODS: Twenty cases (21 lesions) of early gastric carcinomas in the cardiac region were resected between 1997 and 2001. We studied the macroscopic characteristics of the specimens, films of double-contrast upper gastrointestinal studies before operations, and the detectabilities of findings in each projection. RESULTS: Four of 21 early gastric carcinomas in the cardiac region were on the anterior wall, 10 were on the lesser curvature, and seven were on the posterior wall. In seven of 21 lesions the carcinomas were not detected in the resected specimens macroscopically; in five, the area of carcinoma was not clearly traced in the resected specimens; and in nine, the area of carcinomas was clearly traced. In the morphologic study, 16 (76.2%), two (9.5%), two (9.5%), and one (4.8%) of the 21 lesions showed the superficial depressed type (IIc), superficial elevated type (IIa), superficial elevated and superficial depressed type (IIa + IIc), flat and superficial depressed type (IIb + IIc), respectively. Mucosal reddening was seen in 11, and mucosal discoloration was seen in one; change of color was not seen in the remaining nine lesions. Twenty lesions were diagnosed as differentiated adenocarcinomas, and one lesion was diagnosed as undifferentiated adenocarcinoma. Radiologically, early gastric carcinomas in the cardiac region had the following features: localized shallow barium deposits, localized abnormal barium coating, and niche and radiolucent lesions. Four (100%) of four lesions on the anterior wall, 10 (100%) of 10 lesions on the lesser curvature, and seven (100%) of seven lesions on the posterior wall were detected in the half-standing, prone, right anterior, oblique projection. Seven (100%) of seven lesions on the posterior wall and 10 (100%) of 10 lesions on the lesser curvature were detected in the half-standing, supine, left anterior, oblique projection. CONCLUSION: Even though most early gastric carcinomas in the cardiac region demonstrate few macroscopic findings, the half-standing, prone, right anterior, oblique projection and the half-standing, supine, left anterior, oblique projection are useful in the double-contrast studies.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR imaging of spinal cord in Devic disease.

A 20-year-old man with typical features of Devic disease was studied with magnetic resonance (MR) demonstrating sequential changes of the spinal cord from swelling to atrophy. A good correlation between neurological findings and MR imaging was documented.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR imaging of pontine and extrapontine myelinolysis.

Two cases of pontine and extrapontine myelinolysis following electrolyte derangements are presented. One case showed only extrapontine myelinolytic lesions on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, although both pontine and extrapontine myelinolysis were confirmed at postmortem. Another case made full recovery clinically with resolution of extrapontine lesions on MR imaging.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A clinical study of secondary osteoporosis induced by endocrine therapy for prostate cancer].

PURPOSE: There is one of the big problems that endocrine therapy for prostate cancer causes to induce secondary osteoporosis. The risk factors and future treatments for osteoporosis were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 31 patients treated with luteinizing hormone releasing hormone agonists (LHRH-a) or combination of chlormadinone acetate (CMA) and LHRH-a, and 19 patients with no treatments for prostate cancer were included in the analysis. Lumber spine bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by quantitative computed tomography. RESULTS: Aging had much influence on decreases of BMD than the other risk factors (p < 0.01). There were statistically decreases of BMD in the patients with CMA + LHRH-a compared with no treatments (p < 0.05). Adrenal androgen which had an important role of maintenance in BMD was statistically decreased by the administration of CMA (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of BMD before endocrine therapy is necessary for the patients with prostate cancer. It is important for the patients with decreases of BMD that CMA is not combined or the therapy for osteoporosis is preventively employed.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pharmacokinetics of isolated hepatic perfusion with high dose tumor necrosis factor in rat model.

BACKGROUND: Although the application of an isolation procedure with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) to the liver is quite attractive, an animal model is not yet available to evaluate antitumor effects by TNF in isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP). To establish the rat model in IHP, the pharmacokinetics of TNF, both in a perfusate and in a systemic circuit should be examined. METHODS: All rats underwent IHP with TNF. After a 10 min perfusion, a washout procedure was performed for 5 min, after which isolation was terminated. Throughout the procedure and afterward, blood samples were obtained from the systemic blood and concentrations of TNF were assayed by L-929 cytotoxicity. RESULTS: After the administration of 240 micrograms of TNF in the circuit, TNF reached a plateau at about 12.7 micrograms/ml of perfusion fluid, lasting until the end of IHP. As a result of the washout procedure, regional TNF concentrations declined from 12.7 micrograms/ml to 1.5 micrograms/ml. At the beginning of the IHP, all rats exhibited no detectable level of TNF activity in the systemic circulation (< 100 pg/ml). With time, TNF plasma levels quickly increased to reach a plateau of about 0.2 microgram/ml at 15 min. Systemic leakage of TNF is calculated as less than 2% of the total TNF in perfusate during perfusion. CONCLUSION: Rat IHP models with TNF showed that systemic leakage of TNF was higher than that of pig models, although a large enough amount of TNF in perfusate was achieved without death. Rat models might be feasible to evaluate antitumor effect of IHP against liver metastatic tumors.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reduction of hepatotoxicity of tumor necrosis factor in isolated hepatic perfusion by administration of glucocorticoid as well as lipopolysaccharide.

BACKGROUND: The application of an isolation procedure with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) to the liver is quit attractive, however, one of problems to overcome is reducing the toxicity to the liver caused by high doses of TNF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats underwent isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP) with TNF and pre-treatment of subcutaneous administration of dexamethasone (4 mg/kg) and/or intradermal administration of LPS (50 micrograms/rat). After a 10 min perfusion, a washout procedure was performed for 5 min, after which isolation was terminated. RESULTS: SD or Wister rats and F344 rats tolerated up to 120 mg/rat or 4 micrograms/rat, respectively. Dexamethasone and/or LPS was tolerated at 40 micrograms/rat of TNF in F344 rat and showed a significant reduction of hepatotoxicity, and indicated histologically the suppression of ballooning and of necrosis during and after perfusion by TNF. CONCLUSION: We propose new a protocol for IHP as follows: 1. the intradermal administration of LPS for protection against toxicity of TNF, 2. IHP with TNF-SAM2, a mutain of TNF-alpha, having less toxicity than conventional TNF-alpha, and 3. simultaneous perfusion with chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between microvessel quantification and inducibility of endogenous tumor necrosis factor in colorectal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Although we have reported that the inducibility of endogenous tumor necrosis factor (en-TNF) by tumor cells is an independent prognostic factor in Dukes stage C colorectal cancer patients, the mechanism by which the patients having high inducibility of en-TNF show better prognosis is still unclear. We hypothesize that the inducibility of en-TNF by colorectal tumor cells affects the prognosis of patients through the modulation of angiogenesis. Thus, the aim of this study is to clarify the relationship between inducibility of en-TNF and tumor vascularity in colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Histological sections from 62 Dukes stage C colorectal cancer patients who received curative operation were immunostained for CD34 antigen. Microvessels were counted in the photograph of x200 fields (0.298 mm2). The average count of five most vascular areas was determined as a microvessel density of each case. RESULTS: Two of 62 cases were excluded from the analysis, because of insufficient staining. A total of 60 patients were dichotomized by a median vessel count of 34 into two groups: 30 patients with lower microvessel density (Low MVD group) and 30 patients with higher microvessel density (High MVD group). There was no significance in the distribution of all clinicopathological factors among these two groups. Regarding en-TNF inducibility, no difference was shown between the two groups. The five year survival rate of Low MVD group and High MVD group were 58.7% and 68.0%, respectively. And, the 5 year relapse-free survival rate of Low MVD group and High MVD group were 59.7% and 52.2%, respectively. No significant difference was demonstrated between Low MVD group and High MVD group. CONCLUSION: Intratumoral microvessel density did not influence on the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients in Dukes stage C after curative operation. The inducibility of en-TNF showed no correlation with intratumoral microvessel density in Dukes stage C patients after curative operation.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Urinary isatin concentrations in patients with Parkinson's disease determined by a newly developed HPLC-UV method.

Isatin, an endogenous monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor, has been found in mammalian tissues. We previously reported that exogenously administered isatin significantly increased acetylcholine (ACh) and dopamine (DA) levels in the rat striatum. In order to elucidate the relationship between isatin and Parkinson's disease, we measured urinary isatin excretions in patients with Parkinson's disease using a newly developed HPLC-UV method. The recovery of this assay was approximately 102.3% at a range from 2 to 50 nmol/ml. The Coefficient of Variance (CV) for the determination at this range was approximately 2.5% for intra-assay and 6.2% for inter-assay, respectively. There was no significant difference in urinary isatin excretion between data from men and women in healthy control. The value in young age group (19-35 years old) was not significantly different compared with that of the older age group (54-84 years old). Urinary isatin levels in patients with Parkinson's disease tended to increase in accordance to the Hoehn and Yahr criteria. This is the first study in which a significant increase in urinary isatin excretion was observed at Stage III, IV and V in patients with Parkinson's disease. Urinary isatin concentrations in drug-treated patients with Parkinson's disease (at Stage I and II) tended to decrease compared with those of patients without medication. These results demonstrated that urinary isatin excretion may serve as an endogenous diagnostic marker for the clinical severity of Parkinson's disease.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rotation-induced Taylor vortex enhances filtrate flux in plasma separation.

Techniques of plasma filtration with rotating flat membranes are capable of producing a Taylor vortex and concomitantly reducing concentration polarization by formed elements. The present study describes filtration characteristics of a small-sized rotating filter that is superior to a capillary filter in terms of filtrate flux. The rotating filter with a surface area of 60 cm2 was composed of two concentric cylinders, with the inner cylinder mobile, with a flat polycarbonate membrane (pore diameter: 0.8 micron), and the outer cylinder fixed. Filtration experiments were performed using bovine blood to determine filtrate flux at rotational speeds from 600 to 4,500 rpm. Photographic observations using aluminum powder revealed that many Taylor vortices were present in the radial gap (0.6 mm). Filtrate flux increased with transmembrane pressure until a maximum filtrate flux of 0.02 cm/min at 600 rpm, 0.42 cm/min at 1,800 rpm, 0.60 cm/min at 3,600 rpm, and 0.69 cm/min at 4,500 rpm were reached at a blood flow rate of 100 ml/min. Based on the filtration resistance model, values for fractional filtration resistance of the red blood cell polarization layer ranged from 0.25 to 0.80 at a rotational speed of 3,600 rpm, whereas those of a capillary filter range from 0.80 to 0.90. This indicates that Taylor vortices promote back diffusion of red blood cells accumulated on membrane surfaces. Thus, the filtrate flux of a rotating filter is two orders of magnitude higher than that of a capillary filter because of the back diffusion of red blood cells facilitated by Taylor vortices.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of the brainstem with high-resolution CT in cerebellar atrophic processes.

The authors studied the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) for evaluation of the brainstem in cerebellar atrophic processes. Twenty adult subjects without posterior fossa lesion were used for normal CT measurements of the brainstem. The measured values with CT corresponded to those with pneumotomography. Also reviewed were 49 patients with cerebellar atrophy which included spinocerebellar degeneration (25 patients), Shy-Drager syndrome (five), progressive supranuclear palsy (three), chronic phenytoin usage (10), and chronic alcoholism (six). All but the chronic alcoholism group showed atrophy of the brainstem at all locations of measurement when compared with normal controls (p less than 0.05). In addition, the patients with progressive supranuclear palsy had significantly more pronounced midbrain atrophy. In the chronic alcoholism group the measurements of the brachium pontis, the medulla, and the fourth ventricle differed significantly from those of normal controls (p less than 0.05).

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Myelopathy due to ossification or calcification of the ligamentum flavum: radiologic and histologic evaluations.

The clinical, radiologic, and histologic features of ossification and calcification of the ligamentum flavum were studied in 18 patients. Ossification (15 patients) usually occurred in the lower thoracic spine in men of various ages, while calcification (three patients) was found exclusively in the cervical region of older women. Histologic examinations of ossification showed mature lamellar bone associated with proliferated cartilage replacing the ligamentum flavum (endochondral ossification). This corresponded well with radiographic and computed tomographic (CT) appearances. In the cases with calcification of the ligamentum flavum, calcification within the degenerated ligamentous fibers was observed on histologic examination, and correlated well with an oval nodular density on radiographs and CT. The two conditions differ in clinical, radiologic, and histologic considerations. Pathomechanisms in the development of these lesions and clinical significance are also discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dementia with ALS features and diffuse Pick body-like inclusions (atypical Pick's disease?).

An autopsy case of dementia beginning with right hand muscle atrophy was reported. A 42-year-old woman with no family history of neurologic disease developed weakness of the right hand at age 30, and was diagnosed as having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The weakness and atrophy spread to the four extremities subsequently. At age 36, she could not walk without assistance. At age 38, she was first noted as having dementia with forced crying, and she also showed generalized muscle weakness and atrophy. She rapidly developed akinetic mutism, and died of respiratory failure at age 42, 12 years after the onset of the symptoms. Macroscopically, the brain showed fronto-temporal atrophy. Microscopic examination revealed numerous intracytoplasmic inclusions throughout the central nervous system (CNS) including anterior horn of the spinal cord. The inclusions were stained moderate to dark brown with silver stain. Electron microscopically, they consisted of fibrils covered along most of the length with granular and fuzzy materials. This case was thought to be difficult to categorize in any known neuro-degenerative diseases. We proposed the case to be "atypical Pick's disease" with ALS features. This case might be a new entity of neuro-degenerative disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Endogenous TNF inducibility and prognosis of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: We have demonstrated that the inducibility of endogenous TNF (en-TNF) by colorectal tumor cells is a factor in predicting a patient prognosis. The prognoses of colorectal tumor patients with the K-ras gene mutations in their tumors were poorer to those of patients with the wild type gene. Therefore, we analyzed the possible relationship between the inducibility of en-TNF by colorectal tumor cells during the follow-up of patients with K-ras mutations. MATERIALS AND PATIENTS: In 62 of 154 Dukes Stage C patients who received curative operation from June 1988 to June 1997, the prognoses in terms of the tumor-free rate and survival rate were compared with the inducibility of en-TNF by colorectal tumor cells, which were classified into three groups: grade 1: > or = 500 pg/ml, grade 2: 100-500 pg/ml, and grade 3: < 100 pg/ml. Regardless of the Dukes Stage of the patients, the K-ras gene was analyzed in 21 whose colorectal tumor cells were classified as grade 1: 8, grade 2: 4, and grade 3: 9. RESULTS: The tumor-free rate of the patients with grade 1 was significantly higher than that of the patients with grade 3, and the survival period of the patients with grades 1 and 2 was significantly longer than that of the patients with grade 3. Possible mutations disorder of K-ras were observed in 37.5% (grade 1), 50.0% (grade 2), and 88.9% (grade 3) of cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prognostic value of the inducibility of en-TNF by colorectal tumor cells from colorectal cancer patients who received curative operation at Dukes Stage C was confirmed. It is suggested that K-ras mutation may affect patient prognosis through modulation of the quality and/or quantity of cytokines such as TNF produced by tumor cells.

Colorectal Neoplasms↗