A 5-year-old girl with isolated congenital left pulmonary artery agenesis suffered from recurrent attacks of dyspnea and right-sided pneumonia due to the stenosis of the right main bronchus. The division of ligamentum of the ductus arteriosus and suspension of the right pulmonary artery resulted in the disappearance of symptoms. It is notable that the compression of contralateral bronchus by the remaining pulmonary artery can cause respiratory symptoms in patients with isolated unilateral pulmonary artery agenesis.

Asthma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Peripancreatic arteries in thin-section multislice helical CT.

BACKGROUND: The normal and pathologic anatomies of the peripancreatic arteries were demonstrated using thin-section multislice computed tomography (CT). METHODS: Triple-phase dynamic CT was performed in 304 consecutive patients without pancreatic pathology and in 22 patients with pancreatic carcinoma. CT angiographies images (2.5-mm collimation, multihelical pitch 3, HQ mode) and a 1.25-mm reconstruction interval were obtained with a GE Lightspeed Qx/i at 25, 40, and 80 s after bolus injection of 130-150 mL of iodinated contrast medium at a rate of 3-5 mL/s. The images were assessed mainly by the manual cine paging method. RESULTS: The anterior and posterior arcades and the dorsal pancreatic artery were frequently visualized. However, small-caliber arteries smaller than 1.5 mm in diameter, such as the pancreaticomagna, caudal pancreatic, and transverse pancreatic arteries, were infrequently visualized. In some cases, the peripancreatic arteries were very useful for differentiating the origin of tumors. CONCLUSION: Multislice helical CT enables the recognition of small peripancreatic arteries, and evaluation of these arteries should be considered when assessing tumors in the pancreaticoduodenal region.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Re: Treatment of early TIPS occlusion with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-covered zigzag stent.

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Graft Occlusion, Vascular↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cyclin D1 overexpression in invasive breast cancers: correlation with cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and oestrogen receptor overexpression, and lack of correlation with mitotic activity.

BACKGROUND: Cyclin D1 (CCND1) and its catalytic partner cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (cdk4) are known to play important roles in the G1/S check point of the cell cycle, and CCND1 overexpression has been reported to correlate with progression and prognosis of breast cancers. Oestrogen receptor (ER) levels determine the proliferative response to oestrogen by regulating binding. It has been postulated that CCNDI and cdk4 exert effects on mammary carcinogenesis in co-operation with ER. PATIENTS AND METHODS: CCND1 and cdk4 overexpression in 117 breast cancer cases with long-term follow-up were investigated by means of immunohistochemistry and differential polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples, and compared with ER status and mitotic indices. Additional Western blotting and reverse transcription (RT)/PCR/Southern blot hybridization were performed for 4 breast cancer cell lines and 15 fresh-frozen breast cancer samples to confirm CCND1 and cdk4 data. RESULTS: Immunohistochemically 27 cases were CCND1-positive (23.0%), and CCND1 amplification was evident in 21 (21/86; 24.4%). The two methods in combination demonstrated 37 cases (31.6%) to be positive for CCND1 overexpression. Western blotting revealed 60% of samples of fresh tissue to overexpress CCND1, corresponding well with the results of RT-PCR. There was thus a strong discrepancy between results for paraffin block and fresh samples, probably because of the short life of CCND1. In the case of cdk4, the respective percentages for positive cases were 54.7% and 73%. CCND1 and cdk4 overexpression (P < 0.0001), and CCND1 and ER positivity (P = 0.0128) correlated. In addition, samples overexpressing CCND1, cdk4 and ER tended to have slightly lower proliferative activity than samples where these were absent. However, no association with clinicopathological parameters was evident. cdk4 overexpression had no linkage with ER status or clinicopathological status. Neither CCND1 nor cdk4 expression affected prognosis. CONCLUSION: CCND1 overexpression does not correlate with cancer progression or prognosis or with mitotic activity. The results may suggest that an excess accumulation of CCND1 in breast cancer cells tends to suppress entry into the S phase of the cell cycle.

Blotting, Western↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Gene expressions of cholecystokinin (CCK) and CCK receptors, and its satiety effect in young and old male rats.

Cholecystokinin (CCK), one of the first discovered gastrointestinal hormones, which stimulates pancreatic enzyme secretion and induces gallbladder contraction, is one of the most abundant neurotransmitter peptides in the brain and is implicated in satiety via CCK-A receptors. We compared the suppressive effect of central administration of CCK on food intake in young and old rats. The suppressive effect on food intake was enhanced in old rats. To examine the mechanism of this enhanced suppression, we measured the mRNA levels of CCK, CCK-A and CCK-B receptors in the cerebral cortex and the hypothalamus of young and old male rats. The mRNA level of CCK-A receptors in the hypothalamus decreased with age, whereas the mRNA levels of CCK-B receptors in the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex did not. The mRNA level of CCK in the cerebral cortex decreased significantly in old rats, although the decrease in the hypothalamus was not significant. Therefore, the enhanced sensitivity to CCK of old rats could not be explained by changes in gene expressions of CCK and CCK receptors. Moreover, the effects of aging on the gene expressions of CCK-A and CCK-B receptors were different.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Sex difference in gene expressions of cholecystokinin (CCK) and CCK receptor in young and old rats.

The gene expressions of cholecystokinin (CCK) in the proximal small intestinal mucosa and CCK-A receptor in the pancreas were examined in male and female young (4-8 months old) and old (26-29 months old) rats. Their concentrations of CCK in the intestine were also compared. In males, but not in females, the mRNA levels of CCK in the intestine and those of the CCK-A receptor in the pancreas were significantly lower in old than young rats. In females, but not in males, the tissue content of CCK in the proximal intestinal mucosa was significantly higher in old rats. The pancreatic wet weight and trypsin activity in the proximal lumen were similar in young and old rats of both sexes. Therefore, changes in the regulations of gene expressions of CCK and the CCK receptor with age differ in male and female rats.

Journal Article↗