Primary cancer of the fallopian tube (FTC) is among the most unusual gynecologic malignancies and rarely is diagnosed correctly before surgery. The imaging results of eight patients with FTC and four with benign tubal disease were analyzed. FTCs were small cystic or solid masses that typically were shaped like a sausage, a snail, or a gourd, regardless of clinical stage.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Characteristic alteration in the concentration of IV 3NeuAc alpha-nLc4Cer in the villi of human placenta during the gestational period.

A study on the ganglioside composition in the villi isolated from human placenta at various gestational periods was carried out by conventional procedures including thin-layer chromatography (TLC), TLC-immunostaining, negative ion fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FABMS) and exoglycosidase treatment. The major gangliosides in the villi were II3 NeuAc-LacCer (GM3) and IV3NeuAc alpha-nLc4Cer, comprising 60-70% of the total gangliosides. The concentration of IV3NeuAc alpha-nLc4Cer per gram dry weight of tissue in the villi was found to be gradually decreased from the early to the late gestational period and the molecule with 2-hydroxy fatty acids was undetectable after 20 weeks of the gestational period. However, no significant correlation between the concentration of GM3 and the gestational periods was observed. Thus the characteristic alteration in the concentration of IV3NauAc alpha-nLc4Cer in the villi might be related to various functions of human placental villi during the gestational period.

Chorionic Villi↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effective weekly docetaxel for recurrent ovarian cancer: A case report.

We experienced a case of recurrent ovarian cancer that responded to weekly docetaxel. The patient had stage IIIC ovarian cancer (poorly differentiated serous adenocarcinoma). After initial remission was achieved by chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin plus cytoreductive surgery, the disease recurred and irinotecan therapy achieved temporary remission. During maintenance therapy with oral etoposide, the disease recurred again. We then tried five courses of weekly docetaxel therapy and it successfully controlled the disease. The progression-free survival time on weekly docetaxel treatment is now 7 months and the toxicity was extremely low. This patient demonstrates the effectiveness of weekly docetaxel as salvage chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian cancer.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Blood trauma induced by clinically accepted oxygenators.

Hemolysis remains one of the most serious problems during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS). However, the hemolytic characteristics associated with oxygenators are not well defined. A specialized hemolysis test protocol for oxygenators was developed. A comparative study was performed following this protocol to determine the hemolytic characteristics of the clinically available oxygenators during CPB; pressure drop measurements in the blood chamber were also performed. Four oxygenators (Medtronic Affinity, Cobe Optima, Terumo Capiox SX25, and Bard Quantum) were evaluated. Fresh blood from healthy Dexter calves anticoagulated with citrate phosphate dextrose adenine solution was used. The blood flow was fixed at 5 L/min, similar to that used in CPB. The Normalized Index of Hemolysis for Oxygenators (NIHO) has been modified according to the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The NIH value, which was obtained from the circuit without an oxygenator, was subtracted from the primary NIH value, obtained from the circuit with an oxygenator to eliminate the effects of a centrifugal pump or other artifacts. The NIHO value was the lowest in the Affinity (0.0116 +/- 0.0017) and increased from Affinity < Optima (0.0270 +/- 0.0038) < Capiox (0.0335 +/- 0.0028) < Quantum (0.0416 +/- 0.0015 g/100 L). The Optima and Capiox did not demonstrate a significant difference. In addition, this NIHO value has a close relationship to the pressure drop. In conclusion, this new evaluation method is suitable to compare the biocompatibility performance of different types of clinically available oxygenators for CPB usage.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Operating point control system for a continuous flow artificial heart: in vitro study.

We proposed and developed a practical and effective servo control system for rotary blood pumps. A rotary blood pump for assisting the failing natural heart should be operated only in physiologically acceptable conditions. The operation of a rotary blood pump is based on the rotational speed of the impeller and pressure head. If the pump flow and the pressure head are set within an acceptable range, the driving condition is deemed normal condition, and this control system maintains the preset operating point by applying proportional and detective control (PD control). If the pump flow or pressure head is outside the acceptable range, the driving condition is determined to be abnormal condition, and this system operates the pump in a recovery fashion. If the driving condition is kept under abnormal conditions of sudden decrease of the flow, the condition is termed a suction condition. The controller releases the pump from the suction condition and later returns it to the normal condition. In this study, we evaluated these servo control modes of the centrifugal pump and confirmed whether the performance of this proposed operating point control system was practical.

Algorithms↗