Acute unilateral hydrocephalus caused by a small intracerebral hemorrhage obstructing the foramen of Monro.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Tabuchi.
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We described a patient presenting with apnea attacks due to an unilateral small infarction in the right medulla oblongata. The patient was a 55-year-old man and was referred to our hospital because of severe headache and progressive left hemiparesis. Neurological examinations revealed left hemiparesis and the impairment of pain, touch, temperature and vibration sense in the left side of his body. Position sense was normal. Cranial nerves were intact including the trigeminal nerve. Ataxia was not noted. After an admission, the patient suffered from three episodes of apnea attack of sudden onset followed by cardiac arrest and convulsion. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a clearly circumscribed small oblique lesion situated in the caudal lateral tegmental portion to the rostral ventromedial part of right medulla oblongata . The right vertebral artery was not visualized by magnetic resonance angiography. Serial computed tomography scans failed to identify this small lesion. We conclude that apnea attack in the present patient represents a central type apnea caused by the unilateral damage of the respiratory center in the medulla oblongata.
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Many studies have shown that activin/EDF mediates local physiological events at various sites. In this study, the authors confirmed the presence of activin in mouse serum by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) monitored by a specific bioassay. The retention time of the active fraction in HPLC was identical to that of authentic activin A, and the activity was neutralized by follistatin. That the serum activin levels in ovariectomized and aged mice were decreased suggests that the serum activin was generated partly by ovary (35%), but also by extragonadal organs. Activin and inhibin are structurally closely related, and both are involved in many physiological processes including control of follicle stimulating hormone secretion by the pituitary. The regulation of serum activin, however, appeared to differ from that of inhibin.
Activin A/erythroid differentiation factor (EDF) is a human protein that induces differentiation of a murine erythroleukemia cell (the Friend cell). In this study, we demonstrate that endogenous activin A/EDF activity is present in murine bone marrow and spleen. In addition, this activity is secreted by bone marrow and spleen cells in primary culture. Administration of follistatin (a specific binding protein for activin A/EDF) to mice results in a decrease of erythroid progenitors in the bone marrow and spleen. These findings support the concept that activin A/EDF and follistatin have opposing actions in the regulation of erythropoiesis.
Activin A/EDF, initially found as a differentiation inducer of murine Friend erythroleukemia, also has a stimulatory effect on erythropoiesis in vitro and in vivo. Here we proved activin A/EDF activity in human serum. The activin A/EDF level in 18 normal human serum samples was measured by a specific bioassay and was found to be 8.3 +/- 4.6 ng/ml, indicating that there exists sufficient activity to affect erythropoiesis in normal serum. In contrast, activin A/EDF activity was reduced in the chronic renal failure patients and 23/26 serum samples examined showed levels below 1.2 ng/ml. Further analysis using HPLC revealed that chronic renal failure serum actually contained as much activin A/EDF as normal serum, and that the difference between normal and patient serum existed in the content of a specific inhibitor of activin A/EDF. This observation suggests the possibility that the inhibitor is participating in the regulation of activin A/EDF activity in vivo in chronic renal failure patients and also the possibility of activin A/EDF could be utilized in the therapy of the anemia of such patients.
A 69-year-old woman was diagnosed as having hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with liver cirrhosis in October, 1984 and treated by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). In June, 1990 she was found to have a huge mass in the left hypochondrium which ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) scan revealed to be a lett adrenal mass. A 99mTc pyridoxyl-5-methyl tryptophan (99mTC-PMT) hepatobiliary scintigraphy was positive and confirmed metastatic HCC. Although the adrenal mass was large, the HCC itself was controlled well with TAE. The adrenal mass was removed surgically in July, 1990 and the histological findings were compatible with HCC metastasized to the adrenal gland.
To determine the effect of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) on vascular and neurologic outcomes, we enrolled 31 patients with acute carotid artery-territory ischemic stroke within 6 hours from symptom onset in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. We gave either rt-PA (duteplase at the dose of 20 or 30 mega-international units [MIU]) or placebo intravenously for 60 minutes in patients randomly assigned to the three groups. A comparison between the baseline and postinfusion angiograms showed that complete or partial reperfusion occurred in 50% (5/10) of patients treated with 30 MIU rt-PA, 44% (4/9) of those treated with 20 MIU rt-PA, and 17% (2/12) in the control group. In patients with middle cerebral artery occlusions, reperfusion occurred in 71% (5/7) of the 30-MIU group, in 67% (4/6) of the 20-MIU group, and in 13% (1/8) of the control group. Patients treated with 30 MIU rt-PA showed a significantly early and better clinical improvement, as measured by the neurologic scale, than did those treated with placebo. Parenchymal hemorrhage occurred in one patient in each group, and frequency of clinically insignificant hemorrhagic infarction was comparable among the treatment groups. No major systemic complications occurred in any group. These results support the efficacy of intravenous infusion of rt-PA soon after the onset of stroke in producing rapid thrombolysis and neurologic recovery; it may be of particular value in patients with thromboembolic occlusion in the middle cerebral artery.
We reported here a patient of moyamoya-like disease with repetitive limb-shaking TIAs on drinking. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was quantified with and without drinking by single photon emission computed tomography with intravenously injected N-isopropyl-p-(I-123) iodoamphetamine (IMP). RCBF was reduced by alcohol ingestion. We speculated that homodynamic TIAs might be caused by impaired autoregulation in the region of the left carotid artery.
A 31-year-old woman with a history of suspected optic neuritis was admitted with weakness of right-sided extremities and confusion. On admission general physical examination revealed no abnormality. Neurological examination revealed central facial palsy, mild hemiparesis and hemisensory deficit on the right side. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed monocytosis of 29 cells, protein of 82 mg/dl, glucose of 62 mg/dl and myelin basic protein of 6.8 ng/ml. No oligoclonal bands were seen. X-ray computed tomographic (CT) scans showed multiple homogeneous contrast-enhancing lesions in the white matter of bilateral parietal lobes without distinct edema or mass effect. Follow-up CT scans showed ring-enhanced lesions. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed multiple Gadolinium-enhanced lesions. Additionally, 123I-IMP SPECT [Gamma view-SPCT 2000 H-20 (Hitachi Co.)] was performed at 30 minutes and 5 hours after intravenous administration of IMP (3 mCi). It showed high IMP uptake corresponding to the CT and MRI lesions. Cerebral angiography was considered to be normal. Other laboratory findings were within normal limits. A biopsy was performed. Histological examination showed spongiosis, gliosis and perivascular cuffing. The histological diagnosis was acute demyelinating disease. After therapy with methylprednisolone, she improved gradually. Enhanced lesions in CT and MRI may correspond to active demyelination at acute MS. High uptake of SPECT may also appear in acute stage, although it has not been reported. We should perform neuro-imaging studies including SPECT on acute MS.
Intermittent intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy using implantable reservoir was performed for hepatic metastases and the therapeutic effects were evaluated. We treated 21 patients with hepatic metastases of gastric cancer in 8 cases, rectal cancer in 6 cases, colon cancer in 5 cases and breast cancer in 2 cases. The reduction rate of the tumor diameter as seen by CT scan was used as a criteria for antitumor effectiveness. Only 1 case was PR, for an efficacy rate of 5%. Changes in serum CEA level were related to antitumor effectiveness.
CV-3988 and CV-6209 inhibited gastric erosions in rats due to water-immersion and restraint stress in a dose-dependent manner. The above inhibitory effects of CV-3988 were observed in the presence of indomethacin, which may indicate that the inhibition is not prostaglandin dependent. The studies indicate that platelet-activating factor may be involved in the formation of erosions in rats under water-immersion and restraint stress.
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A mentally-retarded 21-year-old female with narrowing of the visual field was admitted to our hospital because of dystonia in the body and extremities which appeared 6 months before and was gradually exacerbating. On admission, torsion dystonia, pyramidal tract sign, and retinitis pigmentosa with optic atrophy, urinary incontinence, hyperhidrosis and insomnia were noted. On the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, she achieved less than 60 for verbal-IQ. Laboratory tests including serum copper and ceruloplasmin, were all normal. A computed tomography of the brain showed small hyperdense spot in the globus pallidus on the both sides. There was neither cortical atropy nor ventricular dilatation. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging was obtained using both moderate-field (0.5 Tesla) and high-field (1.5 Tesla) superconducting MR systems. T2-weighted spin echo images demonstrated markedly decreased signal intensity area restricted in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra on both system. Moreover, in the center of the globus pallidus, a small high signal spot was seen ("eye-of the-tiger" sign coined by Sethi et al). There was no abnormal signal in the putamen, caudate nucleus, red nucleus, and dentate nucleus. On the other hand, T1-weighted inversion recovery images were not remarkable. These striking low attenuation on T2-weighted findings suggests an increased iron deposition limited to the globus pallidus and substantia nigra which is characteristic of Hallervorden-Spatz disease/syndrome (H-S). Moreover, "eye-of-the-tiger" sign on T2-weighted MR images in the globus pallidus is previously described in H-S.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The in vivo effect of human EDF on erythroid precursors (CFU-E and BFU-E) was investigated in normal and bled mice. In anemic (bled) mice, EDF treatment led to significant dose-dependent rises in the CFU-E and BFU-E levels of bone marrow. An elevation in the level of CFU-E was also seen in the spleen. In normal mice, a significant elevation in the level of bone marrow BFU-E was observed. Thus, EDF has an effect on erythropoiesis in anemic and normal mice in vivo.
Effects of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on insulin secretion were studied in rat pancreatic islets. When islets were incubated in a batch incubation system with various concentrations of TGF-beta in the presence of 2.8 mM glucose, TGF- beta increased insulin release in a concentration-dependent manner. Both TGF- beta 1 and TGF- beta 2 were equally effective. The stimulatory action of TGF- beta was greater in the presence of stimulatory concentration of glucose. In perifusion system, TGF- beta induced an immediate monotonic increase in insulin secretion. These results indicate that TGF- beta is a stimulator of insulin secretion.
In general the 123I-IMP SPECT image of a brain tumor is visualized as a defect. Tumor cases with high IMP uptake have been rarely reported. We encountered a case of primary malignant lymphoma of the brain with high IMP uptake on both early and late scans corresponding to the CT lesions. Previously reported positive cases seemed to be confined to the early scan. For the present the exact behaviour of IMP is incompletely understood, but the mechanism of high uptake has been accounted for by increased extraction and increased amine receptors at the tumor sites. We need further information to establish whether these SPECT findings are specific for primary malignant lymphoma of the brain.
The present study was conducted to examine an action of activin A on insulin secretion from rat pancreatic islets. In a batch incubation system, activin A stimulated insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations higher than 1 nM. Furthermore, activin A greatly potentiated glucose-induced insulin release. When islets were perifused with 1 nM activin A, insulin secretion was barely affected in this system. However, the insulin response to 16.7 mM glucose was greatly enhanced. Both the first and second phases of insulin response were enhanced by 1 nM activin A. These results indicate that, in addition to its known actions on pituitary-gonadal and hematopoietic systems, activin A modulates the function of pancreatic islets and stimulates insulin secretion.