Biomedical subjects

M Tokunaga

Publications and source records attributed to M Tokunaga.

329 records · Page 19Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

A case of aortic septal defect, associated with patent ductus arteriosus and aberrant right subclavian artery.

This report describes an operation, successfully performed by the authors, on an aorta septal defect (A-P Window) associated with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA). When an A-O Window is complicated by PDA and ARSA, preoperative diagnosis is often difficult. It is often mistaken for a large PDA and ARSA. Therefore at the time of operation of a large PDA and ARSA, it is necessary tao keep artificial heart-lung machine ready so that the A-P Window can be corrected at the same operation if necessary. In this case, the aortopulmonary communication was closed directly by transpulmonary approach under profound hypothermia with extracorporeal circulation after the division of ductus arteriosus and the dissection and mobilization of the stenotic esophagus from surrounding tissues of the ARSA. The division of the ARSA was not carried out, because patient was asymptomatic. The A-P Window associated with PDA and ARSA has apparently not been reported.

Ductus Arteriosus, Patent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A unique morphology of Epstein-Barr virus-related early gastric carcinoma.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) involvement in gastric cancer is demonstrated by uniform presence of viral RNA in carcinoma cells as detected by EBV-encoded small RNA in situ hybridization, monoclonal proliferation of EBV-infected carcinoma cells, and elevated antibodies. Our review of selected early gastric cancers found that 46 of 49 EBV-positive lesions (94%) but only four of 97 EBV-negative lesions (4%) conformed to a unique morphology, in which carcinoma cells formed lace patterns of branching and/or anastomosing structures with lymphocytic infiltration in and around the carcinoma nests in the mucosa. We conclude that EBV-related gastric carcinoma has a distinct and characteristic morphology in the early stage of development, and this lace pattern is a biomarker of EBV involvement in early gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Histologic observation of the ductus arteriosus in premature infants with intrauterine growth retardation.

The ductus arteriosus of 19 premature infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (study group) was compared histologically with that of 22 infants without IUGR (control group). The two groups exhibited no significant differences in gestational age, age at death, and frequency of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Maternal complications, that is, pregnancy-induced hypertension, cesarean section, and low umbilical artery oxygen tension values, were seen more frequently (p < 0.01) in the study group than in the control group. The histologic changes of ductus arteriosus, such as fragmentation, coagulation necrosis of the intimal elastic lamina, hemorrhage with necrosis, and loosening of elastic fibers and muscles in the tunica media, were seen more frequently in the study group. These findings are suggestive of both the maturation process and the prenatal hypoxic response of premature IUGR fetuses with chronic hypoxia. These changes may have produced subsequent patent ductus arteriosus, which in turn may have induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

Ductus Arteriosus↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Expression of decorin mRNA in the skin of patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is an intractable disease developing into severe myelopathy and often accompanied by ossification of several other spinal ligaments and articular ligaments. Therefore, it is highly probable that predisposition to systemic ossification underlies the onset of this disease. Terayama et al(1981) reported that the nuchal skin of OPLL patients tended to be tougher than that of healthy individuals. Decorin is a component of the extracellular matrix which antagonistically regulates the action of Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Imamura et al(1995) demonstrated immunohistochemically that decorin increased in the epidermis of the nuchal skin of OPLL patients. This suggests an abnormal expression of the extracellular matrix in the skin of OPLL patients. In the present study, in situ hybridization with non-radioactive synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide probes revealed an enhanced expression of decorin mRNA in the epidermal keratinocytes of OPLL patients. The increased expression of decorin mRNA in the epidermis of OPLL patients may be interpreted as reflecting abnormalities of the matrix associated with ossification of the ligaments. Studies on the role of decorin in ossification will contribute to clarification of the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of OPLL.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Alterations of benzodiazepine receptor binding potential in anxiety and somatoform disorders measured by 123I-iomazenil SPECT.

123I-iomazenil (IMZ), a newly developed radioligand which acts on benzodiazepine receptors (BZR) as a partial inverse agonist, made it possible to evaluate the function of central BZR by single photon emission tomography (SPECT). To examine the alterations of the binding potential (BP) in the anxiety state, 123I-IMZ SPECT was performed in five patients with anxiety and somatoform disorders, and five epileptic patients without anxiety symptoms served as a reference. The BP of BZR was determined by using a table look-up procedure based on a three-compartment, two-parameter model in the bilateral superior frontal, inferior frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, and cerebellar cortex. The mean BP of patients with anxiety and somatoform disorders was significantly decreased in the superior frontal, temporal, and parietal cortex, in comparison with that of epileptic patients. A significant correlation was observed between the anxiety levels scored on the Hamilton anxiety scale and BP in the right temporal cortex and left superior frontal cortex. These changes in BZR revealed by SPECT suggest the usefulness of 123I-IMZ SPECT to objectively evaluate anxiety levels in patients with anxiety symptoms.

Adult↗