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Biomedical subjects

M Usui

Publications and source records attributed to M Usui.

406 records · Page 23Linked to original sources

Ciclosporin microemulsion preconcentrate treatment of patients with Behçet's disease.

PURPOSE: The new microemulsion preconcentrate (MEPC) formulation of ciclosporin has been developed to reduce problems in intestinal absorption and to stabilize fluctuations in blood levels. A multicenter, open-label clinical trial of MEPC was conducted to assess its efficacy and safety in Behçet's disease patients with ocular involvement. METHODS: The patient population comprised 17 de novo patients (patients not previously treated with ciclosporin in the currently available formulation) and 30 patients whose ciclosporin formulation was switched from the conventional formulation to MEPC. The patients were treated with the test formulation for 16 weeks in the former (de novo) group and for 12 weeks in the latter (switched) group. RESULTS: In the de novo group, ocular attacks decreased significantly as compared to the pretreatment incidence in 11 of the 14 patients (78.6%) evaluated after MEPC therapy. Ocular attacks also decreased significantly in the switched group. In the de novo group, visual acuity improved with MEPC therapy in 20 of the 28 eyes (71.4%) examined, and the overall efficacy evaluation was "improved" or "markedly improved" in 13 of the 16 patients evaluated (81.3%). The one case each of onset of neuro-Behçet's disease and intestinal Behçet's disease observed in the de novo group were regarded as adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that ciclosporin MEPC is useful for controlling the ocular symptoms of Behçet's disease, and that it can be used as effectively and safely as the conventional formulation.

Adult↗

Three-dimensional corrective osteotomy for treatment of cubitus varus after supracondylar fracture of the humerus in children.

Cubitus varus deformity after supracondylar fracture of the humerus in children generally includes deformities of varus, hyperextension, and internal rotation. Presently almost all corrective osteotomies for treatment of cubitus varus deformity have been limited to correction of only the varus or of the varus and hyperextension deformity. Electromyographic study and stick picture motion analysis have revealed unphysiological joint motion and muscle activity around the joint in elbows with cubitus varus, hyperextension, and internal rotation deformity. On this basis we have successfully attempted simultaneous correction of all three deformities. The end results in 41 elbows have been satisfactory. In conclusion, we recommend simultaneous correction of the three elements of cubitus varus deformity to restore anatomic alignment of the elbow joint.

Adolescent↗

Intra-articular osteochondroma of the ankle joint.

Intra-articular osteochondroma is a rare entity that appears as a single giant osteocartilaginous loose body in a joint cavity. The few reported cases of intra-articular osteochondroma have occurred in the knee joint. We report the case of a large osteochondral loose body in the ankle joint of a 10-year old girl and discuss the origin of the osteochondral tumor.

Ankle Joint↗

Steroid sensitivity and postoperative course of seven patients with Behçet's disease.

Systemic administration of steroids to patients with Behçet's disease in Japan is often followed by a worsening in ocular symptoms. The sensitivity of 7 patients with Behçet's disease to steroids which were administered during and after intraocular surgery was therefore measured, and their postoperative course was reviewed. Three of the 7 showed a low steroid sensitivity, and the frequency of postoperative inflammatory episodes and the intraocular pressure were both higher for this group than for the 4 who showed high steroid sensitivity.

Adult↗

A preliminary report of neoadjuvant chemotherapy NSH-7 study in osteosarcoma: preoperative salvage chemotherapy based on clinical tumor response and the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Eleven patients with high-grade osteosarcoma of an extremity were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with NSH-7 protocol. NSH-7 is a refinement of the T-12 Rosen protocol. Preoperative chemotherapy is initiated with a doxorubicin (ADM) and high-dose methotrexate combination. If the primary tumor progresses after the first cycle, the preoperative chemotherapy is switched to a combination of cisplatin and ADM. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was selected based on histological response of the primary tumor. In addition, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was used to prevent leukocytopenia and to increase the dose intensity of the chemotherapy. In 1 patient, preoperative chemotherapy was switched to salvage treatment. Of the 156 courses given, there were 10 delays and 4 dose reductions. Leukocytopenia accounted for only 1 delay. All 11 patients completed the chemotherapy and 5 patients were fully able to tolerate the protocol without delay or dose reduction. Nine patients remained alive and continuously free of disease at an average follow-up of 35 months. The rate of continuous disease-free survival at 3 years was 81%, which was significantly better than that of the T-12 study of our group. These observations suggest that the NSH-7 protocol is a safe and effective treatment regimen for osteosarcoma.

Adolescent↗

Identification and quantitative analysis of hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids in rat brains exposed to regional ischemia.

To clarify possible roles in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain edema, identification and quantitative analysis of hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) in rat brains exposed to middle cerebral artery occlusion were carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography. Rat brain sampling was done by in situ freezing 24 and 72 hours after occlusion. Only a small amount of 15-HETE was found in control rat brains. Twenty-four hours after ischemia, 11-HETE appeared, and the amount of 15-HETE tended to increase. Seventy-two hours after ischemia, when brain edema reached its maximum, 5-, 8-, 9-, 11-, 12-, and 15-HETEs were identified, and the amounts of all HETEs except 8- and 12-HETE were significantly increased. The detection of 5-HETE in ischemic rat brain indicates the simultaneous production of leukotrienes in the same brain area. The above results support the view that lipoxygenase products may play significant roles in the formation of ischemic brain edema.

Animals↗

Two cases of Reiter's syndrome.

Two characteristic cases of Reiter's syndrome are reported. One (case T.M) was a 64-year-old female with ulcerative colitis and the other (case O.M) was a 20-year-old male with serum antistreptococcal lysine O (ASLO) and antistreptokinase (ASK) titers of 480x and 2560x, respectively. These cases were both histocompatibility antigen HLA-B27 positive. The ulcerative colitis and iritis were inactive in case T.M. However, case O.M required aggressive treatment for fever and arthralgia. These patients have recently shown no evidence of Reiter's syndrome; however, case T.M has had recurrent bowel hemorrhages due to ulcerative colitis.

Adult↗

An in vitro method for testing the sensitivities to drugs of human osteosarcomas grafted onto nude mice.

Sensitivities to anticancer drugs were tested with cultured cells from six osteosarcomas transplanted onto nude mice and those of six human osteosarcomas cultured in vitro directly from the original tumor. The suppression by the anticancer drugs of 3H-TdR incorporation into the cultured cells was examined. The cells that had been grafted onto nude mice were highly sensitive to ADM and MMC and less sensitive to BLM and MTX in all of the tumors tested. Similar results were obtained with cells cultured directly in vitro from the original tumor. These results were somewhat comparable with those achieved by measuring cell survival and the success of back transplants onto nude mice after treatment with drugs. If further information on appropriate labeled precursors can be developed, testing the sensitivity of tumors to drugs by measuring the suppression of nucleic acid synthesis should prove useful in clinical applications.

Animals↗