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Biomedical subjects

S Kawakami

Publications and source records attributed to S Kawakami.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Correlation between salpingoscopic score and subsequent pregnancy outcome in patients with tubal infertility.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the efficacy of the salpingoscopic scoring system of tubal function. METHODS: Twenty-seven infertile patients, including 10 patients with proximal tubal occlusion, 12 with endometriosis and 5 with inflammatory hydrosalpinx, were studied. All 54 tubes were examined using a 0.5-mm-diameter salpingoscope and scored. RESULTS: The mean scores for patients with proximal tubal occlusion, endometriosis, and inflammation were 18.6 +/- 2.0, 15.6 +/- 0.7, and 20.8 +/- 3.4, respectively. Eight patients (29.6%) conceived; their mean tubal score was 12.6 +/- 0.5 (12-16). Nineteen patients did not conceive, and their mean score was 18.8 +/- 1.4 (12-31). There was a significant difference between these two scores (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Scoring of the tubes by salpingoscopic examination is useful for evaluating tubal function with regard to prediction of pregnancy and also for selecting IVF or tubal reconstructive surgery as the preliminary treatment.

Endoscopy↗
PubMed1997

Rheological study of the dynamic process of fibrinolysis.

The dynamic process of fibrinolysis induced by tissue plasminogen activator was examined using a rheological technique. Change in a rheological parameter (logarithmic damping factor) of whole blood and platelet-free plasma during fibrinolysis was largely dependent on the initial concentration of tissue plasminogen activator. Addition of activated partial prothrombin time reagent allowed determination of the time both of onset and end of fibrinolysis without affecting the coagulation process. The changes in the clot structure of fibrin during fibrinolysis were observed with a scanning electron microscope and compared with the time-dependent behavior of the logarithmic damping factor. Differences in the logarithmic damping factor during fibrinolysis were evident in alteration of the network structure of clots. It will be shown that the present rheological technique is useful for examining the concentration dependence of fibrinolytic reagent on fibrinolysis as well as for monitoring the dynamic process of fibrinolysis.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin enhances production and secretion of type IV collagenases in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Intravesical administration of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is an effective and widely accepted treatment for superficial bladder cancer. Rapid progression of the disease after BCG therapy, however, has been reported in some cases refractory to the treatment. We examined whether BCG treatment and coexistence of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) alter the invasive potential of bladder cancer cells. Production and secretion of two type IV collagenases, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 and MMP 9, by PBMCs from five healthy donors or bladder cancer cells (T24, JTC 30, and JTC 32) were evaluated by gelatin zymography, western blot analysis, and northern blot analysis. Invasion of bladder cancer cells was also examined using reconstituted basement membrane (Matrigel). BCG (5, 50, and 500 micrograms/ml) had no effect on secretion of MMP 2 and MMP 9 by bladder cancer cells, but increased the production and secretion of MMP 9 by PBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. The coexistence of PBMCs increased invasion of T24 cells and BCG further enhanced the invasion. Thus, BCG promotes invasion of bladder cancer cells under certain conditions. An increase in the secretion of MMP 9 by PBMCs may account in part for the effect.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1997

In-situ ocular absorption of ophthalmic beta-blockers through ocular membranes in albino rabbits.

Ocular membranes have been characterized by in-situ absorption of the ophthalmic beta-blockers carteolol (hydrophilic) and timolol and befunolol (lipophilic) using a cylindrical cell. After introduction of drug solution into the cell on the cornea, sclera (bulbar conjunctival and scleral layer) or palpebral conjunctiva, the disappearance of the drug from the cell was determined as in-situ absorption. The ophthalmic drugs disappeared from the conjunctival and scleral membranes although disappearance from the cornea was hardly observed. The conjunctival membrane showed the highest permeability. Lipophilic drugs were more permeable than hydrophilic. In-situ apparent permeability coefficients of the ophthalmic drugs through the conjunctiva and sclera correlated with the lipophilicity of drugs. A high drug concentration in the aqueous humor was observed after corneal application. There is a relationship between concentration in the aqueous humor was observed after corneal application. There is a relationship between concentrations of drugs in the aqueous humor and previously reported in-vitro apparent permeability coefficients of the drugs in the cornea. This in-situ method using a cylindrical cell is a useful method of investigating the ocular absorption of ophthalmic drugs.

Absorption↗
PubMed1997

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms associated with prostate cancer in 312 consecutive cases.

The relative risk for a second primary cancer after the diagnosis of prostate cancer and the prognostic impact of the association of multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMNs) in patients with prostate cancer were analyzed in a retrospective study. The development of MPMNs was examined in 312 consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1966 and 1992. The population-based cancer incidence rates in Japan were utilized to calculate the expected number of MPMNs. Of the 312 patients, 60 fulfilled the diagnosis of MPMNs. In 13 men, prostate cancer and other malignancies were diagnosed simultaneously. In 35 of the 312 patients, prostate cancer was the second or third cancer diagnosis. In the remaining 287 patients, prostate cancer developed initially. Of the 287 patients, 12 developed a second primary malignancy compared with 17 expected (relative risk 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.45-1.4). No single anatomic site showed a significantly increased risk above that expected either. The overall survival of patients with prostate cancer was not reduced by the association with MPMNs. This may be explained by the fact that the stage of the prostate cancer was lower in patients with MPMNs than in patients without MPMNs.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

Stronger suppression of serum testosterone and FSH levels by a synthetic estrogen than by castration or an LH-RH agonist.

Serum levels of LH, FSH and testosterone (T) were measured by radioimmunoassays in 36 patients with advanced prostate cancer before and during androgen ablation therapies. Both leuprolide acetate (LH-RH agonist: LHRH-A) and diethylstilbestrol diphosphate (DES-DP) administration decreased serum LH significantly to an undetectable level (LHRH-A: P < 0.01, DES-DP: P < 0.05). LHRH-A and DES-DP diminished serum FSH to 20% of the pre-treatment level (P < 0.005) and to an undetectable level (P < 0.001), respectively. LHRH-A and DES-DP decreased serum T to the castration level and an undetectable level, respectively (P < 0.001). Serum levels of the same 3 hormones before and after DES-DP administration were measured in 8 patients who received DES-DP after LHRH-A treatment or castration because of relapse of the disease. DES-DP lowered serum FSH further than LHRH-A to an undetectable level (P < 0.005) and diminished T further than previous treatments to an undetectable level (P < 0.05 vs. LHRH-A, P < 0.01 vs. castration). These results suggest that 1) DES-DP is able to reduce T production from extra-testicular site(s), and achieve the minimal serum T level, and 2) this DES-DP action appears to be one of the mechanisms of the effectiveness of the estrogen on refractory prostate cancer after castration or LHRH-A. In addition, basal (independent of LH-RH) FSH secretion in elderly men is about 20% of total FSH secretion and DES-DP inhibits the basal FSH secretion at the level of the pituitary.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

[Study of directional differences on static and stress urethral pressure profiles of female urethra].

PURPOSE: We investigated the female continence mechanisms by comparing directional differences of static and stress urethral pressure profiles (UPP) in urinary continent females with those in stress incontinent females. Also, the mechanisms of bladder neck suspension were investigated by comparing directional differences of UPP pre- and post-operatively. METHODS: UPP at rest and under stress were recorded by means of double lumens microtip transducer catheter in 21 females without urinary incontinence (normal group) and 38 females with stress urinary incontinence (SUI group). And UPP were recorded pre- and postoperatively in 19-females of SUI group who had surgical cure of SUI (ope group). These measurements were performed on the urethral directions (anterior-direction of symphysis pubis, lateral and posterior) to which the pressure sensor in the catheter were pointed. Pressure transmission ratios (PTR) were calculated in each quartile dividing functional urethral length (FUL) into four equal lengths. We compared the parameters (the maximum urethral closure pressure = MUCP, FUL and PTR) when the sensor lies at the anterior, lateral and posterior direction in each group. The parameters in normal group were compared with those in SUI group in each direction and those in ope group were, compared pre- and postoperatively. RESULTS: In all groups, MUCP is always highest in the anterior direction but FUL shows no differences in the three directions. In all directions, MUCP and FUI are higher in the normal group than in the SUI group and there is no significant change in MUCP and FUL following successful bladder neck suspension. In the normal group, PTR of anterior, lateral and posterior urethra were approximately equal, but SUI group patients demonstrated significantly decreased PTR in the lateral and posterior urethra in comparison with PTR observed in the anterior urethra. Also, PTR of the anterior urethra in the SUI group approximates that in the normal group but PTR of the lateral and posterior urethra are lower in the SUI group than in the normal group. In the ope group, in the proximal three-quarters of the FUL, PTR in the lateral and posterior urethra approximated to those in the anterior urethra postoperatively. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that urethral support is destructed in the SUI group as mentioned in DeLancey's hammock hypothesis and lateral and posterior weakness were corrected by bladder neck suspension. Bladder neck suspension restored the continence by constructing posterior support of urethra as the substitution for destructed urethral support.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

[Endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the prostate: a case report].

A 69-year-old man was referred to our department with gross hematuria. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed the tumor directly invading the rectum. Biopsy of the tumor by transurethral resection demonstrated endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level was normal. Because the tumor did not respond to hormonal therapy for a month, radical prostatectomy combined with rectal amputation was performed. Immunohistochemically, carcinoembryonic antigen was detected but PSA and prostatic acid phosphatase were not.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

[Metastatic tumor of spermatic cord and tunica vaginalis testis from gastric cancer: a case report].

A 62-year-old man with advanced gastric cancer was admitted with a swelling of the left scrotum. He had undergone subtotal and total gastrectomies 10 and 5 years earlier, respectively. A hard mass was palpated along the left spermatic cord associated with hydrocele testis. A left high orhiectomy was performed. Multiple small nodules were noted on the surface of the tunica vaginalis. Also, a tumor in the spermatic cord was present at the level of the internal inguinal ring, protruding into the peritoneal cavity and adherent to the colon. Peritonitis carcinomatosa was recognized. Histopathological diagnosis was tubular adenocarcinoma showing extensive vascular invasion, consistent with a metastasis from gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

Prognostic significance of prostate-specific antigen levels two months after hormonal manipulation of metastatic prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prognostic significance of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels before and during therapy in patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate receiving hormonal manipulation. METHODS: The PSA levels before and during treatment, together with various clinicopathological parameters, were measured retrospectively in 48 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer. The prognostic importance of these measurements was analyzed by both univariate and multivariate techniques. RESULTS: PSA levels 2 months after treatment were the most useful predictors of progression-free (p = 0.004) or cause-specific survival (p = 0.006) in a multivariate Cox proportional-hazard model including histologic grade, age, performance status and pretreatment hemoglobin. CONCLUSIONS: We have found that a low PSA level 2 months after treatment is prognostically superior to conventional clinicopathological parameters, such as histologic grade, in patients with metastatic prostate cancer undergoing treatment by hormonal manipulation.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

[The in vitro antifungal activities of fluconazole against pathogenic yeasts recently isolated from clinical specimens].

The emergence of Candida albicans resistance to azole antifungal agents have been reported in the U. S. and Europe. We examined the in vitro antifungal activities of fluconazole against clinical isolates collected by seven investigators in three years to examine if a tendency existed toward the development of azole-resistance among fungal isolates in Japan. The following results were obtained: 1. Sensitivities to fluconazole (FLCZ) were determined for yeast-like fungi, including 113 strains isolated in 1993, 149 strains isolated in 1994 and 205 strains isolated in 1995. No significant differences in sensitivities in the three years were detected. 2. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of FLCZ were 0.1-0.78 microgram/ml for C. albicans and 3.13-25 micrograms/ml for C. glabrata. Strains with 25 micrograms/ml of FLCZ's MIC were detected; two strains of C. krusei and one strain each of C. krusei, Trichospron beigelii and Hansenula anomala. No strains with higher than 50 micrograms/ml MIC of FLCZ were detected. 3. In vitro activities of FLCZ were compared between clinical strains isolated between 1993 and 1995 and clinical strains isolated before the marketing of FLCZ (up to December 1987) or clinical yeasts isolated between 1991 and 1992. No significant differences were observed, suggesting that no tendency existed toward azole resistance among fungal strains examined.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1997

[Small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder: a case report and review of the Japanese literature].

A 50-year-old man presented with asymptomatic gross hematuria which he had first noticed 3 months earlier. Clinical examinations revealed a non-papillary, broad-based tumor on the left lateral wall of the urinary bladder with a clinical stage of T3N0M0. The pathological diagnosis of a transurethral biopsy tissue specimen was small cell carcinoma. Neoadjuvant intraarterial infusion chemotherapy using cisplatin and adriamycin was initially administered but proved to be ineffective. Thus, we performed a radical cystectomy. The tumor tissue was apparently homogenous and composed of small cells arranged in sheets and solid patterns, and was staged to be pT3bR1L2V0N0. An electron microscopic study confirmed small cell carcinoma with neurosecretory granules. Postoperatively, 4 courses of adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide were administered. The patient is alive without any evidence of tumor recurrence 26 months after the operation.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1997

[Prostatic endometrioid carcinoma: a case report].

An 89-year-old man presented with urinary retention. Digital rectal examination was benign despite elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. Suprapubic prostatectomy was performed under the diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Histopathological diagnosis was endometrioid carcinoma showing positive immunohistochemical staining for PSA. Postoperatively, estrogen was administered for 9 months. After 37 months, serum PSA level began to increase and a palpable nodule was detected on digital rectal examination. Biopsy showed coexistence of endometrioid carcinoma and acinar adenocarcinoma. Hormonal treatment was resumed and the disease has been well controlled for 65 months postoperatively.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Sonographic characteristics of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma.

Our purpose was to determine the characteristics findings of recurrent hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) on sonography. We reviewed sonographic findings of 85 recurrent tumors in 57 patients with prior partial hepatectomy for HCCs. Of 57 patients, 47 (82.5%) had localized recurrence; one or two tumors in a segment (44 patients) and a recurrent tumor near the resected hepatic stump (3 patients). Of 85 tumors, 58 (68.2%) were less than 2 cm, and 82 of 85 tumors (96.5%) were less than 4 cm. A total of 49 tumors (57.6%) were seen as hypoechoic, and 20 tumors (23.5%) as hyperechoic. Posterior echo enhancement was seen in 36 tumors (42.4%), hypoechoic halo in 24 tumors (28.2%), lateral shadow in 21 tumors (24.7%), and mosaic pattern in 6 tumors (7.1%). Recurrent HCC can be detected at an early stage by sonography. Hypoechoic pattern and posterior echo enhancement are commonly seen. These findings suggest recurrent HCCs.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

A cell model for the detection of local image motion on the magnocellular pathway of the visual cortex.

We propose that five types of cell on the magnocellular pathway of the visual cortex constitute a function hierarchy for detecting local image motion. Lateral geniculate nucleus cells and two simple cell types analyse one-dimensional velocities perpendicular to oriented components within a moving stimulus. Combining these velocities, a group of complex cells along a sine wave fire over the cell array. The amplitude and phase of the wave correspond to the local motion's speed and direction. A motion-detection cell in the middle temporal area then extracts the wave of activated complex cells to detect the motion. Applying Hough and inverse Hough transforms and Reichardt's spatio-temporal correlation to the hierarchy, we modeled these cell types as a series of formulas that represent the synaptic functions of neurons. The modeled cells reflect the response to various stimuli in actual cells, and explain Adelson and Movshon's two-stage hypothesis neurophysiologically. The intersection-of-constraint-lines solution of the hypothesis is equivalent to the inverse Hough transform processed in motion-detection cells. We propose tests for validating this cell model using microelectrodes and optical imaging.

Geniculate Bodies↗
PubMed1996

In situ ocular absorption of tilisolol through ocular membranes in albino rabbits.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the in situ absorption properties of ocular membranes using a cylindrical cell. Drug disappearance in the cell was determined as in situ absorption after an application of drug solution into the cell on the comea, sclera (bulbar conjunctiva and sclera layer), or palpebral conjunctiva. Tilisolol was used as a model of an ophthalmic beta-blocker. Tilisolol disappeared from the conjunctival and scleral surfaces although hardly any disappearance of tilisolol from the corneal surface was observed. Depletion of drug from the precorneal space was much faster in situ than extrapolated from permeability measurements (in vitro) of the separate tissues. This may arise from an influence of blood flow. The in situ apparent permeability coefficient of tilisolol through the conjunctiva was almost constant at various concentrations of drug (5-100 mM), suggesting a passive diffusion of tilisolol that was affected by medium pH. A high concentration of tilisolol in the aqueous humor was observed in the corneal application although the scleral and conjunctival applications showed a slight concentration of tilisolol. The corneal route was a dominant route of access to the aqueous humor. Access to the vitreous body for tilisolol was 4 times more effective through the sclera than through the cornea. On the other hand, the corneal application showed an extremely low concentration of tilisolol in plasma compared to the scleral and conjunctival applications. Thus, the in situ method using a cylindrical cell is a useful method for investigation of the ocular absorption of ophthalmic drugs.

Absorption↗