Pancreatic duct cell cancer is characterized by a low resectability rate and a low long-term survival rate. Between September 1974 and December 1992 in our institution, 149 (59%) of the 253 patients with this cancer underwent resection. The operative procedures were pancreatoduodenectomy in 105 patients, total pancreatectomy in 36, and distal pancreatectomy in 8. The tumor was extirpated with extensive dissection of the lymph nodes and excision of the nerve plexus in the retroperitoneum. Of the 149 patients, 79 (53%) underwent combined resection of the pancreas and the portal vein; 16 of the 79 patients also underwent resection of the adjacent arteries. Three patients died within 30 days after surgery, and 17 other patients succumbed within 2 to 7 months. The mortality among patients undergoing pancreatectomy and resection of the portal vein (9.5%) was similar to that of patients with pancreatectomy alone (10%). Curative resection was necessary for long-term survival. The 5-year survival rate in 61 patients with the curative resection was 15%. Ten patients lived more than 5 years. Even patients with lymph node metastases and cancer invasion of the portal vein had a prolonged survival. Intraoperative irradiation was carried out in 35 patients to improve the survival rate, but without success. Infusion chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil via the portal vein was tried in 25 patients, resulting in a decrease in liver metastasis. We have made some progress in the first step toward improving treatment, although we are far from the goal and it is necessary to conduct additional trials.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An improved method for assaying phosphocholine and glycerophosphocholine in mouse tissue.

INTRODUCTION: To measure the levels of phosphocholine (PCh) and glycerophosphocholine (GPCh) in the tissues and organs of mice, we developed a simple and rapid method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ECD) and an immobilized enzyme column. METHODS: Under our modifications of the separation procedure of Klein et al. [Neurochem. Int. 2 (1993) 293], PCh and GPCh in the hydrophilic phase of the homogenate samples were selectively hydrolyzed into free choline by alkaline phosphatase and a 0.4-N perchloric acid solution, respectively, and the resulting hydrolyzed mixtures were directly injected into the HPLC system for analysis. RESULTS: The present method permits PCh or GPCh assay within 5 min in one chromatographic run. Recoveries from tissue samples were 97% for PCh and 101% for GPCh. The percentages of the crossover reaction to the authentic PCh and GPCh were 0.4% and 3.8%, respectively. The within-run coefficients of variation for choline derived from PCh and GPCh in the tissue samples were 1.2% and 1.4%, respectively. DISCUSSION: The method is effective and has been applied to the measurement of PCh and GPCh levels in several tissues of mice.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of single and repeated administrations of Toki-shakuyaku-san on the concentrations of brain neurotransmitters in mice.

The amounts of monoamine-related substances (NE, MHPG, DA, DOPAC, HVA, 5-HT, and 5-HIAA and acetylcholine (ACh) in the cerebral cortex, corpus striatum and hippocampus of mice treated orally with a powdered extract of Toki-shakuyaku-san (TSS) were measured using the HPLC-ECD method. Single administration of TSS at 50 mg/kg decreased the content of NE in the hippocampus, but increased the contents of DA, DOPAC and HVA. Single administration of TSS at 50 mg/kg increased the contents of DA and HVA in the cerebral cortex and those of DA, DOPAC and HVA in the hippocampus, but decreased the content of NE. Repeated administration (twice a day, for 14 days) of TSS at 50 mg/kg increased the contents of DA, DOPAC and 5-HIAA in the cerebral cortex, while 500 mg/kg increased the contents of NE, MHPG, DOPAC, 5-HT and 5-HIAA in the cerebral cortex, and the NE and DA in the corpus striatum. With regard to ACh content, single and repeated administrations of TSS at 50 and 500 mg/kg had no influence in the three regions of mouse brain. These results suggest that single administration of TSS stimulates the function of the dopaminergic nervous system in the hippocampus in mice and inhabits the function of the adrenergic nervous system, and that repeated administration of TSS stimulates the function of the adrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic nervous systems in the cerebral cortex. TSS, however, did not show any influence on the brain ACh content in mice.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Nasal mucociliary clearance under various conditions.

We applied the tagged-particle method or the saccharin method or both to the nasal mucociliary clearance. There was no effect of ageing on the transport time of saccharin in control subjects of ages under 60, and 70% of control subjects of ages more than 60 had the same transport time as that obtained in younger control subjects. The significant inverse correlation between the mucociliary transport rates with the particle method and the transport time with the saccharin method were established in control subjects, but not, however, in patients with chronic sinusitis. The mucociliary transport rates were measured under non-physiologic conditions of the nose: laryngectomy, chronic sinusitis, Sjögren's syndrome, and Kartagener's syndrome.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Nasal mucociliary clearance in Sjögren's syndrome. Dissociation in flow between sol and gel layers.

Nasal mucociliary clearance was measured with two methods in 8 patients with Sjögren's syndrome and in 6 normal subjects. The movement of two different tracers placed 1.5 cm posterior to the inferior turbinate tip was measured respectively. The transport rate of a 500 microns anion resin particle tagged with 99mTc was measured. The clearance of 10 microliters saline labelled with 99mTc was monitored and the clearance rate was calculated. Whereas the measurement with the particle method revealed the lowered transport rate in Sjögren's syndrome, measurement with the saline method did not reveal any difference in clearance rate between the two groups. Since the former method measures the transport of particle in the gel phase (the outer mucous layer) and the latter measures the clearance of both gel and sol (periciliary fluid) layers, it is postulated that there is a dissociation of flow between sol and gel layers in Sjögren's syndrome.

Anion Exchange Resins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Familial incidence of streptomycin hearing loss and hereditary weakness of the cochlea.

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Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Interferon treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C with normal alanine-aminotransferase activity.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Chronic hepatitis C virus carriers may have repeatedly normal alanine aminotransferase activity despite detectable viremia and histological hepatitis. We aimed to evaluate the effect of interferon treatment in these cases. METHODOLOGY: Twelve patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase levels at least 6 months before therapy were treated with recombinant interferon (IFN)alpha-2b for 6 months, totaling 840 MU in amount. Alanine aminotransferase levels were measured monthly during treatment and after treatment withdrawal, and HCV-RNA levels were measured by polymerase chain reaction before treatment, and 6 and 12 months after treatment withdrawal. RESULTS: At treatment withdrawal, HCV-RNA levels had significantly decreased and HCV-RNA disappeared in 9 of the 12 patients by polymerase chain reaction. At 6 months after treatment withdrawal, HCV-RNA reappeared in 6 of the 9 patients whose HCV-RNA was negative at treatment withdrawal. Over all, only 4 of the 12 patients (33%) were sustained virological responders (HCV-RNA is negative more than 6 months after treatment withdrawal). Pre-treatment HCV-RNA levels in a sustained virological responder was significantly lower than that of transient and non-responders (4.9 +/- 1.6 vs. 7.7 +/- 1.6 log10[copies/ml], p < 0.05). Of 8 patients who did not achieved sustained virological response, alanine aminotransferase levels had transiently increased above normal during treatment in one patient and after treatment withdrawal in 6 patients; however, in the remaining one patient abnormal values have continued from 8 months after treatment withdrawal till now for 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with chronic hepatitis C with normal alanine aminotransferase levels, the response to interferon therapy was by no means satisfactory. However, if it would be used in cases with the lower pre-treatment HCV-RNA levels with careful attention to a transient alanine aminotransferase elevation, the more a sustained virological response might be expected.

Adult↗