Measurement of the rate of cell loss during tumor growth with labeled iododeoxyuridine.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Nishio.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Iatrogenic lesions of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) during thyroidectomies are not infrequent due to the possibility of anatomic variations of the relationships of this nerve with the superior thyroid vessels. Therefore, based on an anatomic analysis of 30 superior thyroid poles from 15 fresh cadavers, a new classification of the EBSLN was proposed, considering the jeopardy during a thyroidectomy. Thirty-seven percent of the nerves were type 2, ie, crossing the superior thyroid pedicle less than 1 cm above the superior thyroid pole. It is notable that 20% were type 2b, ie, crossing the vessels below the upper border of the pole, having been considered "high risk." This incidence was comparable with other series, which found dangerous anatomic variations of the EBSLN in the range of 15% to 68%, confirming that a significant proportion of these nerves might be at risk during surgery on the superior thyroid pole.
Until the introduction of microsurgery, the surgical treatment of pineal region tumors had very poor results with high mortality and morbidity. However, there have been remarkable improvements with modern surgical technology and advanced knowledge. Now the main surgical approaches to pineal region tumors are the occipital transtentorial approach and the infratentorial supracerebellar approach. Recently the neuroendoscopic approach has been added. The surgical approach and any supplementary treatment should be selected in each case according to the nature of the individual tumor. The forms of treatment practiced by ourselves, including neuroendoscopic surgery, are presented, and the surgical treatments now applied are discussed.
BACKGROUND: Intraoperative injury to the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) can result in significant postoperative voice problems. This injury can be avoided by intraoperative nerve identification. The EBSLN has a close anatomic relationship with the superior thyroid pedicle. According to the previous anatomic classification, the type 2b nerve, which crosses the vessels below the superior thyroid pole and is considered high risk, is found in 14% to 20% of persons with normal or slightly enlarged thyroid glands. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the frequency of this type 2b nerve in a population with large goiters and to compare it with the previously mentioned proportions. DESIGN: Nonrandomized prospective study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During a 15-month period, patients with large uninodular or multinodular goiters were entered in the study. The EBSLN was searched with the help of a nerve stimulator and the type was annotated. If the patient had to be submitted to a bilateral thyroidectomy, each superior thyroid pole, with the correspondent nerve, was considered as a separate unit. RESULTS: Nine patients, all women, underwent surgery. The average size of the goiters was 10.9 cm x 7.3 cm x 5.0 cm, and the average weight of the specimens was 431 g. There were four bilateral procedures, totalling 13 nerves analyzed. Seven (54%) were type 2b. CONCLUSION: The frequency of the type 2b EBSLN is considerably higher in large goiters. This finding suggests that it is even more advisable to try to positively identify the nerve in these situations, in order to prevent its injury, which is permanent and troublesome for voice professionals.
Two unusual cases of pituitary cysts are described. Both patients presented with sudden onset of severe headache, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated pituitary cysts, which regressed over months. Although the precise etiology of the cysts was unproven, the cystic lesions in our patients are thought to have shrunken after "pituitary apoplexy."
A 6.5-year-old boy developed seizures at age 2.8 years consisting of episodes of unconsciousness and laughing attacks. By age 6 years, multiple seizure types, including generalized tonic-clonic (GTC), complex partial (CPS) and akinetic seizures, and drop attacks were occurring several times daily. EEG showed multifocal epileptic discharges. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) did not control the seizures. With progression of the epilepsy, cognitive deterioration developed. There were no manifestations of precocious puberty. Neuroimaging disclosed a suprasellar mass in continuity with the hypothalamus, and a diagnosis of hypothalamic hamartoma was made. After surgical resection of the hamartoma, the seizures were completely alleviated, and the epileptic EEG discharges disappeared. Improvement of mental function was also noted.
BACKGROUND: Although rare, deep neck space infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The surgical approach is necessary in the majority of the cases, and the surgeon must know the complex anatomy of the cervical fasciae and deep neck spaces. PURPOSE: The anatomy of the cervical fasciae and deep neck spaces in reviewed. As an illustration, a series of deep neck space infections is presented. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Four clinical cases are reported: 1) a case of Ludwig's angina with several complications (mediastinitis, pericarditis, pneumonia, pleural effusion and empyema, esophageal fistula and septic shock), 2) a case of cervical abscess that appeared without apparent cause, in a young diabetic patient, 3) a case of abscess of the submandibular triangle, and 4) a case of parapharyngeal abscess that came forth after a dental treatment. Data from history taking, physical examination, X-rays, echography, CT scan and treatment and the follow-up are presented. The image tests were valuable and, in two of the cases, they demonstrated that more than one deep neck space were affected. CONCLUSIONS: The literature reinforces the high mortality and morbidity rates, the diversified etiology (dental infection, intravenous drug abuse, infections of the upper aerodigestive tract and others), and the tracheostomy indication made in about half of the cases. It stresses also the need for combined therapy (antibiotics and surgery). Evaluation with CT scan and other radiologic methods is indispensable to determine the site and extent of the process and to plan properly the treatment.
The charts of 58 patients with squamous-cell carcinomas of the lower lip, treated at the General Hospital of the University of São Paulo Medical School from January 1980 to December 1989, were retrospectively analyzed. In addition to regular demographic data, all available information was collected regarding: smoking and drinking habits; sun exposure; clinical stage; macroscopic features of the primary lesions; type of treatment; and follow-up. A meticulous pathological analysis, comprising the histologic differentiation grade, maximal tumor thickness, sun elastosis, perineural spread, vascular and muscular invasion, surgical margins, peritumoral inflammatory infiltrate, and positive lymph nodes, with or without extracapsular spread, was undertaken as well. The evaluation of the overall 5-year survival showed significant statistical differences, with prognostic implications, for the following variables: maximal tumor thickness, T-stage and positive nodes.
Angiogenesis is thought to play critical roles in local tumor growth and eventual metastasis. No studies have examined the expression of platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) in prostatic tissues. Prostatic tissues were obtained from 36 prostatic adenocarcinoma patients. We assessed the expression of PD-ECGF using ELISA and immunohistochemistry. The mean level of PD-ECGF in prostatic adenocarcinomas was higher than that in neighboring normal prostatic tissues in ELISA. Immunohistochemistry showed that the expressions of PD-ECGF, which were associated with increase of microvessel count, were found in the endothelial cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, or fibroblasts. These results suggest that PD-ECGF is involved in the development of prostatic adenocarcinoma.
The p53 tumor suppressor gene plays an important role in DNA damage-induced apoptosis and, in general, inactivation of p53 contributes to poor response to chemotherapy. Apoptotic activity of p53 may be negatively modulated by expression of its downstream mediators, including Mdm2 and p21WAF1/CIP1. Consequently, these cellular pathways also represent potential targets for cancer therapy. This study investigated the effect of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), targeted against Mdm2 and p21WAF1/CIP1 on drug-mediated cell killing. Exposure of U2-OS osteosarcoma cells to DNA damaging agents, cisplatin or mitomycin C, caused upregulated expression of Mdm2 and p21WAF1/CIP1. Transient transfection of cells with antisense ODNs to Mdm2 mRNA inhibited Mdm2 protein expression and markedly enhanced apoptotic cell death induced by these drugs. Moreover, when p21WAF1/CIP1 expression was blocked by antisense transfection, drug-mediated cell killing was further accelerated. These results suggest that the enhanced expression of Mdm2 and p21WAF1/CIP1 may inhibit p53-mediated apoptosis and render cells resistant to the effects of DNA damaging agents. Consequently, antisense ODNs targeted against Mdm2 and p21WAF1/CIP1 could be employed in a potential therapeutic strategy sensitizing tumor cells to certain antineoplastic agents.
An autopsy case of primary choroid plexus adenocarcinoma arising in a 40-year-old female, who was associated with a high serum level of a carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), is herein presented. After a subtotal removal of a tumor in the left lateral ventricle, the serum level of CA19-9 decreased rapidly, and immunohistochemical examinations of tumor tissue specimens obtained at surgery revealed intense reactivity for CA19-9. The present case may be the first example in which a primary choroid plexus carcinoma was shown to produce CA19-9.
BACKGROUND: Neovascularization associated with tumor invasion and metastasis may be stimulated by factors which are released from tumor cells, tumor-associated inflammatory cells or extracellular matrix. Although basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been characterized as promoters of angiogenesis, their precise localization in prostatic adenocarcinoma remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the immunohistochemical expression of the growth factors and their receptors were studied using paraffin-embedded archival tissues before and after neoadjuvant hormonal therapy. The mRNA expression of the growth factors was also examined using an in situ hybridization (ISH) technique. RESULTS: The ISH study demonstrated that bFGF mRNA was present only in the stromal cells whilst that VEGF mRNA was present only in the adenocarcinoma cells. In contrast, the immunohistochemical study showed that bFGF, FGF receptor, VEGF and VEGF receptor proteins were expressed in adenocarcinoma cells and in endothelial cells. We also observed that microvessel density in prostatic adenocarcinoma was correlated with the degree of the expression of growth factors in the cases without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy. Additionally, the expression of those receptor proteins were much frequently identified in the cases with neoadjuvant hormonal therapy than those without it, while virtually no change in the expression of ligands was observed between the cases without and with neoadjuvant therapies. CONCLUSIONS: In prostatic adenocarcinoma, bFGF and VEGF may correlate with neovascularization through each characteristic pathway. In addition, we assumed that neoadjuvant hormonal therapy may have minimal inhibitory effects on bFGF, VEGF and their receptors.
The pelE gene of Erwinia chrysanthemi strain EC16 encodes an extracellular pectate lyase protein that is important in virulence on plants. Control of pelE expression is complex, because the gene is regulated by catabolite repression, substrate induction, and growth-phase inhibition. A Tn7-lux reporter gene system was employed to define DNA sequences comprising the pelE promoter. When EC16 cells were grown on medium containing sodium polypectate, pelE transcriptional start sites were observed only at 95 and 96 bases upstream of the translational start site. However, DNA sequences required for pelE expression were also shown by deletion analysis to reside between 196 and 215 base pairs upstream of the translational start site. In addition to these upstream elements, two putative operator sequences that interact with negative regulatory factors occurred downstream of the transcriptional start. Finally, deletion of three bases from a putative catabolite gene activator protein binding site in the pelE promoter eliminated activity. The data demonstrate that the pelE promoter is complex and suggest that it interacts with several regulatory proteins.
We present three cases of pituitary adenoma with adjacent carotid artery aneurysm. The three adenomas are HGH-producing, prolactinoma and non-functioning tumors. Two of these 3 patients showed signs and symptoms of adenoma, while the other one showed a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The presence of the aneurysm adjacent to the pituitary adenoma was strongly suspected by the MRI finding, and the flow void signal sign just attached to the carotid artery in acromegalic patient. In a case of recurrent pituitary adenoma, development of the aneurysm was observed at a 17 year interval between angiography. Although the etiology of these lesion is not yet known, the change of hemodynamism seemed to have a major role in producing the aneurysm in all cases. The simultaneous treatment of the pituitary adenoma with aneurysm produced good results in all patients by the frontotemporal approach. MRI proved to be quite a useful tool in the management of cases of pituitary adenoma with adjacent carotid artery aneurysm. Cerebral angiography should also be performed without hesitation in such cases in which the MRI shows a significant finding of aneurysm. Simultaneous treatment of these lesions by a frontotemporal approach is recommended.
A 19-month-old boy was found to have an optico-hypothalamic tumor with obstructive hydrocephalus, and received a ventriculoperitoneal (V-P) shunt followed by irradiation to the hypothalamic area. Although his visual disturbances continued, general conditions improved subsequently and he enjoyed normal life with only a visual disturbance. Four years later, however, he developed vomiting, left hemiparesis and dysuria, and died at the age of 6.5 years. Autopsy revealed a huge tumor occupying the hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia and the right temporal lobe. Histologically, the tumor was composed of pilocytic astrocytes with Rosenthal fiber in the hypothalamus, where the tumor is considered to have developed initially, and poorly differentiated cells with some astrocytic and neuronal differentiation in other areas. Dissemination of the tumor was extensive in the whole CSF spaces, and in the peritoneum through the V-P shunt. We consider this a rare case of a childhood hypothalamic pilocytic astrocytoma undergoing delayed malignant evolution.
Four examples of astrocytic tumorettes (microscopic to minute foci of glioma) are described herein. They include one malignant astrocytoma and three low grade astrocytomas. The first patient, who died of heart failure, was found incidentally to havour a small malignant astrocytoma at the time of autopsy. The other three patients with astrocytomas of low grade in malignancy, ranged from 18 to 25 years in age, and presented with intractable seizures. Electroencephalography defined a temporal lobe focus in all three patients. Subsequently, all three underwent a unilateral temporal lobectomy with resection of the epileptic focus. Careful histological examinations on the removed tissues from each patient revealed that each of them had a minute astrocytoma. The histogenesis of benign and malignant astrocytomas and the importance of surgical exploration in the management of the patients with intractable seizure disorders are discussed.