Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Okada

Publications and source records attributed to S Okada.

At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

Radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: clinicopathological study of seven autopsy cases.

The clinical value of radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (total tumor dose: 50-70 Gy) was evaluated in seven autopsied patients with nine tumors. A partial response as defined by the WHO criteria for chemotherapy was observed in three tumors (33%). Progressive and marked shrinkage of the noncancerous liver tissue within the irradiated field was also observed in all cases. Histological examination revealed viable cancer cells in all cases. These results indicate that local radiotherapy applying 50-70 Gy achieved some clinical benefit, but was not capable of curing hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aged↗

[Contamination of hot water supply in office buildings by Legionella pneumophila and some countermeasures].

An assessment of the contamination by Legionella species of hot water supplied to office buildings was made based on 80 samples of water from 3 types of systems as follows: 20 samples supplied from instantaneous heaters, 20 samples from hot water storage type systems, and 40 samples from circulation type systems. Legionella spp. were detected in two samples (10.0%) from hot water storage systems and five samples (12.5%) of the circulation type. The number of Legionella spp. was 2.0 x 10-8.4 x 10(2) CFU/500 ml. All isolated strains were identified as Legionella pneumophila. All hot water samples with Legionella spp. showed a temperature range from 41-55 degrees C. Contamination may easily occur in hot water storage and circulation type systems, due to their presence for prolonged periods. Hot water may be therefor be a source of Legionnaires' disease. It is clear from the present study that Legionella spp. survived over long periods and proliferated considerably. Elimination of this organism requires careful cleaning of hot water storage tanks but this alone may not be sufficient. Heat treatment for 20 hours at 70 degrees C was found to be adequate for complete elimination. Experimentally, complete sterilization from Legionella spp. within 5 minutes was demonstrated by heating at 60 degrees C. As a countermeasure temperature of hot water should be maintained at more than 55 degrees C, as the best means for elimination while also giving consideration to the prevention of scalding.

Hot Temperature↗

[Megaloblastic anemia due to folate deficiency associated with hereditary spherocytosis].

A 19 years old male admitted to our hospital with fever, abdominal pain in May 1991. Physical examination revealed anemia, jaundice and marked splenomegaly. Severe pancytopenia with macrocytic hyperchronic anemia was noted along with elevated LDH and reduced serum folate. Blood smear showed nucleated RBCs, but only few microspherocytes. Bone marrow showed erythroid hyperplasia with remarkable megaloblastic changes. Megaloblasts were negative for PAS stain. Chromosome analysis revealed normal karyotype. Erythroleukemia was suspected initially, but his general condition as well as hematological data improved following 10 units of RBC transfusion. Following brief folic acid supplements, numerous microspherocytes became evident, typical osmotic fragility test revealed a pattern for hereditary spherocytosis. These observations led us to the diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis complicated by megaloblastic anemia due to folate deficiency. As he developed folate deficiency again 10 months later, splenectomy were performed. The anemia improved after splenectomy.

Adult↗

[Cytological features and prognosis of megakaryoblastic leukemia].

Nine patients with acute leukemia showing 10% or more positive blast cells with platelet peroxidase (PPO) or CD41b were diagnosed as megakaryoblastic leukemia. Three patients transformed from myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative disorders. The PPO positivity ranged from 7 to 55% (median 45%), and that for CD41b was 1.6 to 67.0% (median 16.4%). Because electron microscopic myeloperoxidase or glycophorin A were also positive in some patients, and also because CD41b positivity was often discordantly lower than PPO positivity, a possibility of mixed leukemia demonstrating myeloid or erythroid differentiation was suggested in 6 of these cases. As for the treatment results, all 3 pediatric cases who received combination chemotherapy achieved complete remission (CR). Among 6 adult cases CR was obtained in only one patient to whom low-dose cytosine arabinoside was administered. The remaining adult patients who received combination chemotherapy died relatively early.

Adult↗

Leiomyosarcoma of the pancreas: report of a case diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy.

We present a case of pancreatic leiomyosarcoma with liver metastasis diagnosed by liver tumor biopsy. A 66-year-old man had a pancreatic tumor and hepatic tumors, which were hypoechoic and mixed echoic on ultrasonography, respectively. They were stained in enhanced computed tomography and angiography. A fine needle aspiration biopsy of the liver tumor was performed, and the pathological examination of the biopsied specimen suggested the tumor cells to have originated from smooth muscle. Under a diagnosis of pancreatic leiomyosarcoma with liver metastasis, the patient was treated with several anticancer agents. The tumor, however, spread to multiple organs and he dies of the disease two years nine months after the start of treatment. The diagnosis of pancreatic leiomyosarcoma was confirmed by autopsy.

Aged↗

[Experience with surgery for metachronous double cancer originated from thymus and lung].

A case with thymic cancer who developed pulmonary cancer ten years after the initial surgery was reported. A 50-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to SVC syndrome. Chest X-ray examinations including venogram showed a mass lesion at the superior mediastinum. The patient underwent surgical removal and reconstruction of SVC, followed by radio-chemotherapy. The histologic diagnosis was thymic squamous cell carcinoma. He was admitted to our hospital again ten years after the initial surgery under the diagnosis of pneumonia. Bronchoscopic examination revealed nodular lesions at the right upper lobe bronchus and lower lobe bronchus, those lesions were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinomas cytologically. Right pneumonectomy was performed and the diagnosis was confirmed pathologically. Postoperative course was uneventful as of 10 months after the operation. It was concluded that this case showed metachronous double cancer of the thymus and the lung, as well as synchronous multiple bronchogenic carcinomas, which, to our knowledge, has never been reported yet.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

Accuracy of computed tomography in determining pancreatic cancer tumor size.

We compared tumor sizes determined by computed tomography (CT) with those of the resected specimens in 26 patients with pancreatic cancer in order to clarify whether or not the size of a pancreatic tumor can be accurately determined by CT. From the precontrast, postcontrast and arterial dominant phases of dynamic CT, the arterial dominant phase was found to yield the highest correlation between CT measured tumor size and that of the resected specimens (P < 0.01). The correlation coefficient was, however, not high (r = 0.67). CT alone may therefore be insufficient to determine tumor size in pancreatic cancer accurately.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Serum from patients with threatened abortion. Effect on in vitro development of mouse embryos.

The effect of serum from patients with threatened abortion on in vitro development of two-cell mouse embryos was evaluated. Embryos were cultured for 72 hours in 7.5% serum supplement from patients with threatened abortion and from women with normal pregnancies and in Ham's F-10 medium with no serum supplement. Significantly fewer embryos developed to the blastocyst stage at 72 hours in the threatened abortion group as compared with the normal pregnancy group and Ham's F-10 (P < .001). These results suggest the presence of serum factors that are toxic to early embryonic development and thus may play a role in the pathogenesis of threatened abortion.

Abortion, Threatened↗

[Intermittent methylprednisolone pulse therapy for myasthenia gravis in childhood].

We studied the effects of the intermittent methylprednisolone pulse (IMP) therapy without the maintenance steroid therapy for 6 children with myasthenia gravis; 3 cases with generalized type and 3 with ocular type. None of them was controlled satisfactorily by oral steroid therapy or anti-choline esterase agents. Two cases with generalized type and the other two with ocular type achieved remission by the initial pulse therapy, and were kept under good control by subsequent IMP therapy performed periodically or at the time of relapse. The other two cases could not be introduced to complete remission by the initial pulse therapy, but improved gradually by subsequent periodical IMP therapy. The IMP therapy without maintenance of oral steroid therapy is more useful as compared with oral administration of steroids, in controlling myasthenia gravis and also in preventing side effects due to steroid therapy.

Adolescent↗

[The Human Insulin Reference Standard (Control 921) of the National Institute of Health Sciences].

Raw human insulin material was examined for preparation of the "Human Insulin Reference Standard". The candidate material was evaluated by a domestic collaborative study in which four laboratories participated. The biological activity was determined to be 26.0 Unit/mg against the International Human Insulin Reference Standard (Code 83/500), based on the rabbit blood-glucose method specified in the JP XII (1991). Because of the possibility of application as a chemical reference standard for assay by the HPLC method, a physico-chemical evaluation of the candidate material was also performed. The total desamide form, dimer and oligomer impurities were estimated to be about 1% by HPLC. Based on the above findings, this raw material was authorized as the Human Insulin Reference Standard of the National Institute of Health Sciences.

Animals↗

[Elcatonin Reference Standard (Control 921) of National Institute of Health Sciences].

The raw material of elcatonin was examined for preparation of the "Elcatonin Reference Standard". The candidate material was evaluated by a domestic collaborative study in which five laboratories participated. The biological activity was determined to be 11.3 Unit/Amp. against the International Elcatonin Reference Standard (Code 84/614), based on one hour hypocalcaemia rat bioassay. In spite of the differences in rat strain, sex, administration method, dosage and assay method for serum calcium etc., the separately obtained biological activities for the candidate agreed closely with each other (95% confidence limits 11.08-11.53 Unit/Amp.). The physico-chemical evaluation of the candidate material was also performed, by using HPLC and amino acid chromatography. Based on the above results, this raw material was authorized to be the Elcatonin Reference Standard of the National Institute of Health Sciences.

Amino Acids↗

[The Dexamethasone Reference Standard (Control 931) of the National Institute of Health Sciences].

Raw dexamethasone material was tested for preparation of the "Dexamethasone Reference Standard (Control 931)". Analytical data obtained were as follows: melting point, 245.1 degrees C (decomposition); infrared spectrum, the same as that of the JP Dexamethasone Reference Standard; optical rotation, -alpha-20D = + 76.75 degrees; thin-layer chromatography, two impurities were detected; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), one impurity was detected; loss on drying, 0.14%; assay result, 99.4% by HPLC. Based on the above findings, the raw material was authorized as the JP Dexamethasone Reference Standard (Control 931).

Chemical Phenomena↗

[The Cyanocobalamin Reference Standard (Control 931) of the National Institute of Health Sciences].

Raw cyanocobalamin material was tested for preparation of the "Cyanocobalamin Reference Standard (Control 931)". Analytical data obtained were as follows: loss on drying, 4.2%; infrared spectrum, the same as that of the JP Cyanocobalamin Reference Standard (Control 901); thin-layer chromatography, four impurities were detected; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), seven to eight kinds of impurities were detected, but the total amount of impurities was only 1.0 +/- 0.52% (n = 5); assay results, 100.6% by spectrophotometry in the JP XII and 99.7% by HPLC. Based on the above findings, the raw material was authorized as the JP Cyanocobalamin Reference Standard (Control 931).

Chemical Phenomena↗

[The Progesterone Reference Standard (Control 931) of the National Institute of Health Sciences].

Raw progesterone material was tested for preparation of the "Progesterone Reference Standard (Control 931)". Analytical data obtained were as follows: melting point, 131.6 degrees C; infrared spectrum, the same as that of the JP Progesterone Reference Standard; optical rotation, [alpha]D20 = +181.1 degrees; thin-layer chromatography, no impurity was detected; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), trace amounts of two impurities were detected; loss on drying, 0.23%; assay results, 99.4% by UV spectrophotometry in the JP XII and 100.5% by HPLC. Based on the above findings, the raw material was authorized as the JP Progesterone Reference Standard (Control 931).

Chemical Phenomena↗

[Estradiol Reference Standard (Control 931) of National Institute of Health Sciences].

The raw material for estradiol was examined for preparation of the "National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) Estradiol Reference Standard (Control 931)". Analytical data obtained were as follows: melting point, 179.0 degrees C; infrared spectrum, the same as that of the present NIHS Estradiol Reference Standard; optical rotation, -alpha-20D = +80.4 degrees; thin-layer chromatography, no impurity was detected; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a trace amount of two impurities were detected; loss on drying, 0.24%; assay, 100.4% by UV spectrophotometry and 101.2% by HPLC. Based on the above results, the raw material was authorized as the NIHS Estradiol Reference Standard (Control 931).

Chemical Phenomena↗

[The Ascorbic Acid Reference Standard (Control 931) of the National Institute of Health Sciences].

Raw ascorbic acid material was tested for preparation of the "Ascorbic Acid Reference Standard (Control 931)". Analytical data obtained were as follows: infrared spectrum, the same as that of the JP Ascorbic Acid Reference Standard; optical rotation -alpha-20D, + 21.4 degrees; melting point, 190.3 degrees C (decomposition); loss on drying, 0.02%; assay result, 100.1% by iodometry. Based on the above findings, the raw material was authorized as the JP Ascorbic Acid Reference Standard (Control 931).

Ascorbic Acid↗