The kinetics of drug release from fibrin adhesive agent (consisting of fibrinogen, factor 8, thrombin, aportinin and calcium chloride)-antibiotic compound and efficacy on rat experimental osteomyelitis were studied. To enhance the slow release activities of antibiotic, a mixture of fibrin clots was freeze-dried. Effects of freeze-drying were to make a fibrin clot an interlinked pore and to increase crosslinking rate containing an antibiotic. A diffusion test from aminoglycoside (Arbekacin Sulfate: 200 mg) compound was carried out. In vitro study freeze-dried antibiotic compound (FFAC: 1 cm3) was placed in saline (3 ml). The saline was replaced every 48 h and the previous solution was stored at -45 degrees C until assay. The result was that a concentration of 0.4 mg/l, sufficiently high to control Staphylococcus aureus strain IM2-42, was maintained within nine exchanges of saline after 18 days. In vivo animal experiments, FFAC (2 x 2 x 3 mm) were tested in rats with established Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis in the proximal tibia. The animals were observed for radiographic signs of infection and tissue was examined histopathologically. Bacterial counts by bone cultures were statistically lower in rats implanted with FFAC than in those only given a drug-free FFC and curettage. Radiographical and histological observations also showed beneficial effects of the FFAC. The results suggest that the FFAC provide a simple drug delivery system, and may be a promising alternative treatment for osteomyelitis.

Aminoglycosides↗

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Relationship between beat to beat interval and left ventricular function in patients with atrial fibrillation.

In atrial fibrillation, the relation between the rhythm and volume of the pulse has long been of interest. However, changes in preload in this condition have not been fully addressed since beat to beat measurement of filling volume have been difficult until recently. In the present study, we evaluated left ventricular outflow and inflow velocity using pulsed Doppler echocardiography and correlated these results with the R-R interval in the individual patient. The study population consisted of 12 patients with atrial fibrillation, aged 36 to 69 years (mean 54 years). The etiology of atrial fibrillation was idiopathic in 10 and 2 patients had dilated cardiomyopathy. Stroke and filling volume were calculated as a pruduct of the flow velocity integral of left ventricular outflow and inflow velocity, and the cross-sectional area of aortic and mitral annulus, respectively. In 10 patients with idiopathic atrial fibrillation, significant positive correlations were observed between the preceding R-R interval and both the stroke volume and the filling volume of the preceding beat when the R-R interval was shorter than 600 msec. Stroke volume and filling volume of the preceding beat were almost constant, independent of the preceding R-R interval when the preceding R-R interval was longer than 600 msec, the interval necessary for the completion of the preceding rapid filling. In the same preceding R-R interval, a larger stroke volume was observed in a shorter pre-preceding R-R interval. In 2 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy no relationship could be observed between the preceding R-R interval and the filling volume of the preceding beat or the stroke volume. In patients with a normally functioning left ventricle (idiopathic atrial fibrillation), reduced cycle length and filling volume in the preceding cardiac cycle appear to be the underlying cause of the regulation of stroke volume, dependent on Starling's law. However, in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy no significant correlation was observed between the preceding R-R interval and both the filling volume of the preceding beat and the stroke volume. In these patients the left ventricle may have limited contractile reserve and altered diastolic re-coil forces possibly due to degenerative changes of myocardium. Pulsed Doppler echocardiography provides a non-invasive method of evaluating the instantaneous changes in left ventricular flow dynamics caused by atrial fibrillation and understanding its fundamental mechanism.

Adult↗

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The pipette aspiration applied to the local stiffness measurement of soft tissues.

A simple method of identifying the initial slope of the stress-strain curve (i.e., Young's modulus of the soft tissue) by introducing the pipette aspiration technique is presented. The tissue was assumed to be isotropic and macroscopically homogeneous. Numerical simulations by the linear finite element analysis were performed for the axisymmetric model to survey the effects of friction at the tissue-pipette contact boundary, pipette cross-sectional geometry, relative size of the specimen to the pipette, and the layered inhomogeneity of the specimen tissue. The friction at the contact region had little effect on the measurement of Young's modulus. The configuration of the pipette was shown to affect the measurement for small pipette wall thickness. The measurement also depended on the relative size of the specimen to the pipette for relatively small specimens. The extent of the region contributing to the measurement was roughly twice the inside radius of the pipette. In this region, the maximum stress did not exceed the level of the aspiration pressure, with only minor exceptional locations. Calculation of strain energy components indicated that the major contributions to the deformation under pipette aspiration were by the normal extension and shear deformation in pipette axial direction. Experimental verification of the present method for the isotropic, homogeneous artificial material is also presented.

Animals↗

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Renal angiomyolipoma: evolutional changes of its internal structure on CT.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated interval changes of the internal structure of renal angiomyolipomas in relation to the doubling time on computed tomography (CT). METHODS: A retrospective review of 42 renal angiomyolipomas in 10 patients who had been followed up for more than 5 months with CT was performed. The doubling time of each tumor was estimated. We classified the internal structures of the tumors into five types, based on the fat component percentage. We compared changes between initial and follow-up CT, and the relationship with the doubling time was evaluated. RESULTS: The fat component increased more than the soft tissue component in 15 tumors (36%). The soft tissue component increased more than the fat component in only one tumor, in which an intratumoral hemorrhage occurred during the follow-up period. Twenty-six tumors (62%) showed no change. Most tumors with relatively long doubling times did not show a change in their internal structures. CONCLUSION: The growth of renal angiomyolipoma is due mainly to an increase in its fat component. An increase in the soft tissue component suggests the development of an intratumoral hemorrhage.

Adult↗

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Ischemic cholangitis caused by transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization 10 months after resection of the extrahepatic bile duct.

We report a case of ischemic cholangitis that occurred after transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TAE). Ten months prior to TAE the patient had undergone central bisegmentectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma with resection of the extrahepatic bile duct. Eleven days after TAE, he developed suppurative cholangitis and multiple organ failure. Prior surgical ligation of the peribiliary arteries around the extrahepatic bile duct followed by TAE was considered to have played a crucial role in the development of ischemic cholangitis. This case demonstrates the importance of blood flow from the peribiliary arteries for the survival of the biliary epithelium.

Angiography↗

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Isolation of major histocompatibility complex class I cDNA from pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha).

An MHC class I cDNA clone was isolated from pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). Eight amino acids, which have been shown in mammals to bind main-chain atoms of peptides, are well conserved in the salmon alpha 1 and alpha 2 domains. Nine amino acids in the alpha 3 domain are classified by Williams and Barclay (Ref. 1. Ann. Rev. Immunol. 6:381-405, 1988) as signature immunoglobulin superfamily residues. The pink salmon MHC class I extracellular domains show 84.2% amino acid identity with those of Atlantic salmon (Sasa p30). polymorphism of the MHC class I alpha 1 domain was determined using PCR with genomic DNA from 12 fish. Sixteen variants were identified with most diversity concentrated in those amino acids that bind directly to peptides in mammalian class I molecules. Non-synonymous substitutions predominate over synonymous ones in the codons encoding these polymorphic residues.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

cDNA cloning for mitochondrial cytochrome c and its adult-specific isoform from Ascaris suum.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bactericidal clothes reduce infections in elderly bed-bound nursing home patients.

Infections in elderly bed-bound nursing home patients are serious care problems. In order to protect against infections we adopted bactericidal clothes (Sanmo Co., Kyoto, Japan). First, we studied how bactericidal clothes sterilise bacteria in vitro. The bactericidal clothes kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), E. Coli, Krebsiella and Pseudomonas aureus, over 99%, 3 h after contact, while these bacteria can survive over 18 h on conventional cotton clothes. Second, ninety elderly patients were divided into two groups; the control group and the "treated" group with bactericidal clothes. In Period 1 neither group received particular treatment for three months and in Period 2 only the treated group used bactericidal clothes for three months. The control group in Period 2 used regular clothes throughout. The number of febrile days was significantly lower for the treated group, compared with the control group. It is suggested that the bactericidal clothes reduce infections in elderly patients.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Concentrically arranged endoplasmic reticulum containing some lamellae (bar-like structure) in alveolar type II cells of rat lung.

We examined in vivo the effect of pilocarpine (a cholinergic agent) and cycloheximide (an inhibitor of protein synthesis) on the "bar-like structures" in alveolar type II cells of rat lung to clarify their origin and significance in pulmonary surfactant production and secretion. Lungs were examined with an electron microscope using ultrathin sectioning, freeze-fracture technique, and morphometry. The bar-like structures in type II cells consisted of a concentrically arranged endoplasmic reticulum containing some amount of osmiophilic periodic material similar to the lamellae of lamellar bodies. Pilocarpine induced the accumulation of lamellar bodies of normal size which paralleled the increase in the number of bar-like structures in the cytoplasm of the type II cells. Cycloheximide induced a decrease in size of the lamellar bodies and an enlargement of the bar-like structures. Our morphological findings suggest that: The phospholipid that would normally be incorporated into the lamellar bodies might be sequestered instead in the concentrically arranged endoplasmic reticulum, forming the bar-like structures, and The enlargement and the increased number of bar-like structures may be responsible in part for the changed metabolic process of surfactant production by alveolar type II cells.

Animals↗