[Mortality after digestive cancer surgery].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Asano.
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MR angiography (MRA) of the venous system of the lower extremities was carried out in 10 patients with varicose veins using the Gd-DTPA-enhanced Fast Spoiled GRASS (FSPGR) method. The quality of imaging of the popliteal vein (n = 20), calf deep vein (n = 20), varicose vein (n = 12), and femoral vein (n = 6) were assessed in terms of four categories: excellent, good, marginally adequate and nondiagnostic. Nineteen popliteal veins, seventeen calf deep veins, and nine varicose veins were judged as excellent or good. All femoral veins were evaluated as excellent. Enhanced FSPGR was useful for the preoperative evaluation of patients with varicose veins.
Ultrasound color Doppler flow mapping image (CFMI) equipment, SSA-270A (Toshiba Co) was used to measure the blood flow velocity of the ophthalmic artery (OA) and the central retinal artery (CA) in eyes with optic canal fracture. The maximal blood flow velocity (V max), the minimal blood flow velocity (V min), the mean blood flow velocity (V mean), and the resistance index (RI) before and after transethmoidal decompression of the optic nerve were compared. The examination was conducted on 13 patients. There was no difference in blood flow velocity in the CA after the operation. Pre-operative V max and RI of the OA in the damaged eyes were lower than in normal eyes, but they increased the day after the operation. We measured the intraorbital blood flow velocity by CFMI because ultrasound does not penetrate bone. Since the peripheral artery from the optic foramen did not change after the operation, we concluded that the peripheral blood flow of OA had been quantitatively improved by the trans-ethmoidal decompression of the optic nerve.
Each of blood flow imaging agents has a potential usefulness as an agent for tumor scintigraphy. The usefulness for tumor scintigraphy of two agents, i.e. cerebral blood flow scintigraphy agent 99mTc-HM-PAO and myocardial blood flow scintigraphy agent 99mTc-MIBI, was comparatively studied using rabbits bearing VX-2 cancer. From then to twenty days after the implantation of VX-2 cancer into the femoral region of five rabbits, tumor to soft tissue accumulation ratio (T/S ratio) of each agent was calculated in early images (5 min after injection) and in late images (50 min after injection). Compared with 99mTc-MIBI, the T/S ratio of 99mTc-HM-PAO was higher and, moreover, the washout was delayed. These results suggest that there is a difference in tumor accumulation property between these two agents.
In the present paper, we describe the surgical techniques of high lateral cervical approach and its feasibility for the excision of tumors located in the ventral or lateral aspect of the upper cervical vertebrae and of the craniovertebral junction. The patient is positioned laterally on the operating table, but the operator's position and the skin incision are slightly altered depending on the location of the tumor. When the lesion is situated below C1, the ipsilateral shoulder is pulled down toward the back. The operator stands rostral to the head. The attachment of the sternocleidomastoid muscle to the mastoid is detached and reflected anteriorly through a retroauricular curved skin incision. The posterior cervical muscles such as the splenius capitis, longissimus capitis, semi-spinalis capitis are detached from the occipit and retracted posteriorly. At this point, the transverse process of C1 and the articular facet of the vertebrae of C2-C4 are identified by palpation. According to the tumor location, the muscles attached to the relevant transverse processes and facets are divided and reflected posteriorly. Through careful dissection, the cervical nerve roots and the vertebral artery are exposed. The root sleeves as well as thecal sac may be exposed by resecting the posterior two-thirds of the superior and inferior articular facets and the adjacent laminae of the vertebrae. In case the whole facet was removed, an iliac bone graft is placed between the remaining transverse processes and the laminae above and below for fixation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The perinodal cryomodification procedure ablates the surrounding tissue of atrioventricular node, as a consequence, eliminates atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) and reduces the ventricular response during atrial fibrillation. We performed the procedure in 4 patients: 2 patients with AVNRT, 1 patient with atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia utilizing a left side accessory pathway and atrioventricular node dual pathways, and 1 patient with tachycardic atrial fibrillation. The concomitant procedures include a closure of atrial septal defect and a mitral valve replacement. All the patients survived the procedure and cured the tachycardia. Post operative electrophysiological studies showed that the retrograde conduction over the atrioventricular node was eliminated while the antegrade conduction was preserved in the patients with atrioventricular node dual pathways. The perinodal cryomodification is a safe and effective procedure to cure the tachycardia, particularly in the patients with a structural heart disease.
Spontaneous nephrotic (ICGN) mice develop proteinuria, hypoproteinemia and hypercholesterolemia. These symptoms steadily progress to chronic renal failure. Details of the changes of the kidney, in the late stage (more than 5 months old) were investigated by both light and electron microscopy. The kidney exhibited a slightly whitish, granular surface and the cortex became thinner and contained fibrous lesions, in which clusters of unaffected and occluded renal tubules were randomly scattered. In the juxtamedullary and outer medullary zone, there were highly dilated renal tubules, which sometimes contained urinary casts. The glomerulus exhibited basement membrane thickening in the capillary loops and the capillary lumen was narrowed in size and sometimes occluded. No detachment of the podocyte from the basement membrane was observed and the podocyte foot-processes were extensively fused, causing their characteristic slits to be lost. The thickened basement membranes were found both in the glomerulus and around the occluded renal tubules, while the basement membrane in the dilated renal tubule appeared normal. Therefore, the basement membranes of the glomerulus and renal tubules appear to react differently in the pathogenesis of the condition. In conclusion, ICGN mice are a good model for not only the nephrotic syndrome but also for chronic renal failure.
Enlargement of the foramen of Monro is an essential maneuver to obtain an appropriate surgical view when large, solid lesions in and around the third ventricle are to be removed via the anterior transcallosal approach (ATA). For this purpose, three methods, i.e., the subchoroidal, transchororidal, and transfornicial approaches have so far been reported. However, since the locations and the pathological natures of space occupying lesions in this region are widely variable, the indication as well as the feasibility of each approach has remained rather unclear. The present paper deals with our surgical experience with six patients (2 gliomas, 1 angioma, 1 AVM, 1 plexus papilloma, 1 basilar top aneurysm) operated on using the ATA in which variable methods of enlarging the foramen of Monro were employed. Aiming at complete removal or clipping of the lesion, the seemingly best among the above three approaches was determined preoperatively, considering the size, location, and pathological nature of the lesion. The shape of the choroid plexus of the roof of the IIIrd ventricle as revealed by MRI was also taken into account. The subchoroidal, transchoroidal, and the transfornicial approaches were employed in 3, 2, and 1 cases, respectively. Except for one glioma which ended up being removed extensively, all the tumors and AVM were totally removed and the aneurysm successfully clipped. From the above experience, the merits and demerits of each approach for different types of lesions are discussed in view of their suitability for achieving total removal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
We previously demonstrated that liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (L-MTP-PE), a biologic response modifier now undergoing phase III clinical trial in osteosarcoma, upregulated monocyte expression of several cytokines' mRNA and the subsequent production of these proteins. In the present work, we investigated whether L-MTP-PE upregulated adhesion molecules on the surface of normal human monocytes. Flow-cytometric analysis showed that several subunits of the integrins, including alpha L, alpha 5, and beta 1 subunits, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 on the monocytes were upregulated following their stimulation with 2 micrograms/ml L-MTP-PE for 24 h. Anti-alpha L antibodies blocked monocyte-mediated tumor cell killing stimulated by L-MTP-PE. We conclude that L-MTP-PE also stimulates the increase of several molecules on the monocyte cell surface. These adhesion molecules may contribute to the increased activation of monocyte-mediated tumor cell killing seen following L-MTP-PE exposure.
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The first case of spontaneous mediastinal emphysema was reported by Hamman et al. in 1939. It is a rare condition that primarily occurs in young adults. In many instances, spontaneous mediastinal emphysema is caused by yelling, shouting or active exercise, but the cause is often unknown. It is rare for cases of spontaneous mediastinal emphysema to recur. Recently, we experienced a recurrent case of spontaneous mediastinal emphysema in a patient with a duodenal ulcer. Vomiting appeared to be the cause of the recurrence in our patient. Of the 58 patients with spontaneous mediastinal emphysema who have been reported in Japan so far, recurrences were documented only in our patient and two others.
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The gamma-subunits of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G-proteins) are isoprenylated and alpha-carboxyl methylated at their COOH-terminal cysteine residues. These modifications are necessary for membrane attachment of the beta gamma complex, but a requirement of an additional factor has been proposed for the stable binding. We explored a possible contribution of the blocked amino terminus of beta-subunits of bovine photoreceptor G-protein, transducin (T alpha/T beta gamma = Gt alpha/beta 1 gamma 1), and of three beta gamma complexes (beta 1 gamma 2, beta 1 gamma 3, and beta 1 gamma 7) purified from bovine brains. Structural analyses revealed that every beta 1-subunit has an N-acetylated serine, which is unlikely to contribute to the membrane association. Since neither protease nor heat treatment of photoreceptor membranes affected the membrane binding of T beta gamma, it seems unlikely that rhodopsin (or other membrane proteins) serves as an anchor protein for accepting T beta gamma. In fact, T beta gamma bound to phospholipid large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs), of which the polar head groups strongly influenced the binding: T beta gamma alone showed 2-fold higher binding for negatively charged phosphatidylserine-LUVs than for neutral phosphatidylcholine (PC)-LUVs, while the affinity of T alpha/T beta gamma complex for the phosphatidylserine-LUVs was lower than that for the PC-LUVs. These results indicate that 1) an ionic interaction between T beta gamma and membrane surface plays an important role in the stable membrane association, and 2) the domain(s) of T beta gamma responsible for the association would be different between trimeric and dissociated states. We also found that synthetic peptides corresponding to the COOH-terminal region of T gamma inhibited T alpha-T beta gamma interaction only when the peptides were isoprenylated. This suggests that the isoprenyl moiety is located at the contact site between the subunits, not at the membrane-binding domain, when T beta gamma is complexed with T alpha.
A mutated GLUT1 glucose transporter, a Trp-388, 412 mutant whose tryptophans 388 and 412 were both replaced by leucines, was constructed by site-directed mutagenesis and expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Glucose transport activity was decreased to approx. 30% in the Trp-388, 412 mutant compared with that in the wild type, a similar decrease in transport activity had been observed previously in the Trp-388 mutant and the Trp-412 mutant which had leucine at 388 and 412 respectively. Cytochalasin B labelling of the Trp-388 mutant was only decreased rather than abolished, a result similar to that obtained previously for the Trp-412 mutant. Cytochalasin B labelling was finally abolished completely in the Trp-388, 412 mutant, while cytochalasin B binding to this mutant was decreased to approx. 30% of that of the wild-type GLUT1 at the concentration used for photolabelling. This level of binding is thought to be adequate to detect labelling, assuming that the labelling efficiency of these transporters is similar. These findings suggest that cytochalasin B binds to the transmembrane domain of the glucose transporter in the vicinity of helix 10-11, and is inserted covalently by photoactivation at either the 388 or the 412 site.
Three isoforms of the mouse prostaglandin-E-receptor EP3 subtype (EP3), EP3 alpha, EP3 beta and EP3 gamma, with different C-termini, which are produced through alternative splicing, showed different efficiencies with respect to heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein activation and adenylate cyclase inhibition [Sugimoto, Y., Negishi, M., Hayashi, Y., Namba, T., Honda, A., Watabe, A., Hirata, M., Narumiya, S. & Ichikawa, A. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 2712-2718; Irie, A., Sugimoto, Y., Namba, T., Harazono, A., Honda, A., Watabe, A., Negishi, M., Narumiya, S. & Ichikawa, A. (1993) Eur. J. Biochem. 217, 313-318]. To assess the role of the C-terminus in GTP-binding protein coupling, we truncated the C-terminus of EP3 at an alternative splicing site and expressed the mutant receptor. The truncated receptor retained the ability to physically associate with Gi2, forming an agonist/receptor/Gi2 ternary complex, and to undergo the characteristic conversion of its agonist-binding affinity, mediated by a guanine nucleotide from a low-affinity state to a high-affinity state. However, sulprostone, an EP3 agonist, failed not only to inhibit the forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation in the mutant receptor-expressing cells but also to stimulate the GTPase activity in the mutant receptor-expressing cell membrane. These results indicated that the C-terminus of EP3 is essential for the activation of GTP-binding protein.
A 20-kDa protein (p20) that had internal amino acid sequences highly similar to those of alpha B crystallin was purified from rat and human skeletal muscle. p20 co-eluted with alpha B crystallin and HSP27/28 during column chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose and on Bio-Gel A-5m. p20 was separated from alpha B crystallin and HSP27/28 and was resolved into two fractions, a minor first peak and a major second peak, by column chromatography on S-Sepharose in the presence of 7 M urea. During chromatography on a column of Superdex 75pg, even in the presence of 7 M urea, p20 in the second peak was eluted as aggregates near the exclusion volume of the column, whereas p20 in the first peak was eluted in fractions that corresponded to a lower molecular mass. Further chromatography on a TSK-SP-5PW column yielded pure preparations of each of the two forms of rat and human p20. The fragmentation patterns of the two forms of the respective p20 proteins generated by digestion with endoproteinase Asp-N were identical. The primary structures of rat and human p20, determined with an NH2-terminal sequenator, were highly homologous to those of alpha B crystallin and HSP27/28. p20 was present in all rat tissues examined and at high levels (> 1 micrograms/mg protein) in the soleus muscle, heart, and diaphragm, as are alpha B crystallin and HSP27. Centrifugation on sucrose density gradients allowed detection of the aggregated form and the small form of p20, as well as of HSP27, in extracts of rat muscle tissues. During heating at 45 degrees C of tissue in vitro, p20 in rat diaphragm was redistributed from the cytoplasm to the insoluble fraction, and dissociation of the aggregated p20 to the small form was enhanced. These results suggest that p20 is related to stress proteins.
Tissue levels of the alpha subunit of G protein G0 (G0 alpha) were measured in solid tumors from pediatric patients by immunoassay. G0 alpha concentrations were determined in the supernatant obtained by centrifugation of tissue homogenates prepared in the presence (total G0 alpha) or absence of 2% sodium cholate (soluble G0 alpha). Mean G0 alpha concentrations (total G0 alpha and soluble G0 alpha) in neuroblastomas (7 ganglioneuromas, 13 ganglioneuroblastomas, and 50 neuroblastomas) were over 50-fold higher than those in other solid tumors from pediatric patients (n = 13). Mean total G0 alpha and soluble G0 alpha concentrations were 207.0 +/- 166.0 (SD) ng/mg of cholate-extractable protein and 58.6 +/- 47.0 ng/mg of soluble protein, respectively, in the neuroblastoma group (n = 70). Total G0 alpha concentration decreased with disease stage and was strongly correlated with outcome in patients with neuroblastoma. The mean total G0 alpha concentration in tumors from younger patients (< 1 year old) was 297.0 +/- 137.0 ng/mg of cholate-extractable protein, significantly higher than in tumors from older patients (140.0 +/- 155.0 ng/mg cholate-extractable protein, P < 0.0001). These results suggest that total G0 alpha levels in neuroblastoma may indicate the degree of malignancy.
Human protein disulfide isomerase (PDI; EC 5.3.4.1) was expressed and secreted into the culture medium using Bacillus brevis as host and pNU200 which codes the promoter and signal sequence of major cell wall protein of B. brevis as vector. The accumulation of recombinant human PDI (rhPDI) reached about 5 mg l-1 in the late exponential phase of the bacterial growth. The purified rhPDI was found to be exactly processed at the carboxyl terminus of the signal sequence. It was as active as natural PDI derived from human placenta as determined by its ability to reactivate scrambled ribonuclease that was a fully oxidized mixture containing randomly formed disulfide bonds. The activity was significantly accelerated in the presence of dithiothreitol or a mixture of reduced and oxidized glutathione. These indicate that the characteristics of rhPDI are similar to those reported for mammalian PDI and that it can be used for refolding inactive proteins having incorrect disulfide bonds.