Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Nakada.
Y-autosome translocation is a rare condition. We report here a case of balanced Y-autosome translocation associated with azoospermia. Nineteen cases of a balanced Y-autosome translocation associated with azoospermia are reviewed, and hormone condition and testicular histology are discussed.
A unilateral adrenal tumour was incidentally detected in a 39-year-old woman with no characteristic features of Cushing's syndrome. Basal levels of glucocorticoids were within normal limits. However, abnormal pattern of plasma cortisol and ACTH was observed. The dexamethasone suppression test and the metyrapone test showed also abnormal response. Adrenocortical scintigram demonstrated high accumulation of the radiopharmaceutical in the tumour region alone. Final diagnosis was "pre-Cushing's syndrome" and a solitary adenoma was removed from the left adrenal gland.
Two cases of acute focal bacterial nephritis (AFBN) are reported. The first patient was a 35-year-old man and the diagnosis was made by ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT). The second patient was a 40-year-old man and was diagnosed by US, CT and renal biopsy. They were treated with antibiotics and showed rapid improvement in both clinical symptoms and renal masses.
Laboratory studies indicate that it can be as short as one week after a first-stage operation to prepare the left ventricle for a subsequent second-stage arterial switch (Jatene operation) for simple transposition of the great arteries (TGA). In order to ascertain it, we evaluated the left ventricular (LV) function immediately after the first-stage procedure and late postoperatively by echocardiography and catheterization. There were 6 cases with simple TGA. The age at palliation was 6.6 +/- 4.5 (mean +/- SD) months, and the interval between the first-stage and Jatene operation was 16 days-16 months (6.7 +/- 6.4 months). All patients survived after arterial switch. In 2 early infant cases, arterial switch operation was performed with ventilatory support due to cardiac and respiratory failures 16 and 21 days after the first-stage operation respectively. LV end-diastolic dimension increased by 1 week and showed no change after 1 week (n = 4). LV ejection fraction was depressed from 0.84 +/- 0.03 preoperatively to 0.61 +/- 0.08 at 1-4 days after the first-stage operation but improved to 0.83 +/- 0.06 by 7-9 days after that (n = 4). LV end-diastolic posterior wall thickness increased to more than 4 mm in 3 infant cases, more than 3 mm in 2 early infant cases by 7 days. The results of catheterization after the first-stage operation were as follows (n = 5); left ventricular right ventricular peak systolic pressure ratio increased from 0.53 +/- 0.16 to 0.94 +/- 0.04 (p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Twenty-eight patients who had been treated with ureterosigmoidostomy after radical cystectomy were examined with special reference to anal incontinence. In the present series, 17 out of 28 patients (60.7%) had daytime and/or nighttime anal incontinence. In these patients preoperative function of the external and sphincter was considered to be sufficient. Anal incontinence occurred immediately after operation in only 3 patients. Incontinence emerged at an average duration of 2.6 years after ureterocolonic anastomosis. Incidence of anal incontinence after ureterosigmoidostomy appeared to be influenced by aging.
From 1981 to 1989, 24 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer received hormone chemotherapy consisting of orchiectomy, diethylstilbestrol diphosphate and cisplatin. The survival rates were compared with those of 17 metastatic prostate cancer patients who were treated with hormone therapy alone. The five-year survival rates for the hormone chemotherapy group and the hormone therapy group were 64.6% and 29.4%, respectively. Based on our findings, it seems likely that hormone chemotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer.
We report a case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with CT showing a single, bulky, and round retroperitoneal mass mimicking primary retroperitoneal tumours or metastatic lymph node. On MRI, the tumour was presumed originating from lymph nodes but we could not judge whether the tumour was due to lymphoma or metastasis.
Electrical pelvic floor stimulation employing a portable functional electrical stimulation system with percutaneously indwelling electrodes was carried out to improve detrusor urinary incontinence. Cyclic stimulation using negative going pulse trains of 20 Hz was applied 3 to 6 times daily to the bilateral pudendal nerves distributing to the pelvic floor muscles for the purpose of strengthening these muscles, including the urethral sphincter, and simultaneously, suppressing detrusor overactivity and increasing cystometric capacity. Electrical training for 4-8 weeks resulted in an improvement of urinary incontinence in five of six patients. In two of six cases incontinence had subjectively disappeared. Urodynamic investigations demonstrated an increase in detrusor reflex threshold and less tendency for abortive detrusor contraction. No apparent complications were encountered during these periods. This procedure appears to be efficient for the management of patients with detrusor incontinence who respond poorly to conservative therapies.
A case of urinary bladder pheochromocytoma is presented. Although urinary norepinephrine concentration was high, the patient was normotensive and no blood pressure fluctuations occurred after micturition.
Nerve conduction velocities and hair concentrations of trace elements were studied in 19 male patients with chronic renal failure undergoing haemodialysis. Both motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities were significantly lower in haemodialysis patients as compared to controls (p < 0.001). Calcium and aluminium concentrations were significantly higher in patients (p < 0.01), however, vanadium and arsenic levels were significantly lower in patients (p < 0.01). In concentrations of copper and zinc there was no significant difference between patients and controls. There were no significant correlations between hair concentrations of trace elements and nerve conduction velocities except between calcium concentration and sensory nerve conduction velocity. These facts suggest that nerve conduction velocities are not influenced by changes of trace element concentrations in hair in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing haemodialysis.
To assess the treatment effect of pancreatic cancer, thallium 201 chloride (201TlCl) SPECT was performed in three patients. All of the patients before and after treatment showed the same change between the tumor/liver uptake ratio of 201TlCl and the serum level of CA 19-9. In one of the patients, tumor shrinkage was not observed on CT. However, the uptake ratio decreased, accompanying with a reduced serum level of CA 19-9. These results indicate that 201TlCl SPECT is useful to evaluate therapeutic effect of pancreatic cancer.
Experiments were carried out to elucidate the role of central catecholamines in regulating catecholamine metabolism in the vas deferens and adrenal gland of the rat. Rats were injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) with either vehicle or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Groups of animals pretreated with vehicle or 6-OHDA (i.c.v.) were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine (AMT), a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor. Catecholamine turnover rates were estimated by determining norepinephrine or epinephrine content after administering AMT. Central norepinephrine and dopamine contents decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) after treatment with 6-OHDA and AMT. The norepinephrine content of the vas deferens of rats pretreated with 6-OHDA was markedly reduced (p less than 0.001) after administration of AMT, whereas that of the vehicle-treated rats remained unchanged. Administration of 6-OHDA had no effect on the norepinephrine or epinephrine content of the adrenal gland. The present results indicate that central monoaminergic neurons have an inhibitory effect on the adrenergic neurons of the vas deferens. In contrast, this inhibitory regulation does not appear to be exerted on the adrenal glands.
Transketolase (EC 2.2.1.1) is the enzyme that, together with aldolase, forms a reversible link between the glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways. We have cloned and sequenced the transketolase gene from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). This is the first transketolase gene of the pentose phosphate shunt to be sequenced from any source. The molecular mass of the proposed translated protein is 73,976 daltons, in good agreement with the observed molecular mass of about 75,000 daltons. The 5'-nontranslated region of the gene is similar to other yeast genes. There is no evidence of 5'-splice junctions or branch points in the sequence. The 3'-nontranslated region contains the polyadenylation signal (AATAAA), 80 base pairs downstream from the termination codon. A high degree of homology is found between yeast transketolase and dihydroxyacetone synthase (formaldehyde transketolase) from the yeast Hansenula polymorpha. The overall sequence identity between these two proteins is 37%, with four regions of much greater similarity. The regions from amino acid residues 98-131, 157-182, 410-433, and 474-489 have sequence identities of 74%, 66%, 83%, and 82%, respectively. One of these regions (157-182) includes a possible thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) binding domain, and another (410-433) may contain the catalytic domain.
The biochemical changes associated with brain maturation during the first 28 days postnatal were investigated utilizing proton and phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in rat pups in vivo. Phosphocreatine was found to increase linearly during this period of development. Phosphomonoester was high at birth, peaked around the 10th day postnatal, and declined thereafter. N-Acetyl-aspartate was low at birth, increased in an approximately linear fashion, and reached adult levels by about Day 28 postnatal. Choline was high at birth and declined thereafter. Taurine, a sulfur amino acid abundant in fetal brain, was also present in high levels on the first day postnatal.
The differential effects of systemic anoxia on the immature rat brain in two postnatal developmental age groups, group I (1-2 days postnatal) and group II (9-10 days postnatal), were studied utilizing phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. While all pups in group I survived the 15-min anoxic period, only half of the pups in group II survived. Brain adenosine triphosphate and intracellular pH of pups in group I remained essentially unchanged throughout the anoxic period, while phosphocreatine and inorganic phosphate were sensitive indicators of anoxia. These parameters were all more drastically affected in group II pups than in group I pups. Group II pups also exhibited a significant increase in phosphomonoester, indicating developmental differences in phospholipid metabolism.
Changes in apparent 31P spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) associated with brain development were investigated in rat pups. While analysis of variance showed strong age dependency in [PME]/[ATP] and [PCr]/[ATP], the T1 values of PME, PCr, and ATP did not show any age dependency. The studies indicate that in contrast to the data which indicated aging-related changes in the T1 values of PME, the observed changes in PME during neonatal development are likely to be quantitative in nature.
A forty-year-old man with reflex urinary incontinence due to spinal cord injury was treated with electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor musculature. In this case we employed percutaneous implantable electrodes and an external pulse regulator. After 4 weeks of stimulation incontinence was improved and urodynamically maximum cystometric capacity increased from 220 ml to 350 ml. Our method is easy and not invasive. This technique can be an alternative for the electrical stimulation for urinary incontinence.
We report a case of different types of median raphe cysts in the penis. The literature is reviewed and the origin of these cysts is discussed.