A 71-year-old male suffering from an intraductal papillary tumor of the pancreas was admitted to our hospital for further investigation. Diagnostic trials, including endoscopic retrograde pancreatography, did not produce an adequate ductography because of a large amount of mucinous fluid. Therefore, we performed endoscopic ultrasonographic-guided punctured pancreatic ductography (EPPD). This procedure was safely performed without any complications. We report this initial and successful trial of EPPD.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The pigments in the dorsal skin of frogs.

The five pigments 1-5 and a colorless substance 6 were present in the dorsal skin of frogs of nine selected species belonging to Rhacophoridae, Ranidae, Hylidae, and Bufonidae and were identified as pterin-6-carboxylic acid, xanthopterin, isoxanthopterin, erythro-biopterin, 6-hydroxymethylpterin, and guanine, respectively. Another pigment 7 was specifically present in the skin of genus Rhacophorus and was deduced to be a pteridine derivative composed of five molecules of pterin-6-carboxylic acid [1].

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

New antitumor platinum(II) complexes with both lipophilicity and water miscibility.

Water-miscible platinum(II) complexes with 1,2-diaminocyclohexane as the carrier ligand and bile acids as the leaving ligands were synthesized and tested for antitumor activity against intraperitoneally implanted leukemia L1210 cells in mice. These complexes were water-miscible after appropriate sonication due to the presence of hydrophilic hydroxyl groups in the molecule, even though the complexes were essentially lipophilic. The complexes had high antitumor activity, but their optimal dose levels differed, and the administration route and form affected the antitumor activity. More lipophilic complexes showed higher activity when administered with Lipiodol than in water suspension, while the hydrophilic complexes showed significant activity when administered in water suspension. Intravenous administration of DACHP(cheno)2 in water suspension resulted in potent antitumor activity, while other complexes showed moderate activity via this route.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cross-reactivity of eluted antibodies from renal tissues of patients with henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis and IgA nephropathy.

A study on the specificity of antibodies eluted from renal biopsy specimens from patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) nephritis, IgA nephropathy and other glomerular diseases is described. The specimens were treated with citrate buffer, pH 3.2, and the 'eluate' was neutralized by sodium hydroxide. The 'eluate' was then applied to the acid-treated sections obtained from the same patients and from other patients with HSP nephritis as well as to the sections from patients with IgA nephropathy and other glomerular diseases. The sections were stained with FITC-labeled heavy-chain specific anti-human IgA antisera and then examined with a fluorescent microscope. It was demonstrated that the antibodies obtained from patients with HSP nephritis specifically recombined with the glomerular mesangial areas in patients with IgA nephropathy and vice versa, whereas they did not combine with renal tissues obtained from patients without IgA nephropathy. These antibodies did not show antimesangial activity since they did not react with normal glomeruli or nephritic glomeruli other than those from cases with HSP nephritis and/or IgA nephropathy. The specificity of IgA antibodies was confirmed by various tests using anti-human IgA antisera, human IgA myeloma protein, whole serum samples, human gamma-globulin absorbed with anti-human IgG and/or IgM antisera or clostral IgA. It is suggested that some common antigens may be involved in the development of HSP nephritis and IgA nephropathy.

Antibodies↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The efficacy of continuous local arterial infusion of 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin through an implanted reservoir for severe advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

There is not yet an effective standard therapy for severe advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We attempted continuous local arterial infusion chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin (CDDP) with an implanted reservoir for these patients, and evaluated its efficacy. Twenty-one HCC patients received continuous arterial infusion of 5-FU and CDDP for 1 week, followed by a 1-week no-infusion period; this regimen was repeated 1-32 times, and patients were observed for 36-549 days. The 1-year survival rate was 61.1%, and alpha fetoprotein levels decreased in 13 patients. All could continue as outpatients for 94.0% of the entire course of therapy. Because CDDP amplifies the effect of 5-FU as a biochemical modulator, and because continuous infusion strengthens the effect of 5-FU and reduces the side effects of CDDP, we consider this therapy to be effective for patients with severe advanced HCC, prolonging survival and improving the quality of life.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Complication of parenteral nutrition composed of essential amino acids and histidine in adults with renal failure.

This is a case report on six patients with hyperammonemia that developed while they were receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) as a component of renal failure therapy. Clinically, the hyperammonemia presented as mental status changes in all six cases. Four of the six patients with renal failure initially received 400 mL Amiyu in 1400 mL 17% glucose (total = 1800 mL TPN-A) administered over each 24-hour period. Two patients had been placed on 400 mL complete amino acid in 1400 mL 17% glucose (total = 1800 mL TPN-C over each 24-hour period) prior to therapy with TPN-A. Approximately 3 weeks after initiation of TPN therapy with TPN-A, episodes of mental status changes of increasing duration and paroxysms were documented in five of the six patients. In one of the patients receiving TPN-C prior to TPN-A therapy, toxicity was clinically evident only 4 days after initiation of TPN-A. Serum ammonia levels were obtained and found to be elevated in the acute (ie, presenting) stage in all patients. With the discontinuance of TPN-A, ammonia levels normalized uniformly. Mental status also improved in all cases except for the patient with rapid clinical presentation who died 2 weeks after first evidence of clinical toxicity. In cases 1, 2, and 6, serum amino acid analysis in the acute phase showed reduced levels of ornithine and citrulline, the substrate and product, respectively, of condensation with carbamyl phosphate at its entry into the urea cycle. Moreover, levels of arginine, precursor to ornithine, were found to be elevated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Biologically active constituents of leaves and roots of Aloe arborescens var. natalensis.

Several biologically active substances, such as aloenin (1), magnesium lactate, aloe-emodin (4), barbaloin (5), and succinic acid, were found to be contained in the leaf juice of Aloe arborescens Mill. var. natalensis Berger, which has widely been used in domestic medicines. Aloenin (1) and magnesium lactate were elucidated to exhibit an inhibitory action on the gastric juice secretion of rats. Various constituents other than the above bioactive substances were found in the leaves and the roots of the plant.

Aloe↗

PubMedDate not supplied

In vitro pesticide degradation in turfgrass soil incubated under open and sealed conditions.

Degradation of selected pesticides was conducted in a turfgrass soil from a golf course under open (i.e., allowing gas exchange with atmosphere) and sealed systems. The time required for 50% of the initial dose of fenitrothion (O,O-dimethyl O-4-nitro-m-tolyl phosphorothioate), diazinon (O,O-dimethyl O-2-isopropyl-6-methylpyrimidin4-yl phosphorothioate), iprodione [3-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-N-isopropyl-2,4-dioxo-imidazolidine-1-carboxamide], mecoprop [(RS)-2-(4-chloro-otolyloxy)propionic acid], and asulam (4-aminophenylsulfonyl-carbamate) to dissipate (half-life, t 1/2) was less than 2 wk under both conditions. The t 1/2 values of dithiopyr (S,S'-dimethyl 2-difluoromethyl-4-isobutyl-6-trifluoro-methylpyridine-3,5-dicarbothioate) were 324 and 185 d under the open and sealed conditions, respectively. The t 1/2 values of isoprothiolane (di-isopropyl 1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidene-malonate), flutolanil (alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-3'-isopropoxy-o-toluanilide), and benefin (N-butyl-N-ethyl-alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-p-toluidine) under the open conditions were 154, 336, and 47 d, respectively. The t 1/2 values of these pesticides increased slightly under the sealed conditions. The t 1/2 values of terbutol (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenyl N-methycarbamate) and one of the major degradation products, N-demethyl-terbutol (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenyl carbamate), were 182 and 291 d under the open conditions and increased by six- and threefold under the sealed conditions, respectively. The degradation system under the sealed conditions could characterize the persistence of terbutol and N-demethyl-terbutol, which were the most persistent in the field.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of viral antigens in patients with IgA nephropathy.

Immunofluorescent analysis of viral antigens in the cultured fibroblasts and renal tissues in patients with IgA nephropathy was described. Freeze and thawed extracts of pharyngeal cells obtained from patients with IgA nephropathy, chronic proliferative glomerulonephritis without IgA deposition (PGN) and healthy adults were cultured with human fibroblasts, i.e. Hel cells, with or without addition of 5-iodine 2'-deoxy-uridine (IUDR) at 37 degrees C for 2 weeks. These fibroblasts and renal sections were stained with several kinds of FITC-labeled antiviral antibodies. Deposition of adeno, herpes simplex, varicella zoster or parainfluenza 3 was observed not only in the renal sections but also in the nuclear regions and/or cytoplasm of Hel cells after incubation of extracts of pharyngeal cells with or without IUDR from patients with IgA nephropathy. It is indicated that antigenic stimulation in the upper respiratory tracts may be due to several different types of DNA and/or RNA viruses in patients with IgA nephropathy. It appears that these antigenic substances show some heterogeneity among these patients.

Adenoviruses, Human↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Anterior choroidal artery: angiographic analysis of variations and anomalies.

In the first part of this investigation, 216 consecutive carotid angiograms from 108 patients were reviewed to analyze variations of the anterior choroidal artery (AChA) for the origin, size, and course of the stem and for the possible identification of the uncal branch, perforating branches, and plexal segment of the AChA. In the second part of our investigation, we analyzed anomalies of the AChA seen on angiography. The anomalies of this artery were divided into hypoplastic and hyperplastic types, with prevalences of 3% and 2.3%, respectively, as determined from 216 control carotid angiograms. Hypoplasia of the plexal segment of this artery might represent an evolutionary variant in which the artery ceased to acquire choroidal branches, thus remaining in the reptilian stage. Twenty-five hyperplastic anomalous arteries that supplied a part of the distribution of the posterior cerebral artery were found not only on the 216 control angiograms (five arteries), but also on 2000 carotid angiograms obtained over 8 years (20 arteries). The hyperplastic arteries were further classified into subtypes according to the distribution area and course of the vessel. The hyperplastic anomalies are considered to represent a situation in which the AChA has maintained, as a main pathway, an anastomosis with the posterior communicating artery and posterior cerebral artery. Our detailed analysis of the variations and anomalies of the choroidal artery should be useful in the assessment of this territory.

Arteries↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[On various pharmacodynamic and biologic properties of venom of serpents of the genus Bothrops (B. jararaca, B. atrox, B. lanceolatus and B. carribeaus)].

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Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Species differences in the induction of hepatic microsomal carboxylesterases caused by dietary exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, a peroxisome proliferator.

The ability of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a very widely used commercial plasticizer, to induce hepatic microsomal carboxylesterase isozymes in rats, mice (C5BL/6 and DBA/2 strains), and hamsters was studied by measuring hydrolase activities and by immunoblotting analysis using specific antibodies. Animals were given 2% (v/w) DEHP in the diet for 7 days. In rats, p-nitrophenyl acetate, isocarboxazid, and butanilicaine hydrolase activities and the contents of RL1, RL2, and RH1 in liver microsomes were all increased, but acetanilide hydrolase activity was not increased. In hamsters, the only significant change was a slight increase of butanilicaine hydrolase activity. In mice, butanilicaine hydrolase was strongly induced in both the C57BL/6 (7.35-fold) and DBA/2 (4.96-fold) strains. The anti-RL1 and RH1 antibody-reactive proteins in C57BL/6 mouse liver microsomes were increased, but the extent of induction was much less than that of butanilicaine hydrolase activity. The butanilicaine hydrolysis seems to be catalyzed by not only anti-RL1 reactive protein, but also some other carboxylesterase in C57BL/6 mouse. Anti-RL1 antibody inhibited the DEHP-induced butanilicaine hydrolase activity by > 50%. The results strongly suggest that multiple carboxylesterase isozymes were induced in mouse hepatic microsomes by dietary exposure to DEHP.

Animals↗