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Biomedical subjects

A Harada

Publications and source records attributed to A Harada.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Hepatitis C virus infection in hepatocellular carcinoma. Detection of plus-strand and minus-strand viral RNA.

BACKGROUND: Although serum antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) is found in many patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the actual roles of HCV in carcinogenesis are unknown. METHODS: With reverse transcription followed by the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), HCV RNA was examined in the sera and liver tissues of 16 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who did not have hepatitis B virus markers, 13 of whom had anti-HCV. RESULTS: In the 13 patients with anti-HCV, the HCV genomic plus-strand RNA was detected more frequently in noncancerous tissues (8 patients, 61.5%) and in sera (6 patients, 46.2%) than in cancerous tissues (3 patients, 23.1%). No viral RNA was found in either sera or tissues in the three patients without anti-HCV. By using a sense primer for the RT in the RT-PCR assay, amplification was attempted of a putative complementary minus-strand RNA that is believed to reflect viral replication in the eight patients with the plus-strand RNA. The minus-strand RNA was found in the noncancerous tissues of six patients; it was not detected in the cancerous tissues. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that HCV can infect and replicate predominantly in noncancerous cells but rarely in tumor cells.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Expression of HLA-DR in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Expression of HLA-DR was investigated immunohistochemically in 20 cases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, as well as 9 normal livers that had been obtained at autopsy. Five of the nine normal livers had peribiliary glands that showed HLA-DR. Positive staining for HLA-DR on tumor cells was observed in 6 of 13 cases of cholangiocarcinoma of the hepatic hilus and in only 1 of 7 cases of peripheral cholangiocellular carcinoma. In cholangiocarcinomas of the hepatic hilus, the 5-year survival rate for tumors that had positive staining for HLA-DR was better than that for tumors that had negative staining. Based on these results, the presence or absence of HLA-DR on tumor cells could have a pathologic significance for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Adenoma, Bile Duct↗
PubMed1992

Results of hepatic resection and postoperative arterial chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

To improve the outcome of patients who had undergone hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we employed postoperative adjuvant hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (AHAI) in 23 patients. Patients showing various risk factors for the recurrence of HCC were given one shot of doxorubicin and mitomycin C suspended in an oily medium (lipiodol) and an infusion of 5-fluorouracil. The 3-year survival value calculated for patients who were treated with AHAI was 75%, which was significantly higher than that found for patients who did not receive AHAI (n = 156; P < 0.05). In addition, among the patients who underwent hepatic lobectomy, the survival of those who received AHAI was also significantly greater than that of those who did not (n = 46; P < 0.01). AHAI did not cause any severe complications. These results indicate that AHAI may be an effective therapy for patients with HCC.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1992

The course of respiration and circulation in death due to typical hanging.

Experiments were carried out on 15 dogs to investigate the course of respiration and circulation during the agonal period of death due to typical hanging. Animals were asphyxiated by a method simulating typical hanging. Electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), blood pressure (BP) in the femoral artery and intrathoracic pressure (ITP) were registered. In typical hanging, the course of respiration was characterized by shorter stages of dyspnoea and initial apnoea and a longer stage of the terminal respiration when compared with obstructive asphyxia. However, the whole time of the course of respiration and circulation in typical hanging was almost the same as that in obstructive asphyxia. The BP increased rapidly, was maintained during the dyspnoea stage, and then decreased gradually. EEG disappeared with, or a short time after, the end of the dyspnoea stage. The increased heart rate in the dyspnoea stage remained until circulatory collapse. The analysis of the ECG complexes revealed that the heart muscle adapted to oxygen deficiency during typical hanging.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed1992

Homicidal manual strangulation and multiple stun-gun injuries.

Stun guns are electric shock devices that are used by a number of law enforcement agencies to subdue violent offenders, but sometimes are discharged into human bodies as offensive weapons. We autopsied a 22-year-old woman who was strangled and had many stun-gun injuries on her head, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs. The stun-gun injuries consisted of many pairs of round erythemas with or without central paleness, some of which were accompanied by circumferential abrasions. To determine whether the electric shocks were administered before or after her death, we studied stun-gun injuries on pigs before and after death and found that the shocks after death did not mark the animal skin. Based on this experiment, all of the stun-gun injuries on the victim's body were concluded to have been inflicted before her death.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Postoperative changes in the spinal cord in cervical myelopathy demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging.

The relation between improvement of myelopathy achieved by surgery and postoperative spinal cord morphologic changes was investigated by magnetic resonance imaging in 51 patients with cervical myelopathy. In 22 patients, the cord indentation disappeared completely (Type I), in 23 it partially disappeared (Type II), and in 3 it remained unchanged (Type III). In three patients the cord enlarged after surgery (Type IV). With the exception of Type IV, increased restoration of cord morphology paralleled improvement in the myelopathy, suggesting that morphologic changes closely reflect neurologic recovery. In Type IV, notwithstanding the peculiar postoperative reaction, improvement was relatively good, and shrinkage of the cord enlargement was seen after 1 year. This kind of postoperative change has not been demonstrated previously by other conventional imaging methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Beneficial effects of cyclosporine on postischemic liver injury in rats.

The discovery of cyclosporine has had a significant impact on preventing the rejection of transplanted organs in humans. In this study, we present another positive aspect of cyclosporine. Rats were pretreated with cyclosporine (10 mg/kg, i.v.), or untreated. After 2-hr ischemia or 1 hr of reperfusion following 2-hr ischemia, livers were isolated and liver adenine nucleotide concentrations were determined. Liver mitochondria were prepared and their function was estimated polarographically. Leakage of AST, ALT, LDH, and adenine nucleotides into the hepatic vein just after reperfusion was also measured. Cyclosporine treatment did not affect ischemia-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, nor did it prevent the associated decrease in adenosine triphosphate concentration. However, treatment with cyclosporine accelerated the recovery of mitochondrial function and of tissue adenosine triphosphate concentrations. Cyclosporine treatment also mitigated leakage of AST, ALT, LDH, and adenine nucleotides after reperfusion. These results indicate that cyclosporine shows a potent protective effect on ischemia-reperfusion-related liver injury.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1992

The effects of gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester, a prodrug of glutathione, on ischemia-reperfusion-induced liver injury in rats.

This study was designed to clarify the effects of changes in liver tissue glutathione (GSH) concentration on postischemic liver injury together with the effects of gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester (GCE), a prodrug of GSH, and GSH. Rats were pretreated with GSH (50 mg/kg, i.v.), or GCE (50 mg/kg, i.v.), or untreated. In each rat, liver was isolated, and liver mitochondria were prepared after 2 h of ischemia or 1 h of reperfusion following 2 h of ischemia. Mitochondrial function was measured polarographically. Liver adenine nucleotide concentrations were also determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Liver tissue GSH, an oxidized form of glutathione (GSSG) concentrations, and activities of GSH peroxidase and GSSG reductase were determined enzymatically. Liver hypoxanthine and xanthine concentrations were determined by HPLC. Liver tissue concentration of lipid peroxide was measured. Leakages of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and adenine nucleotides into the hepatic vein after reperfusion were also measured. Administration of GCE improved the recovery of mitochondrial function and maintained tissue GSH concentration concomitantly. Increases in liver lipid peroxide concentration after reperfusion, and leakage of liver cell enzymes and adenine nucleotides were mitigated by administration of GCE. Administration of GSH itself failed to maintain tissue GSH concentration and had no protective effects. From these results, it is concluded that in the postischemic process, free radical formation might be enhanced, and the radical scavenging system deteriorated. To enhance the radical scavenging system is a possible maneuver to prevent radical-related cell damage associated with reperfusion, because pharmacological reduction of breakdown of ATP to hypoxanthine and xanthine seems to be difficult. GCE maintained liver GSH concentrations and mitigated postischemic liver injury, concomitantly. Clinical use of GCE might be recommended.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1992

An unusual case of accidental smothering.

A rare accidental death case is presented in which four pieces of packing tape adhered tightly over the nose and mouth. The notes for his experimental report, left in his room, suggested that the accident happened during his trial to prove his theory on respiration to improve physical exercise.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Ultrastructural studies of the bile duct in alcoholic liver disease.

The fine structural characteristics of the bile duct in patients with alcoholic disease are described. Dark cell metamorphosis, edematous microvilli, and increased number of pinocytotic vesicles on the basal wall surface of the duct epithelium were observed. These alterations may be interpreted as evidence of disordered water metabolism, probably reflecting secretion and reabsorption hyperfunction in the duct epithelium. In addition, widened intercellular spaces in the basal half of the epithelium suggested retention of fluid following reverse pinocytosis along the lateral cell surface. Although no alterations of the duct epithelium distinct from those in patients with other liver diseases were apparent in patients with alcoholic liver disease, the basement membrane of the bile duct exhibited unusual duplication with multiple layers and occasional loop-formation in lacunae on the basal surface.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Changes in the glutathione redox system during ischemia and reperfusion in rat liver.

After 60 min of reperfusion following 60 min of ischemia, the ischemia-induced decrease in liver tissue adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration had recovered by 66%, and full recovery of mitochondrial function--that is, the respiratory control index (RCI) and the rate of oxygen consumption in state-III respiration (ST III O2)--was observed. In contrast, liver tissue ATP concentration had recovered by only 13%, and marked low RCI and ST III O2 were observed after 60 min of reperfusion following 180 min of ischemia. Intermediate results were observed in rats after 60 min of reperfusion following 120 min of ischemia. Liver tissue hypoxanthine and xanthine, substrates of xanthine oxidase, increased ischemic time dependently. Liver tissue concentrations of the reduced form of glutathione (GSH) and the oxidized form of glutathione (GSSG) and activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase did not change after 60 min of reperfusion following 60 min of ischemia. In contrast, GSH concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity decreased significantly after 60 min of reperfusion following 180 min of ischemia. Since the glutathione redox system is an important contributor to the scavenging of free radicals after reperfusion following a long time of ischemia, the free radical scavenging ability might decrease in spite of enhancement of free radical generation, which might play an important role in the inhibition of the recovery of tissue ATP concentrations and mitochondrial function.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1992

[Two cases of esophageal varices complication after hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAI) for metastatic liver tumor].

Mild liver dysfunction is a well-known complication of HAI, but it has been thought to be transient and reversible in most cases. In the case, of metastatic liver disease, in particular, HAI has been performed safely because liver function is normal for the most part. We encountered 2 cases of irreversible severe liver dysfunction and esophageal varices after hepatectomy for metastatic liver tumor from colorectal cancer. They were treated with postoperative adjuvant HAI. Biliary enzyme as alkaline phosphatase elevated, and dilated intrahepatic bile ducts were observed in both patients. Fibrosis of Glissonean sheath, dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts and intrahepatic biliary stones were observed at autopsy in both patients. One of the patients had obstruction of portal trunk. It must not be forgotten that such complications can occur even in a case with non-cirrhotic liver.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1992

[The results and problems of surgical treatment of cancer of the duodenal papilla of Vater].

Twenty six of 28 cases (92.9%) of cancer of duodenal papilla of Vater were resected from 1981 to 1990. Twenty five pancreatoduodenectomy and one total pancreatectomy were performed. Operative death and hospital death were not observed. Three year and five year cumulative survival rates of resected cases were 58% and 52% respectively. There was relatively good correlation between pathological cancer extension and postoperative prognosis. Postoperative prognosis of the cases which had cancer extension to the pancreas was extremely poor. But the prognosis of the cases of cancer within Oddi muscle was extremely good. Immunohistochemical staining using anti CEA, anti CA19-9 and anti DUPAN 2 was studied and Grade III staining pattern was observed only in the cases which had cancer invasion to the pancreas. Preoperative diagnosis of cancer extension using endoscopic ultrasonography and appropriate choice of the operative procedure are important. Extended operation and effective adjuvant therapy are necessary for advanced cases of cancer of the duodenal papilla.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Long-term results of terminal esophago-proximal gastrectomy for esophageal varices].

Between 1973 and 1991, 193 patients underwent terminal esophagoproximal gastrectomy (TEPG) for esophageal varices. One hundred and sixty patients (84%) were cirrhotics. Ten patients (5.2%) were died within hospital stay. In 116 elective patients who had been free from hepatocellular carcinoma during therapeutic courses, the 5- and 10-year survival rates were 77% and 62% in Child A, and 62% and 38% in Child B, respectively. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.05). Postoperative rebleeding from esophageal varices was infrequent within 5 years but increased after 5 years especially in Child B and Child C. For patients with these recurrent varices, endoscopic injection sclerotherapy was very effective and improved the prognosis. The survival rate of patients with extremely decreased platelet counts was not different from that of patients without. There were no other severe complications after TEPG. We conclude that TEPG would be indicated firstly for elective or prophylactic cases unless they have severe hepatic damage.

Esophageal and Gastric Varices↗
PubMed1992

[Clinicopathological study of membranous glomerulonephritis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

Of 103 patients with membranous glomerulonephritis proved by renal biopsy, 11 (10.7%) had rheumatoid arthritis. Nine of these 11 patients received systemic treatment with anti-rheumatic remedies including gold, D-penicillamine and bucillamine. Two others were administered only token of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Renal function of the patients was well maintained and within normal limits. Four patients showed nephrotic syndrome, while mild to moderate proteinuria was found in the other 7. Hematuria was minimal to mild, and it was not a major symptom. Six patients resolved proteinuria completely and 2 patients incompletely after discontinuation of chrysotherapy. Nine cases of the membranous lesion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis were stage 1. Thus it was often difficult to identify the glomerular change only by light microscopy. IgA nephropathy and AA amyloidosis were associated in one patient respectively. Our data lead us to conclude that chrysotherapy would cause membranous lesions, but rheumatoid arthritis itself also induce membranous glomerulonephritis.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Dieulafoy's ulcer associated with the tortuous caliber persistent arteries: report of three cases.

Many papers have reported that Dieulafoy's ulcer is one of the notorious causes of gastric hemorrhage. Three cases of shallow subfundic ulcers with massive bleeding are reported. The resected specimens have demonstrated that elevated caliber-persistent artery (CPA), a branch of the left gastric artery with few anastomoses, in the base of the ulcer has tortuous penetration from the serosa to submucosa, showing patchy, eccentric intimal fibroelastosis. These findings of CPA are almost the same in both anterior and posterior walls, namely both the ruptured and contralateral sides. Thus, morphogenesis of the ulcer may have originated from anatomical deviation, which is related to regional hypertension aggravated by longterm peristalsis, as well as aging.

Aged↗