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Biomedical subjects

F Nakajima

Publications and source records attributed to F Nakajima.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Effects of ouabain on muscle tension and intracellular Ca2+ level in guinea-pig aorta.

The effects of ouabain on muscle tension and the intracellular Ca2+ level ([Ca2+]i) were examined in guinea-pig aorta loaded with fura-2. Ouabain caused a gradual and sustained increase in both [Ca2+]i and muscle tension. There was a positive correlation between these two parameters. In Ca(2+)-free solution, ouabain did not affect either [Ca2+]i or muscle tension, suggesting that the ouabain-induced increase in [Ca2+]i was not due to Ca2+ release from storage sites. The ouabain-induced increase in [Ca2+]i and muscle tension was inhibited by Ni2+, which inhibits the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, but not by verapamil. Furthermore, anionic and cationic amphiphiles were used as modulators of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. Sodium dodecyl sulfate accelerated the responses to ouabain, whereas dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide inhibited them. These results suggest that in the guinea-pig aorta, ouabain induces contraction by increasing the Ca2+ influx through the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger on the plasma membrane, but not through verapamil-sensitive Ca2+ channels.

Animals

[Recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) treatment for spleen abscess and periostitis in a patient with chronic granulomatous disease].

A 9-year-old boy with chronic granulomatous disease was hospitalized on May, 1991, because of continued fever and pain in the right elbow. Increased bone intensity at the distal end of right humerus on x-ray and a 33 x 36 mm space-occupying lesion in the spleen on abdominal CT scan were recognized. Under a diagnosis of periosteitis and spleen abscess, intravenous infusion of rhG-CSF at a dose of 200 micrograms/m2/day was started in combination with antimicrobial therapy. Fever, tenderness, swelling in the right elbow and inflammatory indices improved three weeks after the institution of therapy. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formation by neutrophil increased significantly, although intermittently, during the therapy. The spleen abscess had completely vanished on CT scan on February, 1992. The therapy was well tolerated and no significant side effects were observed. The use of rhG-CSF in combination with potent antibiotics is recommended for patients with serious infections in chronic granulomatous disease to avoid a fatal course.

Abscess

Treatment for stage III-IV neuroblastoma patients: initial response to chemotherapy evaluated by biochemical parameters.

Fourteen patients with stage III-IV neuroblastoma were treated with alternating combination chemotherapy consisting of (a) VP16/cisplatin and (b) doxorubicin/vincristine/cyclophosphamide. The initial response to induction chemotherapy, especially to VP16/cisplatin was evaluated by determining t 1/2 for urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), homovanillic acid and serum neuron specific enolase (NSE). The period prior to normalization of these parameters was also determined. The patients could be classified as 7 rapid responders, with less than 3 weeks of t 1/2 VMA, or t 1/2 NSE, and 7 slow responders longer than 4 weeks of t 1/2 VMA. An analysis of the data indicates that an initial rapid response correlated with subsequent high complete response rate, but did not necessarily predict better prognosis in these patients.

Abdominal Neoplasms

[The suction effusion fluid is useful as a sample for blood biochemistry].

We examined whether the suction effusion fluid could be used as a new sample for blood biochemistry. The fluid was obtained from the skin surface of female mongrel dogs by transcutaneous suction after removal of the horny substance. The appropriate intraluminal pressure for suction was 300 mmHg at which the effusion fluid flow rate was 0.6 microliter/min/cm2. The blood biochemistry examination revealed that the creatinine (Cr) and urea (BUN) concentrations in the suction effusion fluid were similar to those in plasma and that the protein and lipid concentrations were much smaller than those in plasma. The six-hour study showed that the effusion fluid could be obtained for hours at the same skin area and that the Cr and BUN concentrations were consistently close to those in plasma. In uremia models, the Cr and BUN concentration in the suction effusion fluid was similar to and had an extremely high correlation (r = 0.985 and 0.982 respectively) to that in plasma through out the range for clinical practice. The skin biopsy revealed that the regeneration of the horny substance had started at one week after the suction and complete recovery was seen at four weeks. The invasiveness of the suction seemed to be small. The suction effusion fluid is a reliable material for measurement of Cr and BUN in plasma and, as it contains much less proteins and lipids, will be a good sample for biosensors.

Animals

[Posterior fossa hemorrhage 11 years after the use of silastic dural substitute: case report].

A case of posterior fossa hemorrhage is reported. The hemorrhage occurred 11 years after posterior fossa craniotomy with closure using a graft of silastic dural substitute. This 14 year-old girl underwent suboccipital craniotomy at the age of 3 years because of traumatic posterior fossa hemorrhage. The dura mater was repaired with a piece of dural substitute. Eleven years later, she developed severe headache and vomiting. Computerized tomography scanning revealed a high density area in the right posterior fossa. At exploration, a fresh clot was evacuated between the dural graft and the fibrous scar tissue. The resected fibrous scar tissue was 1cm thick, and was adhering to the duro glial scar tissue. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged 2 weeks after surgery. Microscopic examination of the fibrous scar tissue revealed an outer layer of loose connective tissue with numerous capillaries. The inner layer consisted of dense connective tissue. It was speculated that fragile capillaries of fibrous scar tissue caused this hemorrhage. Surgeons should not forget this complication although silastic dural substitute is less used than it used to be.

Adolescent

[Simultaneous occurrence of renal cell and transitional cell carcinoma in the same kidney and ureter. A case report].

An unusual case of 2 concurrent primary renal tumors within the same kidney is reported. A 70-year-old woman presented with gross hematuria when she was in the hospital for cerebral infarction. Excretory urography revealed a marked expansion of the right kidney with no renal function. CT scan showed a mass arising from the right kidney, the hydronephrotic right renal pelvis, and a mass in the lower right ureter. Selective renal angiogram showed marked neovascularity of the mass. There was an encasement of the intrarenal artery to the lower pole. Angiographic findings were highly suggestive of a renal cell carcinoma with a second neoplasm in the renal pelvis. Subsequently, the patient underwent right radical nephroureterectomy and partial cystectomy. Section of the removed specimen revealed a 4.0 X 3.8 cm solid tumor confined to the kidney in the upper pole and a transitional cell carcinoma arising from the renal pelvis. In addition, transitional cell carcinoma was present in the distal ureter.

Aged

Marine sterols. IX. Occurrence of 24 xi-methylcholestane-1 beta, 3 beta, 5 alpha, 6 beta, 25-pentol 25-monoacetate in the soft coral, Sarcophyton glaucum.

The southern Japan's soft coral, Sarcophyton glaucum, was found to contain several polyhydroxylates steroids. One of the minor components was isolated and its structure was established as 24 xi-methylcholestane-1 beta, 3 beta, 5 alpha, 6 beta, 25-pentol 25-monoacetate from spectral evidence and from comparison with a reference compound, 5 alpha-spirostan-1 beta, 3 beta, 5 alpha, 6 beta-tetrol, which was synthesized from ruscogenin. A mixture of 1 beta, 3 beta, 5 alpha, 6 beta-tetra hydroxy C27- and C28-sterols was also isolated.

Animals

[Simplfied technique of lumbar subarachnoid-peritoneal shunt (author's transl)].

The authors have developed a simplified technique of lumbar subarachnoid peritoneal shunt in which the spinal tube is easily introduced through a puncture needle without doing a laminectomy. Seventeen cases of communicating hydrocephalus of various orgin have been treated by this procedure. In this paper, we reported our shunting system and the technique of precedures, and discussed the clinical results and some advantages of this method. The spinal tube is a custom made Silastic tube with small side holes 2 mm apart from each other at slanting tip located within the first 1.0 cm of the end. French No. 5 tube is available for older children and for adults, and French No. 3.6 tube for infants. Total length of the tube measures 30 cm with 4 black markers at 5 cm intervals from the tip for assisting in positioning. The puncture needle is a modified Touhey needle. Two needles different in size are prepared according to the size of the tube. Outer diameter of these needles is 2.1 mn & 1.8 mn. Our operative procedures are divided into following three steps. 1) Puncture of the lumbar subarachnoid space and insertion of the spinal tube through the needle. 2) Introduction and placement of the peritoneal tube into some point of the peritoneal cavity. Concerning to this point, we have the three candidates, namely into the Douglas pouch, the suprahepatic space, and the bursa omental cavity. 3) Connection of the spinal tube and the peritoneal catheter end. We used a kind of flushing device only in some exceptional cases, and recently, we feel that it is not so necessary for this shunting. We have employed this technique in a total of 17 cases. Eleven cases of them are adults and the other 6 cases are children less than 2 years of age. Postoperative follow up period varied from 13 months to 1 month, and all the cases except two had good result, suggesting the shunt system is working well with no evidence of complications such as low pressure syndrome or radicular irritation. Some troubles occurred in two children. One was a disconnection between the spinal and the peritoneal tube, and the other was an obstruction at the peritoneal tube end. The authors believe that our L-P shunt has several advantages as listed below, 1)Procedure is very simple, in other words, there is no need of laminectomy. 2) The entire system is short. 3) No need to pass the catheter into the brain tissue. 4) Obstruction of the spinal catheter end is very unusual. 5) Alteration of communicating hydrocepalus into non communicating one by secondary obstruction of aqueduct of Sylvius is less likely with this shunting system. 6) Siphon effect might be minimal, if present. 7) As compared to V-A shunt, severe complication like septicemia will not occur in the L-P shunt. With this simple method and good material, we hope that this L-P shunt is employed more widely for the patients with communicating hydrocephalus.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts