Ewing's sarcoma and its neural differentiation.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Kudo.
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The chromatographic behaviour of ofloxacin on various sorbents, including ODS, C8, C1, nitril, phenyl and tert,-butyl, as stationary phases was investigated and a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay was developed for the determination of ofloxacin in serum. The serum samples were directly introduced onto an HPLC column after filtering through a Morcut II membrane filter to remove proteins. The filtrate was concentrated on a pre-column using a phenyl stationary phase and was then introduced to an analytical column with an ODS stationary phase by column switching. Ofloxacin and enoxacin as an internal standard were detected by ultraviolet absorbance at 300 nm. Determination was possible for ofloxacin over the concentration range 50-2000 ng/ml; the limit of detection was 20 ng/ml. The recovery of ofloxacin added to serum was 88.8-101.7% with a coefficient of variation of less than 5.2%. This method is applicable to pharmacokinetic studies of patients after treatment with ofloxacin.
By using an immunohistochemical technique, kallikrein-producing cells in the anterior pituitary of rats were identified to be the same as prolactin-producing cells. Kallikrein was localized at the Golgi apparatus, the rough endoplasmic reticulum and secretory granules. Kallikrein was also located in the perivascular cells of the pineal gland.
Male ICR mice were exposed to silane 1000 ppm, a concentration 200 or 2000 times higher than the recommended occupational exposure limits by many countries and academic associations, for 1, 2, 4, and 8 h (phase I study) and for 6 h/day, 5 days/week, over 2 and 4 weeks (phase II study). Hematological and biochemical studies were performed, and the animals were examined for histopathological lesions of the cornea, nasal cavity, respiratory tract, lung, liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, thymus, thyroid, bone marrow, salivary glands, esophagus, and testis. All mice in both studies survived until they were sacrificed. In the phase I study, no exposure-related changes were found as a result of the hematological, biochemical, or histopathological examinations. In the phase II study, hematological and biochemical examinations failed to reveal any exposure-related changes, but mild irritation, manifested in the form of a small amount of exudate (eight out of ten animals), and inflammatory cells and/or necrotic cells on the nasal mucosa (six out of ten animals) was observed in the mice exposed to silane for 4 weeks. These findings suggest that silane toxicity and irritation are not severe.
An unusual case of coexisting acromegaly and Cushing's syndrome is reported in a 34-yr-old female. There was no biochemical or morphological evidence to suggest the presence of other endocrinopathies. She did not have any family history to suggest a hereditary tendency to endocrine disorders. Her acromegaly and Cushing's syndrome were proven to be due to a pituitary somatotroph adenoma and a cortisol-producing adenoma in the right adrenocortex, respectively. Surgical removal of both tumors led to a marked biochemical improvement of the two endocrinopathies. To account for the simultaneous occurrence of the two endocrine tumors, at least two endocrine syndromes may be considered. One of them is Carney's complex. However, Cushing's syndrome in this complex is unexceptionally due to primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease, differing from the adrenal pathology of our patient. In addition, a lack in this case of any other characteristic suggestive of this syndrome appears to speak against this possibility. A second possibility is multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. The absence of a parathyroid or pancreatic islet cell tumor does not strongly support this possibility, but adrenocortical lesions are not rare in this syndrome although they are only rarely functional. However, existence of similar case reports, although very few, in the literature leaves the possibility that she represents another rare variant of sporadic multiple endocrine neoplasia type I syndrome.
A seroepidemiologic study of the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Japan was performed, and the relationship between serum pepsinogen I and II levels (markers of gastritis and gastric atrophy) and H. pylori infection was investigated. Four hundred and eighteen asymptomatic children and adults were studied. The prevalence of anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibody increased with age. For persons born after 1950, the frequency of H. pylori infection increased at approximately 1% per year; for those born before 1950 the prevalence was high (70%-80%) and relatively constant. Serum pepsinogen I and II levels were significantly higher in H. pylori-infected volunteers than in H. pylori-uninfected volunteers [51.6 +/- 3 vs. 42.9 +/- 2 ng/mL (P less than 0.05) for pepsinogen I; 16.0 +/- 1 vs. 7.5 +/- 0.8 ng/mL (P less than 0.001) for pepsinogen II]. The ratio of pepsinogen I to pepsinogen II was significantly lower in H. pylori-infected volunteers (3.5 +/- 0.2) than in uninfected volunteers (6.3 +/- 0.3; P less than 0.001). The apparent decrease in prevalence of H. pylori accompanying the Westernization of Japan may eventually be accompanied by a reduction in the frequency of atrophic gastritis, the precursor lesion of the epidemic form of gastric carcinoma, and ultimately result in a decrease in the incidence of gastric carcinoma in Japan.
The signals that direct the excision of introns from mammalian pre-mRNA are not yet well understood. However, at least three kinds of signals--5'-splice site signals, 3'-splice site signals and branch point signals--play important roles in the excision of introns. In the present paper we treat only the 5'-splice sites. In addition to a consensus sequence for 5'-splice signals, several methods have been proposed, based on a statistical model, and used to analyze relative importance of each nucleotide at each position. In our approach a nucleotide sequence is regarded as a string with symbols of 'A', 'T', 'G' and 'C'; important substrings of 5'-splice site sequences, called pattern sequences, are extracted. A pattern sequence expresses which nucleotide is needed at a limited number of positions around the 5'-splice site. It is observed that a particular pattern sequence matches predominantly 5'-splice site sequences nearest to the 5'-end of a gene and another pattern sequence matches predominantly the second nearest ones. Moreover, it is confirmed that the pattern sequences accurately predict authentic 5'-splice sites for unknown genes and explain some mutation examples.
Ultrasonographic (US) angiography enhanced with intraarterial CO2 microbubbles, a contrast material used in US imaging, was performed of 103 histologically proved hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) smaller than 3 cm in diameter in 95 patients. The detection rate for hypervascular HCC with US angiography was compared with the rate of detection with conventional angiography, digital subtraction angiography (DSA), and computed tomography (CT) after intraarterial injection of iodized oil. Sensitivity in detection of hypervascular HCCs with US angiography was 86% (89 of 103 HCCs), compared with 63% (44 of 70 HCCs) detected with conventional angiography, 70% (23 of 33 HCCs) with DSA, and 82% (75 of 91 HCCs) with CT with iodized oil. US angiography depicted small hypervascular HCCs, especially those less than 1 cm in diameter, and helped clarify vascularity as isovascular or hypovascular in angiographically undetectable HCCs. Findings at US angiography assisted the choice of a therapeutic strategy for treatment of HCC, such as transarterial therapy, percutaneous ethanol injection therapy, or resection.
A synthesis of a novel and chemically stable homoisocarbacyclin analog, TY-11223 (3), has been accomplished. The analog (3), given intravenously or orally, showed potent and long-lasting activities in inhibiting platelet aggregation and, in addition, a good selectivity in biological activities.
Differential diagnosis of small liver tumors is important, but is not always possible, even with angiography. To solve this problem, we introduced sonographic angiography, which combines sonography and angiography. The vascular pattern of a variety of hepatic nodules was evaluated with sonographic angiography, and the results were compared with those of conventional angiography. Sonographic angiography (sonography performed during intraarterial infusion of carbon dioxide microbubbles) was performed in 184 patients with a total of 222 hepatic nodules: 139 hepatocellular carcinomas, nine adenomatous hyperplasias, seven regenerative nodules, 21 hemangiomas, 33 metastases, seven lymphomas, one granuloma, and five focal nodular hyperplasias. Sonographic angiography detected a hypervascular pattern with peripheral blood supply in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (sensitivity, 90%; specificity, 89%). Typical vascular patterns of adenomatous hyperplasia, hemangioma, metastasis, and focal nodular hyperplasia on sonographic angiography were hypovascularity (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 91%), spotty pooling (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 100%), peripheral hypervascularity (sensitivity, 64%; specificity, 100%), respectively. The detectability of hypervascularity was greater with sonographic angiography than with conventional angiography in hepatocellular carcinoma, metastasis, and hemangioma. Our experience indicates that sonographic angiography depicts characteristic vascular features that reflect the vascular anatomy of specific types of hepatic tumors, and thus is useful in the differential diagnosis of these lesions.
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We describe the case of a 56-yr-old man with primary gastric adenocarcinoma, who had an extremely high plasma level of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (2.45 AU/ml) and of serum alpha-fetoprotein (2810 ng/ml). Histopathologically, the gastric cancer was a IIc type of early cancer which consisted of a combination of a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and a well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma. The association of a hepatic tumor including hepatocellular carcinoma or liver metastasis was ruled out by ultrasonography, computed tomography, radiocolloid liver scan, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography. Foci strongly resembling hepatocellular carcinoma (hepatoid differentiation) were noted in the gastric tumor. Localization of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin and alpha-fetoprotein within the tumor cells, especially within the hepatoid differentiated foci, was demonstrated by the immunohistochemical staining of tissue obtained at biopsy and the resected specimen. This case seems to be the first case reported in which des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin was produced by the gastric cancer. This finding supports the theory of hepatoid differentiation of a gastric cancer.
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Splenic tumors are uncommon. Described is a 58-yr-old man with multiple hemangiopericytomas of the spleen. Hemangiopericytoma is categorized as a benign vascular tumor, but has a relatively high malignant potential. A review of the literature shows that the case we present is only the second ever reported of a tumor originating from the spleen. Radiological findings and the treatment of the tumor are discussed.
To elucidate the mechanism of general anesthesia, effects of sevoflurane anesthesia on dopamine metabolism in rat brain were studied. Sevoflurane 3% was administered for 20 minutes to Wistar male rats weighing 230-270 g under spontaneous respiration. The rats were sacrificed by decapitation and the brains were rapidly removed. They were dissected into nine discrete regions, locus coeruleus, pons plus, medulla oblongata, hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia, midbrain, hippocampus, amygdala and cerebral cortex. The contents of dopamine (DA) and its major metabolites, 3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography with the dual-cell coulometric detector before anesthesia, 20 minutes after the start of anesthesia and at the recovery from anesthesia. Significant increases in DA levels were observed in the pons, hypothalamus, thalamus and amygdala by sevoflurane anesthesia as compared with the control group. DOPAC levels increased significantly in the pons, hypothalamus, basal ganglia and cerebral cortex at the recovery from anesthesia. A significant increase in HVA levels was observed in amygdala by sevoflurane anesthesia, while an appreciable decrease in HVA levels was observed in hippocampus at recovery from anesthesia. It is concluded that DA metabolism is significantly suppressed in the pons, hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia, midbrain and amygdala during sevoflurane anesthesia and this change in DA metabolism may be associated with the mechanism of sevoflurane anesthesia.
Pharmacokinetics was studied in ten surgical patients who underwent various operative procedures of about 4 hours under total intravenous anesthesia with droperidol, pentazocine and ketamine (DPK). Plasma levels of ketamine, its metabolites and pentazocine were determined thirteen times during and after DPK. During anesthesia, ketamine (KO) and norketamine (KMI) levels ranged from 0.7 to 1.0 micrograms.ml-1 and from 0.09 to 0.74 micrograms.ml-1, respectively. A small amount of dehydronorketamine (KM II) was detected only 90 min after the start of DPK anesthesia. Plasma half-lives of ketamine were calculated to be 33 min for distribution phase (alpha phase) and 60 min for elimination phase (beta phase), respectively. Pentazocine levels decreased 300 min after the induction of DPK to 10% of the control level measured 5 min after its injection. Plasma half-lives of pentazocine were 60 min for alpha phase and 140 min for beta phase, respectively. The data obtained in this clinical study show that pharmacokinetics of ketamine during DPK is almost similar to that of DFK.
Technetium-99m diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid-galactosyl human serum albumin (TcGSA) is a newly developed receptor-binding radiopharmaceutical, specific for the asialoglycoprotein receptor, which resides exclusively on the plasma membrane of hepatocytes. Clinical utility of TcGSA was evaluated in 3 control subjects with normal livers and in 54 patients with various liver diseases. The parameter, Receptor Index, was derived from liver and heart time-activity data and is the ratio of radioactivity of the liver over the radioactivity of the liver plus heart at 15 min after the intravenous injection of 3 mg of TcGSA. Receptor concentration ([R]o) was obtained by kinetic analysis of liver and heart time-activity data using pharmacokinetic nonlinear modeling. Values for the Receptor Index and [R]o was statistically different in the control subjects and in patients with mild, moderate, and severe liver diseases. Good correlations were obtained between the Receptor Index, [R]o and conventional liver function tests, such as Child-Turcotte criteria score, prothrombin time, and indocyanine green test. Receptor Index and [R]o were properly estimated even in patients with obstructive jaundice or remarkable portocaval shunt. These data suggest that the receptor imaging as well as its parameters, Receptor Index and [R]o, is a potentially practical and reliable diagnostic method for estimating the functioning hepatocyte mass and for assessing liver function.
Successful surgical treatment of aortic arch aneurysm ruptured into the left lung was reported. The patient was a 74-year-old man suffering from recurrent hemoptysis. Computed tomography and aortic angiography demonstrated a giant aortic arch aneurysm. Emergency operation was performed. Arch reconstruction by a Dacron graft was performed with hypothermic circulatory arrest. The post operative course was uneventful and there was no evidence of cerebral complication. In the emergency operation for ruptured aortic arch aneurysm, hypothermic circulatory is very useful method for cerebral protection.