Immunosuppressive drugs and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
R Nishimura
Publications and source records attributed to R Nishimura.
Ovarian strumal carcinoid with markedly high serum levels of tumor markers.
We report a 54-year-old woman with ovarian strumal carcinoid in association with dermoid cyst and mucinous cystadenoma in the same ovary and who had markedly high serum levels of CEA (202 ng/ml), CA125 (710 U/ml), and CA19-9 (11,500 U/ml). These tumor markers were not found in the thyroid tissue or carcinoid by immunohistochemical methods, but their serum levels decreased to below the cutoff levels after surgery. In our case, the change of serum levels of these tumor markers may be useful for the follow-up after surgery.
Biomarkers, Tumor↗
Combination assay of urinary beta-core fragment of human chorionic gonadotropin with serum tumor markers in gynecologic cancers.
Ectopic production of the immunoreactive beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (IR-hCG beta) by gynecologic malignancies has been well recognized, but IR-hCG beta has not yet been established as a clinically useful tumor marker, except for germ cell tumors. We measured the concentrations of IR-hCG beta-related molecules, intact hCG, free hCG beta, and beta-CF, in the sera and urine of patients with various gynecologic cancers (cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers) to assess their clinical usefulness as a tumor marker in comparison with serum tumor markers such as CEA, SCC, CA125, and CA19-9. The highest incidence of IR-hCG beta was obtained in the assay for beta-CF in the urine, with positive rates of 47.7% (94 of 197) for cervical, 37.8% (14 of 37) for endometrial, and 84.4% (38 of 45) for ovarian cancers with a cut-off value of 0.2 ng/mg of creatinine. In cervical cancer, there was no significant correlation between the concentrations of urinary beta-CF and serum SCC, and 57.9% (114 of 197) of the patients were detected by the combination assay of these tumor markers. Serial determination in 22 cervical cancer patients with elevated urinary beta-CF level prior to therapy showed that its level decreased after successful treatment, but 4 of 5 patients with persistent or recurrent disease had elevated levels of urinary beta-CF. All of the ovarian cancer patients examined were detected by the combination assay of urinary beta-CF and serum CA125. The levels of urinary beta-CF showed little correlation with those of the serum tumor markers, indicating the usefulness of the combination assay of urinary beta-CF with serum tumor markers for detecting cervical and ovarian cancers.
Biomarkers, Tumor↗
Cardiopulmonary effects of medetomidine, medetomidine-midazolam and medetomidine-midazolam-atipamezole in dogs.
Cardiopulmonary effects of medetomidine (20 micrograms/kg)-midazolam (0.3 mg) (Me-Mi) were compared with those of medetomidine alone (80 micrograms/kg) (Me80) in dogs. The intramuscular administration of this combination caused bradycardia and transient mild pressor response. Heart rate decreased soon after the administration and remained significantly below the baseline value with average values of 50-70 beats/min. Blood pressure increased to its maximum within 5 to 10 min then decreased gradually. Cardiac index decreased corresponding the decrease in heart rate. However these changes were less profound than those of Me80 indicating significantly higher values in cardiac index and lower values in systemic vascular resistance. Effects on the respiratory function were slight. The reduction of the dose of medetomidine to one-fourth in Me-Mi was effective to reduce the adverse effect of medetomidine, especially in peripheral vasoconstriction. Atipamezole effectively reversed cardiopulmonary effects induced by medetomidine-midazolam. Heart rate and cardiac index increased and systemic vascular resistance decreased significantly after administration of atipamezole. The possible use of an antagonist as a reversal agent might enhance the value and availability of medtomidine-midazolam as a chemical restraint agent in dogs.
Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
Superselective intraarterial infusion of cisplatin for squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth: preliminary clinical experience.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the initial clinical response to superselective intraarterial infusion of cisplatin for treating stage III and stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients received intraarterial cisplatin therapy. The tumors were located in the tongue (n = 7), gingiva (n = 3), buccal mucosa (n = 1), hard palate (n = 1), and floor of the mouth (n = 1). A coaxial technique was used to place microcatheters in the lingual, facial, inferior alveolar, buccinator, and distal internal maxillary arteries, depending on tumor location. The feeding vessels were identified by staining the tumor with infusion of indigocarmine dye in the selected vessel. Relatively low-dose cisplatin (30-40 mg/m2) was injected at the rate of 50 mg/hr. Two or three injections were performed, with a 1-week interval between injections. After chemotherapy, eight patients underwent surgery, four had radiation therapy, and one had both. RESULTS: Thirty-four intraarterial infusions were done successfully without any complications. Arterial infusion of indigocarmine dye was useful for exact identification of feeding vessels, especially when the tumor was extensive, at the margin of the arterial supply, or near the midline. The overall response rate was 92% (complete response [tumor completely resolved], 38%; partial response [tumor reduction > or = 50%], 54%). Ten of 13 patients had no recurrence from 4 to 19 months (mean, 10 months) after treatment. Two patients died of metastatic diseases 6 months after surgery or radiation therapy. One patient had local recurrence 8 months after surgery and postoperative irradiation. No systemic toxicity such as renal failure, liver dysfunction, or bone marrow suppression was observed. Mild and transient local toxicity such as edema or mucositis of the infused area was relatively common. Trigeminal neuralgialike symptoms and reduced mouth opening occurred in two cases and one case, respectively, probably due to direct toxicity to the peripheral trigeminal nerve and masticatory muscles, respectively. CONCLUSION: Superselective intraarterial infusion of low-dose cisplatin is feasible and safe and may have important applications in treating advanced carcinoma of the mouth.
Aged↗
Improved lipid visualization with a modified osmium tetroxide method using ultrasonic treatment and intensification with imidazole or triazole.
Formalin fixed autopsy tissue containing lipids were cut into 1-5 mm thick blocks, washed well, then postfixed in 2% OsO4 in 0.03 M veronal acetate buffer for 30, 60, 90, 120, or 180 min with or without ultrasonic treatment. Tissues exposed to ultrasound for 90 min showed superior penetration of OsO4 and well preserved histological architecture. Tissues also were immersed for 1 hr in veronal acetate buffer (pH 7.4) containing 0.5% imidazole or triazole and compared with untreated controls. Paraffin sections, 4 microns thick, were examined under a light microscope with an image analyzer. Both intensity and percentage area of osmium blackening were significantly higher in samples immersed in imidazole or triazole than in untreated controls. No difference was observed between imidazole- and triazole-immersed samples. The OsO4 method, modified by ultrasound treatment and imidazole- or triazole-immersion, can be applied to routine formalin fixed autopsy materials for improved lipid visualization.
Fatty Liver↗
Assessment of urinary beta-core fragment of human chorionic gonadotropin as a new tumor marker of lung cancer.
BACKGROUND: Some patients with lung cancer have been found to have elevated levels of serum immunoreactive human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)/hCG beta (IR-beta), but it is uncertain whether it would be valuable as a tumor marker. Recently, IR-beta has been demonstrated to consist of at least three different molecules, intact hCG, free hCG beta, and hCG beta-core fragment (beta-CF), in body fluids. In this study, the authors qualitatively analyzed IR-beta in the serum and urine of patients with lung cancer and assessed its clinical usefulness as a tumor marker. METHODS: Highly sensitive and specific enzyme immunoassays were established to measure intact hCG, free hCG beta, and beta-CF in the serum and urine of patients with lung cancer. RESULTS: Of 99 patients with lung cancer, almost half of the patients achieved positive values of IR-beta in the urine, although only 12 had elevated values of IR-beta in the serum. The greater part of the elevated urinary IR-beta was identified to be beta-CF by gel chromatography on Sephadex G-100 (Pharmacia LKB Biotechnology, Tokyo, Japan), leading the authors to assess its usefulness as a tumor marker for lung cancer. Based on the cutoff value (0.2 ng/mg of creatinine) from healthy subjects, the overall positive rate of urinary beta-CF for lung cancer was 48.5% (48 of 99 patients). The incidence of the marker increased with stage of disease, from 35.7% (15 of 42) in Stage I and 35.7% (5 of 14) in Stage II to 62.5% (20 of 32) in Stage III and 72.7% (8 of 11) in Stage IV. These positive rates exceeded or equaled those of the serum tumor markers, carcinoembryonic antigen, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)-related antigen, measured simultaneously in the same patients. The author were encouraged that there was no significant difference in the positive rates of urinary beta-CF between two major types of lung cancer: adenocarcinoma (49.2%) and SCC (45.2%). Immunohistochemical study revealed positive staining of IR-beta in the cancer tissues from 5 of 12 patients with elevated levels of IR-beta, in which most of the positive cases had the elevated levels of serum free hCG beta (> 0.5 ng/ml) and/or urinary beta-CF (> 1.0 ng/mg of creatinine). CONCLUSIONS: Ectopic production of IR-beta by lung cancer is not rare, and urinary beta-CF might be a potential tumor marker of lung cancer.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Histopathological findings of the digits in dairy cows in Japan.
Two hundred and thirty-nine digits of 45 Holstein dairy cows, which were raised in typical Japanese dairy farms and received poor hoof management, were randomly obtained in the slaughterhouses and examined histopathologically. The findings were classified into 5 grades on the basis of the severity of circulatory disturbances and of keratogenesis. The lesions from Grade 1 to 5 were considered as manifestations of serial lesions indicating that subclinical laminitis advanced to other hoof lesions. The incidence of Grade 2, regarded as subclinical laminitis, reached approximately 50% of digits examined. The lesions classified as Grades 3 (23.9%) and 4 (5.4%) were mainly characterized by circulatory disturbances, which were similar to those of chronic laminitis in the previous reports. The incidence of Grade 5, characterized by sole ulcer, was 5.4%. It is suggested that a considerable number of daily cows in Japan suffered from subclinical laminitis, which may be the cause of recent high incidence of hoof diseases in dairy cows.
Animals↗
Morphological analysis of cervical vertebrae in ataxic foals.
Morphological differences between cervical vertebrae were statistically analyzed in ataxic foals to clarify abnormal structural factors in the pathogenesis of this problem. At first, multiple regression analysis and cluster analysis were performed with 28 variables in C3-C7 of 39 control foals without lameness. As a result, there were no sex differences in the growth of all cervical vertebral sites, and the most suitable categorization of the age of the foals was 3 clusters of 8 months old or younger, 9-12 months old and 13 months old or older in any sites in the cervical vertebrae. Twenty-eight ataxic and 19 control foals at the age of 13 months or older were then used for discriminant analysis with 20 variables. As a result, 1-7 variables on C3-C7 were selected for sufficient discrimination, in which the heights of the cranial and caudal orifices of the spinal canal, longitudinal length of the vertebral head and height of the vertebral fossa strongly contributed to the discrimination of all the cervical vertebrae. In addition, the widths and longitudinal diameters of the articular processes on articular surfaces strongly contributed to the discrimination of the caudal region of the neck. In conclusion, it was suggested that the lesion in the cervical spinal cord observed in ataxic foals was caused by morphological abnormalities including osteochondrosis and subsequent degenerative joint disease in the cervical vertebrae.
Animals↗
Efficacy of the new radiographic measurement method for cervical vertebral instability in wobbling foals.
Cervical myelography and survey radiography was performed on 12 light breed wobbling foals and a new radiographic measurement method was applied for more accurate diagnosis of cervical vertebral instability. Ratios of stenosis of the spinal canal on survey radiography and myelography using relative values in an individual foal were defined on radiograms of lateral flexed position of mid-cervical region, and coincidence between the ratios and histopathological lesions in the cervical spinal cord was investigated. Five of 6 foals had ratios of stenosis on myelography more than 40% at the intervertebral sites where the most severe histopathological lesions were observed. Four of 6 foals had ratios of stenosis on survey radiography more than 40% at the intervertebral sites where the most severe histopathological lesions were observed. Four of 6 foals had ratios of stenosis on survey radiography more than 40% at the intervertebral sites where the most severe histopathological lesions were observed. False-positive diagnosis of CVI was observed in 1 out of 6 foals without histopathological lesion when both ratios of stenosis on myelography and survey radiography were applied. Although the standard value of 40% should be further investigated, the new radiographic measurement method in this study is very useful in clinical diagnosis of cervical vertebral instability in wobbling foals, and the presence of lesions in the cervical spinal cord and their sites by survey radiography may be estimated more accurately.
Animals↗
Two signaling molecules share a phosphotyrosine-containing binding site in the platelet-derived growth factor receptor.
Autophosphorylation sites of growth factor receptors with tyrosine kinase activity function as specific binding sites for Src homology 2 (SH2) domains of signaling molecules. This interaction appears to be a crucial step in a mechanism by which receptor tyrosine kinases relay signals to downstream signaling pathways. Nck is a widely expressed protein consisting exclusively of SH2 and SH3 domains, the overexpression of which causes cell transformation. It has been shown that various growth factors stimulate the phosphorylation of Nck and its association with autophosphorylated growth factor receptors. A panel of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor mutations at tyrosine residues has been used to identify the Nck binding site. Here we show that mutation at Tyr-751 of the PDGF beta-receptor eliminates Nck binding both in vitro and in living cells. Moreover, the Y751F PDGF receptor mutant failed to mediate PDGF-stimulated phosphorylation of Nck in intact cells. A phosphorylated Tyr-751 is also required for binding of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase to the PDGF receptor. Hence, the SH2 domains of p85 and Nck share a binding site in the PDGF receptor. Competition experiments with different phosphopeptides derived from the PDGF receptor suggest that binding of Nck and p85 is influenced by different residues around Tyr-751. Thus, a single tyrosine autophosphorylation site is able to link the PDGF receptor to two distinct SH2 domain-containing signaling molecules.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Magnetic resonance imaging of Krukenberg tumor from gastric cancer.
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in a 42-year-old woman with a giant Krukenberg tumor from gastric cancer are reported. The macroscopic features of the Krukenberg tumor resulting from gastric cancer were clearly and precisely shown on MRI. Furthermore, MRI was more useful than ultrasonography or CT for determining the origin and further tissue characterization of the tumor. These findings suggest that MRI can be especially useful in the evaluation of giant ovarian tumors as in the present case.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗
Antenatal diagnosis of prune belly syndrome.
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Adult↗
Magnetic resonance imaging of uterine leiomyosarcoma.
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in a patient with uterine leiomyosarcoma are reported. MRI provides higher contrast resolution in soft tissues than ultrasonography or CT, and the MRI findings described in this case report suggest that MRI can be used to help differentiate between leiomyosarcoma from myoma.
Female↗
Treatment of edentulous maxillae with osseointegrated implants.
Edentulous maxillae can be restored with implant supported fixed restorations containing denture teeth on a metal framework, implant-retained removable overlay prostheses, or porcelain fused-to-metal fixed prostheses. Esthetics and hygiene access are two important factors in determining the restoration best suited for each patient. Treatment planning considerations and treatment procedures for the various techniques are discussed.
Dental Implants↗
Carbohydrate structures of beta-core fragment of human chorionic gonadotropin isolated from a pregnant individual.
Highly purified beta-core fragment was obtained from urine of a pregnant woman with use of an immunoaffinity column. The amino acid sequence of beta-core fragment indicated that it is composed of two polypeptides linked by a disulfide bond. The two polypeptides correspond to the 6-40 and 55-92 portions of hCG beta-subunit. Both Asn13 and Asn30 residues were glycosylated. The N-linked sugar chains of beta-core fragment were quantitatively released as radioactive oligosaccharides by hydrazinolysis, followed by N-acetylation and NaB3H4 reduction. The radioactive oligosaccharides were fractionated by serial lectin column chromatography and Bio-Gel P-4 column chromatography, and their structures were investigated by sequential exoglycosidase digestion and periodate oxidation. The results indicated that they were a mixture of the four oligosaccharides: Man alpha 1----6(+/- Man alpha 1----3)Man beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----4(+/- Fuc alpha 1----6)GlcNAc. The structural characteristics of the sugar chains of beta-core fragment are quite different from those of the beta-subunit of hCG whose structures were typical biantennary sugar chains containing the Neu5Ac alpha 2----3Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----2 group as their outer chains.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Solubilization of the receptors for avian pancreatic polypeptide in chicken, canine, and pig brains.
When n-octyl-beta-D-glucoside was used in several detergents to extract active avian pancreatic polypeptide (APP) receptors, a specific binding of [125I]APP to the solubilized chicken cerebellar and porcine hippocampal membranes was found. The binding of [125I]APP to the solubilized receptors was dependent on incubation time, temperature, and protein concentrations and appeared to have a slightly acidic optimal pH. APP binding to chicken and porcine brain extracts showed a high specificity for APP, although the chicken receptors do not discriminate well between APP and its related peptides, neuropeptide Y and peptide YY. Scatchard analyses of competitive binding data indicated the presence of two classes of binding sites in the brain extracts as in membrane-bound receptors; however, the high affinity component of the chicken receptor showed a decreased affinity after extraction. APP receptors in chicken and porcine brain extracts retained their insensitivity to the nonhydrolyzable GTP analog guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate). Cross-linking studies were performed with the homobifunctional cross-linker disuccinimidyl suberate and brain membrane receptors solubilized with n-octyl-beta-D-glucoside. An APP receptor species with a M(r) of 67,000, the same size as that of the labeled protein in native membrane homogenates of chicken and pig brains, was identified. However, in the canine brain we observed a M(r) 85,000 receptor protein, suggesting that species differences exist among the structures of brain APP receptors. The solubilized cross-linked APP receptors in these species were adsorbed by wheat germ agglutinin-agarose and by concanavalin A, indicating that they are glycoprotein in nature. The availability of the solubilized receptors from vertebrate brains with n-octyl-beta-D-glucoside represents an important step toward the purification and molecular characterization of the APP receptors.
Animals↗
Carbohydrate structures of beta-core fragments of human chorionic gonadotropin isolated from a pregnant individual.
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Carbohydrate Sequence↗