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Biomedical subjects

S Inoue

Publications and source records attributed to S Inoue.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in Down's syndrome is highly responsive to chemotherapy: experience on Pediatric Oncology Group AML Study 8498.

The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in children with Down's syndrome (DS) has engendered considerable controversy. Because of the concerns for toxicity and increased rate of infections, treatment approaches varied considerably in the past with mixed results. However, experience on the recently completed Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) 8498 AML study suggests that DS children with AML constitute a distinct subgroup that responds well to therapy. Twelve of 285 children on POG 8498 (protocol for newly diagnosed AML) had DS. Children with DS and AML were predominantly male (9 of 12) and were quite younger at diagnosis (< 24 months in 10). The white blood cell count was less than 50 x 10(3)/microL in all 12 and French-American-British types M6 and M7 were frequent (5 of 12). An abnormal cytogenetic marker, in addition to constitutional trisomy 21, was present in 9 of 12 and involved chromosome 8 in 4 of 9. All cases studied (n = 5) were positive for myeloid cell surface markers (CD33, CD13, or CD11b) and, interestingly, were also positive for the CD7 antigen. Chemotherapy included daunorubicin, cytarabine (Ara-C), and 6-thioguanine for remission induction and featured high-dose Ara-C (3 g/m2 per dose) with or without L-asparaginase early in remission. Compared with children without DS, children with DS had a superior event-free survival (EFS at 4 years 100% v 28% +/- 6.2%; P = .003). The EFS remained superior even when compared with non-DS children less than 2 years of age with a white blood cell count less than 10 x 100,000/microL (100% v 48% +/- 17.3%; P = .01).

Acute Disease

Follistatin is a developmentally regulated cytokine in neural differentiation.

Activin acts mitogenically on P19 cells as well as being inhibitory of the differentiation of retinoic acid-treated P19 cells and some neuroblastoma cell lines. Here, we show some lines of evidence that follistatin, an activin-binding protein, is also involved in neural differentiation. Counteracting the activity of activin, addition of follistatin suppresses the anchorage-independent growth of P19 cells in soft agar and stimulates neurite outgrowth of a neuroblastoma cell line, IMR-32 cells. While activin does not seem to be expressed significantly, follistatin is demonstrated in the conditioned medium of these cells. Furthermore, the expression of follistatin in P19 cells is subject to dynamic fluctuations in response to retinoic acid treatment. These neural cells may produce follistatin in a cell stage-specific manner in order to interact with exogenously derived activin.

Activin Receptors

Peptide transport by the multidrug resistance pump.

The membrane P-glycoprotein (P170) is an ATP-hydrolyzing transmembrane pump, and elevated levels of P170, due to higher expression with or without amplification of the multidrug resistance gene (mdr1), result in resistance to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents in mammalian cells. The function of the P170 pump has been proposed as a protection against toxic substances present in animal diets. Here we describe a Chinese hamster ovary cell line that was selected for resistance to a synthetic tripeptide, N-acetyl-leucyl-leucyl-norleucinal (ALLN). This ALLN-resistant variant shows the classical multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype, including overexpression and amplification of the mdr1 gene. Additionally, a mouse embryo cell line overexpressing the transfected mdr1 gene is likewise resistant to ALLN. Our results demonstrate that P170 is capable of transporting peptides and raise the possibility that the mdr1 gene product or other MDR-like genes, present in the genome of mammalian cells, may be involved in secretion of peptides or cellular proteins as is the case with the structurally similar hylB and ste6 gene products of Escherichia coli and yeast, respectively.

3T3 Cells

Comparison of hepatectomy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: necessity for prospective randomized trial.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization is now widely used in cases of surgically unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. However, it is unclear whether patients with surgically resectable hepatocellular carcinoma should always be treated with hepatectomy as opposed to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Sixty-six patients with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent hepatectomy, whereas 29 patients with more advanced hepatocellular carcinoma were treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization at our hospital from 1984 to 1990. All cases were associated with cirrhosis of Child class A or B. All of them underwent hepatectomy or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for the first time. Their outcomes were determined on March 31, 1991. The backgrounds and survival curves for hepatectomy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization were compared in both Child A and Child B patients. For both Child A and B patients, no significant difference was found between hepatectomy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization with respect to age, sex, cause of underlying cirrhosis, liver function assessed by indocyanine green test and maximum diameter of the main tumor. The incidence of multiple hepatocellular carcinoma, more advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (TNM stage III or IV) or both was significantly higher in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization group than in the hepatectomy group for both Child A and Child B patients. The survival curves of both the hepatectomy and the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization groups showed no significant difference for both Child A and Child B patients. A prospective study is therefore warranted to elucidate whether hepatectomy or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization is more effective for treating resectable hepatocellular carcinoma associated with cirrhosis.

Adult

Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma: an approach with delayed hepatectomy.

Two cirrhotic patients with ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), presenting with hemoperitoneum, were successfully treated by elective hepatectomy. Both of these patients, a 67-year-old female and a 76-year-old male, had first been taken to other primary hospitals by ambulance due to hypovolemic shock. They were then found to have a mass of approximately 5 cm in the cirrhotic liver. In the initial management, however, neither any direct hemostasis by surgery nor indirect measures such as transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization were performed in either case. Instead, conservative treatment consisting mainly of fresh blood and plasma transfusions were continued for more than a month until the liver function stabilized. In both hepatectomies, the use of a microwave tissue coagulator resulted in minimal intra-operative blood loss and an appreciably excellent post-operative course. These cases point to the effectiveness of a "wait and see" policy for selected patients with ruptured HCC.

Aged

Hepatic resection for minute hepatocellular carcinoma.

Twenty-three patients with minute hepatocellular carcinoma, defined as a solitary lesion less than or equal to 2 cm, underwent hepatectomy at our institute during the 10 years between January, 1979 and December, 1988. Hepatitis B surface antigen was positive in 4 patients and the preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein level was within the normal range in 7 patients and slightly elevated (20-200 ng/mL) in 14 patients. Liver cirrhosis was present in 16 patients and chronic hepatitis in 6 patients. The diagnosis was first suspected from the results of periodic examinations, including echography and the measurement of alpha-fetoprotein, in all except one patient. Minor hepatic resection was performed in 22 patients, and lobectomy in one patient in whom the tumor was located centrally in the liver. Three patients died of hepatic failure in hospital following surgery, and the survival rates of the other 20 patients at 1, 3, and 5 years were 90, 79, and 61 percent, respectively. The prognostic factors that influenced long-term survival were investigated by comparing the survival curves. The only factor associated with a significant difference in survival was the severity of concomitant liver disease. Thus, severe cirrhosis is the main obstacle against the long-term survival of patients with minute hepatocellular carcinoma.

Adult

Alpha 2-adrenergic modulation of pancreatic glucagon secretion in rats.

The present study was designed to clarify the mechanism of adrenergic modulation of pancreatic glucagon secretion in rats under physiological conditions by 1) epinephrine infusion alone or together with adrenergic blockers and 2) administration of adrenergic agonists. Intravenous infusion of epinephrine alone (1 microgram/kg/min, equal to 0.7 nmol/kg/min) caused a significant increase in glucagon secretion. Phentolamine (an alpha blocker) or yohimbine (an alpha 2 blocker) administration completely inhibited the increase of glucagon secretion caused by epinephrine infusion, but neither the administration of bunazosin (an alpha 1 blocker) nor beta blockers inhibited it. Infusion of clonidine (an alpha 2 agonist) caused significant increase of glucagon secretion even at a low dose of 0.5 nmol/kg/min, although infusion of neither an alpha 1 nor a beta 2 agonist caused it even at the high dose of 40.0 nmol/kg/min. It is concluded that the alpha 2 receptor mechanism plays the most important role in the adrenergic modulation of glucagon secretion in rats under physiological conditions.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists

Jejunal perforation associated with cytomegalovirus infection in a patient with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma.

A patient with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma suffered a jejunal perforation, which we believe was directly attributable to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. In the areas of ulceration and perforation in the small bowel, blood vessels penetrating the muscularis propria showed extensive lining of cytomegalic endothelial cells with CMV inclusions, accompanied by occasional disruption of the walls, partial occlusion of the lumina, fibrin thrombi, and hemorrhage. The CMV-induced vascular damage seemed to be closely related to the occurrence of ulcers and perforation. The recognition of CMV as a cause of lethal gastrointestinal lesions in immunocompromised hosts has become more important with the advent of anti-CMV therapy.

Adult

Hepatocellular carcinoma: treatment with percutaneous ethanol injection and transcatheter arterial embolization.

The therapeutic effectiveness of a new combination therapy--pretreatment with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and subsequent percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI)--for solitary large (> 3.0 cm in diameter) primary hepatocellular carcinoma lesions was compared with that of TAE alone. With TAE alone, a partial response of the tumor was seen in only 10% of the patients, and the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were calculated to be 68%, 37%, and 0%, respectively. Histologic examination of specimens obtained at hepatectomy showed that TAE alone caused complete necrosis in only 20% of the tumors. In contrast, PEI combined with TAE significantly (P < .05) increased the partial response rate (45%) and significantly (P < .01) prolonged the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates (100%, 85%, and 85%, respectively). Combination therapy caused complete histologic necrosis in 83% of the tumors. It also was significantly (P < .05) better than TAE alone in terms of rate of primary tumor recurrence during follow-up.

Aged

Superoxide production by liver macrophages in a septic rat model--relation to arterial ketone body ratio.

The relationship between superoxide production by liver macrophages and arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR), which reflects the oxidation-reduction state in the mitochondrial compartment of hepatocytes, was studied in rats with lethal and sublethal septicemia induced by intravenous injection of live Escherichia coli 014. In the sublethal model, AKBR decreased transiently (p < 0.01) and superoxide production by isolated liver macrophages increased significantly after opsonized zymosan (OZ) stimulation (p < 0.05). On the other hand, in the lethal model, AKBR decreased markedly (p < 0.01) to below 0.4 without recovery, and superoxide production was not activated by OZ stimulation. Thus, when AKBR decreases to an irreversible level, below about 0.4, superoxide production by liver macrophages is impaired, while as long as AKBR remains reversible, more than about 0.4, it is enhanced. It is suggested that superoxide production by the Kupffer cells is related to the intrahepatic oxidation-reduction state in the septic model.

Alanine Transaminase

Dihydrotestosterone accumulation in genital skin fibroblasts derived from elderly men with prostatic hyperplasia.

The conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by 5 alpha-reductase and the interconversion between DHT and 5 alpha-Androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (3 alpha-diol) by 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase (3 alpha-HSOR) were studied in fibroblasts derived from the genital skin of 15 prepubertal boys (2-10 yr), 17 young men (20-40 yr), 13 elderly men (60-78 yr) without clinically evident prostatic pathology, and 17 elderly men (61-88 yr) with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Respective DHT formations from testosterone (5 alpha-reduction) and 3 alpha-diol (3 alpha-HSOR oxidation) were not different among genital skin fibroblasts of the 4 groups. However, DHT degradation to 3 alpha-diol (3 alpha-HSOR reduction) was significantly lower in fibroblasts from elderly men with BPH than in those from the prepubertal boys (P less than 0.01), the young men (P less than 0.01), and the elderly men without BPH (P less than 0.05). 3 beta-HSOR reduction in fibroblasts of the BPH group was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) than in those of the elderly men without BPH; however, it did not differ from values for the prepubertal boys and the young men. (3 alpha + 3 beta)-HSOR reduction was also significantly lower (P less than 0.05) in the BPH group than respective values of the three other groups. These results indicate that DHT accumulation may occur in genital skin fibroblasts from elderly men with BPH, resulting from a shift in the overall balance of androgen metabolism, which favors the net formation of DHT.

Aged

Color Doppler sonography of hepatocellular carcinoma before and after treatment by transcatheter arterial embolization.

Color Doppler sonographic findings on 38 lesions in 31 patients who had primary hepatocellular carcinoma were evaluated before and after transcatheter arterial embolization and compared with dynamic CT and hepatic arteriographic findings. All lesions that were observed with dynamic CT or arteriography were correctly identified on color Doppler sonography. Peritumoral pulsatile flow was the predominant color Doppler flow seen in all lesions. Mixed pulsatile and continuous flow were noted in larger tumors and in tumors with a higher degree of vascularity, as determined by arteriography. Two weeks after treatment, color Doppler flow was still identified in 18 lesions (47%), corresponding to dynamic CT or arteriographic findings documenting residual tumor. Histopathologic examination, performed in 10 other lesions, showed that the tumor was completely necrotic in five. These five necrotic tumors were not visible on color Doppler flow images after treatment. Viable tumor was observed in the five remaining lesions, all of which were shown on color Doppler flow images after treatment. During the 6- to 16-month follow-up period, color Doppler flow images showed recurrence of 13 (50%) of 26 lesions, corresponding to tumor recurrence as shown by CT and arteriography. We conclude that color Doppler sonography is useful for imaging hepatocellular carcinoma, for evaluating residual tumor after treatment, and for imaging tumor recurrence during follow-up.

Aged

[Possible pathogenesis of giant negative T and negative U waves in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a report of two cases].

Giant negative T (GNT) and negative U (NU) waves are electrocardiographic findings which have been frequently observed in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Here we report 2 cases. For the first patient, electrocardiographic and left ventriculographic studies before and after the development of GNT and NU waves and left ventricular high voltage during the follow-up period were performed. For the second patient, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings were obtained before and after onset of posterior myocardial infarction. In the first patient, posterior papillary muscle hypertrophy was evident on left ventriculography after appearance of GNT and NU waves. In the second patient, both GNT and NU waves disappeared after posterior myocardial infarction. Two-dimensional echocardiograms demonstrated akinesis in the posterior wall, including the posterior papillary muscle, after 8 weeks of posterior infarction. Therefore, we suggest that apical hypertrophy, especially of the posterior papillary muscle, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of GNT and NU waves in HCM.

Aged

[New reconstruction method for defect of chest wall using composite graft].

In the case of a 64-year-old man squamous cell carcinoma in the left lung with metastasis to the rib, we excised the affected portion of the chest wall and used a composite graft, a combination hydroxyapatite (HAP) filler, for reconstruction with good results. HAP filler is a ceramic that combines the calcium phosphate apatite hydroxide with 3-calcium phosphate. The Dacron fabric used was made of polyethylene terephthalate fiber. Two layers of Dacron fabric were laid together, stitched to the rib with nylon thread, and the resulting tubular cavity packed with HAP filler to create an artificial rib. The intercostal muscle was sandwiched between the layers of Dacron fabric and the ends of the natural rib laid across those of the artificial one. We used the periosteum and intercostal muscle to integrate the graft and complete reconstruction. Postoperative recovery was good, and there was no visible sign of deformation at the graft site. Even in palpation we were unable to tell that the rib was artificial.

Biocompatible Materials

Successful pancreatojejunal anastomosis for pancreatoduodenectomy.

A series of 100 patients underwent pancreatoduodenectomy for carcinoma of the head of the pancreas (36 patients), the bile duct (19 patients), the gallbladder (14 patients), the papilla of Vater (13 patients), the duodenum (seven patients), the stomach (seven patients) or the colon (one patient), or for chronic pancreatitis (two patients) and adenomyoma of the bile duct (one patient) between October 1983 and December 1990. The operative morbidity and mortality rates were 27 and 6 percent, respectively, and failure of the pancreatojejunal anastomosis was the most common post-operative complication (16 patients). Anastomotic leakage correlated significantly with the quality of the pancreatic remnant and the preoperative technique used (p < 0.01). The leakage rate in 34 patients with fibrotic pancreatic tissue was 5.8 percent (two of 34) and was significantly less than that in 66 patients with a normal pancreatic remnant (21.2 percent). Forty-seven patients underwent direct anastomosis between the main pancreatic duct and the jejunum, using mucosa to mucosa sutures and a pancreatic duct drain tube as well as a single layer of sutures between the pancreatic tissue and the jejunum. Only two patients had a pancreatic fistula (4.2 percent) and the incidence was significantly less than that in 53 patients who received the usual technique of double-layer sutures between the pancreatic remnant and the jejunum without a direct anastomosis to the main pancreatic duct (26.4 percent, p < 0.01).

Adult