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Biomedical subjects

T Kijima

Publications and source records attributed to T Kijima.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

DNA index as a significant indicator of lymph node metastasis and local recurrence of rectal cancer.

To confirm the prognostic significance of the DNA index (DI) in cases of rectal cancer, the nuclear DNA content of tumor cells was examined in 184 cases of rectal cancer treated with curative surgery, and the incidence of lymph node metastasis and recurrence of the cancer was analyzed. The incidence of lymph node metastasis was 43.9 percent in cases with aneuploidy (DI above 1.5), being statistically different from the 18.0 percent incidence in cases with diploidy (P < 0.001). Although the extent of lymph node metastasis was limited to adjacent lymph nodes in cases with diploidy, distant lymph node metastases were frequent in cases with aneuploidy, especially in those with a DI above 1.5. Furthermore, the incidence of recurrence of cancer, and especially of local recurrence, was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in cases with aneuploidy (DI above 1.5) than in cases with diploidy and aneuploidy (DI below 1.4). These findings indicate the significant value of the DNA index for the prediction of lymph node metastasis and local recurrence in patients with rectal cancer.

Aneuploidy

Site-related difference in the prevalence of mitral valve prolapse. Relation to the prevalence and severity of mitral regurgitation.

In this study, 431 consecutive patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography were employed to further investigate the site-related difference in the prevalence of MVP. Following echocardiographic determination of the site and severity of MVP, a pulsed-Doppler technique was further performed to assess the existence and severity of mitral regurgitation (MR) in all patients. These patients were then classified by age in 10-year groups with patients older than 60 years being enrolled in one group. The younger groups accounted for a large number of the patients with MVP in our study, with the number of patients being reduced with age. In addition, female patients tended to predominate up until the 50s, but not in the 50 and older groups. The prevalence of MVP at the centro-medial site of the anterior mitral leaflet (AML) predominated in all age groups, gradually decreasing with age, except for a peak in the 40s, before continuing to decline in the 50 and older groups. On the other hand, the prevalence of MVP at the lateral site of the AML and at the posterior mitral leaflet (PML) increased with age. In the 50 and older age groups, the prevalence of MVP at these sites increased steeply with age. However, the prevalence of MVP at both the lateral site of the AML and PML did not significantly increase with age. The trend shown above was not significantly different for gender. The number of patients with MR increased with age independent of the site of MVP. However, the prevalence and severity of MR associated with MVP at the lateral site of the AML and/or at the PML were significantly greater than at the other sites up until the 50s (p less than 0.05). When patients were older than 50 years, this significant site-related difference in the prevalence of MR was not observed because of the higher prevalence of MR in the older patients in this study. Forty-one patients could be followed for 2 to almost 5 years. Three of the 41 patients were observed to have MVP at the centro-medial site of the AML in the initial examination, but the site of MVP had extended to the lateral side of the AML in the final examination. Two patients with MVP at all 3 sites of the AML demonstrated an increase in the severity of MVP. However, there were no newly documented cases of MR among those patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent

Acute thrombocytopenia after intravenous infusion of radiographic contrast medium.

Acute thrombocytopenia due to intravenous infusion of radiographic contrast media is extremely rare. We report the first such case in Japan. A 52-year-old male was admitted to hospital because of right ureteral stone. Two hours after drip infusion pyelography, the patient experienced chills and fever. It was shown that his platelet count had decreased abruptly from 233,000 to 8000/mm3. Platelet associated immunoglobulin was not detected. An in vitro test for platelet aggregation by contrast media was negative. Following infusion of hydrocortisone, the platelet count recovered to a normal level within several days.

Blood Platelets

Comparison of pharmacological effects of tetrahydrocannabinols and their 11-hydroxy-metabolites in mice.

Pharmacological effects (catalepsy, hypothermia, pentobarbital-induced sleep prolongation, anticonvulsant and analgesic effects) of delta 8- and delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinols, and their 11-hydroxy-metabolites were evaluated and compared in mice. delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-hydroxy-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol exhibited somewhat greater effects than did delta 8-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-hydroxy-delta 8-tetrahydrocannabinol, respectively, in all pharmacological indices tested. Greater effects of 11-hydroxy-metabolites than those of tetrahydrocannabinols were also demonstrated.

Animals

Tuberculosis on regular hemodialysis--a case of pericardial tamponade.

The patient presented in this paper had been stable for 3 months after the induction of hemodialysis, when nausea, vomiting and hepatomegaly suddenly developed. A chest film revealed rush cardiomegaly, and massive pericardial effusion was demonstrated by echocardiography. One liter of hemorrhagic fluid was removed by pericardiocentesis and subsequent pericardial drainage under echocardiography. The patient received chemotherapy against pulmonary tuberculosis 30 years ago and calcification on chest film was apparent. Although sputum smear and pericardial effusion was negative for acid-fast organisms, combination therapy was initiated for suspected tuberculosis. The patient recovered completely and 2 months later it was demonstrated that cultures of sputum grew mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculin skin test (PPD), which was negative 2 months previously, converted to positive. Tuberculosis must be considered as a potential cause of pericardial tamponade in patients on regular hemodialysis, and prompt therapy for both cardiac tamponade and the occult infection is warranted.

Aged

[The expression of c-myc, c-fms, c-sis oncogenes in the trophoblast of normal pregnancy and trophoblastic disease].

Recently it has been suggested that proto-oncogene plays a role not only in cellular proliferation, development and differentiation, but also in neoplastic transformation. We now show the expression and its localization of c-myc, c-fms and c-sis proto-oncogenes in human developing chorionic tissue and fresh surgical specimens of mole and choriocarcinoma with the method of Northern blotting and In-situ hybridization. The 2.4kb c-myc transcript has been localized to the cytotrophoblast in early placenta and also localized to the C and S typed trophoblastic cells in mole and choriocarcinoma. The 4.0kb c-fms transcript has been localized to the syncytiotrophoblast, especially the highly differentiated syncytiotrophoblast in the second and third trimesters and S typed trophoblastic cells in mole and choriocarcinoma. Moreover, the 4.0kb c-sis transcript has been localized to the cytotrophoblast in early placenta, but not detected in mole or choriocarcinoma. First, these results suggest that the stage and site specific expression of c-myc, c-fms and c-sis proto-oncogenes are clearly related to the proliferation, development and differentiation of normal trophoblastic cells. Second, the expression of c-myc, c-fms proto-oncogenes may be of particular importance in the tumorigenesis and progression of trophoblastic disease.

Blotting, Northern

Modeling technique of prosthetic heart valves.

This paper demonstrates a modeling technique of prosthetic heart valves. In the modeling, a pumping cycle is divided into four phases, in which the state of the valve and flow is different. The pressure-flow relation across the valve is formulated separately in each phase. This technique is developed to build a mathematical model used in the real time estimation of the hemodynamic state under artificial heart pumping. The model built by this technique is simple enough for saving the computational time in the real time estimation. The model is described by the first-order ordinary differential equation with 12 parameters. These parameters can be uniquely determined beforehand from in-vitro experimental data. It is shown that the model can adapt, with sufficient accuracy, to a change in the practical pumping condition and the viscosity of the fluid in their practical range, and is also demonstrated that the estimated backflow volume by model agrees closely with the actual one.

Heart Valve Prosthesis

Individual differences in blood and breath acetaldehyde levels and urinary excretion of catecholamines after alcohol intake.

Sixty three male Japanese, aged 20-40 yr were evaluated as to the degree of facial flushing following a controlled dose of ethanol either as Japanese rice wine or ethanol 0.4 g kg body weight. Thirty four subjects responded with overt facial flushing. The acetaldehyde levels in blood and expired air were significantly higher in the flushing group without a change in ethanol elimination rate. Urinary excretion of Vanilmandelic acid (VMA) and 3 methyoxy-4-Hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) are reported.

Acetaldehyde

Relationship between facial flushing and blood acetaldehyde levels after alcohol intake.

Normal subjects were divided into two groups, i.e., those showing, and those not showing, facial flushing after consuming a small amount of alcohol. In the flushing group, increases of pulse rate, facial skin temperature and carotid arterial pressure and blood flow rate, as well as changes of digital plethysmogram and electrocardiogram, were found together with a conspicuous rise in blood acetaldehyde levels after the drinking. However, significant changes of the signs as mentioned above and elevation of blood acetaldehyde did not occur in the non-flushing group. The maximum blood alcohol levels and the rate of alcohol elimination showed not difference between these two groups. Furthermore, urinary excretions of epinephrine and norepinephrine increased in the flushing cases after the drinking.

Acetaldehyde