Biomedical subjects

Tadayuki Togashi

Publications and source records attributed to Tadayuki Togashi.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Comparison of a new aspiration needle device and the Quick-Core biopsy needle for transjugular liver biopsy.

AIM: To evaluate sample adequacy, safety, and needle passes of a new biopsy needle device compared to the Quick-Core biopsy needle for transjugular liver biopsy in patients affected by liver disease. METHODS: Thirty consecutive liver-disease patients who had major coagulation abnormalities and/or relevant ascites underwent transjugular liver biopsy using either a new needle device (18 patients) or the Quick-Core biopsy needle (12 patients). The length of the specimens was measured before fixation. A pathologist reviewed the histological slides for sample adequacy and pathologic diagnoses. The two methods'specimen adequacy and complication rates were assessed. RESULTS: Liver biopsies were technically successful in all 30 (100%) patients, with diagnostic histological core specimens obtained in 30 of 30 (100%) patients, for an overall success rate of 100%. With the new device, 18 specimens were obtained, with an average of 1.1 passes per patient. Using the Quick-Core biopsy needle, 12 specimens were obtained, with an average of 1.8 passes per patient. Specimen length was significantly longer with the new needle device than with the Quick-Core biopsy needle (P < 0.05). The biopsy tissue was not fragmented in any of the specimens with the new aspiration needle device, but tissue was fragmented in 3 of 12 (25.0%) specimens obtained using the Quick-Core biopsy needle. Complications included cardiac arrhythmia in 3 (10.0%) patients, and transient abdominal pain in 4 (13.3%) patients. There were no cases of subcapsular hematoma, hemoperitoneum, or sepsis, and there was no death secondary to the procedure. In particular, no early or delayed major procedure-related complications were observed in any patient. CONCLUSION: Transjugular liver biopsy is a safe and effective procedure, and there was significant difference in the adequacy of the specimens obtained using the new needle device compared to the Quick-Core biopsy needle. Using the new biopsy needle device, the specimens showed no tissue fragmentation and no increment in major procedure-related complications was observed.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

[Gemcitabine versus combined chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin in advanced pancreatic cancer].

Gemcitabine hydrochloride (GEM) is a first-line therapeutic agent for advanced pancreatic cancer, but there is no established second-line treatment after GEM failure. We assessed the clinical benefit of systemic combined chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (FP therapy) in 19 patients compared with GEM in 32 patients, respectively. Tumor response rates were 10.5% and 15.6% for FP therapy and GEM, respectively. The median survival time in the FP therapy and GEM was 137 days and 241 days, respectively. Although clinical benefit was similar in both types of therapy, median survival time was more favorable for GEM, especially for Stage IVb. Nausea and vomiting were the most commonly observed toxicity in the FP therapy group. Our data indicate that FP therapy is not considered to be a useful second-line agent in patients with GEM pretreated pancreatic cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

CT-maximum intensity projection is a clinically useful modality for the detection of gastric varices.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of CT-maximum intensity projection (CT-MIP) in the detection of gastric varices and their inflowing and outflowing vessels in patients with gastric varices scheduled to undergo balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO). METHODS: Sixteen patients with endoscopically confirmed gastric varices were included in this study. All patients were evaluated with CT-MIP using three-dimensional reconstructions, before and after B-RTO. RESULTS: CT-MIP clearly depicted gastric varices in 16 patients (100%), the left gastric vein in 6 (32.5%), the posterior gastric vein in 12 (75.0%), the short gastric veins in 13 (81.3%), gastrorenal shunts in 16 (100%), the hemiazygos vein (HAZV) in 4 (25.0%), the pericardiophrenic vein (PCPV) in 9 (56.3%), and the left inferior phrenic vein in 9 patients (56.3%). Although flow direction itself cannot be determined from CT-MIP, this modality provided clear images of the inflowing and the outflowing vessels. Moreover, in one patient, short gastric veins were not seen on conventional angiographic portography images of the spleen, but were clearly revealed on CT-MIP. CONCLUSION: We suggest that CT-MIP should be considered as a routine method for detecting and diagnosing collateral veins in patients with gastric varices scheduled for B-RTO. Furthermore, CT-MIP is more useful than endoscopy in verifying the early therapeutic effects of B-RTO.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration of gastric varix draining to the IVC via the circumaortic renal vein.

The authors encountered a patient with gastric varices draining to the IVC not only via the usual route of the left renal vein but also via a circumaortic renal vein. Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) of the gastric varix was performed with balloon occlusion of the circumaortic renal vein and retrograde injection of sclerosing agent (5% of ethanolamine oleate) into the varix. Eradication of the gastric varix was confirmed on endoscopic examination 2 months later. We document the first case of B-RTO performed for gastric varix via the circumaortic renal vein. Details of this rare occurrence and implications for treatment are presented herein.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

[Modified pharmacokinetic modulating chemotherapy for progressive gastric cancer accompanied by peritoneal dissemination].

Peritoneal dissemination is a major event in the development of gastric cancer. However, most patients with it have been excluded from clinical studies because they rarely have measurable lesions. We conducted an analysis to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of modified pharmacokinetic modulating chemotherapy, for gastric cancer patients with peritoneal dissemination. Between May 2002 and April 2004, 10 patients were treated by modified pharmacokinetic modulating chemotherapy. This analysis was based on 10 consecutive chemotherapy-naive patients with confirmed peritoneal dissemination. This therapy regimen was repeated with a weekly schedule of MTX 100 mg/body, given as intraarterial infusion 1 h prior to a 24-hr infusion of 5-FU 500 mg/body. Simultaneously, enteric-coated tegafur/uracil (400 mg) was administered every day. The one-year overall survival rate was 50. 0%. The median survival time was 311 days. Grade 1 stomatitis and Grade 1/2 oral dryness were involved in 40% of the cases. No patient had to discontinue this therapy because of complications. Objective improvement of ascites was seen in all patients, and all patients could be treated at outpatient clinics. This regimen may be well-tolerated and of clinical benefit for patients with peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed2005

[A case of advanced gastric cancer with bone metastasis and severe DIC responding to hypertensive subselective chemotherapy with pharmacokinetic modulating chemotherapy].

We report a 47-year-old female patient who was suffering from severe DIC due to multiple bone metastases. This patient was treated weekly with an intraarterial 5-FU (500 mg) and MTX (100 mg) including AT-II by a subcutaneously implanted port system placed into her abdominal aorta. Furthermore, she was administered tegafur/uracil (400 mg/day) 5 days weekly for pharmacokinetic modulating chemotherapy (PMC). After three courses of PMC treatment, DIC was resolved and the tumor marker was reduced. However, after 22 courses of this regimen, DIC suddenly recurred. As second line chemotherapy, we then administered paclitaxel (80 mg) in place of CDDP. After five courses of this second line chemotherapy, DIC recovered and the tumor marker was again decreased. We concluded that this chemotherapy is effective for advanced gastric cancer complicated with bone metastasis and DIC from the standpoint of toxicities, antitumor effect and QOL of the patient.

Angiotensin II↗

PubMed2004

Two distinct methods analyzing chromatin structure using centrifugation and antibodies to modified histone H3: both provide similar chromatin states of the Rit1/Bcl11b gene.

Chromatin state of a 2-Mb region harboring Rit1/Bcl11b on mouse chromosome 12 was examined using two distinct methods. One is ChIP assay examining the degree of enrichment with histone H3 methylated at lysine 9 (H3-mLys9) in chromatin and the other is H/E (heterochromatin/euchromatin) assay that measures a chromatin condensation state by using centrifugation. The ChIP assay showed that a 50-kb interval covering the gene and an upstream region constituted chromatin enriched with unmethylated H3-mLys9 in cells expressing Rit1 compared to cells not expressing Rit1. In contrast, regions other than the 50-kb interval did not show much difference in the enrichment between the two different types of cells. On the other hand, H/E assay of two expressing and two non-expressing tissues provided compatible fractionation patterns, suggesting that the chromatin condensation state detected by H/E assay is correlated with the chromatin state controlled by histone H3 tail modification linked to gene expression. These results indicate that the centrifugation-based H/E assay should provide a new approach to the regulation of chromatin structure with respect to its condensation state, complementing ChIP assays.

Animals↗