Effect of magnesium sulfate pretreatment and significance of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and interleukin-6 levels in coronary reperfusion therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Magnesium (Mg) inhibits the influx of calcium in vascular smooth muscle cells. The purposes of this study were to test the hypothesis that an intravenous administration of magnesium might effect the complement response and to determine the effects of a magnesium pretreatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on the incidence of reperfusion injuries. Thirty-eight AMI patients were treated with coronary reperfusion therapy within 6 hours of onset.

Chemosensitivity of micrometastases and circulating tumor cells to uracil and tegafur as evaluated using LacZ gene-tagged Lewis lung carcinoma cell.

The chemosensitivity of the sequence of steps responsible for metastasis formation including circulating tumor cells and micrometastases to a 5-fluorouracil derivative (UFT) was examined with a novel micrometastasis model featuring Lewis lung carcinoma cells tagged with the bacterial LacZ gene and hygromycinR gene (hygR). Metastases in the lung could be specifically detected at the single-cell level by X-Gal staining after inoculation of LacZ-transfected tumor cells. Spontaneous metastasis in mice bearing subcutaneous primary tumors was significantly inhibited by UFT at doses of 15-20 mg/kg when it was orally administered from day 14, during the early stage of micrometastasis formation, but not by late administration from day 22.

Recurrence after thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the cause and risk of recurrence after thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax.

Methods: A total of 204 patients under 60 years of age who underwent axillary thoracotomy and 139 patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery were compared. In addition, among the patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery, recurrent and non recurrent cases were reviewed and compared.

Effects of low dose catechol on glandular stomach carcinogenesis in BALB/c mice initiated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea.

The effects of low dose catechol administration in the diet on stomach carcinogenesis in mice after initiation with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in the drinking water were investigated. Male, 6-week-old, BALB/c mice were given MNU in the drinking water intermittently for 1-week periods at 1-week intervals for a total of 3 weeks at a concentration of 120 ppm (groups 1 and 3). Groups 2 and 4 served as non-initiated controls.

Helicobacter pylori infection enhances glandular stomach carcinogenesis in Mongolian gerbils treated with chemical carcinogens.

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is thought to be a stomach carcinogen from epidemiological findings. To determine the effects of infection with the bacteria on experimental carcinogenesis, a study of the glandular stomach of Mongolian gerbils (MGs) was performed. Male MGs were treated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine followed by inoculation with Hp or infected with Hp followed by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine administration.

[Evaluation of procalcitonin levels in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome as the diagnosis of infection and the severity of illness].

To understand the presence or absence of bacterial infection in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), the level of procalcitonin (PCT), a precursor of calcitonin, was determined. Subjects consisted of 14 SIRS patients without complication by bacterial infection, 14 SIRS patients complicated by sepsis, and 14 SIRS patients complicated by severe sepsis and septic shock. PCT levels in SIRS patients with sepsis (2.

Influence of methylprednisolone on cytokine balance during cardiac surgery.

Objective: To determine the influence of methylprednisolone on the cytokine balance during cardiac surgery.

Design: Prospective, randomized, nonblinded study.

Setting: University hospital.

p53 mutations predict non-small cell lung carcinoma response to radiotherapy.

In vitro and animal studies, the effect of loss of p53 function on radiosensitivity is controversial. p21Waf1/Cip1 is a potent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases and p21 gene polymorphisms are associated with some human cancers. We sought to determine whether p53 mutations or p21 polymorphisms affect response to radiotherapy in patients with recurrent non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).

Stenting for airway obstruction in the carinal region.

Background: Recent progress on airway stents has provided sufficient airway patency for patients with airway obstruction; however, when the stenosis exists in the carinal zone, establishing an excellent airway condition is still troublesome because of the anatomic structure.

Methods: We treated 15 patients with severe tracheobronchial stenosis involving a carinal bifurcation region, using several types of stenting devices (long T-tube, T-Y tube, wire reinforced Y tracheostomal tube, Freitag Dynamic stent [Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany], and covered metallic stent). All patients had advanced inoperable tumors (lung cancer, n = 6; esophageal cancer, n = 3; thyroid cancer, n = 3; mediastinal tumor, n = 3).

Prolonged expression of c-fos suppresses cell cycle entry of dormant hematopoietic stem cells.

The proto-oncogene c-fos was transiently upregulated in primitive hematopoietic stem (Lin-Sca-1(+)) cells stimulated with stem cell factor, interleukin-3 (IL-3), and IL-6. To investigate a role of the c-fos in hematopoietic stem cells, we used bone marrow (BM) cells from transgenic mice carrying the c-fos gene under the control of the interferon-alpha/beta-inducible Mx-promoter (Mx-c-fos), and fetal liver cells from c-fos-deficient mice. Prolonged expression of the c-fos in Lin-Sca-1(+) BM cells inhibited factor-dependent colony formation and hematopoiesis on a stromal cell layer by keeping them at G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle.

The tracheal tube with a high-volume, low-pressure cuff at various airway inflation pressures.

When the tracheal tube with a high-volume, low-pressure cuff is used, the pressure exerted by the cuff on the tracheal wall is similar to the intracuff pressure, and the pressure is claimed to be lower than the capillary perfusion pressure; however, it is not known if this is the case when a high airway pressure is required. In a randomized, cross-over design, we studied 61 patients (31 men) and measured the intracuff pressures of the tracheal tube at various airway pressures. While the lungs were inflated at five different airway pressures in turn (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 cm H2O), the cuff of the tracheal tube was inflated with air until it prevented an airleak ('just-seal' pressure).

c-Fos induces apoptosis in germinal center B cells.

We examined the role of c-Fos in the differentiation of mature B cells into IgG-producing cells using transgenic mice carrying the c-fos gene under the control of the IFN-alpha/beta-inducible Mx promoter (Mx-c-fos) or the constitutive H-2Kb promoter (H2-c-fos). Splenic B cells from Mx-c-fos mice were cultured with LPS and rIL-4, and IgG1+ B cells were developed in the culture after day 3. When IFN-alpha/beta was added to the culture from day 2, development of IgG1+ B cells was perturbed, and the number of apoptotic cells increased within 24 h, suggesting that c-Fos induces apoptosis in Ig class-switching B cells.

Plasma levels of type II phospholipase A2 and nitrite/nitrate in patients with burns.

Type II phospholipase A2 (type II PLA2), nitrite/nitrate (NOx), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and endotoxin were studied in burn patients. Type II PLA2 values and NOx values were both significantly higher in the group that died, the group with shock as a complication and the group with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) as a complication, than in the group that survived, the group without shock as a complication and the group without MODS as a complication, respectively. The results suggested that type II PLA2 and nitric oxide (NO) may play a major role in the pathology of burn patients.

Nuclear matrix protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and nitrite/nitrate levels in patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

Nuclear matrix protein (NMP), an indicator of apoptosis, was analyzed in patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Blood levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitrite/nitrate (NOx) were also measured in these patients to determine the involvement of these factors in the production of NMP. Forty-six patients with MODS were studied, 21 (45.

[An adult case of intrathoracic chest wall type lipoma by VATS resection].

A 48-year-old woman without symptoms was pointed out an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray film taken at the mass survey. Image diagnosis led to intrathoracic chest wall type lipoma. The tumor was surgically removed by video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and the diagnosis of lipoma pathohistologically.

N-methyl-N-nitrosourea concentration-dependent, rather than total intake-dependent, induction of adenocarcinomas in the glandular stomach of BALB/c mice.

The influence of the level of carcinogen exposure on histopathological types and cellular differentiation of the induced tumors was examined in 100 male BALB/c mice given N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in their drinking water at 240 ppm on alternate weeks (total exposure: five weeks) (groups 1), at 120 ppm similarly (total exposure: ten weeks) (group 2), at 60 ppm for 20 weeks continuously (group 3), or at 30 ppm for 40 weeks continuously (group 4). Forty-three differentiated and 17 undifferentiated type adenocarcinomas were induced. Glandular stomach carcinomas and undifferentiated type lesions were more common in mice treated with a high concentration of MNU for a short period than with a low concentration of MNU for a long period, even though total measured intake of MNU was smaller (P < 0.

Increased expression of sucrase and intestinal-type alkaline phosphatase in human gastric carcinomas with progression.

The activities of sucrase, total alkaline phosphatase (total ALP) and intestinal-type alkaline phosphatase (I-ALP) were assayed in gastric carcinomas and in their surrounding mucosae from 57 patients with advanced cancers, and the localization of sucrase in 203 carcinomas, including 86 early cancers, was examined immunohistochemically using polyclonal anti-sucrase antibody. All three enzymes were active in the 57 carcinomas as well as in their surrounding mucosae, but the levels were fairly low as compared to those in normal jejunum mucosa. A considerable part of the total ALP activity in tumor specimens was assumed to be due to I-ALP itself.

Inflammatory cytokines locally elevated in chronic subdural haematoma.

The involvement of inflammation in the development and propagation of chronic subdural haematoma (CSH) was investigated by measuring the levels of inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor [TNF] alpha, interleukin [IL]-1 beta, IL-6, and IL-8). Peripheral venous blood and subdural fluid were obtained at the time of burr hole surgery from 34 patients with CSH and from 9 with subdural effusion. The levels of the inflammatory cytokines were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Gastric and intestinal mixed and solely intestinal types of intestinal metaplasia in the human stomach.

To generate a novel understanding of intestinal metaplasia (IM) on the basis of cellular differentiation status, a total of 132 gastric surgical specimens were studied using gastric and small intestinal cell markers by mucin histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. The cases were divided into two types: (i) gastric and intestinal (GI) mixed type; and (ii) solely intestinal (I) type, with the reference to the presence of gastric and/or intestinal cell markers. The GI mixed type was subdivided into six subtypes: (I) a subtype consisting of surface mucous (Su), pyloric gland (Py), intestinal absorptive (Ab), and goblet (Go) cells, but lacking Paneth (Pa) cells, GI(Pa-); (ii) a GI(Pa-) subtype without Py cells, GI(Py-, Pa-); (iii) a GI(Pa-) subtype without Su cells, GI(Su-, Pa-); (iv) a GI(Su-, Pa-) subtype with Pa cells, GI(Su-, Pa+); (v) a GI(Pa-) subtype with Pa cells, GI(Pa+); and (vi) a GI(Pa+) subtype without Py cells, GI(Py-, Pa+).

Dose-dependent promoting effects of catechol on glandular stomach carcinogenesis in BALB/c mice initiated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea.

The effects of catechol administration in the diet on stomach carcinogenesis in mice after initiation with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in the drinking water were investigated in a development trial for a new experimental protocol. Male 6-week-old BALB/c mice were given MNU in the drinking water intermittently for a total of three one-week periods, with one-week intervals, at the concentration of 120 ppm (groups 1 and 2). Groups 3 and 4 served as non initiated controls.

Assessment of inflammatory cytokines, nitrate/nitrite, type II phospholipase A2, and soluble adhesion molecules in systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Plasma endotoxin levels, nitrate/nitrite (NOx), type II phospholipase A2 (PLA2), soluble adhesion molecules, and inflammatory cytokines were measured in 34 patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Significant correlations were found between NOx values, PLA2 values, soluble adhesion molecules, and inflammatory cytokines, suggesting the possibility that these factors were deeply affected each other. When the 34 SIRS patients were divided into the group with sepsis (n = 20) and with the group with trauma without documented infection (n = 14), despite the fact that the difference in APACHE II scores was not significant, all of the factors except endotoxin were significantly higher in the sepsis group than in the trauma group, and the outcome was death in 4 of the 14 patients in the trauma group (28.

Anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in patients with septic shock.

We measured the plasma levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), IL-4 and IL-10; inflammatory cytokines, including IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor receptor I and II (TNFR I and TNFR II); and endotoxin in 11 patients with septic shock associated with gram-negative bacteria and 12 patients with sepsis not associated with shock. The plasma levels of IL-1ra and IL-10 were elevated in the septic shock group compared with the sepsis group. TNFR I and TNFR II levels tend to be higher in the septic shock group.

A new prognostic factor for colorectal carcinoma, thymidylate synthase, and its therapeutic significance.

Background: Expression of thymidylate synthase (TS) has been studied as a mechanism of drug resistance and a prognostic factor for various cancers.

Methods: The relation between TS expression in surgically resected specimens and patient survival was examined in 86 patients with colorectal carcinoma (58 of whom received adjuvant chemotherapy and 28 who did not) who had been followed for 10 years. Immunohistochemical demonstration of the protein was achieved using an anti-TS polyclonal antibody.

Elevation of serum interleukin-1 receptor antagonist levels in women with gynaecological cancers.

This study included 15 patients with gynaecological cancers (7 with cervical cancer, 6 with endometrial cancer, and 12 with ovarian cancer); 7 with benign gynaecological disorders (5 with benign ovarian tumour and 2 with uterine myoma); and 10 healthy women as a control group. Serum interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 ra) levels in patients with gynaecological cancer were significantly higher than those in patients with benign gynaecological disorders (P = 0.04) and in healthy controls (P = 0.

Effects of carbon tetrachloride administration on initiation of liver cell foci by the non-hepatocarcinogens N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P).

In a development trial for an initiation bioassay system, cell proliferation kinetics after partial hepatectomy (PH) or CCl4 administration (1 ml/kg b.w., i.