Tracheal stenosis caused by unnoticed foreign bodies.

We describe an extremely rare case of tracheal stenosis caused by unnoticed microscopic fiber-like foreign bodies. A 66-year-old woman complained of dyspnea with inspiratory stridor. Magnifying electroendoscopy and computed tomography revealed stenosis involving the entire circumference of the tracheal lumen.

[A case of drug-induced eosinophilic pneumonia due to tegafur-uracil(UFT®)].

A 68-year-old female received a left lower lobectomy for lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, pT2N1M0, stage II B). She had a postoperative bronchial fistula that was treated conservatively and cured. Two months after the operation, tegafur-uracil (UFT) 300 mg/day was initiated.

[Pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma accompanied with cystic change].

A 64-year-old male with throat discomfort visited our hospital, and a chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a cystic lesion with a central solid component in the right lung (in the lower lobe, 4.1 x 3.9 cm in diameter).

Experimental orthotopic lung transplantation model in rats with cold storage.

This report describes a new experimental procedure, a rat unilateral, orthotopic lung transplantation with cold storage, and evaluates its relevancy and reliability to study the early events during cold ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This model, using the cuff technique, does not require extensive training and is relatively easy to be established. The model can induce reproducible degrees of pulmonary graft injury including impaired gas exchange, proinflammatory cytokine upregulation, or inflammatory infiltrates, depending on the preservation time.

Optimal temperature of graft preservation after ex vivo gene transfer in lung isografts.

The aim of this study was to determine the optimal temperature of graft preservation after ex vivo gene transfer to rat lung isografts. Left lungs were harvested and infused with cationic lipid/LacZ-DNA complex via the pulmonary artery, and the grafts were stored for 4h. The grafts (n7) were allocated into groups I-IV according to the storage temperature:4, 10, 16, and 23, respectively.

[A case of advanced breast cancer leading to DIC after chemotherapy].

We reported a case of DIC who was administered FEC90 (5-FU 1,000 mg/body, epirubicin 170 mg/body, cyclophosphamide 1,000 mg/body) for advanced breast cancer. A 55-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with lumbago. There was a huge tumor in her left breast (10x10 cm) and bone scintigraphy showed multiple bone metastasis, so she was treated with FEC90.

Addition of a neutrophil elastase inhibitor to the organ flushing solution decreases lung reperfusion injury in rat lung transplantation.

Background: Neutrophil elastase plays an important role in ischemia-reperfusion injury. We hypothesized that the addition of sivelestat, a specific neutrophil elastase inhibitor, to the organ flushing solution would decrease reperfusion injury in a rat single left-lung transplant model.

Methods: All donor lungs were flushed with 25 ml low-potassium dextran-glucose solution and stored for 16 h at 4 degrees C.

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation for lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation seems to be best suited for children and small adults because only two lobes are transplanted. However, the amount of tolerable size discrepancy between donors and recipients is currently unknown. We report two cases of lymphangioleiomyomatosis with hyperinflation successfully treated with living-donor lobar lung transplantation in spite of large size disparity.

Venous velocity of the right femoral vein decreases in the right lateral decubitus position compared to the supine position: a cause of postoperative pulmonary embolism?

The right lateral decubitus position is a risk factor for postoperative pulmonary embolism. We examined postural changes of femoral vein velocity in order to elucidate the mechanism. Thirty patients scheduled for general thoracic surgery were enrolled in this study.

Bronchopleural fistula after lobectomy for lung cancer.

Bronchopleural fistula after lung resection is a fatal complication. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for bronchopleural fistula after lobectomy for lung cancer. Clinical records of 767 patients who underwent lobectomy or bilobectomy for lung cancer in our institution were reviewed.

[Flail chest rescued by mechanicalventilation with early tracheotomy and physiotherapy; report of a case].

A 73-year-old man hit his fore-chest accidentally when he rode his motorcycle. A huge flail chest was observed on his central fore-chest, and multiple fractures of costal cartilage were suspected. He developed pneumonia on the 4th hospital day, and he was intubated and mechanical ventilation was initiated.

Optimal time for post-mortem heparinization in canine lung transplantation with non-heart-beating donors.

Background: We previously reported that post-mortem heparinization by closed-chest cardiac massage is beneficial in lung transplantation from non-heart-beating donors by preventing formation of microthrombi. In this study, we evaluated the optimal time for post-mortem heparinization in canine lung transplantation from non-heart-beating donors.

Methods: Left lung transplantation was performed in 25 weight-matched pairs of mongrel dogs.

Transintestinal systemic oxygenation using perfluorocarbon.

Purpose: Perfluorocarbons have an excellent oxygen- and carbon dioxide-carrying capacity. This prompted us to investigate the feasibility of transintestinal systemic oxygenation using perfluorocarbon.

Methods: A rat hypoventilation model (room air, 20 breaths/min and a tidal volume of 10 ml/kg) was thus established, and FC-77 (Sumitomo-3M, Osaka, Japan) was used as a perfusate.

Transintestinal oxygenation with perfluorocarbon: investigation of perfusion rate.

Objective: Perfluorocarbons are structurally similar to hydrocarbons but with the hydrogen atoms replaced by fluorine. In general, perfluorocarbons have an excellent oxygen and carbon dioxide carrying capacity. We studied the suitability of oxygenated perfluorocarbon as an agent for transintestinal oxygenation and measured its perfusion rates under different conditions.

A subacute hypoxic model using a pig.

Purpose: A large animal model of hypoxia is necessary to develop a new therapeutic method for respiratory failure.

Methods: The experiments were performed on six pigs weighing from 15 to 19 kg. Under general anesthesia the left chest was opened and the left main bronchus was closed by a stapler.

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation for bronchiolitis obliterans after bone marrow transplantation.

We report a successful case of living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) for severe bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The patient is a 29-year-old woman who underwent BMT because of aplastic anemia in 1995. In 1996, BO developed in the patient because of chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Effects of postmortem heparinization in canine lung transplantation with non-heart-beating donors.

Objective: Microthrombus formation appears to be one of the major detrimental factors in lung transplantation from non-heart-beating donors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of postmortem heparinization by closed-chest cardiac massage in a canine model of left single-lung allotransplantation from non-heart-beating donors.

Methods: Left lung transplantation was performed in 18 weight-matched pairs of mongrel dogs.

Improved survival after living-donor lobar lung transplantation.

Objective: Survival after living-donor lobar lung transplantation has been reported to be similar to that after cadaveric lung transplantation. The purpose of this study was to summarize our 5-year experience of living-donor lobar lung transplantation for critically ill patients.

Methods: Between October 1998 and April 2004, we performed living-donor lobar lung transplantation in 30 critically ill patients with various lung diseases, including 5 (17%) patients on a ventilator.

Relation of epidermal growth factor receptor, phosphorylated-Akt, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha in non-small cell lung cancers.

The role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/Posphorylated-Akt (P-Akt) signaling axis in regulating hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) expression in vivo is not well understood and is of potential clinical importance since the extent of hypoxia in the tumor environment is thought to be an important determination of resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We performed the immunohistochemical studies in 80 patients with non-small cell lung cancers to evaluate EGFR, P-Akt, and HIF-1alpha expression. Significant correlation between P-Akt and HIF-1alpha (P=0.

[Benign mediastinal tumors].

Most of benign mediastinal tumors are asymptomatic; however, sometimes we encounter emergent cases. In this article we discuss with regard to the situation that benign mediastinal tumors with severe symptoms need to be treated emergently. Any benign mediastinal tumors can cause respiratory and cardiac failure as they grow large enough to compress surrounding structures.

DNA methylation of multiple genes and clinicopathological relationship of non-small cell lung cancers.

Aberrant methylation of 5' CpG islands is thought to play an important role in the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in several types of cancers. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), several genes are known to be frequently methylated and the correlation of their methylation with clinical features has been studied. We determined the methylation of p16, CDH13 and RAR-beta which were reported to be methylated frequently in NSCLCs and HPP-1 which was known to be methylated in other types of cancers.

Allowable warm ischemic time to tracheal extraction for allotransplantation of cryopreserved trachea.

Objective: The allowable warm ischemic time from circulatory arrest to tracheal extraction for allotransplantation of cryopreserved tracheal grafts from cadaveric donors was examined in adult mongrel dogs.

Subjects And Methods: The animals were divided into 4 groups (n = 28) according to the warm ischemic time of less than 1 hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours, after transplantation, and comparisons were made. The grafts were cryopreserved for at least 2 months and were evaluated by extraction from the recipients generally 2 months after transplantation.

How to predict forced vital capacity after living-donor lobar-lung transplantation.

Background: Living-donor lobar-lung transplantation (LDLLT) has evolved from a rarely performed experimental procedure to an accepted therapy for selected patients who are unlikely to survive the long wait for cadaveric lungs. However, a convincing study has not been performed that shows the effects of small grafts and of pre-operative variables in predicting functional outcome of recipients after LDLLT.

Methods: From October 1998 to March 2002, 2 male and 11 female patients underwent LDLLT.

The technique of unilateral double lobar lung transplantation in a canine model.

Objective: Bilateral living-donor lobar lung transplantation has become an accepted alternative to cadaveric lung transplantation. Because only one lobe is implanted in each chest cavity, this procedure seems to be best suited for children and small adults. The purpose of this study was to develop a technique of unilateral double lobar lung transplantation that can be applied to large adult patients.