Analysis of prognostic factors in patients with gastric varices after endoscopic treatment.

Background: The prognostic factors, including gastric variceal bleeding itself, in patients with gastric varices (GV) after endoscopic treatment remain unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze prognostic factors in patients with GV after endoscopic treatment as well as to evaluate safety and efficacy of our endoscopic treatment.

Patients And Methods: This study enrolled 115 patients who underwent endoscopic treatment for GV between October 1988 and December 2003 using cyanoacrylate and 5% ethanolamine oleate.

Doppler ultrasound measurements of knee joint synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with infliximab.

Doppler ultrasound measurements were done for the thickness of synovial effusion and synovial proliferation (pannus), and diameter of the flow signals using digital calipers as well as flow signal grades and vascular resistance in the knee joint synovitis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with infliximab. Forty knee joints of 20 RA patients were assessed before and after three injections of infliximab. The flow signals in the pannus were classified into the superficial and the deep signals and the joints were classified into the superficial signal pattern and the deep signal pattern.

Power Doppler and spectral Doppler measurements of knee-joint synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis patients with superficial pattern signals and in those with deep pattern signals.

Power Doppler and spectral Doppler ultrasonography were used to scan 127 knee joints of 72 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Synovial effusion thickness and synovial proliferation (pannus) thickness, as well as the flow signal diameter, were measured on ultrasonogram prints of the power Doppler using digital calipers. In addition, color-flow signal grades on power Doppler and the resistance index (RI) values on spectral Doppler were evaluated.

Effect of isosorbide dinitrate on gastric blood flow in rats with liver cirrhosis determined by analyzing gastric blood flow, portal vein pressure and blood gas.

We investigated the effects of isosorbide dinitrate (IDN) on gastric blood flow (GBF), portal venous pressure (PVP) and blood gas of rats with liver cirrhosis (LC) accompanied by portal hypertension. Thirty male Wistar rats (LC in 17 and normal in 13) were used. Before and after IDN administration, GBF, PVP and blood gas in the femoral artery and portal vein were measured.

Two localization patterns of vascularity demonstrated by power Doppler sonography at the suprapatellar recess in knee joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: intracapsular and supra-cortical.

Intraarticular vascularization in 54 knee joints of 27 patients with rheumatoid arthritis was examined by power Doppler sonography. Localization of the vascularity at the suprapatellar recess was classified into two patterns: intracapsular and supra-cortical. The patients with supra-cortical vascularization showed a tendency to higher grades of synovitis and higher levels of inflammatory laboratory indices than those with intracapsular vascularization.

Power Doppler sonography for detection of intraarticular vascularization in knee joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A series of 47 knee joints in 24 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were examined for intraarticular vascularization by power Doppler sonography. The intensity of vascularization was compared with the synovial effusion and proliferation evaluated by gray-scale sonography and the clinical findings in the patients. Vascularization was graded from 0 to 3 by counting the number of color-flow signals: grade 0, no signals; grade one, 1-4 signals; grade two, 5-8 signals; grade three, 9 or more signals.

CD8-positive T cell-induced liver damage was found in a patient with polymyositis.

We describe a case of polymyositis (PM) with liver injury that occurred in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A 74-year-old woman who had a 12-year history of RA was admitted to our hospital because of muscle weakness and liver dysfunction. CD8-positive T cell infiltration was found in the interstitium of both the liver and muscle.

Comparison in values of color flow signals and vascular resistance of synovial vascularity demonstrated by Doppler sonography between knee and metacarpophalangeal joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Synovial vascularity of 12 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was examined by Doppler sonography for color flow signals and vascular resistance on knee joints and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, and the results were compared with each other and with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels of the patients. A significant correlation was observed between knee resistance index (RI) and MCP-RI (P = 0.0140), but not between knee color flow signals and MCP color flow signals (P = 0.

A case of interstitial cystitis accompanying Sjögren's syndrome.

A 51-year-old woman with interstitial cystitis was referred for screening of autoimmune disease. She was positive for results of Schirmer and Saxon tests and for ss/A and ss/B antibodies. Autoantibodies to type 3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor were detected in the patient's serum by Western blotting.

Doppler sonographic evaluation of effect of treatment with infliximab (Remicade) for rheumatoid arthritis.

Synovial vascularization in the knee joints of six patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with infliximab was evaluated by Doppler sonography. Power Doppler sonography demonstrated a significant reduction of color flow signals (P < 0.05), and spectral Doppler sonography demonstrated a significant increase in vascular resistance (P < 0.

Doppler sonographic analysis of synovial vascularization in knee joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: increased color flow signals and reduced vascular resistance.

Synovial vascularization was analyzed by power Doppler and spectral Doppler sonography in 42 knee joints of 28 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The synovial vessels with greater intensity of color flow signals demonstrated significantly lower indicators of vascular resistance - resistive index (P < 0.01) and pulsatility index (P < 0.

A case of hepatic angiosarcoma supplied by both hepatic artery and portal vein.

Liver neoplasms, whether they are benign or malignant, are usually fed by the hepatic artery. We experienced a case of hepatic angiosarcoma supplied by both hepatic artery and portal vein. Since there are currently no specific laboratory tests to diagnose hepatic angiosarcoma, it is important to detect suspect cases from imaging features.

Doppler sonographic comparative study on usefulness of synovial vascularity between knee and metacarpophalangeal joints for evaluation of articular inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated by infliximab.

We used Doppler sonography to evaluate the therapeutic effects of infliximab on the knee and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints of 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), based on the color flow signals (CFS) and resistance index (RI) of synovial vascularity. After three injections of infliximab, we observed significant improvement in numbers of tender joints (P < 0.01), values of C-reactive protein (CRP) (P < 0.

Anti-ribosomal P antibodies are associated with nephritis, vascular thrombosis and lymphocytopenia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

In the present study, anti-ribosomal P antibody in sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was assayed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and its association with clinical symptoms of the patients was analyzed. The presence of anti-ribosomal P antibody was associated with increased frequency of lupus nephritis in the presence of anti-DNA antibody, and was associated with increased frequency of vascular thrombosis in the presence of anti-beta2 glycoprotein I antibody and/or lupus anticoagulant. The level of anti-ribosomal P antibody correlated inversely with the peripheral lymphocyte counts.

Hepatocellular carcinoma associated with Wilson's disease.

A 23-year-old man was admitted to our department due to hemorrhage from gastric varices. He had been diagnosed as having Wilson's disease at the age of 17. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) showed portal thrombosis and a large mass occupying most of the right lobe in the liver.

Achilles tendonitis in a patient with Behçet's disease.

Abstract A 56-year-old male patient had suffered from recurrent oral aphthae, acne-like rashes on the face, an erythema nodosum-like rash on the left lower leg, and severe heel pain on the left-hand side. Colonoscopy revealed six ulcerative lesions in the terminal ileum. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging showed an inflammatory lesion in the Achilles tendons, with greater inflammation on the left.

Polymyositis associated with urinary bladder cancer: an autopsy case.

A 56-year-old man suffered from muscle weakness with elevated serum creatine kinase. Under diagnosis of polymyositis, the patient was treated with corticosteroid, methotrexate and cyclosporin A. Eleven months after the first signs of muscle weakness, the patient suffered an abrupt onset of anuria and underwent hemodialysis.

Autoimmune hepatitis accompanied by systemic lupus erythematosus.

We report a series of five patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) accompanied by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (AIH-SLE overlap). Serologic tests showed that all patients were positive for antinuclear antibody and double-stranded DNA antibody. Histological examination of the liver showed that three of the patients had chronic hepatitis with severe activity.

A case of polyarteritis nodosa limited to lower legs with a high titer of MPO-ANCA under precedence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

A 58-year-old man with a 15-year history of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was hospitalized for rapid progression of muscle weakness to bilateral foot drop. Although laboratory data revealed high titers of myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (489 EU), the patient was diagnosed as polyarteritis nodosa limited to the lower portions of the legs. Despite of the treatment with large doses of corticosteroids and cyclosporin A, his symptoms barely improved during the following two months.

Prevention of progression of interstitial lung lesions by early combination therapy with corticosteroids and cyclosporine/cyclophosphamide in two patients with amyopathic dermatomyositis.

Two patients with amyopathic dermatomyositis complicated by interstitial lung lesions were effectively treated with a combination of corticosteroids and cyclosporine and/or cyclophosphamide. A 48-year-old female patient was treated with pulse methylprednisolone and cyclosporine 2 months after onset of dermal symptoms. A 45-year-old male patient was treated with oral prednisolone and pulse cyclophosphamide 2 1/2 months after onset of dermal symptoms.

Antikeratin antibodies in sera of patients with connective tissue disease and liver disease.

Sera from 93 patients with connective tissue disease, 36 rheumatoid arthritis, 41 systemic lupus erythematosus, 12 polymyositis/dermatomyositis and 4 systemic sclerosis and sera from 12 patients with liver disease, along with sera of 10 healthy subjects, were tested for antikeratin antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in which the wells were coated with human epidermal keratin. Values above the mean+SD of the 10 healthy subjects were found in 8.3% of rheumatoid arthritis, 29.

HLA-A2-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity during interferon beta therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background And Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) may contribute to viral clearance and liver cell injury in patients with chronic hepatitis C. In the present study, we attempted to determine the serial HCV-specific CTL activity during interferon-beta (IFN-beta) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C and whether there is any relationship between the CTL response and clinical response to IFN-beta therapy.

Methods: Eight HLA-A2-positive patients with chronic hepatitis C were treated initially with 6 million U/ml of IFN-beta every day for 8 weeks and then 3 times weekly for the subsequent 16 weeks.