[HRCT findings of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex: a comparison with tuberculosis].

Computed tomographic (CT) findings of 70 patients with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease were analyzed by two chest radiologists and compared with those of 37 patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Common CT findings in patients with MAC, included bronchiectasis (97%), small nodules (89%), parenchymal distortion (60%), bronchial wall thickening (56%), consolidation (50%) and cavity formation (49%) and small nodules (86%), bronchiectasis (70%), consolidation (57%) and bronchial wall thickening (51%) in patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bronchiectasis and parenchymal distortion were significant in patients with MAC compared with Mycobacterium tuberculosis patients.

CD3-CD4-CD8-CD56-CD19-CD14- cells and CD3+CD8 dull-positive cells produce IL-4 in AIDS patients.

We used flow cytometry to identify the presence of intracellular cytokines (cytoflow) and analyse the production of IL-4 in peripheral blood from AIDS patients who have practically no CD4+ T cells. We found that IL-4 was produced by CD3-CD4-CD8-CD56-CD19-CD14- cells and CD3+CD8 dull-positive cells in AIDS patients. Moreover, CD3-CD4-CD8-CD56-CD19-CD14- cells had helper activity for immunoglobulin synthesis.

[Anesthetic management of parturients with intracranial hemorrhage accompanied by seizure].

Two preeclamptic parturients, who presented with generalized seizure, underwent emergency cesarean section without confirmed diagnosis. They developed focal neurological signs postoperatively, and were subsequently diagnosed as subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of an intracranial aneurysm and possibly of arteriovenous malformation. Diagnosis should be made at the earliest possible time for the optimal anesthetic as well as postoperative management of the mother.

A press-through-pack in the larynx.

A case of a 96-year-old male with a foreign body in the larynx is reported. The foreign body was a press-through-pack (PTP), a plastic packing for medicine, 16 mm x 16 mm x 3 mm in size. The PTP was safely removed from the larynx under general anesthesia.

Functional evaluation of hip abductor muscles with use of magnetic resonance imaging.

The hip abductor muscles are considered important for gait and biomechanics of the hip joint; however, their specific function has not been defined precisely. The intensity of magnetic resonance imaging signals in skeletal muscle has been reported to increase immediately after exercise. Making use of this phenomenon, we evaluated the hip abductor muscles.

Differential and coordinated regulation of expression of norepinephrine transporter in catecholaminergic cells in culture.

The norepinephrine transporter (NET) terminates noradrenergic neurotransmission at synapse by high-affinity sodium-dependent reuptake into presynaptic terminals, and thus serves as a marker of differentiation of noradrenergic neurons. In the present study, we studied the regulatory mechanism of the expression of NET-mRNA in cultured neurons from newborn rat superior cervical ganglia (SCG) and in clonal rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) SCG neurons in culture expressed a high level of NET-mRNA, which was further increased 2.5-5 fold from day 1 to day 13.

The effect of age on retrieval of local anesthetic solution from the epidural space.

Unlabelled: We conducted this prospective study to determine whether advancing age is correlated with retrieval of local anesthetic solution from the epidural space. Three hundred forty-six patients (ASA physical status I or II, 20-93 yrs of age, 177 female and 169 male patients) undergoing epidural anesthesia were enrolled. The epidural space was identified by a loss of resistance technique using air, and a catheter was introduced 3 cm.

Characterization and CO2 Adsorptivity of Acid-Washed and Cation-Exchanged Natural Mordenites.

A Japanese natural mordenite was modified by acid washing as well as cation-exchange. Crystal structure, porosity, and active sites of the modified natural mordenites were characterized, and their CO2 adsorptivity were examined. Contraction as well as expansion of the mordenitic unit cell in the natural zeolite and distortion of zeolite structure by acid washing are plausibly shown by XRD.

Prevalence and growth characteristics of malignant stem cells in B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

We used a stroma-supported culture method to study the prevalence and growth characteristics of malignant stem cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In 51 of 108 B-lineage ALL samples, bone marrow-derived stroma not only inhibited apoptosis of ALL cells but also supported their proliferation in serum-free medium. When single leukemic cells were placed in the stroma-coated wells of microtiter plates, the percentage of wells with leukemic cell growth after 2 to 5 months of culture ranged from 6% to 20% (median, 15%; 5 experiments).

[Development of core/targetoid fibers in the diaphragm of chronically hypercapnic rats].

We tested the hypothesis that chronic hypercapnia contributes to the development of core/targetoid fibers in ventilatory muscles. Five Wistar rats were kept in 5% CO2 in air for 13 weeks. Arterial blood gases (mean +/- SE) were pH 7.

[Organ preservation in the treatment of malignant solid tumors in children].

Organ preservation is one of the requirements for maintaining the high quality of life after the treatment of malignant solid tumors in children. We analyze our recent results of renal preservation in the abdominal neuroblastoma and describe 3 cases of successful organ preservation in pelvic malignancy. Between 1982 and 1996, 29 patients with adrenal or retroperitoneal neuroblastoma, that extended into the surrounding tissues and organs and/or to the contralateral side, underwent delayed primary excision.

Reduction of challenge parasite population in gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus, chronically infected with Schistosoma mansoni.

Homologous challenge parasite attrition in gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus, chronically infected with Schistosoma mansoni, was investigated by the recovery technique of retrograde portal perfusion. Whereas the animals vaccinated with gamma- or UV-attenuated cercariae of S. mansoni showed a marginal level of resistance, the chronically infected gerbils exhibited significant parasite attrition against a homologous challenge infection.

Congenital leukaemia with a mixed phenotype of megakaryoblasts and erythroblasts: a case report and characterization of the blasts.

We present a congenital leukaemia with a mixed phenotype of megakaryoblasts and erythroblasts. A newborn male with exopthalmus and multiple skin nodules, had bone marrow blasts which expressed CD41b, CD42b, glycophorin-A and haemoglobin, but monocyte or lymphoid markers were negative. The patient achieved a complete remission with chemotherapy.

Enhancement of ectopic bone formation in mice with a deficit in Fas-mediated apoptosis.

Bone formation is under the control of cytokines as well as growth factors such as bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP). This suggests the possibility that osteogenesis might be modulated by factors which also modulate the immune system. To test whether immune disorders in the host may influence bone formation, we studied BMP-induced bone formation in a C3H/HeJ strain of mice bearing a mutant gene, the lymphoproliferation gene (lpr) or the generalized lymphoproliferative disease gene (gld), both of which are known to be a Fas deletion mutant and a Fas ligand mutant, respectively, and to induce immune disorders via a deficit in Fas-mediated apoptosis.

3,5,3'-Triiodo-L-thyronine potentiates all-trans-retinoic acid-induced apoptosis during differentiation of the promyeloleukemic cell HL-60.

Although the programmed cell death mediated by thyroid hormone is not well evaluated in mammalian cells, thyroid hormone plays a crucial role in differentiation of the cells during the metamorphosis of Xenopus, suggesting that thyroid hormone has the potential ability to induce the apoptosis. To investigate the thyroid hormone-inducible apoptosis, we cultured HL-60 cells with various amounts of all-transretinoic acid (RA) and L-T3. T3 alone did not induce the apoptosis of the cells.

Toxicologic evaluation of yessotoxin.

Yessotoxin (YTX), originally found in association with diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP), caused neither intestinal fluid accumulation nor inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A. Orally, YTX was not lethal to mice at 1.0 mg/kg.

Improved word perception following electrical stimulation of the ear in hearing-impaired patients without tinnitus.

Improved word perception in hearing-impaired patients following electrical stimulation of ears was shown by means of a grammatically correct but non-sense Japanese 4-segment sentence perception test. Improved word perception was reported in 15 out of 20 patients without tinnitus following electrical stimulation of ears. In 11 out of 15 patients, the number of incorrect words significantly decreased, showing that electrical stimulation of ears improved word perception.

Improved word perception in tinnitus patients following electrical stimulation of the ear: a preliminary report.

The present study showed that there were close relationships between tinnitus relief and improved word perception by means of a grammatically correct but non-sense Japanese word perception test. Fourteen out of 20 patients reported tinnitus relief and improvement in hearing. Nine out of the 14 patients were thought to be significantly improved in word perception.

Preliminary study of improved perception of words with the same sound but different intonation in tinnitus patients following electrical stimulation of the ear.

The present study aimed to explain how tinnitus relief following electrical promontory stimulation affects detection of changes in pitch frequency. To determine the effects of tinnitus relief on the auditory system. Japanese words with the same sound but different intonation were used to verify the effects of tinnitus relief on pitch detection in tinnitus patients Eight out of 11 patients experienced relief of tinnitus following treatment.

Human B-cell progenitors and bone marrow microenvironment.

Apoptosis of normal and leukemic immature B-cells in vitro is suppressed by contact with bone marrow-derived stromal layers. In stroma-supported cultures of immature B-cells, we found that ligation of CD38, a type II transmembrane protein, inhibited the cell growth and induced apoptosis. CD38 ligation also induced tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of intracellular substrates, including syk, phospholipase C-gamma, c-cbl, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K).

[Detection of human cytomegalovirus-antigen in peripheral blood cells by using flow-cytometer].

Prophlaxis of CMV-associated disease and/or early initiation of therapy is important in the management of patients with CMV infection. Recently, we developed the CMV antigenemia assay: a rapid and quantitative method based on the detection of CMC antigens in peripheral blood leukocytes by flow cytometry. Heparinized peripheral blood was obtained from healthy donors, bone marrow transplantation patients, patient with collagen disease and patients with adult T cell leukemia.

Confirmation of a "safety zone" by intraoperative cholangiography during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: Creating a "safety zone" during laparoscopic cholecystectomy is defined as dissection of the cystic duct as close as possible to the gallbladder.

Methods: In 29 out of 802 cases in which laparoscopic cholecystectomy was difficult to perform due to uncertainty about the orientation of Calot's triangle, intraoperative cholangiography was performed, using a titanium clip as a marker that designated the safety zone. The distance between the clip and the common hepatic duct or the common bile duct could be determined by evaluation of two intraoperative cholangiograms taken in different orientation.

Molecular interactions between human B-cell progenitors and the bone marrow microenvironment.

Apoptosis of normal and leukemic immature B-cells in vitro is suppressed when either cell type is grown in direct contact with a feeder layer of bone marrow-derived stromal cells, including fibroblasts, macrophages, endothelial cells, and adipocytes. In this study, our objective was to identify a stromal cell type which is essential for lymphoblast survival and to characterize the molecules involved in lymphoblast adhesion to these cells. In experiments with B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells (n = 28) and purified CD19(+) cells from normal bone marrow (n = 6) we found that homogeneous populations of bone marrow fibroblasts could sustain survival of normal and leukemic immature B-cells as efficiently as composite bone marrow stromal layers.