Diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver: value of CT.

Objective: Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver is a localized mass consisting of a fibrous stroma and chronic inflammatory infiltrate without anaplasia. Diagnosis of this rare disease is important to avoid surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine if CT is useful in the diagnosis of this lesion.

Characterization of tobacco protein kinase NPK5, a homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae SNF1 that constitutively activates expression of the glucose-repressible SUC2 gene for a secreted invertase of S. cerevisiae.

We have isolated a cDNA (cNPK5) that encodes a protein kinase of 511 amino acids from suspension cultures of tobacco cells. The predicted kinase domain of NPK5 is 65% identical in terms of amino acid sequence to that of the SNF1 serine/threonine protein kinase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which plays a central role in catabolite repression in yeast cells. SNF1 positively regulates transcription of various glucose-repressible genes of the yeast, such as the SUC2 gene for a secreted invertase, in response to glucose deprivation: snf1 mutants cannot utilize sucrose as a carbon source.

Radiographic features in lymphoepithelial cyst of the pancreas.

Two cases of pancreatic lymphoepithelial cyst are presented. Abdominal ultrasonography and endoscopic ultrasonography demonstrated cysts containing keratinized material, indicative of this diagnosis.

[A case of nonresectable gastric cancer treated by sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil].

An advanced gastric cancer patient with multiple retroperitoneal lymph node metastases and bone metastases was treated with sequential MTX and 5-FU. Complete response was obtained against both gastric primary lesion and retroperitoneal lymph nodes observed endoscopically and by computed tomography. Partial response was obtained against bone metastases observed by bone scintigraphy.

Organ-specific and auxin-inducible expression of two tobacco par A-related genes in transgenic plants.

We have isolated four genomic DNA clones that contain the transcription initiation site of the parA gene(s) from a tobacco genomic library by hybridization with the 5' segment of the parA cDNA previously isolated. They were classified into two types on the basis of their nucleotide sequences. Southern blot analysis indicated that two types of clones were respectively derived from the two parental species of tobacco, Nicotiana tomentosiformis and Nicotiana sylvestris.

Oncocytic carcinoid of the lung.

The case of a 47-year-old man with an oncocytic variant of carcinoid of the lung is reported. Chest radiography disclosed a well-defined round mass in the left upper lobe of the lung. Contrast-enhanced CT demonstrated a homogeneously well-enhanced mass.

Salivary SPECT and factor analysis in Sjögren's syndrome.

Salivary SPECT and factor analysis in Sjögren's syndrome were performed in 17 patients and 6 volunteers as controls. The ability of SPECT to detect small differences in the level of uptake can be used to separate glands from background even when uptake is reduced as in the patients with Sjögren's syndrome. In control and probable Sjögren's syndrome groups the uptake ratio of the submandibular gland to parotid gland on salivary SPECT (S/P ratio) was less than 1.

Characteristic behavior of serum elastase 1 in pancreatic cancer.

Diagnostic significance of serum immunoreactive elastase 1 (IRE) in pancreatic cancer was evaluated in 53 patients with pancreatic cancer. Frequency of abnormally high serum IRE levels in pancreatic cancer was 66.0%; 87.

[Effect of biliary obstruction and cholangitis on serum SPan-1 level].

We investigated the effect of biliary obstruction and cholangitis on serum SPan-1 level in 14 patients (5 patients with pancreatic cancer and 9 patients with biliary tract cancer) who were performed PTCD for biliary obstruction. 1 out of 5 cases with pancreatic cancer and 8 out of 9 cases with biliary tract cancer showed a decrease of SPan-1 level with improvement of jaundice. It suggested that the effect of biliary obstruction and cholangitis on serum SPan-1 level was much more in biliary tract cancer than in pancreatic cancer.

Treatment of symptomatic non-parasitic liver cysts--surgical treatment versus alcohol injection therapy.

Fourteen patients with benign symptomatic non-parasitic cysts of the liver were either surgically treated, had alcohol injected into the cysts, underwent deroofing of the cyst or in 5, a cystectomy was done. Alcohol was injected into 6 patients and there has been no recurrence for as long as 5 years and 8 months after the treatment. Liver dysfunction occurred in 3 patients given blood transfusion during the surgery and/or postoperative course, an elevated temperature (over 39 degrees C) occurred in one patient.

Morphologic changes in the body of the pancreas secondary to a mass in the pancreatic head. Analysis by CT.

CT scans of 279 normal subjects and 78 patients with a pancreatic head mass were reviewed. The mean width of the pancreatic body in normal subjects was 15.8 +/- 2.

Computed tomography and histologic appearance of pancreatic metastases from distant sources.

The computed tomographic and histologic appearances in 34 cases of autopsy-confirmed metastatic tumors of the pancreas including secondary malignant lymphoma are discussed. In 18 (53.8%) the pancreas appeared abnormal on computed tomography, the lesions being classified into three types: In 8 cases there was diffuse enlargement of the pancreas; in 9 cases a localized mass; and one patient had multiple low attenuated nodules within the organ.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver.

A rare inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver diagnosed by US-guided needle biopsy is reported.

Very well differentiated adenocarcinoma of the colon: a case report.

A 47-year-old woman with chronic colitis was found to have a sessile tumor at the hepatic flexure of the colon. An endoscopic biopsy revealed no aytpia, but surgery was performed since, in view of the tumor's size, malignancy could not be ruled out. A tumor measuring 3 x 2 x 1.

Organization and characterization of the virCD genes from Agrobacterium rhizogenes.

We have precisely localized virulent (vir) genes of the hairy root-inducing plasmid pRiA4b on the basis of sequence similarity with the tumor-inducing plasmid pTiA6NC, and shown that the overall organizations of vir genes in both plasmids are fairly analogous, although sizes and spacer lengths in some genes differ from each other. Among the vir genes thus mapped, the virC and virD loci were characterized in detail. Transposon insertions in virD led to loss of tumorigenicity on Kalanchoe stems and carrot discs, and one within virC exhibited an attenuated pathogenicity.

CT evidence of renal angiomyolipoma with subcapsular hemorrhage.

Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) composed of adipose tissue, smooth muscle, and vessels can be clearly visualized on computed tomography (CT). However, once hemorrhage occurs, it is difficult to distinguish this lesion from other solid tumors. While there are reviews of AML with hemorrhage, those with the subcapsular type are rare.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the liver.

Malignant histiocytoma of the liver, a rare liver tumor, has not been reported in the radiological literature. The differential diagnosis of liver mass should be expanded to include primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Embolization of the mass was ineffective.

CT retrograde pancreatography using an indwelling balloon catheter.

We report a new technique for computed tomography (CT) of the pancreas during retrograde injection of contrast material into the pancreatic duct via an in situ balloon catheter placed by duodenoscopy (CT-RP). The method resulted in more stable ductgrams at CT than were obtained with other methods. Our data suggest that CT-RP provides useful information in evaluating pancreatic lesions that produce subtle or insignificant abnormalities of the outline of the pancreas and the ductal system on conventional CT and ERP.