Endoscopic piecemeal resection with submucosal saline injection of large sessile colorectal polyps.

Background: Because endoscopic en bloc resection of large, sessile colorectal polyps is technically difficult, they are usually resected piecemeal. However, piecemeal resection makes it difficult to evaluate the completeness of the resection histopathologically. In this study the efficacy of endoscopic piecemeal resection of large, sessile colorectal polyps was investigated after follow-up greater than 1 year.

Production of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 by a choriocarcinoma cell line, BeWo.

To clarify the biological and pathological features of choriocarcinoma, we evaluated the in vitro production of cytokines by a choriocarcinoma cell line, BeWo. We measured the concentration of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 in the culture media of BeWo cells after stimulation with various modulatory agents of cytokine expression by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Northern blot analysis was used to examine the expression of IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA in these cells.

Suppression by Chai-hu-gui-zhi-tang of the development of liver lesions induced by N-nitrosomorpholine in Sprague-Dawley rats.

The effects of Chai-hu-gui-zhi-tang (TJ-10) on the development of liver lesions induced by N-nitrosomorpholine and on labeling and apoptotic indices were investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were given chow pellets containing 0.5 or 1.

Effects of interferon-gamma on secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor by endometrial stromal cells.

Problem: The aim of this study was to clarify the physiological effects of interferon (IFN)-gamma on secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by endometrial stromal (ES) cells.

Method Of Study: ES cells were obtained from human uterine endometrium by enzymic digestion and filtration. The effects of IFN-gamma on production of VEGF by ES cells were examined by analyzing VEGF mRNA expression with Northern blotting analysis and by assaying VEGF protein.

Effects of lipopolysaccharide and cytokines on production of RANTES by cultured human endometrial stromal cells.

RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted), which is a potent chemoattractant for eosinophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes, was recently detected in the human endometrium. The effects of modulators of endometrial function, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-4 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), on the production of RANTES by endometrial stromal cells (ESC) were examined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Northern blot analysis. The concentration of RANTES in the culture media of non-stimulated ESC was below the level of detection.

Platelet-activating factor induces an imbalance between matrix metalloproteinase-1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 expression in human uterine cervical fibroblasts.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is involved in such reproductive processes as parturition. We investigated the effect of PAF on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and that of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in human uterine cervical fibroblasts. Uterine cervical tissue was obtained from patients who underwent cesarean section at term.

Expression of polo-like kinase (PLK) in the mouse placenta and ovary.

The polo-like kinase (PLK) is a mammalian serine/threonine kinase involved in cell cycle regulation. Much evidence for the role of PLK in the cell cycle has come from studies of cultured cells; however, little is known about its function or even expression in vivo. The present study examined the features of PLK expression in the mouse placenta and ovary.

Inhibitory effect of interleukin-8 on the secretion of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase by human decidual macrophages.

Objective: To determine whether interleukin-8 (IL-8) regulates platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) secretion by decidual cells in vitro.

Methods: Decidual macrophages were obtained from human term decidual tissue by enzymic digestion and Ficoll-Paque centrifugation. The effect of IL-8 and phorbol esters on the secretion of PAF-acetylhydrolase by these cells was examined.

Platelet-activating factor stimulates cytokine production by human endometrial stromal cells.

Although preimplantation embryo and decidual cells secrete significant amounts of platelet-activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, PAF); its precise function in early pregnancy has yet to be established. To investigate the effect of PAF on cytokine synthesis, we measured the cytokine concentration in the culture media of two human cell lines: normal endometrial stromal cells (ESC) and endometrial stromal sarcoma cells (MaMi), following stimulation with a non-metabolized PAF analogue, carbamyl-PAF (C-PAF). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to measure five cytokines: interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha).

Expression of hepatocyte growth factor in cultured human endometrial stromal cells is induced through a protein kinase C-dependent pathway.

To examine the production of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) by human endometrial stromal cells (ESC) in vitro, concentrations of HGF in the culture media of ESC were measured after the addition of various amounts of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), forskolin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), or ethynylestradiol-17alpha using an ELISA. The expression of HGF mRNA was also assayed by a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The concentration of HGF in the culture media of unstimulated ESC was below the detection level of the assay.

Oxygen desaturation during sedation for colonoscopy in elderly patients.

Background/aims: Conscious sedation increases the tolerance of patients to endoscopic examination, but arterial oxygen desaturation during endoscopy has often been reported. Elderly patients are considered to be at special risk. However, sedation-induced changes in cardiovascular function in the elderly have not been well investigated.

Effects of interferon-gamma on cytokine production by endometrial stromal cells.

To clarify the role of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in reproduction, we have examined its effects on cytokine production by human endometrial stromal cells (ESC). Concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) in the culture media of normal ESC and an endometrial stromal sarcoma cell line, MaMi, were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Both non-stimulated ESC and non-stimulated MaMi cells constitutively secrete IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and M-CSF.

Interleukin-1beta and interleukin-8 in cervicovaginal fluid during pregnancy.

Objective: We investigated the usefulness of cervicovaginal interleukin-1beta and interleukin-8 levels during pregnancy as markers of preterm and term parturition.

Study Design: Cervicovaginal fluids were obtained from 119 pregnant women at 24 to 41 weeks' gestation. Cytokine concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay.

MaMi, a human endometrial stromal sarcoma cell line that constitutively produces interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1.

Background: Uterine endometrial stromal sarcoma is a rare neoplasm with a morphology that closely resembles that of the proliferative endometrial stroma. To understand its pathologic characteristics, we established a novel cell line, MaMi, from a primary culture of an endometrial stromal sarcoma obtained from a 65-year-old Japanese woman.

Methods: We observed the morphology of MaMi cells and performed immunohistochemical analysis on the primary tumor and transplants in nude mice.

[A cooperative study on concomitant with low-dose divided administration of cisplatin (CDDP) and sustained drip infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for unresectable advanced gastric cancer. Osaka Cisplatin Gastric Cancer Study Group].

For patients with unresectable gastric cancer registered between July 1994 and September 1995, the following dosage regimen was examined: a drip infusion of cisplatin (CDDP) at 7 mg/m2/day for 5 consecutive days and 2-day withdrawal a week for 3 weeks with concomitant sustained drip infusion of 5-FU at 300 mg/m2/day for 21 days. The whole cycle was repeated again after 2-week withdrawal. The antitumor effect was seen in 39.

Increased serum concentrations of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in uterine cervical cancer.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the serum concentration of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) in women with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Serum samples were obtained from 38 Japanese women with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix before initial treatment (12 in stage 0, 7 in stage I, 5 in stage II, 9 in stage III and 5 in stage IV), 7 patients with a recurrence of this cancer, and 18 healthy female volunteers. Serum sVCAM-1 was measured with a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Endoscopic resection of large sessile colorectal polyps using a submucosal saline injection technique.

Background/aims: Endoscopic removal of sessile colorectal polyps 2 cm or greater in diameter is very difficult. We evaluated the safety and usefulness of submucosal saline injection in endoscopic resection of these polyps.

Materials And Methods: Under colonoscopic observation, 0.

Serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and the expression of ICAM-1 mRNA in uterine cervical cancer.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the serum level of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Serum levels of sICAM-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients with cervical cancer (stage 0 through IV). Expression of mRNA in tumor tissues was evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 in human follicular fluid: a marker for oocyte maturation.

In order to investigate the role of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) in human ovulation, we evaluated the concentrations of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) in human follicular fluid (FF). The concentrations of IGFBP-1 in the FFs of 15 women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer were measured and related to those of 17beta-estradiol (E2), progesterone and androstenedione in the FFs. IGFBP-1 levels in the FFs were positively correlated with those of E2 and progesterone.

More effective endoscopic resection with a two-channel colonoscope for carcinoid tumors of the rectum.

Purpose: Complete resection of small carcinoid tumors of the rectum is difficult with conventional polypectomy, because these tumors are most often located in the submucosal layer of the rectal wall. To completely remove these tumors, we used a two-channel videocolonoscope with which both a grasping forceps and a polypectomy snare could be used simultaneously. We evaluated its clinical usefulness in comparison with one-channel colonoscopic polypectomy.