Transcatheter aortic valve implantation in rheumatic aortic stenosis with a functioning mitral prosthesis.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for patients with rheumatic aortic stenosis (AS) is not well-known. We herein report a case of TAVI in rheumatic AS without significant calcification and prior mitral valve replacement. An 80-year-old woman underwent TAVI for severe AS.

Three cases of iatrogenic coronary ostial stenosis after aortic valve replacement.

Background: Iatrogenic coronary ostial stenosis (ICOS) is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of aortic valve replacement (AVR). This complication is usually diagnosed by angiography and treated with aortocoronary bypass surgery.

Case Reports: In the present 3 cases pre-operative coronary angiography confirmed normal coronary arteries and they underwent uncomplicated AVR.

Mitochondrial accumulation in the distal part of the initial segment of chicken spinal motoneurons.

The axonal initial segment is the initiation site of action potentials and is characterized morphologically by a dense undercoating and fascicles of microtubules connected by cross-bridges. In order to analyze subcellular structures in the initial segment, we made serial transverse sections of initial segments of identified chicken motoneurons by retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injected into the muscle. The mean (+/-SD) length of the initial segment was 28.

Preliminary evaluation of fungicidal and termiticidal activities of filtrates from biomass slurry fuel production.

Biomass slurry fuel (BSF) production has recently been developed as a natural energy for the conversion of solid biomass into fuel. In addition to using fuel, filtrates from BSF production may also serve a chemical source with several organic compounds. There is an increasing interest in the research and application of biomass-based filtrates.

Inhibition of factor Xa suppresses the expression of tissue factor in human monocytes and lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxemia in rats.

Background: Activated factor X (FXa) is involved in hemostasis, thrombogenesis, inflammation, and cellular immune response. Tissue factor (TF) is an initiator of blood coagulation. We investigated whether FXa induces TF expression in human peripheral monocytes and whether treatment with FXa inhibitor reduces TF expression in an experimental model of rat endotoxemia.

[A family with multiple thrombosis including infancy occurrence].

Since the first patient with antithrombin deficiency was reported, various hereditary thrombophilia have been discovered. However, we experienced a family line of multiple thrombosis in which known hereditary thrombophilia were all refuted. Case 1 died of inferior vena cava thrombosis at the age of 56 days.

Vitamin K contents in liver tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Serum protein induced in vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) is used as a tumor marker because it increases at a notably higher rate in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. To clarify the mechanism causing the elevation of serum PIVKA-II, we measured the contents of vitamins K1 (phylloquinone, PK) and K2 (menaquinone, MK) (MK-4, MK-5, MK-6, MK-7, MK-8, MK-9, MK-10) in liver tissue resected from 21 hepatic cancer patients (12 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 9 patients with metastatic hepatic cancer), using HPLC combined with coulometric reduction and fluorometric detection. In the cancerous tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma patients, PK, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-10 were significantly lower than that found in the noncancerous tissue.

Neutrophils express tissue factor in a monkey model of sepsis.

Background: Although tissue factor (TF) is involved in hemostasis, thrombogenesis, inflammation, and cellular immune response, its source in sepsis remains controversial. Recently, we found that, in addition to monocytes and endothelial cells, neutrophils may express TF in a rabbit model. The purpose of this study was to determine whether neutrophils could be a source of TF in a monkey model of sepsis.

Plasma endothelin-1 elevation associated with alcohol-induced variant angina.

Vasospastic angina as a result of alcohol ingestion has been reported, but the mechanism of alcohol-induced coronary artery spasm is presently unknown. This report presents 2 cases of alcohol-induced variant angina (VA) with elevated levels of plasma endothelin-1 after alcohol ingestion. In case 1, the plasma endothelin-1 concentration was 3.

Effects of troglitazone on frequency of coronary vasospastic-induced angina pectoris in patients with diabetes mellitus.

This study investigates the effects of troglitazone, an insulin sensitizer, on the clinical manifestation of coronary vasospastic angina pectoris in patients with diabetes mellitus. Troglitazone reduces frequency of angina pectoris and improves endothelial function.

Possible role of platelet-activating factor in the in vivo expression of tissue factor in neutrophils.

Background: Recently, we demonstrated that neutrophils express tissue factor (TF) in a model of acute obstructive cholangitis (AOC). However, the regulation of TF expression was not clear. In this study, we clarified the role of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in TF expression in neutrophils.

Intracoronary aspiration thrombectomy for acute myocardial infarction.

To investigate the pathogenesis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and values of intracoronary aspiration thrombectomy (ICAT), we applied ICAT to reperfusion therapy using generally available intracoronary catheters to aspirate intracoronary occlusive tissues. We assigned ICAT or primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) to patients with evolving AMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) trial grade 0), and investigated primary histopathologic, clinical, and angiographic outcomes in 43 patients treated with ICAT alone or followed by PTCA, and compared the outcomes with those in 48 patients treated with primary PTCA. No major complications (procedural death, emergent bypass graft surgery) occurred.

The correlation between coronary stenosis index and flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery.

We examined the relationship between flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery and the extent and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). Using high-resolution ultrasonography, we measured FMD and nitroglycerin-induced brachial artery dilation. We studied 121 patients (77 men, 44 women; mean age 64+/-11 years, range 25-79 years) who underwent coronary arteriography.

[The clinicopathological features and operative results in a cancer of the remnant stomach--risk and prevention of cancer after partial gastrectomy].

The clinicopathological features and operative results were analyzed in 21 patients undergoing an operation for cancer of the remnant stomach between 1979 and 1997. The twenty-one patients were divided into two groups: Group A; n = 9: who had undergone a gastrectomy for benign gastric disease, Group B; n = 12: who had undergone the same operation for gastric cancer. In Group A, the interval between the first gastrectomy and the second was longer than in Group B.

Regression of gastric polyps in Gardner's syndrome with use of indomethacin suppositories: a case report.

Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis most often have multiple polyps in the large bowel and also in the gastroduodenal region. There are reports of regression or disappearance of colorectal and duodenal polyps while on sulindac therapy. We report here what seems to be the first case of regression of gastric polyps while on indomethacin suppository treatment.

The effect of steroid on thallium-201 uptake by malignant gliomas.

In order to assess the effect of steroid on thallium-201 uptake by glioma, 201Tl single-photon emission tomography was performed before and after steroid administration in four patients with recurrent malignant glioma. After steroid administration the 201Tl index, expressed as the ratio of 201Tl uptake in the tumour to that in the contralateral cerebral hemisphere, was 0.77+/-0.

[Administration method and recurrence-preventing effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) as a postoperative adjuvant endocrine therapy for stage III breast cancer. Kitakyushu Collaborative Study Group for Breast Cancer].

By a collaborative study undertaken by 11 medical institutions in the Kita-Kyushu area, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of the combination of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and Tamoxifen (TAM) as a postoperative adjuvant endocrine therapy for Stage III breast cancer. First, 1 course of CAF therapy was administered; then, in combination with the basic therapy of 5-FU 200 mg/day p. o.

Use of a suture holder facilitates transanal anastomosis.

We report here that use of a suture holder facilitates transanal anastomosis in cases of total proctocolectomy or low rectal anastomosis. Feasible control of multiple interrupted suturing and unhampered visibility of the entire process are made possible with this approach.

Macrophages and neutrophils infiltrating into the liver are responsible for tissue factor expression in a rabbit model of acute obstructive cholangitis.

Acute obstructive cholangitis (AOC) is one of the most fatal outcomes in sepsis, and frequently complicates disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Recently we found that the plasma tissue factor (TF) level increased and changed in parallel with plasma markers of DIC in patients with AOC. To elucidate the role of TF in the pathogenesis of coagulopathy in AOC, we investigated the plasma levels of TF and its localization by immunohistochemical staining in rabbit models of AOC.

In vitro analysis of peritoneal adhesions in peritonitis.

Peritoneal adhesions due to peritonitis make surgery more difficult and may cause complications. Clarifying the formation mechanism of peritoneal adhesions could help identify methods useful for their prevention. We cultured mesothelial monolayers on plates and microcarriers to simulate the parietal and visceral peritoneum, respectively.

[Radiotherapy for carcinoma of the esophagus in aged patients].

One hundred fifty-four patients with esophageal carcinoma were treated with either irradiation alone or irradiation combined with surgery at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health Hospital between January 1980 and February 1992. The number of patients 75 years old and older was 25. In patients 74 years old and younger, the overall five-year survival rate by Kaplan-Meier method was 24.

[Hyperplasia and adenoma of the ectopic parathyroid gland].

The frequency of the ectopic parathyroid glands has been reported to be 7-46% by anatomists or surgeons, while the proper frequency is still unknown. Recently the diagnostic methods of hyperparathyroidism have been developed, and many surgeons select total parathyroidectomy for renal hyperparathyroidism. Therefore the frequency of the ectopic glands has been supposed to be higher than that recognized previously.

A 10-year survivor with unresectable hepatic metastases from sigmoid colon carcinoma treated with regional chemotherapy.

We treated a man with unresectable hepatic metastases from sigmoid colon carcinoma who has since survived for more than 10 years. A sigmoidectomy with lymph node dissection was performed and a continuous hepatic arterial infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with intermittent infusion of mitomycin C (MMC) was administered for about 3 months after this operation. The total doses of 5-FU and MMC were 16 g and 84 mg, respectively.

[Intracranial foreign body granuloma caused by fine cotton fibers: a case report].

Reported here is a rare case of intracranial foreign body granuloma caused by fine cotton fibers originating from the cotton sheet, which was used in the previous operation. The patient was a 54-year-old woman who presented with headache and right hemiparesis. CT scan demonstrated a large enhanced tumor in the left temporal lobe.