Hyperamylasemia induced by percutaneous papillary balloon dilatation for symptomatic choledocholithiasis.

Background/aims: We investigated the relationship between percutaneous papillary balloon dilatation (PPBD) and hyperamylasemia after PPBD.

Methodology: We studied the rate of pancreatitis and asymptomatic hyperamylasemia after PPBD for choledocholithiasis in 64 symptomatic patients. Pancreatitis was defined as epigastric pain combined with at least a 3-fold rise in serum amylase at 24 hours after PPBD.

Combination treatment of partial splenic embolization, endoscopic embolization and transjugular retrograde obliteration for complicated gastroesophageal varices.

The treatment of complicated gastroesophageal varices with a gastrorenal shunt and portal hypertensive gastropathy has not yet been established. We were able to control a case of complicated large gastroesophageal varices with gastrorenal shunt and portal hypertensive gastropathy using a combination treatment of partial splenic embolization, endoscopic embolization and transjugular retrograde obliteration. We first applied partial splenic embolization to reduce the hyperdynamic cycle of portal hypertension and to treat thrombocytopenia.

Perioperative music therapy with a key-lighting keyboard system in elderly patients undergoing digestive tract surgery.

Background/aims: It is important to minimize the perioperative mental dysfunction of elderly patients undergoing surgery and to avoid lowering their coping skills postoperatively. Music therapy for digestive tract surgery has yet not been explored.

Methodology: We evaluated perioperative music therapy using a simple key-lighting keyboard system in 37 elderly patients who underwent digestive tract surgery (Group A) compared with 13 patients who were not applied music therapy (Group B).

Combination treatment of transjugular retrograde obliteration and endoscopic embolization for portosystemic encephalopathy with esophageal varices.

The treatment of chronic portosystemic encephalopathy with esophageal varices has not yet been established. We were able to control a case of chronic portosystemic encephalopathy with esophageal varices using a combination treatment of transjugular retrograde obliteration and endoscopic embolization. A 57-year-old man came to our hospital in a confused, apathetic and tremulous state.

Enzymatic synthesis of 2'-deoxyguanosine with nucleoside deoxyribosyltransferase-II.

Nucleoside deoxyribosyltransferase-II (NdRT-II) of Lactobacillus helveticus, which catalyzes the transfer of a glycosyl residue from a donor deoxyribonucleoside to an acceptor base, has a broad specificity for the acceptor bases. Six-substituted purines were found to be substrates as acceptor bases for NdRT-II. Using this property of the enzyme, we established a practical procedure for enzymatic synthesis of 2'-deoxyguanosine (dGuo), consisting of the transglycosylation from thymidine to 6-substituted purine (2-amino-6-chloropurine; ACP) instead of natural guanine and the conversion of 2-amino-6-chloropurine-2'-deoxyriboside (ACPdR) to dGuo with bacterial adenosine deaminase.

Simultaneous laparoscopic cholecystectomy and percutaneous papillary balloon dilatation for cholecystocholedocholithiasis.

Aim: We evaluated the effectiveness of simultaneous laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and percutaneous papillary balloon dilatation (PPBD) under general anesthesia in the treatment of cholecystocholedocholithiasis in elderly patients in poor general condition.

Patients And Methods: We treated 17 patients (group 1) with LC and PPBD as separate procedures and 21 patients (group 2) with simultaneous LC and PPBD under general anesthesia. We compared the success rates, complications, durations of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) and hospital stays of the 2 groups.

Appendiceal stump abscess as an early complication of laparoscopic appendectomy: report of a case.

We report the case of an appendiceal stump abscess that was treated by relaparoscopy 4 days after a laparoscopic appendectomy (LA). Surgeons should be aware of the possibility of appendiceal stump abscess occurring as an early complication of LA. When performing LA, the appendiceal stump should be as short as possible, and the ligation of the root of the appendix should be only moderately tight, so as not to cause ischemic change of the stump, indicated by discoloration or edema.

Nucleic acid related compounds. 116. Nonaqueous diazotization of aminopurine nucleosides. Mechanistic considerations and efficient procedures with tert-butyl nitrite or sodium nitrite.

Nonaqueous diazotization-dediazoniation of two types of aminopurine nucleoside derivatives has been investigated. Treatment of 9-(2,3,5-tri-O-acetyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-2-amino-6-chloropurine (1) with SbCl(3)/CH(2)Cl(2) was examined with benzyltriethylammonium (BTEA) chloride as a soluble halide source and tert-butyl nitrite (TBN) or sodium nitrite as the diazotization reagent. Optimized yields (>80%) of the 2,6-dichloropurine derivative were obtained with SbCl(3).