[A true aneurysm of the right internal mammary artery, accompanied by diminished grasping power of the right hand].

A 69-year-old man was admitted to our hospital after an abnormal shadow was found on a chest radiograph. The preoperative diagnosis was right subclavian aneurysm. Loss of grip in the right hand developed, and the patient underwent surgery.

[Contribution of oxidative stress to pulmonary hypertension induced by chronic hypoxia].

Chronic hypoxia causes pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy associated with media wall thickening of pulmonary arteries in rats. Platelet-activating factor plays an important role in the pulmonary vascular remodeling induced by chronic hypoxia, and reactive oxygen species are involved in tissue injury induced by platelet activating factor. We therefore hypothesized that reactive oxygen species contribute to the pulmonary hypertension induced by chronic hypoxia, and examined the effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a free radical scavenger and the precursor of glutathione sulfhydryl (GSH), on hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.

Harvesting backscatter electrons for radiation therapy.

Purpose: An innovative technique is used to harvest backscatter electrons for the treatment of superficial small lesions of skin, oral cavity, and rectum where a significant dose gradient and maximum surface dose is desired.

Methods And Materials: Backscatter electrons are harvested out of the primary electron beams from the linear accelerators. The design consists of a short cylindrical cone that fits snugly over a long cylindrical electron cone.

Selection and characterization of sequences with high affinity for the engrailed protein of Drosophila.

The engrailed gene helps to direct Drosophila melanogaster development by encoding a homeodomain-containing DNA binding protein. To identify genes whose transcription engrailed regulates, we developed a method to isolate genomic sequences to which engrailed protein binds with high affinity. Fragments of genomic DNA were fractionated on an engrailed protein affinity column, and fragments that were retained in the presence of 0.

[Role of cyclooxygenase metabolites in the increase in pulmonary vascular permeability caused by mechanically activated white blood cells].

To study the role of cyclooxygenase metabolites in changes in the pulmonary vasculature induced by mechanically activated white blood cells (WBCs), the effects of activated and inactive WBCs, and of a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, were studied in isolated perfused lungs from Sprague-Dawley rats. WBCs were activated by gentle agitation in a glass container for 10s. Baseline measurements were made, and then activated or inactive WBCs were added to the perfusate.

Creating a Drosophila wing de novo, the role of engrailed, and the compartment border hypothesis.

Anterior/posterior compartment borders bisect every Drosophila imaginal disc, and the engrailed gene is essential for their function. We analyzed the role of the engrailed and invected genes in wing discs by eliminating or increasing their activity. Removing engrailed/invected from posterior wing cells created two new compartments: an anterior compartment consisting of mutant cells and a posterior compartment that grew from neighboring cells.

[Transesophageal echocardiographic study on the mechanisms of mitral regurgitation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: comparison with sigmoid septum].

Transesophageal echocardiography was performed to elucidate the mechanisms of mitral regurgitation (MR) in 40 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with asymmetric septal hypertrophy, 15 obstructive and 25 nonobstructive, and the organic changes of the mitral leaflet were compared to those of 30 patients with sigmoid interventricular septum. Thirty subjects without cardiac diseases served as the control group. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography were performed in all subjects to measure the following: left ventricular dimension, interventricular septal thickness and peak velocity at the left ventricular outflow tract by transthoracic echocardiography; the lengths and the thicknesses of the rough zone of the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets at mid-diastole and the distance between the tip of the posterior papillary muscle and the anterior mitral annulus by transesophageal echocardiography.

Response characteristics of periodontal mechanoreceptors to mechanical stimulation of canine and incisor teeth in the cat.

The alveolar bone that overlies the labial aspect of the root of the right lower canine tooth was pared down until paper thin. Thirty-five periodontal mechanosensitive (PM) units sensitive to stimulation of the canine and incisor and to punctate stimulation through the thinned bone of the periodontal ligament of the canine were recorded from the inferior alveolar nerve rostral to the masseter muscle. The units showed a sustained and directionally selective response to pressure applied to the teeth.

Histopathologic studies of innervation of normal and prolapsed human mitral valves.

We evaluated the distribution of the nerves in valve tissue of humans to clarify the relationship between mitral valve prolapse and autonomic nerve dysfunction. We studied 15 autopsy specimens of normal mitral valve, 10 prolapsed mitral valves, five each of normal tricuspid, aortic, and pulmonary valves, and three prolapsed mitral valves obtained at cardiac surgery. Immunohistochemical studies utilized the avidinbiotin peroxidase complex (ABC) method and several nerve-related antigens: 1) S-100 protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament protein (NFP) as markers of glial and Schwann cells of the nervous system; 2) choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) to identify cholinergic nerve endings; 3) neuropeptide Y (NPY), a neuropeptide that is distributed in accordance with sympathetic nerves; and 4) calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide that is distributed in accordance with afferent nerves.

Evaluation of left ventricular diastolic hemodynamics from the left ventricular inflow and pulmonary venous flow velocities in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

We evaluated the characteristics of left ventricular diastolic hemodynamics in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) by measuring left ventricular inflow (LVIF) and pulmonary venous flow (PVF) velocities in 62 patients with asymmetric septal hypertrophy and 34 normal controls. The patients were divided into four groups according to the LVIF pattern and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP): 1) the pseudonormalization group; 13 patients with the ratio of peak atrial systolic (A) to early diastolic (E) LVIF velocity (A/E) < or = 1 and LVEDP > or = 15 mm Hg, 2) the normal pattern group; 10 patients with the A/E < or = 1 and LVEDP < 15 mm Hg, 3) the relaxation failure group; 25 patients with the A/E > 1, and 4) the mid-diastolic wave group; 14 patients with a mid-diastolic wave. The peak early diastolic LVIF velocities in the pseudonormalization, relaxation failure and mid-diastolic wave groups were significantly smaller than in the control group.

Predisposing factors for severe mitral regurgitation in idiopathic mitral valve prolapse.

To elucidate predisposing factors for severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in idiopathic mitral valve prolapse (MVP), 124 MVP patients were classified into the following categories: 55 with isolated clicks (click group), 35 with a late-systolic murmur (late-SM group), and 34 with a holosystolic murmur (holo-SM group). Their clinical and echocardiographic findings were compared with those of 26 patients with spontaneous chordal rupture (rupture group). In 22 patients in the click group, 24 in the late-SM group, and 22 in the holo-SM group, follow-up studies were performed for a mean of 4.

High-resolution B-mode ultrasonography in evaluation of atherosclerosis in uremia.

We sought to determine whether artherosclerosis may be accelerated in uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis and investigated the risk factors for carotid and femoral atherosclerosis in such patients. High-resolution B-mode ultrasonography was used to determine the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid and femoral arteries in 199 hemodialysis patients and 81 age-matched healthy controls subjects. The IMT values of the carotid and femoral arteries in the hemodialysis patients were significantly higher than in age-matched control subjects in most age groups.

Burn injury induces a biphasic immunoglobulin M response to bacterial antigen.

We studied 75 BALB/c mice to examine the role of impaired immunoglobulin M (IgM) synthesis in the increased risk of bacterial infection after burn injury by investigating the kinetics of IgM synthesis to peptidoglycan polysaccharide (PGPS), a ubiquitous bacterial antigen. Splenocytes were isolated 1, 5, and 8 days postburn (PBD) and cultured with lipopolysaccharide for 5 days. Culture supernatant was collected and anti-PGPS IgM and total IgM levels were measured by ELISA.

[Effect of adhesiveness of white blood cells on pulmonary vascular permeability and resistance].

We studied pulmonary vascular injury evoked by mechanically activated white blood cells (WBCs). In isolated perfused rat lungs, changes in pulmonary vascular resistance were measured, and a gravimetric method was used to measure the pulmonary vascular filtration coefficient, which was taken as an index of pulmonary vascular injury. WBCs were activated by gentle agitation in a glass container for 10 sec.

[Effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on pulmonary hypertension and lung vascular remodeling in a rat monocrotaline model of human pulmonary hypertension].

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has been shown to be a potent pulmonary vasodilator in humans and in many animals. The effects of PGE1 on the development of pulmonary hypertension and on pulmonary vascular remodeling were studied in a rat monocrotaline (MCT) model of human pulmonary hypertension. By 3 weeks after injection, MCT (80 mg/kg S.

Immunoglobulin M synthesis after burn injury: the effects of chronic ethanol on postinjury synthesis.

The effect of chronic ethanol ingestion on class-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) synthesis after burn injury was investigated in C57BL/6 mice. Animals were divided into four groups: control, burn, ethanol-sham, and ethanol-burn groups. Five days after injury or the last ethanol ingestion, cell suspensions from spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes were prepared.

Delay method of implantation enhances implant-bone binding: a comparison with the conventional method.

This report compares the conventional and delay methods of implantation, evaluating the bone formation around a dense apatite implant. In the conventional method, the implant is placed immediately after the cavity is prepared. In the delay technique, the implant is placed 2 weeks after preparation.

Transesophageal echocardiographic evaluation of mitral regurgitation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: contributions of eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy and related abnormalities of the mitral complex.

This study was designed to evaluate the contribution of eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy and its related organic and spatial abnormalities of the mitral complex to the occurrence of mitral regurgitation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy We selected 45 consecutive patients with systolic mitral regurgitation by color Doppler echocardiography and performed transesophageal echocardiography in all patients. Eighteen patients were in the obstructive group and 27 patients were in the nonobstructive group of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with asymmetric septal hypertrophy. Twenty subjects without any cardiac disorders served as the control group.

Pulmonary and systemic venous flow patterns assessed by transesophageal Doppler echocardiography in congenital absence of the pericardium.

In conclusion, alterations in venous return are more marked in the right side of the heart than in the left side of the heart in patients with complete absence of the left pericardium.

pag gene-like protein (ABP-25) of the Cynops embryo: regional distribution and gene expression during early embryogenesis.

A maternal protein showing a unique distribution during early Cynops embryogenesis was screened by monoclonal antibody. The antigen protein, designated as ABP-25 (animal blastomere protein, molecular weight 25,000), was distributed uniformly in the uncleaved egg and concentrated into blastomeres of the animal half during cleavage. At the blastula stage, ABP-25 was definitely localized in cells of the animal half and a polarized distribution was observed within the cytoplasm.

[Changes in pulmonary venous and transmitral flow velocity patterns after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation].

The time course of recovery of left atrial mechanical function after electrocardioversion of atrial fibrillation was examined in 25 patients with atrial fibrillation by recording pulmonary venous and transmitral flow velocities and interatrial septal motion during atrial systole within a day (16 +/- 5 hours) and ten days after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation by transesophageal and transthoracic Doppler and M-mode echocardiography. There were 6 patients with hypertension, 4 with ischemic heart disease, 2 with alcoholic heart, 5 with dilated cardiomyopathy, and 8 without underlying heart disease. The peak velocities of the atrial systolic waves of the transmitral and pulmonary venous flow velocities (A and PVA, respectively) and first systolic wave (PVS1) of pulmonary venous flow, durations of both atrial systolic waves, and amplitude of interatrial septal motion during atrial systole increased significantly ten days after cardioversion compared with those measured within a day of cardioversion in all patients except the 5 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

[Surgical treatment of lung cancer over 80 years of age: investigation from post operative complications].

Seventeen patients with lung cancer over 80 years were treated surgically from 1983 through 1993 in our department. Thirteen patients were male and four were female. The histology of the tumor was adenocarcinomas, squamous, large and small cell carcinomas, in 9, 6, 1 and 1 cases, respectively.

Ethanol ingestion potentiates PMN migration into small intestine after ischemia.

Neutrophils have been identified to play a major role in ischemia/reperfusion injury through several mechanisms. Neutrophil migration into reperfused gut may reduce bacterial translocation, but may also enhance the reperfusion injury. Ethanol ingestion impairs cutaneous chemotaxis, but its effects on neutrophil migration to postischemic small bowel are unknown.

Reduction of intermediate density lipoprotein by pravastatin in hemo- and peritoneal dialysis patients.

Elevated plasma intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL) is one of the features of uremic dyslipidemia which is potentially atherogenic. We examined the effects of pravastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, on IDL levels as well as other lipoprotein parameters in 19 uremic patients treated with hemodialysis (HD, n = 11) or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD, n = 8). The patients were administered 5 mg/day pravastatin for the initial 4 weeks and 10 mg/day for the subsequent 12 weeks.