Value of Three-Dimensional Helical CT Image-Guided Planning for Made-to-Order Lumpectomy in Breast Cancer Patients.

The authors reviewed Niigata Cancer Center Hospital's experience treating patients with lumpectomy to evaluate the utility of three-dimensional helical computed tomography (3D-CT) image-guided made-to-order lumpectomy and determine a positive margin rate. From April 1993 to September 2000, 251 breasts in 248 patients were treated with lumpectomy with a 1 cm macroscopic free margin. In 213 breasts (85%), 3D-CT image-guided made-to-order lumpectomy was performed.

Power laws in polymer solution dynamics.

The dynamical screening length xi(h) in semidilute to highly concentrated polymer solutions of poly(methyl methacrylate) in propylene carbonate has been examined using photon correlation spectroscopy and pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance. A crossover between different concentration dependent regimes, xi(h) approximately phi(-alpha), where alpha is found to be approximately 0.5, approximately 1, and approximately 2, is observed when the local viscosity is taken into account.

In vitro effects of combinations of antipseudomonal agents against seven strains of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of antibiotic combinations by agar incorporation inhibitory tests and by time-kill tests on seven geographically and epidemiologically distinct isolates of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All seven strains were resistant to piperacillin, meropenem, ceftazidime, cefoperazone-sulbactam, aztreonam, amikacin and ciprofloxacin.

Methods: Strains were distinguished by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after DNA extraction and restriction with SpeI.

Relationship of the hyoid bone and posterior surface of the tongue in prognathism and micrognathia.

In order to study relationship of the hyoid bone and posterior surface of the tongue in prognathism and micrognathia, we focused on the effect of the tongue on the upper airway lumen in 16 patients with Angle's Class II and 51 patients with Angle's Class III, and assessed the position of the hyoid, the depth from the posterior surface of the tongue, from the bottom of the vallecula and from hyoid bone to the posterior pharyngeal wall using lateral cephalograms. We were able to assess significant correlations between the posterior surface of the tongue and hyoid position in Angle's Class III. However, we found no association between them in Angle's Class II.

[A case of gastric cancer responding to TS-1, with long survival of 16 months].

We report the case of a 47-year-old woman with Stage VI gastric cancer accompanied by p2 grade dissemination which responded to chemotherapy using TS-1. Treatment of the patient with daily oral administration of 80 mg TS-1 for 2 cycles resulted in partial regression in the size of the primary lesion. Side effects were only seen after administration of 1 month, as mild pigmentation easily controlled by white vaseline ointment.

Involvement of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in heat shock protein 27 induction in human neutrophils.

We investigated whether tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) stimulates the induction of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in human neutrophils and the mechanism underlying this induction. In intact neutrophils, almost no HSP27 was detected. Stimulation of neutrophils by TNF-alpha increased the levels of HSP27 in the presence, but not in the absence, of cycloheximide.

Expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter in human salivary ducts.

P-glycoprotein expression has been observed in normal tissues as well as malignant tumours and thus does not appear to be induced by anticancer drugs. Knowledge of the distribution of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters other than P-glycoprotein in normal salivary tissue is essential for understanding the physiological secretion or excretion of potentially toxic substances. Here the expression of ABC transporters was studied immunohistochemically in normal salivary gland tissue from nine patients.

Autoimmune thyroid disease accompanied by recurring episodes of painful thyroid ameliorated by thyroidectomy.

A 71-yr-old female initially presented with clinical and biochemical hyperthyroidism with high TSH binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) titers. Histological findings of the thyroid revealed hyperplasia with a focal germinal center, indicating Graves' disease and mild focal chronic thyroiditis. Four episodes of painful and tender thyroid occurred over the next 2 yr accompanied by acute inflammatory reactions.

3D imaging of intraductal spread of breast cancer and its clinical application for navigation surgery.

Background: To perform optimal tumor resection of breast cancer, preoperative information concerning intraductal spread of cancer (ISC) is very important.

Methods: To detect ISC, three-dimensional (3D) imaging methods including helical CT, MRI, and ultrasound were examined in patients with primary breast cancer by comparison with multi-sliced pathological specimens.

Results: The sensitivity of each modality for detecting ISC was 64.

Therapeutic effect of intraarterial prednisolone injection in severe intestinal Behçet's disease.

A 64-year-old woman with severe intestinal Behçet's disease who was unresponsive to conventional therapies, including intensive intravenous steroid injections, underwent intraarterial steroid injection therapy. After the infusion of prednisolone into the mesenteric arteries, her colon ulcers improved markedly, and the frequency of bloody stools decreased immediately. The present case suggests that intraarterial steroid injection therapy may be potentially useful in severe intestinal Behçet's disease.

HSP20, low-molecular-weight heat shock-related protein, acts extracellularly as a regulator of platelet functions: a novel defense mechanism.

We previously showed that a dissociated form of a low-molecular-weight heat shock-related protein 20 (HSP20) but not an aggregated form of HSP20 suppresses platelet aggregation. In the present study, we investigated the behavior of HSP20 in response to endothelial injury and the possible mechanism of HSP20 in platelet functions. The levels of HSP20 in vessel wall after endothelial injury were markedly reduced.

Neuronal degradation in mouse retina after a transient ischemia and protective effect of hypothermia.

Temporal profile of neuronal deaths in the mouse retina evoked by a transient retinal ischemia and the protective effect of hypothermia on such deaths were evaluated. A transient ischemic insult was induced in the mouse retina by elevating the intra-ocular pressure. The retina tissue responses after reperfusion were histopathologically detected by monitoring the retinal cell death in the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer, using a sequential TUNEL-staining technique, and by measuring the inner retinal thickness.

Sphingomyelinase amplifies BMP-4-induced osteocalcin synthesis in osteoblasts: role of ceramide.

We previously reported that extracellular sphingomyelinase induces sphingomyelin hydrolysis in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells and that mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are involved in bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-4-stimulated osteocalcin synthesis in these cells. In the present study, we investigated whether sphingomyelinase affects BMP-4-stimulated synthesis of osteocalcin in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. Sphingomyelinase significantly enhanced the BMP-4-stimulated osteocalcin synthesis.

Priming by grepafloxacin on respiratory burst of human neutrophils: its possible mechanism.

Grepafloxacin is a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone derivative that has good tissue penetration. We demonstrated that grepafloxacin showed a priming effect on neutrophil respiratory burst, triggered by either a chemotactic factor N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or leukotriene B4 (LTB4), but not by the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The priming effect of grepafloxacin on fMLP-stimulated superoxide generation by human neutrophils correlated with the penetration of grepafloxacin into cells.

Lack of alpha2-antiplasmin promotes pulmonary heart failure via overrelease of VEGF after acute myocardial infarction.

Identification of a novel therapy for prevention of sudden death by ischemic cardiac infarction is an area of intensive investigation. We here report that the mortality due to an experimental acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was markedly increased in mice deficient in alpha2-antiplasmin (alpha2-AP(-/-) mice) but not in mice deficient in other components acting in fibrinolysis (tissue-type PA, urokinase type PA, or plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) even if the infarct area in alpha2-AP(-/-) mice was not different from those in the other mice. Echocardiography showed in alpha2-AP(-/-) mice after AMI an overload of the right ventricle and that pulmonary permeability was increased.

Comparison between high-resolution helical CT and pathology in breast examination.

Purpose: To determine whether high-resolution helical CT can show the architectural features of breast carcinomas of non-limited extent (non-BCLE) and to establish the CT characteristic morphology of non-BCLE.

Material And Methods: We prospectively studied high-resolution helical CT of 136 invasive breast carcinomas before breast-conserving surgery. Non-BCLE were defined as ductal carcinomas in situ and invasive carcinomas beyond 1 cm from the edge of the dominant mass.

[A new combination therapy with low-dose FP and daily oral administration of low-dose etoposide--a report of 2 cases].

We report 2 patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with a new combination chemotherapy of low-dose FP and daily oral administration of low-dose etoposide. Patient 1 was an 84-year-old man. He was diagnosed with cancer of the remnant stomach with multiple liver metastases.

False-positive helical CT findings of multifocal and multicentric breast cancer: is attenuation of tumor useful for diagnosing enhanced lesions?

Objective: To analyze helical CT false-positive multifocal breast cancers and to assess the relevance of the attenuation of tumors for diagnosing enhanced lesions.

Methods: Helical CT studies of 156 invasive breast cancers before breast conserving surgery were examined. A lesion was defined as positive if focal enhancement was detected by CT within 100 seconds after contrast material administration.

MR microscopy of articular cartilage at 1.5 T: orientation and site dependence of laminar structures.

Objective: To evaluate MR microscopic images of normal-appearing porcine hyaline cartilage ( n=15) in vitro obtained with an MR microscope using an independent console system (MRMICS) at 1.5 T.

Design And Results: The MRMICS is a portable imaging system consisting of a radiofrequency system, gradient power supplies and a personal computer.

Thrombin stimulates dissociation and induction of HSP27 via p38 MAPK in vascular smooth muscle cells.

We investigated the effects of thrombin on the induction of heat shock proteins (HSP) 70 and 27, and the mechanism behind the induction in aortic smooth muscle A10 cells. Thrombin increased the level of HSP27 but had little effect on the level of HSP70. Thrombin stimulated the accumulation of HSP27 dose dependently between 0.

Specific induction of heat shock protein 27 by glucocorticoid in osteoblasts.

It is generally recognized that osteoporosis is a common complication of patients with glucocorticoid excess and that glucocorticoid receptor is associated with heat shock protein (HSP) 70 and HSP90 in a heterocomplex. In the present study, we investigated whether glucocorticoid induces HSP27, HSP70, and HSP90 in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. Dexamethasone time-dependently increased the levels of HSP27, while having no effect on the levels of HSP70 or HSP90.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of a new thromboxane receptor antagonist (Z-335) after single and multiple oral administrations to healthy volunteers.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a new oral thromboxane (TX) A2 receptor antagonist, Z-335, were studied in healthy male volunteers following single doses (0.5-40 mg, PO) in a dose-escalating manner and multiple doses (40 mg, PO, once daily for 7 consecutive days) with a single-blind, placebo-controlled design. Serial blood and urine samples were analyzed for Z-335 and its metabolites to obtain key pharmacokinetic parameters.

Function of tissue-type plasminogen activator releaser on vascular endothelial cells and thrombolysis in vivo.

The effect of monosodium[2-(6-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)-6-methylpyrimidin-4-yloxy]acetate dihydrate (JTV-926) on fibrinolysis was investigated in vitro and in vivo. JTV-926 released tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) from human vascular endothelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. The thrombolytic effect of JTV-926 was studied using three animal thrombosis models; a photo-irradiation-induced mouse carotid artery thrombosis model, a photo-irradiation-induced rat femoral artery thrombosis model and a thrombin-induced rat venous thrombosis model.

Interleukin (IL)-17 enhances prostaglandin F(2 alpha)-stimulated IL-6 synthesis in osteoblasts.

We previously showed that prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGF(2alpha)) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) induce interleukin (IL)-6 through the activation of protein kinase C-dependent p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. It has recently been reported that tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced IL-6 synthesis is amplified by IL-17 in these cells. In the present study, we investigated the effect of IL-17 on the IL-6 synthesis stimulated by PGF(2alpha) in MC3T3-E1 cells.

Cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing ent-kaurane-type diterpenoids from the Japanese liverwort Jungermannia truncata NEES.

Five new ent-kaurane-type diterpenoids and a new gymnomitrane (=barbatane)-type sesquiterpenoid have been isolated from the Japanese liverwort Jungermannia truncata NEES, together with twelve previously known ent-kaurane-type diterpenoids. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by two-dimensional (2D) NMR experiments and chemical reaction. Some of the isolated compounds showed cytotoxicity against human leukemia cell lines and induced apoptosis.