Significant changes in the alloantibody after lung transplantation in the cyclosporine treated rat model.

Background: The diagnosis of acute rejection after organ transplantation is often complicated by other possibilities, such as infection. Despite many attempts to identify rejection episodes after transplantation, only the detection of the humoral anti-human leukocyte antigen antibody has been effective in measuring alloimmunization, especially detected with flow cytometry cross-match (FCXM). As an initial step towards gaining a better understanding of the correlation between humoral responses and graft rejection in an immunosuppressant recipient, we investigated responses of alloantibodies (allo-Abs) after lung transplantation (LTx) in a rat model treated with adequate or inadequate cyclosporine A (CsA) therapy.

Primary thymic adenocarcinoma with production of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen.

A 59-year-old male, whose chest X-ray showed an abnormal shadow, visited us for further study. Laboratory examination showed the elevated level for both carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in serum, and the chest X-ray and computed tomography showed an anterior mediastinal mass. Under a diagnosis of thymic malignancy, extended thymectomy with combined resection of the pleura and pericardium was performed.

HPLC retention behavior of poly-aromatic-hydrocarbons on aminopropyl silica gels modified with Cu(II)- and Ni(II)-phthalocyanine derivatives in non-polar eluent.

A comparative study was conducted to elucidate the mechanism underlying the separation of poly-aromatic-hydrocarbons (PAHs) and related compounds thereof on a column packed with silica gels modified with Ni(II)- or Cu(II)-phthalocyanine derivatives (PCS) (Ni- or Cu-PCS(D) column) and commercially available PYE and NPE columns with a non-polar eluent, such as n-hexane. It has been revealed that the dominant interaction responsible to the separation of PAHs on the Cu-PCS(D) and the PYE columns with n-hexane is the pi-pi interaction; however, in the separation of PAHs having 4 rings such as pyrene on the Ni-PCS(D) column, participation of pi-d interaction was indicated. The predominant role of pi-pi interaction in the separation of PAHs of less than three rings on the Ni-PCS(D) column was demonstrated using anthracene.

Separation and on-line concentration of bisphenol A and alkylphenols by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with anionic surfactant.

Separation and on-line concentration of bisphenol A and three alkylphenols were investigated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate. The separation conditions were optimized by the simultaneous addition of the organic solvent and cyclodextrin to the running solution. The separation of hydrophobic analytes and 4-nonylphenol isomers was improved by the addition of 10% methanol and 5 mM beta-cyclodextrin to the running solution.

Disappearance of intraglomerular lipoprotein thrombi and marked improvement of nephrotic syndrome by bezafibrate treatment in a patient with lipoprotein glomerulopathy.

Lipoprotein glomerulopathy (LPG) is a hereditary disorder characterized by intraglomerular lipoprotein thrombi and increased serum apolipoprotein (apo) E. Patients with LPG usually manifest with nephrotic syndrome, and some progress to renal failure; however, no effective therapeutic regimen has been established for this disease. We experienced a patient with LPG for whom bezafibrate treatment was very effective.

Humoral immune responses during acute rejection in rat lung transplantation.

The detailed responses of humoral immunity during acute rejection remain obscure in lung transplantation (LTx). In order to clarify the reactions of alloantibodies (allo-Abs) during acute rejection, we demonstrated the time-course of changes in anti-donor Ab reaction in the peripheral blood and deposition in the grafts using a rat LTx model. Lewis (LEW) rats served as recipients for Brown Norway (BN) lung allografts (MHC fully incompatible combination).

The ED(95) of end-tidal sevoflurane concentration for the smooth exchange of the tracheal tube for a laryngeal mask airway is 2.97%.

Purpose: Exchanging the tracheal tube for the laryngeal mask airway (the TT/LMA exchange) while the patient is still anesthetized avoids coughing associated with tracheal extubation. This study was conducted to determine the end-tidal concentration of sevoflurane that prevented response to this exchange in 50% patients (MAC(TT/LMA)).

Methods: We studied 21 adult male patients, ASA I, aged 21-54 yr.

Separation and on-line concentration of bisphenol A and alkylphenols by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with cationic surfactant.

The separation and on-line concentration of bisphenol A and three alkylphenols were investigated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with cationic surfactant. Tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide was used as surfactant and the separation conditions were optimized by the addition of the organic solvents and cyclodextrins to the running solution. The separation of hydrophobic analytes and 4-nonylphenol isomers was improved by the addition of 20% acetonitrile and 20 mM beta-cyclodextrin to the running solution.

Effects of epinephrine and phosphodiesterase III inhibitors on bupivacaine-induced myocardial depression in guinea-pig papillary muscle.

Background: This study was designed to investigate the effects of epinephrine and the phosphodiesterase III inhibitors amrinone and milrinone on bupivacaine-induced myocardial depression in guinea-pig papillary muscles using an electrophysiological method.

Methods: Electrophysiological studies of the effects of bupivacaine, epinephrine, amrinone and milrinone in normal and high K(+) Tyrode's solution were measured with guinea-pig papillary muscles. Specifically, epinephrine, amrinone and milrinone reversal of bupivacaine-induced depression was measured.

Simultaneous quantitative determination method for ceramide species from crude cellular extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography-thermospray mass spectrometry.

I have developed a simple method which enabled simultaneous analysis of ceramides in the subcellular fractions from cultured cells by HPLC-thermospray mass spectrometry. The HPLC-thermospray mass spectra from ceramide standards were characterized by the high intensity of the MNa(+) and MH(+)-H(2)O ions. As the other minor ions, MK(+), MH(+) and m/z 282 ions were detected.

[DeBakey IIIb type dissecting aneurysm with adrenal myelolipoma; report of a case].

We report a case of DeBakey IIIb type dissecting aneurysm with adrenal myelo-lipoma in a 50-year-old woman. The patient was referred to our hospital for severe back pain with severe hypertension. The chest computed tomography (CT) scans and aortography showed the DeBakey IIIb type dissecting aneurysm.

The omega-hydroxy palmitic acid induced apoptosis in human lung carcinoma cell lines H596 and A549.

We have found that omega-hydroxy palmitic acid (16-hydroxy palmitic acid, omega-HPA) has both cell growth inhibiting and cell death inducing actions on human lung adenosquamous carcinoma cell line H596 and adenocarcinoma cell line A549. Further, these effects were dose- and time-dependent in both cell lines. However, in squamous carcinoma cell line H226, omega-HPA had no cytotoxic effect.

[Aneurysm of the diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus in the adult with left pneumonectomy; report of a case].

A 51-year-old man with dyspnea was admitted to our hospital. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan and aortogram indicated a diagnosis of aneurysm of diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus. Aneurysm of the diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus in the adult is rare.

[Clinicopathological study of salivary duct carcinoma].

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) was first described by Kleinsesser in 1968 and was classified as an independent entity by the 1991 Revised World Health Organization. It is a rare but highly malignant tumor. We reviewed pathology in 49 cases of salivary adenocarcinoma, and diagnosed 6 cases as SDC.

Diabetes mellitus may be associated with hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

It is unknown whether diabetes mellitus is a risk factor of the hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Three hundred eleven anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) -positive patients who had undergone liver biopsies were studied. Patients with histologically proven cirrhosis or withdrawing within 12 months were excluded.

Highly selective iodide-sensing silicone ladder polymer membranes containing a porphyrin and a quaternary ammonium salt.

It has been demonstrated that a glass-like silicone ladder-type polymer permits one to homogeneously incorporate high amounts of ionophores into the covalently-bonded double chain structure. Furthermore, by making use of this feature, we have successfully fabricated an iodide ion-sensitive field-effect transistor based on two kinds of ionophores and silicone ladder polymer matrix. As ionophores, 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin and dimethyloctadecyl-3-trimethoxylsilylpropylammonium chloride were homogeneously incorporated into the matrix.

Development of a new matrix based on a silicone ladder polymer for ion-sensing membranes.

A silicone ladder-type polymer was successfully utilized for a matrix of an ion sensing membrane to fabricate an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor. An ion sensing membrane was readily fabricated by mixing a silicone ladder-type oligomer with a quaternary ammonium salt, casting onto the gate of the field-effect transistor, and polymerizing with heating. Since no acid catalysts were needed to prepare the ion sensing membrane, it was possible to keep the quaternary ammonium salt in the matrix without decomposition.

[Case of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm complicated with Buerger's disease].

We report a rare case of 65-year-old man who developed thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm of Crawford type III complicated with Buerger's disease. He was admitted to our hospital with chief complaints of upper abdominal and back pain. CT showed that the aneurysm extended from the descending thoracic aorta to the aortic bifurcation and its had a maximum width of 95 mm.

Ionization of dichlorophenols for their analysis by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry.

In order to develop an advanced analytical method using capillary electrophoresis (CE) for non-volatile environmental pollutants such as endocrine disruptors, combination with mass spectrometry (MS) is necessary for their identification. We chose dichlorophenols (DCPs) as test samples because one of their isomers, 2,4-DCP, is suspected to have endocrine disrupting effects. A preliminary study on their separation by CE-MS was performed using a laboratory-made electrospray ionization (ESI) interface.

Carbon-carbon bond formation by electrophilic addition at the central carbon of the mu-eta(3)-allenyl/propargyl ligand on the Pd-Pd bond.

The mu-eta(3)-allenyl/propargyldipalladium complexes were synthesized by the reaction of the corresponding eta(1)-allenyl- or eta(1)-propargylpalladium complexes with Pd(2)(dba)(3). The X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the dinuclear complex has a unique structure, in which two palladium, three carbon, two phosphorus, and one halogen atoms are in the same plane. These dinuclear complexes react with electrophiles, such as HCl or AcCl, at the central carbon of the mu-eta(3)-allenyl/propargyl ligand to give the mu-eta(3)-vinylcarbenedipalladium complexes.

[Speech perception ability in a patient with a 8-channel auditory brainstem implant].

Auditory brainstem implant (ABI) is a central prosthesis that directly stimulates the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem for those who have interrupted auditory nerves and cannot benefit from the cochlear implantation. Speech perception in a recipient of the Nuclues 8 channel ABI, the first in Japan, is reported. A 25-year-old man with bilateral acoustic nerve tumors postlingually deafened due to tumor resection received auditory sensations with 5 channels.

Radiation therapy in combination with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma with extensive portal vein involvement.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness and toxicity of radiation therapy in combination with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with extensive portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT).

Methods: The combined therapy was performed in 24 HCC patients with extensive PVTT. External radiation targeted for PVTT (50 Gy in 2 Gy fractions) was performed in combination with repetitive TACE for intralobar lesions using 30-60 mg epirubicin every 3 months, and associations of the following variables with the survival rate were evaluated: gender, age, viral etiology, Child's class, performance status, extrahepatic metastasis, size and number of HCC, and location of PVTT.

Prevention of growth of human lung carcinoma cells and induction of apoptosis by a novel phenoxazinone, 2-amino-4,4alpha-dihydro-4alpha,7-dimethyl-3H-phenoxazine-3-one.

Anti-tumor effects of a novel phenoxazinone, 2-amino-4,4-dihydro-4alpha,7-dimethyl-3H-phenoxazine-3-one (Phx), which was synthesized by the reaction of 2-amino-5-methylphenol with bovine hemoglobin, were studied in terms of suppression of the proliferation of human lung carcinoma cells and apoptosis induction. When Phx was added to cultures of the human lung carcinoma cell lines A549 (adenocarcinoma) and H226 (squamous carcinoma), it caused the growth inhibition and the death of these cells. Phx also fragmented the DNA of these cells to oligonucleosomal-sized fragments, which is characteristic of the apoptosis, dependent on the dose and exposure time.