Clinical and laboratory features of hyponatremia-induced myopathy.

Background: The present study was undertaken to determine the clinical and laboratory features of hyponatremia-induced myopathy.

Methods: We collected 14 hyponatremic subjects (six men and eight women) with serum creatine kinase (CK) levels of more than 500 IU/ml during the 5-year period between 2001 and 2005. The mean +/- SD patients' age was 66.

New HLA DRB1 and DQB1 haplotypes in a pedigree of familial Graves' disease in Japan.

The present study demonstrated genetic analysis of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) in a familial Graves' disease linked to autoimmune mechanism. The proband was a 17 year-old female. At 15 years, Graves' disease was diagnosed with serum TSH was <0.

Long-term efficacy of preoperative radiotherapy for locally advanced low rectal cancer.

Background And Aims: The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term efficacy of preoperative radiotherapy for locally advanced low rectal cancer.

Materials And Methods: Between April 1990 and June 2005, all patients who underwent surgery for low rectal cancer with a pretreatment diagnosis of T3 or resectable T4 without distant metastasis were enrolled. The total dose of radiation was 45 Gy.

Adenocarcinoma arising in a mediastinal enteric cyst.

A 39 year-old male was admitted to our hospital because of relapsing episodes of pneumonia. His chest roentgenogram showed a consolidated shadow and cavity formation in the left lower lobe. During a left lower lobectomy an enteric cyst in the posterior mediastinum involving lung was found.

SIADH is only an atypical clinical feature in a patient with prolactinoma.

A 50-year-old man was admitted to determine the pathogenesis of hyponatremia. He had a poor appetite and was easily fatigued. Physical findings showed that he was conscious and alert.

Hypoadiponectinemia in patients with cerebral infarction: comparison with other atherosclerotic disorders.

The present study was undertaken to determine serum adiponectin level in patients with cerebral infarction and to further analyze any difference in serum adiponectin levels among atherosclerotic disorders. One hundred fifty-two subjects with atherosclerotic disorders were enrolled, 110 males and 42 females, with the age of 67.0 +/- 9.

Possibly simultaneous primary aldosteronism and preclinical Cushing's syndrome in a patient with double adenomas of right adrenal gland.

We reported a rare case of simultaneous primary aldosteronism and preclinical Cushing's syndrome due to unilateral double adrenocortical adenomas in a 57 year-old woman who had had hypertension for the last 10 years. Abdominal computed tomography showed double tumors in her right adrenal gland. Physical findings revealed simple obesity and hypertension, but no other abnormal findings were detected.

[Prognostic factors of uterine cervical cancer].

The large majority of gynecologic malignancies are comprised of uterine cervical cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. Prognostic factors for each disease are based on various clinical pathological features, including clinical stage, tumor size, and lymph node metastatis for uterine cervical cancer. In addition to these factors, recent studies have investigated the role of various molecules including tumor markers and Hb level, apoptosis-related molecules as well as various genetic abnormalities as prognostic factor or indicators for uterine cervical cancer.

Paraneoplastic pemphigus mimicking erosive mucosal lichen planus associated with primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

A 58-year-old Japanese male visited us with painful lesions on the lower lip, oral mucosa and genital region of an 8-month duration. Histological features of the genital lesion were almost consistent with lichenoid tissue reaction. A few intraepidermal acantholytic keratinocytes were also seen in the suprabasal clefts.

Association of hyperadiponectinemia with severity of ventricular dysfunction in congestive heart failure.

Background: Adiponectin, which is a collagen-like plasma protein produced by adipose tissue, has anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. Plasma adiponectin levels in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) were determined, as well as relationships between the plasma levels of adiponectin and other hormones.

Methods And Results: The study group comprised 90 patients with CHF and 20 control subjects, who were divided into 4 subgroups according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class.

Pulse wave analysis and pulse wave velocity: a review of blood pressure interpretation 100 years after Korotkov.

The pulsatile component of blood pressure (ie, pulse pressure) has received considerable attention as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In particular, central blood pressure measurements in the ascending aorta or in the carotid artery are expected to be more useful than conventional brachial pressure measurements for predicting cardiovascular events because central pressure, not the brachial pressure, is the pressure that target organs encounter. Due to wave reflection, the blood pressure in the upper limb does not represent the central blood pressure; therefore, leading researchers have enthusiastically promoted a noninvasive method of measuring central blood pressure and the resulting aortic stiffness.

Age-related changes in carotid artery flow and pressure pulses: possible implications for cerebral microvascular disease.

Background And Purpose: We sought to establish the relation between the pulsatile components of pressure and flow waveforms in the carotid artery and their change with age.

Methods: Distention (pressure) and axial flow velocity waveforms were recorded noninvasively and simultaneously from the common carotid artery of 56 healthy subjects aged 20 to 72 years.

Results: There was a close relation between the time intervals of pressure and flow waves: from foot to first shoulder or peak, to second shoulder or peak, and to incisura (r=0.

[Appearance of central nervous system lupus during corticosteroid therapy and warfarinization in a patient with pure red cell aplasia and antiphospholipid syndrome].

A 48-year-old woman presented to our hospital with epigastralgia and erythema on the left dorsalis pedis. Her medical history included deep venous thrombosis three months prior to admission to our hospital. Upon admission it was determined that she had severe anemia (hemoglobin level 4.