[A case of multiple sclerosis with initial symptoms of narcolepsy].

We reported a 13-year-old boy diagnosed as multiple sclerosis associated with narcolepsy. He had suffered from retrobulbar optic neuritis at the age of 11 years which was improved gradually by prednisolone. Four months later he was admitted because of excessive somnolence.

Homeobox genes in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis.

Homeobox genes have a strikingly conserved 61-amino acid sequence, encoding DNA-binding domain. Some homeobox genes, located in four clusters are designated HOX A through D, while others are known as divergent homeobox genes. Many researchers have demonstrated that hematopoietic cells express many homeobox genes.

Idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis of the cavernous sinus mimicking lymphocytic hypophysitis.

A 56-year-old female presented with idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis manifesting as headache, hypopituitarism, and diabetes insipidus, mimicking lymphocytic hypophysitis. Five months later, she complained of double vision and unusual right facial sensation. The diagnosis was based on magnetic resonance imaging, angiography, and meningeal biopsy via transsphenoidal surgery, and exclusion of other know causes of pachymeningitis.

Intraocular cytokine quantification of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis in rats.

Elevations of inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) in rats, although such analysis has relied on indirect methods of assessment such as measurement of mRNA content. In this study, we examined the feasibility of directly measuring cytokine concentrations in intraocular extracts prepared by ultrasonic disruption. Cytokines were measured by ELISA in eyes from EAU-induced Lewis rats immunized with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP), and compared to eyes from rats immunized with adjuvant only and from normal rats.

Increased secretion of urokinase-type plasminogen activator by human lung microvascular endothelial cells.

Human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMECs) secreted 1.5-15 times more urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) antigen than human hepatic microvascular endothelial cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), angioma endothelial cells, and lung fibroblasts. All of these cells also secreted a 100-fold greater amount of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 than of uPA antigen, and uPA activities were not detected in the culture medium.

Changes in head-dipping behavior in the hole-board test reflect the anxiogenic and/or anxiolytic state in mice.

The effects of treatment with anxiogenic or anxiolytic agents and exposure to acute restraint stress on emotional behavior in mice were examined using an automatic hole-board apparatus. Changes in the emotional state of mice were evaluated in terms of changes in exploratory activity, i.e.

The effects of serum on cellular uptake and phototoxicity of mono-L-aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6) in vitro.

Previous reports showed that the photosensitizer mono-L-aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6) binds to serum proteins. However, the influence of this binding on the cellular uptake and photodynamic therapy (PDT) phototoxicity of NPe6 is still undefined. In this paper, we studied how serum in medium affected the P388 cellular uptake and PDT phototoxicity of NPe6 in vitro.

Desmoplastic response in biopsy specimens of early colorectal carcinoma is predictive of deep submucosal invasion.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of histopathology of biopsy specimens in predicting depth of infiltration in early colorectal carcinomas before treatment.

Methods: Early colorectal carcinomas that had been resected surgically or endoscopically between 1984 and 1995 were analyzed. Histopathologic findings, including differentiation of adenocarcinoma and a desmoplastic response were investigated.

Characterization of temperature rise of the brain and the rectum following intracerebroventricular administration of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate and kainate in rats.

Intracerebroventricular administration of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) or kainate caused a rise of the temperature of the brain and the rectum in urethane-anesthetized rats. An AMPA-kainate receptor antagonist, 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), significantly suppressed the AMPA- and kainate-induced rises of brain and rectal temperatures. An N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist, MK-801, also suppressed the rises of the brain and rectal temperatures induced by AMPA or kainate, but the profiles of the suppressive effects of MK-801 were different between rats treated with AMPA and kainate.

Potential role of kallikrein in diurnal rhythms and perivascular distribution in rat pineal glands.

Kallikrein hydrolyzes various biologically active peptides, other than kininogens, such as vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), in vitro. Since kallikrein and VIP have been immunohistochemically shown to be present in the perivascular areas of the pineal gland, this study was designed to determine their topographic proximity in these glands, using immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopic double staining methods. Furthermore, since this gland is well-known to have a circadian rhythm, the kallikrein content was measured every 4 h, using a synthetic substrate, Pro-Phe-Arg-MCA, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine whether kallikrein has a circadian rhythm.

Cavitating adenocarcinoma of the lung.

The characteristics and outcomes of resected adenocarcinoma with cavity formation were studied in 7 cases, which were 14.9% of all 47 resected adenocarcinomas in the past three years. Tumor size was less than 3 cm in diameter in 3 cases, 3 to 5 cm in 2 and more than 5 cm in 2.

Sarcoidosis induced by interferon therapy for chronic myelogenous leukaemia.

A 31-year-old male was diagnosed as having chronic myelogenous leukaemia and has been treated with hydroxyurea and interferon-alpha since February 1995. After 16 months, he complained of low-grade fever and a cough. Bilateral hilar lymph node enlargement was detected on the chest X-ray film and multiple subcutaneous erythematous nodules appeared.

Simultaneous continuous 13C, 12C analysis of expired gas in the 13C breath test.

The 13C breath test is a method of clarifying the metabolism of loaded substances by administering 13C-labelled materials and calculating the 13CO2 and 12CO2 ratio (13C/12C isotope ratio) in the expired gas. The materials are metabolized and expelled in the expired gas. Because simultaneous continuous measurement of 13CO2 and 12CO2 in expired gas has been difficult up to the present, respective expired gases, including dead space before and after administration, have been sampled to separate sampling bags and 13C/12C has been measured in the bags and changed fraction of 13C/12C after administration (delta) has been used to judge the metabolic process.

Diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation by three-dimensional MRI.

The lumbo-sacral region has anatomical lordosis and two-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (2D-MRI) cannot therefore show spinal roots including the dorsal root ganglions in one picture. This makes it difficult to present the lateral part of spinal root lesions. We have recently described a new three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3D-MRI) method which allows a stereoscopic view of the spinal cord and spinal nerve roots.

Alpha-fetoprotein producing pulmonary blastoma in a patient with systemic sclerosis: pathogenetic analysis.

We describe a rare case of pulmonary blastoma complicated with systemic sclerosis. The serum alpha-fetoprotein level was elevated at presentation and the biopsied tumour stained positively against anti-alpha-fetoprotein antibody. The alpha-fetoprotein produced autonomously by tumour cells was of yolk-sac origin.

[Clarion 16 cochlear implant (System introduction and use experience in Japan].

The Clarion cochlear implant was developed in the USA and received FDA approval in August 1996. It consists of an implantable cochlear stimulator (ICS), speech processor with headpiece, and in addition, a clinician's programming system and portable cochlear implant tester. One of the features of the device is its stimulation-coding process for which two methods of continuous interleaved sampling (CIS) and compressed analogue (CA) are applicable.

[A case of metastasis to the seminal vesicle of renal cell carcinoma].

A case of metastasis to the seminal vesicle of renal cell carcinoma is reported. A 60-year-old man was referred to our department for evaluation of intermittent hematospermia and asymptomatic macrohematuria for about 2 years. He had a left radical nephrectomy for localized renal cell carcinoma 5 years ago.

[Regional cerebral blood flow measurements by a noninvasive microsphere method using 123I-IMP: comparison with the modified fractional uptake method and the continuous arterial blood sampling method].

A noninvasive microsphere method using N-isopropyl-p-[123I]iodoamphetamine (123I-IMP), developed by Yonekura et al., was performed in 10 patients with neurological diseases to quantify regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Regional CBF values by this method were compared with rCBF values simultaneously estimated from both the modified fractional uptake (FU) method using cardiac output developed by Miyazaki et al.

Malignancy associated changes in bronchial epithelial cells and clinical application as a biomarker.

A total of 74 bronchial brushing specimens, 24 from patients with advanced stage cancer, eight from patients with CIS, 31 from patients with atypical metaplasia and 11 from normal subjects were examined for the existence of malignancy associated changes (MAC). Conventional fiberoptic bronchoscopy and fluorescence endoscopy was carried out on every case. Each case was classified according to the highest grade of abnormality diagnosed by bronchial biopsy of the suspect areas.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance and magnetization transfer imaging in the assessment of ischemic human stroke.

We compared characteristic features in ischemic stroke lesions from the hyperacute to the chronic stage on diffusion-weighted (DW) and magnetization transfer (MT) images with those on T2-weighted (T2W) images, and assessed changes in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), MT effect (MTe), and T2 ratios (infarct/normal) over time. DW images were particularly useful for detecting hyperacute infarcts within 6 hours of onset and in distinguishing acute lesions from chronic lesions. ADC ratios were lower within 7 days after onset and rose toward 1.

Bladder motility and efferent nerve activity during isotonic and isovolumic recording in the cat.

1. Bladder motility and pelvic nerve efferent activity were recorded in anaesthetized cats under isotonic or isovolumic conditions. In isotonic conditions the bladder was connected to a reservoir and fluid entering or leaving the bladder was monitored for 8 min using different heads of pressure (isotonic recording).

Presynaptic inhibition by noradrenaline of the EPSC evoked in neonatal rat sympathetic preganglionic neurons.

Visually identified and electrophysiologically characterized sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs) were recorded using the whole-cell voltage clamp technique in slices of neonatal rat spinal cord. Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were evoked by electrical stimulation of the nucleus intercalatus in the presence of strychnine (5 microM) and bicuculline (10 microM). These EPSCs were abolished by the antagonist of AMPA-type glutamate receptors, 6-cyano-7-nitro-quinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX; 10 microM).

[An experimental study on ischemically induced brain damage by whole body calorimetry and pathohistology in the gerbil].

Moderate hypothermia has been reported to mitigate neuronal damage in the gerbil brain following brief periods of forebrain ischemia, but the relationship between brain damage and whole body calorimetry has not been clarified. We report the effect of hypothermia on the brain damage by whole body calorimetry using Bio Dynamic Calorimeter (BDC200, ESCO Ltd JAPAN). Although it is an indirect method, whole body calorimetry may be able to measure the brain damage, thereby enabling investigations on alleviation of brain damage.

Correlation between serum cytokeratin 19 fragment and tissue polypeptide antigen levels in patients with non-malignant diseases.

It has been reported that cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) is superior to tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) as a tumor marker, although there is a high correlation between CYFRA 21-1 and TPA levels in patients with lung cancer. We investigated correlations between these tumor markers in patients with non-malignant diseases. Marked correlations were found between CYFRA 21-1 and TPA levels in healthy subjects (n = 31), non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (n = 160) and hemodialysis patients (n = 83) (range of r-value = 0.