Cataract and retinal detachment in patients with severe atopic dermatitis who were withdrawn from the use of topical corticosteroid.

Many patients with severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in Japan are afflicted with persistent erythema of the face (atopic red face) that is not only resistant to topical corticosteroid, but often becomes worse with its use. During a three-year period (1991-1993), we treated 79 inpatients with severe AD by a combination of careful daily skin care, use of emollients, and exclusion of exacerbating factors. Occular complications before and after treatment were examined in these cases.

Morphology of single olivocerebellar axons labeled with biotinylated dextran amine in the rat.

The morphology of olivocerebellar (OC) axons originating from the inferior olive (IO) was investigated in the rat by reconstructing the entire trajectories of single axons that had been labeled with biotinylated dextran amine. Virtually all of the OC axons entered the cerebellum through the inferior cerebellar peduncle (ICP) contralateral to the IO, with a few exceptions. Although most OC projection was contralateral, a few axons projected bilaterally by crossing the midline within the cerebellum.

Ku in the cytoplasm associates with CD40 in human B cells and translocates into the nucleus following incubation with IL-4 and anti-CD40 mAb.

CD40 plays a critical role in survival, growth, differentiation, and class switching of B lymphocytes. Although Ku is required for immunoglobulin class switching, how CD40 signal transduction is coupled to Ku is still unknown. Here, we show that CD40 directly interacts with Ku through the membrane-proximal region of cytoplasmic CD40.

Late recurrence and progression after a long tumor-free period in primary Ta and T1 bladder cancer.

Objective: To determine the probability and risk factors of recurrence and progression (to T2 or worse) after a long tumor-free period in patients with superficial (stage Ta and T1) bladder cancer.

Patients And Methods: A consecutive series of 100 patients with superficial bladder cancer who remained tumor-free for longer than 4 years after initial treatment were reviewed. The rates of recurrence and progression were statistically assessed and the significance of risk factors was determined.

Detection of disseminated urothelial cancer cells in peripheral venous blood by a cytokeratin 20-specific nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

More than half of all patients with invasive urothelial cancer subsequently develop metastatic disease even after radical resection of the primary cancer. In these patients, neoplastic cells may be disseminated prior to or during the operation. A nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (nested RT-PCR) assay which amplifies cytokeratin (CK) 20 transcripts was used to detect cancer cells in the peripheral blood of urothelial patients.

Optical mapping reveals the functional organization of the trigeminal nuclei in the chick embryo.

The functional organization of the trigeminal nuclei during embryogenesis was investigated using multiple-site optical recording with a fast voltage-sensitive dye. Brainstem preparations with three classified trigeminal nerve afferents, the ophthalmic, maxillary and mandibular nerves, together with motor nerve fibers, were dissected from five- to eight-day-old chick embryos. Electrical responses evoked by trigeminal nerve stimulations were optically recorded simultaneously from many loci of the stained preparations.

Anti-sclerotic effect of transforming growth factor-beta antibody in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced scleroderma.

Recent studies have demonstrated the evidence of the crucial role of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis; however, its precise role has not been fully elucidated. Administration of anti-TGF-beta antibody is shown to be effective for inhibiting lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin in an experimental animal model. We have recently established a mouse model for scleroderma by repeated injections of bleomycin.

Predominant germ-line mutation of the hMSH2 gene in Japanese hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer kindreds.

By means of PCR-SSCP and direct sequencing, we detected 12 germ-line mutations of hMSH2 or hMLH1 in 37 Japanese hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) kindreds, of whom 15 satisfied the Amsterdam and 22 the Japanese criteria. The germ-line mutation detection rate of hMSH2 was much higher than that of hMLH1 (11/37 vs. 1/37).

Infrequent germ-line mutation of the E-cadherin gene in Japanese familial gastric cancer kindreds.

Germ-line mutation of the E-cadherin gene was reported in familial gastric cancer (FGC) kindreds from New Zealand. Therefore, we analyzed all of the exons of E-cadherin by PCR-single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis in 16 patients from 14 Japanese FGC kindreds. However, no germ-line mutation was detected, suggesting that a predisposition to FGCs by E-cadherin gene mutation is infrequent in Japanese cases.

Measurement of blood concentration of indocyanine green by pulse dye densitometry--comparison with the conventional spectrophotometric method.

Objective: Pulse dye densitometry (PDD) uses two wavelengths (805 and 890 nm) in association with pulse oximetry to compute the arterial blood concentration ratio of indocyanine green (ICG) to hemoglobin (Hb). When Hb is measured in the usual way, this permits the PDD to compute cardiac output, plasma or blood volume, and liver blood flow following an intravenous injection of ICG. In this study, we evaluate the accuracy of the PDD calculation of dye concentration by comparing it with measurement of the dye concentration in blood (Cb) measured by the spectrophotometric cuvette method during dye clearance in patients.

Two divergent signaling pathways for TGF-beta separated by a mutation of its type II receptor gene.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) can inhibit epithelial cell growth and induce extracellular matrix formation through signal transduction via its two receptors and its downstream intracellular Smad proteins. We recently reported a germline mutation, i.e.

Processes of blue light-induced damage to retinal pigment epithelial cells lacking phagosomes.

Purpose: To experimentally clarify the processes of the changes induced by blue light directly on the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) before the formation of phagosomes or the accumulation of lipofuscin.

Methods: We developed a new experimental method in which primary cultured cells of very young pigmented rats were exposed to several intensities and durations of blue light (wavelength = 440+/-10 nm).

Results: At 1.

Optical identification of calcium-dependent action potentials transiently expressed in the embryonic rat brainstem.

Using multiple-site optical recording of transmembrane potential changes, we have found a new type of calcium-dependent action potential expressed transiently in the embryonic rat dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve. Slice preparations with vagus nerve fibers attached were dissected from 12- to 16-day-old embryonic (E12-E16) rat brainstems, and they were stained with a voltage-sensitive merocyanine-rhodanine dye (NK2761). Electrical activities in response to vagal stimuli were optically recorded simultaneously from many sites using 1020- or 128-element photodiode array measuring systems.

Epitope mapping of rat neutralizing monoclonal antibody against human immunodeficiency virus type-1 by a phage peptide library: comparison with ELISA using synthetic peptides.

We generated a rat monoclonal antibody (mAb W#10) with the ability to neutralize human immunodeficiency virus type 1IIIB (HIV-1IIIB) infection. The epitope recognized by mAb W#10 was defined as R-I-Q-R-G-P-G by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the use of synthetic peptides. The filamentous phage clones displaying random 15-amino-acid peptides on the amino terminus of the pIII coat protein reacting with mAb W#10 were identified with affinity and immunological selection procedures.

Possible misinterpretation on computed tomography of left inferior vena cava as retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis: a report of two cases.

Purpose: We report on two cases of retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis of testicular cancer with left inferior vena cava.

Methods/results: A 25-year-old man with a left testicular cancer with pulmonary and retroperitoneal lymph node metastases received three courses of VIP (etoposide, ifosfamide and cisplatinum) chemotherapy. Subsequent abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed round lesions enhanced with contrast agent on both sides of the aorta inside the degenerated lymphadenopathy.

Optical imaging of the spatiotemporal patterning of neural responses in the embryonic chick superior cervical ganglion.

Multiple-site optical recording of transmembrane potential changes with a voltage-sensitive dye was used to reveal the functional expression and developmental changes of the postsynaptic potentials in the early embryonic chick superior cervical ganglion. The ganglia were isolated from five- to 12-day-old chick embryos with preganglionic nerve fibres (vertebral and/or cervical carotic nerves) attached. The preparations were stained with a voltage-sensitive merocyanine-rhodanine dye (NK2761).

Optical mapping of neural network activity in chick spinal cord at an intermediate stage of embryonic development.

We have applied multiple-site optical recording of transmembrane potential changes to recording of neuronal pathway/network activity from embryonic chick spinal cord slice preparations. Spinal cord preparations were dissected from 8-day-old chick embryos at Hamburger-Hamilton stage 33, and transverse slice preparations were prepared with the 13th cervical spinal nerve or with the 2nd or 5th lumbosacral spinal nerve intact. The slice preparations were stained with a voltage-sensitive merocyanine-rhodanine dye (NK2761).

A core promoter and a frequent single-nucleotide polymorphism of the mismatch repair gene hMLH1.

The hMLH1 gene encodes a protein that is involved in the DNA mismatch repair system. The coding region of the hMLH1 gene has been known to be mutated in a subset of patients with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Our current research characterized the promoter region of the hMLH1 gene and searched for mutations correlating to HNPCC.

Genomic organization and mutation analyses of the DR5/TRAIL receptor 2 gene in colorectal carcinomas.

The DR5/TRAIL receptor 2 gene is a novel TNF receptor family member and induces apoptosis by overexpression of its product. DR5 is located on chromosome 8p21, where allelic deletions are often observed in advanced colorectal cancers. This evidence led us to examine whether or not mutations of the DR5 gene exist in these tumors.

[Changes in endoscopic features and histological findings of H. pylori-related gastritis with a follow-up over a year after eradication of H. pylori].

This study reviews the cases of patients examined repeatedly by endoscopy with biopsies for over one year after eradication of H. pylori, measured according to the Sydney system. For 81 patients in whom H.

Genomic structure and alterations of homeobox gene CDX2 in colorectal carcinomas.

Expression of CDX2, a caudal-related homeobox gene, was found to be decreased in colorectal carcinomas. Heterozygous null mutant mice as to Cdx2 develop multiple intestinal adenomatous polyps. To clarify the role of CDX2 in colorectal carcinogenesis, we determined its genomic structure, and searched for mutations of CDX2 in 49 sporadic colorectal carcinomas and ten hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancers (HNPCC) without microsatellite instability.

[Developmental mechanism of low myopia and therapeutic possibilities. A review].

We studied the developmental mechanism of low myopia and the possibility of its drug treatment. I. Prevalence of myopia.

[Management of invasive carcinoma of bladder and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA); technique of radical total cystectomy and simultaneous AAA repair].

Background: There is no consensus on the optimal surgical treatment for patients with concomitant invasive carcinoma of bladder and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We experienced two patients who were treated successfully with simultaneous radical cystectomy and AAA repair. The techniques required for the combined procedure and case reports are discussed.

The activities of the Tokyo Center.

The main World Health Organization (WHO) activities of the Tokyo Center are as follows: (1) It performed the research project entitled 'A Bio-Psycho-Social Study on Children with Emotional and Behavioral Problems' in cooperation with the Beijing and Seoul Centers from 1985 to 1987. These results suggested that the deviant behavior of children in the general population had no biological background, but presumably stemmed from psychosocial disadvantages. (2) It has participated in a field trial for the proposed draft for chapter V of the ICD-10 as the Field Trial Coordinating Center in Japan since 1986 and the first Japanese edition of the ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines were published in 1993.