Mechanical compression of the lumbar nerve root alters pain-related behaviors induced by the nucleus pulposus in the rat.

The purpose of this study was to refine a method of nerve-root injury in the rat to produce hyperalgesia, a pain-related behavior, and to determine if there were any relationships between the histological extent of nerve-root injury and the magnitude of hyperalgesia. Three methods were used to produce hyperalgesia: irritation of a nerve root by ectopic nucleus pulposus, silk loop alone, or both silk loop and ectopic nucleus pulposus. Autologous nucleus pulposus obtained from coccygeal intervertebral discs was relocated on the lumbar nerve roots after laminectomy.

Iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury after percutaneous cross-pinning of supracondylar fracture in a child.

Supracondylar fracture of the humerus is the most common fracture of the elbow in children and has been treated by a variety of methods. Recently, stabilization of reduced fractures with percutaneous pin fixation has become the accepted method of treatment. Ulnar nerve injury is a complication of percutaneous pinning of supracondylar fractures, although many authors have reported that it resolves spontaneously after removal of the pin.

Pharmacological effects of pilocarpine on rabbit ciliary artery.

Purpose: A disturbance in ocular blood flow is an important factor in the pathogenesis of visual damage caused by glaucoma. We investigated the innervation of the ciliary artery, important to blood flow in the optic nerve head, and the effects of pilocarpine thereon.

Methods: Ciliary arteries were prepared from rabbit eyes and mounted in a myograph system.

Usefulness of CT virtual endoscopy in imaging a large esophagorespiratory fistula.

A 73-year-old woman with a large esophagorespiratory fistula underwent bronchoscopy and computed tomographic (CT) virtual endoscopy before stenting. Noninvasive CT virtual endoscopy showed the large fistula, and the CT findings agreed with the bronchoscopic findings.

Nutritional support for head-injured patients.

Background: Head injury increases the body's metabolic responses, and therefore nutritional demands. Provision of an adequate supply of nutrients is associated with improved outcome. The best route for administering nutrition (parenterally (TPN) or enterally (EN)), and the best timing of administration (e.

[Pain relief with alendronate therapy in a breast cancer patient with bone metastasis].

A 66-year-old woman developed a bone metastasis from breast cancer to the sternum in September, 1997. She received alendronate therapy, consisting of biweekly intravenous administrations of 10 mg-alendronate 6 times and monthly 20 mg-alendronate infusions 15 times. The first alendronate administration markedly alleviated her bone pain.

An experimental approach to spinal fusion using sintered bovine bone in a pig model.

Sintered bovine bone is a biomaterial based on calcium phosphate, an organized crystal of bone mineral that possesses a natural trabecular structure. The authors considered whether sintered bovine bone can integrate with recipient bone and adjust to the strength of recipient bone for anterior spinal fusion in an animal model. Either autologous iliac bone or sintered bovine bone was implanted for a spinal body fusion.

Copper-catalyzed autoxidations of GSH and L-ascorbic acid: mutual inhibition of the respective oxidations by their coexistence.

Glutathione (GSH) is known to inhibit copper-catalyzed autoxidation of L-ascorbic acid (AA); in this study, AA was found to conversely inhibit copper-catalyzed autoxidation of GSH. To elucidate the mechanism of the mutual inhibition of the autoxidations of these two reducing substances in their coexistence, we have kinetically investigated these phenomena. The study of the former phenomenon revealed that GSH forms a 1:1 chelate with Cu(+) and thereby prevents the autoxidation of AA.

Inhibitory effects of halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, and pentobarbital on the constriction induced by hypocapnia and bicarbonate in isolated canine cerebral arteries.

The effects of halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane (0.5, 1 and 2 MAC) and pentobarbital (10(-5) M, 10(-4) M and 3 x 10(-4) M) on hypocapnia- and bicarbonate-induced constriction of isolated dog middle cerebral arteries were investigated in vitro. The isometric tension of isolated cerebral arterial rings was measured in an organ bath containing Krebs bicarbonate solution, aerated with 5% CO2 and 95% O2.

Ductal aneurysm of adult patients.

A ductal aneurysm is very rarely diagnosed in adults. We experienced 2 cases of adult ductal aneurysm. Both cases developed hoarseness and computed tomographic scanning demonstrated a typical 'triple star sign' at the aortopulmonary window level.

Angiogenesis in ovarian clear cell carcinoma and its relation to endometriosis.

Twenty-five patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CC-Ca) were enrolled in this study, and tumor cell expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) was investigated, and correlated with the microvessel count (MVC) and the impact of complication endometriosis. Expression of VEGF was strongly positive in 16 cases, weakly positive in 6 cases, and negative in 3 cases. Expression of PD-ECGF was strongly positive in 11 cases, weakly positive in 6 cases, and negative in 8 cases.

Promotion of survival and regeneration of nigral dopamine neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease after implantation of embryonal carcinoma-derived neurons genetically engineered to produce glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor.

Object: The P19 embryonal carcinoma-derived cell line consists of undifferentiated multipotential cells, which irreversibly differentiate into mature neurons after exposure to retinoic acid (RA). In the present study, the authors genetically engineered P19 cells to produce glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and grafted the cells in a rat model that had been rendered parkinsonian.

Methods: Undifferentiated P19 cells were grown in vitro and transduced with GDNF complementary DNA.

Hypoxemia is a risk factor for bone mass loss.

Time-dependent changes of bone mass in ambulant chronic respiratory failure patients 60 or more years of age were compared between those on home oxygen therapy (HOT) and those still free of HOT (non-HOT). HOT (n = 31) showed initial PaO2 of slightly greater than 60 Torr and non-HOT (n = 32) had PaO2 moderately greater than 60 Torr (64.4 Torr vs 75.

Sequential mRNA expression for immediate early genes, cytokines, and neurotrophins in spinal cord injury.

In this communication, we demonstrate the sequential expression of endogenous molecules, including immediate early genes (IEGs), cytokines, neurotrophins, and neurotrophin receptors in the injured spinal cord. In the acute phase, expression of IEGs and cytokines mRNAs were rapidly upregulated within 1 h in nonneuronal cells in the lesioned sites and the surrounding spinal white and gray matter. Maximal expression was observed at 1 h for c-fos and TNF-alpha mRNAs, at 3 h for c-jun and IL-6 mRNAs, and at 6 h for IL-1 beta mRNA, and these signals were virtually nondetectable after 6-12 h from the onset of the injury.

[Efficacy of docetaxel for recurrent breast cancer: evaluation based on chemosensitivity test and clinical response].

We investigated the chemosensitivity of anticancer agents against primary (230 patients, 268 tumors) and recurrent breast cancer (40 patients, 51 tumors) using histoculture drug response assays (HDRA) of surgical specimens. Of the 40 recurrent breast cancer patients, 26 were pretreated with anthracycline. The efficacy of the agents was assessed according to an inhibition index of optical density detected by an ELISA reader.

Some polyphenols inhibit the formation of pentyl radical and octanoic acid radical in the reaction mixture of linoleic acid hydroperoxide with ferrous ions.

Effects of some polyphenols and their related compounds (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quinic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, D-(+)-catechin, D-(-)-catechin, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid, salicylic acid, L-dopa, dopamine, L-adrenaline, L-noradrenaline, o-dihydroxybenzene, m-dihydroxybenzene, and p-dihydroxybenzene) on the formation of 13-hydroperoxide octadecadienoic (13-HPODE) acid-derived radicals (pentyl radical and octanoic acid radical) were examined. The ESR spin trapping showed that chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, D-(+)-catechin, D-(-)-catechin, L-dopa, dopamine, L-adrenaline, L-noradrenaline, and o-dihydroxybenzene inhibited the overall formation of 13-HPODE acid-derived radicals in the reaction mixture of 13-HPODE with ferrous ions. The ESR peak heights of alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone (4-POBN)/13-HPODE-derived radical adducts decreased to 46+/-4% (chlorogenic acid), 54+/-2% (caffeic acid), 49+/-2% (gallic acid), 55+/-1% [D-(+)-catechin], 60+/-3% [D-(-)-catechin], 42+/-1% (L-dopa), 30+/-2% (dopamine), 49+/-2% (L-adrenaline), 24+/-2% (L-noradrenaline), and 54+/-5% (o-dihydroxybenzene) of the control, respectively.

Fetal tissue transplants in animal models of Huntington's disease: the effects on damaged neuronal circuitry and behavioral deficits.

Accumulating evidence indicates that grafts of embryonic neurons achieve the anatomical and functional reconstruction of damaged neuronal circuitry. The restorative capacity of grafted embryonic neural tissue is most illustrated by studies with striatal tissue transplantation in animals with striatal lesions. Striatal neurons implanted into the lesioned striatum receive some of the major striatal afferents such as the nigrostriatal dopaminergic inputs and the gluatmatergic afferents from the neocortex and thalamus.

Intrapleural administration of a large amount of diluted fibrin glue for intractable pneumothorax.

Objective: Pleurodesis using chemical agents has been applied to high-risk patients with pneumothorax. This treatment, however, is sometimes unsuccessful in patients with intractable pneumothorax or intrapleural dead space. We developed a technique for the intrapleural administration of diluted fibrin glue as a treatment for such patients.

Dephosphorylation-induced decrease of anti-apoptotic function of Bcl-2 in neuronally differentiated P19 cells following ischemic insults.

It is known that Bcl-2 has a protective effect against neuronal ischemia. Some reports speculate anti-apoptotic function of Bcl-2 depends not on the expression level but on the phosphorylation state. We found induction of apoptosis and CPP32 activation by energy impairment (3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP)-treatment or glucose-deprivation) in the neuronally differentiated P19 cells.

Thymidine phosphorylase expression in invasive carcinoma: correlations with clinicopathologic variables and in vitro chemosensitivity to 5-fluorouracil.

Background: Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is critical for angiogenic activity, but little information is available on the relationship between TP expression and other Clinicopathologic variables. Furthermore, the relationship between TP and chemosensitivity is still debated.

Materials And Methods: The expression of TP was examined in 116 primary breast carcinomas and in vitro chemosensitivity was assessed in 67 of them by histoculture drug response assay (HDRA) using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

Thymidine phosphorylase expression in tumor stroma of uterine cervical carcinomas: histological features and microvessel density.

Immunohistochemical staining was performed on 91 cases of uterine neoplasm in order to determine if expression of platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor/thymidine phosphorylase (TP) correlates with tumor microvessel density (MVD) and histological parameters of uterine carcinomas in tumor cells and in tumor stroma. The sample group consisted of 72 primary invasive squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix (ISC) and 19 cervical intraepithelial neoplasms (CIN) of the uterus. In ISC of the cervix, TP expression in tumor stroma showed a significant correlation with a non-keratinizing histological subtype (P < 0.

Immune responses to specific antigens of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis in the respiratory tract.

Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis are two common respiratory pathogens, colonizing as many as 54 and 72% of children, respectively, by 1 year of age. The immune responses to surface protein A of S. pneumoniae (PspA) and the high-molecular-weight outer membrane protein of M.

Occupational lifting is associated with hip osteoarthritis: a Japanese case-control study.

Objective: Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a frequent cause of pain and disability in Western countries, but the disorder is less common in Japan. A case-control study in Britain found obesity, hip injury, and occupational lifting to be associated with hip OA among men and women. However, there are few epidemiological studies concerning factors associated with hip OA in Japan.