Direct current therapy for local control of malignant tumors]

Sixteen malignant tumors of soft tissue (15 cases) were treated with low voltage direct current (DC therapy) with or without systemic chemotherapy. Two platinum or stainless steel electrodes were placed in the tumor and around 10 volts of direct current was passed for 1 hour. In cases in which chemotherapy was performed, single or combined anticancer agents consisted of ADM and BLM were administered simultaneously with DC therapy by systemic route. Ten cases (11 tumors) out of 15 cases received no other local treatment. Histological examination was performed in 6 of 11 lesions, and in all lesions pathological therapeutic effects were recognized. Decrease in tumor size was observed in 9 lesions. In 2 cases the tumors disappeared completely after DC therapy only. In one case receiving DC therapy with chemotherapy, the tumor decreased dramatically and became resectable. Main complications were slight pain during treatment and slight fever after treatment, but special treatment for these complications was not necessary. Our results suggested that DC therapy with or without systemic chemotherapy was useful for local control of malignant tumors. And also if DC therapy had been performed simultaneously with chemotherapy the therapeutic effects seemed to be more emphasized than single use of these therapies.     

A clinico-pathological study of resected lung cancer cases accompanied by pleural dissemination

A total of 26 lung cancer cases accompanied by pleural dissemination were resected between June 1977 and June 1988. Of these 16 cases were male and 10 cases were female. Their age was 34-78, and the average age was 56.7 years. The histologic type was adenocarcinoma in 23 cases, 1 was large cell carcinoma, 1 was combined adenosquamous cell carcinoma, and 1 was combined adeno-small cell carcinoma. Of these 23 adenocarcinoma cases, 15 were well differentiated, 7 were moderately differentiated, and 1 was poorly differentiated. There was no correlation between tumor size and pleural dissemination. Pleural effusion was observed in 8, 5 had bloody effusion and the other 3 had yellow effusion. Exact preoperative diagnosis and evaluation of extent was very difficult in pleural dissemination cases except for the pleural effusion cases. Concerning the operation method in these cases pleuropneumonectomy was performed in 10, pleurolobectomy in 6, and lobectomy in 10. Prognosis of cases of resected pleural dissemination was very poor. The median survival time was 16 months, The 1-year survival rate was 56.3%, the 2-year survival rate was 23.2%, the 3-year survival rate was 15.4%, and the 4-year survival rate was 7.7%. There was no 5-year survivor in lung cancer cases of this group. Malignant pleural effusion cases had a poorer prognosis, with 6 of 8 cases dying within 1 year from operation. No remarkable therapeutic effects were achieved by adjuvant chemotherapy. In the single case of preoperative hyperthermia, histological therapeutic effect (Ef 2) was recognized. These results suggest that there is no indication of operation in malignant pleural effusion cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Preparation and Characterization of a Murine Monoclonal Antibody (MDR3M) Reactive with mdr3 Gene Product

A murine monoclonal antibody (MDR3M) (isotype: IgM) reactive with mdr3 gene product was generated by immunizing mice with mdr3 -specific peptide (H₂N-¹²WRPTSAEGDFELGISSKQKRKKTKTVKMI⁴¹G-COOH) and hybridizing the primed mouse splenic B cells with X63-Ag8,6.5.3 mouse plasmacytoma cells. MDR3M did not cross-react with mdr1 gene product. This monoclonal antibody may be useful for analyzing the role of mdr3 gene product in cells and tissues.     

Assessment of SPECT ventilation-perfusion imaging in patients with lung cancer

Ventilation and perfusion SPECT images during tidal breathing were studied in 15 cases of lung cancer using ^81mKr gas and ^99mTc-microspheres. Furthermore, functional images of V/Q ratio and Q/V ratio were prepared, and their clinical significance is descussed with reference to general lung function. There was a decreas in %VC and %FEV _1.0in 7 of 15 cases, and an increase of AaDo₂ in the blood gas analysis in 12 of 15 cases. Both planar and SPECT images showed ventilation and perfusion abnormalities in all 15 cases. Of these, 12 patients showed matched ventilation and perfusion defects, 2 patients a dead-space effect and 1 patient a shunt effect. In comparing planar and SPECT images, depiction of ventilation and perfusion impairments were equally clear in 11 cases, but in 3, showing a lobar or segmental defect with a shunt effect, the SPECT images were superior. In a patient with markedly impaired function of the affected lung, the remaining function could not be depicted by SPECT. From the above, it seems that better information can be obtained for understanding the ventilation and perfusion states of lung cancer by adding the SPECT images to the planar image.     

A Tissue-Engineered Artificial Bile Duct Grown to Resemble The Native Bile Duct

The aim of this study was to fabricate an artificial bile duct for the development of a new treatment for biliary diseases. Eighteen hybrid pigs were implanted with a bile duct organoid unit (BDOU) made of a bioabsorbable polymer. Twelve of the transplanted BDOUs had been seeded with autologous bone marrow cells (BMCs) in advance. Six animals, the controls, were grafted with the scaffold alone with no BMCs seeded. The common bile duct was cut, the hepatic cut end of the native common bile duct was anastomosed to the BDOU and the other end was anastomosed to the duodenum. The controls underwent a similar operation. The neo-bile duct was removed at pre-determined time points and investigated histologically. All 18 recipient pigs survived until their sacrifice at 6 weeks, 10 weeks or 6 months. Histological examination revealed incomplete epithelialization of the neo-bile duct at 6 weeks and 10 weeks after transplantation. At 6 months, the organoid exhibited a morphology almost identical to that of the native common bile duct. No differences were found between the controls and BMC-seeded pigs. These results show that the artificial bile duct thus fabricated can serve as a substitute for the native bile duct.     

Antinociceptive Effects of Morphine Were Different Between Experimental and Genetic Diabetes

This study was designed to investigate the effect of morphine on formalin-induced nociceptive responses in streptozotocin (STZ) induced-diabetic mice, noninsulin-dependent genetically diabetic db/db mice and their respective controls (ddY and +/+). In nondiabetic (ddY and +/+) mice, morphine (1–10 mg/kg, PO) dose dependently attenuated the biphasic nociceptive responses induced by SC injection of formalin to the hindpaw, demonstrating equipotency on both the first and second phases. Para-chlorophenylalanine (800 mg/kg × 2, PO) and pindolol (1 mg/kg, IP) reduced the effect of morphine on the first phase, sulpiride (10 mg/kg, IP) abolished the effect on both phases, while ketanserin (1 mg/kg, IP) had no effect. In STZ (200 mg/kg, IP)-diabetic mice, morphine weakly attenuated the nociception in comparison to control ddY mice, whereas it had comparable effects in both the first and second phases of control +/+ mice and db/db mice. The serotonergic agonist, meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (0.32–3.2 mg/kg, PO), dose dependently attenuated the biphasic nociceptive responses to formalin in both phases of diabetic mice; however, FR64822, a dopaminergic compound (0.1–10 mg/kg, PO), had little effect. We speculate that activation of both dopaminergic (DA)- and serotonergic-mediated mechanisms are potentially responsible for the effect of morphine on the first phase, while the DA-mediated effect is involved in the second phase. The DA-mediated mechanism, but not the serotonin-mediated one, appears to be altered in both STZ-diabetic and db/db mice. These results suggest that the attenuated effects of morphine might be due to a dopaminergic dysfunction in STZ mice, and that there might be other mechanisms compensating for this attenuation of dopaminergic function in db/db mice.     

Tracheal dilatation by halothane and enflurane in man

The effect of halothane and enflurane on tracheal tone were studied in 21 patients during the induction of anesthesia. Endotracheal tube cuff pressure was used to measure tracheal tone. Anesthesia, maintained by nitrous oxide 70% in oxygen, was supplimented with succinylcholine drip infusion to immobilize the patient. Ventilation was controlled by a Volume-preset ventilator. In the halothane group, the initial cuff pressure was 14.8 ± 1.3 (mean ± SE) cmH₂O but 10min after 0.15mg/kg of pancuronium injection, it increased to 21.7 ± 2.3cmH₂O (control). Ten min after inhalation of 0.75% of halothane, cuff pressure decreased to 14.7 ± 2.3cmH₂O (34 ± 11% decrease from the control value). In the enflurane group, the initial cuff pressure was 17.6 ± 1.8cmH₂O and it increased to 21.0 ± 1.7cmH₂O (control) 10min after pancuronium injection. Ten min after 1.7% of enflurane inhalation, cuff pressure decreased to 17.1 ± 2.3cmH₂O (23.9 ± 6% decrease from the control value). Halothane and enflurane produced similar tracheal dilatation in healthy individuals.(Yasuda I, Irimada M, Hirano T et al.: Tracheal dilatation by halothane and enflurane in man. J Anesth 2: 46–49, 1988)     

The vomeronasal chemosensory system as a route of neuroinvasion by herpes simplex virus

We have investigated the potential of neurotropic microbes to invade the central nervous system (CNS) via the peripheral nervous system. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) strain KH6 and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) strain 186 were found to infect chemosensory neurons in the vomeronasal organ (the pheromone detector) following intranasal inoculation of mice. HSV-1 strain KH6 infection was further transmitted to the accessory olfactory bulb (first relay), the medial amygdala (second relay), and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the ventromedial hypothalamus (third relay). HSV-1 strain KH6 also targeted the olfactory and trigeminal systems. HSV-2 strain 186 predominantly attacked the brainstem including the trigeminal system. While both viruses did not induce apoptosis in infected chemosensory neurons, they did in infected brain tissue. These results suggest that neurotropic viruses can invade the brain by infecting vomeronasal chemosensory neurons and that the restrained induction of apoptosis in the infected neurons may facilitate viral transmission to the CNS.