The increase in bone mineral density by bisphosphonate with active vitamin D analog is associated with the serum calcium level within the reference interval in postmenopausal osteoporosis

Objectives: To examine the factors associated with increase in lumbar spine bone mineral density (LS-BMD) by bisphosphonates (BPs) with active vitamin D analog (aVD).

Methods: Two independent postmenopausal osteoporotic patients treated by BPs with aVD for 24 months (Study 1: n?=?93, Study 2: n?=?99) were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: In Study 1, LS-BMD of the patients significantly increased for 24 m (5.4%, p?r²: 0.088, p?=?.02). While average sCa of the patients was 9.2?mg/dL before treatment, it increased time-dependently to 9.6?mg/dL for 24 m by treatment. As each patient had their LS-BMD five times during the study, there were four instances of %LS-BMD in each patient, resulting in 372 instances of %LS-BMD in Study 1. The smallest Akaike’s information criterion value for the most appropriate cut-off levels of sCa for %LS-BMD by treatment every 6 m was 9.3?mg/dL. The %LS-BMD by treatment for 6 m during 24 m period in patients with sCa ≥9.3?mg/dL (1.5%) was significantly higher than that in patients with sCa <9.3?mg/dL (0.8%, p?=?.038). The results of Study 2 were similar to those of Study 1, confirming the phenomena observed.

Conclusion: sCa was associated with an increased LS-BMD by BPs with aVD.     

Tween 40-based precipitate production observed on modified chromogenic agar and development of biological identification kit for Malassezia species.

We developed a simple identification kit for nine species of Malassezia (M. furfur, M. slooffiae, M. sympodialis, M. restricta, M. obtusa, M. globosa, M. pachydermatis, M. dermatis, and M. japonica) based on their biological features. This method utilizes Tween 40-based precipitate production on modified chromogenic agar (CHROMagar) Malassezia medium, growth on specific agars (Sabouraud's dextrose agar, Cremophor EL agar, Tween 60-esculin agar), and catalase reactions. This identification kit was verified with 11 type and reference strains of nine Malassezia species. An additional 26 clinical isolates were also successfully identified using the kit and the results were confirmed by molecular biological analysis.     

Ultrasonographic study on kidneys in patients with acute renal failure]

Ultrasonotomograms of 22 kidneys were obtained in 11 patients with renal-acute renal failure (renal-ARF). The underlying diseases of renal-ARF were acute tubular necrosis in 8 patients and acute on-set chronic glomerulonephritis in 3 patients. They were treated by hemodialysis in 10 patients and intermittent peritoneal dialysis in 1 patient. Ultrasonic measurement of the size of kidneys revealed that the thickness (anterior-posterior diameter) and the ratio of thickness to length (T/L) were greater in patients with ARF than in those with chronic renal failure and normal renal function. The patients with a low value of T/L (under 0.60) had a significantly greater urine volume than those with high a value of T/L (0.60 or more). The sonographic features of renal-ARF kidneys were marked increase in parenchymal echogenicity and appearance of hypoechoic swollen renal pyramids with sharpness of the corticomedullary border. In the course of ARF, these sonographic changes gradually disappeared when the patients had recovered from ARF. However, the prognosis was poor in patients with severer sonographic findings. We believe that repeated ultrasonic examination of the kidneys in patients with renal-ARF is useful for not only differential diagnosis of post-renal urinary obstruction but evaluating the course of ARF.     

Effect of anti-PcrV antibody in a murine chronic airway Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection model.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important pathogens in patients with chronic airway conditions, such as cystic fibrosis and diffuse panbronchiolitis. Type III secretion system-mediated virulence factors contribute to the lung damage in chronic P. aeruginosa infection. The effects of the anti-PcrV immunoglobulin (Ig)G, which blocks the type III secretion system, were evaluated in a mouse model of chronic P. aeruginosa infection. On bacteriological examination, anti-PcrV IgG showed no bactericidal effects. On bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis, total cell number and neutrophil ratios in the anti-PcrV IgG-treated groups were lower than those in the control group. In addition, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-beta concentrations in BALF were lower in the anti-PcrV IgG-treated groups when compared with controls. Plasma anti-PcrV IgG titre was elevated after administration of anti-PcrV IgG. Although plasma titre decreased gradually, a significant concentration was maintained during the experimental period. These data suggest that anti-PcrV immunoglobulin G reduces the inflammatory reaction caused by chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infection and may be useful in treating respiratory diseases.     

Cardiac metastasis of renal pelvic cancer

Abstract:   A 66-year-old man was referred to our hospital with chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Seven months previously he had undergone a laparoscopic left nephroureterectomy for a left renal pelvic tumor and was given two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (methotrexate, epirubicin and cisplatin). Echocardiogram showed an 8-mm sized mass extending from the right atrium into the right ventricle. On computed tomography, multiple lung tumors, as well as the right atrial and ventricular mass, were seen. The patient died of acute heart failure caused by right ventricular outflow obstruction. On autopsy, a right atrial and ventricular metastasis of the initial transitional cell carcinoma was found. The patient's cause of death was acute heart failure as a result of cardiac metastasis of his initial renal pelvic carcinoma.     

Self-expandable metallic stent for unresectable malignant strictures in the esophagus and cardia

Objective Self-expandable metallic stent (EMS) placement has been the first choice for dysphagia because of the certainty over its safety, low invasiveness, and immediate efficacy. However, there still remain some problems in relation to the EMS placement site and anticancer therapies before and after EMS placement. Methods: Consecutive 78 patients in whom EMS was placed due to the unresectable malignant stricture in the esophagus or cardia from July 1995 to August 2003 in our department were studied. Results: Gastroesophageal reflux was found in 5 of 8 patients after placement of conventional EMS for the stricture in the gastroesophageal junction. Meanwhile, acid and bile reflux into the esophagus were not detected by pH and bilirubin monitoring, respectively, in 6 patients after placement of the EMS with an anti-reflux mechanism for the stricture in the gastroesophageal junction. The median survival period of all patients after EMS placement was 123 days. The median survival period of 7 patients with radiotherapy only after EMS placement was 138 days and that of 17 patients with radiotherapy before EMS placement was 60 days, which was shorter than that of the former (p<0.05). On the other hand, the median survival period after hospital admission due to dysphagia of these 7 patients was longer than that of 17 patients with radiotherapy only before EMS placement, although, the difference was not significant. Conclusion: EMS with an antireflux mechanism is not commercially available in Japan and approval is urgently required. The indication of radiotherapy associated with EMS placement is to be studied further.     

Absence of highly homologous sequence to HTLV-I in Japanese multiple sclerosis

We tried to detect HTLV-I-related sequences in Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis with a highly sensitive method that employs the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of genomic DNA followed by Southern blot hybridization analysis. To amplify HTLV-I sequences, we used primers for LTR, pol, gag, and env coding regions. Fourteen patients with definite MS, 14 disease controls, 12 normal controls, and 3 patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) were investigated. Results of particle aggregation assay for HTLV-I antibodies were negative in serum from all subjects except for the 3 HAM patients. Neither the 14 MS patients nor the 26 controls showed the presence of any highly homologous sequences to HTLV-I. We did observe faint signals for gag, pol, and env coding regions only at low stringent hybridization in some MS patients as well as some normal controls. The nucleotide sequence analysis of the faint bands was more homologous to major histocompatibility complex molecules than the HTLV-I genome.