Metabolic syndrome, C-reactive protein and increased arterial stiffness in Japanese subjects.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the metabolic syndrome (MS) was associated with an elevated level of C-reactive protein (CRP) and increased arterial stiffness, and to clarify whether combined MS and CRP data had a stronger relation to arterial stiffness than did MS data alone. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), CRP, and conventional risk factors were evaluated in 3,412 men and 854 women. Adjusted mean values of baPWV in men with 0, 1, 2, and > or = 3 components were 1,309, 1,372, 1,422, and 1,462 cm/s, respectively (p for trend <0.001). Adjusted mean values of baPWV in women with 0, 1, 2, and > or =3 components were 1,212, 1,292, 1,357, and 1,391 cm/s, respectively (p for trend <0.001). Adjusted geometric mean concentrations of CRP in men with 0, 1, 2, and > or = 3 components were 0.036, 0.049, 0.059, and 0.076 mg/dI, respectively (p for trend <0.001). Adjusted geometric mean concentrations of CRP in women with 0, 1, 2, and > or = 3 components were 0.023, 0.030, 0.057, and 0.077 mg/dI, respectively (p for trend <0.001). In analyses of adjusted mean values of baPWV according to the number of MS components and according to CRP levels within or without top quartile levels, the p value for the trend was significant (<0.001) in both men and women but, in post hoc analyses, comparing high and low CRP levels in each MS component-number group, no significant difference was found. These results suggest that, for prediction of increased arterial stiffness, combining MS and CRP data has little additive effect compared to the use of MS data alone.     

Study of recent yearly trend of increase in airborne pollen of Japanese cedar and cypress pollen]

BACKGROUND: Based on epidemiological studies of prevalence, sensitization as well as pollen survey, it is presumed that airborne Japanese cedar pollen (JCP) and cypress (JCyP) have increased progressively for past 40 years. However, because of their large yearly variations, accurate objective and scientific study is required to confirm if it is true or not. METHODS: We analyzed the time trends of JCP and JCy separately in 11 districts throughout Japan where have records of continuous past survey from 1986 to 2005, by regression analysis using net pollen count and their 3 and 5 running means. RESULTS: When significant slope of regression line (regression coefficient) is assumed as p < 0.05 and R2 (coefficient of determination) >0.4, significant increase in airborne pollen was revealed in the use of 5 point running mean (6 districts of total 11 in JCP and 5 in JCyP) but not net count or 3 point running mean because of correction of statistic error due to large yearly variations. This study suggested that our method used for analysis of a recent increase in airborne JCP and JCyP was useful and scientific.     

Hydrops Fetalis Caused by Fetal Kasabach-Merritt Syndrome

There have been only 2 previous reports of nonimmunologic hydrops fetalis (NIHF) caused by fetal Kasabach-Merritt syndrome, both of which were pathological studies. This is the first clinical case report of NIHF due to fetal Kasabach-Merritt syndrome that was prenatally diagnosed by sonography, computerized tomography, and percutaneous umbilical blood sampling.     

A tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the thoracic aorta presenting as massive hemoptysis--a case of successful surgical treatment

Tuberculous aneurysms of the aorta need early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention because if untreated, they lead to severe consequences. We report herein, a case of a 63 year old woman who underwent successful resection of a tuberculous pseudoaneurysm which had ruptured into the left upper lobe of the lung after a punch biopsy, performed under bronchoscopy, had caused severe bleeding. Subsequent CT and MRI examinations suggested a fistula between the mass and the aorta and proved useful in establishing the diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm. We wish to emphasize the need for bronchoscopy to be done carefully because of the risk of inducing massive hemoptysis.     

Ketamine infusion for control of pain in patients with advanced cancer

The effect of ketamine infusion to control the intractable pain which had not responded to ordinary procedures in 12 patients with advanced cancer were evaluated. Ketamine 250 mg or 500 mg in 500 ml of transfusion fluid with or without 10 to 20 mg of droperidol was administered intravenously at the rate of 3 to 20mg of ketamine per hour. The pain scores by VAS in most of the patients decreased significantly with an averaged value of 8.3 before the treatment to 1 during the procedure. The durations of this therapy lasted from over 6 hours to 48 days. Slight disorientation in one patient and drowsiness in 5 were seen during the infusion. No cardiovascular or respiratory complications were noted. These results indicate that ketamine infusion is a useful therapeutic procedure to treat cancer pain which resist ordinary pain therapies.     

Genetic susceptibility to herpetic encephalitis of inbred rabbits of B/Jas strain

Inbred rabbits of B/Jas strain were found to be highly susceptible to herpes simplex virus type 1 encephalitis, following i.v. injection of the virus, while Chbb:HM strain rabbits were not susceptible. The susceptibility trait seemed to be inherited recessively, involving multiple genes, because (B/Jas x Chbb:HM)Fl hybrids were as resistant as Chbb:HM rabbits, and because more than 90% of backcrosses of (B/Jas x Chbb: HM)FI to B/Jas were resistant to viral inoculation. The encephalitis in B/Jas rabbits resembled human herpes simplex encephalitis, in that the temporal lobe as well as the brain stem were affected preferentially, leading to the development of various types of seizures, such as circling, loss of balance leading to a fall, and tonic and clonic convulsions. The disease could be diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis before onset of seizures, and diseased rabbits showed a marked lymphopenia at onset of seizures. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Structural determination of geometrical isomers of microcystins LR and RR from cyanobacteria by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic techniques

A nondestructive method using a combination of three 2D NMR techniques, DQF-COSY (double quantum filter correlation spectroscopy), HMQC (1H-detected multiple quantum coherence), and HMBC (heteronuclear multiple bond correlation), were developed for structural determination of microcystins, toxic heptapeptides produced by cyanobacteria. With this procedure we were able to assign all carbons and protons of microcystins LR (1) and RR (2), thus determining the constituent amino acid sequences. The procedure was also applied to the microcystin-associated nontoxic minor components, which have molecular weights and amino acid compositions similar to those of 1 and 2 and toxicities different from those of 1 and 2. From detailed analysis of these spectra we rapidly deduced that the minor components are geometrical isomers with respect to C-7 of the diene in Adda of the parent toxins. The structures were finally confirmed to be 3 and 4 by ROESY (rotating frame nuclear Overhauser and exchange spectroscopy) technique.