Radiocesium in children residing in the western districts of the Bryansk Oblast from 1991-1996

Measurements of 137Cs body burden were carried out in 1991-1996 for children residing in the western part of Bryansk Oblast (Russia) where area contamination with 137Cs following the Chernobyl accident varied from 0.03-3.7 MBq m(-2). The mean and median values of 137Cs specific activity (SA) in the bodies of children 5-15 y old for the whole period of surveillance averaged for 26,029 measurements was 85 Bq kg(-1) and 49 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Mean values in different places of residence varied from 30-342 Bq kg(-1) for the settlements where the number of examinees was not less than 50. There is a moderately strong relationship between mean SA in the settlement and the level of area contamination with 137Cs. A strong seasonal effect on 137Cs body burden was found. The ratio of average SA values is 1:1.75 for spring to autumn 1992-1995 in the settlement where the largest number of children was examined. This effect might be attributed to a seasonal change in diet. Based on questionnaire information on individual consumption of locally produced foods, the descending rank of contribution of food items to 137Cs intake by children was found to be: meat-mushrooms-milk-vegetables. Assuming that the dose distribution would follow the distribution of SA values, internal doses to the whole body from ingested 137Cs were assessed. The mean value of annual internal dose averaged for the whole set of measurements is 0.21 mSv, and the median of the individual dose distribution is 0.12 mSv y(-1) For 2% of the total sample the annual dose exceeded 1 mSv, with the highest individual dose being 9 mSv in 1994 for a 7-y-old girl.     

Afferents of cranial sensory ganglia pathfind to their target independent of the site of entry into the hindbrain

In vertebrates, sensory neurons interconnect a variety of peripheral tissues and central targets, conveying sensory information from different types of sensory receptors to appropriate second-order neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). To explore the possibility that the different rhombomere environments where sensory neurons enter into the hindbrain affect the pathfinding capability of growth cones, we studied the development of the VIIIth ganglion afferent both in vivo and in vitro. We focused on the vestibular nerve because it is the only cranial nerve projecting to the cerebellum, allowing for ready identification from its pattern of projection. Embryonic rat brain was cut along the dorsal midline and, with the VIIIth and Vth ganglia still attached, flat mounted and visualized with antibodies specific for sensory ganglia. Axons reached the cerebellar primordium at embryonic day (E) 13, then splayed out towards the edges of the rhombic lip of rostral hindbrain. In vitro, the VIIIth ganglion showed development similar to that in vivo and innervated the cerebellum, an appropriate target, indicating that mechanisms for axon guidance and target recognition are preserved in vitro. When the VIIIth ganglion was transplanted to the position of the Vth ganglion, axons from the transplanted ganglion entered the cerebellar primordium with a trajectory characteristic of the VIIIth nerve. These results indicate that the central projection pattern of the VIIIth nerve is not affected by the environment of nerve entry into the brainstem, suggesting that axons of sensory cranial ganglion intrinsically possess the capacity to find their target correctly.     

Leiomyosarcoma of the scrotum: a case report

Leiomyosarcoma of the scrotum is a rare tumor. Up to 1999, only 29 cases have been reported in the literature worldwide. A 27-year-old man presented with a mass on the left side of the scrotum which had been painless and had gradually enlarged over the previous 10 years. During the following 3 months, however, it became painful and he was then referred to our hospital. Physical examination revealed a solid mass on the left side of the scrotum, measuring 7 cm in diameter, which was not adhering to the testis or to the vas deferens. The tumor was surgically resected. The histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of well differentiated leiomyosarcoma. Adjuvant therapy was considered unnecessary. The follow-up at 41 months revealed no local recurrence or distant metastasis.     

Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective review of 162 patients.

PURPOSE: We present results of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with proton beam therapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We reviewed 162 patients having 192 HCCs treated from November 1985 to July 1998 by proton beam therapy with or without transarterial embolization and percutaneous ethanol injection. The patients in the present series were considered unsuitable for surgery for various reasons, including hepatic dysfunction, multiple tumors, recurrence after surgical resection, and concomitant illnesses. The median total dose of proton irradiation was 72 Gy in 16 fractions over 29 days. RESULTS: The overall survival rate for all of the 162 patients was 23.5% at 5 years. The local control rate at 5 years was 86.9% for all 192 tumors among the 162 patients. The degree of impairment of hepatic functions attributable to coexisting liver cirrhosis and the number of tumors in the liver significantly affected patient survival. For 50 patients having least impaired hepatic functions and a solitary tumor, the survival rate at 5 years was 53.5%. The patients had very few acute reactions to treatments and a few late sequelae during and after the treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Proton beam therapy for patients with HCC is effective, safe, well tolerable, and repeatable. It is the useful treatment mode for either cure or palliation for patients with HCC irrespective of tumor size, tumor location in the liver, insufficient feeding of the tumor with arteries, presence of vascular invasion, impaired hepatic functions, and coexisting intercurrent diseases.     

A crucial role of uridine/cytidine kinase 2 in antitumor activity of 3'-ethynyl nucleosides.

The antitumor 3'-ethynyl nucleosides, 1-(3-C-ethynyl-beta-D-ribopentofuranosyl)cytosine (ECyd) and 1-(3-C-ethynyl-beta-D-ribopentofuranosyl)uridine (EUrd), are potent inhibitors of RNA polymerases and show excellent antitumor activity against various human solid tumors in xenograft models. ECyd is being investigated in phase I clinical trials as a novel anticancer drug possessing a unique antitumor action. ECyd and EUrd require the activity of uridine/cytidine kinase (UCK) to produce the corresponding active metabolite. The UCK family consists of two members, UCK1 and UCK2, and both UCKs are expressed in many tumor cells. It was unclear, however, whether UCK1 or UCK2 is responsible for the phosphorylation of the 3'-ethynyl nucleosides. We therefore established cell lines that are highly resistant to the 3'-ethynyl nucleosides from human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 and gastric carcinoma NUGC-3. All the resistant cell lines showed a high cross-resistance to ECyd and EUrd. As a result of cDNA sequence analysis, we found that UCK2 mRNA expressed in EUrd-resistant HT-1080 cells has a 98-base pair deletion of exon 5, whereas EUrd-resistant NUGC-3 cells were harboring the point mutation at nucleotide position 484 (C to T) within exon 4 of UCK2 mRNA. This mutation was confirmed by genome sequence analysis of the UCK2 gene. Moreover, the expression of UCK2 protein was decreased in these resistant cells. In contrast, no mutation in the mRNA or differences in protein expression levels of UCK1 were shown in the EUrd-resistant HT-1080 and NUGC-3 cells. These results suggest that UCK2 is responsible for the phosphorylation and activation of the antitumor 3'-ethynyl nucleosides.     

Atypical Shone's Complex Diagnosed at 70 Years Old: Presenting with Double-orifice Mitral Valve,Bicuspid Aortic Valve,and Aortic Coarctation

Atypical Shone''s complex is a rare congenital anomaly involving a left-sided obstructive lesion of two or three cardiovascular levels. A 70-year-old man with dyspnea on exertion was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis (AS) with a bicuspid valve, complicated by severe aortic coarctation (CoA) and a double-orifice mitral valve. He underwent surgery for AS and CoA in one session. It is important to search for complicated malformations, even in cases of bicuspid aortic valve found in old age.     

A Rare Presentation of a Compression Fracture or a Typical Presentation of Lateral Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome: A Diagnostic Error?

A 78-year-old woman complained of severe pain in the left costal region. Her body mass index was 23.1 kg/m². Lateral cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (LACNES) was the suspected diagnosis because the affected area was 2×2 cm and positive for pinch sign. Seventeen days later, the patient again presented with complaints of lower back pain accompanied by back pain upon extending the spine. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine showed a fracture of the vertebral body of T11. We herein discuss our errors in the diagnostic process and critical tactics for avoiding such errors in the future.     

Choroideremia associated with subretinal neovascular membrane

PURPOSE: To report two Japanese patients with choroideremia, one male and one heterozygous female, who developed subretinal neovascular membrane and/or subretinal fibrosis in the intermediate stage of the disease, and, in addition, to describe marked clinical manifestation in a heterozygous carrier female. METHOD: Two patients were examined by slip-lamp biomicroscopy, ophthalmoscopy and other ophthalmoloscopic examinations. RESULTS: Two cases showed moderately advanced ophthalmoscopic and functional abnormalitities compatible with choroideremia, and in addition, subretinal lesion in the fovea and/or midperiphery. CONCLUSION: The intermediate stage of choroideremia may occasionally be complicated with choroidal neovascular membrane in the fovea, the midperiphery, or both, which resolves spontaneously and results in subretinal fibrous scarring. The occurrence of this complication in the fovea leads to episodic central visual loss, while midperipheral lesion may remain unrecognized.