A new experimental trial using repeated heating every 24 hours for local hyperthermic therapy with bleomycinin vivo

This report presents the effect of repeated heating every 24 hrs using bleomycin (BLM) which, although seemingly contrary to the usual agreement that hyperthermia should be carried out with a long interval due to thermotolerance, holds many possibilities. FM3A cells on the foot pad of C3H mouse were immersed in a heated water bath at 43 and 44°C for 30 min. The effect of repeated heating was appreciated by an improved growth curve and 50 day survival compared to mice which received heating twice with a 96-hr interval. Repeated heating every 24 hrs 5 times with BLM suppressed tumor growth significantly as compared to heating twice with a 96-hr interval without BLM. The longest survival time was obtained by the repeated heating with BLM among all protocols. There is therefore a good possibility that more effective results could be obtained clinically by repeated heating over a short period.     

Nephron Sparing Surgery for De Novo Renal Cell Carcinoma in an Allograft Kidney: A Case Report

De novo renal cell carcinoma in a renal allograft is rare and has special implications in renal transplant recipients. We describe a patient with a renal allograft who developed a de novo renal cell carcinoma in the functioning renal allograft 258 months after transplantation. The patient underwent enucleation of the tumor because preoperative MRI showed it was well-encapsulated. A DNA banding study showed that the tumor originated from the donor. Indications for conservative renal surgery in renal cell carcinoma have been increasing. Accordingly, 1 option in the treatment of de novo renal cell carcinoma in a functioning renal allograft is enucleation as a method of nephron sparing surgery.     

RETT's syndrome in Korea--report of two cases

Rett's syndrome(RS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by exclusive occurrence in females, autistic behavior, dementia, gait ataxia, loss of purposeful use of the hands with stereotypic hand movement, and seizures. Initially RS was considered to be very rare; however, recent reports suggest that the prevalence is considerably higher and occurrence is world-wide. Because the pathophysiological process remains unknown, the diagnosis of RS is based mainly on its characteristic clinical features and course. We experienced two cases of RS which, to our knowledge, are the first reported in Korea. It is quite possible that many patients with RS not yet being diagnosed in Korea.     

Extramarital sex and HIV risk behavior among US adults: results from the National AIDS Behavioral Survey.

Data from the National AIDS Behavioral Survey were used to examine the social distribution of extramarital sex and risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among married individuals in the United States. Of 1686 married respondents living across the United States, 2.2% reported extramarital sex; of 3827 married respondents living in 23 urban areas with large Hispanic or African-American populations, 2.5% reported having sexual partners outside marriage. The data indicate that the correlates of extramarital sex varied by race/ethnicity. Low levels of condom use were found among people reporting extramarital sex (8% to 19% consistent users).     

HLA-DQA1*0101 haplotypes and disease outcome in early onset pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

To further investigate a clinical impression that patients with early onset pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (EOPA-JRA) who carry HLA-DQw1 have more severe arthritis, we subtyped HLA-DQw1 in American midwestern patients with EOPA-JRA. The HLA-DQA1*0101 subtype was present in 10 of 19 patients who developed persistent polyarticular erosive disease compared with 18 of 92 healthy controls (chi 2 = 9.13, p = 0.003, RR = 4.6), and occurred more frequently in this polyarticular group than in patients without polyarticular erosive disease (chi 2 = 4.11, p = 0.040, RR = 3.0). The presence of HLA-DQA1*0101 was significantly lower in patients with chronic iridocyclitis than in patients without chronic iridocyclitis (chi 2 = 7.07, p = 0.008, RR = 0.21). In HLA-DQA1*0101 positive patients, DNA sequences of the beta-1 domain of the HLA-DQ alpha and HLA-DQ beta genes (HLA-DQA1*0101, HLA-DQB1*0501 and HLA-DQB1*0503) were identical to those in controls. In this midwestern EOPA-JRA population, HLA-DQA1*0101 or genes in linkage disequilibrium with it, are associated with a cohort of patients with EOPA-JRA with distinct clinical characteristics.     

Statistical MUNE: A comparison of two methods of setting recording windows in healthy subjects and ALS patients

OBJECTIVE: To address the issue as to how best to perform statistical MUNE, we applied two different approaches and compared results in healthy subjects and ALS patients. METHODS: Twelve normal subjects (women 8, mean age 52years) and 11 ALS patients (women 4, mean age 54years) underwent two consecutive MUNE studies, which differed in terms of setting and modifying the recording window. These are referred to as the 'expansion' and 'narrowing' methods, respectively. Size-weighted average (Av) SMUP and MUNE values were obtained using the two methods, and compared in control and patient groups. RESULTS: Expansion method-derived Av SMUP sizes and MUNE values differed only slightly from those obtained using the narrowing method in healthy subjects, whereas the narrowing method resulted in significantly larger Av SMUP sizes and smaller MUNE values than the expansion method in ALS patients (Wilcoxon signed ranks test, p=0.003). The sizes of tested areas (mean+/-SD) were significantly larger for the narrowing method than the expansion method in both subject groups with much greater difference in ALS patients; 9.6+/-3.1% vs. 7.9+/-1.7% in healthy subjects and 16.1+/-5.1% vs. 11.2+/-3.0% in ALS patients (Student t-test, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows, unlike that found in normal subjects, that the results of statistical MUNE in ALS patients are heavily dependent on the approach used to set and modify recording windows. SIGNIFICANCE: The expansion method using a 10%-sized window is likely to suffer from systemic errors due to the ceiling effect and the sampling of artifactually small motor units in ALS patients. The authors recommend that the narrowing method be considered as an alternative that avoids these problems.     

Distraction vs remodeling surgery for craniosynostosis

Objects We designed several distraction devices and applied these instruments in 14 patients with varying types of craniosynostosis. The aim of this report is to clarify the advantages and disadvantages of these surgical methods and to discuss current concepts for the surgical strategy in the treatment of craniosynostosis. Methods From January 2000 to July 2005, 28 patients with craniosynostosis were retrospectively analyzed. Surgical treatment was performed on 14 patients using the distraction method with internal distraction devices that we designed, in which 5 patients had plagiocephaly, 3 brachycephaly, and 6 scaphocephaly. All patients underwent preoperative and postoperative evaluations, which included the patient’s neurological state, and three-dimensional CT. Results With distraction devices, the time required for the surgery could be shortened almost 3 1/3 h; the bleeding during the surgery was decreased with reduced requirement of more than 200 ml of blood transfusion as compared with remodeling surgery. Postoperatively achieved distraction distances varied from 30.0 to 47.5 mm (mean, 42.99 mm). The average increased volume percent of cranium in distraction surgery group was 20.9% (range, −11.5 to 58.9%) after full distraction. Conclusion With distraction surgery, satisfactory cranial volume expansion and aesthetically pleasing morphological states were achieved in all cases, and the efficacy was statistically significantly high as compared with remodeling method.     

Changes in the molecular structure of mouse fetal astrocyte nucleosomes produced in vitro by methylmercuric chloride

The fluorescent probe N-(3-pyrene)maleimide, which specifically labels the cysteine residues of histone H3 within the nucleosome, was used to monitor changes in the nucleosomal structure of mouse fetal astrocytes exposed to varying concentrations of methylmercuric chloride. Methylmercuric chloride treatment (10 microM) for 6 hr produced a significant decrease in the degree of fluorescence of the probe. The decrease was much smaller following a 4-hr incubation period. These results correlate with recent observations showing that significant changes in the thymidine labeling index occur following 4-6 hr of exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). It is hypothesized that MeHg enters the cells during the growth phase and attaches to the protein moiety of the nucleosome in or near the cysteine groups of histone H3, thus diminishing the binding capacity of the fluorescent probe. Addition of a detergent (sodium dodecyl sulfate) resulted in only a small increase in the degree of fluorescence of the treated nucleosomes as compared to controls, showing that the interaction of MeHg with the nuclear proteins was not dissociated by detergent. In view of the strong interaction between DNA and the histone dimer H3-H4 and the potential importance of the latter in gene regulation, these results suggest an additional means by which MeHg may exert its toxic effects.     

Treatment of persistent and recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma by brachytherapy

The early results of brachytherapy for persistent and recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 30 patients is presented. Fifteen patients were treated by intracavitary caesium, 12 patients were treated by interstitial gold grain implant using the split-palate approach and three patients were treated by both intracavitary caesium and interstitial gold grain implant for the first and second relapse in the nasopharynx, respectively. The overall tumour control rate for intracavitary caesium was 5/18 (28%) with median follow-up of 25.2 months, and for interstitial gold grain implant it was 9/14 (64%) with median follow-up of 16.5 months. Interstitial gold grain implantation appears to be effective in the treatment of persistent and recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.     

In vivo insulin resistance induced by amylin primarily through inhibition of insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle

We examined the in vivo mechanisms of amylin-induced resistance in concious rats (n = 18). During 180-min euglycemic insulin-clamp (21.5 pmol.kg-1.min-1) studies, amylin (50, 200, or 500 pmol.kg-1.min-1; plasma concentration from 3 x 10(-10) to 9 x 10(-9) M) infusion determined a 19-27% reduction in glucose uptake (117.8 +/- 7.0 vs. 145.8 +/- 11.0, 107.1 +/- 9.2 vs. 145.1 +/- 6.7, and 105.0 +/- 7.2 vs. 144.4 +/- 7.0 mumol.kg-1.min-1 at 50, 200, or 500 pmol.kg-1.min-1, respectively, P less than 0.01) versus insulin alone, whereas 10-pmol.kg-1.min-1 amylin infusion (plasma concn 5 x 10(-11) M) failed to affect insulin-mediated glucose disposal. After amylin infusion, the contribution of whole-body glycolysis to overall glucose disposal increased from 43-48 to 62-79%, whereas muscle glycogen synthesis decreased significantly at all peptide concentrations greater than 3 x 10(-10) M, completely accounting for the decrease in glucose uptake. Skeletal muscle glucose-6-phosphate concentration rose from 0.219 +/- 0.038 mumol/g (insulin alone) to 0.350 +/- 0.018, 0.440 +/- 0.020, and 0.505 +/- 0.035 mumol/g (insulin plus amylin at 50, 200, or 500 pmol.kg-1.min-1, P less than 0.01). Suppression of hepatic glucose production by insulin was unaffected by a 50-pmol.kg-1.min-1 amylin infusion (18.5 +/- 4.3 vs. 21.7 +/- 2.9 mumol.kg-1.min-1), whereas it was slightly but significantly impaired by amylin infusion at 200 pmol.kg-1.min-1 (17.8 +/- 3.9 vs. 24.7 +/- 4.5 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)