Cross-sectional study of allergic disorders associated with breastfeeding in Japan: The Ryukyus Child Health Study

Uncertainties remain as to whether breastfeeding is protective against childhood allergic disorders. Positive relationships of breastfeeding with asthma and atopic eczema were observed in two previous Japanese studies. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between the feeding pattern after birth and the prevalence of allergic disorders during the past 12 months in Japanese schoolchildren. Study subjects were 24,077 children aged 6-15 yr in Okinawa. The outcomes were based on diagnostic criteria from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Allowance was made for age, sex, number of siblings, smoking in the household, paternal and maternal history of asthma, atopic eczema, and allergic rhinitis, and paternal and maternal educational level. Breastfeeding, regardless of exclusivity, for 13 months or longer and exclusive breastfeeding for 4-11 months were independently associated with a higher prevalence of atopic eczema, particularly among children without a parental allergic history. A clear positive dose-response relationship was observed between prolonged duration of breastfeeding, regardless of exclusivity, but not exclusive breastfeeding, and the prevalence of atopic eczema. We found a significant positive trend for atopic eczema across the three categories (formula milk, partial and exclusive breastfeeding) in the first 4 months of life although the odds ratio for exclusive breastfeeding was not statistically significant. No material association was found between the feeding pattern after birth and the prevalence of wheeze or allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Prolonged breastfeeding may be associated with a higher prevalence of atopic eczema in Japanese children.     

Late Effects of Childhood Acute Leukemia and Its Treatment

Late effects of childhood acute leukemia and its treatment were studied in 766 patients (684 ALL, 73 ANLL, and 9 others) in Japan who had remained in remission for more than 1 year after their first complete remission. Delayed adverse sequelae involve a wide variety of organs and their functions. Short stature was present in 2.61%, obesity in 3.79%, abnormalities of growth hormone secretion in 1.5%, delayed secondary sex characteristics in 1.5% of males and 0.6% of females, motor disturbances in 1.17%, sensory disturbances in 0.91%, intellectual and learning disabilities in 2.48%, abnormal findings in routine neurologic examinations in 1.31%, EEG abnormalities in 4.30%, brain CT abnormalities in 5.09% and cardiac dysfunction in 1.07%. Various other disorders were seen in 20 patients. Many of these delayed adverse sequelae are caused by or related to central nervous system prophylaxis and systemic combination chemotherapy. The results suggest that it is needed to improve therapeutic methods through the stratification of patients by risk factors and detailed analysis of prognostic factors. Moreover it is important to render medical and psychosocial support to long-term survivors of childhood leukemia through interactions between the patient, parents and medical staff.     

Mucinous adenocarcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation of the mandibular ramus: report of a case

A rare case of mucinous adenocarcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation of the mandibular ramus is presented. The patient, an 80-year-old man, was referred to our hospital with chief complaint of swelling and pain in the left buccal mucosa. CT and MRI examination showed an osteolytic tumor mass occupying the upper region of the left mandibular ramus. Macroscopically, the excised tumor was a relatively well-defined, solid mass with diffuse bone resorption, measuring 3 cm x 3.2 cm x 3 cm. Microscopical examination showed that the tumor forming glandular structures with abundant mucous production and high cellular atypia. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated the positive reactivities for pan-keratin, cytokeratin 7, vimentin,alpha-amylase, alpha-smooth muscle actin, neuron-specific enolase, glial fibrillary acid protein, calcitonin, and somatostatin in tumor cells. These findings suggested that the tumor was originated from heterotopic or misplaced salivary gland in the mandible.     

The study of intratumoral PO2 in brain tumors

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypoxic cells in the human brain tumor in vivo. Untreated 16 cases of brain tumor were analysed. During the surgery for the purpose of removal of the tumor, needle type-O2 sensors were inserted into femoral artery and in brain tumor to measure PaO2 and intratumoral O2 pressure. A plate type O2 sensor was put on the surface of surrounding brain cortex to measure cortical O2 pressure. These O2 sensors for this study is able to measure O2 pressure continuously and to observe these three O2 pressure simultaneously. Operations were performed endotracheal anesthesia under inhalation of ethrane with maintaining systolic blood pressure 120 mmHg. Setting the rate of O2 and N2O gas inhalation 1/3, PaO2 revealed about 110 mmHg which is similar value as physiological state--1 ATM, air inhalation--. The value of TuO2 and BrO2 were revealed 15.3 +/- 2.3 (mean +/- SE) mmHg and 59.8 +/- 6.5 (mean +/- SE) mmHg. According to these results, it might be said that hypoxic fraction surely exist intratumoral tissue. It is also well known that O2 removes from higher pressure zone to lower pressure zone after O2 was diffused from red blood cell in brain tissue. It might be also mentioned that much lower hypoxic fraction than the value of this study is existing intratumoral tissue. It has long been recognized that hypoxia influences the response of cells and tissues to radiation. However, they have been suspected on the basis of experimental data in vitro. This study showed hypoxic fraction in human brain tumor tissue in vivo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Synergistic effect of recombinant interleukin-2 on the inhibition of growth of adenocarcinoma 755 by mitomycin

The increase in life-span (ILS) of tumor-bearing mice caused by recombinant interleukin-2 (RIL-2) was studied in the solid tumor adenocarcinoma 755 system. With long-term treatment (Days 5-12), RIL-2 (10(5) U/mouse) showed a weak effect (24% ILS), but short-term RIL-2 treatment (Days 5-8 or 9-12) had hardly any effect. Mitomycin, at 2 mg/kg (maximum nontoxic dose), caused 35% ILS with Days 5-8 treatment and only 12% ILS with Days 9-12 treatment. Sequential treatment with mitomycin (Days 5-8) and RIL-2 (Days 9-12) markedly enhanced antitumor activity (88% ILS). This value is significantly greater than that of mitomycin alone or RIL-2 alone (P less than 0.01). Furthermore, mitomycin followed by RIL-2 markedly augmented killing activity of spleen cells that are cytotoxic in vitro. These results indicate that RIL-2 markedly affects the inhibition of growth of a tumor treated with an antitumor agent.     

Successful mitral valve repair for active infective endocarditis accompanied by anorexia nervosa

Infective endocarditis of the mitral area accompanied by anorexia nervosa is extremely rare. A 34-year-old Japanese woman presented with high fever and a heart murmur that had developed over the previous 2-month period. Echocardiography revealed mitral regurgitation and vegetation attached to the anterior mitral leaflet, which had markedly prolapsed to the left atrium. We removed the vegetation with a small part of the anterior mitral leaflet and successfully repaired the mitral valve. The patient showed good recovery, and the mitral regurgitation and left ventricular chamber size had satisfactorily decreased at 2 months after the operation.     

Effect of tacrolimus and partial hepatectomy on transthyretin metabolism in rats

Liver transplantation, which serves as treatment of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP), and domino liver transplantation, which utilizes resected livers from patients with FAP for treatment of liver diseases, may induce changes in transthyretin (TTR), a pathogenic FAP-related protein. To evaluate this possibility, we performed a 70% hepatectomy or administered tacrolimus to Dark Agouti (DA) rats for 7 days and then measured changes in liver TTR mRNA levels and changes in serum TTR concentrations. After hepatectomy, TTR mRNA levels decreased by 77%; at day 3, they returned to preoperative levels. Except for slightly elevated serum TTR concentrations 12 h after operation, serum TTR levels remained unchanged. Thus, partial hepatectomy did not influence serum TTR concentrations. After tacrolimus administration, TTR mRNA declined by 56% 12 h after the experiment started; however, after day 3, a rebound phenomenon occurred until day 7. Tacrolimus may facilitate serum TTR degradation, although production of TTR in the liver also increased. This finding -- that TTR, the source of FAP-inducing amyloid, did not increase after transplantation -- may help post-transplantation treatment of patients who have FAP and other liver diseases.