A case of left atrial automatic tachycardia successfully treated with aprindine

Electrocardiogram in a 15-year-old girl showed persistent supraventricular tachycardia at rates of 130 to 140 bpm. Electrophysiological study confirmed left atrial automatic tachycardia, which was transferred to sinus rhythm by intravenous infusion of aprindine (100 mg/10 min). Therefore, aprindine (60 mg/day) was administered orally, and neither recurrence of left atrial automatic tachycardia nor side effects were observed during subsequent follow-up period of 16 months.     

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PROSTATE CANCER IN GUNMA PREFECTURE, JAPAN

Background Prostate cancer is rare in Asia, but the number of patients is increasing in Japan. We conducted an epidemiological study of prostate cancer in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, to investigate the trends and characteristics of the disease.
Methods: The subjects were 1.411 prostate cancer patients newly diagnosed between 1985 and and 656 patients who died from prostate cancer between 1981 and 1992. The incidence and mortality rates were calculated by year, demographic region and age.
Results: The yearly incidence rate showed an increase but the mortality rate showed no marked fluctuations. There was no significant difference between urban and ruraI districts in either incidence or mortality rate. The incidence rate tended to be high in the northern part of the prefecture, but no marked variation in mortality rate was seen. The incidence and mortality rates in districts with a history of manganese mining were high compared to those in districts without mining. In contrast, the incidence and mortality rates in districts with a history of zinc mining were comparatively lower. Both incidence and mortality rates showed a marked increase with age. The age-specific incidence showed a double logarithmic relationship to age.
Conclusions: The increase of the yearly incidence rate might be due to changes in lifestyle and environmental factors, improved diagnostic techniques, and increased awareness among the general public regarding prostate disease. Further investigation is needed to clarify the pattern and the causes of regional differences in the incidence and mortality rates. The possibilities that manganese and zinc might be related to prostatic carcinogenesis are suggested. Int J Urol 1995:2:191–197     

Clinical application of rapid assay of interleukin-6 in influenza-associated encephalopathy

The characteristics of influenza-associated encephalopathy is the high mortality and nimble progress with coma which appears in general cases within 48 hours. Most of patients show no abnormalities in the standard blood checks on admission or in early stage. In this study we investigated if a rapid assay of interleukin (IL)-6 is useful in influenza-associated encephalopathy in early stages. The levels of IL-6 in patients with influenza-associated encephalopathy did not show any significant difference compared with those in patients with febrile convulsion and rotavirus-associated convulsion. However the levels of IL-6 in severe cases were significantly higher than those of mild cases with influenza-associated encephalopathy. Consequently the rapid assay of serum IL-6 is useful to evaluate and decide the therapies.     

Abnormal IgG galactosylation in MRL-lpr/lpr mice: pathogenic role in the development of arthritis

MRL-lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) mice spontaneously develop arthritis by an increase in the incidence of agalactosylated oligosaccharides in serum IgG, similar to rheumatoid arthritis patients. However, whether this association has a pathogenic significance is still unknown. In this study, we analyzed the oligosaccharide structure of serum IgG in various MRL mice with or without arthritis, to clarify the relationship between the oligosaccharide abnormality and the development of arthritis. The level of agalactosylation in serum IgG was comparable in both arthritis-free MRL/lpr and MRL-+/+ (MRL/+) mice at 6 weeks of age. In contrast, the incidence of IgG lacking galactose markedly increased in MRL/lpr mice at 6 months of age (the age at which arthritis occurred), compared with that from age-matched MRL/+ mice without arthritis. However, the proportion of agalactosylated IgG increased similarly in anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody-treated MRL/lpr mice at 6 months of age, despite the absence of the development of arthritis, because of depletion of CD4+ T cells. These results suggest that the abnormality in IgG galactosylation of MRL/lpr mice developed in an age-dependent manner, but it did so independently of CD4+ T cell-dependent B-cell activation and is not a consequence of the development of arthritis.     

Analysis of wild-type and e antigen-defective hepatitis B viruses during the course of a short-term corticosteroid therapy in chronic hepatitis B

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), with a G-to-A point mutation at nucleotide 83 in the precore region (mutant HBV83), accounts for most cases of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-defective HBV. However, it is still not clear how mutant HBV83 is associated with HBe seroconversion. Twenty-six HBeAgpositive patients with chronic hepatitis B who received oral prednisolone (30 mg/day) for 3 weeks were studied to clarify the prevalence of mutant HBV83 during the treatment using polymerase chain reaction with a restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Twelve (46%) patients seroconverted to anti-HBe 1 year after treatment, whereas 14 (54%) did not. The proportion of mutant HBV83 to whole HBV remained unchanged in both groups during an acute exacerbation induced by withdrawal of corticosteroids. Among 12 anti-HBe-0seroconverted patients, five (56%) of nine patients with only wild-type HBV at baseline developed detectable levels of mutant HBV83 while all three patients with a mixed viral population of wild-type HBV and mu tant HBV83 at baseline developed a higher pro portion of mutant HBV83 one year after treat ment. In contrast, these changes were observed in only one (14%) of seven who failed to seroconvert. The results indicate that a flare-up of hepa titis precedes emergence or selection of mutant HBV83, followed by HBe seroconversion in patients with chronic hepatitis B. © 1995 WiIey-Liss, Inc.     

Cloned Th cells confer eosinophilic inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness

BACKGROUND: The essential role of Th cells and T cell cytokines in eosinophilic inflammation has been established. METHODS: To determine whether Th cells are sufficient for the development of airway eosinophilic inflammation, ovalbumin-reactive murine Th clones were established and infused into unprimed mice. RESULTS: Eosinophilic infiltration into the lung was induced upon antigen inhalation in parallel with the rise in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) eosinophil peroxidase activity. Neither IgG, IgA, nor IgE antibodies were present in this model. Pathological examination showed swelling and desquamation of epithelial cells, mucous plugs, and goblet cell hyperplasia, all of which well resemble human asthma. Fluorescent probe labeled Th clones migrated into the lung prior to the eosinophil accumulation. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) was clearly induced upon antigen inhalation. Anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody abrogated the responses. Dexamethasone and cyclosporin A suppressed cytokine production by Th cells both in vitro and in vivo, BALF eosinophilia, and BHR. The number of eosinophils recovered in the BALF correlated with the intensity of BHR. CONCLUSION: The results clearly indicated that monoclonal Th cells are sufficient for the development of both airway eosinophilia and BHR. Agents capable of downregulating IL-5 production seem promising for the treatment of bronchial asthma.     

Prevalence of chlamydia-pneumoniae-specific immunoglobulin M antibody and acute exacerbations of asthma in childhood]

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae is a frequent causative agent of acute respiratory disease and has been recently reported as a possible cause of asthma. We investigated the prevalence of C. pneumoniae infections in childhood patients with acute exacerbations of asthma. METHOD: One hundred twenty-six childhood patients with acute exacerbations of asthma, 77 with acute bronchitis and 22 Respiratory syncytial virus infections were studied. Serum samples were obtained and tested for C. pneumoniae-specific IgM antibody by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA). RESULTS: C. pneumoniae IgM-positive results were observed in 48.4% (Index value>or=1.60) and 23% (Index value>or=1.10) of patients with acute exacerbations of asthma. The prevalence of C. pneumoniae-specific IgM was significantly higher in asthma cases than in other subjects (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that C. pneumoniae infection may trigger acute exacerbations of childhood asthma.     

Dose- and time-dependent responses for micronucleus induction by X-rays and fast neutrons in gill cells of medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) were exposed to various doses of X-rays or fast neutrons, and the frequency of micronucleated cells (MNCs) was measured in gills sampled at 12- or 24-hr intervals from 12 to 96 hr after exposure. The resulting time course of MNC frequency was biphasic, with a clear peak 24 hr after exposure, irrespective of the kind of radiation applied and the dose used. The half-life of MNCs induced in the gill tissues by the two exposures fluctuated around 28 hr, with no significant dose-dependent trend for either X-ray- or neutron-exposed fish. As assayed 24 hr after exposure, the MNC frequency increased linearly over the control level with increasing doses of both X-rays and fast neutrons. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of fast neutrons to X-rays for MNC induction was estimated to be 4.3 +/- 0.6. This value is close to the RBE value of 5.1 +/- 0.3 reported for fast neutron induction of somatic crossing-over mutations in Drosophila melanogaster that arise from recombination repair of DNA double-strand breaks. These results and other data support our conclusion that the medaka gill cell micronucleus assay is a reliable short-term test for detecting potential inducers of DNA double-strand breaks.     

Wear properties of alumina/zirconia composite ceramics for joint prostheses measured with an end-face apparatus

While only alumina is applied to all-ceramic joint prostheses at present, a stronger ceramic is required to prevent fracture and chipping due to impingement and stress concentration. Zirconia could be a potential substitute for alumina because it has high strength and fracture toughness. However, the wear of zirconia/zirconia combination is too high for clinical use. Although some investigations on composite ceramics revealed that mixing of different ceramics was able to improve the mechanical properties of ceramics, there are few reports about wear properties of composite ceramics for joint prosthesis. Since acetabular cup and femoral head of artificial hip joint are finished precisely, they indicate high geometric conformity. Therefore, wear test under flat contact was carried out with an end-face wear testing apparatus for four kinds of ceramics: alumina monolith, zirconia monolith, alumina-based composite ceramic, and zirconia based composite ceramic. Mean contact pressure was 10 MPa and sliding velocity was 40 mm/s. The wear test continued for 72 hours and total sliding distance was 10 km. After the test, the wear factor was calculated. Worn surfaces were observed with a scanning electron micrograph (SEM). The results of this wear test show that the wear factors of the both composite ceramics are similarly low and their mechanical properties are much better than those of the alumina monolith and the zirconia monolith. According to these results, it is predicted that joint prostheses of the composite ceramics are safer against break down and have longer lifetime compared with alumina/alumina joint prostheses.