Long-dormant invasive mole associated with multiple malignancies

A 65-year-old previously healthy housewife, gravida 3, para 3, was first diagnosed as Stage Ib carcinoma of the uterine cervix (poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma) and admitted. The external radiation of 5400 rad by telecobalt source was performed. No intracavitary radiation was added. After about 7 1/2 years the patient noticed a tumor of fist size on her buttocks, but she did not present in our clinic regularly. Because of enlarging tumor and general malaise she was readmitted a year later. On the fifth hospital day she died with ileus. Autopsy revealed osteosarcoma of buttocks in the radiation field, stomach cancer (tubular adenocarcinoma) with perforated peritonitis, and invasive mole of the uterine corpus. The patient's last pregnancy terminated as a full-term delivery at 26 years of age and she was 43 years at her menopause. The dormant period of invasive mole was 47 years after her last pregnancy, 30 years after her menopause, and at least 8 years after pelvic radiation.     

Construction and characterization of an infectious molecular clone derived from the CRF01_AE primary isolate of HIV type 1

An infectious molecular clone (named p95TNIH022) was constructed using long-range polymerase chain reaction products derived from a clinical isolate (95TNIH022) of HIV-1 CRF01_AE obtained from an asymptomatic Thai carrier in 1995. The virus in the supernatant from p95TNIH022-transfected 293T cells showed infectivity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as well as in MAGIC5 cells, which express CD4 and CCR5, but not in the original MAGI cells, indicating that p95TNIH022 is an infectious molecular clone with CCR5 tropism. Interestingly, p95TNIH022-derived virus induced profound cell killing in infected PBMCs, as in cells infected with the parental isolate.     

Comparison of tensile strength and thrombus formation between mechanical microvascular anastomoses using a biodegradable ring device and sutured anastomoses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether early motion following mechanical anastomosis using a biodegradable ring device was possible or not, by measuring tensile strength and the rates of thrombus formation at anastomotic sites. Bilateral femoral arteries and veins of 24 rabbits were repaired by sutured anastomoses and biodegradable ring anastomoses. The tensile strength of the anastomotic site was measured by constant loading with a material-testing machine, using specimens excised at 24 hr, 72 hr, 1 week, and 2 weeks after anastomosis. The tensile strength of biodegradable ring arterial anastomoses was significantly stronger than sutured anastomoses at 24 hr, 72 hr, 1 week, and 2 weeks. No statistically significant differences were observed in venous anastomoses at any interval. In separate experiments, biodegradable ring anastomoses and sutured anastomoses of the bilateral femoral arteries of 18 rabbits were constructed, and early passive knee motion was carried out at 100 times once a day with maximum spreading of the hip joint for 24 hr, 72 hr, and 1 week. Thrombus formation at the anastomotic sites was evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM showed no thrombus formation in the biodegradable ring anastomoses at any interval; however, thrombi were observed in the sutured anastomoses (33 to approximately 50 percent).     

Detection of anti-Borna Disease Virus (BDV) antibodies from patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders in Japan

The relationship between infection with the Borna Disease Virus (BDV) and the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and mood disorders (DMS-IV) was investigated. Western blotting techniques were used to examine anti-p10-BDV antibodies in serum from 32 patients with schizophrenia and 33 patients with mood disorders in Japan. The results showed that 1 out of 25 controls (4.0%), 7 out of 32 patients with schizophrenia (21.9%) and 9 out of 33 patients with mood disorders (27.3%) were positive for anti-BDV-p10 antibodies. Compared with levels of anti-BDV-p10 antibodies in controls, the production of anti-BDV-p10 antibodies failed to show a statistically significant relationship with schizophrenia but did show a significant relationship with mood disorder. The subgroup of schizophrenia patients with positive syndromes had a non-significantly higher frequency of anti-BDV-p10 antibodies than the subgroup of patients with negative syndromes. Similarly, the production of anti-BDV-p10 antibodies was non-significantly higher among patients with the unipolar subtype of mood disorder than in those with the bipolar subtype.     

Evaluation of sustained grip strength for a stroke patient with a mild paresis

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a sustained grip strength test is workable as an accurate assessment of activity limitation related to muscle weakness of the paretic hands of stroke patients with mild pareses. Sixty-one stroke patients with mild pareses participated in this study. The maximal grip strength and an ability to sustain grip strength were examined with the Sustained Grip Strength Test. The latter ability was measured by the sustained period of the maximal grip strength (a period that exhibited more than 80% of the peak force during a six-seconds trial). The activity limitation of squeezing an object was evaluated in four ADL tasks, and the difficulties were rated according to three scores. We found that there was a significant positive relationship between the degree of the task difficulty and the maximal grip strength for paretic hands whose sustained period was over three sec, in all four assessments (p < 0.05). However, for paretic hands whose sustained period was under three sec, no such relationship was found. Consequently, measuring both the maximal grip strength and the sustained period was needed to assess accurately an activity limitation related to muscle weakness of the paretic hands of stroke patients with mild pareses.     

Rotational acetabular osteotomy for hip dysplasia: spontaneous medial enlargement of the acetabulum

We followed 56 patients (63 joints) who had undergone rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAOs) between 1987 and 1993, mean 7 (5-12) years. The Merle d'Aubigné score increased by 15 points or more in 59 and decreased in 4 hips. The arthrosis progressed in 5 joints. In about 2/3 of the cases, we observed some medial and/or lateral expansion of the subchondral bone in the acetabulum 3 years postoperatively, suggesting enlargement of the load-bearing area.     

Inhibitory effect of liposomal MDP-Lys on lung metastasis of transplantable osteosarcoma in hamster

MDP-Lys (N2-[(N-acetylmuramyl)-L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl]-N6-stearoyl-L-lysine), a macrophage activator, is a lipophilic derivative of muramyl dipeptide (MDP). Multilamellar liposome incorporated MDP-Lys was prepared using phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine by conventional film method, and its inhibitory effect on lung metastasis was compared with MDP-Lys as a solution in hamster's osteosarcoma. The lung metastatic rates after transplantation of the tumor to a lower extremity, in which the extremity was amputated 3 weeks later, were 50% and 100% 3 and 7 weeks, respectively, after transplantation. The rates after amputation were reduced by the treatment with MDP-Lys proportionally to the logarithmic MDP-Lys dose, and the rates 7 weeks after transplantation were 55% and 60%, respectively, in the MDP-Lys solution (50 microg/day) and liposomal MDP-Lys (20 microg twice/week) groups. Fifty percent of hamsters treated with liposomal MDP-Lys survived for more than 6 months. Considering that hamsters had a lung metastasis rate of 50% before MDP-Lys treatment, liposomal MDP-Lys given at a dose of 20 microg twice/week was effective for inhibiting lung metastasis at a far lower dose of MDP-Lys than that given as a solution (40 microg vs. 350 microg per week). No significant side effect of liposomal MDP-Lys, as evaluated by the comparison of body weight changes among differently treated hamsters, was detected. This greater inhibitory effect of liposomal MDP-Lys can be considered to be due to the longer retention of the liposomal form in the lung.     

Differences in Human Group Mean SEP between Sexes: with Reference to the Rohrer's Index*

Abstract: With 200 SEPs of normal subjects, the differences in the Group Mean SEP between sexes were defined eliminating the differences attributable to another peripheral factor relating to the nutritional condition represented by the Rohrer's index. The differences in the baseline amplitude of the Group Mean SEP between males vs. females in the sections between roughly 23–111 msec, around 330 msec, and behind 389 msec in latency were verified, subtracting the differences between the groups with a high vs. low value of the Rohrer's index, not attributable to the different nutritional condition, and might be the central origin. Applying the Amplitude Scaling, the differences in the sections 23–104 msec in latency were verified similarly, being more a significant indication of the sex difference per se.