CONGENITAL ROSAI-DORFMAN DISEASE WITHOUT LYMPHADENOPATHY

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare histiocytic proliferative disorder with massive lymphadenopathy. We here describe RDD of a neonate who presented with paleness and hepatosplenomegaly but not lymph-node swelling. Routine laboratory studies showed anemia, thrombocytopenia, and an elevated value of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. Histological examination of the liver revealed a proliferation of histiocytes with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, which were positive for S-100 protein and CD68 but not CD1a and did not reveal Birbeck granules. Radiological studies showed hepatosplenomegaly and a narrowing of the hepatic vein, which might have contributed to hypersplenism resulting in anemia and thrombocytopenia. This case is thought to be congenital RDD without lymphadenopathy.     

Effectiveness of doxifluridine (5′-DFUR)/docetaxel against advanced/recurrent gastric cancer showing resistance to various anticancer drug regimens

A 58-year-old man was diagnosed as having type 3 gastric cancer (poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma). He underwent total gastrectomy with splenectomy, as well as D3 dissection, and received postoperative chemotherapy combining oral uracil and futrafur (UFT) with cisplatin (CDDP), but results showed recurrence of multiple abdominal lymph node metastases around the aorta. He therefore received various anticancer drug regimens (irinotecan [CPT-11]/CDDP; 1 M tegafur-0.4 M gimeracil-1 M oteracil potassium [TS-1], methotrexate (MTX)/5-fluorouracil); however, final results showed growth of lymph node metastasis and simultaneous worsening of his general condition. The patient then received combined administration of doxifluridine (5′-DFUR)/docetaxel (5′-DFUR, 1000 mg/body [666.7 mg/m ² ], given by consecutive daily administration, orally, for days 1–14; and docetaxel, 80 mg/body [60 mg/m ² ], on day 8, by venous drip, every 3 weeks). Three courses of this regimen resulted in approximately 90% reduction of the abdominal lymph node size, disappearance of the right cervical lymph node metastasis, reductions of the levels of two tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA] and carbohydrate antigen [CA]19-9), and improvement of his general condition. In total, seven courses of the regimen were carried out. The patient died on day 298 after starting this combined regimen and showed a response period of 126 days. The primary toxicity identified was neutropenia (grade 4), as well as other low-grade (grade 1, 2) hematological and nonhematological toxicities. In the field of gastric cancer treatment, especially for patients showing multiple resistance to anticancer drugs, an effective therapy is critically needed. Received: January 15, 2002 / Accepted: July 8, 2002 Offprint requests to: A. Sato     

Neurotoxicity of petroleum benzine compared with n-hexane

Summary Petroleum benzine is one of the mixtures of organic solvents containing n-hexane. The occurrence of polyneuropathy in the workers using petroleum benzines is attributed mainly to n-hexane, though other hydrocarbons present are also suspected of having some neurotoxicity or some potential which could modify the neurotoxicity of n-hexane. The present experiment was performed in order to clarify the toxicity of petroleum benzine to the peripheral nerve and compare it with that of n-hexane.Forty rats were randomly divided into five groups. The groups were exposed to 200 ppm n-hexane, 500 ppm n-hexane, and petroleum benzine vapor containing 200 ppm n-hexane or 500 ppm n-hexane, together with aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons for 12 h a day for 24 weeks. The body weight, motor nerve conduction velocity, motor distal latency, and mixed nerve conduction velocities were measured before exposure and every 4 weeks of exposure. A rat from each exposed group was histopathologically examined after 24 weeks' exposure.The function of the peripheral nerve was conspicuously impaired by 500 ppm n-hexane, slightly impaired by 200 ppm n-hexane and petroleum benzine containing 500 ppm n-hexane, and even less impaired by petroleum benzine containing 200 ppm n-hexane. Degenerations of the myelin sheaths and axons were demonstrated in all exposed groups upon examination of the raveled tail nerves. Thus, the experiment revealed that petroleum benzine could impair the peripheral nerves, while some components of petroleum benzine were considered to inhibit the neurotoxicity of n-hexane.This investigation was partly supported by a grant for scientific research from the Chiyoda Mutual Life Foundation in 1980–1981     

Successful Surgical and Endovascular Multidisciplinary Therapy for Mid-aortic Syndrome with Complicated Atherosclerotic Comorbidities in an Older Patient

Mid-aortic syndrome (MAS) is a rare vascular disorder that causes refractory hypertension. A 76-year-old woman was hospitalized for acute heart failure (HF) with drug-resistant hypertension; other comorbidities included epigastric artery rupture, old myocardial infarction, an intraventricular thrombus, and a cerebral artery aneurysm. Angiography revealed severe narrowing of the descending aorta, which led to the diagnosis of MAS. Although intensive medical treatment improved her HF, optimal blood pressure (BP) could not be achieved. Percutaneous coronary intervention and surgical bypass for diseased aorta was then performed in two stages, resulting in the achievement of optimal BP and alleviation of HF.     

Dietary Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Induces Satiation by Enhancing the Postprandial Activation of Vagal Afferent Nerves

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is present in the mammalian brain as the main inhibitory neurotransmitter and in foods. It is widely used as a supplement that regulates brain function through stress-reducing and sleep-enhancing effects. However, its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, as it is reportedly unable to cross the blood–brain barrier. Here, we explored whether a single peroral administration of GABA affects feeding behavior as an evaluation of brain function and the involvement of vagal afferent nerves. Peroral GABA at 20 and 200 mg/kg immediately before refeeding suppressed short-term food intake without aversive behaviors in mice. However, GABA administration 30 min before refeeding demonstrated no effects. A rise in circulating GABA concentrations by the peroral administration of 200 mg/kg GABA was similar to that by the intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg GABA, which did not alter feeding. The feeding suppression by peroral GABA was blunted by the denervation of vagal afferents. Unexpectedly, peroral GABA alone did not alter vagal afferent activities histologically. The coadministration of a liquid diet and GABA potentiated the postprandial activation of vagal afferents, thereby enhancing postprandial satiation. In conclusion, dietary GABA activates vagal afferents in collaboration with meals or meal-evoked factors and regulates brain function including feeding behavior.     

Effect of Host Structure on Optical Freedericksz Transition in Dye-Doped Liquid Crystals

The optical Freedericksz transition (OFT) can reversibly control the molecular orientation of liquid crystals (LCs) only by light irradiation, leading to the development of all-optical devices, such as smart windows. In particular, oligothiophene-doped LCs show the highly sensitive OFT due to the interaction between dyes and an optical-electric field. However, the sensitivity is still low for the application to optical devices. It is necessary to understand the factors in LCs affecting the OFT behavior to reduce the sensitivity. In this study, we investigated the effect of the host LC structure on the OFT in oligothiophene-doped LCs. The threshold light intensity for the OFT in trifluorinated LCs was 42% lower than that in LCs without fluorine substituents. This result contributes to the material design for the low-threshold optical devices utilizing the OFT of dye-doped LCs.