Ultrastructure of capillary permeability in human brain tumor: primary meningeal malignant melanoma

The tumor vessels of a primary meningeal malignant melanoma were studied by electron microscopy. There were numerous endothelial fenestrae and basal lamina abnormalities in the intrinsic tumor capillaries. They resembled the tumor vessels found in nonglial tumors, but were distinctly different from those seen in glial tumors with nonfenestrated capillaries. These findings were anticipated because leptomeninges have fenestrated capillaries.     

Invasive techniques for the diagnosis of respiratory infectious diseases

Conclusion Reviewing the history of diagnostic procedures of causative organisms of respiratory infections, invasive techniques such as the protected specimen catheter (PSB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) have become the preferred choices because they have many advantages. These methods cause the patient relatively little discomfort, and permit an early diagnosis since they can easily be performed at the bedside and the causative organism from the disease site is obtained in cultures. These procedures can be used not only in patients with community-acquired lung infections, but also in immunocompromised hosts, including those with blood diseases or following renal transplantation, in patients in intensive care units and in mechanically-ventilated patients so that the cause can be accurately determined and chemotherapy started quickly, resulting in better therapeutic efficacy. Although these invasive procedures are advantageous for the diagnosis of respiratory infections, they also present various problems which remain to be addressed including minimizing contamination and setting diagnostic threshold values. However, the importance of accurately determining the causative organism in respiratory infections should be recognized as the most important factor, and these methods have shown to date to provide the most accurate information to aid in the timely treatment of respiratory infections in a wide variety of patients.     

Effect of calcitonin on total body bone mineral contents of experimental osteoporotic rats determined by dual photon absorptiometry

Summary Total body bone mineral (TBBM) content in rats was measured by dual photon absorptiometry (DPA). TBBM showed significant increases over 4 weeks in control groups with significant bone loss over the same time in prednisolone-injected rats on low calcium feed. Daily injections of calcitonin significantly reduced loss of bone mass. Both prednisolone- and prednisolone-calcitonin-injected groups showed significantly elevated serum alkaline phosphatase with the prednisolone-calcitonin group also exhibiting elevated serum calcium and phosphate levels, confirming the impact of the experimental protocol. TBBM measured by DPA in all groups correlated well (r=0.928,P<0.001 n=20) with the total ash weight suggesting that the method reflects total skeletal mineral content in the small animal. TBBM measurement by DPA proves well-suited to monitoring bone mineral in a small animal experimental setting.     

Protective effect of prostaglandins D2, E1 and I2 against cerebral hypoxia/anoxia in mice

The protective effect of prostaglandins (PGs) against cerebral hypoxia/anoxia was investigated with a variety of experimental models in relation to their CNS depressant effects in mice. Furthermore, the effect of PGs on the changes of cerebral energy metabolites and cyclic nucleotide was examined in hypoxic mice. Mice were given s.c. doses of PGs 30 min before tests. Among the PGs tested, treatment with PGD2, PGE1 and PGI2 Na showed a consistent and dose-dependent protection against cerebral anoxia induced by all models studied: histotoxic anoxia by KCN, hypobaric hypoxia, normobaric hypoxia and decapitation-induced gasping. However, PGA1, PGA2, PGB1, PGB2, PGE2, PGF1 alpha, PGF2 alpha and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha at a dose of 3 mg/kg were without effect against normobaric hypoxia and gasping duration. The three PGs, i.e. PGD2, PGE1 and PGI2 which showed anti-hypoxic effects decreased locomotor activity and potentiated hexobarbital-induced sleep. On the other hand, PGE2, PGA1, PGA2 and PGB2 also caused a decrease in locomotor activity. Similarly, PGE2 and PGA1 caused a potentiation of hexobarbital-induced sleep, but interestingly they did not cause clear-cut increase in cerebral resistance to hypoxia, in contrast with the former three PGs. Thus general depression of CNS function appears not to be responsible for the PGD2-, PGE1- and PGI2-induced increase in cerebral resistance to hypoxia. The levels of Cr-P and ATP were significantly reduced and those of ADP and AMP were markedly elevated in hypoxic brain, resulting in a decrease in a calculated energy charge potential. The lactate level and lactate/pyruvate ratio increased and the glucose level decreased markedly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of 24-hour ureteral obstruction on subsequent ischemic damage in rat kidney

The effects of prior 24-hour ureteral obstruction on ischemic renal damage were studied in rats. Rats were divided into 6 groups with different times of ischemia (0, 60 and 90 min) and with or without 24-hour ureteral obstruction. Following a 4-week recovery period, contralateral nephrectomy was performed and the rat was sacrificed 24 h later for the determination of serum creatinine and for histologic examination of the affected kidney. A preceding ureteral obstruction for 24 h made no difference to the renal damage with 60 min of ischemia or without ischemia. However, kidneys with 90 min of ischemia and 24 h of ureteral obstruction were more damaged than those with 90 min of ischemia only. These results suggested that the hydronephrotic kidney was more susceptible to long periods of ischemia than the normal kidney.     

Temporal and spatial expression of transforming growth factor-β in the healing patellar ligament of the rat

We investigated the temporal and spatial expression of transforming growth factor-β in the healing patellar ligament of the rat by immunohistochemistry. The mid-portion of the medial half of the patellar ligament in 14-week-old male Wistar rats was cut transversely with a scalpel. On day 1 after ligament injury, diffuse staining for transforming growth factor-β was observed in the extracellular matrix filling the wound, and the staining in the adjacent ligament tissue was as weak as it was in the normal ligament. On day 3, the intensity of the diffuse extracellular staining decreased, and the staining was observed in correspondence with the cellular distribution in the wound site and in the adjacent uninjured ligament tissue. On day 7, the intense staining was widely distributed over the whole length of the ligament tissue. On day 28, the staining for transforming growth factor-β was still observed at the wound site and in the adjacent uninjured ligament tissue, where the staining was reduced in intensity but still stronger than it was in the normal ligament. On day 56, the expression of transforming growth factor-β was still detectable at the wound site: however, in the adjacent uninjured ligament tissue, it had almost subsided to the normal level. The results of the present study suggest that ligament healing may be accompanied by extensive changes in the expression of transforming growth factor-β over the whole length of ligament tissue.     

A New Serum Tumor Marker, CAM 123-6, Highly Specific to Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

KL-6, a circulating mucin-like glycoprotein, is a pulmonary adenocarcinoma-associated antigen and is also regarded as an indicator of disease activity of interstitial pneumonitis. KL-6 has extensive heterogeneous antigenic determinants and consists of multiple heterogeneous antigen molecules. We have searched for circulating KL-6-associated glycoproteins with superior diagnostic value to KL-6 as a tumor marker for pulmonary adenocarcinoma. A new murine monoclonal antibody EH-123 reacting with an asialosugar chain on KL-6 was established. A new KL-6-associated molecule detected by a bimonoclonal bideterminant sandwich assay using the EH-123 antibody as a catcher and horseradish peroxidase-labeled KL-6 as a tracer was designated as CAM 123-6. In 59% (22 of 37) of patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma, serum levels of CAM 123-6 were abnormally elevated and the positive rate increased with the progression of clinical stage. Elevated levels were not detected in normal individuals or in patients with benign lung diseases, other histologic types of lung cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer or breast cancer. CAM 123-6 was more specific to pulmonary adenocarcinoma than carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), but the sensitivity of CAM 123-6 for pulmonary adenocarcinoma was similar to that of CEA. CAM 123-6 is a promising candidate as a serum tumor marker for pulmonary adenocarcinoma.     

Clinical Evaluation of a New Type of Centrifugal Pump

Abstract: The major problems with existing centrifugal pumps are leakage, mechanical trauma, and thrombus formation. In consideration of these problems, a new compact centrifugal pump system was developed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the new centrifugal pump system clinically. Ten patients underwent open heart surgery with a centrifugal pump or a roller pump. During surgery, hemodynamic and hematological data were obtained. A pulsatile assist device in the pump circuit was used in patients with severe heart disease. There was neither operative death nor hospital mortality, and there was no difference with regard to hemodynamic data between the two groups. The centrifugal pump group, however, had significantly lower hemolysis, especially during prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass. This centrifugal pump could also create sufficient pulsatile flow with a pulsatile assist device. Postoperative macroscopic and microscopic findings demonstrated the smooth surface of the pump without thrombus formation. This centrifugal pump system might be useful for prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass.     

Myocardial protective effect of lidocaine during experimental off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) has recently gained popularity. During OPCABG, patients remain vulnerable to ischemic-reperfusion injury due to a temporary coronary occlusion without any active cardioprotection. Some strategies such as ischemic preconditioning (IP) and an intracoronary shunt have been applied with a view to minimizing the effects of ischemia, but the effects of these strategies remain controversial. This study was carried out to investigate the protective effect of lidocaine against myocardial ischemic-reperfusion injury. Twenty-one pigs were assigned to three groups, each consisting of seven pigs. In the control group, using a left internal thoracic artery (LITA) bypass circuit, the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was occluded for 45 min followed by two hours of reperfusion. In the IP group, five min of occlusion followed by 15 min of reperfusion was performed. In the lidocaine group, 2 mg/kg of lidocaine was administered directly into the LAD just before the LAD occlusion. Infarct size expressed as a percentage of the area at risk was significantly smaller in the lidocaine group (2.7+/-4.2%) than in the control group (79.9+/-6.0%, p<0.001) or the IP group (57.0+/-25.9%, p<0.001). Lidocaine exhibited a potent myocardial protective effect in the present OPCABG model.