Successful Norwood operation for single left ventricle associated with severe subaortic stenosis, coarctation of aorta and hypoplastic aorta]

A 4 month-old boy who had double-inlet left ventricle, severe subaortic stenosis, hypoplastic ascending aorta and coarctation of the aorta revealed severe respiratory failure. An urgent Norwood operation was done. The procedure consisted of enlargement of the ascending aorta and main pulmonary artery and a systemic-pulmonary shunt using 5 mm PTFE tube. Postoperative course was uneventful.     

Statistical analysis of the prostatic cancer patients detected from 1985 to 1989 in and around Gunma prefecture]

Prostatic cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the field of urology. The number of patients is increasing rapidly and its importance as a mortal disease is gathering attention. In 1985, we organized a registration system for prostatic cancer patients found in and around Gunma prefecture. In this study, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of the 730 patients registered from 1985 to 1989. The results were as follows. Mean age was 74.0 years old and the number of the patients was the greatest in the eighth decade. Voiding disturbance was the most common chief complaint, followed by pollakisuria, gross hematuria and miction pain. Stage and grade distribution were as follows. Stage A 16.2%, B 21.1%, C 17.0%, D 45.7%, well differentiated 27.4%, moderately differentiated 48.2% and poorly differentiated 24.5%, respectively. A statistically significant relationship between stage and grade was observed. Bone was the most common metastatic site. The highest incidence of bone metastasis was in lumbar vertebra, followed by ribs, ilium, thoracic vertebra and ischium. The value of PAP, ALP and ESR tended to be higher in high stage patients, and that of Hb was lower. Fifty two patients were detected by mass screening. Most of these patients were in an early stage. Most of the patients were treated by hormonal therapy. LH-RH agonists constituted 39.2% of the cases given hormonal therapy.     

Optimization of self-reference thermometry using complex field estimation.

Referenceless, or self-reference, thermometry is a technique for mapping temperature differences in the region of interest (ROI) using the baseline phase estimated by extrapolating the field in the surrounding region for estimation (RFE) and subtracting the estimated baseline from the measured field. In the present work a self-reference technique based on complex field estimation using 2D polynomials comprising complex-valued coefficients was proposed and optimized. Numerical simulations with a Gaussian-profiled phase distribution demonstrated that the ROI radius had to be 2.3-2.5 times the standard deviation (SD) of the Gaussian function in order to keep the error below 8% of the peak phase change. The area ratio between the ROI and the RFE had to be larger than 2.0 to maintain the error level. Based on the simulations, and phantom and volunteer experiments, the complex-based method with independently optimized polynomial orders for the two spatial dimensions was compared with the phase-based method using the similar-order optimization strategy. The complex-based method appeared to be useful when phase unwrapping was not removed. Otherwise, the phase-based method yielded equivalent results with less polynomial orders.     

The effects of long-term intake of a low concentration of sodium fluoride on bone loss in the growing senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM-P/6)]

The long-term effects of low concentrations of sodium fluoride (0, 1 and 5 mg/l) in drinking water on bone metabolism were examined in the growing senescence accelerated mouse (SAM-P/6) as a spontaneous experimental model of senile osteoporosis. In 4 and 8 months of age respectively, there were almost no differences in body weight, and serum calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels between controls and fluoride groups. Calcium contents per dry weight of femoral bone were higher in fluoride groups than in controls. The bone mass of the trabecular was not affected by the low-concentration sodium fluoride intake. However, sodium fluoride decreased the rate of bone mass loss associated with aging in the cortical bone in SAM-P/6 compared with the control. The results of this study suggest that, in growing SAM-P/6 mice, a long-term low-concentration sodium fluoride intake affects the skeletal metabolism.     

Measurement of the zeta potential of human platelets by the use of laser-light scattering.

An instrument was developed to detect the shift in scattering of laser light that occurs when particles in suspension move in a chamber with an electrical load. The instrument measures the zeta potential of particles. We applied the instrument to study human blood cells. Platelet-rich plasma was used because of the stability of the suspension, without the sedimentation or autoaggregation that is often seen with red or white blood cells. The reproducibility of the measurements was satisfactory when there were enough platelets in the suspension. Platelets from healthy controls (n = 136) had a potential of -14.20 +/- 1.64 mV at the detection angle of 17.1 degrees. Platelets from patients with essential thrombocytosis (n = 16) or polycythemia vera (n = 8) had higher potentials than the healthy controls.     

Radical correction of paracardiac type IIb of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection using pedicled flaps of right atrium and atrial septum

Surgical results of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) has been improved in recent years, however, late development of pulmonary venous obstruction was our concern in its total correction in early infancy. In the cardiac type of TAPVC, in which the pulmonary veins were connected to the right lateral wall, prosthetic patch is conventionally used in diversion of pulmonary venous flow into left atrium. It seemed favorable to repair this subset without using prosthesis. A 3-month-old female with TAPVCIIb according to Darling's classification underwent total correction on September 22th, 1988. Two pedicled flaps were developed using the right atrial wall and the atrial septum to create a pulmonary venous channel to divert arterial blood into left atrium and absorbable sutures were used throughout. Right atrium was entered through a vertical incision in its body and all the pulmonary veins were found in a recess in the lateral wall of the right atrium. Atrial septal defect in the cranial aspect of the fossa ovalis was enlarged by cutting the primum tissue along the right limbus and its caudal margin so as to form a pedicled flap attached to the left limbic tissue. Then the flap was sutured along the limbus to create a roof of the fossa ovalis. The second flap was made in the middle of the lateral atrial wall and was used to create a tunnel from the recess to the atrial septal defect. The defect in the right atrial wall was closed directly and no prosthetic patch was used. Postoperative course was uneventful and echocardiogram showed wide pulmonary venous channel draining into the left atrium.     

Pharmacologic preconditioning effects: Prostaglandin E1 induces heat-shock proteins immediately after ischemia/reperfusion of the mouse liver

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has several potential therapeutic effects, including cytoprotection, vasodilation, and inhibition of platelet aggregation. This study investigates the protective action of PGE1 against hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in vivo using a complementary DNA microarray. PGE1 or saline was continuously administered intravenously to mice in which the left lobe of the liver was made ischemic for 30 minutes and then reperfused. Livers were harvested 0, 10, and 30 minutes postreperfusion. Messenger RNA was extracted, and the samples were labeled with two different fluorescent dyes and hybridized to the RIKEN set of 18,816 full-length enriched mouse complementary DNA microarrays. Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels at 180 minutes postreperfusion were significantly lower in the PGE1-treated group than in the saline-treated group. The cDNA microarray analysis revealed that the genes encoding heat-shock protein (HSP) 70, glucose-regulated protein 78, HSP86, and glutathione S-transferase were upregulated at the end of the ischemic period (0 minutes postreperfusion) in the PGE1 group. Our results suggested that PGE1 induces HSPs immediately after ischemia reperfusion. HSPs might therefore play an important role in the protective effects of PGE1 against ischemia/reperfusion injury of the liver.     

Evaluation of blood flow patterns of true and false lumens in dissecting aneurysms using MR phase-contrast techniques

The magnetic resonance phase-contrast technique for the measurement of flow velocity and volume in true and false lumens was studied in six patients with chronic dissecting aneurysms. Phase-contrast images were obtained at a level perpendicular to the dissecting aneurysms of the descending aorta. As the maximum diameter of aneurysms increased, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the false to the true lumen increased and the peak average velocity in the true lumen during systole was decreased. This technique proved invaluable for determining prognosis and operability for this condition.